Prologue: Anomaly

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Something was ringing in his ears, muffled as it was. It was an electronic chirp of sorts, not wholly unpleasant but at the same time annoying enough that it wasn't ignorable, and there was also an air of urgency about it. He had about a second more to contemplate the noise when the bite of a needle pinched in his chest and quickly followed by the rush of liquid adrenaline being pumped into his body which snapped him from his state of stupor.

Falling to his knees on the hard metal floor his mind raced to piece together the situation he had been flung into while his lungs fought to retch up the gelatinous goo stuck in his throat and the information came together for him in fragments.

Still on the ship.
Emergency alarm.
Suspended animation ended early.

Finally coughing the highly-concentrated nutritional supplement onto the deck the human pulled himself to his feet with the aid of the open locker where his gear had been waiting. A small medical droid entered the room and began cleaning up the mess as an electronic female voice chimed from nearby, "< Scanning. >" The human pulled the undershirt on while he waited for the sensors to do their job. "< Identification confirmed: Marius Aelius, Titus. Query? >"

"Iana, give me a situation report," Titus asked, his body was moving automatically - he climbed into the leggings of the bodysuit and worked his arms into the the sleeves of the torso section, "Are we under attack? Why was I taken out of suspended animation early?" The last thing I need to deal with right now is pirates or a Jedi hunter.

"< Negative. Ship has been taken off-course by a spontaneous gravitational and energy anomaly. Port-side engine damaged, output down to 63% and falling, >" the computer answered.

Well, at least it wasn't Jedi hunters. Titus loaded a powercell into his sidearm and checked the charge before securing the weapon in its holster. "Unseal all doors from here to Piloting, NOW!" the human barked, grabbing the helmet from the locker and jamming his feet into his boots before taking off toward the cockpit down the hallway at a full sprint. Only got time to get the bodysuit on, no time for the plating.

As he slid in front of one of the control panels the screen came to life as if to greet him and Titus' gloved fingers began flying over the surface, each tap or swipe entering a command or accessing information on the ship. "Bring communications online and program self-replicating seeds of the files across every subnet databank you can. Dynamically encrypt each-"

The computer chimed an acknowledgement.

"Launch emergency beacon two through six to pre-designated coordinates; set to broadcast encryption keys for the files on all friendly channels-"

Another chime, "< Port engine output has fallen below the escape threshold. Instructions? >"

Kark. If I don't live through this at least the information wouldn't die with me. It's out there for someone to find.

"< Instructions? >" the computer asked again.

"Send a mayday signal to our handler then cut power to non-essential systems: transfer to inertial dampeners," Titus said, delegating some of his tasks to get as much done in the narrow window he had, "Backup navigation and AI to each of the server cores-" The ship lurched hard to port as the anomaly began to suck them further in and blinking warning lights illuminated the cockpit, bulkheads groaning against the stress, "Come on, Iana! Adjust our course to reduce ship profile, I'd rather not go into this thing sideways!"

"< Acknowledged: firing starboard engine, >" the computer calmly stated followed by a brief pause.

Titus programmed all forward-facing thrusters to fire at maximum burn should the ship survive the trip through the anomaly. Provided, of course, it doesn't drop us off in the center of a sun or planet.

"< ...course correction complete. >"

"Patch me through to the droids, we'll need their help orchestrating this." Two comm channels instantly appeared on his heads up display at the order though his attention was focused on his task and he didn't need to see them to know his two droids could now hear him, "Arsix, get us sealed up in case we have a hull rupture, retract turrets into the hull. Iana, redirect reactor power from main engines to slipstream shielding; any excess power left over from here on out goes to reinforce the shields. Treadwell? Hang on, buddy," Titus tapped another string of commands into his console as the ship began to shudder harder, "Cut life support on my mark. Transitioning to suit support." Entering a command into a display screen on his jacket sleeve the tiny tetrahedrons that made up the entire suit automatically constricted to a more snug fit to reduce the amount of material that could potentially catch on a surface in low gravity. Next his helmet activated, more tetrahedrons extending down his neck to connect with the rest of the suit and completing the seal.

"Mark," he said, waiting for the life support warning on the console to start blinking red. Titus was still giving commands when the ship was finally swallowed and the anomaly disappeared without a trace a second later in an almost violet flash of light.

1: The Report

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"Spike?" came a soft whisper, "SPIIII-IIKE~?"

A rather disheveled young dragon poked his head out from under the covers of his basket bed. "Bleh," was all he could manage before his head was back on the little pillow and the blanket pulled back up around him.

"Oh, Spike," the violet unicorn exclaimed, concern very evident in her voice as she lay down next to the basket, "are you feeling any better at all?"

"Ugh. Sowwy, Twiligh," Spike croaked. One half-lidded eye cracked open to look at her even though all the little dragon wanted to do was keep his eyes closed and continue sleeping, "I feel a libble bebter, buh myh snouwt is stiww awl stuffed uhp. I pwomish tow helb twibce ab hard onbce I'hm back tow norble."

It was a little hard for Twilight to make out what Spike was saying on account of his stuffed up snout but she patted the top of his head sympathetically. "Aww that's okay, Spike. With all the help you've been so far on this project I think my Number One Assistant has earned a few days off," she threw in a big smile in at the end to try in hopes of cheering the little dragon up, even just slightly. "You go ahead and sleep as much as you want to. Oh! Pinkie dropped off some cookies and a card, I'll leave those here in case you get hungry," she levitated the platter of still-warm cookies and the get-well-soon card she had temporarily set on the dresser before waking him closer to the basket. A garbled response that Twilight assumed was one of acknowledgement came from the basket and Spike's head disappeared back under the blanket at which point she realized sticking around would probably not be conducive to him getting back to sleep. "If you'd like some soup or anything else I'll be downstairs in the study," she gave the lump that was Spike a quick nuzzle before trotting out of the room, quietly closing the door behind her though through the door a faint POP! - undoubtedly accompanied by confetti - and party noise maker could be heard as a certain card was opened which brought a relieved smile to Twilight's face.

Feeling slightly less worried about her little assistant, Twilight stopped to glance out the window at the Weather Team moving dull rainy clouds into the morning sky over Ponyville.

Rainbow Dash did say the Weather Team had a storm scheduled today, but hadn't been clear on just how much of a storm it was going to be. "They needed to make up for two days where unscheduled sunny weather had been required," was what she had said. I'll have to ask for a more in-depth weather schedule the next time I see Dash. Twilight nodded in thought. It had been really nice of Pinkie to swing by with a fresh batch of cookies, especially in this weather, though seeing her happily bouncing from puddle to puddle was probably a sign that she didn't mind or hadn't noticed how dreary it was. How she kept the platter of cookies both dry and in a perfect pile through the trip, however, was still a mystery which I guess I can just chock up to Pinkie being Pinkie.

Working her way down the stairs, Twilight continued to think to herself. All of my friends have shown concern when Spike got sick and throughout the week they've managed to do something nice for him in their own way. Monday Rarity had shown up with a set of freshly-sewn embroidered pillows to fluff up his basket, Tuesday evening Fluttershy brought some soup and tea she and Zecora had brewed up that should speed his recovery and help him sleep, and early the next morning AJ and Big Macintosh came around with an apple pie and some fresh cider meant to help wash away the taste of the soup and tea. Rainbow Dash even stopped by to give him a copy of her favorite Daring Do book. I think it's all helping, I just don't want him to burn himself out immediately trying to make it up to everypony as soon as he starts feeling better.

Twilight disembarked from this train of thought when she arrived at the tower of books and reference material she and Spike had been set up in the middle - and on every other available surface - of the study. It had been a rough few days without Spike's assistance but Twilight felt she needed to keep making progress, tired as she was, so she pushed the lectern Spike had been using a few inches closer to her own before sitting herself down to begin scanning the text from the tomes she deftly levitated around her, all the while scribbling equations and jotting down notes on the piece of parchment in front of her.

The sound of her quill tapping against the bottom of an empty inkwell snapped Twilight from her intense focus of writing a long note. With a sigh, she levitated the writing implement back to the lectern and tried to look out the nearby window to get an idea of what time it was only to find she was unable to focus on anything farther away than her parchment. Rubbing the stubbornness out of her eyes, she tried again.

"Wow, the weather team really brought in a lot of cloud cover for this one," she whispered as light rain pattered at the glass pane, "It almost looks like it's night out-"

She nearly finished saying her thought before a short-lived break in the clouds revealed a sliver of moon.

"Oh sweet Celestia! Have I been here that long?" she cried with panic edging its way into her voice and began pacing around the study, "I still haven't gotten anywhere near enough data to send to the Princess in tomorrow's report!" Glancing from page to page of the parchment, Twilight plopped her flanks down on the carpet and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths in the process.

Okay Twilight Sparkle, it's crunch time. You're probably going to have to pull an all-nighter but you're going to get this report done! With a sigh to calm herself she opened her tired eyes and brought her front hooves together determinedly. "You have your hypothesis. You have the procedure... let's see," she muttered aloud before sifting through the clutter to levitate the page she was looking for, "Here it is... and you have the consolidated research and cited sources list-" A literal ream of pages lifted into the air that was nearly as thick as her forehoof, "All that's left is to follow the equations you worked on in the laboratory chalkboard and have Spike send the report in the afternoon, if he's feeling better." She spent a moment taking in the massive amount of papers floating around her before her shoulders slumped a small fraction.

"I'd better start brewing some coffee..."

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The transcription of the rough scribbles and short-hoof notes into the finalized rendition of the report that would be sent to the Princess took her until just slightly before dawn but finally the weary Twilight was ready to start the casting portion of her project. After that all that's left is to organize whatever observations I take and provide a concluding statement to the report.

Twilight gave one equation that popped out on the page a quick glance. "Hmm... this thaumaturgic equation looks to indicate the differentiating levels of inducements might cause an audi-" a yawn briefly interrupted her monologue until she fought it back, drowning it with what was left of her mug of coffee, "...an auditory discharge. The corresponding frequencies are similar enough and woven together so that it shouldn't be too loud-" she paused to glance quickly at the stairs through the study door, her mind drifting back to the snoozing dragon she had left upstairs last night, "-but I should do this outside so that I don't wake Spike."

Checking in on him revealed a floor covered in confetti and the snoring bundle of covers was using an open Daring Do book for a pillow, one claw limply stretched out as if to take another cookie from the nearly-empty platter which prompted Twilight to snag one of the cookies as an impromptu breakfast before tucking him back in. Heading back to the study, she quickly gathered up the pages she'd need to reference and a few pieces of equipment and after a quick double-check of her stuffed bags against her checklist the unicorn donned a bright yellow rain poncho and set off into the drizzle with the perfect spot to cast the spell in mind.

Despite the weather and the time of day the street wasn't completely empty; a few ponies had begun the process of opening up their shops for the day and cheerful greetings were exchanged as their paths crossed. Crossing a small hoofbridge at the base of the hill where she was headed Twilight happened to cross paths with Applejack as she pulled her cart of produce down the road for the morning market.

"Hey sugarcube, ya sure are up early," Applejack said with some concern while giving her friend a once-over after spotting the dark bags under her eyes, "Or are ya up late?"

Twilight let out a weak laugh which tried to turn into a yawn but she fought it back, not that AJ didn't catch it, "Heheh, the latter, AJ. I'm on my way to conduct an experiment so I can finish writing this report for the Princess. We had been talking about how convenient it would be for me to be able to check out required books from the Canterlot library without having to wait two to three days for them to be delivered."

"Wait, can't Spike-" Applejack started before Twilight cut her off with a shake of her head.

"I know what you're going to ask, and no. Large volumes of pages have proven to be an issue, both sending and receiving," she clarified and got a slow nod from the farm pony in understanding as she imagined what sort of issue that might pose. "Spike being sick is another reason to look into the thematic of setting up a long-range two-way system, which could potentially have more uses across Equestria. For now I'm just seeing if I can send an inanimate object to a pre-determined location without leaving the portal open for any significant length of time. Conceptually speaking the spell is feasible, provided the caster have a familiarity with unicorn teleportation mechanics-" she was already engaged in enthusiastically sharing when an orange hoof pushed against her snout effectively shushing her.

"Twilight, I wager a few bits yer 'bout to start using big words from those thick books of yours, and for today I reckon I'd like to keep my eyes from goin' crossed just tryin' to keep up," Applejack said after Twilight had been broken out of lecture mode, "And besides, I got to get the cart set up; Dash was sayin' early mornin' the weather team is supposed to be gettin' all this here cleared up so me an' Granny got an inklin' it'll be a good day for business."

"Oh!" Twilight exclaimed at the mention of the family business and quickly peered around AJ in hopes of getting a peek at all of the tasty baked items which were unfortunately still covered from the weather, "Could I be your first customer of the day? One apple, please."

"Sure thing, sugarcube! Nothin' like startin' the day with something from Sweet Apple Acres!" AJ said before plucking one of the juicier-looking apples by the stem off her cart for Twilight to put in her saddle bag before giving her a confident grin, "Already lookin' like me an' Granny were right about today!"

After the two had parted ways it only took a few moments for Twilight to reach the top the hill overlooking Ponyville, thankfully with shelter from the rain provided by a small white gazebo. Though her tummy grumbled in protest when looking at it Twilight had thought it better not to mention to AJ that she intended to teleport the apple back to her laboratory in the basement because the farmer probably wouldn't be too thrilled about her beloved produce being used as a test subject. I don't want a repeat of the Apples-Into-Oranges reconfiguration spell incident. That had taken quite a bit of talking to smooth over.

The sun had already broken over the horizon, as evident by a small patch of cloud cover the Weather Team had cleared in the short time they had been at work, when Twilight had finished her preparations. The apple had been placed on a pedestal made using an ordinary garden rock she had moved from the grass with her video camera on a tripod pointed at it and ready to record and pages of notes lay on one of the benches near her should she need them for reference. With everything prepared she checked the clock tower in the distance. The camera in the laboratory will have started recording a few minutes ago. She made a mental note to include a copy of both viewpoints with her report and with a final check of the equipment she pressed the record button and stepped into the camera's view.

"Well, here we go..." she said aloud, giving the camera a rather uncertain smile.

Twilight's horn glowed as she focused the necessary magic. The first step was infusing the target subject with a small amount of magic that the caster could then hone in on as an anchor for the next spell, something she and Spike had worked on before (and that was pretty basic stuff, as far as Twilight was concerned). With that step out of the way, Twilight started seeking for that little node of magic she had attached to the apple. Finding it, she began the more complex process of tailoring the usual teleportation spell to bind to the target as a form of proxy. It took a little bit of tweaking for the magician to get the base of the teleport spell to mesh with the infused apple, but the magic held after Twilight had relinquished her connection to the spell.

"The energy seems to be remaining in a constant state of equilibrium - I'm not getting any spikes toward one polar extreme or another. So far, so good!" she stated for the camera, this time the smile was purely genuine.

Opening her eyes for the first time since she started, Twilight turned to look for her library home in the town below her. Finding it, she closed her eyes to focus again, this time seeking out the distinct magical aura she had left as a beacon to guide her to the destination of the test subject. It took a few minutes to sort out her target from the various magical signatures in the town, but once she was certain she had the right one she was able to lock-on and tune out the rest from her concentration. With two definitive points now identified, Twilight began linking the two, connecting the strands of magic of the point of origin to the corresponding strand of the destination - it was much like braiding a mane, but doing so one hair at a time. It was an arduous task, but it became easier the more intertwined the magic became. As the last strand was joined, Twilight opened her eyes to try to catch a glimpse as the spell was completed.

A wavering shimmer around the apple could be seen, almost as if there was a sheet of flowing water between it and the viewer. Half a heartbeat after opening her eyes, a faint-but-audible THWHIP! and the apple, along with the stone, were gone.

"HAHA! IT WORKED!" Twilight cheered gleefully, prancing about on her two hind hooves before calming herself down and addressing the camera once more, "Right. *ahem* Test subject no longer present at origin point. Data note: will need to refine the infusement process as a small amount of additional matter was transported. Initial weaving of teleportation spell into subject's anchor mesh-"

CRACK!

Twilight was cut off and nearly jumped out of her fur when a loud explosion - too loud to be from thunder or lightning - emanated from somewhere in the distance behind her and she spun about to identify the source.

It didn't take her long to find it.

Where there had once been a sky full of clouds, a donut of clear sky had appeared above the town with the only cloud now above Ponyville situated directly above her library. Looking closer Twilight could see a shimmer identical to the one that had surrounded the apple and stone had started to form on the surface of the now-darkening cloud, angry arcs of lightning reaching out to the lightning rod on the top of her home and sending Weather Team pegasi scattering in every direction.

"Oh buck..." Twilight swore absentmindedly as she took off for the library.

2: UFOs

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The closer Twilight got to the library the more ominous the cloud became and by the time she had reached the library it was a churning mass of shimmery dark grey fluff. The center looked to be completely black, judging from the light put off by the numerous arcs of energy that were lashing out to any lightning rod, weather vane, or street lamp in range in a shower of bright sparks. This was a disaster, to be sure, and Twilight's mouth hung open for a second before realization hit her like a buck square to the face.

Spike.

"Spike! SPIKE!" she cried out, glancing up at the bedroom window of the tree house hoping to see some sort of sign he was awake or had already escaped but the window was closed just as she had left it. "Oh no. Ohnoohnoohno-!"

"Twibight?"

Just as she was about to make a beeline for the front door she heard a voice somewhere a short distance behind her. Without a doubt it was her stuffed-up Number One Assistant and when her head whipped around sharply she found him peeking around the stonework of a nearby building waving both arms to get her attention, "Twibight, ober here!"

She had never galloped so fast in her life and the instant she was close enough she was wrapping her hooves around the little dragon, "Oh, Spike! I was so worried about you! Are you okay?" Amid the nuzzles and squeezes she failed to notice his eyes bulging out of their sockets and a slight blue tinge growing in his face from the embrace.

"Twi-*gag* li-*wheeze*" Spike tried to say around the hug but found trying to speak let what little air he had left escape his screaming lungs.

"Easy there, Twilight. Might wanna let the lil' fella come up for some air."

The distinct drawl of another of Twilight's friends brought an end to her almost assaulting-levels of nuzzling against the nearly passed out dragon. "Applejack! I'm so glad you-" she was mid-sentence when she turned to where the farmpony had spoken but the words died in her throat when she saw her friend, her eyes growing to twice their size and her mouth fell open. The most immediately noticeable was a familiar produce cart set next to the wall which was covered in scorch marks, some of which were still smoldering but that, however, had barely drawn any of Twilight's attention as next to the cart was an orange earth pony absolutely covered in apple chunks and dripping with juice to the point it looked like she had taken a quick swim in a pool of apple sauce.

Knowing full well what she looked like AJ gave the unicorn a stink eye so mean even one of the Princesses would think twice before opening their muzzle. "Twilight, if'n you so much as giggle..." Applejack growled through gritted teeth in hopes of getting her message across though she tried not to draw attention to an apple chunk that slowly slid from the brim of her drooping hat and down her mane to land in the street with a wet PLOP!

"BWAAAAHAAHAHA!" the loud guffawing erupted from up near the roof and there was only one pony that laughed like that.

AJ's ear twitched ever so slightly though one could almost hear her quickly-boiling blood like a tea kettle on the range.

A rainbow-maned head poked into Twilight's view over the lip of the roof, confirming that laugh was none other than the brash pegaus'. "I guess what they say is true," she paused so the incoming punchline would hit that much harder, "The Apple family's produce is just BURSTING with flavor! HAAAHAAHAAHAA!"

"Rainbow... Dash..." the orange and quickly turning red farm pony ground her teeth as the pegasus rolled around on the roof laughing uproariously at her own joke, "GET DOWN HERE!"

Twilight attempted to intercede before things got any more out of hoof, "Girls!"

"Hey AJ, let me guess what was in your cart... ZAP apples? AHAAHAAHAA!"

"I'M FITTIN' TO REARRANGE THAT RAINBOW STRIPE OF YOURS!" Applejack was beyond hopping mad and contemplating the possibility of bucking the building to the ground to get at the pegasus and several apple cores that were still in the cart sailed upward in an attempt to dislodge the out-of-reach annoyance, "Get your flank down here so I can kick it!"

"GIRLS!" Twilight tried again, this time gaining their attention though muffled giggles could still be heard from the rooftop and every so often Dash's eyes would dart to the farmpony who was shooting daggers her direction which would prompt the fit of giggles would start again. In the interest of getting to the bottom of things Twilight did her best to ignore it, "What happened here?"

"Beats me, darn cloud came outta nowhere! I saw it swirlin' round your library while I was working my way through town to the market-"

"It was SO cool!" Rainbow Dash excitedly butted in, "First there was this big bang then all the other clouds just kinda disappeared!" She swooped down and hovered at head level, seemingly unaware of just how hard AJ was staring at her and grinding her teeth to keep herself from walloping her now that she was within range. Dash gave zero bucks and turned to point at the cloud above the library, "I was helping the Weather Team get clear of the cloud when I notice Applejack yellin' at Spike to take cover because he was standing in the library door with lightning cracking all around the place. Then she just takes off toward him, cart and all!" She jerked a hoof over at Applejack, who was beginning to calm down ever so slightly because of the praise directed at her, "I'm telling you, AJ must have picked up on some of my awesome moves because she was ducking bolts on her way in - apples exploding all over the place like juicy fireworks - then she tossed Spike in the cart's storage spot and made a beeline back here, dodging bolts the whole way out! That's when you got here."

"Shucks, I wasn't about to leave a friend out there!" Applejack said confidently before jabbing a juice-soaked hoof into Dash's ribs playfully, but still a little harder than normal, "If it had been you, on the other hoof, I woulda had to think about it."

There was one question that rocketed to the front of Twilight's mind, and the same one that she was always afraid of asking when her experimental magic was probably to blame for something happening in Ponyville. "Was anypony hurt?" she asked worriedly and searched her three friends faces for any form of answer though thankfully and much to her relief Spike casually dismissed the question with a wave.

"Na, ebrypony hab scabtered before tha lightbing starteb. Couble bwoken wimbows is all."

"Judgin' by how that cloud's actin' I'd say we're not outta the woods yet," Applejack wrung out her hat before cocking her head to one side to look inquisitively at the unicorn, "Say Twilight, that thing you were talkin' about this mornin'... that got anythin' to do with this?"

Her ears flattening back, Twilight suddenly found it hard to look at her friends. "Oh, um, I can't say with any certainty but m-maybe?" she said meekly with a nervous grin though she couldn't stop her shoulders and head from slumping as she physically shrank under their gaze. I feel absolutely terrible for putting everypony through all of this. Several arcs of lightning striking nearby weather vanes in rapid succession caused Twilight to jump, startling the honest answer out of her, "Yes, probably."

Dash knew Twilight never intended anything like this to happen when she was studying magic and the guilt on her friend's face didn't sit well with her so, casting a glance upwards and with no other idea on how to help, she decided to take initiative, "Hey, don't worry about it! You three sit back and let The Dash handle this!" She was off the ground and airborne before anypony could say anything to the contrary.

Rainbow was halfway to the cloud when something large - larger than the cloud itself - launched out of it with a deafening boom while cones of blue-hot fire spewed out in front of it. It Rainboom'd... without the Rain!? She barely had time to register the revelation before she was hit by the shock-wave and was thrown back onto one of the thatched roofs.

Meanwhile on the ground, Applejack, Twilight, and Spike had all hit the dirt and could only watch as a fire-spewing something barreled by overhead.

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The firing of the thrusters caused Titus to whip forward and smash into the console as the shuttle came out of the other side of the anomaly even with the inertial dampeners running well past the maximum safe-operating output. Wherever we are, there's gravity. Titus watched the drops of blood streak down the inside of his visor as proximity alarms blared and view screens that had displayed the empty vastness of space suddenly displayed dark clouds in a blue sky, a large forest behind a hill, and the rapidly-approaching ground.

Got to act fast.

"< Pilot. Power fluctuation detected of one one thousandth of a tick- >"

To his luck the cracked screen of the console in front of him still accepted commands and his gloved hands flew over it for the crash procedure. Emergency shutdown of reactor... done. Redirect everything left in the capacitors to buff slip-space shields. Hydraulic retraction of hull turrets, remotely disarm torpedoes... done! Equalize pressure to exterior levels to avoid explosive decompression... done. Brace for impac- A sudden contact on the exterior of the ship sent it flipping over onto its roof, tossing everything inside around violently.

The human was able to get his arms up to cradle his head and curl-up in his seat as best he could before he was thrown into the edge of his console. His already throbbing head, exacerbated further by the state of being upside-down, exploded in pain as he felt ribs break and if not for the smart-armor in his bodysuit hardening on impact to absorb much of the blow Titus probably would have been looking at something much worse.

The cacophony of straining metal against the whine of shields attempting to hold and the g-forces tugging at his harness as the ship spun on its axis saw him off into unconsciousness.

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The thick thatched roof where she had crashed allowed Rainbow to quickly catch her bearings. Good thing this soft roof was here, but sweet sisters, my ears are ringing! Balance is all out-of-whack. Recovering sufficiently, Dash scanned the sky for who - or what - she had nearly collided with though it didn't take much to finding it and she followed its flight down to the ground, cringing as the right side of it smashed into a hill outside of town with enough force to cause a pseudo-earthquake that shook the buildings of Ponyville and knocked several onlooking ponies from their hooves. She lost sight of it as it flipped behind the hill, dirt and debris being flung everywhere in a spectacular fashion though Rainbow lay on the roof for a second longer, awestruck that something that large could have been moving fast enough to perform a Rainboom before she was snapped back to reality by sight of the growing commotion of concerned ponies emerging from their hiding places. Getting to her hooves she made a wobbly glide down to converse with her friends on what to do next.

Twilight's eyes were locked on where the cloud was now dispersing though her gaze shifted to follow a dark vapor trail that led over the hill where a dull roar that grew quieter by the second while Applejack could have probably fit half the farm's apples in her mouth for how far it was hanging open.

"Wab thabt a drabon?!?" Spike, the first to recover from the shock, shouted as he ran over to the pegasus as she struggled to the ground.

The mention of a dragon snapped Twilight out of her trance, "D-Dragon? Did somepony say dragon?!" She'd accidentally summoned dumb beasts before on several occasions but never something like a dragon and the thought of it made her eyes go wide at the prospect. The Princess is going to banish me for sure!

"What?" Dash shouted but was oblivious to her volume because she had seen Spike's mouth moving but it was like he had been whispering. Twilight raised her voice to repeat the question after figuring out the pegasus had been much closer to the Rainboom then they had and was likely experiencing temporary hearing loss. Dash was silent for a moment as she went over her encounter, tapping a hoof to her chin, before she shook her head and shouted again. "Na, I don't think so. It was too fast for a dragon-"

"Well, it sure as hay wasn't a kite, so what else would you call somethin' that big that's flyin’ and breathin' fire?" Applejack interrupted with sound logic as it was the size of some of the lager dragons they had seen in the migration a few months before and overhearing voices in the crowd of ponies around them confirmed that it most certainly was breathing fire.

Twilight shook her head, her denial of what she had seen half born because Rainbow, currently the pony to have gotten the best look at it, was saying it hadn't resembled a dragon. The other half was her absolute desire to not have to explain to the Princess why she needed to leave Canterlot to help stop a rampaging dragon from destroying Ponyville, but this didn't go shared as she took charge, "We shouldn't jump to conclusions but if Rainbow is saying it didn't fly like a dragon I think we should trust her judgment, at least until more evidence comes in."

Shrugging his shoulders, Spike chimed in, "So, if nobt a dwagon whab oes tha leab us wibth?"

Twilight’s eyes followed the vapor trail, “I don’t know Spike, but we need to find out what we’re dealing with.”

“It crashed on the other side of the hill,” Rainbow said loudly and performed a wobbly corkscrew to get above the rooftops to point a hoof in the direction, her flight still affected from the shockwave as was her recovering equilibrium, “The one south of town, toward AJ’s farm.”

“Well I reckon if it’s not a dragon, it still might be some other critter. And even if it is, who better to have on hoof than Fluttershy?”

“Good call, Applejack!” Twilight praised as a plan began to form in her mind. “Dash, you're the fastest so go get Fluttershy and meet us on the road near the hill-” she had barely finished her instruction when the pegasus had shot off in an (almost) straight line for the cottage on the outskirts of town, narrowly dodging flying right into a lamppost but was gone before anypony could stop her. Continuing on with delegating the preparations for her plan Twilight was turning to Spike when she finally noticed the ponies whose expressions ranged from nervous to near-panicked which were turned toward their local heroes and lead her to lean in and instead whisper to her assistant, “Spike, go and find Pinkie Pie. Tell her we need to diffuse this tension, she’ll know what to do.”

With his own task prescribed Spike gave a little salute and turned on his heel to go look for the Party Pony. “Oh, Spike? One more thing,“ the voice over his shoulder said after he had only traveled a few steps, “I need you to send a letter.”

“Ugh…” was all he could manage as he looked visibly sick to his stomach.

----------------------------

It wasn't long before Dash returned to the base of the hill with Fluttershy following right behind her. Twilight briefly explained the situation to her newly-arrived friend, however when she was finished the yellow pegasus stated she had also heard the loud boom and had been dealing with several of her startled animals when Rainbow had nearly crashed through the window. During her explanation Rarity, with Spike on her back, came trotting over the bridge and interrupted.

"Ah, darling, I'm so glad we caught you before you had departed!" Rarity said with a wave of a hoof while Spike hopped down.

"I talked with Pinkie, she's setting up a party and said to leave everythi-"

"SPIKE!" a shocked Twilight interrupted, "You're not all stuffed up anymore!"

"Oh! The poor thing!" Rarity exclaimed, hugging the little dragon close which he clearly didn't mind in the slightest, "I was on my way back to the boutique from the market when I came across my little Spikey-Wikey having a terrible fit of sneezes. Just as any mare would, I offed the gentledragon my hankie and, well..." she looked away, a hoof across her forehead, "It was simply too horrendous to retell."

"Yeah..." Spike sheepishly revealed a somewhat-soggy letter to Twilight.

Had Princess Celestia responded to my letter this quickly? Twilight unrolled the parchment with her magic and read it to herself.

"To my faithful student,
I'm so sorry to hear that Spike is feeling a little under the weather and I hope that the delivery of this letter did not bring him any further discomfort. Please pass along my wishes for his speedy recovery; should you feel that Spike's condition necessitates the delay of your project or his absence puts any strain on you do not hesitate to postpone further experimentation and any reports stemming from it until his full recovery.
Best wishes and warmest regards,
P. C."

Finishing the letter Twilight let out an audible sigh that caused her companions to exchange worried glances because this was never the reaction she had when getting correspondence from her mentor.

Applejack was the first to speak up, trotting over and putting a hoof on Twilight's shoulder "Everythin' okay, sugarcube?"

"Well," Twilight sighed then leaned into AJ's gesture, "No. This letter was sent a few days ago and in it the Princess is telling me I could postpone my research until Spike got better. It... must have gotten clogged... somewhere..." All she could bring herself to do is stare at her hooves as a cloud of guilt slowly built over her, "I'm sorry! This whole situation was avoidable, but because I put my desire to finish a paper before the well-being of a best friend I ended up causing damage to Ponyville and I put my friends in danger. On top of that, whatever just flew over Ponyville may be hurt and lost and scared. And i-it's my fault..." She was trying not to cry, fighting hard to suppress the weariness from working all night as it clawed its way up her throat which was leaving her to speak in small hitches between breaths in what was a losing battle. The letter from the Princess fell into a puddle at her feet when both hooves moved to cradle her face in an attempt to stem the tide of tears that had started rolling down her cheeks, "It's all my fault."

She would have said it a third time but she was smothered in hugs from her friends as they each said something of encouragement.

"There, there, dear. You certainly didn't mean for any of this to happen."
"But you're sorry, and that's what matters."
"Shucks, Twilight, everypony makes mistakes now and again!"
"Yeah, even me! And I'm still this awesome!"
"If anyone's to blame it's me, Twilight. I'm the one who had a letter stuck in his snout."

Twilight still felt she was responsible for all of this but she wanted to show her friends that their support was appreciated so she dried her eyes and did her best to squeeze all of them at once into one hug, "Thanks everypony. I'll be sure to write the Princess with what I've learned when we get back."

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt this..." Fluttershy meekly whispered, shifting from hoof to hoof before breaking from the hug to glance at the hill behind them because just the thought of a hurt creature that was lost or hurt somewhere in the forest was enough to cause the pegasus obvious discomfort, even something as big and imposing as a dragon, "But we really should get going, shouldn't we?"

“Oh dear, I’d love to join you on this little outing but I promised I’d help Pinkie with the cleanup before the party preparations,” Rarity said, starting to head back toward the bridge and secretly glad to have avoided a traipse through the wood which would undoubtedly be a muddy endeavor after the storm.

“Rarity, wait!” Twilight called, trotting a few steps to catch up as the fashionista turned around. Once she was closer her voice dropped almost to a whisper, “Do you think you could take Spike with you? I'm worried we'll find the dragon or whatever it is hurt, or worse, and I don't want that scaring him or him being underhoof if it lashes out at us in pain or fear.”

Spike had overheard the first part of Twilight's conversation and was about to voice his disapproval at missing out on the adventure but the white unicorn spoke first, intentionally cutting off his protests. “Certainly dear, I’m sure the muscles of a big, strong gentledragon such as Spike's will be useful,” she replied, batting her eyelashes at the young dragon as a beckoning for him to follow, "In fact, I will need a personal assistant by my side if this party is to go off without a hitch. Come along, Spikey-Wikey!"

Resistance was futile.

Any objections Spike would have put forward immediately faded as a goofy smile took over his face and his eyes glazed over, the little dragon practically floating behind Rarity like a love-struck balloon as the two returned over the bridge.

Applejack hitched herself back up to her cart in the off chance they needed it and whipped her hat in the air enthusiastically as she hollered, "Alright everypony, let’s get this wagontrain rollin'!"

A group cheer (accompanied by one quiet "yey!") and the hill was stormed by a multitude of technicolor ponies and, unsurprisingly, Rainbow was the first to reach the top even though she was still flying a little wobbly though Applejack came next not far behind, her strong earth pony frame easily bearing the load of the empty cart while Twilight and Fluttershy made up the rear of the procession. At the top of the hill everypony came to a halt and Dash did a wonderful job summing up the group's thoughts in one word.

"Whoa."

Part of the hill in front of them - a part that had not been visible from the bottom - had been completely pulverized away; debris was scattered all over and none of the ponies could readily identify what it could have come from off-hoof though it didn't look like anything that could have come from a dragon, save for one or two large scale-like pieces jutting from the dirt. Following the gouge in the hill down the other side a short distance past the bottom a deep trench cut a line across the grass field and into the tree line of the Everfree Forest where it continued on for a distance until the tree canopies obscured vision of it and in the distance a plum of billowing smoke was rising, serving as a rather unsettling marker of their destination.

Twilight trotted down the hill into the trench, the bottom of which was speckled with puddles as rain from the surrounding earth coalesced. "If we use this as a path-" she stomped a hoof into the dirt with a squelch!, "We can follow it right to, um, whatever it is." Twilight looked up at her friends for approval of her suggestion.

"Except for the mud slowin' us down I reckon it's probably the fastest way. Using the path the dragon made on landing like a makeshift road we won't have to work the cart 'round all those trees an' roots," AJ added, towing the cart behind her as she carefully descended into the wet trench though her words prompted Dash to fly up beside her to start the argument that this wasn't a dragon. Meanwhile Fluttershy wordlessly glided down to walk next to Twilight, her expression clearly worried for what they might find because even a dragon could have a rough landing.

With Rainbow leading the way the group made their way into Everfree Forest.

3: Unconscious Memories

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Just one more shuttle.
We can hold.
We have to hold.

The sound of someone yelling for immediate evacuation leaked into his comm. He tried to tune-out the distraction and brought his weapon up to his shoulder.

"...hostiles advancing..."

Two shots went down range. We can hold.

"...primary objective complete..."

We have to hold. His blaster barked three more times.

"...majority of civilians..."

Mission BLAT! not BLAT! complete.

"..."

We can hold. BLAT!

"..."

BLAT! We have to hold.

"..."

Just one more shuttle. BLAT!

"..."

The distinct roar of lift jets coming to life came across the landing pad and a shuttle, piloted by the person on the comm, ascended above the ridge-line they were holding which caused the mercenaries to turn to watch.

They knew the consequences, and it didn't take long.

Two hits bypassed the shields to the lightly-armor fuselage just as it cleared the ridge, the thick black goo splattering across the hull and seconds later it was slowly bubbling. The plating was unable to resist the corrosion for very long causing the flight components below to be exposed like an open sore even before three more hits occurred to the same area. The mercenaries behind their emotionless visors continued to watch as the weakened wing supporting the lift jet folded under the force being exerted on it sending the shuttle spiraling forward of the defensive line. It was crawling with them as soon as it touched down and anyone left inside was as good as dead.

Comms were much less distracting after that.

We will hold.

"< Mercury-4 coming in hot, cutting low through the canyon. Fifteen seconds out, >" the call came over the comm.

Time to go.

After the communications shuttle went down their hold on ground had been repeatedly lost. Now all they had left was this last hangar and the attached machine shop and they wouldn't have either for much longer because the heavy metal door on the other side of the airlock began to sag as the same corrosion that brought down the shuttle ate away at it.

"< Docked. Loading initiated. Sixty second second countdown... commence. >"

"Confirmed, beginning extraction," his unit leader responded. A hand signal and the four were backing out of the room, weapons remaining at low ready position. He fell into position: one behind him on either side with one more behind the fortune seeking soldier on the right.

A hole in the airlock developed, its size growing rapidly as serrated claws found gaps and pried at the edges, angry screeches reverberated off the walls of the shop.

Two brought weapons up and engaged as the other two continued to retreat.
"COVER!" he called.
At the call the two retreating found cover and brought weapons up to engage.
"MOVING!" he called out again.
The two on point fell back, reloading when they got behind the firing line.

The choreography continued as they moved for the hangar.

"COVER!"

He and the other mercenary turned to support their retreating team, the combination of his training and his comrade's cybernetic augmentations let them acquire the advancing targets blindingly fast and drop them even faster. They kept firing as the two on point fell back behind the firing line.

"CO-" Long arms reached down and plucked the mercenary beside him up and into the shadows mid-call as another creature dropped down in front of him, it’s maw curled back to bare its teeth. They had gotten in the vents. One clawed fist smashed the blaster out of his hands while the other reached out for him in a race of life and death as he went for his sidearm.

Two hands, weaker hand on belt, strong hand to grip.
Unsnap weapon.
Clear holster straight up. Bring to two handed hold.
Move to target position.
Fire.
BZAT!-BZAT!-BZAT!
Drop to check target over sights.

"MOVING!" His remaining comrades resumed covering fire from the final door while he continued his retreat, discharging into the advancing nightmares that so desperately wanted to drag him into the darkness. Once he was through they sealed the final door and the comm came to life.

"< This is Mercury-4, shuttle is loaded and commencing liftoff procedures. You bounty hunters have 30 seconds to dust off before I leave your sorry choobies behind. >"

They were moving for the open cargo hold when he thought he caught motion in his peripheral vision. Something blue. "Eyes up! Movement!" Turning, he brought his weapon up and scanned the area looking for a target but the hanger before him was empty though the other two troopers had stopped to check for targets as well.

“Contact?” the anxious question from one of them crackled over the comm into his helmet.

“Caught motion in my peripheral,” he responded and swept his blaster over the area in search of his target as a picture in picture replayed the blur, "Sensors are clear, though. I've got nothing."

"Fifteen seconds, let's go!"

Continuing to check for targets as they fell back they reached the airlock without further incident, the door hissing closed as the ship sped off into the atmosphere.

Was it a coincidence? Had he been looking at me, or through me at something? The more questions Princess Luna had the more intrigued she became with the odd creature whose brokenly jarring dreams had caught her attention while she slept and she spent much of her morning drifting through his memories and nightmares on a quest for answers.

4: Exploring the Crash

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The Everfree forest had a habit of smothering the desire for conversation with its almost oppressive gloom, so while the group was quiet Twilight was content just making observations as they followed their path. The depression was fairly uniform in depth and only varied when it was intersected by large stones that had been forcibly buried or in areas where the dirt walls had fallen inward on themselves and along the sides of the trench the trees had been pushed over or snapped at the trunk while smaller plants had been crushed and torn out of the ground. Whatever made this cut an impressive swath of destruction, I'm just glad it hadn't come down somewhere within Ponyville. Images of what that might have looked like began to paint themselves in her imagination but the sudden appearance of a cyan pegasus waving both hooves over her head snapped her out of it.

Everypony took off at a gallop though the air was a mix of excitement and dread as to what they would find.

When Twilight got to where Rainbow had flagged them down she found the trench had widened out to either side to form something akin to a bowl, the trees tipped outward at awkward angles away from what lay in the middle. She ran her eyes over it, spending a few moments analyzing everything she could see from this distance against the knowledge from all the books she had read over the years so when she turned her friends were looking at her expectantly.

"Spill it, Twilight. What is it?" AJ asked and looked nervously past Twilight.

The unicorn followed her stare and glanced at it once more before answering "Well, it doesn't appear to be a dragon-"

"WOOO! Called it!" Rainbow interrupted, giving an enthusiastic hoof-pump to which AJ let out a snort and rolled her eyes.

Twilight quickly continued before Dash or AJ could say anything further that might reignite their argument, "It doesn't appear to be a dragon, at least not like any of the ones I've read about. It also doesn't fit any sort of description from the other wildlife books I've read, either. W-We should take a closer look, though." With that last statement Dash flew over to begin inspecting it and the other ponies moved a bit closer as well, each of them murmuring some form of question of whether or not it was alright on the off chance it woke up or could respond.

Now that Twilight was much closer she could make out how unnaturally smooth the light grey surface was but when she reached out to lightly touch it it was painfully cold and her hoof retracted almost instantly, nearly at the same time that the others also ventured to make contact with the same result. Levitating a stick she found in the mud she tapped the spot she had touched and got a soft hollow sound. Definitely not a dragon. Maybe it's armor of some form? The whole thing was wedge-like in appearance, reminding Twilight of an arrowhead in that the object tapered from one narrow end up into a wider area and splayed out into two offshoots, fitting the description of wings, one of which was still intact that ended with a boxy frame around a metallic cylinder that pointed toward the narrower end. The wider end - Twilight assuming it was the rear from the way the object had come out of the portal - had several cylinders poking out of it, each ending in a fluted cone section though one of the cylinders sat slightly lopsided in its housing, all of which were billowing a large amount of steam. Its form is aerodynamic, that's for sure. Had it been right-side up she imagined the best way to describe the appearance would be predatory by the sleek curves and aggressive angles.

"Hey Twilight, there's some markings on it up here but they're all kinda... jumbled," Rainbow's voice came from above after which there was a pause as she wiped some mud away from another spot, "Sorta looks like a design or something."

"There's some symbols over here as well," Fluttershy added while AJ turned her head to try to read it.

As the realization dawned on Twilight's ears flattened back and her head fell below her shoulders as she slowly backed away out of outright disbelief of what she was seeing though somewhere within that disbelief was also a fear of the unknown.

"Look at 'em upside down, they look like letters of some sort! And there's a yellow 'n black line with an arrow pointin' down over here that says, um... it don't look like any writin' I've seen before but doesn't this look like some sorta safety device, like a release or somethin'? There's some dirt coverin' the bit below that, want me to dig it out so I can chance a read of the rest?"

"I-It's a ship," Twilight said in a stunned stupor.

"Wait,” Dash poked her head over the edge of one of the wings, “What?!”

Giving a nod Twilight took several steps closer as she began summarizing her observations, "I'm fairly sure. The writing on the outside, the body material is most definitely manufactured rather than natural, and the curves and angles are all engineered to increase aerodynamics. Just look at it, Dash. Doesn't it have the body of something built for speed?"

Rainbow gave the ship a once over before nodding her agreement, "Well when it came through that portal it was going fast enough to do a Rainboom, I know that much."

"That's probably because these large cylinders at the back are letting off a lot of steam and just before crashing I noticed they had a blue glow to them that went out which leads me to believe at some point they were for propulsion. Everything I'm seeing points to it being a vessel and, if you remember, the first thing it did before it crashed was try to reduce its forward momentum," Twilight said as she worked her way around the craft until she found scorch marks in the dirt at what could now be reliably called the front that confirmed what she was saying, "With a reverse thrust."

"So..." Dash said, looking for somepony to finish the thought for her.

Every ship I've read about has had some form of crew. Twilight cast a worried glance to each of her friends, "So there was a reaction to suddenly appearing somewhere, meaning somepony might be in there and in need of our help. AJ, did you say there was something that might have a release somewhere?"

"Yeah, over here. Ya want me to dig it out?"

Twilight was frantically digging with her front hooves before AJ could finish her question. This ship had been going fast when it hit the hill. If anypony was in here, please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay. These three words repeated over and over in her thoughts and between her and AJ it didn't take long to move the dirt out of the way revealing that the line AJ had mention outlined a square-ish region on the side - about two body-lengths in width by three high - and the arrow had been pointing to a lever. A series of characters over the door was a source of some contemplation but the more Twilight stared the more similarities she drew between the symbols and the equestrian alphabet until the word "Airlock" was the sum of her deliberation. Turning to the letters Applejack had discovered Twilight deciphered them to say "Manual Release" and used her magic to manipulate the lever but nothing happened. She tried once more, but the door refused to open.

"Maybe it's stuck?" Rainbow offered.

Applejack squared herself up to the side of the ship and wiggled her flanks in preparation for what would come next. "Well then, let’s see what happens if we KNOCK!" she said, giving it a good buck and as she backed away a few paces there was a rewarding hiss of air as well as a minor imprint of her hoof. The ponies watched as the door slid back into the doorframe before it eventually retract completely into the hull. The door opened into darkness, a heavy fog pouring out and dissipating at Twilight and AJ's hooves rather eerily. Squaring her jaw as a way to draw courage where none existed Twilight focused magic into her horn to create a light and stepped into the gloom, her friends following behind her side by side but they had all barely gotten inside when they encountered another door bearing the same word 'Airlock'.

"Just an educated guess," Twilight said, "But I think the door behind us is going to have to close before this one will open."

"What if it traps us in here?" the anxiety in Rainbow's voice was clear to her friends though Twilight was the only one among them that knew of her claustrophobia, "M-Maybe it's stuck, like the last one was? AJ, why don't you give it a kick-"

"Whats the matter, flymare? Scared?" the farmpony playfully teased, happy to take the chance to get back at Dash for all the jokes about the destroyed apples from earlier this morning.

"Me? No way! I just... like to have room to move, ya know? It's a bit cramped in here for anything other than low-speed hovering," she retorted with some bravado by leaping to the front of the procession though she did a good job of hiding her glances at the uncomfortably close walls.

With everypony ready Twilight pulled the lever to the inner airlock and the door behind them slid closed with a soft hiss. After the seal had been achieved the same fog that had poured of the door when they first got it open began seeping out of vents in the walls and though there was the muffled stamping of anxious hooves the group remained quiet, however Twilight subconsciously held her breath until the inner airlock opened.

The group exited the airlock into a fairly large hallway, wide enough for all of them to stand side-by-side comfortably with room for a fifth, and gazed around at their new surroundings. While the outside of the ship had looked largely unscathed from the crash the interior was a complete mess and as they moved in further they had to step carefully because the surface under their hooves was littered with miscellaneous objects that must have been strewn about upon impact. Numerous panels on the walls had been jarred off revealing the wiring and circuitry below and some were occasionally popping in a shower of sparks, casting a strobe-light effect over the hallway; one of a set of double doors at the far end of the hallway hung at an odd angle which kept its partner from closing properly and above their heads a heavy cloud of gas poured from a dangling tube, dissipating in midair.

A sudden squeak from Fluttershy caused everypony to jump. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she whispered, her head down near her hooves, "I didn't hurt you, did I?" When she didn't get a response she raised her head to find all her friends looking at her and her face quickly turned crimson at the sudden overwhelming feeling of being in the spotlight so she stumbled to explain. "I... was going to look through the crack in the doors, and um... when I went to move this chirped," she lowered her head down to one of the objects to try talking to it again, "Um...hello?"

The small device flickered twice, then an area lit up. "< Hello, >" a strange female voice replied, causing all the other ponies to gather around the little square of light as Fluttershy gingerly picked the object up and cradled it in her forehooves.

Fluttershy looked each pony around her, getting a nod to continue. "Oh... my name is Fluttershy. Do you have a name? Are you... hurt?"

"< Hello, designation 'Fluttershy,' >" the light pulsed in time with it saying each word almost like one of the equalizers at Vinyl Scratch's shows, "< I am this ship's Integrated Avionics and Navigation Assistant, or I.A.N.A. module. You may call me 'Iana' or 'computer' for short, whichever you prefer. Status: a majority of my primary systems are catatonic and the current interface we are using is damaged - power failure imminent. Recommend replacement or repair at soonest opportunity. >"

"Oh you poor thing! Here, let’s get you comfortable," Fluttershy tucked the little gadget snugly in her soft pink mane, "Is that better?"

The little box blinked in response, "< Unit sensors offline, I am unable to qualify 'better' at this time. Gesture logged and placed in scan queue. Thank you for this experience, Fluttershy. Do you require further assistance? >"

At the question Fluttershy looked to her friends for guidance and a pantomimed conversation of moving lips and waving hooves took place, each pony trying to communicate which question to ask the little box next. Fed up that the routine was getting them nowhere Rainbow hovered closer and spoke up, "So um, did you say you were a computer or something?"

"< New operator detected. Requesting identity designation, >" it beeped mechanically in its flat tone.

"New what?" Rainbow looked confused until Twilight mouthed 'it wants your name' at her. "Oh! You can call me Rainbow Dash. So, are you a computer?"

The device chirped then continued, "< Designation ‘Rainbow Dash’ entered. Affirmative: I am a form of computer capable of adaptive learning. >"

"Alright, cool," Dash realized she was on something of a roll and continued with her line of inquiry, "So could you, like, access information and stuff?"

The chirp that emanated from the device had a positive sound to it before the voice even answered. "< Certainly, Rainbow Dash. What would you like me to access? >"

"This is designation Twilight Sparkle speaking. What can you tell us about the crew?" Twilight interrupted.

"< Thank you, designation added. Error: inquiry blocked. Access denied due to insufficient security clearance attached to profile. >"

Twilight was a little frustrated that she hadn't had the foresight to guess that there would be some form of security protocols within the device to prevent just anypony from gaining access though in their current situation time was of the essence and any information could prove to be vital. With a huff she tried something else, "Okay, so what can you tell me?"

"Until more ship systems are brought online I only have access to a remote command log generally used by repair droids for diagnostic maintenance. Would you like to see a log of the last commands the crew entered, Twilight Sparkle? >" The light on the box flickered and dimmed slightly.

Twilight confirmed she would and a small cracked screen came to life on the little box in Fluttershy's mane. Twilight read a page or two but was unable to decipher exactly what the commands were for but a thought struck her, "Iana, when were these commands entered?"

"< Checking, one moment. Approximately zero hours forty three minutes ago from a single console in Piloting shortly after re-entry into an unknown atmosphere and prior to shutdown of primary ship systems. Would you... like me to direct you... to Pilotinggggg- >?"

"Yes please!" Twilight eagerly answered but all she got was a beep and the glowing light was gone.

The unicorn frowned. Crabapples, that little box could have been useful to us. "Alright, we've got a destination and an approximate crew count now. Look for some indication of how to get to Piloting," she said, turning to focus her magic back into a light source.

"Hey!" Dash exclaimed, getting her friends attention, "These green lights weren't on when we came through the airlock thing. Think maybe that computer thing turned them on?" The green lights Dash was talking about ran parallel to the walls on both the floor & ceiling and traveled through the broken set of doors that wouldn't close properly.

Everypony was too preoccupied making their way across the debris-strewn floor to notice Fluttershy, nearly in tears, gently take the lifeless box down to give it a tight hug, whisper a thank you, and return it to her mane before moving to join her friends. The one functioning double door slid quietly open when the group got close shepherding them deeper into the ship as they continued to follow the green lights.

The hallway on the other side of the doors was similar to the first, in both appearance and condition, however it was much shorter. Numerous dead screens lined the walls, the purple light from Twilight's horn reflecting off of them like eerie pupils that followed the ponies as they walked past. The group was already halfway through the door at the end of the hallway when Rainbow glanced back and noticed the tears running down Fluttershy's face.

"Hey 'Shy, what's wrong?" she asked, hovering up along side the walking Fluttershy.

"She's-" the yellow pegasus started, wiping the tears away with a forehoof which also grabbed Applejack's concerned attention as well, "She's gone."

"Who's gone, sugarcube?" AJ chimed in and took a step closer.

Fluttershy removed the small box from her mane once more, cradling it like a small animal. "Iana. She's gone."

"You've still got that broken thing?" Rainbow remarked as one of her eyebrows climbed up her forehead, "Just toss it back on the floor where you found it, it's junk now."

We don't have time for this, Twilight thought. "We can take care of her um... 'remains' when we get out of here, Fluttershy, but right now we need to keep going." The farmpony came over to put the yellow pegasus in a hug to comfort her and while Flutters was busy wiping her eyes again AJ and Twilight both shot Dash a glare for her last insensitive outburst that clearly hadn't helped matters.

What did I say?! Rainbow Dash continued to hover in reverse through the door ahead of them intent on giving some space to the ponies directing stink-eyes her direction while comforting the distressed Fluttershy. Why do they have to pretend and treat it like was some living creature? It was only a machine. It even said it should be replaced! She was still mentally grumbling and wasn't prepared when a mass of scale-like bumps brushed up against the lightning bolt of her cutie mark and she quickly spun around to find herself almost face to face with what her brain told her was a skull.

Expressionless and silent the face stared back at her, Dash's own shock reflecting back at her only adding to her terror.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" she screamed, hooves and wings going every which way in a panic though in her spasm she felt something take a hold on one of her wings and a back hoof. Dash tried her best to buck her way free but she wasn't in a position to give a solid hit and the more she struggled the tighter the thing seemed to hold on.

"DASH!"
"WHAT THE HAY?!?"
"OH NO!"

Hearing the commotion ahead of them Twilight, AJ, and Fluttershy came tearing into the room, stopping below where Rainbow as tangled up as their eyes all went wide.

"HELP! IT'S GOT ME!" Dash threw her hoof into whatever was constricting her with a crack as her hard hoof connected with the large body in the side.

"R-Rainbow, stop!" Twilight cried.

"DO SOMETHING!" Rainbow responded, bucking with her free hind hoof once more and this time she connected with something which caused both of them to fall to the floor with a loud THUD! however the thing was now pinning Dash on her back beneath it. “GET IT OFF OF ME!” she continued to smash her front hooves into it anywhere she could though the only available areas were mainly the shoulders and head rather than a target that would get her leverage to get out from underneath the creature, "GET THE BUCK OFF!"

Twilight increased the light from her horn. "Calm down and look at it, Dash!" she said, "It's not holding you; YOU got caught in some straps from your own panic."

Rainbow's heart was beating as fast as it ever had been but the level calm of Twilight's voice was slightly reassuring and she did what she was told. The longer she made herself look the more the nightmare she had seen was being replaced with reality. It wasn't holding her, her hoof had gotten caught in one of the loops of strapping; the scaly skin rubbing up against her wasn't... well it might be skin but it wasn't grabbing at her at all, it was just rubbing against her as the legs or whatever limbs those were lay there limply.

The faceless-face still freaked her out a bit, though.

"Ok, I'm cool," Dash said, exhaling heavily. With a little help she untangled her leg and wriggled out from under it to join the three other ponies that had formed a circle around the figure though none of them spoke and a heavy air of uncertainty hung around them. "What..." she started to say still a little short of breath and shivering because she was coming down from the sudden bust of adrenaline and fear, "What is that thing?"

"That must be the crew," Twilight moved closer to the figure sprawled out on the floor, poking it lightly with an exploratory hoof, “Let’s just hope your thrashing and bucking didn't hurt it further, Dash.”

------------------------

It felt like he was swimming, waves of consciousness ebbing in & out and carrying him from present to past.

"What is that?"
It had been a shuttle full of MagnaGuards. The Master had taught her Apprentice to think for himself and question orders but she made it clear that her order to run was not one to be questioned by pushing him through the blast door and locking it from her side.

"I ain't seen anythin’ like this before."
He had told them the weapon was a reward from a bounty; the truth would have gotten him killed. He took care to conceal it better after that.

"We'll drag it out if we have to."
Hauling the freighter through the asteroid field had wrecked havoc on his ship. Thanks to his Master's instruction, ship repairs came as second nature to him. It had helped that she was a terrible pilot and provided much to practice on.

"Almost there..."
A couple carrying an infant had come running out of one of the biodomes at the edge of the extraction quadrant. Intel had told them that area was clear.

"What will you do if it wakes up?"
The pirates hadn't been ready for him to wake up. Their downfall; his profit.

"I don't know if you can hear me."
What...? Who was speaking? The voice was not one he knew.

"I'm so sorry."
She was apologizing to him, for what transgression he didn't know. But this wasn't a memory, was it? He slogged his way through what felt like waist-deep water toward the source of the voice as it continued to speak to him.

------------------------

Fluttershy threw the door open while Applejack and Rainbow lowered the creature out of the cart, both of them situating one of its arms around each of their necks and dragged it through the library's living room. "Almost there..." Applejack said through gritted teeth, one of the creature's sleeves in her mouth to keep the arm from slipping off as they maneuvered into the guest room and with a final heave-ho rolled the creature up onto the bed and lay it on its back.

Twilight closed the library door behind her and quickly thanked the four guards who had escorted them from the edge of Everfree and had now posted themselves outside to deter any curious pony from disturbing the occupants as Ponyville was in an uproar and word that the Element Bearers had brought a creature back from the forest had spread quickly. One of the guards had even gone and collected all the equipment Twilight had left in the gazebo earlier that day much to her appreciation though as she trudged to the guest room she dropped the equipment in a heap on the floor without a second thought to follow the trail of muddy hoof-prints and two muddy drag marks. Entering the guest room she joined the circle of ponies that were silently standing around the bed watching the inert creature.

Eventually Rainbow took one for the team and was the one who broke the silence, "What do we do now?"

Fluttershy gently placed one of the creature's arms that had been hanging off the edge of the bed back up by its side and pulled a blanket up around it although the length of the creature prevented its whole body from being covered at which point everypony exchanged unsure glances and with who-knows-what laying in front of them they decided it was probably best to move out into the living room to continue the conversation and closed the door behind them. When they had all found a seat on the arrangement of furniture or on the carpet in the living room side of the library they started where they had left off with Dash repeating her question.

“Darling, is it wise to keep this–“ from her spot on the couch Rarity paused to wave a hoof at the door they had just come through, “–animal in your home with you?"

“Rarity, we couldn't just leave it-” Twilight started to reply.

“But what are we doing if it wakes up?” Rarity asked without letting her finish, "What if it needs help we can't provide?"

Twilight could only look at her hooves as they traced circles on the seat of the armchair beneath her from her own despondency of feeling helplessly without information, “I-I don’t know...”

“What if it-“

“I think she gets it, Rarity, why don't you give her a break?” Applejack growled, getting up from her spot on the floor to physically stand between where the two were seated, "Twilight's tired and stressed - like all of us are - and grillin' her like ya are isn't goin' to help matters."

Rarity blinked several times in sudden realized how dejected Twilight looked before her face softened and she launched into an apology, “Oh, I’m so sorry, dear Twilight. I truly didn't intend any of that to come off as spiteful or nasty, I suppose I'm just nervous because I haven't heard whatever contingency is in place if this creature isn't as, um... friendly as we hope it is.”

“T-There isn't one, Rarity, I haven't had enough time and I have zero information with which to come up with one. Right now if it wakes up all I can do is try to communicate with it and hope it can understand we mean it no harm,” Twilight said wearily. And if it isn't friendly I’ll just have to contain it until the Princess can arrive. She'll know what to do.

For a good long while Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight tried to collectively brainstorm a course of action however quiet Fluttershy's fidgeting in her seat eventually drew their attention. When Applejack asked if she had though of something to add to the discussion she gave the smallest of head shakes, "Um, I need to go check on my animal friends but I'd like to come back later. If that's alright with you, Twilight, I wouldn't want to impose..."

"You're all welcome to stay, if you'd like," Twilight offered with a tired sigh, "Even though it's only early afternoon I know it's been a long day for all of us; I'm going to take a shower to try and relax a bit but if you'd like to order a pizza or something just be sure to tell one of the guards outside. The last thing I want is my house to be put on a blacklist because a guard arrested or roughed up the delivery pony." With that said she headed upstairs.

The shower felt better than she imagined it would. Twilight lay on the bathtub floor, her hooves comfortably tucked under her while the hot water spraying from the shower head played over her coat, gently massaging the dried mud from the trench out of her fur and loosening the stiff muscles she had all over. She raised her face into the stream, closing her eyes and relishing the sensation though it didn't take long for her bangs to get completely drenched and when she lowered her head they flopped down over her face. She snorted and was about to curse her bangs when she realized it felt similar to when Aloe and Lotus Blossom put a hot towel over your face at the end of a massage so she left them like that until the warm feeling had ceased then climbed out of the shower and dried off. Feeling somewhat rejuvenated if not cleaner, at least, she headed back downstairs to check on her friends.

AJ and Rainbow were passed out on the couch, a nearly-empty box of pizza open on the floor in front of them, and in her search for Rarity and Fluttershy the unicorn discovered a note was pinned on the front door. Twilight plucked it from where it was pinned with her magic and gave it a quick glance, immediately recognizing the elegant script to be Rarity and the note was to tell her she had gone back to the boutique to freshen up with a shower of her own as well as also mentioning that Fluttershy had gone to her cottage to make sure the other animals would have everything they needed as she intended to return to the library later in the day.

Barely reaching the end of letter a sudden gurgling rumble came from Twilight's stomach as it voiced its displeasure from being ignored all day. Putting the note down, Twilight floated the last slice of pizza from the box over and had a mouthful; she didn't like being "that pony" that took the last slice, but the synchronized orchestra of snores coming from the couch told her they probably wouldn't care at this point.

"BLEH!" Twilight made a sour face as something unpleasant hit her palate. Pineapple and... hot sauce? I must have taken one of Rainbow's slices, that pegasus is always ordering something weird on her pizzas. That discovery turned the rest of the slice rather unappealing so Twilight made her way to the kitchen to pop the fridge open in search of something to wash the flavor down. She perused the available selection and finally settled on a bottle of hard cider she had stashed at the back, she quickly bent the cap off with her magic and eagerly tilted the bottle back and the first mouthful of the amber liquid provided immediate relief.

Twilight slowly trotted back out of the kitchen, the cider floating with her, and paused in the doorway to spend a moment thinking of nothing in particular as her mind's gears ground together seeking traction though as her daydream ended she found she had wandered back to the guest room and now stood in front of the closed door. After an argument with herself whether she should be doing this Twilight carefully turned the doorknob to make as little noise as possible then poked her head into the room. No change. Seeing the figure was still stretched out, its chest rising and falling steadily under the blanket, Twilight moved the rest of the way into the room and closed the door behind her before moving to the side of the bed and plopping her flanks down on the carpet in a comfortable sitting position.

She wasn't sure how long she quietly observed the creature because the half-empty bottle of cider - now sitting on the nightstand - was helping to blur the passage of time. Her eyes roamed over the figure; its scaly coat was mostly dark grey to the point of being almost black depending on the way the light played off of it and bands of dull yellow highlighted its shoulders and knees. It looked comically out of place because the bed was too short to accommodate its legs and so wide that another one of its kind could fit beside it. Twilight leaned forward, putting her head down on an empty part of the bed and her eyes just drifted closed.

"I don't know if you can hear me..."

The words had escaped her mouth before she realized she was even speaking, "I'm not sure you can even understand what I'm saying, but I just want to say... I'm sorry." Twilight could feel the weariness bubbling up again but this time she made no effort to hold it back and the cider flowing through her was making it easier to say what was on her mind. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault you crashed your ship here. I was tired and maybe that caused me to I miss something in my calculations," the tears were welling up behind her eyelids but weren't to the point where they were rolling down her cheeks, at least not yet. But by Celestia it feels good just to say all this out loud. With a sigh Twilight cleared her throat of the guilt that had temporarily robbed her of her voice to say what came next, "And now here you are, hurt and probably lost because I'm such an... egghead." Weak as it was it was the best insult she could think of to hurl at herself at the moment.

Opening her eyes Twilight scooched her head closer to the arm Fluttershy had put back up on the bed, resting her muzzle in the open palm before closing her eyes once more. She wanted that physical contact; if the creature couldn't understand what she was saying maybe it would comprehend the gesture. "Please be okay. Please. I'm scared because I don't know what to do to make this better - none of us do, we don't know how to help you. You're the first of your kind Equestria has ever seen, as far as I know. I'm sorry. Even if you don't ever forgive me," the comfort of the soft mattress coupled with the weariness from all the pent-up stress was quickly dragging Twilight into the realm of sleep and the pause between her words grew exponentially longer, "please... just be... alright." Her breathing became rhythmic as she finally gave in to slumber.

Time continued to pass as the two lay on the bed, both hurting in their own way.

5: First Contact

View Online

Titus' head throbbed as the lamp on the ceiling assaulted his unfocused eyes with its bright rays so he closed them to acclimate to the lighting through his eyelids.

It hurt to breath, but he was alive.

Where am I? The low wood ceiling is a good indicator I'm not on the ship anymore. Someone had gotten him out of the ship, that much was evident so Titus brought his left arm up to check the data screen built into his sleeve, making sure to block the obnoxious lamp before opening his eyes. The screen came to life at the motion with alerts popping up as little boxes provided diagnosis and medical advice from his suit's sensors. Two broken ribs, a mild concussion, and a neck sprain - painful, but I'll live. Plus this wasn't the worst crash I've been in. About to let the arm flop back to the bed he realized how odd it was that he was still in his suit and helmet. Unless I just got here, why didn't whoever pulled me from the ship get my gear off?

The sprained neck sent its complaints to his brain in spikes as Titus slowly turned his head, taking in the room until he finally saw the creature partially sprawled on the bed with its head in his hand, sound asleep. He didn't feel threatened by its presence, in fact it reminded him of a dog that would do the same thing when he was sleeping or relaxing. Of course, the dog isn't a pastel color or sporting a horn in the middle of its forehead. Maybe this is some sort of experiment for genetic splicing and the person I heard talking to me is the owner. As the human slowly extricated his arm, careful not to wake the creature, he noticed it was shivering; he hadn't felt the cold because his suit was capable of regulating temperature to whatever the wearer felt was comfortable via the wristpad but upon closer inspection of the shivering creature the long hair was still damp and clinging to the body.

His arm now free, Titus was able to push himself up though he did so hissing through clenched teeth and took a few painful breaths while he looked around the room. It wasn't large but it had a rustic feel and enough space to comfortably fit what people would consider necessities; bed, chest of drawers, closet, mirror, and a chair. All the furniture seemed small, though, so whatever alien he was dealing with would be smaller in stature than he was which would also explain the shorter bed. From across the room he identified his holster as it lay on top of the chest of drawers and an old style glass bottle on the nightstand had also caught his attention. The bottle was closer at this point and he was parched.

Titus reached over and plucked the bottle up, turning it over in his hand to read the label. Never heard of Sweet Apple Acres brand before. He eyed the amber liquid, sloshing the contents in the bottle gently. Placing his gloved thumb over the opening he upturned the bottle, allowing his suit to get a sample of the fluid for analysis from the sensor built into the glove and a second later the reading came back and was displayed on his visor: both the cider and the dried saliva on the bottle posed no hazard. With his free hand Titus hurriedly popped the seal on his helmet so he could take a drink and lay the headgear on the bed beside him; it was the best drink he had ever had, the apple flavor was crisp and had no hint of the usual artificial flavors or preservatives in other brands and before he realized it his thirst had lead him to unfortunately empty the bottle before he could properly enjoy it.

Feeling refreshed, Titus swung his legs over the far side of the bed which placed his back to the door - not an ideal situation but disturbing the animal by exiting on the other side before he could get a gauge on his situation was less acceptable. Not in any need of a blanket, however, he leaned back and gently wrapped it around the creature that had shared the bed. No reason you have to be cold, my little friend. Sitting back up he leveraged himself slowly and with some struggle to his feet with the aid of the nightstand.

"Thou hath shown that kindness is a universal language. We-"

A voice came from the door behind Titus who grabbed the helmet to turn rapidly at the sudden appearance of someone else in the room. How did I fail to sense-? While his instinct had taken control unfortunately his body had other ideas on how fast he should move and he found himself partially collapsed with his back against the wall, his arm gripping at his ribs as his side exploded in pain. What he saw standing in the doorway was distinctly not human and was in fact a creature similar to the one on the bed though this one was larger in size, its coat was deep blue, had wings tucked at its sides, and the hair flowing down its back was quite literally flowing. The horn was longer and looked significantly sharper, as well. Still grimacing as the broken ribs felt like a vice against his lungs he put his helmet back on with his free hand and the visor sprung to life to display readings on the creatures before him.

"Forgive us, it was not our intention to startle thy so," it eloquently said as three more smaller creatures subsequently appeared behind it, all of which crowded up to get a look into the room at the commotion. The sudden movement had also woken the one on the bed and it stretched, yawned, and rubbed its eyes in a confused stupor as the blanket slipped from its shoulders and slid to the floor.

Titus was feeling outnumbered and cornered and the survivalist voice in his head that had been keeping him alive while he was on the run assessed the situation. One exit and not a lot of cover between me and my pistol.

Princess Luna was uncertain what to do to calm the obviously startled creature and with a glance around it didn't look like any other pony would know what to do, either. She had seen the cut on his forehead and the hair matted with blood when the helmet had been removed and the way he was clutching this side was also alarming so, to make the situation worse, not only was he startled but he was hurt, too. Oh, dearest sister, why did you ask me to handle this? What is it you want me to learn? We tried our best to avoid using the Royal Voice... perhaps it is our Royal Stature that he finds intimidating?

The Princess attempted to look smaller and less threatening by lowering her head submissively.

The blue one must have caught me glancing at the chest of drawers. The survival instinct noted the slow transition to another pose in the larger creature and was urging him to act. It gave the other creatures a look before lowering its head and now it looks like it wants to gore me!

He's even more tense now! I know him to be deceptively quick so I’ll have to restrain him if he makes any sudden movements. Luna prepared the spell in the back of her mind which brought a faint glow emanating from her horn.

Kark! It's too much of a risk to go for the pistol, but I've still got my 'saber... The human lowered his center of gravity as every pained muscle tensed and burned in anticipation, ready to dodge out of the way and deliver a counterattack with his blade should it charge him or whip out his blade and deflect whatever the creature was readying to fire at him. As the hand on his ribs slid subtly behind him a patch of the tetrahedrons of his suit in the small of his back parted in reaction to the programmed movement, partially revealing the hidden cylinder of silver and black.

"WAIT!"

Huh? I've heard that voice before... The voice was oddly familiar to the human and a lesson from his Master threw itself to the forefront of his memory. Master had said "Nothing is exactly as it seems, nor is it otherwise. Center yourself and your path will be revealed." Titus took a deep breath and let himself relax. Let go of your emotions and focus...

"Everypony just back up!" the small violet one that had just been asleep was suddenly shouting instructs at the others, its back turned to him as it waved its forelegs in what looked like a shooing motion, "Excuse me, Princess, but that means you too." It continued to usher and herd the other creatures out of the room until it, too, had crossed over the threshold into the next room at which point it turned back toward Titus. "There's some space. That's better, right?" it asked slowly and in a soft tone as if to soothe him.

Five pairs of eyes were locked on the human.

He nodded just as slowly as it had spoken and the orange, yellow, and cyan creatures behind the one that had spoken all whispered excitedly with each other. Titus focused on their whispers and sensed their feelings: general surprise, concern, and distrust – nothing openly threatening or revealing before they were quickly silenced with a wave of a foreleg and a shush as the violet one spoke again.

"It's okay, we don’t want to hurt you."

"Where am I?" Titus replied.

Twilight's eyes went wide, "Y-You can talk?! Who are you?" There were a thousand and one questions flying through Twilight’s mind at the moment and she had a hard time restraining the urge to blurt them all out this very instant.

I can sense the blue one is... strong. Is she a Master? He hesitated before responding, "My name is Titus." He had encountered alien life forms before, but nothing like these. Judging from this one's reaction they've never dealt with alien species before. I need to be careful how I proceed.

"Tie...tuss?" Twilight asked, struggling to get her tongue around the odd name. "Sorry if I said it wrong," she said with a smile of slightly worried sincerity, “I've never heard a name like that. My name is Twilight Sparkle, by the way. Um, what... are you?”

"I’m a human,” he replied, and then the apology completed a circuit in Titus's mind. "Were you the one talking to me while I was lying here?" the human asked and indicated toward the bed with a pointing finger.

Twilight nodded, "You could hear me?" She hesitated for a moment, trying to think of what to say next and at that point she saw him clutching his side, “Are you in pain? Is there something you need?”

“I'll be sore for a while, but I'll live. What I need is to know where I am.”

They had gotten nowhere in their attempted talks about where the biped was - Equestria was as alien to the human as the concept of "star systems" was to the ponies - and it took a bit of work but Twilight managed to convince the human to come out into the living room so they could all sit down and talk.

Titus reached for the holster as he was walking past the chest of drawers. “Hold, human,” a voice rang in his head which caused him to stop mid-reach and because it was so odd his brow furrowed as he shook his head to try and dislodge the feeling, “We wish thou no ill will, only understanding.” The dark blue creature, a Princess according to the Twilight creature, was looking at him through the door. Was it the Princess who was communicating with him?

“Thou art not mistaken, ’twas we. Thou hath no need of thy weapon,” the voice came again as she nodded to him, “Neither of them.”

She knows about... Titus was hesitant but left the pistol on the chest of drawers and placed the hilt of his lightsaber beside it. They had ample time to do harm, had they wanted to. He slowly removed the helmet as a show of additional good faith, tucking it under his arm before stepping into the living room though he had to duck slightly so his head wouldn't hit the top of the door frame which would have been exceedingly painful given the gash on his forehead. Immediately the human took in his surroundings: a comfortable-looking couch faced a padded armchair that had an end table next to it sat at the center of the room. Tucked into the wall was fireplace and there was also a desk and chair nestled into one corner. Two doors, not counting the one he had come through, lay on opposite walls; the farther door at the far end looked to lead to the center of the house, a staircase and book shelves visible from where the human was standing, while the closer had tile floors and cupboards which Titus deduced was a kitchen.

As the human looked about Twilight took the chance to observe the creature in front of her. It was tall with broad shoulders and showed a preference to walking around on its two hind legs, and at the end of its thick forelegs were a set of five claws or talons of some sort which she'd have to make further observations of if the human took its gloves off. Now that it was confirmed that the scaly skin was a protective suit and the thing it was carrying was a helmet the unicorn could examine its facial features.

The face was much flatter than a pony's because the nose hardly stuck out more than an inch, and it seemed to be mostly devoid of fur, the visible hair being a dark brown mane on top of its head that hung down to his shoulders - except where it was matted with what she quickly realized was blood if the cut on the forehead was anything to go by. The eyes were also much smaller but that didn't appear to affect its visual acuity as the almost chocolate-colored eyes scanned the room and she noted how they lingered what was probably long enough for it to study something before moving on to another item. The jaw was square-ish and she also caught sight of a set of incisor and canine teeth toward the front of its mouth when it had grimaced while holding its side earlier; Twilight made a mental note to inquire about diet when she had the chance. Gender-wise it was a tossup – while the suit it was wearing was slightly form-fitting, it didn't provide enough definition for visual confirmation, and even then this species could be genderless for all she knew. Everything regarding human – Humans? Humani? another point to clarify – was a new scientific discovery. At that point in her observations Twilight noticed the biped was staring at her.

"Please, make yourself comfortable," she indicated toward the furniture.

Titus strode to the desk and turned the chair to face the couch and armchair, folded at the waist and knees, and slowly lowered himself into the chair - the fluidity of movement the lanky human displayed was quite impressive to the ponies - though none of them outside of Luna recognized that he had selected the desk chair because it offered the best view of the room and placed a wall at his back.

The orange one in the hat carefully inched closer to him, a white box with a red cross on it in her mouth. I think it wants me to take it. Titus slowly extended his hand, palm up, and after a small hesitation the creature placed the box lightly in his grip where he unfastened the simplistic latch. An old-fashioned first aid kit? "Thank you," he said and looked it in the green eyes.

"Your welcome. I'm Applejack," she replied kindly with a tip of her hat, watching the human take out a length of bandage, a cotton swab, and the antiseptic with those stubby little appendages before retreating slowly to rejoin her friends who had found places to sit on or near the couch.

A long silence hung in the air, each party waiting for the other to say something though they mostly just watched as Titus cleaned the cut on his forehead and wrapped the bandage around his head.

Finally a nervous Twilight spoke up.

"I should probably introduce you to everypony else, shouldn't I? Um, I've introduced myself already but once again I'm Twilight Sparkle, a unicorn and local librarian," she hopped down from the couch and went around the circle introducing the ponies and dragon; each gave a form of greeting that garnered a nod from the human before she completed her round and hopped back up on the couch. Twilight then proceeded to explain the events up until the human had regained consciousness. “…and here we are,” she finished with a shrug of her shoulders.

Titus massaged the bridge of his nose with two fingers. Ponies? Portals? Dragons? Okay, those I've heard about but I need to get to the bottom of this. All of this information, along with the concussion, was giving him a headache. “You’ll have to forgive me, this is proving hard to process.”

“We imagine and understand if thou hath many questions.”

There certainly was one that popped to the front of his mind, “Can you reopen the portal?”

Twilight shuffled her hooves, “I-I don’t know. The spell was experimental so what happened could have been caused by any number of factors so I’d have to review my data and do some research.”

“In that case I’d like to return to my ship,“ Titus pushed himself to his feet with a bit of effort, “If it's still operational or fixable my sensor equipment might have additional data for you-” He suddenly felt quite dizzy and lightheaded which required he brace himself against the wall with one hand to keep from falling over. After just a moment he refound his balance and removed his hand from the wall, "Can you take me there?"

“We doth nay think thou should travel this night,” Princess Luna voiced, “Especially in thy condition and through the Everfree Forest at night.”

“The sooner I get my ship repaired-“

“On the marrow thou may return to thine vessel. Tonight thou will stay here and rest.”

The look on the Princess’ face told Titus that the last sentence was less of a request and more of a Royal Command and as much as he needed to get his ship back up and running arguing about it right now would only increase tensions and potentially delay him further. “Very well, Highness,” he said, bowing his head slightly.

“Twilight Sparkle? Before we depart we doth require use of thine balcony,” Luna hopped out of the armchair before turning to the human, “If thou would accompany us we would like a word alone.”

The two went up to the balcony at the top of the house, neither of them speaking a word, and upon reaching the elevated perch the Princess moved to the railing. “If thou would close the door behind thou we will begin,” Princess Luna instructed over one shoulder, spreading her wings and quickly leaping into the air where she hovered for a moment completely motionless before her horn began to glow.

Titus closed the door and returned his gaze to Princess Luna as she began to raise the front hooves she had stretched out beside her above her head. Dumbfounded, the human watched as the moon mirrored the motion of her hooves in ascending until the Princess was centered on the orb in the sky, her figure silhouetted in the moon's pale glow. If that wasn't just a coincidence of timing... that probably would have taken the whole Council and everyone in the Temple to do that, if they were even capable of such a feat in the first place!

With her task complete Luna glided down to land on the balcony gracefully before turning toward her audience though she was surprised by the reaction on his face - one which she knew was one of shock due to her time in his dreams - and cocked her head to one side curiously. "Is everything alright? Have you never seen the moon raised?" the Princess asked, dropping her formal decorum.

Titus rubbed his face as he tried to process what he had just witnessed. "No, Your Highness, not in that manner anyway. Where I'm from it-" he didn't want to imply it was unnatural for the moon to be raised in such a manner because it was probably in his best interest not to offend a creature that can hurl planetoids around, “It’s just different where I'm from.”

"Even with so many differences there are still similarities, are there not?" she posed another question to which he just nodded. "You were a peacekeeper: it was your duty to protect those that could not protect themselves. As a Princess and co-ruler of Equestria I have a comparable duty to my subjects," she had started moving confidently toward Titus as she spoke but he didn't seem startled by her approach so she didn't slow, "Just as you dealt with threats to your people, so shall I. Sit-" The command was forceful and she indicated toward a small bench next to the door, "For I wish to look into your eyes and heart for the truth as you answer these next questions."

Titus nodded and sat down which put his eyes on level with the Princess' own. She was incredibly close now because he could feel the breath from her words on his face but Luna didn't break eye contact as she began her questioning.

"Is there another agenda behind your appearance in Equestria?"

"No," he returned her stare.

"Do you pose a threat to our subjects?"

"No." It felt like he was falling into those large cerulean eyes of hers but the sensation oddly kept him from blinking.

"What will you do if the portal can't be reopened?"

"I... don’t know," he stumbled as stars were flying past him and soon he felt like his vision was enveloped by her.

"What is it like, waking up on an alien world and knowing that its inhabitants will always look at you in a particular way, no matter how long you are here?"

"Uh..." the complexity of the last question snapped his concentration and he blinked. Titus had to close his eyes for a minute to wait for the stars he was seeing to disappear, "I'm sorry Princess, the depth of that last question caught me off guard-" He opened his eyes to let her try again but the Princess' head was cocked to one side, a searching expression on her face and when Titus gave her a confused look she spoke.

"I'm sorry, the last was more out of personal curiosity and asking the other questions was but a formality at this point. I already know you have a good heart, Titus Marius Aelius, for I saw it in action in your dreams and nightmares while you were unconscious. I... I have a feeling my presence did not go unnoticed, as it usually does."

"Wait, you? You were what kept appearing in my peripheral vision?" By this point Titus was hunched over with his elbows on his knees as he stared at his feet, his brain churning at the thought. She was in my mind?

"I saw everything - from the day your Master took you into her tutelage to the moment the command was given to eradicate your Order, and I've seen what you've had to do to survive the Chancellor's Purge," the Princess' voice was somber as she spoke, her head and shoulders slumping as her task was not one she was overly proud of performing without his permission first, "You have my word that what I witnessed will remain in confidence and I leave what you will share up to you. I apologize for intruding on what should have been your most private of retreats but I hope you'll understand why I had to. "

Titus was almost mad at her for violating his privacy, seemingly probing every dark corner and digging up every memory he had wanted buried or left alone, but at the same time he had to agree it must have been the optimal strategy at the time to evaluate if he had been a threat or not. "I understand, Your Highness. You did what you had to do for your people and I can't be mad at you for that," he finally responded, still hunched over his knees thinking.

Luna broke the stillness by moving back a few steps. Once again silhouetted by moon she addressed him with her formal decorum as her wings spread to add emphasize her decree, "Titus Marius Aelius; on behalf of the Crown and with the power vested in us we hereby officially extend the Royal Welcome to Equestria to thou and doth declare thee to be a formal guest of the Crown for the duration of thine stay.” With the rest of her duties completed and now out of the way Luna moved to join Titus on the bench, the human scooting over slightly to give her more room.

"She..." the Princess fell quiet and looked away momentarily as she carefully constructed her thought, turning back when she was ready, "What I saw of your Master; she reminded me of my sister, Princess Celestia, and I wish pass on my condolences."

The human bowed his head in thanks, "You must have a wonderful sister, then."

"That I do, thank you. When word came from Twilight Sparkle of what was happening here my sister woke me expecting to have to explain everything, however she had stirred me from observing your dreams and it was I that provided information to her on you. I believe that because of that she felt I was best suited to be the one to oversee your screening, which I am grateful for the opportunity to meet someone like yourself who is not so different from me. This is an alien world to the both of us." Though he was curious what that might mean nothing else was said for quite a while and they both sat shoulder to shoulder to watch the night sky, crowded together on a bench too small for the both of them, though eventually Luna extricated herself with a sigh, "As much as I would prefer otherwise I have other duties to attend to and must be going. There is still much I would like to discuss, Titus Marius Aelius, so perhaps we might meet again under less formal circumstances?"

"Yes, I think I'd like that."

With nothing else to say Luna made her way downstairs with the human wordlessly following.

Twilight watched as the two headed up to the balcony and as soon as they had disappeared behind the door she trotted over to the desk to examine the helmet the human had left behind.

“You going to be okay, egghead?” Dash asked, flying over to the unicorn’s side.

Twilight gave a brief visual examination of the helmet and while she told herself she would only be doing a visual examination the temptation was too much and she carefully picked it up; it was much lighter than she expected for something of its size which lead her to develop the theory that it wasn't made with materials she would be familiar with. Less obvious than the reflective visor but still visible when she looked closer there appeared to be several lenses set to either side which she deduced were cameras or sensors of some sort. She was so busy observing the helmet from every angle so she didn't even register the concern in Dash' voice, “What do you mean?”

Applejack apparently had the same thought as Rainbow, “Far as the Princess' concerned, the human’s gonna be stayin’ here tonight.”

“Mhm,” Twilight was too engrossed and only hummed in acknowledgement that they were saying something. I can almost read some of the display on the visor. If I can just... get... my muzzle in-

“It has fangs, Twilight!” Rainbow exclaimed, gnashing her teeth for emphasis, “What if the human tries to eat you in your sleep?”

“Eat me in my sleep?” Twilight snapped back to reality with the last part of Rainbow’s sentence, dropping the helmet in her surprise which rolled under the desk out of reach.

“Oh no!” Fluttershy’s eyes went wide.

Applejack cut that off at the pass, “Whoa there, Rainbow. I'm urgin' caution but I don't think anypony is getting’ eaten.” At the end of her statement she thought for a second before shoot a questioning look at Dash, “What makes you think Titus is even interested in, uh, meat?”

Dash explained her reasoning, “Well, Titus is obviously a carnival-“

“Carnivore,” Twilight corrected as she squirmed under the desk to fish out the headgear.

“-Yeah. Whatever. The fangs,” Rainbow said as she pulled her lip down to show her teeth, “Four of 'em that I saw; those are the giveaway. On top of that, there's claws or talons hidden in the gloves for grabbing stuff.” That much was obvious and earned an unimpressed look from the group which went unnoticed as she was tapping a hoof to her chin, “Now that I’m thinking on it, the eyes are facing forward like a bird of prey or a griffon, for that matter, so that’s another point in my theory's favor.” Fluttershy, the animal expert and therefore the other qualified pony knowledgeable of predatory features, was nodding in agreement with Rainbow's observations.

“I noticed the rows of incisors and canines as well,” Twilight agreed, mimicking Dash’s pose unintentionally.

“I bet those hind legs give the human a long stride so it can get up to some serious speed to chase prey, though I imagine it’s pretty top-heavy so a pony could beat it in cornering…” the pegasus drifted off, her thought lost, and was now contemplating how a human would stack up in a race.

“Y’all saw, Titus was scared of us,” Applejack said, crossing her forelegs in frustration, “I don't want another Zecora incident so I reckon we oughta not go judgin’ before we get to know h-“ AJ paused and looked thoughtful for a moment before looking to each of her friends, “Uh, just to clarify but... anypony know if we're dealin’ with mare or a stallion here? I don’t feel right callin' Titus an ‘it’ and ‘the human’ or whatever else all the time.“

Dash and Twilight both looked to one another and shrugged.

“Um, it’s-” Fluttershy fidgeted when her voice drew the attention of everypony else. “I-It’s hard to tell, but I think he's a stallion b-but that's just my opinion though, andI'm not saying you're all wrong. Sorry,” she finished, shrinking back.

Applejack threw her hooves up in the air, “I don’t believe it-” The sound of a door upstairs opening caught all of their attention and AJ started for the door to the main hallway where the base of the stairs was, “Shucks, I’ll just go ask.”

“Don’t do that! It might be a touchy subject,” Twilight hissed, pulling the earth pony back.

"Why not?" Applejack shrugged the binding hooves off without much effort; if she had really wanted to go out to meet the descending hoofsteps her Earthpony strength would have easily dragged Twilight with her. Stopping just short of the door to the hall the farmpony turned back to Twilight as her annoyance at how big a deal this was being made into was becoming, "It's not like I'm askin' to see the equipment, so to speak."

“You can't just outright ask something like that, that insinuates we can't tell. And what if asking insults him or her? Remember that time at the bar when we were just getting over that whole Poison Joke debacle and those mares heard Fluttershy's voice and got super flirty? Fluttershy was embarrassed to the point of tears!" She had to stop to apologize for bringing up the whole thing again as it had been a real struggle just to convince the pegasus to go in the first place but after promises and assurances from everypony she would have fun on a Girls Night Out it had ended with Fluttershy being hit on by a group of rather inebriated mares before she fled back to her cottage and hid herself away for several days. Twilight ignored AJ as she pointed out that they actually couldn't tell so Titus would probably understand but Twilight shook her head and turned back to the living room in spoken thought, "Look, these are our first impressions on a advanced alien species so I can't stress how important it is to not be rude. To be safe we should find a way to subtly steer a conversation so that he, she, it, whatever, reveals the answer-”

"That's 'he,' to answer your question."

Having not heard the human reach the bottom of the stairs they all jumped at his appearance in the doorway; Princess Luna stood behind him, and Twilight could swear she heard a giggle.

The human let out a sigh and slowly walked to the guestroom, “If you don’t mind I’m going to call it a night. I’d like to leave as early as possible in the morning to get to my ship.” Getting no objection to that statement he bid them goodnight and retreated behind the guestroom door.

Rainbow insisted on staying the night to make sure Twilight didn't get eaten in her sleep.

6: Stretch

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Twilight untangled herself from her bed sheets with a tired yawn, groggily sliding each hoof to the floor before stretching out the kinks in her legs with a satisfied sigh. Despite Rainbow teasing her until the pegasus had fallen asleep Twilight had spent most of the previous night further examining the helmet that had been left in the living room when Titus retired for the night; as she had previously noted it was remarkably sophisticated, being extremely lightweight and yet strong enough to show no damage from the thrashing blows Rainbow Dash had delivered to it in her panic. A small splotch of dried blood was also caked on the inside of the visor - probably from the cut on the human’s forehead - which had displayed numerous readings when Twilight had pointed it at various objects in the bedroom (including one sleeping pegasus) though what they correlated to she had no clue because the text had no basis in any of the books she had dug through.

The human had planned to return to the ship today and if the helmet had been as interesting as it was she couldn't imagine what might be aboard the ship. This prospect brought a silly grin to Twilight’s face and she wore it the whole time as she pranced about doing her morning routine; shower, brush teeth, comb mane, make bed, draft the day's to-do list. Coming down the stairs, Twilight heard noise coming from the kitchen so she placed the helmet back on the desk and went to investigate.

"Good morning, Ti-" Twilight started quietly as to not surprise the human but stopped when she saw a cyan rump sitting in one of the kitchen chairs, its owner draped over the table limply so her tone immediately switched, "Oh, Dash. I'm surprised to see you up this early."

"Ugh... coffee," came a groan and was accompanied by a quiet clink of an empty mug tapping the table as a form of plea or demand, though Twilight preferred the idea of the prior and deftly used her magic to float a bag of coffee, a box of filters, and another mug down from various cupboards. The two ponies sat patiently while boiling water turned to coffee as it ran through the grounds to drip into the pot and the aroma worked its way through the tree house to permeate every room with its pleasant and inviting scent.

It didn't take long for the brew to bring Rainbow around to her normal self. “Early mornings are so not cool,” she grumbled before her face practically disappeared in a huge yawn.

“You could have slept in-” Twilight began but was interrupted by Dash shaking her head.

“I got called in; that storm from yesterday is lingering over the Everfree Forest so the Weather Team has scheduled patrols all day to make sure it doesn't work its way back over Ponyville,” she made a sour face at her mug of coffee, “Of course, they go and put me on one of the early shifts... and the desk jockeys know I hate early shifts.”

“So you won’t be coming with us,” Twilight remarked unhappily. Between her friends Dash had been the only one with a clear schedule, or at least until just recently; Rarity had declined a trip out to the ship on account of the mud, Applejack was tied up working at least up until Applebloom could take over the market stall after school, Fluttershy had said she would probably be too busy as her cottage had been overrun with animals frightened by the sudden upheaval of their forest, and Pinkie was baking up something of a welcoming party though she had been cautioned to keep it mellow to not overwhelm Titus with her excessively abundant energy.

Rainbow shrugged, “Not like much was going to happen today, remember?”

Twilight’s blank look made it pretty clear she didn’t remember at all.

Dash rolled her eyes and sighed. “Before she left, Princess Luna asked us to show him where the ship was,” the pegasus paused as Twilight started remembering and then continued to lead her when she was quiet and contemplative, “Then she told us...“

“Right. I remember now,” Twilight immediately slumped. Princess Luna had told us the human- I mean Tae-toos, I've got to start using his name! Right, he had asked to be given some space for a bit to adjust to Equestria and process everything that had happened. While disappointed that she would have to postpone asking all the questions she had - and gosh, did she ever have a list - Twilight could understand how overwhelming it must be to suddenly be transported to a completely alien world.

Or she thought she did, anyway.

Rainbow got a second mug of coffee while Twilight thought her thoughts. The kitchen was quiet for a good long time outside of the noise of Dash cooling her drink by occasionally blowing on it before taking a noisy slurp or the clinking as Twilight idly stirred her drink to room temperature.

“Right, I better get going,” Rainbow stated, hopping down from the chair and heading for the door before swilling the last bit of coffee directly out of the pot with a satisfied sigh, “I think I’m going to be late.”

Twilight gave her a not-so-approving look, “Rainbow Dash, the weather team is depending on you-“

“Hey, that’s what they get for scheduling me early in the morning,” Dash joked, looking over her shoulder as she continued, “Before I go, do you think I could use your bathroo-Whoa!” Almost bumping into the human as he came through the kitchen door a very startled Rainbow jumped back a few steps.

“Sorry,” Titus apologized, retreating a bit himself.

“Don’t sneak around like that!” Dash scolded as the human raised his hands slightly in defense and moved further back into the living room, "Sweet Celestia, I nearly jumped out of my fur." With her heart no longer in her throat and now thoroughly awake thanks to her scare the pegasus sighed and made an observation, “You know for such a gangly thing you sure can move quietly.”

“Um, thanks? I think,” Titus said, putting his hands back down calmly which relieved Twilight that he wasn’t insulted by being called gangly or she would have really lit into Dash, “Sorry for startling you, Rainbow Dash.”

“It's cool, I’ll just have to get you back for it,” she said with a grin.

Titus eyed her and detected the somewhat teasing tone although he remained where he was and turned to Twilight, "I smelled coffee and thought I heard two voices in here. I figured I’d let you know I’m ready to leave whenever you are."

“Oh, you have coffee where you’re from too?” Twilight's surprise lead her to blurt out.

“Yes, I have a machine on the ship capable of brewing a cup,” he said as he pressed himself against the counter to give Rainbow more than enough room which she used to walk past him toward the front door. He then joined Twilight at the kitchen table, squatting down in one of the chairs that was entirely too small for a being of his stature.

“A machine? For such a simple task?” Twilight asked, hungry for another bit of information on human technology now that he had already given her a small nugget to go by.

He was about to explain when Rainbow reappeared in the kitchen doorway.

“Uh, hey Twilight?” she said with a combination of confusion and worry on her face, “There’s a buncha ponies at the door.”

Twilight left Titus alone in the kitchen and hurriedly made her way over to Dash to peak from behind a window curtain and what she discovered didn't exactly surprise her. “Not just ponies, reporters,” Twilight told Rainbow who lingered behind her, “Word sure got out quick.” The pegaus moved to another window and took a second look whereupon they both recognized a few ponies from the local paper and also noticed some unfamiliar faces. “There’s even somepony from the Canterlot Chronicle and the Manehattan Monitor,” Twilight pointed out before one of them caught sight of her which sent her ducking back behind the curtain out of sight. Crabapples. Now they know I know they're out there.

“Through the kitchen and out the back?” Dash suggested and the two returned to the kitchen to share their plan only to find the human crouched behind a counter hiding out of sight from the silhouette of a pony on the window blinds. Twilight walked as quietly as she could over to Titus to tell him about the reporters at the front door.

“What options does that leave us with?” Titus whispered, peeking over the counter to see if the silhouette was still there.

“Normally we could go up to the balcony,” Twilight whispered back, “I could teleport us from there, provided I could see where we needed to go however it’s unknown how you and magic would react with each other so until further testing-“

"No," Titus shook his head adamantly, “No magic.”

Twilight was about to assure him that magic was perfectly safe - ignoring when it wasn't, of course - when the sound of the front door opening caused both her and Dash to whirl about.

Titus simply froze in place.

“Miss Sparkle?” came a call from the front room, “Twilight Sparkle, are you here?” A light brown pony with a silver mane and glasses poked her head through the living room door, “Ah! There you are. And Rainbow Dash, as well, hello.”

“Mayor?” Twilight and Dash both relaxed a bit. Twilight gave a discrete wave of a hoof behind her back to let Titus know he could relax, too, because it was a pony they knew and might be able to help in their current situation.

“Sorry for barging in like this,” Mayor Mare apologized, trotting a bit further into the living room, “I was on my way to Town Hall when I noticed you had quite a, um, gathering outside and wanted to know if I could be of some assistance.” She glanced around the room, still not able to see Titus crouched in hiding in the kitchen. “The Princesses released a statement this morning saying that this hyou-man creature is not to be unnecessarily bothered,” she said, summarizing the rather long letter that had been waiting on her desk as well as several other documents and forms his appearance had necessitated, “But, with everypony naturally curious, the papers were bound to show up eventually–“

The Mayor stopped to take another look around the living area once more and caught Dash as she made a quick glance behind her and then realized how both ponies had managed to conveniently block the doorway to the kitchen so she stretched her neck and tried to peer over the wall the two mares had made with their bodies. “I don’t suppose I could be introduced?” she almost pleaded as her own curiosity crept into her voice, “Perhaps with a little cooperation we could organize a brief press conference to get these reporters out of your manes?”

With their ploy to keep Titus hidden blown Twilight turned her head to the human that was still crouched behind her counter, “Well, I doubt they’ll go away on their own. Does that sound like a plan to you, Mr. Aelius?”

He nodded. While all Titus wanted to do was quietly make his way back to the ship to relax because he had been on his guard most of the night and hadn't slept for much on account of his ribs this was the best plan - actually, the only plan - they had at the moment.

“Teyetus, was it? I’m Ivory Scroll, although everypony just calls me Mayor Mare, so whichever is easier for you is fine. On behalf of the Ponyville Town Council, it’s a pleasure to make... your acquaintance...“ Mayor Mare’s greeting faded out as she shrank back when the human rose to his full height in the kitchen doorway, "Oh my."

“L-Likewise, ma’am,” Titus greeted awkwardly because he could tell by the way she was staring he was making her uncomfortable.

“I wasn't expecting you to be quite so, um-” she paused and tried to think of a polite way of saying intimidating, then finding a suitable alternative she jumped right back into what she had been saying, “Quite so 'big,' you certainly fill a door frame.” Mayor Mare gave Titus another once-over, eyeing him intently from head to toe as she worked out how to best spin this to the benefit of her office because incidents like these had a nasty habit of doubling your workload if you didn't immediately handle them, “Still, I think... yes, I think we can still make this work. Time Turner!”

While the Mayor was busy getting the press conference ready and giving Titus a crash course on what to do Twilight pulled Dash aside, “Rainbow, could you go let AJ know we’ll probably be a bit late and she could tag along?”

“Sure thing. Hey, Stretch!” Dash called to Titus as she passed through the living room.

“ ‘Stretch?’ ” the human gave her a curious look.

“Yeah, ‘Stretch’, because you’re tall?" Dash rolled her eyes in exasperation and as if to say Duh! “Anyway, you probably want to avoid showing off those teeth of yours, might scare somepony. Catch ya later, Stretch!”

With a goofy salute she was out the door and gone in a rainbow flash and when Titus turned to her with a peculiar look Twilight could only give him an apologetic smile accompanied with a shrug. Well, it seems Dash found a nickname for him already.

Titus dismissed it and rotated stiffly back to face Ivory, “Miss Mayor?” She stopped looking at her schedule for a moment to regard the human and gave him an all-too-familiar politician's toothy smile. “If I may say so, you’re taking this whole alien-crashing-outside-of-town thing remarkably well.”

She gave a derisive snort, “For starters you crashed outside of town, the hill is actually just part of the park, so because there wasn't any major damage to private property that needed to be compensated that drastically reduced the amount of local paperwork I had to file. All in all this is a pushover compared to what I usually have to deal with, mostly because there wasn't a need to file a major claim from the Relief Fund.” Titus caught the sideways glance at Twilight who shuffled from hoof to hoof guiltily but wasn't sure what would prompt the politician to do something like that or what disasters she must have been used to dealing with but didn't get a chance to ask because apparently she wasn't done talking, "Secondly, Princess Luna made an appearance and personally vouched for you before informing me that she would be covering any expenses on your behalf, so that means one less subject to cover in the emergency budget meeting."

The Mayor snapped her planner shut as Time Turner popped his head into the room to give her a nod. “Alright, everything is set up; you’re on in five,” she moved for the front door in preparation to emerge but ran over the plan once so there wouldn't be any confusion, “I’ll handle the speech so all you have to do is just wait for your cue. You'll come on stage casually and wave for a few cameras, then sit down. Once the speech is over you’ll take the podium and do the big reveal of taking your helmet off. After that they’ll probably have a few questions. Just some advice? Keep your answers short and don't let them lead you off and get yourself cornered with a question you can't answer.” With that last bit of advice she was through the door.

You can do this, Titus. The human leaned on the back of the couch and took a few deep breaths with his eyes closed to calm himself as well as push the pain his side was in on account of the painkillers having worn off long ago when he felt something suddenly touch his knee.

Twilight had reached a hoof out to gently touch a knee reassuringly, “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

He let out a deep sigh and absentmindedly gave her an appreciative pat on the withers that he failed to notice caused her to go completely still. “Thanks, this is just a bit stressful. This is way beyond your average first impressions and all that,” he and with a little effort pushed himself off the couch and grabbed the helmet from the coffee table before heading to the front door to wait for his cue.

Twilight didn't catch everything he said before jamming the helmet over his head and letting the suit seal itself which was indicated by a faint hiss. She bemusedly watched as the human rolled his head around in circles and went about stretching as best he could, though that turned out to not be much and her amusement faded to guilt when he abruptly stopped during one stretch to suddenly grip his side. After a few deep breaths he slowly stood back upright and he leaned against the doorjam and she started toward him to see if he was alright or if he needed to call it all off.

“Well,” his voice was slightly distorted as it came through the helmet speaker, “Here I go…”

7: Picnic

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The sound of her waiter clearing his throat brought Twilight back to the present.

“Oh right, my lunch. Um,” Twilight shook her head a little to clear her mind, “I’ll just have a light salad and a soda. Thanks.” The waiter nodded while scribbling in his notebook and trotted off when she had finished her order which left Twilight alone at the table once again.

Twilight let the newspaper she was reading fall to her table, the headline in bold lettering reading "Monster Menace or Gentle Giant?" and a frown crept onto her face. It’s been almost two weeks since the press conference and they’re still printing stuff like this. One of the few papers to give him a chance instead of jumping on the bandwagon of fear had been the Foal Free Press, whose articles were being remarkably positive and informative. Which reminds me, Miss Cheerilee asked me to see if he'd be willing to do an exclusive interview for the school paper. Twilight caught sight of another cafe patron with a tabloid, the cover adorned with a grotesque rendition of the biped holding a banana and an equally ugly title. Space monkey. How can they print this stuff about him? In combination with her current frown the derogatory term coined for him brought a foul taste to the back of her throat.

The whole situation robbed her of her appetite so when the waiter finally returned Twilight took her meal to go and slowly headed for home. She wasn't sure if Titus had seen any of the papers because the human had been keeping his distance from town since the press conference, and if he had read them he hadn't said anything during any of their numerous chats. Carrying the bag in front of her an idea suddenly began to form in Twilight’s mind. Maybe I could bring him some lunch and we could talk. Titus did say he’d get me more data on the portal, I wonder if he’s made any progress toward that? Looking at her boxed salad from the café she doubted the biped would have an appetite for the hay and assorted grasses that were visible through the clear top of the carry-out container. I could go home, grab some bottles of soda, a loaf of bread, and some cheese. Maybe there's something else I could bring that he'd be able to make a sandwich? Then I could swing to the market to pick up fritters from Applejack's cart for desert and from there head over to the hill where he should still be working. Deciding to follow through with her plan Twilight quickened her pace to the library.

“Spike, I’m back,” Twilight called out as she opened the door.

The little dragon appeared at the bottom of the stairs with a quill and parchment in his claws, “Oh hey, Twilight! I re-shelved the books you were reading last night and checked in some more that were returned this morning, I also mailed out the overdue book reminders and I'm just logging in a few fines that were paid.“

“Sounds like you've had a productive morning, would you like to take a break with me?” she asked, trotting into the kitchen. Twilight explained what she had in mind and Spike quickly jumped on board with the idea as he was more than happy to take a break for a picnic. After finishing a few tasks about the library it didn't take long for the two to gather up a basket and the provisions they had on hoof before leaving for the market. They made a few stops and picked up some cheese of a different variety before swinging by their original destination; the Apple family cart. It was in its normal spot and today was being managed by Applejack’s younger sister, Apple Bloom, and after exchanging greetings Twilight and Spike bought the last of the fritters for the desert course and made their way down the road that would lead to the crash site.

“Human-Watching,” as it had come to be known, had become a bit of a hobby for some ponies in Ponyville so their presence made it easy to tell when Titus was busy salvaging what he could from the hillside by the array of colored blankets dotting the hillside and what was visible of the field behind it. Twilight could see some of the regulars: Lyra Heartstrings, two of the town guard mares, a group of the school foals and… Action Shot and Snappy Scoop. That would explain where all the pictures in the papers are coming from. Twilight felt the same distaste from earlier and shot the pair a sour look as she and Spike climbed the hill.

“Heya, Sparkles! Hello, Spike!” Lyra's voice greeted them both and before she could react Twilight had been charged and was receiving a warm hug and a discrete lick on the cheek which she noted was quite out of the ordinary but decided not to mention anything because Lyra herself was quite out of the ordinary. Having met in Canterlot when they were fillies Lyra and Twilight had been friends for quite some time and even had taken a few classes together at the School for Gifted Unicorns before Twilight had become Princess Celestia's student. They had grown apart at that time because between them they had lost contact with each other but upon her transfer to Ponyville Twilight was surprised to learn after a few days that Lyra had moved out of Canterlot to pursue her talents as a musician and their friendship had quickly been rekindled. As Lyra used her magic to manipulate the strings of her instrument Twilight would often ask her to act as a sounding-board for experiments because the mint unicorn was one of the best in town (Rarity being the other) at being delicate and precise with her magic. Currently the mint unicorn bounced along with them to the top of the hill where she pointed a hoof, “So, you two here to watch the big guy as well? He's doing more salvage recovery today and looks a little more limber.”

Twilight thought that was good to hear and as Titus continued to dig something out of the dirt it allowed her a moment to observe him. What he was wearing now was so simple: a light tan short-sleeved shirt and a pair of dark olive pants. He has taken to these sorts of clothes the last few days, the only piece of the protective suit to remain with him are the gloves and boots and that belt of pouches. It's definitely a change from the usual grey, yellow, and white coloring. Come to think of it, he always wears a full outfit of clothes. Is he body-conscious or do humans always wear clothes? She'd never gotten around to asking, she realized. Just what does he look like under all that fabric?

“Nope, we’re here to see if he’s hungry,” Spike replied and indicated toward the basket when Twilight didn't answer immediately and instead fell silent to watch the human. The dragon's voice as he listed the contents of the basket brought Twilight back from her observations in time to catch Lyra glancing between them and the guards who were relaxing on the grass and chatting between themselves.

“Good luck. I finally mustered up the guts and tried to go introduce myself earlier,” Lyra explained before jerking her head up the hill to the two guards, “But those two gave me a glare that could petrify a cockatrice, so I backed off.”

“I don't think there will be any issue, the guards have all seen me and him talking on numerous occasions without making a stink. Plus I'm allowed to approach him because the Princesses have appointed me as his Intermediary to help him get situated,” Twilight stated rather matter-of-factly and with a clear sense of pride to be entrusted with such a task before she cocked her head to one side curiously, “Um... I don't suppose you'd like to introduce yourself and possibly join us for a bite to eat? He'd have to be okay with that, of course.”

Lyra’s grin spread almost to the tips of her ears.

“Hey T, what’s up!” Spike waved enthusiastically and jogged over to the human who turned around to greet the little dragon.

“Oh, hey Spike,” he said while performing the customary greeting of a complex combination of high-fives and fist-bumps he and Spike had made up. Twilight had scolded Spike when he first tried the greeting with Titus, fearing he would hurt the delicate-looking fingers, but the human had just laughed and proceeded to assure her the fingers were far more durable than they looked. Titus gave Twilight a small wave as she approached which Lyra followed the motion of intently, “And hello to you too, Twilight. I see you brought someone with you, a friend perhaps?”

Twilight nodded. “She wanted to introduce herself earlier but there were, uh, extenuating circumstances,” she discretely indicated toward the two guards, both of whom had watched the violet unicorn just long enough to confirm her identity before summarily making themselves content ignoring the group to instead return to their idle chat.

“Ah, I see.” Titus knelt to hold an open hand out toward the unknown pony and spoke softly, “Hello, my name is Titus Aelius.”

Lyra stared at the offered hand, up at the human, then back at the hand and its splayed fingers before examining the gesture from multiple angles. “Uh…” Lyra wasn't sure out how to proceed until Twilight demonstrated by placing a hoof in the hand and with a smile when the hand was offered to her once again Lyra mimicked what her friend had done, “Hey there, I’m Lyra-oh!“ Each finger wrapped around her forehoof as it was lightly shaken and the firm-but-different levels of pressure each digit applied sent shivers down her spine. What is this sensation? Oh wow that feels... weirdly good. Sorta like a hoof massage- Before she knew it Titus had let go and the delightful feeling ceased which left her craving more.

“Well, Lyraoh-”

“Lyra,” she corrected amid a blush with a giggle, “Just... Lyra.”

“My apologies, Lyra. It's always a pleasure to meet Twilight’s friends. I believe I've seen you on the hill before with someone else-?” he let the question trail off for the mint unicorn to think of who he was talking about.

"Oh! That's that's another of my friends, Bonnie. We share a house in town."

“In that case, the next time you two are here feel free to introduce me, if she would be open to that. I can talk to the guards to make sure they don't hassle you and let you pass like Twilight does." At that Lyra enthusiastically promised she would after which Titus turned to address the three, "So, what brings you here?”

“We were hoping...” Twilight floated the basket to Titus’ feet and popped open either flap to reveal the contents to him, “That you’d be hungry and join us for a picnic.”

“Sure, I could go for a bite,” he responded, lifting the bag of salvage from his shoulder to the ground and folding himself down onto the grass, his legs crossed indian-style. Titus wasn't actually hungry - the concentrated supplement he had each morning was more than sufficient for a full day’s hard labor - but he didn't want to look ungrateful by turning the ponies and dragon away. Plus whatever they've got probably tastes a whole lot better than that paste.

The four arranged themselves around the basket, Lyra and Twilight sitting to either side of Titus while Spike sat opposite of him. The basket was placed between all of them and Twilight went about dividing the food, Lyra and Spike quickly snatching theirs up when it was floated toward them.

Titus hesitated, however, and visually examined the bread and cheese before poking the soda bottle with a finger as it floated in the air which caused the bottle to spin and flip about. Twilight heard Lyra giggle and was tempted to as well but she could guess the human was a little uncomfortable however Titus' cheeks and ears took on a shade of pink which she realized meant he must have been embarrassed.

“Sorry, I was just thinking,” he mumbled, well aware of his blush, and took the food into his lap before snatching the bottle from the air.

“Silver Bit for your thoughts?” Twilight said around a nibble of cheese and bread.

Titus indicated toward the pulsating magic aura, “It’s just that I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that because where I'm from the way you use your magic and the way it manifests reminds me of a group on a remote planet. They weren't nearly as friendly, though." His first bite was of the orange cheese which he initially took plain but its sharp flavor was a bit of a shock to his unprepared palette so the second was made with a bite of the still-warm bread. "Was that worth anywhere near a bit?” he said jokingly.

"That was very worth it!" Twilight was beginning to wish she had brought a quill and parchment to record some notes but instead committed it to memory for later. Such information was a point of excitement and her food was quickly forgotten, “The idea of other planets and traveling between them is fascinating.”

“The moon and sun being raised manually is fascinating,” he retorted, grabbing the bottle cap between his thumb and index finger and twisting it off which was keenly observed by an envious Lyra.

The group was quiet for a while as they enjoyed the simple picnic and the nice weather however Titus began to take notice how both unicorns seemed fascinated by the movement of his hands as they manipulated the food around. He put his bread and cheese down and held an arm and hand out to each. “They must look pretty weird to you,” he said, slowly flexing and wiggling his fingers, “Here, I can tell you're both curious.”

This was the first time Twilight had seen the human open to physical contact - let alone initiating it - as he had generally shied away in the past so she looked up to Titus for permission before gently taking the hand offered between her hooves, turning the limb slowly as she examined it while Spike got up to look over Twilight’s shoulder. “Interesting,” Twilight remarked, her gaze traveling up Titus’ wrist to his forearm to watch the muscles under the skin move as the hand opened and closed, “You've got almost no coat at all... you’re much more, um, fleshy than I thought you would be.” Without his suit Twilight was able to examine the human’s physique to a much better extent; she had already been able to determine he had broad shoulders, especially by pony standards, but she now noticed the well-defined muscles of his arms that were much thicker than your average hoof. Twilight watched as the muscles in his arm expanded during one demonstration of flexing which caused her to inquire about the spectrum of human muscular builds. His torso is remarkably like a Minotaur's, though the tapering of the proportions is much less severe.

Titus indicated he wasn't exceptionally muscular for a human - falling somewhere between lithe and muscular - but humans came in all shapes, colors, and sizes. He momentarily took the hand Lyra was examining (much to her dismay) to roll up the sleeve of his shirt before returning it to her, allowing Twilight and Spike to better see how the muscle groups in his arm worked as he named them.

"Hey, what's this on your arm?" Spike interrupted to point to something that had been covered by the sleeve.

Twilight stretched her neck to get a better look at the intricate blue pattern that started partially down his bicep and continued up the shoulder before disappearing under his shirt.

"It's a tattoo, they're fairly common and their appearance ranges widely among the races of the galaxy."

"Like a form of tribal marking? But without fur you'd be dyeing the actual skin... fascinating," Twilight analyzed as she lightly stretched the skin and the tattoo stretched with it, "I'd like to hear more when I can take recordings and notes..."

Lyra had only expected to get her name in with Titus and take part in some small talk so when she was offered actual physical contact she had leapt on the opportunity and was too busy examining the alien appendages to hear the conversation between Twilight and Titus as she went in and nuzzled the palm lightly, which Titus did not seem to mind. Oooh! Its nice and warm. Softer than I thought it would be while the other side is a bit lumpy with hard spots where I expected them. She could feel the knuckles under the skin when she ran the back of it over her coat and after readjusting the appendage Lyra carefully bent and unbent each finger with a hoof. They're pliable, but I can feel there's strength hidden in these whenever he puts up a little resistance when I try to unbend one. I've seen the stuff he's done with them; he's able to physically manipulate small items with absolute delicacy and precision that I could never achieve with just my hooves, so I wonder how sensitive they are? Lyra began thinking of all the things she would try if she had her own set of fingers and the list just kept growing the more she thought about it.

“These things are so bucking cool,” she thought, not meaning to say it out loud and realizing too late.

“That they are,” Titus said, Lyra’s coat unable to completely conceal the blush that erupted on her cheeks and ears this time as she froze in embarrassment and her ears flattened all the way back, “It’s going to be these little guys that do the majority of the work to get my ship back up and running.”

“Oh,” Twilight interjected now that the subject was broached, “How have the repairs been coming? Have you made progress?” She felt a minute trace of the arm in her hooves going limp before he responded in what she realized was a tone of subdued discouragement.

“With the help of a pair of droids I've got basic power up again; doors, lights, that sort of thing. Since then I've been working on something else that will help me lug parts of the wreckage too large to carry back,” he said, one of the fingers of the hand in Twilight’s grasp pointing to his shoulder bag before he'd have to explain to the inquisitive unicorn what a droid was, “Could you get something from my bag?” When Twilight didn't move and instead looked to the dragon Titus directed Spike to one of the pockets where he found something resembling a thick clipboard.

"Hey, is this one of those things Fluttershy found?" Spike remarked, passing it to Titus. It was larger than the one they had previously seen being about the size of a regular book with thin loops and a short cylinder jutting off one of the sides

"It's a datapad," he said and the mares released his arms so he could take the datapad and demonstrate working the device, Twilight focused on the piece of technology while Lyra's attention was firmly set on his fingers flying over the surface, "I still have a ways to go before getting the primary systems up and running but during recent repairs I was able to retrieve a portion of the sensor data from a backup computer. I had to re-purpose this bilio-pad to put the data on-"

"Wait," Twilight was on her hooves before Titus could even look up from the pad, "Biblio? This has human literature on it?!" Her eyes snapped up to the human's. Oh please let me have understood that correctly. Please. Pleasepleaseplease.

"Um," Titus hadn't been prepared for the sudden interruption or the purple unicorn staring at him so intently, "I don't think they're exclusively human in origin but there's most likely a translated text or two in there." He returned his attention to the datapad, tapping the screen a few times and Twilight didn't catch the twitch of his mouth as it fought a smile, "But the pad didn't have enough space for all of the sensor data so I was going to make space by deleting the unnecessary book files-"

"NO! Don't delete them!"

Blinded by her inner bibliophile it took a second for Twilight to realize she had gone up on her hind hooves and pushed the seated human onto his back at the mention of destroying the books on the pad - her front hooves were on his chest and her hind legs were on either side of his hips, essentially pinning him to the ground. She could feel his heart racing under one hoof and in the corner of her eye she caught the two alarmed guards on the hilltop getting to their hooves.

The empty picnic basket rolled the rest of the way down the hill and neither pony nor human moved, even Lyra and Spike were frozen in a state of shock.

Oh no! Twilight desperately searched his face for a reaction but his alien features were extremely hard to read. Is that a wince or a smile? What have I done?! She squeezed her eyes shut as his empty hand moved toward her and she prepared herself to be thrown off. "S-Sorry! I'm sorry," Twilight said sheepishly, "I just-"

Twilight felt her mane get tussled lightly so she cracked one eye open for a hesitant glance at the human.

"It's okay, Twilight," Titus chuckled and waved an arm at the guards to indicate everything was fine, "Rainbow Dash might have dared me to say something that. Sorry. We were talking earlier and I didn't take her seriously when she said you'd attack over the chance to read alien books so now I guess I owe her a few Bits or something."

Dash would dare him to do something like that; she's probably laughing her flanks off in a cloud somewhere. Twilight searched the clouds for hints of a rainbow mane but couldn't find one. When Lyra leaned in she whispered something to her which immediately caused a burning red blush to appear beneath her purple coat and she became aware of the rather dominating position she had taken over the human.

Titus wasn't sure what Lyra had told Twilight but her deepening blush was probably his cue to speak up. "Um-" Twilight issued a little squeak when the biped beneath her spoke. "Fluttershy is the yellow pegasus, right? Did you say she had a datapad?" he asked, grimacing slightly when Twilight shifted her weight and placed a bit of pressure on his still-sore side though when her face contorted in worry as she gingerly moved off him he had to assured her several times that he was fine.

"Um, yes," Twilight finally replied after sticking her tongue out at a still-giggling Lyra, "She found one of those datapads the night you crashed. Unfortunately, it also ceased working the same night. She left it at the library because she wasn't comfortable asking how you would, um, bury it." That last bit received a raised eyebrow from Titus so she attempted to explain how Fluttershy had come to identify with the artificial intelligence and also repeated what the pad had diagnosed as broken.

The human hummed thoughtfully, unaware that Lyra's attention was set keenly on the fingers now tapping his chin, "That's nothing overly complicated, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes to fix. With two functional pads I should have enough space to transfer the rest of the sensor data..."

Meaning he wouldn't have to delete the books! Twilight's ears perked up at the realization, "I've still got a few things to do today but I can come back later to give it to you."

"Sure, that gives me enough time to finish up here and haul this load back," Titus said with a jerk of a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the forest. "Before you go I'll leave the pad with the sensor recordings-" his fingers tapped in a few commands to bring up a list of contents for Twilight, "And the books with you." The human watched as Twilight pranced on her front hooves a bit in uncontainable excitement as the pad was about to be transferred to her. Hooves... hmmm. Titus looked down at her hooves and then to the pad in his hand, "Um, potential problem. Our alphabets are similar enough in both letters and phonetics that you shouldn't need to translate anything to analyze the information, but... can you use the touch interface with your hooves?" He turned the screen to Twilight, "Here, try pushing a few of the buttons on the screen."

Twilight's tongue stuck out the side of her mouth as she tried to concentrate, lining a hoof up with one of the larger buttons on the screen. *blee-BOOP-whee-ep* A cacophony of tones came from the device as it registered multiple button presses at once and another attempt with the tip of her hoof to try and achieve more precision was also a failure - the pad didn't even respond to the hard surface. Twilight's ears drooped in disappointment.

"Could I see your hoof for a moment?" Titus asked with a hand outstretched.

Twilight obliged and a second after he had taken it her eyes drooped half closed when a wave of relaxing pressure rolled up her leg. Oh wow, he's massaging the soft part of my hoof with his thumb! By the Princesses, that feels good! Now he's running his thumb along the edge... What's he trying to-

The human hummed thoughtfully as his fingers examined the hoof. "The sole of your hoof is the right texture, but it has too much surface area. Meanwhile the leading edge is precise enough but the pad doesn't register the contact. We need to find a balance between the two."

"Try your nose!" Spike suggested.

Twilight rolled her eyes at the idea. But what if it does work? I'd be the first pony to read alien literature! The opportunity was one she absolutely couldn't miss despite how ridiculous she might look so she nodded eagerly, "Sure, I'll give it a shot." Very carefully so as to not bump her nose too hard she scrunched her muzzle against the pad. *Bloop!* the device emitted a cheerful tone and the screen displayed a new window of text as the command was entered and Twilight's grin of triumph couldn't have been any wider.

"Great," Lyra said, feigning disappointment, "Now she'll have her nose in a book all night."

Twilight, Spike, and Titus issued a collective groan.

With a little bit of practice Twilight was capable of basic navigation around the datapad's interface which Titus was genuinely surprised at for how quickly she had picked up on his instructions. "Twilight," he said, getting her to break her gaze from the device, "By the time you get back I'll have figured something out so you can interface without having to look so..."

"Cute?" Lyra filled in, poking him with a hoof and sticking her tongue out playfully at the other mare.

"Yes, that's one word for it," he admitted with a laugh before he could stop himself. It is cute hearing a little beep or bloop every time she gingerly touches that little nose of hers to the device. "Anyway, like I saying, I'll figure something out for you."

"Thank you, Titus," Twilight's cheeks had taken on a crimson tinge, "I look forward to seeing what you come up with."

The picnic was quickly packed up, the two mares leaving toward town while Spike joined a group of school foals for a friendly game of hoofball and with him out of earshot Lyra moved closer to her friend so they could speak in confidence as they made their way up the hill. "So... he called you cute," she started, a grin creeping onto her face as Twilight tried to ignore her by reading something on the datapad, "And that thing he did with your hoof? I bet that felt like foreplay."

Twilight almost let the pad slip from her levitation aura, "He was just-" She quickly looked around to make sure nopony had heard Lyra, "What is going on with you? I swear, Lyra, you're acting like you're in-"

Realization dawned on her.

Lyra's small grin turned into a wicked smile, "It only started two days ago, so I can't be that bad yet. I'm just surprised how restrained you were with him, barring the one case where you were literally all over him." Lyra rolled her eyes when her friend didn't respond to her teasing and instead sank her nose deeper into the digital book in front of her. "Oh come on, Sparkles, lighten up. This isn't the first time you and I been through our estrous cycles together," she said before muttering under her breath, "And it's not like he moved too quickly to get you off of him."

Twilight had stopped walking, instead she was now standing in place shuffling her hooves, "Er, Lyra?" she hesitated, "I, um...I still haven't started my cycle yet."

"Sorry, didn't catch that, Sparkles," Lyra responded, stopping so she could turn to face Twilight.

"I still haven't started my cycle yet," Twilight repeated with a nervous smile.

It was Lyra's turn to have her eyes go wide. "Wait, you mean...? Oh, you sly mare, you!" That wicked smile returned, "You're putting your moves on Titus now that way you'll have your whole cycle to enjoy those-" she bit her lip as a shiver worked it's way from her ears down the length of her spine, "Those wondrous fingers of his." Her tail was twitching just imagining what he could do, "When he was letting us play with his fingers, you have no idea how hard it was to resist sticking a few in my mou-"

"Lyra, I-" Twilight felt a bit indignant at the accusation, "I haven't been scheming like that!" She turned around to watch the human as he walked toward the treeline with the salvage bag over his shoulder and a fritter held in his teeth, his hands busy brushing loose blades of grass from the seat of his pants. "He's... Titus is like no stallion I've ever met before."

Twilight caught the sarcastic look Lyra gave her.

"You know I didn't mean like that. I meant that... UGH!" she shook her mane half in frustration and half to dislodge the distracting phantom-feeling of his thumb massaging the sole of her hoof, "Whenever I'm around him I get this sense of excitement, like I've discovered the lost journal of Star Swirl himself."

"In that case you'd better get home and hurry back here," Lyra said, playfully giving Twilight's rump a light swat with her tail to send her on her way before lying down to resume Human-Watching, "I might get tired waiting and try my luck with him."

8: Learning

View Online

The rest of Twilight's afternoon went by in a blur from her desire to get at the information on the datapad which drove her to complete every item on her to-do-list in record speed - naturally she checked that it was, in fact, a record setter against her previous times and made a note of it to put all of it in a graph at the end of the month. Ticking the last item off she checked the clock and placed the device Fluttershy had found in her saddlebags so she wouldn't forget it when she left. I've still got about about two hours before I should head out. Just to be careful she set the clock to chime so she wouldn't get so engrossed that she lost track of time and missed her appointment with Titus and as an afterthought she dipped into her fridge to pack the saddlebag with two bottles of the cider Titus enjoyed as a thank-you for whatever he was building so she could more easily work the datapad. With everything prepared and set at the door (and a spell to keep the cider cold) so she would only have to grab it when the time came Twilight returned to the kitchen to make a small snack platter of crackers, cheese, and some juice and practically pranced her way through her house to the couch. Hopping up she kneaded the cushion for a second then lounged out in the most comfortable position she could before floating the datapad over from the desk where she had left it. Starry-eyed and trembling with anticipation she gently poked the screen with her nose and was rewarded with a soft beep.

Versafunction88^SE
brought to you by MicroData Technologies
Data → loaded (Error! See Error)... Hardware Modifications → loaded... Vessel Link → not detected...
System Message: New Version Available!
No Net Connection - Searching...
Welcome (user undefined)!
Proceed to Main Menu
Load a different Profile
Ver. 6.3
Check for update? (HoloNet connection required)

She couldn't help but let out a small *squee!* of absolute excitement as the screen lit up then eagerly navigated through to the menu the way Titus had shown her where he said she would find the books. Oh, a 'Catalog' entry? Let's try that, maybe it's like a list of the contents. She scrunched her muzzle against the screen to select the option, Alright, what have we... got? Twilight read over the treasure trove before her. There didn't appear to be any order to the titles and a few of the spaces on the list had a blinking "Unreadable Data" tag that was clear enough what it meant. This reminds me of going through our book return bin. Hmm... a creature compendium for various planets, there's a few biographies, one Owner's Manual for a R6 Astromech droid - whatever that is - and lastly a history of something called the Galactic Republic... T-There's fifteen readable books here! She had to take a moment and examine the compact device once again out of sheer disbelief. How in Luna's name did they get all of those on something that could fit in my mailbox?!

Going over the list one more time and weighing her options she eventually decided on the owner's manual as Titus' mention of the name "droid" earlier had piqued her curiosity and her mind greedily devoured all the information held in the intricate diagrams and sketches, even from the advanced sections of the service manual meant for technicians. When the clock in the other room chimed Twilight was so engrossed she was barely aware of anything but a slight sensation of movement as her body switched to autopilot. Still fully focused on reading, she taped a piece of paper in a place of prominence in the hall and scribbled what was an altogether illegible note for Spike that would have told him where she was going and that dinner was in the fridge. Unfortunately her line of text went over the edge of the note and wrote the last squiggly lines on the wallpaper beside it before she put on the saddlebag containing the other datapad and was out the door.

Twilight's ability to read and walk through crowded streets without bumping into anypony - which she had plenty of practice doing while growing up in Canterlot - was on full display as she worked her way through Ponyville, over the bridge out of town, and toward the hill. What Twilight didn't realize was how her walking speed slowed down in relation to how interested she was in what she was reading, and in this case she was moving at a crawl.

As she neared the hill Twilight managed to tear her attention away from the datapad long enough to notice that it was devoid of the usual array of Human-Watchers however a pair of ponies were coming down toward her that she recognized with a small amount of disdain. Great, it's the two photographers from earlier. She had her nose back in the datapad with the intention of passing them without a greeting when one of them stopped and turned around after her.

"Hey, I've seen you around here before. Twilight Sparkle, the human's Intermediary or whatever, right? If you're looking for him he left a bit ago," the grey-coated mare, Snappy Scoop, volunteered after the violet unicorn passed them with her nose in some sort of gizmo, "The guards had to drag some drunken cityponies off for heckling him. They were acting like they wanted a fight or something."

"What?!" Twilight stopped dead in her tracks and whipped about in alarm and was suddenly and understandably all ears for what they had to say.

"Bunch of muscle-heads from Las Pegasus; part of the EFC amateur bracket, I think," Action Shot, the light brown pony, said with a snort and scrolled through the pictures on her camera until she found ones of the offenders which she turned to show Twilight, "Yeah, here we go; recognize any of 'em?"

The four definitely didn't look like anypony Twilight remembered seeing around Ponyville recently so the photos didn't give the slightest clue who any of them were and she didn't know any of the names Action Shot provided. There was one bit of information that could prove useful and she made a mental note to ask Lyra or Applejack as they made a night of watching the Equestrian Fighters Competition together occasionally and might at least recognize the names although what Twilight would or could do as recourse from there she wasn't sure. "So can you tell me what happened?" she inquired after finding no evidence of a physical altercation in either photographer's cameras, the closest being one image of a banana peel being thrown at her friend's back.

"They started out sitting and watching like everypony else for a bit but the more they drank the noisier they got. Soon they started shouting nasty stuff at him and tried to goad him on but when Titus ignored it they got angry they tried to get in his face. Nothing actually happened, the two town guards eventually stepped in after seeing if they needed to intervene and he basically just walked away from it," Snappy Scoop shook her mane then chuckled as she continued before she shot her coworker a glare, "Some of us local Human-Watchers weren't so ready to stand by though, were we, Action?"

"What? He's the first and only one of his kind in Equestria, and it's not like he's doing anything wrong," Action Shot returned the glare defiantly, "If they want a fight there's a few of us on the Human-Watcher's roster would be glad to step up and buck some sense into 'em, myself included. That's probably why the guards hauled the hecklers off: for their own well-being."

Twilight only half listened to their subsequent back and forth about what should have been done and instead flipped through other photos they had taken. These photos aren't like the garbage in the papers... There was one where Titus was talking with a pair of professors from Canterlot University, and the other camera had a set that showed the human laughing and playing hoofball as the foals and Spike hung on to every limb in an attempt to tackle him. These photographers are showing him in a positive light, almost like they're documenting his stay without a bias. Wow, I really misjudged them but as much as I'd like to talk I'd really better get going if I want to catch up to Titus.

"Hey," having gotten their gear back Action Shot called to Twilight as she went off at a canter, "If you catch up with him let him know a lot of us were impressed that he kept a level head!"

"Yeah! He's one cool cucumber!" Snappy added.

"Thanks!" she called over her shoulder but didn't slow on her climb up the hill, "I'll let him know!" Upon cresting the top and not spotting any sign of Titus the thought about waiting until tomorrow to seek him out and see how he was doing crossed Twilight's mind, but then only briefly before she decidedly dismissed it. But... but I need to be sure he's alright right now and I wouldn't wait if it was any of my other friends. We have each other so something like this wouldn't be too big of a deal but he must feel so alone. Her canter turned into a gallop down the other side of the hill and soon she dropped into the trench and disappeared into Everfree Forest, her thoughts swamped as she considered every possible state of mind her alien friend could be in.

Food distracted.

Food tired.

Small. Weak.

Not much meat.

Tender meat. Soft.

They weren't words shared but more of a communicated instinct. The pack stalked through the underbrush on either side of the newly-formed gully, hungrily eyeing their prey and waiting for the right time to strike.

Ahead is water.

Prey must climb.

We strike soon.

The ground underhoof was getting slick and when it wasn't threatening to slide out from underneath her it was sucking at her hooves. All the water in the surrounding ground is collecting down here, it's an absolute mess. As she dodged a few of the larger puddles Twilight searched for a place to climb out of the trench in favor of drier ground and while the sides normally wouldn't have been too steep to walk up and out the visible wet sheen of mud coating the inclines in front and behind her as far as she could see was enough for her to conclude it wouldn't be a good idea to try if she wanted to stay clean - or at least not end up completely covered in mud. Still, her legs were already getting pretty caked and she could feel some muck stuck in the end of her long tail which weighed it down even further. Teleporting out was also out of the question as from the bottom of the trench she couldn't see over the lip and with all of the broken logs and rocks that had been swept aside as the ship came through she didn't want to teleport into the air and risk twisting her hoof in the subsequent fall back to the ground. As she continued forward she was scanning over the piled brush and fallen logs along the top for something suitable that she could move and lay down as a ramp when she caught something in the shadows moving parallel to her on either side. Scarcely a few heartbeats later the only warning Twilight had was the foul stench an instant before a blur launched itself at her.

Timberwolves!

She barely dodged the one that had lunged out at her and blasted it to pieces when it landed with a spell she wasn't sure she consciously constructed or whether she had conjured it purely from fear. It was a temporary breather for her to calm and try to get a better grasp on the situation but as the sticks and logs began rapidly reforming the rest of the pack emerged a second later to peek over the edges of the trench. There was only one option: run, and run hard.

Too close and too many for me to take a stand. The sudden shock and spring into all-out flight meant Twilight was already nearly winded and her being a somewhat sedentary bookworm certainly didn't help matters. Another timberwolf lunged with its maw open wide to bare its fangs but again Twilight dodged, this time blinking ahead a few body lengths with a teleport spell. Not good! The more I have to concentrate on not slipping in this mud the less I can concentrate on spells to dispatch with some sort of permanency. The timberwolves were now both behind her and up on the banks either side of the trench which was also getting increasingly hard to navigate - the deep puddles had turned into miniature lakes or bottomless mud pits and branches and stumps jutted up from the dirt like skeletal limbs trying to trip her. Tearing through the muddy scar Twilight could see ahead where boards had been laid out to form a walkway through the hazardous terrain which was a good sign she was close. Sure enough she had only run on the boards for a short distance before she could see one of the taller parts of the ship breaking over the ridge of the trench and put on as much extra speed as she could, her breathing now ragged from the exertion as she thundered across the planks. Almost there!

The ship came more into view, distracting Twilight just long enough for her to lose her hoofing as one of the planks she put her leading hoof down on shifted slightly beneath her in the muck.

Twilight was thrown far into one of the mud pits alongside the path and a spike of pain shot up her hind leg as something sharp scratched across her coat, the surprise of which knocked the air out of her though, to her credit, she had the strength of mind to force herself from breathing in a lung-full of mud. With her body screaming at her for oxygen she pushed off the muddy bottom and propelled herself upward to break the surface coughing and sputtering, her legs churning frantically as she tried to tread water in the thin mud although she did get the gasp of air she so desperately needed. When Twilight blinked and shook the muck out of her eyes the timberwolves were already snarling and pacing back and forth having since encircled the banks of the large pit and Twilight struggled to paddle toward the center to get as much distance between them as possible. The long gallop coupled with the chase made her legs feel like lead though to her relief she found a shallower spot in the middle where her hind hooves could just barely reach the bottom, but only if she was reared up and hopped slightly and even then when her hooves were on the bottom she was craning her neck just to keep her muzzle above the surface as the mud washed over her face again. She tried calling for help but couldn't achieve much in the way of volume - her throat was parched and she could only shout or take a breath, there wasn't enough time both, as she bobbed up and down in the slop.

The timberwolves were growing bolder (or simply hungrier) with a few of them wading further into the mud after the trapped unicorn. They were rewarded with a blast of magic though this still only bought Twilight a little more time at the cost of draining her magic reserves because they simply reassembled themselves after a short delay. Behind the wolves Twilight would have been able to see the ship had it not been for the small berm and her low angle of vision with her eyes literally being at or below ground level at times. No direct line of sight on the ship. If I can blink behind the wolves and confuse them enough, even for a few seconds, I can make a break for it and hopefully get Titus' attention to come help m- Another jab of pain in her leg as she pushed off the bottom told her she wouldn't get very far if she tried running and Twilight's attention had to be focused on blasting a nearby wolf as it reassembled.

Unseen by Twilight one of the predators in her blind spot saw an opportunity and took a running start at the puddle fully intending to land right on top of its meal.

Suddenly Twilight found herself showered with the remains of a timberwolf as twigs, leaves, and branches splashed down around her or off of her; confused, she whipped around trying to find what had happened only to have a series of sharp whistles draw her attention. Bobbing in a slow circle toward the noise Twilight's heart lept as she caught sight of Titus just as he was sliding down the berm in the distance although much closer than him was a dark brown blur that smashed into one timberwolf with a snarl to bite and tear large junks of bark and sticks away savagely until it stopped moving before it launched itself at another.

The remaining timberwolves' attention also changed - they had no intention of sharing the meal with another predator - and they forgot about the unicorn for the moment in favor of the encroaching threats.

"Over here!" Twilight shouted, waving one leg above her head as she watched Titus thrust an open hand toward one of the wolves closing on him which subsequently was reduced to mere pile of sticks and kindling. What? He must have used a weapon or piece of technology.

That definitely seemed the likely case because in his other hand a blue rod of light jumped out of the familiar silver and black cylinder she had seen him wear, the warm hum turning into an angry snarl when a single slash effortlessly cut down another of the predators, the materials it touched were left smoldering and smoking when they hit the ground and the magic reanimating it was gone. Twilight was left to watch as Titus caught another midair by the throat when it pounced from the top of the berm and slammed it into the mud before the light blade was brought to bear again although in this moment she found a window to blast a timberwolf that reassembled behind him before it could lunge.

Another combination of whistles and the brown creature - a dog by Twilight's reckoning and the few short glimpses whenever it would occasionally stop moving - circled around behind the puddle to flank the last two timberwolves and cut off their escape. Herding the wild wooden constructs with snarls and feigned lunges Twilight got a good line on one and blasted it while the biped dodged the desperate attack of the other and countered with a clean strike that would have lopped its head off had it not collapsed into sticks as they inherently did.

Immediately Titus' face snapped to the large puddle and his worried call came before even a post-fight breath could be taken. "Twilight! Are you alright?"

"Careful," Twilight coughed, still bouncing off the bottom of the muck pit, "The magic; it brings them back after a short time." The two wolves she had blasted began to reconstruct themselves but a shrill whistle caused the dog to leap on one while Titus strode over to the other to terminate the process halfway through with a quick slash from his light beam weapon and like the rest they didn't stir after that.

With the area now cleared Titus was about to ask if she could swim out but one look at the exhausted pony was enough to tell him that she'd need help. He gave another whistle which brought the dog to his side and it sat obediently, guarding the edge of the puddle as Titus placed his lightsaber and pouch belt at the dog's feet before he waded in, first up to his knees, then his hips, and finally up to his armpits. The muck was deep enough the farther he went that he had to take a few breaststrokes before he reached Twilight bouncing on her little submerged island. "I'll have you out of here in a second," he said treading water for a moment before he got an arm around her barrel which she hung on to tightly and, if her expression was anything to go by, appreciatively, "Just try to relax and let me do the work." The muck that didn't want to move like water would have and the extra drag created by towing the unicorn meant the return trip took longer but his progress toward the bank and firmer ground was steady and eventually the human was helping a weary Twilight up the muddy bank where she flopped down onto her side and lay there.

"Th...Thanks," she eventually panted a moment to catch her breath where she could finally take a break and focus on calming herself down but this only lasted a few seconds before she bolted upright and scanned the puddle again. "Oh no, my saddlebag! My saddlebag slipped off when I fell in!" she cried with an anxious glance to Titus, "T-The datapads..." How am I going to make it up to him if I destroyed the datapads? Those aren't something I can just fix or replace! She waited for some sort of reaction out of him like sadness or anger but Titus was busy motioning his dog over and as the pony-sized canine came to its owner's side Twilight gave it a worried look which Titus keenly observed.

"It's okay, Twilight. This is my dog Dex, he's perfectly friendly," Titus ruffled the animal's ears for emphasis and the happy grin plastered across the panting dog's face widened which had the affect of alleviating at least some of the fear in Twilight's eyes, "Dex, this is Twilight. She's perfectly friendly, too." With rudimentary introductions made and a little lightheartedness to ease the mood he cast a glance of his own back at the mud they had just crawled out of and was quick to silence the stammered apology from the unicorn for losing his technology with a finger held up, "What's important is that you're safe, Twilight. Just wait here, relax and catch your breath for a moment, I'm going to go back in real quick and see if I can't find your bag before the mud we stirred up settles over it. I'll be right back." Twisting up from his seated position Titus made a nod toward the librarian, but his words were't directed at her.

"Dex, guard." The dog immediately lay down on his belly near Twilight, ears perked and rotating on high alert as he both looked and smelled for approaching threats.

Satisfied that Dex would take care of things until he got back Titus swam back into the puddle, submerging himself multiple times until he came back up with a mud-laden set of bags in one hand, muck oozing from every seam as he held it aloft. When he finally got back to shore with remnants of the pool falling from him with wet plops when they hit the ground the unicorn was thankfully sitting, albeit a bit languidly. "Twilight, are you alright?" he said as he crouched down in front of her and a hand hesitantly went to her shoulder whereupon he discovered that she was shivering. Not surprising, seeing as we're both covered in a layer of this heat-sapping slime.

"Exhausted. Cold... but fine, thanks to you," tired as she was Twilight managed an appreciative smile with her last words before getting herself to her hooves shakily, though she found she had to briefly lean against the steadying hand still on her shoulder until she got her balance back.

"Alright. Let's get back to the ship so we can clean up and get warm," Titus said as he stood up and placed the saddlebags over Dex's back who handled them without a problem or complaint before he took a few strides away from the pair. Titus and Twilight followed on a path for the ship but had only gone a few paces when the human noticed Twilight was avoiding putting weight on her hind leg and he brought the party to a stop, "Hey, whoa. Twilight, you're hurt-"

"Y-Yeah. I cut myself on something in the mud when I fell in," she said and looked back at where a crimson streak was now tinting the mud that clung to her flank. Putting on a brave face she took several steps forward and tried not to wince, failing on each as well which earned an even more concerned look from Titus that she attempted to brush off, "Okay, yes, I'll admit it hurts but I'll be fine until I get to your ship."

"There's still a fair walk across this muddy trench and then some climbing up the hull to get to the door. Here, I got you," he bent down again and slowly wrapped his arms around all four of Twilight's hooves in an attempt to scoop her up. Quiet protests that she was fine were voiced and an assurance that she could manage to the ship was made but with how much she had been struggling to just walk Titus wasn't hearing any of it, "Listen, you've been through enough already. It obviously hurts to walk so I'm not about to let you hobble all the way there, especially when I can just carry you."

"Really, it's not necessary... but admittedly it does hurt a bit, so thank you," she conceded and let the human pick her up. Or he would have but they quickly found that the mud made her coat extremely slick so it took a few minutes to figure out a way to carry her however they eventually collectively found that if Titus' arms formed a hoop for her to lay on her back in where one of the arms looped below the hook of her hind leg and the other supporting her at the withers they could progress. This arrangement left her head resting on his shoulder and her forelegs tucked against her chest which was actually surprisingly comfortable for her, too, so for a few minutes she just let herself relax as Titus carried on walking them both across the mud flat.

After a short stint of silence, however, Twilight felt compelled and spoke up, "So... are you alright?"

"Hmm?" With his hum her words seemingly had caught the human with his mind elsewhere and she assumed he would have been content just continuing in quiet but to Twilight's relief he nodded and gave her a reassuring smile, "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I've had worse run-ins than that."

"Oh, good, but 'run-ins' - as you so casually termed them - with timberwolves can be really nasty. What I actually was referring to was about earlier," she clarified but he didn't seem to follow, "Earlier, with the ponies that were heckling you."

"Twilight," he replied with a sigh and came to a full stop, "Did you come all the way out here to ask me that?" Her head having left his shoulder where it had been resting Titus already knew her answer and spoke before she could respond, "I'm fine, Twilight, they were just some loudmouths that had had too much to drink so I didn't pay much attention to what they were shouting at me. Besides, I know that some of the townsfolk stood up on my behalf." Starting to feel the cold himself he started walking again rather than berate the unicorn at a standstill, slowly working his way along the plank pathway, "I appreciate the concern but coming out here this close to dark was reckless; even if we left now we wouldn't reach town before dark. So, will you be okay staying here overnight?"

"Yes!"

The excitement that she was getting asked to stay - aboard a spaceship, nonetheless - was such an exciting prospect and the answer should have been an obvious one that there may have been a level of enthusiasm that meant she couldn't contain her volume. The sudden startled look he gave her, however, reminded her of the position she was in and she quickly bowed her head meekly. "*heh* Sorry. Yes, I'd be fine with that, thank you, and I apologize for imposing like this," Twilight said in a much more composed tone before sighing and resting on his shoulder again. "But I was worried..." she subtly nuzzled the side of his neck but couldn't tell if he noticed, "They could have seriously hurt you."

An eyebrow arched at that statement although, again, he wasn't sure if she was talking about the ponies or the timberwolves, "I... appreciate the concern."

Another stint of silence followed which saw them to the base of the rolled ship but rather than finding herself enraptured with the advanced vessel before her Twilight instead only harbored a desire to just lay comfortably where she was with her head on his shoulder and her muzzle a scant nose away from his neck as the chase up the trench replayed in her mind. As it came to a close under her breath she sighed jokingly, "Well this ended up all backwards, didn't it?"

"Backwards?" he asked, deftly climbing up part of the fuselage and traversing the top (or bottom, depending on your point of view) of the upturned ship before coming to a stop just short of a large vertical face of metal.

"Mhm," Twilight hummed. In all honesty she hadn't expected him to hear her with those small flat ears of his and was left to explain, "The mare is, um... is supposed to save the stallion in distress."

"Oh, so I'm a helpless stallion now?" he asked and gave a little squeeze and grin just so she would know he was joking.

"I would say that's not applicable given the evening's events, but the ideal is one of the unfortunate side affects of our matriarchal society," Twilight started explaining from her study on the subject but had to twist slightly and place her hooves over the human's shoulders as one of his arms moved out from under her to push a set of buttons. "You, um-" the shift of position caused the arm supporting her rear to apply a light amount of pressure to her marehood through her tucked-in tail and in response she tightened her grip on him involuntarily, "You see- ah!... historically stallions..." Squirming a bit more she lost her train of thought. I know that's unintentional and entirely an accident, but why don't I want him to stop?

"How about we save the history lesson for later, like after we're clean and warm?" he interrupted and struggled momentarily, the pony being a bit awkward for one arm to balance when she wriggled unexpectedly. Thankfully he was practiced enough that he could quickly enter the code for the large blast door to the cargo hold which slid open with a smooth *woosh!* of air. Titus had to push a few more temporarily-rigged controls to get the interior lights on so for a moment more he fiddled, "But besides one friend helping another, how about we say this makes us even for rescuing me from the crash. Deal?"

"Deal!" Twilight openly nuzzled him this time, rubbing up along his jaw and under his ear which caused a slight tingly sensation to flare in her body. Wow, that feels nice. As she continued she got a small chuckle from the human which only heightened the fun she was having until he tried to worm his head away from her, however unsuccessful that might be given their arrangement.

"C'mon, that tickles."

"Oh? You mean when I do this?" Playfully she brushed the spot again which earned another squirm and an openly laughed yes this time. "I didn't think you'd be ticklish... I'll keep that spot in mind." Did I really just say that? What is going on with me?

"I dread to think for what," Titus' expression was deadpan as he shut the door behind them with a simple wave of his hand over an identical keypad on the inside. "Sorry it's such a mess, I would have picked up if I had known I was going to have company," his dry humor didn't go unmissed as he crossed the trashed cargo hold, the shivering unicorn turning every which way and back again to eagerly examine every item in the room around her. She got a second to do so as Titus removed the saddlebags from his dog and set them aside before he carried Twilight through a set of doors to a hallway at the far end of the hold.

A shower of sparks and bright blue light abruptly stopped as the droid at work turned to greet them with a series of whistles when they entered. Hey! I recognize that! "Isn't that the droid from the manual?" Twilight craned her neck for a better look as the human carried her past and she desperately wanted to ask if he would wait so she could examine it further but between the gross mud and the welcome physical contact she relinquished that idea as something for later.

"Hm? Oh, so you chose to read the manual?" he asked and came to a stop partway through the door, "I kinda figured you might. You're correct, that's a R6 astromech droid. His name is Arsix." Titus turned so the unicorn could get a better look when the droid rolled closer and he knew it was so it could get a better look at the pony he was carrying. "Arsix, this is Twilight, she and her friends pulled me from the ship after the crash. She'll be spending the night," He explained which got a soft hum. Titus knew the librarian would be eager to observe the droid further at which point an idea struck him, "Hey, Arsix, could you follow us and run a quick diagnostic to make sure the shower has warm water?"

The droid enthusiastically shifted from foot to foot as it gave a few cheerful chirps and despite its head rotating from side to side Titus explained it wasn't saying no and a second later the third wheeled foot extended to follow them as instructed. This, of course, allowed Twilight to watch over the human's shoulder as the astromech scooted along which was an opportunity she greatly appreciated.

Titus walked down the dimly lit corridor, answering several inquiries related to the manual Twilight had read, and through another set of doors where he knelt down. "Alright, here we are," he said and when he went to set Twilight down they discovered the hoop arrangement made it a little precarious from how slick they both still were with mud and loosening his grip at all risked a sudden drop for the unicorn. Getting Twilight to loop her hooves behind his neck she was able to get her good hind hoof on the floor and with his help lowered her front hooves to the deck though he didn't let go until she was certain she had her balance. Now on her own hooves again she glanced around; it looked like a standard bathroom though a few things had been obviously temporarily jerry-rigged to function with the ship on its roof, the shower being one of them.

Though the operation was similar to her own setup Twilight was shown where the hot & cold water controls were as well as a few of the other buttons on the wall. "If you'd like to wash out that cut, and I'd recommend it, you can press this button here and it'll switch to a saline output-" he flashed a questioning thumps-up (Twilight had learned of the odd gesture shortly after his arrival) to the droid which chirped and whistled a response, "I think you're all set. Arsix says the water agitator is even good to go for hot water, just be careful how high you crank it because the safety limiter is on the fritz. I'll go find some towels and leave them just in the changing room for you. The door is partially broken and doesn't close properly so I'll have Arsix stay outside in the hall. If you need anything just give him a holler and he can come get me-"

"Wait, you're not staying?" her head tilted to one side in confusion, "I thought you wanted a shower, too."

The human also looked confused at the question, "I do, I was going to let you go first and take one after you..."

Twilight looked over her shoulders at the shower which was easily several times larger than hers at home then back at Titus, "It's more than roomy enough for both of us, why take turns?" Twilight immediately saw the blush come to his face.

"I'd, um, have to take my clothes off for a shower."

"Well, yeah," she rolled her eyes, "It'd be a bit silly to take a shower with clothes on." What is the deal with humans and clothes? She pointed a hoof at his shirt and pants and gave a nod, "Go ahead and take them off, you're always wearing something from head to foot so I'm curious to see what you look like under all that fabric."

Twilight's last remark caused Titus to go a whole new shade of red. "Being naked around other people feels awkward, especially when they're the opposite gender."

"Good thing I'm not a people then, I'm a pony," Twilight joked, still not picking up on what he was trying to say, "Besides, that doesn't make sense because ponies hardly ever wear clothes! I'm not wearing any clothes right now and I feel fine like this around you," she was trying to grasp the human's line of thinking but really didn't understand his aversion but then a realization as the word left her mouth hit her, "Does... does my not wearing clothes make you feel uncomfortable?" Though she didn't mean to her ears rotated back, hoping that wasn't the case.

"What? No, of course not!" Titus wasn't sure why he turned to the R6 unit for support, the droid certainly wouldn't know how he felt. "Let me set this straight; when I said 'people' I was using it as an umbrella term, ponies were included in that but them not wearing clothes is different but it doesn't make me uncomfortable. With humans, and other races for that matter, it's kinda complicated. Generally speaking getting undressed is the lead-up to a few things; a shower, sometimes sleeping and, um-" he cleared his throat, "Serious intimacy." He could feel the blood in his cheeks. How do you explain something like clothing and why you wear it to an alien species that views it as completely optional?

"Oh," it was Twilight's turn to blush, "So, you're worried that undressing to take a shower with me might get you... heated?" The briefest image flashed before her and her haunches clenched together lightly before her mind began connecting the dots of all the things she'd been thinking and feeling recently.

Oh no. Please, not now of all times! And I just stated I was curious what'd he'd look like naked... dang it. Another image popped to the front of her mind: one of what she thought Titus might look like under the clothes he wore and one where she had her chest on the shower floor, warm water cascading over her. She held her rump in the air as his fingers intertwined into her tail to-

Nope! Stop right there. Twilight shook the image out of her head which, with no context, was a little strange for Titus to witness though he didn't voice anything. "I guess I'll go first then," her ears flattened and a blush burned through her coat, "I'll, uh, let you know when I'm finished." With a nervous smile, Twilight hoofed the button to close the door, That was too close. She had been been fighting to keep her tail still but now with the door closed it was swishing frantically from side to side as her haunches repeatedly clenched. Forget the hot water; I need to cool off.

With what he guessed was a nervous smile the shower room door slid closed almost in his face. Well, she changed her mind pretty quick. I just hope I didn't offend her or something, but she did ask. The human found some towels in a locker and gave them to the droid and stepped out of the room as the water came on.

Making his way back to the cargo hold he began picking up and organizing the tools and various parts he had left laying about. Hmmm, this manifold is still usable... As the thought crossed his mind the series of twisting tubing floated to a shelf - Same goes for this conduit and heat sink - the parts quickly joined the manifold on the shelf. Power scanner, a set of interface visors, tuning stylus, laser caliper.... The tools set themselves up on the workbench or on the wall of other tools and in very little time the hangar began looking much more organized as like-things grouped themselves together - crates of parts floating toward the work area, wall panels reattached themselves over exposed bundles of wires while equipment and other gear organized itself over in the corner near the hallway door.

Dex, who lounging under the workbench and completely ignoring the commotion as he was fairly used to the odd spectacle, suddenly sat up and look intently at the hallway door and a moment later the astromech droid scooted into the room beeping and chirping. That's my cue. Titus finished moving one last crate before he made his way back to the shower room where he found Twilight waiting for him, "All finished?"

The unicorn nodded but didn't say anything.

"Arsix can show you how to get back to the hold, if you'd like-"

"Can I wait here for you, instead?" Twilight asked hesitantly, "I'd rather not be left alone with Dex right now." Winowa was able to pick up on the pheromones when Applejack was on her cycle so it's logical to assume the same would be true here. Twilight's tail twitched ever so slightly though to Twilight's relief Titus hadn't seemed to notice or didn't know what it meant.

"Oh, sure. If you could wait out in the hall I'll make it quick." Almost getting eaten by those wolf things I can see why she'd be reluctant to be around another dog. I hope she's not scared of him, though, he's so gentle. Waiting until Twilight had left and the door had hissed closed as much as it would on its broken rail Titus pulled his muddy shirt off, unbuckled the belt, and was quickly undressed and in the shower.

A violet eye peeked through the crack in the broken door, curiously observing the biped that had his back to her as he removed his clothing. He really is almost hairless. I wish he'd turn around, but at the same time... mmm, that's a nice set of flanks. Twilight had to make a conscious effort to keep a hoof from sliding between her hind legs and even after he had stepped through and closed the frosted door to the shower she continued watching his silhouette.

Titus took a quick shower, though as he went about scrubbing the mud and bog gunk from his skin he found it odd that the puddles on the floor from the last shower were cold already. When he finished he found the droid had kindly retrieved a comfortable set of clothes for him which he donned and rushed to join Twilight in the hall so she wasn't kept waiting in an unfamiliar place for longer than necessary. "I feel much better," Titus said while rubbing his hair in a towel to expedite its drying, "How about you? Warmed up, at least?"

Twilight nodded, "And I definitely feel better being clean." Standing up from where she had rushed to take as seat when he had looked like he was heading for the door she experimentally stretched her hurt hind leg, "Ow!" She didn't even try moving it more than once because the pain was too sharp and her leg wanted to pull close to her body so no weight could be put on it, "I'm beginning to realize my meager practice with healing magic won't be enough, maybe enough to dull the pain, but that's it."

Kneeling down beside her Titus looked at the jagged slash that crossed one of the symbols on her flank, her cutie mark as he was lead to understand from the lecture she had given him one morning while he worked. Upon further inspection Titus didn't think it was deep enough to cause any lasting damage but the shower had kept it from scabbing and recent movement of her leg had caused it to start bleeding again , "You've got what would definitely qualify as a big gash, but I've dealt with stuff worse than this before. I have some medical supplies in the hold," Titus knelt down and made a hoop to pick Twilight up but she declined the offer and stated she would prefer to walk so they slowly worked their way down the hall from the locker room.

If he even so much as brushes my marehood right now I'd lose it.

She seems a bit... jumpy? Nervous? Titus slowed his pace to that of the unicorn as they made their way back to the hold, saying nothing as she observed her surroundings intently.

"It looks different from the last time I was here," Twilight stated as they entered the large room that was the cargo hold, "But we never got the opportunity to come through here, the doors were blocked by stuff." There was a workbench halfway along one wall, a rack of tools and a set of tool boxes on either side. In the center was something propped up on a set of crates; Twilight couldn't identify what, but she assumed it was a vehicle of some sort because of the obvious seat built into it. A section of it was opened up to reveal some machinery and an object on the workbench looked like it might have been removed for repair. Her muddy saddlebag lay near a blanket that had been tied between two beams like a hammock - she eyed the setup with a raised eyebrow. Well, probably more comfortable than sleeping on this hard floor- er, ceiling. Whatever we're standing on. The human had waited for her as she had turned around in place and when she was clearly done examining the room he beckoned her over with what looked like a small aerosol can in one hand. Sitting down next to him she gave the object a curious look, "What's that?"

"This is an antiseptic and topical painkiller spray that also dries into a bandage after a few seconds," he sprayed a small amount on his arm to demonstrate and, peeling the dried substance off, passed it to her.

"That's a pretty ingenious combination," she said before examining the area of his arm and the clear bandage she had been given.

With her seated Titus looked at the cut on Twilight's leg and found it was deeper than he originally thought. "I'm going to have to open the cut so the spray gets all the way in and pulls it closed. Fair warning but it's going to hurt a bit while it cleans out any dirt or germs but the painkiller will only take a second to kick in. Speaking of kicking," he gave her an apologetic smile, "I'm going to hold you still so you don't buck me by accident." He completely immobilized both legs; placing a knee on either side of her hind legs and gently pinned her hurt leg at the ankle with one hand, his fingers within range to stretch and spread the cut open. Twilight's upper body was wrapped around him to one side as he hunched over in preparation to apply the antiseptic.

"Okay. Here we go," he raised the spray in preparation, "On three..."

Twilight gulped in anticipation and a little pain as he pulled the cut open but nodded that she would be ready.

"One."

He sprayed.

Twilight's eyes snapped open. Ugh, I knew he was going to do tha-SWEET BUCKING SISTERS!

Unable to buck against the pain she inadvertently bit down on the nearby shoulder in response, a muffled groan escaping her lips. BUCK! It burns like that time I backed into a hot plate in the lab! GAAAH! The painkiller thankfully took effect only a second later and the grip on her hind legs was released when they stopped trying to kick and she felt the human pat her barrel. As she moaned appreciatively in relief she relaxed and her muzzle slid away from his shoulder to rest in an arm while she caught her breath, a whole-body weariness taking over from the sudden tenseness.

After a few moments to recover Twilight gave the arm holding her a small nudge to let him know she was ready. "Whoa," she said and slowly got to her hooves to try walking around a bit and much to her surprise her leg no longer hindered her and she moved about freely. I feel good as new! I should ask about the chemical compound that's in that stuff, it's amazing and could work wonders for Equestria. As she continued to walk in circles to test her leg she noticed the imprint she had left on his shoulder and she immediately trotted over, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bite you! The pain just-"

"You didn't bite that hard," he lied; she had a deceptively strong jaw from what he had felt and he pulled the neck of his shirt to try to see where she had bitten him but it didn't stretch that far. "My oversight for not giving you something to bite down on, and sorry for not going on three."

Catching her reflection in a piece blank computer screen nearby Twilight paused and examined herself. Hmm, I hope I packed that. She first tried going over the mental checklist of items she had packed but the excitement with the timberwolves had overwritten much of the list and she ended up having to walk over to the saddlebag that lay on the floor instead. The soaked pouch's flap hit the floor with a squelch! and she floated out the two data pads and the two ciders as well as her muddy stationary equipment but didn't find what she was looking for. "Drat."

When the human inquired what was wrong Twilight summoned a spell that began to clean up her notebook. "My mane is all disheveled and is going to get all knotted. I forgot to pack my-" with her notebook usable again she turned around but stopped mid sentence when she saw him.

Titus had taken his shirt partially off so he could examine his shoulder; half of it was rolled up around his neck, exposing one side of his chest.

Twilight had only been able to see him from behind when she ~~peeked~~ studied (for the sake of science, naturally) him as he undressed for the shower. Human males have teats?! A-A-And they're so high up on the body... The sudden sight of the exposed skin and muscles stretched taut beneath it as he twisted and stretched cautiously to avoid aggravating the large black and blue patch just below his breast to try to get a look at his shoulder rekindled that tingly sensation from earlier and her mind skipped several gears to jarringly finish her previous statement after a moment, "-my... brush."

"I doubt I have anything like that," he said, oblivious to the unicorn's state because an idea had suddenly come to him, one that would allow him to do some tinkering, "Though I might be able to make something, if you give me a moment." Titus strode over to the workbench to pick up the heat sink from earlier off the shelf. "Arsix, would you cut this into thin strips? I need them to be about this wide," he instructed the droid and a few loud moments later had a handful of comb-like blades. Placing the pieces side by side and alternating the location the teeth were in the human grabbed a pair of goggles from a nearby hook to shield his eyes from a bright blue to white light that popped and snapped as he welded the pieces together. He continued tinkering, Twilight watching him but unable to see what he was doing as the tabletop was too high for her even on her hind legs so she took several steps back and sat down in wait for him to finish. After a few moments of a high-pitched whining Titus put down the spinning tool in his hand and got off of the stool.

"It's nothing fancy," he made his way over to Twilight, slowly kneeling down and holding the makeshift brush out, "But I imagine it's better than nothing. I hope, anyway."

Twilight found she could levitate the brush as it didn't create any harmonic dissonance like some of his tech would so she floated it closer for observation. Although it looked a little crude in its design, it still had an aesthetically-pleasing simplicity that she appreciated a bit more because it was a gift; what had once been a square of fluted metal was now semi-oval shaped and the teeth had been filed down and the whole brush had also been buffed to a high polish that sparkled and shined in the irregular lighting of the cargo hold. She ceased channeling her spell, catching the brush in her hooves when it fell and immediately noticed how little it weighed, "It's so light! It can't be iron or steel." She gave it a test-run through a bit of her mane and found that it worked well at disentangling her hair and as an added bonus the spines gave a relieving scratch at the base of the follicles that her other brush didn't. Interesting, there's also no generation of static electricity. Perhaps a property of the alloy?

"Thank you, it's wonderful!" she leapt on him, her hooves going around his neck in a hug and she planted what was probably an overly enthusiastic peck on his cheek when one of his arms returned the hug.

"I'm glad you like it," he attempted to mimic a nuzzle on the pony embracing him and was rewarded with a surprised giggle. H-He nuzzled me!

"I saw you bring out the datapads, I'll take a look at them while you're busy brushing."

He actually nuzzled me back! Twilight was near ecstatic and spent the next few minutes happily brushing her mane and tail. A few stubborn knots gave her a bit of trouble until the human assisted with them, he seemingly was able to make them melt away and even though the tangles in her tail would have normally been too embarrassing Twilight relished the sensation as the fingers snaked through her hair and gave it light tugs, though she felt a bit bad that he kept getting up from his work at the table. She made sure to show her appreciation by homing-in to give the hands an affectionate nuzzle whenever they got close which often resulted in her ears getting rubbed which was an entirely new discovery of their capabilities. And dear Celestia, did that feel divine!

After one such instance of helping with a particularly uncooperative knot (and an ear rub that almost made Twilight moan out loud) she decided her hair was in a satisfactory state and moved over to Titus at the workbench with a renewed spring in her step.

Twilight looked up at Titus sitting cross-legged and slightly slouched with his head resting on a hand, propped up by an elbow on the table while the other arm hung at his side. A strange visor device obscured his eyes from her but traces of light escaped between the edges of it and his face which lead her to theorize there was some sort of display within the visor helping him with his task.

"So," the tabletop might have been too high for her to see what was happening but that didn't stop her from trying to get a peek, "Do the datapads still work? I imagine it wasn't good for them to be submerged, I just hope I didn't ruin them."

He gave a distracted hum, committing to neither possibility of their functionality.

Titus' earlier ministrations with the knots and ear rubs - and the sensations that they had brought with them - had made Twilight feel a bit playful. "I want to help!" her horn glowed and in a flash of violet light she appeared in the human's lap atop the tall stool.

For just a fraction of a second she saw the parts of the disassembled datapad hovering slightly above the work surface before they clattered back down as the stool wobbled with the sudden shift in weight, two hands immediately grabbing the edge of the work surface to keep them from plummeting off their perch.

Breathing a sigh once the wobbling had ceased, Titus flicked the mechanical interface visor up out of his vision to address the unicorn that was now sharing the stool with him, "Twilight..."

She didn't even hear him say her name. Those were levitating... those were definitely levitating! "How did you do that?!" Twilight turned to look at the human incredulously, "How?! I thought humans didn't have any magic!"

Oh shoot. I could tell her it was a bit of technology, a function of the interface visor... no, that will just come around to bite me in the butt. "We don't. If you get down-"

"I know what I saw!" Twilight refused to move out of his lap until he told her how he had made the datapad components levitate. Summoning magic into her horn she checked for any residual Harmony but, aside from what could normally be found in the environment, there were no heightened levels in the area. "According to the newspaper articles, and the independent and much more thorough readings I've taken on my own you have no magical coefficient! None! Meaning you shouldn't- no, sorry, that's not right, what I mean is you can't have any magic!" She shook her head hard enough from her own disbelief that it caused the tall stool they were both sharing to wobble about slightly, "Do you have any idea... any idea at all what the ramifications to established thaumaturgic theory - not to mention the very laws that those theories are based on - would be if a creature without an ingrained affinity could harness Harmony?! It would mean chaos! Disc-" Twilight took a few breaths, "Goatface would be having a field day."

Goatface? Whatever, I can ask later. "It wasn't magic, Twilight," Titus tried to explain and immediately she issued the follow up question asking what ability he had to be able to levitate the components, her bright eyes betraying just how hungry she was for the answer. "It's called the Force. At the picnic earlier today, do you remember when I mention that group of secluded people that used something that looked similar to your magic?" he asked and waited for the unicorn to nod, "They used the Force. I know it might look similar to magic, and many people from my own dimension or whatever would also call it that, but that's not the case."

"Besides," he tried to subtly change the subject, "Just a week ago those same papers you're referencing were saying I was a pony-eater and was going to usurp the Princesses to enslave all of Equestria."

I want to tell him that they still are, but he's trying to steer the conversation. "Show me," she tried her hardest to sound resolute and looked up over a shoulder at him in hopes he would see how determined she was.

"It's kind of-"

"Please?"

"I don't know-"

"Please Please Pleeease?" Her desire that he agree lead her to inadvertently bounce with each word which, in turn, brought a blush to the human's face.

"Whoa, Twilight, stop bouncing."

"~♫~You're blushing~♫~!" The leading edge of her estrous cycle giving her courage Twilight decided to risk pushing her advantage. "Oh, I'll stop," she continued bouncing and flashed him a lascivious smile before shifting around in his lap to lean in and whisper in his ear, "when you show me."

"Fine," Titus sighed, "Just please. Stop. Bouncing."

Twilight gave a mischievous wiggle of her hips at the end of her last bounce and excitedly turned around for the show. Oh oops... I might have gotten us both a little heated. She pretended she didn't notice the changing topography of his lap as she turned around to face the table. I guess that's confirmation that he's equipped.

"Sit still," Titus instructed and turned his focus to the disassembled datapad, "I'm working with a lot of pieces here and being unable to concentrate will make this harder."

Please don't talk about 'harder' right now. Twilight set her jaw and fought for control over her twitching tail and wandering mind. Just... just ignore what's poking you in the flanks and focus. This is a historic breakthrough. Focus.

She got herself under control (mostly) and watched intently as Titus flipped the visor-goggle things back down over his eyes and aimed two relaxed palms at the parts on the table. For a second nothing happened, then one piece and another and another rose up until every component on the table was floating.

There's no visible aura around them, like with pony magic. She closed her eyes to focus. I... I can't sense any affiliation to light or dark magic. In fact I can't detect anything at all, there's just... nothing. If I wasn't seeing this for myself I'd say this was impossible. Twilight stopped focusing and let the glow in her horn fade. The datapad proceeded to reassemble itself before her eyes then settled back down to the table, the screen taking on the familiar warm light as it turned on.

Contemplating what she had witnessed Twilight stared at the datapad until something gently tapped on her shoulder; Titus, the visor flipped up once again, was holding what looked like a fountain pen. It appeared to be made of some metal or alloy and the tip was rounded almost to a hemisphere.

"Here," he placed it next to the datapad and nodded toward it, "This is what I made so you didn't have to use your nose..."

Twilight levitated the pen and was examining it when a whisper tickled the fur on her ear.

"Adorable as it was to watch." The grin on the human's face grew as Twilight twitched involuntarily and her body tensed. Gotcha back for that bouncing.

Twilight's mind was racing at all of the research, potential breakthroughs, and reports she could write on whatever the Force was. It was staggering to even consider the implications of what she had seen and her hunger for knowledge was insatiable, "I'd love it if you'd come to my laboratory so I can take some readings and do some tests. W-Why would you hide something like this!?" She heard the annoyed bordering angry tone in her voice and quickly apologized.

"It's alright, Twilight," he gave her a pat on the shoulder to let her know it was forgiven, "I... hiding it has something to do with where I came from."

Twilight's ears rotated forward, eager to hear more because Titus hadn't revealed much about where he came from to anypony, save for Princess Luna and she was politely keeping her muzzle shut - Twilight had tried asking but had been told by that it wasn't her place to share something he wasn't comfortable or ready to share himself. At the same time of her interest to hear even the smallest amount of information Twilight was concerned; she hadn't heard the human speak in that tone before.

"Doing anything like this-" he floated the datapad up in the air and into his hand, "Would draw a lot of unwanted attention."

"W-What? Why?" Twilight was confused, "Is it similar to how earth ponies can be touchy about not having magic and being underestimated because of it?"

"No. For most of my life it was generally okay to openly do this but... things changed and it became dangerous," he stopped to rub the bridge of his nose when he realized his current direction of the conversation was just going to create more questions than it would answer for the inquisitive unicorn. "It's probably easier if I just start at the beginning, are you ready for a story? Before I got sucked into the portal the galaxy had been in a pitched war-"

"The whole galaxy?!" Twilight, in shock, interrupted him. She had read about the wars Equestria had during its periods of unrest but the thought of a whole galaxy in that state was hard for her to comprehend.

"Yes," Titus replied and poked her lightly on the nose with a finger for interrupting. "The. Whole. Galaxy. Now, please let me continue," he looked past her as he tried to collect and construct everything into a somewhat concise form so they wouldn't be up all night, "I was a Jedi Knight, a member of the Jedi Order which is- sorry, was an ancient organization sworn to protect the peace and uphold justice across the galaxy. My parents gave me to the Order at a very young age so I could be taken to the Jedi Temple to learn and train, much like the special school you went to-"

"Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns," she fed him the title, "But what do you mean your 'parents gave you to the Order,' was the Temple a boarding school?"

"No, perhaps 'gave' was the wrong word. They surrendered me for the Order to raise and teach, severing their ties with me."

Twilight was a mix of confused and shocked, "But... they were your parents... that's-"

"That's how it was," he finished for her, a finger going to her muzzle again signaling that the line of discussion was closed for the time being and she should let him continue. Twilight was, of course, all ears and lay down as best she could in his lap to get more comfortable. "I remained at the Temple until I was an adolescent and took the graduation tests, after which Master Krua approached me to be her Apprentice. I continued learning under her guidance until I was ready for the Trials of Knighthood. Two years later I completed the Trials and was promoted to a Knight."

"Now, before I continue there were two major factions you need to be familiar with. The first is the Galactic Republic, a representative democracy lead by man named Chancellor Palpatine, and was the faction the Jedi Order served. The Republic was comprised of various member-worlds or whole star systems from across the known galaxy and governed by the Galactic Senate. The other faction, lead by Darth Sidious, is the Separatist Confederacy, which was an organized movement formed of planets that wouldn't comply with the Republic's rulings, had gotten fed up with the corruption within the representative Senate of the Republic, or could be bought over by the Separatists."

"Just as there was a faction to oppose the Republic there is one to oppose the Jedi; they are called the Sith. Jedi use the light side of the Force, never using it in anger or out of hatred-"

That's almost exactly how the Princess told me to use magic.

"-while the Sith used the dark side of Force. They used it for selfish purposes; not hesitating to harm and even relishing in the pain of others as well as the power their anger or hatred gave them. Darth Sidious was a Sith Lord, and he had an apprentice by the name of Count Dooku. Tensions rose until war broke out," he paused and shifted slightly in the stool to keep his legs from falling asleep, "The Republic mustered a force of cloned soldiers, or soldiers quickly created in a lab, to fight for them. We Jedi were also deployed in certain situations at the behest of the Senate or Chancellor, though the Jedi Council governed itself separately for the most part. Meanwhile the Separatists used legions of droids specially built for combat as well as whatever pawns Dooku could find to further his Master's cause. For three years and across countless planets, they waged their war. The death toll was in the billions."

Billions? Twilight knew the magnitude of the number and felt sick contemplating that many deaths when across all the Equestrian wars recorded the numbers paled in comparison. "So what happened?" she spoke up when the human fell silent for a moment, "Who won the war?"

"No one, Twilight," Titus' whole body seemed to slump in a sigh, "No one won. Toward the end the Republic had the decisive upper hand over the Confederacy and there were good signs that the war was was finally drawing to a close. What no one saw coming was that Chancellor Palpatine and Darth Sidious were the same person."

"What?" Twilight suddenly sat up, disrupting the balance of the stool before their combined effort got it under control again, "How?"

"He deceived the Senate. He made them dance like puppets while he lead the Separatists from the shadows, using Dooku as the public figurehead for the Republic to focus on. The Chancellor had spent decades orchestrating a transition of power that would grant him full control of the Republic and when he executed his plan he painted the Order as traitors and triggered ingrained protocols in the clone soldiers that caused them to turn on their Jedi allies. We were the biggest threat to his rule so he issued Order Sixty Six and had the Jedi Order all but eradicated; Clones in the field turned their blasters or starfighters on their Jedi commanders; a battalion was sent and killed everyone in the Temple, Younglings and even non-Jedi staff included, and any Jedi that escaped the initial culling were actively chased down by the Galactic Empire or by bounty hunters looking for a big payout in what is called the Great Jedi Purge. That is why showing anyone you could use the Force was dangerous - you'd mark yourself as a target for the Empire to eliminate."

Twilight was silent for a while before realizing Titus had finished what he wanted to say and she was free to ask questions, "So... how did you survive?"

"For a while my Master and I avoided being found by laying low on remote planets and though I had passed my tests we used that solitude to continue my training. Eventually a bounty hunter tracked us down. He attacked our hideout with a contingent of specialize combat droids, and in our escape Krua... she got cornered and he killed her. Because of her I escaped into the jungle and evaded his continued search until I tricked him into thinking the carnivorous wildlife had gotten me and with no way to collect the bounty on me he had to settle for the one on Krua so as he prepared to leave and collect his payout I snuck aboard his ship and hid in wait for him to power the droids down for the trip. That's when I killed him." The finality in the human's voice made it clear he didn't want to go into it further which Twilight didn't press but she asked if they were aboard that bounty hunter's ship.

"No, I flew it back to the planet and used parts to repair this one. This ship belonged to Master Krua and me," he stopped, decidedly not going into detail about how they had stolen the ship - which was a story for another time - to reach into a drawer and placed a device on the table before Twilight, "And this was her weapon. They're called lightsabers, and they're the symbol of the Jedi Order. You saw me using mine earlier."

The human looked contemplative for a moment then lightly tapped a finger on Twilight's cutie mark, "In essence the lightsaber is like a cutie mark." Titus placed his own lightsaber next to the one on the table so the unicorn could compare the two, "They're unique to the Jedi that crafted it because each required that the Jedi go on a journey of self discovery for the key component."

Their... cutie marks? Twilight spent many minutes examining and noting every feature of the hilts as they sat on the table though after a moment Titus activated them for her to observe the green and blue blades.

"What about your ability to control things, you called it 'the Force,' right? How does it work?" Twilight carefully changed her position in his lap, curling up so that she was lying down again. A hand stroked her mane almost in rhythm with the heartbeat the unicorn could feel in his chest.

"The Force flows through every living creature and is all around us. Those that are sensitive to the Force can control it by interacting and communicating with midi-chlorians, which are microorganisms present in every living cell." The human scratched the back of his head, "I don't know if they were present here before my arrival or if they came through the portal with me."

"Hmm. Something worth looking into," Twilight hummed, "Your Force shares similarities with our magic, which is also intertwined in some way or another with everything in Equestria." She fell silent for a while as the hand continued its strokes down her mane; closing her eyes proved to increase her perception of the relaxing sensation and when the stroking stopped Twilight was left feeling light-headed but completely at ease.

"Speaking of the portal," Titus said, "I still need to clean the mud out of the other datapad so I can copy the rest of the sensor data to it."

"Are you going to use the Force again?" Twilight looked up at him hopefully, "To take the datapad apart, I mean."

"I sorta wanted to get my hands dirty and go the manual route, but I guess I can if you'd like. Why?"

"I'd like to try something," she started and took things slowly because she was hoping he'd be open to her idea, "There's a spell that lets the caster feel and see what the recipient feels and sees. It's called Sense-Link." Twilight could see his apprehension even on that alien face of his thanks to how much time they had been spending together so she moved quickly to assuage his concerns, "It's a very basic spell and the only one being affected by it would be me. In addition, the effect is broken and ends immediately if I lose focus on maintaining it."

A few moments passed before he spoke, "Alright. There's going to be a lot of information coming at you, I grew up with this so I don't know how jarring it might be for you so try to just focus on a few things at once rather than everything. Just be careful, I don't want you to get hurt." Twilight voiced her appreciation for his concern but when she sat up to prepare the spell she caused the stool to wobble chaotically and they almost went for a tumble. "One condition," the human said after steadying the seat, "We perform your experiment on the floor." I really need to fix the leg on this thing...

Once they had gotten off the stool Titus placed the datapad Fluttershy had found on floor and sat, once again, cross legged in front of it.

Twilight's excitement from the imminent intellectual fulfillment coupled with the increasingly strong urges of her cycle was causing her inhibitions to much less rigid and before either of them knew it she had climbed back into his lap. "I was hoping you'd be more hesitant to this so I could try persuading you again," she teased and put further emphasis into her words when she shifted her hips playfully, this time accentuating it with a nuzzle to that sensitive spot on his neck. Her heightened sense of smell also picked up his subtle scent causing her to nuzzle even more enthusiastically as the intoxicating aroma filled her nose.

"Twilight, I know we're friends but what is going on?" he placed a hand on her shoulder, pushing her nuzzling assault back slightly, "You're acting- well, actually I haven't seen you act like this before."

By Tartarus I'm so heated right now. And if you don't get yourself under control you're going to be too distracted to cast the spell! But I want him. I want him right now. Quiet! I'll deal with you base instincts later, right now I have science-ing to do. Of the two voices in her head, the power of the scholar won out over the strength of desire.

The hand on her coat, giving a subtle rub, brought her mind back, "Oh, sorry. I'm just a bit excited to see what happens." Yeah, 'excited' is one word for it. I. Said. Shush!

She backed off his lap sheepishly and instead opted to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. "I'm going to start casting the spell. We'll need a point of physical contact so when you're ready just touch me," she instructed and slowly worked the magic into her horn.

The cargo hold fell into complete silence, neither Twilight or Titus moving as they both focused intently.

A barely audible sigh was the only warning Twilight got before a finger lightly traced itself down the spiral fluting of her horn. Whoa, it's like my horn is being licked! The feeling of her horn - now incredibly sensitive from the magic flowing through it - being lightly brushed almost threw her off as a wave of pleasure crashed against her willpower to keep concentrating.

She just barely recovered, catching the spell before it failed and her mind exploded into a sudden and acute awareness of her surroundings. The sense of perception rolled outward, constantly-expanding like a sound wave as it pinged off of everything around her. It was like she was submerged, watching as an invisible current washed over the various objects around her. She didn't just see her surroundings, she could sense them. Without even turning around she could tell that the crate behind her was older and a different size than the one it was stacked on and somehow she could feel that the distance between her and it. She felt the astromech droid's presence in the hall as its mechanical arms repaired a bit of wiring, the completed circuit sending a pulse into the ship like a heartbeat. In the back of her mind she could feel the creatures outside the ship as they skulked through the night and she could sense their motivations - primarily food, shelter, and sex. The forefront of her mind, however, was monopolized by the sensation of the human beside her.

I can sense him there; not just his physical form, but his... spirit? Soul? No, I can't think of a proper word for it. And his thoughts and feelings... oh, I can feel his feelings... but there's hesita-

Something cold and wet brushed her marehood and sniffed, shattering her concentration and causing her to lose the spell as she slumped to the floor with a low moan.

"Wha-? Dex! No!" Titus' fingers wrapped around the dog's collar and led him to the hallway, "Stay." He rushed back to the pony that still lay on the deck panting.

The touch to her horn, the human's feelings she had shared, and the unexpected contact to her sensitive rump had all combined to send a rippling wave of pleasure through Twilight's needy body.

"Twilight?"

Twilight heard her name being called as if from a far distance off then felt a hand on her barrel as the voice came again, "Twilight, are you alright?" She opened her eyes to find the human kneeling next to her, worry written clearly on his face. A face that was so close to her own.

She was past the point of trying to fight her twitching tail, clenching haunches, or desire for intimacy. I can't take this anymore. She launched herself up, wrapping her hooves around behind his neck and hungrily pressed her muzzle against his. The voice of the desire had usurped the scholar.

"Twi-mpf!" Titus was caught by surprise. His arms windmilled as he toppled onto his back, a lustful pony falling atop him.

Two hands came to her shoulders to keep her still. Twilight dragged herself up his body as much as the restraining hands would allow to, eager to continue the kiss that had been broken as they both fell backward from her sudden assault. Struggle as she might she was unable to draw herself closer, Titus' iron grip held her fast. Twilight slumped, defeated; laying limply halfway up the human's chest with her legs splayed on his sides. She wasn't so far gone in her lust that she'd use her magic to force herself on him.

"Twilight, what is up with you tonight?!" Titus asked, a bit of irritation in his voice, "What was that?!"

Buck. I screwed up big time. "I'm sorry, I probably freaked you out-"

"Yeah, I'm a bit freaked at the moment. You've been all over me. I mean, a touch here or there is one thing and I get there's going to be a bit of innuendo or playful flirting between friends, but that was just unexpected," he tried to read her but she had buried her face in his shirt and all he could pick up with the Force was a confused storm of emotions within her.

I blew it. Again. Twilight could feel a familiar lump in her throat developing. I moved too fast and was too aggressive, and now I've scared him away. She fought to keep the tears building up behind her eyelids from running down her face, "I'm really sorry, I don't know what made me think you'd be interested in an egghead like me. An awkward... dateless... " Twilight spat the insults out, each one hitting like a sack of horseshoes, "unprepossessing... cacopygian..."

The hands restraining her relaxed.

"Twilight, look at me," Titus put one hand on the side of her muzzle to make her look at him, "I'm probably just as much to blame for this. I just... don't get it."

"What don't you get?"

Titus made a motion with his hands, rapidly indicating to himself and Twilight, "This! I don't get this. Why so sudden? And why me, of all people?"

"Oh..." Twilight somehow managed to slump even more from her uncertainty how to answer, "I-I guess because we're friends and I think you're, um... well, I like that we've been spending time together and... and with all of that I've never experienced this strong of an onset to my estrous cycle-"

"Uh," the human gave her a confused look, "Estrous cycle?"

Twilight was astounded to learn humans didn't have heat cycles so she had to spend a few minutes explaining what she was going through, her lecture giving her some time to cool down and come closer to her normal self.

"So... Oh." Titus had to compile everything Twilight had said before it clicked, "OH." He took his hands off her quickly and for several seconds he didn't know what to do with them so they hovered above her before he dropped them to his sides.

The gesture made Twilight visibly deflate. He must think I've been acting friendly because I'm in heat and just wanted to use him. She looked at the human, his brow furrowed and jaw set. He looks disgusted - he doesn't want anything to do with me.

In actuality Titus was just trying to figure out what to do next. She said physical contact is stimulating, so what do I do in this situation? I've really come to like her, and from what she said it sounds like that might be the case with her, too. But the Order forbade... okay maybe not exactly, they just really frowned on-

"I-I'm s-sorry, I've made this awkward enough. I'll stay out of your way and in the morning I'll go home and ask the Princess to assign you a new Intermediary." I'm just so stupid and clueless. She couldn't keep the dam from breaking this time and she just let the tears streak down her face to leave little dark spots on the human's shirt. I deserve this. "You won't have to see me again."

The tears were also enough to erode his guard and when she tried to get up the two hands snaked their way around her back and the arms they were attached to pulled her back into a hug.

"That's not it at all, Twi. I was just-" he stopped to reword what he wanted to say and as he thought about what he wanted to say his emotions began sorting themselves out. She's obviously a mess right now, but from from her explanation it sounds like maybe this wasn't wholly the fault of her biology or whatever. And from all the talks we've had explaining and teaching each other about ourselves I think it's safe to say we're more than professionally acquainted. I guess we'd be called friends, maybe? I wouldn't mind that. Staring at her laying on his chest he admitted to himself that despite the species gap he had felt a form of attraction to her since a little after they had started regularly meeting at the crash site. Actually, now that I'm kinda being forced to look at it that way see she is pretty and I guess cute, if that's an appropriate term, but more than that I've come to look forward to her company. I feel I can trust her, and I really appreciate that. I guess I need to think whether I'm fundamentally opposed to something happening if that's what she wants to happen, or am I nervous because I don't have the faintest clue what to do in this situation? Lost in thought for a second he came back to an anxiously waiting look on Twilight's face which had the effect of expediting what he was going to say, even if he wasn't entirely ready. "Look, we were fairly secluded in the Temple and this sort of thing was... well it wasn't strictly forbidden, but this is something I haven't dealt with before..."

He's... he has to just be saying that. Twilight snuggled into the embrace but still wasn't convinced, He just doesn't want you to feel bad.

He could feel her sobbing quietly, the reverberations of her sharp intakes of breath thumping against his chest. "I wasn't exactly a socialite myself, I always preferred the company of droids and being elbow deep in the guts of an engine compared to schmoozing with Senators at some banquet or another-" Titus looked down at the unicorn, "So I'm going to ask you; from one awkward, dateless, egg-headed, unprepossessing, and cacopygian-"

"What?!" Twilight's head came up startlingly fast, "Your flanks look great!" She said it before her brain-to-mouth filter could catch up and as it did slowly the realization crossed her face. I... I didn't just say that, did I? Her head dropped back down to the human's chest and her ears flattened back in embarrassment, not catching his mouth as it spread into a smile. Yup, I just said that.

It took a second for Twilight to register the ear rub before her mind melted away into the workings of his fingers. He could make a small fortune charging for this at the Ponyville market if it didn't feel quite so amazingly indecent- Twilight had to bite her lip, Yeah, right there! Ooh buck...

"Well thank you," he kept his thumb and finger working the ear in a circle, "But what I wanted to say was please don't contact the Princess-"

Don't contact the Princess? The ear rub left Twilight with just enough mental acuity to process what was said and her eyes cracked open just a little in hope that maybe this was going where she desperately wanted it to.

"-I don't want her to find a replacement for you."

The ear massage stopped when she inched her way closer to Titus' face, He wants me to stay! Maybe I didn't...

"Maybe it's because of my alien perspective that I'm not seeing where you're coming from, but I find you captivating; and sure, you might sound like you're reading from a holobook from time to time, but there's nothing wrong with being an egghead, that's just part of who you are. Oh and if I may say so-" his hands slid down her back to settle just a little behind her cutie mark, carefully avoiding the injury on the one side, and the pats he gave earned a happy giggle, "I think your butt passes the test with flying colors, too. Sorry for the hesitation earlier, I just... needed to sort some things out in my head. N-Not that it gave me any better sense of direction on how to do this... If you're able to be patient with my lack of experience with this sort of thing I'm open to the idea of... yeah I'll just stop talking."

Maybe I didn't screw up as bad as I thought... A little closer, her chin was on his sternum, she could feel his shirt bunching up under her as she wiggled the last stretch, his uniquely smooth skin brushing tantalizingly against her teats. Finally on level with that flat face of his she hesitantly went in for a nuzzle to gauge his response and felt a hand work its way up her neck, the squeak of surprise when the hand pulled her closer turning into a warm coo as Titus gave her a nuzzle of his own. I... he's really giving me another chance!

Tears of happiness welling up in the corners of her eyes Twilight gratefully pressed her muzzle into Titus'. It was clear she caught him by surprise again but when his lips parted to grant her access to explore his mouth she slipped past that flat tongue of his and brushed along those excitingly predatory teeth. For both of them it was an experience and an experiment; their breath mixed together as their tongues caressed each other and one set of fingers worked their way into her mane to give gentle tugs while the other hand brushed up and down her coat which caused Twilight's cognitive reasoning to slowly disappear in a miasma as she sank into the kiss. Suddenly she pulled back, having become aware that she had started to grind her hips on the wonderfully smooth, exposed skin of his stomach.

I'm not going to let myself lose control again and mess this up; I'm doing things by the book. She shoved her urge to continue behind as many mental doors as she could, "Mi... mind if I use the shower again?"

"Uh, no? Go right ahead," he replied with a breath into her fur before placing a few light nibbles on her neck.

"Hoo! Those teeth of yours..." she panted as the warm bites left a tingling sensation beneath her fur and her mind clouded, "Wow." She went back in to give him an appreciative nip of her own.

Titus watched the unicorn squirm playfully against the nibbles before letting her get up, "This whole 'being-in-heat' thing looks ha-" he caught himself, the word hard being on the do-not-use list she had recited earlier, "It looks like it could be an unpleasant thing to deal with."

"Y-You... have no... idea," her eyes drooped closed and she nodded, "Especially for mares without a herd or not looking to have foals." Twilight kept close attention on keeping her tail covering herself as she moved away from the human, "And if you fall into both categories, like me, it's borderline torture."

"Ah, so ponies form herds. Interesting. I would hazard a guess that's because of a population imbalance?"

"So you already noticed?" Twilight sighed, "Yes, there's approximately, oh... four or five mares to each stallion across Equestria. Add the even lower population of stallions in Ponyville to the equation and you're left with a lot of mares with no herd."

She stared at the human, propped up on his elbows into a semi-sitting position, "Remember how I was saying the whole 'saving the helpless stallion' was a ideal from an unfortunate era? Well, are you familiar with the dark period when Princess Celestia had to rule by herself for one thousand years?"

Twilight continued when he nodded. "During that time the low availability of un-herded stallions lead to their objectification, to the point the number of stallions in a herd was a display of the wealth and power of the mares. Stallions were valued based on their strength and, um..." her tone was a mix of disgusted and ashamed that it was part of their history, "Sexual prowess. Stallions were essentially slaves to the mare population. When the Princess came out of seclusion she came down on that philosophy hard, but by then the damage was already done and even these days there are still ponies that feel the only place a stallion should or can contribute to society is in the bedroom."

"I see. But shouldn't the low population lead to larger herd sizes?" Titus hauled himself up, "Oops! Hang on, Dex is in the hallway. Gimme a second and I'll grab him."

"Thanks. Logically it should, but bio-logically-" a groan from the human as he passed her indicated he had picked up on her intentionally-bad pun, "It puts too much strain on the stallion; you see, the cycle will gradually adjust itself overtime to overlap with other nearby mares so eventually the herd falls into heat at about the same time. Just imagine trying to, erm... service four mares in heat."

Twilight's face went red when Titus took on a thoughtful expression.

"Hold on, I didn't mean LITERALLY!" she was in front of him and up on her hind legs in an instant, frantically waving her hooves in his face to distract him from his thought when she stopped; a rather important question had come to mind.

"Wait. What is the human stance on inter-species relationships?"

"We're pretty much past the point of thinking about it," he shrugged nonchalantly while Twilight's heart skipped a beat and she did a mental hoof-pump at her good fortune, "With over twenty million known sentient species in the galaxy it's been pretty much a non-issue for a while now, though there will always be purists or whatever that are opposed to the idea." To show the dog his seclusion wasn't meant as a punishment Titus briefly roughhoused with Dex before closing him in the hanger behind them. With a door between him and Twilight Titus could resume his thoughtful pose, "So if herd sizes are relatively set, what happens to the ponies not in herds when the cycle hits? You indicated you weren't in a herd, so how do you usually get through a cycle?"

Twenty million variations of human?! Lets see, some probably have horns, other wings, maybe others can breath under water... She was jarred from trying to imagine what sort of differences they could have when she processed his question.

"Well the last time-" Twilight stopped, remembering her last disaster of a cycle.

The first day had been miserable but bearable and, thankfully, the Princess had recalled Spike (the letter referring to him as Secret Agent Spike) to Canterlot on a "Special Top-Secret Assignment" earlier in the week so Twilight could have the library to herself. To myself, until that stallion ducked into the library to dodge the group of un-herded mares chasing him. I started showing interest and he immediately locked himself in the basement and six days later it took two stallion guards to convince him when it was safe to come out. A week after her cycle was over Twilight had mustered up the courage to go to his house to apologize only to find he had moved. Only later did I find out from Rarity that he wasn't into mares at all.

"I just seclude myself in the library and read. Sometimes a friend like Lyra or Dash will lend a hoo- um," Twilight cringed lightly at what that line could have been taken as, "Sometimes a friend will help out."

"So you read to keep your mind off of it? How do your friends help, though?"

"There are a few, er... devices that can be used to reduce the severity of the cycle though the relief is temporary at best. Some of them require assistance to use, which can be a somewhat awkward topic to broach."

"I can see how not being in a herd could be an issue," he paused to regard Twilight. "Well I hope if I can be of assistance, you'll ask. I could spend some time recovering more books from the computer if you'd like, and I might know a technique of meditation that might help-"

The offer of potentially the kind of "help" her biology wanted was like a battering ram against the mental defenses she had locked it behind and thankfully they held firm, but she still acknowledged him with a warm smile. "Hey," she stopped outside the shower room door, "Come down here a second."

Lets lay this out: you're fascinated by him, he's one of the very few stallions that initiates an intellectual conversation - nothing on the level of advanced quantum thaumaturgic relativity or harmonic string theory, but the subjects are certainly uniquely stimulating - and he's got to be the first stallion that's said he thinks you're attractive. He even complimented your flanks! Thinking about that last part made Twilight beam - she had never been very confident when it came to her body. On top of that, he braved a pack of timberwolves to help you, and later you felt that he genuinely cared about you when you used the Sense-Link spell.

When the human bent down and was within range Twilight reared up and wrapped her forehooves behind his neck, "The books would be a wonderful help, thank you." She placed a series of quick, light kisses along his short jaw, lingering a bit longer on his lips though not going as far as their last kiss, pure bliss flooding her system as Titus returned the kiss in full.

"Woo," she finally broke off, breathing heavily, "Right, got to stop. I want to do this by the book, you know, the traditional way; date, dinner, that sort of thing." I should see what the library has on cross-species courtship as well, though I could use Rainbow as a resource. Twilight paused her thought as she rubbed her face against the side of Titus' neck, his long hair tickling her eyelids and nose. I'll gather additional data I need from relevant articles in the library's collection of Cosmarepolitan and cross reference it to the expertise of Rarity. "I need to get you into the lab to run a few tests, as well."

"Hooking me up as the guinea pig for your next experiment? Hope that's not the date you had in mind."

"What? No!" Twilight was shocked until he placed a peck on the end of her nose. Her muzzle adorably scrunched up in annoyance when she realized he wasn't being serious, "No, if I'm going to be around you while I'm in heat I want to run tests to make sure you can't get me pregnant just in the improbable case things get too bad and I... jump... or, um, restrain you..."

That got a raised eyebrow from Titus, "Uh, how improbable are we talking here?"

"Like I said it's improbable - highly improbable, actually," she tried to sound optimistic, "But with how strong the onset of this cycle is I anticipate it getting much worse, so I will admit it's not completely outside the realm of reason. Think when I jumped on you earlier, but the further into the cycle I am it'll be twice, three times, ten times as hard for me to stop myself."

The look on the human's face concerned Twilight, "I-I'd never think of h-hurting you, though!"

"I know, Twi, the same goes for me," he tousled her mane and a playful but confident grin crossed his face, "But I'm capable of handling myself; more than you ponies give me credit for, anyway."

It was ingrained in their species that the mare's job was to protect the stallion. The thought that a stallion could protect himself better than a mare could was just very hard for Twilight to accept; she'd been in a few fights as a filly with ponies that had said something nasty about her brother - not that she won many, but that wasn't the point (besides, you weren't supposed to use magic in those fights) - Shiny was strong and brave but the idea of him fighting for himself just felt wrong to her. Not that any respectable mare would raise a hoof to a stallion; unless she wanted to get smashed into paste by any mare that caught wind of her doing it.

I'm not saying I think stallions can't defend themselves, of course, but Titus is just so... Twilight knew he could handle a few timberwolves but ponies were a whole different basket of apples. He's fragile compared to a pony - long, thin limbs, the legs don't seem capable of a good buck, and his high center of gravity would indicate he'd prefer to grapple rather than throw hooves. Short of employing his fingers to secure leverage and perhaps biting - to his credit he's liable to take a chunk out of somepony doing that - I can't imagine how he'd stand up to the agility of a pegasus or the grounded strength of an earth pony. And forget unicorns, I doubt he'd have a chance if they used magic.

Twilight felt her gut churning and shook the unpleasant thought of stallions fighting out of her mind. "Look, the tests won't take long; when we go back to town tomorrow we can grab something from the cafe and by the time we're done I'll have results," she placed her own peck on the human's short nose and he mimicked the scrunched-up face. "I better get in there," she gave him a quick hug and let him go, dropping back onto all fours as she felt that warm tingling sensation returning. "As much as I really - and I mean really - don't want to, if we minimize physical contact I think I can make it 'till morning without incident," Twilight walked into the shower room leaving Titus standing in the hallway while the door remained open.

"I've got one thing I need to finish before I can crash," he leaned a forearm on a bulkhead, "I'll lower the hammock so you can get into it, it's all yours for the night."

Twilight gave him an appreciative nod and closed the door. This bout of heat isn't going to go away with just a shower, and with no cooler available it's going to take some... She looked at the showerhead and the hose it was attached to thoughtfully. Just a little improvising. A magical aura surrounded the showerhead to float it down from the hook as Twilight switched the output to the saline solution.

Titus couldn't hear what was going on in the shower, the sounds weren't loud enough to reach him in the hangar where he was piecing a turbine engine back together. He was almost through re-installing it into the speederbike, and halfway through the bottle of cider, when a relieved-looking Twilight shuffled back into the hangar. "Better?" he locked the securing anchor in place and slid out from under the bike, intent on finishing after seeing how the unicorn was doing and maybe show her what he was up to.

"Much better, thanks," she hummed, magically blinking the short distance into the hammock. Twilight floated one of the blankets over herself, "But I'm completely worn out so I'm going to hit the hay. See you in the morning." She squirmed a little deeper into the warm blanket and was so quickly asleep that it put Titus in the awkward position of trying to quietly finish up.

Twilight became acutely aware of the soreness in her leg when she rolled over in the hammock, waking up with a soft groan. Ow ow ow... I guess the painkiller is wearing off. She also started to feel how cold it was, despite the blanket wrapped around her. The hangar was bathed in a low red light which her eyes soon adjusted to the darkness as she looked around; it was a stark transition from the warm lighting that had been present when she had fallen asleep. Everything looks so different... It took a split second to recognize the objects in the hangar and a bit longer to spot the low-profile lump of Titus on the floor across the room.

Twilight rolled out of the hammock, still half asleep and covered in the blanket, and stalked over to the sleeping human as quietly as she could. Once she had gotten closer Twilight could see that he had procured a very thin mattress and was using a long brown cloak as a blanket which was draped over his lower half. He was on his back, one arm bent under his head as a pillow while the other lay at his side.

Her teeth began to chatter and she quickly pinpointed that the cold metal of the floor was sapping the heat from her right through the pads on her hooves. No fur and only that shirt to keep his upper body warm. How is he not cold?! Twilight continued to shiver as she looked at the human who for all intents and purposes seemed to be perfectly comfortable with the current temperature. Twilight wiggled herself into the crook of the arm and magic'd the blanket over them both without a second thought.

"Something wrong?" Titus tilted his head slightly so he could look at Twilight groggily.

"No," Twilight snuggled deeper into the hollow and used the human's chest as a pillow, "You looked cold, that's all." She was already feeling warmer and the welcome change was lulling her back to sleep.

Sure, that's why you're the one shivering. "What happened to the 'minimized contact' you prescribed?" Titus teased, wrapping the arm around the unicorn that had snuggled against him as a show of non-protest to her presence.

In her half-awake state, Twilight stretched her long neck up to give him a quick but playful kiss, "Sorry, can't hear you. Already asleep." And very quickly she was, one foreleg draped over the human's chest as the warmth and closeness shuttled her into a blissful dream.

9: An Odd Day

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"Luna, my dear sister, I am so glad you invited me," Princess Celestia joined her sister, greeting her with a warm hug. The royal guards that had escorted her to the garden saluted and left leaving the two Princesses their privacy.

"I must apologize that it be so early, Tia," Princess Luna replied and returned the hug. "I realize we have a meeting with the financial advisers scheduled this morning so I shall endeavor to keep this short. I hope tea and this, especially, makes up for it," she motioned to a small but elegant white-frosted cake adorned with masterfully-arranged red and blue edible flowers.

"There is nothing to make up for, I always have time that I can spend with you," Celestia followed Luna over to the the wrought-iron table and waited for her sister to sit before she made her first cut into the cake, the knife diving through the niveous layer of frosting to reveal a layered dark fudge and raspberry center. At this revelation the intended second cut was adjusted to give herself a slightly larger slice.

"You look troubled, sister. Perhaps something to do with your friend, Mr. Aelius?" A delicate amount of the cake disappeared into Celestia's mouth as she gauged the response to her guess. Despite ongoing support, her sister still found it difficult to relax around her subjects which Celestia attributed to her lingering guilt over what she had done as Nightmare Moon. While initially hesitant with the task, Luna started showing enthusiasm before and after interacting with the alien and when Luna had told her they recently agreed to drop honorifics with each other Celestia had been immensely proud of her sister, so, whenever possible, she referred to him as "your friend" which had the obvious effect of bringing a smile to Luna's face. The Solar Princess stuck to using the formal "Mr. Aelius," half the reason being she hadn't met the human yet and considered it impolite for her to assume that level of familiarity with him and half because it was another way to reinforce her sister's sense of accomplishment.

Luna finished pouring her cup of tea and took a deep whiff of the steam rising into the morning air before answering, "A commendable deduction; that is one of the subjects I wanted to discuss." She took a sip of the brew and savored the minty undertones for a moment in silence before continuing, "Regarding the first matter: since his arrival you've trusted me to handle every aspect of overseeing Titus' stay, even going so far as to forward Twilight's unopened reports to me for which I must pass along my gratitude; they have proven to be enjoyable to read."

Silently she stared into her tea for a minute, "A recent development has lead me to believe your involvement may be necessary."

"Oh? Is this the dire subject you wished to discuss, dear sister?" Celestia took another bite of cake, chewing slowly as she waited for Luna to continue and the shake of her sister's head was greatly calming.

"No, I thought I'd start the morning on the lighter end of the spectrum." Luna regarded her sister over the lip of her teacup, "Last night while I was guarding our subject's dreams I came across one that involved Titus in a rather vivid fantasy, containing limited anatomical images that seemed to be drawn from personal experience rather than imagination. Upon further investigation I found the intimate dream belonged to Twilight Sparkle. With this revelation I felt that, because your student is now involved, you would want to be informed. In fact, I have reason to believe she may have appropriated a few scenes of her dream from the 'books' in your private collection because she seemed especially keen on one involving a shower."

Ah, yes. Princess Celestia couldn't help but chuckle that she knew exactly which novel that had come from. Steamy Shower Stallion had been one of my favorites as well, and, while the title was cheesy as all get out the writer had painted some very alluring scenes. Celestia recalled her first edition printing was worth a fortune by itself and adding in that it was hers, of all ponies, would probably cause the price to skyrocket even higher; with so few still in circulation she had a good idea where and when her student had gotten to read it. "And, being the dutiful protector you are and the fact that it involved your friend, Mr. Aelius, you made sure to witness the whole dream should you be required to recount it for court purposes or in case it proved vital to the protection of your charge. Would I be correct in assuming that?"

"Of course." Luna knew her sister would be able to read her so it was pointless to act like she hadn't watched the dream in full.

Celestia went back to her cake though she now chewed around a constant mischievous grin.

Luna chose to ignore it and continued with her tale, "As I have told you before, Titus' dreams are obscured from me, though the reason I could see them when he was unconscious is still a mystery. Unlike pony dreams where I get distinct images and can even intervene all I can get from his - in the event I find them at all - are the general mood he's feeling during them. That is why I've been visiting every few nights to converse varying subjects ranging from his well-being to where he was from. Just for your information, my last meeting carried on rather late so he postponed telling me of the planet he stayed on which he said has four moons. Four. Moons. How absurd." She gently shook her head at the notion and took another sip of tea, "And, even more ridiculously, each night they took turns in the sky and raised by themselves. I was eager to hear more tales of it but when I went last night for our scheduled meetup I found your student sound asleep, tangled up in one of his arms with a happy grin and drooling slightly-"

A melodious laugh rolled across the garden, "Oh dear! Forgive me for laughing, Luna. That is a face I am all too familiar with. I would regularly find her wearing it when she fell asleep in the Palace library late at night."

"It is quite acceptable, Tia, I myself almost laughed at the sight though Titus was quick to explain how they ended up in that situation. Dearest sister, I could not help but not that with no fur humans turn the most amusing shade of red when embarrassed!" Luna waited for her sister's laughter to stop before continuing, "Well then. Shall I take your reaction to indicate the situation does not require an intervention?"

"Yes, I imagine that is the right course of action. Twilight is a grown mare free to make her own choices and, from everything you've told me of him, he sounds like he could be a good fit for her," she decided not to add "and you seem to be taking to him, as well," as a footnote for fear she would be pushing her sister a bit over the line what with the earlier ribbing she had given her over watching Twilight's dream. Instead the fork plucked the last remaining bit of delectable cake into the Princess' waiting mouth, "If I must be honest, I'm proud that she was able to share her feelings with him... though I believe that her estrous cycle may have had something to do with how uncharacteristically forward she must have been to end up in that position so quickly."

"Indeed. Titus seemed a bit surprised and perhaps a little overwhelmed with how forward she had become so I made a spell that should provide a bit of relief and with her permission I used it on Twilight."

Celestia regarded her sister with concern, an eyebrow raised ever so slightly.

Luna felt it was a challenge and, placing her cup back on its saucer, took to defending herself, "The spells I weaved together were all stable and of base-level, something a first-year at the academy could cast without fear of magical feedback, and the expenditure of my Harmony I calculated to be minor. I shall end it in a week and, theoretically, it should dampen the symptoms of the heat and provide both of them a measure of breathing space. But how, dearest sister, did you know she is currently on cycle? Twilight confirmed it with me but I made no mention of it to you here."

"Twilight has always had a cycle a week or two before her birthday. Which reminds me: I need to find something special as a present," Celestia absentmindedly tapped the empty fork on her muzzle as she contemplated what to get her student, her tongue stuck out to one side in thought. Something came to mind and the bouncing fork stopped though it had already left a few dark fudge crumbs behind stuck to her fur.

"Luna?" The fork settled on the empty plate as a knife sliced off another helping of cake, Celestia reasoning it would be a wasted opportunity to not indulge in the surprisingly delicious cake, "If you would not be opposed or feel imposed upon I would like to accompany you to one of your meetings with Mr. Aelius. I believe it is time I formally introduced myself to your friend that has my student so amorously enraptured."

"I would be most happy for you to join us, Tia!" Luna exclaimed and was clearly looking forward to the idea of sharing the experience with her sister, "I will inform Titus of your intent at our next meeting! Hopefully we will both get to hear of the four moons and the vessel that could tow entire planets."

Luna's cheerful demeanor faded as she pushed her teacup and saucer away before focusing magic into a spherical barrier of complete privacy around them both, "Sister, as our time is dwindling we must unfortunately move on to the unpleasant subject I invited you here to discuss - we have lost contact with the agent and it is feared her cover may have been blown."

Twilight woke feeling a level of happy warmth she hadn't experienced before. She struggled to untangle herself from the bed sheet pulled over her head and groggily slid her hooves to the floo- Whoa, wait, why am I so close to the floor? And... why is my pillow so lumpy? She shifted on the thin mattress, confused as to why her bed felt so different until the cool temperature of the cargo bay woke her up sufficiently to remember where she was. Recalling the events of the previous day elation bubbled up inside her and she couldn't help but giggle gleefully into her pillow which, upon second inspection, turned out to be the bunched-up cloak and t-shirt her human friend was wearing last night. Mmm, the shirt still has his scent. She rubbed the article against her nose and relished in the pleasant smell and memories of yesterday it brought.

Not feeling Titus on the mattress with her Twilight poked her head out from under the blanket and quickly retracted it as the cold morning air poured into her warm cocoon. I think I saw him over near that small craft... ugh, it's so cold! I wish I could just stay in here all morning. Thinking what she could do and wishing she had brought her pajamas she was busy snuggling into the blanket and pillow when an idea came to her. Hmm...

A minute or so of squirming later she was ready for the cold morning air and, stalking quietly across the deck, she found Titus was under the speeder bike like she had thought she had seen him.

He was double-checking the modifications of the antigrav generator when he felt several gentle bumps to his foot and upon lifting his head in what little room he had he spotted four violet hooves. "Hey, you," he said warmly. Planting his feet against the deck for leverage the mechanic's creeper he was laying on slid smoothly from under the machine and Twilight was there to greet him when he emerged. Putting the hot soldering iron he had been using in a place she wouldn't bump into it he flipped the goggles up onto his forehead and turned his attention to the mare looking down at him him. She was wearing his t-shirt, but Titus probably would have described it the other way around - it looked more like the shirt was wearing the unicorn for how large it was on her.

Twilight's front legs protruded from the sleeves and her head poked out of the neck normally enough, but it was comically large to the point that the cloth almost touched the floor beneath her and the hem hung down well over her rump though this seemed to be perfectly suitable (or potentially calculated) because she was careful to get the fabric between the chilly metal floor and her backside when she sat down.

"I'm surprised you didn't wake me up. Rainbow was right, you are good at sneaking," Twilight pretended to scold, gently placing a hoof on Titus' chest and applying a little weight when he tried to sit up off of that wheeled scooter thing he was on, "I would have liked-" she leaned in to bring her face closer to his but wasn't aware the creeper was built to roll in all directions. The sudden lack of expected lateral resistance combined with her hooves getting caught in the over-sized shirt when she tried to correct her balance caused her to topple onto the prone human. Not that Twilight minded the outcome. Not one bit.

"So, like I was saying," it was clear she was enjoying that the situation was in her favor - one of his arms was pinned beneath her while the arm opposite her was forced to push against the floor to keep the creeper from sliding away any further, "Every mare wants a proper kiss in the morning from the stallion she likes."

"Twi, I can feel the grime from this repulsor on my face, let me get cleaned up first-"

Twilight snorted. Excuses!

She cut his protest off with a nuzzle to that ticklish spot on his neck, causing his bracing arm to reflexively come up to fend her off and sending the sled and its two occupants rolling away from the speeder bike at a decent speed and into a nearby crate. Twilight was lost in the sound of the laughs and the wonderfully intoxicating scent of her friend as her nose ground against his skin, oblivious to the objects that teetered off the crate above them. A quick series of rather unfortunate events followed.

What first alerted her that something was wrong was a heavy smack to the back of her head, the blow cushioned by a hand that had moved to intercept it a split second before. Dazed, she felt her horn jab Titus when he rolled on top of her. A grunt and the sound of liquid splashing; an empty can falling from his back and rolling away. A muffled *thwump!* was next, followed by the distinct noise of licking flames as Twilight felt two hands push forcefully against her chest, sending her almost airborne in a trajectory away from him.

A shrieking alarm echoed in the cargo bay as Twilight shook her head to clear her impaired senses until she finally processed what she was seeing; before her lay the human, his lower half and part of his torso clearly having been doused in some liquid or another, frantically kicking off his pants as the flames traveled up his legs. He managed to get them off and stripped the shirt off just as the bottom hem caught fire before scrambling away and coming to sit next to her.

In a state of shock all Twilight could do was speechlessly watch the R6 droid speed into the room, a flashing light on top of his round dome blinking as he beeped and chirped at the top of his mechanical lungs. An arm popped out of his cylindrical torso to spray a cloud over the burning clothes until all that remained was a patch of frost and with the fire completely extinguished and smoke billowing up into the air the droid zipped back to Titus with the still-frosty cone on the end of the arm pointing directly at him.

"Wait. Arsix, it was an acc-" Titus was interrupted as a brief blast engulfed him in a chilling cloud, forcing him to hold his breath until it dissipated during which time the series of the clearly annoyed whistles and clicks faded away into another room as the droid returned irritably to his work.

"Sometimes I really contemplate reprogramming his personality," he said, waving a hand in front of his face to clear the last bit of fog before looking at the pony sitting stock-still beside him, "Hey, you okay, Twi?" When she didn't respond he bumped her shoulder with his to jog her from her stupor and asked again.

She continued to stare at the charred clothing on the floor.

"I'm fine," Twilight finally replied, quickly turning to check on her friend once her brain had had a chance to reboot. Finally getting a look at him he was dirty, his hair and eyebrows were matted with a heavy layer of frost, he had a cut on his temple, and he was shivering - whether from the cold or the adrenaline high he was coming off of, she didn't know - as he sat next to her, his arms resting on bent knees and the only thing left still covering him were some tantalizingly form-fitting black shorts. "Forget me, what about you!?"

"Well... let's see, I've been assaulted, battered, cut, drenched in turbine lubricant, lit on fire, forced to strip down to my underwear," his head bobbed from side to side as he recounted his morning, "And blasted with an extinguisher by a displeased droid. All in the span of a just over a minute. Are mornings with you always like this?"

Twilight's heart would have sank if not for the goofy, shit-eating grin he had on his face and the playful shove she got to accompany his question which brought a similar smile to her face.

"Ugh! You are incorrigible!" Glad her friend was not only unhurt but still in a playful mood Twilight ducked her head into the loop created by the arm resting on the knee and dove into a hug that ended up in the fast-becoming-familiar position of her laying atop him. She ground her face his dirty skin, coming away with a few spots on her fur. "Now we're both grimy, so there goes your excuse," she said, leaning in and rubbing her nose against his, "Still waiting on that good-morning kiss, you know."

The lack of clothing made it easy to spot the bruise on his shoulder where she had bit him yesterday and, much to her dismay, it was painfully obvious what had caused it. Oh geez, I'm never going to hear the end of it if any of the girls see that.

"Oh, and I'm the incorrigible one?" The wide smile that came with the unicorn's happily nodding head were hard to argue with, "Fine, you win, Twi."

Twi? I like that... Twilight replayed his voice several more times in her head happily. The arm she had dove under climbed its way up her back, the fingers tracing lightly along the spine and scratching every now and again with their nails until the hand was resting at the base of her skull.

"Good morning."

Titus would have pulled her in for the kiss but she needed no motivation and practically smashed her muzzle against his face, her tongue pushed ~~asking~~ demanding entrance past those scintillating fangs and their tongues quickly began fencing for dominance. She couldn't help but laugh around one of the fiery kisses, Dash is right, winning is awesome! Twilight lost the duel when a hand made a sneak attack on her ear, kneading and massaging her into an unconditional surrender.

"That..." Twilight groaned, her head having dropped to his chest, "That was unfair."

"Victory at all costs," he chuckled at her complaint before his voice took on a somewhat teasing tone, "I mean, I could stop..."

The eye that snapped open was clearly telling him that he'd better not and for a few more moments she lay there in complete silence.

"Hey," Twilight finally said and pushed into the kneading hand as much as she could, "Could you, um, do the other ear too?" When the hand stopped to switch ears her eye opened again, this time to look at him curiously, "Sorry, I meant at the same time." It was then that Twilight realized he hadn't used his other hand for a while now so she forced herself to sit up and motioned to the arm he'd been keeping at his side, "Come on, let me see your other hand." When he reluctantly turned it over for her to see she hissed at the cut that almost ran the length of the palm.

"It'll be fine, just a bit stiff at the moment." Her ears were flattened back so he reassured he was fine by placing the uninjured hand on her cheek, "I could get up and put a bacta patch on it right now or we can stay right here a bit longer."

"Or we could do both!" Twilight evidently had the perfect solution for that and with a glow of her horn wordlessly floated the spray he had left by the saddlebags over and into his hand. A quick spray and a pained hiss from him but shortly his palm was suitably numb and on its way to healing so for the next few minutes they enjoyed each other's company; embracing, laughing, and sharing nuzzles and kisses of varying degrees of intensity. Twilight felt her arousal building and, eager to take the opportunity to explore the newly-revealed expanses of skin, squirmed her way down the human's torso for a better view - ending up partially between his legs, to which his face flushed.

She memorized the curves and depressions of every muscle group for future recording, eliciting little squirms as she poked and traced with her hooves, which worked their way toward her intended target. Her first prod got a raised eyebrow, "Is it normal for males to have teats?" Another prod, but this time she ran her hoof in lazy circles around it.

"For humans, yes; both genders have them, though they serve no function on males." He did his best to explain the reason and fleshed it out with what he knew about the development of the human fetus. I'd rather not put Luna's spell to the test. Come on, distract yourself... kark! he swore to himself in Huttese, a habit he had picked up from his Master, Quick, think about grav-ball!

Twilight, while interested in the biology lecture, was only partially listening because she couldn't help but be distracted by another type of biology: the protrusion that was currently pressed against her belly just below her ribs. Hmm, hard to tell if the Princess' spell is working. Perhaps a further test. Her heart was fluttering as she leaned in, planting a small lick on the nipple that caused Titus to arch his back slightly; a hitched breath that cut off his lecture in the middle of a word.

"Whoa Twi..."

She looked up at him, her eyes lidded, "Another spot for me to keep in mind."

Twilight pulled herself back up his body, acutely aware of his veiled stallionhood dragging across her belly through the t-shirt she still wore. Continuing to pull herself upward, Twilight didn't stop until she latched her mouth to his though she still startled herself as she felt the rod slide out from under her and press against her needy mound through the shorts. O-oh, Tartarus....

Both Princesses were in court listening to two financial advisers squabble about something or other (Luna had always been the one with a head for finances) when Princess Celestia noticed her sister shift in her seat for the nth time in the last few minutes, but this time catching a minute trace of a grinding in her hips. Concerned, she stepped in to the argument and addressed the court, "Thank you for both for your insights in the matter, you shall have our joint ruling for the next session. At this time the Court will be excused for a short recess."

Once the court had cleared the white alicorn turned to her sister, "Luna, pray tell, what is wrong?"

"I am alright, sister. I believe there to be an error-" Luna cut herself off with an audible sigh, though Celestia was fairly certain it was not one appropriate for Court, "in the spell I crafted. A retreat to my chambers is necessary, I'm afraid I will be indisposed and you shall have to preside over court until I am able to sort this out." With a cobalt blue flash she teleported, leaving her sister alone in the deserted room.

The deep navy cushion Luna had been sitting on did a fabulous job of hiding the wet spot.

Princess Celestia, however, had a very keen eye.

Whatever spell Princess Luna used seems to be working! The overbearing intensity of Twilight's heat was definitely muted compared to what she had experienced yesterday. Currently I still feel capable of cognitive thought outside of desire... Twilight could feel the control slipping as her powerful imagination took over. Desire of him. Like to be rutted so hard as to leave an indentation in the floor or wall. Or laid over on that crate there. Ooo! Or carried to the shower and-

"Hey. Stop," he applied a gentle pressure to the side of her neck, "Something about the look on your face tells me you've hit the limit of Princess Luna's spell."

"Sorry, you're right," Twilight reluctantly broke away, though she was somewhat relieved that he had taken the initiative to ask to stop this time, "Please understand, before we... do anything serious I need to-"

"To run the tests," he finished for her with a pat on the back, "I know. That's why I spoke up, Twi."

Twi. Yup, I definitely like it. Again she couldn't help but smile with the thought but eventually sighed, "I-I'm really sorry to keep doing this to you. It must be frustrating."

"It is a bit frustrating, physically speaking, but at the same time it's a bit of an emotional relief as well; honestly, I've been wanting to say this and please don't take this the wrong way, but it just feels like we're moving a bit quick. Although I guess I'm just as much to blame for that. I mean, you've only known me for a little more than two weeks and we've only started seeing each other like this in the last twenty four hours."

The pony's ears fell flat and she looked a bit worried. Damn this cycle to Tartarus, I've been rushing him.

Titus felt the need to explain, the look on Twilight's face was worrying him, "I used to have a couple of friends; fellow Jedi I grew up with at the temple. However, the Council was very absolute in their stance on romantic attachment, so all we could ever be was very close."

"Why would your Council prohibit that?" Twilight didn't understand the reason to prevent what must be sheer joy of finding a special somepony, "Princess Celestia has told me that love is one of the most powerful forms of Harmony!"

"Powerful, yes, but a double-edged sword - capable of blinding a being to reason. There's more than one historical case where loss or betrayal by a loved one has lead a Jedi to the dark side. I'm not saying there weren't relationships within the Order but most of them were covert. I was privy to a few."

"Did you ever...?"

"No," he replied with a solemn shake of his head, "Because I was an idiot."

"So... what? Does that make me your first?" she teased with a nudge. When he didn't respond like she expected him to Twilight nudged again, though this time softer as a quizzical expression crossed her face, "What happened? Why do you say you were an idiot?"

"I was too much of an idiot to see what had been staring me in the face all my life," Titus wasn't entirely sure he was comfortable talking about the subject but supportive nuzzles from Twilight, the first person (for lack of a better term) he had an indescribable feeling that he could genuinely trust after having to watch his back for so long, gradually eroded his reluctance.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this..." he said almost laughing in disbelief, "There was a girl, Aurelia Flavia, that the Order took in at the same time I was; in fact our two families knew each other well enough that they grieved together when we were taken. As Younglings at the temple we were practically inseparable to the point that we were thought to be brother and sister despite how different we were - we were almost polar opposites of each other, but regardless we always had each others back. When we had become Padawans we saw less of each other because training occupied almost every waking moment of our time, though that didn't stop us from having fun when we could." Titus recounted one incident where they had stowed-away aboard a clone trooper assault transport that ended up leaving the star system for a battle and, when their Masters finally caught up to them, both of them insisted it had been their idea and not the other's. He promised to tell Twilight more of the mischief they had gotten into sometime and went back to his story, "Even after we completed our trials of Knighthood we were often on different ends of the galaxy fighting for the Republic. We'd still regularly send each other holovids of where we'd been, missions we'd been on, and generally just check in with each other."

"There was one time aboard a star cruiser where we got to sit down and have a meal in the mess hall before leading a strike on a Separatist stronghold. I had wanted to tell her exactly how I felt right then but you can't throw something like that in someone's lap, especially on top of the stress that comes with leading a mission, so I resigned myself to tell her after. That plan fell through when her squad was extracted to a cruiser at the end of the battle while Master Krua and I were immediately dispatched on another mission - the mission which we would still be on when Palpatine revealed he was Darth Sideous, making that the last time I got to see Aurelia. About a month or so after Order 66 was issued I felt her connection to the Force just disappear-"

"I feel terrible for teasing you now, I-I'm so sorry," Titus could feel the air being squeezed out of his lungs as Twilight put as much emotion into one hug as she could, "I'm sure she knew how you felt."

"I really hope she did, but what's done is done. As much as don't want to make the same mistake of letting another opportunity slip by, you're the first person I've been able to trust in a very long time and I don't want you to come out of your cycle and feel like all of this was a big mistake." He used the shirt Twilight had borrowed to wipe the dirt from her face, "When you indicated you wanted to slow down and do things 'by the book' I was really hoping you meant that and, you know... you still do."

Twilight could tell by the look on his face he was concerned he might have said something to offend her or make her angry so she squeezed her hug just a bit tighter as a sign she wasn't either of those, "Yeah, silly, I did. Believe me, if it wasn't for this aggravating biological function I'd probably still be working up the courage to nuzzle." She couldn't help but imagine how that would have gone. He's right about slowing down though, studies have shown that starting a relation based off of nothing but the feelings during a cycle had a low rate of continued success past the two week mark, somewhere around 40% and dropping to 35% at the end of the second month, though my figures might be stale. Note to self: update data for future reference.

"Thanks, I feel better for being able to get that off my chest," he returned the squeeze, "Now come on, the sooner we get you back to town the better; I'd rather not have an angry mob of ponies armed with torches and pitchforks at my door wondering what happened to their librarian."

The image that painted earned a shared laugh and while Titus got into a set of clothes an appreciative Twilight took the time to think. I'll need to confer with my two experts, but what I've read can be summed up in a basic set of steps: Step 1: Research - learn about your subject; Step 2: Date - spend time getting to know each other and grow closer; Step 3: Commit - drop the courtship question. I'll begin the first step while the tests are running.

"Ready to go?" her friend asked, emerging from the hallway as he zipped up the orange jumpsuit he was wearing.

"Yup!" Twilight responded and levitated the dusty saddlebags behind her as she headed for the door.

"Hold up Twilight. We're not walking," he tossed her a pair of goggles, a microphone headset, and a hat and scarf, "We've got a ride." She looked a little confused so he beckoned her over to the speeder bike and as she got closer he threw a leg over the seat, smoothly donning the helmet she and her friend had found him in.

Rather than jump on Twilight gave the open-air craft a dubious look.

"I'll keep it at a slow cruise," he assured her while leaning over to take the saddlebags which he placed in the storage compartment behind his seat, "And don't worry - as much as I want to, I promise there'll be no acrobatic stunts."

That seemed to assuage some of her apprehension and she took a step closer though by the way she glanced over the bike she wasn't sure where she'd be riding it. "You'll have to sit behind me and hold on, the sidecar attachment is up there," he pointed to an area above him that was outlined with yellow and black striped tape, which Twilight guessed was a storage area before he even continued, "That's the lift to the subhangar storage where the bike is usually kept and I'm afraid if I open it there will be an avalanche of cargo or whatever else might have come loose in the crash."

With a bit of assistance Twilight found a position wedging herself between the back of the seat and the back of Titus, her hind legs to either side of his hips while her front hooves latched around as much of his torso as they could was the position she felt the most secure in. The pair did a couple of slow laps around the crash site so she could acclimate herself to the vehicle's handling and with that time the human answered any and all of her questions regarding how the machinery functioned to also help put her at ease; she was particularly interesting in documenting how the craft's repulsors kept it afloat and made mention of several every-day uses that could benefit Equestria.

Once Twilight indicated she felt adequately prepared for the journey Titus pressed his back against her as he did a sharp zero-point turn with a flick of the throttle, pointing the nose of the bike down the trench toward town and accelerated faster than he probably should have judging from him experiencing an acute loss of hearing as a squeal of surprise rang through his helmet's comm link and Twilight's grip around him tightened to crushing levels in response.

"Sorry!" Titus called immediately throttled down to about half of what he was doing before.

"Could we go a bit slower, please?" Twilight shouted right into the mic out of inexperience, once again causing the human's ear to ring. She peeked over his shoulder and squeezed the hooves she had around his neck a bit tighter when she looked down at the ground many body-lengths below them.

Despite already feeling like they were going at a crawl and his helmet's speedometer indicating as much Titus cut back further on the throttle as they flew along at treetop level where he could feel the slightest out-of-place vibration at the low speed. Not an immediate issue. He realized he probably wouldn't have caught it if they hadn't had slowed down and made a mental note to check his alignments before flying again. And would you look at that, Twilight seems to have grown to enjoy the ride. Paying closer attention to her movements he noticed her head switch shoulders once again to look at the forest from the new perspective. As comfortable as she is and as much as I want to I doubt she'd let me get off lightly if I punched it for the last klick of our trip.

"Hey Twi, we're almost there," Titus turned his head slightly toward hers though she could hear him fine the headset, "Do you want to stop at the edge of the forest and go on foot or go right to the library? We could even land right up on the balcony, if you want."

"No-" When his hand shot to where his ear would be she realized she was yelling again and lowered her voice, "Sorry! No, park at the hill. Flying in on this... what did you call it, a 'bark speeder'? Well, that might startle somepony but I'm sure you'd be able to land there without incident. Given a day or so seeing you operating it at low speed," she paused to emphasize that part, "I think will acclimate might get used to you riding it."

Titus cut their altitude as they closed in on his usual salvaging ground and the bike glided to a smooth stop at the base of the hill where the usual early-risers could be seen and got quite the show for their commitment to arriving before he usually would. Titus didn't pay them much mind, however, and after powering the craft down and retrieving the saddlebag and his own weathered satchel bag the human jogged his way over to where Twilight was busy craning her neck like she was looking for something in the distance.

"Twilight," he waited for her to take a break in her search before he asked, "Can we go over the plan while we walk? What sort of tests will you be doing?"

"Hold up, Titus. We're not walking," Twilight couldn't help but smile at the role reversal from earlier that morning, "I guess you could say 'we've got a ride.'" Still wearing his helmet, she couldn't see Titus' eyes go wide a fraction of a second before she cast her spell.

Titus suddenly felt like he was being stretched, squashed, twisted, and pulled and his head was spinning in every direction at once.

"Hey, what's wron-"

"Urg..." he grunted as he fell over onto the deck with a thud. Nothing made sense anymore; up was down and down was up, colors shifted between everything on the spectrum and muffins were bananas... the completely odd and spontaneous images and the phantom smells of the food popping into his head tipped him over the edge, causing him to cough and empty his stomach in his helmet until Twilight yanked it off him (and almost took his head with it).

One look at the human, who was now on his knees and suffering through more retching, made her go white. "Oh no, what... I-I've got to get you to the hospital!"

Twilight frantically looked around for help. Vomiting in ponies was a serious, potentially life-threatening problem because of the way their esophagus connected to their stomachs and without ready medical assistance in the form of equipment, alchemy, or spells a pony could end up quickly choking to death on something that got stuck in the valve between throat and stomach. The look on Twilight's face was one of worry bordering on hysteria.

"Twilight! What's going on?" Spike, who had been upstairs and came to investigate the noise, was shouted at to get Doctor Horse. The commotion attracted the attention of a few ponies in the street and caused them to pause and stare up at the balcony.

I've got to do something! Twilight had turned around and was making for the door when she was interrupted mid-stride by a firm tug; a hand had latched itself onto the only part of the retreating pony within range - her tail. Ignoring the spike of pleasure working its way up her backside Twilight turned to see why in all of Tartarus' burning fires he was stopping her.

"Twi, I don't ne-*bluugghh!*" he panted before another gut spasm and a third bout of vomiting prevented him from saying anything else, his hand having to go to the planks to support himself as he once again doubled over; he was lucky to have gotten that much of a coherent sentence out with how jumbled his brain felt.

"Just hang on!" Twilight pleaded as a siren in the distance grew closer.

By the time the siren arrived Titus was lying on his back having just gotten through the torture of a phase of the dry heaves and was looking up at the sky and waiting for the clouds and a few onlooking pegasi atop them to stop spinning.

Nurse Redheart forced a thermometer in his mouth, narrowing her eyes threateningly when he tried to shoo her away with an aggravated moan. "Ninety seven point nine," she declared for the doctor, removing it and giving him a pat on the head that seemed to patronizingly say "There. That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"I-is that normal, Doctor?" Twilight ventured to the pony examining a chart.

Dr. Horse put a stethoscope to the human's chest and listened in several areas as Twilight's question went agonizingly unanswered for several moments before he shrugged. "I've got no idea what his vitals should be," he replied, the stethoscope roaming around in an aimless fashion as he recorded his findings on a patient form, "Which is because I'm a pony doctor, for cases like this you should have called a veterinarian."

Twilight had to make a conscious effort to ignore that quip.

With no way of helping Twilight, Dr. Horse, Nurse Redheart, and Spike gathered around the human's head, entering his swirling field of vision to look down on him with concerned faces and a silence hung in the air until Spike spoke up.

"Yo Titus... y'alright?" with the question the scales on one of his eyebrows climbed up. Spike interpreted the thumbs-up gesture for the uninformed medical ponies, "'Yeah, you're gonna be fine.'"

There services no longer needed Twilight escorted the nurse and doctor to the door while explaining what had happened and was informed it was probably a case of . Spike trundled off to get a bucket and a mop, which he gladly left at the door when Titus said he would clean the balcony himself.

It took a few more minutes for Twilight to return, and a few more after that before he began to feel normal again. For starters, he could tell where he was and process just how nasty he felt - his hair was matted from when he puked in his helmet and it had gotten on his jumpsuit. It's even in my nose...

"That was a really stupid thing for me to do," Twilight said, now sitting next to him, peeking out from behind her bangs to give him a "I want to go hide under a rock for the rest of eternity" sort of look. She couldn't have possibly come off as more dejected even if she tried, "H-how can I make it up to you?"

"First, promise you won't warp me somewhere again, and..." Titus slowly sat up, the motion brought back a bit of the head-spinning sensation sent him flopping back down to his previous position, "Let me do my laundry, then we'll call it even."

"That's it?! So you're not..." Twilight's head shot up before she resumed a meek pose, "Nothing makes you mad, does it?"

"'Anger eventually destroys the vessel carrying it, one way or another,' is what my Master would say," he propped himself up on one elbow and this time the dizziness didn't return. "I was taught to rid myself of the feelings of hate, anger, and fear. Besides, getting angry over something small like this, especially after you realized and acknowledged the mistake, would solve nothing." Titus pushed himself up to his feet, "Ugh. I do, however, feel like I've rolled around in a bantha pen."

"LUNA!" Celestia's voice boomed down the corridor as she stormed past the unflinching pair of Royal Night Guards, through one of the ornate obsidian & gold-inlay doors that had been blasted from its hinges earlier, and into the chambers where her sister, her back to her, was hunched over a desk. "Not only have I had to sit through the rest of the financial summit by myself, which, I might add, I spent worrying about you, but I have just spent the last ten minutes calming the ruffled feathers of the visiting Griffon delegation because of your little explosion. Little sister, you have been acting oddly since after our breakfast and you will explain what is going on!"

"The blast was an accident, Tia, I was... startled." I am not telling her that it felt like somepony tugged my tail, and I am most certainly not explaining how it felt! "I reverse-engineered the spell I made and found the error. Actually, it was more like a series of oversights." Luna turned around from her desk and walked (in a somewhat funny manner) for her balcony, "Those oversights will soon be remedied."

"Remedied?" Princess Celestia's tone softened when she caught the strange gait, "Luna, please. Tell me what is going on so I can help you."

"Thank you, but assistance will not be necessary, dearest sister Tia. I will deal with this personally." For the second time that day she disappeared in a blue flash.

Scanning the parchment her sister had been scribbling on it was easy for Celestia to connect the dots, shortly coming to realize what had Luna in such an agitated mood. Well, that would explain it, but just what are you planning, Luna?

In a silent mist Luna appeared on a balcony in Ponyville, discretely entering the building before anypony below could see her. The Princess of the Night could feel the gentle throbbing as she closed the door to the balcony behind her. The weaving shouldn't have had this much of an effect on the outcome of the spell. She made her way down the hallway and peaked into an empty room as the throbbing turned into an almost-steady pressure, causing a hitch in her breath. Nothing but a laundry room, though the washer is going so somepony is here. Over the din the sound of running water from down the hall caught her ear.

Of course. The shower. The sound of the laundry machine covered Luna as she strode for the marked door, her teeth grinding against the feeling in her royal rump. It now felt like something had pushed its way inside of her and it took every ounce of self control for Luna to keep from obliterating that half of the library with a torrent of magic. The door to the bathroom, however, was not spared her wrath.

Titus was enjoying feeling clean, though he was just starting to get over the awkwardness that had transpired a few minutes ago. First, when I got out of my jumpsuit so it could be washed Twilight asked why I had changed underwear from earlier that morning and I had to tell her she left a little wet spot on the black pair after she had ground herself against them. There also was the fact that, until the suit came out of the dryer, all he had to wear was a long bath towel, Twilight having accidentally (and that was up for debate as far as Titus was concerned) taken his shorts with the other laundry when he had gotten in the shower. I was going to wait until they're out of the dryer, but I've already been in here for fifteen minutes.

Up next, the only shampoos Twilight had on ~~hand~~ ~~hoof~~ whatever and could loan him were rather scented, so he settled for the least fragrant one which smelled of flowers and grass. Lastly, the fixed shower head poked out of the wall at shoulder level so he had to hunch over to get his hair washed, causing a crick to quickly form in his back. It can't be helped, this shower was built with ponies in mind- His thought was cut off as the bathroom door exploded like it had been wired with a breaching charge, the sudden noise causing him to bolt upright directly under the shower head with a *Dink!*

"CEASE YOUR ACTIONS AT ONCE AND BE STILL, YOU RUT-HAPPY MARE!" The whole library seemed to shake as the Royal Voice reverberated off the tile walls, cracking the mirror and knocking over the toothbrush holder while Luna towered in the bathroom door like an ominous obsidian monolith; wings spread and fire in her eyes.

The tremors from Luna's voice had shaken the bar of soap from its holder where it promptly skidded across the shower floor and went directly under his foot, causing him to pitch forward and grab the shower curtain for support. *Slip!* Naturally the curtain was about as supportive as wet tissue paper and quickly tore out of its rings with a series of quick pops. Still falling, his forehead connected with one of the horizontal bars on the shower wall. *BONK!*

Lights out.

Luna stayed in the doorway, breathing heavily and unsure what to make of the scene that unfolded, the silence that settled like the shower curtain over a large lump on the shower floor only disturbed by the patter of water hitting the plastic curtain like a drum.

"P-Princess Luna?!"

A door in the hallway behind her creaked open and Twilight, glistening like she had galloped a mile, appeared in the doorway. If she's there, then who...?

"I d-didn't realize y-you were here-" Twilight stuttered until she noticed the corner of the shower curtain lying on the floor, "Ti-TITUS!?" she squeezed past the Princess and flung the curtain aside to reveal the crumpled figure and the red-tinged water swirling around the drain.

Not even bothering to turn the water off she skidded next to the human, lifting a shoulder to rest his unmoving head on her forelegs. "Hey! Say something! HEY!" Twilight begged, rubbing one of his cheeks with a hoof.

What... Oh sister, what have I done? Luna almost froze but forced herself to act. "Come," she surrounded his body in her magic and lifted him from the tile floor, "we must move him to someplace more comfortable." Spike appeared at the top of the stairs to inspect the new commotion, a dish towel over one shoulder, to follow the pair as Luna floated the human down the hall and into the open door Twilight had come through, placing Titus on the star and moon covered sheets of the bed.

Spike thoughtfully spread the dish towel over the human's groin, figuring if Titus wore clothing he'd still want a bit of privacy in this situation. Not that he understood Titus' desire to wear clothes all the time, but with the way Twilight was obviously trying - and failing miserably - not to stare it seemed like a good thing to do.

Princess Luna assured him that the human would be alright and thanked the dragon for his thoughtfulness, "Spike, would thou let me speaketh with Twilight for a moment?" She waited for him to leave the room to explain what made her presence necessary.

"Y-you mean you could feel... as I...?" one of the gears in Twilight's mind stripped its teeth as she processed what the Princess had told her. I was basically using my cooler on the Princess. I'm so getting banished. To the moon. "I-I-I'm so sorry, I had no idea! Can you dispel it?"

"No, unfortunately that is not an option," Luna gave a sigh, "After careful research the spell seems to be a strange hybridization of several schools, potentially making this is a whole new class of spell. As you know, alicorns do not feel the symptoms of the estrous cycle, so my original intention was to transfer your urges via a modified Sense-Link spell. Unfortunately," she paused to watch as Titus' face twitched before turning back to Twilight to continue with a air of scientific bluntness, "It appears any arousal or sexual sensations you experienced to your genitalia were also transferred, in response your body began to produce extra chemicals to make up for the sudden loss your receptors were receiving. So, because of the tax it would have on your body, I can not and will not dispel it."

Twilight was a little confused, having not had the chance to sit down and examine the spell components and how they fit together like Luna had back at the palace. It took a bit of time for Luna to convey her research but it allowed Twilight to get caught up to a certain degree so they could have an intellectual discussion on the topic. "Could you explain a bit further what 'tax' you are talking about?"

"An answer to your question requires a question of my own: how in control are you right now?"

"Um..." Twilight gave it some thought, "Fairly? I mean it's been a struggle at times today, but with a reminder or a bit of help I've been able to stay in control. Dispelling your cast would cause a feedback of the chemicals, is that the conclusion you've drawn?"

"Your inference is correct, Twilight. The feedback would not be additive, either."

"Multiplicative?" With an extreme exercise of willpower I might have been able to handle additive...

Luna shook her head, looking grim, "No, exponential. If the influx didn't put you into a coma there is no doubt you would be unable to control your actions. From the numbers I've figured, we're looking at a return index of-"

A groan and movement from the bed drew both the pony's attention. Titus sat up slowly and whispered what the ponies could only assume was an expletive. "By the four moons my head is splitting," he pulled something out that had been prodding him in the back while he was lying down and, upon closer inspection, realized calling it "extremely phallic in nature" would have been an understatement. A hose and hand pump attached to one end, the flat-tipped device flopped around slightly as he held it up. "Uh... What happened?" He really wanted to make an anal-probing joke but realized it would be way too cliché, the addition of the Princess' presence tipping the scales in favor of keeping his mouth shut.

Twilight's magic quickly encompassed her cooler, flinging it into the closet - a wet slap as it hit the back wall - and slammed the door. She almost melted into a puddle from embarrassment.

Luna moved to one side of the bed. "We doth offer our most sincerest of apologies for, through our rash actions, what hath transpired to place thou in such a position is decidedly and without question our fault," having fallen back into the habit of using formal decorum with her friend the degree of worry the Princess was experiencing was obvious. She proceeded to explain her findings, though she eventually returned to her casual tone at Titus' friendly behest. "Again, I must apologize for my failure in crafting a useful spell."

"I wouldn't say it's a complete failure, it could have a useful application," Titus offered, carefully adjusting the small square kitchen cloth to better cover himself. Add K.O.'d to the list of things to happen to me today... He noticed Luna looking at him curiously while Twilight just looked at him. Okay, time to stop re-positioning the towel, Titus.

"What sort of application might you be referring to?" Luna inquired.

Twilight was still too embarrassed from the cooler incident to speak, though the human's fiddling with the cloth certainly had caught her attention.

A hand gingerly explored the lump forming on his forehead, "Well-" it retracted with a wince, "As Twilight told me yesterday, the herd's estrous cycles eventually line up and place a strain on the stallion to perform. Sounds to me like your spell could help a stallion take care of, um, business with multiple herd mates at once. With a male potentially capable of assisting multiple mares at once, herd sizes might increase and help reduce the number of mares unable to find a herd."

"Hmm, an interesting thought, though further study would need to be conducted. You see, the sensation of the stallion climaxing is what brings the relief-" Luna, noticing the human growing uncomfortable, stopped her line of explanation, "Right, back to why I'm here. The only option left to us because I can't safely dispel the magic is to keep you two separated until Twilight can ride out her cycle."

That snapped Twilight out of her stupor, "Wait, is that necessary?"

"I believe it is. Your cycle is only on the second day and it will only continue to take more of your willpower to control yourself. You don't need the distraction of him to make that any more difficult," she gave a look to the human, "That is why Titus will be accompanying me back to the palace in Canterlot for the week."

"No offense Princess," it was Titus' turn to object, "but I can't afford to lose an entire week of work. That first week of downpours practically turned the crash site into a bog and my ship has been sinking a bit further every day. If the engine intakes sink too far into the mud-"

"So you would have no objection coming with me if your vessel was not in danger of sinking is what you are saying. Very well, we shall solve that problem tonight. Come with me, Twilight," Luna lead her out of the room, as a bell ringing from down the hall signaled the dryer was finished, "you may voice your objections in the living room while Titus gets dressed."

Why didn't I think of asking Luna for help? After all, she raises what equates to a small planet each night, something like the ship shouldn't pose a problem, right? He waited for their hooffalls to fade down the stairs before walking to the laundry room and putting his clothes back on; the bag he brought from the speeder bike was also leaning against the dryer. Tossing a strap over a shoulder he headed downstairs to join Luna and Twilight.

"-which is the other reason he, rather than you, will be accompanying me to Canterlot," Luna's voice carried through the door as Titus came down the stairs, "you are more than welcome to send a letter if you wish as I will happily forward any to him."

He knocked on the wall to alert them to his presence before entering, "Hey Twi, I've got a few things I need to do before Lu-sorry, Princess Luna-"

"I thought we agreed to drop titles, Mr. Aelius," Luna teased with a mock tone of seriousness.

"That we did, I was just unsure if that carried over to when we were in other company. Anyway, I have some work to do before Luna comes by tonight to help with the ship so I should get going as soon as I can. What did you need me to do for those tests?"

"Oh, one moment," Twilight disappeared to her basement laboratory, but not before telling Titus of the brunch Spike had prepared for him. She reemerged wearing a white lab coat a short time later. "I'll just need a little blood," she gently dabbed a cotton swab on the cut on his forehead, "There, that should do it. I've got some equipment that will separate the leukocytes for use as test samples."

"I believe that finishes my business here in Ponyville for the time being," Luna approached Titus, the soothing magic of a spell flowing from her horn to quickly heal the cut once Twilight had gone back to the lab, "I shall go to make preparations for your stay and see you shortly before dusk." With a nod of farewell Luna climbed the stairs and left via the balcony.

Titus had just finished his grilled-cheese sandwich and pickle brunch, voicing his appreciation for the tasty meal to the dragon chef as he passed the kitchen on his way to the front door when Twilight caught up with him.

"Trying to sneak out without saying goodbye, were you?" Twilight tapped his knee, a sign for him to come down for a hug. "Mmm, your hair smells great," the scent from the shampoo filling her nostrils when she wrapped her hooves around his neck and rubbed her muzzle against his cheek, "I'll see you in a few days, okay?"

Titus returned the hug. "See you in a few days, Twi," he added in an extra little squeeze before getting back to his feet. As he left, he popped his head around the closing door and gave her a wink, "Lab coat looks good on you, by the way." The last thing he saw before the door latched was a huge smile spreading across Twilight's face.

Hmm, the turbine alignment is alright... Titus had spent the last hour of the afternoon under the speeder bike, unable to ascertain precisely what was causing the minor vibration; it had gotten better, but it was still there whenever he revved the idling bike.

The Human-Watchers had come out in force once news had spread through their ranks that he was working on a strange riding machine, the occasional pony poking their head under the bike to examine the craft; usually giving him a nervous smile and quickly disappearing if they made eye contact with him.

While a constant murmur of hushed intellectual conversation droned on in the background - the group having made a tight circle of sorts around Titus' work area - the noise would immediately die down and be replaced with the scratching of pen on paper as the more scholarly of the group recorded any sort of verbal observation the human made. Titus had been having a bit of fun walking them through his tinkering and offered up his next anecdote while he searched through the tool box he had built into the back of the bike's body, "I have corrected a point zero zero six deviation of alignment in the frontal turbine. The severity of the vibrations has been reduced but are still present." Spotting Lyra in the crowd, he embellished his statement with a few flips and twirls of one of the tools he had been looking for, garnering himself a bit of applause before he crawled back under the bike. A little showmanship now and again for the non-studious members of the crowd.

"What about re-calibrating the overdrive cores?"

Yeah, a burnt out O.D. core could be the cause- He did a double take as the realization that the suggestion had come from a pony that had no business knowing the guts of a modified speeder bike. Wait, what? When Titus turned to see who had made the suggestion he got a face-full of bouncy pink mane so he immediately knew the pony it belonged to.

"Oh, hi P-*pfft. pfft!*" he sputtered as a particularly long strand of bangs found its way into his mouth, "Hello, Pinkie."

"Hey, your Fluffle is pretty good! *pfbt! Pfp-pfp-pfbbt!*" she mimicked his sputtering noise, "Here's a hint: you were going a bit lip-heavy, you want to use your tongue a bit more."

"Thanks, I think? I'll keep that tongue thing in mind," talking with Pinkie was nothing short of an experience, to say the least, "How did you know about the overdrive cores?"

Pinkie just shrugged, "Seemed like this thing would have some."

"Some? It has sixteen." Not that she'd care, but it had been a lot of work cramming twelve more over the legal limit. Titus wiggled his way over to the panel covering the part in question. Removing the panel and holding a small glowrod in his mouth to get a look at the cores, he realized he'd need one of the instruments on the ground near his waist. He patted around in the grass for a few seconds, unable to find it. Microdial adjuster, no. That's the fusing pen.... I don't think I got the spanner out. He suddenly felt the familiar texture of his hydrospanner tapping against the back of his hand and, when he turned it upward, it dropped into his palm. Glancing toward his feet, he saw the grinning face of Pinkie, who had at some point slipped out from under the bike and retrieved the tool for him. How did she...? No, better not to ask.

"Thanks," he quickly unmounted the cores and placed the spanner back near his waist. "Hey, Pinkie? Could you get the output analyzer? It looks like a-"

"Here ya go!" she pushed the exact tool he needed under the bike before he could describe it.

Curiosity finally got the better of Titus. "Okay Pinkie, how did you know what an output analyzer would look like?"

"Oh, that's easy!" She bounced around the bike, producing a little *boing!* with each hop as she explained. "It's my Pinkie Sense! I just closed my eyes and thought," she squinted super hard and rubbed her temples, "I said to myself-not out loud of course, or you wouldn't have asked me. Unless you can read minds! That would be super if you could because ponies like to insist I've lost mine when it's right in my noggin. Anyway, I asked myself 'Pinkie, if you were a out-pudding alligator, what would you look like?' And then I realized I'd look like a little box with two prongs and some dials and a screen thing! Though what that has to do with alligators or pudding is beyond me, you should name your things better."

Titus took another look at the pink face that cheerfully looked back at him like nothing was out of the ordinary. "Pinkie, you are on a whole other plane of existence, you know that?" he stated, checking each of the cores and passing the analyzer back to Pinkie. Only three frakkin' cores still operational. At least I still got a few crates of spares. Heh, stealing those from an Empire lockup had been fun.

"No I'm not, I'm right here," she looked slightly confused for a second, then went back to her cheerful springy self as she traded out the output analyzer for the hydrospanner, "but I do visit sometimes; I've got this great timeshare."

He finished reseating the overdrives with the spanner and just shook his head as he crawled out from under the bike, I'd probably get home faster hitching a ride on Pinkie's transdimensional sense of reality than fixing my ship. Titus turned to the crowd for his next announcement, "With the help of my lovely assistant," he indicated to Pinkie Pie with a little flourish, "we have checked all of the overdrive cores with something called a power analyzer. If I could have you all take a few steps back and make a hole, I'll see if that fixed the vibrations."

Throwing one leg over the seat, Titus - finding Lyra to give her a wink - flicked a few switches and with a hammy wiggle of his fingers, he slowly and dramatically brought the hand down to push the ignition button.

"Mares and Gentlecolts, objective complete!" The sound of machinery humming to life, especially machinery he had recently been working on, always brought a warm feeling of contentment to Titus and this time was no different. "Hey, Pinkie, seeing as you helped if you ever need to... go someplace..." his statement died in his mouth, having found Pinkie leaning in the shade of a tree with her mane greased back, hooves crossed over her chest, rolling a toothpick around in her mouth and wearing a black leather jacket and a pair of black sunglasses she had procured from somewhere.

"I can dig it, but right now I gotta lay a patch and split," Pinkie jammed her hooves into the jacket pockets, and walked to a black and chrome two-wheeled vehicle. Throwing a leg over the seat she kicked a pedal and the black beast shuddered, a deep guttural thrum turning into a throaty bark when she feathered the throttle with a hoof. A few ponies covered their ears at the racket.

To Titus it sounded positively divine.

A stern look on her face, Pinkie looked over her shoulder at Titus, "See ya around, T-Bone." And with that she roared over the hill.

It's Pinkie: obey the cardinal rule of "don't question it."

"Sorry for such short notice, Fluttershy, I only found out myself this morning," Titus ruffled Dex's ears, the dog blissfully panting at the familiar sign of affection, "Twilight can contact me if you need anything."

"Don't worry, that's quite alright. It's always nice making a new friend," she smiled at the dog sitting next to her, though the petulant rabbit in the window didn't look like he shared her opinion on Dex's presence.

"Thanks again, I owe you one," he gave the shy pegasus an appreciative nod while remounting the speeder bike, "I'll see you in a few days."

"I'll take good care of him!" Fluttershy said with a wave as the human sped off on his strange contraption.

Right, that takes care of my co-pilot for the week. Titus kept a meter or so above the ground, enjoying the tactile feedback the bike got as it bobbed along with the terrain. All that's left is to secure anything loose before Luna stops by. He opened up the throttle a little more and the bike greedily consumed the extra freedom given to it, tearing down the road at a breakneck speed. After that reseating, the cores could probably use a test- his thought was cut off as something, moving fast, popped up on his helmet display. Only one thing here moves that fast...

"Hey Stretch!"

Rainbow Dash. Titus sighed, watching the pegasus pull up along side him and do a flashy barrel roll around the bike to give the machine a cursory glance. "Hello Dash."

At the less-than enthusiastic reply Rainbow turned to the human, a pair of worn flight goggles on her brow. "Oh come on, what sort of greeting was that, Stretch?"

"Two reasons. For one," he had to fight the urge to give the bike all the "freedom" it could handle, but he knew a measly three cores probably wouldn't be enough to get away from the pony that made it a habit of grating on his nerves, "I already know you're thinking about a race, so here's my answer: No. I just want to get back to my ship, I've got a lot of work to do which I'm sure you'll find boring, so feel free to just leave now and find a cloud to nap on."

"Actually, smartflanks, I wanted to ask why Twilight had been acting giddy all day, and why she's being evasive as to where she was last night," Dash wished he wasn't wearing that helmet, she had proven to be exceptionally good at reading his facial expressions and she was sure she'd be able find an answer to her questions. Of course her original intention of approaching the human had been to challenge him to a race and she wasn't surprised he had guessed that. Since he had recovered sufficiently from the crash (he had been walking which was at least what she had considered sufficiently recovered) she'd been pestering, nagging, and doing her best to goad him into any sort of race but every time he would decline, "Now that you mention it though, yeah, your machine looks fast... but not nearly fast enough to beat me, Stretch-"

"And there's the second. I've got a name, Rainbow, and it's not 'Stretch.'" Titus gave a bit more juice to the repulsors and gradually ascended before he changed his flight path to take him over the treetops; it had been a rough day and right now all he wanted was to not have to deal with the cyan nuisance any longer.

The pegasus followed, "What's your deal with that nickname? It's not like I meant anything."

"Look, I get it; I'm not what passes for normal but it'd-" Titus was going to say more but felt the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. On instinct he jerked the speeder into a sudden roll to one side and sensed something unseen sail past him. What the?

What's he- Rainbow Dash watched the human do a little aerial stunt and accelerate; a giant glowstick thing appeared in one of his hands as he shouted for her to go back, That cheeky cheater sneak! He's trying to fake me out, he wants to race to his ship! She got about two seconds of acceleration of her own before she found her wings pinned against her, bound there by sticky strands that wrapped around her barrel, legs, and neck.

The pegasus let out a cry as she plummeted from the sky.

The upper layer of canopy did an adequate job cushioning the majority of her fall though the trip through the underlying limbs was anything but soft. Leaves and branches slapped, scratched, and beat at her until she landed hard on something woven into the upper boughs that knocked the wind out of her and when she recovered enough she found herself still wrapped in near-invisible chords that stuck to her like glue a hint of her claustrophobia bubbled up. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and fell back on a survival guide she'd read because it had been advertised as Daring Do approved, (so how could she not buy it?) and with that knowledge she checked herself for injuries as best as she could. Alright, scratches and there'll be bruises for sure, but thankfully nothing's broken. Hoof feels like it's twisted, though, need to be mindful of that. Now where am I? The surface she was laying on was semi-springy, made up of hundreds upon hundreds of the same strands that bound her, though these weren't sticky. Dash noted the tree canopy was too thick to fly through, even if she could, so she looked around and spotted several openings that lead to what could best be described as tunnels. She was still checking her surroundings when she heard a rapid high-pitch clicking coming from down one of the holes. It was an odd coincidence but a chapter from the same Daring Do book that had the survival guide advert also had a description that sounded a lot like that-

Oh buck no. Buck. No. Louder and more frantic the chittering grew. Struggle as she might, the restraining bonds held Rainbow fast like a steel cable.

When the noise suddenly stopped, Dash turned to one of the tunnels and watched in horror as a single spindly leg emerged; the tip narrowing down to a menacing needle-sharp point; then another emerged, and another. Eight disgustingly thin legs suspended a bulbous, hair-&-spine covered body out of the shadow of the tunnel and what little light came through the leafy canopy reflected off a series of eyes. The fangs, almost as long as her foreleg, stopped tapping together and instead quivered in place while the creature moved closer to inspect the prey it had caught.

As the spider slowly stalked closer, Rainbow was frozen, her arachnophobia on full display until one of the thin hairy legs brushed against her. "BUCK YOU!" she jolted into action and landed a good kick on the leg, causing the creature to retreat and tap its fangs together rapidly, the sinister clacking noise resuming as similar calls echoed from the other tunnels. Hearing the response the arachnid reared up, bringing its spinnerets to bear on the pony. Rainbow rolled out of the way of the first shot but the dead-eye spider compensated for the motion and landed the second, a sticky blob making contact right on a hoof to immobilize her. Another shot landed on her other front hoof, which was raised in the air at the time so she was careful not to put it down anywhere.

Despite what appeared to be a lost battle Dash wasn't about to give up, her fear had transformed into anger. When the spider got close enough she bucked with all her strength; both hind legs connected right in the middle of its head with enough force to crack the hard chitinous plating and send the thoroughly-dead spider rolling end over end and down one of the tunnels as three more spiders, then two more, emerged out of nearby shafts with fangs clacking angrily. "Five on one, huh? Bring it!" she snarled.

Snapping branches and swishing leaves above her caught her and her foes attention, the form of the human landing lightly - almost impossibly so, Dash thought - next to her, the blue glowstick thing still in his hand. Dash's ears went back and eyes narrowed menacingly, "Stay out of this, Stretch, I'm about to show these bugs they messed with the wrong mare."

"Fine, but they're not bugs," Titus made one stroke with his lightsaber at the webbing that held her hoof in place, the sticky substance smoldering away as she shook the remaining bits of it off before it reached her coat to singe her.

Dash gave him a grin, half out of appreciation for freeing her and half because she couldn't wait to smash these things into paste.

"And, for the last time, my name's not 'Stretch.'"

Titus and Dash, most of the sticky webs removed so she could fly, dropped down from over the canopy and cruised along the trench toward Ponyville as dusk began to set in.

"I didn't need your help, you know," Dash flew a bit closer to the speeder bike so she could talk with Titus, "Totally had it under control."

"Yeah, I saw. You handled those five in front of you just fine," he hollered, not wearing his helmet for fear of it getting stuck on his head because of the webs in his hair, "Meanwhile, I dealt with the seven behind you."

"Seven? Oh please," the pegasus rolled her eyes, "Don't try to boost your numbers just because I got more of them than you; in fact I squashed four more bola spiders before you even showed up. So, HA! I. Still. Win." In truth both of them had lost count in the action of how many spiders they had slain but for good measure she stuck her tongue out teasingly.

"Whatever," he huffed, genuinely not wanting to get into a debate over who had "won" because he frankly couldn't care less, "Hey, you're going straight to the guardhouse to let them know about that nest, right?" Mindful of Twilight's earlier statement he dropped back on the throttle and brought both the bike and the pegasus down in speed as they neared the end of the trench.

"Duh! I can't wait to tell them about how awesome I am to knock out that nest for them. I'll probably get a big medal or something... that I can put on the shelf with all the others!" she caught Titus looking at her out of the corner of his eye as they both slowed to a stop at the top of the hill outside of town. Thinking she knew why he was glaring at her she shrugged, "I'll be sure they know you helped a bit so you can get an honorable mention or something."

The thanks he gave her was thick with sarcasm.

"We should spar some time. Not going to lie, you have some pretty sweet moves that I want to see again and... Oh hey, I know!" she flew right in front of him at eye level with very little consideration of his personal space, "Me, AJ, and Lyra all get together in AJ's barn to watch E.F.C. Fight Night and next time you-" For emphasis she prodded him in the chest with one hoof and gave a push, "You are going to join us."

"S-Seriously?!" he looked back up at her, but with his question confusion was plainly written on her face that he hadn't understood her offer because to her it seemed like it was fairly straightforward. Titus gritted his teeth and breathed his frustration out in one long breath before he spoke, "I can't believe you forgot about the gunk on your hoof."

"Uh," when she tried to pull her hoof away the front of the jumpsuit pulled with it, "Whoops? Can't you use your glowstick to burn it off or something?"

"The blade is wider than the gap you can make between the suit and your hoof and I'm not going to breach one of my last, perfectly good flight suits," Titus sighed in annoyance, "So here's what you're going to do; you're going to take the suit to Twilight-" With no other warning he unzipped the front of the suit and climbed out of it while he went over the plan, the zipper thankfully having been kept clear of the webbing by a flap of velcro, "-I'm sure she'd love to hear about our little adventure while she finds something to dissolve or breakdown the adhesive so you can go to the guardhouse."

"Wow you are hairless..." she took a long look at the almost-naked human before focusing on his shorts, "And what's with the clothes under clothes? Unless you were planning to surprise somepony with those that's just weird." She also spotted the bite-mark on his shoulder and a laugh echoing in her mind. Oh, so you're a biter, Twilight? Kinky.

He didn't need to say anything, the look he gave her clearly said "Shut it."

A nod of the head also indicated for her to get going so with a bit of effort Dash fluttered a short distance in the direction of Twilight's house - the webbing still in her feathers was playing havoc with her flight pattern while the clothing just proved awkward to carry while flying. When she suddenly stopped and turned back to Titus as he was getting back on the bike she caught him off guard, "Hey, you never finished saying why you didn't like that nickname."

Titus thought about it for a while, "For starters, it'd just be nice not to be referred to like some thing to be gawked at. I already get enough of that every day and I don't need to be reminded that I'm literally the only one of my kind on this whole planet."

Geez, I didn't realize that's why he hated being called Stretch... Though she didn't apologize Dash instead came up with a counter-offer as she continued to struggle to stay off the ground, "How about we find one you like when you come over to watch Fight Night?"

"I think," he turned the bike around back down the trench, "You should ask Applejack and Lyra for their approval first." With that he gunned the speeder bike without waiting for a response from the pegasus, the three overdrive cores working in tandem to send him hurtling down the trench to his ship. He was already late in meeting Luna.

10: Hell week

View Online

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Cycle Day 1
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As he left, Titus popped his head around the closing door and gave her a wink, "Lab coat looks good on you, by the way."

Twilight had forgotten she had her lab coat on and couldn't hide the smile splitting her face in two because that was definitely the first time anypony had said that to her. Her front hooves paced a bit at the closed door, her body yearning to go after him but her mind keeping it in check from throwing the door open and tackling him to the ground, It'll only be a few days and until he leaves this evening the Princess instructed me to avoid contact. She looked around the hall then down at her hooves glumly. I've only got two - three days tops - before the cycle kicks into high gear and I'm reduced to a hormonal mess, so I'd better plan things out. On her way back to her room, she ducked her head into the kitchen where Spike was standing in front of the fridge writing up a grocery list.

"You're going to the market? Great!" she took an apple out of the fridge to snack on, the apple giving a crisp pop as she bit into it, "Hey, if you bump into Lyra while you're there could you see if she's planning to stop by for a bit?"

"Sure thing," Spike added apples to his list and underlined it twice before looking over the parchment at her, "Hey Twilight? Where were you all last night?"

Crabapples, I was hoping he wouldn't ask.

"Um..." Twilight slowly chewed on the bite of apple to give her more time to think. "I was bringing Titus that datapad that Fluttershy found. While he was, uh fixing it we sort of lost track of time and rather than me walking home through the Everfree past dark he let me spend the night-"

"Oh. Yeah that makes sense," Spike exclaimed, going back to writing his shopping list, "I bet that was fun, huh?"

You have no idea... Much to her relief he seemed satisfied with that explanation and left it at that as he pushed a chair over to inventory the freezer. Twilight took her chance to escape without further interrogation, collecting one of her low-magnification telescopes from the laboratory along the way, and returned to her room and over the next few hours drafted out what she needed to accomplish in the upcoming days.

Rolling onto her back on the big pillow cushion she stuck all four hooves into the air and arched her back in a stretch to loosen the stiffness out of her muscles - another symptom of estrous that commonly made many a mare grumpy - when she decided it would be alright to take a break from her planning. Rolling to her hooves she trotted over to look through the telescope she had set up at a window and aimed at the open grassy area where her human friend had been busy tinkering for the past hour. Sorry Princess, but as far as I'm concerned this doesn't break the no-contact rule. Hmm... I wonder what's he doing now? Something rose-colored suddenly filled the view of the device which was blurred beyond recognition by its close proximity. Pulling away from the eyepiece revealed Rainbow Dash flying outside her window.

"What are you, a stalker or something?" the pegasus teased with a smirk.

"Says the pony flying outside my bedroom window like a common peeper," Twilight retorted with an straight-faced look.

"Hey! If you had been here last night when I came by for my package I wouldn't be here now," Dash pushed the window open to land in the room, "Actually, now that I think about it..." She looked at Twilight curiously for a second, glanced over her shoulder to follow the line the telescope drew, then back at Twilight and her smirk widened. "And just what were you up to last night, hmm?" she asked, the question decidedly mischievous and accentuated with a waggle of the eyebrows.

"N-Nothing really," Twilight took a few nervous steps back, "I'm sorry I wasn't here when you stopped by, I was... out on an errand-"

"Yeah, 'errand,' my flanks," the pegasus covered the distance between them to drape herself over Twilight's shoulder before she could move away further. "Look, you're in heat and don't try and deny it because I can smell your pheromones," Dash could feel Twilight's cheek burning against hers. When a mare in heat released pheromones to signal a stallion it was considered rude to bluntly point it out because most mares - Twilight being one of them - found it very embarrassing. It wasn't that the smell was malodorous, quite the contrary, each mare had a unique scent that most ponies would classify between the ranges of tolerable to agreeable; it was considered embarrassing because it was one of the aspects of a cycle completely outside of the mare's control.

"Twilight, relax. There's nothing wrong with hooking up for a night, even with Stretch I guess, if you were desperate-"

"You're still working a first shift for the Weather Patrol, aren't you? That must keep you pretty busy," Twilight shrugged her pegasus friend off to walk toward the door, "So I'll do you another favor and save you the trouble of coming all the way here by dropping your package in the mail. Derpy usually makes her deliveries-"

"Whoa whoa whoa," Rainbow was in front of Twilight in an instant with her hooves up as if they could physically stop her words from leaving her friend's muzzle, "Don't even joke about that, Twilight. I can't be getting deliveries of books or other nerdy stuff to my house, I've got an image to uphold!"

Twilight looked less-than-amused at Rainbow's last line. "Some other time you'll have to explain to me how your 'image' can be tarnished by occasionally being seen reading a book," rather than wait for an answer she retrieved the items she had procured, teleporting downstairs and back up to her room in quick succession, before thrusting the goods at the pegasus, "Here's that special order of yours and, for your information, I was out on an errand returning some books a friend loaned me."

Technically speaking that wasn't a lie, the datapad did contain books... Oh drat, now that I think about it I'm pretty sure I left them on his ship.

Dash opened the heavy paper bag to check the contents and immediately removed her prizes: a boxed mint-condition (thanks to the preservation spell Twilight had cast on it) highly-poseable Ahuizotl action figure only available at a convention in Canterlot - one of only one hundred signed by A.K. Yearling and made priceless when the author ordered the mold for the toy be destroyed. Yes! Score! Below that was another Ahuizotl, this one the commercially-available variant that she could open and add to her hidden shelf of other Daring action figures. Also in the bag were posters, a t-shirt, the standard convention tat, and a Wonderbolts jersey she could use to cover all of the contents while carrying the bag.

"I still don't buy it that you were on an errand, but you did me a solid favor getting this stuff," Rainbow said, carefully putting the items back in the bag, "So I guess I can leave it. For now, anyway." As she passed the telescope for the window she used her superb pegasi eyesight - capable of clearly making out what Twilight had needed the magnification to see - to look at what it had been pointed at. Squinting slightly, she could make out a pink pony, That's undoubtedly Pinkie Pie by the way she's bouncing around and... what is that thing?! Dash was still watching Pinkie when the biped, his figure easy to identify, appeared from beneath the machine in the field. A triumphant grin on her face, she launched out the window to stash her loot at her cloudominium home. Then it looks like I'm going to have a little "chat" with Stretch about what he was up to last night.

Twilight watched the pegasus soar off toward Cloudsdale and she let out a heavy sigh. Why do I get the feeling she's up to something...

------------

A knock at the window woke Twilight from her early evening nap and she disentangled herself from Lyra's limbs, her friend having stopped by earlier that afternoon to use the cooler. Together they had decided a nap was in-order after one of the "help sessions" an estrous cycle frequently required. "I have a front door you know..." Twilight grumbled groggily as she shuffled over to the window to see who it was.

"Rai... Rainbow Dash?" the librarian was still exhausted and her brain struggled to process what she was seeing, "W-*yawn* what's going on?" The pegasus flew through the window for the second time that day, though this time she was plainly struggling before she touched down. When she dropped what Twilight recognized as the suit Titus had been wearing earlier that day the unicorn was fully awake in a heartbeat, "What happened?! And what is that stuff all over you?"

"Me and Titus just had the awesomest adventure! Help get this stuff off of me and I'll tell you the tale of The Amazing Dash and the Nefarious Nest of, um..." she broke off trying to think of a fitting word that started with an "N".

Huh, that's odd. She called him by name.

------------
Cycle Day 2
------------

As much as she would have liked to go back to sleep after the long night she had dealing with the bola spider's webs Twilight somewhat reluctantly rolled herself toward the edge of the bed, waking Lyra mid-snore in the process.

"Mmm-mornin' Sparkles, how ya feeling?" Lyra stretched and let out a long yawn then flopped back onto the bed like a big limp noodle, "Thanks for last night, by the way. It would have been a particularly bad one if you hadn't helped."

"Morning to you, too. I'm feeling a bit sore," Twilight did some stretches of her own, grunting slightly as she worked a knot out of one of her shoulder muscles, "And you know I'm glad to help a friend in need, though I'll probably require the same treatment before this week is over."

Lyra nodded, picking up on the subliminal request, "It's been a week from Tartarus, that's for sure. It's a bummer the Princess' spell didn't work properly," she pointed a hoof at the flight suit that was folded up on the dresser, "And an even bigger bummer that she took Titus and those fingers of his back to Canterlot with her."

"As much as I don't want to admit it, it was the right thing to do," Twilight let out a sigh as an image of him smiling at her before he left flashed before her eyes, "I hope he's okay, Canterlot is a big place with a lot of ponies who've probably only read what the papers and tabloids have printed of him. And just what is with your obsession over his fingers-?" Realizing better she shook her head, scrambling any images that might have been forming in her mind, "Actually, don't tell me."

"Judging by your expression your imagination is better than mine at coming up what that would be like," Lyra laughed playfully before she wrapped all four hooves around the body-pillow and snuggled against it, "You should have seen him working on his machine yesterday! In an instant he would switch from the brute force needed to remove a troublesome bolt to being absolutely delicate and precise. The display of such dexterity, such finesse... oh buck..." she suddenly stopped to give Twilight a hopeful, almost pleading look, "Does he play an instrument? Oh by the Sisters, please tell me he plays."

When Lyra got a shrug she went back to snuggling the pillow, If he doesn't then I'll just have to teach him - no bucking way am I letting that potential go to waste. She fell back asleep imagining the wonderful music those ten fingers of his could make an instrument play for her, as well as what notes they might make her play.

It's the weekend, so I'm sure she's thankful she can sleep in. Twilight floated the parchment on the desk to check the itinerary for the day as a light and rhythmic snoring came from the bed. Item one: assemble research materials. Twilight went over what she knew she had on hoof and made a list, working her way downstairs to pull the books and magazines from the shelf. Floating a collection that amounted to a small library behind her and positioning herself on one of the cushions she left on the floor for patrons, Twilight dove in. She didn't break from pouring over her research until a knocking at the front door broke her attention many hours later.

"Spike? Could you get the door?" she called through the library, something she normally wouldn't do - it was a library, after all.

No response.

Closing the self-help book she had been taking notes from, Twilight reluctantly walked to the door, glancing at the clock as she went. It was well past the library's closing time. Geez, where has the day gone? She started talking to whoever was on the other side of the door before the she had gotten it open, "Hello? I'm afraid the library is closed for the evening-"

"Miss Twilight Sparkle?"

"Um," The door now fully open, Twilight stopped and looked at the two ponies on her doorstep; bat wings, dark gray fur, tufted ears, and wearing the blue-tinged armor clearly identified them as Princess Luna's personal guard, "Yes? Can I help you?" Stallions, and dashing ones at that. This could be an issue.

They both gave a crisp salute. "Ma'am," one of them responded, "Princess Luna requests your presence and we've been ordered to escort you to the alien's ship. Please, come with us," he motioned a hoof toward the street.

"Oh," she subconsciously hid her rump behind the door as she fought to control her blasted tail. If I can't get it under control, I'll just have to warn them of my condition. Twilight tried to stall for time, "Certainly, though there have been Timberwolves-"

"No need to worry about them, ma'am," the other guard spoke up to reassure her, "We won't be traveling through the Everfree Forest, Princess Luna is moving the vessel to just outside of Ponyville town limits. Now, ma'am, if you would?" he also motioned, making it clear that these ponies did not want to keep the Princess waiting and neither should Twilight.

Floating the metal brush Titus had made her out of the dirty saddlebag which still lay near the door where she had left it in a muddy heap Twilight quickly straightened up her mane before putting the brush back in the bag and tossing them across her hips. Following the two Royal Guards into the street each one slowed slightly so they could fall in on either side of her.

Twilight caught one of the guard's noses scrunch up as if he had caught a whiff of something. Well, that didn't take long. Bucking biology. She couldn't bring herself to look the guard in the face as she apologized and warned them as discretely as possible that she was on her cycle and might not be in full control of her actions.

"Is that going to be an issue, ma'am?" the guard asked, the deep baritone voice and unique Thestral accent sending an unseen shiver down her spine.

Apparently they aren't concerned, and judging by their appearance they look more than capable of handling themselves if I start getting pushy. When Twilight indicated it wouldn't be an issue neither stallion said anything else on the matter and increased their trot to a canter which turned out to do a good job of keeping Twilight's mind off of her cycle's urges. They worked through the town toward the salvage grounds and what had been unofficially named "Human Hill," catching a few curious glances from ponies that all seemed to be moving in the same direction - Luna's personal guard were a rare sight, after all.

"What did the Princess want to see me about?" Twilight was unsure if one of the ponies was a ranking officer so she shifted her attention between them until the one on her right spoke up.

"We were ordered to retrieve and escort you, ma'am," his gaze remaining intently searching his surroundings for threats, "We weren't given any details beyond that."

"I-Is everything alright?" Twilight picked up on both of the guards elevated levels of alertness, They certainly are different from Shiny and the other guards I've dealt with.

"Like I said, we weren't given specifics. Just let us do our job and-" a pony coming around a corner unexpectedly caused the guard to quickly shift his gaze, "And shortly you can ask the Princess yourself, ma'am."

The trio were pushing hard enough that Twilight was getting a bit of a workout and she began taking small pants between regular breaths. When they reached the bridge, a small group of guards were physically blocking passage of ponies curious as to what the commotion on the other side of the hill was while several pegasi guards intercepted any flyers trying to get around the barricade. A wave from one the guards escorting her and they were allowed past without breaking stride so they quickly climbed to the crest of Human Hill.

"W-Wow..." Twilight couldn't help but stop to take in the sight, her escort also coming to an abrupt halt.

The ship was engulfed in a deep blue aura as it was slowly and very gently lowered to the ground, four large struts with a ski-like foot at the end stuck out of the fuselage - each one roughly four times the size of her bed, if she had to estimate - the legs visibly flexing as the pneumatic chambers worked in tandem to support the massive weight. The vessel settled rather dramatically into its new position with a resounding mechanical *whoosh!* and several vents of air almost as if it was exhaling in relief. Below her numerous ponies were moving about doing one task or another with lanterns and floodlights having been set up and aimed at various areas, particularly the at the ship, which allowed Twilight to also identify several of the disk-shaped protuberances on the underside. She remembered the similar devices Titus had shown her under his speeder bike yesterday morning; "repulsorlift engines," he had called them and she had been immensely interested in what made them function.

She had enough elevation to see a portion of the top of the craft, the warm brown and rust orange colors of the mud swirled or stuck in patches, contrasting against the light grey body and she could see foot and hoof prints on what was now the underside where Titus must have been walking when he carried her into the cargo hold the night before last.

After giving the unicorn a moment to observe the scene the guard motioned for her to keep moving, "Miss Sparkle, please. Princess Luna is expecting you." They followed Twilight down the hill a short distance and through a group of artists who were doing their best to sketch the ship in the waning light when a commotion to one side caught Twilight's attention as a few ponies cut in front of her escort and moved toward the source. Craning her neck to see over the guard that was blocking her sight she was able to identify some scientists from the Academy's Research Division studying-

"STOP!" Twilight shouted and bolted from her escort toward the group, some of them giving a startled jump as the unicorn bore down on them. She blinked her way to the center of the circle ponies, the beeps and whirs of the levitated R6 unit suddenly audible as the crowd fell completely silent, "Cut it out! Put him down!" When nopony seemed to heed her request she used her own magic to overpower the aura holding the droid and gently lowered him to the ground.

"There you go, Arsix. It's okay, it's okay." She turned to look around accusingly at the Academy crowd as a scared R6 shuffled closer to the only pony it recognized. "Just look at him! Can't you see he's terrified?!" Twilight moved closer to the droid in an attempt to calm his chirps and beeps.

The two royal guards finally broke through the ponies, the hole they came through closing behind them. They took up positions on either side of Twilight and the droid - R6 continuing to stick right beside Twilight, bumping up against her barrel as his head turned and his sensors scanned the crowd of ponies suddenly observing him once again.

"Who are you and what are you blathering about?" a white-coated unicorn with a bubbling beaker for a cutie mark stepped forward, Twilight realizing it must be the pony she had broken the magic of, "How can it have feelings? It's just a machine - an advanced machine at that, but still." She took another few steps closer, obviously feeling irked that this mare had interrupted her observations, "Now Step. Aside. You're preventing the sanctioned study of an artifact from the space monkey."

Twilight's eyes narrowed menacingly, "Don't you dare call him that-"

"What are you," the unicorn snapped back, "A friend of that monster?"

R6's noises took on a whole new tone as he seemingly picked up on the insult and an arm with a hose attached popped out of his torso shortly followed by a very wet *S-s-sploort!* A jet of thick black liquid spurted out in an arc to cover the front half of the pony from horn to hooves.

The crowd was dead silent for a moment as one of their head researchers, Erlene Meyer, coughed and sputtered and muttered quiet curses as she attempted to wipe away the liquid. It wasn't long, however, before the voices of a few ponies that were more interested in what the robot had done rather than to whom caused a chain reaction among the gathered scientists as the voices garbled back into one loud commotion of observations. The droid cooed softly and shuffled to get Twilight between it and the drenched unicorn, the guards placing themselves in front of Twilight to form a wall of armor and intimidating stares.

"A defense mechanism?"
"An ink cloud, just like a cephalopod! Fascinating!"
"Quick, somepony get a sample of that for the lab!"
"Perhaps it is capable of understanding body language?"

An angry roar pierced the rabble which died out once again. The soaked mare wiped the gunk from her eyes and then looked on the verge of attacking as she came to realize the liquid was staining her coat and mane, "You and that space monkey freak will pay for this-"

"That is enough!"

Luna's voice cut her off and she looked none too pleased as the crowd parted and bowed for her. The alicorn came to a halt and looked down on the prostrate unicorn imposingly, "We approved thine expedition under the premise thou would adhere to visual observation only; tampering with the vessel or other artifacts or interfering with the vessel's automation was strictly forbidden. Did we not make our instructions clear at the briefing, Miss Meyer?"

"No, Princess," unicorn responded, still visibly irate at her condition, "Your instructions were clear."

"Oh? And yet we find thou preventing this-" Luna wasn't sure what it was, instead pointing a hoof at the droid, the gesture causing it to timidly beep and move closer to Twilight, "This machine from performing its duties. Thous shalt explain thine self."

"I-I'm sorry, Princess," Meyer kept her eyes on the ground, "The Research Division has placed a considerable amount of stress on me to make this trip as profitable as possible. While Your Highness and the creature gave us permission to study the exterior, I frankly don't see why we don't just take the technology for ourselves. The advances we could make by unhindered study and reverse engineering this technology..." She looked up briefly in hopes her argument was finding purchase with the Princess, "We are strong and many while the monkey is but one and weak, he could not oppose us-"

"I caution you to tread very carefully with your words, Miss Meyer. The being thou art threatening constitutes a foreign representative under the protection of the Crown," Luna leaned in close, her expression hard and unforgiving which caused the imposing alicorn to be even more intimidating, "That 'monkey,' as you so call Titus, is also a personal friend to us so if we hear thou utter that word once more in reference to him then we shall turn thou into just such a creature for the duration of a week. So we ask: doth thou wish to continue with thine threats and insults?"

"N-No, Princess," Meyer repeated, this time staring at the ground.

"Good, thou shall use his name from henceforth," Luna indicated to her guards and Twilight to follow and the crowd parted to let them pass. Once they were through the crowd Luna issued a decree, "The next pony caught in violation of the conditions set forth shall be removed from the site, suspended from their Academy duties, and brought before the court to explain their insubordination at trial."

As Twilight followed the Princess and her guards away from the gathered ponies she could almost feel the daggers being shot at her back by Erlene Meyer, and when she glanced over her withers her suspicions were proven true; the mare was glaring at her with murderous intent though Twilight quickly lost sight of her as the crowd dispersed. She quickened her pace to bring herself alongside the alicorn, "I'm sorry if I caused you any problems, Princess Luna," Twilight paused to give the droid following her a friendly smile before continuing, "but I had to do something, R6 was terrified."

Luna nodded in understanding, "Thou have nothing to apologize for, it is we who must apologize for Miss Meyer's contumelious behavior. She knew she was breaking the directives we set forth. We shall see to it that she shan't again for we shall be having a very serious discussion with her superiors upon our return to Canterlot, of that thou can be certain. Thou did the right thing in intervening, Twilight; we are unsure how we would have gone about informing Titus of damage to his..." she turned to look at the cylindrical machine tooling along with them, "Pray tell, what is this... machine?"

Twilight recited what she remembered from the droid's manual she had read as well as what Titus had told her in passing, Luna nodding as she took in the information. The group came to the aft of the ship and below the same cargo bay door Twilight had passed through just yesterday though with the ship upright and resting on its supportive landing gear the closed portal was a good distance off the ground. "If I may ask, Princess, what is the cause of this undertaking? Did something happen?"

The Princess nodded then sighed, "Indeed, something happened. Titus appears to suffer from Positional Displacement Distress, a factor we were unaware of when we teleported to Canterlot-"

"You blinked him that far and in one go?!" Twilight cut her off, vividly remembering the severity of his reaction to the short distance she had transported him to her balcony. Positional Displacement Distress was a blanket diagnosis applied to many forms of adverse reaction to teleportation, where the severity of the reaction was often tied to the distance the subject traveled. It was common in foals, though they usually outgrew it by the time they started schooling. Did I not tell her what happened? No, you were too busy ogling his towel-covered crotch, you lecher. That tiny bit of cloth was the only barrier between you... The voices of the scholar and desire once again waged war in her mind, but the concern for her human friend's welfare made it easy for her to blot-out the mental image of Titus' crotch before it could get a hold in her partially heat-addled mind, "I'm sorry for interrupting, Princess. I... is he alright?"

"He spent a few moments heaving on the floor at my sister's hooves then promptly passed out. It wasn't until earlier this afternoon that he came around and stumbled out of the infirmary to apologize, throwing the Palace into a brief gallimaufry of scattering ponies as he wandered the halls in a fevered daze-"

Seeing that her explanation was having the opposite effect of calming the worried Twilight, Princess Luna cleared her throat. "We believe he shall recover with a good night's sleep," Luna shook her head, "We should have taken precautions before blinking him across Equestria. Remembering something he said and looking in upon him before we left the palace, it pained us to see the discomfort our presence has caused him in such a short span of time."

"I doubt that's how he feels about it, Princess. I-It's actually my fault, not yours," Twilight meekly admitted, "Yesterday I teleported him from roughly where we are now to the balcony and he became sick, which is why he was in the shower when you arrived. I should have said something but was... preoccupied."

"It appears we shall both have to seek his forgiveness," the Princess magicked a piece of parchment out of the nether and unrolled it to reveal a list. She handed it to Twilight for her to look over, "And we may have a means to make that possible. Titus asked us to retrieve a number of items from his vessel before we left earlier this eve. Unfortunately he fell asleep before instructing precisely how we are to get aboard and, thinking it a simple task, we hadn't the heart to wake him," Luna cast her gaze up at the bottom of the craft, "Though we are beginning to regret that decision. As you're well aware, teleporting inside with no previous knowledge of the layout of the room would be foolhardy at best, so instead we have been attempting to gain entry with numerous incantations as well as every watchword we know, yet still the gate remains closed." She continued to stare at the door, seemingly trying to open it with sheer force of will.

It almost looks like she's pouting. Is she as excited as I was to first go inside? Twilight left the observation unspoken and instead squinted as she scanned the area around the door for what she was looking for. Finding it, she pointed a hoof at the keypad, "Titus entered a numeric code on that device, though I'm afraid I didn't catch the entire combination."

"Ah yes, we found one of those over here on this, um, metal column," the Princess walked a short distance to one of landing gear, "We were focusing on this dial-like component under the number buttons and acted on the assumption that it functioned like a dial combination lock, though we have found conventional lock-picking spells - as well as a few non-conventional spells deemed too powerful to be public knowledge - to be completely ineffective."

"I believe the reason for their failure would be that this lock requires a specific energy signature and doesn't have the usual tumblers or magical seals and barriers we're used to," Twilight closed her eyes and tried as hard as she could to remember what code Titus had used, but to no avail, "Perhaps we could try guessing the digits I don't know-"

"Hmmm," Luna hummed contemplatively, breaking the unicorn from her thought. Twilight watched as the Princess approached the astromech and stuck her face close to the its thermal and photosensitive receptors, examining it intently and not realizing how much she was encroaching on what the droid felt was its personal space. "Twilight, would it be possible this droid knows a way on board?" She took a few steps back to which R6 gave a relieved whistle, "It did appear to be familiar with thee, mayhaps thou could convince it we art acquaintances of Titus and art on an errand for him."

Twilight thought it was worth a try, so she floated the parchment in front of the droid's sensors, "It's like the Princess said, Arsix. Titus sent us to get the things on this list-"

The mechanical eye rotated about in its socket for a brief second to look over the writing before the droid snatched the parchment with a pincer arm and launched into a series of high-pitched whirs and beeps. The noises continued as R6 bumped along the uneven grass to the keypad, inserting an arm into the dial and rotating it back and forth until a loud thunk resounded within the hull of the ship. The astromech retracted his arm from the lock mechanism and rejoined the strange quadrupeds as a ramp extended down from the cargo bay and made contact with the grass.

"Huzzah!" Luna cheered, throwing her hooves in the air before excitedly climbing up to the door, eager to take her first steps inside the ship. How peculiar; before this point in time I hadn't felt curious - Titus was always content to hold our conversations under the night skies I would create, so I never thought it odd he didn't invite me into his home. She stopped, one hoof tentatively poised to enter the ship as the droid's treaded wheels thumped noisily over the threshold, Twilight following close behind. Hmmm, his... home... The alicorn instructed her two guards to station themselves on the ramp; none of the Research Division ponies were to barge in on what she realized was the human's private residence.

"Ahoy the ship!" Luna ceremoniously hailed the droid which was merely a body-length away, "Might thou grant permission that we may come aboard thine vessel?" Taking the droid's cheerful-sounding noises as an invitation into Titus' home, she shifted her body over the doorstep. One giant bound for pony kind...

While the Princess explored the interior of the cargo bay Twilight retrieved the list of items Titus wanted, the R6 unit issuing a melancholy whistle as the pony levitated the parchment out of its grabber arm. "Sorry little guy, just need to take another look at this," Twilight patted the droid as she looked at the list. Nutripaste? Comm link and relay? Reprogramming kit? And what the hay is a Marksman-H remote? Her face scrunched up in confusion and frustration the further she read until she passed the paper back to the droid, "On second thought, maybe you can tell us what the hay this stuff is and where to find it."

R6 chirped a few times and a blue fan of light emanated from one of his lenses, running over the writing several times vertically and horizontally until it suddenly stopped and his arm pushed the paper back at Twilight.

"Um, that light-" she was about to ask what had happened when the droid wheeled itself over to one of the nearby crates and the same arm that had unlocked the cargo door once again popped out of his torso; a few rotations later and the crate made a small click. Twilight levitated the top up and off the container as Luna peered inside, her curiosity having pulled her away from where she had been studying the doors that would open and close themselves whenever she would step toward them and back away; endlessly repeating the astounding process.

"It would appear we hath located the object 'Nutripaste,' Twilight," the Princess levitated several oblong metal canisters labeled with block letters to the floor. Luna turned to the droid, "What, pray tell, doth our list demand we find next, sir droid?"

Rolling to one of the screens it had recently repaired the droid brought up a block of text which the ponies found to be a copy of the list; a few seconds of interfacing and hyphenated numbers appeared next to each entry. It took a few chirps and whistles of communication before Twilight connected the identifying number next to the Nutripaste entry with the number on the crate they had found it in; the droid had procured a ship manifest. R6 scooted out of the room to retrieve the objects not in the cargo hold as Twilight and Luna went about opening containers.

Down on the ramp neither guard detected the invisible form slip past them into the ship, and the alicorn and unicorn were having too much fun uncrating the items on the list to notice as something floated off a corner of the workbench behind them and disappeared.

"And that takes care of the, um..." Twilight had to glance back at the list for what they were called, "I guess we just wait for the astromech to return with what doesn't have a number next to it." She made her way over to the familiar workbench which was set up in much the same way it had been with toolboxes on either side, though the stool looked a bit sturdier than she remembered. Going up on her hind legs, she was just tall enough for her front hooves to brace herself against the tabletop, Well, I found one of them... The datapad containing the books lay on the table before her with a small handwritten note attached and a parcel wrapped in plain brown paper beneath.

Twilight, while preparing the ship for Luna's visit I found something that I hope makes your week a bit more bearable. Enjoy!
-T

Before she could unwrap the package the automatic doors slid open and the astromech droid made its noisy return, towing a pair of crates behind him.

"Ah, sir droid," Princess Luna turned from the screen she had been watching, thinking it was a scrying window of sorts displaying the activity around the ship, "Have thou procured the remaining elements of our checklist?"

Twilight placed the brown paper parcel in her saddlebag and trotted over, popping open the top of the square crate to reveal a collection of spherical objects which she quickly theorized were small droids, judging by the similarity of sensors and surface material they shared with the astromech. Despite numerous attempts and a request to R6 to open the large box - the droid appearing rather frustrated as it wobbled from foot to foot and whined - the container remained locked.

Figuring it must be something Titus felt was personal and or private, Luna suggested they concede and levitated the crates outside where she set them down on her chariot for transport, "We bethink oneself of communicating this before, howbeit, should thou send Titus a letter we shall forward it unto him. Until such a time, is there any message thou would wish for us to pass along?"

"If you could tell him I'm looking forward to another one of his wonderful ear-rubs when he gets back-" Twilight blurted out, unable to stop herself in time from mentioning the human's particular skill with ears. She gave a nervous chuckle as Luna's facial expression twitched slightly, "And if you thank him for the package and let him know I'm doing alright, that would be appreciated, Princess."

"Very well, we shall." The Princess nodded as her transport lifted into the air, "We thank thee for thine assistance this eve, and wish thou a good night."

I wonder what he's going to do with all that stuff. Twilight waved as the Princess and her chariot sped off toward Canterlot.

------------
Cycle Day 3
------------

The clock in the hallway chimed twice, alerting Twilight to the passage of time and waking her from her impromptu napping spot. Ugh, I stayed up too late reading those blue holobook things. Right, I need to get ready for lunch with the girls. She got up from the cushion, closing the issue of Cosmarepolitan with a look of disgust. This didn't tell me anything; none of these did! Surely there's a scientific method to follow for optimal results? The magazine was placed in the mountainous stack along with the other literature that had proven intellectually disappointing and gathered up the small group of works that held a gem or two of information she had thought would be useful into her saddlebag for her two experts to vet. Twilight made a quick trip upstairs to inform Lyra that she was headed out but found the room empty, the mare must have left earlier without saying anything - or, more realistically, Twilight was too engrossed to hear her.

Leaving the library in the capable claws of Spike, Twilight made her way down the street to the cafe where she had scheduled to meet Rarity and Rainbow Dash, hoping that they would be able to guide her in what to do once Titus got back. Twilight couldn't help but feel glum as she reflected on her childhood of book-loving as it once again reared its head to bite her in the flanks and forced her into feeling helplessly ignorant - even the countless pages of text she had consulted on the subject had only served to thicken the cloud of confusion over she felt was hanging over her, I've never been good at interfacing with other ponies because books had always been there as an easier alternative. A book was... just a book; there were no feelings to hurt, there wasn't a hidden agenda behind their friendship. If you put the time in to read them, books were always willing to teach you something or take you someplace, no matter how fantastical - it was like the law of equivalent exchange. That gloomy attitude quickly changed with each greeting or warm smile from a friendly face she had come to know since she had started her Friendship lessons.

What the hay am I worried about? This is exactly why Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville in the first place! I've got the best friends in all of Equestria and I know they'll always be there for me! Prancing the rest of the way to the cafe, this realization was bolstered by the sight of Rarity who was seated at one of the more outlying tables so as to honor the request Twilight had made for a private conversation between them.

Rarity beckoned with a wave and Twilight trotted to the table. "Hello, dear," she greeted and gave a friendly hug, "I just want to convey how happy I am for you."

"Thanks for agreeing to help, Rarity," Twilight placed the saddlebag of research books on the ground beside her chair, "This means a lot, I've got no idea where to start."

"Don't be silly, darling!" Rarity waved a hoof dismissively, "I'd have been remiss to not share my thoughts and expertise to assist in starting a-" she leaned, whispering behind a hoof "relationship." as the waiter approached. Both of them ordered an alfalfa and carrot smoothie to tide themselves over.

Rainbow swooped in a few minutes after they had gotten their drinks, being what Rarity called "fashionably late." She did a little backward somersault before landing in her seat, "Sorry, the Weather Team was dealing with a couple of stubborn cloud banks and I had to lend a hoof, then there's a big traffic jam over near Human Hill that I had to dodge. So what'd ya want to talk about?"

"This is so ♪ex~ci~ting!♫" the white unicorn couldn't help but clop her hooves together in anticipation. She waited for Twilight to answer Dash's question but the poor mare just fiddled with the straw in her smoothie. Taking charge, Rarity sat up properly and composed herself to state their business, "Twilight would like our assistance in planning a date for her and her special somepony."

"So you spent the night with him and haven't even gone on a date yet?" Dash said a bit loudly, one of the closer tables clearly picking up what had been said. While she was shooting them a threatening glare to tell them that they'd forget what they had overheard if they knew what was good for them, Twilight's face exploded in burning red embarrassment which she tried to hide by slurping down a large amount of smoothie and only succeeded in giving herself a bad brain-freeze.

"Rainbow!" Rarity exclaimed, completely shocked at what she thought was a joke, "We've both known Twilight for a while now and she is most certainly not that kind of mare."

"That's what I thought too, Rares, but then I stopped by and she wasn't home all night," Dash retorted a bit indignantly, "And the next day I saw the bite mark, clear as day, on his shoulder. The way it looked he's lucky she didn't take a chunk out of him."

"Bite mark? On his... shoulder?" Rarity contemplated the positional logistics before her eyes went wide, "B-B-But that would require you to be belly-to-belly! Oh, how simply scandalous!"

Twilight had gotten over enough of the splitting brain-freeze to attempt to interject, "There's a perfectly reasonable explanation-"

The urge for golden nuggets of gossip was too strong for Rarity to ignore, "Come now, you simply must tell me: is he somepony I know?"

"Mmm, I don't think he's somepony you know," Dash replied, having a bit of fun at Twilight's expense.

The situation was spinning out of control. "Look, nothing happened!" Twilight was just about at her breaking point - if they didn't listen to her now she'd just get up and leave, "Yes, I spent the night with him but we both agreed that starting this during my cycle was a bad idea and I want to take this at a slower, more traditional speed, so I asked you two here because I needed help. I can't afford to screw this up and... I just... what do I do?" By the look on Twilight's face both Rarity and Rainbow Dash realized they might have pushed the envelope a bit with their antics and they quickly gave their heartfelt apologies.

"Twilight? Darling?" reaching a hoof out to her friend, Rarity quietly rephrased her previous question, "Can you tell us this stallion's name? The more information we have on the pony that has captured your interest the more we can help."

Twilight looked from the unicorn to the pegasus and wanted to answer but only managed an incoherent mumble into her smoothie, the thick glass fogging up and the drink around her lips bubbling as she whispered the name.

"I can't believe this-" Dash could only roll her eyes at her friend's hesitation, "Rarity, she's got the hots for Titus."

Rarity just sat in her seat for a moment. "Oh. Oh..." she was clearly taken back at the unexpected revelation but was quick to recover, "How... progressive of you! Don't worry Twilight, we'll come up with a plan that's sure to sweep him off his... um, feet."

Twilight, clearly reassured by her friend's confidence, pulled the books and magazines out from her saddlebag and put them down on the table for Rarity and Dash to look through, "I've brought some of the references I've been reading-"

Rainbow cut her off, "I'm not one for studying, but this? Wowza." She turned the magazine she was holding sideways and gave a chuckle as the centerfold flopped out, "Don't tell me: you only subscribe for the well-written articles." An instant later it was yanked away from her, thrown back into the saddlebag as Twilight cleared her throat.

"T-That's not mine, a friend must have left it at the library." Note to self: strangle Lyra, but not until the week is over; I still need somepony to operate the cooler for me. She was, of course, kidding about strangling Lyra, though she realized with that mare she might find she got off on it.

"Anyway, I've dug through the texts - much of which felt very sophomoric, I might add - and cataloged the information I thought would be useful. Please speak up if my assessment needs revision," Twilight brought out a roll of parchment and went over her notes in a rather mechanical manner. After many minutes she came to the end of her list, "As you can see, the validity of this information is still woefully questionable; however, it's all I've got after exhausting the materials in my library."

Dash and Rarity shared a nervous glance with one another before Rarity spoke up, "Um, Twilight, darling? You have taken a stallion on a date before, haven't you?"

Twilight reluctantly told of the single date she had gone on while at the Academy; it had started off well enough but ended up being a disaster, the stallion that she had asked had only gone on a dare from another mare interested in him and he had ended the night by nonchalantly telling her precisely why he had come. "I didn't come out of my room for almost a week because I was such a wreck. After that I guess I was just scared of that rejection again, so I didn't even bother with the dating scene."

Rarity scooted her chair closer, leaning up against the clearly disheartened Twilight, "Never you mind that boor, Twilight, it was his loss. In fact, you did well to avoid that spineless mongrel for he quite obviously had no taste, little imagination, and most likely possessed a family pedigree about as long as my cuticle!" Rarity, clearly angered at the treatment her friend had received, went into a tirade of high society insults before the silence of her companions caught up with her, "Please pardon my enthusiasm, Twilight. As I was saying, he did you a favor because now here you are planning a date for your special somep-um, somehuman. Now then, why don't we start with something simple - tell us about Titus."

"Um, oh-kay... what did you want to know?" Twilight raised an eyebrow, swatting the cyan hoof that was under the table rummaging around in her saddlebag; no doubt in search of a certain magazine.

"Well, just as an example," Rarity thought for a moment, "It's not often that a stallion will stand up and tell the mare what they want, so I find little Spikey-Wikey infectiously charming when he gets assertive. He just gets so adorable I want to squeeze his chubby lil cheeks!" She squished her own cheeks together for a moment before recomposing herself, "Tell us what you see when you look at him. Oh! What about his eyes?"

That cleared things up for Twilight, though not really. "His eyes? Well," she closed her eyes to concentrate, drawing an image of Titus' face from her memory, "Despite being smaller than ours, my hypothesis is that his eyes are a similarly-complicated combination of aqueous humor fluid and ganglion photosensitive cells-" A sigh from across the table caused Twilight to pop her eyes back open, revealing a thoroughly-facehoofed Dash.

"Twilight, dear, perhaps something a little less, um... scientific?" Rarity suggested, "How do they make you feel, specifically? We can start with his eyes and just go from there, alright?" She gave her friend an encouraging smile and threw an elbow into the side of still-facehoofed pegasus.

"Well, they're a... shade of brown which I find rather nice," Twilight's eyes closed and her brow furrowed as she concentrated again, "And they're warm. And kind. And... intelligent. They can also show forgiveness, even when I've done something completely boneheaded like teleporting him across a field and causing him to be sick. Despite their small size, if you're willing to look you'll find that Titus' eyes can convey a surprising amount of emotion. Besides his eyes, his confidence is inspiring; he knows who he is and what he wants. It feels odd to say this because I never expected to find that somepony feels this way, but he wants... me, faults and all. I found out because we were conducting an experiment using a Sense-Link spell and I picked up on his feelings and in that moment I felt like the happiest mare in Equestria. H-How was that?" Twilight nervously inquired, popping one eye open to gauge the response to her answer, Dash was nodding and Rarity was motioning with a hoof to continue, Right. What else?

Twilight thought a bit harder on how she had felt when she spent the night aboard the ship, "I know Titus' size can scare a few ponies and I can understand that the way he has to look down at you can be intimidating, but I've never felt that because he's always been friendly and soft-spoken. He's also very gentle," she recounted the story of her encounter with the timberwolves and the cut she had gotten and how Titus had applied the antiseptic spray, which also gave her the opportunity to explain the bite-bruise Dash had discovered. Caught in the moment of reliving the other night, Twilight realized too late she revealed a few things she had meant to keep her muzzle shut on; like how great it felt to snuggle and nuzzle against that smooth skin of his and the feeling of his fingers working their way through her hair, and not to mention those flanks-

"Oh-ho-ho!" Rainbow Dash became more animated when Twilight suddenly clammed up, her trademarked mischievous grin plastered across her face, "So not only is he a good snuggler and his fingers give mind-blowing ear rubs, but he's got 'flanks that are a gift from the Two Sisters themselves.' Anything else you'd care to tell us, Twilight?"

Her head on the table, Twilight tried to hide under her hooves as her world seemingly ended, "Please, Dash, I shouldn't have said any of that. He's really shy about that stuff, his body in particular, so please. Please. Don't let him find out I told you."

Thankfully I shut up before saying anything about his pseudo-magical abilities. This is bad enough, but that would have been disastrous.

"Um, hello? Element of Loyalty ring a bell? I'm not going blab." The pegasus reclined her chair back onto two legs, "Though, honestly, I have no idea why you asked me to meet you here, Rarity is the one for you want for all this dating stuff."

Twilight sat up, relieved that her friend would keep what she had heard to herself. "Actually, I was hoping you could give me some pointers on cross-species relationships-"

"Geez, this again?" Dash threw her legs up in the air and rocked forward, the chair making a loud clattering as it came to rest on all four feet. "Why does everypony assume Gilda and I were a thing? Look, Twilight," she supported herself on one elbow as she leaned in toward the center of the table, "First things first; Gilda and I were friends at one point. That's it. Friends. Secondly, I'm only interested in stallions and anything else you may have heard is just a nasty rumor that's been circulating since Flight School. If you hear somepony say otherwise, I want a name."

Rainbow's annoyed attitude changed when Twilight clarified she had not intended to insinuate she and the griffon had been romantic, what Twilight had been after was Dash's experience and openness like she had displayed toward other species in general. "Ok, sorry for snapping at you, I just get sick of that rumor. Anyway, Titus is suited to eat both vegetation and meat so if you two are eating out-"

'Eating out.' Aheh. Aheh heh. Twilight's mind started to wander.

"-so you should check the menu ahead of time because he'd have to almost choke down something like a hayburger - fish is probably a good bet, there are a couple of ponies in town that enjoy fishing that would probably sell you their catch for a few bits. I know Fluttershy catches fish for a couple of her animals, you could start with her."

"Sorry, I spaced out for a second," Twilight apologized and Dash repeated herself.

"Another element to keep in mind, dear," Rarity interjected as Rainbow finished what she was saying, "Is that Titus' presence might not be... um, how should I say this?" She thought for a moment, composing her statement into its least-offensive form, "His presence might cause a fair disturbance among patrons and the establishment's owners might not be pleased with that. Getting asked to leave would quickly put a damper on an otherwise enjoyable meal, so I would suggest meeting with staff prior to your engagement to ensure that won't be an issue. Perhaps booking a seat in a more secluded, private area just to be safe." She patted Twilight to assuage her that it probably wouldn't be that much of an issue, "No need to worry about that now, the whole restaurant dining step is a bit down the road, dear. For now you'll want to start out with something simple, such as a casual lunch, or meeting up for drinks, or perhaps a picnic in the park."

"Actually," Twilight's ears perked up at the mention, "We've been on a picnic already."

"Oh?" Rarity appeared a bit surprised, "And how did that go?"

"I'm fairly sure he enjoyed it. Lyra, Spike, and myself shared a brunch and sodas with him on the hill-"

"No no no, darling, that simply won't do!" Rarity waved a hoof to stop her from continuing, "No offense, but what you're describing was a friendly picnic. What I meant - and, more importantly, what the situation calls for - is a picnic for two someplace more romantic and charming than a crowded hillock. You'll also want to put some thought into a drink that compliments your meal; if you give me a bit of time I can provide a list of good wine pairings. A fair warning, though, some of them might be a little pricey."

Twilight brought out a fresh piece of parchment and scribbled some new notes. "Okay, I can work with this," her quill was scratching across the surface at an alarming rate, indicative of her eagerness to start the plan in motion as she read excerpts of what she was writing. "The menu; exclude grasses and research the possibility of fish. Rarity," Twilight looked up from the parchment at the fashionista but kept writing, "If you could make a list of wines that could go with fish I'd appreciate it. My personal favorites are something crisp or focused, though preferably both."

Rarity could only nod in the face of the sudden zealotry Twilight was showing.

"Picnic for two in a secluded, charming location... hmm," she thought about the local geography for a moment, scanning her mental atlas, "I remember reading an old journal I found in the basement of the library describing a lovely out-of-the-way corner of the park where a pond was was hidden in a small copse of trees. Does that sound like a suitable spot for a picnic?"

It's all coming together. This... this is going to work! I can do this!

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Cycle Day 4
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Twilight groaned into her pillow. "Lyra, now!" she felt a wonderful release as the mint unicorn squeezed the pump on the cooler, filling that hungry void. Twilight panted hard for a few moments as the sense of alleviation spread through her body before flopping onto her side. There was no pleasure associated with use of the cooler, it was only designed to provide temporary relief and in some ways the lack of pleasure only made getting through the cycle worse.

Lyra joined her friend in an exhausted flop onto the bed. "S...par...kles," she took a moment to catch her breath after the workout she had just gotten, "That's the third time today, do you think maybe it's time to go into lock-down?"

"Got to take advantage of the windows in Princess Luna's schedule," Twilight buried her nose in a sleeve of Titus' flight suit, taking long whiffs of his scent and snuggling against the body pillow firmly squeezed between her hooves, "And no, I can't hunker down just yet. It took Rainbow and I longer than expected to find the site for the picnic, and when we did find it we learned it was in a real state of disarray. This is probably the last day I've got, and there's a lot to still do." She hadn't expected her estrous cycle to have hit as hard as it had when she woke up, and with all the work still to be done to prepare for Titus' return she couldn't afford to stay in bed nursing herself through the day.

Giving a little nuzzle to her friend's neck as she embraced the body pillow was something Lyra regularly did after a session with the cooler. She knew Twilight greatly appreciated it, even if she didn't say so, "I could help out for a bit today if you want to catch a few extra Z's."

Twilight pushed into Lyra's nuzzle. "Y-You sure? I mean, I know I'm going to need another treatment with that blasted thing," she indicated at the cooler almost irritably, "So if helping me clean up the picnic area is going to tire you out too much for that I'd rather you just take it easy." Still clinging to the body pillow Twilight rolled over to face her friend, "You know, what if we both tackle this? The two of us, in addition to the time Rainbow Dash volunteered to help, could knock this out in no time!"

------------

"Wow, you've been busy," Dash exclaimed as she cruised up to where Twilight was magically yanking an entire bramble bush out of the ground, roots and all. It was clear that she had been hard at work just by the headway she had made; the small pond that was once a scummy mess of algae was now crystal clear, the broken boards of the small pier had been torn up with a stack of fresh boards ready to be placed, the old rotted bench was gone, and the thorny shrubbery that had completely overgrown the area had been reduced to only a few clumps still waiting to be uprooted. "So... what do you want me to do?"

With a firm tug the brambles released their hold and Twilight tossed the invasive weed on the tarp with the rest, "Um, check the clipboard," she pointed a hoof at the board hanging from a branch, "But the grass could be mowed and the lights need to be strung up. Lyra and Applejack should be here with the bench any minute."

At the mention of the unicorn and earth pony Dash's ears turned forward, "Lyra and AJ will be here? Cool!" I can ask them about our extra guest at the upcoming Fight Night.

Twilight was about to ask why she seemed so excited when Rainbow shot past her, pushing the reel mower and showering the unicorn in stray grass clippings; by the time she had finished coughing out some of the blades that had found their way into her mouth she found Dash was already halfway done hanging the lights. At this rate we'll be done in time for another break in the Princess' schedule! Reinvigorated by the thought, Twilight almost charged at the remaining thorn bush. What should have been a small struggle with the monster thistle turned into a full on war until Twilight focused a bit harder and snaked her magic along the full length of the roots for one final tug. With a triumphant cry Twilight lifted the defeated brier above her head.

"Yeah!" Dash enthusiastically threw a hoof into the air in a sense of shared success, "Way to show that dumb plant who's boss!"

"Vic-" The unicorn added her victim to the pile, feeling a bit drained from the struggle, "Victory...!" She didn't really agree with the 'at all costs' line of Titus' quote, so she opted to leave it out. Twilight looked at all the progress they had made in such a short time, All we need now is-

"Hey y'all!" AJ trotted through the hidden entrance to the copse almost as if on cue, glancing around at the small clearing before finishing a conversation with the mint unicorn who was levitating a freshly-built bench and following behind her. "Boy howdy, I never would've known a nice spot like this was here if you hadn't told me. It's even got a pool to take a dip if'n ya want ta cool off!"

Dash gave a welcoming wave as she hung the last lantern from a branch, "Welcome to the party, AJ!"

"Shucks, after Rarity told me what all this is for it's not like I could say no," the farm mare moved toward the pier and dropped the sack she was carrying to pull out a hammer. "Don't worry, Twilight," she said around a mouthful of nails, giving Twilight a wink as she moved a fresh plank into place, "We'll have this here place fixed in a right jiffy!"

Twilight really did have some of the best friends in all of Equestria.

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Cycle Day 5
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A shaft of sunlight peeked through a crack in the curtain to slowly travel up her sleeping form and, almost as if the sun had been placed in the exact spot that was necessary, came to shine directly into Twilight's closed eyes. Her face scrunched up, trying to fight against the light that was slowly drawing her away from slumber. Ugh, what time is it? An exploratory hoof wandered around the bed stand in search of her alarm clock until her brain remembered that her estrous cycle had driven her to smash it out of frustration yesterday-

Wait. Not yesterday, Lyra woke me and the cycle wasn't that bad yesterday. No, it was... so today is-

Twilight's eyes snapped open. When she scrambled to get to her dresser where the datapad sat her blanket got twisted around her hind legs and caused her to fall out of the bed; the covers also dragging with them the flight suit, which fell right on top of her with a rather undignified *th-wump!* - the body pillow shoved inside the suit to give it more mass for better "snuggability" also gave it enough weight to knock the air out of her lungs.

"Oof!" As she gasped for air she frantically kicked the covers and pillow off and dragged herself across the narrow span between her bed and dresser, pulling herself level with the device and powering it on to check the date; the digital numbers on the screen confirmed it beyond a doubt, it was day eight. It was THE day. Oh geez, I have zero recollection of the days between finishing the picnic preparation and now.

Cycle Day 5 Day 8

"Okay. Um," Twilight paced as she talked aloud and rubbed her eyes to look at the datapad once more, "Nope, not hallucinating."

She took a moment and observed the state of her room. Twilight was normally meticulous about keeping her home organized - everything had to be in its designated spot or the whole place fell apart because that's just how libraries worked. Her room was held to the same standard, but currently it was far from being in its normal organized state; the sheets obviously needed laundering, dirty pajamas were draped over the foot board of her bed, the room itself stunk of sweat, pheromones, and... cooler fluids, and pages upon pages of the notes she had taken on the holobooks Titus had left on the ship littered every horizontal surface. Had she noticed the library book lying open on the floor - its spine being unduly stressed - she probably would have flogged herself on the spot.

A small stack of empty or partially empty pizza boxes knocked against her hoof and she almost skidded on the mass of discarded tissues as she walked toward her mirror across the disaster-zone that was her floor. "Yuk," she made a beeline for the shower and, unlike the past week, that didn't stir a tingling sensation or lustful thoughts of fantasy fulfillment. The fact that she hadn't woken up with her first thought being how much she wanted to get rutted was a good sign that her estrous cycle was coming to or at an end. Twilight scrubbed her coat vigorously, determined that no hint of the few days would be present when she met Titus.

The realization that today was the day he'd be returning to Ponville and the day she'd be initiating her plan to court him suddenly hit her full force. W-What if he doesn't like the normal me and only liked the heated me? She stopped her scrubbing as anxiety set in and just stood under the spray of water. What if he changed his mind about the whole thing? He's spent the last week with Princess Luna, who he's already close with and who is leagues above me in every way, so it's only logical they'd get closer- Twilight literally shook the thoughts to the back of her mind, her mane flinging water over the curtain and onto the ceiling. No, the Sense-Link spell was proof of his feelings. I'll figure this out. She rinsed herself off and grabbed for a towel but was forced to find the cleanest one from the hamper.

Drat it all, I didn't do laundry.

------------

The unicorn was a mess as she ran excitedly about preparing for the morning; brushing her teeth after getting dried off, then realizing she forgot to use her conditioner so back in the shower she went and dried off with another dirty towel out of the hamper. She made a filling breakfast of oatmeal, orange juice, and some celery sticks - quickly heading back upstairs to brush her teeth again out of fear of having something stuck in her teeth. Spitting the toothpaste out and rinsing her mouth, Twilight looked at herself in the mirror when she came up, turning her head this way and that to judge the state of her mane before tearing half of the library apart, having forgotten to brush her hair after her second shower. She was two hooves out the door and still pulling the brush Titus had crafted for her through her hair when she almost collided with two ponies about to knock on her door.

"You certainly seem in a hurry," Rainbow Dash said with feigned ignorance as she flew a lazy circle around Twilight, poking an elbow into her as she added, "Almost like you've got a hot date."

A nervous laugh and a look was what she got from the librarian, "You know I'm headed to the train station, Dash."

"Indeed we do, darling," Rarity took a few steps back so Twilight could close the door and finish her brushing, "Which is why she suggested we act as your 'wingmares,' a rather crass term, if I do say so myself. Regardless, we made a stop at the market and brought these for you." A small but elegant bouquet of flowers was lifted from her embroidered saddlebag and passed to Twilight.

"T-Thank you," Twilight hadn't even thought of having a gift of some sort and, having forgotten her own saddlebags in her rush to get out the door, ducked back indoors to retrieve them to gently stored the flowers for the trip. "I, uh, I really appreciate the support girls, and I can't thank you enough for getting the beautiful bouquet, but... do you think you could do me another favor? Could you wait up the road a ways instead of following me all the way to the station?" she meekly looked to both of them for their reaction to her request.

While Dash simply shrugged that she was fine with it, Rarity waved a hoof dismissively, "Of course, Twilight. I have no qualm giving you two a moment to reconnect."

Twilight pulled them both in for a quick hug and took off for the train station.

She was almost to her destination when a thought struck her, causing her to slow her pace and catch her breath. Oh, right. Princess Luna's letter stated that I should keep an eye out for him on the ten o'clock train. I've still got a little time, so no reason to work up a lather on the way there... though I've still got no idea what she meant by 'keep an eye out for him.' Twilight brought her canter down to a lively trot for the last stretch of her journey as she contemplated the cryptic meaning of the Princess' words.

Climbing the short set of stairs at the front of the station and making her way past the ticket booth - gleefully indicating to the teller that she was meeting a friend; the teller looking like he couldn't care less - she found the platform devoid of any other ponies. Twilight floated the secret weapon she had brought with her out of her saddlebag, "This is just like a test that I've studied for, but one last look at my notes couldn't hurt."

'Welcome him back with an appropriate greeting.' Twilight read the first entry in the notes and thought back to the lunch she had a few days ago, Rarity had stressed how important the first impression could be. Hmm... Twilight sat on the platform in deep thought for a while, her tongue peeking out of the side of her mouth as her hoof tapped her chin.

"Hello!" No, not personal enough; I need my greeting to convey my feelings. Perhaps "I missed you so much!"? Truthful, but it comes off as too clingy. Or does it? Would a hug be appropriate? And... oh horsefeathers, what do I do if he wants a kiss?! Do I go first or do I let him initiate-

The distant shriek of a whistle reignited the anxiety in Twilight's gut that she had thought squelched. "Come on, brain, think!" Twilight stood on the platform of Ponyville's train station, trying to figure out what she would say to her human friend and how she should act when he got off the train. I've got to get this right! The unicorn nervously paced up and down the platform going over her "condensed" notes - concise as they were, the bottom of the roll of parchment still bounced along on the ground a fair way behind her - unaware as four pairs of eyes watched from a shrub a scant few body lengths away.

"I still don't get why ya dragged me along for this or why we're hidin' in this here bush. You said she asked you to wait up the road," one part of the bush whispered in a drawl.

"Because Sparkles is so cute when she gets flustered," Lyra replied jokingly. Truthfully, though, I came along to hopefully get an ear rub. If they're even half as intoxicating Twilight says they are, I'll probably be needing an intervention.

"SHH!" Dash shushed her, "We're, uh, here to help Twilight."

"Helpin' is lendin' a hoof to fix up her little clearin'. This here just looks like you're spyin' on her."

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow didn't have an answer for that one, "You're here with us, so that means you're spying too."

"Applejack," Rarity whispered and placed a hoof on the earth pony before she could make a retort, "Please try to understand, this must be very stressful for Twilight; just look at the poor dear, pacing back and forth at her wits end. We just want to be here in the off chance she needs us."

The Element of Honesty still wasn't buying it. "If she looks like she needs support why aren't we out there by her side?"

"Because she asked us to wait up the road." Once again Rainbow proved she was a faster talker than a thinker which got a giggle from the mint unicorn on the other side of the bush before she added a "Duh?" for Dash.

"Oh for corn's sake, this spyin' ain't right-" she would have walked out of her hiding spot had she not been physically and magically restrained. Luckily the commotion they caused pulling Applejack back into the bush was covered by another whistle and hissing brakes as the train pulled into the station, a cloud of steam washing over their hiding spot and forcing them around the front of the building.

Twilight found it hard to remember to breathe as the locomotive rolled past her and the rate of the clack-clacking of the wheels slowed as the train pulled into the station. The train continued to slow and what seemed like an eternity passed where nothing happened, the pony silhouettes visible in the windows of the cars stirring in anticipation. Two chimes of the engine's bell indicated the full stop and the doors opened and the few ponies that poured onto the small platform did so in a loud hubbub of indiscernible conversation.

Maybe he's waiting for the crowd to clear. Her muzzle scrunched up as she frowned in concentration, searching the crowd despite the sound reasoning of her thought. Most ponies passed her for the stairs, some of them giving a friendly hello or smile which she returned out of habit and it didn't take long for the platform to almost return to being empty, though a few of the passengers lingered. Twilight stared expectantly at the passenger cars, looking through each window for movement or his easily identifiable large silhouette. W-Where is he? Catching the conductor checking his watch spurned her into action.

"Um, pardon me? Hi," she trotted over to the earth pony who lowered his watch slightly as an eyebrow climbed a similar amount, "I was expecting to meet one of your passengers - a friend of mine - but I haven't seen him. I-Is he still on board, perhaps?"

Twilight watched as the conductor, who had introduced himself as All Aboard, poked his head into each of the cars, "It would appear your friend has already disembarked, miss-"

"What? No, that's not possible. I would have seen him," she shook her head, "You could say he's rather hard to miss." It's not that he hadn't gotten on the train, Princess Luna had written the letter after he had departed. Perhaps he got off at the wrong stop? When she asked about that frightening possibility All Aboard indicated the ten o'clock train was operating as a direct line to Ponyville so there were no other stops.

"I should clarify: he probably would have been escorted by the Royal Guard," she called after the conductor who had started back for the train, "The friend I'm waiting for is the human, Titus Aelius-"

All Aboard checked his watch again before addressing Twilight in an almost irritated huff at her ongoing insistence on the matter, "Miss, while I'm fairly sure no passenger had a Royal Guard escort we most certainly did not have a human passenger. Now, we are scheduled to arrive at the depot for maintenance, so we must be going. Good day." With a tip of his hat he climbed onto the engine, instructing his coworker it was time to get underway and they slowly chugged away from the station.

Twilight followed the train as it gained speed and by the time she had traveled half of the length of the platform she was at a fast canter, peering into every window in search of her friend. She was frantically checking one compartment when she bumped into a pony she hadn't seen that had been too slow to move out of her way.

"Sorry!" she called over her shoulder as she strained to keep up with the train to look in the remaining windows. She got a cursory glance in the empty caboose before she came to the end of the platform, screeching to halt to keep from plummeting off the end and watched as the train clattered down the tracks where it disappeared into the small depot. If I hurry, maybe I can catch up with some of the passengers and ask them... She turned around to head for the stairs and spotted the pony she had bumped into struggling to get to his feet.

"H-Hey," Twilight nervously trotted over, hoping she hadn't injured the unicorn, "Are you okay? Look, I'm really sor-"

A pair of warm brown eyes met hers, "I don't know about you, but I've had one hell of a week."

A New Star

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Titus lay reclined on the angular roof of his room - as he had been for the better part of several hours - his fingers intertwined under the back of his head as a makeshift pillow and the cool night air of Canterlot turning his breath into light swirling clouds that quickly dissipated as he gazed at the multitude of stars that graced the night sky. Beside him, awaiting the visitor that he suspected would be joining him shortly, was a folded up blanket as well as a special metal cylinder Titus had brought out of storage and along for the trip.

These stars were special, though. Unlike his own universe, where stars were burning balls of gas light years away and usually surrounded by planets - inhabited or not - and their moons, here they were different; they seemed to dance more enthusiastically and shone brighter without detracting from the light of their companions. These stars have souls.

A billowing-yet-tangible puff of cloud (another of the Equestrian oddities) floated into his vision to block part of the constellations from view, getting a sour look from the human until the grey-blue face of the Lunar Princess peeked over the edge to look down at him, "Friend, might we join you? This would have been a night you shared your stories, had it not been for your temporary relocation to the Palace."

Titus patted the blanket beside him, "I thought I might have company, so I brought a seat up with me hours ago."

"Oh," something about her friend's demeanor was off. Does trouble still linger? "Our apologies for being late, then. The spell to conjure a riding cloud was lengthy to cast and egress without rousing our sleeping sister proved equally challenging." She floated down and dismounted the cloud, her landing a bit wobbly though the waiting blanket provided ample cushioning. Kneading the cloth with her hooves for several quiet moments before she lay herself down and wiggled her way deeper into its warmth.

"Earlier this evening a friend I grew up with... I sensed his connection to the Force fade. I can still feel the void where he was, though he has become one now," Titus finally spoke, the sudden words jarring Luna from the length of peaceful quiet they had shared, "The disturbance ripples out still."

Hearing that he was forcing himself to talk around a lump in his throat Luna adjusted herself slightly so she could make contact as a sign that she was there if he needed her.

"I remember him, though in reality he was more of a familiar face than a friend; something I will regret from this day onward," he continued, taking the hoof on his shoulder in an appreciative hand, "He was a character of sorts. His imagination was only outshone by how full of life he was; he's what sparked my love of adventure and exploration. I guess he's a major reason I'm where I am now, in a strange... convoluted sort of way. If not for him, I wouldn't have been out exploring uncharted space when Twilight's portal gobbled me up, though I wish I could be back out there," he pointed to the stars, imagining they were a bit more like the traditional ones he was accustomed to, "If I was out there maybe I could have done something, perhaps gotten message to him tell him how much of an impact he had on me."

The two lay on the roof in silence, neither one able or caring to track the passage of time.

Luna, developing a crick from craning her neck to look at the sky, rolled over onto her back and rested her head on the human's shoulder which was a position that proved much more comfortable for the star gazing. "Titus," the tone in her voice conveying an imminent inquiry as she thought over the events of that morning, "When you do get your ship operational again and if Twilight can reverse engineer a return portal for you, will you go back 'out there'?" She felt him shrug, a heavy sigh following shortly after that she understood to mean he still had to give it much thought. "It is just... I didn't want you to actually disappear, and if you had I would have found myself forever regretting what I had said this morning. I-" Luna gave the stars a searching look in hopes they would provide some way to eloquently word her thoughts though they provided no such aid, forcing her to bluntly express her feelings, "Though words fail me at the moment, the real reason I wanted to talk was to convey how much I wanted to be friends again."

"That's alright, Luna," a hand reached up to rub along her neck as the side of his head pushed into hers, the dampness of the cheek permeating her fur, "I have been, and always shall be, your friend."

The Lunar Princess summoned what magic she could spare from her reserves to create the beginnings of a new star that would forever shine above the skies of Equestria in memory of the being that had had a hoof or hand in bringing her such a wonderful friend.

11: A Knight in Canterlot

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"I don't know about you, but I've had one hell of a week."

"Uh," Twilight was confused and unsure how to respond to the odd statement from the unicorn sitting at her hooves. She was positive she had never seen him before in her life though just to be sure she took a few steps back to examine him; his coat, what she could see of it under the walnut brown cloak that hid much of him, was a grey beige which complimented the long, chocolate brown mane that fell down either side of his face and neck in a carefree manner. Twilight sifted through her memory and examined the features of every pony she could remember, going as far aback as her Academy classes, but still she couldn't place him. Still, something about those warm brown eyes felt familiar. "I'm... sorry to hear that? Are..." there was a long pause before she shook her head, "Where do I know you from?"

"I'm not from around here, I'm from out of town," the unicorn's head cocked to one side, "And I'm talking really far out of town."

She regarded him for a moment, during which time his expression changed to give her a strange lop-sided grin that somehow didn't seem fit for a pony's face but was also familiar enough to cause cognitive dissonance as a thought crossed her mind. No. No way. Twilight searched the eyes and felt them searching her, too, however, the more she thought about it the more it made sense. Perhaps this is what the Princess had meant with the 'keep an eye out for him' line.

Twilight looked at the stallion curiously, "When you say 'really far,' would describing it as being on the other side of the galaxy be fitting?" She watched as the grin turned into the full-on, unadulterated shit-eating smile that she knew from a different face.

"Kark," pony-Titus shook his head and gave a tired sigh, "Probably a bit farther than that. Good to see you, Twi."

"Titus? How are... why do you look... what- oh whatever," Twilight hooked a hoof over his shoulder and pulled him in for a friendly hug and a warm nuzzle, "Welcome back!" This was not something she had planned for and thought better of overwhelming him with a sudden onslaught of questions, instead she made a mental list for later. A cross-species transmutation spell! I wish I could have gotten some data on its casting... perhaps Princess Luna kept notes that she'd be willing to share!

Meanwhile, out of earshot, four heads poked around the corner of the station building like some form of miniature totem pole; cyan pegasus, mint unicorn, white unicorn, and orange earth pony in descending order, all of them bearing various expressions of shock or confusion.

"Gracious me! Twilight certainly seems to have made a... friend," Rarity exclaimed, voicing what everypony was thinking but in a much more elegant manner as the lavender unicorn continued her nuzzling embrace, "Do any of you girls recognize him?"

"Hmm," Lyra squinted as she tried to get a better look at his face but could only catch glimpses around Twilight's body and what she could see wasn't enough to get a positive identification, "Not ringing any bells with me. I don't recognize him from Ponyville or from among her Canterlot acquaintances-"

"Well they sure as shootin' seem to know one another... though if she was that friendly with a stallion that fetchin' I reckon Twilight would've made some sorta mention'a him," Applejack was quick point out, her distaste for snooping forgotten for the moment, "I'd be willin' to bet bushels to bits she would've said somethin' when we all went out for drinks and Rainbow was teasing her about how little 'game' she had with the fellas."

Ignoring the reminder of the drunken night just before Titus' arrival that she had been shot down by a table of stallions in front of her friends, Rainbow instead spoke from the viewpoint of somepony who'd experienced a devastating misunderstanding from a position similar to the one Twilight was in. Dash wouldn't wish something like that on her, what with this being the first semblance of a relationship the unicorn had ever been in, "Forget who this guy is, Twilight was supposed to be meeting Titus! How's he gonna feel if he comes back and finds her with her hooves around another stallion?" Dudes can be touchier than a rain cloud in spring - too much of a push in the wrong place and you've got a runaway lightning cloud looking to zap you back.

"All of our planning and work to set up her up with Titus will go to waste!" Rarity was not faring well with that prospect whatsoever, "The planned picnic! My exquisitely-selected wine pairing list!"

"Now everypony just stop a second," the farmpony tried to be the grounded voice of reason, "Y'all ever think you might be seein' smoke when there ain't a fire? I just don't reckon y'all should go-"

"Titus will find them both in each others hooves, our dear Twilight too flustered in her innocence to explain," cutting off Applejack's attempt to dissuade the group from rash action Rarity continued without so much as a breath, melodramatically draping a foreleg over her forehead and pseudo-fainting into the earth pony's hooves, "He'll feel his heart torn asunder assuming she had been toying with his emotions the whole time and for the rest of his days he'll remain on his ship, a lonely beast yearning for the love of a beauty that mistakenly believes the misunderstanding had made him hate her forever! Woe is me, what a disaster!" She pulled them all back around the building and assumed the worst as she went over their options in her mind. "We can't let that happen. Come on girls, form a line; we're going to run interference and get this tale back on track," she lead the way out into the open.

"-and when the spell didn't end when it was supposed to we both thought I might as well use the effect to keep from causing a scene at the Canterlot train station," Titus finished explaining. It's not the whole truth, but it was far superior to telling her exactly what happened. He slowly and carefully worked his way down from the platform step by step. Being forthcoming would involve saying something along the lines of 'Princess Luna was utterly concentrated on taking some genetic readings with an ancient magical artifact, the timing of which happened to abruptly coincide with one of your cooler sessions. The loss of her concentration caused the artifact to misinterpret her input and the result was my current predicament.'

Yeah, Twi would take that real well... He caught her watching him, the expression on her face a mix of concern and curiosity. "I, uh, this was only supposed to last an hour, but that was last night... while I was recovering Princess Celestia said the rate of the spell's decay should have me back to normal sometime tonight or tomorrow, at the latest. They both assured me that I'll be fine, although I've got a direct connection to them if necessary..." Titus shifted uncomfortably from hoof to hoof when the gravely earth poked into the un-callused pads of his hooves. The sound of an approach - signaled by the clopping of hooves coming their direction - caused him to look up the path and catch the small group of ponies bearing down on them, "This is quite the welcoming committee you organized."

Twilight followed his line of sight and her eyes went wide. "Aheh... w-what are you all doing here?" she asked nervously as she stepped forward in front of Titus, however in doing so she gave him a front-row seat of her flanks. When Rarity was close enough Twilight whispered through a weak smile - quietly enough that Titus wouldn't overhear, "I thought you'd be waiting up the road."

"Twilight! There you are," Rarity said with overly exaggerated relief, moving around Twilight and inserting herself between her friend and the strange stallion as part of her plan, "When the rest of the passengers walked by us and you were nowhere in sight we got worried-" She turned her attention to the unicorn that seemed to be having trouble standing still, pretending to notice him for the first time. "Oh my. Hello there," she adjusted her mane and fluttered her eyelashes as Lyra, Dash, and Applejack fell in alongside their temporary leader to form a semi-circle of probing glances, "Twilight, darling, you simply must introduce me to your dashing gentlecolt friend here."

Titus fidgeted under the sudden increase in scrutiny, unsure of the nature of their interest. "H-hello, Miss Rarity. Lyra, Applejack, Dash. Nice to see you," he greeted each of them, discreetly readjusting his cloak. Dammit Luna, just because I have fur doesn't mean I don't feel fraggin' naked right now. With Twilight's flanks and other bits still pointed at him he had to fight from pitching a tent - or whatever it was ponies did.

When her friends showed confusion as to how he could know them Twilight dropped the proverbial bomb and explained what she knew of his situation, "So try to take it easy, girls. At the moment he's feeling a bit like a fish out of water-"

"It's temporary, right? Right?!" Lyra was the first to voice her concern and literally shook the answer of out Twilight, at which point she visibly relaxed at the affirmative answer from the dizzy librarian. Tomorrow? Oh thank the goddesses. I've got plans for those fingers of his...

"No way," Dash flew a quick circle around him before landing at his side, "Dude, come on... ditch the blanket and give us a peek at that bod of yours!" Before he could stop her amid a small cry she used the tip of a wing to casually flip the cloak up and over his shoulder and exposed him completely.

Titus froze, subconsciously crossing his hind legs and both ears laying flat in response, "I-I'm sorry." That was all he could mumble as he was embarrassed to absolute silence and his eyes darted between the ground and Twilight.

"For wha-?" It took Dash less than a second to spot why he hadn't wanted the cloak removed and another second to catch that she wasn't the only one in the group to have noticed. "Oh, uh... heh, well then. That happens all the time you know, so like don't worry about it," she tried to sound cool but was all but full on staring under him as her wings slowly twitched themselves rigid. Again the night she had been turned away from hopefully going home with one of those stallions came back to mind which she tried to forget by changing the subject, "But dude, you, uh... you gotta convince the Princess to turn you into a pegasi next time. I could totally show you around Cloudsdale and I could pull a few strings with the Weather Team brass and get you scheduled for a fly-along and, ya know, maybe we could buck some thunderheads-"

"There won't be a next time," Titus fumbled with the cloak, finding it rather difficult to adjust the cloth without fingers, "Not if I can help it, anyway," he finally got his hoof in a looped fold and pulled the cloak back over himself, looking up to find disappointment clearly written on the pegasus' face as her awesomely-radical plans were all categorically rejected. "Sorry Dash, as much as I'd love to fly and probably end up breaking my neck in a crash, right now I just want to get to my bunk and sleep off the rest of this spell," Titus gave her an apologetic smile and started down the path, "but hey, I'll find a way to make it up to you, that I will promise."

"But why the heck did the Princess turn ya into a unicorn?" Applejack inquired while Rainbow thought over her options of repayment, "I reckon an earth pony would've been a more fittin' choice and seein' as ya don't got magic it'll be a bit weird seein' a unicorn gettin' all gritty with their hooves, if ya catch my meanin'."

Twilight quickly sidled up next to him. I-is he going to tell them?

"Uh, well, I actually wanted to talk to both Princess Lun-ow!" a particularly triangular pebble dug into his hoof as he put his full weight down and he lurched to one side, his legs scrambled in the loose gravel and tripped over themselves awkwardly but a light blue aura caught him before he completely toppled over.

"Applejack, please," Rarity's magic helped nudge him upright, Titus voicing his appreciation before returning to his trudging shuffle, "he's clearly exhausted, the poor dear; I'm sure he can tell us later. Speaking of later, perhaps you'd be able to drop some of your garments by the boutique, Titus? Earthy tones - such as that cloak you're wearing - and the loose, flowing styles you were seen wearing in Canterlot are all very chic right now." When the stallion wearily agreed to her request Rarity continued to fawn over the simple cloak, going so far as to procure needle and thread from her saddlebag to experimentally hem the article so it fit him better and the edges wouldn't drag in the dirt.

Rarity to the rescue, in more ways than one. The librarian mentally whispered her own gratitude and stepped closer in case he should fall again. He's like a foal in this body, if only he didn't have teleportation sickness I could just warp us to his ship.

"Sorry 'bout that," AJ stopped briefly then trotted to catch up to the shuffling Titus, "Tell ya what, go home and catch some shuteye. But Ah just wanted ta say me, Lyra, and Dash would be more'n happy ta have ya join us fer EFC Fight Night. Shucks, it's always nice ta have more company-"

"That's this Friday," Dash called, a case of the wing-stiffies grounding her, the duration of which was looking like it would be a while because she was making a point to walk behind him to keep her eyes subtly following the rotating motion of his hips which caused his tail to sway back and forth revealingly, almost teasingly if she didn't know better. Holy buck Batmare, dem flanks! Twilight wasn't kidding. "How's that sound, dude?"

Titus turned with a chuckle, looking over his withers at the pegasus to find her staring rather intently in wait for his answer, if she hadn't been on the verge of drooling at any rate, "I'd say it sounds like a part-"

AJ was on him in an instant, desperately slamming his muzzle shut before he could finish and ignoring his muffled protest as she looked around nervously.

Somewhere in Ponyville a pair of pink ears rotated like radar dishes toward the train station and waited. Party Canon acquiring target...

"Hold yer hay bales, par'ner, no need ta be callin' it a-" AJ leaned in close to mouth the word "party", lest the audible mention of the word summon the bountifully-energetic Party Pony. The last time Pinkie had joined them the TV had been buried in an ocean of balloons and confetti and they had missed the whole broadcast searching for it. AJ had also gotten stuck cleaning all of that out of the barn extra early the next morning so it'd be ready for the work day, Lyra and Dash both remembering "previous engagements" when asked to help, "It'll just be a couple'a us watchin' some TV and chowin' on some snacks. Oh yeah, mah big brother - you know, Big Mac? - he'll be there, so ya got no reason ta be feelin' like the only stallion in a mare-fest."

Hm. Never thought Big Mac would be into EFC fights, he seems like he's too mellow to be a fan. Once she thought about it a bit more, she realized she hadn't seen him working the produce stall at his usual times recently. Twilight shook her head and levitated a small rock off of the path as a preventative measure, a second later Titus intentionally bumped a shoulder into her with a smile of thanks.

"I'll stop by a bit early and pick you up. And, uh," Lyra walked alongside Rainbow and, unlike the pegasus, made no attempt to hide that she was enjoying the view; her head shifting position in search of a better angle, "Wear something you can exer-mmm-cise in, although clothing is, as always, optional."

Twilight, having lightly bumped into Titus in return, laughed at the comical sight as he overemphasized the rolling of his large eyes for her and turned his head around to look at the two ponies trailing him, "I'll keep that in mind, Lyra, thanks. Oh and by the way, you two keep staring and I might start charging you both Bits by the minute."

While Dash blushed at being caught Lyra simply fired back at him with a playful wink, "If I'm paying I expect a good show and maybe a few extra 'perks'-"

"Lyra!" Twilight shot her a glare which the mint unicorn acknowledged by sticking her tongue out before smiling at the shuffling Titus again with a hammy waggle of her eyebrows.

"Alright, we'll all get outta yer hair an give ya the space ya wanted earlier," Applejack looked at the other mares; her gaze telling them they'd probably made enough of a nuisance of themselves before she turned to Titus, "See ya Friday, mister!" At the first fork in the road the group dissipated to various parts of town, Twilight and her shuffling human friend giving a nod of farewell before heading down the main street to the Library.

------------

"GO! DON'T STOP!" Twilight shouted ahead to Titus (who, thanks to their current situation, had quickly picked up on how to gallop), both of them tearing through the town street toward the Library. Almost there, and the door is already open! Her heart fell as she watched him catch a hoof on a loose cobblestone.

She wasn't about to leave him to the fate awaiting him at the hooves of the group of heated mares hot on their tails, though. Twilight hoisted him up mid-way through his second somersaulting roll with her magic and quite literally pitched him at the door, sending him barreling into the entry hallway before she slammed the portal shut behind her; sealing it with several of the most powerful barrier spells she knew just as numerous hooves beat against the sturdy wood in an attempt to batter it down as the mares on the other side pleaded to her.

"I just need to borrow him for two minutes!"
"I know it's a library so I promise I won't be too noisy!"
"Come out, poppet!"

"Go cool off, you brazen maumets!" Twilight called angrily through the door, giving it a small kick to get her point across. Breathing a sigh of relief she turned to find Titus where he had landed - having knocked over her table, lamp, and umbrella basket upon entry - legs sprawled out at his sides as he lay on his back and panted heavily. H-he's too burned out from that hard mile we sprinted to care about his modesty. Not that I can blame him, really. Twilight forced herself to look elsewhere as she felt the small tingling sensation she'd become familiar with over the past week working its way down her spine, "Well, we made it. Are you alright? That fall looked rough."

"Just *pant* peachy. Thanks for the save, by the way; the landing was a bit rough, but I guess you could say I'm used to those," a giggle from Twilight let him know his bit of humor hadn't gone unnoticed and, with a grunt, he pushed himself upright so he was essentially sitting, "At this point I honestly can't tell which I prefer; ponies running in terror at the sight of me, or suddenly having to run for dear life from a gaggle of heated mares looking to pulverize my pelvis for pleasure."

"Try saying those last five words five times fast," Twilight sat herself down in the hall and leaned a shoulder against the wall, the exertion from their run finally catching up with her, "Anyway, at least this time they were running the right direction, right?" She tried to laugh but only managed a wheeze while Titus slumped back to the floor. Real smooth, brain. Real. Smooth.

The pounding and pleading at the door continued.

"How about one minute? Work with me here!"
"I'm willing to take seconds! Heck, let me in and I'll even pay my library fines!"
"Sharing is caring!"

Twilight bucked the door harder and ground her teeth in frustration, "Like Tartarus I'd let you get your hooves on him! Buck off!"

"You buck off! You can't hog him all to yourself!"
"HA! Who said anything about hooves?"
"Come on out, handsome, I got a 'muffin' for you to butter!"

"Go. Cool. OFF!" She focused magic into her horn and constructed another barrier, the sounds completely ceasing and the library returning to its usual peaceful stillness.

By the Sisters, that's what stallions have to put up with?! Breathing a sigh to release her tension, Twilight stopped to take another look at Titus; back still toward her and sides heaving with heavy breaths. Her eyes roved over his body admiring the specimen he presented; his coat pulled tight over the muscle groups of his barrel, shoulder, and neck as his head turned to look around her home. Interesting, the fur on his shoulder bares a marking identical to his human tattoo patterning. The silence and study continued until he slowly spun his head around to look at her out of the corner of one eye. She felt compelled to say something. "The Princess really did a number on you; your transmogrification certainly is alluring."

Titus dragged his legs under him and heaved his rump off the floor so he could turn to face Twilight, his expression one of concern, "Do I need to lock myself in a closet or something? I'm sorta getting a vibe that says 'I didn't lock them out there, I locked you in here with me.'"

"W-what? No," Twilight laughed and shook her head when she caught his attempt to hide a smile, her multicolor mane bouncing off either side of her neck, "My cycle's in its waning phase and I was just making an observation; besides, it's not like a flimsy closet door would stop me," she pointed out almost jokingly. The image of her wickedly grinning face peering through a splintered door, fire ax in hoof, saying "Here's Twily!" popped up in her mind before she shook the startling scene away.

"Even if it wasn't waning I'd much rather be in here with you rather than out there with them-"

He hasn't changed! Twilight couldn't help but feel a bit of a tingle as her heart fluttered when he said that, even though the choice would have been an obvious one to any stallion with a mind for their own health - serious injury by rutting wasn't unheard of.

"-in any case, until those maniacs outside are gone do you mind if I crash here?" Upon receiving an enthusiastic invitation to stay as long as he wanted Titus limped his way to the sofa where he removed his cloak, leaving it on the floor where it fell and set both lightsabers on the coffee table. It took him two attempts to mount the seat until he managed to get his hind legs high enough, lounging out with a deeply appreciative sigh as his eyes closed and he sank into the cushions, resting his head on one of the arms.

Hopping up on the other end of the couch Twilight made herself as comfortable as she could, crowded against the opposite arm because with the way he was stretched out Titus' hindquarters occupied the majority of the middle cushion. The position, however, was ideal for her to examine the mark on his flank so she eagerly took the opportunity and wiggled a little bit closer; the symbol appeared to be the rough silhouette similar to his ship sling-shotting around a green and blue planet. She was trying to make out the unfamiliar continents when his leg twitched, bringing a halt to her observations.

"Twi, that tickles," he said dryly, lifting his head from the sofa's arm and giving her a small smile.

She became aware of how close she had gotten her face to the cutie mark, having apparently teased his fur with her breath. Twilight apologized for disturbing his rest but before he could put his head back down she decided she would bother him with a question while he was up, "What you said back at the station, about the week you had? What happened?"

Titus arduously shifted himself around, noticing Twilight visually perk up at the new arrangement before she tentatively reached out with a hoof. For half an instant he thought to take the hoof in his hand, but all he succeeded in doing was to bump into it awkwardly. "I want my hands back," he dropped his head to rest on her hooves and used his own "magic" to commandeer a pillow from the armchair to make himself more comfortable, propping it under their elbows as the middle cushion of the couch sagged with their combined weight, "Well, Twi, a lot of things happened..."

Twilight rested her head on his neck, giving him a small nuzzle as she nestled in to make herself comfortable and he started recounting his week; something was telling her this was going to be a long story.

------------

Relishing in the feeling of speed as it pushed him into his seat, Titus urged the speeder bike to burn on all three operational Overdrive Cores as he rocketed down the trench toward the crash site. His teeth were chattering in his helmet as the early evening air whipped against his bare skin, having had to abandon the flight suit that would have kept him warm and would have acted as a wind breaker when he left Rainbow Dash at the bottom of the hill.

The craft hit a small dip, launching itself into the air when it exited the other side which prompted Titus to stand in his seat to shift the weight of the bike forward so it would return to the ground, pumping his legs to speed his decent. It was a completely unnecessary thing to do as the systems in the machine would automatically readjust the bike's altitude over a short time, but the act itself made him feel that much more in control of what was essentially a tuned-up engine with a seat. When the bike bottomed out and shot forward again he thought back to the first time he had ridden a speeder bike.

It was shortly after Master Krua had indoctrinated him as her Padawan that he had thrown a leg over a model much like this one, sitting behind his Master as they sped through the bustling Coruscant skyways to a meeting with a Senator whose name he'd long forgotten. The ride had been thrilling, thanks in part to Master Krua's usual terrible flying; they narrowly avoided several collisions as they zipped in and out of traffic, the open air causing his cloak to whip in the wind and the feeling of his stomach falling into this throat as they descended had forever created a special spot in his heart for speeder bikes. After they had parked their ride on one of the platforms they had been met by the Senator's assistant, and when he started to follow his Master into the Senate Rotunda she had turned sharply about and snapped at him to wait with the bike. Unsure why she had told him to join her on her errand rather than wait at the Temple if all he would be doing is watching their ride, he had asked what she wanted him to do while he waited.

"The answers you seek never come when the mind is busy, they come when the mind is still," is what she had said, which he inferred meant he would learn his task through meditation. Initially he had done what his Master instructed and sat in perfect stillness on the platform with his eyes shut; the only sound he perceived, despite the hustle and bustle around him, was the drone of the bike's several repulsor arrays as it sat idle. Titus had continued to listen to the hum for what felt like hours until he noticed the slightest variance and thought his inflection was over. Needless to say Master Krua had not been pleased to return from her appointment to find her Padawan had disassembled and was in the process of reassembling (as he had tried his best to point out) one of the bike's key components; the reason supposedly being it had been out of sync with the other two arrays.

Titus let the memory fade to the back of his conscious as he closed in on the crash site, reducing his speed as he passed the mud lake he had fished Twilight out of the night before. Cresting the small berm the figure of the Princess came into view, her dark flowing mane unmistakable against the light grey fuselage as she sat near the cargo bay doors expectantly. He waved and called out, not wanting his sudden arrival on a strange machine to startle her, "Luna! Hello!"

Hearing the familiar voice the alicorn turned toward the fast-approaching source, "Hail fellow, well met!" Luna watched as the human's chariot climbed up the smooth metal incline to come to a stop beside her where he apologized profusely and explained his reason for being late - Rainbow receiving the lead role in the adventure he told.

The Princess spat in disgust when he mentioned the spiders, "May they rot in Tartarus! We have dealt with the foul creatures on several occasions; just prior to depleting an area of food sources they cannibalize the weakest members of their nest and then migrate, rotating feeding grounds to allow them to repopulate before returning again. It would appear you two have prevented a brood from establishing a hold in this area, so this eve we shall pass our thanks along to the pegasus, Rainbow Dash-"

"Careful Luna," Titus - having changed into a set of clothes and requested that the grunt work of emptying and securing the hold be left to him as it was the least he could do - hoisted a series of damaged crates out of the hold with the Force, motioning and sending them outside to rest on one of the few dry areas around the ship, "Dash's head is already big enough without The Lunar Princess herself making a personal appearance to thank her. Any more praise and that head of hers would be a suitable replacement for Twilight's hot air balloon."

Luna sat and watched as Titus organized the hold, a queer look on her face, "It was our understanding that you got along with Rainbow Dash." The equally curious look from her human companion and his answer that, though he might find her grating at times, he considered her a friend confused the Princess further, "You call her friend but make jests at her expense?"

"It's a game of sorts, nothing serious and no harm meant," Titus explained, realizing now how much he had overreacted at the nickname Rainbow had given him as he shepherded the R6 astromech droid out of the ship - Luna giving it a friendly greeting it as it passed and getting an equally friendly series of noises in response - and tightened a strap around a crate with a broken latch. I'll have to apologize when I get back; I guess we're one point up in her favor.

A torch went off in Luna's mind, "Occasionally we enjoy verbally jousting with our sister, though our words carry no weight and both parties quickly forgive any trespass felt. This is... something similar?" At Titus' confirmation she nodded in understanding, "Interesting, we were unaware our subjects could also amicably deride each other in such a manner."

That was sort of a shock to Titus, who was in the final stages of preparation; resigning to let the chips fall where they may in regards to whatever was loose in other parts of the ship. "Surely you've playfully goaded a friend once or twice?" He tapped a small object that hung from a series of wires from the wall and a concussive drum of mechanical activity emanated from several points in the hull as the landing gear extended.

"We strive to be tactful, lest we offend the few friends we have," Luna replied as he slid down the side of the hull on his backside, his preparations for righting the ship finished. The plan he laid out seemed simple enough to her: she would lift the ship while he used his Force power to collapse the mound of dirt the ship had created when it crashed to form an area of dry flat ground; while he was busy doing that she would rotate the vessel to be lowered onto the prepared area. Aside from the visions of his past and the emptying of the cargo hold she had seen she hadn't actually witnessed the ability he possessed, and while she could have asked for a demonstration as a Princess, as a friend she had felt better respecting his reluctance to share that part of himself.

Moving a short distance away, Luna waited for Titus to give her the signal, the human scrambling up the dirt mountain on all fours. When she heard the all-clear from the other side of the berm she channeled at the ship, her magic splashing against the grey body and spreading as tendrils of the energy snaked out from the point of impact and slowly engulfed ship in her aura. "We await your word to proceed, friend," Luna called as her magic completely encompassed the ship.

"All set over here, show me what you've got!" came the reply, Titus waving an arm above his head.

Very well, we shall. Luna widened her stance and urged the ship to rise, to which her massive target shuddered and began to free itself from the muck. Something about the vessel made it hard to keep her magic focused as it felt almost like trying to push similarly charged ends of a magnet together; both the ship and magic stubbornly wanted nothing to do with each other. The Princess gritted her teeth, her own stubborn streak coming to the forefront and she commanded the ship to ascend; also making a mental note to investigate the reason why she was encountering such resistance.

Titus watched as his ship lurched out of the mud, rivulets of the slop draining off as the Princess lifted it free of the ground; waiting for it to be well in the air before he began, he closed his eyes and opened his mind to the Force, exhaling as the familiar feeling of inter-connectivity with his surroundings rolled through him, sensing the berm extending far to either side of him. Titus envisioned the earthwork as an extension of his body, and, as such, subject to his will. Raising his hands parallel to it, he stepped forward and pushed; the dirt mountain collapsed and rolled over the crash site like a tidal wave, burying the marsh under a fresh layer of dry earth.

While the human was completing his task Luna moved into stage two of hers and, though though the ship was still proving unwilling to submit to her magic without a fight, she began rotating it in a slow roll around its wings. She was focusing so keenly to keep the ship from slipping through her magical grasp that she did not sense Titus stride up beside her, the human watching her manipulate the ship around its axis and lower it, until he spoke.

"This favor you do me is too great be repaid, my friend."

Luna was a Princess, wanting for not and having more freedom, knowledge, power, status, and wealth at her disposal than any other pony in Equestria save for her sister; but the mention of the one thing she truly desired that could not be bought or traded or forced with any of what she had made her heart sing; at the same time, the word "friend" also proved to be the chink in her concentration's armor, one which the object of her struggle was quick to exploit. A crack in the magical aura spider-webbed out which the Princess fought to keep from spreading as she continued to lower the vessel until the bubble finally shattered. Still twice its own height from the ground, the ship dropped the remaining distance to smash down on its landing gear - the thunderous impact sending dust rolling out over the alicorn and human, who created an orb of Force so the choking cloud washed around them.

"Titus, has my err damaged your vessel?" Luna worriedly exclaimed, attempting to peer through the dust.

"I wouldn't worry," Titus reassured with a laugh as the dust settled and the ship came into view, rising up from the cushion the heavy duty landing gear and soft dirt had provided, "She's not much to look at, but that ship is built tougher than a septoid." Jogging over to one of the landing gear feet he poked at a keypad, the cargo door opening once again and a ramp extending to the ground, "Five minutes to get this stuff inside then I'm good to go. Are you sure you want to come back for my training gear later? It would only take thirty or so minutes to get it all together."

"Indeed I am sure, my sister expressed her interest in making her introduction. She has been in and out of meetings to negotiate a small border dispute with the Griffon kingdom recently and this evening is the first opening she has had in quite some time," Luna replied as she watched the myriad of damaged crates floated into the cargo hold before Titus mounted the speeder bike and drove it in as well, the machine gaining her full attention, "Your chariot is most remarkable and we do look upon it with envy, for Celestia and I must have trained pegasi guards to pull ours whereas you are free to come and go as you please."

Titus scratched the back of his head and looked back at the hold behind him as he walked down the ramp, carrying a backpack and his shoulderbag, "If we weren't strapped for time we could go for a spin and I'd show you how to operate it, but unless I modify the controls you'd need hands and fingers-" he emphasized his statement with a wiggle of his fingers before tapping a device on his wrist that closed the cargo doors and retracted the ramp, "the same holds true for basically all of my technology, save for what can be controlled by voice commands,"

"Hands and fingers are required?" the Princess thought for a moment as they slowly walked away from the ship, her head tilted slightly and her gaze wandering across the sky, "Mayhaps I have a solution, however I'd prefer to return to the subject when I've done further research and have consulted with several intellectuals in the field of genetic manipulation."

The human could only raise an eyebrow skeptically, "Um, alright. Speaking of chariots," he searched around for Luna's personal vehicle and the two odd-looking ponies that pulled it, "I didn't see yours when I came up the path, is it around here somewhere?"

"As if they weren't an inconvenience to use already, excursions in the royal chariots are logged in a ledger by the time keeper," she stated, coming to a stop, "and like the times we have met at night to talk of your origin, we did not wish this trip to be so recorded." The Princess' passing glace thought Titus looked hurt at the revelation that she felt required to keep their friendship a secret (she was, of course, reading much too far into his expression), and she quickly moved to explain what she meant, "The ledger is available to court officials, all of whom waggle their tongues like earthworms on the sidewalk after a spring rain; though their unfounded falsehoods, once whispered, prove to be much harder to squish."

The thought of Princess Luna comically attempting to stomp on worms that were fleeing every which way in terror of her made Titus chuckle, "It would seem politicians - the present company being an exception, naturally - are the same here as they were in my galaxy."

"An unfortunate similarity, it would seem," Luna snorted in agreement, "Now then, enough dawdling - our sister awaits through the nether."

Titus looked to his feet as a blue glow encompassed them both, finding he had stepped inside an arcane glyph of some nature he dropped his bags and reached out to Luna in an attempt to stop her, "KA-"

Everything lost focus and blurred then stretched out like he was jumping to hyperspace; instantly suffering from a splitting migraine and fighting his nausea as he felt the bile rising in his throat. Unable to keep on his feet he fell to his knees, expecting them to fall into the warm mud but instead they made hard contact with cold smooth stone.

Princess Celestia had been waiting expectantly in the small room, pausing in her reading of a book she had brought to pass the time when the focusing glyph her sister had scrawled on the floor lit up. Two figures appeared in a brief flash; one her sister, the other a bipedal stranger, "Ah! Greetings, you must be-"

"-ARK! *bleuph!*"

Celestia backed away from the prostrate alien as he coughed, the smell of cheese, pickles, and stomach acid reaching her nose as the pool he vomited up crept closer to her hooves, forcing her back once again, "Sister? What happened?" her worried gaze shifted to Luna, who was wearing the same troubled expression with her mouth hanging open. Princess Celestia lowered her face closer to the human's in hopes of catching a visual cue as to his welfare, "Mr. Aelius, are you alright?"

Those five words exploded like neutron stars in his mind; though disoriented and his vision blurred, Titus still had enough sense to crawl a short distance away from his regurgitated lunch before rolling onto his side. He managed a weak smile accompanied by a thumbs up before his body launched into a brief series of uncontrollable spams and went limp.

Luna broke from her shock to place a forehoof against the side of his neck, breathing a sigh of relief when she felt a pulse, "His pulse is quick but slowing; his breathing steady and rhythmic, and the gesture he gave with his hand - one he often uses for affirmation or approval, for your future reference - leads me to believe he is confident he will be alright." She removed the hoof and took a few steps to stand beside her sister, both of them regarding the figure at their hooves, "Titus' symptoms are congruent with teleportation sickness, though to see them in one with as many years as he and in such severity is... rare. Would you agree with our assessment, dear Tia?"

"I would, however now is not the time for such discussion. Come," she gently levitated the unconscious form, "the infirmary lies down the hall, let us make Mr. Aelius comfortable for his recovery."

------------

"By the burning skies! You still slumber?"

The heavy open-palmed patting of his cheek stirred Titus roughly from his sleep.

"If you do not get your lazy choobies up, my Little Koochu, you'll find my boot firmly up your exhaust port." While calling him "Little Idiot" had been a lighthearted tease she had used since the speeder bike incident, the threat was definitely not an idle one; Titus had called her bluff before which was a mistake he only had made once.

"Had I not been up most of the night with repairs - repairs that your flying skills repeatedly necessitate, I might add - I would not still be sleeping," Titus croaked with a parched throat as he sat up, begrudgingly waking himself from the short rest he had taken from the previous night's labors, "In the future, Master, you should leave the flying to me. Perhaps you've forgotten, but I'm not 'your Little Koochu' Padawan anymore; not only have I passed the tests of Knighthood, I've proven to be a rather accomplished pilo-Hey!" he caught the back of his Master as she turned the corner around the door.

"My apologizes, Jedi Knight Koochu, where were my manners?" her horned head leaned back around the corner to reply in a complete deadpan before ducking back into the hallway, her voice diminishing as she walked away, "Regardless, a sleeping Jedi makes an easy mark and what better way to wake up than rigorous training?"

Swinging his feet to the floor, he pushed his weight off the bed, "Krua, wai-" he found his knees weak, buckling and pitching him toward a wall until a hand caught and steadied himself. Why am I so exhausted? With one hand following the wall he worked his way out the door.

Stepping to the other side of the threshold, Titus felt the muggy atmosphere of the jungle they had landed in. I've been here before... this place is familiar. The door swinging closed behind him only caught enough of his attention to log the oddity of its swinging rather than sliding motion as he worked his way toward the ancient bunker they had discovered a few days prior, following the retreating figure, "Master, speak. What is going on?" he called after her as she disappeared past the archway into the dark shadows.

Titus gave a shuffling chase of his Zabrak mentor, the stone under his footfalls giving light clackings. Pushing the door open he caused a small jungle denizen of some sort to dart away at his unexpected entry; though he gave it no thought and continued his weary gait, catching a glimpse of the edge of his master's cloak before it vanished around a corner and he could call out to her. Rounding it Titus found himself at an intersection, one direction leading to the top of a flight of stairs while the other continued a fair distance straight ahead before splitting off into more hallways.

He had to know if this was some form of déjà vu or if he was really reliving a prior experience. Go straight ahead, then on my third left I'll find a long hallway with large computer displays. Titus followed his gut and hoped it wasn't correct, taking the left turn and startling more of the alien critters as he increased his pace down the long hallway, coming to a stop when a wall of screens stood on either side of him.

I remember.

He and his Master had started that day the same way as the last; swapping a bit of banter before they both worked their way through the underbrush from their camp to the overgrown bunker they had discovered after the crash. Deep in its bowels they went about their usual training regimen, spending several of the evening hours sparring with each other...

"Your skill in the Ataru Form is quite impressive though your Djem So Form still needs work," she tossed the lightsaber hilt back to him as he wiped his bloody nose and shook his hand out, the training blade she had struck him with having given him a nasty jolt. In their duels Krua had never pulled her punches, citing that a Jedi should always be more powerful than the weapon they hold. In addition to her punches, her kicks, elbows, and headbutts were never held back either; something the other Masters at the Temple had not been overly approving of, some going so far as to go before the Council and accuse her of abusing her apprentice.

"A fact you keep demonstrating," Titus replied, catching the hilt and wiping the blood dry where she had smashed her elbow into him. "Shall we go again?" he pulled out a second weapon and whirled them about to shake any remaining numbness out of his system.

She raised an eyebrow, "Using Jar'Kai this time?" The single green lightsaber humming to life was answer enough that she was ready.

The pair circled each other, looking for their opponent to make a move until Master Krua came in with a high strike and a sweeping leg, Titus responding with a deflection and a quick slide back as she continued her assault, using the added momentum his deflection had given her blade to quickly come at him again with her lightsaber arcing up in an attempt to gut him from navel to chin; he again gave ground, the blade coming close enough that he could smell the ozone it was shedding. They continued to test each other's zones in a dance, their lightsabers humming as they sought to score a hit but a guard or parry being raised sent the blades bouncing away with angry-sounding zaps.

Titus launched into his own assault, sending one lightsaber in at her shoulder while the other aimed for her back; both of which she avoided, blocking the first strike and pushing it away so she could get her weapon over her shoulder to intercept the second. As she blocked the attack to her back Titus came in again, slashing as he spun around to land a flurry of blows against her raised blade, his onslaught coming to a halt when she hit him with the Force, throwing him back through the air to land on his feet after a quick mid-air recovery, though not before she had closed the distance to reengage in the fight. She started with a simple diagonal slash from shoulder to hip - something he easily parried; though her sudden step inward, rather than back, caught him by surprise and forced him to somersault backward to keep from catching a knee to the groin and barely bringing his weapon up to block the saber she had thrown at him.

He feigned a counterattack by throwing one of his own sabers, anticipating her move and smashing a wave of kinetic energy into her mid-air when she leapt over his tossed weapon. While Krua was still in the air twisting her body to counter her backward momentum so she would land on her feet, Titus suddenly yanked her toward him with the Force; her own motions to recover from the initial attack adding to the unexpected change in direction and increasing the impact of his two-handed weapon swing as it made full contact across her gut. The duel was over.

"I can see why-" Master Krua's intrinsic Zabrak fortitude reduced her recovery from the blow to only require a few moments of coughing, staying doubled over until she had caught her breath, "-you passed your Knight tests; adapting like that to use my momentum against me, but don't expect it to work again. Come, we start another round..."

The vision faded as he remembered that that was when the alarm he had set up alerted them to the ships entering into the atmosphere. A few seconds later the two shuttles had touched down not far from the bunker; the bounty hunter unleashing his combat droids to aid in hunting down the humanoid lifeforms his sensors had detected within the structure. They had done their best to avoid the IG-100 droids - well known to be formidable opponents, even for Jedi - and it was when a handful of them had engaged Master Krua that she had Force Pushed him through one of the blast doors, yelling at him to run before sealing herself on the other side with both the droids and the bounty hunter. We've got to get out of here while there's still time. He took off back down the hallway, using the Force to increase his speed until he was a blur to the creatures he sped past, skidding around the corner as his boots fought for traction on the smooth stonework and bounding up the stairs three to four at a time, racing to beat the siren that was sure to blare any moment now.

Coming to another large hallway, this one much wider than the last with columns running along both walls, several of the life forms similar to the one that had fled from him earlier stood blocking his path. Indigenous beings. Sentient, judging by their appearance. One of them attempted communication, but Titus found the muggy atmosphere of the jungle in combination with the exertion of his sprint through the structure was hampering his ability to understand what was being said as his mind swam in a fog.

"G-greetings, I search for my Master on urgent business. Perhaps you have you seen her? Yellow skin? Lots of horns on her head?" he raised his hands slightly when several spears were made ready and stern gazes firmly fixed on him. He was growing impatient, sensing his and Krua's time running out when the large metal door behind the creatures caught his attention; it was the one the Zabrak had pushed him through. "There! S-she's just on the other side of that blast door!" He stepped forward to move past the creatures, but they all barked something at him and pointed their spears at his throat and stomach, their numbers increasing as more of them arrived out of a side corridor. I don't have time for this, Krua and I need to leave. Now. Their continued shouts remained muddled in his mind.

Something dark loomed in the back of his conscious, a pressure he had felt before. Anger. Hatred. Lingerings of the Dark Side. Titus attempted to move for the door, but the beings insisted on blocking his way, "I need to get through that door-" as he tried going for it again his mind began comprehending what being shouted, the words ringing in his head painfully.

"Bring... it... down!"

At the order a creature jumped onto his back and wrapped its limbs around his neck, attempting to choke him into unconsciousness while two more grappled his arms around his biceps, biting onto his clothing for a better grip because they lacked talons or claws. Titus didn't have that issue, however, his fingers capable of finding purchase on their armor or around a limb, "I have no quarrel with you!" He grabbed one of the offenders and hurled it off, the creature's arms and legs windmilling as it was sent sailing through the air over the others, "Let..."

"Me..." with one arm free the other being around Titus' arm quickly found the biped's leverage to be superior to his grip, joining his brethren in being bodily tossed off.

"Pass!" The creature around his neck thought himself safe from the human's reach, however Titus quickly proved otherwise; both arms easily capable of reaching over his shoulders, hands locking in a vice grip and tearing him from his perch to throw him into his gathered comrades as several more beset Titus from the air upon their wings.

A wave of Force radiated out from the human, knocking the fliers into the walls and scattering the creatures that had placed themselves in front of him like bowling pins to leave a final line of horned beings between himself and the door. "Why? Why do you continue to bar my way?" he croaked, his throat feeling drier than the sands of Tatooine.

"Stop... resisting..." was all Titus could understand of what the white one in purple armor commanded of him, "Surrender." The white creature and the other's horns radiated colors as they pointed at the human.

A sudden weariness overtook him and he faltered briefly, struggling to keep on his feet. Glaring at the defensive line, Titus shook his throbbing head and grit his teeth, steeling himself against the mental assault, "Mind-tricks... will not work on me," he brought his hands up into a low-guard position as his lightsaber powered on with a *Ffwshh!* helping him focus against their telepathic attack, "I will save my Master."

"Stand down, Captain," a thankfully-familiar voice from behind him on the stairs commanded, "let him pass while thou see to thine soldiers."

Titus never took his eyes off the "Captain," which he assumed was the creature with the gilded purple armor that had told him to surrender, "L-Luna? How did you get here- Nevermind," he cut her off, "as soon as I get Master Krua we've got to make for the ship; once I fly all of us out of here and you can explain." Still feeling the dark presence on the other side of the door, the Jedi kept his weapon ready as he cautiously approached.

"Where are we, friend?" the Princess inquired calmly, the hallway completely silent except for groans of the creatures recovering from the fight.

"We're in an abandoned smuggler's bunker in the jungles of Plyraxis, of course," he replied sharply, feeling like the answer should have been obvious, "it's the only blasted planet in the system that gets this hot and muggy!" Finally standing in front of his goal, Titus beckoned to the Force and began lifting the heavy blast door upward, the effort visually straining him as sweat ran down his brow.

The doors were eventually lifted off of their hinges and fell to the floor, a deafening thud resounding down the hall. "Stay behind me, Luna," his hand instinctually went out to shepherd her behind him as his eyes scanned the shadowy room for the red photoreceptors of the Magnaguard droids and reflective T-shaped visor of the bounty hunter's helmet, "W-what is... where are they?"

Luna walked to the human's side, ducking her head under the outstretched hand and letting it run down her neck until it rested on her shoulder, "Friend, the room is empty. You are not in a bunker."

"N-no, she should be here. Right here! This is where I found her-" he pointed to the floor before looking around the room then the hallway, seeing for the first time the carved stone pillars and long red carpet that led to two ornate thrones that sat at the top of a small set of stairs, "t-this isn't..." The lightsaber fell to his side and powered off, its blade retracting and fading much like the fevered delusion began to; the dingy rusted metal walls gave way to brilliant white marble and tapestries, the cracked and frozen computer screens revealed themselves to be stunning stained glass windows, and the odd alien creatures he had seen transformed into unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies.

"There are no shuttles coming, Titus," the Princess watched as the confusion worked its way onto his face, "and your Master was never here." Luna attempted to ease his obvious pain by placing a hoof on her friend, "You are suffering from a fever made worse by the afternoon heat. This is not where she perished; you are in the Canterlot palace, I brought you here from Ponyville last night." She turned his attention to a pony behind him wearing a medical coat who was helping one of the guards to his hooves, "You must have woken and stumbled out of the infirmary after the nurse came to inform me of your condition for when we returned you were gone, but with the directions of a terrified pony we were able to catch up to you. Come, let us walk back together-" she began walking only to feel the hand that had been on her shoulder slide off when the human remained where he was.

"Was anyone hurt?" he asked, directing the question at the white unicorn with the unique armor and watching the ponies he had attacked, some of them stumbling away with help from others.

"Mostly bumps and bruises from getting thrown around," he replied stiffly, "Thankfully Princess Luna's intervention diffused the situation before we had to use magic more powerful than sleep spells or before you used your weapon."

"Captain, you have my sincere apologies. I... I never meant to harm anyone," Titus bowed his head to the unicorn for a moment, "I-I'm glad things did not escalate further..." he turned to the Princess, unhooking the other lightsaber from his belt, "Luna, I shouldn't be in procession of these right now, would you look after them until I'm feeling better?"

The Princess understood the weight of a Jedi surrendering their weapon from what she had learned during her talks with Titus; although he didn't fully comprehend it, it wasn't entirely lost on the Captain and his expression toward the human softened. Luna reverently took both lightsabers from his open palm with her magic and nodded her thanks, "Your gesture is recognized, and by our word neither shall leave our side," with a quick spell the Princess secured them on herself, the hilts remaining in place almost as if held by magnets in a spot concealed by her flowing ethereal mane.

"Now, if Captain Shining Armor has no immediate need of our presence, shall we return you to the infirmary?" When the unicorn gave a brisk salute and turned away to return to his guards, Titus briefly placed his hand back on Luna's shoulder, catching her off by surprise as the warmth from his hand made its way through her coat; her pony subjects were hesitant to make bodily contact even when bid to do so, such as the castle masseur, who sweat bullets on the few occasions Luna had gone for an appointment shortly after her transformation from Nightmare Moon and return to the palace as a Princess. Yet here her human friend was, acting as if she was just like everypony else (though his current condition might be a factor in that, the Princess noted); the thought that he was comfortable enough to not let her royal status effect their friendship - a friendship that was apparently strong enough that he would entrust his most valued possessions to her - made it impossible for her to keep a small smile from her face as she led him through the halls and slowly back to the infirmary, stopping momentarily so she could cast a minor spell to relieve some of his fever.

They came across several ponies that bowed to the Princess and gave unsettled stares at the creature walking beside her as the pair took a short cut through the garden; after a nod of acknowledgement to her prostrate subjects, Luna noticed a tinge of contemplation hidden on Titus' haggard face, "Something troubles you, Titus. Pray, speak of it that we may ease the burden and mayhaps share in solving whatever vexes your mind."

"Don't mind me, I was just thinking." When the Princess halted and put a hoof out to stop him, the look on her face told him they weren't going to continue until he spilled it. Titus sighed heavily as he dropped onto the stone bench near the fountain they had been passing, "As we left I overheard that the guards had been deployed on a monster sighting... it won't matter how long I'm here, in the back of pony minds I'll always be 'the alien' or 'that monster,' though I guess that's to be expected when I go nuts and charge around the palace attacking guards."

"I know far too well the ache that comes with being looked upon with fear and distrust." Luna sidled over to also sit on the bench, placing a hoof on his knee tentatively, "My friend, put this afternoon out of your mind: what happened was unfortunate but not your fault-"

While Luna continued to try to console him Titus could only stare into the shimmering water; the way the sun was reflecting off the numerous ripples on the otherwise undisturbed surface was mesmerizing. Before he knew it he had dunked his still-sore head in, relishing the immediate cooling effect it had on his headache and neck; emerging and pushing his soaking hair back out of his face revealed a Princess with a mirthful grin on her face. "Sorry, I just... that felt amazing," he said through a sigh of relief.

"Your spontaneity is one of the reasons we enjoy thy company, friend," she shook her head to dissuade apology, "you probably do not realize how tiresome being surrounded by constant subservience can be."

"So be spontaneous, huh?" With a tired grin Titus re-submerged his head in the fountain but this time playfully blew bubbles through his nose and mouth as his reply of "Your wish is my command, Your Majesty!" became distorted by the water. Feeling immediately stupid doing something so immature, he almost came back up when he heard a similarly-distorted laugh and shortly after a dark blue face joined his under the water, Luna blowing bubbles through her muzzle and making a face rather unfitting of a Princess that forced the human up before he choked down water in a laugh of his own; they continued this behavior back and forth making increasingly strange faces for a few minutes until they both came up coughing for breath to find themselves in the company of another.

"It has been a while since I've heard you laugh so freely in these gardens, dearest sister."

'Sister?' Titus wiped the water from his eyes to regard the white alicorn that stood a head taller than Princess Luna.

"Tia! Were you not scheduled to still be engaged with the Griffon delegation?" Luna left the human's side to walk into an open-winged hug with her sister before looking at her curiously.

"While talks progress, headway is slow to be made. All agreed a short recess was required... and it would appear my choice of visiting the gardens was a fortunate one," Celestia released Luna from the hug to take a step closer to her sister's bipedal friend, "You must be Mr. Aelius, our extra-equestrian visitor that I have heard so much of from my sister and faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. It is a pleasure to finally be able to meet face to face."

"Princess Celestia," Titus, unsure how bowing might affect his headache, instead took a knee before the Princess of the Sun, "The honor is mine, though I regret my introduction to the sister that Luna speaks so favorably of and the mentor that Twilight holds in such high regard would be made with such a ragged countenance."

"Please, rise; and I must say I prefer your current state to the one you arrived in," she replied, looking down at the human who was drenched from the shoulder up with her trademark kindness, "and I hesitate to think how the long hours of diplomatic negotiation have left me. I had hoped to make acquaintances while accompanying my little sister to one of your rendezvous from which she so often excitedly recounts your tales of adventure and the marvels of another world, though she never made mention and I only became aware of the magic you posses through an incident report left on my desk by a court clerk."

Luna was quick to explain to her sister that Titus had been suffering from delusions brought on by a fever and provided a brief backstory as to why he had been reluctant to display his "Forcemagic" (as she'd come to call it) abilities.

Princess Celestia nodded to her sister as the story came to a close, apologetically smiling as she spoke to him, "I won't keep you much longer as I have to get back to the hearings but I can assure persecution for your gift will not occur here in Equestria and you are welcome to practice it, though my alarm of reading how easily it neutralized a contingent of our Royal Guards makes necessary that I ask; is your ability purely martial or destructive in nature?"

"Nay, sister, it is not," Luna spoke up for her friend, stepping close to him in his defense, "Through his dreams I have seen numerous instances where he and his kind have used it for the betterment of the beings they encountered and communities they worked in."

Celestia's head bobbed along as Luna recounted - verbally painting vivid pictures of what she had seen in Titus' memories. "Thank you, Luna, that assuages much of our apprehension. Mr. Aelius," she gave a glance to a nearby sundial, becoming aware of the passage of time, "I'm afraid my break draws to a close and I must return to the arduous task of debating on which side of a boulder an imaginary line lies."

"Before you depart," Titus quickly interjected and as a sign of appreciation for voicing her support he placed a light hand on Luna's shoulder, which the dark alicorn openly welcomed - the gesture and the response to it Celestia took discrete notice of, "I feel I should add the Force's nature is a case of how it is wielded, Your Majesty, and by whom. For example, I could use it to help the construction of a building while one of another mind could bring it crumbling down. While I will not deny that I was trained in its use for war, I will say that I and my Order only called upon it though necessity of preservation of myself or another." Titus felt himself pulled by the Force, using it to drain the fountain and gather the water into an orb that hovered high above them in the afternoon air; sun shafts piercing through its depth before the Jedi shot it higher into the heavens to detonate it with a motion of his hand, generating a magnificent rainbow over the garden as the light reflected off of millions of tiny water droplets, "We would have preferred the Force be used for peaceful purposes."

In silence the three stood with their heads craned back to look at the splay of colors before Princess Celestia once again glanced at the sundial, "That was wonderful, Mr. Aelius, thank you. You may find our subjects appreciative of such displays, should you use your Forcemagic in their presence," with that suggestion she bid her farewell and disappeared in the hedgerows.

Once she was gone Titus collapsed down on the bench near the now-empty fountain with a breath of relief before laying down completely on his back, "I can't believe that worked..."

"You did not know the rainbow would be formed?" Luna inquired, looking down at the human, "It was a logical assumption, the effect only relied on the correct dispersal rate of the water so it would have the highest chance of light refraction."

Titus laughed nervously. Huh, turns Luna is a bit like Twilight in her scientific analyses, or vise versa. "Well, I was hoping it would work but at the same time I thought it might unleash a deluge on the two of you, securing my banishment or stay in a dungeon cell."

"Mayhaps you should be mewed up in cage and iron, terrorizing the palace like a berserk fiend as you did."

Titus propped himself up on an elbow to look curiously at the Princess, her uncharacteristic reply catching him off guard.

"W-we apologize," Luna's ears went flat back against her head and she took a nervous stride away, "what came out as biting was meant as playful jest-" she was cut off by a chuckle from the human as he flopped back onto the bench, putting two hands under his head as a cushion.

"No, it was a decent attempt, Luna," he replied, flashing her a smile to dissolve any other worry she might have that she had offended him before pushing himself to his feet and returning proverbial fire, "but it's a small wonder you do not choke on the dust and cobwebs that accompany that antiquated dialect your tongue seems to favor."

Luna snorted in mock anger, "I would have thought the dust and cobwebs would be familiar as they are all you have betwixt your ears, Titus."

"Is that so, Princess?" he gave her a playful shove.

"Tis so," she shoved him back and sent him deep into one of the hedges on account of her alicorn strength, though she quickly offered a hoof so he could pull himself out.

The two continued their back and forth all the way to the infirmary.

------------
Day 3
------------

Titus stretched and was reluctant to leave the bed that had given him such a wonderful night's sleep, having been moved from the infirmary to private quarters in the Lunar Wing of the palace, but the voice of the Princess accompanying the knocks at the door was more than enough to rouse him. Springing lightly from the bed, he was quickly across the room and reaching for the door handle - Titus had noticed handles being more common than knobs on the doors he saw and drew the conclusion that it was because, aside from unicorns, hooves would have a hard time finding a grip to twist them.

Luna was mid-knock when the door opened and a recently-sleeping yet cheery human face peaked around from behind the door. "Ah, I was about to abandon hope that you might stir," she stepped to one side and revealed several burdened porters in the hallway behind her, "I believe these are all of the items you had on your list, though mayhaps you'd take inventory to be sure."

Taking the note passed to him and walking into the room that was rather opulent for his tastes - containing a bedroom, full bath, lounging area with fireplace and stocked bar, and a balcony with a commanding view; Titus lead the small train of ponies with crates on their backs into the sitting area while reading the checklist written in his own untidy script, "I hadn't expected you to go in my absence, I hope securing these wasn't too much trouble- here, I'll get that," he addressed Luna while helping an earth pony with a large container she was struggling beneath, startling her slightly when he harnessed the Force to lift and set it down with the rest with a simple hand gesture.

"After acquiring the aid of Twilight Sparkle the task was soon completed," the Princess bid the porters to leave before watching Titus, who invite her to make herself comfortable before going through the contents of the first box, "Though I must report that there was a minor incident with your machine, the droid, and a pony from the research expedition."

"Oh blast it!" Titus' whole body sighed in exasperation, "What has that karking rustbucket done now? Are they alright?"

Luna explained the previous night's events, detailing how the astromech had been mishandled but not revealing any names, "You have our apologies for this, the fault lies with me for not overseeing the expedition as I should have."

"All that matters is that no one was hurt. That he only emptied his lubricant tank instead of using his electroshock probe attachment is something to be thankful of. I'll still have a word with him, though. " Titus briefly disappeared and returned from the bedroom carrying one of the bags he arrived with, piquing Luna's curiosity as he withdrew a device no larger than a butter dish before tapping on it several times with a finger and opening one of the smaller crates, a small orb darting out to hover in the air a few seconds of further finger tapping later.

The Princess continued to quietly watch her friend and let him do whatever it was he was doing until he took a brief pause. "You seem to have an uncountable variety of intriguing machines," Luna climbed off of the couch she had been observing from to get a closer look at the floating sphere, "Twilight Sparkle explained to us your as-tro-mek in detail, is this another one of your droids? What, if you will tell, does this one do?" The object spun about on its axis lazily, giving Luna the opportunity to observe the numerous protrusions as well as the cylindrical mirrored indents that alternated across the hemisphere.

"These are the remotes from the list," Titus indicated the entry on the parchment before fiddling with the device he had removed from his bag, "as for what they do? Aside from functioning as training equipment- well, how about you start by waving at it and introducing yourself or something?"

Luna regarded him with a raised eyebrow for a moment before doing so, giving a greeting and waiting patiently. When nothing happened for a few moments, she turned to face Titus, "Is it broken, perhaps?"

Yet all he gave in response was a raised palm asking for her to hold, then seconds later he made as if to speak only to look at her mischievously. Luna was about to ask what his game was when she heard her own voice behind her, "Salutations, I am Princess Luna-" she turned about sharply and was greeted with herself, or what looked exactly like her as it recited and mimicked the wave she had given moments earlier, "co-ruler of Equestria with my sister, Princess Celestia, and friend to the human Titus Marius Aelius."

"An astral-projection spell? Or, rather, a replica of one?" Luna approached the image of herself, running a hoof through it and watching the rippling static it produced as Titus explained the hologram before her, switching the machine from record to live-feed and enjoying the scene as Luna and HoloLuna mirrored each other's motions and sounds.

"I've had a few long flights when my hyperdrive was broken and all I had to do to occupy my time, aside from train, was modify or alter my droids. This one I've spent quite a bit of time on; probably more than R6, but don't tell him I said that," reaching into and removing a length of wiring and a black box from his bag - Luna identifying it as the one Fluttershy had with her the night the Princess had first laid eyes upon the human - Titus popped open part of the sphere to connect one end of the cable and the other end to the box. "This drone has a kit of hardware including motion, acoustic, sonic, and seismic sensors, a radiation meter, holocamera, and a holoprojector - those last two you've seen demonstrated."

"I... see," the look on her face made it apparent she hadn't the slightest clue what he was talking about, "So it has these senses, but what does it do with them?"

"Well, most of them are just there because I was bored and had the parts lying around, though they've come in handy once or twice. Just a moment, I'm transferring some programs; once the transfer is complete it can function as the hive-mind for the other ones." He stalled for the files to finish transferring and ripped the cable out, "There, done."

Several more of the spheres lifted themselves out of the crate to position themselves around Luna and Titus, each one creating a copy indistinguishable from the actual alicorn; the droids were similar to the first she had seen though lacked the small mechanical arms dangling below them and were devoid of the numerous bulbous eye-like protrusions and single jutting antennae that served to broadcast Luna's hologram.

"Recording and broadcasting in such immersing detail is an impressive feat," Luna and her holograms turned to the seated human and all spoke in unison, "though it was some time ago that Equestria found the technology to transmit such images into a screen. For what purpose do you use these images-"

"Appearing in all these locations at once?" interrupted another Titus as he emerged from the bedroom door, a rather mischievous light to his eyes while the Titus beside her regarded her with studied interest before finishing the sentence, "The possibilities of such an application I'll leave to your imagination, though I will say I've used it on several occasions to turn a disadvantage into an advantage." The door to the balcony opened and yet another image of the human walked into the room to watch for a moment as the Princess searched for the original before the holograms cut out, the only one of Titus left standing being the one in the bedroom door, "Sorry, having a bit of fun. In addition to their sensors and broadcasting of holograms, they feature ports capable of discharging various intensities of blaster fire."

Luna was familiar with blaster weapons, having seen their use in numerous scenes she had gathered from his memories, as well as how a skilled Jedi with a lightsaber countered and dealt with such foes, "I believe purpose begins to make itself known in their use of training, though that begs the question; what other oddities have you brought?"

Titus walked to the large crate he had set aside earlier, a hand motion unlocking the container that had vexed both the Princess and Twilight the night before. "The remotes and their blasters serve as a warm up for the regimen, the contents here are what truly hone skill," he floated four compact forms out and to the floor on the other side of the room, his lively warmth of his face fading to stony coldness.

"Perhaps a demonstration would be more beneficial than trying to put it into words. Luna, do you still have my lightsabers on your person?"

"As I vowed, they yet remain at my side," twisting her head to one side, Luna revealed the spot they were concealed in her mane, "though before demonstration ample space must be made." Her horn glowed for a brief moment and everything in the room was moved flush against the walls, creating a clear area for her friend's showing. She was startled to feel the spell keeping both hilts secured suddenly fade - though not by her own will - as they left her to fly through the air, one snapping into the human's hand while the other went to his waist.

"Princess, please take a seat somewhere and stay clear," he instructed as he removed his outer layer of clothing, tossing the jacket to one of the armchairs beside the chaise lounge that Luna had arranged herself on. After adjusting his sabers to a low-power setting, Titus rolled his neck and other joints around in preparation before calling over to the remote droid that had floated over beside the Princess, "Iana, activate number four and initiate its training program."

Luna watched as one of the metallic forms across the room twitched, appendages extending out as the machine unfolded itself to stand on two legs and the pair of red eyes blinked on to stare emotionless at the Jedi in the center of the room. The Princess tensed as she recognized the bipedal droid, T-thats...

"Meet the IG-100 combat droid, also known as a MagnaGuard. I take it you recognize it, judging by the hitch in your breath." Titus reached into the large crate at this feet to remove a staff, the droid catching the weapon tossed to it in one mechanical hand and issuing a barking grunt. The human lowered himself slightly, the muscles in his jaw going visibly taunt, "Yes, these belonged to the bounty hunter that killed Master Krua, though after I dealt with him I wiped their base directives so they're now controlled by Iana, who uses the other drones to plot offense and defense. Though vile and insidious by design, they've proven to be effective training tools." The droid began spinning the staff around itself, the chopping noise it produced as it cut through the air accentuated by the snaps of the arcing energy at either end.

The droid issued grunting taunts as it twirled the staff and in a blur both Jedi and droid were on each other. A *zzrakk!* echoed off the walls as the lightsaber deflected one end of the staff while the other hummed through empty air like a swarm of angry wasps where Titus had just been, the Jedi having flipped over the droid's back in a twisting leap to bring his blade in on the undefended rear. The MagnaGuard's continued spinning of the staff blocked the attack made at its back and it quickly countered with a kick meant to catch its opponent mid-air though a hand came down to intercept the limb, Titus using it as a Force-assisted springboard to create distance between themselves once again.

The Princess silently followed the pair from the sidelines as they circled each other, staff or lightsaber occasionally zipping inward in an attempt to snipe through a defense. The dodging, ducking, spinning and exploratory blows continued until they both fully recommitted, Titus bringing the second lightsaber to bare against the onslaught of staff swings in time to block a strike that would have connected with his throat before launching into a sweeping dance of humming blade swings and spinning acrobatics which culminated in a blow slipping through the droid's defenses, one of its arms going limp and Luna assuming that signaled the fight was drawing to a close though she soon saw Titus' opponent was capable of maintaining an impressive defense even with one inoperable limb. A final strike to the side of the droid's neck ended the battle and the machine fell to the floor.

"Huzzah!" Titus turned at the light patter of hooves - the pony version of applause - coming from one side of the room, "A display that kept me on edge of seat, my friend!"

Both lightsaber blades retracted with a *shh-wurp!*, almost sounding like they were aware of their victory, as he took a deep bow toward the Princess. Several strides saw him across the room and into a chair as Luna rearranged the room into its previous state, the human falling into the cushion before holding both hilts in open palm toward the Princess.

"You wish your swords to return to our safekeeping?" Luna switched gaze from the weapons to Titus' face to seek insight, "Does discomfort still linger?"

Titus tilted his head to one side and his brow furrowed, "I do feel better, however after thinking on it I believe you should hold on to these for the duration of my stay here in the palace, both to ease the mind of your Captain and serve as a sign to the ponies of the palace that I mean them no harm."

Contemplating what he had said, Luna nodded after some time, "Very well, your line of thought is indeed a sound one. However, we shall wear them in plain view so to emphasize your pledge of friendship." Casting the same spell as before, the hilts took a spot on either side of her narrow barrel and the magic secured them in place horizontal to the floor. Luna tapped hoof to chin for a moment as she looked over the human, whose response was an eyebrow raised in curiosity (or perhaps it was tentative apprehension, she wasn't sure), "To further your message, another design comes to mind..."

------------

I can't believe she convinced you that this was a good idea, these politicians and high-society ponies are going to eat you alive. Titus shifted uncomfortably as he waited in the side hall, arguing with himself.

No, making myself and my intentions known to the important court members is a smart move, by calming their fears the word will quickly spread.

If you don't screw this up, you mean.

"Titus?" Luna's voice interrupted his retort to himself, the Princess having found a way to get close enough to place a hoof on his elbow before he registered her presence, "We called to you several times but you seemed lost deep in thought, are you reconsidering joining my sister and I as we entertain the members of court in the gardens this evening?"

"More like second-guessing myself," Titus sighed, patting her forehoof and making note of a slight bit of weariness to her face, "Its just been a while since I've performed in a diplomatic function." His back hugging the wall, he inched his face forward until he could peek around the corner of the wall to watch more ponies pass through the door he, too, would soon have to approach. "This sort of thing wasn't my or Master Krua's forte, though in her case it was because she just had a quick temper and couldn't handle the 'pompous self-inflating fork-tongued wimpled lily-livered clotpoles' that were so often the focus of the 'phalli-waving contests' that were diplomatic missions."

Luna couldn't stifle her giggle at the colorful language, "I foresee you having no trouble if you speak well, observe etiquette, and, well, just be yourself- short of dunking your head in a fountain or *ahem* waving anything like that about, of course. We have provided the orator your credentials to make a suitable announcement of your arrival."

Having changed into the traditional earth-toned Jedi robes he had brought with him in case of just such the event he was about to attend, Titus tried to straighten the neck of his tunic; a motion that was not lost on the Princess. "Cease your fussing," a light tug of her magic readjusted the cloth so it was even again, "This is a casual-dress affair, so you appearance is acceptable. You need not worry, friend, both my sister and I will keep an eye out and should you run into trouble we will be at your side promptly."

"Thank you, Luna," he gave an appreciative pat on her shoulder and took discrete note to her slight lean into the gesture and the not-so-slight intake of breath, "Were it not for you I dread to think where I would be."

"Thou wouldst be in cage, my friend, as we discussed yesterday in the debate where thou were so soundly routed," she replied jokingly before rounding the corner, leaving the human to chuckle and shake his head in the empty hallway.

Giving her time to mingle and not draw attention of his arrival coinciding so closely to hers, Titus took the chance to kneel on the balls of his feet and let the apprehension drift away as his mind opened to the Force.

There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no chaos; there is harmony.
There is no death; there is the Force.

After a brief moment of calming meditation, he rose to approach the large set of double doors that had a resolutely stone-faced guard stationed on either side, both of whom admirably did not flinch at approach of the human. Titus gave his name to the stallion operating as an orator for the evening and received instruction to wait for the end of announcement to enter before the orator ducked through the door and began his recital.

"Titus Marius Aelius-"

"Sir?" one of the guards at Titus' side spoke but remained unflinching, "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

The orator could be heard continuing with the apparent list of titles fed to him by Princess Luna, "Honorable Knight of the Jedi Order of the land of Coruscant-"

"Uh," the human was caught unready by the sudden request, catching the guard's eye flutter to him before it lock back forward awaiting permission. "B-by all means, be at ease. Speak freely," he replied.

The other guard remained a statue save for one ear that rotated toward them. Meanwhile, the announcement still continued through the door, "Peacekeeper of the People of the Galactic Republic-"

"Thank you, Sir," the guard, a stocky earth pony, relaxed and turned his head to address Titus, "word around the barracks is that you fought a platoon of Honor Guard to a standstill."

With a sigh and a nod, Titus crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm just glad nobody was hurt. As I told your Captain, you and your comrades have my apologies, I was... in my fever I was reliving the loss of a mentor of many years; a wound reopened, if you will."

The earth pony guard was quiet for a moment as he studied the human's alien face, "I wouldn't worry about them holding anything against you, Sir. To be honest, they were pretty psyched up to see some action for a change, usually it's hours of sentry duty and the occasional routine patrol; it can get a bit dull around here - but don't tell the Captain I said that, he'd have us galloping laps around the outer wall all day."

"Thanks, that's a real relief to hear," Titus picked up that the orator was drawing to a close. He twisted his head slightly toward the guard as he made for the door, "What's your name, soldier?"

The earth pony came to attention out of habit, "Lieutenant Bulwark, Sir."

"You take care of yourself, Lieutenant," Titus gave the guard a nod before taking a deep breath and ducking through the door into the garden.

------------
Day 4
------------

Both knees dangled over the arm and one hand flopped on the floor as Titus sat, or, more appropriately, lazed sideways in the arm chair waiting for his royal friend to make her appearance. It's unlike Luna to be late. He rolled his head along the cushioned furniture supporting his neck until he could gaze upon the slow-moving hands of the clock on top of the book case. And very unlike her to be this late, though maybe something important came up. Perhaps the same thing that lead her to leave the party early last night. Titus' focus shifted from the clock to the group of MangaGuard droids standing motionless in one corner, the Marksman-H remotes lazily bobbing in the air beside them where they had been since he brought them out for practice shortly before Luna had planned to arrive. He had spent some time dueling with one of the droid's electrostaves, Master Krua having instructed him in their use but he never like the long weapons because they felt clunky and unresponsive compared to the much lighter saberstaff he had once used. I've done my opening regimen, but without my lightsabers I can't finish morning training.

He lost several more minutes watching the overhead fan spin for no other reason than it was something to look at. Titus was reluctant to go anywhere in the palace without Luna's escort, having no desire to be set upon by any of the ponies or creatures he had met last night at the garden party and not wanting another incident involving the Royal Guard thinking him a trespassing monster.

"Not that the party went poorly. No, quite the contrary," he told himself while floating the datapad over to spend a few more moments halfheartedly reading sensor data on the portal that he had transferred for Twilight before putting it down; the material itself incapable of holding his attention for any meaningful length of time. The ponies had been a bit snooty at first with a few snide or snarky remarks hidden behind elegant wording reaching his ears, but once one of them decided to break from the pack and talk to him he soon found himself at the center of a small circle turning this way and that in an attempt to keep up with the sudden volume of voiced interest or inquiry directed at him before Princess Celestia had stepped in to divert some attention away from the quickly-nearing overwhelmed human and giving him a chance to slip away to catch a breath and something to drink. And judging by the two guards I met last night I doubt I'd run into trouble if I went out.

Speaking of Princess Celestia, Luna did say I could seek her out if I needed anything. Titus entertained the thought of sending the remote drones off in search of either Princess but immediately thought better of it for the obvious reason of how startling it might be to a pony to bump into an unknown piece of floating alien technology. Coming to the conclusion that there was no alternative to braving an excursion from the room in search of answers - and, if his grumbling stomach was any indication, in search of food - Titus flipped himself over the arm of the chair and made for the bathroom to clean up, having no intention of potentially bumping into anyone in the post-workout mess he felt he was in and, much to his appreciation, he had discovered yesterday that the shower was just the right size for him. It shouldn't have come as a surprise as Luna had mentioned she had deliberately chosen a room furnished for beings such as Minotaur for him to stay in, however that still didn't explain why she had picked this room specifically - ones much closer to the infirmary had been available, Luna having pointed them out as they had worked their way to the literal opposite side of the palace and up many flights of stairs before she had given him the large silver key to the room he now called his own.

When he emerged from the bathroom he was surprised to see a sealed scroll bearing the mark of a moon in its wax waiting for him on the floor at his feet. "Hello, Luna?" he called out and searched about the room, the towel he had been roughly drying his hair with fell to his shoulders, "Are you here, Luna?" Leaving the scroll where it was and quickly walking through the bedchamber and into the main room, he scanned about for a visitor but found none, the only motion being the drapes of the open balcony door as they drifted in the cool early-morning breeze. While he continued to the balcony for any sign of entry he instructed the modified Marksman droid to retrieve the letter, the droid reappearing from the bedroom a few seconds later with the scroll in one of its fine pincer arms.

"Alright, let's see what this has to say-" just as Titus got his fingers on the paper, at the precise moment where he hadn't quite taken a good grip on it and the droid had released most of its own grip to facilitate transfer of the object, a strong gust of wind took the scroll over the railing to sail on a current up and away from him.

"Kriff!" he shouted as he cleared the distance to the balustrade in a single stride and, without a second thought, vaulted on top of it to propel himself like a shot off the balcony and into the open air after the fleeing parchment.

As a Youngling he had been terrified of extreme heights and had received a good bit of harsh teasing for it when his classmates had discovered as much on their first excursion out of the Jedi Temple and into the upper levels of Coruscant to practice Force leaping and controlled falls. Master Krua had been passing through the hallway and learned of his fear from overhearing the ribbing session; later pulling him aside she had told him that a Jedi could not afford to hold such fears and assured him that she could rid him of his phobia in a single trip to a luxury resort - but only if he was willing to make the effort.

Of course at that point all he knew about Master Krua was that she was considered a bit odd so he couldn't have foreseen luxury would not be a part of his trip.

He had held high hopes as they closed in on the floating cloud city and when they headed for the lower levels of the flying structure instead of the glitzy buildings gleaming at the apex of the dome he figured it was for the cheaper landing pad rentals. He had been extremely perplexed, however, when she had barged into his bunk to strap a set of climbing gear and a small repulsor pack onto him, handing him a grapple gun, a headset comlink and a locator and promptly marching him down the landing ramp to leave him clinging to the railing of one of the remote maintenance platforms, the ship pulling away as she shouted over the wind, "I booked a room for four nights, so the longer it takes for you to climb the less of a vacation you'll have. Oh, and the repulsor pack only has enough lift-power to slow your descent should you fall, so there'll be no flying out of this."

As the landing ramp retracted and the hatch closed, he had immediately raised her on the comlink, "Master Krua, please!" he had begged, barely able to keep his food down as the dizzying nothingness beneath the metal grating he was standing on clawed at his stomach, "I cannot do this!"

"'Cannot,' you say? No, little Youngling, you can. You want to be a Jedi so you will. Start. Climbing." He had almost felt the finger jab from Krua, who he could envision sitting in the cockpit and staring harshly through a view screen with her feet up on the console, a nonchalant shrug accompanying her statement as it had come through his headset, "Or you will not and simply stay on that platform until I return in four cycles time... in which case I will inform the council that you are unfit to become a Jedi and your training shall cease; you'll be sent back home to Alderaan as a wash out and your classmates will have been right about your all along. As I said in the Temple, your fear is a weakness unfitting a Jedi. The choice of your future is yours." With that the ship had banked away and left him stranded at the top of the long stalk that hung down below the floating city.

He had spent two nights suspended from the underside of the structure, blowing in the wind on his climbing harness like a banthan dingleberry and two and a half days of strenuously nerve-racking climbing before - fingers, knees and elbows all a bloody mess - he finally pulled himself over the railing of the balcony of the room Master Krua had booked, landing on the floor in an exhausted heap to find her standing in the door waiting for him with bacta gel and patches in hand.

"I choose to be a Jedi," he had said.

"As I thought you would; my faith in you was not ill placed. Come, let's get you cleaned up," she had said, her deadpan expression held as she continued, "I decided to waste a few extra credits on the suite with the glass flooring, I trust you won't mind, my Padawan."

The memory had only lasted a flash of an instant, though he realized that that experience was probably why he currently found himself rocketing through the air after a piece of parchment several hundred feet in the air with no qualms about his safety. Thanks to the Force-assisted leap he had made his fingers were soon wrapping around the scroll and jamming it securely into his tunic so that his attention could turn to slowing his fall; sooner rather than later. Recounting his training he knew that to slow his fall from a height like this required two steps; the first was to pull as much of the air around himself into a high-pressure pillow to help cushion his landing, and for the second he had to essentially Force Push himself away from the fast-approaching ground while maintaining the pillow beneath himself.

Despite slowing his descent Titus still hit the grassy knoll of the garden hard enough that he needed to break his fall and felt a slight strain in his shoulder as he made a forward roll. Pushing himself to his feet, he tested his limb's range of motion and was mid-way through a sigh of relief when the sound of porcelain clinking together to one side caught his attention. Turning about, Titus found himself in the presence of Princess Celestia, who was seated at a white wrought iron table enjoying what smelled like fresh-brewed tea.

"Ah, how nice of you to drop in, Mr. Aelius," she greeted him, pausing to bring the tea cup to her muzzle for a refined sip, "Luna made mentioned of your spontaneity, though she never conveyed it was to this magnitude. I can certainly see why she enjoys your lively company."

Titus wasn't entirely sure what to make of the situation or how to proceed. Here, sipping tea and enjoying breakfast, was the co-ruler of Equestria casually greeting him like he had simply walked through a door when he had quite literally fallen from the sky in front of her. After a lengthy pause he managed a nervous chuckle, "J-just out to get the mail, Your Highness," Titus slowly brought the scroll from his tunic; he didn't need to be Force-sensitive to feel the unseen unicorns aiming their magics at him - ready to blast him with kark knows what should he try anything. Not wanting to stir up any tension he took a deep bow and made to depart, "My apologies for interrupting-"

"It is hardly an intrusion as I find myself in the absence of the regular company of my dearest little sister. Perhaps you would join me for some morning tea and partake of a scone in her stead?" A set of fine chinaware magically set itself on one side of the table and a guard - a unicorn, as he had thought - appeared to set an additional chair beside the table, the Princess expectantly floating a scone to the empty plate. After the human had taken his seat she continued, pouring him a cup of swirling grey tea as she did so, "You took a small tumble in your landing, will you be alright?"

"Um," Titus carefully rolled the arm in its socket experimentally, having to stop at one point as he felt it begin to lock up. I must have landed harder than I thought. With a grunt he massaged his shoulder as he looked up to search for his balcony, "I thought I'd have a bit more room to slow down, though apparently I miscalculated. With a little stretching and a warm compress I'll be good as new; your concern is appreciated, Princess-" A letter similar to the one he had still tucked in his tunic was set to one side of the Princess, prompting him to break the seal on his own scroll to read it.

When he looked up from the parchment the alicorn had apparently been waiting for him to finish. "I would imagine your letter conveys a message similar to the one I received shortly before your arrival," a nibble of a buttered scone gave the comment a small pause, the Princess clearing her palate with another sip of tea before continuing, "it would appear Luna is feeling a bit under the weather and has sought a reprieve from court duty. I had thought it was to spend more time with you while you were here, however," her eyes fell down to the letter in the human's hands before returning to his, "seeing you in possession of a letter as well it would seem my assumption was incorrect."

Titus took a bite of his own scone, halting mid-chew and breathing slowly in contemplation as the delicious crumbly cake overwhelmed his senses. He must have made an amusing face because a warm laugh from the other side of the table broke him from his momentary stupor, "S-sorry, but of what I've been able to eat Equestrian cuisine is just... wow," a mouthful of the tea proved to have a similar effect and he found it hard to put into words what he was experiencing when the Princess asked, his stumbling explanation garnishing another laugh, "everything in the stores on my ship pales in comparison." Then again Nutripaste isn't exactly known for its flavor.

Another scone of a different flavor found itself floated onto the plate, followed by another once he had analyzed that one as Princess Celestia repeatedly restocked Titus' dish and supplied him with various jams and other preserves in what he quickly came to realize was an attempt to elicit more reactions but the flavors she was assaulting him with were too rich for him to resist trying the next until he could eat no more, finally pushing his plate away and holding up his index and middle finger in a sign of surrender, "Mercy, Highness, I have met my limit." Truth be told if he thought he could eat another scone he would have, however at the moment Titus was afraid that even reaching to select a new variety he might burst at the seams.

"Oh, very well," the jams and scones he had yet to try floated back down to the platter, "I fear the games usually reserved for our sister were subconsciously consigned to you in her absence, Mr. Aelius. Please forgive this old mare for her oversight."

"'Old,' Your Majesty?" Titus looked at the Princess a bit skeptically; he knew she was well over a thousand years old just from the time she had had to raise both sun and moon by herself but she certainly showed no signs of her age, "You are only as old as you feel and judging from your exuberance this morning I'd say you're just hitting your prime."

Titus' ears tingled at the melodic belly laugh that graced the table, Princess Celestia somehow capable of making each laugh warmer than the last, "O-ho! Mr. Aelius, would you be attempting to flatter me?"

"Hardly, Princess - flattery implies an empty compliment," he replied before finishing the warm tea still in his cup, "I meant every word."

Princess Celestia laughed again and nodded her thanks before pushing her seat back, "And speaking of emptiness; as the griffons are proving to be rather obstinate in our negotiations I must once again get an early start on my schedule," she said, finishing the last few crumbs on her plate while looking rather weary at the prospect of more fruitless sessions of bickering filling her day.

"It's unfortunate they're being held on such a short leash, if you'll pardon the term," having thrown etiquette to the wind after witnessing the Princess licking her dish (which, as it turns out, is a perfectly acceptable thing to do in Equestria), Titus pressing a finger into each of the scrumptious bits of scone still remaining so nothing went to waste, depositing the food in his mouth, "I'm not privy to what's been discussed at the negotiations so correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I learned at the party last night the King has instructed the representatives not to lose the river to a border adjustment because his minister of agriculture is warning of a poor fishing season, which they've also been told to keep under wraps until further into the next quarter when a new, more accurate prediction can be drawn up."

A lone blueberry survivor of the scone massacre caught his eye and reaching in he plucked it up in two fingers, occupying his attention as the Princess' face slowly fell into one of astonishment, "I was also able to pick up that the reason they haven't spoken of it is that they're worried the early prediction of a poor season would be made public and cause disruption in the industry that so much of their economy is built upon; an economy that is currently recovering from a recession, if I'm remembering one of Twilight's lectures correctly. Anyway, in addition to that: if the border is adjusted their local holdings will lose a source of food; one of the delegates quoted it as 'in season, it's the highest salmon-producing river in the area' and she also said the other Providences don't produce enough of an excess to carry the burden if the border is moved under the current rendition of the-" he was completely absorbed in relishing the taste of the blueberry morsel when his inflection was interrupted as he felt himself engulfed in hooves.

"Mr. Aelius, you are truly a gift!" Princess Celestia couldn't contain her excitement at the headway the new information heralded, giving the writhing human squeezes of appreciation without realizing he had already started turning the same shade as the blueberry he had eaten, "This explains their steadfast resistance to our proposals and refusal to give reasoning. Perhaps with this information we can discreetly barter a deal for free-fishing rights for the locals!"

"*Ah-Gak!*" his only way of communicating his distress was to rapidly tap an open palm against her barrel as each "little" alicorn-sized squeeze worked the air further out of his lungs; the Princess only becoming aware of his plight when he didn't answer her query as to how he had come by the information. After taking a few breaths to regain his color, he pointed to an ear, "A lot of my features are often underestimated; despite how flat and stationary our ears are you might be surprised how acute human hearing is, though I might have used the Force to heighten it a bit after picking up a word or two of interest. Of course, I wouldn't have overheard anything if you hadn't extricated me from that circle of ponies moments before."

Heightened his hearing? But the gardens were under a magic-dampening field... Apologizing again for the forwardness of her embrace, the Princess bowed her head as she bid her farewell, "I'd better bring this to the cabinet so we can draft a new measure before the session starts, and I may yet get a decent night's sleep this week if this all plays out. Mr. Aelius, I can't begin to thank you enough for this."

Grabbing the clean plate from the extra spot that had been set out, Titus placed three scones on it and scraped an assortment of jams along the rim. Turning to face the Princess, he gave a small grin and held the plate up, "Letting me take this up to Luna would be a good start."

After approving of the idea and watching the human happily stride off in that awkwardly fluid manner that his two legs carried him, Celestia noticed a small folded parchment under the table. Grabbing it in her magic before it blew off, she opened the small note that that she concluded must have dropped out of one of their scrolls without their notice. Hmm, her brow furrowed before she she bit her lower lip, holding on for several more seconds until she snorted and another hearty laugh bordering on a guffaw broke across the garden, Poor Lulu, this having to be her first experience in over a thousand years. I'll certainly have to check in on her later.

------------

Titus felt a bit foolish that he had not realized the a large set of doors that lay around the corner from his room led to the vestibule before Luna's own quarters; his shock at their proximity was only exceeded by Princess Celestia's when he had asked directions for where to bring the scones. In his defense, however, all he'd seen of the palace was the gardens, the infirmary, and a few hallways; the layout of Canterlot outside the castle wall was a complete mystery to him.

Rounding the corner he was immediately met with the piercing glares of a pair of Honor Guard, scanning over the odd biped to assess what sort of level of threat factor he posed. "Good morning," he greeted both with a cheerful smile but their expressions remained unchanged. He hadn't seen ponies like this before, their wings were leathery rather than feathered; their ears and eyes were different too.

"Luna was going to attend Princess Celestia's breakfast but missed it, so I've brought her a small sample of scones and jam," it must have been his referral to the Lunar Princess in such a familiar fashion that got the most minute twitch of an eyebrow from what looked to be the younger of the guards.

"Sir," the non-twitching one of them replied with a nod, Titus noticing a scar on the outside of one of his ears as he pushed open the humongous door with the steady pressure of a single hind leg, "Princess Celestia alerted us to your imminent arrival."

Word certainly does travel quickly, though I wonder how they do it without comlinks. Must be magic. But how would earth ponies and pegasi...? He nodded his thanks to both guards as they fell in behind him. Titus worked his way down the structurally-identical hallway, though the decor of this one featuring darker tones of blues and motifs of moons and stars in honor of the alicorn that resided at the end of the stretch of corridor behind the doors of ornate dark black stone embellished with gold trimming - one of them marred by a large crack that ran diagonally across it. Wordlessly the two guards moved to either side of the doors, pushing them open and waiting for him to cross the threshold before closing both massive slabs behind him.

He tentatively took a step further into the room, unable to stop himself from giving a short whistle at the scope of the area. Quarters befitting a Princess, that's for sure. Quite possibly the most luxurious sofa he had ever seen was nestled in one corner facing a large screen that sat atop a cabinet of some sort, the shelves lined with numerous spines of what looked like small books and a single cable ran from one alcove containing a boxy piece of technology to end in a much smaller device. His interest in them was diverted when at the end of his whistle he heard the sound of cloth rustling. He decided it would be a good idea to make his presence known rather than stumble in blindly and potentially startle her, "Luna? It's me, Titus."

Hearing a small noise from an open door Titus moved a bit closer and, realizing it was the bedroom, knocked on the wall outside the doorway out of courtesy, "I got your letter and thought you might be hungry, so I brought scones and jam from the breakfast with your sister."

"...go away..."

"Oh, um... alright," he took a step away as the rustling moved closer from somewhere around the corner, "Sorry you're not feeling good. Just let me know where to put these and I'll be on my way-" A form concealed under a bundle of bed covers was suddenly in front of him, only a tiny portion of muzzle poking out from the impromptu hood that was draped over the entirety of her face; he noticed something about her fur was different.

"Thou art 'sorry'? The fault lies with thee for how we feel!" she spat through her teeth as she levitated a pillow from the bed and hurled it at him with excessive force.

Titus reflexively dodged the missile. "Luna, I'm sorry. What did I-" he started as he briefly followed the cushion's flight across the room, turning back to find what little he could see of the Princess was quivering. Shit. I'd probably have been better off not avoiding that.

"Cease apologizing and make haste in removing thine self from our sight!"

He made sure to take the second pillow square to the face, though he hadn't expected the strength the Princess would put behind it and he reeled back a step as stars exploded in the corners of his eyes. Turns out cloud pillows can still hurt if thrown hard enough.

"Thou can disappear for all we care! And take thine breakfast with you, just... Begone!"

The platter of scones and jam fell to the floor and shattered as the power of the Royal Voice sent him off his feet, flinging him against the wall that was a fair distance behind him. He remained where he landed, in a seated position with thorough confusion written on his face as he stared at the bundle that glared back before she collapsed into a sobbing heap of blankets in the bedroom door. What is going on?

The guards hooked a leg under each of his arms and dragged him out into the hallway, none of them catching the whimpered "W-wait..." as it was muffled to silence by the covers.

"Sir, I think you'd better go," the one with the scar said, closing the cracked door and breathing a sigh of relief.

"Listen to the old-timer," the other guard said, getting a sock to the shoulder for his quip before he hauled the human to his feet, "Whatever you did you got off lightly, from the sound of things." As his comrade closed the outer set of doors behind them he instructed the human to remain in his quarters until his statement could be taken when they got off their shift.

The short walk back to his room ended up taking much longer than it should have as Titus had to find the motivation to put each foot in front of the other instead of stopping in the middle of the hallway and going over everything that had happened. After a brief meander resulting in his getting lost down a side corridor, Titus finally arrived at his door and, expecting to just slip inside to quietly think over what he could have done to anger Luna in one of the comfortable armchairs, instead found the door securely locked. Patting his pockets in search of his key proved fruitless as he realized the key must still be on the nightstand next the bed where he had left it before his morning shower. Kark! He emphasized the expletive by hammering a fist into the door once before his head sank to join the fist in resting on the heavy wood planks and sinking to his knees at the threshold, "What did I do? What?"

"Uh, Sir? Is everything alright?"

Turning slightly to catch a glimpse of the pony behind him and upon recognizing the face from last night Titus flipped himself around so his back was at the door, "I don't know, Lieutenant. I made a mistake somewhere and-" he stopped himself, realizing the guard probably had more important things to do or, more likely, wouldn't want to sit here listening to him try to work this out. He tried giving the Lieutenant a way out should he want it, "I'm not distracting you from duty, am I?"

The guard shrugged, "Technically I am on duty, Sir, but while on patrol I'm charged with helping the palace inhabitants and you looked like you needed a hoof with something," Lieutenant Bulwark seated himself in the empty hallway with the clearly distressed alien, "How may I assist you, Sir?"

"Well, for starters," Titus used a hand to push the hair that had fallen in his face back to its usual position, "you can stop calling me 'Sir,' Titus is fine. I was a General back home but here in Equestria I'm a civilian, not your superior officer... nor am I so old that I warrant the title." He hit the back of his head lightly against the door which ended up being an error of judgement as it was still sore from when he had impacted the wall in Luna's room - he grit his teeth in response to the spike that worked its way down his spine and through his vision. Where did I mess up?

"Okay, sure," the earth pony looked a bit confused, "but just so you know here in Equestria being a Knight comes with the title of 'Sir.' I'm assuming that's not the case where you're from, but with both Princesses confirming your status as such at the party it's gotten out and into all of the papers."

It felt sort of odd that this guard was acting so relaxed when every other he had encountered was stiff, and he could tell they hadn't just been acting on military protocol, "Breaking station last night at the party and now helping me out of the blue like this. What's your deal?"

Another shrug, "One of my mares has a cousin that lives in Ponyville that's been sending her pictures of you because none of of the major papers'll buy 'em and in comparison to what's in circulation all the time it doesn't look like you're getting a fair rep. Not to me or my herd, at least, so with a little help from that cousin we started up the Human-Watcher chapter of Canterlot," he pulled a small pendant out of his uniform, a silver relief of a five-fingered hand set against the gold, "I guess I got lucky to draw guard duty last night and when saw you I figured it was my opportunity to speak up and show support."

To think Lyra's little group has spread this far and this quickly. "Thanks, that actually means a lot to know there's some friendly faces out there," he reached a hand out and the two shared a hand-hoof shake.

"So, what can I help you with, Titus?" the Lieutenant asked once again, "If you've locked yourself out of your room, I can fetch a pegasus to fly to your balcony to unlock your door or a unicorn to teleport you-"

"No. No teleporting, thanks; I'd prefer to leave that to the sci-fi novels. Give me a moment and I can get the key myself," looking at the gap between the floor and the bottom of the door it didn't look like the key would fit under. Another idea of how to unbar the latch began to paint itself in his imagination, "and if not the key, I'll figure a way to get this unlocked." The key was on the other side of the door, around the corner, and through the closed bedroom door; which would have proven to be a challenge manifesting the Force to pull the key from there with all the obstacles and no line of sight. The comlink, however, is right were I left it in the bag in the entryway. With a deep exhale Titus placed an open hand on the door and closed his eyes to better envision every detail of the hallway and honed in on exactly which pocket of his bag his target was in; he waited a moment before calling the communicator to him, the device wiggling sightly as it fought against the fabric of the bag.

Not entirely sure what the human was up to, Bulwark's ears rotated further forward at a noise on the other side of the door, "Something's moved in there."

Titus was well aware of that fact. Come on now, easy does it. He had to be careful here, too much strength in the pull would cause the comlink to fly out of the pocket and smash into the other side of the door or pull the whole bag with it; not enough and it wouldn't have enough force to escape the flap of the bag. His fingers brushed over the grain of the wooden door, each motion of a finger lightly coaxing the device in another direction and closer to its intended goal. One such twitch of the finger found the comlink free and skidding along the carpet of the entryway under the tiny gap, "Ha! Gotcha!" He issued a command into the device and a few seconds later the bolt could be heard sliding into the unlocked position.

"Come on in," he invited, lightly pushing the MagnaGuard that had opened the door back against the wall to allow them space to pass, "I'd rather think this over in a comfortable chair than out on the cold stone floor of the hallway," Titus grabbed a cup from the bar and, after asking the pony if he'd like a drink, poured himself an ice-cold glass of water as he strode to the armchair, flopping down and lounging out with one knee over the arm and his back wedged between the other and the back.

Lieutenant Bulwark skirted around the droid in the doorway as its steely gaze locked with his all the way to the sitting area where he joined the human, stopping for a moment when the three other bipedal machines standing at attention and the hovering remote drones came into view, "You certainly have quite the entourage in here." When Titus didn't respond Bulwark realized he looked lost in thought, absentmindedly swishing the water in circles in his glass so he took a seat and waited for a moment he could speak, "You can talk to me in confidence, if that's what is causing you pause. Guard's Oath, I won't speak of it to any," he held up a hoof solemnly.

"It's um..." Titus started, pinching the bridge of his nose for several seconds as he thought how to best tactfully proceed, "I've got a friend who's not feeling well, so I brought what I thought was a nice breakfast up to them only to get quite literally shouted at and thrown out of the room." He recounted the short conversation he and Luna had had, discreetly changing her lines so her way of speaking wouldn't make it obvious to Bulwark who it was.

The guard waited for him to continue, but no further information came. "Well, what sparked it all?"

"That's the thing, I don't know what I did." By the way he finished his drink in a single gulp it was clear to his company that he was frustrated. She ducked out of the party early while I was being accosted with questions. Is that when she started not feeling well? Did I miss some discreet signal from her there?

They both sat in silence and stewed on their thoughts for a while until Bulwark spoke up, "Speaking stallion to stallion, and I'm just assuming you're dealing with a mare here... unless you're into stallions; in which case I won't judge-" even cross-species the expression the human gave made it clear that wasn't the case, "Right, sorry. I know it's a stereotype, but mares are supposed to be the strong ones that get physical since that's just how their gender is socially constructed; they tend to act before thinking things through. We stallions have more sense," he tipped his head before adding, "supposedly. Look, what I'm saying is if my herd is anything to go by sometimes it's something you didn't do or say that sets them off."

When Titus asked about his herd the pony brightened and couldn't stop grinning, "Somehow a lug like me's got the best pair of mares waiting when I come home. Got a young'un on the way, too." Despite being on duty, he didn't turn down the congratulatory drink when the human jumped up and walked to the bar to pour a two shots of dark amber liquid, both of them hissing through gritted teeth at the strong alcohol after the guard's toast of "Praise the Sun! Praise the Moon!"

The taps of their glasses on the table was accompanied by a knock on the door.

It's nearing lunch time. Luna's guards must have gotten relieved and come to take my statement. "Coming!" Titus chugged a glass of water before heading for the door; a second rap sounded as he reached for the handle, "Hey guys, could we do this a bit later-" He cut himself off when he found it wasn't the guards that had been knocking on his door.

"O-oh, Princess Celestia..." Titus was caught unprepared and stumbled over what he should do, meanwhile Bulwark jumped to attention and made a snappy salute. With not enough room to stand aside on account of the MagnaGuard behind him he snapped his fingers at it and pointed; the droid obediently moved deeper into the chamber to join the others, "Please, Princess, come in, I was just congratulating Lt. Bulwark on becoming a father."

"Congratulations are most certainly due; you and your herd must be very excited. If you would like time off to spend with your family please do not hesitate to ask as I will arrange for it myself," the Princess acknowledged the salute so the guard could be at ease then turned her attention to the human as she walked around him into the room, "My apologies Mr. Aelius, I was unaware you had company. Is now a good time to talk?"

"Thank you both for the well wishes, I'll be sure to pass them on. I'll leave you - I should probably be getting back on patrol now anyway," Bulwark stated, heading for the door once Princess Celestia had moved into the room so as not to crowd her. "Titus, just keep what I said in mind," he gave a final salute to the Princess before closing the door behind him.

Celestia watched the soon-to-be father leave, giving him another bow of her head at his salute and waited for a few seconds silence to pass between herself and the human before speaking, "I wanted to thank you again for the information you provided as it has given me a break in my afternoon; this marks the first occasion that the Griffons have asked for some time to confer with their King about the renditions." She sauntered over and lay herself on the chaise, a look of concern coming to her face as she arranged herself on the lone pillow, "After the break in the summit meeting I went to go spend some sisterly time with Luna, however I found she had locked herself in her bedchamber and refused to come out; instead speaking to me through the door. After questioning her guards - both of whom where unable to provide a clear account of the event - I made my way here to gather what you have to say."

Titus returned to his seat in the armchair, sitting more normally than he had in the presence of the Lieutenant with one leg propped up on his knee. "I'm sorry, Princess, but I'm not really sure what happened myself," he said, shaking his head lightly before leaning on one elbow and resting his head in a hand to verbally go over everything he could remember, "and all morning I've been trying to think of what I could have done to anger her but I keep drawing a blank. Did she... say anything?"

"I do not want to speak where it is not my place," Celestia offered, still unsure for whom the small note she had found at breakfast was for and attempting to find a balance between tactfulness toward her sister and alleviation of the human's worry, "but I will say that I hadn't expected her to be this stressed and out of sorts sharing in Twilight Sparkle's estrous cycle or I would have accompanied you this morning, so please try not to hold any resentment toward her. If I may ask, what was it that Lieutenant Bulwark wanted you to keep in mind?"

Titus quoted the guard, leaving out the bit about mares not thinking things through. He looked to the Princess hopefully, "In your opinion, what should I do here? What advice do you have?"

A little bit of warmth returned as the concerned lines faded from Celestia's face and the corners of her mouth edged their way up her face slightly, "You assisted me with information, now I shall repay the favor." She elegantly dismounted the lounge and walked for the door, looking over her shoulder at Titus as she did so, "Come with me." The Princess lead the human through the palace, neither one speaking as they zigzagged their way across a maze of corridors, through several rooms, and down countless number of stairs until they stood before a door and the alicorn princess turned to face Titus, "Welcome to one of our kitchens. I imagine my little sister is growing a bit peckish having missed breakfast and, with my guidance, you will create a brunch consisting of her favorite sandwiches-"

Titus, eager to get started, was pushing the door open before she had finished, "Just tell me what I have to do, Princess." Ignoring the odd stares of the kitchen staff at the intrusion of the famed alien into their domain, he went about following the recipe Princess Celestia recited from memory. The staff's attitude quickly changed to one of muted admiration of his ability to multitask; settling on two ciabatta buns from the available stock he grabbed a knife and sliced the buns in half, drizzling a generous amount of olive oil over the exposed flesh of the bread before sticking them in a heated oven to broil. While he waited for the bread to finish he dashed about the kitchen collecting the sprouts, baby kale, lettuce, arugula, and tomatoes - getting aid in the form of pointed hooves or nods of a muzzle in the direction of what he was looking for. Slicing the avocado and tomatoes, he stopped midway through to pull the bread out of the oven once it had gone perfectly golden brown, promptly spreading cheese over it before continuing with the slicing to add the two main ingredients on, placing the rest of the greens on top of that. A sprinkle of freshly-ground black pepper and the other half of the bun held together by a toothpick topped the whole thing off; the human maneuvered the two small sandwiches to a serving platter to the hoof-stomping applause of several impressed chefs as he placed a silver cover over the meal. With a nod of approval Celestia once again lead the way and the pair soon found themselves coming up on the corner that lead to the outer doors of Luna's chambers.

Celestia halted before the door and turned to Titus, "Before we enter, I should warn you maintaining the spell has proven taxing on Luna's powers; however do not let her appearance alarm you, Mr. Aelius." She magicked the doors open when he nodded his understanding.

Once both doors swung completely open, Titus immediately began to feel a knot in his stomach as they approached the black and gold doors he had been dragged through earlier that morning. I hope these little sandwiches are enough to convince her to hear me out. He didn't get a chance to collect his thoughts as the Princess continued forward, rapping a hoof on the door and not waiting for an invitation to walk in, leaving Titus out in the hall before he felt himself dragged in by an aura of yellow magic that gripped him at the belt.

"Tia, is that you?" a call came from the door of the bedroom, "You were gone for quite a while; h-how fares he?"

"He has been pained by it all morning," Celestia replied factually to the door, holding a hoof up to quiet Titus when he looked like he was going to speak in protest. Several moments of aching silence passed before she spoke again, "though perhaps you should extricate yourself from your bedchamber to talk with him yourself, seeing as he's standing here waiting for you."

"What?! You brought... he's here?" the door cracked open slightly for the blanket hood to peak out for confirmation before ducking back inside, "I-I was not prepared for this!"

"Luna, recall our earlier conversation-" Celestia took a step closer to the door though she was having a hard time concealing the exasperation she felt in her voice. It had been a rough couple of days with very few openings in her schedule for relaxation and, as much as she was willing to help her sister, she still wanted to use what little time she had left of her break for a nice nap or hot bath. Or both, preferably.

"Mayhaps we may speak through the door?"

While Titus was happy just to hear she was willing to speak to him the sound of the bolt sliding into place was the final straw for the weary elder sister. "Alright, that does it! Mr. Aelius, wait right here a moment," Princess Celestia pointed a hoof at his feet an instant before disappearing in a flash of golden light. Shortly after the sounds of a struggle could be heard on the other side of the door; thumps of furniture being knocked about, a minor shouting match - muted by the thick wall and heavy door which bent outward toward him with the strength of their battling Royal Voices - and the piercing shatter of something rather expensive-sounding indicated the ending of the scuffle as the door flew open and a bundle of squirming and protesting covers was held aloft in an aura of shimmering yellow magic to be deposited in a rather unceremonious fashion before the bewildered Titus.

"Now then, Luna," Celestia, breathing a bit hard, cut an imposing figure as she loomed over the small heap draped under the blankets, "You requested I assist you in making amends and I will not let you waffle when presented the opportunity... and for crying out loud take this mess off, you're not suffering from a deformity!"

Titus watched as a quick yank of the covers revealed the Princess lying on the floor though he did a quick double take at the significant change that she had undergone. He folded himself down to balance on the balls of his feet on account of her smaller size to try and make contact with the cyan eyes hiding behind an azure mane, her hair no longer the flowing ethereal spectrum of blues it normally was and laying flat against the grayed-out blue of her coat, "L-Luna?" He thought about what to say for a moment but couldn't come to a decision, instead just awkwardly offering the covered platter he had brought and with a small flourish he lifted the silver lid to reveal the sandwiches, "Your sister said you might be hungry and, um... suggested I make something special as a sign of apology." He was feeling a bit uncomfortable being under the watchful eye of Celestia as the scene reminded him of a teacher watching over two children who had gotten in a fight and were being forced to apologize to each other - not that he was forcing himself but with a third party it just felt... weird.

The enticing smell of freshly-cut avocado and the contrasting sharpness of cheese reaching her nose caused her nostrils to flair lightly, "I-It is we that should be forming words of apology to you, friend. We value your friendship yet we... we spurned your cordial offering of thoughtful breakfast and amiable company and raised our voice to unacceptable levels in our unfounded anger brought about by unreleased stress. Y-you hath no reason to offer apologies-"

"No, I do have a reason," he cut her off, putting the platter down to rest both elbows on his knees and cup his hands together, "You've done nothing but be accommodating toward me since you cast that spell to help Twilight and as your 'reward'-" Titus made air quotes with his fingers, hoping the gesture would convey it meant the complete opposite of the definition of the word, "-has been having to suffer through this cycle-sharing ordeal. Luna, I-I'm sorry; as a friend I should have noticed how tough it's been for you and I should have helped ease that stress." It wasn't until the small blue alicorn started blushing that he did the mental math of what Equestrians thought was insinuated when the words "estrous cycle" and "helping ease that stress" were spoken by a stallion.

Titus developed his own blush as he stammered an incoherent clarification to Luna who, at the same time, tried to explain that that wasn't what she had meant by "amiable company"; leaving Princess Celestia to giggle at their combined fumblings, "Oh sister, you were right! With no fur he does go an amusing shade of red!"

"Your facilitation of our meeting is appreciated, Tia," seeing her friend's ears burn the same color as his face Luna ground her teeth to keep from doing something more potentially stupid than what she was about to, given her weakened state, "however your continued presence is no longer necessary as it is pernicious to our reconciliation."

There was a flash of deep blue light and, mid-laugh, Princess Celestia suddenly found herself in the garden and had to quickly extend her wings to keep from plummeting into an offshoot of the palace moat. For a moment she thought about blinking back up to the balcony but the opportunity to soak in a warm bubbly tub was too good to pass up, "Very well, Lu, I shall give you two a reprieve," she said to herself as she glided to the soft grass without breaking her usual calmly-collected appearance despite her unplanned change of location. But only because this will prove to be more than enough content for a future ribbing.

Meanwhile, back up in the room, Luna gave a deep sigh of relief, "Much. Better." She leaned closer to the platter for another whiff of the sandwiches that were growing more appealing by the second, "These smell delicious, would you be opposed to keeping me company for lunch?"

Titus didn't say anything for a brief second, waiting for the Solar Princess to teleport back and turn the chamber into an absolute warzone. When nothing happened, he finally responded, "Not at all, if you'd have me-" he stopped, a bit worried with how she struggled to push her small frame to her hooves.

Luna caught the look and did her best to make her slump back to the floor appear intentional. As she called to her magic to blink to the couch, her horn glowed for a brief second before the aura sputtered out in a shower of sparks, "I will be alright with a little rest, though in my frustration with my sister I may have... underestimated how strenuous it would be teleport her to the garden like that." She hesitated when Titus offered to help her to the couch though eventually the beckoning comfort outweighed her trepidation and she accepted, watching a bit nervously as slid up along side her on his knees.

"Okay..." as nervous as Luna looked, Titus was almost sweating blaster bolts as he tried to figure out how he was supposed to do this, "I'll just, um... get an arm under your chest to help get you off the floor, if that's alright?" He slowly inched his way closer scoot by scoot. Twilight was alright with me touching her chest and forelegs, so there's no reason that shouldn't be the same here, right?

A bit of irritation, mostly with herself and how she needed help with something as simple as standing coupled with a lack of sleep, crept into Luna's voice as she lashed out at Titus before she could stop herself, "It shouldn't require that much thought to help get me to the couch-!" As soon as she heard what she had said her ears flattened back and her head dipped; the nervous smile that had been on his face disappearing into a slight frown as both arms fell to his sides limply. "I-I apolog-"

"Right!"

"Eeep!" Luna let out a small squeak as the human leaned over her, both arms going out wide to wrap around her and shortly after squeeze her into a strong bear-like hug as she felt herself being lifted from the floor, her legs dangling beneath her and her wings pinned to her sides as she squirmed about helplessly. "W-what art thou doing?! Put us down this instant!"

"First you order me to get you to the sofa and now that I am you tell me to put you down," he replied through gritted teeth, the alicorn proving to be a bit cumbersome to carry as she writhed about in protest, "Excuse me, Princess, but make up your damn mind!" A few steps later he was placing her on the cushion and rounding on a heel to retrieve the platter of lunch.

Now comfortably atop a blanket on the couch, Luna watched him bend over and retrieve the platter, a few strides more carrying him back as he flopped down beside her. She looked at Titus sheepishly as he placed the dish on the coffee table and leaned into the cushion behind him, "Apologies again for snapping at you, friend; a lack of sleep and distaste for my current form has worn my temper thin. Constantly maintaining the spell has proven to be quite a drain as evident by the weakened appearance you must look upon now."

Titus' brow furrowed as he looked the Princess over from horn to hoof, causing her to squirm under his scrutinizing gaze. Not finding what she found distasteful he shrugged, "I don't see what you're talking about; you're still the same Luna that arranges those beautiful night skies and brought me back from my fevered delusion before I got hauled off to some dungeon cell. As long as that stays true I don't care what form you take."

Luna, feeling a bit better at his kind words, gave an appreciative smile before staring at the sandwich she was keeping levitated and spoke softly, "This was my restored form when the Element Bearers defeated Nightmare Moon. While I am grateful to have been given a second chance I do not want my subjects to see me weak again nor remind them of what I had fallen to."

"Which is why I'm here as your friend and not a subject." Titus watched a small bite disappear and when she opened her mouth he thought she might respond but instead she took a larger bite of sandwich, prompting him continue speaking, "So, what can I do to make you feel better?"

Tired as she was she had given up on expending energy to keep her wings at her side; instead they hung down limply at her sides partially spread in their relaxed state and, in her hurry to finish her mouthful to respond, she didn't notice the small amount of cheese spread slowly ooze down the side of the bread bun and drip down her fur onto her plumage, "Friendly company would be grand; i-if your afternoon is free there was a TV series I was going to watch, perhaps you would be willing to stay for that?"

Looking from the large screen that loomed before him then back at his friend Titus gave a nod while taking notice of the escaping cheese. "Looks like you're losing a bit there," a quick and fruitless search for a napkin fulminated in a finger sweeping in to wipe up the dribble before it traveled further or soaked in and dried. "W-ow! That is too rich," he added through a puckered face once the finger had left his mouth, the spread having been far too flavorful for his enjoyment.

Luna smiled around another scrumptious bite as he chugged several glasses of water to cleanse his mouth. Upon finding herself unable to conjure an additional field with which to wield both a sandwich and a remote, her instructions guided Titus to locate the device to remotely turn the television on. He slowly flipped through the channels until the screen went black, "I, uh..." he froze, holding the remote out toward her for assistance, "I think I pushed the wrong button." A small giggle visibly eased him of that worry.

Astounding; all that space-faring technology and he fumbles with a simple TV remote. "No, it's just on the input channel now, which is where we want it." Luna enjoyed the next few moments directing him about the entertainment system, "See that large box? The one with the horizontal slot on the second shelf next to those thin alphabetically-organized boxes?" She indicated toward the piece of technology that had caught his attention that morning, "Turn that on by pushing the button- no, a little to your left. Yes, there! That button. Now, there should be a cord coming out of the bottom corner of the box. Follow that to the controller, which is a weirdly-shaped thing we'll need to-meep!" she gave another squeak as something under her, close to the dock of her tail, moved.

"Hmm, quite the conundrum," he had trailed the cord as it wound from the gaming console, across the coffee table, and directly into the blanket she was lying on. Luna, clearly in no mood to attempt standing up again, squirmed about to try to get her weight off of the controller as he gave light tugs on the cord; eventually the alicorn huffed in exasperation and propped herself up, allowing Titus to snake an arm into the blanket to grab the controller that they had realized must be stuck between the cushions; device finally in-hand they flopped back down on the couch in unison as the TV came to life with a small series of musical notes.

Titus spent the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening on the couch, indulging in an almost-endless marathon of Equestrian television and trying his hand at several of Luna's favorite video games.

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Day 5
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"Titus, friend, are you sure you can make this work?" Luna, sitting on the couch next to her sister, watched intently over the human's shoulder as he sat with legs crossed like a pretzel (a position both sisters had commented looked uncomfortable) on the floor fiddling with the remote droid as he had been for the last quarter hour.

"Mmm," he hummed, concentrating on the alterations that required the most delicate and precise movements of his soldering pen. After several light touches to the electronic chip, he set it aside to turn his attention to the interface visor that fed him the information he needed to re-code lines of data for the computer. "As soon as we rig the model to your skeleton no one should be able to tell a differ-kark it all," he swore as the test run of the program returned with an error popping up on his visor screen.

"The sooner you stop asking him for updates," Princess Celestia chided, returning from the balcony where she had been lowering the moon to be replaced with the sun - performing both duties to save Luna from the strain it would have on her - this was the third time in so many minutes that Luna had made an inquiry while the human was concentrating, "the sooner he will be finished. Be patient; it was his idea, after all, to loan you use of the hologram devices so you could perform your court duties from the comfort of your chambers without exposing your current appearance to our subjects."

Luna grumbled something about how it would have been a nice vacation as she turned back around from looking at her big sister, resting her head the arm of the couch to resume watching the workings of his dexterous digits from an advantageous angle. She had to admit, his hands had proven very effective when they had played a few of the video games she had in her library - the reach of his fingers allowed him to remain hovering over several buttons at once while manipulating the joystick. He hadn't been very good at any of the games, mind you, but with a little more practice and a bit of training he might prove to be capable. Luna's mind wandered to the multiplayer RPG she'd recently gotten hooked on and much to her sister's voiced dismay as it had negatively impacted her efficiency at completing court paperwork. Come to think of it, he could be a potential party member for dungeon delving as I won't be able progress much further on my own. Hmmm, something that compliments my class... Her scheming to get Titus into the game was interrupted as the visor was flipped up and accidentally bumped into her nose.

"I think..." he paused, tapping a few buttons that appeared on the datapad screen, "I think that's got it. Luna, if you would?" Titus motioned to the open area of the room, holding out a hand for support as she dismounted the sofa. From what he understood after he had left from their movie-extravaganza Princess Celestia had returned to spend the night with Luna, stating that her younger sister had taken comfort in their company that afternoon and evening and dozed right off into a peaceful slumber. While she had definitely had more energy this morning when he came by with the droids - giving him a lively smile and practically pulling him through the door - the Princess still was a bit wobbly on her legs, though she might be a bit hung over from the drinks he had shared on the roof last night in remembrance of his friend's passing. "Alright, just do your best to stand still for a moment as the drone does a quick three-sixty scan of you so the rigging can be done."

Princess Luna did as she was instructed, standing stock still as the remote droid flew a slow circle around her. Flying around the back of her, she stoically attempted to hide her blush as she adjusted her tail to keep herself decent - something she hadn't had a lot of practice doing with her non-ethereal hair. A fleeting glance at Titus, who had put the datapad down and was looking elsewhere, anywhere but the datapad screen, corroded the remaining bastion of her defense and she felt herself burning all the way to the tips of her ears as the machine did a quick roll under her barrel. "T-there, I believe your machine is finished. At least, I hope it is," she stated.

While she was wobbling her way back to the couch Titus stretched out a hand to stop her, "If, um, there's something in the image you don't want in the final render you can blur it out with this," he passed the datapad and what looked like a metal pen to Luna, demonstrating its use a with a scribbling motion, "though keep in mind the more editing you do the less... realistic the model will look up close."

"I dare hope our subjects do not openly gawk at my-" Luna stopped, closing her eyes and pinching her mouth shut for a second before continuing in a much more calm manner, "I will try to keep it to a minimum. Also, thank you for being a gentlecolt and... not staring."

While Luna was passing along her thanks, Celestia had magicked the datapad and stylus over to herself for inspection. "Mr. Aelius? What are these dots and bars next to the image of my sister on your device?" she inquired, forcing Titus to turn about from the hologram image of Luna he had recalled from the droid's memory banks to see what part of the datapad interface she was talking about.

"Those are the image anchors, they allow for macroadjustments to the model. If you tap one with the stylus then slowly drag it around the screen it'll resize the-" he was cut off by a jovial laugh from the Solar Princess as she experimented with the model and various parts of the hologram of Luna took on ridiculous proportions.

"You know, sister, you've always had one giant melon of a head!" the hologram's head expanded to several times its normal size as Celestia slid the scale slider back and forth numerous times as she made a coinciding sound effect of "oOo~OoO~oOo!" before moving on to another anchor; this time the legs stretched like elastic to place the body close to the high ceiling, "Bang, zoom, straight to the Moon!"

"Oh-ho-ho!" the mischievous chortle that erupted from the Solar Princess echoed around the stone walls, "Luna, I've told you time and time again to use the palace gym... or all of those sweets would go right to your flanks!"

Titus didn't need to look to know what had changed size that time. Instead of watching he placed a hand on the small alicorn's withers as a form of light restraint; the contact garnishing a small hum as he reached for the datapad to pluck it from the golden aura, "Sorry to cut your fun short, Princess, but I need to finish this before today's court sessions so I'm on a bit of a deadline here and I'd rather not have to retake the scans." He wouldn't have to retake the scans no matter how many times she tweaked the model, but a small fib to keep Luna from straining herself again teleporting her sister to the gardens was acceptable in his opinion. He also didn't have that much work left to do, but he enjoyed how interested Luna was in watching him work and, once again, he felt a little embellishment was acceptable. Taking his seat at the side of the couch to begin rigging the hologram for animation, Titus only picked up the wearily-whispered "thank you" as the breath from the muzzle that was once again resting on the arm above him tickled his ear. An idea suddenly striking him, he brought up the image scan and adjusted the layers, flipping from the exterior view through the muscle layer and stopping when Luna's own skeleton appeared. A short few minutes of linking her actual skeleton and ligament to the virtual model later the program was up and running smoothly, the excited "Woo!" he issued at the success of his own shortcut startling both alicorns.

Princess Celestia was the first to speak up, "Mr. Aelius, shall we take your elation as a sign of endeavors coming to fruition?" she asked, stretching her neck trying to see over the edge of the couch arm occupied by her sister.

A few dramatic taps on the datascreen and one of the remote drones floated itself from the bag Titus had carried them in and zipped over to hover on the other side of the coffee table, within seconds a holographic image of Princess Luna in her usual form encase and hid the droid from view. "Ta-da! The hard part was creating the hologram from within the image itself, so I had to utilize all of the droid's projectors and then calibrate them so each segment of your sister would line up," Titus explained, beaming proudly at his feat as if either pony would know what he was talking about.

The hologram stared straight ahead, unmoving, as the sisters exchanged a dubious expression behind the human's back.

"I do not mean to belittle your work, friend," Luna said as she continued to look at her holographic image with doubt, "but I do not think the court will be fooled for long with this."

Celestia nodded in disappointed agreement, "The physical likeness is astounding, of that we do not doubt the advisers would give no second thought to, however the figure itself seems-"

"Unresponsive? Statuesque?" Titus supplied the words for her, each one garnishing a nod, "Accurate descriptions; though keep in mind this is the first component, we still need to hook in the input device. Luna?" he asked, removing the visor he had been wearing and turning around to regard the alicorn that was still stretched out on the arm of the couch and looking like she was about to fall asleep as her eyes where half closed, "Oh, um. Princess Celestia, I had wanted to ask if there was somewhere out of earshot your sister and I could go to demonstrate, but on account of her current condition, would you be willing to briefly relocate instead?"

Titus watched as the Solar Princess spent a moment in thought, the faintest hint of a tongue peeking out from one side of her mouth, before stating the hallway that functioned as antechamber to Luna's quarters should suffice for the demonstration; retrieving the drone from the armchair the human lead the way out to the hall to prepare the machine. It only took a few minutes to get the inactive model to appear once again, time that he spent explaining that they needed to isolate the hologram display so that Celestia could provide the best critique without the overlapping audio of both it and the actual Luna talking at once. "Highness, if you notice anything off or have a suggestion to make the image more lifelike, no matter how minor, please let me know," he added before ducking back in the room to prepare the holographic puppet's master.

"Alright Luna, all that's left is to get you-" the alicorn didn't stir as Titus walked up alongside the couch, instead remaining stretched out with wings splayed rigidly to either side (as much as the narrow furniture would allow, anyway) and beads of sweat glistening on her fur. Seeing the state of his friend generated a look of concern as he bent down a bit closer. "Luna?" he whispered, tentatively reaching a hand out but pausing a scant inch from contact as a noticeable tremor ran through her and a faint-but-sweet smell reached his nose. Oh no. Luna... He made his way around the couch arm, squatting down to place his face on level with hers, putting as much compassion into his expression as he could.

"We doth nay wish thou... to layeth thine eyes upon us... " Luna couldn't bring herself to look at him for any length of time, her eyes fluttering up to his and back down, "That thou hath seen us in s-such a state of c-compromise does naught but add to our shame."

"Luna, my friend," he caught a waver in her eyes when they darted up at the word, "I do not want to see you suffer like this; let me fetch a cool towel and a drink of water, and then I'll leave if that is what you wish."

Luna locked eyes with his for several moments upon hearing his offer before giving a tiny murmur of approval, watching as he silently strode to the bar to drape several of the neatly-folded hand towels over an arm, tucking the ice bucket under it and removing a singular glass which he filled before returning to the couch to place the items before her. She gratefully took the offered drink, quickly upending the tumbler as Titus placed the ice bucket beside her, lining the rim with the folded towels before he spoke.

"Is there anything else I can do before I go, Luna?" Titus asked, taking the empty glass from the weak confines of her magic to refill it. Placing the drink back on the couch arm, a forehoof hooked around his wrist and gently pulled it closer in a gesture he equated with holding his hand, bringing a warm smile to his face as he gave the hoof a squeeze.

The recent return of sensations from Twilight's unceremonious ministrations with the cooler - not felt for over a thousand years - continued to leave Luna feeling used; what should have been intimacy shared between lovers instead was empty of emotion like it was being treated as a routine chore. Despite the immense abashment she felt that he had seen her in such an improper state, the simple physical contact of a squeeze of her hoof brought relief to the empty feeling almost to the point of bringing her to tears. "It would do us good to hear you call us 'friend' again," she whispered, continuing to pull the hand in closer as he squatted down to her eye level again.

"Such a simple request? Luna, My Friend," he whispered back and shortly after moved his other hand to cup her cheek so a thumb could wipe away a lone tear rolling down her muzzle, "My chum; my pal; my companion; my pateesa-"

As yet more tears streamed down her face at hearing the treasured word the hand on her cheek slid around to pull her into his shoulder in a hug; Luna's hesitation at returning the gesture became overt appreciation as the empty feeling from moments ago was washed away and replaced with a warm sense of comfort. She couldn't help but happily hum into the shoulder.

"-I would happily shout all of these and more at the top of my lungs for all to hear if it would do your heart good." He gave her a final squeeze and a rub on the neck before pushing himself back, "Now, was there anything else I can help with?"

"No, my dear friend, thank you; your words and embrace were more than enough and precisely what we needed. Forgive my tears," Luna was positively glowing as she wiped the remaining moisture from her eyes. Realizing her coat was still damp with sweat and picking up the faint smell of her expelled arousal, she shied back a bit in embarrassment from the arm still draped loosely around her shoulder, "I-if you would allow me a private moment to myself to refresh, we shall continue with preparing your machines."

As the human stood a white snout retreated back behind the door and into the hallway, giggling mare-ishly.

------------

Titus stood at the base of the small set of stairs to one side of Luna's throne while a charcoal black pegasus adviser gave an in-depth fiscal accounting of some bureaucratic branch or another, his alicorn friend seeming to take vested interest in the subject. He scanned the room for the umpteenth time, looking for any hint of suspicion among the court that their Lunar Princess was, in fact, a hologram. There were no outward signs that the ponies suspected anything because most of them were preoccupied directing their gazes his way, the Princess having declared him amicus curiae and her personal assistant.

A secretary... Titus shook his head and hid a chuckle, remembering the playfully-chauvinistic comment Princess Celestia had made to her sister for appointing herself her own stallion secretary. I'm a karking secretary now. While Luna had tasked him with delivering any letters and documents given to him by members of the court, his real job was to be on-site should something go wrong with the drone.

"Very well. Minister Black Balance, for our examination thou shall provide Sir Aelius with the audit of six months of spending as well as the projected increase in budgeting thou doth see necessary. Should we require additional documentation, the Lunar office shall be in contact with yours," HoloLuna's voice rang across the court as she turned to her sister who was seated beside her and, getting a nod, continued, "So concludes our hearings for the morning. We will reconvene tomorrow as scheduled; please see a memo reaches our aide before he departs should thou have business for the next session of Lunar Court. Solar Court will commence at the first strike of the afternoon. Until then thou are dismissed."

Stepping forward and folding himself down to rest on his haunches to make himself less imposing to the small flock of ponies approaching, the first being the adviser who dropped a stack of parchment that came up to his knee as one of his assistants - another pegasus bearing an identical emblem of office - passed an armful of scrolls bundled together with a strap; Titus noticing a label indicating they were the calculated budget increase. Which makes the massive stack... six months of spending? Wow. This load was followed by more ponies lining up looking to gain the Princess' attention as they showered him in scrolls, loose parchment, and a myriad of envelopes - of which several were addressed to him, those he set to one side for later reading.

Once every pony had worked their way through the line and cleared the room, leaving Titus surrounded in papers as he cast a surprised look that seemed to say "please tell me this is an above-average amount" at the Princesses; Celestia giving an apologetic smile while the hologram (mirroring what Luna was doing up in her chamber) stretched its forelegs above its head as far as they would go.

"Finally our-*Mmh!*" she rolled over onto her back in the throne for another stretch, this time she arched her back and reached all four hooves into the air before they wearily tucked back against her body with a sigh of contentment, "morning court duties are fulfilled! Our thanks to you, friend, for enabling us to do... this," she continued to squirm around on her back for several moments, "Our sofa doth prove to be more agreeable than the cushion of the throne-" HoloLuna stopped to watch Titus as he struggled to pack all of the parchment into his shoulder bag without even bothering to try fitting the audit or budget increase documents in, "Will'st thou be able to carry yonder mountain without assistance?" Luna asked, still subconsciously using her antiquated dialect.

Slinging the bag over a shoulder and balancing the parcel of scrolls under one arm Titus lifted the hefty audit with a slight grunt, "I'll manage... though did you really have to ask for a whole six months of paperwork?"

"Thou bleat at 'a whole six months'?" Luna chuckled and the hologram rolled back into a sitting position, "When a branch office requests an increase in budget we are required to audit to assess the efficiency of their recent spending; thinking of you, we settled for the shortest time-span, which you hold in your hands." The hologram gave him a mischievous grin, Luna slowly working her way back to her relaxed way of speaking, "though on further introspection thou may be correct; if thou would'st prefer we be more thorough we hath kept records on file here, in the palace, as far back as several hundred years... we could go back even further with but a trip to a warehouse." At his unnerved expression at the thought of how much paper would be involved in an audit of that length Luna's laugh accompanied the blue flash of light as the hologram blinked off - Princess Celestia having suggested the drone make it appear like her sister had teleported away.

"Well," Titus gave as much of a bow as he could with what he was carrying to the Solar alicorn, "I'd better take my leave, Princess, and get this paperwork up to your sister before she turns on that entertainment box of hers and she's oblivious to the world."

"A moment, if you would," dismounting her throne Celestia descended the steps toward the human who adjusted the weight of his load in his hands at her approach, "Fear not, I do not intend to add to your burden. Not your physical burden, anyway." She stopped just short of him, smiling and lowering her head to put her eyes on-level with his to show she wasn't talking as royalty, "My sister's anger and frustration yesterday was leading her to a dangerous precipice - one that she has fallen from before with disastrous consequences. For being there to pull her back, you have my heartfelt gratitude, Sir Aelius, though it surprises me how fond with you she has become in such a short time."

Titus bowed again, "Forgive me for potentially bringing up a sore subject, Your Highness, but after returning from her thousand-year banishment - with all of the ponies she had known and made friends with being long deceased and a society that had continued to move forward in her absence - Luna must have felt like she'd been dropped into an unfamiliar world; a sentiment we both share and have been able to bond on. You don't have to thank me," he straightened himself before the tower of parchment tipped over, "I'm proud to say Luna is my friend, and if one of my friends is falling off a cliff I don't hesitate to jump right after them."

The soft kindness returning to the Princess' face as she returned to her full height with a twinkle in her eye, "Please promise you'll better account for the distance of your next leap, Sir Aelius." After his brief chuckle at her joke and striking the deal that if she would drop the 'Sir' title he would look before he lept, she bid her farewell, "This afternoon sees us meeting with the Griffons once again, and this time I hear they're much more willing to discuss terms. Wish me luck, Mr. Aelius."

Adjusting the pile of papers in his hands to cross his fingers for her, and briefly explaining the gesture to the Princess when she cocked an eyebrow at it, Titus and the alicorn split ways as they exited the throne room.

Once Titus got started he found the weight of what he was carrying wasn't so bad, though the awkwardness of it remained as he attempted to keep his arms bent slightly to avoid crushing the scrolls tucked under his arm while he kept the papers from blowing away with his chin and the bag holding the other missives bounced against one hip, giving small appreciative nods and voicing his thanks to ponies that opened doors as he worked his way through the palace. Eventually, however, he started encountering empty hallways and closed doors with nopony to open them for him. Kark... I think I'm l-

"Lost?"

Rotating his whole body toward the source of the voice, Titus found a blueish-silver pegasus with aquamarine eyes and a snow-white mane looking him over from head to foot, "Y-yeah. I guess I got a bit turned around." She's definitely not a guard, and I'm pretty sure I've seen her somewhere; at the party or in court this morning, perhaps?

"Understandable, the hallways can look a lot alike if you're distracted," she gave him a sly smile, "or if you're new here. Where ya headed?"

"I'm trying to get back to my room, it's in the Lunar Wing-"

"Whoa, Lunar Wing?" the pegasus interrupted with a disbelieving look as she held a hoof up to stop him, "You must have gotten really turned around because you're literally on the other side of the palace."

"Just my luck, I suppose." Standing still again Titus had to readjust the weight of his load as he glanced around at the hallways, corridors, and closed doors around him, "Sorry to ask, Miss...?"

"It's... Polar Breeze," she replied, once again looking him over though this time much more intently as she walked a slow circle around him.

Must be the first time she's seen me this close up. Better make a good impression. "Well, Miss Breeze, nice to meet you; I'm Titus, and I'd offer a hoof-bump or handshake but, as you can see, they're sorta full," he gave her his biggest smile, "Sorry to ask but could you do me the favor of showing me where I need to go?"

"No need for introductions, hot stuff, I'd have to be living under a rock to not know who you are, though the last time we met you were with Princess Celestia and dashing about the kitchen making somepony a sandwich," flitting up to shoulder height the mare nodded and motioned with a hoof for him to follow, "Come on, let's get you back to your room."

Utterly lost, Titus followed Polar Breeze down countless corridors and through numerous doors; which she politely held open for him though it appeared it was a bit challenging for her as she had to fly above his head to hold the door open, forcing him to duck under her each time. It was even more awkward for the human as the only way he could bend sufficiently without dropping the mass of papers was to lean back and limbo under her. After one such flexibility exercise Titus tried breaking the awkwardness of the still air, "I'm, uh, glad you're not one of those ponies that's terrified of me because if you'd run off they'd probably have to send a search squad out."

"Me too," the pegasus giggled, zipping across the empty hall to float by another door, "though I wouldn't worry about ponies being so quick to run from you anymore; the fashion magazines are abuzz with what you wore to that garden party and you're a hot topic in the upper echelons of Canterlot's muckety–muck social circles." She pulled the large door open just far enough to get her hooves in the crack before pushing it open the rest of the way with a small grunt of exertion, "Hn-erf! As for this wing it's usually pretty empty so you'd have been wandering for a long time. Castle staff mainly use it as a short cut to their living quarters, which are just a bit further in the direction you were going. We're not supposed to cut through here, so if we hear any hoofsteps duck into a room somewhere and stay quiet."

"Alright. I'll follow your lead, I guess." Ducking through this door Titus felt something incredibly soft brush against his chin and nose and barely stick his lips; it took a second for his mind to register that it had been one of the primaries on Polar's wing. I must have not ducked enough. A weak chuckle at hoping his error had either gone unnoticed or was an obvious accident and, after remembering that an uncharacteristically-flustered Dash had told him that wings were an absolute no-touch zone after an incident involving a leaf caught in her plumage that he thought she would appreciate him plucking out for her, he apologized, "S-sorry, back is a little stiff from all this bending."

"Eh, I don't mind," Polar Breeze replied as she followed him through what seemed to be a storage room of sorts - the walls lined with shelf upon shelf of labeled boxes though a layer of dust obscured what was written. A peek into one such box that had its lid askew revealed neatly-packed books, and further observation lead the human to believe this might be a side room to a library. As he his thoughts wandered from books to libraries to a certain unicorn librarian, he half watched as the pegagus pumped her wings and glided to wait at their next portal, "Don't worry, almost there."

Something's off. That last door felt smaller. Each heavy door seemed smaller than the last as he had to duck further to avoid bumping into the pony again but no matter how he bent a wing or tail would always brush against him. That, and the giggling is almost non-stop now- The sharp *clopclopcla-clop!* of hooves touching down on the hard stone floor after a landing broke his train of thought.

Breeze was standing next to another set of doors with a grin, a hoof on the handle. "Told ya, right through here..."

Stepping through as she pulled the door open, he found himself in what appeared to be an old drinking room; there was a dusty bar tucked against one wall while the other two held a barren fireplace and countless shelves of books. In the middle of the room were several bits of furniture; guessing by their forms under the dust blankets draped over them a lounge, two sofas, and a handful of chairs as well as a large card table beneath the tall window that looked out onto the hedge maze of the garden, across which Luna's tower was visible - still a fair distance away. It was the lack of another door, however, that caused his gut instinct to scream at him. Dead end. Turning around to speak with his guide, he found the pegasus looking at him with a hungry grin.

Sensing trouble and not liking the way she was staring at him one bit he put the stack of papers down on the nearby table to point out the window at the tower, "The Lunar Wing is that way, and now that I can see where I need to go I should be fine. Thanks for your help."

Without breaking her stare, Polar Breeze quickly flicked the lock and turned the rest of her body to face Titus, "You know, when somepony does you a favor..." in doing so she bumped into the door handle and, giving in, bit her lip as she ground her hips against the intruding prod briefly before walking closer to the human creature as an almost invisible strand of fluid stretched between the handle and her now-wet mound, "it's customary to repay the favor with another," she said with a coy smile and extended a wing, placing the primaries against his hip and sashaying a circle around him and letting the soft feather drag against the fabric of his clothing; tracing a path over his firm flanks, across the other hip, and stopping just short of his crotch when he stepped away.

"Miss Breeze, look I'm, um, flattered? but-" he was unable to keep from clearing his throat as the overpowering citrus aroma permeated every one of his senses. Ever since the party the ponies he had dealt with had been much more friendly and there had been several ponies that had started flirting with him - both mare and stallion, either through direct conversation or letters slipped under his door - and some had gotten a little... touchy... but this was leagues beyond any of that. Titus continued to back away, though each step he took was followed by the pegasus stalking him, "I'd be happy to put in a word with the Princess."

"How about you put your 'word' in with me, instead?" Polar Breeze continued her steady advance, enjoying the cat and mouse game they were playing a little too much as a small bit of pre leaked down her leg.

"I-I can't, I'm involved; I've already got what you'd call a special somepony-"

She had his back to a wall, "Oh, I know. It's faint, but I smelled her on you back there when you introduced yourself..."

Wait, "Smell her on me"? Who? Titus quickly did a mental run-through what had happened that morning until he remembered the most likely cause, Kark, maybe she means Luna. The pheromones or whatever she let out on the sofa when I found her must have permeated my clothing.

"♫~Naughty human, you really shouldn't go walking around smelling that way~♫..." she stalked even closer, a hoof on his hip helping to balance herself as she buried her muzzle into the same shoulder he had used to hug Luna and took a deep whiff before pushing herself back off, "covered in an aphrodisiac like that, you'll... get a mare all worked up and jealous, even an alien like you."

Turning to face away from him, the pegasus gave a quick twitch of her tail and revealed her winking self to him, "Now, aren't you going to finish what you started, hot stuff?" When he didn't respond immediately she wiggled her rump enticingly.

"No, Miss Breeze, I'm not," Titus said sternly; finally standing his ground. With a wall at his back there was no way for her to bowl him over in a sudden assault and, unbeknownst to the pegasus, he had discreetly unlocked the door while she had had her head in his shoulder, prepared to make a run for it if necessary, "because it was not my intention to lead you on-"

"Intention or not," her enticing smile was suddenly gone and replaced with a snarl, "you're a stallion - I don't need your permission to use you! Buck, it might even be more fun this way!" Breeze made a lunge for him, intending to tear the the clothes off of him but was caught mid air, unable to get closer no matter how she struggled or flapped her semi-stiff wings as she was held aloft by some form of magic, "Oh, what? You expect me to play the sub now?"

"No." His stern look faded as he closed his eyes, his face slowly becoming completely neutral and emotionless. After a heavy exhale, Titus opened his eyes once more and met her angry stare as he he waved a hand in front of her face. "I'm not the company you're looking for. You want to go home and sleep this off."

Polar Breeze blinked several times and stopped struggling, not even feeling herself being lowered to the floor; glancing at him then around the room, she mumbled to herself, "I-I'm gonna... clean myself up before going home... to sleep this... off." She gave him one more flat look before loosely walking over to the dusty bar to look for anything to wipe herself with.

Meanwhile, Titus took the chance to grab his shoulder bag, the scrolls, and the stack of parchment and head for the door. Thank the stars that worked- His hand was already on the door handle before he remembered to stop himself. Karking crink! Oh well, no point in letting go now. Had it been a door knob, he doubted the slick fluid would let him get enough of a grip to turn it, though thankfully the handle only needed to be pushed and the door slid open, allowing the human to take his leave of the aroused pegasus to her searching. Unfortunately he had to wipe his hand on his tunic as the stack of papers quickly became too much for one arm to bear.

------------

Putting his back against the large black and gold door to push it closed behind him with a grunt, Titus entered the large living quarters. It had taken him easily a quarter hour to work his way from the abandoned wing of the palace to his room, where he spent a few minutes changing out of his tunic and vigorously washing his sticky hand before heading back out.

"Ah! Friend!" Princess Luna sat up on the sofa, the small game controller floating in front of her, "There you are!"

"Here I am," he replied wearily as he staggered over to Luna's personal office nook, depositing the entire burden down on the small desk before giving a heavy sigh of relief, "and here is your paperwork." He was going to plop himself down in the spinning chair, but the Princess' tapping of a couch cushion was much more inviting.

Waiting for the human to stride over in his lumbering-yet-fluid fashion and sit down, again with a sigh, she gave him a smile, "You were gone quite a while, we had contemplated contacting the guard for fear that you had perhaps gotten los-" She topped mid-word and her nostrils flared at the smallest hint of an odd smell about her friend.

The interruption caused Titus to look at the alicorn just as she turned to stare at him, a slow rosy glow coming to her cheeks before she leaned in and took a deep whiff which was followed by a very quick retreat.

"W-well," she said, turning back to her game and focusing intently on her character, trying not to giggle, "that would certainly explain your delay." Every so often her eyes would dart back over to him, followed shortly after by a snort or a snicker.

Putting his head in his hand - the one that hadn't be involved with the door handle - Titus let out yet another sigh before explaining how he had spent his afternoon.

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Day 6
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"Really, sister," Celestia chided, kneading her hooves into the back of her sister as she lay limply on the chaise, still partially hooked up to the hologram droid and its makeshift controller; Titus having had fabricated it just on the off chance Luna had need of maneuvering the droid to make it look like her hologram was walking about, also requiring him to stay up late inputting a walking animation into the model, "you need to try and relax; you are so tense I could probably bounce a Bit off of you."

"My apologies, Tia, but y-ugh-" Luna apologized dryly, her face contorting with another grunt as a hoof rolled over a muscle in a rather unpleasant manner, "you don't understand how stressful maintaining this karking spell all day everyday has been. Not only that, but I still have t-ouch!-" she shot her sister a glare as another sore spot was prodded, "I still have to deal with your faithful student's estrous cycle and that gartal device she uses incessantly."

"Stop squirming! If you remember, I did make arrangements for the palace masseuse but when she showed up for the appointment you magically barred the door and told her to go away. I gave you that choice, and instead of accepting the hooves of a professional you opted for the hooves of your sister. I also must point out that the predicament you find yourself in is one of your own making, due to... what did you call it? 'Oversights'?" Celestia put a bit more weight down on her hooves, effectively pinning her sister to the lounge as she saw the opportunity for teasing present itself, "As for Twilight Sparkle's use of a cooler I would like to call into question the authenticity of your disapproval, based on the familiar smell Mr. Aelius had lingering about him at court yesterday I have my doubts-" she leaned in extra close to her sister's ear as the blush spread upwards toward it and breathed softly, "unless, of course, it wasn't from the cooler..."

The Solar Princess watched the diminutive form pinned below her as it rapidly grew red and squirmed, struggling to break free until it was too tuckered out to continue at which point Celestia resumed kneading, moving from the shoulder to withers as Luna grumbled several more of the alien words in conjuncture with a feeble defense of her actions yesterday, "There you go again; your usage of Mr. Aelius' terminology has increased significantly as of late yet I doubt you know their meaning. I am curious; he uses the word 'kark' quite a bit, could you make sense of it?"

Luna cast a mildly perturbed glare at her elder sister which was accentuated with a grimace as yet another tender muscle was leaned on in the agonizingly-amateurish massage. By the way he had apologized after first saying the word in their presence both sisters agreed it was fairly safe to assume it had been an expletive of sorts, though the severity or lewdness was still not clear and a bit of an interest to both of them as they both enjoyed linguistics a fair deal. Having a better vantage point than her sister, Luna realized it was the perfect opportunity to deflect the teasing directed at her at her bipedal friend, detecting that he had arrived with her daily assortment of paperwork, "Why, dearest Tia, why not ask him yourself if you're so curious?" she innocently and conveniently challenged just as Titus pushed the door open with a shoulder because both hands were full.

"Ask me what, Your Highness?" he inquired, completely oblivious to the sisters game as he carried the handful over to the desk to sort it into the respective boxes as he had been instructed yesterday, in the process missing the squinted stare Celestia gave Luna.

So she wants to play, does she? Princess Celestia looked down on her sister imposingly, still pinned under her hooves but eyes yet burning with defiance. Very well, in due time we shall make the insolent worm squirm!

"Good afternoon, Mr. Aelius," she warmly greeted without giving hint to her ploy and stopping her massage but keeping her weight applied so Luna couldn't escape, "Before I pose my question, I must thank you for assisting my sister with her administrative duties; I was pleasantly surprised to find all of the important forms and documents I required this morning had been properly filled out and were waiting for me in my office's inbox without needing to traipse across the palace and hound my sister to finish them." The modest response that he had had little to do with it fell on deaf ears; Celestia knew her sister hated doing paperwork though she didn't push the matter further as she was currently more intent on setting up her maneuver against Luna, "Well, should you find yourself in need of or desiring employment I would personally see to it that we arrange a more permanent position. Having my sister's paperwork regularly completed in a reasonable amount of time would be well worth the expenditure."

One look at the heaped desk was enough to tell Titus that it would be more than a full time job considering that the papers visible were all related to current affairs; Luna having told him that the Solar and Lunar offices were currently working through a backlog when he had sat her down and almost strong-armed her through her workload, slightly worried that failure to meet the request Princess Celestia had made to him as they left court that he "please try to get these to my desk before court tomorrow afternoon" would be a black mark next to his name on some shadowy list somewhere.

"Now then, Luna and I were discussing your dialect as she has picked up several of your... colloquialisms yet we are left wondering their nature," Celestia feigned embarrassment at having to ask to sell her play. Clearing her throat after a brief pause, during which an eyebrow on the human raised in curiosity, she continued, "One that she seems to have taken a liking to is 'kark,' perhaps you could elaborate on its meaning."

Sitting himself in the desk's chair as both Royal Sister's fixed their gaze on him, Titus struggled with where to start, "Uh. Well, it's... less than polite, to be frank; sorry that that was what rubbed off-"

"Your apologies are not necessary, Titus," Luna cut him off with a snort and a roll of her eyes, "we are hardly the stuffy old mares our subjects would oft have you believe so please, enlighten us to the meaning of 'kark.' Is it equivalent in vulgarity or bear similar meaning to 'buck'?"

Titus drank in the odd sight of both royal sisters staring at him intently from over the back of the sofa, heads slightly titled to one side and ears fully forward eagerly waiting for his explanation of his otherworldly swearing. "I wouldn't say it's equal," he started, leaning back in the large chair to stare at the ceiling while he thought, "it's a bit shy of that... certainly getting there. No, the equivalents would be 'kriff' or 'frag' or 'crink' when it's used properly in a phrase, such as 'crink off' and there's a few others from various planets like 'irrumo'- that one's particularly crude.... Anyway, something to keep in mind is that human language varies from planet to planet and system to system; in fact 'kark' isn't a word of human origin - it's Huttese." At their shared expression of a raised eyebrow, he spent the next several minutes describing the slug-like Hutts that he had had dealings with, ending the lecture with a teasing grin of his own, "there's a countless number of other lexicons to draw from, as well. Perhaps you'd like me to make you a list of expletives for your perusal?"

"Were you to record what you know we imagine many of the ponies interested in linguistics would be very appreciative, ourselves among them. Speaking of recording; I must say, it was rather easy to ascertain whom had filled out the forms. Compared to hers," Celestia moved her hooves to another point on Luna's back in preparation for the powerplay she had set up, pushing her sister back onto the couch and out of sight. Floating one of the sheets from the outbox on the desk and retrieving a small notebook from the nightstand with her magic, she sent them drifting over to Titus for comparison, "your pencraft is much neater than that of my sister."

Holding the sheet that Princess Celestia had passed him Titus briefly opened the book to compare the two scripts before quickly shutting it again, realizing that it was Luna's diary and she probably wouldn't want him snooping around in it though the temptation was certainly there to read a few entries. Placing the book on the desk and turning away from it, he nodded his thanks for her praise, "I'll have take your word for it, Princess. I was more than happy to lend a hand filling out the paperwork for her as she dictated. If it meant Luna was preserving a bit of magic-"

Oh, almost forgot! A sudden look came to his face as he remembered that Luna was still plugged in to the hologram droid for her morning court appearance. Standing up from the desk chair, Titus made his way over to the sofa, "Sorry about that Luna, let's get that equipment off of you."

While the two were busy discussing how well the setup had been working, neither of them caught the mischievous glint to Celestia's eyes as a small smile came to her face; several moments later she took Luna's sigh at being finally free of the cables and visor she had been wearing as her cue to bring down the proverbial hammer on her sister, "Thank you again for your assistance in aiding my dearest sister, this whole situation is-" the Solar alicorn subtly shifted the weight of one hoof onto one of Luna's sore back muscles and allowed the small yelp to cut her off. Looking up to the somewhat startled human, Celestia scrunched her face up in feigned contemplation for a moment before smiling brightly, "Mr. Aelius, I don't suppose you'd be willing to once again lend a hand or two with another matter plaguing my sister?"

Something in her eyes made Titus hesitantly gulp, casting a look to Luna who was clearly as confused as he was and couldn't clarify what Princess Celestia might be talking about, "I... sure. What can I do?"

"As you're aware constantly maintaining the spell every minute of the day has been incredibly taxing for her, and-" a thought-out adjustment of her weight produced another grunt. "My apologies, Lulu," Celestia copied the sarcastic tone her sister had given her earlier and leaned in to whisper, "Lucky for you, it would seem a third option has presented itself."

Celestia watched with amusement as her sister squirmed for a moment before returning her attention to Titus, "Like I was saying, the spell has caused her a lot of stress and, as you can see, her muscles are all tied up in knots and we believe this may be interfering with the regenerative process of her magic. In the past I have not had an issue massaging her however my hooves are proving a bit too cumbersome on account of her current, smaller frame." Again Celestia pushed a hoof lightly into the taunt muscles in the appearance of illustrating her point, though in reality she was acting to prevent the forthcoming resistance her counterpart would put up, "Normally this wouldn't be an issue but because of her appearance she has obstinately refused to allow the palace masseuse an appointment, which left no other option than for me to do my best; that, Mr. Aelius, is where I would request that you and your hands step in."

The emphasis she had put on her "request" was the only warning he had before she took his wrists in her magic and navigated them to a spot high up on Luna's neck, the pull forcing him to sit right next to the alicorn languishing on her belly. W-what is Princess Celest- it was then that he felt the taut muscles beneath her fur, each one so stiff he was surprised she could move. He had been pleasantly surprised when he had arrived this morning to find that she definitely looked better than she had the previous night as her mane had gone back to its usual flowing form and she had begun to molt her grey-blue feathers with a fresh batch of midnight colored ones coming in, but her current state brought him to worry, "Wow Luna, a-are you okay? You're really tense." He subconsciously started rubbing lightly with his fingers, "Look, I'd like to help, but uh... I don't know if I'm the best person for this."

"As I've already said, she refuses to see the professional we have on staff. Correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Aelius, but does your hollow image machine not function by mirroring the movements of our sister?" Celestia posed, continuing after a hesitant nod from Titus, "So, in her current state of immobility any image broadcast will also mirror her distress, and should the court take notice - which I can assure they most certainly will - it will raise questions on Luna's health. She's stiff as a board! One could prop her up under the muzzle and rump and the middle wouldn't sag. Are you following what I'm saying, Mr. Aelius?"

"I am, Princess," he replied, taking a long glance at the remote droid and gear sitting to one side before switching his attention to Luna, "What are your thoughts on this, friend?"

Before Luna could respond another hoof pressed into her back and all the visibly nervous alicorn managed was a *erk!* in response.

Princess Celestia giggled. "Here, try lightly kneading right... there! Go slowly," her golden aura dragged his wrists slightly to one side. A few minutes of work later and the flexed muscles in Luna's upper neck were visibly relaxed, the motions of the fingers getting a sigh of relieved contentment from the little alicorn. Again the magic pulled, moving his hands halfway down her neck as Celestia instructed him to use a bit more strength.

"Mmm!" Luna sighed as Titus' thumbs pressed harder and moved in small circles, following the length of the muscle he was working like he was trying to push everything out of a tube of toothpaste. Sorry, sister, but I see your scheme and it backfired. I was nervous about this, but it simply feels too divine for me to care. She experimentally rolled her head around before resting it back on the arm of the sofa, "It was a nice attempt Tia, but we're quite tempted to place this human creature in our indefinite custody as a personal masseur; if you would just fetch the necessary forms from one of our desk drawers we will file them posthaste with the dungeon master," she joked, poking her tongue out teasingly at Titus who only rolled his eyes.

Don't get cocky, kid. Princess Celestia smirked as she used her magic to adjust Titus' hands, sliding them slowly across her sister's fur toward her forelegs. This? This is only the beginning. "Really dig those fingers and work her triceps, biceps and pectorals. After that, make your way slowly down to her hoof." It took Titus quite some time to inch his way down each of her long legs, following the muscle groups as they were pointed at with a hoof and having to shake out a hand cramp out at the end. Celestia appeared a little startled at the pops of his fingers as he bent them forcefully with his other hand, though studying his unflinching face as he cracked the knuckles on his second hand made her realize it must have been a normal thing for humans to do, "Have you strained your hands, Mr. Aelius? Do you require a respite?"

"Uh," Titus' brow furrowed as he looked from Celestia to Luna, who was visibly less tense as she rolled both shoulders freely, "I thought I was done. Did I miss something?" Shoulders, arms, and neck... sounds like a fairly thorough massage to me.

Princess Celestia ran a gold-shod hoof from the base of Luna's skull all the way down her spine to stop just above where her back connected with the base of her wings before flashing the human a coy smile as she lifted a wing with one hoof and spread it open with the other, "You still have a little more to do."

"S-sister?!" Luna sat up in shock when her wing was unfurled from her side. She's bluffing.

While Titus had secretly wanted to run a hand over Luna's soft-looking wing for some time now, for some reason - probably spawned by what Dash had told him about touching wings - he shared in a small portion of her apprehension and sat up a bit straighter on the lounge, "Um, the wings? A-aren't they a bit... sensitive, Princess?"

"Oh they are very much so, but they've become a necessity to our everyday routine. You've seen how we use our wings for authoritative displays in court; but look-" she replied as she continued to extend the wing. It was only partly open when it started quivering from the tension, at which point Celestia released the appendage and it quickly snapped back closed on its own, "Tell me, on a scale of one to ten, how regal did that little display look to you?"

"Maybe a... three?" he answered honestly and gave Luna a rub on her shoulder when his low score caused her to noticeably deflate, "Sorry friend, but your sister does have a point..." Titus trailed off as she stared at him, not entirely sure what the look on her face was trying to convey.

"F-fine!" the small alicorn pouted, sticking her lip out in a very cliché manner as she wiggled deeper into the soft cushion of the lounge. A three? A three?! Yes, we will definitely be discussing this later, friend. One eye opened to shoot him a glare when the rubbing turned in to several gentle pats before the hand left left her shoulder, "Just get it over with, but know that I hardly believe that was deserving of such a harsh scoring."

Princess Celestia waited for her sister to relax back into the chaise before magicking Titus' hands and lending a hoof to gently hold the wing open for him, "Take the wing here; do you feel that bone? That's the radius and the one slightly below and running parallel is the ulna." She gave him a moment to run his fingers lightly over the two bones and continued when he gave a satisfied nod that he had identified both bones; Luna, in the meantime, had sunk even lower into the cushion with a small sigh. "Follow the ulna down toward her back and you'll encounter the wing triceps with the bicep just forward of them, and a little bit further down toward her barrel is your final target: the supracostalis." Celestia could tell that Titus was fighting to process the small biology lesson while the distraction of Luna's feathers brushed against his hands; sitting opposite him, she leaned in and whispered softly into her sister's ear, "I think Mr. Aelius admires your plumage, Lulu." The desired effect of both of her sister's eyes snapping open as a blush of pure crimson rushed to her cheeks told the Solar Princess that she knew which of Luna's buttons to press.

"Indeed I do, Princess," Titus offered as his thumbs and fingers pressed the muscles in a wave-like motion and watched as the action slowly sent his friend's muzzle back to the arm of the chaise with a heavy breath, "blue is one of my favorite colors and Luna happens to be displaying two very nice shades at the moment." While he meant well with his compliment and hoped it would ease her tension it had the exact opposite effect on Luna and he had to restart the tricep massage.

"My apologies, Mr. Aelius, one would think after the garden party I would know not to underestimate your hearing." She watched as Titus moved down from the tricep to the bicep and applied pressure from both the top and bottom of the wing at the same time, which drew another heavy breath from the little alicorn. Part of Celestia sulked at the contentment on Luna's face which changed every now and then into silent "Ooo's" and "Aah's" as the human's fingers rolled in small circles down the supracostalis. Drat. It would appear my plan failed; my sister is either enjoying the massage too much to care or she's just that comfortable with him. Still, well done my dearest Lu, well done.

"You certainly look happy, Princess," Titus inquired, having taken notice of Celestia's cheerfully-lost-in-thought look.

The Solar alicorn gave a hearty laugh, "As I very well should be! After a long week of bitter arguing and political showboating a brief meeting tomorrow morning is all that remains between now and Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom making a formal announcement at court that we've come to an agreement." Just the thought of an end to the whole ordeal made the Princess sigh out loud, "Seeing as my sister is enjoying herself so immensely, once the Griffon delegation has departed perhaps you'd be willing to turn the attention of your hands to our own aching muscles-"

"Tia, were you not just reprimanding me because we-Mm~mmf!-we've got somepony on staff for that?" Luna playfully chided and took her wing - now no longer muscle bound thanks to the massage - and draped it over the closest of his shoulders to seemingly shield him from her sister, "and I'm afraid you'll have to find another human to befriend and abscond; this one is my personal masseur."

"Unbelievable," Titus said under his breath and shook his head, reaching over Luna to move onto her other wing in such a way that the wonderfully soft and comfortable one on his shoulders didn't have to move, repeating the process of working from muscle group to muscle group. It became apparent the alicorns had heard his muttering as he quickly found both sisters waiting for him to continue with quizzical looks on their faces, "It's just that in one week I go from being an intergalactic traveler to a court secretary and amateur masseur."

"You needn't sound so disappointed, Mr. Aelius; you forget to add 'covert political espionage' to your list of accomplishments for the week-"

"And 'Best Friend' as well!" Luna twisted herself around to nuzzle her face against one of his working hands which stopped massaging to cup her cheek; Luna quickly wrapping her hooves around the limb to keep it in place.

"Thank you both, but uh... Luna?" while Titus appreciated the gesture and attempted to return the feeling in kind by using a thumb to rub her muzzle, eliciting a surprised purr, Luna's more subtle changes in body language went unperceived on account that he was still learning the different tells, "I can't finish this until you let go."

Princess Celestia was not only old enough to know what to look for in ponies but knew every nuance that was unique to Luna; from the more subtle way the tip of one of her ears would twitch slightly to how several of the stars in her ethereal mane shone ever so faintly brighter than the rest and the more obvious signs such as her shift to get the maximum amount of area of physical contact with his hip. Judging from my sister it would seem my faithful student once again seeks relief from her cycle. Celestia placed a hoof on Luna's shoulder to draw her attention away from the human and leaned in close to whisper - this time low enough that he couldn't possibly hear, "Sister, forgive me; but you must let Mr. Aelius go. You know why you can't do this.."

The nuzzles against his hand stopped and the Princess that had looked so content seconds ago suddenly was crestfallen. Thinking it was his own fault, having told her that he had made prior arrangements for the afternoon, Titus apologized, "I-I'm sorry Luna, but I really do have to keep to my schedule - I agreed to drop by the barracks because the Lieutenant's herd really wanted to meet me while I'm in Canterlot. That, then a display of my training regimen per Captain Shining Armor's request, and I'll be right back here to help you knock out today's paperwork." He knew that the mention of having to deal with the day's work would definitely not brighten his friend's day, so he leaned in to Luna's other ear and hid his mouth from Celestia with a hand using an obviously fake whisper tone, "And then, once we're done, you and I can fire up Vanguards of the Oubliette; I stayed up late last night looking over the spreadsheets you gave me for my character."

That was precisely what Luna needed to hear to brighten up.

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Day 7
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"No! No, come on in," Titus pushed his door open with a foot, hands full of the daily missives for Luna. Placing the shoulder bag and papers on the hallway table he led Lieutenant Bulwark and his herd into his quarters. "It's not an intrusion at all; in fact I've got a little bit of time before I have to deliver these as the two Princesses are in a meeting. Let's see, uh, you guys said you're pretty interested in my tech so there's some droids in the corner over there if you want to take a look at those while I get some drinks," he gave them a moment to inspect the MagnaGuards; one of the machines balancing on the balls of its feet to shake a hoof as Titus made for the bar and quietly thanked the insomnia that had kept him up last night to program several actions in an attempt to make the combat droids a bit less imposing. When the ponies had gotten their fill, the trio of ponies all hopped up on the sofa opposite the armchair.

"Thanks for waiting; we discussed and slept on the idea for a night..." the pregnant yellow earth pony mare, Engilding Glimmer, stated from the sitting area with her husband to one side of her and on the other the forest-green pegasus Emerald Contrail. Taking each of their hooves in her own, she continued, "and we agreed we would like to know what to expect; colt or filly."

"If you're sure," Titus finished pouring the various flavors of juice and made his way over to place the drinks on the coffee table before he knelt down in front of the couch where the ponies were sitting and extended an open hand, "Alright, let's see if we can say 'hi' to your youngling. Glimmer, may I?" At her nod he placed his hand on her swollen barrel and, like so many times before, let out a deep breath as he drew on the Force to seek out her foal; all the while questioning why he had felt compelled to offer to do this as the procedure would have been far simpler if he had access to his ship's medical bay and its pair of droids. Heck, if Luna wasn't using the remote droid, modifying the sensors for this would be a cinch. Feeling a small kick helped him zero-in on his intended target. "Oh, hello there..." he muttered as he slowly back-traced the ripples in the Force the little foal's kick had made.

Bulwark sat up enthusiastically, "Have you found her?"

"Him," Glimmer corrected her husband half teasingly, turning to her pegasus herdmate as best she could from her position lying down on her side, "And what about you, Connie? What are you hoping our little munchkin will be?"

Kark, what have I gotten myself into? I don't know anything about kids. Foals. Whatever. Titus mentally brushed through the miasma of the mare's Force signature to hone-in on the one in her womb. Come on, little guy gal you, gimme something... A small flicker caught his attention and Titus subconsciously shifted his head to face it. Gotcha!

Emerald evidently didn't want to pick sides and rolled her eyes dramatically, "Niece. Nephew. I don't care as long as I get to be an aunt."

Finally achieving a lock on the unique aura, the smile on Titus' face quickly transitioned to a frown of contemplation as the ponies continued to chat excitedly amongst each other, Gotcha... both? It only took a second to confirm that there were, in fact, two almost-identical yet unique signatures though one of them was slightly weaker than the other. Something about it felt wrong. "Uh," his brain, sluggish from lack of sleep, ground until it found the gears to chug forward with his thought while maintaining his focus on the two flares in an attempt to acquire more information. "Well..." pulling his hand away, he looked from the Lieutenant to Glimmer, "if you've made any wagers with each other I'd say they're void - from what I've found you're actually carrying both."

He gave them all a moment for the news to settle and several hugs to be passed along - himself receiving an enthusiastic one from the mother-to-be before moving on to his concern, "I don't want to alarm anyone here but- it's probably easier to show you than explain, so..." he repeated the process but had a much easier time locating the two signatures the second time around; once he had a clear image of both he extended a second hand in search of one of the other ponies and flooded their conscious with what he was seeing when he finally made contact, letting them observe for themselves and say hello for a few moments before showing it to the next parent. "I'm not saying I can tell something is wrong with any certainty because, quite frankly, you guys are alien to me, but it wouldn't hurt to check in with the doctor or hospital, just to be safe-"

"And Aunt Connie says we'll be going right now. Let's go stud, move those flanks! You too, Glimm," the pegasus was the first off the sofa, physically pushing her husband to his hooves and marching him toward the door to hold it open as her pregnant herdmate followed in a careful waddle. "Thanks for this, Titus. Here-" she said with beamish smile and a wave; something small sailing through the air which he snatched as the door closed before he could formulate a response.

Titus stared at the back of the door for several seconds then down to the small medallion identical to the one the Lieutenant had. I think it's safe to assume who's the alpha in that herd. As he was fastening the gift around his neck the paperwork still awaiting delivery caught his attention from the corner of his eye and drew Titus' knackered mind back to the present to contemplate all that he yet had to accomplish with the day, though the thick rug he was sitting on was very comfortable and was tempting him to just remain where he was. After a quick glance at the grandfather clock he spent several moments looking over at the idle MagnaGuards. "Kark me I'm tired... but 'what better way to wake up than rigorous training,' right?"

------------

"-as pertaining to your inquiry; by law, the Lunar Office requires a notarized copy of Requisition Form C-47, in addition to-" Luna was lounging on the summoned riding cloud above head level as she dictated to her human friend (and temporary secretary) when she stopped; a small red dot appeared and spreading out as it was absorbed into the parchment. Realizing he hadn't noticed she tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to her muzzle with a hoof as several more splotches fell beside the other.

Titus' hands went up in exasperation. "Oh frag it all to-" he swore as he crumpled up yet another missive to suffer from similar tarnishing and tossed it in the trash can with the others. Reaching for a tissue and holding it against his nose, Titus pushed himself an arms-length away from the desk, "Sorry Luna. If you give me a second to stop... leaking I'll restart the form; I've got the entries all but memorized, so you can relax and watch your telly-vision or something."

"You go relax and watch TV 'or something,'" she counter-offered, plucking the quill from his hand with a bit of magic and dipping it in the inkpot with an amused grin, "I am perfectly capable of completing my own paperwork."

It was just as quickly snatched back and the Princess' conceited grin was rewarded with a finger lightly bopping her on the nose, "Stop that! You know Princess Celestia said 'No Magic' until you're back to one hundred percent power, and uh-" he pointed to her tensed wings and their two-toned plumage, "you're not quite there yet." While he had to admit Luna was continuing to look much better - which Celestia had attributed to yesterday's massage reopening magic-channels or something, the explanation had lost him somewhere around the time it had started to sound like one of Twilight's lectures on advanced spell-weaving theoretics - the muted blue-grey and midnight feathers in conjuncture with her smaller frame were hard to miss.

"What are you, my caretaker now?" she pouted playfully and reached down to poke his shoulder again with a hoof, "Some sort of Magic Police?"

Ow that karking smarts! Titus hid a wince and regretted the choice of this morning's training with the droids in his exhausted state because before he had been able to put them down he had received quite a thrashing, one which was outwardly evident by the bloody nose that that had been spontaneously reoccurring off and on since. "One appointed by your sister, yes," he emphasized his statement by jabbing the fluffy end of the quill at her, coming close enough to almost brush her snout with it, "And, I might add, she told me I was to ignore your protests at not being allowed to use magic; going so far as to grant me the authority to disobey any commands you might give me to overlook said usage. Speaking of... is that cloud you're resting on any form of expenditure of your reserves?"

"Really, how lecherous!" Luna feigned indignant shock at the question and stuck her snout in the air haughtily, "Such talk of my 'reserves' and their expenditure is both a private matter and highly inappropriate, Mr. Aelius!" She was having a hard time keeping a straight face and peaked out the corner of her eye to judge the impact of her response to find her friend hunched over the table scribbling something. Subtly stretching her still rather stiff and aching neck, having opted to get her court paperwork out of the way before the massage rather than vice-versa, and with Titus making no attempt to obscure her vision of the parchment she easily followed along as the words were quickly and surprisingly neatly written. 'Dear... Princess... Celestia...' He's writing a letter to my sister?! 'Luna... is... acting... like a... pigheaded... foal-'

"Oh, 'a pigheaded foal,' huh?" The quill left a long streak across the parchment as she swiped it up from the table with a small amount of magic before she crumpling it up and bounced the offending article off of his nose, "HA! Take that! Your leaky nose is much more akin to a pig's than ours!"

Glancing at the balled-up letter now rolling away on the floor, Titus pointed a finger up at Luna then down at the evidence, "Hey! That was an unapproved use of magic! I'll have none of that on my watch!" He quickly realized he might have underestimated just how much of a playful mood his friend was in when multiple sheets of blank paper from the stack he kept to one side floated up and crunched into little balls while Luna stared at him with a defiantly mischievous smirk. "Don't. You. Dare," a sharp jab of a finger in her direction accompanied each word.

"Oink oink oink!" Several more missiles bouncing off of his head indicated his attempt at seriousness was an utter failure as a cry of "Down with the Magic Police!" broke through the room and the riding cloud zipped away.

Titus found himself under constant barrage as his friend reacquired the projectiles she threw, forcing him back out of the office nook and into cover - but not before he grabbed a handful of blank parchment for his own use. "Cease and desist this instant!" he shouted back blindly firing his ammunition around a corner; a few shrieks of laughter indicating hits, "Rebellious scum! Take that!"

"It's over, friend!" she gleefully hollered down at him as the dense cloud deflected several of his shots. She sent a storm raining down on the human's cover though none made contact as he briefly scooted across an open area behind the rolling office chair before doing a diving roll behind the bar, "I have the high ground!" She failed, however, to see his arms were full of readied projectiles just waiting to be unleashed.

The light paper ammunition plonked off of the stocked bottles of the bar, the missiles only outnumbered by the taunts also hurled his way from the alicorn on high. A multitude of shots whipped around the corner of the counter-top at an impossible right angle, catching him by surprise. Well then, if she's going to use magic to cheat it's only fair to level the playing field.

Breaking from his cover in a blur, his Force-heightened speed allowed him to nimbly dodge multiple projectiles that should have otherwise hit him; a sweep of a hand brushed aside her second desperate salvo as he closed in on her position and vaulted himself up off of the back of the sofa. In a hail of fire that made Luna duck behind the cloud for cover, Titus Force-leapt himself into the air well above her and let loose his armament, paper wads bouncing off of her snout, flank, forehead, shoulder, and one impaling itself on her horn. Still firing at his target, Titus somersaulted in the air and planted his feet against the ceiling rather than careening into it head-first, going into a full crouch as his legs absorbed the remaining energy of his leap; his momentum spent he began his fall, intending to land back in cover to resume his assault on the upstart alicorn.

Luna, however, was fast to recover - magically snatching the descending human mid-air and pulling him the short distance onto the soft cloud beside her. Now in close quarters, the two wrestled on the springy surface as the cloud floated to the living room floor, unable to support their combined weight; Titus' size and leverage advantage proved difficult for Luna to handle for a short time, however her brute alicorn strength (and maybe the covert usage of a little magic) eventually overcame it and she pinned him on his stomach below her. "W-we ha-*haa*-have thou, villain!" she said around her panting breaths at the sudden exercise, wings spread out triumphantly, "Surrender and agree to our terms or be trounced a second time!"

"Magnificent," Titus whispered reflexively, catching sight of her displayed two-tone plumage out of the corner of his eye and only becoming aware he had spoken aloud when an intense blush broke through Luna's coat. Feeling her weight shift in her abashment - unfortunately right onto his sore shoulder - he very briefly contemplated breaking the pin and continuing, but for the sake of preventing any further use of magic and resuming the day's work Titus opted to end their conflict. Sputtering several puffs of cloud that had found their way into his mouth on account of a hoof on one side of his head lightly yet forcefully pressing it into the fluffy mass, "A-and what are your demands?" he made a show of weakly struggling to play the character of a foe defeated, "I shall know them before deciding whether I submit or fight to the last!"

"Our demands are threefold," she replied with an air of authority as she realized that, despite his allusion to further roughhousing, he was giving up and, deep down, she was a little disappointed as this sort of physical activity wasn't one she could enjoy very often; she was no match for her sister, who was often too busy or would just pin her little sister beneath the Royal Solar Rump until she conceded, and the thought of even asking a guard or subject was unfathomable. "First, after your clerical duties are completed thou shall remain here to engage in a block of entertainment of our choosing. Snacks and refreshments are to be provided for the defeated party to partake for the duration," waiting for a moment and seeing no visual cues of objection to the first term of surrender on his face, Luna continued. "Demand the second: in regards to the message from Twilight Sparkle we delivered earlier this week, thou shall administer for our experience and critique one, um... 'wonderful ear-rub,' as she described it. Are the terms of your surrender agreeable thus far?"

The human's head bounced up and down on the cloud as much as it could from his current position, "Yeah, I guess so. But what about the third?"

"I-it will be made at the conclusion of the first two..."

Her reply was a bit too sheepish for Titus' liking, so decided to take advantage of her earlier shift in position to pull a reversal - one arm shooting up behind the base of her wing and along her barrel while a foot swept her hind legs out from under her, depositing her roughly onto her side as several more puffs of the springy cloud floated up around her cushioned impact. "If I'm going to surrender I have one term of my own: you're going to oblige your sister's request, so if there's anything you'd usually use magic for you'll instead ask for my assistance first. Do we have a deal?"

Luna sighed as she sent one last paper ball bouncing off his nose before she gave him a nod, "Very well, we have an agreement. Come," she directed the cloud into a slow glide across the floor back to the office nook where their brief firefight had started, "let us finish this karking paperwork so that we may move on to more enjoyable activities."

It wasn't until several hours later that Titus set the quill pen aside for the last time, gently blowing on the immaculately-completed document to dry the ink before placing it in the outbox with a combination of relieved sigh and weary grunt as he tried to reinvigorate himself by rubbing his face with both hands, "Thank the stars that's done! I don't think I could stand to look at another form let alone fill one out."

Do I tell him he still had wet ink on his hands or let him walk around for a bit with those blotches all over his face? The Princess was doing a good job of suppressing her mirth at her friend's expense and managed to keep a straight face as he turned to look at her on the cloud. Realizing it would be suspicious to not say anything, she nodded in agreement, "Yes, we are on 'Easy Avenue,' as my sister likes to say, for the rest of the afternoon."

"Easy? Easy for you, maybe," he grunted as he pushed himself out of the office chair with some effort, rolling his shoulder around in its socket a couple of times once he had stood up, "If you've forgotten, you wanted to get your paperwork completed before your massage, so I've still got that staring me in the face before I'm anywhere near Easy Avenue or whatever."

"Perhaps you could... not and say you did?" Luna offered hopefully though in the back of her mind she knew Titus would not betray the promise he had made to her sister so easily. Her gut feeling was proven correct when he snorted in response and removed the wad of paper still stuck on her horn so he could bounce it off of her snout, shoo'ing her and her cloud toward the lounge with the other hand. Desperate and with no other way to stall the impending massage Luna informed him of the ink smudges covering most of his cheeks and forehead.

Thinking she was fibbing Titus moved his face closer to a silver platter that lay on the coffee table and checked himself in the reflection for the ink - identifying the serving platter as the same one he had seen at his scone breakfast with Princess Celestia. "Right. It would seem you've bought yourself a brief moment," he said, turning this way and that to inspect the dark blotches before summoning up his best disappointed glare to return back at his alicorn friend, "You know, I would have appreciated it if you'd have told me before I rubbed my hands all over my face, though that little smirk of yours is telling me you probably enjoyed watching me do it. I'll be right back then there'll be no more delays, got it?" With her permission he stepped into her bathroom to wash his face.

It was the first time he'd been in a bathroom as large and gorgeous as this one; pristine white tile offset by dark woods and black marble counter-tops, shining silver and gold faucets and taps, a full porcelain bathtub set flush into the floor and a massive walk-in shower with the image of the moon etched into the glass door. He had scarcely lathered his hands and started scrubbing when the door swung open and Luna made a quick beeline for the shower, "Uh, everything okay-?" it was at the moment she passed him and closed the shower door - tucking her hooves under herself and laying on the shower floor - that a familiar sweet scent wafted along behind her. Oh... she'd probably appreciate me not saying anything. As odd as it felt how nonchalantly she had just hopped in the shower with him there, Titus went back to clean his splotchy face but the mirror he was using fogged up as the bathroom quickly turned into a sauna, steam literally pouring over the top of the shower as Luna remained comfortably arranged on the floor with an expression of complete contentment.

"D-did you hear that, friend?"

Her question came just as Titus had his face under the sink's running tap. "Sorry, did you say something?" Turning to face her, he found a dripping wet Luna already halfway out of the shower and tentatively headed for the door leaving little watery hoofprints in her wake, the shower still running full blast as even more steam billowed out.

"T-Titus?" Luna's ears were on full alert as she silently stalked the final distance to the bathroom door that was cracked slightly open, pausing on three hooves and going statue-still when she recognized a familiar sound. "Titus, there's somepony at the door. There's somepony knocking at the door! I... what am I going to do?!"

Doubting she had heard anything, Titus instead thought had seen he was almost done washing his face and was trying to stall again, nevertheless he stuck his head out of the bathroom to listen and heard the voice call from the door. This is bad. The whole operation is at stake. "Okay, calm down Luna," Titus quickly finished dunking his head in the sink, though a good portion of the water ended up on his shoulders and neck of his shirt, before hastily drying himself as best he could with a small hoof towel from the stack on the counter while sliding sideways into the bathroom doorway beside the alicorn, "It'll just take a few minutes to hook you back up to the-" a sudden flash of memory reminded him that the droid he had spent hours calibrating for projecting Luna's hologram was still in his shoulder bag in his room, "Kark, we don't have any display drones here in your quarters that are ready for use."

A sour look came to Luna's face as a familiar and rather unwanted voice called through the door. "Ugh, it's that stuck-up, egotistical distant nephew of mine, Prince Blueblood. Under no circumstances is he to see me like this or it'll be all over Canterlot before the sun even sets! Expeditiously answer the door and get rid of him," she got behind Titus and started physically pushing him out of the bathroom, "I don't care how you go about it!"

A third set of raps that were obviously from a pony growing impatient meant Titus only took a few seconds to weigh his options and formulate a plan. If the guards hadn't have been sent away to prevent them from spotting Luna or note how she never left her room this would have been a quick matter of her ordering them to turn away visitors. Wait... the guards- The thought of the guards made him recall when he had been dragged from the room a few days ago, sparking the beginnings of a rash plan.

Titus turned around and leaned closer to face the alicorn that was steadily pushing him for the door; her frantic look of desperation as if her world was on the brink of collapsing prompted him to extend a hand to her shoulder that eventually slid up to her cheek when the contact didn't have its usual calming effect, "Luna, I have an idea. What I need is for you to yell like you're mad at me... and maybe sock me lightly in the nose, too." Luna's expression turned to one of confusion as she tried to grasp what he had planned; when she sputtered that she couldn't just be angry at him for no reason and she certainly wouldn't be hitting him Titus realized he'd have to try and provide a worthy cause for her to raise her voice and, with no time to explain as a forth series of raps on the door was followed by the locked handle being tested, he took her other cheek in his hand held her head steady, angling it to one side as he spoke, "Luna, I'm improvising here, so please forgive what I'm about to do."

"Friend, w-wait, what are you-mmph!" Luna's eyes grew to monopolize most of her face as her friend quickly closed in; the feeling of his lips pressing on hers cut her off mid sentence. The contact was fleeting and nothing felt forced, but it was enough for her heart to skip significantly more than a single beat from the sudden unexpected shock. When he pulled away she could scarcely believe what had just happened, "W-w-why... Why would you do that?!" she hollered incredulously.

Standing up he was quietly thankful she hadn't magically turned him inside out or teleported him to the center of the sun. "Sorry Luna, I uh... yeah," Titus gave her his best apologetic smile, "But hey, that was good - there's no way your nephew didn't hear that. So on to phase two..." taking his nose in one hand he gave it a sharp yank, rewarding him with a fresh dribble of warm blood and a slightly queasy look from Luna. Titus made as much of a racket as he could jogging over to the door, going so far as to brush several of his less delicate tools from a table to the floor in a metallic clattering that echoed off the walls as well as retrieve the silver platter and place it near the door. And if this ploy doesn't work I could always try the mind trick; it worked on that pegasus, afterall. With a nod of assurance to Luna he unlocked the door and ducked out of her room in one fluid movement, yanking the door closed just as he used the Force to propel the platter at the closed portal like it had been thrown at him.

Titus exhaled heavily, playing it up like he had sprinted for his life as his head came to rest on the heavy obsidian door. He remained like that for a few more short breaths before rolling himself to place his back against the door and find a thoroughly startled white unicorn backpedaling away from him.

"Egad!" Blueblood's gaze was firmly fixed on the ample amount of blood flowing from the biped's nose. "G-get back, creature! Don't come any closer!"

"Hey, relax." Slumping to a sitting position with a sigh to make himself appear less threatening, though more subtly he was arranging himself to bodily block the door should the pony try to get around him into Luna's quarters, "I'm not going to hurt you-"

The Prince shook his head and ceased his retreat though he remained well out of arms reach, "Hurt me? You're that alien - it's well known you're not hostile. I'm more worried about that," he pointed a hoof at Titus' nose, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get red stains out of a coat as white and well groomed as mine?! Now then, if you'd kindly mop up any remnants of your nasal gushing and demonstrate your primate ability to walk upright to promptly remove yourself from my path I, Prince Blueblood, would seek audience with my aunt, Princess Luna, to discuss highly important business - business well above your station and most likely beyond your limited sapien intellect."

It was Titus' turn to shake his head, "I should warn you that would be a bad idea, Prince. A very bad idea. In case you haven't noticed, the Princess isn't in the best of moods right now and I can't really blame her - she's looking at having to completely redo a bunch of reports and double check the entirety of today's paperwork, which includes filing additional forms to make the other offices aware of the required revisions. Needless to say your aunt has a long grind of ahead of her." He mentally crossed his fingers in hope that Luna's distaste for paperwork was common knowledge or, at the very least, known to someone like the Prince.

"I had heard she was teaching her pet to do tricks but I am to believe that is why you are bloodied and look scruffier than normal? What role did you play in putting the Princess in such a foul temperament, human?"

Scruffy? Who's scruffy looking? A second glance at his current appearance and Titus had to concede that point to Blueblood. "Being her appointed secretary I brought to her attention a rather glaring oversight on her part on a key document and, as the closest release of frustration, a lovely arrangement of flowers and the vase they were in was dumped on my head; hence my current dampness," he gestured to his drenched hair and clothing before pointing at his bloodied nose, "This I got when I tripped over a fold in a carpet during my hasty retreat for the door when the error I found carried over to entries on other forms which required redaction. Hardly the Princess' fault," his head slumped to his chest as he hid a second use of the Force, searching for and pulling multiple objects from within the room to crash into the other side of the door in quick succession, "again, I wouldn't go in there if I were you; it sounds like anything in hoofs-reach is liable to be thrown."

Several seconds of silence transpired as Prince Blueblood weighed his options, glancing from the disheveled, weary looking human to the sealed door barring him from his business with the Princess.

"I bet that last crash was the wine bottle labeled Marelot that she had pointed out this morning," Titus wagered with himself just loud enough for the Prince's heightened equine hearing to pick up as a trace amount of red liquid pooled from under the door and (with a little assistance from the Force) ran in the Prince's direction, "A shame, really; having just restocked her quarters there's all of those other red varieties at risk of being wastefully destroyed..."

That was what pushed Blueblood over the fence, "I should go see Aunt Celestia, perhaps she will be available to discuss a raise in my weekly allowance." Muttering something about risking wine stains on his coat the Prince retreated down the hallway, casting several more glances at the waving human pile still slumped against the door amid the red puddle before disappearing around the far set of doors.

Pushing himself up from the floor with a grunt Titus slid back through the door, carefully stepping over the shattered bottle of cranberry juice and working himself around the puddle lest he leave red footprints in his wake as he moved back into Luna's quarters. "Luna? Where'd you go?" he called out, not catching sight of her immediately but on a second scan around the room he spotted a trail of little puddles leading to a comfortable-looking reading corner; behind a lone armchair a horn and a pair of ear-tips poking out from their hiding spot. "Hey, you can come out now," he walked the short distance and peered around the back, finding the shivering alicorn seated with a bath towel over her still-drenched body as she tried to hold a hand mirror steady, "Mission accomplished."

"S-so I s-see," she replied; her teeth chattering lightly she turned the mirror to face him to show that the reflective surface instead displayed an image of the hallway and the black door, "A good f-fib regarding the oversight, however s-saying I d-dumped a vase of water on you w-was a l-little over the t-top, wouldn't you a-agree?"

"Maybe... but it all worked in the end, right?" he was forced to back up to allow her escape from her hiding spot, though once out she continued toward him menacingly, "Right?!"

"Oh yes-s-s, the outcome was a-agreeable," she said before pulling the towel from her shoulders and twisting it almost like it was a rope, "it was y-your method that left something to be d-d-desired!"

*SNAP!*

"CRINKING-Nnngh! What the frag was that for?!" Titus shouted in response, gripped the spot on his outer thigh where the towel had viciously whipped him. One look at the Princess was enough to guess exactly what it was for, "Luna, look; I apologize, but we didn't exactly have time to sit down for a briefing what with Prince Narcissist battering down the gates and I needed you to sound upset. I'll admit it was a rash thing to do, and I appreciate you not blasting me for it, but the other option I was considering was smashing your game machine-"

"Yes, fine! From the two we will admit you made the preferable choice," she waved a hoof dismissively as she cut him off. Of all the amenities of her luxurious quarters, it was the common gaming console that Luna enjoyed the most and in the time before she and Titus had become close she had considered it the nearest thing to a friend that she had - as immature and inane a thing like that was, now that she thought about it - had the cherished little machine been smashed she wasn't sure what she would have done. "A little warning next time would be appreciated, however."

"Oh, expecting a 'next time,' are we?"

Luna whipped him once more on the calf of his leg, though with less of a resounding crack, "Do not think your roguish charm makes you impervious! Such a stunt would normally carry grave consequences though, fortunately for you, I am simply adding a few terms to your prior surrender." It's not like it was unpleasant, just... unexpected. And my sister is right; my position as a Princess would only cause issues for us both. She trotted after him a short distance, snapping the air behind him with the towel and playfully herding him toward the bathroom, "Now go fetch my bathrobe and manedryer; I'm positively freezing and, as you've forbidden use of magic, you shall have to aid me." He emerged a short time later - having taken the chance to wash the blood from his nose and get his hair back in what could loosely pass for order - carrying the deep cyan bathrobe draped in one hand and a rolled towel over the other; the sight of which caused Luna to retreat from him in fear of retaliation for her earlier whippings.

"I wasn't sure what your manedryer looks like, so I grabbed-" noticing her reaction to his approach Titus chuckled as he knelt down, a hand extending to pass the bathrobe to his still-shivering friend. "Don't worry, I'm not about to get involved in a towel fight," he assured her, unrolling the towel he waited while she sat on her haunches and tied the cloth belt around her barrel to secure the bathrobe in place, "A paper war is one thing - something I wouldn't mind doing again, actually - but a towel fight? Stars forbid I get a good whip in on you and leave a welt somewhere visible for somepony to notice; 'Alien Assaults Princess' isn't a headline I want to see in the papers."

Luna was about to remark that a headline of 'Alien Canoodles Princess' would be equally disastrous but suddenly found her crown plucked off and head enveloped in the soft white towel, her mane and ears were gently tousled which made her head bounce from side to side between his two hands in a way that reminded her of a time long ago when her sister and she had been little fillies and Celestia had dried her in a similar manner. Then there was that song she used to hum, what was it-?

"What's with the goofy grin, Princess?" Titus asked, catching glimpses of the upturned corners of her mouth as the ends of the towel flopped about.

"Nothing," shoving the pleasant memory to the back of her mind with the intent of asking her sister about it later Luna put a hoof up to the human's hand to get him to stop and let the towel fall about her shoulders as she shook her head side to side vigorously, the thoroughly fluffed mane standing up on end in several places when she stopped. Shooting a quick glance at the clock display on her console, she became aware of how much time had passed, "Oh, quick! The movie is about to start!"

Despite being well over twice her size the little alicorn proved she was perfectly capable of bodily shoving him and did so - her front hooves on two spots of his back as she directed him over to the sofa; Titus taking a seat on one end while Luna found a spot on the other as she hoofed the remote to turn the TV on. "I'm sure this is going to sound completely stupid," he started, sinking into the cushion as some pony on the screen overly-enthusiastically tried to sell him some form of powdered cleaning agent, "but I've never actually seen one. A movie, I mean."

"Wait, really?!" she was more than shocked at the honest nod he gave her. How could he not have seen a movie?! Luna thought about the correct course of action, immediately hopping off the couch and quickly trotting out of view when she had come to a conclusion. "If this is your first time there are a few necessities you should know about for a successful 'movie night,' as they are called," she shouted around the corner, her voice accompanied by a clattering of dishes and a rapid series of pops from her miniature kitchen, "First is a copious supply of hot popped corn, buttered and salted to taste. To compliment that some form of chilled drink is also required; I have a variety of sodas here as well as some juices, though feel free to take your pick of something stronger from the bar. Ooo! Candy. We need candy." She went by at a canter, depositing her load of vittles and ducking into her bedroom to appear a short time later with several elegant boxes of chocolates balanced on her back which she placed with the rest of the food before hopping back on the sofa once again - though this time she arranged herself to lean cozily up against Titus' side, "Lastly but most important to having an enjoyable viewing experience, you need a friend-" sticking her tongue out she quickly added, "but I guess you'll have to do."

Titus once again mentally wished she would use his non-sore shoulder and moved his arm up to rest on the back of the couch, tweaking her ear lightly for her tease. "Here I was thinking this wouldn't be a major event but that's quite the list of preparations," he said, staring over the coffee table piled high with snacks as the television screen went blank and a smooth, deep voice announced the feature presentation would be starting shortly. Now that his hand was in the ideal spot for it he began to very lightly rub the ear he had tweaked.

"After... the corruption of Nightmare Moon..." Luna was initially startled by the fingers that had unexpectedly taken hold of her pinna but she quickly sank into the feeling as her head unintentionally started following the motion of the thumb and fingers rotating in small circles and her eyelids drooped, "...Twilight Sparkle took it upon herself to reintroduce us to Equestria's m-mmm-odern society though a 'crash course' and one of the subjects covered in the study materials was 'Being Social: Movies and Movie Nights.' I took... very thorough notes, but in the end the only other pony I've ever invited has been my sister."

"So it's a first for both of us, then," Titus observed as the Princess leaned her ear into his hand, a signal to rub harder if there ever was one, so he began working from ear tip to base with a bit more pressure.

"Shh! The mmmovie is about to start..." she shushed through a purr, her body having sunk so far that she was now resting her head on the cushion alongside his thigh as both ears were rubbed in tandem, "And I hereby command you: do not cease what you're doing. By the heavens..."

Titus did his best to follow along with the plot of the movie but there were several parts pertaining to Equestrian history that he had to have clarified to understand the story - a young mare in a family of treasure hunters whose grandmother believed their ancestors buried a treasure somewhere in Equestria and had hidden cryptic clues to its whereabouts on everything from national landmarks to a secret key made when both Princess' crowns were joined together like a jigsaw puzzle; all the while racing against the Royal Guard as well as a ruthless adversarial sibling to keep the secret treasure from falling into the wrong hooves. They had only gotten a short amount into the movie before Titus' hands had cramped up, forcing him to stop amid pouting glares from the Princess, who eventually resumed her previous position of leaning up against him after muttering that she should chain him to her work desk and force him to be her personal full-time Royal Ear-Rubber and secretary. Her tangent was brought to an abrupt end as a piece of popcorn bounced off her nose, leaving a small splotch of butter behind which she eagerly licked off before adding that she would have been kind and taken him out for "walkies" occasionally.

Luna quieted down after that and Titus - realizing she was holding firm to her promise of not using any magic - left an open palm full of popcorn between them for her to take munches from; during yet another advertisement break in the movie, however, the buttery snacks were blown away as she flapped her wings in what looked like discomfort. "Everything okay, Luna? Every ad break we've gotten you've done that," he picked up the scattered bits of food and deposited them on the table so they wouldn't fall between the sofa cushions, "Are your wings stiffening up?"

"W-what?! No!" she indignantly exclaimed, though by his confused look at her response she quickly came to realize he hadn't understood that he had basically asked her if she was getting a pegassi hard-on, "It's just that I've been molting those ugly feathers and there's this one that's loose and ready to come out, but of course it won't shed of its own accord and has to be in a spot I can't reach. The little blighter itches like karking crazy and it's driving me up the wall! You see normally I'd just pluck it out with magic, but ♫nooo~♫ somebody..." she shot him a glare but it was empty of any ill-temperament, "is kissing my sister's flank and won't let me use any-"

"Here, let me see," remembering what Princess Celestia had shown him he took the elbow of her wing in one hand and applied a light amount of pressure to the joint, causing it to freely and painlessly extend over his lap; it only took Titus a second to spot the tip of a lone greyish blue feather buried between a patch of her midnight blue secondary and marginal coverts. He pointed a finger at the culprit of his friend's discomfort, "This the little bastard right here?" When she nodded he quickly and gently worked his fingers between the layers to get at the base of the offending feather before she could say otherwise.

A gasp had barely left her lips when she felt a light tug and the itch was instantly relieved, the small grey feather held aloft between a finger and thumb by her stupidly-grinning human friend. "Y-you just... p-preened..." she pulled her wing back to her side and briefly looked at the floor as she knew both her cheeks had to be burning red, her gazed returning to him just in time to see the grin fall from his face as he realized he might have done something incredibly insensitive. Luna quickly jumped in to reassure him, "It's alright, my friend, I feel no semblance of transgression I was just..." she was about to explain the significance but stopped and regarded him for a short time before dismounting the couch and asking him to wait a moment, taking one of the small boxes of chocolates and disappearing into her bedchambers for the remaining duration of the advertisement break. When she returned she quietly sat down next to him, noticing the small feather set to one side of the coffee table before ignoring his obviously curious stare that had followed her all the way to the couch; instead focusing her attention on the final scenes of the movie though her mind remained thoroughly elsewhere until she had enough of a break in her thought that she realized the credits were rolling. "H-here," she said, suddenly thrusting the small box she had left with out from under a wing and into his lap before moving the feather from the table on top of it.

"A gift?" Titus took the small feather and gently traced the tip across his palm before running his fingers along the vane, "Wow, I really appreciate it. May I open this one now?"

Another nod answered his question. "Well y-you said you admired my plumage, s-so I thought..." Luna watched with growing embarrassment as her human friend slowly removed the top of the box to go stock still when he saw the contents, "I-I was just going to put it in my keepsake chest where it would collect dust with all the others, b-but instead I decided I want you to have this one - an alula from the leading edge of my wing."

Reaching into the box Titus removed another feather with a level of care and delicacy like it would break just from breathing on it; beneath it a simple note with the words "For my best friend, now and forever." Reaching from the tip of his middle finger to his wrist, the color shifted from midnight blue to almost black as he rotated it in the light.

"You needn't be so gentle with it; they've been permeated by a small amount of alicorn magic which makes them exceedingly durable," she said with a small laugh, "I still have feathers such as that one from... from before my fall," her mood turned dark for the briefest flash before she caught sight of Titus absentmindedly running the gift over his cheek, her embarrassment was rekindled at just how content he looked until he noticed her flushed face.

"Luna, I-" he extended an arm, placing a hand on her closest hoof and gave it a firm squeeze, "Thank you. A personal gift like this calls for an exchange, though you know I don't have much to give in return-"

She watched as he froze in contemplation momentarily before he wordlessly dug around in several of the pouches on his belt before removing a wound up coil of thin wiring - identifying it as transmission wire, something he said he had learned to always carry with him from creatures called "woo-keez" - and followed his hand that slowly moved over toward her and gently plucked his lightsaber from her hip, his fingernails purposefully scratching against her coat pleasantly in the process. Luna's head cocked to one side as he slid off the couch and squatted on the floor before the coffee table; a sweep of his hand clearing a small amount of space where he placed the weapon and the small feather next to it. "What are you-" she started to ask but stopped when both hands hovered above the table, a familiar sign that a display of his Forcemagic was imminent.

What happened next captured Luna's full attention, subconsciously her head lowered down almost to rest on his shoulder and her ears rotated forward completely. "-I don't have much to give in return," he continued where he had left off, "but what I can give you is something very few beings outside of the Order have seen - the construction of a Jedi's lightsaber."

The lightsaber vibrated briefly before it floated evenly above the table and emitted several metallic clicks; pieces slowly moving away from each other as the whole hilt disassembled itself before her eyes; the only parts she could readily identify - circuitry, wires, tubes, and small lenses - floating in a slow orbit around the main casing. A pair of crystals in particular caught her eye.

"Those gems," Luna whispered into his ear, her gaze following the path of the crystals; one almost-clear with a slight golden tinge and the other smaller and lightning blue, "I've not seen anything of that hue before..."

Having routinely disassembled and reassembled his lightsaber as part of his Master's training program, Titus had more than enough control over the parts to be able to split his attention and notice how keenly the crystals were reflected in her eyes. Deciding to indulge in her curiosity, he flicked a finger toward the Princess and the crystals floated over to her waiting hoof for closer inspection, "This blue one is called an opila and is the primary crystal that I use to project the energy of the lightsaber. It was a gift from my Master, who had gotten it from her Master as an Apprentice and he from his; the gesture going back as far as days of the Old Republic," A few minutes passed before a wordless nod from the Princess and the other took its place, "and this one I managed to recover from my ship's cloaking device after it was destroyed in a boarding attempt by some pirates with very bad aim and an even worse sense for business; it's a stygium crystal, and it focuses the beam from the opila to form the blade." When Luna had finished admiring the crystal it floated back to the table. The midnight blue feather suddenly joined in the moving ring of components and quickly disappeared to find a spot inside lightsaber as the hilt came back together like an impossibly-complex jigsaw puzzle, the final touch being the small length of transmission wire attaching itself to the loop used to hang the handle from his belt and securing its other end around the quill of the grey-blue feather he had plucked from her wing effectively forming a garnishment. With his display complete Titus hoisted himself back up onto the sofa, his head resting on the back and his entire body sinking into the plush cushions as he exhaled a weary sigh.

"My friend," as he was far too enveloped by the couch to receive a proper hug Luna pushed herself against his side instead, "I feel privileged to have been witness, you have my thanks; I feel I must inform you I never expected anything in return. If I may ask... why did you choose to integrate my feather into your blade?" Not getting a timely response she poked him lightly, "Titus?"

The exercise in concentration left Titus feeling thoroughly drained and his brain finally decided it had had enough and punched out. A limp hand came over from the back of the sofa to loosely plop itself between Luna's ears, "Your gifts... treasure... with me at all times-zzz..." The rest of his response was garbled beyond recognition as the lack of sleep from the previous night and the comfort of the sofa bore his consciousness down like an anchor and the hand atop the alicorn's head slid off to one side of her neck.

Luna watched the rising and falling of Titus' chest for several moments before smiling. Very well friend, though the demands of your surrender are still not met... she squirmed a bit further into her comfortable position, letting out a contented sigh as she leaned up against his side and closed her eyes, I shall let you rest for a few hours before having you fulfill them. Drifting off herself, she went back over the lengthy report on targeting specific attributes of a species her genetics experts had drafted at her request; the thick tome having been included with the special set of Starswirl's magical analyzing spectacles her sister had retrieved from the palace's artifact vault.

------------

The library once again fell silent as Titus concluded his recounting, "And the rest you know from what I explained at the station... sorry Twi, I didn't intend to be so long-winded about it." While his story telling had taken them into the late afternoon to early evening, he had left out or changed the sensitive bits of his tale - such as Luna's reversion to her weaker form as well as several topics discussed in court pertaining to Equestria's security - the Princesses had both asked as much while they were helping him pack his machines and luggage up because he himself had found it incredibly difficult to do so on account of his unfamiliar body.

Twilight stirred, on the brink of sleep herself, and lifted her head off of his neck where she had been using it as a pillow, "At least it sounds like you had fun; I was busy up until the point I had to lock myself in my room, after that my week was about as pleasant as hooves grating on chalkboard..." her sentence trailed off as she stopped and shuffled back enough to study him. The librarian stayed quiet for a moment then gently placed a forehoof on his cheek and stroked it gently, "I just realized - I'm what broke the Princess' concentration and caused the artifact to... it's my fault, isn't it?" When he sighed heavily instead of denying her inquiry like she had hoped he would, Twilight slumped with the feeling of abject guilt slowly forming in her gut.

Sitting up in a similar position, Titus scooted a bit closer to negate the distance she had created so they were face to face.

"And again, I'm to blame for something unpleasant happening to you..." she tried to retreat further down the couch however her butt was firmly squished against the arm so Twilight instead turned to look away from him until a hoof on the side of her face gently pulled her gaze back to receive a warm smile from Titus; a scant second later he leaned in and she felt his muzzle press against hers lightly. She closed her eyes and sighed into the kiss, letting his tongue play against her lips before meeting it with her own and briefly tangling together before they amicably pulled away, both smiling foolishly at each other.

"Come on... you know I wouldn't blame you for something like this; even with my record of encounters with magic, it was my choice to let the Princess use those glasses on me. Besides, you could say I've got it on very good authority it's only temporary," Titus calmly stated as he inched further forward until they were almost shoulder-to-shoulder, experimenting and finding a comfortable position to rest his head on Twilight's withers which she mimicked shortly after, "and it's more than tolerable now that I'm back in Ponyville, with you," he nestled in a bit for emphasis, "I missed you, Twilight... it's nice to be home."

Giving an enthusiastic nuzzle full of gratitude and a small hum into Titus' shoulder rather than put what she was feeling into words Twilight closed her eyes again and simply relished in the physical contact they were sharing after her own long and arduous week; from her position she felt his sides begin to rise and fall rhythmically, an accompanying barely-audible snore told her that he had finally fallen asleep as only one thing went through her mind.

He called this home.

Author's Notes:

Gosh this was a long one I apologize for the wait. I don't think I'll be doing anything near this length again, the shorter chapters just feel a bit better to write. This one I just found myself unable to stop; I partially attribute that to an early birthday gift combining Sennheiser HD280's and the complete Star Wars soundtrack that I listened to while writing (which, by the way, sounds beyond amazing).

I pulled the sandwich Titus made from a recipe I used recently ("recently" being when that part of the story was being written) and found to be very good. For those interested, here's a link: http://inpursuitofmore.com/2013/03/21/on-packing-for-holidays-a-broiled-sandwich/

Anyway, thanks for waiting and enjoy! Stuff still on the schedule: Twilight's date, EFC Fight Night, and plot stuff.

12: Love Sick (Clop Version)

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Coming back from the edge of slumber, Twilight barely had enough conscious capacity to register the feeling of something soft and smooth dragging its long way across her chest as another similar sensation came from her croup, both eventually coming to a stop and flexing, pulling her body sideways on the couch cushion; she was sped along her way toward waking up when the adjustment caused her head to drop from its perch. Partially sitting up Twilight returned it to its former location but by then her ascent to a wakeful state was irreversible; with a heavy sigh she opened her sleep-crusted eyes to look at her still sleeping human companion laying partially on his side, his arms having tangled around her and commandeered her barrel for a pillow. From the hair covering his face and gently moving when he breathed down to his wide shoulders and across his back she let her gaze wander over him, though it lingered on his exposed flank and the angled thigh that covered his groin before traveling the remaining expanse down to his feet and toes. He's back to normal. Well, normal for him, anyway. Twilight angled her neck and zeroed in on that sensitive spot near his ear to give him a friendly nuzzle, eagerly brushing through his long hair and taking deep sniffs of his scent for the first time in a long week.

Twilight suddenly felt herself pulled in closer as Titus rolled the rest of the way onto his stomach; arms trembling in their strong flex and both legs shooting out straight behind him over the end of the sofa in a full-body stretch as he released the warm breath of a long yawn into her fur that left a tingling sensation behind for a brief moment. "Good morning," she sighed as his arms relaxed, the one over her back coming up to rub his groggy-looking face with a palm, "It looks like you've reverted to your usual form, though I wish I had been awake to watch the process. How are you feeling?"

Lifting his head up enough so that he could watch, Titus wiggled his fingers just to be sure. Good to see these little buddies again. Placing his head back on her side he gave the lavender unicorn a squeeze as he returned the nuzzle that had woken him, "Mornin' Twi." Titus was sore all over much the same way he had been after his unexpected equine change - Luna having explained it to stem from his bones and muscles being magically altered - in addition to that, despite all the sleep he had gotten, he was still dead tired. His current lack of clothing was also something that would need to be addressed and from his place on her barrel Titus subtly watched as the pony's gaze drifted over him.

Twilight couldn't help but study the human, this being the first time she seen him uncovered- Well, barring that instances on the ship and that other time when Luna carried his limp form out of the bathroom, but I'd had been a bit too... preoccupied at both for scientific analysis. Though his back was to her she continued her examination until several small pockmarks and lines caught her attention, a closer examination revealed them to be a network of tiny scars working their way out from a spot between his shoulder-blades, one of the larger ones Twilight followed as it traced a path down his spine. I didn't see these before. I wonder what caused them. Despite her interest in the curious spiderweb of lines, Twilight continually found her gaze drawn to the flanks further down Titus' body.

When he was sure she was watching Titus flexed his glutes and laughed out loud when the unicorn flushed deeply, "So, should I expect a thorough dissertation on my butt," Titus asked, grinning as his unexpected inquiry startled Twilight from her study, "or were you just admiring the view?"

Unsure which he would find more offending, staring at his scars or his rump, Twilight fumbled a response before sheepishly apologizing, though her eyes would occasionally dart back unintentionally.

His arms tightened around the unicorn, giving her his customary I'm-not-offended squeeze like he had when she had called him a helpless stallion back in the trench, "It's alright Twi, when you watched me change back at the ship-"

"Wait, you knew?!" she exclaimed, clearly aghast.

"Well... yeah. On the other side of the portal I needed to be good at watching my own back if I wanted to stay alive; the Force sometimes alerts me to certain unseen dangers," he replied, keeping her in a tight hug and nuzzling her again, "or, in this case, to a pony watching me undress. Anyway, you were understandably curious about me and I guess I didn't mind. Besides, since then I've cast more than a few glances at your rump-" he suddenly turned his head to give her a raspberry right on her cutie mark.

"AHA! NO! AHASTOPAHA!" Twilight, one of those ponies with a ticklish cutie mark, squirmed and laughed uncontrollably as her hind legs bucked in feeble retaliation from their pinned position beneath the human, her pleas falling on deaf ears as Titus continued his raspberry assault for a few seconds more, "D-DAHAHADon't! S-stop!

"'Don't stop?' Okay, if you say so! *ppppbt!*"

"No s-s-st-AHAHAH-op! Please-"

"*Ppp-pPBT!*"

"P-please AHAHAHAHA- aha... ha..." she finished her panting laughs to find his warm chocolate eyes firmly fixed on hers and a wide smile plastered across his face; Twilight returned the smile, partly because she was still coming down off the bout of laughing and couldn't help herself. A few moments passed of them just basking in each other's bliss when Twilight abruptly leaned and rubbed her nose against his several times before pulling herself back. He looks so happy. Maybe now is a good time...?

"T-Titus, do you think-"

Her mouth suddenly went dry and her stomach felt like it did a few acrobatic stunts that would have been enough to impress even Rainbow Dash as Twilight found she had spoken before she could properly formulate her proposition; she stopped herself, ears flat back and to describe her face as nervous would have been an understatement, her eyes hopeful and searching as she stepped to the metaphorical edge of the precipice and whispered her reworded question with her heart thoroughly in her throat, "Um, w-would you go on a date with me...?"

It was the very definition of blunt, but Titus got the feeling it was only because she hadn't planned on asking him at that moment. Not like I should judge; I wouldn't have known how to do it better either. "Twilight," the arm around her chest freed itself from under her hooves to work its fingers into her mane and pull her close to repeat the nose-rubbing gesture, "Yes. I would very much like to go on a date," he paused to give her a quick peck, "with you." There was a small pause before an excited gasp and two hooves wrapped around him to pull him into a crushing embrace.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Twilight was positively glowing and Titus quickly found himself smothered in energetic nuzzles, each one followed by a hum as he tried to keep up with returning the affectionate gestures. YES! That puts me at step two! Next is talking with Fluttershy for the meal and a quick stop by Rarity's for the wine and a few last-minute pointers. "I'm going to need a day or two... there's a couple of things I need to get together before I'm ready; sorry," she was the one to initiate their next kiss, intending it to be a brief smooch but happily lingered for increasingly long moments on his lips as she felt her heart sing.

Giving her a quick ear rub before reaching down and dragging his cloak from the floor to cover his lower half Titus rolled over to sit normally on the couch, "That actually works out bett-" he grunted as he lowered his legs to the floor, "works out better for me; I need to check on R6's progress with repairs and do some work of my own..." with that he lounged back as much as he could on the modest sofa, both arms going out to either side to rest atop the back, "but I'll need clothes before I can go out." Titus stared at the low ceiling while trying to figure out a way to obtain a set from the ship. It'll take forever for R6 to roll all the way here down that trench, that's if he doesn't get stuck in the slough.

There's that odd human clothing requirement of his. Twilight rolled her eyes after looking over him once again and, as before, found no discernible reason he should feel the need to cover his body. She was on the verge of re-positioning herself into the comfortable-looking crook between his dangling forearm and side when he suddenly sat up.

"Hey Twilight, when Rainbow Dash stopped by the night I left for Canterlot she had my flight suit with her. Did you have any success removing the webs stuck to it?"

"Yep!" she said with an enthusiastic nod, "It was actually a pretty interesting experiment finding the most effective solution to dissolve the spider's adhesive and it gave me something to think about - and Lyra a much deserved break - for a few hours." Twilight hopped off the couch, getting an unseen grin from the human as she did a few cute stretches of her own before turning around to find Titus had wrapped the cloak around himself; Just cut him a break, Twilight, the act of wearing clothing is ingrained into his culture so you can't just ask him to flip a switch and turn that off... though he seemed pretty relaxed about it earlier. Drat, still more progress to be made on that front. Her disappointment must have been expressed on her face because he reached down to tousle her forelock with a small chuckle.

"Thanks for cleaning it up, that's quite literally my last good flight suit," Titus gently scratched the spot between her ears, knowing it was something Twilight greatly enjoyed, "So is it down in the lab?"

Shaking the displaced bangs out of her eyes, she gave the hand a quick nuzzle before leading him from the living room, "It's upstairs, come on. I did what I could to fix the bathroom door until I can get it replaced, though I'm afraid I'm not particularly adept at fix-it jobs like that." On their ascent up the stairs Titus offered to take a look, calling himself "handy" at things like that which Twilight couldn't help but find the euphemism amusing. She was considering his offer when she caught his eyes drifting over her much like she had done to him and, deciding it was her turn to catch him watching, put into practice something Rarity had taught her earlier last week and slowly transitioned from her normal walk to a strut that caused her shoulders and hips to roll suggestively; her ploy worked and his gaze became fixated. T-This must be how she feels when every stallion in the room turns to watch her. Check 'flirting' off the to-do list! Twilight continued for a few more strides, giggling internally at the unfamiliar but entirely welcome attention she was getting, "Conducting observations for your own thesis or just enjoying the view-EEEP!" she squeaked and leapt up to the top of the stairs when Titus pinched her flank lightly.

"Hey, that was my line, but I very much enjoy the view, Twi. I'm glad to see your cut healed up well, too," he joined her at summit and rubbed the spot he pinched before giving it several pats as both of them continued down the hallway with some form of physical connection to each other; Titus running his hand through her mane and scratching her ears and Twilight keeping in contact with her neck on his thigh and humming happily.

Coming toward her door Twilight took the lead, noticing that Titus cast a quick glance just a bit further down the hall at the makeshift bathroom "door," which was nothing more than several misaligned boards roughly nailed together with large gaps between them. "If you'd rather change in my room that's fine too, I can-" Twilight was in the process of opening her door when she remembered the state she had left her bedroom in yesterday. Before he could get a look up the short flight of stairs she slammed the door closed again and blocked his path, "Aheh... on second thought, maybe you could just wait here a minute."

In the time it took for Titus to blink she disappeared, teleporting into the room and leaving him in the hallway alone.

Phew! That was close! Twilight cast a look around her room and cringed at just how far she had let it slide. Right, just need to stash everything... I can do a thorough organization of it later. Her horn glowed softly and the closet door slid open as a floating procession of miscellaneous objects quickly filed in that she gave a cursory once-over to weed out obvious standouts. PJs go to the laundry hamper and my notes on the holobook go to the desk. Pizza boxes go in the trash, not in Spike's basket... It wasn't long until her room was back to its usual tidiness though closing the closet door proved to be a bit of a challenge. Teleporting up to the small overlook to put a new set of sheets on her bed, Twilight caught sight of Titus' suit at her hooves, stuffed full of the bodypillow and covered in her own dried residue from the sessions with the cooler. Oh no. She unzipped the jumpsuit and desperately tried to rub one of the splotches from the fabric with a forehoof to no avail. Oh no no no!

Titus was staring at the bedroom door expectantly when a lavender head poked out from a door they had passed near the top of the stairs, evidence she had teleported again, and called out to him.

"I um... you know, I bet you're hungry! Why don't you go find a seat at the kitchen table I'll be right down to make some breakfast." When he shrugged Twilight closed the door and listened as his footsteps drew closer, silently hoping he'd continue down the stairs rather than try to join her in the room; when she heard he had reached the stair landing she went back to prance anxiously in front of the laundry machines. Come on, come on! After what felt like an agonizingly long time she was tossing the flight suit into the drier and charging for the kitchen, almost careening into the open fridge door as she sped around the corner and came skidding to a halt with her muzzle a mere breath away as Titus peered curiously over the top of the door at her.

"Heh. Sorry, bit of a laundry emergency. There was still some... solvent on your flight suit from the experiment, so it's in the drier now." Twilight walked around the door and found a seat at the table and quietly kicked herself that she had kept Titus waiting long enough that he had felt the need to go look in the fridge himself, though it was probably for the best on account of her meager cooking skills. She made herself content just quietly watching him; hunched over with one arm on top of the door and the other buried in the fridge, but what really caught her attention was his exposed legs and how his cloak bunched up on account of Rarity's modifications yesterday which, had she not made, probably would have resulted in the cloak tripping him up in their flight from the mares.

A bundle of apples in a small basket looked especially appealing to him, three of which he plucked out and, thanks to his long arms, was able to place on the counter without having to pause in his search for a suitable drink. As tempting as they were, it was far too early for the bottles of cider that beckoned to him from the back of the top shelf, so instead he questioningly pointed at an unknown carton on the door with an orange sphere symbol and stepped aside for Twilight's approval; getting a nod it joined the apples as he closed the door.

"Before you close it, could you grab the milk as well?" Twilight spoke up and pointed a hoof at a small glass bottle near where the carton had been, "There's a small burlap bag in that cupboard to the left of you too, if you'd bring that and two bowls and spoons. Apples by themselves hardly make for a full breakfast," she casually levitated everything he had laid out on the counter and arranged it around her while he sauntered over to the table; floating the burlap bag over she poured a small portion of a mix of oats, shaved almonds, raisins, and dried raspberries into her bowl. Twilight was adding the milk when she saw him peeking into the bag to examine the contents, "It's a cereal called muesli; it's a great fuel for anything from long study session to heavy physical labor. Here, try some," she inched her chair closer and magicked a sample into his bowl.

After an experimental taste Titus dove in to the cereal and quickly wolfed down what she had poured though Twilight just as quickly provided another and enthusiastically explained that it was just as good on top of yogurt as a small treat. When she offered that he should take the bag with him was when he noticed that her chair had been getting continually closer to his over the course of several bowls so he reached down and took hold of one of the horizontal bars between the legs and dragged it right up next to his, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "Twi, this stuff is good, damn good," Twilight had drizzled a bit of honey on his third serving, which he poked with his spoon and commented around a mouthful before swallowing it to continue, "and thanks for the breakfast, but I'm going to pass on taking the bag with me - I'd rather leave it here as an excuse to have breakfast with you again." Wow... that sounded so much cooler in my head.

She stared up at the nervous-looking smile he was giving her for a moment as a fluttering tingle slowly built in her chest that drove her to inch her way closer. "Or you could just take the bag like I'm suggesting," she placed a hoof on his leg to steady herself, the arm over her shoulder sliding further down her back as she continued ever closer, "so that I'll have an excuse to join you for breakfast." Oh come on brain! With all those books I feed you you can do better than that; plagiarize if you have to!

"Hmm, in that case I'll definitely take it with me," he dropped the spoon in his bowl and used the now-empty hand to lift her chin the rest of the to his so he could look her in the eyes, "though you'll never need an invitation to join me, Twi, my door will be open." Okay, that was better. Not great, but better. Neither of them could realize they both were experiencing very similar mental diatribes and they ended up just staring at each other waiting for a move to be made until a timid chuckle was shared.

Eventually Twilight let her head rest on his chest - the folds of his cloak having slightly separated more and more each time he leaned in for another bite of the cereal - he placed his chin on her head and wrapped both of his thick arms around her; I could get used to this... That thought made her snuggle in a little deeper, enjoying the opportunity to nuzzle up against the usually-unexposed bare skin; neither of them taking notice of the passing of time until a faint ring of a bell from upstairs announced the drier had finished and foretold of the imminent end of their contented entanglement.

Titus twisted his neck a little to avoid prodding himself with Twilight's horn and planted a light smooch on top of the unicorn's brow, "Uh, Twilight?"

"I know... I heard it," she sighed grumpily as she started to slide back into her chair so she could go retrieve his clothing. Leaving her spot was the last thing in the world Twilight wanted to do, however, so when Titus halted her retreat by squeezing his arms tighter she happily obliged and nestled back in to her previous position to glance up through her bangs and wait for him to continue.

A nuzzle was accompanied by the ear rub she had been anticipating the whole week he had been away, "I realize it's not as much of a burning issue anymore, but not this morning nor in any of the letters you sent while I was in Canterlot-"

I sent letters? But how? Spike was recalled to Canterlot on another Secret Agent mission a day after Titus left... She pushed her head off his chest to look at the human quizzically, "I don't remember sending letters.... what did they say?"

"Oh, you don't remember," Titus snorted and rolled his eyes, "Thankfully Luna only read part of the first one by mistake because you forgot to address it to me so she thought it was a friendship report or something and as far as I know after that she simply passed along anything you sent because you were very descriptive when it came to the subject matter; it had been a very awkward moment and one that both Luna and I uncomfortably teased each other about." Not that we didn't have fun, the way she'd blush when a jest was unexpectedly thrown back in her face was really cute though. Titus chuckled, recalling the image of Luna indignantly sputtering a response amid rosy cheeks and, looking down on Twilight again, he realized he had failed to jog her memory with his indirect description. Kark, so much for going the subtle route.

What letters is he talking about? Twilight was off in her own world until a sharp pinch drew her back to the kitchen table to find Titus had lightly nipped her on the neck with one of those pointy canine teeth then kissed the same spot, breathing into her coat in the process; as she was about to ask what he was doing when the words fell from her mouth in a quiet moan, his fingers having gone to work kneading both ears as he continued the nibble process down her neck for several more seconds that almost sent her eyes rolling back in her head.

"There, how was that? You described that little combination almost word for word in your first message so hopefully it'll ring a bell."

It most certainly did and all Twilight could do was grunt an affirmation as residual waves of pleasure worked their way down her spine and to a spot in her hindquarters, the sensation heightened by the last vestiges of her waning estrous cycle. That felt exhilarating- Celestial Sisters! What else did I tell him?! As her mind cleared the dread of what other fantasies she might have communicated grew causing her to bolted upright but his expression, no matter how hard she studied it, wasn't revealing anything to her.

The way she was looking at him was all too telling. "What I read was very enlightening; apparently you really like it when I nibble like that," he took the opportunity to playfully tease her but quickly changed gears as her entire upper half slumped from embarrassment and she gave a nervous laugh that was more akin to a gurgle. "Come here, Twi," in one smooth movement he repositioned the rest of her body on his stomach and reclined the small chair to balance on two legs, bracing the back against the wall behind him and giving the unicorn a second to get comfortable before wrapping his arms over her back and giving her a short but heartfelt peck, "You can relax; after realizing what was in the first letter I just set the rest aside when I got them, though the temptation to read them was strong... anyway, perhaps we'll discuss them later," he added with a wink and a boop on the nose with a finger to which she grinned sheepishly, "What I was originally looking to ask was how the tests turned out. You could say I- actually, we both had a particular interest in the results at the time."

Right. The tests. Twilight lowered her head to rest on Titus' breast and breathed a heavy sigh, "I... I succumbed to the cycle before I could satisfactorily complete all of my evaluations and haven't had time since coming out of it to finish," scooting a bit further up his body placed her muzzle right where it needed to be to nuzzle that spot on his jaw and indulge in as much of his sent as she wanted, I want every morning to be like this. Twilight thought as she was yet again surprised at just how comfortable her human friend's broad torso could be to rest on and in her mind she was calculating a rough comfort level to surface area ratio and filing it for later review. "The data from the tests I did finish lead me to theorize you can't get me pregnant," she continued nuzzling and took a few minutes to focus on the feeling of the quiet thump of the heartbeat in the chest against hers before snuggling in a bit further against his delightfully warm skin, "there's a fairly large difference in the overall number of chromosomes of our genetic structure, s-so it would be safe to, uh, you know... inside and I wouldn't have to worry about having a foal though without further research that leaves me to extrapolate on my data to form the hypothesis that the enzymes of your-"

"You're cute when you get all scientific, you know that?" he leaned into the nuzzle at his jaw with a chuckle.

Twilight felt a little irked and sat up, her love of science was serious business after all. "You don't have to patronize me. We've made a lot of advancements - many of which have occurred in the last century or so - though to you I imagine the Equestrian fields of science seem like we're still rubbing two sticks together-" her continued defense of the Equine Science Arts was cut off as Titus shook his head.

"That's not what I meant it to sound like. Not at all," he kept an arm around Twilight's back and brushed her bangs away so he could better see her amethyst eyes better, "What I intended to express was... how do I describe this, uh... there's this spark of energy about you when you delve into an explanation that shows you want to share the feeling of self-accomplishment you felt, for example, when you fully understood how a spell works - you want to share that with who you're speaking to and because you've got a rapacious thirst for knowledge your eyes light up and sparkle in a special way when presented with an opportunity to learn or explore something new... I love seeing you like that, Twi. That's all I was trying to say."

Twilight knew she occasionally misread Titus' facial expressions but there was no mistaking the genuine tenderness in his eyes as he searched her in hopes that she understood he was being sincere. She let her head sink back to his breast and left it there, snuggling into it as his arms wrapped back around to pull her in and engulf her in one of the full-body hugs his greater size allowed him to give (and the reason she liked them so much) that left her feeling like she was wrapped up in a blanket; she breathed an apology for jumping to the wrong conclusion before hooking a forehoof behind his head to pull his face closer and, when she finally felt his lips caress hers, Twilight let out a sigh as the tingle she felt seconds earlier erupted into a wave of satisfaction that rolled through her whole being - mind, body, and soul.

Craving more after the fleeting contact broke she kissed him again, though as she pressed herself against his lips a small lick lead to the discovery that she could still taste the hearty oats and subtle hints of honey, and a second lick gave way to an intense tongue-wrestling match; both of them proving to be lacking in dexterity and skill (though Twilight had a natural advantage with her longer tongue) but neither were anything but content with what the other was doing as Twilight's hooves pushed the cloak off his shoulders to expose the entirety of his upper body for her to feel against her coat while both of Titus' hands roamed over her chest, back, and finally came to rest on the point of her hip. When they eventually slowed their pace they were both breathing hard and each bore a similar wide grin that only grew wider the longer they stared at each other. After a few more minutes of collective nuzzling and lounging, Twilight eventually zipped in to rub noses with a warm giggle - Titus' fingers teasing lightly over her ribs like the keys of a piano in response - before hopping down to the floor and walking a few steps, "Come on, as much as I'd enjoy lolling about with you all day I'd much rather get you your clothes so I can finish preparations for our date-"

Turning around she immediately observed that brushing the cloak from his shoulders had left very little of him still clothed as the article fell behind him in the empty space between the chair and the small of his back; a tingle worked its way down her spine when she noticed that the V-shaped fold that was formed by both breasts of the cloak overlapping had relocated to a spot just below his navel and just above the protuberant mass in his lap. Way to go, Twilight, you got him heated and are just going to let him hang. Again. She mentally kicked herself several times for not catching on quicker as her lunch meeting with Rarity and Dash from the week before replayed in her head.

"... Now that we have the 'where' and the 'what' of your date sorted out, there are a few proprieties you should follow, darling; naturally you should be chivalrous... hold open doors and let him go first, nonchalantly pay for the meal or tickets, walk on the outside of the sidewalk so he doesn't get splattered with muck from passing carriages - however, from what you've said earlier, you two have gotten a bit... physical," Rarity whispered from behind a hoof, "with each other, which is typically a bit ahead of schedule-"

"Psh, schedule-shhmedule. If you two are both going at it it's no big deal," Dash dismissively grumbled as she repeatedly glanced down under the table after having discreetly gotten her hoof on the rogue magazine Twilight had stuffed back in her saddlebag.

"It most certainly IS a big deal!" Rarity exclaimed almost loud enough to draw attention from the other customers at the café; setting her smoothie down on her napkin delicately, she calmly addressed the studious mare she was mentoring, "Twilight, please understand that I'm happy for you but the socially-acceptable behavior is that a mare shouldn't expect a stallion to reciprocate until further into the courtship, hence the reason couples will often go on several outings before declaring themselves fillyfriend and coltfriend. I will admit you've done remarkably well to hold yourself back, if you're to be believed that all you've done is a bit of... 'petting'," she had to pause for a brief second to consider the proper term, not wanting to sound like she was using any of the animalistic slurs that had been ascociated with the human.

"One moment," Twilight, brow furrowed as she tried to keep up, busily scribbled everything that was said down before adding several lines of thought of her own on her parchment in any extra space she could find, "Could either of you provide some examples for my notes of what I shouldn't expect early on?"

"Sex." The pegasus was only listening to enough of the conversation to keep relevant should she be needed which was a skill she had practiced as a foal in school, though at this point it wasn't clear if she was providing advice or just voicing what she was thinking while she glanced over the pictures in the magazine, "Don't expect much out of your first time with a new dude though; it's usually just a couple of thrusts before he blows his load and typically falls asleep before you can get off." She was paying absolutely no attention to the fact that the mention of rutting had caused Twilight drool slightly as the unicorn's mind drifted off and her eyes unfocused.

The last few sips of her smoothie served as time for the prim fashionista to compose herself and also allow a moment for Twilight's heated mind to return to the table, "Despite Rainbow Dash's blunt and needlessly graphic answer, she is correct; typically a mare will have to show she's committed over a prolonged period of courting before such a display is made as very few stallions of desirable pedigree or those with a proper upbringing will-"

"Put out."

Rarity was past the point of outwardly acknowledging Rainbow's interjections with a response though she shook her head despairingly as she caught Twilight jotting the two words down, "Yes, what Rainbow Dash said; now, before we move on from the subject keep in mind, dear, the advice I'm providing is based on pony courtship and that humans may be completely different but regardless of that, I would recommend avoiding frivolous activities that could cause a misunderstanding of intentions and leave one party in want of the other, if you catch my drift."

"Twilight?"

Dash finally drew her gaze back up to the table, "Oh, that's called blue-balling if you're not being all hoity-toity about it, and from what I've heard it's about as fun as... um... imagine if your helper pulled your cooler out at the last second without discharging and wouldn't let you finish, yeah?" she waited for Twilight to recover from her grimace before continuing, "Yeah, definitely not awesome. Repeatedly blue-balling a stallion on purpose is a-"

Twilight?

"-quick way to get jilted; gotta give 'em the V every once in a while to keep 'em interested."

"Twi?"

The unicorn shook herself from the flashback and the image of Rarity's face contorting in revulsion to Dash's gauche commentary faded, returning her to reality; Titus was sitting in the small kitchen chair regarding her with a cross between curiosity and worry, "Sorry if I startled you, you just spaced out and seemed a bit... you were staring off and mumbling to yourself. You okay?"

"Oh, I uh..." Drat, this is a sticky situation; do I apologize and draw his attention to the fact that I know I got him heated again or do I act like I don't notice and hope he doesn't mind? Twilight thought over her choices though she was spurred into an answer as he followed her gaze to his lap and back, "Yup! Everything's fine! Let me just run upstairs and get your clothes," she tried to act casual as she backed out of the kitchen and bumped her flank on the kitchen doorjamb in the process, "Not that I mind you not wearing clothes, quite the contrary; but if you're comfortable in them, why wouldn't you want to wear them? You look good in clothes, too... I'm not saying you look worse when you're not wearing any, of course; I think you look great, actually! Aha! Ah ha! A-heh... I'll be right back-" her neck almost rubber-banded around the corner on her hasty exit as she sensed her cover falling apart at the seams.

Returning to his cereal, Titus tried unsuccessfully to rationalize Twilight's odd behavior as he chewed the last spoonfuls. "By the stars I love her to bits, but what the hell was that about?" he muttered, his spoon stopping midair before returning to the bowl as he blinked several times and mulled over both halves of his verbal thought again.

Around the corner a still-lingering Twilight who had been quietly debating reentering the kitchen to go back on her earlier decision of pretending not to have noticed his arousal had inadvertently eavesdropped in on every word, her breath catching in her throat as she processed what she had overheard. The feelings he had unintentionally shared, even though muttered, were enough to give Twilight a serious case of tummy butterflies and she had to clamp a hoof over her muzzle to keep her squee from giving her presence away. Still, as much as she wanted to charge into the kitchen and tackle him to the floor in kisses and nuzzles she knew doing so would cause him to call into question the catalyst of her assault and she could envision her own awkward, stumbling reply as she revealed her own feelings; instead Twilight opted to be content that they both could openly share their sentiments with each other when they were ready and, unable to keep from smiling from ear to ear, she quietly slinked up the stairs to the laundry room, consciously avoiding that one step that would creak loudly that every staircase seemed to have.

It wasn't long before Twilight returned and sheepishly passed the now-clean flight suit over to Titus, who deposited his dishes in the sink and held the article out in both hands to look at the front and back before passing along his thanks and, much to her relief, didn't appear to find anything out of the ordinary. She was about to offer to leave the room to give him privacy and instead stayed to watch as he seemed to not mind when he casually shoved a foot into each leg of the suit before hoisting it up on either side of his hip and, with a little wiggle, worked the waist up over his butt; the cloak, having served its purpose of keeping him decent while he donned the pant-half of the single-piece flight suit, was discarded onto the chair as a free hand pulled the zipper up to his sternum where the small medallion hung and flipped the velcro flap over it into place. “Ah! Much better,” he pulled the loose collar up to his nose for a sniff, not noticing the flush that came to Twilight's cheeks as he did so, and let it fall back down with an approving nod before stretching stiffly several times to acclimate himself to the suit again.

The unicorn followed him into the living room where he picked up his things, both lightsabers flying from the small table to a hand and finding a pocket to rest in for lack of his usual pouch-ridden belt before he cast another look around the couch area and shrugged. "I guess that's everything- Oh!" he was half-jogging back to the kitchen to retrieve the bag of muesli when Twilight read his mind, teleporting there and back in an instant and saving him the short trip, but when he took it from the magical confines of her magic he could tell something was still bugging her by the halfhearted response she gave when he thanked her as well as the disturbed materials on the desk - she had apparently looked for or read something on her trip to get his laundry. "Okay Twi, what's up?" he asked, kneeling down on the balls of his feet to come eye-to-eye with her.

"It's nothing-" she gave him one look and his body language making it clear that, though he was willing to, Titus was reluctant to let her brush this off; that and her own guilt for thinking she had wronged him by leading him on spurred her to speak though her eyes remained glued to her hooves "Can I ask you something? *sigh* Even though I thoroughly enjoyed what we were doing at breakfast, do you think we could... tone down the intensity?" she mustered her courage enough for a quick glance up for the human's reaction; her heart doing a small somersault in her chest when she saw Titus' deep frown. "I promise it'd only for a little while!" she fearfully tried to reassure him as her stomach twisted in a knot, "I've never gotten to... I know it's selfish, but I just want to experience what a normal courtship feels like for myself without the whole thing being another mare's joke on me or tarnished by an estrous cycle-"

As deep exhale left his body he slumped and a hand went to her shoulder to interrupt her apology, "That's a relief! My heartbeat is coming out of hyperspace because I thought you had changed your mind and wanted to let me down easy. That, or I thought... maybe you felt I was being too forceful with... stuff."

"W-what?" it was safe to say Twilight appeared more than shocked at that confession and shook her head vigorously, "No, not at all! Why would I ask you out to dump you, silly? And what do you mean, being forceful? You're supposed set the pace, more or less; not the mare. But I'm the one that lead you on to get heated again and I'm kicking myself for letting myself happen - that's one of the other reasons I want to go easy... so this sort of situation doesn't occur every time we're together."

Titus had hoped she hadn't noticed his arousal at the breakfast table and, upon hearing she had, he couldn't help but squirm. "Don't worry about it, Twi, I can bear with a little of your teasing," he replied, despite the brief discomfort he wanted to convey he didn't blame her at all and accompanied his statement with a wink and a comforting rub to her shoulder, "and I don't think you've told me the story behind the mare. But anyway, I'm perfectly fine with dialing things back if you want to as I'm actually more comfortable if you dictate how fast we go. You deserve to enjoy this and I want to make that happen."

Twilight breathed her own sigh of relief before smiling appreciatively and pulling her squatting human friend in for a hug, fighting the desire to plant her lips on his for a long caress and drink in as much of his scent as she could, "Thank you for understanding. As for that unpleasant story, I'll tell you some other time; right now I'm having too nice of a morning to dampen it with that."

"Much better than the last one we shared, that's for sure; I haven't caught fire and I'm fully clothed... well, minus shoes and underwear, but close enough." Titus gave her one last squeeze before letting her go and slowly made his way for the front door with the unicorn following right at his side out into the street, "Hey Twilight? Thanks again for breakfast and, you know, letting me crash here overnight. This was the best time I've had since..." he paused to contemplate for half a breath before shaking his head, "Actually, I can't remember since when, but I hope we can do it again soon."

From on high a passing pair of rose eyes spied the pair as they stepped out of the door and said their farewells. Deciding she could have her designated work quadrant patrolled before anypony realized she was missing, the stalker sized up which target would be a juicier fount of information, though the sight of the lavender unicorn happily bouncing along as she worked her way toward the center of town was a dead giveaway to whom would prove easier prey; doing a nimble roll the pegasus banked to follow her target, a mischievous smirk creeping onto her face as she felt the Harmony flicker and gently urge her into song.

Meanwhile, a good distance in the other direction, Titus looked over his shoulder to follow several ponies that pranced past him humming the same cheerful tune before they joined in with the throng of voices. There's that weird hive-mind song thing they can do. Sounds like this time it's about hot air balloons and rooms without roofs or something. A shiver traveled up his spine and he resisted the desire to clap along though the tune was definitely stuck in his head and he couldn't stop from tapping a hand in time from within a pocket. It wasn't long until he was out of earshot however, at which time his mind cleared of the melody and he could fully focus on what he had to get done; he wanted to have R6 compile a repair report for the past week, the speeder bike should get a once-over before bringing the sidecar out of storage, and he'd need to check that the weight of the ship wasn't pushing the landing gear into the earth too much. Hopefully R6 prioritized the repulsorlift arrays to reduce the pressure the ship is exerting. Titus continued his mental rundown of tasks between returning greetings from a few familiar Ponyville locals, adding a nap to the list as he stifled a yawn behind a hand and rounded the last building that would lead him out of town however the bridge he would usually take was a teeming mass of ponies held back by a line of weary-looking Ponyville Guards with a single Royal Guard on overwatch from a spot a bit up the hill. Kark, what's this about? While the thought of the long trek to his ship through the trench hadn't bothered him too much - sans shoes, mind you - the sudden and unexpected addition of a confrontation with what were obviously members of the press caused him momentary pause as he contemplated dodging the group in favor of taking a longer roundabout route.

Unfortunately the guardsmare on the hill spotted him before he could slink back out of sight. "Sir! This way, Sir!" she hailed with a wave of a wing as she descended the hill and, despite the distance, he could still make out the orders being barked to the guards, "Private, you call out if you see suspicious magic in use! Hey, Nightwatch, if she pushes you push back twice as hard! Kick her square in the cunt if you have to!"

Kark. We made eye contact. With no way to retreat now Titus steeled himself as he closed on the gathering and, surprisingly enough, under the menacing glare of the Royal Guard a gap quickly opened for him and he had no issue passing through.

"Sergeant Quickbolt at your service, Sir!"

The Royal Guard snapped the brisk salute Titus had come to expect out of Canterlot's elite guards as he crossed over the bridge and came to a stop before her, though when she didn't relax from the gesture until he acknowledged Titus took it to mean he was in some form of command or role of authority of whatever was going on. Taking another look around on the off chance it would give some clue - which it didn't - he returned his attention to her, "Morning; seems like you've had your hands full."

"Hands. Yes, Sir," judging from the way he was scanning his surroundings, the mare deduced he was waiting for more information, "Earlier last week Princess Luna tasked me with establishing this perimeter to prevent these vultures-" she jerked her head toward the reporters; several of them scowled at the remark though it was plainly obvious the pegasi guard couldn't care less, "-from swarming your vessel and potentially damaging something. We have further orders to maintain or modify the perimeter of your property at your command, Sir."

My property? Titus stared off at the hill in a disbelieving manner while mumbling to himself, "That's a lot of area to cover; even with the reverse thrusters firing at full the ship left a crater a couple of klicks long." The awkward silence that followed was broken when the Sergeant not-so-subtly cleared her throat, jarring him back from his thought, "I appreciate your effort here, but that seems entirely excessive. I don't... would they really go slogging that deep into the forest?"

"Uh, forest?" it was Quickbolt's turn to look a bit disbelieving at the human who cocked an eyebrow at her quizzically, "My apologies, Sir, I was lead to believe you had been made aware of the situation; Princess Luna voiced it was inefficient that you were traveling so far on a daily basis to salvage debris so she purchased the plot of land from where we are now at the base of this hill up to the treeline from the township on your behalf and relocated the ship a few days ago-" she paused in her recounting and took to wing to follow him as he jogged a few strides up the hill until he could see over the crest where he stopped to stare for a few moments. "What are your orders, Sir?"

Shifting his gaze to the line of town guards holding back the mass of press ponies Titus caught one of the more exhausted guards glancing at him hopefully and, despite his overwhelming urge to just go to his bunk and crash, he figured he could at least help them out a bit, "Your soldiers look how I feel; have you been posting them in shifts? Do you have fresh faces to rotate in?" When she answered in the affirmative he nodded, his finger tapping his chin as he thought how he could best handle the situation while scrutinizing the crowd a second time, noting the various badges and hats the columnists were sporting and linking them to the stories Twilight had tried her best to keep him oblivious of. Lets see, we've got the Manehatten Monitor that published that 'Monster Menace or Gentle Giant' article; the Baltimare Sun probably sold a lot of papers with their 'Alien Invader' story, and the Equestrian Inquirer is probably here claiming I've begun cloning ponies for my eventual coup or some other scaremongering nonsense. Two familiar faces without a mark of affiliation caught his eye, spawning the beginnings of a plan in his mind and after a few moments of quiet contemplation he nodded again, "Alright. Unless you have another suggestion I'm going to talk with this motley bunch briefly; after that I want to collapse the perimeter back to the other side of the hill, so if you would cordon off an area a few body lengths around the ship that would cut down on the personnel required significantly and allow you to dismiss a good number of the exhausted ponies under your command. I'd like to have some pegasi posted up on top of the ship as well, just instruct them not to land until I point out anything that might be hazardous."

"Understood, though my suggestion would have been to just toss the lot of them in the river and let them float all the way to Las Pegasus with the rest of the refuse," Quickbolt snorted before snapping back to attention, "Speaking freely, of course, Sir..."

The bit of humor was refreshing and the chuckle Titus gave relieved the guardsmare that she hadn't spoken out of turn. "We'll keep that on the table and call it Plan B," he muttered over his shoulder just loud enough for her to hear as he turned to approach the assembly. "Good morning folks-" he was immediately cut off and assaulted with a barrage of questions, some of which varied in levels of outright stupidity that he ignored, and it took a few seconds for the crowd to register his upraised hands as a call for silence, "Good morning. Right, I can see you're eager to get some photographs of my ship and I understand you've got a lot of questions but I've just gotten back after a long week so I'm pretty worn out at the moment. We'll be moving the line back momentarily, however I'd like to set a few things straight with all of you; first, you're welcome to photograph whatever you like, however do not touch anything - some of the tech over there may look inert but it could have a power current running through it and I don't want anyone to get hurt. Second, I'd respectfully ask you to not come aboard-"

"Would we find something that would paint you as a threat?" one of the tabloid representatives asked with a smirk, pad and pencil at the ready to transcribe the alien's answer, "Weapons, perhaps? Or maybe you don't want our readers to see what sort of monkey business you get up to in there."

"Well... I openly admit that my ship is outfitted with weapon systems which Princess Luna was made fully aware of, however I've only got basic power back up and running and as such I've left unnecessary systems - weapons being at the top of that list - powered off. Such systems were an unfortunate necessity as back through the portal flying around with an unarmed ship is just asking to be targeted by pirates and other undesirable individuals who would not hesitate to attack, rob, or kill you, even just for sport. But no, weapons have nothing to do with it; the reason I'm asking you not come aboard is because it's my home. I doubt you'd want a group of strangers barging their way into yours and poking around everywhere." Having tried to answer politely despite the obvious venom in the initial question, the stallion reporter rolling his eyes and replying with a snarky "sure" was the final straw for the weary human who decided it was about time he stopped taking the jabs from the tabloids and took a few swings of his own, "Oh, one more thing while you're jotting that down... could you make a note for your editor? I've read some of your issues and there's this glaring mistake that continually stands out from all of the rest that I'd like to correct; it involves the term 'Space Monkey' that you use so often..." he paused when the crowd shuffled nervously, unaware that the Princesses had made it abundantly clear that the term was highly derogatory and definitely not something they approved of, Luna having visibly shook as she contained her anger and revulsion at having to repeat the phrase in her address to the court.

Titus decided to ignore their discomfort and continued his lashing, "Just to clarify for the sake of being correct; humans aren't monkeys, we're actually more closely related to apes and, before you inquire, there is a distinct difference between the two classifications. With that in mind a proper headline would read 'Space Ape' or if I might suggest something a little more catchy, 'Galactic Gorilla'... don't get me wrong, I'm still disgusted at the reference but I realize it's much easier for you to just ignore the fact that I'm a sentient being so you can group me with a base animal of similar appearance to preserve your sense of superiority when dealing with something you're unfamiliar with. Despite that, this 'monkey-'" he jerked two thumbs at his chest, his intense stare burning into his target like a laser, "would be more than happy to come by your office and give a short lecture to educate you and your obviously ignorant staff on basic zoology and taxonomy and, while I also realize there's a low demand among the majority of your readers for genuine intellectual content and an almost non-existent requirement that you have credible sources or check your facts before you print something, perhaps you could find an empty space for an informative blurb on the subject somewhere between the ever-important newsworthy stories covering celebrity binge diets and the exposé of Canterlot's banana-worshiping secret society. Any other moronic questions clearly aimed at insulting me you'd like answered for that rag you call a paper?" The chortles of columnists from other papers and a shout of "You tell 'em, big guy!" sent the snide tabloid journalist retreating out of the spotlight to the back of the cluster of ponies.

"Wow, that felt good to get off my chest. Now then, enough with the talking! Who..." Titus, feeling much better after the small retaliation and his victory, brought his hands together with a loud clap and glanced about the group, pausing to build upon the anticipation, "wants to see a spaceship?" A sudden roar of excitement answered his question so he signaled the guardsmare that had stayed behind him and she dissolved the line of town guards with a nod. The press surged forward past Titus, the high-profile reporters from the big papers at the front of the wave clamoring up the steep incline to secure the best vantage point with cameras at the ready. The whole congregation collapsed on the second perimeter that had been set up moments before, fresh stern-faced guards having been rotated in to relieve the spent ones from the bridge; Titus followed a bit behind the initial swell and labored up to the crest, using the time to answer a few general questions from ponies that briefly matched his pace before increasing their gait to reach the hilltop or sharing a greeting with several familiar faces and ended up at the absolute back of the procession.

"Hey big guy!" *SMACK!* Despite the split second warning that normally would have been enough to keep him from being startled, Titus gasped and jumped slightly at the unexpected hoof swatting his butt, "Looks like you're back to wearing all those clothes again."

"Hello Lyra," the familiar laugh that reached his ears was enough to identify the mint-coated unicorn before she appeared beside him a second later, grinning like a fool, "Much to my relief, I'm back to normal." He stopped and offered a fist for her to bump but found from the wrist down engulfed in a gold shimmer as the clenched hand was gently pried apart and a hoof placed in it which he gripped and shook, taking note for the future her preference of greeting gesture.

"Relief indeed, your fingers are too cool to give up for a pair of flanks, even the great pair you had," a shiver ran up her spine at the sensation of the digits wrapping around her hoof, culminating in a giggle as her ears twitched when the tingle continued its way up to their tips. "I bet you weren't expecting this," Lyra jerked her head to the top of the hill, "most of them have been here for the past week trying to get a closer look, not that the hotel is complaining as it's been a while since they had every room booked, but nopony has been allowed on that side of the bridge, not even the Human Watchers," she couldn't help but look a little sour at how her group, despite their offer to help stand in and help hold the line, had been treated just like the media vultures.

Titus gave a weary sigh, "This definitely wasn't on my agenda for the day. Come on, follow me," he started walking again and cut a path for the least congested spot of the crowd, slowly working his way through to the front with Lyra right in tow, "I'm sorry you guys ran into some trouble, but after my week in Canterlot your group is one of the reasons I decided to indulge the press today-" Titus easily stepped one leg over the tape the guards had set up, though the second leg brought a small wince due to the stiffness he'd been feeling all morning and he had to hop a few times to maintain his balance. Both him and the vessel in one frame must have been a desirable photo as he was almost blinded by the sheer volume of camera flashes that went off when he turned around to speak with the closest guard and lift the band up, "This is Lyra Heartstrings, she's a personal friend of mine and is to be given free access from now on. Pass that information on to your C.O., if you would."

"Sure thing, I'll let Sarge know," the relaxed nature of the town guard's response was a stark contrast to what Titus had experienced during his week away, "She's got those fliers you wanted circling and awaiting your instruction-" the guard's attention suddenly shot to a pony that was pushing a little too far on the tape and she trotted over to reprimand them.

Titus, ignoring the repeated hails and questions hurled at their backs, trudged the remaining distance to a spot under one of the vessel's wings in silence in favor of allowing the obviously curious Lyra an opportunity to get a glance at everything, though he was somewhat surprised to find the ship got little more than a once over, her gaze roaming from the engine cones that were pointed at the hill to the heavy doors of the cargo bay and down to the sharply-angled nose before she looked back to him. His own gaze remained on the cargo bay door as he debated using another entry point however, not wanting to lower the large loading ramp and open the large doors to expose everything inside to the eagerly awaiting cameras behind him.

"Whatcha thinking about, big guy?" she smirked as she poked his leg with an elbow, "It's Sparkles, isn't it?"

"Front door or back door."

Lyra, having instantly connected their two subjects in a rather lewd way, just barely managed to stop a full-on guffaw but was unable to keep a snort from escaping which unfortunately drew his attention and an inquiring expression which she just waved away.

"O-kay... that group of yours is why I was fine with the barricade being moved closer. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you've got two photographers-"

"Oh!" Lyra's ears perked up as she looked over her withers at the gathered crowd behind her, "You mean Snappy and Action; yeah, they're probably somewhere over there. What about them?"

Titus explained that there was a Canterlot chapter of Human Watchers and he had met one of the photographer's cousins - which one he wasn't sure - and thanks to some of the photos that had been taken of him and shared with her cousins herd, however he had heard none of the papers had been buying them and paychecks had been scant because of that. He knelt down and offered a hand to Lyra, who eagerly put her hoof in it for another finger-squeezing session as the cameras went wild, "I'm really glad I bumped into you, Lyra. I was planning on trying to get their attention after everyone had moved closer to the ship, though without their names I'm not sure how I would have accomplished that. Anyway, they indirectly did me a favor and now I've got both the ability to return it and maybe even reward them for not buckling under pressure. I don't know if they'd be interested, but as a thanks I'd like to give them the first shot at photographing the interior of my ship-"

"What, you mean like... an exclusive?!" Lyra blurt loud enough for a few of the closest press ponies to hear which made Titus wince - the last thing he wanted was to have a small riot on his hands though with that firecracker of a guardsmare, Quickbolt, in charge he probably had little to worry about.

"It wouldn't be for a little while because I want to finish a few cosmetic repairs before inviting them, but yeah, I guess you could call it an exclusive. It'd just be pictures though; Miss Cheerilee had asked Twilight and I've already promised the interview to the school newspaper club."

"Look at you, Mr. Big Shot Celebrity!" Lyra grinned and bopped him on the shoulder, "Yeah, I'll see if Action and Snappy are interested at the next Human Watchers meeting which, coincidentally, we've got a lunch scheduled today at the Hayburger so- oh HEY!" she suddenly exclaimed and started hopping up and down excitedly, "You should come, it'd be great! You could have whatever you wanted - my treat, of course! - and you'd get to ask them yourself and meet everypony and... and..." her hopping slowed as she examined his face and registered for the first time how tired he looked, her ears drooping and shoulders sagging as it became increasingly clear he wouldn't be indulging her in her request, "You're not coming, are you?"

"Sorry Lyra, not today," he bopped her on the shoulder lightly then labored himself upright, "but I'll take a rain-check on that lunch, if that's alright with you; I can only assume it's from the transformation spell wearing off, but this whole morning I've felt weary and sore all over and all I want to do right now is go inside and lie down for a bit; that or I'm warp-lagged from last week, I'm not one hundred percent sure."

The grin returned to Lyra's face as she gave him a wiggle of her eyebrows, "A 'good' morning with Sparkles tire you out that much, huh?"

"Good morning? Try the best morning-" it took him a second to catch on to what she was alluding to and he shook his head lazily and realized Twilight probably wouldn't want him blabbing how they had spent less time eating cereal and more time eating each others faces so he went a little light on the details, "No, that's not what I meant. I had a great time just being with her; we lounged on the couch for a bit, had some breakfast, and talked - she wants to take things easy and experience a traditional courtship which I'm perfectly content with if that's what'll make her happy. It's cliche, I know, but her being happy is what matters to me."

"*Gak!* Any sweeter and you're gonna give me diabetes," Lyra made several more gagging noises as she jokingly thrust a hoof at the back of her throat before giggling, "Listen, because I owe Sparkles a favor I'll let you off the hook this time so you can go grab a few Z's, but you better be ready to drop whatever you're doing the next time I ask, no excuses. Ooo! Added condition!"

What is with ponies and adding amended conditions to agreements? It's almost habitual. Titus thought as he withheld a chuckle, "And what might that be?"

"Fight Night; if you decide to wear clothes-" she stopped as his expression quickly changed to one that told her definitively and without any form of doubt he would be wearing clothes for the event, "Okay, okay, fine. For Fight Night wear that sleeveless shirt and those short trousers of yours, they both show off your physique really well. Also, you're going to come over to me and Bon-Bon's place sometime so I can see what those fingers of yours can do with an instrument." She tapped her chin with a hoof as she thought for a moment before adamantly pointing at him, "And I want a ride on that machine you were fixing with Pinkie."

"That was three conditions-"

"And I want an ear rub. Twilight's been absolutely raving about them for a week now and-"

"Okay, make that four," for being greedy he ruffled her forelock which she had to take a moment to shake to get back in place, "but alright; you've got a deal. Negotiations are closed."

Lyra watched as he walked a few paces in one direction until the edge of the craft was no longer above him and curiously ground the balls of his feet into the ground, her proximity barely enabling her to pick up his grumble that maybe he could just doze off on the grass for a little while; the comment causing her to scrutinize him a bit more keenly. He does look dead on his feet. And a little pale, for that matter; not that I can say for certain. "Um?" she spoke up as he was making odd little adjustments to his position which he stopped to regard her in wait for her to flesh out her interruption, "I, uh, heard what you said and yeah, you kinda look like... crap. You going to be alright?"

"Lyra, I feel like crap. Not only that, but before I can crash I've got to show those pegasi what's safe and what's not," he pointed a finger to the guards idly flying overhead before muttering under his breath, "Frankly I'm not sure I'd even make it to my bunk."

"Then I'd say it's in the best interest of our negotiation that I help! Right," Lyra trotted over, ignoring his protest that she didn't need to help and followed suit to join him in staring up at the edge of the craft a very high distance above them for a few moments before giving up when she had no luck in finding a clear way for them to ascend. "Uh... how, exactly, do we get up there?" She knew teleportation was a non-option for Titus on account of what Twilight had told her over the past week about his teleportation sickness so she gave it another moment of thought, not realizing he had stepped to one side and began grinding his toes into the grass again, "I can't see over the lip, but if you give me a minute to work through the crowd I can go back to the top of the hill and teleport up. How are you-"

"The fast way. And forget the hill, you're coming piggyback."

"Piggy-back?" unfamiliar with the term and having no idea what the back of a pig had to do with anything, she turned to find Titus balanced on the ball of one foot and a knee resting on the ground for support, his two arms forming loops which was sufficient for the unicorn to figure he was going to carry her in some manner. Following his instruction Lyra hooked her forehooves over his shoulders and loosely around his neck while both hind legs found a loop, the rate of camera flashes aimed at the pair continued to increase in number at the odd spectacle of the human carrying a pony as Lyra relaxed into a comfortable position.

Titus stood up slowly, allowing the unicorn to adjust to the motion before tightening his arms around her hind legs, "Do you remember yesterday when Applejack asked why Princess Luna decided to turn me into a unicorn rather than an Earth pony on our trip back from the train station and I didn't answer?" When she nodded he backed up a few paces and gave the ship's wing one final glance before looking over his shoulder at Lyra, "Well, what I was saying was that I wanted to talk to the Princesses before showing everyone that I have a these... abilities that might have been a little threatening. Hold on tight Lyra, and don't worry; I promise I won't let you fall."

The mint unicorn tightened her grip and felt Titus' whole body tense as he dropped almost to his knees with a heavy breath being the only warning before they both rocketed skyward; "WHOOOOOOOOEEEEEEE!" Lyra's exuberant whoop of excitement cut over the collective gasp of the gathered ponies that trained their cameras skyward to watch as the alien and his passenger - one that was beaming from ear to ear and merrily waving a hoof - reach the pinnacle of their trajectory before they descended to land lightly on the craft.

"Humans are so bucking cool!" Lyra exclaimed after hopping off of Titus' back when he crouched down, taking a quick second to wave at the ponies on the ground before turning to punch him in the shoulder perhaps a little harder than she meant to, causing him to fall flat on his backside, "Fingers, nifty gadgets, and you can do magic?! Why wouldn't you tell me?!"

"It's a long story, Lyra; one that I don't have the energy to tell at the moment," Titus, too tired to try and explain that it wasn't magic, got to his feet with a little help when she saw him struggling, "If you're desperate to know I told Twi and I'd hazard a guess that she took notes; ask her what 'The Force' is and why I was hesitant to show everyone, otherwise you'll just have to wait for the article in the school paper."

After beckoning the pegasi guards down it took a good chunk of time for the increasingly weary Titus to lead them around the surface of the ship and point out the less-obvious hazards such as the brake flaps and exhaust vents though it quickly became evident they would be doing more flying than walking on the hull as their hooves had trouble finding purchase on any of the curved metal surfaces. One such slip sent Lyra skidding and spinning down a slope on her belly with legs splayed in all directions toward a nasty drop off the edge of the fuselage before Titus was able to sprint at an unbelievable speed ahead of her and scoop her up, her hooves instantly latching around his neck.

"Hey... hey. It's alright, take a look, Lyra," he panted, feeling the aftereffect of the Force-amplified sprint catching up with him and jerked his head to indicate she wasn't in any danger of falling as the guards had reacted nearly instantly and were hovering below the ledge to catch her. When he felt only a small change in her vice-like grip he subtly turned his head to whisper reassurance in the closest mint ear, "There, you see that? You've got several good-looking stallions down there vying to be the one that gets to catch you. Now then, I'm going to find a spot to put you down, alright?"

After he took a few strides to a fairly flat area he knelt down, though just in case Lyra insisted she keep her forelegs wrapped around the back of his neck. The thought of the fall wasn't what startled her, though quite understandably it wasn't something she wanted to repeat, what had really scared her was that the moment she had been sent spinning down the smooth metal face she had panicked and been unable to sufficiently bring any spell to mind and, had she gone over the edge, she doubted she would have been able to cast anything to save herself. Of course she didn't voice any of this and instead put on a brave face and a weak grin, hoping Titus wouldn't see through her facade that she was a mess right now, though when the singular hoof she tentatively placed on the armored metal slipped slightly she immediately retracted it back, "Is there someplace flatter, perhaps?"

Realizing that the problem lay with the armor plating itself there was little he could do in the way of a temporary fix right this moment though several ideas did come to mind; pushing them to the back burner Titus turned to the hovering guards, "Good hustle on getting into position you guys, however you've all seen how easy it is for your hooves to come out from underneath you and a knock to the head that dazes for even a second could prove disastrous so until I can devise something to fix that problem I want you to work in pairs and watch out for each other." As the guards split up into teams to cover the fore, aft, and wing sections of the ship Titus hoisted himself up with a grunt and returned his attention to the unicorn that lay in his arms in an almost identical way he had held the mud-slick Twilight on her back with her legs tucked against her belly and head near his shoulder, "The airlock door is just over there. I doubt you'll have any issues with slipping because the floor is a different material and isn't the same smooth texture as the hull."

By the time Titus had carried Lyra into the airlock - which required a hard kick to the door already bearing a hoof-shaped dent when it got stuck - the human was dead on his feet, slumping to the floor with his back against one of the walls after he had set her down and activated the override on the interior airlock door so both would be open at the same time. Recalling that teleportation would require most unicorns to either have a line of sight or complete familiarity with a location from what Luna had told him of the spell after being diagnosed with Positional Displacement Distress, Titus rolled his head to one side to look for a clear spot of ground for Lyra, whose gaze was shifting between him and what must have been the enticing opportunity to continue deeper into the ship as she kept craning her neck to peer around the inner airlock door, "Alright, I'm not familiar with what sort of ranges you're capable of, but there's an empty hillock and a field in plain sight if that will work for you to teleport to."

Lyra carefully stepped over the stretched out legs to take a look of her own before confirming both would work before turning back to Titus with an expression of questioning concern, "What about you? You're looking a bit worse... like, worse than crappier. Crappierer. You going to be alright?"

"Yeah, I'll just crash here for a bit, you're free to go to your lunch-"

"Nope! I said I was going to help so I'm not going anywhere until you're in your bunk," she took his sleeve in her mouth and pulled on it gently in a bid to get him to stand but he just groaned to leave him be and let his arm fall back to his side, "Hey! I'm a mare of my word and I'm betting- no, I'm telling you I can be a lot more stubborn than you, so you either get yourself up or I'm gonna levitate your bucking flanks to your quarters, with or without your consent," Lyra gave him her best scowl, her muzzle scrunching up and brows angling menacingly as she dared him to test her though only a few moments later Titus begrudgingly pulled himself up, one shoulder leaning against the wall for support. "There you go!" her scowl quickly disappeared into a grin at her victory and she swatted him on the rump for the second time that day, this time enthusiastically enough to almost topple him over.

"Lyra, do you have some weird-" he immediately thought weird was probably a bit strong of a word though an itch at the back of his throat caused him to cough, interrupting his question and forcing him to pause until it had passed which thankfully offered a second of reprieve to think how to word his question to be less off-putting and not quite as accusatory. From the time he had spent with Lyra the afternoon of their picnic after Twilight had left and a few hours they had hung out after fixing the speeder bike he had come to find she was rather different from most ponies in her mannerisms that were more befitting a human; it had started with her quietly observing him from a short distance, shorter than any other pony at the time, and at first he paid it no mind as he inventoried the salvage he had managed to collect from that morning but every so often he'd catch a glimpse of her eyes intently following his hand motions like a hawk or trying to imitate him by trying to get her hind legs to comply so she could sit cross-legged. It was her small yelp of pain that had drawn his attention to inquire if she was alright and from there they had hit it off remarkably well, he liked her unashamed interest in what it was like to be human which undeniably put her as one of the first ponies to show an open desire to learn about him but some of the questions she had asked had been weird (and that wasn't a strong word this time); how do you go about describing what it's like having hands if you've never experienced what it's like not to have them? Titus cleared his throat as the coughing stopped, "Do you have some sudden fixation you'd like to tell me about?"

"What, you mean on your flanks? I guess so, though considering you've got them and everything else covered all the time it's sort of hard to fixate..." she scoffed and gave them a long look as if she was trying to see through the seat of his jumpsuit, "You'd have to ditch the clothes before I could get back to you with a definitive answer on that but it's like I said; your hands and fingers are way better!" she poked his closest hand and it turned to allow her to play with the digits, bending them with a hoof and letting them brush against her muzzle before she suddenly stopped, "Look, if I offended you by swatting your flanks-"

"I'm not offended," he interjected dryly.

"Awww," Lyra pouted, making a show of sticking her lip out as she resumed walking, "It'd be more fun if you pretended you were then I could tell you to just swat me back and we'd be even! Careful though, too hard and I might ♪~enjoy it!~♪" she teased in a sing-song as she pranced a bit in front of him to make a show of tapping her lyre cutie mark.

"Yeah... I'm telling you right now that's not going to happen," Titus stared at the unicorn who went back to making her pouting face as he continued down the hallway at his agonizingly slow pace and couldn't help shake the feeling that this sort of situation had occurred not a week ago. "Lyra, sorry about this but I've got to ask; are you coming on to me? Are you... in heat?" he had to be sure as he didn't want anything jeopardizing what he had with Twilight, even if that meant potentially being blunt or rude and outright asking if she was on cycle. Better to beg forgiveness than permission to ask in this case. When Lyra stopped dead in her tracks in the middle of the hallway Titus halted as well, "I don't know what or how much Twi told you but this whole banter thing we're doing is pretty similar to the lead-up to, uh... you know, me and her and I don't want there to be any confusion between us, meaning you and I, that might put that at risk."

Lyra eventually snorted and broke into a giggle, "You can relax. My cycle ended last week and yeah, maybe I'm coming on to you just a little... but don't worry, I'm not about to do anything that'd mess up you and Sparkles; I wouldn't do that to a friend - not to either one of you. As for how much she told me..." the playful mint unicorn couldn't help but give a sly grin as she toyed with the human, "I think I'll let you sweat for now and keep that to myself, but I'd be willing to share that she felt it was kinda hot to get swept off her hooves after that run-in with the timberwolves and, after almost sliding off the side of the ship, I think I'd have to agree with her. But that's all I'm saying, anything more'll cost ya, big guy!"

Yup, she's definitely different from other ponies. Stopping at a nondescript door that was identical to the numerous others they had already passed he paused for a moment as he briefly thought about asking just what sort of payment she would be expecting but instead mashed the button with a fist and the unlit room beyond was revealed with a smooth mechanical swoosh of air, "Welcome to my quarters, don't think me letting you in here is an invitation for any funny stuff," Titus joked as he moved past the curious Lyra to worm his hands into an open panel on the wall containing an exposed series of wires, digging as far up to his elbow and making several odd expressions of concentration as he "saw" through his sense of touch until there was a small *click!* and a bright bleaching light flickered several times before remaining steady to illuminate the absolute disarray. "Sorry for the mess, I haven't been in here since the crash so nothing's been picked up-" Titus' apology distracted himself long enough to get a nasty shock from one of the live wires which caused him to withdraw his hands quickly to shake them out.

Lyra waited for him to find or, more accurately, collapse, onto the bottom bunk that was set into the wall before she stepped into the room, "It's um... small." The room itself was indeed small and very bare-bones, featuring only the narrow bed with drawers built underneath, a set of shelves that had fallen off of the wall, a locker that looked to be a little taller than Titus, and something that Lyra thought might be a television though the screen was smashed. In addition to the general clutter of everything that had been obviously thrown about in the crash, various accouterments were scattered about the floor; the locker having tipped over and dumped its contents. She gave a subtle experimental sniff, testing if the stereotype that a stallion's room smelled different and while she could detect several scents she was unable to differentiate their sources. You know, I bet if all this stuff wasn't on the floor it'd be pretty cozy, in a depressing grey prison-cell sort of way. Not even a second after she had finished her thought she heard something directly behind her, causing the unicorn to turn just enough until she saw a sharp-looking metal claw out of the corner of her eye.

With a startled squeak she scrambled onto the bunk and rather roughly over Titus to find a hiding spot behind him though when he hardly moved she ventured a peek over his shoulder to find an object slightly taller than herself rolling into the room toward them with chirps and whistles, "W-w-what is that?!" She ducked back down when what looked like a single rotating eye pointed in her direction. A second later what she could only describe as a coo came from the creature or whatever it was as the human patted a hand on its rounded top.

"This here is R6," Titus cast a glance to the unicorn peering over his shoulder, "he's my astromech droid that's been repairing the ship while I was gone. He probably got an alert the airlock was breached and came to investigate so he's just curious who you were as he's only met Twi and Luna so far, though he had a little run-in with someone else last week that might have spooked him. It's okay, you don't need to be scared-"

"W-who says I was scared? Maybe I just wanted an excuse to squeeze in here with you, ya big lug, ever think of that?" Lyra sat up so he could see her sticking her tongue out at him and shoved him slightly, creating a bit more room in the hiding space she had found behind Titus which had required her to squash herself between him and the wall, "It's actually quite comfortable." To make her point she nestled in a bit further.

"For you, maybe," Titus was too fatigued to make anything more than a halfhearted protest at her position and reminded her that she had a lunch with the Human Watchers to attend though she just brushed it off by stating there was plenty of time between now and then for a nice nap and her presence wasn't a necessity, the co-chairmare could handle things just fine. He breathed a heavy sigh; she was right, she could be way more stubborn than he could. "Look, I doubt I could get to sleep like this so could I bribe you to go to that lunch with an ear rub? I wouldn't even count it against the one from our earlier arrangement."

"Yeah, I guess so," it was a very, very tempting offer but she couldn't help but feel a little melancholy, "but... why do you want to get rid of me so badly? I mean, if you ask me to go I will, but we're buds and you've been gone all week so I just thought maybe we could hang out for a bit..." she trailed off, ears drooping and shoulders sagging. While she understood how much a trip could drain a pony of energy, especially a long one to Canterlot like some of the visits she'd occasionally make to her family, at the same time Lyra had really been looking forward to spending some time with the human and was hoping he'd let her stay though the longer he went without saying she could the more she couldn't help but feel dispirited.

Titus had actually been mistaken, despite the pony's elbows and hooves poking him in the back awkwardly he could feel himself slowly but surely drifting off though he retained enough acuity to pick up on the tone of her voice and respond, " I just... the sudden flock of reporters swarming the ship means I have to watch my every move and be careful of what I say so I've probably bitten off more than I can chew in that regard; I feel like Bantha dung, and with Twilight being really anxious that this date go off without a hitch there's a lot for me to focus on." He slid his body over to the very edge of the bunk to give himself enough room to roll over onto his back so he could extend a hand to one of her ears, beginning the massage from the base and working toward the tip, "It's not that I mind you being here, Lyra, and I didn't intend for it to sound like that... tell you what; you go to your lunch and I'll snag myself a nap in the meantime. Once you're done with the meeting we can hang out for a bit or for the rest of day, if you want. That sound agreeable?"

"Mmm-Mhm," Lyra sighed in response on account that her first experience of the alien ear rub had completely overwhelmed her senses and she gave up fighting against it; she whimpered and hummed as her eyes drooped half closed and her swimming head fell to his chest, her hooves spasmodically twitching every time a thumb rolled the up to the tip of her sensitive pinna. Sparkles wasn't kidding, this is amazing!

"The reporters mean I probably won't be working outside so I'll leave the outer airlock door open to give you a place to teleport to," Titus alternated between rubbing and lightly scratching the base of the unicorn's ear, a combination that proved to reduced Lyra's ability to function all the more, "Opening the inner door is as easy as pulling the red latch. I'll probably stick around here to work, but if I'm still asleep just wake me up." When she asked if that was a Pinkie Promise he nodded despite his unfamiliarity with the term, too tired to inquire and resigned to guessing it was just a cutesy term Pinkie Pie used when making promises.

"Right... gotta leave... lunch... Watchers meeting... " Seeking to apply further pressure on her ear Lyra rolled onto her back so she could brace the hand against the mattress and push into the massage, causing it to feel like little bits of time were disappearing as her brain briefly shut down with each wave of bliss and she had to make a conscious effort to keep from drifting off or letting her tongue loll out. "Oh b-buck that is amazing... j-jeez, I normally would have bought you a drink or two before letting you do something that felt this good to me," she joked and summoned enough willpower to move to punch him lightly in the shoulder before melting back to her previous state of complete submission, "Sparkles, I swear, if you don't hurry up..."

"Uh," Titus' curiosity was piqued enough to keep him awake for a few seconds little longer, "Hurry up with what?"

"Oh nnnothing," Lyra hummed, carefully shaking her head so as to not pull her ear from between the dexterous fingers, "Look, I ahh wasn't going to-oooo! say anything, but buck me if this isn't worth it... I caught a glimpse of it on her desk... she's gotten a courting schedule written up and everything's planned out down to the smMmmallest detail." By the time the ear massage came to its end Lyra had been reduced to a limp puddle as she rode her endorphin high back down and spent the last few moments squirming on her back giggling with her legs kicking in the air while playfully rubbing her muzzle against the hand and fingers that had put her in such a euphoric mood. "Thanks big guy, that was just... WOW," she remained squashed between his side and the wall for a bit longer but eventually she rolled back upright and sighed; unbeknownst to her the reason the ear rub had ceased was because Titus was on the cusp of slumber and was hearing her voice like it was a fair distance away as he drifted further still, "I'll take off and leave you to snooze for a bit, but you can be sure I'll be back!" She did her best to gently crawl over the stretched out human to avoid disturbing his repose but paused halfway atop him, "Before I go I just want to give some advice regarding you and Sparkles; she's um... probably expecting things to follow a set pattern that she's undoubtedly drawn from hours of exhaustive research and if something deviates from it she's bound to get a bit frazzled and over-analyze it," Lyra crawled the rest of the way to the floor and turned to follow the astromech out of the room but stopped to look at the almost-unconscious human with a smile, "That's just the way she is, so try and follow along with her plan. I'll see if I can sneak a copy of her schedule to you, just so you're prepared."

Titus could have sworn he felt a small peck on his cheek right before he dozed off.

A while later Lyra slid out from the benched table the Human Watchers had gotten at the Hayburger as each pony scooted down the seat and to the floor in a train, the group's meeting having come to an end after a long lunch of sharing the insights and experiences they'd had, though with their subject having disappeared for a week the majority of the meeting had been spent interrogating Lyra, the whole table having erupted in excitement that had almost gotten them thrown out for being too boisterous at the announcements that Titus had moved the barricade that had been barring them from the hill back and the unicorn had been allowed a brief incursion inside the human ship.

"Awesome meeting today, everypony! You'll all want to be at our next lunch; you could say I've pulled quite a few strings to get a special surprise lined up so be sure our absent members know they won't want to miss it. Oh! Scoop! Action! C'mere real quick," she beckoned both over before they could get to the door and the three waited for the table to clear, Lyra a bit impatiently as she was eagerly looking forward to her imminent afternoon of hanging out, "Titus wanted me to pass along his thanks to you two; apparently during his week in Canterlot he crossed paths with somepony named Emerald Contrail-"

"Connie?" a surprised Action Shot interjected, "She's my cousin; her husband works in the palace garrison. What'd he have to say?"

The mint unicorn shrugged, "Just that he was appreciative of the photos you've been taking and for sharing them with your cousin's herd as 'the three of them were a welcome set of friendly faces,' as he put it. That's all." Wanting to have a little fun, she waited until they had started back toward the door to get to the underlying reason she had called them over, "Oh! There was one other thing, what was it...? I think as a thank you he wanted to know if you'd both be interested in coming aboard his ship for a private tour to take some pictures; an exclusive or something like that."

Snappy Scoop and Action Shot both looked at each other for a moment before practically leaping on Lyra for more details, their absolute interest in the opportunity apparent as they hounded Lyra for the specifics however she could only tell them the offer was made for a time in the near future and that they'd have to talk to Titus for anything more though she said she would relay their enthusiastic response to him later that afternoon and the pair passed along their thanks before leaving with an unbridled excitement in their step. Lyra was making her own exit after picking up the tab for the group - something she always did as it not only made her feel good but she had ample Bits thanks to her well-off family and, as a little bit of a twisted bonus, it was always funny to tell Bon-Bon as it annoyed her to no end that her friend was so frivolous with her money. Of course, Lyra wasn't sadistic (at least not overly, anyway) and would always bring her roommate a little goodie bag as a treat. Thinking of goodie bags for friends... Lyra had a wonderful idea and when she finally left the Hayburger she had two large paper bags leading the way and a grin from ear to ear.

A quick stop in at home revealed her roommate to be out, a note pinned to the fridge detailed that the unicorn had forgotten to restock on groceries and was accompanied by a frowny face and a double-underlined "again" so Lyra quickly scribbled a reply of a winking face sticking its tongue out with a small heart and attached it to the sack lunch she left on the kitchen table as form of lighthearted apology. A quick glance at the animated pony clock on the wall showed that a surprisingly small amount of time had passed and the Human Watchers meeting may have run shorter than she had expected. It's hardly been an hour an a half! Not nearly enough time for a decent nap, especially for how tuckered out the big guy looked. Lyra didn't have anything to do around the house aside from a few chores that were clearly marked by the numerous sticky-notes left by Bon-Bon but a quick perusal of several that were within hoof reach failed to invoke any of her interest in completing them and, deciding that she never saw the notes in the first place, she happily retreated back onto the front stoop with the other takeout bag but paused to double check that she had the right one before locking the door. Good! Extra sauce and they left out the utensils and napkins just like I asked; lets see how he handles this without them. Heh, I think I'll call this stuff finger-food! Though their house was in the northern section of town it wouldn't take very long to get to Human Hill so as a way to kill some time and give Titus a slightly longer nap Lyra made a quick detour and and headed for the library to learn about the human's magical abilities.

The library door was unlocked, as it normally was at this hour provided Twilight or Spike was there, however something on the other side was keeping it from opening all the way which forced Lyra to squeeze herself through the narrow gap - not an easy task considering how a pony's barrel tapered down before widening at the haunches, and getting stuck in such a compromising position was the subject of a lot of nightmares. A brief moment of being unable to move in either direction as what appeared to be a large mailbag shifted and inched the gap a little tighter made Lyra's heart flutter for a second before she simply called on her magic to teleport the short distance into the hallway though she was surprised that none of the grunts she made in her struggle had attracted anypony's attention, Lyra deducing her unicorn friend would have been unable to leave via the front door with the large mailbag obstruction and it was clear by the saddlebags that sat atop a small table that Twilight was home or had recently been home.

Lyra called out softly in search of Twilight as she ventured further down the hall into the living room and was about to head upstairs but the sight of a curiously large package balanced on the small coffee table caught her eye; curious as to why it wasn't with the sack that she assumed was for Titus - over the last few days it had quickly become common knowledge that the mint unicorn was the head of the Human Watchers and, what with his appointed intermediary making few excursion from the library, it hadn't become uncustomary for ponies to approached the mint unicorn in hopes she'd pass along miscellaneous mail. She casually strolled over to inspect it further and quickly spotted the fancy postmark and the return address above the label that confirmed her guess that it was for the human. Oh wow, The Lunar Office of Canterlot Palace? That would probably explain why it's separate; I wonder what they sent the big guy... Ideas abound what the large parcel could contain and Lyra promised herself she'd be present when it was opened as that was the only way to satiate the growing desire to pop the top on the mystery that was gnawing at her and the sooner she got away from the temptation the better.

The closest exits to distract her were the kitchen which was devoid of life, including the potted plant on the windowsill that looked like Twilight hadn't watered it in a week, and the other door lead to the librarian's laboratory into which Lyra popped for a quick snoop. Twilight's personal marecave of science had a set up of chalkboards crammed with scribbled thaumic equations, notes, and hypothesis awaiting testing; the lab table that wrapped around the exterior walls was clogged with equipment ranging from burners to flasks and several pieces of glassware that looked completely otherworldly and the faint smell of expended magic hung in the air.

Finding that the lab was just as empty as the kitchen Lyra spent a moment attempting to follow what was on the chalkboard though all she could deduce from her passing glance at the manner of spell-weaving was that it had to do with an advanced form of portal teleportation; not feeling in the right mood to give it more thought she eventually grew bored and climbed the stairs back to the living room where she headed for the small writing desk to accomplish the first of her objectives. After digging through the mess and locating Twilight's courtship schedule she took out a sheet of parchment from one of the drawers and placed it on top before focusing her magic into a duplication spell; bright green light shone around the edges of the paper before the same light began to burn through small portions of the center and eventually followed the pattern of the text on the document beneath until the magical glow faded and two identical copies sat on the desktop. Lyra had just finished shoving one copy in the food bag when a muffled sound from upstairs drew her attention and with her promise to Titus to obtain the schedule fulfilled she trotted up to the hallway on the second floor and to the librarian's room where she heard somepony talking about preparing for something or other as she pushed the door open, "Hey, Sparkles? I need to ask you-"

------------

Rainbow kept as low as she could in her hiding spot in the cloud, watching as Titus and Twilight stepped from the library out into the street to share a hug before he headed for Human Hill while Twilight ducked back inside to retrieve her saddlebags before quite literally prancing past her. O-ho ho! Somepony's in a good mood this morning! By the time Dash had crept the cloud close enough to Twilight, who was spinning around one of the lamp posts as a gathering of ponies clopped their hooves in time with the music in their heads, the Harmony pulling her into the song was too strong to resist and she joined in, accenting her portions with a number of aerial acrobatics.

♫ Can't nothing...
bring me down, I said
Because I'm happy!
Clop along if you feel
like happiness is the truth,
Clop along if you know
what happiness is to you, Ey ey ey! ♪
♪ Because I'm happy!
Clop along if you feel
like a room without a roof,
Clop along if you feel
like that's what you want to do! ♫

There was a collective cheer when the song finished with everypony visibly beaming as the urge of the passive magic of Equestria slowly faded out though traces still lingered in the form of a sense of shared camaraderie and much more chipper moods as the gathered townsfolk dispersed. Rainbow scanned the crowd as a small flock moved toward Human Hill just in case Twilight had veered off with them though their numbers dwindled down until a lone mint unicorn - her best guess it being Twilight's friend, Lyra - was the only one intent on going to see the biped; unable to spot her quarry Dash milled about until a flash of a pink-stripe on a purple mane finally caught her sharp eye and she swooped in, "Well well well, looks like somepony's had a good morning."

"Oh! Hello Rainbow Dash!" she greeted quite a bit more enthusiastically than normal as she resumed her bouncing gait down the street, "I've had an absolutely wonderful morning."

The mischievous smirk returned to the pegasus' face when Twilight played right into her hooves with her statement, "So I heard, and I bet it's got something to do with it being the 'best time he's had in a while' after he spent the whole night at the library. So, are you two going to 'do it again soon'?" Expecting the unicorn to trip herself up at the accusation Dash was taken back when she only giggled and waved a dismissive hoof in her direction.

"I thought I saw your tail poking out of a cloud! We certainly had a good time and I get what you're trying to insinuate, but no; all of yesterday was spent hearing about the week he had in Canterlot and then we both zonked out on the couch, though I will admit it was great to start the morning with a good snuggle," Twilight was in far too good of a mood to let the pegasus' attempts at riling her up succeed and continued on to explain the events of the morning with a visible blush coming to her cheeks as she included what had happened during breakfast. "I only realized afterword that I'd gotten him..." she faded out for a few breaths and gave her a look, hoping that was enough for Rainbow to pick up on what she meant.

"So... did you help him with his, uh, 'problem'?" Dash stopped midway through doing the air quotations as Twilight looked at her skeptically, causing the pegasus to facehoof, "No, of course not. Jeez Twilight, he must really like you... that or he's in to denial or something."

"Uh, what's denial?" Twilight was oblivious to what Dash was talking about but was immediately put on the defensive as she felt the need to debate the merit of her action, "Anyway, I really didn't mean for him to get heated and afterwords I asked and he agreed we could tone that sort of affection back - just for a little bit! After he had dozed off last night I stayed up for a while to look over my notes and schedule everything out. Here," one of the flaps on her saddle bag flipped open and a long rolled parchment floated out and over to the hovering pegasus, "It's just my forth rough draft of a second revision but you'll see if you follow the pattern; the green numbers are my wages as the librarian and the red ones below that are expenditures I've got planned - meals and that sort of thing; you get the idea - the yellow blocks of time are for writing friendship reports to Princess Celestia, and the blue blocks are time I've allotted for Titu-"

Dash shoved Twilight into a small alley between two buildings for a little bit of privacy instead of lambasting her right in the middle of the street. "Alright Egghead, look," she ground her teeth, having tried to follow the intricate agenda however the complicated maze of lines connecting various events and the myriad of colors denoting various things quickly made her head spin and it agitated her to see Twilight had reduced the relationship she was trying to build into the jigsaw puzzle she held in her shaking hooves. "I'm trying real hard not to crumple this up and bounce it off your brainiac forehead so just zip your muzzle and hear me out. You can't structure your relation to divide and ration out like this; you've even gone and written conditions for what constitutes if the date or week was successful! Like this one right here, you've got a minimum requirement of 'extended moments of cuddling' and a stretch goal of 'one non-tongue kiss.' The conditions and goals grow with each block the further you go down! Ugh!" Dash spent several more minutes pointing out everything that was wrong with how mechanical the setup was before passing the paper back to Twilight who glanced from it to her and, she now realized, looked lost and more than a little wounded.

Twilight was indeed unsure how to proceed, "But... if I can't anatomize a relationship to its core components for analysis how will I know if things are progressing in the direction I want?"

With a heavy sigh Dash landed and reached a hoof out to her friend's shoulder, "Sorry Twilight, I didn't mean to go off on you like that it's just that you're trying to be too... science-y with this; you can pace yourselves and set general goals I guess, but the development of a relationship isn't something you can hold to a timetable or dole out in blocks; I know Rares is saying you you've got to follow some social rules or whatever, but you've really just got to be yourself and let things play out - every couple out there had a unique courtship, so take what she says as a guideline rather than a law set in stone. As for how to tell if its going the way you want it to? You'll just know because it'll feel right, but if you're ever unsure just talk to him about it."

"So this was a complete waste of effort?" the unicorn gave the schedule a sour look, still feeling like there had to be some way to go about things in a rational way.

"No, not really," having felt she'd spent more than enough time on the ground Rainbow launched back up to hover in front of Twilight, "That part you did on watching your Bits was a good idea because trust me, you don't want to be on a date and find you don't have enough to cover both of you when the check arrives. Absolute mood killer and totally not awesome."

Dash and Twilight both paused to let a rather upset-looking journalist trot past them before emerging from the alley, Twilight using the brief interlude to put the schedule back in her saddlebag, "Thanks again Rainbow, I think I understand how I should go ahead with things now though I imagine I'll seek you out for more advice sometime in the near future. It's a nice coincidence we got to talk as I was on my way to the boutique; Rarity's wine selection should be arriving in the morning mail and I wanted to clear up a few questions with her. Actually, I've got two questions for you, too! You said something a moment ago about him being 'in to denial,' what's that mean?"

"Like, are you asking what it means to get off on kinks or something or are you asking specifically about denial?" When Twilight replied she was interested in both Dash struggled for a way to quickly explain it as she realized she had been sidetracked from her patrol for longer than she had meant to be, "Kinks and fetishes are, like, things that really get you going; it could be anything from a touch to a way of speaking. Denial is um... it's where either one of you would bring the other close to climax then purposefully keep from finishing-"

"Wait," Twilight said with a shake of her head, visibly more confused now, "At our lunch you said that was a quick way to get jilted; I believe 'blue-balling' was the term you used and you made it sound awful. Why would anypony be interested in or get heated over that?!"

"Heh, it's kinda hard to explain... denial is kinda like blue-balling but it's a mutual thing that can go either way though in the mare's case it's called blue-lipping or blue-pearling; the mare or the stallion can be the one administrating the denial but it's usually the mare as stallions don't last as long and it lets the mare get off before the stallion does. But when denial is done right?" the pegasus' whole body shivered as she bit her lip, "Oh baby does it feel amazing! It's hard to pull off though; you've got to know your partner's limits really, really well, but when you are able to finish all the pent up frustration just adds to the feeling of climax and makes it totally worth it." Naturally, Twilight's follow up question was what sorts of other fetishes were out there and how to find out what she liked; Dash could only shrug, "There's pretty much a fetish for everything, as for what you're in to that's something you've got to figure out. If the library's got some dirty books that go into detail give those a read and see what gets you going otherwise just experiment when you get to that point with him. Sorry to cut this short, I'm um... sort of on the clock with the Weather Team and when the forecast is 'partly cloudy' it has a habit of getting 'mostly cloudy' if you don't keep a close eye on it," Dash was really pushing it with not being on her patrol and she could only imagine the earful she'd get if she was caught or if any more clouds were allowed to dot the sky.

"Oh! You should have said something," Twilight went from mildly irritated that her friend was shirking her duties to a little apprehensive to pose her next question, staring at her hooves and slumping slightly as they walked toward the boutique, "You said I could help him with his 'problem,' but I don't think I could just leap on him."

"Tell you what, you go do your thing with Rarity then get back to the library," the pegasus aimed herself back toward her patrol quadrant and took to the air, "I'll meet you there once I'm off work and we can talk some more."

Twilight's errand at Rarity's boutique took an unexpected yet fortunate turn when she bumped into Derpy making her morning rounds and, while they had expected her to be delivering the bottle of wine which had cost Twilight a hoof and a leg (though the fashionista had insisted it was worth the exorbitant price) what they hadn't seen coming was a massive sack of mail and a package for Titus which the mailmare had explained she was unable to deliver because the guards hadn't been allowing anypony near the ship and, to make matters worse, the human didn't have a mailbox so the small cubby at the post office had quickly overflowed. With the sack of mail on her back and the package in magical tow after offering to deliver them as his intermediary, Twilight took quite a bit longer to get back to the library and when she did she found Rainbow waiting for her on the couch.

"Oh, sorry. I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long, something came up that slowed me down *urk!*-" she grunted, dropping the sack in the entry hallway and walking into the living room to gently place the wrapped parcel on the coffee table before carelessly tossed her date schedule to her desk, thoroughly annoyed how much work she had put into something that she had been told had an unproportionally small value.

"Yeah, so I see," Rainbow peered curiously at the large box the unicorn had brought with her, catching sight of the attached letter with Titus' name written on it in gold-inked elegant script, "I normally wouldn't hang out in a library, though, so if anypony starts snooping just tell them I was getting your input on a new trick... like the mathy part, not the actual cool stuff, alright?"

"If that's what it will take," Twilight hopped up onto the couch beside her friend and gave her a hopeful nod, "though you might be surprised how cool math can be, if you just gave it a chance. For example, your last trick involved several rather elementary problems I derived from an operation called sphere eversion, specifically the coils you did at the end; you see, requiring the formed loops not have any sharp angles is equivalent to giving them unit speed parametrizations-" the lesson was cut off as her mouth was forcibly closed.

"Okay! Enough! I don't think I can ever do the Corkscrew Loop of Doom trick again without thinking how nerdy you made that sound... I didn't come here to have you lecture my ears off, I came here to help you solve a problem so if you start again I'm walking right out that door, got it?" Rainbow waited for the unicorn to nod her understanding before removing her hoof and grumbling under her breath, "Jeez, Dorkscrew Loop of... Dorkiness is more like it."

Twilight gave up and rolled her eyes.

"Back to why I'm here: you left him hanging at breakfast," the pegasus said, jabbing an accusatory hoof into Twilight's chest, "you blue-balled him again. But why? You've said you're just as in to him as he is in to you, right? Did you offer to... you know?"

Shaking her head, Twilight sighed heavily, "Like I said, he and I talked and we both agreed to tone things down and I didn't want to leave him like that but, in all honesty, I'd be hesitant to mount him... I just don't think I'm ready for that level yet-"

"Come on Twilight, you know mounting isn't the only option to keep from blue-balling him." When it was apparent Twilight didn't know what she was talking about it was Dash's turn to roll her eyes before making a rudimentary gesture with a hoof, though the unicorn just looked at her with increased confusion, "Uh, duh? Use your hooves or take him in your mouth!"

Twilight blinked several times as an image painted itself in her mind before she shook her head to clear it away lest it gain a foothold and remain with her for an indeterminate amount of time, "B-but that's still sex, isn't it?"

"No... well, I don't really think of it that way but it's definitely not something I'd offer to do to just anypony. Um," Rainbow tapped her chin as she tried to figure out a way to explain it to her brainy friend without giving herself a headache in the process, "Look at it like this, when you've got somepony helping you through a heat cycle with a cooler, would you consider that sex?"

"Of course not, that's just a friend helping a friend in need," the question seemed rather irrelevant to Twilight as that was something that a mare did for another mare, though the idea of asking a stallion to strap on the device was just weird, "but if I help him... you know... is that really like helping with a cooler?"

"How is it any different?!" the pegasus exclaimed exasperatedly, "When you're on cycle and need a quickie with the cooler to get you through a few hours, you get a friend to help out. Heated stallions have needs too and, while I can't speak for how Titus deals with it, if a pegasi stallion is flying with their fifth leg popped out I'm sure they'd rather duck into a cloud for a few seconds to take care of it than wait for it to go away on its own. Trust me, I've seen a few try and fly on patrol like that and it totally messes with aerodynamics and balance, those things pose a flight hazard flopping around like that-" Rainbow had watched as Twilight grew redder and redder the more she talked until she couldn't take the embarrassed look on her unicorn friend's face any more, "You know, when all of us were out getting drinks that one night you did say you'd been with a dude before..." she immediately realized something was wrong when Twilight looked almost like she had bitten into a lemon and she attempted to apologize; Dash knew her friend had put a lot of trust in her to help with this whole relationship deal and, being the Element of Loyalty, she was going to do everything she could, even if that meant passing up on juicy opportunities to tease, "So, uh, how much experience or whatever do you have?"

Twilight pawed at the couch cushion sheepishly, more embarrassed at her lack of knowledge on the subject than her lack of practice at it, "I didn't want to feel like the odd-mare out that night so I may have embellished a little bit. I've only... there was this stallion at the academy that I liked and after finally working up the nerve to talk to him we'd regularly meet in the library but when we went back to my room in the Palace and... when I gave the signals I wanted to go further he said a few nasty things, dumping me or shooting me down or whatever the term would be right then and there, then walked out." When asked what prompted that turn of events Twilight told the pegasus small tidbits of how the whole thing had been a setup by another mare (her name she wouldn't provide as it looked like Rainbow wanted to kick her teeth in) to get back at her for a trespass she had supposedly committed but had been completely outside of her control. "After that I kept to myself even more, that is until the Princess sent me to Ponyville and I met all of my friends here."

"Wow, what a total skag!" Dash spat in disgust but quickly veered back toward the topic at hoof, "Alright, so you're a complete newbie. Uh... then you know how it works, right? I mean, like, how the stallion and the mare-"

"Of course I know, I'm perfectly familiar with the fundamentals of basic biology!" Twilight had thrown her hooves up in the air at the accusation that she would be that obtuse however she resumed her meek pose as she quickly calmed down, "Sorry Rainbow, I'm just really nervous about this and when I say fundamentals I mean just that; I'm clueless about the rest. While the library has quite a few books on pony health and several resources for growing foals to understand the changes they're experiencing the shelves are bare of works that go into the details of the act and the only such book I've read was a long time ago and is practically impossible to come by these days. With that in mind, would borrowing some of Lyra's magazines provide instruction on how to...?" she awkwardly repeated the gesture Dash had made earlier.

"I mean, you can if you want to," Rainbow hopped off the couch with a chuckle at the sight of Twilight bobbing her head back and forth and kept it on file for whenever she needed a small laugh, "but you don't need to do any research, I can show you how easy it is. You just came out of heat so I imagine your cooler is in your room somewhere, right?" Once they had moved upstairs it had only taken a second for Twilight to dig the cooler out of the closet where she had put it earlier that morning though she was hesitant to ask what Rainbow had in mind for the ill-favored device as she passed it over to the pegasus.

Dash could tell by the look on her face what was thinking and shrugged nonchalantly, "Well it's not ideal, but this'll have to do... unless you've got another idea or uh, you know, something else phallic you might have stashed away that you can practice with," she gave a lascivious grin until Twilight informed her the cooler was the only device such in her possession as she had previously ignored or diverted her attention from non-heat urges toward studying; Dash gave a sigh, realizing it was a completely Twilight-ish way to approach things - to bury her head in a book - and scanned around the room for a few minutes for a suitable place to start until she decided on the spindle back chair at the desk, quickly zipping to close the curtains for a little privacy from anypony that might fly by. Her preparations finished, Rainbow beckoned Twilight over as she set the straps to one side so the cooler could point upright at the ceiling. "Jeez this is awkward... " the pegasus spoke was on their minds, both ponies just staring for several seconds at the slightly lopsidedly leaning spire before she stepped to one side so Twilight could help steady it and see a bit better as she hooked a hoof around the base of the shaft to begin stroking a small portion, "You just sorta uh... yeah. Easy, like I said."

Twilight had been expecting some secret technique to be revealed and the disappointment in Rainbow's display showed. "O-kay..." an eyebrow crept up her face as she watched the stroking continue, "So is this it? Is there some factor I'm missing or are you functioning as a simple masturbatory aide?" she was well aware that mares weren't the only ones that clopped as she'd once accidentally walked in on her big brother and seen him rubbing himself off in a similar manner (and she had immediately realized she had forgotten to knock and snuck back out of the room lest she embarrass him) and Twilight was a bit skeptical that this was the answer to her problem as it seemed too simple, though the appeal wasn't lost on her.

"Well, duh! And 'masturbatory'? You make it sound like a school lesson," Dash stopped to roll her eyes, "I know what I'm doing doesn't look like much but it'd still be enough and as an added perk you'll have a better control over when they blow their load, giving you a better chance at getting off yourself. Keep in mind you're missing out on all the sounds and stuff the attached stallion would be making and trust me... that's often a fuel of its own. Here, you give it a try," she pushed Twilight's hooves away from the base to steady the cooler herself, leaving the unicorn to falteringly wrap her own hoof around the shaft.

How difficult can hoofing it be? Just show her you can do it and maybe she'll move on the mouth maneuver that seemed a little less entry level- Her confidence in her abilities proved to be misplaced as one of her pumps on the cooler was too forceful, causing the flat tip to swing about wildly and bop her on the muzzle which got a loud guffaw from Rainbow. What the buck am I doing using my hooves?! Twilight focused until a small ring of magic encompassed the cooler a little above the medial ring and sent the energy massaging up and down at a steady pace before she turned to her pegasus mentor with a smirk, "It is easy! Look, no hooves!"

"Yeah, well... you've got your magic, I've got my wings," Dash, not wanting to be outdone, fanned her wings out to gently brush against the sides of the cooler, "besides, that was just the warm up; lets see if you can put your mouth where your magic is!" Twilight listened as Dash gave a quick tutorial of what to do before launching into a demonstration, beginning by holding the cooler steady and working the wide flat end into her muzzle before giving several pumps most of the way down the shaft and ending with a audible *pop!* on her final arduously-long trip up the wobbly phallus. "Blegh! That's just..." wiping a little saliva from the side of her mouth Dash frowned at the cooler, "The rubbery taste, the texture, no thrusting... ugh! It's all off!"

While the pegasus continued to pout Twilight was weighing her options; should she take what she'd learned about using her hooves and magic and call it sufficient knowledge for the time being or accept the imperfect specimen that was the cooler to obtain a passing amount of a skill she could only assume would be beneficial to have; the more she thought about it the more she felt her choice was an easy one. Better to have a basis of experience that I could hone at a later date than none at all.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Dash asked as the linen straps she had pushed aside floated up with a magenta glow, "You expecting me to put that on?"

"Yes, though I realize it's a lot to ask for. As you stated: the taste, texture, and motion are inaccurate," Twilight recounted the facts as she weaved the straps through their bindings, "thankfully, however, one of those factors is not a constant and is within our control to change. I'm more interested in getting the technique down than I am worrying how realistic of a model the cooler poses; at the same time, removing one of the faults from the experience will undoubtedly provide a more precise representation and better prepare me. So, do you think you could bear with it long enough for me to get a basic understanding of what to expect? It would be an immense help."

The pegasus sighed after a long pause, clearly not entirely enthused with the idea,"Fine, just make it fast; and I'm also throwing it out there that I'm only into stallions."

Twilight gave her a big hug in thanks before she disappeared downstairs to fetch a pair of end pillows from the couch so Dash, who took the time to get the cooler strapped on, could have something to prop herself up in the chair they had been using as the odd sitting position they would require was considered uncomfortable by most, the exception that came to mind being Lyra, Twilight having seen her friend use the strange pose on more than one occasion even before the arrival of the human who was, of course, the second exception.

Once Rainbow was situated in the chair Twilight slowly approached and, following the pegasus' instructions, placed a forehoof on either of her thighs to prevent her from potentially bucking her hips which a stallion would most certainly do in such a situation, however without her hooves she was forced to rely on her magic to hold the towering spire steady and align it with her muzzle and it took several tries before Twilight got the entirety of the flare into her muzzle - a task that brought an ache to her jaw which she equated to her having a smaller mouth than Rainbow Dash (in more ways than one, though she kept that quip to herself). She became immediately aware of the taste Rainbow had been talking about as it made its presence known though Twilight pushed it to the back of her mind and focused on taking more of the cooler on, slowly pushing her way down the shaft and took an extra second to work over the medial ring to take a little more until she felt she couldn't go further and began pulling back to repeat the process. Twilight's second trip down the false member was much easier thanks to the coating of fresh saliva left behind on her last trip up, allowing her to gradually increase the speed at which she could bob over the next few pumps. The feeling was hard to describe as it wasn't entirely pleasant but at the same time the small switch to Twilight's strong imagination had been flicked on and she began to picture how the receiver might be enjoying themselves, leading the unicorn to believe if she was actually participating in oral copulation it would be much more enjoyable though that didn't stop a pressure from building in her nethers that ached to be relieved.

On Dash's end, things had started about the same as they had with Twilight - mainly this was both difficult and uncomfortable - but those feelings had veered off in a rather unexpected direction; what had began as apprehensive instructions and pointers slowly transitioned into subtle and seemingly unregistered coaxes of encouragement to her friend on each successive bob down the shaft. "When you feel the flare at the back of your throat make a couple of swallowing motions... that'll really make their head spin," she said rolling her head against the back of the chair. The way Twilight would pause to look up at her from under her bangs with ears perking to attention when she would give her instructions was adorable and, as much as Rainbow didn't want to admit it, it was hot. Like, awesomely hot.

Twilight tried the technique, sliding down the shaft and nearly gagging in the process as the wide tip expanded at the back of her throat and got a little scared it might get stuck as she carefully made small swallows before slowly retreating back up the spire to repeat the process until she was comfortable. What Twilight didn't realize was that each trip down the shaft was causing the base of the cooler, which was braced against Dash's belly, to press against and stimulate her mound slightly and when she felt the pegasus making minor bucks with her hips she simply thought it was just part of the exercise and developed a rhythm to match while jotting down a quick note on a parchment she had floated within view behind the chair. Hmmm, there's a frequency to the crests and troughs, like two opposing transverse waves; I've got to match the wave length and amplitude while maintaining a smooth- when Rainbow moved her shoulders one at a time to allow her wings to pop out from where they had been uncomfortably wedged against the pillows supporting her to either side Twilight began to suspect something off and, figuring she had learned all she could, attempted to dislodge the pegasus' phony pony phallus only to have one of her hooves gently urge her back down again, the thrusts becoming more urgent and each one was accompanied my a small squelch. "Raimmphow? Whahs ohing om?" Twilight struggled to make words around the cooler as it buried itself in her muzzle at an increasingly faster pace, "Arr-eck! you okeh?"

"D-doing f-fine! Keep your h-head in the ga-AHn-game," Dash was biting her lip to try and keep from letting out the moan that was building in her diaphragm as she felt herself winking from behind the cooler's canvas testes that held the imitation seed, each thrust causing them slap against her swollen button in a wonderful spike of pleasure, "Y-you've gotta-aah! pay attention... don't wanna g-gag... if younnh feel the flare throb... prepare for-"

"Hey Sparkles? I need to ask you-" Lyra announced half a second before coming around the bedroom door but instantly stopped at the sight of Rainbow Dash, her head lolled back and tongue out as her tail thrashed about between her hind legs, thrusting the strapped-on cooler into Twilight's muzzle as the unicorn scribbled notes out of the pegasus' line of sight.

Upon hearing the unexpected voice Dash stopped with an expression similar to a deer caught in headlights; she briefly looked from Lyra to Twilight before quickly removing her hoof from the back of the bobbing unicorn's head to throw both hooves in the air, "T-this isn't what it looks like!"

No longer restrained, Twilight pulled back off the floppy phallus and coughed to clear the taste of rubber, "She's right, Lyra-aaAAAA!" The sudden loss of pressure around the cooler sent several jets of its lyophilic colloid spurting out of the flared end and right into the face of a surprised Twilight who reflexively retracted as several more spurts arced over her to land on her mane and dribble down her horn and into her forelock.

Lyra's stare slowly switched from the panting pegasus to the completely drenched Twilight and back again. "I uh... see you're busy so I'll come back later. Sorry to interrupt," she made her apology before ducking back into the hallway and quickly trotting for the stairs in stunned silence though she was just as quickly followed by both ponies, their calls to her becoming jumbled together as they tried to get her to stop at the same time.

"Lyra wait-"
"I'm not into mares-"
"Rainbow was just showing me how-"
"I totally love dick!"

The mint unicorn would have made it to the front door but the familiar *pfwink!* and a violet flash stopped her just short from trotting headlong into the teleporting librarian. "Lyra, STOP!" Twilight reared up on her hind legs to spread both forehooves out to block her friend's escape, the motion causing the small gobbet of cooler spunk that was hanging from her horn to swing about like a pendulum and Lyra couldn't help but oblige to stop and giggle at the comical sight, "Lyra, you've misinterpreted what you saw... well sort of, anyway. If you remember what I told you last week I don't feel completely ready to present for him when he gets heated, so Rainbow was just showing me a technique so I'd have an option when I'm ready for it rather than just leaving him hanging until I'm willing to go all the way. You know, similar to an incremental step."

"Yeah," with the cooler making it too awkward to fly Dash came waddling down the stairs after the drenched unicorn, each step accompanied by a small slap as it flopped about between her legs, completely unaware that she was leaving a trail of the glistening replica spooge all the way down the stairs, "Totally just showing the newbie some moves, nothing else."

"Right," the sarcasm in Lyra's reply was evident enough for Twilight though the pegasus didn't seem to pick up on it as her attention was focused on fiddling with the clasps strapping the cooler to her, "if that's the case you could have just let her borrow a porno. And speaking of moves, once you're cleaned up do you think we could talk a bit? It's got to do with the big guy." Lyra's reasons to stop by the library before returning to hang out with Titus had actually been four-fold; she had copied the schedule, she wanted to hear about his abilities and kill some time. The fourth was that there was something she wanted to clear up as she may have been coming onto him since he had gotten back and she had been a little taken back when he asked. But am I interested in him like that? He's sweet and I mean, flanks that good on a pony - even a transmogrification - more than likely had a decent basis with which to transition from his human form, so he's got the butt. Plus fingers? Just... bucking fingers-

"Oh! Guess what!" the sudden exclamation interrupted Lyra's reflection on what those digits had done and brought an end to the phantom sensations that had been tingling through her ears and she opening her eyes to find a beaming Twilight hopping about excitedly, "I asked him on a date and he said yes!" the librarian continued her bouncing in a slow circle around Lyra and Dash chanting "YES!" several more times and humming happily.

Lyra was uncertain how she felt; she hardly wanted Twilight to feel like she was butting in and, while it wasn't unheard of for a stallion to be courting two separate mares at once these days, it was much more normal for the second mare to wait for the first - known as the "alpha" mare - to finish her courtship before the second approached her for permission to start her own. Well, if anything else that gives me time to think things through. Sighing, the mint unicorn let her friend bask in the moment and complete a few laps of bounds and small dances before intercepting her with a grin and a hearty punch to the shoulder, "Yeah! Way to go Sparkles! You got everything lined up for the date then?"

Twilight told her she had only acquired the wine so far and had yet to speak with Fluttershy about the fish course which Dash offered to do on account she had one more round of her patrol to do and she'd be in the area but Twilight shook her head, "Thanks Rainbow but you girls have helped so much already and its something I feel I should do myself. It's still pretty early so I'll go after delivering that mountain of mail... and while I'm there maybe attempt to convince him to buy a mailbox."

Seeing she was no longer needed (much to her chagrin) Rainbow bid her farewell and made a beeline for her cloud home, intent on relieving the pent-up frustration after having been interrupted before heading back out for her patrol; meanwhile Lyra waited for Twilight's return and tried her best to distract herself from the package sitting temptingly on the coffee table though her conundrum was that whenever she'd attempt to think of something else her mind would always go back to her own confused feelings which she could only distract herself from by thinking about the box.

When Twilight finally descended back to the living room after making a brief stop to put a small envelope in her saddlebags she found a rather distressed-looking Lyra pacing about and occasionally eyeing the parcel for Titus with envy. "Uh... do you want to come with me to drop it off?" she asked as she approached, visibly startling her friend from her thought, "As far as I can tell the parcel is from Princess Luna and judging from the writing the letter is from Princess Celestia and, if we're lucky or if we ask, he might open them while we're there. Speaking of asking, was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Na, it can wait, but I was actually headed back to his place anyway. Picked up some grub for him," Lyra floated the takeout bag to her side and got a small nod from Twilight when she recognized the logo though she warned that Titus might find a hayburger not to be overly appealing. Lyra shrugged in response and, not wanting Twilight to see the copy of the schedule she had absconded, opened the bulging bag to peek the contents over the lip and into view, "Yeah, I figured that might be the case so in addition to a triple-stacked burger I went with a a few sides... one basket of onion rings... two orders of mozzarella sticks... some spicy quesadillas-" Lyra didn't notice Twilight's eyes go slightly wider as she floated them into view, "aaand one extra large chocolate milkshake that I've got in a frost-containment spell. Oh, and I've got dibs on the burger if he doesn't want it."

"That's... quite a lot of food," the violet unicorn looked impressed as she gently hoisted the box into the air and slowly headed for the hallway with Lyra falling in behind her, "I just hope his arteries can handle it."

"It's only one meal, Sparkles, and from what I've seen when he's been working he's plenty fit to burn off the calories. Not to mention Titus is twice our size; an order like this is probably like, bordering on normal size for him-" Lyra huffed, though the last half of it got caught in her throat when her friend suddenly rounded on her to wrap her into a hug.

"Oh my gosh, you're the best Lyra!" Twilight gave a squeeze as what she thought would have been a catastrophe was avoided, "I completely forgot to take into account how much he might eat and the meal I'd had planned out for our date was going to be pony-sized!"

After releasing Lyra and making a mental note to adjust portions to accommodate Titus' size Twilight floated the large sack of mail to balance on her back though most of the weight was reduced by the magic bag itself. The walk across town to the base of Human Hill wasn't an overly long one but long enough that it gave plenty of time for Twilight to share what she'd be told about The Force though it proved difficult to convince the stubborn musician that his abilities didn't stem from Harmony-based magic and by the time Lyra had gotten around to inquiring on the scope of what he could do they were just pushing into the back of the congestion of media ponies. "Well, he's demonstrated a form of psychokinesis when he took apart the datapads - you know, that thing I've got on my dresser? - and when I was using the Sense-Link spell with him I felt what I could only describe as an extrasensory perception of my surroundings - telegnosis, if you will," now at the front of the crowd Twilight flagged down a guard to present the small badge identifying her as the Princesses' duly appointed Human-Pony Intermediary Agent which would grant her clearance to pass. She was about to indicate that Lyra was going to accompany her but, to her surprise, the guard hardly blinked when she ducked beneath the tape with her fast food while Twilight's badge was still being authenticated; something which annoyed Twilight more than slightly. You'd think with both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as my credentials there wouldn't be much to vet. At least they're being thorough... annoyingly thorough. While she was waiting Twilight noticed more than a few cameras had turned from the ship to photograph the mint unicorn instead. And just what did Lyra have do to waltz through the perimeter like that? she thought, shoving the badge back in her saddlebag as she sidled up beside her friend after impatiently passing under the tape that the guard had finally lifted up, "Anyway, those are the two displays I've seen so far though I imagine he used something similar to fight off those timberwolves but at the time I couldn't tell what I was seeing. I assume he either told you about his abilities or he's shown you..."

"Oh yeah, he showed me something," Lyra more than registered the way Twilight had trailed off in hopes of an answer but instead the ever-playful unicorn gave her a wink and laughed, "but you'll have to check tomorrow's headlines to find out what!" A frustrated grunt of exasperation only fueled her laughter further and when it finally abated she declared they'd discover all of his special abilities together as she lead the way over to a clear spot of grass on another small hill with a small stick that she had set jutting out of the soft dirt as a temporary marker for her return. "Alright Sparkles, he said he wouldn't be working outside today on account of the crowd so just follow me," Lyra turned about to face the direction they had come, shielding her eyes from the sun with a hoof as she searched for the small hole in the hull until a wandering cloud provided a brief enough interlude to spot their destination which she pointed to and disappeared in a blink of bright yellow.

Not a second later they were both standing on the ship's hull and, after a quick investigation by a pair of the pegasi guards that had swooped in at their sudden appearance (once again checking Twilight's badge, much to the librarian's increased aggravation), Twilight immediately recognized the opening by the yellow and black striped outline and the familiar words "Airlock Manual Release" that she and Applejack had frantically unearthed, though one difference was that this time the short shadowy hallway on the other side of the open metal door felt much less intimidating. "The last time I was here I was really scared what we might find on the other side of that," Twilight indicated the inner airlock door with a nod of her head as Lyra gently pulled the red latch next to it, "I'm really glad it was Titus."

"So am I, but it won't open," the mint unicorn scowled. She gave it a small kick on the off chance it was stuck like the outer door had been and tried again but the airlock remained sealed. Explaining to Twilight that Titus had overridden the system so both chamber doors could be open at once after she stated the other had to be closed Lyra walked over to the keypad on the wall and slid the metal plate that was covering the buttons out of the way; using her nose like she had seen Twilight do with the book-like device she tapped a pattern on the surface and was rewarded with a short beep before their way was made clear. "Hey big guy, I'm back! And I brought Sparkles with me!" Lyra's shout echoed off the walls into the craft to announce their presence but even after several minutes no response came; of course, unbeknownst to either pony, the ship's soundproofing had muffled the call so it barely traveled beyond the first hallway, "Well... he said he'd be working inside so I guess we'll have to go find him."

"H-he gave you the code?" Twilight asked timidly, unable to keep herself from feeling like that was something Titus would have shared with her before somepony else. Did I do something to anger him, is that why? Is it because when we get intimate and he wants to go further I keep stalling? Her pace slowed as she followed Lyra into the corridor beyond, despite her turbulent feelings, however, she still took notice of how different the ship looked from her last visit; everything was lit in a warm white light and the floor was clear of debris though it was still just as cold as she remembered and apparently Lyra felt it too judging by her slight shiver, the wall panels that had been strewn about were now either leaning beneath where they belonged or back in place and the wires and circuitry that was visible all appeared neat and organized.

"He didn't exactly give me the code," Lyra replied, the double doors at the end of the hallway sliding smoothly open at their approach though she stopped just short to look at Twilight sideways with a sheepish grin, "I uh, I sorta... peeked when he was entering it in. I didn't mean to memorize it though, his fingers were just poking away all delicately and precisely and fast and I just couldn't help but watch! D-don't you know it?"

Twilight was torn between wanting to scold Lyra for unintentionally snooping and wanting to ask her for the code for her own use but decided to leave well enough alone and, when Lyra wasn't looking, she breathed a sigh of relief that everything between her and Titus seemed normal while mentally kicking herself for jumping to wild conclusions, "No, I don't know the passcode for the doors but I think it would be a good idea to avoid using it in the future, at least until he openly shares it with you; this is his home, after all."

"Yeah well," Lyra shrugged again, taking a turn down a T-junction as her body retraced her steps from earlier, "he said the door'd be open so if he's ticked off it's his own fault... but just in case I've got a secret weapon that's proven to melt the big guy like butter!" With practiced ease she went doe-eyed and made her bottom lip tremble, small tears forming in the corners of her eyes as her ears splayed backwards and she submissively lowered her head; the unicorn had become fully aware of how the human found the look adorable when she had hopped on the floating bike machine and caused it to jump forward - "stalled-out," as Titus had later called it - he had snapped at her to get off and quickly apologized when she had adopted the look, clarifying that he had been more worried than angry as she could have been seriously hurt had the machine taken off or crashed and, after the "customary Hug of Forgiveness" (a fictitious pony rite Lyra later revealed she had made up on the spot) he had told her he hated how aware she was of her own cuteness. She had decided against using the look to try and convince Titus to let her stay when asked to go to the Human Watchers luncheon because it was something she wanted to use as sparingly as possible so he couldn't build up a resistance though his own secret weapon, that stupefying ear rub, was an incredible threat should he ever retaliate with it.

Lyra's autopilot had gotten them close to their destination, the mint unicorn stopping at the start of the small corridor that was lined with a number of identical unmarked doors though which one was the human's quarters was anypony's guess, "Uh..."

Twilight put the sack of mail and package down to one side and both she and Lyra went from door to door, pushing the buttons and peering in with an occasional "Hello?" or "You in here, big guy?" as they stuck their snouts into the shadowy rooms though every one they checked was a shambled mess and quite obviously empty until Twilight called Lyra over when she found a clean-ish room.

The mint unicorn trotted over and both took a peek inside though she instantly knew it wasn't the same room she'd been in before; this one, while it had the same bunk set into the wall and the locker against another, was more furnished. On the back wall next to the locker was a long, red banner baring a symbol of some form made up of lots of jagged edges (not unlike Titus' tattoo) with white marks that were probably a language running along either side. Though no light was coming from it a strange liquid-filled lamp sat on the desk, seemingly there so that the shelves of books set in the corner could be read from the comfortable-looking cushioned chair beside them; that, or it was there to inspect the numerous bladed weapons on the rack to the other side, one of which - a rather ornate dagger - held a prominent place on the table beside the lamp. All of that, however, was pushed to the mental sidelines as a familiar shape caught Lyra's eye: the heart-wrenching sight of what had once been an instrument, its beautifully dark straight-grained wood neck a splintered mess halfway up the frets which was only attached to the largest intact piece of the swirling-grained lighter wood body by several of its strings. The musician gave a heavy, sorrowful sigh at the loss before indicating the room wasn't the one they were looking for.

Thankfully the hallway only had a few doors remaining, one of which was labeled as the Droid Recharging Closet, the door opening automatically as they passed; Twilight sticking her head in out of curiosity though the small room was just that - a closet, devoid of droids and the only distinguishing feature a small cable with an odd end coming out of it attached to the back wall and a matching plug beside it - she was still poking around when she heard Lyra's warm greeting.

"Hey, I'm back with some chow! Oh, and Sparkles brought some mail for ya!"

The violet unicorn quickly trotted to the door where Lyra's rump had disappeared, entering shortly after her and after a quick once over of the room shared in her sentiment of its coziness before spotting Titus who was situated on the bunk stretched out under a blanket on his side with his back to both ponies. "Hello!" Twilight offered her own greeting a little softer than her boisterous friend's, thinking the human might still be asleep and not wanting to jar him awake, "Sorry for barging in like this but Derpy, Ponyville's mailmare who I think you've met, was in a real bind as this stuff was piling up like crazy," she used her magic to push the locker back upright and deposited a few of the items that looked like they belonged inside, clearing a spot for the large sack and parcel before quickly explaining the situation at the post office and suggested that he or she talk with the guards so that mail could be delivered yet throughout her dialog she noticed Titus didn't stir, his sides rhythmically heaving in time with his light snores.

"Come on, up'n at em!"

"Shhh!" the librarian shushed harshly but quickly grimaced when she realized how loud she had been herself, "You might as well zap him with a shock spell for how gentle you're being. H-he's completely zonked out, maybe we should just let him sleep and come back later."

"Hey, he made a promise - a Pinkie Promise - that if I went to lunch and let him nap we'd chill for the rest of the day AND he said I could wake him up if he was still sleeping. So let's go big guy, nap time is over!" Lyra announced slightly louder than normal; unlike Twilight she wasn't apposed to jarring Titus from slumber as she had been excitedly waiting for what seemed like an eternity to begin the promised hang-out time with her human friend but when he failed to respond to her attempts at waking him she set the bag of food to one side and bounced over to the bunk to try a different approach and placed her front hooves on the edge so she could get close enough to whisper in a sultry voice, "If you don't get up eventually I'll get bored and have no choice but to play with those fingers of yours..." her eyelids drooped half closed as she leaned in even closer until his hair was brushing her nose, "and I'm betting they could scratch all of my hard to reach places, if you know what I mean."

"Lyra!" Twilight had overheard and before she could stop herself her powerful sense of imagination had painted some very graphic and rather vivid images; she squeezed her eyes shut to try and rid herself of the thoughts however the sudden lack of vision only served to bring further depth to the fantasies she was seeing as the deprivation of one of her senses opened up more processing power for her brain, "You're going to get him heated if you say stuff like that!" When she opened her eyes again after the images had retreated to a spot at the back of her mind she found the giggling mint unicorn crawling over the human's form.

"Relax Sparkles, the big guy knows I'm only kidding... though it would be a perfect opportunity for you to practice those moves Dashie was supposedly showing you," she teased, stopping to lay herself across Titus' side parallel to his own body and gave him a friendly snuggle while Twilight, who couldn't think of anything else to do, gave in to her organizational OCD and tidied up the room until the blinking screen of a small version of a datapad caught her eye before she almost stepped on it. Upon closer examination the writing wasn't one she'd seen Titus use before and it was different from what they had seen on the banner in the other room, compared to the long jagged lines the small pulsing text was comprised of shorter, almost brush-like strokes though the unmistakable icon of an animated lock latching was at least one bit of information she could understand.

With Twilight distracted Lyra had a chance to whisper directly into his ear, "I saw your instrument, bring it by my place and I'll see what I can do with a few spells of repair. I'm dying to hear your fingers caressing those strings..." A low groan came from the bunk, a sign that the human wasn't as asleep as they thought.

"He's alive! Aliiiive~! I hope you're hungry because I got a load of- uh... hey big guy, what's up?"

There was a long pause.

"T-Twilight?" Lyra's odd and completely uncharacteristic use of her first name drew her attention, the violet unicorn looking up from her attempts to decipher what was on the display to find her friend bearing an expression of extreme worry, "Twilight get over here, he's really cold and his skin is all clammy! He's got spots, too!"

Twilight couldn't have been at the side of the bunk faster even if she had teleported, her front hooves lifting her up to see just as Lyra rolled Titus onto his side causing his arm which had been tucked against his chest and not visible from the door to flop over the side; small red spots about the size of a Bit dotted his skin and continued up his arm and onto his bare shoulder. "That's... Pony Pox!" she quickly mirrored Lyra's concerned expression, though in her case she had read historical accounts of remote populations coming into contact with explorers and falling deathly ill with otherwise mild diseases they had never encountered.

"We should get a doctor or get him to the hospital or something!" Rolling the human onto his side had caused the blanket covering him to shift, revealing that he had gotten out of the upper part of the flight suit at some point and laid bare his exposed chest for Lyra to see for the first time, "Look! He's grown teats too!"

"No, he's had those and-"

"So they're not new?" Lyra breathed a sigh of relief at the good news though she still wasn't grasping the severity of the situation, "And you're sure he's a stallion?"

"Focus Lyra! He doesn't have the antibodies we do so this is serious; like, seriously serious," Twilight's brain was scrambling to determine the correct course of action, "Like I was saying, the doctor can't help - last time I talked with him he said we should get the vet! The hospital is out as well because it's too small to be equipped to properly handle a quarantine; if it's capable of being transmitted to other creatures, who knows what could happen if this spreads." The sealed airlock, the small datapad and blinking lock icon; it was at that point that she started connecting the dots and realized that Titus had tried to isolate himself inside his ship and thankfully the airlock door had closed behind them on their way in, "It has to be a new strain, but how did he catch it?"

"Not to sound mean Sparkles, but you spent all of yesterday with him, so... yeah," figuring there was no point in keeping her distance if she was already sick Lyra stayed close to Titus, shifting to accommodate his new position and squirmed into the crotch of his arm that moved to drape itself over her shoulder of its own accord, getting a smile from the mint unicorn which she shared with Twilight, "You're not supposed to share your drinks or food with anypony if you've got Pony Pox, and you two did share breakfast."

Twilight shook her head at that line of reasoning before poking his other hand with her muzzle to let Titus know she was there and was rewarded with a pat on the head and a brief ear scratch before the hand slumped back to his side, "No, that's not it; Pony Pox is a virus that hasn't made the leap to other species but they can be potential carriers however they've never exhibited symptoms. He'd have to be a pony to... oh jeez," her head followed the slumped hand to the mattress as she breathed a heavy sigh, "I think I know; yesterday when he was telling me about his week I realized I messed something up for him while he was gone and to show me he wasn't mad he... he kissed me. That's when the virus must have been transmitted. So what do we do? Hey, if you can hear me do you have any medicine that might help?"

Titus muttered something in a raspy voice that neither of them could understand so Lyra floated over her bag of food and retrieved the milkshake which he had to partially sit up to gulp directly from the cup as the cashier had withheld a straw per Lyra's instructions. With his throat no longer feeling like sandpaper, Titus slumped back to the bunk, "Need... to get... to medbay."

"More droids?" Twilight asked rhetorically and floated the two limp mechanical forms onto the table as Lyra provisioned seats for them from various objects laying about the medbay, "Aside from Dex you must have been pretty lonely out there without a crew." His response was a grunt, partially lost as he sat down heavily on the upturned tub at the far end of the table and, being the shortest of the seats, it barely brought his vision above the tabletop. It was a necessity, however, as both ponies would need to see what they were doing so they each hopped on their own perches, Lyra on a cushioned stool at one end of the table and Twilight in the middle on a tall box.

"Need to check them... for damage," Titus coughed and pulled the blanket around himself, each wheeze causing his head to throb several times as he squeezed his eyes closed in a grimace which prevented him from seeing both pony's worried looks; he had little doubt the droids were damaged as both had been found under piles of debris and the large dents in the outer metal shell and head of the bipedal surgical droid and what he could see through the translucent section of torso lead Titus to believe the internals he couldn't see were probably a mess, too. Thankfully the smaller GH-7 looked to have fared much better as it only bore a few scratches though the way its arm was bent indicated the servo had been stressed well beyond its threshold and would need to be replaced. It took a few moments to hook the visor he had had R6 retrieve from the workstation in the cargo bay to the interface sockets, "Here Twi, put this on. It'll highlight the parts-" he was interrupted with another bout of coughing, though this one was thankfully brief, "Sorry. It'll highlight the parts for you as I list them, then you'll use the visor's diagnostic program to compare their readings to the benchmarks from the holobooks I left with you; if they're not within the proper range you show them to Lyra and she'll replace them from the spares R6 fetched. We'll start easy and open the big one-"

"The two dash one bee, right? And judging from the filled memory slots it looks like you opted to add more than a few of the specialist packages," Twilight got an impressed look from Titus as she donned the visor. Flipping it down over her eyes she gasped in excitement as her vision was immediately filled with lines of information that scrolled upward as the device powered on before the display went black for several moments and a menu appeared; it took her a little while to acclimate to the interface which she quickly learned she had to navigate with her eyes, staring at an option would access it and text would scroll automatically as she reached the end of a line to bring up the next, Ohmygosh this is amazing! "Okay, I've got a diagnostic program in front of me... I'll just need a moment to make sense of it." Following his loose instructions, she eventually found her way around the program and when she felt in control of it she nodded in Lyra's general direction, "This is going to be disorienting if I have to constantly move this thing to point at parts I'll lose where I am-" Twilight had barely finished her grumble when she felt a hand on the visor manipulating something and suddenly she could see the droid laid out before her like she was looking through a pair of glasses and the information was overlaid to not obstruct her view. "W-wow," unable to resist the urge she took a look around the room, head darting about as the device highlighted and conjured up general data about what it was pointed at, "That's much better, thanks," she leaned her shoulder against his a little harder in appreciation.

Titus slid a hand across to squeeze Twilight's closest hoof though he could feel himself slipping as his perpetual headache got worse; it felt like every capillary in his brain was on fire but lowering his head to the cool surface of the operation table provided a little comfort as he began, speaking in a whisper lest the volume cause his head to throb any worse, "First, find the screws and remove the chestplates; after that the clear torso cover will just slide off."

Absentmindedly entertaining herself by spinning the stool's seat in circles, Lyra stopped to focus her magic on the series of screws and slowly worked them out; putting them neatly to one side lest she activate Twilight's need for organization however she didn't have to wait long for a part to be pointed out to her. Focusing her magic into a different, finer point she gently disconnected a few wires on the tiny little chip though when Twilight indicated several of the chip's hair-thin pins had broken off in their terminals Lyra had to focus almost to the limits of her ability to painstakingly pluck them out one by one. Lyra got small breaks to recharge herself in the form of larger parts that needed to be replaced such as hoses and prefabricated components that were easily swapped in and during one such break she cast an envious glance at Titus' fingers as he remained hunched over with his head on the table. How the buck can he do this without magic?! While she was waiting for the visor program to finish its evaluation she leaned behind Twilight to rub the obviously-pained human on the back. "We'll have these things fixed in no time, I promise! Just hang in there, big guy," she gave him an encouraging smile and a wink when he turned his head slightly to nod in appreciation though she took quick notice of the spots that had started developing on his neck.

Twilight felt her friend leaning behind her though she concentrated on the colored comparison charts that popped up as the diagnostic program finished; The logic matrix's results came back within the acceptable range, but the board's microprocessor doesn't appear be operating correctly. Capacitors are shot, too. Using one of the spare antennas from the box Twilight pointed out the part while floating the replacement over to Lyra and moved the visor's program on to the next set of scanning; this process continued with Twilight indicating to several minuscule somethings while she queued up more diagnostics at Titus' instruction and Lyra went about replacing broken components. It was a draining exercise on everyone and both ponies eventually fell into a wordless rhythm so neither noticed the human's words gradually slurring until it reached the point that they weren't even sure he was speaking words.

With a hoof on her horn Lyra winced as her own head throbbed from the extensive use of highly-focused magic, "Okay Sparkles, now what?"

Twilight realized they were on their own as Titus, who was, in fact, still walking them through the repair but his rattled mind had flipped the autopilot on and had slipped back into using the Galactic Basic language and garbled out more strange syllables which they had no means of deciphering, "We've already replaced everything broken in this one's chest and the processing units and sensors in the head are all that's left; we've got to keep working Lyra."

"Keep going?" Lyra winced again at the thought of further magic use, "How? If you haven't noticed our specialist has clocked out!"

"Well, I have read entries on this general subject...." the holobooks Titus had loaned her on his week in Canterlot, each small slab boasting more literature than the entirety of her library, had been a great distraction during her heat cycle and she had poured over them wholeheartedly, of particular interest had been the sub-folder of maintenance manuals ranging from cybernetic limbs (the discovery of such machines had spawned numerous concepts for use where hooves and magic could not be used) to the absolute treasure trove on the ship's ion engines and various models of droids, some of which she had yet to see, that she had been so engrossed she hadn't even gotten to thoroughly checking the contents of the other holobooks. Twilight pulled the blanket up around Titus' shoulders and gently brushed a small amount of hair out of his face before turning to Lyra with a look of grim determination, "but I know we can do it, Lyra."

Lyra sighed, watching Twilight rub a hoof across the human's back comfortingly, "If you think you can make sense of this tech stuff... buck me, I'm not going to give up either! You hear me, big guy? Told you I was stubborn!" she called across to Titus who was still muttering incoherently and appeared oblivious that he was being talked to, "Once we get this thing fixed up and you're back on your feet you better be ready for that ear rub you owe me, and it's got to be longer than the last one!"

Reinvigorated, they both dove back into the droid with a level of teamwork that enhanced their speed and efficiency to a level where their combined efforts looked like an automated assembly line - Twilight managing to conduct her inspection of components while organizing and queuing up more to the point that the visor's processor was struggling to keep up with her meanwhile Lyra matched Twilight's pace, honing her magic in on the broken parts her friend pointed out and simultaneously swapping in multiple replacements at once with expert finesse; by the time they were closing up the small analysis droid many, many hours later both ponies were thoroughly spent.

"Moment of truth, Sparkles," Lyra said as she slumped bodily to the table, eyes squeezed shut as her horn-migraine throbbed in time with her heartbeat while Twilight removed the visor and wiped her eyes with the back of her hoof when they watered profusely after having their focus on the display not an inch away suddenly shift to varying distances as she made the mistake of glancing around the room.

"Alright, here goes..." floating the larger medical droid upright onto its two feet, the violet unicorn hopped up on the table so she could reach the power switch to flick it on with an audible *click!*

Nothing happened.

"Buck!" Lyra groaned as Twilight tried flipping the switch several times. She was going to slump back to the table when Titus, one hand shakingly reaching for her hoof, caught her attention. "Sorry big guy, we tried, but your machines- what? Why are you pointing at the goggles?"

His short raspy whisper was a garble of the weird language and when he fell quiet he stared at her as if waiting.

Lyra shook her head gently which she quickly realized was a mistake and even quicker ceased, "I-I can't understand you, big guy. Just keep hanging in there, Sparkles'll figure this out!" She watched as a confused expression crossed his face before he wordlessly took the cord connecting the visor between two fingers and gave it a very light tug; she followed the line all the way to the droid then her eyes darted back to the visor as an idea crossed her mind, "Hey Sparkles, I think what he's trying to tell us is to disconnect the eye thingy." She got a thumbs-up before his head returned to the cool table, hers following behind it as Twilight removed the visor's plug from the droid's socket and tried the switch once more and a brief whine accompanied the click this time as the droid's head jerked up and the lights in its eyes glowed faintly.

"YES!" Twilight squeaked with glee as the droid walked forward a few steps and turned to face them, her loud enthusiasm causing Lyra to wince as it felt like the sound reverberated around inside her skull, "We did it, Lyra! We repaired alien technology, do you know what this means?!" The violet unicorn didn't wait for an answer before launching into an excited monologue that this was the first step to not only understanding Titus' tech but the humble beginnings of recreating it for Equestria's eventual forays into the reaches of space.

"Sparkles? Kindly shut your muzzle..." Lyra scooted along the table on her belly to commandeer part of the blanket wrapped around Titus to pull over her head, her ears splayed in an attempt to dampen the noise coming from her lecturing friend that felt like it was traveling down her horn directly to her brain, "I can literally feel the sound waves you're putting out."

"Communication module activated... language found. If you are in medical distress might I be of assistance?" the medical droid, having finished its boot-up sequence, turned to offer Lyra in a odd mechanical tone that strangely didn't cause her pain, "I apologize in advance as the aid I can provide is rather limited due to a pending Maintenance Alert; I have run a search of my databanks and no entries on your species were found. Please have a technician check that the drives are functioning or upload the necessary files; several non-essential secondary motor functions also appear to be operating at less-than peak performance and efficiency will be effected."

Both unicorns looked from each other to the unblinking trio of lights that were the droid's eyes before Lyra waved a hoof, "I'm just worn out and need some water and a quiet place to nap, it's the big guy here who needs your attention."

"Understood." The droid's attention switched to the still human as he made a lurching gait around the table to his patient's side and spoke in what sounded like the same garbled language Titus had been using but the only response the droid got from the lump under the blanket was a low groan and a hoarse cough.

"He's not feeling well, Lyra and I believe he's contracted a virus; I'm Twilight Sparkle, by the way," Twilight provided a quick introduction in the same format she had given the navigational assistant program the day of the crash and gave the details of what she knew about the Pony Pox though the machine made several inquires seeking to refine what the unicorn meant by magic and eventually stated it was improperly circuited to process that concept as it aided Titus to his feet. While he was being moved through an airlock system to a different table on the other side of a wall-to-wall glass window Twilight flipped the power switch on the smaller droid which floated up with what she noticed was a similar hum as the speeder bike before it greeted them in a similar fashion to the bipedal droid.

After offering a container of water and a small mattress it pulled out from a slot in the wall like a drawer for Lyra - who more than gratefully accepted - the analysis droid bobbed through the airlock door after the surgical droid which stood motionless for several moments as its smaller assistant hovered around the human before both resumed activity after seemingly exchanging information which Twilight eagerly pointed out to Lyra as their networking capability, though for the duration of her explanation she failed to notice the mint unicorn wincing with each word. Twilight opted to give the droids their space to work and, with a little difficulty as all of human furniture was much taller than Equestrian counterparts, she hopped up on the mattress with Lyra, both ponies spinning in circles to find the softest spot before plopping down on their stomachs to watch the droids as they worked however when they went about removing the rest of the flight suit and redressing him in a set of something similar to the shorts he usually wore under his clothes that had two hoses coming out of the front and back the violet unicorn shifted uncomfortably and looked elsewhere for the majority of the duration while they placed an air mask over his face and poked numerous intravenous lines into his arm.

Lyra, however, stared until her earlier question had been confirmed. Okay, definitely a stallion. With teats. And his sheath is a little funny looking but everything seems like it's there- her gawking came to an abrupt end with a sharp jab in the ribs from Twilight's elbow when she caught her friend's eyes lingering.

The whooshing and clanking of machinery drew their attention again a couple of minutes later to find Titus encased in a vat or tube which was gradually filling with a thick clear liquid until he was submerged. With the excitement over Lyra indulged in the nap she needed while Twilight quietly conversed with the two droids when they emerged from the sealed area about the nature of the procedure Titus was undergoing before dozing off herself beside her friend, both ponies intent on being present when their human emerged.

------------

"I bring important news," the griffon strode into the cavernous and dimly-lit room, calling into the darkness as his keen eyesight struggled to pierce the shadows that flickered and danced from the two torches adorning the wall near the door, searching for their leader as he came to a stop at the edge of the light. There was a total of six cells that their Matron had regrouping in the cave system, a congregation that a few of the Resistance felt was a rash move though their new, fortified position within the mountains would need the numbers to mount a proper defense should the King's forces follow their trail. He registered the movement to one side too late to react and suddenly he felt the firm grip on his windpipe as he was lifted to his hind legs.

"You intrude unbidden," to make her displeasure known she effortlessly lifted the young griffon higher and squeezed slightly, harshly swatting aside one of his talons that tried to find a grip of her arm, "Speak. Quickly."

"News from our foreign conspirators..." the griffon gurgled as his lungs screamed for air, head held aloft at an angle that he was unable to see his assailant, "The hyoo-man... has fallen ill with an equine pox... his survival... uncertain." Expecting his Matron to release him upon delivery of the information she instead remained silent and made no move to free him from her grasp as she thought over the development, during which time the griffon lost consciousness and went limp.

A moment passed and there was a solid knock at the door before another griffon entered, this one older and decidedly more muscular than the previous. "Pardon the interruption, we have confirmed a field report-" he stopped upon seeing the limp body of his brethren, forelimbs dangling at his sides. The griffon bowed reverently, "My humble apologies for my subordinate's insolence, Mistress. I would have come sooner had I nae thought it prudent to authenticate our information and would seem this wee one wished to overstep his authority, a transgression normally worthy of harsh punishment however with our numbers thinned perhaps I may ask that ye be lenient in this case?" The figure before him grunted in response, roughly tossing the limp form to his feet. He bowed again in thanks as she crossed the cavern to sit in the large chair tucked into one of the shadowy corners and when she had made herself comfortable he inquired if the report had already been disclosed to her to which she crossed her forearms over her chest and nodded, "I shall keep ye apprised of the ongoing situation, Mistress. What is your directive?"

"The King's Delegation is still at the horse palace, contact our informant and tell her to continue forward with the schedule. We will be ready when the time comes," she answered in the broken Griffon language her aide had become used to, "In the meantime, see to it that your fledglings stay in line; make an example of this one's misplaced eagerness. Dismissed, Geirr."

"So it will be done, Golden Mistress." With a final bow Geirr departed, dragging the unconscious figure by the tail out of the room to leave it with the first comrades he came across, intent on dealing with the upstart once he came around and, from the look of things, that might be a while. It worked out in his favor however, as after he dispatched the message that would find an indirect path to their informant the next order of business was to interrogate the prisoner that one of the merging resistance cells had picked up. Despite a quick rise to power within the Resistance the Matron had proven devoted to the cause and it had been both her ability to lead when the position had been suddenly vacated in the last raid and her gift to seemingly come out ahead against all odds had swung the approval of the G.R.A.'s superiors in her favor but those same superiors were definitely hesitant to consolidate their power at the mountain base being situated. Geirr, however, held no such hesitation at following his golden-maned mistress, she had saved his life during their escape and his clan's code demanded it belonged wholly to her until she released him from the debt, and if that meant he was at the forefront while she commanded from behind the curtain like the other Griffon Resistance Army Executives so be it.

Geirr arrived at the makeshift holding cell with two guards stationed outside, both of them familiar faces he'd fought with before the consolidation so he knew them to be trustworthy beyond a doubt; his nod was enough to communicate they were to follow him in on the off chance the unicorn tried anything. "G'mornin' lass... though stuck down here like ye are it might as well be night to ye, for all ye know," Geirr closed in on the form huddled in a corner, rolling his thick neck until it popped several times while the two guards positioned themselves near the door with torches to illuminate the room, "Now then, what say we have a wee chat about the alien visitor and your Princesses?"

------------

It was just under a week before the gel was drained out of the tank and Titus was finally able to step out set foot on the deck of his ship again, though he had been retained in the isolation chamber for a day while the droids conducted a few concluding tests. Floating next to the intercom, the small analysis droid spoke in a calm tone to both ponies from the other side of the observation area while the larger surgical droid finished up with Titus, "Master Aelius should refrain from strenuous activity for a few more days to promote a full recuperation and while he is certainly out of the asteroid belt, medically speaking, he's still on the road to recovery and will need to return to the vat for another, shorter session." Titus' rather groggy appearance while the tubes in his arms were pulled out lent credibility to the droid's prognosis though Twilight and Lyra each got a big grin when they waved at him; they had been given the good news the night previous the last that his elevated intracranial pressure had finally passed and that the odd virus was losing the battle with his antibodies thanks in part to the bacta, both the immersion that provided a sanitary environment and the injections had kept him stable and both ponies had been in high spirits since then, despite being dead on their hooves tired. "We have communicated that to him, however, like many other organics, he has a track record of illogical behavior and stubbornly ignores such medical instruction. If at all possible, please attempt to steer him toward following our recommendations." Observing the surgical droid retreating to the chamber's airlock the assistant stated the quarantine was no longer in effect and they were free to enter.

Twilight was stomping her socked hooves as the first chamber door felt like it inched open and she didn't even realize she had poked her muzzle through the growing crack and as soon as there was sufficient space for her to squeeze through she had, trying to contain her anticipation though that dam was weakly constructed and the floodgate failed, her pace quickening to a trot for the short distance across the isolation chamber. In a single bound she had cleared the examination table he was sitting on and wrapped her hooves around him tightly, burying her face in the coarse blanket he was bundled up in.

"Whoa, take is easy Sparkles! It'd be a shame if you smothered him to death at this point," Lyra joined the pair on the table and bumped shoulders with Titus, her little joke getting a chuckle from the human who softly bumped her back and a dirty look from the unicorn latched to him.

"That's not funny," she retorted dryly. Unhooking a hoof from around his neck to prod him in the chest lightly before it traced circles around his sternum, her scowl faded and a look of wavering uncertainty replaced it though she looked away when his gaze locked with hers for an uncomfortable amount of time, "Your droids said you came really close to... that there was a chance you wouldn't pull through," her hoof found its way back around his neck and she pulled herself close again and held him there for a long moment, an audible hitch in her breath when his arm looped itself over her back to share in the embrace caused the last few stressful days of waiting to come bubbling to the surface, "I was- no, sorry. We were both really scared for you."

"Sparkles was a mess, if you couldn't tell by her appearance," the mint unicorn nudged him again and wormed her way under the other arm, careful not to poke him with her wrapped horn, "I don't think she's slept for more than an hour or two since you went in there. She was pacing about and when she thought nopony was listening she'd talk to you-"

"H-hey! Don't act like you weren't worried too, Lyra," Twilight rolled her eyes as her friend tried to play it cool, "You all but moved in to the bunk next to the window!" Following the unicorn's pointing hoof revealed one of the hide-away beds out in the general medbay had a messy light green quilt bundled up at one end and fluffy bright yellow pillow in addition to the numerous socks of varying design that lay about the floor, "Not like you did a lot of sleeping, either, every time I'd look over you were nose-deep in the holobook you borrowed or wide awake and staring at him... Tartarus knows what you were reading, though."

"Yeah, well I..." Lyra's ears splayed back and she looked off to the side, "shut up." The holobook in question, unbeknownst to Twilight, featured the unabridged and expanded creature compendium that could be found on the datapad Titus had loaned to Twilight the day of their picnic however after seeing the human stripped and put into the vat the only entry Lyra had thought worth using the search function for was, naturally, humans, and the myriad of information provided she had skimmed over until reaching the section on biology, or more specifically, reproduction. Also unknown to Twilight was the excursion the mint unicorn had made with the device, taking it home to show her roommate who, like the majority of ponies, wondered what a human looked like under all of those clothes and needless to say her curiosity was sated; it was at this point that she remembered she had left it on the kitchen table along with her dinner in her hurry to get out the door after Twilight had barged in to announce Titus was coming out of quarantine.

Titus was still weary and he could tell they both were worn out and the last thing he wanted was to be in the middle if their back and forth grew any more heated. Thankfully both ponies under his arms immediately quieted when he gave them a light squeeze, "Look, I'm not sure how you two managed to finish piecing those two droids back together without me, but without them this probably would have been my final jump so I guess... I owe both of you my life."

"We didn't have any other option at the time, so Lyra and I worked together and stayed up through the night and into the morning to check every component in both droids," the urge to nuzzle him until his skin was sore was overwhelming but Twilight hesitated in the presence of Lyra, despite her being her best friend she wasn't sure if Titus would be comfortable snuggling like that in front of an audience and, truth be told, she wasn't certain how she'd feel either. Instead she settled with tightening her already firm hold on him like he had gotten back from a long journey abroad, "And don't even think that you owe us anything!"

"Speak for yourself, Sparkles, the big guy owes me an ear rub and a day of hanging out!"

Titus nodded, "Yeah yeah, I didn't forget-"

"Plus interest! You know, as a late fee and to compensate me for my time..."

Even though he was obviously still feeling the affects of the Pox Lyra quickly found herself in a playful headlock, one that he had more than enough strength to hold her in as she made weak squirms to get free, "Greedier than a Hutt's guts, you are! If you just tried saying 'Hey Titus, I really enjoy it when you rub my ears so if you're not occupied I'd love to have one,' nine times out of ten I'd be happy to. It's not like they cost me anything-" at that moment Titus finally noticed the odd attire on both ponies and stopped to stare from one to the other before asking what the deal was with the socks, the dark glasses Twilight was wearing, and the medical tape wrapped around Lyra's horn.

Lyra was the first to speak up and explained that after the droids had been fixed Twilight had worn the visor pretty much for an entire day to catalog everything the device would display and had tried going outside to see what would happen if she looked at other objects; when she had stepped out of the airlock, however, the sun had flashed off of the hull and been fed directly into her eyeballs by the visor, causing her to be temporarily blinded though she had recovered to the point that she currently only saw spots, "Or, more appropriately, sparkles, so she's a bit sensitive to bright lights, hence the shades." Lyra shimmied her shoulders until the arm around her was back in a comfortable resting spot and held a socked hoof up to segue the conversation to the clothing they were both wearing, "The socks are simply because this floor is too cold and we had a hard time talking around our constantly-chattering teeth."

"Oh, I uh... I guess I never realized because I'm never barefoot," Titus looked from the blue-&-white striped socks Lyra was wearing to the solid black ones with a single magenta band at the top on Twilight, "You two look nice in those, they really accent your legs."

Lyra watched as Titus' gaze made a second pass up and down Twilight's legs before doing the same with hers. So he likes the socks, huh? She made a mental note to check her wardrobe for other items she might be able to wear occasionally before drawing the human's attention a little higher up, "As for me I sort of overdid it and sprained my horn-"

"You can sprain a horn?" Titus gave Lyra and her bandaged horn a skeptical but inquisitive look.

"Oh, certainly!" Twilight answered him and did so with her usual intellectual thoroughness, "Sprains are a fairly common injury among unicorns however it's different from the muscle strain that you're probably thinking of. As you know pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns each channel Harmony in their unique way - earth ponies are robust and naturally gifted with plants while pegasi are capable of flight with massive loads and they can walk on clouds. Unlike pegasi and Earth ponies, a unicorn's body absorbs the energy from the environment around us so we can actively shape and control the flow of magic into what we need or store some in reserve which also has the added effect of promoting faster healing, though even with a minor injury like Lyra's both the accumulation and healing will be at a much slower rate. Her situation is similar to the power supply and circuits in your droids; in her case she overloaded the circuit from either the high focus of energy or from the extended duration of the channeling or, more likely, a combination of both. Physical fatigue, stress, or pain can also lead to sprains - we certainly were tired by the time we had finished - and most unicorns would fizzle under those circumstances pretty quickly."

"I'll be fine, big guy," Lyra offered her reassurance when Titus eyed the wrapped protrusion with what looked like guilt, "Not like this is the first time I've had this happen but it's always annoying because Doc Horse says I shouldn't use magic for a while and the wrapping itches like crazy!" Unable to call upon her magic to temporarily alleviate the itch she turned her neck so that she could rub the length of her horn against the blanket wrapped around him however a second later she completely froze when she felt his fingers drag gently over the bandage. "Ooohhh buck yeah," she let out a sigh and her eyes completely closed as the nagging itch was finally dealt with, "T-that feels so much better than with a hoof... your fingers... buck me, it is so not fair what you can do with those! This guy is a total keeper, Sparkles."

"Just going off how she's latched onto me like a mynock on an ion drive I would say Twi agrees," Titus chuckled and gave Twilight a little squeeze, "though I have to say she's much cuter."

The light peck on the forehead that accompanied the compliment proved to be enough to overcome Twilight's earlier hesitation and she nuzzled him wholeheartedly on the underside of his jaw, her position and grip on him making it impossible for him to retreat from the assault on the ticklish spot, "I'm not sure what a mynock is but I'm just glad you're finally out of that tank, the whole time I just felt so... helpless. I didn't have a way to let you know I was there with you," she paused to look up at the nervously grinning human when she felt his arm slide up the side of her neck to her jaw.

"You are far from helpless, Twi, and for what it's worth I could feel you were there, if you know what I mean. It helped. You helped," his head had just enough range of motion to dip for a kiss which Twilight gladly accepted, the hooves behind his neck pulling him into it as they both communicated their unsaid feelings to the other until they broke apart and simply rested on each other's foreheads to stare at each other.

"D'awww!"

Their intermission was cut off as both of them embarrassingly realized they had forgotten there was an audience for their display as Lyra made her presence known by putting a hoof on Titus' far shoulder to pull herself up and rest her muzzle on the other shoulder, "Oh, don't let me stop you two from really going at it, I can just quietly sit here and watch. Just one question, big guy; I don't know if you 'felt' that I was here for you as well, but am I going to get some of that action, too? You don't have to eat my face or anythi-Eee!" she squealed in laughter as her head was suddenly pulled forward from its perch and a loud, rough smooch was planted on her cheek and finalized with a raspberry.

"Greedier than a Hutt, but now that you mention eating I'm famished," he enthusiastically tousled the mint unicorns ears, her eyes squeezed shut and a big grin plastered on her face from the attention, "If you two'd give me a minute I'll shuffle down to the hold to grab something-"

"Ugh, not that green stuff in the cans, I hope..." having taken a small experimental spoonful the day before Lyra broke free from the roughhousing to screw her face up at the memory of the tasteless goop and the results had been rather flatulent with Lyra having to suffer through an afternoon of Twilight referring to her as "Lyra Fartstrings" until the mint unicorn had slipped some into a sandwich at which time Twilight had become "Sparklepoots" and they had both agreed to stay away from the human's processed food though the humor had been a welcome relief. When Titus tried to explain that the texture wasn't so bad once you got used to it and it was probably healthier than anything she had in mind she physically stopped him from continuing by pressing a hoof against his mouth, "No way, I'm not having it. You're getting over being sick and that gross mucus is the last thing you need, we're going to get some real food in you!" When her adversary gave in with a full-body sigh she giggled happily and rubbed her face against his shoulder in victory, "And what did I tell you about trying to butt heads with me?"

"That you're a stubborn, cuss-headed, stick-in-the mud and when you decide to dig your heels in I stand no chance."

"See? You're learning! Now come on Sparkles, I'm going to need your help carrying the grub!" As she hopped down from the table Lyra couldn't help but notice Twilight tightened her grip on Titus and pouted at the idea of having to leave until Titus saw it as well and pulled her into a big hug as he stood up and held her there while he twirled her around with sufficient speed that centrifugal force pulled her hind legs outward, kissing her the whole time; when the violet unicorn was finally put down she was anything but pouting and cheerfully pranced past Lyra for the door.

Titus wasn't sure why Lyra stopped midway through the door to glance back at him searchingly before following Twilight though her odd behavior was pushed to the back of his mind as he ran a hand through his still bacta-wet hair. "Might as well jump in the refresher while they're gone," he said to no one in particular and headed for the shower as one of the meddroids bid him farewell and powered down.

He took longer than he meant to, having lost track of time after zoning out under the comfortable stream of hot water and when he came to his senses he quickly finished up; not finding any clothes in the shower room locker he wrapped a towel around his waist and left, intent on retrieving a set from his quarters but found that his path made a detour past the turn he needed and upon nearing the airlock he happened to glance up and noticed for the first time the multitude of muddy hoofprints dotting the ceiling and idly followed them through the ship to eventually arrive in Piloting. I haven't been in here since the crash. He first noted the smashed control console where he had been sitting and subconsciously rubbed his forehead, remembering how addled he had been when his helmet had smashed into it; after a quick visual scan of the room it looked like things were fairly intact and the only damages were either superficial, such as the dislodged electrical panels, or something that was an easy fix, like the smashed control panel or cracked view screens. Thankfully the idea the Wessex's girl stole for this prototype was situating the bridge internally rather than having it jut out as an easy target; something designed like a Victory-I or Venator landing on its roof... there wouldn't be a bridge left. I don't know why I'd ever expect the karking woman to credit me with the implementation, though.

Titus was busy reliving the encounter he and Aurelia had had with the bratty engineer and their conversation on ship designs, one that had occurred in the middle of a rough and tumble escape after a failed kidnapping attempt by General Greivous' battle droids through an asteroid field - thankfully he had been flying and not Krua or Aurelia, both of them had been busy manning the turrets - and his later theft of the ship from her prototype development facility after the Purge. "You've done good, girl. I'll get you back into shape, don't you worry," he was busy patting a one of the ship's bulkheads comfortingly when he heard the familiar voices of Lyra and Twilight directly behind him as the door swooshed open.

"You're sure the droid said he went this way- Whoa!" Lyra stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the startlingly unclothed human, "Whoa. Lookin' gooood, big guy..." That was all she managed before falling silent and letting her gaze roam from head to toe and over the vast expanses of smooth, damp fur-free skin.

With a familiar brown bag held in a magic aura Twilight, seeing that Titus didn't say anything about the mint unicorn outright ogling him, stepped around her to close the distance to pass the food over for inspection and gave a good look around the room at the complex hub of technology, "Sorry we took so long, somepony insisted on ordering one of everything off the menu, so I'd like to just apologize in advance for your impending cardiac arrest-" Twilight cringed at her perceived insensitivity as Titus assumed the ever-impressive pose squatting down and balancing on the balls of his feet while he opened the crumpled top and peered inside, "That was supposed to be a joke but it's a little too soon for that brand of humor, sorry. Completely off topic, but what brought you here in, uh... nothing but a towel?"

"I was following you," he answered somewhat cryptically, so when the unicorn looked puzzled he pointed a finger at the ceiling which she followed and quickly discovered the series of hoof prints, "They must have been from when you and your friends came aboard investigating the crash and I got caught up following them when I passed the airlock, eventually I ended up here in Piloting thinking about stuff. As for the towel, I got sidetracked on my way to my quarters for clothes; not sure what happened to the ones I had in the shower room locker."

"Oh, that would be my fault. While you were in the tank I was looking for a way to pass the time and I had already organized your room and all these clothes had gotten tossed around with no way to distinguish what was clean and what wasn't so I took a few loads home and didn't get around to putting it all back where I found it; everything's back on your bunk waiting to be folded. Sorry, I didn't mean to leave you with nothing to wear," Twilight took a look over her shoulder at the mouth-agape and still-staring pony behind her and giggled, "and I think because of that you might have broken Lyra, though I can understand what she's going through - aside from the obvious lack of clothing your mane looks good when it's wet and-" she put a hoof on his knee and slowly transition her weight onto it so he could adjust his balance as he remained poised on the balls of his feet when she reached the very top of his head to take a sniff, "-you smell really nice." When she leaned down from her perch and saw an opportunity to steal a quick peck she was startled to find he had an odd expression bordering on worry etched on his face.

"No, no, you're fine. I just thought of something," he replied when she asked what was wrong and rushed to back away though she stopped when both his hands came together on either shoulder to halt her retreat, "I... am I going to get sick from that again?"

"What? Oh, no, you should be alright," Lyra had snapped out of her stupor at the sound of concern in Twilight's voice, "The robot guys took blood samples from both of us and studied our antibodies or whatever to create a vaccine for you."

"It was a little more complicated than that," Twilight shifted her weight as Titus sank to the floor in a cross-legged sitting position and rearranged herself to lay partially on is leg, though the towel seemed to cover less and less with each change in pose, "Unfortunately the majority of our vaccines are prophylactic, though after I read that your analysis droid could perform procedures like culturing viruses for harvesting I posed the question if they could develop one if they had the right equipment and after a quick trip to my laboratory, a letter to the Princess for vials of our own vaccines for their study, and a few drops of blood they were underway speed-growing variants; by morning they had several injections for common illnesses adapted and ready for use."

"Intravenous?" Titus looked at his arm where the hoses had been hooked up and gave it a flex, "That would explain the localized soreness in my arm. What about you, anything you need to worry about from me?"

"Nope! That blood sample you left with me didn't have anything that was communicable according to both my and the Academy's findings and Princess Luna also said there wasn't anything to worry about when she used her spell on you; I was interested to know what she cast although she would only say it was classified as a first level A.O., or Alicorn-Only," Twilight went on to explain the categories of spells, from the all-access classification for spells like non-thermal light below a certain luminary threshold to the military's various damaging bolts and rays to the highest level of Alicorn-Only where the destructive spells were too powerful to even be written down and the secrets of mind-control spells were kept safely guarded. She looked a little glum that she hadn't gotten any more information though from the way the Princess had been talking it felt like she might be willing to share in the future, "Regardless, the Princesses created a team of ponies to work on a batch of vaccines for the bacteria and viruses we did find in you, just in case."

"So... congrats, you're caught up on your shots, Equestria doesn't have to worry about getting human illnesses, and you're Princess-approved to smooch to your heart's content, lovercolt!" Lyra gave him an over-exaggerated wink, "Now come on, let's dig into the food before it gets cold." After a quick stop by his room for a set of clothes, the task made longer than normal as the amount of get-well mail Lyra and Twilight had attempted to store there had spilled out into the hallway and necessitated some minor acrobatics to navigate - in a bath towel, mind you - Titus ushered both ponies out of the airlock, Twilight eagerly pointing out the rubberized mats they had laid out in a pathway over the hull of the ship as they went to a flat spot on the outer hull where they could enjoy their meal in the fresh night air, their laughter and jovial conversation fading up to join the stars that seemed to shine almost cheerfully.

Lying awake on the pair of mattresses pushed together on the floor of his room and staring at the ceiling, Titus found himself unable to get to sleep as his mind kept wandering to the thoughts of the day. Currently he was thinking about the food Lyra had brought, which had been delicious though he was sure he would be spending time in the bathroom with how greasy most of it was and the large amounts of salt had meant he had had to pilfer some of Twilight's soda, but regardless the three had enjoyed each others company - Twilight had even referred to it as a "successful interim first date" which Titus couldn't help but feel happy about.

"Can't sleep?" Twilight asked and snuggled herself closer between the warmth of his side and arm before lifting her head from his chest to look at him in earnest a second later, "I-Is everything okay, do you feel alright?"

"Shhh! You'll wake Lyra," Titus hadn't realized Twilight had been awake observing him for a while now and her sudden excitement caused him to look to the other arm where the mint unicorn had wrapped all four of her hooves around the limb which he had voiced had put his hand in a rather precarious position but she had simply laughed and had said that it was only awkward if he made it awkward before falling asleep faster than he could make his protest. The small mischievous grin was still plastered on her face and every now and then she'd squeeze on the arm and mew quietly and it was easy to believe that she knew he'd find her too adorable to rouse once she had drifted off but she had arranged herself to sleep with her back to the human to allow Twilight to snuggle up a little more intimately and use his chest as a pillow. And if she wakes up now to find both of us up there'll be no way we could convince her it was coincidence or we were only talking, knowing Lyra she'd probably keep us up into the early morning cracking saucy jokes at our expense. Seeing that the pert pony's slumber hadn't been disturbed by the noise Titus returned his attention to the concerned unicorn, "My joints ache a little and my limbs feel like lead but I'm alright; it's just my mind refusing to take a break from thinking about stuff."

"Oh, I know the feeling." Relieved her human wasn't about to turn blue or grow more spots Twilight settled back to her previous position and rested her chin on his chest so she could still look at him, "Whenever that happens to me I write a letter to Princess Celestia to get the thoughts out of my system; maybe you should try it?"

Titus was familiar with the letters Twilight would regularly write to the Princesses, having been given the chance to read several from their collection (and it was a sizable one), but he wasn't entirely sure about that idea, "Thinking about it is much easier than it would be to put it onto paper and I get the feeling that trying would only wake me up more. Plus, I wouldn't really know where to begin with what would be a very long letter."

"Oh, that's easy... with 'Dear Princess,' of course!" she giggled quietly and stuck her tongue out when in response he gave his best impression of Rainbow's "Duh!" expression, complete with rolling of the eyes, "I usually don't even send those letters, half the reason being they just serve as an outlet so I feel like I've communicated whatever is on my mind and the other being I'd have to deal with a grumpy baby dragon if I woke him up in the middle of the night to send it. You know, if you don't feel like writing I um... I could listen, if you'd like." When he remarked he didn't want to have a grumpy unicorn on his hands the next day after keeping her up regaling his thoughts to her she stretched to playfully nip at the side of his neck, "Look, I won't be able to get to sleep if you can't, so just tell me what you're thinking about and we can go back to sleep together!"

"'Sleep together,' huh? How forward of you!" Titus' waggling eyebrows and grin made Twilight rethink her wording which she pointed out with a heavy sigh was being taken woefully out of context and added he was beginning to sound like Lyra before they shared a friendly nuzzle and Titus lowed his head back to the pillow while the lavender unicorn plopped her head back on his sternum. "Okay, I'll give it a shot. Um... I guess the overarching thing on my mind is all the events that had to line up just right for me to end up where I am now."

"W-wow... that is a lot to think about," Twilight muttered, blinking several times as the thought entered her own mind but she quickly dismissed it for another time.

Titus simply nodded, "Everything I had to do to finish Jedi training, my fights during the Clone Wars, dodging the Hunters after the Purge, the work as a smuggler; it's just branches upon branches of alternatives... even in the last twenty four hours after leaving the space port and before coming through the portal I can't count the number of times I had to make a decision that potentially could have changed whether I had ended up wherever this is. Provided, that is, that your magic didn't target me specifically or for whatever reason. I mean, if I hadn't been double checking the ship stores to be sure the dock master wasn't trying to rip me off on the supplies I had bought I wouldn't have overheard one of the Clones talking about an Imperial ship patrolling the sector. I had recently stole some data on an obscure weapon prototype or mining laser - I'm not sure which - but to be safe I adjusted my flight path to make it look like I was making a routine delivery to a colony and not like I was avoiding the patrol. I had several options that all put me on a different course, though the one I chose was the long one through open space that necessitated a session of cryosleep, so without my main computer up and running I can't say how long I was under before I encountered the portal. I probably could have gotten away with not shutting the ship's reactor down after I saw there was gravity on this planet and if I hadn't the repulsorlift arrays would have kept me in the air and I wouldn't have crashed, but if I left the reactor running and crashed anyway the potential explosion from a core breach would have left a lot more than a divot in a hill," Titus explained what sort of catastrophic explosion could have occurred and described the sort of damage a ship coming apart could have caused. Unsure where to go from there he took the chance to glance down to see if the unicorn was still awake and found her to be listening attentively, ears fully forward and large eyes firmly locked on him. She's beautiful. She really is beautiful. He couldn't help but grin at her as he stared back into her violet eyes, a long moment of complete silence passing before she eventually cracked a smile of her own out of uncertainty for the reason of the extended eye contact.

"I'm sorry..." he sighed, "I forgot the 'Dear Princess Twilight' part. Do I need to start over?"

"I'm not a princess, I'm just a librarian," Twilight snorted at what she thought was going to be something serious turning out to be a lighthearted joke, both of them turning to make sure the noise hadn't woken Lyra up though her only change was to pull the arm in even tighter and nuzzle into the bicep as a small twitch of her back legs hinted she might be galloping somewhere in her dream. Satisfied after a brief period of observation Twilight turned back to the human whose free hand was now lightly scratching small circles in her fur, "Why think back on all that, do you regret any of it? Would you go back and change anything?"

Titus recalled his Master's didactic reply from the time he had asked her a similar question, "'Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment...' but of course I have my regrets and, had I known the outcomes, there are things I wish I had done differently but here, in the present moment?" he paused to cast another look at the unicorn he had an arm wrapped around, once again locking eyes with her, "I couldn't be happier with the way things turned out and even if I could go back I wouldn't want this to change at all; coming through the portal has been one of the best things to happen to me and I've never felt closer to the Force since arriving in Equestria. Most importantly, though, is that I also met a beautiful best friend that I've come to cherish with all of my heart... and she's so much more than 'just a librarian.' Twi, if I took a month just to think I might find a way to accurately put how I feel into words, but right now I just need to say I love y-"

He didn't get to finish as he found his mouth suddenly occupied by Twilight's own pressing against it firmly with tears streaking down her cheeks yet the smile splitting her face could have lit the room; she didn't need a spell to sense his feelings as he poured them into the kiss and when she finally and reluctantly pulled herself back she felt like she was going to burst with how happy she felt as the sensation of the Harmony filled her heart well past overflowing, "I-I know, even though you were just mumbling I overheard you say 'by the stars, I love her to bits' that morning in the kitchen. Truth be told I knew I'd be interested in your technology and sciences but I never expected us to connect like we did and I never expected that you could be so... ponylike in the way you think and behave; despite everything my errors had directly or indirectly put you through you still forgave me and became my friend, though the more time I spent with you the more I slowly came to feel you were more than that... much more. If you would have told me a month or so ago I'd fall for an alien I would have thought you were crazy, but you're always somewhere on my mind, whenever I'm around you I get this fluttery feeling like my hooves aren't even touching the ground, and whenever you look at me with a smile - just like the one you have right now - I feel like the all of the Harmony in Equestria couldn't make me happier! I just... I... By the stars I love you to bits, too!" That was all she could say because with the way his face lit up she couldn't stand to not be nuzzling him or kissing him at the moment and squirmed out of the nook of his arm halfway onto his broad chest so she was in a better position before resuming, though they transitioned from fast and intense to slow and passionate over the course of a few minutes as each panted to catch their breath.

While Twilight was making ample use of her forehooves to gently rub his neck, cheeks, and jaw or loop them behind his neck to get a little more pressure out of a kiss. There wasn't much Titus could do from his position with only the one hand as the absolute last thing he wanted was to move the arm Lyra had latched on to and wake her up in the process; still, he did his best to reciprocate despite his handicap, his palm making broad strokes up her sides and neck, the fingers combing through her mane and kneading her ears, the latter reducing Twilight to only nuzzling as her head involuntarily fell to his collarbone; with her out of the proverbial fight Titus was able to make up some lost ground as each nibble on her neck was responded to with a small purr.

Twilight couldn't help but hum while she ground her muzzle into the special spot on her human's neck as each nip he made sent a warm wave through her until an unexpected twitch from Titus caused her to stop and pull back. "What's wrong?" she whispered, searching his face to find him biting his lip and, judging by his expression, he was fighting against something; thinking she knew what was going on despite a quick glance toward the short trousers failed to reveal any telling evidence she leaned in to breath into his ear, "I didn't expect that to get you heated..."

"Not. Heated," he managed around his locked jaw, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, "it's Lyra she's-" a small chuckle from his side cut him off, partially muffled as the mint unicorn dug her muzzle deeper into his armpit which caused Titus to change to a new expression, "Twi, what is she doing?!"

Twilight thought for a moment before hovering her snout near his other armpit for a small sniff (much to Titus' added discomfort) and she immediately realized what Lyra was doing. "Your scent, for lack of a better term, is stronger there which I imagine is either acting like a stimulant to further enhance the authenticity of a dream or she subconsciously inserted you into her dream after picking up on it. Do you remember when I said you smelled nice before dinner? Right after I became your Mediator and while you were still uncomfortable being approached, I was asked multiple times on almost a daily basis by ponies that were curious about it. Much like how our coats and manes are colorful every pony has a unique scent composed of pheromones released to attract attention for herding, and yours is a particularly interesting case in that it's-" the second sniff she took bordered somewhere on a snort and was decidedly less than experimental as she indulged herself, "Entrancing, despite the fact you're not equine and still it's evidently appealing to a wide range of individuals-"

"Wait, what? I mean, I've noticed a lot of the ponies I've met have unique fragrances but I had run out of anti-odor long before arriving here and what with the physical labor involved in my salvaging work I sweat a lot. I'm usually worried that I reek... you mean to tell me they liked that?" he shifted as much as he could and thankfully Twilight picked up on his discomfort with the situation though the mint unicorn remained firmly buried as she inhaled deeply between slumbering chuckles, her hind hooves gently bicycling in the air.

"Mhm! I know Lyra and I do, and you've gotten quite a few compliments from ponies that had been watching you work. I imagine it can reach a point where it's overwhelming like when a pony puts on too much perfume... b-but you definitely haven't ever stunk, though! You smell sort of... earthy?" When she went in for one last sniff it looked like he shied away and Twilight apologized meekly, sitting up and pulling herself away to do so, "Sorry, I didn't realize that smelling you made you uncomfortable, I suppose I'm used to ponies being alright with it and should have asked."

Beneath her Twilight could feel Titus' body spasm before she realized he hadn't retracted from her and was shaking his head, eyes closed again as he spasmodically clenched his whole self to keep from a laugh, "You're fine, getting sniffed was s-something I had to get used to but t-that's not it... that tickles like crazy!" It didn't help that his arm had fallen asleep and the pins-and-needles sensation that came as the blood began flowing again was only heightened as Lyra continued to rub her soft nose against the sensitive spot.

Oooh, so he's ticklish on that spot near his ear and under his arms. Now that's two spots I know of. Twilight was about to tell him he could probably just roll her out and to the other side of the combined mattress if he really wanted with little fear of waking her as she was a very heavy sleeper but the evidence of that came a second later when the mint unicorn abruptly sat up, ears at full attention as she scanned the room with closed eyes and when she made her pass over Titus and Twilight they remained still as statues. There was a pause as she stared off into her dream somewhere, her head cocked quizzically to one side, then she snorted loudly and the grin came back to her face before she dove back in to Titus' arm, giggling the whole time while her nuzzling traveled the length of the limb from his shoulder toward his hand which left her up bent at a strange angle almost like a macaroni noodle, though despite the odd position Lyra still wrapped her hooves around his wrist and pulled the hand in for a snuggling and hummed happily as she ground her muzzle against his palm, letting the fingers brush over her face and ears.

"She's a really heavy sleeper," Twilight relaxed back down to rub her own face against the human's neck, relieved the situation had worked itself out, "though when you agreed that we could spend the night I probably should have warned you she's a bit of a cuddler, too. Sorry." Twilight had convinced Titus to put the mattresses on the floor and push them together by explaining that she and Lyra would occasionally rest together as it was very comforting to have a warm friend to snuggle into and pointed to the benefits of bolstering friendships; her short time spent on the Academy's Debate Team as a filly meant she had kept several more facts up her sleeve as rebuttals and counterpoints as well as a brief (by her definition) history of the practice in ancient times as a means of warding off predators and enemies though before either of those were necessary he had voiced his willingness to try despite his apprehension which Twilight had learned stemmed from his own species' sleep practices.

While Twilight was busy with her apology Titus watched Lyra squirm from her twisted position to a pose where her hindquarters lifted up just enough to untangle and straighten out before flopping back down on the only spot available which was somewhere between his stomach and sternum and, rather impressively, the entire motion was completed without letting up on the nuzzles to his palm or gentle noms on a finger that happened to stray too close to her mouth. He tried not to look at the pair of flanks though it proved to be a challenge; they were rather prominently placed within his range of vision, after all. I know she's got a fixation on my ass and if our roles were reversed... but still, Twi and I- In the split second he had that he didn't avert his gaze her tail, which was no longer under her conscious control, drooped limply to follow the contour of her flanks and drape over his stomach, revealing her in her entirety. Oh-kay, that just happened.

"So, do you feel like you could get to sleep now?" Twilight asked hopefully and more than a little wearily as she failed to stifle a wide yawn but the oddly noncommittal grunt he gave felt out of character so she begrudgingly lifted herself up to investigate. "Still got something on your mind-?" Twilight's question came to a abrupt halt when she discovered Lyra was effectively flashing her marehood to both of them and realized he very probably had something on his mind.

"Hooo boy, this certainly is awkward..." Titus chuckled nervously and un-looped the arm he had around Twilight to reposition the posterior pointed at him but didn't get the chance as she was roughly rolled to the far side of the mattress in a magenta aura, "Hey, come on now." Despite the harsh tumbling Lyra somehow remained sound asleep and instead of stirring whined in disappointment at the sudden lack of contact with the hand as she blindly patted around her for it with an aimless hoof. Titus hadn't meant for her to be completely ostracized like that and reached over to pull Lyra back against his side, though he placed his upper arm over her flank to give her she space she needed; positioning his hand in her hoof's searching path the goofy grin returned to her face as she reengaged her four-hoofed death-grip which was something Titus just couldn't help but smile at.

Twilight, however, felt admonished by his action and her body language changed accordingly and when he inquired on it her ears only splayed back farther as she apologized and muttered what a foal she was being, "S-sorry, she's my best friend but... I had a flashback to the last stallion that dumped me and-"

"Silly pony," the way she was glancing from the zonked-out Lyra to anywhere but him was telling, as were the quiet huffs, so he wrapped her up in an arm for a long squeeze which she reciprocated in the form of a heartfelt nuzzle, "You've got nothing to worry about; there's no way I'd leave you hanging to go after another mare... even though, like you, she happens to have a great butt." Using the last part of his sentence as bait when she looked up at him in mild shock he zipped in and planted his lips against hers, the chuckle and look in his eyes clearing telling her "gotcha!" before his free hand worked its way to the back of her head to push her further into the gesture; not that she needed any encouragement past the first instant of the kiss because her hooves looped behind his neck for additional leverage to pull him in for a long moment where they simply said nothing and let their connection communicate their respect, admiration, and affection for the other until they amicably separated to settle into a cuddle.

"Hey Twi?" knowing how much she enjoyed it, Titus breathed into her coat before placing a light nip on the same spot as he tried to put his thought into words, "Thanks. You know, for being there since I got here. I know I was a bit... cold or distant at first and I didn't say anything at the time, but it was really comforting and a relief to be able to depend on you - and more recently, the mint-colored degenerate strangling my other arm - if I needed anything. I realize it can't always have been easy, but I appreciated it none the less," Titus' arm was beginning to fall asleep from both having been stationary for an extended amount of time and the lack of circulation caused by Lyra's surprisingly strong grip, even in her sleep.

Twilight's mind was swimming from the nibbles and his confession as she turned her head to grant better access to her neck, the gesture understood and duly followed up on. "Oh, well... to put it simply you were pretty skittish and somepony had to look out for you," she intended to give a serious reply but instead giggled when his fingers left her ear to tickle her cutie mark lightly, "and who better than me, seeing as it's my fault you're stuck here? I wanted to do what I could to try and fix my mistake, so I spent a long time writing my letter to Princess Celestia asking to be appointed the task..."

"And I'm glad she listened, but can you really blame me for being a little jumpy?" he teased and rubbed his nose into her fur to let her know nothing was meant by it, "I was quite literally dumped on my head in a world of colorful aliens that can move planetoids with magic."

"Hey!~ You're the alien!" Twilight playfully nipped him on the shoulder, "You came through a portal from Tartarus knows where, you're a furless biped, have fleshy fingers, possess miraculous technology and you've got magic that isn't magic - which is still something I want to bring you to the lab to thoroughly look into, by the way - but thankfully you're a friendly alien..." she licked the same spot she had nipped then nuzzled his cheek as it became available from the shudder that ran through Titus' whole body at her soft tongue running over his skin, "a very friendly alien..." Another lick followed along his jawline until she planted her lips against his and requested entrance which he happily granted. Twilight was, as usual and despite her inexperience, the better of the two kissers, her tongue tangling and easily overpowering his own wider, shorter muscle to slip past and explore the jagged edges of his teeth. It was an odd thought but she couldn't help but realize how fitting an analogy his teeth were - despite their predatory appearance they had only ever been bared in friendship, much like how he was large and intimidating he was nothing but sweet and gentle; not that that didn't stop the small evolutionary instinct somewhere deep within her subconscious that wanted her to run and caused her heart to beat just a little faster. It proved too difficult to both smile and continue exploring his mouth at the same time so she settled with rubbing her nose against his, allowing her to stare into his warm brown eyes where she could feel the same emotions running through her completely reflected back toward her which only widened her smile, "And you're my super cuddly alien friend."

Titus grinned back at her hopefully, his hand dragging its nails down her spine to begin tracing the outline of her cutie mark, "That sounds awfully like you're laying a claim-" he was cut off as her worried outburst that she wasn't claiming him like property which was subconsciously brought about by her parent's strict upbringing in the ways of egalitarianism and her own repulsion of the period of Equestrian history where that was less prevalent. "Shush," his hand quickly moved and clamped down on her muzzle to silence her stammered explanation, the hand getting a cross-eyed look and a sigh clearly communicating she thought that little measure hadn't been necessary so before continuing Titus placed a quick peck on the small bit of her nose still protruding from the end, "I get what you're saying, but I don't have a problem if you want to say I'm your guy or stallion or whatever. In fact, more than anything I'd... welcome it."

After he released his hand from her muzzle there was a long moment where she simply locked eyes with him, seemingly searching the depths for an answer before she said anything. "Y-you really mean that," her tone made it sound like both a statement and a question but either way the beaming smile he gave her was better than any answer he could have put into words, "Thank you... thank you! Hearing that is such a wonderful gift!" She gave him the warmest nuzzle she could in response, working her muzzle against the special spot at the base of his ear and slowly moving down to the underside of his jaw to experiment with her own nibbles and licks on his neck which he seemed to thoroughly enjoy judging in the small grunts that Twilight took great delight in eliciting from him, each one causing a small pause in the the hand that had returned to tracing the large star of her cutie mark with his nails. Over the course of several minutes, however, the tracing fingers slowly transitioned into a deep kneading motion, the change causing her to glance at his shorts where her suspicion was confirmed by a bulge that was stretching the fabric taut. Jeez, way to be a hypocrite. Always shouting at Lyra when she says something dirty for fear of getting him aroused and here I went and did it again. She felt Titus shift beneath her and when her gaze returned to him she found he was grinning up at her somewhat uncomfortably; biting her lip she cast another look toward the peak before once again coming back to Titus, at a mental impasse as to what she should do but when he opened his mouth to give what looked like it might be an apology she interrupted the attempt by briefly brushing her lips on his. "I-it's okay. I, um..." she paused, her hoof tracing a lazy circle on his shirt, "a-are you going to... take care of it?"

The only illumination in the room came from the glowing running lights along the edge of the walls but there was enough to see by for Titus' flush face to be visible though he could tell it was a genuine question as Twilight's pose had changed to one he had become rather familiar with; she had one ear forward in interest while the other remained splayed backward, indicative she was inquiring on something potentially embarrassing and he stumbled through a response and eventually gave up, pointing toward the medbay's bathroom, "I uh, I'll be right back." Titus slowly and gently extricated his arm from Lyra's grip and replaced it with a rolled-up shirt which she immediately rejected and went in search of the warm limb she had grown accustomed to, the low groan of frustration rumbling from deep in her throat forcing him to return the appendage for fear she was slowly waking up and an attempt to swap his arm for Twilight looked to have been successful until the mint unicorn's nostril's flared with several sniffs and the venture met with the same results as the last, "Well... kark, that settles that. I suppose I'll just wait it out, but I don't think it's going away anytime soon... especially when I've got a certain librarian being all cuddly and nibbling at me."

"Seeing as you were nibbling on me earlier I was just returning the favor... and it would appear we both enjoy it." Twilight had gotten up when he had tried to free himself from Lyra's grasp and now watched him settle back onto the mattress and adjust his now uncomfortably-tight looking shorts before resuming her previous position in the crook of his arm and side. Twilight recalled her and Rainbow's conversation on the nature of kinks and her genuine interest in getting a little information took hold, "By the way, would you say you've got a 'thing' for librarians?"

"Nope, just a 'thing' for this particularly cute librarian," using two fingers he mimicked the air quotes she had made before giving her a big squeeze and an even bigger grin, "See you in the morning, Twi. Love you."

"Mmm, love you, too. Goodnight," Twilight hummed in response at the embrace and planted a light brush of her lips against his chin before snuggling in and closing her eyes in preparation to sleep, focusing on listening to the thumping of his heartbeat and the whooshing of air entering and exiting his lungs while his fingers scratched lightly at the base of her ears and scalp. She wasn't sure what prompted her to crack an eye open, though perhaps it was because there was no noticeable change in either of his rhythms after what felt like a good while, but even a cursory glance at his face was enough to tell he was still awake behind closed eyes. Twilight's eye unconsciously traced its way down his form to find the bulge in his shorts had made no change as well and by the time she realized she was staring and returned to his face her gaze met his as an eyebrow climbed its way up his forehead.

"Sorry, I just... " she said, head leaning to one side and adopting the same cautiously curious pose from earlier before snuggling back into her warm spot and nuzzling against his chest. When she looked up from her spot she found Titus to be observing her curiously with a small smile on his face that she couldn't help but smile back at. Sweet Celestia, I never would have imagined having a special somepony would feel this... wonderful and fulfilling! I love him, I love him from the bottom of my heart and he loves me back! Twilight cuddled a little harder at that thought and buried her face into his breast, catching another glimpse of his shorts in the process. I doubt he's in any pain but he's obviously physically uncomfortable...

Titus scratched up and down her neck, working in small circles against her soft coat as she nestled against his chest. The Force certainly works in mysterious ways. Of all the places in the vast expanses of the universe - if I'm even still in my universe - and I get dumped right in her lap, more or less, and not only that but of all of the possible beings she feels like a piece of myself that's been missing. Kark me, I should have bought a lottery ticket- Suddenly and rather curiously Twilight squirmed out from under his arm and stood up, carefully steadying herself on the bouncy mattress before stretching her head down to nuzzle his cheek and say she'd be back in a moment as she ducked into the medbay bathroom. After a brief flash of worrying if she knew how everything worked in there he shrugged. She's smart, smarter than me, that's for sure; if she can strip and rebuild a meddroid after only reading a basic technician's guide she shouldn't have any issue figuring out the bathroom fixtures. Her absence let Titus settle back into the mattress and get comfortable and once he was situated he spent a little time playing with the slumbering Lyra whenever she wasn't nuzzling his hand into the mattress by lightly booping her on the nose to watch her expression change or scratching the bridge of her snout to listen to her purr. When Twilight eventually emerged a few moments later Titus couldn't help but notice the look of determination in her eyes. "Twi...?" he stopped fidgeting with Lyra who went back to happily nibbling on one of his fingertips with a sleepy giggle, "Everything okay?" Despite the question Twilight didn't answer and instead put one hoof in front of the other to slowly make her way over to the foot of the mattress where she stopped, at which point Titus could hazard a guess what her intent was by the angle of her gaze matching up with his crotch, "Twi, it's alright, I'm alright. Don't feel like you need to-"

She cut him off with a shake of her head as she took a step onto the mattress, "I don't, and I know things are backwards where you're from and you said you wanted me to set the pace... b-but if you say no I won't or I'll stop! I just... I want to do this."

"What about the date? What about doing things 'by the book' and taking it slow?" Titus asked, propping himself up on one elbow and immediately noticing the impact of his questions had on the mare as her determined look wavered, "Kark! Don't think I'm saying no, that's hardly the case. I love you Twilight, and I just want to be sure, you know... you're sure."

"I am," she said with a good deal of conviction, her eyes locking onto his, "Whether you realize or not just how close you came to dying from the Pox I had what felt like an eternity to think about it, and the thought that I might lose you before I could actually communicate how I felt... I was so desperate I even pleaded to Princess Luna and together we found a way into one of your dreams to try and talk with you, but you were oblivious to us as you fought through a battle on a muddy plain while fierce storms raged overhead. W-we tried to find a door out when we realized we were just passengers but we couldn't find one for the longest time; we had to watch as your companions, the humans in white armor, w-were decimated..." Twilight closed her eyes and shook her head gently, dislodging the memory of how worriedly she had tried to talk to Titus amidst the chaos of battle and get some sort of response out of him, only to end up back in the medbay watching as he floated in the bactatank, "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up, not right now-"

S-she saw Jabiim? An all-to-real flash crossed his mind of wading through knee-deep mud under a hail of blaster fire, trying to deflect as many shots as possible for the vulnerable Clones around him only to have each salvo bring down another as they pushed across the open ground until they had been forced to retreat, though in truth the memory could have been from any of the engagements he and his troops had been involved in before the Republic's eventual evacuation of their forces. Why did she have to see Jabiim...

"-I want to do things by the book, more or less, as a good friend told me that I need to look at it as less of a lawbook and more of a guideline, but I do want to go on dates and do all the normal courtship stuff so our date is still on; I had a lot of help getting a special spot ready and to abandon it now after all the work we did would just be a waste," judging by the way he grinned at her Twilight could tell he knew she had thought through her decision and she took another step forward, ducking her head down to place a heartfelt kiss of thanks against his lips before pulling herself back from her smiling human, "I want to do this, I want to take this step... c-can we?"

A soft nose brushing against his was enough to push the battle out of his memory for the time being and Titus realized hadn't felt this nervous before; it was his first time he'd be being intimate with someone he cared about and the sudden doubts and worries usually accompanying such an event naturally wormed their way into the back of his mind despite his upbringing to control such emotions but the very fact that Twilight - the once alien mare and now cherished best friend and love of his life - was now asking to become that much more a part of him saw him through the brief period of uneasiness as he brought a hand up to cup her cheek and nodded, "Let's."

"First things first, though," she said, leaning into the palm to relish in just how warm it felt though the blood rushing through her own cheeks might have been a contributing factor, "I'd rather not have somepony interrupting at an inopportune time again, so I'd say a strong sleeping spell is in order. One moment," Twilight's horn glowed, illuminating the room in a soft magenta light as a sparkling dust slowly floated down and settled over the still-snuggling unicorn, all traces vanishing an instant later when Lyra went limp to the sound of rhythmic snoring, allowing Titus' arm freedom from her grasp. Just to be safe Twilight gave her friend several light prods in the ribs to no effect, "and that should do it."

"I don't know how I'd go about repairing the ship if I was still in my pony form. I just couldn't do it with hooves," Titus said, the odd change of subject drawing a funny look from Twilight however he wanted to be sure for himself and leaned in just a hair's-width from Lyra's ear to whisper something he thought would rouse the unicorn to a response, "You see, I can get my fingers into all sorts of tight spots."

All he got was twitch of her ear from the closeness of his breath tickling her fur and a drawn out snore.

A giggle from Twilight drew his attention to her as she stood up and she once again stretched down to plant a warm kiss on his lips which he was finally able to get his arms around her neck to pull her in to a full embrace which only lasted a brief time before she eventually moved back but not after a good nuzzle with her human. Her next kiss landed on his chin, another on his throat, then chest, then stomach as Twilight slowly worked her way down his form, drawing inspiration from one of the videos Rainbow Dash had lent from her sizable collection the previous night for the purpose of education though the pegasus had given her a typical look of disbelief when passing over the series of pornographic films - Twilight had, of course, studied the subject matter thoroughly as a means to distract herself for a short time while Titus was undergoing the last of his tests but a run in with Dash earlier this afternoon hadn't answered the question of "if the pizzamare truly loves this foalsitter, why does she keep slapping his rear?" to which she had explained it was one of the kinks they had talked about. Twilight didn't let the memory of their conversation distract her and quickly returned her attention to the task at hoof as she laid herself down at his knees and there was a brief pause where neither of them did anything but look at each other until she tentatively and gently pulled on the leg of his shorts and, while they slid down an inch or so, the article snagged firmly on his hips. "How the hay do you get into these?!" slightly puzzled, Twilight pulled a little harder with no better outcome except a small grunt that could have been a laugh from Titus, "Better question: how the hay do you get out of them?"

"There's a flap with a tie and some buttons; here, I can-"

"Come on, let me do it," with a small giggle Twilight brushed the hand away as it swung in from his side to unfasten the garment for her, "I want this to be a learning experience and figure it out for myself." She took a moment to observe the shorts and the way his waist and hips were all in a line and it didn't take long for her analytical mind to realize the need for the fastener, "Oh, now I get it! Belts for humans aren't just for show, without them your pants would be around your ankles!" Focusing a small amount of magic into her horn for a little more illumination, Twilight found the small flap of fabric and pulled it back, at first fearful she had torn something when it made a ripping noise only to delight in the discovery that humans also had velcro and repeated the process several times for her own amusement. The knotted drawstring beneath, she noticed, was tied in a single-loop bow which she assumed was for ease of untying with a single hand and using her magic she slowly pulled on the ends. This is it, Twilight. This is the moment. After sliding the final button through the hole and with the waistband that had prevented her from removing the shorts now free, she waited for Titus to lift his hips off of the mattress slightly before giving a tug, drawing them down well past his thighs almost to his knees. Expecting to be done she was a little disheartened to see she still had more clothing to free him of.

"More? Clothes under clothes is a rather strange practice," she crawled up and lay herself down on the shorts she had just removed to stare at the smaller secondary pair before her, "What are these other shorts under here for?"

"Underwear."

"Under here!" Twilight jabbed a hoof at the offending garments before she saw the coy grin and heard the restrained chuckle. She was quick to put two and two together and realized what he was wearing was much like the "special selection" Rarity had in the back room of her boutique, though after he explained the joke she just rolled her eyes and groaned at the simple play on words, "We have this sort of clothing too; special stuff that's worn to show off the body or in private for a special somepony but it seems counterproductive to wear it underneath more clothing where nopony will see it, let alone wear it every day like I assume you do." Despite her confusion Twilight had to admit it was kind of fun taking off the layers of clothes; the small amount of nervousness she had stepped into the bathroom to quell was long gone, anticipation having steadily taken its place. Twilight also began to notice the warmth of the small valley she was resting in between his thighs and found herself leaning into one of his legs. The bulge in his shorts was much more obvious now that she was close and the thought of his arousal drove her own excitement, "Is um, is there a fastener for these as well?"

"Nope," he hooked a thumb into the shorts and tugged lightly in demonstration, "the waistband stretches."

She ooo'd at that revelation and eagerly stretched the band for herself before taking a small fold of fabric at the bottom hem on either side in her magic, pausing to look lovingly if a little anxiously at her human who in response gathered up the pillows neither Lyra or Twilight had been using to prop himself up so he could reach a hand out to her which Twilight met with a nuzzle and several light kisses to the palm until he slid the soothingly warm hand across her cheek and to an ear where he began scratching in a most delightful fashion. "What did I do to have such a wonderful human enter my life?" she jokingly asked, eyes half lidded as his nails sent small waves of pleasure directly into her skull.

"No idea," he replied with a grin, bringing his other hand up to bare on the unattended ear. With both hands at work on her ears in alternating patterns Twilight's head flopped lightly from side to side, "but you made the mistake of letting me follow you home and I've sort of grown attached so now you're stuck with me."

Twilight's snort and characteristic eye rolling got a warm laugh from Titus and any sarcastic reply she had was completely lost in it as she joined in with a giggle before they came together to rub noses, "And I couldn't be happier!" With that she stole a quick smooch and yanked down on the undershorts in one smooth motion.

Titus watched as Twilight's mouth scrunched up to one side of her face in contemplation, her head leaning from one side before switching to the other to get a look from another angle; it wasn't often that he felt self-conscious, but the way she was examining his junk was more than a little unnerving and provoked him to speak, "You um, look disappointed. Not what you were expecting?"

"What? N-no, I'm not disappointed but, to be honest, I was expecting something different," Twilight was too wrapped up in her observations to notice his tone or expression and continued with her analysis verbally which didn't help matters much, "While a lack of extensive data on the subject meant nothing was out of the realm of possibility I had discounted less likely prospects; still, I wasn't anticipating... this. It's smaller than I thought it would be and looks awfully pointy, and your sheath is definitely odd and the skin around your testes is rather wrinkly-" she finally looked up from his groin to his face and found the dejected expression he was wearing, "Oh, please don't think I was complaining! You're um, comparable to my cooler, if just a little shorter, which is good because if you were proportionate to a stallion of your size there would undoubtedly be... problems, at least for a pony of my size, so I'm actually pleasantly surprised. I like it, I really do!" Twilight's hoof tentatively brushed the side of the shaft and her eyes went wide, "Wow, it's much warmer than I thought it would be!" It seems firmer, as well. It's not flopping around like with a stallion's. She made several more brushes which quickly turned into light strokes as she watched Titus sink back to a reclined position with a small sigh that sent a tingle down her spine. He likes what you're doing, keep going! Spurred on, Twilight continued stroking a hoof up the length and could feel her own arousal rising from the pleasure he was feeling at her hooves and before she realized what she was doing she had gone in to nuzzle at the base where she discovered an odd mixture of his sent and something else; an involuntary sniff drew a sigh of her own and drove her head to sink to his hip, forcing her to switch over to using magic as any will to use her hooves evaporated.

Meanwhile Titus had resumed rubbing her ear as Twilight - her head resting on his hip and illuminated by the light from her horn - ground her muzzle into his crotch as an entirely unbelievable pleasure pulsated in a wave-like motion around his length, causing him to arch his back and hiss, "Kark that feels good, Twi."

She hummed a response, her eyes closed as she concentrated on the sensations assaulting her; the feel of him in her magic was being fed directly into her brain and she felt every twitch and throb while the scent of Titus - her stallion, a distinction she openly giggled in glee at when it crossed her mind - brought a warm rush of pure pleasure as well as a desire to do more. Magic still swirling around his member, Twilight's hoof slowly slipped from its spot on the hip opposite her as she shifted her weight and leaned into one of his legs.

Titus felt the change and watched the hoof slip down out of sight before Twilight's rump lifted slightly, which was enough information for him to guess that she had started working herself over. He was hesitant to say anything at first, but both the urge to do something for Twilight and the desire to make her feel as good as he did at the moment as well as the inability to reach past her shoulder from his current position made him speak, "Would you like to switch for a bit or change position so I can reach you-wow!?" His question got cut off as the familiar sensation of Twilight's soft lips graced the side of his shaft in a light kiss.

"Thank you, but no. This is about you and getting you to relax," she placed another kiss, this time with a small lick after the subtle hint of saltiness of his skin hit her tongue from the first peck, "But please keep rubbing my ears, that feels absolutely astounding." Titus was all too happy to oblige when the frequency of the licks and kisses increased as Twilight began to let her mind take a back seat to her pleasure and her position changing once again so she could mimic another scene from one of Rainbow's films, directing her attention to the twin orbs at the base of the spire. Her muzzle began gently nuzzling each before gingerly taking one in her mouth to suckle on, rolling it around with her tongue for a short time as she delighted in the poorly-concealed moan and small squirms he made and finished with a long lick from a spot between the two and traveling up the bottom of the shaft to end at the very tip. Wait, what was that? She pressed her hoof against her sensitive mound harder as she sat up and gave the end of his member another lick, this time lingering a second longer to pick up on the sweet taste she thought she had detected. Her second lick came back with more of the sweet taste although a third and forth found she had depleted the source. Did he finally...? No, not yet. Twilight found herself craving more and hovered over the tip, mouth open, and spent several seconds watching it twitch under her hot breath as a part of her mind kicked her in the rump, causing her to pause and think wisely about what she was going to do for a moment, "Um... sorry about this, but one question: i-is there anything I should know about that might cause me harm?"

Titus hid his mild frustration at her desire for conversation behind a grunt though he had to admit stopping for an important question like the one she was asking, however strange it was, was the right choice. "I'm not really sure what you're referring to," he said, grinding the side of his head against her muzzle, "I thought you found out everything should be fine with the tests you ran."

It was proving difficult for Twilight to maintain control and not return to seeking out more of the sweet fluid in earnest, especially with the way he was gently bucking his hips against her muzzle though she began to amply the effect with movement of her own as she struggled to compose her thought, "W-well... no, the tests were to see if you could get me pregnant by comparing our genetic structure; without an in-depth study I don't have any specifics, but after Fluttershy brought it up in regards to a pair of her animals mating I felt compelled to do a little research into the intricacies of various Equestrian species' sexual practices; mind you I'm well aware they might not apply in your case, but what I'm asking is if there's anything about human reproduction acts that I should know about or that might be harmful, two examples being toxic semen and traumatic insemination. The reason I ask, and forgive the comparison, is that during my research I found many mammalian species, including several of the subspecies of primates I've looked into, have developed keratinized penile spines-"

"What in the blazes... No!" he shouted with a breathless laugh at the absurdity of the idea, then realized his volume might have awoken their sleeping mint companion though a preliminary check proved she was still zonked out, leading Titus to wonder just how strong the spell Twilight had used was before returning to her, "No, Twi, I don't have spikes or whatever, humans don't eat their mates, and I'm not going to force you and I never will."

"That's good to hear," Twilight's relief was almost tangible in the sigh she gave before directing the sultriest look she could at him, having practiced in a mirror for well over an hour before Lyra had, yet again, walked through her door to see something she wasn't supposed to; being surrounded by the photos of mares making alluring faces was not something she had even tried to explain but the simple truth had gotten a few helpful pointers from her friend as well as loud guffaws at several of her attempts. She had eventually gotten a look down that was approved of which she used now, her eyes lidded and her mouth turned up in a coy grin, "Very good to hear... I was shown a few things and I was afraid I'd only get to try magic tonight."

A wink - one he didn't know she had practiced countless times - was the only warning he got before feeling Twilight's soft tongue and even softer lips wrap gently over the end of his member, the sudden contact causing Titus to sit almost upright with a hiss from the shock and the groan he let out earned a giggle.

Twilight waited for him to recline back from the initial shock before gently running her tongue in circles around what she identified as his flare, having taken immediate notice how his pointed shape had made it infinitely easier to fit into her muzzle as she licked and bobbed the tip in and out of her mouth. She felt him pushing up whenever she came down and, not wanting to have an issue with a misalignment she ceased her pleasurable ministrations on herself to return the hoof to his hip to get him to stop before taking the end in her mouth and slowly working her way down, her tongue working the underside in a coaxing fashion and as she continued down, each bob taking her a little further. She found his shorter length also proved a benefit as by the time he was almost tickling at the back of her throat she was nearly three quarters of the way to the base, compared to the cooler which she had felt like she was going to gag on just getting over the medial ring. It fits so well, it just feels... right. Pressing forward again until she was as far as she could comfortably go she made the small swallowing motions Rainbow had told her about and watched as his head rolled back with a sigh, the unicorn getting increasing delight from the thrusts he made as she edged him closer and closer to climax as the sweet flavor returned, Twilight eagerly lapping as much up as she could find and gave a low moan around his cock as her hoof returned to its previous position to tend to her needy mound.

Hearing the soft moan Titus wound his fingers into her mane while the other hand reflexively went for an ear and was more than happy to see that a few seconds after he began accenting his thrusts with light tugs on her soft hair or a kneading massage of the ear that her tail would swish about wildly every few seconds though what he couldn't see was that Twilight was grinding her hoof against her quivering lips in time with him, driving home the sensation that he had mounted her (though a hoof felt woefully inadequate for the purpose). She tried a few more techniques she had been fed, from sucking on the head while simultaneously stroking the shaft with a hoof to bobbing furiously as her tongue swirled and ground itself against the underside, but despite her best efforts his thrusts remained rhythmic and controlled and his breathing steady.

Everything came to a sudden stop, however, when Twilight let out a low moan and went completely limp save for her hind legs tensing to their absolute limits and her back arching for several seconds before following suit with the rest of her body, slumping heavily onto one of his legs as she dislodged his member from her mouth for a moan though was briefly still attached via a thin strand of saliva when she spoke around her heaving breaths, "S-sorry... I just need... a second," Twilight stopped and simply lay on her side while the residual waves of her own climax washed over her and gradually ebbed as her walls slowly stopped clenching and contracting around the emptiness inside her, all the while pushing into the ear rub that was still going on and taking repeated sniffs of her stallion's scent to heighten the experience. She was a little shocked at how strong her orgasm had been, especially for one so lacking in the usual stimuli, and for his continued ministrations she nuzzled into his hip before sitting up and staring at him with a slightly hurt look about her though he had no way of knowing that it was directed at herself more than it was at him, "I'm told stallions never last this long, so what am I doing wrong? Why haven't you ejaculated yet?"

Squelching the urge to wince at her objective use of the overly-clinical term that was a little odd to hear, Titus let his hands gently work the base of her ears and let her come down off what he thought was her orgasm, based on a few signs he had picked up on from several jokes Lyra had made, "You've been doing great Twi but give me a break, you've only been at it a few minutes!"

Twilight's response came after a few seconds where it was obvious she repeated what he had said in her mind to be sure she heard him correctly, "Only a few minutes? Y-you mean... this is normal in humans?" She watched him nod and bit her lower lip as a hoof curled itself around the base of his spire to stroke it gently, eventually pulling herself a little closer to run her nose along the underside and took note of the way the ear massage shifted to coincide with the small gyrations of his hips as she did so. With her free hoof she poked at the loose tank top shirt he was wearing. "This. Take this off," things seemed to move in slow motion for Twilight as the bottom hem of the shirt slid up, her eyes greedily devouring the revealed expanses of smooth skin and muscle underneath, "A-And j-just give me a warning when you're close, okay?" Despite her energy being sapped from her recent climax Twilight didn't wait for an answer before placing both hooves on his hips to hold him steady and, lining her tongue up with the underside she had been nuzzling, she guided his member into her muzzle to bob slowly up and down.

Wanting to reassure her that she was doing absolutely nothing wrong, he did what he could to show how much he was enjoying it by running his hands through her mane or kneading her ears encouragingly though it was hardly necessary as his grunts and minor bucks of his restrained hips drove her onward to increase her speed and it wasn't long until Twilight felt his thrusts become quicker and more frantic. She could hear his breaths become more ragged with each plunge and the way his back was arching was indicative that he was in the home stretch, making the requested verbal warning that followed a few seconds later superfluous. A particularly strong throb, accompanied by a grunt, was her cue and with eyes closed tightly she made a snap decision to lock her hooves behind his waist in the small of his back and again jam her as much of his length into her muzzle as she could handle, and just in time for him to explode into her mouth with a drawn out expletive-laced groan.

The research material Rainbow had loaned for her study had prepared Twilight for the bursts which she greedily gulped down, her tongue lapping at the softer underside of his cock coaxingly however a mistiming of the wholly unexpected forth jet forced her retreat upwards to create more space and she quickly realized there was more as a fifth delivery of the thick, gooey seed collected in her cheeks along with another in a volume she couldn't quite keep up with and, needing a breath and with no more room, she pulled herself the remainder of the way off of his member to swallow with a gasp as a final shot painted itself across her muzzle.

Titus slumped back to the mattress with a sigh of pleasure, both of their panting breaths the only noise present in the room for quite some time. "T-that was amazing," he eventually voiced, propping himself up on an elbow and watching Twilight wipe the remnants from her muzzle onto the back of her hoof, "You were amazing."

"I'll admit I did some limited research on the subject and Rainbow demonstrated a few techniques. I'm glad to hear it paid off," Twilight confided wearily as she licked up several blobs that had dripped from his softening tip onto his stomach before cleaning up any other leftovers - both his and hers - from the event with a napkin, returning it to the empty fast food bag and retrieved the still-cold soda to swish around in her mouth before pulling both pair of shorts back up around his softening member. She was about to stand up when suddenly a hand was gripping her by the forehoof and gently dragging her up to her previous position in the crook between his arm and side and into the warmest nuzzle along her cheek and neck as he rolled onto his side to extend an arm over her. In response to the much-appreciated snuggle, she wiggled around to face him for a short kiss but before they could there was a literal light-pink spark that arced between their lips which Titus only caught in the reflection of her pupils. Seeing her partner's clearly confused and curious expression, Twilight giggled and rubbed noses before explaining that it was one of the many forms for the manifestation of love Harmony, after which there was a short pause before realizing she had witnessed a groundbreaking passive human-harmony event and excitedly voiced that now he had to come to her lab so she could get some readings.

Titus, naturally, chuckled at his lover's enthusiasm and shook his head, far too spent to listen to a lecture and with nothing to say he instead opted to pull her in, "Love you, Twi."

"I know, you've said so on several occasions," she teased, still feeling the tingly sensation from the spark as she buried her face into his chest and, seeking to increase the heavenly feeling of his weight over her which felt immensely comforting, she snuggled deeper into the warm cave his body had created around her and once comfortably situated poked her nose into his chin to get him look down where her gaze was waiting.

He gave her a gentle squeeze and a peck on the nose, getting the desired effect and taking more than a little delight in the way her muzzle scrunched up in its usual adorable fashion before closing his eyes, "I like to think it was worth repeating one more time today."

Unseen, a certain Princess retreated back into the twisting nether amid very rosy cheeks and a goofy grin as the violet unicorn's dream looped, repeating the evening's event yet another time that Luna didn't feel the need to sit through (again) and instead drifted her mind back toward her corporeal body, passing Titus' own cheerful aura in the process. I am most happy you are well again, my friend, and I shall be seeing you soon though we shall see if you can recognize us.

------------

Geirr nodded to the messenger that had interrupted his interrogation and waved an arm at one of the guards at the door who passed him a towel, "Would seem I'll be needing to cut our time short today. I really do hate to draw this out but we've all got bosses, aye?" he asked rhetorically, long crimson streaks left behind as he dragged his talons over the towel with a sigh, "Ye see, my predicament is my boss wants ye alive but ye got yer pesky magic that we need to be keeping ye from stockpiling an causing mischief and the only way for me to be sure is to work ye over a wee bit. Just my job, lass, nothing personal." Geirr didn't wait for a response from the coughing unicorn on the floor before tossing the towel down to her and leaving her to recuperate from the beating, the process draining almost to empty any of the Harmony in her reserves stored since his last visit.

It had been another fairly fruitless session and each day that the pony resisted giving him answers was a small victory for her; still, his mistress had given explicit instruction that the agent was to be kept alive and that the interrogations should continue as she could have something valuable, though it was looking more and more like she held very little information on the human or his vessel. Either way, failure was not something that sat well with the griffon and it showed as he worked his way down the winding tunnels to the remote cavern serving as his mistress' chamber, not slowing his stride as he physically pushed past several smaller griffons that had congregated and been effectively blocking the narrow corridor to chat idly, "Get outta me way, ye fecking windy gobshites," he growled.

"What'd you say to me you manky feathered-" the smallest of the group, probably wanting to compensate for his stature and not look weak in comparison, initially acted like he wanted to start something before the group recognized who they were addressing and realized it was in their best interest to just drop it.

News of the ill fate of the young upstart that had barged in on their Matron had spread quickly and the open scramble for positions of power had subsided though several individuals had resorted to more subtle means of seeking their prospects - individuals Geirr would be keeping a very close eye on should their jostling cause any disturbance or pose a danger to the Resistance Army. In our state of disarray the last thing the Resistance needs is an internal power struggle. The Mistress has done a commendable job of securing favor with the GRA Executives, though that was to be expected after somehow slipping all four of them through the perimeter of the raid... but our ranks were gutted holding them off. Damn the King, may his clackers fall off from knobrot! Arriving at the door Geirr straightened his plumage and wiped several errant, dried beads of the pony's blood from his honey brown fur; satisfied with his appearance, he knocked on the door curtly and waited the usual amount of time before entering, "Mistress, news of the human has reached us; though still weak he will make a full recovery, in time."

"As expected," came the voice from the usual spot occupied by the chair, "I trust our contacts are ready to initiate?"

With as much of a grin as his beaked mouth would allow Geirr bowed low, "At your command, Mistress."

"Then we bide our time until the moment is right. See to it, however, that what is left of our forces continue with our targeted strikes so as to not arouse suspicion. Too long has this Resistance been without direction, nipping at the heels of that spineless worm of a King that he views it as no more than an erratic pest... but believe me when I say that ship is the key; we will shepherd him about and let him think he is the puppeteer then grind him to dust beneath the very stones of his own castle!" she snarled as a fist hammered down on the chair's arm to emphasize her conviction, "Know that you have done well, Geirr, as you have repeatedly displayed the competence and steadfast reliability of not only a trusted auxiliary but of a worthy arbiter of your people, when the time comes."

The griffon was taken aback by both the compliment and the insinuation, "M-Mistress, my sincere thanks but ye don't mean to take the position of Queen when this all is done?"

"I have no penchant for it. When all is finished with the King I shall depart with the ship to fight against another tyranny, though if you continue to prove your loyalty the position is yours. I must return to my meditation to shroud my presence; you are dismissed, Geirr," she watched as he shouldered the weight of what she had said before standing to cross her arms over her chest as he retreated out of the room with a new air of authority about him. Stupid bird. She eyed the small silver device that had been successfully and surprisingly effortlessly snuck from aboard the ship by one of their supporters in the pony village and delivered to her a few days prior. None of this would be necessary if my ship wasn't at the bottom of a lake but with any luck his hyperdrive is still functional or, at the very least, Titus can fix it and I won't have to continue with this ruse much longer. Kneeling down on the cold stone floor of the cavern she closed her ice blue eyes and let out a long breath as her meditation began.

------------

Buck that was hot! Once she was certain both of her friends had dozed off Lyra sat up, wincing and gently rubbing her aching horn before looking at her two friends cuddled tightly together and wishing she could be as snug as Twilight looked what with the human's larger body wrapped around and mostly engulfing the violet unicorn like a blanket. "Sorry Sparkles, still too fast on the *ow! ow ow ow...* counterspells for you. And you, you big meanie, should know it's not nice to mess with somepony when they're sleeping... even if, you know, they were just pretending," she whispered, poking Titus lightly in the nose in retaliation for earlier before planting a small peck on his forehead and gingerly tip-toeing around to his back to squirm in as close as she could, displaying a small hint of the natural instinct of a mare to surround and shield the stallion from potential predators that might strike in the night while the herd is sleeping. Comfortably snuggled, Lyra buried her muzzle in the back of his neck, "but someday you'll have to show me those 'tight spots' you were talking about."

12: Love Sick (Clop-Free Version)

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Author's Notes:

So this is the version that has the clop trimmed out for those of you who don't enjoy that sort of stuff, but know that you're missing out on a bit of dialog though I'll try and find a way to work it in or cover it in a different way if/when it needs to make another appearance.

[copied from the Clop Version]

"I want to write shorter chapters," I said. "I don't think I'll do long things like this again," I said.
Sorry for the long wait (checking back on the blogs to see how long this has been a work in progress almost makes me sick), but all in all I think I feel like I accomplished a good deal both in the chapter and with my writing. Plot-wise the wheels are turning and things are beginning to happen.
As it's such a long chapter I did my best for the editing pass but if you see something please let me know. Otherwise I hope you enjoy!

Coming back from the edge of slumber, Twilight barely had enough conscious capacity to register the feeling of something soft and smooth dragging its long way across her chest as another similar sensation came from her croup, both eventually coming to a stop and flexing, pulling her body sideways on the couch cushion; she was sped along her way toward waking up when the adjustment caused her head to drop from its perch. Partially sitting up Twilight returned it to its former location but by then her ascent to a wakeful state was irreversible; with a heavy sigh she opened her sleep-crusted eyes to look at her still sleeping human companion laying partially on his side, his arms having tangled around her and commandeered her barrel for a pillow. From the hair covering his face and gently moving when he breathed down to his wide shoulders and across his back she let her gaze wander over him, though it lingered on his exposed flank and the angled thigh that covered his groin before traveling the remaining expanse down to his feet and toes. He's back to normal. Well, normal for him, anyway. Twilight angled her neck and zeroed in on that sensitive spot near his ear to give him a friendly nuzzle, eagerly brushing through his long hair and taking deep sniffs of his scent for the first time in a long week.

Twilight suddenly felt herself pulled in closer as Titus rolled the rest of the way onto his stomach; arms trembling in their strong flex and both legs shooting out straight behind him over the end of the sofa in a full-body stretch as he released the warm breath of a long yawn into her fur that left a tingling sensation behind for a brief moment. "Good morning," she sighed as his arms relaxed, the one over her back coming up to rub his groggy-looking face with a palm, "It looks like you've reverted to your usual form, though I wish I had been awake to watch the process. How are you feeling?"

Lifting his head up enough so that he could watch, Titus wiggled his fingers just to be sure. Good to see these little buddies again. Placing his head back on her side he gave the lavender unicorn a squeeze as he returned the nuzzle that had woken him, "Mornin' Twi." Titus was sore all over much the same way he had been after his unexpected equine change - Luna having explained it to stem from his bones and muscles being magically altered - in addition to that, despite all the sleep he had gotten, he was still dead tired. His current lack of clothing was also something that would need to be addressed and from his place on her barrel Titus subtly watched as the pony's gaze drifted over him.

Twilight couldn't help but study the human, this being the first time she seen him uncovered- Well, barring that instances on the ship and that other time when Luna carried his limp form out of the bathroom, but I'd had been a bit too... preoccupied at both for scientific analysis. Though his back was to her she continued her examination until several small pockmarks and lines caught her attention, a closer examination revealed them to be a network of tiny scars working their way out from a spot between his shoulder-blades, one of the larger ones Twilight followed as it traced a path down his spine. I didn't see these before. I wonder what caused them. Despite her interest in the curious spiderweb of lines, Twilight continually found her gaze drawn to the flanks further down Titus' body.

When he was sure she was watching Titus flexed his glutes and laughed out loud when the unicorn flushed deeply, "So, should I expect a thorough dissertation on my butt," Titus asked, grinning as his unexpected inquiry startled Twilight from her study, "or were you just admiring the view?"

Unsure which he would find more offending, staring at his scars or his rump, Twilight fumbled a response before sheepishly apologizing, though her eyes would occasionally dart back unintentionally.

His arms tightened around the unicorn, giving her his customary I'm-not-offended squeeze like he had when she had called him a helpless stallion back in the trench, "It's alright Twi, when you watched me change back at the ship-"

"Wait, you knew?!" she exclaimed, clearly aghast.

"Well... yeah. On the other side of the portal I needed to be good at watching my own back if I wanted to stay alive; the Force sometimes alerts me to certain unseen dangers," he replied, keeping her in a tight hug and nuzzling her again, "or, in this case, to a pony watching me undress. Anyway, you were understandably curious about me and I guess I didn't mind. Besides, since then I've cast more than a few glances at your rump-" he suddenly turned his head to give her a raspberry right on her cutie mark.

"AHA! NO! AHASTOPAHA!" Twilight, one of those ponies with a ticklish cutie mark, squirmed and laughed uncontrollably as her hind legs bucked in feeble retaliation from their pinned position beneath the human, her pleas falling on deaf ears as Titus continued his raspberry assault for a few seconds more, "D-DAHAHADon't! S-stop!

"'Don't stop?' Okay, if you say so! *ppppbt!*"

"No s-s-st-AHAHAH-op! Please-"

"*Ppp-pPBT!*"

"P-please AHAHAHAHA- aha... ha..." she finished her panting laughs to find his warm chocolate eyes firmly fixed on hers and a wide smile plastered across his face; Twilight returned the smile, party because she was still coming down off the bout of laughing and couldn't help herself. A few moments passed of them just basking in each other's bliss when Twilight abruptly leaned and rubbed her nose against his several times before pulling herself back. He looks so happy. Maybe now is a good time...?