> Staying Put
>  by An Intricate Disguise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Strong, Independent Stallion That Don't Need No Mares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you mean there's a stallion living in the Everfree?!" Twilight REEE'd, flipping her shit. 

"It's just like I said, Twi! He had a house and everything! Even had a garden out front!" Rainbow Dash shot back, her wings fluttering erratically as she struggled to control her breath.

"Well at least he's got a garden," Twilight panted, calming a little. "The idea of a stallion not gardening is so ridiculous, I was about to check if it was opposite day... still, this isn't good! If the stallion has a garden, that'll attract birds and all manner of woodland creatures! His crops could be ruined, and he'd be too weak to stave them off on his own!"

"You're right," Rainbow Dash nodded, coming to grips with the severity of the situation. "And then whose withers would he cry on when his plants were destroyed?! Who would braid his mane and suck his cock and make him feel better, Twi, who?!" Rainbow closed her eyes, conviction settling on her face. "He needs a mare in his life, now."

"No, Rainbow, you're wrong." Twilight rose to her full height—the exact same height as Rainbow—and spread her wings to make her next statement have that little bit more impact. "He needs mares in his life, plural."

"Totally agree with you," Rainbow nodded, her mane tussling. "I... wasn't trying to be selfish or anything," she said, eyes to the floor. "Just wasn't thinking straight. Gosh, I wonder if he's cute?" Tutting, Rainbow shook her head. "Want me to go and round up the girls?" 

"No no, let me see what we're dealing with first, then I'll tell you guys what the plan is." Unlike Rainbow, Twilight was much more chaste of mind, and was sure she'd be better suited to a one on one confrontation with the mystery stallion.

"Nuh-uh, you just want the first ride on his cock!" Rainbow deflected, her eyes narrowing as she started wagging her tail, looking like she was seconds away from pouncing on Twilight.

"Do not!" Nonetheless, she blushed heavily. "I just want to see what we're dealing with, that's all. This might be a very fragile stallion. He might have dealt with a lot of trauma in his life, to put himself in such danger like that. All six of us coming to see him at once? It might scare him off. We need to be gentle with the new stallion until we've established that we're friendly, let him realise what nice mares we are."

"Oh, there you go with the 'nice mare' bit. And I suppose he's gay if he rejects you, too?" Rainbow snickered, sticking her tongue out.

"Can you act mature about this for five seconds?! There's a stallion in danger out there, this isn't all about his cock!" I mean, surely it wasn't all about his cock, right? Twilight needed a few seconds of contemplation to sell it to herself, but she bought it in the end.

"I mean, it is kinda about his cock though, isn't it?" 

"Rainbow Dash!" 

"Alright, alright, sorry."





True to Rainbow's word, there was a house on the outskirts of the Everfree. A fairly new looking thing, erected primarily out of wood, even with guttering on the roofs to prevent waterlogging. Twilight had to admire the craftmareship of whatever mare had built it, but she couldn't help but feel it was irresponsible of them to do so for a stallion. A mare living alone near the Everfree was bad enough, but this?

This just wasn't right. 

Twilight walked through the neat garden as she approached the house, admiring the aesthetic. She approached the solid oak door, knocking three times. She kept the tap of her hoof light, not wanting to scare the stallion on the other side. For all she knew, he didn't react well to loud noises, and was already cowering from the impact.

After a few moments passed and she heard no response, she knocked louder. She didn't want to be so bullish, but what if the lack of response was an indication that the stallion had hurt himself inside? Still no response, and Twilight was beginning to panic. She charged up her horn, getting ready to fire a spell, bust her way in, and go to the rescue, but before she got a chance, a metal slat slid across the door, and she met a pair of green eyes on the other end. 

Dreamy green eyes, that was for sure. Twilight stood there dumbly, spaced out, her mind swimming in their pools.

"Yeah? Can I help you?" came a gruff voice from inside, sounding slightly irritated.

Was he talking to her? Oh, gosh, he was! Trying to keep the excitement out of her voice, Twilight nodded. "Y-yes, I heard you were living out here, and—"

"And you thought you'd come and say hello? How neighbourly." The stallion unfastened a couple of locks, opening the door halfway. "Jason Moors, pleased to meet you."

"Y-yes, I..." Twilight got a chance to look him over, and fuck was he hot. He was a muscular thing, a little taller than her, an earth pony with silvery fur and a dark brown mane, his eyes like emeralds. "You're living out here all alone, right?"

"Yes, is that a problem? I've never heard of it being so anywhere else."

"Well, it's just that you don't have anyone in your life, and surely you would be better off with some guidance, some protection, especially considering where you're living?" That's it, Twilight, try the reasonable, soft approach. It's better than going full on. 

Slowly, the stallion's eyes narrowed, and he drew closer, close enough that Twilight spotted the five o'clock shadow on his face. "Oh, I get it, you're one of those Jehovah types, aren't you?" 

"S-sorry?" 

His voice was intoxicating, and from the smell of his breath, she was fairly sure he too was intoxicated. That or he had been fairly recently. "You heard me, leave your copy of the Watchtower in the nearest bin and sling your hook."

"Wh-what?" 

"You heard me, fuck off!" he repeated, this time snarling. "I don't appreciate being woken up from my hangover with extra hangover to be badgered by the likes of you, so go back to your church or your mission or wherever the fuck your type comes from."

Twilight's eyes widened, she almost flinched out of sheer shock. How could a stallion have spoken to her, a mare, in such a demeaning manner? He must have been distraught. "S-sir, I understand you're having a hard time right now, but let me assure you, I'm only here to help you. You need to get out of here, it isn't safe."

"Isn't safe?" Jason barked, stepping outside and looking around his allotment. "You're telling me that this beautiful, scenic forest is anything but safe? You're out of your mind."

"Haven't you seen the creatures that roam around here? Cockatrice, manticores! You could be killed! For a stallion like you, you'd really be better off in the company of some capable mares who can look after you and—"

"Manticores? I eat the bloody things," he chuckled, opening the door wider and pointing at a cauldron sitting in the front room, bubbling and smoking. "You want some broth, Jehovah pony? Still fresh."

Twilight shook her head emphatically, horrified. "What kind of mares have you been around that would influence you to act like this?! It's... it's not right!"

"Oh? And just what do you suppose is right, little missy? That I shouldn't be able to sit in the house I built, drink my vodka and enjoy my manticore without uppity little doorknockers trying to spoil my vacation?"

Something Jason said threw Twilight for a spin more than the other things. "This is a vacation for you?"

"Do you need your ears checked?" he snickered, cocking his head. "Yes, it's a vacation. In fact, being a pony in general is a novelty of sorts to me, I'm still growing used to it."

Hold on. So this stallion meant to say that he A) wasn't afraid to live out here all alone, B) actually chose to come to the Everfree by choice, and C)... "You built this house yourself?"

"You are just a little bit deaf, aren't you? Shame, guess the cute ones are always a little lacking in the brains department."

D) he just called her cute. D. That's what she wanted. "So... no mares in your life, huh?"

Jason actually squinted at her. "That is... why you came here, isn't it?"

"No... what I mean to say is..." fuck he's hot this is all so hot you're getting distracted think. "You've not got any mares to, y'know, herd with you, or anything like that?"

Jason raised an eyebrow, looking at her quizzically. "What do you mean by 'herd'?"

Twilight could feel her cheeks reddening as a hint of lust began to creep into her voice. "Oh, y'know... When a stallion enters a big happy polygamous relationship with a group of sharing, fertile mares?" 

Jason blinked, hard. "O-oh." He cleared his throat, looking away. "Can't say I've heard that one before..." his voice hung in the air as his eyes travelled over Twilight, but he soon shook his head. "Not that I'd be interested, of course. I'm my own stallion." 

What?! He didn't want to herd with her?! Twilight struggled to keep a desperate stammer out of her voice as she looked up at him. "But it's nice for stallions, I promise, and we'll keep you happy! We'll do all the work for you, we'll keep you satisfied, we'll give you plenty of orgasms..."

"Nope, sorry, not interested. And I don't want to ascribe to your God either, so you can forget about that. Nice meeting you, though."

And that was it. He slammed the door on her, leaving her conflicted, worried, and ridiculously turned on.





Jason stumbled back towards his bedroom, grabbing a cup of water, sniffing it to make sure it wasn't in fact vodka, and taking a sip. It wasn't, thank fuck.

That was a strange experience, no doubt about that. Also a pretty hot one. 

Somehow, that little purple god-botherer had turned him on to the prospect of some strange horse orgy that her clergy offered, or something to that effect. Of course, he'd declined. Never want to seem too needy with these matters, and most things that sound too good to be true simply are. 

Still, he couldn't deny the fact that his pony parts were definitely interested, a bulge slapping against his belly as he walked. 

Jason would have to keep an eye out for that strange one if she ever came back, give a little thought to her proposition. At the end of the day, who in their right minds would turn down free pussy if it was indeed being offered to him on a platter?

She seemed awfully confused though. All 'stallion like you' this, and 'you need a mare' that, she must have thought he was a lonely soul, or something. Maybe she could detect atheists with that horn of hers, or something. 

Still, she'd been pretty hot as far as horses go. Jason wasn't about to run off and tell her that, because if she was going to treat him like some kind of defenceless lady, he'd show her the opposite. He'd be a powerful, independent stallion, and he'd make them all weak at the knees for him. Her and whatever strange friends she was talking about before. 

Fuck, he was too hungover for this. Back to sleep first, worry about weird pony sex offers later.
> No Manticores Were Harmed In The Making of This Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And you're sure I'll be able to help?" Fluttershy asked, wings buzzing.

"Trust me, Fluttershy. This stallion just needs a soft, gentle mare to coax him out of hiding, and then he'll see just how much he can benefit from our company." Ever since Twilight had first met Jason, she hadn't been able to get him out of her head for even half of a second. The way he spoke to her, the conviction he had in his independence, his eyes... Fuck, it made her hot. 

Fluttershy was silent for a few moments before looking at Twilight with narrowed brows. "I thought this was meant to be about keeping him safe, not having him around us?"

Fuck, Twilight had forgotten how caring Fluttershy was. If she told her now that he seemed to be safe, she might not come along. "Uhh, it is, but he's a very headstrong stallion." Twilight nodded, affirming the statement—it was an accurate summary, after all. "I just think the best way to convince him to get away from that dangerous forest would be to show him the benefits of being with us, rather than trying to hammer home the risks of living there. I tried that yesterday, it didn't go so well."

"Oh, the poor dear, was he hysterical?" Fluttershy asked, her eyes sharp with worry. "I can't imagine a living environment like that is healthy for anyone, let alone a poor stallion. We really should help him."

"We should!" Twilight nodded, trailing the path that had previously led her to his home. "Plus, he's really damn cute."

"Is that why you're wearing socks and a collar?"

Twilight looked down at the stripy things she'd pulled up each of her legs, various shades of purple. "It is indeed."

"Alright, Twilight, as long as you've got your priorities straight." Fluttershy's voice was soft as usual, but Twilight thought she heard a little sternness creep in. "I don't like the idea of using this poor stallion, he could need therapy after being exposed to the Everfree for so long..."

"Trust me, Fluttershy, this is all about getting him out of hiding. That's all that really matters." It was a lie, of course. Twilight wanted that dick so badly she'd be liable to combust if she didn't get it soon. 

They soon approached the clearing that Jason's home stood at the end of, and with a gentle flap of wings, the pair descended to the solid ground. Twilight had a hard time walking properly, what with the socks causing her to slide a little, so she settled for a more relaxed saunter, hoping it would come across as sexy rather than clumsy. 

As Twilight had, Fluttershy couldn't help but stop and stare at the home that Jason had built for himself, and Twilight had to admit that the novelty hadn't worn off for her either. With how Jason had acted yesterday, he didn't seem as if he was a liar, but the achievements he boasted still felt a little far fetched, almost too good to be true. Nonetheless, there was no evidence that he hadn't built his home, from the sawing to the digging to the irrigating, and if that was the case he was a very capable stallion, more capable than any Twilight had ever met.

Not only that, he had to be really damn good with his hooves. 

"So... should one of us knock?" Fluttershy asked, looking this way and that as if to say 'why the fuck are we standing here like idiots?'

"Yeah, one of us should," Twilight replied, not moving a muscle as if to say 'I'm intimidated by attractive guys okay'. 

"Let's go and knock."

"Let's."

Five seconds of inaction. Fluttershy's eyes narrowed on Twilight. "Alright, fine! I'm going, sheesh." Twilight walked up to the door, subconsciously fiddling with one of her socks with her magic, attempting to keep it pulled all the way up. She hoped they wouldn't get too dirty from the grass, but it was a price worth paying if it secured her getting down and dirty with Jason any time soon. 

And rescuing him, of course. 

Three short knocks. Not a sound from the other side. Remembering that he'd barely heard her knock the day before, Twilight banged harder, hoping to rouse the sleepy drunk. There was no banging, groaning, or grumbling from the other side, and Twilight began to wonder if he had drunk himself into a stupor. "Fluttershy, I don't think he's inside."

"Oh, no... What if he's got lost, or hurt himself, or been abducted!" Fluttershy started bouncing from one hoof to the other, her wings folded tight as her blinking became more rapid. "I hate to think what could have happened to him, Twilight, we need to establish a search party! We need to inform everypony in town! We need to—"

"Oh, fancy seeing you again," came a loud voice from nearby, and each of them snapped to it. In the distance, emerging from a dense thicket of trees, Jason slowly trotted towards the pair of them. He was wearing a saddlebag, a dark black that offset his shiny, silver coat. 

Oh, he knew how to accessorise. Twilight could swear this stallion became more desirable every second. "J-Jason!" Twilight panted, swivelling around and facing him fully. "Are you okay? When we saw that you weren't home, we got worried." 

"Hah, am I not allowed to go for a stroll in my own forest?" Jason paused, putting a hoof to his chin. "Well, the forest I inhabit, you know what I mean."

"Well, I mean..." What was Twilight meant to say here? Did she tell him he was forbidden from going outside? Didn't that feel somewhat barbaric? "No, you're not!" She caved, the protective side of her taking over. "Anything could happen to you, and you should be more careful!"

"Alright, I'll keep it in mind," Jason snickered, waving a hoof as if to dismiss the statement completely. "Anyways, lass, I wanted to talk to you." He carried on walking until he was no longer in shouting distance, and when Twilight was able to tear her eyes away from his body, which she could now so more clearly for its firm muscle and glossy fur, she noticed that Fluttershy had gone similarly doe eyed just from looking at him. No shock there. 

But all of that was inconsequential in the face of the fact that he was the one who wanted to talk to her! Twilight had to keep her wings down to keep them from fluttering in excitement, and without meaning to felt herself beginning to hitch her tail slightly as she looked at him, hoping he wouldn't recognise the action. "Y-yes? What is it?" Her face was flushed and she knew it, but it didn't matter. Jason wanted to talk to her, and that's all she cared about. 

"It's about yesterday," he continued, looking at her solemnly. "I fear I might've given you a bad impression of me. Thing is, I came to this forest to relax and spend my time in nature for a while, take a break from everything. Naturally, when you're interrupted from that by someone knocking on your door and trying to sell you the lord's goodwill, you can end up getting a little miffed." His jaw squared, his eyes sincere and focussed on Twilight. "Just wanted to say sorry for that, I suppose. I haven't got any issue with God, just rather not have you preaching on my doorstep."

This stallion was... very confused. And now Twilight was confused. She also hadn't really picked up on the gist of what he was saying because his eyes were so fucking captivating. She wanted to swim in their depths and get lost for a week. "Uhh, it's okay?" Anything's okay, fucking take me already.

A small smile graced his lips, and it was like Celestia had etched it onto his features herself. "Who's your friend, anyway?" He turned to Fluttershy, smile still present. "Jason Moors, how'd you do?"

"I-I-I—" Fluttershy stammered out before allowing her wings to shoot from her sides, pointing out in each direction with such rigidity that she resembled a plane. "I-I'm Fluttershy."

"Shy, huh? Well that makes a lot of sense," he laughed. "She always like this?" he asked Twilight, a touch of merriment on his lips. 

"Only around sexy stallions, these days." Twilight instantly answered before cupping a hoof over her mouth, resisting the urge to shout and curse into it. how the fuck did she manage to say that out loud?!

"Oh, I'm sexy, am I?" Jason chuckled, wiggling from side to side to inspect his body. "And I suppose that's why you're dressed up like some kind of horse harlot? Here to woo me into your clergy, or whatever it was?"

"N-no," Twilight said, face flushed. "I just want you to be safe?"

"And little pony ladies in sexy lingerie are going to keep me safe. What are you going to do, fuck me out of danger?"

"I mean..." Twilight bit her lip, looking down at her sock-clad body. "...it might help?"

"Mmh, sure it would. Anyways, give me a moment, I need to go and get my dinner." Jason turned and walked back towards the trees, leaving Twilight and Fluttershy alone, flustered, and horny.

"So, Fluttershy, what do you think of him?"

The second he was out of earshot, she responded. "I want the first go with him."

"Atta-girl, I knew you'd agree with me once you saw him." Twilight didn't mind giving up the first turn if it meant Fluttershy would help her in her quest. Hell, maybe they could share a first turn, that definitely sounded like fun. "He's different to how he was yesterday, doesn't seem drunk anymore. Maybe he's a little kinder than I..." her voice trailed off as she saw him slowly emerging from the trees, dragging a carcass behind him.

"Oh my gosh!" Fluttershy sprinted across the grass towards the downed animal, and Twilight soon followed after. "Is he alright, is he still breathing? If there's anything we can do to save him, we need to act quickly!" 

Oh. Oh Celestia. Twilight had neglected to tell Fluttershy that this stallion wasn't exactly a herbivore, and the next words to come out of Jason's mouth were quite likely to snap Fluttershy's mind in two.

"Help him?" Jason panted between pulls as he dragged the downed manticore further, a rope tied around his barrel and fastened to its neck. "I'm going to put him in my pantry. Who do you think killed it in the first place?"

Fluttershy seemed to freeze up for a moment, or maybe she crashed completely. After a few moments, she blinked, and all hint of nervousness was gone. "You eat other animals?" she asked, her voice completely monotone.

"No, I just like to keep my pantry stocked full of food I never eat. What do you think, genius?"

Twilight could feel the seconds ticking by as she wondered what was going to happen next. Would Fluttershy break down in tears? Would she attack him? Would she simply cease to be altogether?

Still she remained stolid, almost sounding studious in her approach to conversation as Jason continued to drag the heavy creature across the clearing, sweat glistening on his gorgeous—focus. 

"How did you kill it?" 

"Hoof fitted crossbow, one of my niftier possessions. I can't aim with it for shit, but when the bolts do hit, they pierce skin like butter." A few seconds pause. "You look a little like butter, come to think of it." Another pause as Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Don't worry, doesn't mean I'm going to shoot you."

Fluttershy's eyes soon relaxed again. "Twilight, I think we need to go."

"Fluttershy?" She had no clue what was going through her friend's mind, but she cared more about her feeling okay than she did about getting in bed with Jason. It was at least 30% more important to her. 

"Now, please. It was nice meeting you, Jason, sorry we couldn't stick around longer."

With that, she took off, and Twilight soon followed after, pausing and turning back to look at him one last time. "Sorry about this, she's very protective of animals."

"Yeah, seems the type. Will I see you two again any time soon?"

"Why, do you want to?" Twilight smirked, Fluttershy briefly forgotten for her seldom practiced flirting mode. 

"Yeah, wouldn't mind it. That yellow one's cute, even if she can't stomach a little violence."

"Oh, sure, I mean, if we're not busy, or whatever." What about her?! Was she not cute?!

"You're not bad yourself, either. When you're not trying to spread the good word, that is. I'll try and be more neighbourly in future."

I love you please give me foals. "I'll see if I get some time to come back around soon, maybe we could get to know each other better. I should really go and catch up with Fluttershy now." 

Twilight turned around and zipped off, knowing she'd be back tomorrow. She could feel the sting of her surprisingly wet folds brushing past the wind, and it was a pleasant tingle that would likely drive her insane every moment of every day until she managed to bed him already. 

Luckily, Fluttershy wasn't a fast flier, and it didn't take long to catch up with her. "Are you alright?" Twilight asked as she levelled beside her, the two of them flying at a slower pace. "I know you're squeamish when it comes to death, and—"

"Twilight, I've worked with animals for years, I see them die all the time. Also, some animals are carnivorous. It's how life works."

"...then why did you run away just now?"

"Because I've never seen a pony hunt before and something about this is just so..." Fluttershy's eyes closed as she attempted to search for the word, her body wriggling. "So sexy. A stallion, too. Not only is he different, but he's living for himself, going out and taking his food, doing everything for himself. We need to herd him so badly, I swear."

"I know, it's all I can think about doing. I barely slept last night, his eyes are just so..."

"Wonderful? Mesmerising? Utterly perfect in every conceivable way?"

"Yes, those things."

"We'll have him soon, I just know it."





Jason had finally finished dragging the manticore inside, and was currently in the process of berating himself. Why the fuck didn't he invite them over?! Why was he so passive? The girl had gone to the lengths to fucking dress up for him, and he acted like it was no big deal! He didn't care if she was a bible bashing lunatic, those curves were pretty damn nice! 

"All part of the strategy," Jason assured himself, pouring out a drink and taking a small sip. Of course, that's surely all it was, it wasn't as if he was cockblocking himself in any way with his actions. On the first day, he'd rejected the Jehovah's Witness, and by the second, she'd gotten all dolled up and decided to bring her hot friend around.

What was going to be waiting for him tomorrow? Ten mares stuffed with anal beads and kegal balls? 

He could only hope.
> The Strange Habits of Pegasi
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason was still in the process of coming to grips with the friendly, sexy company he'd managed to attracted over the last couple of days. Never would he have imagined that living on his own and looking for a little peace would end up equating to oddness of this proportion. He wasn't entirely sure whether he was happy for the change.

In some respects, he had come to enjoy the serene isolation he'd found in the last couple of months, and having that disturbed was somewhat irritating. However, it had also been a pretty long time since he'd had sex. Maybe that was impeding his judgment?

That or all the vodka. 

It was difficult for Jason to stand on two legs, but he just about managed as he went about picking his corn plants, throwing each ear of corn into a large bag. The corn was starchy in places, and many gardeners would have considered it to be a barely passable batch, but Jason knew better. The super corn plants were for eating, good accompaniments for meals. The starchy corn? That was for turning into more vodka. 

It was so much cheaper than buying it, after all. Stronger too. The work was tiring, and at one point, Jason chose to lay in the sun and take a short break, thinking over all of the strangeness that had occurred in the last few days. He stared up at the sky, and found the sun to be partially blocked. 

Confused, he looked up and around to see if he could spot one of those strange black clouds that flew through the Everfree on occasion, but to no avail. Still, the sunlight flickered on and off of his face from time to time, and with lack of an explanation, Jason seriously began to wonder why. Was he just seeing things? No, there was no way, he could feel the heat of the sun coming and going from his face, there had to be a reason for that.

Standing, briefly forgetting his gardening, he peered around the nearby trees, his eyes scanning the outskirts of the forest as they found... nothing. Not a single anomaly or point of interest, everything looking just as it usually did. 

Shrugging his withers as best he could, Jason went to grab his bag again and go to work when he heard what sounded like a squeak from behind him. He turned, and the noise abruptly cut off. His house was behind him, could there have been something inside? 

No, he'd have noticed if someone came in, and the door was still closed. Still, there had to be some form of explanation. 

Slowly and with sure footing, Jason crept his way closer to his home, ears perked as he attempted to listen out for any signs of intrusion. For a long while he stood, stood and listened. Then, just as he started to think that he'd imagined the whole thing, he heard what sounded like a flap from above. 

A loud flap. That wasn't any old bird, it could have been anything with a wingspan like that, and not necessarily something safe. Jason looked at the side of his home, grateful for the fact it was only one story high. He wasn't confident that he'd be able to deal with whatever had found a home up there, but he'd give it a good go regardless. 

Trepidation was beginning to set in as Jason boosted himself up, one of his hind legs pressed against a barrel and the other hooked inside an open window as he grabbed the edges of the roof with his forehooves, scrambling to pull his belly up. It took a few seconds, but with a display of strength that he was unsure he'd be able to repeat soon, he pulled himself up, ready to face his foe, or fall and break a leg trying. 

What he found made him scratch his head. Sitting atop multiple wisps of cloud—all of which had been bundled around her—was a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane, eyes closed as she slowly cleaned her wings with long licks of her tongue. It was quite pleasant to watch, in all honesty, the way her tongue glided and the little twitches that ran over her body as she attempted to weather the feeling...

But she was also on his bloody roof. "Ahem."

"Bwaah!"

Have you ever seen someone turn inside out and back in the space of half a second? I swear, with the speed this mare jumped, that might have just happened. Stunned, blinking rapidly, Jason attempted to conjure words that fit the situation. "...I'm sorry, is there a reason you're sitting here on my roof?"

"Uhh... yeah!" Shaking away her embarrassment—though a deep blush remained—the pegasus brushed away the remaining cloud residue and walked a little closer. "Rainbow Dash, Ponyville watch."

"...are we technically in Ponyville right now?"

Rainbow nodded vivaciously, as if she was convinced that acting over-convincing was in any way convincing. "Yeah! Sure, of course we are."

"But we're in the Everfree." A couple of seconds passed, and Jason spoke the obvious once more. "Why are you on my roof?"

"I'm... protecting you! Covert operation, you know?" Rainbow's eyes shifted from side to side as she cleared away the last of the cloud with her tail, using it as a brush. "Lots of scary creatures out here, gotta make sure that every citizen is safe!"

"But nothing dangerous comes to this part of the forest," Jason deadpanned, beginning to grow annoyed. "I was just gardening, what's that got to do with 'protecting me'?" He would have loved to make a pair of bunny ears right about then, but lack of fingers and balance made that impossible. Was this that 'every stallion needs a mare to look after them' spiel they were trying to give him before again?

Jason's critical stare finally made Rainbow's facade crack, her eyes widening and breath quickening. "Okay, okay... I'm not neighbourhood watch or whatever I said. I just..." she looked away, her voice lowering to a mumble. "Fluttershy and Twilight have been talking about you loads, and I only ever got a tiny glimpse of you before! I wanted to see what all the fuss is about..."

She looked incredibly cute when she was flustered, the way she scuffed her hoof, the redness on her light blue cheeks, but Jason was hardly appeased. "So instead of knocking, you spied on me? Why the clouds, too?"

"Uhh, the clouds were..." Rainbow fumbled, searching for an answer.

"Were you nesting up there or something?"

When Rainbow replied, it was almost in a feline squeak. "...kinda."

Jason's face turned hard. "Alright, that's it, you're going. Right now." 

"Oh come on!" Rainbow attempted to protest, but it almost came out as a whimper. "You didn't even bother to talk to me!" She pouted, her lip sticking out, inviting him to nip at it. "Let me stay a little longer!"

"You tried to build a nest on my roof!" Jason shouted back, the absurdity of the words lost on him amidst his irritation. "And now I'm stuck on a roof and have to somehow climb down without hurting myself!"

Rainbow's eyes flashed in realisation, and she quickly changed her tactic. "You know... I could carry you down from here, if you want me to." 

"Well, fuck me, aren't you generous. I wouldn't have had to climb up here if it wasn't for you, and now you want to make it sound as if it's a favour? I'll make my own way down, thank you very much." Jason went to put a hind leg over the side of the house before fumbling, slowly trying to press his way down onto his belly. It was definitely a lot further down than it was up. "And clear off before I get the broom!"

Rainbow sighed, wincing at his attempt. "Look, come here." Despite Jason's flailing protests, she lifted him up and carried him down to the ground, his body instantly relaxing as his feet found purchase on solid earth. 

"I was doing perfectly fine on my own," he said with a scowl, though he thought he conveyed a measure of gratitude with the softness of his eyes. Probably not. "Wish you hadn't decided to make a home for yourself up there in the first place, was a tree not good enough?"

"Ehh, your roof looked more comfy." Rainbow looked sheepish, but she'd managed a smile either way.

There was something about her cocky attitude that Jason couldn't help but dig, but he was still pretty damn pissed. "Look, I've got a lot of work to do today, and I'd rather not sit around entertaining the entire time. As it is, I'm already going to have to deal with your purple friend coming back if patterns are anything to be trusted, and I've got a full mind to tell her that I don't appreciate her friends coming and making themselves at home on top of my house."

Rainbow's eyes flashed with worry, her wings stiffening. "Don't tell Twilight. She'll think I was trying to steal you for myself, and I'll never hear the end of it."

"Why shouldn't I tell her? You took a real liberty just now, young pegasus, I have every right to be pissed at you. Now, if you'll kindly fuck off—"

"I'll suck your dick if you don't tell her."

"—then I can get back to my gardening and—" Jason's eyes almost crossed as he picked out the hastily thrown out words. "...what did you say?"

Rainbow's eyes narrowed to half lids as she strutted closer, opening a wing and dragging her feathers along his barrel, the plush feeling dancing along his senses. "I saidddd, I'll suck your dick if you don't tell her." Each word, each syllable was whispered into his ear, her voice suddenly husky, almost predatory. As she spoke, she wrapped her tail around his hind leg, slowly pulling it up and down him until he felt a few strands tickling his belly, almost making contact with what was gradually stiffening between his legs.

This cute pegasus had climbed up on his roof and made a nuisance of herself. She'd lied to him to save face, and she was annoying and cocky as all hell, if first impressions were anything to go by. 

She was also attractive as all hell and looking at him with eyes that might as well have begged him to fuck her throat. 

"I... might be able to take a little break from the gardening."

"Thought you might," she winked, turning around and walking towards his door, her ass softly swaying as she went, firm and with a light shake to it. Jason followed, his eyes bouncing back and forth in rhythm to her curves the entire time.

You go, Jason. 





Rainbow could feel her heart beating at a million miles per minute as Jason followed her towards his house, trying to put on the best show possible as she imagined finally getting to wrap her lips around that dick after an entire torturous ten minutes of watching and talking to him. 

Ohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigoshohmigosh—eeeeee!

Of course, on the exterior, she was totally smooth. Prepare to get your world rocked, motherfucker.
> Have You Done This Before?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason was a pretty simple guy. He liked to think so, at least. He enjoyed a few things in life, ranging from exploring to drinking to the ass he was watching dance in front of him as Rainbow pushed open his door and headed inside, not waiting for his permission.

He was starting to find that he enjoyed that surefire attitude more and more with each step behind her. Maybe she was a little less effeminate than the usual girl he would go for, but something about that just made her feel more exotic, and he couldn't deny that she was good looking. 

Plus, a free blowjob was a free blowjob. 

Following her inside, he noticed that Rainbow seemed to have no clue where to go next. She was looking around his dimly lit hut, candles extinguished, trying to work out where the hell she was meant to be taking him. Didn't think that through, did you, hot shot? 

"Bedroom's this way," Jason said, leading her into the centre of his living space and pointing at a bed in the corner. "It's pretty minimalist, I know."

"Ehh, I'm not here for your interior decor." Rainbow nudged him forwards with her muzzle, pushing him towards the bed. "Why don't you whip out what you've got and I'll see if I can work with it?"

God, she's full of herself. Ah well, she was about to be full of him, too. Jason planted his flanks on the edge of the bed, and all he had to do was look at her softly licking her lips and inching closer with dainty steps for his semi-hard shaft to graduate to fully stiff. He grabbed it with a hoof, giving it a couple of soft pumps, but Rainbow shook her head, looking at him with a devious smirk. "Nuh-uh, let me do the work."

She stepped forwards, and before Jason could even manage a weak-willed 'no hold on are you sure' she was upon him, licking up and down his shaft with a wet, gentle tongue, gradually coating his cock in smooth saliva as she glided up and down. She licked up and around his medial ring before working her way down to his balls, making them wet too, her long tongue flicking out of her muzzle and pushing up, up, up to his tip, swirling in circles and teasing his senses as she continued to lap away.

As time passed, Jason began to realise that all Rainbow Dash was doing was licking. Eventually, he tried to give a subtle hint that he was ready for more, shifting his hips forwards, but that only made her go faster, twisting her neck as she worked to tap her tongue against every inch of him. It felt pretty damn good, for sure, but Jason was gradually growing used to it, and was starting to grow impatient. "Uhh, Rainbow?"

She pulled away in the midst of a particularly long lick, one that left a lingering feeling of muted satisfaction. "Heh, am I too much for you already?"

Jason chose to ignore that comment. "I thought you said you were going to suck my cock."

"Well, what do you think I'm doin—ooh." Her cheeks reddened, her head bowed, she looked up at him with a sheepish smile. "I... you're right, I should do that bit next."

Slowly, she moved to angle herself over the tip of Jason's cock, and then she did something strangely spectacular. She began to stretch her maw very wide, almost looking as if she was yawning, pushing it down and pressing it over his cock before closing her mouth tight, sucking extremely hard. 

It was uncomfortable to say the least, but Jason bit back his complaints, not wanting to offend her. He was hoping that the next few seconds would make everything better, but she simply looked up at him whilst remaining rooted in place. Was he expected to thrust into her mouth? She was holding onto him so tight that he could barely move! 

Rainbow started to push her mouth forwards, and he felt the tip of his cock smashing against her throat. He hadn't been ready for that! Unable to take the erratic movements anymore, he tapped her on the snout, motioning for her to get off of him. Ironically, she actually managed to do something resembling real blowjob technique as she removed herself, her lips sliding off of his cock and making him twitch in excitement for the first time since she had finished licking. 

"So, like, are you new to this, or something?" Jason asked, all semblance of tact surely out the window with that utterance. 

"Pfft, of course I'm not!" Rainbow laughed, and it sounded as if she was telling the truth. "And every stallion I've been with has loved it, I'll have you know!"

"Okay, well either they've been too scared to tell you the truth, or their cocks have been made out of vibranium, because that isn't how you suck dick." Could he take it a little further? Fuck it, he needed to drive the point home. "It felt as if you were trying to suck the marrow out of my cock, and there isn't even any bone in there. I've always wondered what it might feel like to fuck a vacuum cleaner, I think I just found the answer. I'm lucky my throat isn't located in my penis, or I'd have brain damage by now."

"Alright, alright, point taken," Rainbow grimaced, looking disappointed in herself. "Was it really that bad?" she mumbled, pawing at the floor.

"It's not that, it's just that you were being way too full on, slow it down a little. Give me a little space to move, use your tongue like you were before you started sucking, that felt great."

"...like this?" Rainbow licked all the way up him again before slowly wrapping her lips around his tip, pushing down more softly, allowing him to feel the insides of her mouth, which only softly squeezed and suckled at him now, the feeling much more pleasurable. 

"Yeah, just like that, now take it slow, just—fuck." Rainbow was a fast learner, and she proved it with her next motion, teasingly and torturously dipping her head as she continued to incorporate her tongue, angling her muzzle until it was straight over him before pushing down further, still not squeezing too hard, but just enough for him to receive the feeling of her soft mouth sliding over his shaft, her mouth milking him as she continued to bounce up and down.

She sped up her pace without asking, and Jason bucked along by instinct. All she'd needed was a little pointer, and she was already so good, pushing nearly all of his length into her mouth and lightly gagging on the end, pulling back and leaving his entire cock slick as she used her hooves to jerk and rub it in. She caught her breath before diving back down, gently sucking on his balls before taking his head and focussing explicitly on pleasing it, pressing her lips against his most sensitive areas, being sure not to let up for even a moment as Jason felt himself being brought closer to the edge.

It had been a long time since he'd been the recipient of any female attention, and the way Rainbow looked at him as she licked and sucked him, it was so fucking hot, so right, it was exactly what he'd needed all this time. He let loose a groan, and Rainbow jumped up in panic, looking at him with wide eyes. "Are you alright? Did I do something wrong again?"

Jason barely managed the words through a pant. "N-no! Keep doing that..." Somewhere in the near distance, Jason could hear a banging sound as the slut from the roof continued to get him off, and as soon as he felt close again, he pulled her back by her mane and held her in place, tapping his cock against her outstretched tongue. 

"I'm gonna cum for you..." her tongue was such a soft pillow, and each beautiful tap brought him closer as she sat beneath him taking it, his imagination bringing him to a beautiful picture of Rainbow being coated in his seed, a picture he was about to actualise. 

A few more jerks, a few more seconds, and he felt the first spurt leave his heavy balls as the banging in the background persisted, the feeling shooting through him like fire as it shot onto Rainbow's waiting face. This time, she kept her mouth wide open out of a desire to taste him. 

With each shaking second of his release, he attempted to aim for her wide lips and the orgasm-inducing tongue that had brought him over the edge, but his spray was too wide from how long he'd been pent up, and instead, he ended up coating her entire face. Shot after shot landed in her fur, mottling it as she kept her eyes open, seemingly not even worried about if some might hit her there. 

When he was finally spent, the final shot hitting her neck and chest and slowly dripping down, Rainbow leaned forwards and licked up the last drops from the end of his cock. She turned around to leave then, looking back to give him a wink and shaking her tail back and forth. "Mind if I come back soon?"

"...buh." Jason was shaking off post-orgasm fatigue, and it was pretty apparent in his speech, but something about her actions struck him as odd. "Aren't you going to clean up before you go?" 

"Nah, I'll fly through a raincloud on the way home. I'm in the mood to fly right now..." With that, she opened the front door—

—only to reveal Twilight and Fluttershy on the other side. 

"Rainbow?!" the pair cried out, likely noticing the healthy measure of nut she was plastered in. Jason didn't have the energy to rush to the door, these three could sort this out for themselves.

Damn, if that wasn't worth it, though.
> Honouring His Word
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason laid back on his bed, his eyes gradually closing. His body was still cooling down after the sudden and powerful orgasm that had rocked through him, and everything around him was bliss.

Everything except the three screaming mares standing on either side of his door.

Well, not screaming, as such, but very angrily accosting a gradually backing away Rainbow. 

"You sucked his dick?!" Twilight flailed her hooves around like a baboon about to throw a bucketload of shit, and Fluttershy simply stood, unimpressed, her face looking as if it could split granite. 

"I-I mean... heh..." Rainbow turned out the corner of Jason's eye, looking to him with a hint of desperation. "Uhh... little help here?"

Suddenly, Jason remembered his promise. He'd told her that if she sucked his dick, he'd defend her, after all. 

"Well, Jason?" Twilight turned to him then, her face red from a mixture of embarrassment and anger. "What's this all about?"

Time to uphold that shit. "Rainbow wasn't here," he said, plain and simple. 

Fluttershy and Twilight both looked at him as if he was crazy, Rainbow only looked betrayed, wilting and holding her wings up as if to hide her face. Jason thought he was quite considerate, holding up his end of the deal.

When she finally put her wings down, he saw that she was fuming, a snarl appearing on her muzzle. "Well that's hardly a lot of fucking good now, is it?!"

"What can I say? Should have been more specific." 

"How can you be so ungrateful?! I just took you in here, sucked you off—"

"So you did suck him off!" Twilight declared as if she'd just solved the five thousand dollar puzzle.

"Oh, well fucking done, Twilight, was the evidence not right in your face already?"

"Actually, it's plastered all over yours," Jason piped up, feeling a little more pleased with himself than he should have, considering the situation.

"Oh, fuck off. Some thanks I get for rocking your world, huh?" 

Jason had had just about enough of this shit. "Right, are you girls done yet? Not being funny or anything, but I was trying to have a productive day, but instead I've had you lot knocking on my door, perching on my roof, and—Fluttershy, what the fuck are you doing?"

Fluttershy 'eep'ed as he said her name, jumping back. Her hoof was pressed against the fur of Rainbow's cheek, and she seemed to be in the midst of 'admiring' his seed, slowly letting it accumulate in her hoof. Fuck, she was weird. 

"Anyways, if you wouldn't mind fucking off, I've got some gardening to do."

"Wh-what?" Twilight announced, sounding increasingly desperate as her anger faded. She frowned deeply, looking from Fluttershy back to Jason. "But we only just got here!"

Rainbow, however, seemed more than happy for an excuse to leave. Only problem was her two friends standing in the way of the door, completely ignoring her as she tried to worm past them. "Guys, do you mind?" she said, her tone lowering as it began to lose its previous bite.

"Mind what? Mind that our 'friend' went behind our backs and made a pass at Jason first?"

Rainbow reared up, spreading her wings. "What do you mean 'made a pass first?' he ain't your fuckin' property, Twi!"

"I saw him first!" 

"Well I sucked his cock! I think that counts for more than seeing a stallion, right Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy looked up with half-lidded eyes, her tongue slowly travelling along the hoof that she'd been rubbing Rainbow's cheek with. "Mmf?"

"Fucking hell, Fluttershy, can you contain yourself? I know it tastes good, but come on, it ain't your last meal." 

When Fluttershy replied, it was in a very quiet voice. Quiet even for her. "I've not had a stallion in a while, okay?"

"Oh, because that makes it normal. Sure." 

Twilight turned to Fluttershy, head cocked. "...does it really taste that good?"

Rather than answering, Fluttershy extended her hoof, and Twilight took a tentative lick as Rainbow looked on in a mixture of shock and interest. Meanwhile, Jason was beginning to wonder just what was wrong with these ponies. Wonder more than usual, that is.

Twilight came up after a few laps at Fluttershy's hoof, licking around her lips and tapping her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Huh. That is pretty good..."

Fluttershy's eyes were a thousand miles away, her voice dreamy. "It is, isn't it?"

Jason was starting to really get pissed now. He stood, feeling a little woozy from the sudden ascent, walking over to the three of them and pointing straight at the door. "Right, seriously, listen to me. Only reason I took this one in was because a, I wanted to get her off my damned roof, and b, what kind of idiot says no to a free blowjob? Even if you are having to teach the giver from fucking scratch. I'm not running a hostel here, and I don't much appreciate you all sitting around and bickering on my doorstep. So either make yourself handy and help out with the gardening or come back another time."

Rainbow went to protest, raising a hoof, but Jason stuck his out and lowered it for her before she could produce a word. "Listen to me. You might think I'm being a colossal arsehole right now, and you're probably right, but you basically invited yourself in here after taking the piss out of me and my household. I don't owe you a damn thing, you understand? I don't owe any of you, but here you are anyways, being 'neighbourly', I suppose."

Rainbow was silent then, but an iota of hurt remained in her eyes. 

Just when he thought he was done having to explain himself, Twilight piped up, her tone a muted purr. "So... considering what you just did with Rainbow, I take it you're available? Because like I said before, me and Fluttershy would be happy to show you a real good time, if you know what I mean."

Christ, this one had the tact and social skills of a fucking bulldozer. Jason knew that she was pretty, sexy even, and he'd realised that a good long time ago. In fact, all of them were. Problem was, they were missing one vital piece of information. "Right, listen to me. I can't be fucked. You see your friend's face there?" He pointed to Rainbow. "I left enough cum on her to feed an African village for a fucking fortnight, do you really think I've got anything left in the tank?"

"Well, I mean, stallions are virile, and their refractory periods are typically quite short, so I assumed—"

"Do you know what they say about people that assume?" Jason said sagely.

"Oh, I think I know this one," Fluttershy said, her ears twitching. "Don't assume, it makes an ass out of you and me?"

"Wrong. They say people that assume are cunts. Or rather, I say that. Do you want to know why I say that?" Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but Jason was on her case before she could even exhale. "I'll tell you why. It's because you girls seem to have assumed that the only factor in this is the fact that my cock will be ready and functioning again in the next few minutes. Know what I consider more pressing? It ain't the sex I could be having, it's the fuckload of work I still have to do. Is sitting around and having some wish fulfilling foursome with the lot of you really going to accomplish that?"

Twilight was silent for a few moments, but she eventually came up with a response. "I mean, having fun with us could invigorate you and help you to accomplish your tasks faster later?" 

"Orrr, I could just get on with them anyway and—" Jason cut himself off, closing his eyes and rubbing a hoof across them as he suppressed a groan. "You're really not getting it, are you? My cock isn't the only thing that exists in my life, and it would be nice if you girls could realise that at some point. Now clear off before I get rid of you."

"Oh come on, Jason, it's not as if you're really going to make us leave," Twilight smirked, her mien confident and strong. 

"Five, four, three, two—"

"Could we just stay a little longer?" Fluttershy asked, almost pleaded, her tail flicking back and forth. "We promise we'll be well behaved, just—"

"One."

"—Give us a chance," Fluttershy finished from the other side of the door as Jason finished budging them outside, slamming the thing as soon as he could. 

"Fucking crazy dickhungry mares," Jason sighed, retreating to his bed and staring up at the ceiling, his frustration growing as time crept by. He thought it best to wait it out a bit until he got back to work, no doubt they'd spend a little longer bickering on his doorstep, and he really didn't have the energy to deal with that right now.

Jason thought he'd enjoy the time he spent with Rainbow, that he was beginning to appreciate having visitors, and he did, it was a welcome break from the seclusion he'd become quite used to. 

He just wished they weren't so fucking pushy all the time. 





"So..." Rainbow trailed, dragging a hoof on the floor. "Have you guys ever had a stallion reject you like that?"

"Say no to sex?" Twilight scoffed, flicking her mane to the side. "Of course not, n-never."

Fluttershy simply shook her head. 

"Fucking hot though, huh?"

"The way he kicked us out like that? Fuck yeah, what a powerful stallion."

"So bold..." Fluttershy whispered, her tail pressed firmly down, brushing the floor.

"Right, guys, we gotta call a truce." Rainbow flew up, circling around and hitting the floor in front of them, making sure she had both of their attentions. "If we all wanna have him, we need to work together. No betrayals, no selfishness, and everything on the table. You guys in?"

Rainbow put her hoof in the air first, and it was quickly joined by Twilight's. Fluttershy hesitated, and Rainbow was quickly turning to her in confusion. Did she think the fact that they were plotting together was immoral, or something? "What's the matter, Fluttershy?"

"...I still have some cum on my hoof."

"Ah, just put it in anyway," Rainbow chuckled, shrugging her withers. "We're bound to get pretty sticky along the way."

As Fluttershy did as instructed, a new alliance was forged. Together, these three friends would beguile, seduce, and fuck their ways to total satisfaction, whether Jason had anything to say in the matter or not. 

...and none of them would tell Rarity what they were up to if they knew what was good for them.
> White is in Right Now
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Escape! Stretch your fucking legs, you've been in the house too long. Forest paths are getting familiar, everything's looking the same, it wouldn't hurt to explore a little civilisation. 

Jason left home that morning with Ponyville in mind, determined to get a good feel for the place, give the locals a little more of a chance. There was always the possibility that those that actually came to greet him were the most fanatical of the bunch, and that the rest were comparatively normal, right? 

A slim one, at least. The walk had been without incident so far, and crossing the short expanse of green between the forest and the outskirts of town was actually rather pleasant. The sun was high, beating down on his coat and causing him to squint his eyes, but he'd grown so used to the shade that he rather enjoyed the need to. 

Jason was rather directionless. He wasn't entirely sure what he planned to do with his day, and the only thought on his mind was that of taking in more of his surroundings, becoming accustomed to this strange place that was tethered to his home. 

There didn't seem to be many stallions out, which he only found more odd. He supposed that with what he understood of how mares acted in this culture, it made sense for mares to be doing a majority of the labour intensive work, but that didn't seem an excuse for spotting one stallion for every eight or so mares. Even those that just seemed to be going about the day to day, shopping for groceries or relaxing in the park, a majority of them were female.

Were there just many less stallions than mares in Ponyville? Seemed a possibility. In fact, maybe that's why the mares he'd entertained so far seemed so interested in him. Slim pickings, and all that. Was a little bit of a hit to the ego, the possibility that he was only considered appealing when there was hardly anything else around, but Jason wasn't particularly fussed. After all, there were more important parts of his holiday than being something alluring or desirable, things like relaxing.

And for once, walking down the road with a small smile, his mane being blown about by a light gust of wind, Jason felt as if he was doing just that. It was downplayed only slightly by the eyes he felt on him—he'd expected to be ogled. 

Still, there were a lot of them, mares looking at him with expressions that he couldn't plainly read, no matter how he tried. Whether it was intrigue, arousal, shock, or something else entirely that they were displaying, he couldn't deduce it. They seemed to look him up and down a lot, as if they were seeing a stallion for a first time. One or two of them just stood there dumbly with their mouths open. Jason slowed down for a second, waiting for somepony to say something, but no noise came and he swiftly continued on. 

Maybe it was the way he walked? Long strides, withers squared, head high. He imagined there was something about his posture and gait that was fairly noticeable, but even if that was the case, was this level of attention seriously warranted? 

Once again, he was beginning to grow a little irritated. All he wanted to do was fit in today, he wasn't looking to be an outlier. Jason began to snarl at others beside himself, the hint of a growl emanating in the base of his throat as once more he felt eyes lingering on his form. It made him feel as if he was an anomaly, like he couldn't go anywhere and just be himself without it being some kind of issue. 

Tired of walking, tired of feeling like the centre of attention, Jason stopped off at a small cafe. It was a small, intimate place, and there weren't many ponies about. Perhaps he could sit here and have a nice, calming beverage, a small respite. It worried him that he'd managed to get tired out so easily, but it felt as if it was more mental exasperation than anything else.

The mare that walked up to him stared like the rest, but she managed to get over her stammers quickly enough. "Can I get you anything, sir?"

"Vanilla latte, thanks. Two sugars." 

"And anything for your partner?" the mare asked, her smile the embodiment of customer service, even if her eyes felt a little too intense on him. 

Still, it was her words that caught Jason off-guard. "My... partner?"

She raised a hoof, fiddling with the ends of her curly mane. "W-well, yes, I just assumed that you were going to be here with somepony."

There was that growl again; he managed to keep it contained, barely. "Did you see me walk in here with anyone?"

Rather than answering, the mare thought over the question for a moment, and her eyes widened. "So... you're here alone?"

"I am indeed, is that an issue?" Jason blinked hard, just long enough to hide his eye roll, and found the mare looking at him looking doubly intrigued compared to only moments before. 

"No, it's just..." she bit her lip, lowering her hoof and pointing it in his direction. "You're available, then?"

"Just get my damn coffee."

"O-oh! Right, I'm sorry. One vanilla latte, coming right up!" The mare turned to leave, turned back to grab the notepad she'd been writing orders on, almost knocked it off the table, blushed hotly, made a mad grab for it and ran off. Seriously, such a debacle just from ordering a fucking coffee? 

Jason almost felt bad for snapping, but someone had it coming. It was ridiculous just how little it took for one of these ponies to bite, honestly. It was almost as if he was being punished simply for being a male in this environment, something he just couldn't wrap his head around for the life of him. Why should something as insignificant as gender influence normal social interaction in such a hefty way? 

His eyes scanned the cafe once more, feeling harder than usual if only for his current annoyance. The barista from earlier was nowhere in sight, and the only other patrons were two mares sat on the opposite side of the garden, both looking at him, and a snow white unicorn holding a dainty cup in a blue aura, sipping at the thing. 

Funnily enough, she seemed to be the only one not captivated by him. Perhaps she hadn't noticed him yet, seeing as she hadn't felt it necessary to eye rape him just yet. Jason knew he was borderline stereotyping by now, but they seemed to do the exact same, so that justified it a little, right? Probably not. Either way, there was something interesting about this situation if only for its obscurity.

What he was witnessing—and it almost felt as if it was for the first time—was a mare simply going about her day, enjoying a warm beverage and relaxing, just as he'd be doing soon enough. After so many strange and negative experiences, it felt reaffirming to see a mare acting in a natural manner, even if it was because she simply hadn't noticed him yet. It was certainly a rarity, he knew that much.

Feeling like a hypocrite for staring himself, Jason averted his eyes, looking back to his table and beginning to fiddle with the menu sat in the rack. The parasol above him did a good job of keeping the sun out, but he'd soon resorted to spinning it under the table with one of his back hooves if only to pass the time.

He was distracted from his reverie by the return of the mare, who placed a saucer and cup in front of him. The drink smelled as good as it looked, and in that moment, Jason forgot his prior irritation. "Thank you. How much does that come to?"

"It doesn't." The mare shrugged her withers, gesturing to the side with her head. "The mare over there told me to put it on her bill." 

Jason's eyes didn't even need to follow the barista's signals. "The white one?"

"Yeah, her. Probably trying to score with you, if I had to guess."

"You mean like you were a moment ago?"

She quickly shut up at that, shuffling off in a hurry. Jason looked down at his cup, thankful for the quiet. He looked behind him, but still the white unicorn was sipping at her drink without a care in the world, and it was hard for Jason to believe that she even knew he was there. 

But apparently, she'd bought this drink for him. He was fairly conflicted by that. For a moment, he'd thought that she might be different to all the other mares he'd encountered, even if it was more of a gut feeling than anything, but this development only seemed to strip away that notion. It was like the barista said: this was most likely just another opportunity to hit on him, those which he'd grown so accustomed to, increasingly sick of.

Well, time to do something about it. Walking over to the mare's table, barely sparing her a glance, he opened up his bit bag, counted out a few, and placed them right in front of her. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"Now, was that really necessary?" the white unicorn responded, placing down her cup but not looking up from it. "I can understand a refusal of hospitality from strangers, but it's only a cup of coffee, dear." She seemed to chuckle the last few words, which only made Jason question himself more. Was he reacting too strongly?

Jason rubbed one foreleg with the other as he looked at her, attempting to keep his face stern. "I just don't need charity from mares I don't know, alright?"

When her eyes met his, they bore this little twinkle that matched her smirk. "Well, if you're so adamant, I'll refrain from doing without asking next time. But on this occasion, I insist, keep your money, enjoy your drink. You don't look familiar, so call it a welcome to Ponyville, if you must." With that, she was back to nursing her drink, a light and milky thing with marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles inside. 

Jason tried to think of a retort, but the only thing that came was a response that... actually felt genuine. "I appreciate it, thank you." He turned to leave then, and she made no move to pursue conversation, but thought better at the last second, turning back to face her. 

"Yes?" She had an eyebrow raised now, an accompaniment to that little smile, as if she'd anticipated his exact actions. 

"I just feel I owe you an apology." Jason rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes averted. "I was pretty rude just now, and I didn't really consider how what I said would come out."

"Oh, trust me, darling, you aren't the only one lacking in tact and decorum around here," the unicorn laughed, a musical thing that seemed to jostle the liquid held in her cup, as if her magic responded to its owner's jubilance. "That said, at least you had the common decency to own up to it." A small grin, a tut. "Well, they ought to rename that at some point—decency is anything but common these days."

Jason could feel himself laughing despite his trepidation, it was almost as if he was actually enjoying this mare's presence, somehow. "I've noticed. It's almost as if every pony I meet is lacking in social skills. That or they're doing everything with some kind of agenda."

"The way of the world, unfortunately," the white mare sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Still, you seem to be one of the good ones. Might I ask your name?"

"Jason. Jason Moors." He extended a hoof to shake, and the moment she extended hers in response, he couldn't help but notice how well-kempt her hooves were, almost polished with how they shone. "And yourself?"

"Rarity, but I'm afraid you'll have to excuse my lack of a surname. Parents never saw it fit to give me one."

"Ironic," Jason half-blurted, the word coming out before he could process how he was going to explain it.

Of course, it piqued her interest. "Do tell?"

"It's nothing, it's just..." Jason looked around him, then back to his drink, as if desperate for something that would do the talking for him. Rarity waited patiently the entire time, and eventually, he found words. "You're quite different from the rest of the mares I've encountered around here, in a couple of aspects, at least."

Her smile was genuine, and her eyelids fluttered in approval. "You're too kind, darling, you really are." Another sip, and she looked past him  before allowing her eyes to return to his face. "I suppose I should be letting you get back to your drink, hmm?"

In his appreciation of what felt like the first actual, genuine conversation he'd had in a long long time, Jason had almost completely forgotten that he did in fact have a drink, one that she'd been kind enough to pay for. "Oh, Christ, you're right. Let me just grab that."

"Oh? You're coming over here, then?" She blinked twice, as if she was feigning confusion.

Jason smirked, realising how easily his words could have been taken that way. "Isn't that what you wanted in the first place?"

"Now, I'd call that awfully presumptuous, Jason, but I'd be happy for your company nevertheless." Rarity flicked her mane back as she spoke, stretching outwards and allowing her curves to be accentuated by her pose. She was in rather good shape, but unlike Rainbow Dash who was athletic or Twilight who carried a little weight, Rarity looked as if she only carried weight where it mattered, an hourglass figure on a pony if he'd ever seen one with wide hips and a slim barrel. 

Jason took his seat opposite her, scooping up the bits from earlier and placing them back in his saddlebags. Her expression for how inviting it was carried an air of reticence, and Jason was genuinely intrigued to work out just what this beautiful, enigmatic pony was all about. 

Hell, maybe she wasn't even into stallions, or something.
> A Shred of Normality
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm in the fashion industry," Rarity responded, nursing her drink between slow, measured enunciation. "My primary lines deal with stallion fashion... suits, urban wear, casual—" she waved her hoof as the words dripped from her lips, "—you get the idea." Pulling her gaze from the sky, she turned to face Jason, her eyes betraying intrigue. "And yourself? Do you work locally?"

It was a simple answer to a simple question, but Jason's situation was a little more complex. "I'm... here on holiday. I live on the outskirts of town, I've got a little house that I built for myself, it's quite cozy, and usually quiet." If you didn't count his recent visitors, that was, but Jason really didn't feel like bringing that up.

Rarity's eyes widened, but it didn't feel like that patronising incredulity or disbelief he was swiftly growing accustomed to. Rather, there was interest there still. "I've considered getting off the grid before, in all honesty. I've often wondered what it might be like to live off the land, grow more accustomed to my own company..." Her gaze was a mile away again, and her voice turned hollow. "Suppose I'm already fairly used to it." A forced blink, and she was back in the moment. "Forgive my curiosity but I wonder, does it get lonely at all?"

"Nature's good company." The smile Jason followed the half-truth with revealed the latter portion: that more was always welcome, only the right kind though. 

"If I could go anywhere..." Rarity tapped her polished hoof against the table as she hummed, shaking her head from side to side. "Zebrica. I'd travel by hoof, of course. None of that resort, tour guide nonsense. I'd walk until my legs couldn't carry me anymore, and when energy failed me, I'd rely on my wonder and excitement for sustenance. When I finally dropped, I'd pitch a tent and wait for the next day, hope no beasts decided to make a meal out of me while I slept." 

Jason couldn't help but snicker. "You honestly don't look like the type, you know that?"

Rarity rolled her eyes, blowing on her already cooled drink and flicking her curls back. "Please, darling, I think we've evolved past first impressions here. I mean, honestly, you're a stallion that built his own house, that's hardly a common occurrence, stallion or mare." A saccharine smile as she placed a hoof under her chin. "Not to say it isn't impressive, to say the least. The practical ones usually have all the charisma of an old boot, so it's nice to see that you can hold a pleasant conversation too."

"Suppose we're both a little different..." it was a comfortable silence, but Jason broke it without hesitation. "I don't think I've got a specific place in mind, to travel, that is. I've always kind of gone wherever was in front of me, rather than planning it all out. It's how I ended up here, after all."

"I suppose not everyone's as meticulous as me..." She shrugged her withers. "But then, at least you can say that you're actually doing it. Would you say it's been fortuitous thus far?"

Jason couldn't help but notice her extra-long, pristine lashes, the way they fluttered whenever she blinked. Every element of her was done up to perfection, but with a personality like hers, did she even need to make such an effort? 

"Jason?" 

He snapped to attention, noticing her head had tilted, and he'd been zoned out, staring. "R-right, yeah. I mean, it's been an experience, I can say that much, but I don't know if I've ever really found what I'm looking for." Come to think of it, was he even sure what he was looking for? Escape? Happiness? Suppose everyone wanted that one.

She raised an eyebrow, almost as if she was weighing his response. "Well, I sincerely hope you find whatever it is you need. It shows dedication and self-appreciation, that you've gone out and searched for it. Too many people waste away their lives just dreaming of what they could have." She giggled, slipping her hoof up from her chin to cover her mouth. "Well, I'd know."

Jason felt himself pause with his lips parted. It was an interesting perspective, no doubt, and he couldn't be sure if he'd ever thought of it like that. But then, wasn't what he was doing reclusive, rather than exploratory? Two sides to every coin, he supposed, maybe he was looking at it too cynically? "Thank you." He managed that much, and it was all either of them needed. 

He took a sip of his cooling drink, but it soon graduated into a gulp. He couldn't explain it, but something about this situation made him feel dehydrated. Anxious, but in a good way. Maybe it was the sun beating down on him? Say something. Take your mind off of it. "I'm buying the drinks next time."

Rarity grinned, unabashed. "I appreciate it, Jason, but I think you'll find that out of the two of us, I'm the one gainfully employed, and you're the one that's meant to be vacationing. Relax! Let me get your drinks." Glancing left and right, she narrowed her eyes, deviousness etched across her features. "So... when's next time?"

Jason blinked heavily, realising exactly what he'd said. But honestly, it felt right. Why wouldn't he want to see her again? She was interesting, beautiful, and above all respectful, he'd be mad to leave it here. "When would you like it to be?"

"I'm a busy mare, Mister Moors." Rarity winked, draining the last of her cup. "But... I'm sure I could find time for another drink—" she lowered her tone to a scandalous whisper, eyes flicking to the barista from before, "—perhaps somewhere with friendlier staff." A shared chuckle, and Rarity moved to stand. "I know a nice little cocktail bar in the centre of town, would that tickle your fancy?"

Good company and alcohol? Jason couldn't nod much more enthusiastically if he tried. Of course, he tried and failed to play it down. "I'd definitely be down for that. Where would we meet?" 

"I have a boutique about five minutes from here. I'm heading there now, if you'd like me to show you to it?" Biting her lip, Rarity looked over to Jason's half-finished beverage. "That said, don't let me rush you. I don't mean to impose at all."

There was only a second between Jason realising what Rarity was referring to and him drinking up, finishing off the cup's contents. Rarity seemed rather amused by that, Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "It was tasty. Couldn't help myself."

"There's another difference between us," Rarity grinned, her hips swaying as she began to walk, taking the lead. "I prefer to take my time with something sweet, savour every second of it... especially if you don't get a chance to have it very often." She looked back at him with an accusing stare. "I'll bet you're the type to eat the icing before you touch the cake."

Jason's cheeks reddened. He wasn't sure if it was the other mares he'd been exposed to before now, but he couldn't help but take that as a possible innuendo. "I mean... would that be a bad thing?" 

"Hmm, to each their own." Rarity flicked her tail, picking up the pace and forcing Jason to keep up. He was a couple of paces behind her, able to marvel at her entire body with little effort, but part of him wanted to keep his eyes off of her if only for the fact that for once, he was the one doing the staring. "My building's just round the corner... ah, there it is. You see it?"

She pointed, and Jason's eyes followed. While the architecture wasn't necessarily in his tastes, there was a flare about the place, one that he'd definitely attribute with this mare. "So, you want me to pick you up from there tomorrow?" 

"Pick me up?" Rarity's ears twitched, as if she'd never heard that exact combination of words leave a stallion's mouth. Eventually, she nodded in earnest. "Yes, that does sound splendid. Shall we say half-six? I'll have just finished closing up by then."

Jason mentally checked his schedule. Oh yeah, nothing, followed by nothing. "Works fine by me, sure!" Wow, that enthusiasm. His mood really had taken a change for the better since meeting her. A thought occurred to him a second later, and he met her with a challenging smirk. "So, can you handle your drink?"

"Not at all, darling, but it doesn't stop me from trying." She turned then, walking over to him and wrapping a hoof over his withers, a short, sweet embrace with heat that emanated even after she was gone. "Now, as much as I hate to cut this short, I need to get back to my customers, and my assistant. Also, as fashionable as it might be to be late? Do try not to keep me waiting tomorrow, I'll only worry."  

Part of Jason still felt like he was hugging her back. How the hell was she so different to everyone else? He cleared his throat, biting back a stutter. "I'll try not to, no promises though."

"Oh, promises are the worst, Jason, ponies have a particular penchant for breaking them." A quick look behind her. "Now, if I had a pocket watch, and it could speak, it'd be telling me that my time's up, so I'll have to bid you adieu for now." One last look at him, a subtle smile that made her eyes shine. "I'll look forward to seeing you again soon, Mister Moors." 

"And you," he said back, but he was graced with no response excepting the back of her as she slowly sauntered away. It was all softly rolling, swaying hips and a tail that spun in circles as the white unicorn from the little cafe made her way inside, not sparing a look, but likely all too aware of the eyes clinging to her.

Jason tore his gaze away before it was too late to even try.





Coco Pommel wasn't one for snooping, she really wasn't. She liked to keep herself to herself, and worry only about matters that affected her and those she cared about. Gossip wasn't something she had time for, and rumours bored her. 

But that wasn't to say that she didn't basically have her snout pressed against the window as she watched Rarity conversing with the hot, mysterious stallion from outside. Rarity was currently alone on the floor with her, the last customer for the morning packed up and shuffling out of the door with his bags. Now felt like an opportune time to bring it up. 

"Sooo..." Coco couldn't help but grin as she faced her boss, her friend.

"...so?" 

"Sooo, who's the cutie from earlier?"

Instantly, Rarity's cheeks began to redden. "You saw him?"

Coco lightly punched her shoulder, something that was twice as hard for an earth pony to pull off, walking past her and beginning to sort through the register. "Sure did, what's the deal with you two?"

Rarity scoffed, throwing her mane back. "There is no deal, Coco. He's a pleasant stallion, and I'm going to be having a few drinks with him tomorrow evening. That's all there is to it."

Coco looked up at Rarity, studying her intently. "...sure there's nothing else to it than that? Because you know that if there was, I wouldn't judge you, right?"

"Honestly, Coco, I don't just throw myself at any stallion I meet! You should know that much about me by now, surely?"

Coco nodded, taking the tease out of her tone. "I know, Rarity, which is why I'm excited to see you talking to a stallion again! It's been a while since you've found anyone you've got along with..."

Rarity's eyes remained firmly closed as she walked past, levitating items around the shop and placing them in their correct areas by memory alone. "Well, as it stands, he's just a friend. Not even that, an acquaintance, and I'm not getting my hopes up. We'll see if anything happens tomorrow, but I'm not pushing for it by any means. If something did happen, it would be..." Rarity paused, considering the word she was searching for. "Natural. It would just be right."

Coco pondered what Rarity was saying, nodded with a look of deep understanding, then winked and nudged her. "Want me to look after Sweetie Belle tomorrow just in case? Maybe pick you out some nightwear, and dare I say bedwear?" She waggled her eyebrows a couple of times, bumping her flank against Rarity's.

Rarity gasped, placing a hoof over her chest."Coco! Honestly, you're terrible!" A few seconds, and Rarity's blush deepened, her next words coming out as a whisper. "Do you think you could really do that?"

Coco gave a playful curtsy, bending at the forelegs and lowering her neck. "Your wish is my command, m'lady."

Rarity nodded, hesitated, and then nodded again. "Alright, alright, let's do this. We won't have a chance tomorrow, so we'll have to tackle this today." Her eyes scanned the room, and she turned to Coco with a quizzical expression. "Are thongs still considered classy?"

Coco didn't think thongs were ever considered classy. She certainly wasn't about to tell Rarity that, however.
> Rarity Gets Fucked in the Next Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason desperately wanted to get his 501 swag on, but he couldn't think of anywhere in Equestria that sold Levi's jeans. He knew he had to actually turn up and impress today—impress a fashion designer, no less—and it was quickly dawning on him that he didn't own any clothes. 

Like seriously, no clothes. Not even a scarf or a fucking sock. 

It might have been an oversight on his part, but why the hell would he have needed clothes before now? There'd been no winter to speak of since he arrived, he had a fireplace if he needed it, and above all, he was a pony. He was still getting his head around ponies wearing clothes, had been ever since going to Ponyville yesterday. Not that he hadn't seen it before, just never considered actually partaking in the odd phenomenon. 

Well, until now at least. Right now he'd kill for a scarf or a sock, at least he'd look like he'd made some goddamn effort. Rarity  was probably getting dressed up to the nines right now, applying make-up, doing her mane, beautifying to no end, and here he was, considering it a personal victory that he'd managed to bathe in a lake a night ago. 

He gave his coat a self-conscious sniff: he didn't really have any odor about him, smelled quite clean, actually. Hopefully the sweat clinging to his coat wouldn't ruin that. Jason wasn't one to worry too much about dates, meeting women, any of that, but something about this situation had him a little on edge. He supposed he didn't feel completely in control—he'd been out of the game a little while, he was dealing with a mare in a world where they were even more alien in personality than regular women. Suppose it did make sense that he was nervous.

Jason glanced in his non-existent mirror, ensuring his imaginary outfit was colour coordinated, and soon after the mime realised he had no idea what else to do in order to get ready. Every pastime he could imagine involved either getting sweaty or drinking, and he didn't want to turn up to his date/meet up either exhausted or half-cut. If anyone was going to ruin this, he was determined it wouldn't be him. You don't look a gift horse in the mouth, after all.

Let's see, it was... fuck, what was the time? Almost sunset, that was the time. He really needed a clock. Jason had the feeling he'd be slightly early if he left now, but being a little early was better than being late, so he ran a hoof through his mane, checking... something regarding the consistency of it, hopped out the door and locked up.

"Ay baby u want sum fuck?"

"AHH WHAT THE SHIT." Jason shielded his face with his hooves, his ultra-manly panic superimposed on his face. When nothing happened, no death, no loss of limb, he lowered them and squinted his eyes open to check what ungodly fate had managed to find him this time.

A pink, twitching thing awaited him. She looked as if she was fucked up on various substances from the way she ecstatically jolted from one place to another, her entire body so animated that she might in fact have been having an epileptic fit. Her words played back in his mind, and he let his guard down ever so slightly, knowing she at least probably wasn't out here to murder him. That didn't stop him from producing an elongated groan. "Can't you sex starved freaks leave me alone for just a couple of days? Please?!"

"Sex starved? I didn't know you could eat sex! That sounds sticky." The pink thing stuck out her tongue and made a 'blech!' sound before leaping forwards and wrapping her hooves around him. She smelled like cotton candy and repressed childhood memories. "I just knew there was somepony living here!"

Jason growled, dislodging her from his body and placing her back in front of him. "What gave it away, the house or the fresh garden?"

"Both, silly!" She bounced in circles around him, making a weird squeaking noise with each leap that made it sound as if she had a dog toy lodged in her esophagus. "My name's Pinkie Pie, but all of my friends call me Pinkie Pie! It's really nice to meet you, mister new stallion!"

Okay, okay. So she was really over the top, potentially tweaked out, and scary as hell, but she seemed friendly? "How did you even find me out here? I'm not used to ponies just turning up, not until recently, at least. Did someone tell you about me?"

"Of course they didn't, or I would've already visited!" Jason chose not to try and wrap his head around that one, just letting her continue. "I was in the middle of my bi-monthly Everfree Forest forage, looking for some nice woody trees to take home, and then I saw this house in the distance!" Jason nodded, opening his mouth to respond. "And this house was wooden, and it looked freshly built, and there was even a garden outside!"

Oh, apparently she wasn't finished. 

"And I remember looking at it and thinking to myself, 'gee, I've never seen a wooden house with a garden outside in the Everfree Forest, especially not when I've been foraging for trees, it must be new!' So, then, I decided that I'd come over and find out who lived in it, but nopony answered! Then it got dark, so I decided to sleep for a while—"

Wait, this crazy bitch camped out overnight just to find out who lived here? That's it, walking away.

And of course, she hops right after me. "—and then I woke up, and I started wondering if everything I remembered was just a dream, and then I wondered why I couldn't see anything, and then I thought I should open my eyes, and I was right! My eyes were shut, and when I opened them, there was still a house in the Everfree that was made out of wood, and a garden, so I walked over and went to knock—"

Jason was driving his hooves into the ground harder with each step, he was sure he was going to begin drawing blood soon. "Please... please stop. I think this is actually lowering my IQ."

Nope, just decided to take a huge breath instead. Honestly, fuck this mare. "And there you were on the other side, and I panicked and said 'ay baby u want sum fuck' because I like dick and I thought it would be a good way to introduce myself but it didn't really work out... so then you asked me my name and how I found out about this place and I told you that I was on my bi-monthly Everfree Forest forage and saw this wooden house in the distance and—"

Jason was seriously considering adopting the surname Vorheeves at this point. "I can't believe you're actually serious right now. You're about to try and say it all again, aren't you? Honestly, I will do absolutely anything to keep you from saying it all again. Please stop, you're physically hurting me."

The pneumatic drill paused for a second, the grating sound in Jason's brain briefly abating, and the glimmer of hope that it might have been gone forever just as soon faded as she fired up her bounding, raucous foghorn once more. "Anything, you say?"

He looked at her expression. Her expression looked back at him. "Is that—is that a fucking leer? Did you just wink at me? Are you seriously doing this right now?" He thought about the offer he'd just made and her reaction, and what kind of colossal fuckpot this mare was proving to be. "You're seriously doing this right now, aren't you?"

"I'm seriously propositioning you right now yes," she replied without missing a single beat.

Jason rubbed a hoof against his temple. What the fuck was wrong with the ponies here? "Look... no. I've got somewhere to be, and I need to get to Ponyville, I haven't really got time to—"

"That's great, because I'm heading to Ponyville too! We can go together, actually! And while we walk I can tell you all about my day in the Everfree, and the house I saw and the new stallion I met!"

"You know, on second thought, fine. What do you want."

"Well..." Pinkie Pie paused, scratching her chin and bouncing her eyes from side to side like a bloody abacus. "I was thinking you could give me some good ol' fashioned anal, but you said you've gotta be somewhere, so..." Jason blinked. She wasn't standing behind him anymore. What the fuck was she doing?

Oh, clambering underneath him and wrapping her forehooves around his belly, her hind hooves around his neck, sure. "Can you still walk okay like that?"

Jason could actually feel her breath tickling his underbelly, but above anything he noticed how little she weighed. He tested a hoof and found he could still step forwards with little difficulty, the whole time an upside down Pinkie being latched to him. This was about the strangest thing that had happened all week, somehow. 

But if it shut her up, he'd fucking roll with it. "Yeah, seems fine. So were you serious about—wellIguessyouwere." Pinkie was holding on tight beneath him, her mane brushing against his coat as she began to lick at his testicles, long, swathing brushes without warning or expectation that left him wet and exposed to the wind's bite. 

He continued in his awkward forward shuffle, trying to ignore the sensation that came about with her tongue's repeated paths over his testes, swirling and looping and bathing him in spittle. She played with each of them in succession, worshipping the pair, and against his better judgment, Jason could already feel his cock beginning to slide from its sheath at her unorthodox treatment. 

Still, he had to admit, difficulty walking and the strangest buildup to a blowjob he'd ever experienced were miles better than listening to this mare speak. Not only that, but her tongue was soft and eager, and unlike Rainbow before, she didn't seem afraid to get busy with each part of him.

She'd bury her muzzle in his sack and draw back with soft kisses that almost made him miss a step, she'd flick her tail up and bat him square on the nose with it, she'd take one of his balls in her mouth and gingerly suckle on it until he was sucking air through his teeth.

He could feel a pulsation beginning to shoot through his body, emanating at the base of his now unsheathed cock and spreading out to light up each of his senses in succession. He might not have been looking for this tryst in the woods, but it had definitely found him well, each of her skilled tongue's actions only causing him to grow harder and imagine what it would be like when she finally stopped playing around with him and got to the main course. 

Then, a single, solitary lick up the base of his cock, her tongue swirling and sliding from side to side as she slathered smooth saliva over his length. He was slippery, rock hard, and ready to go, and as she finally drew up, shifting her body back a little, Jason found himself desperate to catch her weight instead of tumbling to the ground below. He barely managed to stay up, but the sudden turbulence of the action sent his unexpected passenger muzzle first into his cock. 

And she had her mouth open. Of course she did. Probably about to speak or something, because he heard a very distinct 'mff!' as she took half of his impressive length in one gulp, something Rainbow had had a fair amount of trouble with. 

Then Jason started to worry. He thought about asking if she needed to come down, if that might have been too sudden for her, ignoring the incessant throb he could feel in his engorged shaft out of concern alone, but his worries were quelled as soon as they were formed by Pinkie doing something that he certainly didn't expect.

Well, suppose it was better to expect whatever you didn't with a mare like this. 

Instead of pulling back, she gripped around his barrel tight and pushed her head lower, taking almost all of him in her mouth and softly trilling her way up. The way her tongue skipped, the vibration against his cock, matching his steadily rising pulse and the hum that came with it, making his ears twitch, it only spurred him on more, and above anything he began to regret that he had no way to thrust, that he could only keep walking and rely on the motion to increase her speed. He was grunting and panting and finding it difficult to keep his balance, but he dared not speak if only because it might invite her to take his cock out of her mouth and reply.

And damn it, if there was one thing that would kill his buzz right now it was another of her rants. So it was that moans carried by the air and the slurp of her mouth against his medial ring were the only sounds they communicated with, and even when he grew used to the rhythm of her motions she'd switch things up. She moved from long, drawn out movements to quick and rapid ones, incorporating her hooves in sequence and tapping her tongue on the underside of his head at random intervals until something seriously heavy was beginning to grow in his belly.

He knew the feeling, of course. It was one that finally sent him tumbling off of his feet, rolling around onto his back as Pinkie remained glued to the top of him, still sucking and playing with no interest paid to their tumble, her ears pushed back and her mane in disarray, her tail pulled up and exposing her glistening slit...

He was almost about to indulge when Pinkie went into overdrive, the crazed thing opening her mouth wider and pulling back so only the edges of her plump lips touched around the head of his cock, her tongue occasionally flicking out and inviting him to burst, almost begging him to let his seed fly to the back of her throat. He threw his head back, eyes scrunched shut, and the world became an opaque picture of swirling colours as he pressed his hooves down hard, ecstasy gripping him, taking control of him.

She had him right on the edge, and she knew it. One final touch, a kiss, soft and planted right on his tip, and he began to erupt, coating her face and moisturising her with his spunk, which she greedily licked up and cleaned from his cock with attentive tongue-work and multiple gulps. The excess spilled onto her, but she made sure to miss none of it, rush after rush of orgasm racking his brain and frying his nerves with unparalleled satisfaction as he laid back and spent a moment forgetting that the world existed. 

Her face was a portrait, and he was the painter, but eventually she'd drained the last from him, sitting up and wiping herself clean, taking a moment to wipe the excess from her face and then bouncing back up with an irrepressible energy as he laid there, panting. "Thanks for that! I was right... sex does taste sticky! Tasty sticky though." She hummed for a moment, licking her lips again, then moved to stand. "I can't wait to tell the girls about you!"

Oh, god, not more of them. "Wait wait wait, what do you mean 'the girls'?"

"Oh, you know! There are six of us! I mean, seven, arguably, and then I guess there's Spike, but he's only a girl in spirit. Let's see, there's me, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity—"

"Wait wait wait. No. Wait." Jason leapt to his feet, post-orgasm fatigue be damned, suddenly wide eyed. "You're trying to tell me you know all of those girls? You're all friends? Wait a second, you know Rarity too? She's friends with all of you?"

"Well... yeah! We go waaay back, except for Starlight, that was more recent, but—"

"So what you're trying to tell me is..." Jason made a few mental calculations. Each one of them added up to him being both confused and potentially screwed. Did Rarity know that her friends had already met him? That two of them had now sucked him off? 

Best to just play the ignorant card for now, last thing he needed was this one following him around anymore. "Uhh, don't worry, I think I get it. Anyways, I need to go. Like I said, places to be and—"

"Say no more, say no more. We'll go right now!"

Jason's brain almost ceased functioning. "No. Just me. Alone. I need to go alone."

"Okie dokie lokie, see you tomorrow!" And with that, still partially cum soaked, she began to bounce away.

"...please don't camp outside my house again."

"No promises!" she called back with a wink, and the further she got away from him, the more peaceful Jason's life again began to feel. 

And the sun was setting in the sky. That meant something. He had to be at Rarity's boutique in... fuck. 

Run run run run run run run.
> First Dates
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity was rather excited, what with the hour growing later and later. She'd closed up shop and sent Coco home early—with Sweetie Belle no less—and now Rarity had the boutique all to herself as she waited for the handsome stallion from yesterday to appear. 

It was a quarter past six when she was finally finished sprucing herself up for the eighth time, but it still didn't feel like she'd put enough effort in. A look in the mirror told her that she shone with radiance, her body glistening from a spa treatment earlier on, hooves polished, fur groomed, and a scent of lavender and wildflower about her that clung to the air and made her heart flip whenever she inhaled. 

She didn't usually go for this kind of scent, but she imagined that a stallion that lived in the forest would enjoy something that reminded him of home. Nonetheless, she was coming to enjoy it, and when all of her makeup was done and her mane properly curled, she finally put on her dress for the occasion, a sleek and elegant black thing that hugged her body and accentuated all of her best assets. Not to mention the contrast with her coat, which was absolutely divine.

It wasn't even her own stitching. While she was often happy to sample her own goods, she felt that a night such as this one called for something a little different, and that she'd finally earned a break, so she had sent Coco to pick her out a suitable evening dress from the revered stallion designer Hoity Toity. Coco went to Canterlot and came back with the most stunning thing Rarity had seen in a long while, and she was more than happy with her choice.

A lot of mares didn't like to dress up, they'd go to dates, events, and meetings alike au natural, even if their stallions were suited up, but Rarity liked to do things a little differently. She spent so much time in fashion, working with designs primarily for stallions, and so many of them seemed to enjoy looking striking, classy. Rarity figured she could indulge in a similar sensation also, hence the dress, the makeup, the treatment.

But all of it would be for nothing if Jason didn't show up already! Rarity checked the clock, finding it to be twenty-six minutes past. Alright, it hasn't even gone half-past yet. Relax, Rarity, try not to worry about it. He's going to show up soon, you'll be on your way and having a good time, and all of this won't have been for nothing.

She didn't get her hopes up for no reason, after all, even after explicitly telling herself that she wouldn't. That would be rather silly indeed.

Rarity never felt as pathetic as when she was reduced to clock watching, but here she was, watching one second blur into the next at a steady, tiresome drag. She just needed something to take her mind off of the wait, surely. Perhaps she could pace a few more times? No, already done that.

There was a bottle set out for when Jason arrived, in case he felt like coming in. Trottingham Valley, a spiced rum with a smooth texture and a powerful kick. She imagined it would be the kind of thing a stallion like him might enjoy, being so different, so she'd taken a gamble and refrained from buying cocktail ingredients, or a bottle of rose. 

And now it was sat there, staring at her. There was no way they were going to need the whole thing between them, it was an entire litre, and Rarity was sure it wouldn't hurt to have just one glass to herself while she waited... 

Cola and lime, a glass, a few pieces of ice, and she had her first drink poured. She took a sweet sip, enjoying the pleasant sparkle of the fizz against her lips. She didn't usually drink anything carbonated, so it was quite the rare experience, and as she often did, she found the first sip of the beverage to be rather... moreish.

It wasn't long until she'd managed to finish her first glass. She'd like to say that she nursed it with small, dainty sips, but in actuality, she took one of those sips every five seconds, still watching the blasted clock.





Jason ran until he felt a stitch coming on, and then he ran through the stitch. He could see the sun setting in the distance, and for the millionth time wished that he owned a fucking clock. Still, no fixing that now. He pressed on and on, finally reaching Ponyville and attempting to maneouvre his way through it. The place seemed to come alive at night, which was quite a surprise to him, and before he knew it he was having to dodge around hordes of out and about ponies as he tried to find his way to the boutique he'd been shown yesterday.

Hopefully he wasn't late. He didn't think he could deal with adding another shitty circumstance to the list right now, Rarity was all he had going for him.

Dodge a drunken mare, hop around a few more, duck a procession of stallions and turn a corner. He could see it in the distance, the place he'd been shown to yesterday, and after wading through the sea of ponies, he managed to pull through in one piece, barely. He was panting, exhausted from the run, but if there was one thing he surely had going for him, it was the fact that he at least wouldn't be going through this whole date with nothing but sex on his mind. 

Pinkie Pie saw to that, about the only benefit of his bumping into her.

He stretched out his limbs, panted a little more, gave himself one last sniff, and raised a hoof to knock. No answer. Frowning, Jason repeated the motion, this time a little louder, and after a rather long pause, he heard the rather musical call of the mare he was waiting for. "Come in! Don't take your time about it!"

Worry was replaced with eagerness as he opened the door, and on the other side he found exactly who he'd been waiting to see. She looked absolutely stunning, there was no doubt about that, and more dressed up than any mare he'd even seen. Honestly, it was impressive just how much work she'd put into her appearance, and it only made Jason feel a little more conscious of the fact that he was wearing absolutely nothing. 

"Oh, I was wondering when you'd show up!" Rarity took a couple of steps towards him, but she didn't seem to walk with the same authority and purpose as he'd seen previously. No, there seemed to be a little more whimsy in her steps, but he couldn't place exactly why. "Once the clock hit seven, I thought you might have gotten lost, or found something more important to do, but no! You're here! Fashionably late indeed!"

Was she... was she angry? Jason considered his options. If he told her exactly what happened, it might only upset her more, so he went with a portion of the truth, deciding he'd explain the rest at a slightly less delicate time. "I'm sorry I got held up, but a pony came up to me on my way here, kept pestering me."

"Oh?" she batted her eyelids, teetering forwards. "Don't suppose it was someone with more beauty than myself? I'd understand if that was the reason, of course, you'd simply have to tell me."

Something was a little odd about the things she was coming out with... She didn't seem like her usual self right now, maybe she was just a little nervous about this whole date thing. Made two of them, in all honesty. "Of course not, don't be silly. I think I'd have to look pretty far to find someone like that."

"You're damn right you would," Rarity blurted before quickly covering her lips with a hoof, her cheeks reddening. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come out with that—must be the nerves! Any chance I can get you a drink, perhaps something to wear?"

Oh, Christ, that was embarrassing. He'd fucked up so severely that his date actually had to dress him. That said, a drink did sound good. Something for the nerves before he wished for the floor to swallow him already. "Yeah, I'd be happy to have a drink, thank you. I'm... sorry I didn't come with anything on, but I'm not really stocked up on clothes, in all honesty."

"Oh, tosh, darling, I outfit stallions for a living, it really isn't an issue. There's a bottle on the table if you come through. Yes, do feel free to help yourself—oh, what am I talking about, I'll pour you one!"

Why was she so all over the place? Jason walked further into the boutique—a mismash of colours and fabrics—and as he approached the table in the centre, watching Rarity levitate a bottle and glass up, spying the make, he realised that the bottle was already a quarter empty.

God, he really did keep her waiting a while, huh? That or she was a lot more nervous than she'd been letting on. 

Rarity almost spilt the contents of the glass in her aura twice as she made up his drink, but through a mixture of luck and stumbles in opposite directions, she managed to avoid any of the liquid hitting the floor. "A drink for the sir..." and then she went about pouring another glass for herself, a glass that had certainly already been used. "And a drink for moi. A toast, dear?"

Jason took the glass from her magical hold before she dropped or spilt it, and struggled to hold it in the nook of his hoof. "Heh, what are we toasting to?"

Rarity looked at him as if it was a stupid question. "Why, this rum, of course! It's absolutely divine, darling, scrumptious."

With a slightly awkward smile, Jason raised his glass to toast. He felt as if he'd caused this whole situation with his tardiness, as if Rarity would be her usual, unworried and sophisticated self if he hadn't taken so damn long getting here. It wasn't her fault that she was a lightweight, after all. She stumbled her glass into his, clinking them together, and while Jason only took a sip, Rarity chugged a hearty gulp in the least ladylike fashion Jason could've ever imagined.

It was nothing like how she drank from her cup in the cafe, that was for sure. Part of him almost liked it on her. 

"Nowww, are we hitting the town, or are we hitting the motherfucking town?!"

Jesus Christ on a cross she's smashed already.





"You just—you just don't really see them like that anymore, daaarling, you know? All vivacious and sprightly and proud, dancing and prancing and—oh, what were we talking about. Waiter! Two more please, and one for my date!"

The funny thing about being out with a sophisticated drunk is that you don't understand what they're saying for two entirely different reasons. Jason had spent a lot of the evening nodding his head, trying to prevent Rarity from falling over, and failing to convince her to stop ordering vodka and lemonades. It wasn't a date, it was babysitting whilst being called 'darling'.

"Anyways, yes, I'm sorry, I know I've prattled on..." her eyes drooped for a moment, almost sad, and then she seemed to remember where she was, perking up. "I know I'm being a lot to deal with right now..." she lowered her tone, whispering into Jason's ear. "I think I've had a little too much to drink. I'm sorry, I imagine this has been an absolutely dreadful experience for you." Just as the pony arrived with the drinks, Rarity shook her head. "No, no, send them back, fetch me a water. Thank you."

She let the waiter bill her for the full amount anyway, soon leaning back and staring up at Jason, her eyes slightly vacant. "I've... I've not been out with a stallion in a long time. I'm afraid I might have gotten a little anxious when I thought you weren't going to show, and then you did arrive and you looked very dashing and... I'm sorry, I'm talking too much."

For the first time since they'd gotten there, she was actually making sense. "No, no, go on. I'm happy to listen."

"I just... you were so nice in the cafe yesterday, I found it hard to imagine that you could be real. So many stallions are... are nothing at all like you, but you're like a... a perfect enigma. I want to know more about you." She threw a hoof out, almost knocking a glass over in the process as she gestured to the table filled with empty drinks. "Not that I've really managed to make a dent in that, just made a fool of myself."

She had tears in her eyes. All of a sudden, Jason felt terrible. She'd let herself get this worked up over this date, something they'd both definitely been looking forward to, and he was sitting there wishing things had gone differently. Was it his fault for not getting rid of that Pinkie Pie? What was going to happen when she told Rarity about the stallion in the Everfree? She seemed like the type to blabber about absolutely everything.

"You know what, fuck it."

"Excuse me?" Rarity looked up, her eyes widened. 

She seemed to have regained some of her lucidity, but Jason had a plan. If she was going to get drunk, he was going to match her, and they were having fun no matter what. He stood up, heading towards the bar, Rarity calling after him. "Where are you going? Have I scared you off?"

Jason walked over to where the three drinks from before sat, still unattended. "I'm catching up," he called, downing each one of them in succession and feeling the hit almost instantaneously. 

It would take a little while for the alcohol to take effect, but that didn't mean he couldn't liven things up a little. "Come on, let's get out of here. If we're going to get shitfaced, we should do it somewhere we can dance. Know any good clubs?"

Suddenly, all remnants of sadness had vanished, and there was a joyous, hopeful glint in Rarity's eyes. "Hmm, I might know a couple..."





"You know, I don't think I've ever been kicked out of that many clubs in one night. That's a new personal record for me."

Rarity looked absolutely dead. They were on the train back from Canterlot, her dress was askew and her mane a mess, her eyes half-closed and her composure a distant memory. She giggled, even post-mortem. "I don't think I've ever been kicked out of a club... That was a first for me. I imagine they just couldn't handle our dance moves."

She was laying against his side. She was impossibly comfortable, and he couldn't help but love the contact. "You know, I wish I hadn't been such a stick in the mud earlier. I know this is pretty different to the Rarity I met yesterday, but I loved it all the same. You were really fun, y'know?" Jason stifled a belch, knowing it would be a mood killer. The room was pretty damn spinny right now, he wasn't looking forward to standing.

"And you were fun too, so fun I won't even regret the dreadful headache next morning..." Rarity moved to sit up, but promptly fell back into Jason's lap. "Well, maybe a little."

"I mean, hey, we both got fucked, but at least we did it together. I had a great time, thank you for it."

Rarity cuddled up closer to him, her fur soft against his. "Yes, we'll have to do it again soon, if you're available. Though maybe we'll pace ourselves a little more next time, I don't think my liver can handle this kind of treatment on a regular basis."

"And I think if we keep getting kicked out of clubs like that, we won't have anywhere else to go."

"Well, we'll just party at my place in future," Rarity winked, flashing Jason a grin. "Oh, gosh, that sounded dreadful, didn't it?"

"Just a little, but I might have to take you up on it." Jason's vision was a little blurry. Rarity registered as 'cuddly pony pillow' in his mind. 

So he snuggled up to his pony pillow as they rode their way home.
> Morning After Thrill
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason woke up the next day in his bed, sheets all askew, having rolled around in his sleep a lot. In honesty, he couldn't entirely remember getting home himself, but he remembered walking Rarity home. It'd been a lot of her leaning on his shoulder, a fair bit of stumbling, and a soft goodbye when they arrived on her doorstep, along with a promise to go out again soon.

No goodnight kiss, though. And Jason thought it was even better for that, somehow. He woke up with a pounding head and a big smile, taking a generous sip of the water he'd placed beside his bed before crashing out. The water had a piece of paper next to it, and in barely legible mouth-writing, it read 'for hungover Jason'. At least he knew how to look after himself.

His head kept pounding, a repetitive thing that ached in his temples and resounded in his ears, and a part of him wondered how late it was, as he still didn't own a damn clock. Ah well, not like he had anything to be up for. He tried to drift back to sleep, but the banging head persisted. In fact, it did so until he realised in his half-asleep stupor that the sound didn't actually come from his head so much as it did from his front door.

Great, Jehovah's little horsesluts were at it again. Jason tried to frown, he tried to put on his most angry and thoroughly 'done' face, but honestly, he didn't have it in him. Last night had been absolutely great, and it was going to take a fair amount of bullshittery to ruin his mood today.

So with the groan of being ripped from warm sheets and forgiving, curtained darkness, Jason crawl-trotted over to the door, steeling himself for the sun's stabbing rays. Once he felt as prepared as he was going to get, he opened it, only to find something he hadn't been expecting on the other side.

It was Rarity. Her mane was down, straighter and more bushy, almost resembling Rainbow Dash's, and there was a bit of mud on her hooves, likely from walking through the forest. That and a small twig that had somehow found it into the edge of her mane. The thing that she had in common with Jason, however, was the dumb smile she sported. 

For a few seconds, both of them were totally silent, apparently not knowing what the hell to do or say. Jason was kind of hoping Rarity would lead, considering she was the one that had come all the way down here, but she seemed determined for him to make the first move. What was he meant to do? Talk to her? Kiss her? Both of them seemed like excellent options right now.

Still, too tired to read social cues, he went with the one least likely to get him in any trouble. "You've got a twig in your mane," he said, raising a hoof and pointing at the offending piece of tree.

Rarity shrugged, biting her lip. She kind of teetered on her forehooves, leaning back and forth a little, and part of Jason wondered whether she was still slightly drunk. 

"What are you doing here?" Jason tried again, hoping to get a more worthwhile response this time. Also hoping that didn't come across as rude or accusatory in any way, because man did he not want to mess this up on account of being too blunt. 

"I'm... not sure. I didn't sleep much last night..." Rarity raised a hoof, twirling it through her mane, seemingly not caring less about the dried mud. "Did you wake up feeling like death as well, or am I the only one that suffers the horrors of hangovers?"

"No, don't worry, I could barely remember I was a pony for the first ten minutes." Rarity laughed at his words. It probably sounded like a joke, but that was the god's honest truth. "I think I'm getting better though. Have you been waiting out here long?"

Rarity 'hmm'd, tilting her head. "Maybe two minutes? Nothing too egregious, I promise." She was quiet again, and Jason tried not to stare too much. In truth, this was the first time he'd seen her looking anything like this, and it felt like yet another personality shift. She wasn't as confident as usual, though she retained her elegance all the same, almost in a different light. "I thought that maybe... considering we're both feeling varying degrees of terrible this morning, you might want to feel a little less terrible together?" 

There was a hopeful glint in Rarity's eyes. It was absolutely adorable. "Suppose it wouldn't hurt to—" Jason shook his head. What was he doing? "No, sorry, forget trying to be smooth. Head's still a mess. ...yeah, I'd love that. Thanks for coming all the way down here, and for wanting to see me again." Maybe he was appearing a little too grateful, but fuck it. He felt as if Rarity deserved it for fighting through what he was sure was a horrible headache and heading all the way down to the Everfree just to keep him company. "I was going to make breakfast, but I don't think I've got much you'd find appetising."

Rarity shook her head, appearing to cringe a little at the suggestion. "Honestly, I don't think I could really eat right now. That hayburger I wolfed down outside the club last night... Celestia, I can still taste it. Don't let me stop you though, go ahead."

Jason might have felt the same, but he generally avoided foods including flowers or hay. A good portion of pony food agreed with him, but those, not so much, so he hadn't opted to eat anything the night before. As such, he was feeling pretty famished. "I'm a meat eater, so you know," he said in a quiet tone, even though he knew there was no one but her around. He said it with a little decorum anyway, though, as he knew she might find it offensive.

Rarity looked at him with a raised brow, blinking a couple of times. "Like a griffon, you mean? Honestly, I don't think I've ever met a pony that eats other creatures. Odd." 

Jason couldn't tell if she was offended or intrigued by the notion, but he didn't press it. If anything, the closer Rarity got to him and his house, the more he worried about scaring her off. It was such a strange change of circumstance. He was thoroughly used to the mares chasing him around as he tried to shoo them off by now, and now it felt as if he'd do anything to ensure she stayed put. "Guess I'm a bit strange," Jason shrugged, scratching at the back of his neck. "I don't eat anything, uhh, sapient, though. I hunt monsters, mainly. Cook 'em with some of the ingredients I grow out here."

He gestured to the garden behind them, and Rarity's face brightened a little. "I did notice you have rather green hooves as I walked through here. It's a pretty common habit with stallions, but I've found most of them focus more on the aesthetics of their gardens than the practicality of growing things." She looked back to him with a smile, and Jason silently thanked the gods she hadn't been scared off by the whole 'omnivore' thing. "You really are quite self-sufficient, aren't you?"

"As much as I can be," Jason nodded, quite happy for the praise for once. "Not that you aren't either, running your big business and everything."

Rarity shook her head quite forcefully at this. "I can't take all of the credit. Definitely not. I've had quite a bit of help over the years. My friends, a wonderful manager and assistant, and various other contacts I've made, they've all assisted in putting me in the right direction." Rarity was silent for a moment, and she looked over the grass again. "Have you ever had anypony offer to help you, Jason?"





Jason's hangover was fading pretty rapidly in the early afternoon heat, but the day showed no signs of slowing down soon. Rarity was sat in the grass with a pitchfork in her magic, digging through the earth and plotting out an area to plant new produce. Jason was stood there simply admiring her, the way the sun kissed her body, the natural beauty of her even without the outfits and make up...

A small clump of dirt was flung at his face. "Come on, darling, this is your garden! I've been doing the lion's share for the last half-hour, pick up the pace or I'll start prodding you with your tools." Rarity narrowed her eyes, and Jason had just long enough wondering whether she really would to conclude that he didn't want to find out. Being poked at by a spade didn't sound fun.

He dug out and smoothed patches of dirt before checking on his potato patch, then his tomatoes, which weren't yet ripe. The experience had been rather therapeutic so far, and as he'd expected, the two of them had a great synergy. It was the millionth time a mare had turned up at his door, and the first that he prayed she wouldn't leave any time soon. 

"You know, darling, you could really do to start growing some herbs here. Every meal tastes better with a little seasoning..." her tail was flicking back and forth as she spoke, eyes narrowed as she focussed on the presentation of yet another patch of earth. It seemed beautifying things was in her nature. That, or it was just the fact that everything looked more vibrant when it was framed around her.

Oh, and if you're forgetting about her body? Don't. Rarity's got curves for days. 

Jason eventually took a break, walking inside to fetch a couple glasses of water. He brought one to Rarity and gently clicked his glass with hers in a silent cheers before taking a sip. As they sat in the garden together, the smell of freshly toiled earth and the sound of wildlife around them, Rarity draped her tail over Jason's, relaxing into his body.

He could feel the warmth over him, it was almost like electricity, and it burned against his entire body, not just the part of him that felt Rarity's touch, the smoothness of her lightly mud-mottled coat. "I could get used to the help," Jason sighed, pushing back a little against her, testing the waters, "but I want to pay you back somehow. Is there anything I could do to make it up to you?"

Rarity sighed blissfully, the sound like the chime of a pleasant wind, pressing her cheek against Jason's, making him flush a little. "You already are, darling. You just don't realise it."

Jason did something a little brave. He pressed back against her, nuzzling her cheek, and she giggled at the feeling. Honestly, this mare just might have been perfect. "Well, either way, I owe you one for all of this. Let me help you at the boutique soon. Maybe my 'natural stallion senses' will finally come out when I'm put around a bunch of clothes, eh?"

Rarity laughed some more, but turned to him with a serious look in her eye, as if she was considering it. "Hmm... alright. Fine, but you'd better impress. You'll get to meet my assistant too. Coco Pommel, helped me to pick out the dress I wore that night." Rarity paused for a moment, then added: "and the thong you never got to see."

Blood rushed to Jason's head at the words alone. "Th-the thong?" His imagination picked up instantly, and all of a sudden, he realised just how close his and Rarity's faces were. Her lips looked really damn kissable from this angle. 

"Yes, the thong," Rarity chuckled, lightly bapping him on the shoulder. "Maybe you'll see next time, if I even choose to wear underwear..." With that, she began to lean forwards, eyes seeming to flutter closed. That was the signal, right? He was meant to kiss her? God knows he'd been waiting to for a long assed time now, even if they'd only met two days ago.

And he was about to do it when a purple flash! shoved a pony between the two of them, and a very jealous, indignant looking Twilight Sparkle appeared right in Jason's face. He had to press crisis abort to make sure he didn't accidentally kiss her instead of Rarity.

"You let Pinkie Pie blow you?!" came Twilight's hoarse, betrayed words, and Jason suddenly felt his hangover coming back in full force.

"H-hold on, you did what?" Rarity added in, and Jason began to question why bad things happened to good people. Of course Pinkie Pie had decided to go and blabber to all of her friends, of course Twilight had decided to show up when Rarity was around, spoiling their moment, and of course, Jason was now completely and utterly fucked if he didn't deal with this and fast.
> Fuck
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Fuck, fuck, motherfucking fuck!" Jason fuck'd for the fuckteenth time, pressing his hooves into his eyes until colours began to swirl in his vision. He was sat on his haunches trying to block everything out, to ignore his surroundings, but unfortunately, Twilight insisted on hovering over him like some kind of inquisitor.

"Well, do you have anything to say for yourself?!"

"I'm not done yet," Jason grunted, finally lowering his hooves and slamming them onto the ground. He took a deep breath as the pair of mares waited. "FUCK!" he shouted once more, punching the soil beneath him, then turning to face the pair of them, eyes fierce. "What the fuck is your problem?!" He stood, advancing on Twilight, and found that despite her angry expression, she began to back up. "I'm not your fucking property, yet you act like it! What I do in my own time is my business, not yours, and there's no fucking reason for you to even be here! I don't like you, Twilight. You're rude, insistent, and downright creepy. You sexually harass me and treat me like a child, and you just ruined the best moment I've had in months!"

While Twilight had tears in her eyes, which may have come before or after his rant, Rarity looked awfully conflicted. "H-how could you talk to her that way?" she asked, sounding utterly bemused by the turn of events. "This isn't like you, Jason. I've never heard you be so angry or impatient... and what's this about Pinkie Pie? Was it... was it before we met?"

Twilight could've chosen this moment to shut up. She could have taken on board that Jason was pissed at her, that he was trying to exercise damage control, and that all of this was her fucking fault. She could've held her tongue. Instead, she turned to Rarity as if she was discussing a conspiracy to commit murder. "Pinkie said it happened last night, on Jason's way to Ponyville!"

Rarity's eyes became pinpricks. Her entire body seemed to freeze up. "Oh. I see." She took a broken, stuttering breath, as if she was attempting to steel herself. She then turned tail. "I need to get back to the boutique. The day will start without me if I don't hurry, and I can't... I-I should hurry." She briefly turned back to Jason, and he could see a tear flowing freely down her face. It hurt like pins being driven through his entire body. "Thank you for last night. I really did have a wonderful time. But I... I need to work. Goodbye, Jason."

And with that, she began to leave. He should have chased her, he should've explained, but he felt so positively broken in that moment that he could scarcely bring himself not to scream, let alone reasonably and rationally explain everything that had happened last night to Rarity without scaring her off even more. 

Twilight was panting heavily, still standing besides Jason. He had to swallow the urge to punch her and bury it deep. Never had he been so infuriated with another pony. "Look what you've managed to do," she said, teeth bared.

Jason didn't think he could snap further. He thought he'd reached the culmination of every 'fuck you' button in his body being pressed at once. He thought the doomsday clock had struck and he was on deathcon infinity. But no, something special happened there. Somehow, Twilight had managed to break through all of that. Somehow, she'd managed to be so fucking dense that she didn't realise even after everything that had just happened that she was the horrible, vindictive little cunt that had ruined his and Rarity's blossoming relationship with her possessive nature.

And so Jason calmed down. He went past angry and full circled. She was obviously too childish and asinine to appreciate her mistake, so he took a deep breath, stopped, and approached her. He spoke to her cordially, without malice or vitriol. "How are you feeling right now, Twilight?"

"Betrayed," Twilight answered. She looked at Jason angrily and hungrily all at once.

"And that's because Pinkie Pie went behind your back, isn't it? You wanted me all to yourself, but Pinkie just went ahead and took what she could from me anyways. And because you don't want to argue with your best friend, the natural conclusion was to bring your anger to me. Would you say that sums things up accurately?"

Twilight blushed, looking towards the ground as she pulled her wings in tight. "Yeah... something like that."

Jason advanced on her now, placing a hoof on her withers. She reacted to the touch instantly, squeaking a little, looking up at him with surprise etched across her muzzle. This was clearly what she wanted. "You'd like me to make you feel better, wouldn't you? To make you feel included?"

Twilight nodded, her expression demure, her eyes wide and begging. She tried to close the distance between the two of them, but Jason kept them always a few inches apart, teasing her with the proximity, the position of their bodies as the smaller mare found herself moving closer under him. "Do you know why Rarity was upset with me just now? Why she left?"

Twilight paused for a moment. It was almost like she'd barely registered that Rarity was even there, which was probably the case. "Because... she wanted you all to herself too?"

"No, Twilight," Jason said to the confused princess, brushing a hoof through her hair, attempting to relax her. "She was upset because we actually liked each other. There was no possession, no expectations, no gender norms, just two ponies that enjoyed one another's company, dating. And now she thinks that I cheated on her, because you told her about Pinkie. Now she has the impression that I've been lying to her, because you burst in on us and threw something at her that she never would've expected to hear. Now, your best friend doesn't know what the hell to think, because you and your other friends couldn't comprehend the fact that maybe I wanted some willing acceptance to be a part of my relationships."

Twilight was silent for a moment, staring into his eyes. He only drew closer as she mouthed some of the words to herself, trying to comprehend everything that he was saying. "So... you're telling me that you don't want any of us? Only Rarity?"

"Do you want me to be honest with you, Twilight?" Jason asked, now only a couple of inches from her lips, a hoof around the back of her head, eyes so close they were all he could see. "When you explained the herd dynamic to me, I found it a little interesting. Maybe even enough to consider it. But when you tried to force it on me? And now, now that you've potentially ruined the relationship that I really did want?" Jason brushed his lips against Twilight's. He ignored the amazing softness of them, the fact that his body reacted to the feeling, the notion in his mind to push forwards. He waited for Twilight to return the affection, and pulled away instantly. "Now, you're never going to have sex with me."

Twilight blinked rapidly, seeming shocked and confused at the distance they'd suddenly gained, the emotionless bite of his words. "Wh-what?"

"You heard me," Jason repeated, backing away and taking his hoof off of her. "What you've wanted so much, what you did all of this for? You're never getting it. I don't care if you beg. I don't care if you offer me immortal life, all the bits in the world, and a fucking jumbo jet, you're never getting the chance. I will fuck every pony you know—no, every pony in Equestria before I have sex with you. I'll die before it happens. Furthermore, I won't speak to you, I won't look at you, I won't ever touch you again. This is what you get for ruining my relationship."

Twilight shook her head rapidly, tears forming just as quickly, but Jason didn't care. He'd already seen his share today, and his sympathy had long dried up. "No, you can't do this, it isn't fair! I wasn't thinking, I just liked you a lot, that's all... I didn't mean to cause such a problem for you, or to make you sad!" Twilight wiped at her eyes, a tremble to her lip. "I'm sorry, Jason. I'll fix this, I promise. I'll never expect anything of you again, or treat you like property, just don't cut me out of your life. Give me one more chance."

Jason laughed. It was a harsh, brittle thing that flattened Twilight's ears. "You think I care about you fixing yourself? Fix things with your friend! That's what you ruined!" Jason shook his head, not believing the ineptitude of this fucking pony. "Do that, and I might be willing to give you a second chance. I don't care how you do it, but you'd better pull something out of that big purple ass or I swear to fuck, I'm never talking to you again. Are we clear?"

Twilight blinked at this, tilting her head and looking back at herself. "You really think my ass is big?"

Jason brought a hoof to his face. "Fix things, Twilight. Also, whatever Pinkie told you, explain to Rarity that she really wasn't taking no for an answer. She wouldn't leave me the fuck alone, and I was kind of scared to refuse her after a while. Also, if I find her camped outside my house for any reason, I'm going out there with a shovel. Tell her that." A pause, and Jason added: "Err, Pinkie Pie, not Rarity. Rarity can camp here if she likes. Now go, shoo."

Twilight took off in a blitz, determination painted across her face, and through his tilt, Jason had to wonder just how worrying it was that she seemed to be taking this so seriously. Was it that it mattered that much to her to make things up to a friend, or that she was just that invested in getting a turn with him?

Jason had no fucking clue, but he did know that a drink was going to help him get through the day, hair of the dog or no.





Coco Pommel had just gotten through the hidden crying of a mud-caked Rarity. She hadn't been too open to talking about whatever was clearly bothering her, but Coco had a good clue where she might be able to find out more information, or maybe even the culprit.

After her shift, she'd be heading down to see this Jason hunk, and finding out just what was wrong with her boss. And if he'd been the one to upset her, he was gonna be in for a world of abuse.

Well, okay, maybe she'd just shout at him a bunch, but Coco could be scary when she was angry. She thought so, anyways.
> A Taste of Coco
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason was in the mood to brood. Simply put, he felt like absolute shit, and no quantity of alcohol was helping. 

Anger and vindication had made way for an acute state of upset. One that led to hiccups that burned of vodka and damp patches on the fur of his cheeks. Wasn't manly to cry? Fuck it, he wasn't manly then. It'd been so long since he'd met someone with even a psuedo-realistic perception of gender norms that he was starting to wonder why he even gave a shit about preserving his own. 

Well, apart from her. She recognised things for how they were. But now she was gone, and there was little chance she was coming back. The more he turned over the whole thing in his mind—tipped the bottle and poured—the more he began to wonder just how responsible he was for Rarity's departure.

Maybe... maybe if he had been a little more firm? If he'd never entertained the idea of ascribing to herd mentality in the first place? Maybe he wouldn't be in this mess.

They all irritated him so much, the others, even worried him on occasion, but Jason couldn't deny his passive nature, how easily he'd succumbed on more than one occasion. Thinking with his cock. Perpetuating the notion that these mares could get what they wanted no matter how lecherous or insistent their desires simply on account of the fact that they were attractive.

And he'd been treated with no respect for it. How could he be? He'd made no real effort to resist. Sex might have been a more casual thing here, sure, but Rarity didn't sign up to be in a herd with him. Jason knew that. The rest of the girls? They might not have cared, so long as they were all getting a piece of him, but her? There was no question that she saw things differently. Rarity had been something special and unique, and he'd squandered that.

He couldn't spend all of his time blaming everyone else. Not when he was there to take his share. 

Another red hot shot down his gullet. Specks of white danced in his peripherals. Everything was blurred and confusing. Jason pondered his home life. He wondered if he'd ever treated a woman in the way that he was being treated now. He wondered if they'd felt guilty for leading him on too, or for not saying more to curb his advances in the moment. 

He wondered if he, too, had ever projected his wrongdoings onto the conscience of another. Matters of love, of want, of lust... they were nebulous and difficult to dissect, often impossible to truly understand. But no matter how he tried to twist this in his head, to tell himself that the mares that had treated him in this manner were evil, were horrible? He knew that he too had agency. This... mentality, it was culturally ingrained in a lot of them, surely, but not everyone. It would be wrong and stupid to think that.

Rarity had been proof of that, and while he internally begged that somehow, she'd give him another chance?

He realised that he needed to give mares another chance. Perhaps, maybe, if he could find a way to empathise with them, to better understand their world rather than expecting it to conform to what he was used to, he could find a way to foster better relationships with all of them. Sure, they seemed to have warped opinions of men, but Jason had scarcely taken the time to meet the stallions of this world. He could use as much of a perspective boost as the mares around him could, if he wanted all of them to understand their differences and truly get along.

He didn't know about Twilight, though. Pinkie was maniacal. Rainbow Dash was insistent. Fluttershy was horny, but Twilight? She was... jealous, vindictive, possessive. She came across as a true misogynist, or whatever the Equestrian equivalent was. Figuring things out with her was going to take time and effort, and Jason had neither to spare for her right then. He might have calmed down some, but not that much.

A thought that kept drifting back to him is the way he'd judged all of them on the actions of so few. Mares. They were what he saw of them, all of them, the various sex pests and socially backwards members of their species. But in having this opinion, was he simply doing as they were? Judging an entire gender based upon a holistic overview, rather than looking at ponies as individuals? 

Jason didn't even know if this was an ingrained thought process for mares, or if some of their opinions on stallions were demonstrable through observation of stallion behaviour. He concluded to find out.

After a slightly burning piss. Homemade vodka's strong shit. Well, the reason was that or the alternative, but masculinity being forgotten or not, Jason would rather die than sit around drinking cranberry juice.

Walking to the bathroom with a slight stumble, the same one he'd irrigated himself when building the place, Jason started to feel as if he'd found the perfect clarity he'd been missing for a while now.

And then the flood gates opened, and he lost it just as soon as it had came to him.

He drank more. No splash of water or chaser at this point, he just carried on slamming back the vodka. It was drinking beyond enjoyment or taking off the edge at this point, just an attempt to fill a voracious hole. His vision was continuing to downgrade, and thoughts were coming out in short, stabbing, fragmented sentences. 

Twilight: bitch. Rarity: miss her. Mares: fucking babied him. Drink: good.

Jason had a fair tolerance, but it didn't last forever. Maybe it was his situation that drove him to such excess, or maybe he was weak willed. He could barely ponder it at this point—brain was too muddled, everything swayed in some direction or another.

Door knocked. When did anything good ever come of Jason's door knocking? "Fuck off!" he slurred, damning whoever had chosen to try and interrupt him from his self-induced, temporary but very real impairment. "Ffffuck off, twathammer." There, eloquently put. They should get the message now. 

Three more bangs on the door answered that question. Jason lurched to standing, feeling equal parts zombified and livid. "I thought I told you to do one?" He put a hoof on the ground, pivoted around to the side, and had to remind himself he indeed had four legs. "Sling your fucking hook you stupid, man hating... horsething." 

The door knocker wasn't so easily deterred by his mumbles, but neither was Jason. He was determined to have his fucking space for once. He reached the door, the centre of the noise, and rather than open it, he banged back. He leaned on one side, lifting up his heavy forehoof and knock, knock, knocking against the inside of the door, barely managing not to fall over in the process. 

The knocking stopped, thank fuck. But instead, he received a voice. "Open it! I need to talk to you!"

Usually, Jason avoided hysterics. Usually, he was more sober. "No! Every time I open the door to one of you, you try to hurt me or lay me or insult me and I'm sick of it! Nothing's going to change my mind, so turn around and go!"

There was a pause this time, and Jason thought he might've finally won, as shallow as the victory might've been, but the mare didn't seem to be done yet. "Please let me in! It's about Rarity!"

That gave Jason pause. He stood there in his stupor, body leaning him left and right like an inebriated pendulum, trying to process, to think of a good way to tell her 'no'. "What about Rarity?" Of course he'd caved. Stupid lovesick cunt. 

"She's really upset, is what!" The voice on the other side of the door was emotive, and it was beginning to cross Jason's mind that he wasn't entirely sure he recognised its owner. "She won't talk to me about it, either."

He should've asked her why she thought that was anything to do with him. He should've exercised some caution. Jason wasn't in a state for clear thinking. "Of course she's upset," he drawled, finally slumping down onto his haunches. "My fault 'n' all..."

"Why's it your fault?" Jason didn't answer, he'd internalised in an instant, thinking back over all that had happened earlier. His mind was trapped in that same, depressive cycle until the second repetition of the question snapped him out of it. 

"My fault because I should've treated her better..." Jason leaned against the door with a sigh, world weary. "She was so white, and fluffy, and purple..."

"...yes, that's Rarity," the voice answered, unimpressed.

A hiccup. "And she listened to me, and treated me like a proper pony, not like a stupid, confused stallion... She was nice, patient and fluffy and..." Suddenly, a brainwave. "And purple!" Jason's eyes hit the floor. "I like purple..."

"I'm sorry, are you drinking right now?" the mysterious voice asked. Jason couldn't remember where it was coming from. It might have been in his head.

"N-no!" he said with incredulity. "Don't be silly. I stopped drinking about... ten minutes ago."

"Right, that's it. Open the door."

Jason honestly couldn't think of a reason to argue anymore. His mind was filled with Rarity. "Alright. But I've gotta ask the door first." Jason blocked out the confused voice as he asked the door permission to pull it open, and took its silence for an affirmative. With all of his strength, he managed to pull the door inwards...

...and collapse onto his back in the process. He closed his eyes, somehow even finding the darkness to be spinning, as he felt a warm presence over him. "Gods, you reek. How did you let yourself get in this state?"

Jason pointed in a random direction. In his mind, he was pointing to a bottle. "I drank... all of that. I'd shag my own sister for an aspirin and some water right now..." That was paralytic, not in his right mind Jason talking. At least, he hoped it was.

The abstract pony of his thoughts seemed to ignore his blithering, but somehow, water materialised in his hooves shortly after. He spilled half of it over his chest, not daring to open his eyes, but eventually managed to bring it to his lips. 

"Mmmthank you, sis..."

Before he could slip further into whatever ridiculous fantasy his mind had concocted, he felt a slapping around his face. He tried to ignore it at first, like the pattering of rain or a text from the sexual health clinic, but eventually, his mind succumbed to good old Chinese water repetition and forced his eyes open. There was a pony standing over him, and she didn't look impressed. He could barely make her out, but she must have been responsible for the water that found its way into his hooves. That meant she was a good pony.

"Sit up," his saviour said from where she stood, obscured by dimming candlelight. "I don't want you choking on that."

"I'll choke on whatever I wanna..." Jason assured her, though he managed to move back to his haunches with a helping hoof. A surprisingly strong mare pulled him to his hooves. "Wh-where are we going?"

"We're going to get you into bed," came a stern reply. "You've had quite enough to drink, I think."

"N-no!" Jason tried to launch himself back onto the floor, a pathetic, drunken mess, but the mare's grip was too strong. "I don't want to fucking sleep with you! Why can't any of you take no for an answer?!" Jason felt cheap. Miserable. "I don't..." his words cut off, he tried to think about what he was saying. "I don't want you. I don't know you. Please let go of me."

A sigh, and the mare paused in her tracks. She didn't, however, relinquish her grip, likely because Jason was teetering on his hooves. "I don't want you like that, I promise. I just want to get you in bed before you hurt yourself. I—"

"Don't baby me!" Jason resisted with every ounce of will left to him. "I'm sick of being treated like a child, like I can't do things for myself... I can do things! I can do everything! I don't need a mare to do the things for me! I..." he was losing his train of thought, he knew, but he carried on talking in spite of it. There was something clawing at him, it had been for a while, and it was finally finding a means to unload. "I came here to get away from... from other people. I didn't like the way they treated each other, treated me. I was a mistranspope. I just wanted some peace and—" a sniffle, "—all I get is you. You, trying to touch me, trying to take advantage of me... it's dehumanising, it's horrible, and..." 

Jason stumbled over his words. His thoughts were repeating and mashing together, and he wasn't sure where to take them next. Every combination of words led him to another disparate, saddening conclusion, and all of them led back to the utter lack of Rarity in his life. He'd fucked it all up. He'd fucked it up, and now he was letting himself be taken advantage of again. Stupid. Stupid, weak, inept, selfish assholish—

"Are you done?" the mare spat, likely tired of his whinging and just wanting to get to the action. Mares didn't care what he had to say. "I'm taking you to bed because you've managed to drink yourself into oblivion. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" She carried on pulling him along, then eventually turned, narrowed her eyes, and spoke directly towards him. "I'll break it down: you. are. smashed. You need sleep. I'm going to lay you down, and I'm not going to try anything funny with you. I promise."

Her words finally rang in Jason's head. Nothing funny. She promised. She would just lay him down and talk to him. "Okay... my bed is in the house."

"Thanks for the directions," the mare chuckled at poor, drunk, emotional Jason. In honesty, he couldn't tell if it was pity. She walked him through the house until they'd finally reached his bed, and carefully, she laid him down on top of it. She sat beside him, waiting for him to adjust, for the vertigo and tinnitus to stop. "I'm Coco Pommel. I work with Rarity."

Jason looked at her through half-closed vodka goggles. "You're with Rarity?" he asked, feeling excitement growing in his chest. If she was here, he could talk to her and! ...if she was here, he'd have to talk to her about all of this. That was more scary than anything else. "Can... can you tell her that I'm not like this because of her? I know I'm a little tipsy right now."

"I promise I won't tell her. She's back at the boutique, not here with me. Do you understand?"

Jason slowly nodded. "I was a bad boyfriend to her. Really bad."

Coco raised an eyebrow at him. "You were her boyfriend?"

"N-not really..." Jason bit his lip as he thought his words over. "But we went on a date, and it was... it was magical. And we were going to kiss and then Twilight came."

Coco's eyes narrowed at that. "Twilight Sparkle?"

Jason only nodded. 

"I don't know if I should be telling you this, but Twilight's got a bit of a history regarding Rarity and stallions. She's a little infamous around Ponyville, really." Coco shrugged, fighting off a laugh. "Hell, look at you. I'll bet this is going in one ear and out the other right now. We'll talk in the morning."

"Why would we talk in the morning?" Jason's eyes drifted shut for a moment—he shook his head to remember where he was. "You're Rarity's friend and I hurt her. Why would you want to talk to me?"

"Because, Rarity won't tell me what happened, and I want to get to the bottom of this." Coco lost the harsh look for a moment, leaning back on the other side of the bed. "Besides, look what a state you got in over her. You obviously care. Once I know what happened, if I think you honestly deserve it, I'll even help you fix things. I want to see Rarity happy, after all, and that means knowing whether you're just another nasty stallion, or if this is all just the result of a bad situation."

"All situations are bad." Jason had resorted to simple nihilistic phrases now. 

"Jeez, are you this much of a charm when you're sober?"

"Only half," Jason grunted.

"You'd better hope for your sake that that isn't true, or I'll be forgetting how pretty you are and telling Rarity she can do better."

Jason blinked at that. "I'm not pretty."

Coco actually laughed pretty loudly at that. "Look, no offence, Jason, but if it wasn't for how insanely attractive you are, I'd be struggling to see any of what Rarity does in you right now. And I know she doesn't just go for looks, either."

A few seconds passed, and it clicked in Jason's head. Well, something did. "That's it!" He nodded to himself a few times, head rather limp. "That's it, isn't it? You think I'm hot too. You all think I'm hot..." He leaned on his side, taking her in. "You want me to have sex with you, don't you?"

"Jason, I thought we'd already been over this."

"N-no, you... you said you wouldn't try anything on with me, and you're not." Jason nodded to himself, one more time. "But you want me. You want me in exchange for helping with Rarity. All you mares want sex. That's it, isn't it?"

"That's not it, Jason, I promise. I—"

He wasn't listening. "I'll do it, you know?" He bit his lip, perhaps too hard. "I know how it works here. I know what I have to do. If it helps me with seeing Rarity again, I'll do it."

"Jason, you—mff!" And it was there, sudden, electric. It'd been Jason that'd made the first move, a spastic lurch that had been more effort than it was worth. There was barely allure in the kiss for him in the first millisecond, but enough mental lubricant to kill a baby panda was making this ten times the erotic feeling it really was, forcing each sensation to register as a shuddering pleasure that resonated throughout his entire body. He was determined to kiss her, to feel her, to hold her, to do whatever he needed to in order to ensure that he left her satisfied.

He was assertive with it, too. He could be if he wanted to. He was sure mares would like that too. He parted her lips further, pushed her down, pressed his tongue against hers. He heard a little whine from beneath him. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine he didn't know who it came from. Truthfully, he barely did. His arousal was beginning to creep in, not all centralised in his growing semi but shooting all through him, crawling up his spine and making him shudder, building in his core which radiated with heat, sliding across his tongue as it made contact with another mare...

And there was that earth pony strength he'd heard so much about, but it was doing something other than what he'd expected. It wasn't pulling him deeper in, or trying to pin him down in turn and wrestle for dominance. No... it was?

Coco was pushing him off of her. Did she want to be on top? No, this wasn't a control thing, this was more desperation. It had taken Jason too long to notice, or it had taken Coco too long to react, but something was wrong with this. All at once, he pulled away, and both of them thought to regain their breaths.

He was sure she'd kissed back. He'd felt it. She'd definitely returned the gesture at least a little before breaking away. Then why?...

"Sorry," they both said in unison, and found themselves awkwardly turning to one another in the process.

"I didn't want that," Coco said, and Jason wasn't sure whether to be relieved or annoyed. "...I mean, I did, in a kind of primal way, but it's not what I want. I don't want to do that with you just so you think I'll help. I think it's horrible that you've ever had to feel that way, honestly. I'm really sorry for that."

"I..." Jason wasn't sure what to say. He'd acted on impulse, not out of attraction, or want, or lust—that had came after. It was desperation. Pathetic desperation. "I shouldn't have assumed. I'm sorry too."

"Let's forget about it and try to sleep," Coco said, sliding beneath the covers and giving Jason space as best she could, though there was little to separate them. "It was a mistake, and it's my fault. Tomorrow, you'll feel better, and we'll fix things, I promise. For now, though? Goodnight, Jason."

"...goodnight." He'd thought for a few seconds before that, but he couldn't land on anything to say. What repaired a situation like that? The poor mare had come here to help him, and he'd... had he really convinced himself he was doing something selfless? Jason hated all of this.

The thing that hurt most was something that dawned on him as he attempted to sleep next to this kind, forgiving mare, long after his arousal had faded and he didn't have to worry about poking her with something stiff in the night. It was a very simple thing, one that he hadn't even considered in the moment, but now it was as plain as day to him.

He'd never kissed another pony before. Rainbow, Pinkie? They'd both blown him. Rarity, he'd almost kissed. Twilight, he'd teased with the prospect with his anger. He'd just committed arguably the most intimate act possible with another pony for the first time, and it wasn't Rarity. She could never be his first now, whether he was sure he'd done it for her or not.

And that stung. And it made it even more apparent to him that even in this difficult world, where everything was so topsy turvy and strange, that the mares like Twilight weren't the only ones who could stand to change.

He was just glad that he had Coco with him. He was only slightly ashamed to admit that he ended up cuddling into her during the night, and she didn't complain. Right then, he needed a companion, someone to weather the storm in his mind.

Hopefully, come morning, he'd be able to deal with the aftermath.

Well, that and the hangover.