Doctor Fetlock is seeking a new soul to fill a need. He must be willing to become the perfect partner for a mare in need. She casts out her net, fishing for one that will answer her call.
Doctor Fetlock is seeking a new soul to fill a need. He must be willing to become the perfect partner for a mare in need. She casts out her net, fishing for one that will answer her call.
Doctor Fetlock blew upwards, knocking her own mane free of her eyes before returning her gaze to the nervously smiling earth mare in front of her. "I feel I should warn, my services are not cheap. On the other hoof." She angled her right hoof. "I provide quality service. Your very dreams will be made real and flesh. Are you prepared for this?"
The mare coiled on herself, nosing into her pocket and drawing out a jingling bag. She uncoiled, the bag sent flying to land on the center of the table, a few bits tumbling free from the sudden motion. "I am ready! But can you really do it? I want a Kirin, not just a regular pony. A stallion."
Fetlock reached with her left hoof for the bag, though it was her horn that pulled it closer with a soft glow. "Very good, but tell me more... A kirin you say?"
"Ah... think that's what they're called," demurred the mare, suddenly unsure. "Oh, Ahm Summer Blossom, by the way."
"Charmed." She turned that left hoof towards herself. "Doctor Fetlock. How did you... hear of me?" Not that she really made much advertising effort. She was in the pocket of seedy ponies and they had work for her. The nervous but smiling pony before her was clearly not one of them.
"Big Mac said you did good work." She tilted her head left and right, her stetson shifting about with the motion. "Did you... make his marefriend? Oh wow that would explain so much!" She put her hooves to her face. "Ah won't tell anypony, promise!"
Fetlock raised a hoof. "Glad you brought that up. You will not tell anyone about me, kindly. I am a very exclusive service. You've already found me, and came prepared... so we'll overlook this, this time." The bag slid off the table, bits secured. "Now let's return to talking about what you want."
Summer moved her hoof over her lips, zipping them and throwing away the key. "Mum's the word, so, a kirin!" She grabbed a pencil that was there on the desk in her mouth and got to eagerly drawing, making a crude drawing of a kirin. "I saw it once; most majestic thing you ever done seen!" She slapped her new drawing with a hoof. "It's hard to put into words, but big and majestic. He looked to me with these big soulful eyes, but he didn't say nothin', just kinda... looked through me." She shivered, but her smile only grew as she did so.
Fetlock had no idea as to the workings of kirin. This would not stop her. "I see. Large, stoic, quiet." She smiled as her mane fell in front of her eyes, forcing her to puff upwards to blow it back out of the way. "Much like the stallion who directed you to me."
"Yes! But not a pony." She pointed at the drawing. "Besides, he's taken. Ah ain't tryin' to compete with another mare. This one will be all mine, right?"
"All yours," Fetlock agreed, nodding at Summer. "His heart will be yours."
"My heart will be his," she dreamily sighed out, going limp on her stool. "What do you need?"
Fetlock pointed past Summer. "Go back in front and wait. My secretary will call you when I'm ready, or instruct you to return at a later date. I have all I need to begin this."
"The griffon?" Summer peeked back into the darkness that led towards the front part of the office. "She's kinda grouchy."
"She does good work." Fetlock shrugged lightly. "It's hard to find a good worker, and she is one."
"Won't argue that none." She hopped down to the floor. "Look, thanks Doc. Ah can't wait!" She trotted away with a hopeful smile, shivering with anticipation.
Fetlock stepped on a button. "Miss Blossom is coming out. See that she is comfortable, and stays there, until I'm done. I'll be busy with a procedure."
"On it," came the curt reply. "Be gentle?"
"She paid, be gentle." Fetlock stepped off the pad and approached a cloth divider that her magic brushed open with a sudden pull, revealing an intricate pattern on the ground. "Time to fill a hole. It's what my cutie mark is telling me." She wiggled her back end where her cutie mark rested, the outline of a pony that wasn't there. The very pony she worked to create.
She began subtly altering the diagram on the floor, her horn glowing as new marks appeared and old ones were scrubbed away gently. She had a new pony, a kirin, to summon, and that meant a new ritual. She had to get it just right.
With a pumped fist, he cheered at the screen. "Yeah, take that!" It had taken about an hour to finish that raid boss, but they had done it, and the chat was scrolling thick and fast with others celebrating their victory. It was moments just as that which has brought him to playing MMOs.
A new window suddenly appeared. It displayed a strange creature, four-legged, cloven hooved, big horn, tail with stylized tufts practically all along it.
"Kirin," it announced. "New Race Unlocked!"
He blinked softly. The raid had a race unlock?! When was that a thing?! "The heck?"
He saw others reacting to it on the channel. A lot of people had, by the look of it, already closed the window and were moving on.
He wasn't so fast. The kirin looked interesting to him. "Extended personal story," it promised in words. "Special follower!! Be the star of your own story in a way you never were before."
There was a button right there to make a new character. "How do I say no to that?" His current character was up to spec to raid, and while raiding was great, a new character to grind up might be fun to do. Besides, most of them were bipedal, but the kirin looked like a crazy dragon-horse. "That's pretty metal." He grinned as he pressed the button.
The screen faded away to a loading screen before transitioning to a kirin looking at him placidly. The character creation tools were there, waiting for him to tweak and play with the avatar that would be his new character. "Hmm..." He clicked a few colors before hitting a soft blue shade he liked, pale and wintery. "Nice." But he saw the scales on the kirin's back and their mane colors hadn't changed. He clicked one and shifted the scales to be a subtly different and lighter shade of blue. "But let's not be monochrome."
He darkened the mane and tufts to an earthy brown. He picked a nice golden shade for the kirin's eyes, still watching him patiently. "I like this look..." The kirin had a horn, dark red and powerful looking, with a little fork at the top. He considered it a moment before clicking it. A bedazzling series of options appeared.
He began clicking on them, seeing he could make the horn have all kinds of shapes and nublets. "Uh, hmm... Let's keep this... simple." He smoothed out the horn, but left it the red tone that was its default. "Awesome..."
The avatar's horn sudden began to glow when he clicked 'ok' for it and an apple floated into view, held in its magic before being devoured by the avatar. "Aw hell yeah!" He quickly figured out it was magic. A magic dragon horse thing? Who could complain about that?
"Would you like to try the tutorial?" asked the game. "This race plays differently than the others."
Tony shrugged lightly. "Yeah sure." He'd probably breeze through it, but maybe there was an achievement hiding away that he could get to. He pressed the yes button and he fell.
He plummeted through the floor as if it wasn't there. Wind howled in his ears as he screamed in surprise and fear. The wind itself seemed to become razor sharp, slicing his clothing away without nicking his increasingly exposed flesh. Bright flashes of colors streaked past him as he soared between worlds.
He flailed at the air as if he could swim against the gravity pulling him, but his hands and feet began to stiffen and harden. Slowly his fingers were drawn together, but also spread in two, pointer and index finger on one side, ring and pinkie on the other as they seemed to flow into one another, becoming something new and different. Hard hooven material began to form at the end, a familiar shade he had assigned his new avatar. "What...?"
"Tutorial begin," displayed in front of him, but the words bled away almost as quickly as they had come. He had the impression that the ground was coming and he looked down in time to see his feet had transformed in a similar way, becoming cloven hooves. The rest of him was still human and normal, if naked.
The ground was still coming, all too quickly. He put out his new hooves as if they would protect him from the impact and he smashed into the glowing pattern that filled his vision.
Fetlock's horn faded from blindingly brilliant to a softer shade as she stood up. There, in the pattern, was a human. "Hm." She preferred it when they arrived in the form they would inhabit, but... "This will do. Can you hear me?"
Tony opened his eyes. Everything was so bright... But he could see the form of a unicorn looking down at him, blowing her mane out of her eyes with a puff. He raised a hoof that used to be a hand, blinking in confusion. Everything felt fuzzy and strange. "Where am I, who are you?" was what he meant to ask, but what emerged was barely more than a grumble.
"You are a kirin," advised Fetlock in gentle tones. "A proud and powerful kirin. Your true love awaits you."
Tony frowned, thinking back to people who could even match that description.
"Oh yes, a mare, Summer Blossom." Fetlock sat on her haunches, watching him. "You are a kirin," she repeated. "With a great horn, a furred tail... You are quiet, but insightful. You remember, do you not?"
He hadn't, but it was starting to make some kind of sense. He had spoken oddly because he didn't normally speak, of course. He nodded as he tried to stand up, but his arms and legs were awkwardly shaped for the hooves that were at the ends of his arms and legs.
"Calm yourself." Fetlock circled the pattern slowly, staying outside the line where the glow began. "Your love will restore you. You were cursed, and she brought you to me to fix, but she is the final step." She pointed a hoof at one of Tony's new hooves. "See, already you are getting better. Ah, are you forgetting your name? You, dear kirin, are Winter Flame."
Winter Flame... That name felt... right. Tony quietly forgot he was Tony. He was Winter Flame. He nodded at Fetlock, trying to sway a tail that wasn't there. He would get that back soon. He just needed Summer Blossom to finish curing him. He looked past Fetlock.
Fetlock followed his eyes. "Looking for Summer? She's just as eager to be with you. Wait here just a moment. I must speak with her, then you two can go home."
He smiled, a subtle gesture, barely an upturning of his lips rather than the usual giddy expression he would have given.
"Perfect," crooned Fetlock. "Perfect." She trotted away towards the front. "Wait."
She left the mostly-human there in the summoning circle, emerging into the front office where a griffon secretary tapped busily at a keyboard. "Summer?"
Summer looked up from a couch she was laying across. "Hm? Oh! Is it done?"
"It is, but you need to know a few things." Fetlock crossed the clean but aged tiles of the rundown office towards her client. "His form will seem strange, and it is, but if you show him love, true love, he will become more and more exactly what you desire. He is your kirin. It is now up to you to finish making this so. For now, keep him out of sight, and at your side. The spirit that resides in him is delicate and must not be exposed before it has settled into its new form."
Some of that was complete hogwash, but enough of it was true, and it would give the mare what she wanted. "You have my number. Call it should you require assistance." She puffed at the stubborn mane that had fallen again. "Enjoy your new kirin, Winter Flame."
"Winter Flame..." She leaped from the couch and trotted towards the back at an eager clip. "Winter Flame! Ah'm here!"
Summer's enthusiasm dulled a moment when the strange creature that would be her kirin entered her view. "Winter?"
The curious naked thing looked towards her. He had the hooves, but nothing else immediately seemed in place. The human was looking at her. He was gazing so peacefully, but she could feel he was happy to see her.
The fire in her gently reignited. "So majestic," she breathed out. He was quiet and attentive, just as she had hoped. "She said I had to fix you."
He nodded softly, eyes on her, looking entirely at her, possibly through her. She approached at a light trot, her smile growing. "Yes... Let's fix you. First, we have to get you home."
"And I have to get him out." Doctor Fetlock emerged from the darkness. "And conceal him. Remember, he is to stay at your side until he is cured." With a glowing horn she brought over a blanket and gently draped it over Winter Flame. "You stay under there until she says you should come out."
His nod was a soft undulation in the blanket, all the answer they would get.
Winter could see little, the blanket in the way, and was left with his thoughts. Even as he followed after Summer, all he could do was consider things. Winter Flame, he liked that name. But he was sure he had another, right? He frowned softly, sifting through his thoughts.
Walking used to be a lot easier. But he had been cursed, right? Summer would fix that. That didn't explain some of the things he could distantly remember. He had been using things he no longer had. When he sat down on something soft, he had a moment to look at his fore hooves. They looked neat, but... He had something. Something important. He tried to stretch them, but they were unresponsive to such commands.
He could feel movement, and hear other ponies talking softly. Summer was talking too. She hadn't really stopped talking.
"When we get home, yer gonna love it!" she insisted, gently bumping into his concealed form. "Just you wait. Winter Flame... I love it!" He could hear her hooves clop together.
He brought up his own hooves and tried tapping them together, finding he could make the same clip-clop noise if he wanted, though his sounded just a little different with his cloven hooves. Those hooves had the colors he has chosen.
Wait. Chosen? His mind went down a path it should not. He had wanted those colors. He would be a wintery blue color. He could see the character creation screen in his memory as he set the colors. That was what he should look like...
He could smell things. Fetlock? That was Fetlock. That was her blanket, so it stood to reason it was her scent on it. She smelled... nice? Was it normal to sniff someone out like that? Part of him said no. Part of him said yes.
He felt something nudge against him and looked down to see Summer's hoof had crept under the blanket and was softly exploring his side. He reached for her and took her hoof between his own. He could smell Summer and it was different. Still a mare's scent, but a difference he couldn't quite put to words.
The movement stopped. He could hear hooves and excitable talking. Ponies were moving. Her hoof drew away and he heard her step down. "Follow me," she gently called. "We're almost there."
So he did, trailing after her friendly voice. He tripped over himself a few times, but she was always there, helping him back up and keeping the blanket in place. It was hot, dry heat pressing in through the blanket that only made it worse. He could but hope they were as close as she had promised.
"Whattaya got there?" asked some other pony.
"Somethin' ah done picked up in Manehattan," replied Summer. He couldn't see it, but he could imagine her huge grin. "Ah'll show it later. It's a surprise fer now."
That was enough, they continued moving. She led him up some steps slowly, and finally the heat broke. They were inside, past a door. The inside of wherever they were was much cooler.
The blanket was drawn away, held in her teeth as Summer tossed it aside. "Welcome home!" She waved a hoof widely over her country house. "It ain't nothin' great, but it's mine--ours. It's ours." She approached on light hooves. "We're gonna share."
Winter regarded her quietly a moment. He had questions, but the words felt lazy. They didn't want to come out. Still, her words were warm and her smile was equally brilliant. He reached to pat her on the head, but his hoof didn't quite cooperate. He had been trying to put his hand on her head, to have his fingers rest around her ears, with them poking up through them. He hadn't even been thinking it, just went to do it.
Instead he casually bonked her once on the head with his hoof. She burst into laughter, eyes turned upwards to his hoof on her head. "Nice to see you too, now, hmm... You're still not quite there." She stepped in under his hoof, moving it to the small of her back as she began to nuzzle at his other arm, exploring it up towards his chest. "You're all naked and weird. C'mon, you need your fur." She planted a soft smooch on his arm, tongue felt a brief moment before she moved on. "Come with me."
She led the way to her bedroom, where a queen size bed rested that she hopped right onto. "She told me you were a spirit." She made appropriately spooky motions with her hooves. "A spirit that I need to help be all the kirin you should be."
He blinked softly. That actually made a lot of sense. His fractured memories were of his spirit-life, or his past life? They were what he was before he was... there.
"The way ah'm seein' it, yer just too used to all that spirit stuff." She waved it away. "And not used ta a body. So we'll fix that." She patted the bed beside herself. "Up! Up! C'mon." She was calling to him like a beloved pet.
He fixed her with a wry expression and she seemed to understand, looking suddenly nervous. "Sorry, ah know ya ain't no pet. Please, come here?" She gently ran her hoof over the top of the bed.
He put his ha--forehooves on the bed and pulled himself up, flopping over onto the bed. It was soft and nice and smelled of Summer.
"Now, first, know that I love you." She gestured from her heart to him. "Ah don't care how long it takes to get you settled in, so this ain't no hurry. Second, you're gonna get better, know that." She leaned in, pressing her soft nose against his, looking into his deep golden eyes. "Oh... Those are already perfect..." His eyes hadn't been golden before.
He slowly sat up, smiling at her. He felt stiff in a special place. He could feel blood rushing to fill his still-very-human shaft. His heart softly thundered as it rose to point at the pony that had caused it.
She noticed it, her cheeks going red. "Oh! Oh... Look what I did done..." She looked down away from his eyes, towards the twitching cock she had helped stir into action. "Are ya thinkin' 'bout me?" She rose to her hooves. "We ain't hardly done nothin' yet. Ya gettin' like that just thinkin' 'bout being with me?" Her tongue ran over her lips, working herself up with the idea of a male that eager to be with her.
He watched her body, the way its smooth curves flexed and moved. She was a healthy mare, and she was interested in him. He could feel himself growing harder, watching her. She was almost naked, her hat still on her head, even if it had a divot from where his hoof had crashed into it. He reached forward with his hoof and casually flicked it off of her, exposing her. No, she still had a bandanna. She was still more concealed than he was.
She was grinning dangerously widely, giggling with growing excitement. "Well now, that sure sounds like a yes." She stepped closer even as she turned, allowing him to see her side more easily, her tail twitching, threatening to lift, but not quite doing so. "But today is all about you." She pointed at him directly. "So you just relax and let me show you ah'm serious."
He slowly sank, sprawling off to the side, eyes set on her. He wanted to approach her, to do things to her, but she had been quite clear. He would do as she asked, because she loved him, and he loved her. The two came together, he felt certain. Something was off, but he was certain, at that moment, that he wanted what the mare was offering.
Summer leaned in, her breath washing over his sensitive belly as she slowly moved towards his twitching pole. "So happy to see me," she sighed over the aching tool. "Let me fix what ah did done." Her tongue flicked over over the mushroom like tip of the human phallus. A part of her hoped it would become...
What did Kirin have down there? They were part pony, she felt certain. They probably looked like ponies, just... bigger, and just as majestic as the rest of them. A smile spread over her lips as she took the strange head into her snout and began to nurse on it gently. On a stallion, that was the most sensitive part of their instrument, and doing that would have sent one into pleasurable fits.
Winter was making little motions, pawing at the bed with his hooves. His eyes had partially closed. She felt certain he was enjoying the ministrations, but he wasn't going into a pleasure overload. Then again, maybe spirit tools were different than stallion tools. She sank down over it, engulfing him slowly in warm heat as her tongue pressed and explored, tasting him. He was leaking a little as any pony might do, promising he was functional and ready to fill her with his love.
With care, she brought up a hoof and felt over his wrinkled sac, imagining it would be one day larger, and fuzzier. She just had to fill him with her love and adoration, to love him when he was at his least, she he could love her when he was at his most.
She could feel the tension in him increasing. He was moving more, but was just as quiet. He was enjoying her efforts, and this encouraged her onwards, sinking her entire snout over his aching member. She drew back just to plunge down, making the rough thrusts that a stallion might make when covering a mare. Her tongue coiled around the tool, squeezing it along with her lips, helping create the ideal furnace of wet love to encourage him.
His hooves touched the back of her head, pressing her down as she came down, rubbing gently as she rose up. He was clearly enjoying himself, but he hadn't released, to her surprise. Normally a stallion would have been done by then, she felt certain, but this was no stallion, this was her soul mate, depending on her to do things right.
He drove his hips against her as the tightness between his legs only seemed to increase with every motion. He felt like he was the king of the entire world in some strange way, or at least monarch of the bed they were on, the aching stiffness growing with every thundering beat of his heart. He couldn't see it, but she could feel it, his member flattening out into an equine shape under her skilled tongue. It swelled forward a few precious inches as the moment thundered closer and closer, each millimeter coming with a rapid heartbeat.
The time arrived, his senses going white, relief flowing into him in a paralyzing shudder, but he didn't spill into her, instead the flow seeming to go the other way. As he twitched and shuddered in the motions of release, his balls lurched in size, growing a pelt of smooth fur as they became larger and larger, just as she imagined a kirin should be.
Winter Flame let out his breath, but it was almost silent. He felt, well, happy, and content. It hadn't been the first time he'd ever done that, he felt certain. He knew how that part worked, and what it was meant for. Yet, he was certain that was the first time with a mare specifically. What had it been before? Spirits, perhaps? Other spirits.
She had kissed him on the cheek and wandered off into the house, leaving him there on her bed, thinking his thoughts. Sitting there thinking felt like a natural thing to do, so he did not begrudge that. The weight that jostled as he shifted position drew his eyes downwards towards the new subtle sensation.
When he wasn't talking so much, he could pay more attention to things, he decided. It wasn't a bad way to be. There, between his legs, his hind legs, was a tool that had changed dramatically from just earlier in the day. It was flat at the end, with a curious ring about 3/4ths up. It wasn't hard, and that was fine. He wasn't with anything it needed to be hard for, and he wasn't in the mood to grab it.
How would he have grabbed it? His hooves wouldn't... His horn suddenly lit up as the answer came to him with a remembered image of a floating apple. He grabbed his soft tool in his magic as he smiled gently. Right, he could grab, and pull, and do all those other things. Hooves were not stopping that. Wait...
He looked up, but it was hard to see up at that angle. Had he that horn before? He still couldn't see it, so maybe he had? Having magic was nice. He returned to his previous thought thread, examining how he had changed. His tool was exposed and dangling, unlike his concealed and furry balls.
Those were bigger than before, and hung a bit off-balance. One was lower than the other, he could easily see. Curious, but there wasn't much else to do down there. He felt he would learn more about how well they worked when it came time for that kind of thing, which wasn't that moment. No, he felt too satisfied to really want to do much just yet.
His thoughts wandered off to the spirit world, or what must have been the spirit world? He could see the character creation screen in his memory, what he would eventually become. That kirin looked nice, and it would be him. It was what he had selected.
Why had he wanted to be a kirin? He frowned faintly, gently grasping onto that thought. Why? Well, kirin seemed pretty interesting. They had magic, that was great. Oh, a companion, yes, that had been promised, and he could hear her moving around the house. Yes, a companion, he liked her quite a bit.
He slipped from the bed and awkwardly stepped from the room, though not as awkwardly as he remembered coming in. Were his arms shorter, his legs longer, or some combination of the two? He couldn't say, but he didn't feel like he was ready to flop over with each step, so he accepted it and ambled along.
"That you, Winter?" came her voice before her head popped into view through a doorway. "Ah was just makin' some lunch. Ya hungry?"
Winter and Summer. He appreciated the way their names fit together. With a soft nod, he ambled towards her, his eyes wandering to the decorations that dotted the hallway, speaking of a pony that liked cherries, and had a family. He stopped in front of a picture that showed a whole group of ponies he didn't know, Summer nowhere in sight. Who were they? He examined it patiently. Patience seemed to come so much more easily. It was like his old spirit life had been a constant tumult and rush, he remembered that.
Now he felt no urgent pressing. If he wanted to take the time to examine that picture, nothing was forcing him onwards. He could see a ranch house behind them, cherry blossom petals on the ground, and a set of ponies smiling at the camera.
"Winter?" She stepped out of the kitchen(?) and approached with a perked ear. She never had put her hat back on. "Winter. What are you--Oh." She sat down next to him. "Old family portrait. Look at me, huh..." She pointed at a little bundle of cloth held carefully by one of the mares. "I weren't nothin' just yet."
He felt a faint smile coming, realizing Summer had been just a little foal, not even a yearling, when the picture had been taken. She was adorable. She still was. He put an arm over her and drew her closer, feeling her warm furry body pressed against his smooth naked one.
She laughed gently. "Aw, yer a friendly one aintcha. Just how ah was hopin'." She nuzzled under his chin gently before pointing towards the kitchen. "Come on then, let's get some food in that belly of yers." She started to turn but paused, noticing something. "Wow!" She pointed up at his forehead. "When did you go and get that?!"
His horn? He tilted his head at her placidly, not sharing her excitement. He already knew he had a horn, though it was sort of nice to have confirmation.
"You are already mysterious... Love it." She finished turning away and trotted down the hallway. "Can ya use it, or is it just fer show right now?"
He grabbed her back end as he walked, squeezing her firm rump in his magic.
She squeaked in horrified surprise, her back hooves lashing out. Thankfully he hadn't been following quite close enough to be bashed across the face. The sensation of being grabbed passed as quickly as it came and she looked over her shoulder towards the source. "Was that you? Ah'm sorry fer makin' a fuss, just weren't expecting no sudden thin' like that. Ya surprise a mare like that, somepony may get hurt."
Her ears fell as adrenaline gave way to regret. "But... maybe ah... could get used to that... I don't want you thinkin' ah don't want ya to be interested, 'cause ya should be. Shoot, yer literally here for me. Ah'm messin' this up." She reached up as she turned, putting a hoof under his chin. "Ah'm sorry, ya forgive?"
Her explosion of emotions didn't quite gel with him. He felt so relaxed about the world at large. She was a mare, his mare. He had surprised her, and that was all there was to it. It wasn't a grand statement, just a thing. He cupped her cheeks in his magic and drew her closer as he lowered his head, gently kissing her on the nose.
Her cheeks warmed as she smiled. "That sure sounds like ah yes without any fancy words. How do unicorns deal with this? 'magine a whole family of 'em. Never know when yer gonna be poked without a pony attached." She shook her head as she turned away. "Anyway, lunch's on!"
Lunch, as it turned out, was a simple affair of a sandwich and some soup. The bread housed an interior of tomatoes, lettuce, carrot slices, and a heavy slice of some kind of fish. The soup had corn and a rich broth, spiced enough to make his tongue burn just a little, but not enough to stop him from drinking onwards. Had she made the food? He considered it as he ate, but he didn't ask.
Her eyes were on him more often than not, watching his considering gaze and his still ungainly form that wasn't quite a kirin yet. "Ya know, ya kinda remind me of... nah." She waved it off, having never seen a human herself before then, but she had heard stories about the curious bipedal visitors, naked, save any clothing they wore, though her kirin wore no clothes, and that was fine by her. Actually... "That reminds me." She hopped down from her chair and was gone a moment, returning with her hat in her teeth.
She swung it around up onto her head and grinned.
There was still a divot in it from when he had smashed it and he considered that before reaching out a hoof and just knocking it off of her head without a word.
"Hey." She grabbed it in her teeth and swung it back into place. "It isn't time to play right now."
He reached, but she shied away, avoiding the hoof. That was alright, he had magic. Her hat lifted from her head and casually floated away from her.
"Hey!" She chased after the errant clothing as he kept moving it away from her, launching a game of chase as he calmly bit into his sandwich, not at all excited even as she fumed and charged after the hat he kept moving away.
She jumped for it, barely getting her teeth on it and holding firmly. "That's it! Ya like the darn thing so much, fine!" She stomped up to him. With a firm thrust, she pointed to the ground. "Get down here."
He wasn't sure what she had in mind, but he didn't see a reason to deny her. He set the meal down and slowly sank down before her. The moment his head was low enough she swung the hat, but instead of putting it on her head and hiding her pretty features, she popped it onto his head, but it refused to come all the way down. She tugged and grunted with effort before a loud rip filled the room. She had forced the hat into place, his horn piercing the poor garment. "There, it's yours now."
He looked up, able to see the wide brim of the hat extending forward. He didn't pluck it off. He could wear it, he quietly decided, if it meant he could see her pretty eyes. With a soft nod, he sat up and resumed lunch as if nothing unusual had happened.
"Ya sure are somethin' else... Now look, tomorrow ah gotta get back t' work." She pointed off and away. "Ah'll be workin' with the cherries, down at Cherry Jubilee's. She's a right nice mare, and she pays the bills, so ah ain't takin' any more days off than ah already have, so you have to be a good kirin and stay here, alright?"
He nodded gently as the last of his food floated into his mouth, chewed on quietly.
"Good." She took a slow breath. "Good. The town's not ready fer ya yet. Besides, yer here for me anyway, and ah'll be back as soon as ah can, ah swear!" She smiled then, a bright and giddy expression. "How could ah mare stay away from her dream stallion?"
With his food finished, he stepped down from his own chair, just to slip, his hoof sliding on the tiles of the kitchen/dining room and sending him crashing to the floor in an artless display. She was over in a flash, fussing over him, but he was gently picking himself up, not looking all that upset about the moment of gracelessness.
"We have to finish fixing you..." She glanced towards her bedroom. "That worked before... maybe... a few more times..." She licked over her lips, considering it. "Maybe ah'll let... No, too early for that. Ya ain't quite built right fer it."
Or she didn't want to be mounted by something caught between states, he quietly mused. She was waiting until he looked like a kirin before she would raise her tail for him. Until then, only her mouth would open, or maybe her hooves? Could ponies do that with their hooves? He reached for her with his magic, gently stroking across her back and working lower in a slow and patient way.
Her cheeks warmed the closer he got towards her tail, but she wasn't fussing or kicking, allowing his slow exploring of her back. Silly mare, he thought without speaking. No one said he couldn't return the favor. He imagined she would make so much more noise than he had, and he wanted to play her like the fine instrument she was.
It was his turn to insist. He gently nudged her towards her room and she complied, her cheeks warmed as he nuzzled and pushed at her in slow patient motions. "Ah ain't in no mood fer that. You best not be gettin' the idea that I'll be lickin' that salt rock all the time."
He nudged her forward with his magic, nodding as he went. He would not make her do anything she didn't want to do. Forcing her would be terrible, he decided. That would make her angry, and rightly so. She was his mare, and he cared for his mare. He pat the bed with a hoof when they were in the room, watching her with stoic silence.
She inclined her head at him. "Ah'm gonna trust you, don't mess that up." She leaped up onto the bed and sat on her side, watching him as he was watching her. He climbed up right after her and leaned in, starting to sniff gently over her rump, right about at her cutie mark of falling cherry blossoms.
Her blush became worse as she stretched a little. "What... are ya doin'?" she asked breathlessly, but she wasn't resisting, which was all he concerned himself with. He ran his smooth human nose through her fur, drying a line towards her back end. That close, he could smell her personal scent, floral, cherry blossom? A hint of spice. She was excited, uncertain, he felt sure.
He was looking at her backside, its curious anatomy. He could remember what he was expecting, a human, spirit, human spirit? Were humans spirits? He shook his head, refocusing on the task at hoof. Her pouting lips were ringed with fur, much like the rest of her. They pouted more towards the bottom than the top, creating a teardrop like shape. Her tight ass was an obvious doughnut that protruded outwards more than he remembered it doing on females before.
That was fine. Those were others, but this one. This one was his mare, and special. He didn't hesitate in approaching her equine anatomy, her eyes locked on him. "You don't have to," she noted without conviction. "I'm here for you."
He casually ignored her words, kissing her, lips to lips, but he was kissing the wrong set of lips. He pecked and nibbled at her leathery lips, but they were not made of the tough leather one might have imagined. More like the supple leather of a well-made handbag, they were soft and smooth and jumped when he began to tease them. "O-oh!" she squeaked, her legs wriggling, but her rump remaining where he could reach.
His tongue began to taste, licking gently over her sensitive flesh, cleaning the leaking fluids that brought the hints from before so much more strongly. He could feel himself stiffening, rising to firm fullness, but he wasn't there for that. What his nose was buried in was the point, and he was happy to explore the depths of his lover.
There, her clit, exposed just as her flower blossomed open in a sudden wink. He could see the little bulb and kissed it before things could close up again. She went tense as a steel beam and hissed with surprised rapture. He kept it held between his lips, his tongue teasing over it, though it seemed to be getting easier by the moment. His face was pressing out against her, fur spreading from his hair down over his face, becoming a proper kirin snout. Though he wasn't thinking about it, he was growing a mare's snout, rounded and soft. That was simply how kirin were.
He could feel his tongue altering in subtle ways, developing the ridges and bumps needed for an equine creature to move food around their mouth with the assumption that they had no fingers to help, and the assumption that no fork was present, at least as far as nature was concerned. He pressed the extending tongue into her, pressing into her trembling passage and burying himself in that taste that was growing spicier and more wanting by the moment.
"Fer... cryin'.... out loud," she sighed out, flopping and trembling. "Don't stop... don't..."
Winter nuzzled into her trembling back end, brushing his furry snout against her twitching sex. The inner lips fluttered in open invitation for him, winking wildly as he worked, each punctuated with a little cry from her as she pawed at the bed. Part of him wanted to accept this invitation, to clamber on her and plunge the stiffness between his legs as deep as it could go.
But she had asked him not to, and he would not betray that trust. He was her stallion, as she was his mare. They had to respect one another. That felt obvious to him, and he renewed his attention on exploring the contours of her quivering passage with his altered tongue, savoring every spice he drew from her. He focused on her clit, teasing the sensitive bundle of flesh and preventing it from hiding even as the rest of her opened and shut. She began to cry and shudder, eyes going wide before squeezing shut.
He had to smile, teasing what notes he could produce, the symphony of her delight being produced with his questing tongue. Each yelp and squeal a hint that he had done well, and he was eager to find them all, driving her higher and higher. He hit a sudden top. Her body trembled and she snorted powerfully, flopping in place, hooves twitching a bit as her tongue extended a little. "Oh... wow..."
She had climaxed, and he smiled, drawing back a little and kissing the naked portion of her nethers.
"When... did you learn that?" She weakly reached out a hind leg, softly brushing against his front. "Mmm?" She looked back over her shoulder and hear ears went up. "Oh wow!" She sat up, a little boneless, but her attention locked on him. "Look at you!"
He perked ears he hadn't thought about having, but he had them, great and furry. They were longer than a pony's and curvier as well. They were kirin ears perched atop a kirin's head.
She reached up a hoof as she turned around, brushing one ear, then the other, exploring quietly a moment. "Look at you," she breathlessly repeated. "Yer almost there."
He leaned in, taking advantage of how close her face was to nuzzle her and gently kiss her, finding the proper lips for kissing. She didn't resist and soon he was pressing her back, falling on top of her, his hooves around her and kissing her eagerly.
She wriggled, feeling his throbbing member pinned between them. "Tempting, but... not today."
That was disappointing. It wasn't a hot disappointment, more of a soft casual thing. He wanted to put it inside of her, but it wasn't as if he couldn't do it later. The chance would come, and being a good stallion for his equally good mare took priority over any one-time coupling. He nuzzled up under her chin, her head resting just beside his horn as he went forward and began gently nibbling and licking over her exposed throat.
She let out a soft breath, hugging him close. "You are... lovely. I heard pony stallions get impatient."
That brought him back, sitting up and tilting his head at her. Was he her first? He didn't ask. Speaking the question felt unimportant. He just gave her a questioning look, and she would understand, or not.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She reached up a hoof behind her head. "I was just complimentin' ya." She reached for his cheeks, cupping them. "Kirins are so soft..." she breathed out, a smile spreading on her face. "Yer like a mare, with fun parts..."
Winter had a hard time envisioning himself that way. He was a perfectly normal kirin. Is that how ponies saw him? He was a vision of female prettiness, until one noticed what he was sporting downstairs? He cracked the faintest smile, amused deeply enough to display it just a little. He felt masculine. He felt that quite a bit. He still wanted to mount her and do lovely things with her, when she was ready.
Her hoof brushed gently against his twitching shaft, noticing how ready he was. "Poor thing. You won't be mad if I leave you waitin' fer today, ah hope?" When he shook his head, she let out a gust of breath. "Good... Look, it's temptin', don't get me wrong or nothin'. Ah just made a promise, alright? So you keep right on getting sexier." She touched the end of her snout to his before sliding right along past him, hopping down to the floor. "You already know how to treat a mare, shoot! Ah need a shower." She trotted off, tail swaying happily.
That left him in the room with an intense erection and want to do things with it, but no willing mare. A thought surfaced. What else did a male do in such a situation? He rolled over onto his back, looking down at the aching tool as he imagined grabbing it. He could feel his magic curling around the long thing, engulfing it all and giving a slow pull at his command. He watched how the flesh folded and wrinkled with each slow pull, his tongue extending a little as pleasure built.
He scratched and rubbed over his heavy balls, making himself jump and squirm, hooves pedaling at the air. Winter felt certain he should be snorting and huffing, but he was quiet as he worked himself up, thrusting his hips up against the imaginary mare, a vision of Summer riding him playing in his mind as he worked his magic to stroke himself faster by the moment. He closed his eyes to better capture the fantasy as he squeezed as tightly as he imagined her insides to be.
It was a pity his magic wasn't warm, but it was skilled at holding, pulling, and teasing, and he rocked against it. Trails of pre-fluids smeared across his still-smooth belly and chest as he made wild love to the fictional Summer Blossom in his head, plunging deeper and deeper into her willing form. He could imagine her cries, feel her tensing body. She was close, and so was he. He grunted and his motions stopped a moment, his focus going towards his magic to rapidly stroke back and forth, jerking his mighty stallion tool as quickly as he could.
In his fantasy, she was on top of him, bouncing up and down off of his tool with a manic rapidness, her eyes locked on his, but her tongue hanging much like his was doing, the two locked in pleasurable union. It struck. He squeezed all the tighter and began milking with his magic, but his grip faltered and he fell back, wheezing quietly as his pole began to twitch in a whole new way. Hot gobs of kirin semen rushed up his long pole, spraying out in great messy splatters of goop that fired up into the air, raining down on him in a display of his virility, but he was barely aware of it, submerging into a fog of male contentment.
He didn't feel like moving anymore, so he didn't, just breathing softly as he recovered.
"Winter!" Summer was returning from the shower with wide eyes. "Where were ya doin'? What happened?!" She was gawking at his changed form. His willing masturbation was apparently enough to signal the remainder of his change. On her bed was a cum-streaked and satisfied kirin stallion, looking towards her with exhausted but satisfied eyes.
He rolled up to his haunches, his softened member not flopping, contained in a sheath as was proper for an equine. He was a kirin, exactly the kirin he had decided on being, and he was content. He held out a hoof towards his mare, welcoming her for a hug.
"Shower, now." She pointed towards the bathroom with a hiked brow. "Really..."
Summer Blossom gestured towards the door that led to the outside world. "Ah have to go out there and make some bits, so we can keep this lovely house and enjoy our tasty food. Just how it goes."
Winter nodded placidly, knowing what work meant, and money. He felt she was a bit silly spelling it out, but he wasn't mad, not at that. He was more disappointed at the truth that he had to be apart from her for a little while. He gently touched the end of his furry snout to her cheek to let her know that.
"I'll miss you too." She quickly kissed the end of his nose. "Be good." She trotted for the door. He moved to trot with her and she stopped, letting him get past her before her teeth came down on a smooth part of his tail, stopping him instantly. "Stay. I'll be back, you wait here."
Ah, right, he had one of those. He looked back at the new bit of anatomy, a whole new limb. He lifted the tail free of her snout and gave it a little sway, marveling at the sensation of moving what he never had before.
Summer mistook his expression for acceptance. "Good. Off ah go." She trotted around him, vanishing out the front door. He heard a click of the door locking, not that he couldn't open it, the lock being on his side. It was perhaps for his own safety? It was that or she thought he didn't know how locks worked. That would have been silly.
There he was, stuck in her house. He looked around calmly, searching for something interesting. There. He came across a small shelf of books and began floating them free to have a look at them. They all looked old, the newest being some mystery about who stole a muffin. Why would ponies have a murder mystery, he calmly decided with a little smile.
He set the book back where it came from to look at the next. Journals, but not from her. Family journals? They smelled old and felt just as ancient. He set them down carefully, repopulating the shelf. There was another journal, but not nearly as old.
It was Summer's. It said as much, and contained her hopes and dreams as he skimmed. Was it alright to read that? Didn't people normally hide their journals?
If she hadn't hidden it, maybe it was open to read?
Or, maybe, she just wasn't used to living with anyone she would object to seeing the journal. He considered this, tapping a cloven hoof as he did so. He really wanted to know more about his mare. He could be a better partner by knowing more about her. He promised himself to not laugh or poke fun at any sensitive information. This was entirely to become a better partner.
He walked off with that one book in his magic grasp, bouncing along with him before he hopped up onto the sofa in the living room. He rolled over onto his back and got comfortable, the book floating down into view and opening to the first page.
It was time to read and learn.
Summer hopped up onto the wheel. "'Morning girls!"
"Morning," came the return cry of several others, manning the conveyor belts.
"Ready when you are," called one, waving a hoof. "You're looking bushy-tailed." Others nodded with soft agreeing murmurs.
Summer began to trot forward, causing the wheel to turn and the belts to move. There were cherries to inspect and sort, and so the day began. "I'm feelin' great!" she agreed with a big smile. "Let's break some records!"
The others cheered in solidarity before their hooves got busy, knocking cherries aside into a sorted bin, or the trash, as needed. It was a fine day to work the cherry factory.
Winter willed the next page to come, eyes sweeping left and right. Ponies were not humans, that much was clear. He was not a pony. He had been a human. He could remember his life. It played alongside Summer's as he read about hers. Part of him felt he should be more concerned about the loose threads he left behind, but maybe there weren't any.
He sat up a little, considering it. If people were being kidnapped by that unicorn, that would be noticed. It would be a Big Deal, but he certainly hadn't heard about people starting to vanish, yet she seemed perfectly comfortable with it, as if she'd done it before.
He raised a cloven hoof to his chin, reading about Summer even as he considered himself. Maybe, just maybe... He wasn't that person. He was, as they said, a spirit. A copy of that human, placed in a body that had rapidly grown into a lovely kirin. If they had used the human for a sort of... template, a base, that sorta made sense. They needed an intelligence, why not copy something that was already sapient and aware instead of making it from scratch?
But that meant he was nothing. He was just an echo of some person who had lived a life, who was still living that life.
He was a soft imprint on clay, a flimsy copy of the original.
The panic that should have come, just didn't. He instead just nodded softly, feeling happy for his new kirin self. Kirins just didn't seem to get worked up very easily. So he was a copy. Weren't all people... copies, to a degree? He was himself. He was Winter Flame, and Winter Flame was a kirin stallion with a mare who loved him, and wasn't that worthy of being happy about?
He was not that human. He was a copy of that human, a gift of that human intelligence and a way of thought. He thanked the human who he had never really been, feeling thankful and more secure in himself as he worked through the philosophy of it. Had that human gone on to win even more challenging raids?
Perhaps. But Winter Flame had a great challenge yet; a mare that needed to be won over forever. He let out a soundless breath as he turned the page. There was a picture there of Summer standing beside another little foal, a boy foal, a colt. They had their arms around each other and were smiling big for the camera that had captured the picture. Small writing on the bottom of the picture labeled it as 'Summer and Tusk'.
He smiled faintly at it, wondering about this foalhood friend, or relative? It could have been either. He got back to reading, wanting to learn more.
His stomach reminded him that it was there, gurgling a complaint. He hadn't eaten breakfast, or lunch. A glance at the clock showed it was time for the latter. The furnace of learning needed fuel. He slipped from the couch and trotted towards the kitchen at an easy pace. When had he learned to trot?
That was easy, he decided as he went. If he was just a copy of a soul placed in another body, the body would start imprinting on the soul in return. That soft clay thing was coming back. It was shaped by the first place it came from, but was bent and reshaped by the body it lived in. He was a kirin, so of course he trotted. It was just what kirin did.
Was he that calmly thoughtful before? He felt certain that wasn't true. But it was nice, he decided, to calmly work through things. Having a longer attention span was a blessing, not a curse. He opened the fridge and looked about. There was a large apple that he floated free, bobbing just beside the book he was reading. He nudged the door shut and hopped up at the table, chewing the apple and resuming his reading.
The apple vanished sometime during his reading. He threw it away without thinking, his attention locked on the book. The sudden knocking got his attention, making him start in surprise before looking to the front door. It sounded like a hoof on wood. Who could that be? He slipped down to the wooden floor and approached, but sat down in front of the door, his tufted tail swaying left and right, but he said nothing. He was a kirin. Kirins didn't talk, he felt certain.
Should he open the door? That would... perhaps upset Summer, and he didn't want that. If it was important, they'd knock again.
A slit opened in the door and some letters dropped through onto the floor. Ah, it had been the mail mare, or stallion. He willed the collection of letters up and returned to the living room with his prize, reading over them casually. Most were addressed to Summer specifically, of course, and he set those aside on the table there. One, however, was addressed to 'current resident'.
Well, he resided there. That made him a valid person to open it, he decided. It was probably an advertisement, and she wouldn't be upset at its absence. He slipped his hoof along the flap, cutting it open and brushing it upwards as his magic reached inside and pulled free what seemed to be a brochure.
"Tired of the same old same old?!" asked the thing in big bold letters, practically bouncing off the sheet. "We have vacation plans to all the exotic locations you've only heard rumors about!"
He tilted his head at the advertisement. Vacations, in Equestria? What manner of places were they offering? He flipped to the next page, skipping a lot of the fine print to get at the good stuff. They had packages to Las Pegasus and Manehattan of course. More interestingly, to him, they were excitedly offering trips to the changeling kingdom. "Meet the once-predators turned friendly neighbors! They're just as eager to meet you as you are to meet them."
They had far longer journeys on offer to places across the ocean. Istanbull, Turkey, Prance? He had to give this travel company credit for having plenty of options, and many of them looked legitimately fascinating. But, he decided, it would only be fun if Summer was with him. Wandering exotic locales at her side, that was how it was meant to be.
He smiled gently as he folded up the junk mail and tucked it right back in the envelope it came from, setting it with the others, even if it had been opened. Once he was more situated, perhaps, he'd go with her somewhere that was new, to her. Somewhere they'd both be a little lost and bedazzled, but they'd have each other.
He sank onto the couch with the thought of it, content as he resumed reading through her journal. She was afraid of caterpillars? What a curious thing to be frightened of... Apparently, she was terrified of the idea of their change into a butterfly, as if that violated all rules that should be.
He glanced down at himself, raising a hoof and waving it a little. What was he, if not a furry little caterpillar, bursting free into a new, horned, adult form? Sure, he was easier to hug than a little bug was, and less likely to be smashed to bits afterwards, but what was the difference really? He lifted his shoulders softly as he flipped onwards, eager to absorb all the little facts he could glean from the book.
Winter skipped to the end on an urge, wondering if he had been written about. There. She had heard about the possibility of having a pony, or kirin in that case, pulled out of nothing. She was excitedly writing about saving bits up to afford the trip to Manehattan, and to the mare that could make that miracle happen. Summer was going on and on about the features her perfect kirin boyfriend would have.
"I'm home," came a call from the front, a door closing a moment later. "Have you been good?"
He hopped down from the sofa, book floating beside himself as he trotted to meet his mare. There she was, smiling at the sight of him. She looked so... wait.
Her look fell, her eyes darting just off of him, seeing what was floating there. "Give that back!" she practically squeaked, rushing up and grabbing the book in her teeth, her cheeks on fire. "Ooo, what were ya thinkin'?!" The book dropped into her waiting arms, hugging it close and safely. "Ya ain't supposed to go pryin' inta other ponies' business like that!"
He pointed past her, to the shelf that held so many other journals, minus hers at the moment.
She glanced where he was pointing, then back at him. "What? I... They're reminders... Readin' them helps me... remember them." Her ears fell, a sudden loud sniff issuing from deep inside her. "What a mess... They're gone, ain't no privacy ah could go ruinin'. Ah--" She pointed at herself firmly with a hoof. "--am still here, so ya gotta respect that."
He leaned in and she didn't stop him from pressing his nose gently to her forehead. She smiled a little. "Are ya sorry?"
He nodded softly. Sure, he wasn't really upset at what he had learned, but he was sorry it had hurt her. He wanted her to be happy. He pointed to the book, then to her beyond the book. He brought up both hooves, rearing back as he drew a heart in the air.
She burst into laughter as she stood up, carrying her book to the shelf and putting it back. "Well ah'm glad ya still love me even after prying through my unmentionables, but don't be doin' that no more!" When she turned back towards him, he was right there, his nose inches from her own. "Oh! Don't startle me like that." She flicked her tongue over his nose. "Now promise. No more readin' that!"
He gave a soft nod, even if he really did want to see what came next. Would that he had a journal of some kind to trade. Maybe she would be less horrified if they exchanged their secrets equally. There was nothing for it. He walked past her, but that was a pretense, allowing him to run his side along hers as he did it.
"Aww... who can stay mad at you?" She trotted forward though, not turning to him. "What did you--oh." She spotted the discarded apple on the top refuse in the bin. "That ain't hardly a meal. I'll make something for us both. Workin' puts a powerful hunger in ya." She vanished into the kitchen.
That would not do. He had stayed home and read and he hurt her, even if he smoothed it over. He trotted firmly to catch up with her and his magic wrapped around her, drawing her right out of the kitchen. Her eyes were wide with surprise as she floated right up and away from where she had been intending to go. "What the?"
He set her down just outside the kitchen, touched noses with her, then marched in. He got right to looking for what could be prepared, clearly ready to make dinner for them both.
"What? You... don't have to," she weakly protested, sounding more baffled than anything else. "Can ya even cook?" She put a hoof behind her head, rubbing at her mane as she watched him, growing more curious by the moment.
As it turned out, he knew how a stove worked. He found some rice and set it on the counter and grabbed some veggies from inside of the fridge. With his other mental 'hand', he brought over a knife and began preparing things, cutting and dicing with a placid little smile. Cooking as a kirin seemed to be easier than as a human. Standing a small distance away, there was no way he could cut himself, so he went faster and fearlessly.
"What are you... making?" She tilted her head left and right, but she wasn't stopping him. "My boyfriend can cook? Do you stop gettin' better?!"
He put the veggies aside as he got the water going. It wouldn't be time to cook them just yet, the rice needed more time to get to that point. Filling the pot and getting it going, he turned his eyes to the spice rack, calmly reading over them. They were not written in English, and neither had the journal, but kirin knew how to read it, so he did too. He wasn't sure how that worked, since a written language wasn't... a biological thing... but accepting it seemed to make the words legible, and he just let it happen.
He grabbed a few of those bottles and went back to cooking.
"You seem to... have this under control... Ah'm gonna take a shower, alright?" When he nodded, she turned away. "Thanks. Ah can't wait to see what ya make." Her hoofsteps retreated away.
When she returned, he was much further along in the process, preparing two plates with a bed of rice each, topped with bright and colorful vegetables, seasoning dashed across both of them. He floated the two plates up and over to the table, silverware landing beside the plates as he clapped his hooves together in a simple 'job well done' satisfaction.
"You... little miracle." She hopped up onto the closer of the seats and sat down. "Smells tasty. Ah don't usually have rice. Bought that when it was on sale, figured why not, then I just kinda sat on it." She lifted an ear. "But 'nough talkin'. Let's dig in!"
He nodded as he took up the other seat. He willed a fork up, ignoring the parts that would attach to a hoof in favor of floating it. They ate, soft noises of satisfaction rising from Summer as she enjoyed the meal her boyfriend had made for her.
"You're forgiven," she sighed, setting her fork aside. "Mmm, ah could stand to end every work day like that, come home to a nice shower and dinner's ready fer me."
He raised a hoof to his chest, looking to her calmly.
She tilted her head, puzzling the gesture a moment before it clicked. "Yer sayin' you'll do that?"
He nodded gently.
"You're too good! But ah won't just have you always doin' that. Besides, ah like my cookin' too. How about we take turns?"
He nodded with the same gentle bob. That would work. He hopped down from his place, his magic gathering up all the plates and silverware to place in the sink before he got right to washing them without a pause.
"He does dishes," she sighed out, watching his magic make short work of the mess of the dinner. "Why ain't we already married?"
He dropped a plate, but it was a short distance, bouncing off the metal of the bottom of the sink without shattering. He looked to her, his expression calm. In his heart, he could feel some quickening. A marriage proposal was enough to pierce his shell, just a little, but... weren't they already bonded?
She started to squirm in place. "Don't look at me like that. Well, guess that's how you always look at me, but I didn't mean nothin'! We don't have to if you don't--"
He grabbed her in his magic and drew her closer, sliding her right along the smooth floor of the kitchen until their noses met in a soft bump.
"Or... maybe that ain't the problem." Her cheeks warmed as she smiled a little. "Or... maybe we're already married, come ta think..."
He nodded, satisfied that she had realized. He pointed to himself, then to her, and traced the heart in the air.
"My husband, the kirin," she breathlessly admitted to the universe. "My sleek mate that wants me to be happy, who... cares about me, just me. Who... wants to know everything about me. Everything." He nodded calmly to her assessment. "Everything," she repeated, cheeks warming with thoughts of him prying through her journal. "Look, yer a good one. Ah'm... so happy right now. Ah should write a letter to Fetlock. Mare deserves to know she done right." She clopped her hooves suddenly, a smile on her face.
Fetlock had created him, he figured. He was a copy, a phantasm that only existed because of the skilled hooves of Fetlock, pressing him against the original like silly putty to come away with the imitation that would become Winter Flame. Fetlock was... his mother? She was, kind of... He was still and looked off into the distance, considering his existence. He found himself wishing Fetlock wasn't half a country away. He would have liked to thank his mother, maybe give her a hug and a mother's day card. She had given him a nice little life, so far.
"You sure look thoughtful." She tilted her head at him. "Need some... time?" She looked so very unsure how to handle things.
He dispelled the awkwardness with a touch of noses, one of his growingly favorite ways to show a casual affection. There was something he still wanted to do. He sniffed over her gently, his tail swaying even as it lifted its great tuft into the air.
She sniffed back at him gently, her teeth felt against his tough flesh, nipping gently, almost grooming as she smiled. There were no words, and none were needed as the two inspected each other warmly, nuzzling and nipping.
But he arrived at her back end and gently nuzzled the base of her tail and his affections suddenly had a new meaning.
"Oh!" she squeaked, understanding what he was pressing for. Her tail twitched, lifting just a little. "Oh..." She looked back over her shoulder at the femme-boi that was her partner, but it had not been consummated. They were not properly wed until they went all the way. Was it time?
"It's only the second evening," she lamely defended, trying to push that back.
But he didn't seem that upset, gently drawing back. He would not force her. Forcing anything from his mare was just something he wouldn't do. Instead he circled around her, putting their heads together to rub his cheek against hers, showing his affection was very alive, even if he wasn't breeding her.
Breeding her. Her cheeks darkened all the harder, imagining it, and wondering at the consequences. Would she become heavy? Would he quicken the seed inside of her, turn her into a mother. Would it be a kirin, or a pony, or something that wasn't either?
She wouldn't hurt for a foalsitter, that much seemed clear. He would faithfully wait at home, playing the home maker, and raiser of any foals they made together. He would never complain, she felt certain. All she had to do was spread her legs a little and raise her tail up, and it would happen. It would happen over and over again, likely, and the consequences of that would follow.
All she had to do...
But she wasn't doing it. She felt confusion and anger welling up in her. She had exactly what she asked for, more than that, in a lot of ways. Her kirin was trying so hard to be better than perfect, but it was her that was delaying and not playing her part. What was wrong with her?! What more did she want?
Suddenly the ear closer to him was nipped. She started out of her musing to see him gently nipping and tugging at her. He noticed her start and released the ear, instead looking to her so calm and kind. Without words it seemed clear to her. He was there, and he would be patient, and he loved her.
She threw her arms around him suddenly, hugging him close as she buried her snout into his neck, nuzzling him so hard she couldn't see anything, her face buried in his warm fur. "Just wait a little bit fer me, alright? Ah ain't sayin' no."
With everything clean, including themselves, they had enjoyed an evening together. She spoke to him, even if he only nodded or shook his head. It was enough. "I... want to know more aboutcha," she confessed. "But that likely ain't happenin' any, seein' as yer kinda quiet." She had requested it, and got a doting, but basically silent partner.
He approached her on steady hooves, smooching her right on her forehead.
"I know that part at least," she laughed, kissing his mare-like chin in return. "Let's do some basic questions. Are you happy?"
He nodded, sitting on his haunches in front of her.
"Are you... a happy kirin?" she repeated, emphasizing his race.
He nodded, a glowing heart appearing over his head with a twinkle of his horn. He rather liked his body, as inhuman as it was. It came with perks he was still learning.
"How long will you wait for me?"
He tilted his head at her.
"Yeah, guess that ain't no yes or no question... Look, see... This is about the part where ah'd take you home to meet the folks. You'd shake hooves with mah pa and impress my mah and you'd be part of the family all official-like." She waved a hoof off into the distance. "But that can't happen... Ah'm all the family ah got." She sighed gently.
But he shook his head, then pointed at himself.
Her wistful expression brightened a little. "Well, yes, I do have you." She stepped forward and nuzzled under his chin. "And that hasta count. Ah think I figured it out. All ahm seein' is you at yer best, and you ain't hardly seen me at all. We should... learn more. Even if we like what we see right there." She turned towards her room. "Fer now, sleep, but later, we should, you know, talk more." Even if it was mostly her doing the talking, she looked happier for the exchange they had.
She went off, and he was right at her side, their hooves clip-clopping on the wood floor until she pounced up onto her bed, just for it to shake once more as he joined her without delay. She angled an ear at him. "Oh, uh, sure. We can sleep together, just not sleep together." She grabbed the edge of the blanket in her teeth and drew it back, moving to slip into the space provided.
He grabbed it in his magic, floating the entire blanket up as he moved in next to her and cuddled in close, the blanket coming down on top of them and tucking them in snugly.
"Now that's jus' cheatin'!" she laughed out, returning the gentle snuggles. "Could get used to this..." Then she felt something. He had reacted as a male could easily do when so close to a female they were interested in, laying in her bed, sorrounded by the soft scents of her. She could feel his firmness pushing against her lightly, twitching with his heartbeat. He had said nothing, but words were not needed to understand what was happening.
And she knew. She could close her eyes and go to sleep and he would not harm her. He would not force her. He wouldn't even try to convince her again, not that night. She could ignore it and it would go away. But he would be uncomfortably waiting for her to warm up. He had been literally summoned to be her... toy, to fulfill her, and she was so unwilling to even take him out of the box, so to speak.
"I..." It was dark and hard to see him, but she could feel him, his hooves were on her. "Let me ask, and be truthful like, cause ah promise not to be mad. Do you want me to do somethin' about this?" She brushed a hoof carefully against his sensitive pole.
He nodded, she could see that in the gloom.
She felt like laughing. Few stallions would have shook their head, in a mare's bed of a mare they liked and being offered that. Still, she had offered, and felt a little better. He wasn't her toy, she wouldn't assume that... She curled in and nuzzled the flat head of the equine member of her partner, teasing it with the fur of her snout as her hooves worked up and down it slowly, teasing it. "Then let's help you get to sleep properly..."
His hooves rubbed and held, but didn't force her to go any faster than she wanted to go. She could hear his breath catch and hasten, clearly enjoying her ministrations, but speaking no words of encouragement.
She opened her snout, breathing over it slowly as she reached lower, caressing his belly as it fluttered beneath her. "Ticklish?" She couldn't see his nod or shake as she worked on to feel his great and full sac, caressing those blue-furred orbs that held such promise for her. All she had to do... She took the tip of his member into her snout, textured tongue curling to tease at the more sensitive portions. Her cheeks hallowed as she applied a light suction, drawing out some of the prefluids his throbbing pole had produced for her.
She could hear and feel the thumping of his ornate tail hitting the bed behind him, showing his excitement and keenly activated interest. She imagined he wanted to shove his entire pole into her, but she was nursing at the tip, and he wasn't forcing the issue. She kneaded carefully at his sac, teasing over their delicate fur, making him jump and shiver with obvious pleasure.
He hugged her, his magic all around her, squeezing gently and rippling to strokes her slowly from her head down to her tail and back again, clearly approving of her actions, of her...
She drew back, a line of saliva briefly attaching her to the throbbing lance. "Ain't right."
He inclined his head at her.
"Do you want more?"
He nodded without hesitation.
"Do you want... me?"
He nodded easily, perhaps smiling, it was hard to see.
"Will you always want me?"
He inclined his head left and right before nodding once more. He was made for her, and that was a fact he was comfortable with. Sure, he had been a human, but he was also a kirin, who was a husband of the uncertain mare that was teasing him. He leaned in and softly nipped at one of her ears.
She started, her tail twitching as she turned under the covers, facing away from him. He blinked in the darkness, wondering if the play was over, but then she backed up into him, her body warmly pinning his member between them. He hugged her with his arms, drawing her into the embrace. His hooves wandered her belly, exploring her. She was not shaped like a human woman. There were no breasts to worry about for the better or worse, just sleek muscle that danced along with her breath as he found the more ticklish parts.
Her tail was twitching still, brushing against his sensitive cock. "Go on," she breathed out into the darkness. "Do it."
His ears went erect. Was she... inviting that? Part of him was screaming to not question it. She was his, he should claim her without delay. But he did not immediately pounce, instead moving her away and forward, getting them both into better position should he wish to proceed. He could feel the radiant heat of her teardrop lips, so close to his incresingly urgent pole. The temptation was maddening, but he waited.
"Now yer jus' teasin'," she harshly whispered, wriggling her bottom at him. "Is this how you feel when ah was sayin' no? Go on... Fill me. Make me yours. Yer already mine... let's make it official-like!" The last word pitched upwards as he sank a few inches of hungry equine flesh into her without warning. She could feel her insides fluttering as he worked further and further, every glorious inch singing inside of her the praises of the presence. She did not have a hymen to prevent his entry, for this was not her first rodeo. "'Lands sake..." she breathed out, arching her back as he plunged deeper and deeper into her.
Her complaints and worries felt so far away. Why had she been delaying? She drove back against him with a powerful snort, feelng the ring of his sheath kiss against her thick lips, the two fully interlocked. She could feel her hind legs twitching, her entire body on fire with delight. "P-perfect..." He was sized just for her. She could feel him everywhere, filling her so completely. The other stallions she had favored had been fun, certainly, but none had filled her so... perfectly.
Suddenly she felt waves of hot fullness rushing into her. He was cumming, hard. She could hear him gasping for air and he pushed against her in little, almost desperate, thrusts to press as far as he could, though there was little room left for either of them to get closer than they were. He was filling her and her cheeks went dark, feeling it, but... "Already?" He had lasted so long the last time. Had that been a fluke?
He squeezed her close and she could feel his head moving, shaking as he held her and thrust forward, spraying wildly into her for a few more powerful squirts. But he wasn't done. As soon as it slowed to a stop, he let out a relieved little breath and his horn glowed in the darkness. She felt his presence rushing up past his still fully-invading member to baloon slightly around it, teasing at her vagina from he inside, pressing in all directions and tickling at her even as he softened.
Winter kept his groin pressed firmly to her, preventing his member from fully retreating as he focused on teasing and playing with her, drawing sweet little gasps and shudders, keeping her engine running as he refueled his ambitions. It was as if he had reached inside her to play with her, which he had, she realized, cheating with his magic. "Mmm, don't stop," she urged, writhing as her tunnel fluttered powerfully around his shaft and magic. "Don't... stop..." Most stallions, she knew, would have stopped when they hit climax, but her husband, her sweet Winter Flame wasn't an average stallion. He was her stallion, her husband. "Keep goin'!"
He began to rapidly grow back to full size, giving her the new sensation of feeling that happen inside her, growing into her instead of pressing in, soon fully occupying her waiting oven as he drew back his magic. He was ready to please her as a stallion should, and he eagerly got to rocking against her.
Winter's teeth found the nape of her neck, nipping and tugging lightly, never a rough thing, showing his overflowing affection as he plunged into her passage that was sized just as well for him as he was for her, snugging tightly to every inch of his equine pole. He noticed something and softly snorted as his magic undid the knot of her bandanna, tossing it aside.
She laughed as she realized what he did, but the sound became a moan, her body fluttering under his attentions as her hooves kicked out at nothing. "Jus' like that, jus'..." She had hit her peak already, but another was storming down upon her. "Little... more..."
Males did not recover from their releases as quickly, and he didn't feel the oncoming rush of his next triumph approaching nearly as quickly. He was happy to work against her, a smooth piston in her shaft, knowing it was bringing her delight and happy for it. His own tail thumped between the matress and the covering blanket over them as he kept her hugged close, his precious mare.
She wailed and trembled, her passage tightening almost painfully, almost, but not quite. It was just enough to be a clear signal to his system. Though he had thought the next was miles away, suddenly he was tripping over it. White-hot pleasure burning through his system as he plunged his shaft into the already-seeded canal with a wet squish. His balls jumped and his member twitched in time with every powerful release, drawing up the seed to splash into the mess he had made, making it worse as he strived to breed his partner.
They had settled to sleep, firmly in one another's arms. When he had withdrawn from her, she wriggled about to face him and there they faded off, content with the world. When the sun rose, she woke first, eyes blinking to find she was pressed warmly against another. Surprise made her tense before memories of the evening before flooded back and replaced her shock with warm blushes.
She had done as a coupled mare does with a stallion she favors... Summer slipped from the bed slowly, first edging away from his sleeping grasp, then inching down to the floor to not make too much noise. She trotted away stealthfully down the hallway, a little smile on her face.
Winter woke, the lack of her presence stirring him. It was growing colder, and her smell was diminishing, but never entirely gone. It was her bed, in her room. "Su--" He snapped his mouth shut, going tense all over. He had almost spoke. That was not what kirin do! He was her kirin, quiet but noble and caring. With a re-affirming nod, he slipped from the bed, deciding silently to simply look for her. Surely she wouldn't have gone to work without saying goodbye.
He looked into the living room, but there was nopony there. He came on the kitchen next and his smile deepened faintly. There she was, preparing breakfast. He would have done it, had she woken him... Instead of interrupting her efforts, he instead trotted into the room and hopped up onto one of the seats around the dining table.
One of her ears turned towards him, hearing his motion. "Good morning, Winter. It's my turn to make some vittles for us, and ahm almost done, promise." She grabbed the handle of the pan in her teeth and deposited the food that had been in it onto a large serving plate. "Just a little more." She set the pan back down over the flames and got right back into it as delicious scents filled the room. "My wonderful kirin deserves a good meal after.... that."
That... He thought back to it, to holding her, and filling her. He felt like he should blush, but no blush came, just a sedate little smile. He nodded softly, considering over things. That had been an important step. He had broken through a barrier, and felt they were closer. He also felt certain they would do... that... more often now that they were past the first time. They were a couple, officially.
She squeaked, feeling his magic gently pet down her back. "You don't say a thin', but I get yer meanin' jus' fine." She flipped the pan and grabbed the serving plate, bouncing over with it and setting it in the middle of the table, just to dash off and grab two smaller eating plates and silverware to add to the setting. All the silverware she had was made for an earth pony, of course, so a hoof could easily slip into a harness of metal and wield the utensil attached.
He didn't need that. He grabbed a fork in his magic and scooped up some of the warm mixture of oats and eggs, but did not float it towards himself. She squeaked as he surprised her with the food floating right at her eye's height when she hopped up into her chair. "Ah can feed myself," she laughed out between words. Not that this stopped her from snapping up the offering. "Mmm, came out good. Eat up!"
Winter nodded at Summer and brought his fork back towards his side of the table. The two went quiet together, enjoying the breakfast with only the noises of eating. The mixture diminished with every little bite either took, refueling for a new day.
"Now." She set her used utensil on her plate. "Ah do haveta get to work. Like yesterday, ya stay here, and be good, ye hear?" When he nodded, she grabbed her plate and hopped to the floor, approaching the sink. "Ya mind doin' the dishes? That horn of yers will make short work of it, ah bet." She set her plate and fork in the sink, ready to be cleaned.
Winter willed his plate, fork, and the serving plate into the air as he hopped down, all of it floating alongside him as he came closer to Summer and the sink. He set it all down in the sink with hers and looked around, spying the soap and grabbing it in his magic.
She smiled and turned away. "Yer a lifesaver. look, just three more days, alright? Then ah get a day off, we get to be together all day."
He paused and nodded at her, tail swaying a little to display his joy at the idea of a day to themselves.
"You are simply the sweetest thing." She touched her nose to his, the two exchanging breath for a quiet moment of nuzzling before she drew back. "Now off ah go! Be good." She trotted away, a working mare off to earn her bits.
He watched her go silently until the door closed behind her, barring his vision of her back end. With the faintest huff, he returned to the kitchen and did dishes. It didn't take long. As she had said, his magic made short work of it, leaving each thing nice and clean on the drying rack, and they hadn't used that many things to start with. He reached a hoof for the pan and it floated over along with the cooking utensils, cleaning them as well to be thorough.
He was a living dishwashing machine. He smirked faintly at the idea before turning away from the clean dishes, considering how to spend the day. She had forbidden him from reading her journal, which was a shame. He felt he could have learned more about her and whiled away the hours quite well with that.
Instead... He went to the living room and perched on the couch, trying to think of other things to do. He remembered the raid that had let him to Equestria. He had no computer, he couldn't play with his old guild mates. He couldn't browse the web. He couldn't do the things he used to do, when he was a human spirit, or when that human was a human before a copy was made that became him. That question was still up in the air, but it didn't matter much which the true answer was.
Either way, there he was, and he was getting bored. He wanted to be with Summer, or doing something interesting, which being with her always was. But she wasn't there, and he was. But... there he was, in Equestria. It was a land of magic, and ponies, and magic ponies. Surely there were things for him to do in it.
He just had to go outside.
Sure, she had told him to wait and be good, but he could be good while outside. He'd be the best kirin around. Besides, it was getting more and more boring by the moment. With growing resolve, he hopped to the floor, trotting towards the door. As he got close to the door, he slowed, hesitation creeping. Should he?
He wasn't a foal. He knew how things worked. He wouldn't take candy from strangers. or assume shiny things left lying around are there for him to snatch up. With a last nod of resolution, he willed the door open. Heat and light spilled in, the sun out and rising higher in the sky, the heat of the day easily felt as he emerged into it, willing the door shut behind himself.
Winter strode away from the small house that had become his home, looking around the town it dwelled in. He could see the cherry orchard Summer worked at, dominating a whole side of the town. Temptation to go towards it, to find Summer, came intensely, but fled almost as quickly. She was busy working, and didn't have time for her boyfriend to bother her while she was on shift. That would not be a welcome surprise at all.
A small gasp turned one of his tufted ears to see a little colt gaping at him with huge eyes. Winter turned towards him and he fled with a squeal, leaving Winter standing there on the dusty road alone. Winter raised a hoof to his chin in silent thought. Children were funny...
The colt's hat had fallen off, laying there on the dusty road. Winter waved a hoof at it, willing it up into the air to come to a smooth stop hanging off the railing leading into the closest building. His eyes followed the railing upwards, looking for a sign. The foal had been just in front of a general store. That sounded nice, but he had no bits, so he had no business there. He trotted away.
"O-Oh!" came the equally started sound of a stallion, just coming around the corner of an intersection as Winter approached it. "Didn't see you there, ma..." He trailed off, getting a good look at Winter. He blinked with astonishment. "What...?"
Was he that odd looking? He was basically a pony. He tilted his head faintly at the stallion, watching him impassively with slow sways of his tufted tail.
"Uh..." He took a slow step back. "Didn't... mean nothin'..." The stallion suddenly fled away, kicking up dust as he went.
Winter frowned faintly at the space that had once held the stallion, but he had more to explore. The town seemed determined to not meet him, each pony that he ran into shied back and fled. He decided to be more subtle, darting from cover to cover, hoping to actually see ponies being ponies, instead of running away from him.
There were two ponies chatting, two mares.
"Did you hear? Some kinda dragon-pony thin' just stalkin' around town."
"No! Yer kiddin'. Anypony get hurt?"
The first waved it away. "Not ah heard yet. Ponies stayin' well away if they know what's good for them."
Winter sagged in his hiding place. Was he that scary looking? He thought he was more cute than intimidating...
"Ah'll do that too. Ah don't reckon ah wanna know what bein' chomped's like."
The first tittered. "Or bein' set on fire or somethin'. Shoot, wonder why it's even here?"
"Couldn't say. I didn't even know it was here 'till ya done told me about it." The second rubbed her chin with a hoof before shaking her head. "It's too much, gonna get mah chores done right quick and get home."
"What if it finds you there?"
The second paled at the thought. "Ah hope not!"
The first tipped her hat at the second. "Well let's get movin' then, afore it goes and finds us."
The two strode off with determination, to avoid Winter.
He sank to his belly, trying to figure out how to get past the pony's shyness and show he was a perfectly nice kirin, not a chomping and fire breathing dragon-pony. Was that even a thing? He didn't remember ever hearing of scary dragon-ponies out to chomp random ponies. That didn't stop ponies from being scared of the idea.
With sullen resolution, he rose from his hiding place behind some scraggly bushes and galloped away, making swift time back to Summer's home, where it was safe and nopony expected anything from him that wasn't nice.
"Well, look who's got a smile on her face," practically purred Cherry Jubilee, looking over Summer. "You've got the northern fields today, but ah bet you'll get 'em done before lunch time with a grin like that."
Summer blushed, her good mood spotted so easily.
"Oh ho, you done found a boyfriend?" She leaned in even as Summer shied back half a step. "S'allright, don't tell me if ya don't want to. You just get on the fields and get those cherries in the basket. You know the drill well enough by now." She kissed Summer's warmed cheek on the way past. "Good luck."
Summer trotted along, baskets rustling on either side of her barrel, filled to the brim with cherries. As her boss had predicted, she had been a storm across the fields and filled up those baskets nice and quickly. Thoughts of her stallion danced in her mind and a whistle lived on her lips.
"It's awful," said one mare to a stallion as she approached the main factory. "Stalking around town, looking for its next meal no doubt!"
The stallion nodded with a soft 'mmhmm'. "What'd it look like again?"
"A dragon pony," sighed out the mare, rolling her eyes. "Weren't you listenin' ta me?"
"Sure ah am. Oh, hey Summer."
Summer had tried to just walk past them and their gossip, but froze when addressed. "Hey... just turnin' in mah harvest."
"Looks like ya got plenty." He was looking over her baskets, and perhaps her. She could feel his eyes studying perhaps a bit too hard. "Good work. Say, you hear of this, uh--"
"Dragon pony," grunted out the mare, stomping a hoof. "Got a horn like a unicorn, but all big and nasty. It's got tufts of fur all over where a pony ain't got 'em. Ah hear if it gets a good look at you, yer doomed!"
Summer hiked a brow, imagining some strangely horned pony-dragon hybrid with uneven tufts of fur poking out in every which way. "Sounds... bad? Ah'll be sure to let ya know if ah see anythin' like that."
"Ya run first," advised the mare. "Get away, then worry 'bout tellin' us. Ain't no good if you holler and get chomped before we get there."
The stallion coughed softly into a hoof. "Is it that bad?"
"Worse!" instantly replied the mare, eyes wide. "So far ponies are avoidin' it pretty good, let's not have any mistakes, y'hear?"
"I hear." Summer scurried onwards, entering the cool interior of the factory. "Hey girls, got a big batch."
They weren't all girls, but most were, and all cheered as she marched over to the big input bin and filled them with cherries ready to be washed and inspected. She was doing her job and feeling proud of it.
Winter leaned back against the closed door. He was inside, safe and secure. That hadn't gone nearly as well as he had hoped. Would Summer find out? Would she be angry?
Worse, would she get in trouble? He raised a hoof to his chin, considering as he tapped his cloven hoof to his chin thoughtfully. He had to remain calm. Kirin were cool, collected, and stoic. He was a good kirin, which meant panicking was not an option.
He took a slow breath, regaining his calmness. He was home, Summer's home, his home. None had followed him, and he was safe. He rose to his hooves and trotted away from the door. He would clean up. Yes. He would tidy up the entire house for Summer, surprise her with a sparkling clean house when she got home.
Winter entered cleaning mode, occupying his thoughts with ways to make the house renewed instead of worrying about the town's negative view of him. That wasn't something he could deal with, but fixing up the house was! He found that his fluffy tail tufts were excellent dusters for what was low enough to the ground, and his magic wielded a duster to get to the higher points, slowly chasing away every dustbunny that was foolish enough to face him.
He suddenly stumbled, tripping over a box that had been tucked against the wall. Willing it open with a lifted ear, inside he saw a trophy, but it was dull and murky, the metal gone cloudy with neglect. With a faint frown, he brought it out and got to working over it with a rag and a dash of magic, buffing it to a brilliant shine.
"#1 Cherry Picker," announced the trophy once it was properly restored, showing a pony with their hooves reaching upwards, a cherry balanced on one of their flat hooves. He smiled faintly, imagining Summer winning the award. Why had she let such a nice thing go old and abandoned? He willed it over to a shelf in clear view so she and any other that entered the living room would easily see it. That was better. With a soft nod, he continued into the box, dusting, buffing, and displaying each thing he found in there until the box was rendered empty and he folded it up, making the hallway just a little less cluttered.
A job well done.
"Ya done good." Cherry Jubilee threw a hoof over Summer. "That's the Cherry Picker ah do remember. Is she back for keeps?"
Summer laughed nervously, her cheeks warming under her boss's affectionate touches. It wasn't that she was entirely opposed, but it felt odd, having a special somepony while receiving it. A thought struck her. "Reckon so, but hey, did you ever find a special somepony?"
Cherry hiked a brow high at that. "What a question! Ah got so many special ponies right here." She waved with her other forehoof over the factory. "One of 'em right here." She squeezed with the arm already around Summer. "Though if mah hunch is right, ya mighta gone and found somepony aside of me."
Summer's cheeks darkened faintly. "Ya say it like that. It ain't like we... did things."
Cherry suddenly backed away a step, her hooves on the ground. "Now ya look here, missy. Ya work fer me. Yer family, but not that kinda family. Ah mean, we never did that, like ya said. Still, family." She put a hoof to her chest. "Which is why ah care. Now, ya gonna keep playing coy, or are ya ready to spill the beans about where yer hiding your new flame?"
Her cheeks only darkened as Cherry got dangerously close with that word. "Ah'm not quite ready... ya know?"
"You keep yer secrets then." Cherry Jubilee leaned forward, fluttering her lashes. "You keep up the good work and yer in mah good books just the way ya are. Now, shoo. Enjoy yer lunch." She made a soft dismissing motion with both forehooves.
Summer wandered off with a little smile, happy to have weathered the encounter. Another worker wandered towards Cherry almost immediately. "She's been acting weird."
Cherry hiked a brow at the other worker mare. "Ah think she's gone and found a boyfriend."
"I don't think it's that." The mare put a hoof to her chin, looking off in the direction Summer had retreated. "Ah ain't seen no stallions around her. And did ya hear about the dragon pony? Maybe it has her!"
"Has her?" Cherry squinted faintly. "She almost had a record day today. If it has her, it can keep her." She turned away. "Now stop fretting an' get back ta work. Those cherries ain't handlin' themselves."
The mare allowed the conversation to die, but wandered off with a grumble.
"Want a walk home?"
Summer lifted an ear at her coworker, an anxious looking mare. "Ah don't live far from here," she demurred. "Not like ah feel nervous in this little town."
"Didn't you hear about the dragon pony?" The mare glanced left and right before fixing her gaze on Summer. "Ain't right ta be walkin' 'lone right now."
"I think I'll be fine." Summer waved a hoof left and right. "I'm going straight home, promise."
"If ya say so..."
Summer fled at an easy trot, thinking the matter closed. But the other mare trailed after her, keeping just out of sight. When Summer vanished into her house, the other mare crept up, pressing against the wall and sneaking along to a window to have a peek inside and see what was going on.
Inside, Summer was looking around with wide eyes, looking surprised.
There! The dragon pony! The mare drew a distressed gasp of air, ducking low a moment before daring to peek up again, seeing the dragon pony's unnatural horn was glowing with likely terrible magic, holding Summer in place. The dragon mare touched her nose to Summer, saying something the spying mare couldn't hear.
The dragon gestured around, but at what? The mare couldn't tell. They went into the living room, leaving the sight of the window she had been using. Poor Summer was being carried along, floating in magic, helpless! "She really has been captured," fretted the mare, rubbing her forehooves together. "Do I go fer help, or keep an eye on her...?"
Making a snap decision, she scurried around the house to reach another window and peer inside, barely getting an awkward side view of Summer. She was crying! The mare gasped with alarm, clopping a hoof over her snout.
The dragon was pointing to something, but she couldn't see what. Whatever it was, it was making Summer upset. Summer lashed out at something just out of sight and the dragon took a step back, then advanced on her, saying something. It looked so menacing. It never frowned or smiled, always so neutral.
Summer said something, wiping her face with an arm.
They wandered off into the house, out of sight. The mare sank to her haunches. What had she just watched?! One thing seemed clear to her. Summer was in trouble. Summer needed help! Help that only her neighbors could provide, if they didn't want to see her get chomped by a weird dragon mare thing.
With building confidence, she trotted away from the house, looking for others to gather for the cause.
Inside, oblivious to being spied on, Winter nodded to the house. "I've cleaned."
"Ah kin see that... Ah appreciate it, really, ah do... Just wish ya left that box closed." She smiled awkwardly, still wiping at the tears that refused to stop. "Ah didn't win that. That was fer mah brother, Celestia rest his soul."
Winter froze, staring at her evenly for a pregnant moment. "I did not know."
"Ah know ya didn't know!" she snapped before glancing away. "Ah know... Ah ain't even angry, not really. It was... just a reminder ah wasn't expectin' none..."
"I thought it was yours. I didn't want you to hide your victories like that." With a glowing horn, he plucked the statue from where it rested and brought it over. "I'll put it--"
She suddenly swatted it right out of his magic grip, sending it sliding along the floor. "Just leave that alone! That's enough touching that... Ah'll never be quite as good as he was, but that ain't your fault none."
He watched her silently a moment before Winter turned towards the kitchen. "I started dinner."
"Yeah... that sounds good." Summer followed him towards the theoretical meal that waited for them. "Look, ah'm sorry. Ya did good. Ya did a lot of good, just fer me. Ah kin appreciate that. House looks better than it has for a while, real nice job."
"How was your day?" he asked as he approached the table, several trays floating beside his head as he willed them to land on the table. "You looked happy when you first came in."
Summer pushed side dour other thoughts, smiling gently. "It was a good day. I was a storm in the cherries." She made a sudden shooing motion. "Ponies... that reminds." She frowned a little, slipping a hoof into the fork holder. "Anythin' botherin' you around here? There's word of some dragon pony makin' the rounds. I don't want you getting in any trouble."
Winter would have panicked, but being a calm kirin was the default state and he just nodded softly, hopping up onto his seat and relaxing. "I will keep an eye out, but I don't think there is such a thing as a dragon pony." He considered coming clean about his excursion, but Summer seemed stressed enough. "Eat up. A hard working mare like you need her fuel."
"Pfft, thanks." She chomped a forkful and sighed with happiness. "Who taught you how to cook pony cuisine? Ah mean, yer a kirin, and... you weren't that before..." She sounded awkward admitting that, but they both knew it. "But ya make such nice food."
"You have cook books." He pointed. "I had time to read and experiment while I waited."
Summer gathered plates, only for the glow of Winter's magic to draw them away. "Hey, ah kin help a little."
He shook his head, saying nothing, but she could hear his intent clear in her ears. "No, this is my job," is what she heard without a single actual word. He gathered up the plates and washed them quickly with his cheating magic.
"Well, alright then. Look. Ah..." She stepped from one hoof to the next, examining her boyfriend that wasn't a pony. "Ah spent much the day thinkin' 'bout you."
A cup splashed into the water of the sink and he looked over his shoulder. "You have?" He hadn't said a word, but his expression made it clear, to her.
She was learning him. He was her precious boyfriend. She smiled a little and advanced to touch noses, sharing breath with the stunned stallion of a kirin. "Ah did... and ah want to spend more time with ya."
He sat down and nodded calmly, a hoof raising to point at the dishes. Cleaning had to be finished, then fun. She accepted his logic and trotted off to the living room. As she went, she glanced into the bathroom, considering using it. "What's the point if I'm literally about to get messy again?" Of course, maybe he'd be repelled by her... natural aroma of a hard day's work.
She sat down and raised an arm, snuffing her own armpit to test her ripeness. It wasn't that bad, or so she judged herself awkwardly, her cheeks mildly darkened.
It wasn't that good either. Just as she was considering a bath, Winter came trotting in.
He was moving directly for her, his tufted tail swaying softly with each step. Though no words spilled from his lips, his 'little winter' made it clear that he was very interested in her. Jutting and twitching in pace with his heart, he put his fore hooves on the couch she was on and raised up to get their noses together, the two sharing anxious breaths.
"Ah... kin take a little shower," she lamely offered, ears pinning back.
He climbed up onto her suddenly, pushing her backwards. She was on her back, sinking a little into the couch as he moved over her, snuffing and biting at her undercarriage. "Or maybe you don't mind," she laughed out, her hooves kicking at the air.
"She's bein' menaced by that dragon pony! Right in her own house!" The mare stomped a hoof before pointing it towards Summer's home meaningfully. "As her neighbors, it's up to us to mount a rescue."
Another mare made soft noises of agreement while a stallion rubbed behind his hatted head. "You absolutely sure?"
"It was hard to miss. It was a she-dragon, a mare, just floatin' poor Summer around in its magic like she was nothin' at all!" She threw both of her fore hooves wide. "We have to go as a team, or she'll just grab you and shake you around and what'll you do?"
"Well, bein' the sheriff an' all--" All eyes turned to the pony with the gold star on their vest. "--I can't very well ignore this. It's mah job to see everypony's safe. So let's form a right proper posse. Who's wit' me?"
Hooves rose as he bobbed his own along with them, counting them under his breath. "Alright, we got plenty enough. Let's go git ourselves a dragonmare." The crowd cheered as he strode purposefully for the exit. "But first, let's stop by the office. 'least ya can have is some rope."
"I brought mah pitchfork," noted one mare, waggling the farm implement held in her teeth.
Noises of approval went up as ponies began to scatter, grabbing whatever they could find to arm themselves. Soon the crowd had many implements, from the rope the sheriff had offered to pitchforks, hoes, shovels, and torches. They were an unruly mob. "Let's rescue Summer Blossom!" one stallion shouted in a rallying cry, getting a return call of solidarity, the mob advancing towards their target.
Winter was on top of his mare, his girlfriend. She had been nervous, but that was melting quickly as he mounted her belly to belly, rubbing gently along her as he got himself into position.
"Go on," she breathed out, her hind hooves spreading as she panted. "Put that right in there..." She quirked an ear. "Did ya hear somethin'?"
He reared up, his ornate ears turning left and right as he looked around slowly.
"From the front?" She slid away from him, sitting up as the sounds of hoofsteps and voices become clear to both of them. "What in tarnation are they doin' out there?"
He touched his nose to her cheek in a silent show of support, hopping right down to trot towards the door.
"Where do ya think yer goin'," she chastised, hopping down after him. "Ah kin' get mah own door, not that anypone done knocked yet.
As if prompted by her words, a thumping clop rang out from her door. "Ya in there, Summer? We're here to rescue you!" hollered a voice through the closed door.
Summer grimaced, teeth clenchin. "Ya gotta be foalin' wit' me..." She raised her tone to a shout, "Ah'm fine in here!"
"Ya think she meant it?" came an uncertain male voice.
"The she-dragon's forcin' her to say that, ya idjit," hissed a mare through the door. "We have to rescue her!"
Winter turned away and trotted down the hallway. With a glowing horn, he pulled down the ladder leading up to the attic. Summer turned an ear at the sound of the ladder coming down. "Ah... forgot ah even had no attic. What're you doing?" She saw him climbing up to the attic and it clicked. "Oh, yeah, get out of sight and ah'll make 'em go away." She clopped her forehooves. "Good thinkin'!"
As soon as the ladder was drawn back up and the hatch secured, Summer reached for the door with her mouth, pulling it up just in time to be bowled over by the sheriff just about to try smashing into the same door. The two went down in a heap, his low grunt joining her squeak.
Ponies exploded into the house, looking around suspiciously. One mare offered a hoof towards Summer. "We're here, girl, no need ta be scared none."
Summer drew herself back up to her hooves with the help, frowning as she did so. "What I see is a bunch of visitors I don't remember askin' for. What in tarnation do ya think yer doin'?"
The sheriff sat up, dusting himself off. "We were told ya were being menaced by the dragonpony. You're wit' us now. Ya can tell the truth straight."
"The straight truth is that ah'm fine." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Ah was just relaxin' when half the town burst into mah house like they own it or somethin'."
The sheriff looked over over and suddenly went dark in the cheeks. "O-oh, yes, of course."
"You don't believe her, do you?" The mare that had helped Summer leaned in closer. "I saw that thing, the she-dragon carrying you around like it weren't no big thing. We're yer friends, you know that. Just blink twice if yer scared."
She couldn't help it, blinking in raw confusion. "What? No! I'm fine!"
Above them, Winter rested with an ear pressed to the floor, listening as best he could through the timber. Of all the timing...
Despite their searching of the house, they were coming up empty hooved for any dragonponies, returning to the front lobby in greater numbers. The sheriff took off his hat and held it against his chest. "Well, seems clear, fer now. If ya get even the whiff of trouble, you come to us, alright? We're here to help."
"I'll be sure to do just that..." Summer hiked a brow at him. "Now, if ah can get a bit of peace in mah own home?"
"Yes, right. C'mon everypony, let's git." He lead the way out of the house, most following him.
The mare that had seen Winter remained, peering at Summer suspiciously.
"Kin ah help ya?"
"You smell like you've... been doing things. Is that dragon pony using weird seduction powers on you?"
Summer's cheeks lit up instantly. "It ain't like that!"
"What is it like?" The mare leaned forward a little, a coy smirk on her face. "Ah hear from jubilee ya done got a stallion, but maybe it ain't no stallion. Ya done went and found a dragon, didn't ya! It has you under its horrible mare dragon curse."
"What?!"
"Ya kin deny it if ya want, but I saw it, and I kin see it now. Kin hardly wait for me to get outta here so you can go back to being wooed by that monster. Indecent..." She tried really hard to not sound at all jealous of the idea. "But it ain't right, and it ain't good fer ya. Ya gotta shake off that magic."
"Look, Maple, ah appreciate yer concern and whatever." She shook a hoof left and right, brows half-fallen. "But yer also callin' me some unkind things, maybe without meanin' it. Ahm a grown mare--"
"Who can make her own decisions, I know that. I do, but ah care. So you just... don't ferget we're here for you." She went to touch noses, but Summer danced away from that. "Hmmph. We'll be around, okay?" She departed out the front door.
Summer shoved the door shut behind the mare, grabbing the lock in her teeth and clicking into place with a heavy sigh. "Some ponies..."
The ladder fell from above and Winter peeked in, but did not descend it.
"Are ya afraid they'll notice ya?"
He nodded silently, the meaning clear to her. "Ah swear sometimes it's like yer talkin' clear as day... Alright, ya know what? Ah'll come up there." She trotted over to the ladder and scaled up quickly. "Oh, wow..." She became distracted the moment she was up there, seeing all the momentos she had long since forgotten. "Is that?" She went for a small dollhouse and sat in front of it. "Ah used to spend hours with this at a time, playin' house..."
Winter closed the latch with his magic and followed after her, eyes on the house she was starting to fiddle with. He reached a hoof of his own, gently feeling the smooth texture of the wood.
"You ever play with one of these?" When he shook his head, she snorted. "Figures. Mares tend to be drawn ta this... or maybe it's just that mah parents got it fer me. I had no idea I'd like it until they put it in front of me an'... now it's collecting dust up here."
He picked it up in his glowing magic and rubbed the side of his head against it once.
"You want it?"
He nodded softly, the two conversing easily. A faint smile was on his face.
"Well, sure..." She pointed at it. "But you take care of it. I don't want to see mah dolls bein' abused none."
He set it aside and advanced on her, tufted tail swaying behind him.
"Ya want to pick up where we left off?" She looked uncertain a moment, but it passed as she turned in place, raising her tail. "Suppose we could do a little of that... Ya sure ya don't mind a sweaty m--Aaa!" Her statement was cut off with a squeak as he hopped on her from behind and began hugging her. She laughed at his antics. "Reckon not..."
He bit into the nape of her neck, rapidly rising for the occasion. They would stay in the attic for the evening. Despite the lack of bedding and other amenities, he would not let her miss them, offering his body as a pillow, and doing his best to perform all the required duties of any boyfriend with a compatible mare he knew of.
Summer touched noses with Winter, the two sharing an intimate little nuzzle, smelling the other's scents before they parted. "You be good now." She was gone through the door, back to work.
He was alone, in the house. What to do...? Ah, clean. He got to work, cleaning what had become mussed up from the day before. The hoard of ponies had thrown some things out of place, and he tidied up dutifully before he arrived at one thing he couldn't really blame on them.
He needed a shower of his own. Winter stepped into the shower and got the water going with his glowing horn. With rushing hot water, he grabbed the soap in his magic and began working it over his fuzzy arms, lathering up with a faint smile. They washed much as he remembered washing to be, though he had to be sure to work the soap in deeper than just the surface. Things got more interesting as he levitated the soap to his back. It wasn't skin, it was scales. Running the soap over it rapidly started to shred up the soap along the edges of the armor plating he had built in.
Winter set the soap aside and spread his magic, splattering the soap chunks around and working them around, soon getting his entire back sudsy as can be before turning and letting the water wash it all away. His dark and plated back gleamed, shining with cleanliness. That was much nicer, he silently decided as he grabbed a bottle of what appeared to be shampoo and squirted it onto his mane, using his forehooves and his magic at once to work it in.
All the filth he had gathered over days of cleaning, cooking, and loving were being washed away. He was becoming a clean kirin once more, so he'd smell nice for Summer, and do naughty things to her.
His thoughts went to her and he imagined her hair gently cascading down the side of her head, so long and soft. Her tail would lift up and out of the way, a coy look on her face...
Winter realized with a tightness that he was reacting to his fantasies and blushed just faintly, realizing he was standing at attention in the spray. Maybe it was a good time to clean that too? Yes. Even that part needed a cleaning. No exceptions. He grabbed the soap and began working it far more gently. Its shredded contour promised no delicateness, so he was as careful as could be until there was some suds to spread further on.
Greasing up his throbbing pole with the stuff, he leaned back, admiring the mighty spear that was his. He was fairly happy with it, its heft, its size, the way it made Summer produce the best of sounds... He ran a hoof slowly along its tense length, his breathing shallow.
A loud squeal brought him suddenly to full awareness, crashing forward onto all fours, he looked towards the suddenly open door to the bathroom where a mare stood, gaping at him. That wasn't Summer. Why was a mare that was not Summer in their house? He forgot his compromised appearance in the confusion, staring at her evenly as if trying to puzzle the pieces together on his own.
Maple took a slow step back. "D-don't you give me the evil eye!" she begged as her legs quivered like jelly. "I didn't mean no harm!" She shook her head. "Wait, what am I sayin'?" She took a step back forward, though her legs still shook. "This is what ah came for! Ya stop bothering Summer right this instant. Release her from your foul mare-dragon spell!"
Winter perked his wet ears forward at her, his magic casually turning the knob to slow the water, the flow fading to a trickle before dying completely.
"The silent treatment, is it? Trying to work your wicked, sinful magic on me?" She glanced left and right, but didn't back away. "I won't let you snatch Summer away. She's a friend, and friends don't... run away."
He responded by shaking, sending water flying in all directions even as he stepped free of the tub. He noticed her eyes were not on his face, but a bit lower. Following them, he saw his pole was still hanging, though not quite as hard in the surprise of the moment. His shaking dry had caused it to wobble quite fiercely.
"W-what kind of mare are you!" she hissed out. "All... pony... and dragon, and mare, and stallion! It's... indecent." Her cheeks were bright red, eyes fixed on the 'repulsive' thing that hung between the legs of the theoretical tormentor of her friend. "Now you let her go right now!"
He stepped up calmly and, to her credit, she stood her ground. He reached up and gently rest a hoof right on her nose.
Maple's eyes went wide, crashing to her haunches. "What're ya doin'? Is... this how you got her? Oh mercy me, ya have some kinda hypnotizing scent or somethin', don't ya? Yer... claimin' me, aren't ya?" Despite her worried words, she still had his hoof on her nose, breathing in his scent. It wasn't magical in the slightest, but she seemed to be working herself into it. "W-well, It won't... work..."
Winter inclined his head one way and the other, considering the mare. His tool was withdrawing slowly. He had no interest in her, not that way. He had Summer, his true and proper mare. Still, scaring this other mare wasn't the goal. He leaned in and gently bumped the tip of his nose to her, drawing his hoof out of the way at just the last instant.
She squeaked with what could have been horror, or just surprise. "Just like that?! N-no... it can't be that simple." She raised a hoof to where their noses had gently colidded. "It can't."
He walked past her slowly and calmly, his tufted, but also wet, tail gently bopped her on the way past, getting another squeal out of her. "Where ya goin'!" She turned with his passage, scrambling to her hooves to follow after him.
Suddenly he felt a nose where it had no business. He looked over his shoulder to see her looking under his tail that she had nosed aside. "Ain't a mare at all," she noted breathlessly as if this were a great discovery. "But yer shaped like one..."
He casually swatted her face with his curled tail, a wet splash of his still dripping tuft right across her snout.
"Yes, yes, maybe that was a little rude..." She glanced away and back at him. "But ah'm yers now, so ah'm curious."
He stopped so suddenly she crashed right into his rump. He turned around to see her rubbing her snout where she had collided.
She peered at his even stare. "What? Yer the one that went an' claimed me. Ah'm bewitched by dragonpony magic." She wriggled her hooves dramatically. "Ah guess it was silly of me thinkin' ah had much chance. Look at that horn..." Her eyes went up, following the curves of Winter's proud kirin horn. "So much bigger an'... odd than a unicorn horn. Ah bet ya could do whatever ya wanted with that. Of course ah was helpless..."
Winter considered Maple with barely any movement, just looking her over and thinking. He didn't want to 'claim' her, or hurt her, or do anything bad to her. How did he tell her to go on about her day? He didn't dislike her, he decided. He didn't know her well enough to decide that really...
"Yer starin' again... Are ya putting another spell on me?" She glanced away and back to his eyes. "Ya... have pretty eyes."
He blinked at that, ornate ears perking up towards her.
"Ya do!" she insisted, blushing softly. "Or is that yer magic workin' on me? Ya do... ah think. They're real deep and ya stare right through a mare..." She put a hoof on her chest. "Makes her tremble. Wicked little dragon pony... What debauchery do ya have 'n mind fer me?"
Winter let out a faint sigh and turned away, resuming his walk towards the kitchen, but Maple was following right behind. She sat down as he approached the stove and began preparing food.
"Ya can cook?" she asked with obvious surprise, watching things float about and begin to be sizzled. "Is there anythin' ya can't do, except talk maybe? Ya haven't said a thin'... Ah saw her, talkin' to you. Do ya only talk to yer favorite?"
He looked over his shoulder at her in a quiet moment.
"Tellin' me ah ain't that?" She shrank, looking disappointed with wilted ears.
He shook his head softly and resumed his focus on the cooking. A quiet few moments passed, with her watching him work, and he not seemingly bothered by the silence that built. He waved a hoof back at her and she opened her mouth to say something when a plate dropped from seemingly nowhere, carrying a load of food for her and settling right before her on the table. "Oh! Um... thanks?"
She nudged at the plate with her hoof. "Ya take care of yer mares? That's right kind of ya... Least ya could do after snatchin' them up, ah suppose..."
Winter approached, another plate floating just over his head. Soon he was seated across from Maple, his plate set before him. He gestured at her plate, then at her, then at his plate, then himself. Apparently satisfied with his communication, he began to eat.
She slipped a hoof into the fork-holder, but spent far more time poking her food than eating it. Her eyes were on him, watching as he ate, as that girly dragon pony with a huge... thing... casually ate in front of her, so confident in her capturing of her newest mare. "Are ya... a she or a he?"
He looked up at her but said nothing.
"Alright, nod if yer a mare," she tried with a rolling of the hoof that had a fork attached.
He shook his head slowly.
"But... ya look like one. Do ya like how ya look?" He nodded and she took a slow breath. "Do... ya... use that thing?" She pointed the fork down angled to point right through the table to between his legs. He nodded calmly. "So ya ain't a pretty boy what likes to be the bottom... yer a girly stallion that..." She paused to swallow heavily. "...collects mares to... do things with."
She looked down at her food. "Like feed lunch to," she practically laughed out. "I have no idea what's goin' on no more... but if this is the worst ya have, ah suppose it ain't all bad..." She finally sank a fork into the rice and veggies, spooning it into her snout and chewing gently. "Mmm... yer pretty good at it."
Things became blissfully quieter as the two enjoyed their light lunch. As soon as she was done, her plate began to glow as he snatched it in his magic and went off to the sink, washing it without a word. Her fork popped free of her hoof, taken away in the same magical glow to be washed. "Yer capturin' mares and yer the one doin' dishes?" She rubbed at her cheek softly, trying to reconcile things.
This was the strangest stallion she ever met. Why was she still so captivated?! It was his magic, it had to be. His big, strange, hideous... compelling horn was rewriting her mind, one thought at a time, until she knew nothing but adoration for him. She let out a little breath, squirming in place. She should have been horrified, and fighting, or running, but there she was, just... letting it happen. "Promise me you'll be nice to me."
He looked over his shoulder at her, one ear lifted. That seemed like a harmless enough request. He softly nodded and put a hoof to his chest, then pointed to her. Of course he'd be nice. He was a good kirin.
"Phew!" Summer tossed her hat aside with a flick of her neck, knowing Winter seemed to have little favor for it. "What a day. Winter? Ya still awake?" Not that it was that late in the day. "Ah'm home!"
Hoofsteps approached, but they were not the cloven stompers of her stallion.
Maple appeared from the living room into the hallway. "There ya are!"
Summer blinked softly. "Maple? Maple!" She had gone entirely rigid. "There ain't no dragonponies for ya 'round here!" Wild visions of Winter being forced to hide in the attic all day danced in her head. "So ya can go home."
"Did he... enchant you to say that?" Maple was looking over Summer with naked curiosity. "It's alright, ah think."
Winter came trotting up behind her at a sedate rate. On seeing Summer he casually went around Maple, homing in on her like the fuzzy-scaly love missile that he was, a faint smile on his face.
Summer felt some of her trepidation fade with his sighting, only for it to rebound fiercely. "W-wait! What were... You know?" She threw one hoof wide. "What have you two been doin'?!"
Winter leaned in to touch his nose to her cheek, but she rebuffed him, her hoof catching his nose before pushing him back. "Ah need answers."
"Y-you can't do that!" squeaked Maple, looking terrified. "Defying his orders will make him mind whammy you. Besides... he's friendly."
"How friendly," Summer spat with acid dripping from her words. "Be specific."
Maple's ears rolled back against her head. "Don't you worry none. Ah know yer his favorite."
"His favorite?!" She turned to Winter, flames in her own eyes. "Is that so?!"
Winter held up his hooves calmly and shook his head.
"So I ain't yer favorite then?" Her teeth grit as she spoke, showing a worrisome grin of teeth. "Tossed aside, jus' like that, huh?"
Winter's horn began to glow gently as Summer lifted into the air. She squawked like a poked bird and began to flail in place. "Ya put me down right now! Ah ain't done tearin' ya a new one!"
He smiled just faintly, drawing her closer at a sedate rate. With a raised hoof, he pointed to his chest, then to hers. He brought his other hoof in to draw a heart in the air, his magic causing the motion to be highlighted, actually drawing the pink floating heart.
With a gently puff, he blew the heart towards her wriggling form, to crash against and dissolve into magical smoke.
She sagged with a grumble. "Ah git it, ya love me. Ah... love you too, but... what did you do with her?" She thrust a hoof at Maple. "She's actin' like ya done took her as a girlfriend too!"
"He did," helpfully added Maple. "He took control of my mind and ah can only think of how amazing he is. For a heart-stealing monster... he's really kind of great."
Winter shook his head slowly and set Summer back on the ground. He pointed at himself, then at Maple before be clopped his two hooves together. Drawing the hooves back left the floating glowing image of two hooves meeting, though one was colored like Maple's hoof.
"He's saying you two are friends," translated Summer without any seeming time to process it. "Jus' friends?"
He nodded slowly, then an idea seemed to hit him and he waved away the image of the two hooves, replacing it with a pink butterfly.
Both mares peered at the image confusedly. Maple seemed to get it first. "It's the element of kindness!" She pointed at it excitedly. "What's that supposed ta mean?"
Summer sagged with relief. "Ah think it means he really is just trying to be nice to you, Maple." She turned towards her friend and approached on firm hooves. "And yer makin' a mess of my home."
"W-what? I came to rescue you... and ah got captured. Ah'm sorry... Ah know yer his favorite n' all. Don't you worry none, I'll just be the beta mare." She sat down and brought up a hoof in a sudden salute. "Reportin' fer duty."
Summer swatted at her saluting hoof, knocking it aside. "First order, knock that out! Yer a friend, not... Really? What are we, animals? Tryin' to herd with me! Nopony does that anymore!"
"I wouldn't mind trying," she sheepishly admitted, tapping her hooves together. "He has enough fer two."
Summer's face began to darken swiftly. "What on Equestria do ya mean by that?!" She thrust a hoof forward at Winter, prodding him right in the chest. "Why is she talkin' like that?! What did you do with her?!"
Winter turned and walked away calmly. Both mares blinked softly, watching him walk leisurely down the hallway. Maple shrugged softly at Summer. Summer was scowling and began trailing after Winter. "Are ya tryin' ta show us somethin'? Look, Maple... Tell me straight... did you two... Did...?"
Maple shook her head quickly, a blush growing as she followed after Summer. "N-no! He done cooked me lunch and he's been right nice even though he never said a word. He claimed me and then that was that. Just treated me real nice."
"What does that even mean?!" She paused to rear up and throw her forelegs wide. "'Claim'? Did he... get physical or not?"
"He... touched mah nose?" she admitted with an unsure smile. "And he's trapped mah heart."
Winter arrived at the bathroom and went right inside. He hopped up into the tub and made a motion as if to start the water, pantomiming taking a shower, running his hooves over himself and wobbling the shampoo bottle in his magic. Just as Maple peeked in, he pointed at her.
Summer looked between her fake-washing boyfriend and Maple and back again, then snapped onto Maple. "Did ya sneak in on him when he was takin' a shower?!"
Maple blinked slowly. "Ya... Wow... He really is yer favorite... You understood him so easily." She shook her head slowly. "Yer definately the alpha ma--"
Summer put her own hoof over Maple's mouth much as Winter had done before. "Enough. Answer the question."
"Ah did," she admitted around the hoof, her nose twitching a little. "Ya know, never noticed hoof smells before today. Is that part of dragon-pony magic?"
Summer wrenched her hoof away. "Ah smell like dirt and work. Today's been rough and I came home expectin' to relax and to enjoy my boyfriend. Mine, not yours!"
Winter hopped out of the tub and walked over to Summer's side. He gently sniffed at her sweaty form before looping around her, gently nudging her towards the bath.
"Not while she's here!" she boomed in outrage, though she was still being gently shepherded despite her words.
Maple advanced along with them. "Summer, we're friends. That's why ah came here in the first place, ta rescue you. Now, I mighta done a bad job of that, but ah won't mess this one up. Yer the one in charge, so we're gonna wash ya good and yer gonna like it."
"If I'm the one in charge, why are you both not doing what I tell you to?" She was nudged into the tub, scowling at the both of them like a petulant foal that had been tossed in there. "Get on home!"
"After you're clean and relaxed," she sang out with a smile. "I'm ready to begin, my dragon-pony master." She nodded towards Winter.
Winter shook his head softly and leaned in to touch his nose to Summer.
"His name's Winter Flames," provided Summer as if she understood his intent. She sighed slowly. "And he says we should let you help, but then you go home!"
"I'm on tha case!" She snapped up a hoof before moving to the water faucets and grabbing one handle in her mouth, getting the water cascading over Summer, and onto her own head before she could pull back, wet.
Winter shook his head softly and his horn began to glow, plucking up Maple. Both mares squeaked as he brought them together, setting Maple right beside Summer in the tub, water cascading over both of them. Maple's hat floated away, set to dry on a hook.
Without prompting or waiting, Winter brought over the soap and shampoo and got to work cleaning both of the mares, his face revealing no emotion. It was as if the chore were just another he planned to get done, even if it involved two mares that were interested in him.
Summer rolled her eyes and sagged in place. "Ah don't think he's changin' his mind none. May as well just relax and get clean."
"He's... so assertive..." Maple glanced towards him before looking away, blush growing. "How does he do that without sayin' a thin'? It makes me feel all gooey inside."
Summer suddenly shoved her. "Ah didn't want to hear about ya bein' all squishy inside!"
"Ah didn't mean nothin'!" She turned to Summer, sliding her bottom in a pivot on the tub. "Look, um..." She raised a hoof as Winter washed over that arm. "Ah... We're friends, Summer... we been friends fer years... Please don't chase me away. Ah'll play nice, promise."
"This isn't a game... Wait! So yer not 'heart stolen'?" She raised a brow at her friend, peering at her suspiciously.
"Ah am... An'... ah I kinda like it... How did you run into him in the first place? Did he just walk in one day and claim you?"
Summer's cheeks lit up at the idea. "N-no! Ah..." She realized the truth was potentially even more damning. "Ah... ordered him."
Both Maple and Winter were staring at her. "W-what? Ah did..." She thrust a wet hoof at Winter, water droplets spraying across his face. "Promise ya won't be mad."
Winter inclined an ear at her before he softly nodded. He liked being a kirin. He liked being her kirin. He rolled a hoof at her, and she seemed to understand.
"Alright, alright, so... Ah was feelin' a bit lonesome like... and ah saw one, a kirin... Such a big, proud thing, lookin' around quiet-like... Never been so scared, but never... so attracted neither..."
Maple put both wet hooves to her chest. "Ah know that feelin'!"
Summer gave her friend a glare before sighing. "Well, so ah heard of a special mare that could get you any missing pony ya wanted, even if that pony don't technically exist none. So... ah saved up mah bits and went to her, hopin' it weren't no old mare's tale or nothin'."
Maple gasped sharply. "Is that where you went when you left for a few days?"
"That's the one," she sighed out, slumping against a wall of her tub. "That mare did exactly what she promised, an' made you." She was looking to Winter, smiling a little awkwardly. "Best bits ah ever did spend... That some friend of mine won't let me enjoy!"
Maple shook her head firmly. "Did she tell you he could mind control ponies? Is that just a thing all creatures like him can do?"
"Yeah? Then how do ya know exactly what he's thinkin' without him usin' no words?" Maple crossed her arms. "He's already got you deep... and he's takin' me... and... I don't even regret it no more." She suddenly threw herself against Summer, grabbing her in a desperate hug. "Give me a chance!"
Summer flailed, trying to disentangle from her grabbing friend. "This ain't exactly the same thin' as askin' to borrow some toy I bought. He's a pony, uh, creature. He gets ta make up his own mind, not what ah say fer him to do. Ya can't just--" She paused as shampoo was dumped on her head and he began sudsing up her mane thoroughly. "Can we talk about this when we're clean?"
"Ya bought him, fair an' square," noted Maple. "Never heard of nopony buyin' a magic stallion before, but ya did it."
Summer recoiled as the truth was slapped across her. "It... ain't like that..."
Summer was relaxing, as best she could. She kept glancing over at Maple before looking away, trying to pretend the other mare wasn't there as she was cleaned by the magic efforts of her boyfriend. "It ain't like that," she muttered.
Winter dutifully worked on the cleaning, but his mind was elsewhere, thinking. He hadn't thought of it the way Maple had said it, but was the way Maple put it wrong? He couldn't think of how. Summer had wanted a partner, a mate, and paid to have one created. There he was, a human, or a copy of a human, he was still not 100% on that, made into the form of that partner.
On some level, perhaps he should be more upset than he was? Why was he not even a little mad?
Because kirin do not get mad. Kirin are serene creatures of grace and silence. He was a good kirin and his mind would know no troubled waters. He casually turned maple over in his magic, flopping her onto her back in the tub and starting to wash her belly with sudsy magic grips.
Maple squeaked, her cheeks brightening as she looked up at him, hooves dangling in the air. "Yer... good at this. Is this what it's like takin' a bath as a unicorn?"
Summer quirked an ear towards Maple. "Ah... reckon it is, come t'think. But then again, likely ain't. A unicorn can feel their magic right? So they can feel themselves, like a hoof, cleaning thin's. Winter's not us, so we don't feel the magic touchin' us, so it's another creature cleanin' us... it's different. Like, uh... ticklin' yerself."
"Ticklin' yerself?" Maple pedaled her hooves, still upside down on her back. "Well he's a little ticklish!" Her voice turned to a squeak as his cleaning hit a sensitive point on her lower belly. She wriggled as he cleaned what could become teats some day, if she had need of them. "Yeah yeah.... not the same as doin' it yerself..."
Summer turned to glare at Winter. "No need to stay in that one spot."
He nodded softly, but didn't stop his cleaning, instead reaching out one of his soapy reachers for Summer, getting her at precisely the same spot. He would cleanse both of their pony breasts at the same time. Maple was clearly enjoying herself, panting and lolling her tongue, looking at him adoringly.
Summer was not as fast to warm to it, wriggling in place, but her glare remained. "Yer doin' this on purpose now... Ah don't want mah stallion washin' other mare's private places!" The fight brimmed within her a moment before she sagged. "Ugh... Look... Winter... Ah don't own you."
Winter perked an ear softly before leaning in, touching his nose to Summer's.
"Yeah yeah, you like being mah boyfriend, but ya seem to like bein' her... somethin'. An'..." Emotions warred in her. "On one hoof." She raised one in demonstration. "I don't own ya." The other hoof raised. "On the other, ah thought we were a couple, and I'd kick any other stallion right out if he was tryin' ta cheat on me."
Winter sat up, the soap splashing into the tub, his magic no longer there. Was he cheating? He raised a hoof to his chin in quiet consideration. If he was cheating, that was bad. He was a good kirin. That just wouldn't do. He didn't feel upset, not really. He just had to correct his behavior. His magic wrapped around Maple and rolled her back upright and he nodded at each of them.
"T-thanks." Summer put a hoof behind her head, looking awkward. "Look... yer not a bad pony, er, creature, whateva. I know you're tryin' so hard." She put her hooves on the edge of the tub, pulling herself up. "We just need to settle this."
He brought over a towel in his magic even as he turned the water off. She slipped from the tub to half-fall into his waiting towel as he cocooned her in soft dry towel and got to drying her vigorously from all directions at once.
"Ok! That feels... odd..." She went still, feeling the towel run over her furry body from angles she would normally have not managed on her own. "If we were alone..."
Maple flopped up against the edge, smiling broadly. "Don't let me be in the way. Ah'm just a beta mare, so you just pretend ah ain't even here."
"Why are you even remotely alright with that!" suddenly shouted Summer. "Do you know what yer even sayin'? 'Cause I ain't no expert on how horses behave none, but you know who gets to do 'things' with the alpha male?" She thrust a hoof at Winter firmly, a few drops sent trailing from the sudden motion.
"Uh..."
"The alpha mare." She turned the same hoof to point at herself. "But those are... now ya got me confused." She shook her head, walking away from the both of them, mostly dry.
Winter set the sopping towel aside and grabbed another to wrap Maple up and draw her from the tub, drying her as he had with Summer. At least until he was prodded in the side. Summer was back. He tilted his head at her quizzically.
"She can dry herself. We need to talk... now. Ah'll be in the livin' room." She strode away at a purposeful trot.
Maple turned herself, raising one leg and another in turn to let the towel get her everywhere. "Ah think ah'm not doin' so good... Ah really don't want to, you know, push her out. This is her house." She suddenly turned to Winter. "Yer hers. Ah mean... she's yours, whatever. Either way, you two were... before me, ah know that..."
Winter inclined his head even as he floated the second towel to hang with the first. With a toss of his head, he started towards the living room without hesitation. "Wait up!" Maple came dashing to catch up, her tail not as swishy as it had been. "She's mah friend... a good one. Ah ain't tryin' to ruin everythin'."
He glanced aside at her, but had no answers to give, simply walking out into the living room where Summer sat with a book between her legs, propped up by her hooves as her eyes swept over them.
"Look, my great-great ganddam was in one of those," she spoke without looking up, one ear lifted towards them. "They didn't work like no wild animals none. There was no 'alpha pair'. It were...." She flipped to the next page of the aged book. "Just a bunch of ponies that done decided they would be a big family together. She... said it was hard. Ponies got jealous. Ponies got neglected. It's real easy to do that wit' just two ponies, now ya wanna add more?" She looked up from the book at them. "Do ya really think ya have it in ya to take care of two ponies like they were all yer life when ya ain't even used to takin' care of one?"
Maple stumbled, catching herself and teetering to the side. "Lan'sake! Ya... have a book on that?!"
Winter put a hoof to his chest, then pointed at Summer. He began to wave his hooves in the air, slowly drawing a picture of a pony with many other pony forms atop it in a spreading upside-down pyramid. He pointed at Summer again, then at the lowest pony, then at the book.
Maple blinked softly, trying to put it together. "Ah... don't quite get it..."
"He's..." She rubbed her glowing cheek. "He understands I have a history, with mah family, and ah respect them. They're the top part of the pyramid, restin' on me. When ah get confused, I turn to 'em." She lifted her shoulder with a soft huff. "So, as I was--"
"--You sure you ain't under his spell? That sure seemed like magic to me." She huffed softly, peering at the glowing image that somehow had meant all that. "Enchant me already!"
Summer rolled her eyes softly. "You are adorably naive at times, Maple. Now sit." Maple crashed to her haunches. "You too." Winter settled down far more sedately. "Good, so, as ah was sayin', this is a big responsibility. There are more ways fer all of us to mess it up, then we'll have a whole house full of bad feelins."
Maple wriggled in place, rocking left and right as she did it. "What ya said was that we'd all be... on the same level?"
"The same level," repeated Summer firmly.
"Even though he's a magic dragon-pony that has us under his spell and could make us do whatever he wants whenever he wants it?" she said it all as if it were as obvious as the snout on her face. "Reckon that'd make him the one in charge at least, even if he's relaxed about it. Ah guess I--"
He set a hoof on her nose and she went silent. He could feel her breath, softly sniffing at him. Had she developed a hoof fetish? He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that, but the warm nose there didn't feel bad, its twitches not bothering him.
"Thank you, Winter." Summer smiled gently with a firm nod. "Now, as ah done said, he's a kirin, that's a specific thing, not a dragon pony. He ain't no dragon and he ain't no pony. He's all kirin."
"Kirin," she sighed out around the hoof still resting on her nose. "Didn't one of those visit?"
"Ah did mention that..." Summer's cheeks began to burn softly. "Just the one, and hardly fer a moment... Never even got their name."
Winter's ears danced as he turned his head towards Summer.
"What? curious about them?" When he nodded, she smiled. "Maybe one day they'll come back and you can meet 'em, but ah don't know nothin' 'bout them... Sorry."
Maple gasped suddenly. "What if that other kirin's a mare? I didn't get to talk to 'em, seein' as ah was busy that day. We kin hardly settle with three. I don't think we want more."
Summer scowled, leaning forward. "I shouldn't even be this far, and yet here I am." She snapped the book shut, bringing her hooves together to close it, then set it aside gently. "But fine... we'll give Maple a chance, but that's it. Whether she works or not, there will be no others. None. Am I bein' clear 'nough, Mister? You will not adopt anymore creatures of any kind!" She thumped a hoof against the couch with a muffled sound. "Nod."
He did just that, nodding softly at Summer before crossing his heart with a hoof, drawing an X across it dramatically with his magic.
"Good... now Maple, do--"
"Yes!" she blurted, sitting upright.
"I didn't finish." With a cocked brow, she rolled a hoof. "Do you understand that if this don't work out, yer the one gettin' the boot out the door? Yer mah friend, an' ah do hope we can keep that, but ah ain't playin' around on this. Say you understand and repeat it in yer own words."
Maple swallowed heavily, her tongue suddenly dry as she looked between the strange dra--kirin and the mare that owned and was owned by him. "Ah... get it... This is yer house, so if ya decide yer done wit' me, ah'll be the one kissing the dirt outside, not noone else. So... if we're all equal now, does that mean ah own both of y'all too then?"
Summer suddenly broke into laughter. "You'll have to work your way up to that." She hopped down, trotting towards Maple. "Today you get to not be kicked out. That's somethin', right?"
"It is," she allowed, looking not entirely certain. "Ah should... get mah thin's." She pointed where her own house resided.
Winter shook his head and his magic wrapped around Maple, gently floating her towards the door.
"He has the right of it," noted Summer as she followed the floating mare. "Until we move to that next step, you sleep in yer own house. Come on back tomorrow."
"Now you be good." Summer gently booped her boyfriend/husband/it's complicated that was Winter on the nose. "I don't want to come home to anypony--anycreature new, alright?" When he nodded, she trotted out the door, just to bump right into Maple. "Yer early."
Maple smiled nervously. "Ya headin' to work?"
"Shouldn't you be?" spat back Summer with a raised brow.
"Ain't the right time ah year fer maple." She held up a hoof towards the sky. "Way too warm. Winter time ah'll be plenty busy."
Summer took half a step forward, clearly hesitating. "Yer trees do better in the cold?"
Maple nodded vigorously. "Warm enough to not be freezin' in the day, but cold enough at night to chill their roots. That's when they start giving out that tasty maple everypony likes s'much!"
"Fascinatin'..." She glanced between Maple and her house. "Look, be good, alright?" She turned away and made to bolt off, but Maple was there in her way. "What?"
"Yer jealous, and ah'm sorry." Maple threw open her arms. "Promise t'make it up to ya. We'll do whateva ya want when yer back, and on yer next day off."
Summer was still a moment before laughter erupted from her. "He's rubbing off on me, makin' me stand there all silent while ah think. You go... have fun. Ah'll take you up on that later." She planted a smooch on the end of Maple's snoot and trotted past far more leisurely than she had a moment before.
Maple's cheeks were warm as she raised a hoof to where she had been smooched, watching Summer trot off. "Ya... have a good day now." She waved her other forehoof before rising to all four and heading towards Summer's house. "Reminded me why yer my friend... We'll do somethin' real fun." She pushed open the door, or tried. The knob refused to turn in her mouth, just jiggling.
With a frown, she knocked, clop clop clop.
Straining to hear, she could faintly detect the clip-clop of an approaching drag--kirin.
His head came into view, peeking out of a window cautiously. On seeing who it was, he ducked back down. A soft click of a deadbolt being undone, then the door swung open, the handle glowing with Winter's magic.
"Thanks kindly." Maple stepped inside with a smile. "Ah said hi to Summer on the way past, but she didn't think 'bout any locked doors before she was gone." He nodded but said nothing. "How ya doin'?"
He looked to the door as it closed and locked itself with his magic, then turned and began to walk away.
"H-hey!" She scurried after him. "Ah know ah ain't quite as good at understandin' ya, but at least try."
He looked over his shoulder at the newest member of their family, conditional as it was. He stood there silently a moment before reaching out and gently patting her shoulder.
That was enough to relax her. "So what are you up to?"
He turned his vision towards the kitchen and began walking that way. Inside, dishes used for breakfast were already in the sink he was approaching, ready to resume cleaning.
"Smells good." She sat down beside him. "Ah'll dry if you pass 'em this way."
Without a sound, he passed the first clean but wet plate towards her. She balanced it on a hoof and grabbed a towel in her mouth and was soon busily scrubbing it dry. It wasn't really much faster than if he had done it himself, but he kept on doing that and soon enough the dishes were handled.
He turned off the water and clopped his hooves, looking satisfied with the chore complete.
She bounced up to hers. "What's next?"
He seemed to consider it, tapping his chin as he circled, then pointed at a broom.
"Yer gonna spend all day cleanin'? This house already looks pretty clean."
He looked at her evenly, and they stared at one another, at least until the broom floated between them and began sweeping the floor under his magic's power.
"Guess... so. Alright, so ah'll dust, make this go faster." And she hurried off into the house. With the two of them working together, the house was made to shine quickly enough. Maple gestured over the clean domicile. "Ta da!"
He nodded with obvious satisfaction, moving for the couch. He hopped up onto it and settled down. Maple watched him just look so relaxed. "Not goin' nowhere?" He was not moving, or answering. "Um..."
She hopped up and sank right between his legs, curling up with him, him the big spoon and her the little spoon. Things were quiet, and she began to look satisfied, nestling back against him.
Her motions were pressing things that were interested in the presence of a mare. Without thinking about it, he reached a hoof around her and held her. Maple let out a little sigh, eyes half-closed as she luxuriated in the embrace, at least until she felt something prodding her. "Wha?"
He knew what it was, it was impossible for him not to, but there was little for him to do about it, so he just held her there, snuggling with his masculine reaction as if it wasn't there, prodding or rubbing through her fur.
"Is that... what ah think it is?" she asked, not that he would be giving an answer. She had an ear turned back, her breathing hastening, but she wasn't running away either.
She jumped, feeling something on her ear. Oh, he was nipping at her, lipping at her twitching ears as he drew her even closer. For him, it was an energetic snuggle it seemed. But for her... She turned the free ear back towards him, considering things in a tumult. "She said we're all equals, right?" He nodded, but said nothing, but she could feel her ear being tugged a little with the motion.
"You two... already do this?" Another soft nod. "So it's alright if we do it then." She let out her breath, looking relieved. "Be gentle though. I never did... this before."
He perked his ears, abandoning her ear. She was a virgin? That was quite some responsibility then. One that he would handle well, for he was a good kirin, and a friend. Both equally important things to be. He gently nuzzled her cheek as he slid up, tufted tail twitching and swaying with increased energy.
She rolled onto her belly fully, lifting her tail out of the way. "Like that?"
Maple sounded so uncertain about the whole thing. Winter softly nipped along her back, working towards that quivering tail. He closed his teeth right over the flesh that was clenched, holding the tail up, and she squeaked. It was a sensitive spot, he had learned from Summer, an he began gently licking and nipping at it, making her wriggle about.
"O-oh, this... ain't what... keep goin'!" She wriggled but didn't flee, eyes closed as she was teased.
He looked down past that tail and could see her nethers giving the clear sign that they were ready, opening wide a moment before clapping shut, winking in that equine come hither sign that left little room for confusion. He sank down on her, his teeth finding her neck instead. He didn't grab her roughly, instead the gentle nips he had already been giving, coaxing her to arch her back as he slid into proper position.
Winter's hooves just outside her legs, his magic wrapped around his own throbbing tool as he glanced back, easily guiding himself onto target, but he didn't rush things. He pressed forward to just the two things touching, his firmness against her softness.
She winked against him even as she gasped. "Is that you?!" she asked, though there were few other things it could have been. "Oh... Now ah really am yers..." Her tail raised higher, opening the way forward as best she could. "Go on..."
Winter wriggled his hips, working it in gently, nuzzling at her neck and head from behind. He couldn't say anything, so he tried to broadcast it with gently hugs and touches as he pressed that he would go as quickly, or slowly, as needed, even if his steely tool urged him to take the willing female as quickly as possible.
A little whimper brought him to a stop. He could feel her twitch beneath him, and not in the same way. He gently drew back and she relaxed, then changed his angle of approach, learning the lay of the land inside of her. Little by little, that pleasurable warmth was engulfing him, but he would advance only with her pleasured approval.
"Yer... doin' great," she breathed out, eyes squeezed shut. "Make me a mare!" she cried, one of her hind legs kicking weakly.
With such encouragement he touched against a new barrier and realized Maple was just a tiny bit shorter on the inside than Summer, and he was custom built to perfectly fill Summer's void. Distant memories told him it was far less fun for the female to bash against that than stories implied, and he drew away, trying to make a mental note of just how far to go. With a quick plunge, he tested, driving within an inch of that fleshy wall. Confidence building, he began to rock against her, her musical cries and whinnies all the cues he needed from then to know he was doing right by her.
The extra portion of his member that wasn't piercing into her felt something new and strange, the leaking lubricants of her powerfully milking tunnel were running down along his shaft, gathering around where his sheath met the hard flesh, dripping to the couch under them. A distant part of his mind made a note to clean that later, but it was a quiet and easily forgotten part, the need to properly till the fields of that working mare a much higher priority.
Remembering how sensitive she had been, he reached with his magic and she squealed with pleased shock as he took hold of her nipples, what could become teats given a reason to, and began to rub and pull at them, playing her like the country instrument she was. "Oh! Oh... how... oh!" She drove back against him, thumping the head of his member against her insides.
As it turned out, bashing into that was about as unfun for the male as it was for the female and both stopped a moment, trying ever so hard to not share that flash of pain with the other. He held her neck then, pinning her down softly. "Yeah yeah... ah deserve that," she laughed out, recovering from her mistake and swishing her tail along his belly. "Go on, please..."
His motions picked up, regaining that lost speed. He could feel the tension in his heavy balls, preparing to deliver what his mares needed for proper satisfaction. He held back, trying as hard as he could to keep his rebellious loins from firing just yet. He wanted her to reach where she was going before he did, but he only had so much control and he could feel it slipping between his hooves. It was coming, he would be too in just... a moment.
Her cries were still getting louder, but had she hit a peak? Was she hitting several? He couldn't tell, and he couldn't hold back a moment longer. It had to happen, and it did, great gobs of seed rushing up his mighty pole with his vision seeming to fade away in a moment of utter satisfaction, his body trembling as it began to spill out into her in great throbbing squirts. He pressed in as tight as he could, gently pushing the head against her innermost barrier and holding her there as he delivered his tribute to her.
She looked over her shoulder as best she could with his teeth holding her in place. "Oh! Oh wow... is that... That's you... in there... that... wow..." She was barely more eloquent than he, a dreamy look on her face, confusion warring with satisfaction. "Ah'm a mare now..."
"Phew." Summer kicked the door shut behind her. "What a day." She tossed her hat aside to hang on a hook and trotted forward easily. "Winter? Where are..." There he was, on the couch, spooning with a happy Maple. "--you..." She could feel an angry flash build rapidly. She wanted at that instant to pick up her friend and throw her out, through a window perhaps.
She could smell... Oh, of course. Of course they had. Maybe she should toss him out too? Sure, she had given permission. But she was wrong! She had been so wrong. She slumped against a wall, vision fuzzing as warring emotions tore at her. "Ah..."
Both of them looked to her. Winter slipped around Maple instantly, moving to approach her with his little smile as if nothing was wrong.
She thrust out a quivering hoof, preventing him from getting in too close. "Look... this is me. This is a me thing..." She tried to control her shallow breath, to force herself to slow down. "Ah me thing... But you love me, right?" He nodded silently. "So... Ah... Ah ain't sure this will work."
Maple rolled up to her haunches, ears hanging. "Oh... I wasn't tryin' to do nothin' wrong... ya said..."
"I know what I said!" she shrilly squeaked out before letting out an explosive sigh. "I know... I said that... you ain't no... This is me..." She backpedaled a step. "Ah thought ah... could handle this better. All I wanted right now was... Was not this."
He was suddenly touching her, his nose to her cheek. His presence was a warm balm, but she could smell that particular stink on him, of Maple, and she recoiled with a choked cry. "Go take a bath!" she firmly commanded, thrusting a hoof in the right direction. "Now!"
As he slunk away to do that, Maple approached in his place. "I didn't mean to hurt you none... This is my fault."
"You asked, ah said yes." Summer put a hoof to her chest. "My mistake, my house... Maple... Can you go away?"
Maple flinched back as if stung. "Ah... alright... Ah'm sorry..."
Part of her wanted to reach out, to assure Maple everything was alright, but nothing felt alright. She stood there shaking as her friend slowly departed. When the front door closed, Summer collapsed to the ground, allowing actual tears to fall in relative privacy. "Ah was so dumb!"
She banged a hoof on the floor. "They were jus' doin' what ah said they could do." Did she have a right to react as she had? With the immediacy of the presence of the two removed, she was left to ponder her own actions. A mental image of the two on the couch, doing things far more concerning then spooning, danced in her mind and her ears pinned on her head.
"Yer my kirin," she barely got out even as she felt guilty. He was a creature, with needs and wants and a brain. He could walk out the door and leave her. She couldn't stop it. Only his love for her stopped him from doing it. What if he liked Maple's company more? What if she was just a better partner than Summer had been?
The water stopped in the bathroom. He was going to come out soon. She sat up and brushed her hoof through her mane and over her snout, trying to straighten herself. "Now, yer an adult. Let's handle this rational-like. Ya know he doesn't hate you." Right? She had stormed the scene and turned what was likely a very relaxing... terrifying scene into anger and sadness.
"Ugh, this is why they said herds weren't as easy as they looked." She rubbed the sides of her head with both forehooves, trying to force internal processes back into shape, or at least banish the headache that was growing between them."Not even one day!"
The door to the bathroom opened and Winter trotted out, looking left and right before spotting her and approaching directly, his back glistening with drying water and his fur sparkling with remnants of the moisture. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't frowning either. He was a perfectly neutral kirin, approaching at a steady pace.
She sat up tall, tail giving an agitated swish behind her. "Right... Hello, Winter. How are you?" Maybe if she just did the coming home thing over again, everything would become alright.
He kept coming closer, practically stepping onto her, his arms wrapping around her and drawing her close in a silent but sincere hug.
"Ah... messed up, didn't I?" But he offered no judgment, just hugging her firmly against himself. "I'm sorry..." But he just kept hugging. "You aren't mad?" His hug didn't relent, holding her there against his warmth. "She must be so sad... But I was... I still am..." His hug got firmer a moment, squeezing her. "You know just what to say..." She smiled faintly and touched her nose to his cheek. "That... that first moment. I saw you holding her... I couldn't even think none..."
He gently released her and sat down in front of her, watching her silently.
"Are ya mad?" He shook his head. "Do... you want me to... get over... this?" She wobbled a hoof over the living room as a whole.
He leaned forward and touched noses with her. He wasn't asking her to do anything, or so she understood. "Oh Winter... Ah'm supposed to be an adult." She stood up and strode to the kitchen. "Ah'm makin' dinner tonight."
He did not try to follow her, instead willing cleaning supplies from the closet and turning to the couch. He removed the scent and stains they had created earlier that day, imagining it would do little to calm Summer if she sat down, splat, right on a wet spot. He smirked faintly, amused at the scenario he had just avoided. That would have gone poorly, but it was taken care of.
Winter put the cleaning supplies back where they came from, the couch fresh smelling and restored to working order. A pity Maple had been chased off... But he was Summer's first, and she needed him. He trotted into the kitchen to see her working on hay patties in a pan, soft enticing scents wafting free of the creation. He trotted up beside her and sat down.
She quirked an ear at him. "Ain't quite ready yet." She use a spatula held in her mouth to flip them over. "Ya can sit at the table if ya want." But he didn't move from her side. "Can't be that exciting watchin' me cook." She moved the patties to another plate and garnished with bright green things. "C'mon."
They both went to the table, but his magic grabbed the plates before she could, hovering them up in the air above them as they went.
"Ya know ah can hold a plate jus' fine." She rolled her eyes but didn't argue further, hopping up onto one of the chairs. "Now... eat." She pointed to the still floating plates, though they were coming down for smooth landing. "Eat and we can talk afterwards."
He didn't argue. Winter ate her food diligently, though he could taste it was just a little off. Her emotional state had not led towards quality cooking. He quickly forgave that and ate as if it was the finest he had ever had.
"Liar," she grunted, pushing half her food away. "Look... Winter. Ah don't... own ya... Ah just happen to be the mare that likes ya plenty." She jumped as Winter's magic booped her on the nose. A short laugh escaped her. "Yeah yeah, I love you." He nodded softly and she rolled her eyes. "Ah do... That's part of what tore me up. Yer... mighty special, and just... ugh... I wasn't thinkin', just... ah didn't like it."
He brought up his hooves and traced a heart in the air, glowing with his magic.
"Ah know ya love me too..." She did look a little more relaxed. Hearing it was always nice. "Do you love Maple too?"
He inclined his head faintly as if considering it, but he shook his head softly. He drew the heart in the air then raised a hoof over it and drew a big question mark.
"Yeah, ya did just meet her," she completed her thought. "Would be mighty strange ah suppose for ya to like her that much. When... oh." She cringed back. "Worked like that fer us, didn't it... but that was special." He nodded gently. "Maybe we should... get her her own kirin?"
He inclined his head, then shook it slowly.
"Yeah, yer right... We can't have everypony runnin' off t'get a kirin ah their own. 'Sides, she likes you." Summer pointed square at Winter. "Tellin' her to go get one of her own will just make her sad." She flopped her head, propped up by the flat of a hoof, her elbow on the table in a flagrant disregard for manners. "She didn't... even do nothin' wrong, ah guess... But... I wasn't ready. Ah thought ah was ready, ah wasn't..."
He moved to hop down from his chair but she thrust her other hoof out. "Stay." He stayed, aborting his motion. He lifted an ornate ear at her, looking considering.
"I know," she sighed out. "It's my choice. It's my problem. It's all me... You two will do what I say to do." He nodded softly in agreement. "Look, alright... Alright. Then ah'm settin' a rule! No... makin' foals when I ain't even there! And no... other things..." Her cheeks warmed brightly. "You know what ah mean."
He nodded softly, seeming to get where she was going.
"Ya can hang out, talk, be togetha... but nothin' more personal than that." She cleared her throat softly. "Maybe... when I get used to this, we can try fer more, but right now, no. No. Alright? Ya promise?"
He crossed his heart with a hoof before nodding.
"Good... Uh... shoot. Ah gotta tell her, or she'll just hide and cry. She's probably cryin' right now." she thunked, her head falling off her hoof to hit the table. "Ah didn't want to make mah friend cry." She pointed suddenly. "Stay!" He aborted his most recent attempt to leave his chair. "If I go rushin' over there, that just feels wrong, like ah'm sendin' the wrong signals..."
He inclined his head but said nothing, as was his way.
"Yeah... Ah'll get up extra early tomorrow and visit her before work." She sat back up with a firm nod. "We'll have a little talk... Right now, it's my turn for a bath. You have the dishes?"
As far as he was concerned, that was permission. He hopped down, his magic grabbing the dishes and cutlery and floating it towards the sink.
"Yer the best." She trotted from the room to cleanse herself.
Later that evening, when it was time for proper sleep, she invited him up onto the bed and grabbed him, snuggling close and fiercely. He gently nestled with her, his own thoughts gently tumbling in his head without a proper outlet. He wanted to talk right at that moment, but he was a good kirin, and good kirin were quiet.
"Was she... good?" she asked in the darkness. He could feel her tenseness, her worry.
He gently hugged her and nuzzled into her neck. There was no good answer for that question but to focus on Summer in that moment, which is what he did. The tension began to fade. He pulled up the blanket in his magic and they proceeded to not play. That night, it was just cuddling and proximity.
Summer gently knocked on the door with a clop clop. "Maple?" There was no reply. With a soft frown, she reached for the door handle and pulled with her hoof coiled around the large handle. The door was not locked and swung out, revealing darkness inside. "Maple, it's me..."
Still no response. Summer entered at a slow pace. Had she caught Maple out and about, perhaps? That wouldn't be the worst possible scenario. Nudging the door shut behind her, she was suddenly in darkness that seemed far too complete for the early morning. "Ya have good drapes," she complimented nothing, unsure if Maple was anywhere nearby to hear it. "Maple?"
Summer advanced slowly, using her hooves to feel for obstacles as she went one step at a time. "It's Summer. Are ya here? Let's talk... please?" But there still was no response coming. She had found a hallway and made her way down it, barely avoiding crashing into a small table there in the hallway. She took a moment making sure it stopped jiggling.
"I keep meaning to move that," came a sudden soft voice.
Summer yelped in fright, jumping in place and turning to see what said that, but it was still dark.
"Ah didn't mean to scare ya none." Summer could feel the other pony brushing against her, then a loud click. Light flooded the area, dispelling the gloom. There was Maple, her eyes tired, fur stained with tears. "Ah'm pretty good at doin' thin's without tryin' though."
"Maple..."
"Don't say it... Ah did it." Maple let out a soft sigh. "Ah knew... inside. Ya two were a thing, and I just shoved myself right in there... That weren't what real friends do." She set a hoof on Summer's shoulder. "Ah've been bad, real bad. Ah de--"
"--Stop that!" Summer swatted the hoof away just to grab Maple by both shoulders. "Everypony involved was a bit dumb, alright? Ah didn't know mahself, ya knew exactly what ya wanted even if maybe ya shouldn't been reachin' fer it. We got caught up in the moment and... alright. We're friends, ain't we?"
Maple looked down and away, her ears pinned on her head. "Seen friends break up fer less than this..."
Summer stood up properly and started for the living room, getting the light switch on the way. "Look, first, stop hidin' in the dark. Second, ah didn't come here to tell you to go away and don't come back."
"Ya did the first part." Maple trailed after Summer, a gulf between them that she made no effort to close. "And ah reckon that's what ah get."
Summer turned back to her friend, sitting in the larger living area. "So, ya done with the 'power of the kirin' thin'?"
Maple's cheeks began to darken. "When he looks at ya... Ya really can just fall in. But... Ah guess so... Ah did come there to save ya, jus' so we're clear. I thought I was bein' a hero."
"You are a hero." Summer gently touched her nose to Maple's warm cheek. "And my friend."
Maple's breath caught at that, going still.
"And I didn't come here to tell ya to stay away. n'fact, we talked about it."
"Yer... special." Maple let out a held breath in a gust. "How do you talk to him like that? It's like you can hear words, and all I see is a special, silent, creature."
"We have a bond, and... part of it is gettin' used to it." Summer's lips pulled upwards into a little smile. "He gives hints, ya learn to read 'em. And you'll get a chance."
The noise that Maple made was not quite an mmm, just confused, her head inclined.
"Yer welcome back, Maple... Ah needed a moment, but ah ain't... callin' quits. Just, nothin' past a hug when ah ain't there!" She thrust a hoof at her friend. "Also take a bath. Yer a mess."
Maple ran a fetlock over her face. "Ah ain't!"
"Ya are." She gently thumped her side against Maple as she walked past. "And ah'm late fer work, so ah should get goin'. If ya want to go say hello to Winter, go ahead, just... no funny business."
Maple watched the direction that Summer had fled in before slowly starting to move herself. "Bath first..."
"She's fine." Maple was standing on the side of the road, chatting with a few of her friends. "I was worked up 'bout nothin'."
"That's Maple," laughed one of the other mares. "So everythin's alright?"
"Right as rain," Maple assured with a raised hoof. "Sorry fer fussin'. Ah was jus' worried fer a friend."
"Maple, worried?" One of the other mares leaned in. "Maple, that's your default."
The first nodded softly. "But we appreciate it. Ya always worryin' for other ponies. It's never selfish. Yer like the worried mom of the town."
The second joined in the nodding more energetically. "Momma Maple," she laughed out. "I love it. That fits things pretty well. When you worry, we check thin's out. Sometimes yer right, sometimes not. But it keeps us close."
"Like one big family." The first mare threw her forehooves wide. "Ya don't go changin' on us, Maple. So what was that all about? Ya weren't the only one to see that dragon pony thing."
Maple waved it away. "Jus' a creature, not a monster."
Both mares blinked at her.
"A creature?" Maple rolled a single hoof in the air. "Like a griffon or a dragon. Jus' like you or me."
One mare leaned forward, the first of them. "Ah got that, but what kinda creature? Ah heard they were creepin' in bushes."
The second raised a brow. "Yeah, what kinda creature? Ya met them? Spill it!" She prodded Maple and the first joined, the two poking at her repeatedly.
"Hey!" She danced back, but her friends kept right with her, not relenting. "C'mon!" But wherever she went, her friends were right there, demanding to know. "I shouldn't..."
"Why not?" A new voice demanded. There was Cherry Jubilee, walking down the road at a relaxed pace. "Afternoon, ladies. Ah heard somethin' 'bout one of my dear mares and ah couldn't just ignore it."
Under Cherry's gaze, Maple began to fall apart. One of the richest ponies around, practically the sun around which the rest of the town orbited, how could she deny Miss Jubilee anything?! "Well... you see...."
The other two mares shied away, cowed by Jubilee's presence, but Cherry wasn't even paying them any mind. She strolled right up to Maple and sat beside her. "Summer came in today looking out of sorts, and it ain't the first day she wasn't quite right. Now, ah care 'bout my workers. They're part of mah family, y'all know that. So if you know anythin', any little thing at all..."
"Well, you see..."
Cherry smiled at Maple with easy confidence. "Did she find a stallion?"
Maple's cheeks lit up bright. "You already know?!"
"No, but ah had a guess, that you just done confirmed fer me." She stood up, turning to face Maple directly. "Now is this a good fella or not? Be honest."
"He's..." The other two mares were leaning in, eyes shining with curiosity. "Stoic." Stoic felt like a safe word to apply. "Good cooker. Real... He cares 'bout her." Maple began to tap her hooves together, fidgeting them as she tried to sit still.
"Yer hidin' the good parts, and ya aren't very good at it." Cherry raised a hoof and gently tapped Maple on the head. "Just tell me he isn't trouble."
"No! I mean yes! I mean he isn't trouble." Maple sprang to her hooves. "He didn't mean to scare nopony!"
The first female smirked at that. "Then why was he hiding in the bushes and skulkin' around?"
Cherry nodded softly. "She raises a good question. Ya up fer enlightenin' us?"
Maple fussed with her hat as if it weren't quite seated right, which it wasn't with Cherry's patting of it. "He ain't a pony." The second mare gasped dramatically. "It ain't against no crime!" Maple defended hotly.
Cherry raised a hoof. "No one said it was. Are they a dragon? I heard there was a dragon involved."
Maple's cheeks darkened further, wishing for the ground to swallow her up and save her from the conversation. "Not a dragon. He's a--"
"Wait," cut in the first female. "Didn't people say it was a girl whatever it was?"
The second nodded rapidly. "Oh yeah, I remember that. All slender and, you know." She made a shape with her forehooves of the general mare outline, getting a nod back from the first.
"He is a bit... feminine in shape, but he's a he, for sure." Her blush became worse, thinking about what made him a proper stallion. "He's a bit shy, and don't talk none... And he ain't a pony, so he was tryin'--"
Cherry turned towards her factory. "Ah'm gettin' the idea. She went and got herself an exotic stallion and he's not so good with pony folk." She looked over her shoulder with a smirk. "Not all pony folk. Reckon he's gettin' along with Summer just fine." She twirled back on Maple, dust kicked up in the motion. "Ain't he?"
"Yes!" Maple squeaked, retreating several steps. "She... understands him. He likes her plenty."
Cherry gave a single wave. "Then there ain't nothin' to be worried fer. Thank you, Maple. Ya put my heart at ease. Now, if he ever does go hurtin' her, I expect you to come galloping over to me. Ya hear? Summer's a right proud mare. She won't tell me, so that's yer job." She thrust a hoof at Maple directly. "Tell me you'll do that."
The other two mares shared a look but dared not speak while Cherry expected an answer from Maple. Maple cleared her throat softly, taking a step forward towards Cherry. "I'll do my best, um, ma'am..."
Cherry Jubilee softly pat one of Maple's cheeks. "You're a darling. How are the trees doin'?"
"Oh, uh, just fine." Maple looked dizzy from the whiplash in topics. "Not time yet for them, but they're growin' just fine."
"With you tendin' 'em, ah reckon they'll be just fine." She turned to the other two mares, still standing there. "You two have nothing better to do than to gape at ponies handling business?"
"No, ma'am!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Their simultaneous squeaks marked their abrupt fleeing from the area. Cherry turned her head back to Maple. "Ah'm right glad we had this little chat. Stubborn little Summer worries her momma Jubilee somethin' fierce sometimes. Ah had feared so many worse things than... this." She leaned in towards Maple. "Tell her she should bring him by sometime. Ain't right ah ain't met him yet."
"Y-yes. Ah mean, sure!" Mental images of the three of them in their strange relationship danced in her head. Still, others had done it recently. Royalty had done it. Sure, she wasn't royalty, but... "Miss Jubilee?"
"Hmm? What's on your mind?"
"Ya hear about the, uh, princesses?"
Cherry cocked a brow at that. "Who hasn't, hon? Be a spot more specific."
"How they had a herd going; what do you think of that?" Not that she was at all invested. No way...
"Scandalous, but what they do is their business." She leaned in, nose twitching softly. "Don't affect how they run the country none. What a pony does behind closed doors ain't none of my business." She glanced away and back at Maple. "Ah hear they don't do nothing nohow. Must be one of them 'political marriages', like the ole books. Ya ever read those?"
"Like the old books," Maple laughed out nervously. "Yeah, I heard of those... What if a pony that weren't a princess did that?"
"I'd call 'em crazy." Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Look, darling, little filly. I've been around the block, been with a few stallions, a few mares... Don't look like that." She booped Maple right on the snoot. "The more ponies you get involved, the more complicated it gets fast. Ponies get hurt."
"Yeah..."
"You be a good mare now." Cherry Jubilee strode away, heading towards her cherry factory.
Winter brushed his forehooves together, looking mildly self-pleased. The kitchen was clean, his chores complete. It was a simple thing. A soft pang reminded him that it would have been a great time to check his email. Maybe try a raid? There were webcomics to catch up on.
He wouldn't be doing any of those. Whether he was the original human that had those habits or not, Equestria had none of those things. His good mood dimmed, his face returned to neutrality as he emerged from the kitchen, glancing left and right. A soft knock from the front door decided things for him and he veered towards it.
He peeked out the window and saw the side of Maple, looking nervous. A faint smile appeared as his magic opened the door easily.
"Heya," greeted Maple, entering the opening door. "Ah ain't botherin', am I?"
He shook his head, willing the door closed behind her and locking it securely. He began trotting towards the living room without a word, not that he usually had many words to share.
She fell in to the side and behind him. "Doin' alright, today? Ahm... sorry fer causin' such trouble."
He suddenly stopped and clopped his forehooves together. He turned to her and made a square shape in the air with his hooves, magic making the shape glow softly for her to see.
"A... box?" She tilted her head with confusion.
He inclined his head. Well, it was kind of a box, but... He trailed a hoof out, drawing a line from the box to where he then drew a crude little vertical rectactangle, a plug, he knew.
She was looking not as certain, tapping her chin. "Is... Wait. Um, let's start with is this somethin' ya want me to do? Somethin' ya want to see? Somethin' we are?" She waved a hoof at the glowing image. "Ah appreciate the pictures."
He gave her hat-covered head a pat with his magic, causing her to reach up and adjust it. He pointed to himself, then glanced around. He trotted over to a bookcase, his image fading. He grabbed a random book with his magic, drawn into his hooves for him to cradle against his chest.
"Somethin' ya want. Alright." She smiled a little, looking increasingly proud of herself. "Got it." Her ears danced through the holes in her hat. "Ah'm gettin' the hang of it!"
He smiled faintly. A step... He traced the box and pointed at it.
"A box you... wire... Oh!" Her eyes widened. "One of them fancy things with the pictures!"
He bobbed his head almost violently before he remembered to relax, the motion ebbing off to stillness. He pointed to her and nodded once more.
"Ah forget what those're called, but ah never saw one fer myself." She put a hoof behind her head. "Ah hear they're popular in the cities, but this ain't a city."
"Oh..."
It wasn't that he had actually said that, but he slumped and she could see the disappointment. She stepped in closer and gently touched her nose to his chest. "Don't be sad. Ah'll check how many bits that'll set a pony back. Maybe it ain't so bad."
She sat up tall, looking better than than she had first come in. "Maybe Summer and I could put our bits together, fer ya. Reckon we both want you to be happy."
A little smile appeared on his face and he touched his nose to hers in a little boop before he turned in place.
That let her see his back end. Right there nestled between his mare-like cheeks was his very un-mare like parts. "Winter, why do you... do that?"
He looked over his shoulder at her silently.
"Hang? We ain't... doin' that, not with Summer not here. So why are you... out?"
He blinked softly at that and turned towards her.
"Is... it different with Kirin?" She furrowed her brows softly. "Mah brother weren't no subtle pony. He was perfectly happy to explain it ta me when we were little foals." She snorted softly into a fetlock, her cheeks warming.
Worrying images flitted through Winter's mind as he regarded Maple with skewed ears. He pointed one cloven hook back towards his rump.
Maple circled him and came up just behind him. "Keep lookin' forward. Now, we ain't... doin' nothin' funny. This is all edumucational and what not." She raised a hoof, touching a large equine ball. "This. This shouldn't be here. A stallion shows this when he's ready to use it. And ya ain't usin' it wit' me. Ah don't want Summer bein' angry, an' ah think you don't neither."
His ears danced as a big question mark appeared in the air without him even bothering to trace it.
"I'll just... Feel this." She pressed up delicately, trying to encourage his impressive tools back into his body without forcing anything.
The stranger part was that it was working. He could feel some kind of muscle he didn't know he had being flexed in inhuman ways. It all fluttered, strange and new. Without trying, he drew himself up suddenly. He was not a stallion anymore. He was smooth as silk along his underside, as if he just didn't have genitals, all hidden beneath soft fur.
"Wow..." Maple sat down softly. "Ya really look like a mare now... But that's better." She inclined her head faintly. "If it makes ya feel better, mares do that too." She lifted her tail, and there was nothing to see, all concealed by fur. "What kinda creature... are ya that ya can do that but don't know it?"
How did he explain that? For once, his silence felt like a real benefit. He didn't have to explain it, and he didn't. He trotted past her, lighter on his hooves. It was like a weight had been taken off his shoulders, or from between his legs. He lead her off to spend the day.
Summer sat down in front of her door, taking a slow breath. "They ain't doin' nothing..." And even if they were, she figured silently, that was... Well, no, she had made both promise not to. They would be...
She let out a slow sigh. "They ain't doin' nothin'..." They both adored her. They were good ponies, er, creatures, and they would not turn right around the very next day! "It'll be fine." She reached for the knob and casually opened the door to her home. "Ah'm home," she called. "There one or two of ya?"
Winter came trotting from the living room, looking pleased to see her, but also off.
Summer tilted her head, trying to place what had changed. There was Maple, emerging after him. Neither stank of unseemly things. She let out a worried breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Good to see ya both. Gettin' along?"
"You betcha." Maple slipped past Winter to press her nose to Summer's cheek. "Welcome home. I, uh... ran into Miss Jubilee today."
Summer's ears went erect and still before flopping against her head. "A happy meetin', ah hope?"
Winter glanced between the two mares, imagining Cherry Jubilee in his head. He knew of her, from the show, but beyond that...
Maple quickly bobbed her head. "Oh, yeah, yeah... She knows ya have a boyfriend though."
Summer's cheeks rapidly darkened as a choked laugh escaped her. "Oh, good... wait..." She suddenly poked Maple in the chest. "That means she wants to see him."
"I hadn't even said that part yet!"
"Ya didn't have to." Summer tossed her hat aside to hang on a hook. "That's just the way she is. She's like our mom, and nopony gets to get a special somepony without introducin' 'em to her."
"Ain't never worked for nopony that interested in what ah did..."
"It has its ups and downs." She smooched Winter on the nose suddenly before walking past, just to stop dead and turn in place. "There it is!" There it wasn't would have been a better call. She noticed what had changed. Winter was hiding all his male parts. "You are looking sleek and sexy, ain't afraid ta say it."
Winter's cheeks colored faintly, but faded almost as quickly, the emotion coming and going. Summer was laughing on the way to the bathroom to freshen up. He looked to Maple and nodded before leaving himself, vanishing into the kitchen.
That left Maple there in the entry hallway. "Hey... Ya makin' dinner?" She quickly trotted to join Winter. "Let me help."
By the time Summer emerged, freshened from her day's work, she found them both working to make dinner. She smiled gently, watching them silently for a time there at the doorway to the kitchen. "Now this... ain't so bad." Coming home to two lovely friends doing something nice and sweet together, that was just fine...
Winter floated over a morsel to her and she snapped it out of the air, chewing softly. "Mmm, not bad, but needs another minute or three." She went over to the table and hopped up into her chair. "You two have a nice day?"
"Plenty nice. Oh!" Maple dusted her hooves on an apron she was borrowing. "Winter wants one of them tellivisions." She dashed off and returned with a magazine, slapping it down, open to a picture of a family gathered around a television set, a picture of a smiling pony on it. "Like this one here."
"You're starting to understand him?" Summer reached out with her hooves, drawing the magazine closer. "Huh, heard of those... Never had one mahself. This true, Winter?"
Winter inclined an ear back towards her as he nodded, his eyes on the food he was preparing.
"Well, if you want it..." Her eyes drifted to where a price was written boldly and her breath caught. "Oh... wow."
Maple hopped up into the next chair over. "I am ready to help. We may be a suspect herd, but... we're friends if nothing else. If he wants one, Ah'll toss some bits into the pot." She made a tossing motion with a hoof in an soft lobbing move of a hoof. "'Sides, if ya get one, ah'll probably end up enjoyin' it too, right?"
"Is this a thing now?" Summer wrapped her arms across her chest. "Get one kirin, get a Maple at no additional cost."
"No refunds." Maple stuck out her tongue at Summer. "You were stuck with me before he went an' showed up."
Summer blinked slowly. "Maple, watch the words that come out of your mouth."
"Huh?"
Summer reached out a hoof, booping Maple on her nose. "Are you admitting ya have the hots fer me?"
Maple's cheeks began to darken swiftly. "W-what! I mean..." She glanced away. "Maybe? Ah..." She suddenly thunked onto the table, her face pressed against the wood. "Ugh. Alright! Alright! Ah used to have the biggest filly crush ever! When we were, ya know, fillies. It was stupid and ah never had the bravery to say a thing."
Summer inclined her head faintly. "That's... cute, but ah thought you were hot fer--"
Maple suddenly sat up. "That was a lie!"
"But ya got him sweets..."
"To throw off the tail." Maple clopped a hoof down on the table. Suddenly a plate lowered into her vision and she drew the hoof back to make room for dinner. "Oh, food time."
Winter nodded softly as he set another before Summer, then hopped up with the last one settling in front of himself. He gestured across the table.
"He says dinner's on. Thank you, Winter. It smells delightful." Her nose danced, taking in the pleasing aroma of the food. "Now, let's eat. We can talk about yer raging lady stiffen afterwards."
With horribly blushing cheeks, Maple buried herself in the food, as if gobbling it down fast enough could somehow shield her from the shame of the moment.
"It's time." Maple nodded with confidence. "We ain't spending another day cooped up in here."
Winter lifted an ornate kirin ear at her, then pointed to the door, then at her.
"I know I could go anytime I wanted." She smiled, pleased she was reading Winter a bit better. "But every day is the same thing. I come over, help you clean and do chores, maybe we sit together all nice and comfy, read a book or somethin', but you're the one trapped." She pointed back at him firmly. "An' ah won't accept it none."
Winter rose to his hooves from his seated position and closed in, gently touching his nose to her cheek.
"It ain't fer me," she complained, raising a hoof to his chin. "It's fer you. Ya need more in your world than just yer two mares." She turned away from him, looking over her shoulder at him. "Much as ah kinda like havin' ya almost to mahself. An exotic and loving stallion and my fillyhood filly..." She suddenly burst into giggles. "It's too much, like a dream or somethin'."
He inclined his head faintly, then pointed towards the door.
"Yep, out there." She resumed her trot, heading for that door. "Everypony knows you ain't a monster, so what are we waitin' fer? Maple season'll come up and then you'll have two busy mares and you all alone in this house? Nuh uh!" She grabbed the door handle in her mouth and opened it without delay. "Out."
He approached at a more sedate walk, peeking out the front door, ears swiveling left and right as if searching for dangers. But there wasn't any such thing in sight.
Maple nudged him from behind, pushing him with the top of her head, mushing her hat in the process. "Go on, git. Ah'll be there with ya, promise."
Winter stepped forward, out of the house, hoof to the dirt outside. It was day, the sun was shining warmly on his scaled back. The wind was gently playing through his mane and making his tail sway a little as it pushed the tuft at the end of it. It was a perfectly nice day by most measures. He sniffed softly, detecting just a little bite. It was approaching fall. Maple season was coming.
"You cut a fine figure there, standing all proper." Maple came out and closed the door behind them. "Now let's introduce you to the town, proper-like this time! No monsters here. Just a nice creature."
He smiled faintly before starting a steady walk towards the main road. He could see country ponies wandering about, getting things done.
A little filly rushed up towards him suddenly. "Who's your friend, Maple?" she cried, eyes all over Winter from top to bottom.
A larger mare came hurrying up to collect the filly. "Don't go runnin' towards strange things!"
Maple held up a hoof, shaking her head. "Don't worry none. This here's Winter, Winter Flames. And he's the nicest creature around."
"Maple." The mother had her eyes on the other mare. "Are you sure?"
"Sure as ah'm standin' here. He wouldn't hurt a fly none." She gestured grandly towards Winter. "He don't talk much though."
The mother mare considered the effimate 'he' before her. "Well... Hello?"
"Hi!" Apparently having decided things were alright, the filly darted forward to circle around Winter. "Winter, huh? That's a nice name. It'll be winter soon! Not yet though. Still a few moons before we run the leaves down."
Winter sat gently and the filly darted in front of him almost instantly. He offered a cloven hoof towards her with a faint smile.
"I'm Country Song," she proudly declared. "Nice to meetcha, Winter! What are you? Ya kinda look like a unicorn." She tilted her head left and right quickly. "A unicorn mare."
He was neither of those things and gently shook his head.
"Reckon not. Your horn's all... big and twisty." She stood back up, bouncing in place. "Does that hurt?" He shook his head. "I don't have no horn." She was a little earth pony, with only four hooves. No wings, no horn. "Can ya do magic like a unicorn?"
His horn began to glow as he plucked up the filly from the ground, levitating her slowly upwards. She squeaked, hooves flailing in the air. "Down down down!" He dropped her, only to catch her, realizing his error. He put the shaken filly back on the ground gently and she vanished behind her mom.
The mother's nostrils flared in a snort. "We should get goin'. You... take care of yerself, Maple." She strode away, keeping her daughter close.
Maple put a hoof to her face. "That coulda gone better, but coulda gone worse too." She looked over her shoulder at him. "Two bits says she'll realize how fun that was and come lookin' for more, later."
He inclined his head before nodding, deciding that wouldn't be a terrible thing.
"Good on you not tryin' to chase either of 'em." Maple began to walk down the road. "Woulda scared 'em both. We're jus', ya know, ponies. We spook kinda easy." She snorted softly as she went. "Just how we are. Keeps us safe most of the time, ah reckon."
He walked at her side silently, considering it. He didn't feel skittish. He didn't feel... many things. He was a kirin, a paragon of stoicism! If something dangerous came, he would handle it calmly and with elegance, and keep his mares safe, like a good kirin. A little smile spread on his face, enjoying that little fantasy of being a hero.
"You look mighty satisfied 'bout somethin'." Maple turned to him. "Ah'm gettin' better, but yer still full of mysteries. Can Kirin just not talk, or do they just... not want to talk?" She closed in, a hoof going to feel his throat. "Ya feel normal enough."
He took a step back from that, ears going down and back.
"Don't mean no harm by it," she assured, sitting down to raise both her forehooves towards him. "Is it the first one?"
He honestly had no idea, just that he was supposed to be quiet... He had made a noise before, he remembered that, so he had a voice, he just wasn't... using it. He shook his head softly.
"So it's the second one?" When he nodded, she clopped her hooves together. "We're gettin' somewhere! Is it a trust thing?" He shook his head softly. "Well, good... you can trust me, right?" He nodded softly. "Ah trust you too." She went in to touch her nose to his, but a cough brought her up short.
The sheriff was there, eyeing the two of them. "Yer sitting in the middle of the street, blockin' traffic, Maple." There wasn't all that much traffic trying to get past them, most ponies seemingly happy to just swerve around them. "Is that the dragon pony you were makin' such a fuss about before?"
Maple's cheeks abruptly went dark. "Y-yeah, but no! He ain't no dragon pony."
"What is... he?" A brow went up. "Don't look like no he."
With his various bits properly hidden, he was, to pony eyes, a strange mare with a great ornate horn and intricate ears and tufts in places ponies didn't have. Not to mention his scaled back that shone softly in the bright light of the day. He was a kirin, but he couldn't say that. He just watched the sheriff instead.
"He's maybe twice the he you are," spat Maple.
That got a red face from the Sheriff, equal parts anger and embarrassment. "You take that back! Ah didn't come here to be compared to no sissy creature."
Maple waved a hoof wildly, realizing how far over the line she had gone. "I didn't mean nothin'!"
"That sure was a lot of 'nothin''," he snorted, a scowl on his face. "Reckon it's about time you paid for your crimes, Maple."
"C-crimes?! What crimes!" She scooted back several steps, but he closed in easily.
"Disturbing the peace, inciting a riot." He tossed his head towards the passive kirin. "Encouraging harm on a creature. Need I go on? Ya done plenty worth a few nights coolin' down in a nice dry cell."
"Ya can't!" She pressed her forehooves together pleadingly.
"Ah can," he retorted, coiling and grabbing his rope free. "Now don't go addin' resistin' arrest to the list and come on peaceful like."
Maple sniffled and shivered, but wasn't fleeing as he casually began to tie the rope around her, but as he worked the last knot into place, the rope refused to get into position, and was glowing. "What the...?" He looked around and saw Winter's horn glowing the same color, though he was still sitting there calmly, watching him. "Now you cut that out! Yer impedin' justice."
He raised a cloven hoof and made a slow circle with it, magic pushing the sheriff back, sliding across the ground. "Now see here." The sheriff dug in his hooves, resisting further pushing. "I am the sheriff of this here town. It's up to me who gets arrested or not, and she's goin' in." He thrust a hoof at the strange not-pony. "Now ya can stand aside or I'll find another cell fer you!"
"Ya only got the one," noted Maple, rubbing behind her head. "Ah guess we could share? Ah mean! Winter! Go home!"
Winter shrank back a little before sitting right up and shaking his head.
"Go. Home," she repeated more firmly. "Ah made my mess. Ah don't want you gettin' in no trouble fer it. Hay, twere my idea to even go outside."
The sheriff casually finished the knot and began leading Maple away. "Ya heard the mare. Ah'll keep her safe until she's paid her debt to society."
How long was that?! He drove a hoof into the ground, digging into the dirt in increasingly angry little scuffs. How long would Maple suffer? A lick of flame ran through his mane, low embers threatening to ignite the lustrous fur. He grabbed at the rope with his magic and gave a tug.
The sheriff's grip was sure and he was yanked with it before pulling back just as hard. "Yer workin' mah..." He trailed off, seeing the strange state Winter was in. Flames were teasing all over his form, running in strange currents of almost-fire. Angrily smouldering. "What's wrong with him? That natural for whatever he is?"
He wasn't thinking. He couldn't think. He was angry, too angry. With a sudden cry, he igniting, becoming a full nirik. Silence broken with a great roar, he charged forward, flames following with every step of his hooves into the ground, leaving twin trails of fury behind him. There were no words, just angry and unintelligible shouting.
Other ponies were poking their heads out from inside houses and around corners, watching the strange flaming creature and their sheriff. Some fled, some stood fixated on what was going on.
"Stop!" Maple was suddenly between Winter and the sheriff. He crashed into her, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. "Please, don't do this," she begged, battered from the impact and trying to pick herself up. "Calm down, please calm down."
But there was no calmness. There was nothing but unending anger. But he knew her. He didn't want her being sad, or hurt. His emotions boiled in a frothing mix, leaving him so very confused, and furious. He did the only thing he could think of to do, he ran. He ran away from the entire thing, leaving a flickering trail of fire behind him as he galloped out of town, not towards anything, just away from it all. He couldn't properly collect his thoughts.
Anger, sadness, despair, anxiety, and other feelings warred in his locked mind as he attacked the ground with every step as if angry hoofsteps would somehow make the whole thing go away. But it was him.
Summer opened her front door with a content smile. "Ah'm home," she called into the house as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "You two done made dinner already?" It had been a hard day, but the good sort. She'd gotten a lot done, and ponies were pleased as punch to have her around.
She was plenty satisfied with it and ready to do some relaxin'. "Maple? Winter?" They usually responded to her calls long before then, and her good mode began to dim a little. "Are ya waitin' to surprise me? Ain't mah birthday." She shook her head softly as she pushed inwards, imagining the two of them hiding somewhere to jump out at her. "Ya two are a bunch of foals sometimes, ah swear."
But there was no one in the kitchen. With a bit of a frown she moved forward, looking around the seemingly dark and empty place that had seemed so warm just a day before. "Where are ya hidin'...?" She could hear her hoofsteps echoing off the walls. Had they done that before? Before her house had become so full of ponies she cared about.
Summer fled the strange place and poked her nose into the living room. "You two hidin' in here?" That uncanny echo wasn't there, but it was just as empty, just as alone. Peeks behind the couch and furtive glances behind bookshelves revealed no hiding ponies anywhere. "Landsake..."
She peeked into the bathroom on the way past. There were basically no hiding places in there. Even the shower curtain was already open, allowing one to see inside that no pony was hiding, waiting. Nopony was there at all.
She suddenly clopped her hooves, craning her head back. "Maybe!" She hopped up and grabbed the rope in her mouth, pulling down the ladder into the hallway that led up into the attic. "Did something spook you two and chase y'all up here? Silly ponies, it's all safe now." She ascended the latter with a bit of a smile, imagining the two of them huddled together, watching the same ladder with fear. "Ah'm here now, it's alright."
But no pony or kirin faces came into view as she crested up into the attic. She looked behind boxes and even shoved a few piles as if they could be hiding between them, but there was nothing. Not a pony. Not a creature. Nothing. "This isn't funny anymore..."
Where had the two of them gone?!
With heavy metal against metal, the sheriff closed the barred door of the cell. "Now ya jus' cool yer heels in there and think about whatcha done." He shook his head as he turned away. "Really, makin' such a fuss. Ya should be ashamed."
"Yes, Sir," miserably agreed Maple, sitting on her belly on the little cot provided to her. "Do ah get a phone call?"
"Phone call?" He half turned back to her. "Don't go gettin' fooled by the plays. Besides, who ya wanna call that has a phone to answer with?"
Did Summer have a phone? Maple searched her memories but didn't recall a time spotting one laying around the other mare's house. "Reckon not..."
"What ah thought." He walked off, leaving Maple to stew.
"Wait!" She bounced from her cot and into the bars, thudding against them. "There's one pony!"
"Huh?" He turned fully back towards her, raising a hoof to adjust his dark glasses. "Now, if'n yer wasting my time, ah don't appreciate that none. Who is it ya wanna call?"
"Miss Jubilee. Ah promised to tell her somethin'! Ya don't want her being angry none."
He blanched at that, taking a step back before frowning. "If she refuses yer call, ah'm keeping you another day fer lyin' to me. Ya understand?"
Maple reached through the bars, waving a hoof at him. "Just tell her it's about Summer and her boyfriend and she'll wanna talk to me, promise."
"Boyfriend?" He raised a brow at that. "Didn't know she had one..." Despite that, he trundled off with some grumbling something about ponies being involved with other ponies' boyfriends.
"Oh, please let this work." She drew her hoof back to press against her other forehoof in a prayer position.
He had run long and hard and nowhere in particular. Aching muscles and a heaving breath were his reward as he began to slow down. His body was rebelling, no matter how much his mind was keen on continuing the gallop. He slowed to a trot, then a walk, his limbs aching from the inside from the effort he had put in.
His lungs felt like they were on fire and he snorted with every other breath, trying to 'catch up' with the effort he had expended. He couldn't even see the town anymore behind him. He had wandered out into the flat dusty countryside. His only company were lone cacti and a single rabbit that peered at him from on top of a rock barely bigger than it was.
The flame went out and he collapsed forward, hitting the ground as a kirin, gasping for air. The emotions faded away, leaving him feeling numb, but that numbness of the soul didn't at all shield him from the complaints his abused form were submitting in formal objection of his casual neglect of its needs.
He cracked open an eye to behold the darkening sky. It was perhaps late afternoon, with evening just close enough to threaten him. He was in the middle of nowhere in some desert. He pushed slowly off the ground, raising up onto his haunches. His hooves slipped on the suddenly unhelpful dirt and he slammed back to the ground. Pain echoed through his torso and he let out a little wheeze without thinking about it.
How fast could a pony gallop? How long could one gallop? Did that apply to a kirin? He didn't have any of those answers, he just knew he had run until he couldn't anymore. On the positive, he mused, he wasn't a human anymore. Humans were good for endurance, and ponies and kirin were not exhaustion predators as far as he knew. So, he couldn't have run for that long, right? But that left the question of how fast was he going? A horse was much faster than a person, even if the person could eventually catch up, stalking them like unfeeling terminators that seemed unstoppable and inescapable.
For just a moment he wished there was a human following him, that'd find him eventually, sitting there heaving for breath. He'd be caught, hopefully not killed, but being caught and dragged back to town felt like maybe that wouldn't be such a terrible thing. Where were the humans when you could use one?
"Yes?" Jubilee was leaning against a wall, allowing the phone receiver to be perched between it and her head. "Miss Jubilee speaking. If you're lookin' fer a cherry, yer speakin' to the right mare."
"Good evening, Miss," came a familiar male voice. "Sorry to bother you."
"That you, Long Hat?" She cocked a brow. "Weren't expecting no calls from you, but yer not an unwelcome sight. What can ah do fer ya?"
She couldn't see, but perhaps she could hear the blush on his cheeks. "Wish I were callin' fer better reasons, but ah got a pony in a cell what says you'd want to talk to her."
"A naughty mare?" Jubilee shook her head and the phone clattered to the ground. She allowed an unlady like exclamation as she grabbed for it between her hooves and got it back up where she could talk into it. "Pardon me. They really should make these things easier to hold. Who designed these things? Really, ah swear."
"Couldn't agree more. Ah almost didn't call. Hate usin' these things, so ah'll keep it simple so we can both stop. You just tell me you don't want to talk to her."
"Ah can't do that." She smiled softly. "You haven't told me who the naughty mare was or what she wants."
"Ain't nopony important, Ma'am. Ya know Maple?"
"Peer in the orchard business," easily agreed Jubilee. "Not quite on my level, of course, but we do run into one another from time to time, compare tree notes. What'd she do?"
There was a pause, perhaps surprise from her reaction to the name. "O-oh, well, she's been causin' trouble, riling up ponies to attack a creature, insulting law enforcement, incitin' riots..."
"That is quite the list," Jubilee grabbed a hair scrunchy and soon had it around her head, holding the receiver in place. "Ah know she can be a bit... excitable."
"That's bein' a mite bit mild there, don't you think?"
"Ah prefer to see the good side of ponies. Now, what did little Maple want with Jubilee?" She began to walk around the room, freed of leaning against the wall. "She need bail?"
"We're only keepin' her a few days," he assured. "Just long enough to cool down."
"Good. I'd be a bit cross if she were becomin' a jail pony." She raised a brow at the receiver, her threat delivered. "Now what was it she was lookin' fer?"
"She said it involved a mare and her boyfriend? Was kinda vague about it but seemed ta think yo--"
"--I'll be down in a moment, and you'd best have her trussed up and ready to leave with me when I get there." She wrenched off the scrunchy and the phone receiver clattered to the ground. She bit back the curse that time, grabbing it back up. "I'll be right there." Slap, down onto the base it went.
She was there without a delay, carried there on a wagon pulled by four of her loyal stallions. She leaped off just as the carriage arrived at the sheriff's office/jail, bounding inside with a determined look. "Now where is... Ah, there you are." Her expression brightened to a smile, approaching the confused-looking Maple. "Now we have so much to talk about." She threw a leg around Maple, over her withers. "Now don't you worry none." She was looking at the sheriff then. "If she don't have answers I want to hear, she'll wish she'd just spent a few days relaxing in here."
Even as Maple cringed and shrank back, the Sheriff looked suddenly pleased with things. "Good to hear. I'd hate to think a pony was skippin' out on justice. Now, Maple, let's not meet like this again. You keep your nose clean."
"Mah nose is plenty clean," she insisted with some confusion, a hoof raising to inspect her snout.
Jubilee nudged her forward, half-dragging her with a leg. "A figure of speech, darling. Now come along. We have things to discuss, and I'd best not be disappointed in what ah hear. Ah don't much favor ponies usin' me to get out of trouble, so if you just called me fer that..."
Maple was led out, walking stiffly along the way. "It's about--"
Jubilee slid the arm that was over Maple to be over her snout, suddenly shoving Maple into her armpit nose first. It accomplished the goal of silence Maple as she led the mare to the carriage and gestured with her other forehoof. "In." She let up on the pressure that held the mare captive.
Maple could have wrenched away, it wasn't as if Jubilee's armpit was secured very well, but she hadn't dared. When the opportunity, and consent, had been given, Maple veered away, taking a deep breath of the sweet air of freedom, and not another mare's armpit. "Yes'm!" She hopped up into the carriage.
Jubilee was just behind her. "Take us home," she called out before pulling the door shut, the soft jostle of wheels felt by them both as they began to move. "And now you can tell me what you know. I assume this involves Summer Blossoms? Has her stallion done something to hurt her? You need only tell me and--"
Summer threw open her door, looking around with her hat half hanging off her head. "Where could they have gone off ta..." Visions flitted through her mind of the various terrible ways things could have gone. Maybe they had eloped and decided they didn't need Summer as part of it?
No, that was jealousy speaking. They had promised to be good ponies when she wasn't around, and they were both good ponies, er, creatures, and they would never. She stomped a hoof, reprimanding herself for even thinking it.
Some other nosy pony could have come a knocking and... they ran. But why?
Or... She came to a stop, raising a hoof to her face. "She took him out," she groaned. It was the only scenario that made sense. She dragged him out into the town... and something terrible happened there. "He's not ready fer that!" Or maybe he was. Maybe she'd get to the town square and he'd be doing tricks for her neighbors and everypony would be laughing and smiling and she'd just feel silly for even feeling bad.
With a glimmer of hope, she trotted away from her home with the carefully held image of Winter and Maple having a perfectly fine time with the town ponies.
"He ran away?" Cherry's ear skewed to the side, peering at Maple without being fully convinced. "Why would he do that? That don't speak well for him none."
"I told him to go." Maple sank miserably on her seat, ears drooped and hanging left and right. "He was ready to fight fer me, to keep me out of jail. Was gonna get himself in trouble, so ah told him to go home, and he ran off instead..."
"That's more the stallion behavior I'd expect." Her unsure expression broke into a smile. "Ready to move mountains if it meant a happy mare." With a content sigh, she nodded, looking more secure about the order of the universe. "So ya slapped him on the back end and he took off."
"I did no such thing!" Maple squeaked in alarm, her hooves covering her warm cheeks.
"Darling, you need to stop takin' turns ah phrases so darn literal. Did you see which way he went?"
Maple sat up and reached for the door, cracking it open to peek outside. They were still moving, rolling through the town, but that didn't stop her from shoving her head out and craning about for a better view. "That way, ah think."
Cherry could not see the direction Maple was pointing, the door in the way, but that didn't stop her. "Follow that mare!" she bellowed in command, prompting the cart to turn sharply as the stallions turned to go in the direction Maple was pointing. "We'll find that stallion of yours."
Maple's view of the world swerved with the turning cart, holding onto the edge as tightly as she could in a desperate cling. Flying past her in almost a streak, she saw a familiar pony. Well, she saw a lot of familiar ponies. She knew most of the fine folk of the town, but that one was special. "Summer!"
Summer perked an ear, hearing her name. She looked towards the source, but there was nothing but a retreating wagon drawn by four stallions. "Huh..." She shook her head and went up to a random pony on the street. "Have you seen Maple around here?"
Cherry grabbed Maple by the scruff and yanked her back inside the wagon fully, closing the door in the process. "Summer don't need to be frettin' none. We'll get her boy back."
"Ma'am?"
Cherry looked forward towards one of her pullers speaking. "What is it?"
"There are tracks on the ground."
Cherry squinted faintly before opening the door on her side and swinging up and out, flipping over the top of the wagon in an athletic display that ended with her standing on top of the wagon with a clop of her hooves coming down on the wood. The wind whipping through her mane, she could clearly see the tracks the stallion was referring to, two steady lines that went off into the evening desert.
"Maple, darling, there's no reason for our stallion to be on fire, is there?" She leaned over the side of the wagon, peering towards the window that led back inside.
"Um, actually..."
Cherry turned towards the front, pointing to the trail they had not been following precisely at all, slowly diverging from it. "Follow that line! Seems our helpful little stallion left us a trail to find him by. Right thoughtful of him, ah reckon." The wagon veered towards the lines, but Cherry leaned with it, easily keeping her place as she sat down on the root. She would not be tossed from her throne and chariot so easily.
Back in town, Summer went from pony to pony, asking if they'd seen either of her friends. "He's a real quiet sort, stoic ya could say, but real nice. Ya can't miss him, scales all over his back, one big curved horn?"
The mare she asked shook her head. "Didn't that creature come and go a while ago?"
"A different one," sighed out Summer. "Wait, you saw the first one?"
The mare nodded softly. "Oh, sure. A nice mare. She wasn't so quiet though, not like you said." She canted her head faintly. "She thought everything about the town was interesting to look at and gawk at."
The original Kirin she had seen was a mare? Summer wondered for a moment if that had colored things a little. "I... see... Well... Not that one. I know another one, that wasn't just passing through, but I lost him."
"Lost him?" The mare squinted at Summer before waving at ponies going by. "Creatures are not a thing you 'lose' like that. A sock, or a hat maybe. What happened to them for them to get lost like that?"
Summer backed a step. "I wasn't... I was workin'! And he was with a friend, Maple."
"Maple," half-laughed and half-sighed the other mare. "She is somethin', ain't she? Ah heard she got picked up fer being a right pain in the back end."
Summer began to blink rapidly. "Picked up?"
"Thrown in jail." The mare pointed the way down the street. "Ya didn't hear about it?"
"Ahm hearin' it right now." Summer turned towards where the pointing was. "She has to know... Ah'll be back." She started into a firm trot towards potential answers.
"Good luck." The other mare waved once before resuming what she was doing.
Their town wasn't that big of a place. A fast-trotting mare could cross from where she started to the small sheriff's office/jail in what only felt like two eternities. She charged right through the swinging batwing doors that dared to stand in her way. "Where is she?!" she blurted, only to blush an instant later at her outburst.
Tall Hat hiked a brow at the mare. "Where is who?" He fell forward on his chair, letting it clatter back into position against the floor. "Someone causin' you trouble, Summer?"
"Ah don't think so. Ah hope not!" She stepped fully into the building and sank down onto her haunches. "I was told Maple was... here?"
"She was." He nodded softly. "'Till she weren't no more. Miss Jubilee took her."
An image of her boss jumped right into her mind. "W-why? Ah mean, thank you..." Maple wasn't there. Answers weren't there. "Ah... don't reckon ya know where they went? Oh! Was she with a creature with scales on his back, tufted tail? Big curved horn!"
"Ah know the one." Tall tipped his hat over his eyes a little. "Ran off, but not afore puttin' on quite the show. Ain't safe, that one." He thrust a hoof at Summer. "Can't have creatures just settin' themselves on fire. Ain't safe, not even one bit."
Winter was standing. His breathing was back under control and he was appreciative of that. He remembered dimly reading somewhere that horses could run themselves to death. But he wasn't a horse. He wasn't even a pony. He was a kirin. Either way, he didn't feel like he was dying, just becoming colder as the sun set.
He had to get home, but where was home? The town wasn't in sight in any direction. He circled in place, looking at the sand and cacti.
A sudden low howl made him jump in place. A wolf? He didn't want to meet any wild wolves. He began moving away from the sound of the howl, hoping to avoid being predated upon. A human catching up to him and dragging him back to town, that would have been alright. Being chewed apart by hungry wolves, less so.
Surely if he just... walked, he'd eventually run into something. Right? Walking felt better than standing still, fighting the chill of the night by getting back into an easy trot and bouncing along the sandy terrain.
The gloom grew heavier as he went, as if he were somehow fleeing the sun, but he was sure that wasn't the actual case. That realization did nothing to make it any lighter. He willed light into his horn, shining gently to the ground in a faint gloom that at least chased away the worst of the dark. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, he decided.
The moon was large and overhead, shining its silver light down on him along with the countless stars. Equestria had pretty nights, he decided, trying to keep himself calm and perhaps even enjoy the little hike he'd made for himself. Sure, he was still sore from his wild gallop and he wanted to collapse in a nice soft bed, but he was alive, and an answer was out there, somewhere.
Jubilee jumped from the wagon, hitting the dirt into an easy trot without a bit of hesitation between. "Sure did."
The stallion that had first seen it nodded. "We can't follow tracks that ain't there, an' it's gettin' dark, Ma'am."
"It already is dark," corrected Cherry as she circled around, inspecting where the tracks led to one spot, then vanished. "This is not going to make my little Summer happy none..."
The door to the wagon swung open and Maple half-fell out onto the dirt. "Oof! Did we find him?" She scrambled back to her hooves and hurried over to Cherry's side, looking around wildly, but there was no Winter in sight. "Where'd he go?"
Cherry pointed at the sooty end point. "Do creatures like him... burn up? We lookin' at what's left?"
Maple's eyes went wide at the idea, falling over herself as she backpedaled. "Ah hope not! Summer will never forgive me! Ah'll never forgive me!"
Cherry suddenly slapped Maple across her distraught face, punching her with the flat of her hoof. "Get yourself together, dear. Ah don't think he did that. Ah don't see no pile or a scatterin' ah ashes. The damn fool just wandered off."
"Maybe he's lost," posited one of the four stallions. The other three nodded in agreement.
Cherry let out a slow breath. "Maybe so... Boys, take Maple back to town." She thrust a hoof back towards it. "Get her to Summer. She must be worried sick at this point. Ah'll keep on goin'."
All five ponies gaped at Cherry as if she had taken all leave of her senses. "What? Ah can take care'a myself jus' fine." She tossed her mane as she turned in place, looking across the ground. "Just have to find his tracks... He weren't sneakin' from somethin'. I bet it's around here."
Maple rubbed one fore leg with the opposing hoof, eyes wandering the darkness. "Why don't ya leave me here? Yer... way more important."
Cherry bopped Maple on the nose. "Now see here. Summer is my sweet little foal, wonderful and productive. I expect everythin' from my workers, but that's a two way street, ya hear? You go on back to her. Ah got it from here."
They left her there, even if none of them particularly wanted to. They'd have to trust in their successful friend's ability to survive in the wilderness.
Maple stepped off the wagon with a little almost-silent sigh. "Thanks," she limply threw to the stallions that had carried her all that way. "Hope she's alright."
"Us too," quickly replied one, the others nodding. "We're going to put the wagon away now. Ya take care now." And off they went, walking at a more sedate rate instead of the gallop or trot that had defined their movement up until then. Their day was over.
All day was over. It was entirely dark where artificial light couldn't be seen, and they didn't have street lamps, leaving only the light that spilled out of houses to work by. Maple considered fleeing to her own home. "No..." She had been asked to do something specific, and off to another pony's house she went.
She raised a hoof to the door and knocked, but between the second and third strike, the door swung open violently inwards, revealing Summer rushing out around the door. "Maple! Where is he?!"
That was when Maple could see Cherry had been entirely correct. Summer was a mess of nerves. Had she been crying? "It's alright!" She grabbed for Summer, only to be shoved back.
"Tell me what happened. Where is he?" she demanded, tail lashing fitfully. "Ah don't see him with you."
"'Cause he ain't," Maple agreed, sitting in front of her distraught friend. "He ran off. Cherry's followin' him."
Summer crashed to her own haunches. "Cherry? Miss Jubilee Cherry? Mah boss is huntin' mah boyfriend?"
"That does sound a might off on hearin' another pony say it," agreed Maple with a little smile. "But it's true. She sent me back t'tell you what was happening."
"So tell me." Summer rose up and stepped aside, waving into the house. "And c'mon in before we let all the heat out."
The two fled into the warmth of the house to catch up on what had been going on.
Winter plodded across the dark sand. His horn wasn't glowing anymore. That took effort and the moon and stars were casting enough to not trip over himself on that flat and open desert. He had to avoid running into any cacti, but other than that, he could walk freely. Anywhere he wanted. Except home. He didn't know which way that was, just that it wasn't there.
His breath misted the air in front of him. Was it normal that deserts became so cold the moment the sun was out of the picture? He wasn't freezing to death, he felt sure, but it had gone from hot to warm to mildly cold in what felt like no time at all. He could only hope it would stop getting any colder.
On the plus side, the coolness seemed to be numbing the ache in his legs.
There was barely a growl before he was jumped on, a furry figure leaping from the darkness to pounce. Winter let out a surprisingly feral equine whinny of terror as he rolled under the biting, scratching thing and kicked with all he had, sending a canine off just far enough for him to scramble to his hooves.
A coyote? A low growl had his ear turning. The coyote wasn't alone. They hunted in packs?! He stomped a hoof down, his horn flaring brightly, illuminating four coyotes in total that had decided he was a big enough prey to need a pack for. The dogs reared back, stunned by the sudden bright light and cowed by it for a precious moment. Enough time for Winter to break into a gallop where there seemed to be the fewest 'yotes that wanted a slice of his furry hide.
He led them on a merry chase, fleeing in a wild gallop from a far more concrete threat than the worry of failing as a friend and stallion.
Cherry frowned into the darkness, where a great flash of light had burst. "Signallin' me? Right kindly of ya." She hurried her steps into an energetic trot, hoping to secure her quarry. But when she arrived at where the flash had taken place, there was nothing but more tracks, and not all of them pony.
She picked out the coyote tracks and the cloven prints she assumed belonged to her target. He hadn't moved subtly, the tracks leading quite obviously away. "When ah catch up with you..." She began moving after him, taking note of how spread his hooves were. "Ah shoot..." They implied he was galloping at full speed. She weren't an expert in coyote prints, but she hazarded a guess that they were running with him.
Her own pace accelerated into a full gallop, hoping to catch up to them all before he got chomped on by the local fauna.
Winter grabbed a coyote leaping in at his front, tossing it aside with a grunt of effort as his magic sent it sailing, just for another to take its place, sinking its teeth into his foreleg. He thrashed and kicked with his other hoof, knocking it back, but another was there. There seemed to be a coyote at all times when there weren't two at a time.
He was being whittled down, fast. He was going to be killed and eaten and maybe not even in that order. His magic seemed woefully insufficient, slow enough to let another of them in when he tried to grab for one. Igniting felt like a good idea, but he wasn't sure how to do that exactly.
He lashed out a hind leg, dissuading one coyote that had been circling him, but that was an invitation that was gladly accepted by another coming in from the front, slavering jaws aimed for his throat.
Winter lowered his head, bringing his great horn down in an arc, slamming it into the nose of the charging coyote. Even as his head spun from the impact, the pained yip and the coyote's retreat was sign enough that his gambit has bought him just one more instant of breathing at least.
They weren't large creatures. Coyotes were more the size of an average dog as opposed to wolf stature. That didn't stop the pack of four of them from tearing into him. That didn't stop them from being a lethal threat. And it didn't stop him from being delicious in their eyes.
He reared up with a whinny, spooking them back, but only for a moment before they came rushing in towards his chest and exposed belly.
A sudden loud shout distracted everyone, looking off into the darkness just a moment before the figure emerged, a refined mare with a scowl crashing right into one of the coyotes, knocking it over and sending it skidding. "Git!" shouted Cherry. "Go on! Ain't no free meals here!"
The sudden presence of two creatures was well enough to skew the battle in their eyes. The coyote scattered, howling to let each other know which way they had gone. The attack was over just as suddenly as it began.
Winter fell back to all fours, shivering violently. "T-thank... you," he got out. Had it been that cold before? He felt chilled to the bone. Laying down felt like the right thing to do. "Thank--" He collapsed in place, thudding against the ground limply.
Cherry shook her head softly at the unconscious stallion. "Ah do swear..." She trotted up to him and began inspecting. A sharp gasp was the first sign she made as she saw the numerous wounds the hunters had left him. "This ain't good. Ya awake in there?"
"Mmm?"
"Good. Ah need you to help me to help you some." She lowered her head and began nuzzling under Winter, working him back up. "Stand with me, lean against me if ya have to. C'mon..." She had him on his hooves, but he was almost entirely flopped against her. "Good thing yer a slight thing." More shaped like a mare, he lacked the heavy bulk of a stallion, and she didn't see a reason to complain about it at that instant.
"Now, don't you worry none. Just one hoof in front of the other," she gently advised, the two following his trail backwards. "Don't suppose ya have some creature power that'd help us out?"
He made another soft intelligible word or three, too injured to really think about not talking.
"Reckon ya ain't much in the mood fer it even if ya did. They really gotcha good. But don't worry none." Cherry walked in relative silence, the thumps of their hooves on the ground the only sounds they were making. Soft calls of night time animals tickled their ears. New insects emerged. Small predator and prey began to scurry. The desert was alive around them, but she had her eyes forward on the goal.
"Tweren't mah brightest moment." Keeping one of the stallions seemed like a good idea in retrospect, to help carry the injured kirin she was helping along. "Figured ah'd find you bein' more confused than hurt none. Ya can blame me fer that, won't hold it against you." She glanced aside to see Winter's eyes were closed. Was he asleep? She couldn't tell and pausing to check was a tact she decided against. They had to get back to town.
"So let me make sure ah got this right. Now my boss' out there, lookin' fer Winter. Both of 'em, in the middle of nowhere, with no supplies or nothin'."
"That's about right," miserably agreed Maple. "She insisted, and ya know how Cherry can be when she puts down a hoof."
"Ain't nopony that can turn her," sighed Summer in agreement, sinking on the couch she had been perched on. "Ya said he gone and... set himself on fire?"
"Not like he had no match or nothin'. He just... Boosh--" She spread her hooves in an explosive demonstration. "Not on fire, then on fire. He was so angry, fer me... He was ready to fight ta keep me out of jail."
Summer put a hoof over her face. "Ah ain't sure if I should congratulate him or kick him. Reckon both wouldn't be out of place... But only if he's safe." She rolled over with a groan. "They could both get hurt, or worse! This ain't right! It's one of the first lessons a foal learns. Don't be outside the town when it's dark." She thrust a hoof on the final words, glaring at Maple.
"Ya don't have to remind me none!" She held up both forehooves flat to Summer. "Ah just hope they both come back safe... Maple, why'd ya have to go an' do that! He weren't ready..."
"Ah know that now! It was goin' so good... He was meetin' ponies and they were meetin' him... We were havin' a fine time of it." Maple rubbed one leg with the other hoof. "Then the law came in and ruined it all."
"Don't you go gettin' sour on the law none." She stuck out her tongue a little. "You done shown your back end to the law plenty of times. It's about time ya got bit. Just wish ya didn't do it with Winter there to get in trouble too."
"That's just cold." Maple stuck out her tongue at Summer. "Ah'm gonna assume those're the words of a hurt mare that's worried fer her stallion."
"Good! Because they are." Summer flumped in place, pawing at the couch in an impotent display. "Ah really hope they're both alright..."
"They gotta be..." Maple glanced towards the dark window. "'sides, Cherry's a strong mare! What could take her down? Heard she fell off a cliff once and she's still around to complain about it. Don't reckon one night in the desert'll finish her off so fast."
Summer perked an ear at that. "Fell off a cliff? Where do you even get these wild rumors?" She smiled a little, imagining her employer plummeting through the air. "Bet her mane was still stylish on the way down. Don't know how she manages it."
The two mares shared a laugh. They'd have to wait for word on their friends.
Cherry helped Winter settle against the hard wall of the little cave they'd found. She left him there as she looped back to the cave entrance just a few feet away, working to block it with rocks and other debris as best she could. "We don't need nothin' huntin' us while we get some rest."
Rest? He quirked an ear at her, watching her. He felt tired and hurt and not in the mood to argue, so he didn't, just laying there.
He wondered if he passed out a moment, only coming to at the sound of her moving around near him. A glance showed she had a fire circle made up and with a loud clacking of stones striking one another, she soon had a proper fire going. "No good freezin' out here," she muttered to herself, tossing the rocks aside. "You awake?"
He watched her, but he wasn't saying anything at that moment.
Cherry circled around the growing fire. "I can see you lookin'. Still hurtin'?" When he nodded, she flopped down beside him. "Ain't much ah can do 'bout that but keep you warm and safe."
Warm. He reached a hoof out and pulled her closer. She was warm, just as she promised, and snuggling into her felt quite natural.
Cherry laughed at the pawing she was getting, drawn against the mare-shaped stallion not-pony. "Hon, yer showin'." She lifted an ear. "An' I do remember yer a thin' with mah Summer, so if you go an' hurt her feelings, say by messin' with her boss, I'd have little choice but to buck you into next Tuesday."
Those were a lot of words. He inclined his head at her silently.
"Showing," she repeated with an arced brow before he felt it, one of her legs brushing his exposed sheath in a light brushing. "Ya proved yer a stallion, now put that away and go to bed."
Sleep... That sounded good. He closed his eyes and tried to settle in, only to suddenly wince, pulling something torn in the struggle with the coyotes.
Cherry frowned at the sight, he was clearly not interested in her, exactly, but he was still showing. It was an odd mixture of signals. She rolled her eyes, penning it up to an odd creature thing as she sank down next to him, dedicated to keeping the stupid male warm, even if he was being rude.
"I missed you so much," gushed Summer, hugging Winter tightly from the front.
"Me too," chimed Maple, bouncing just a bit to the side.
"Maple, darling, love you, but we need some 'us' time." She made a shooing motion then met his eyes directly. "We have some catching up to do." She turned around and waved her tail enticingly. "Mighty rude of ya, leavin' yer mare waiting..."
The wink of her lips brought him forward. He hopped up on her without delay and hugged her firmly from above, stroking firmly into her delightful body. Some distant part of his mind noted she didn't feel quite... right? But it was warm and wet and welcoming.
He rutted her with building vigor, determined to make up for the lost time he... had spent in the desert.
Winter suddenly blinked open his eyes, the tortured logic of the dream breaking in half. But the sensations were still there. He was buried in something soft and wet and so inviting. He looked down to see Cherry's lips wrapped around his twitching pole, working up and down with some practice. His brows went up in a moment of panic before he remembered he was supposed to be stoic. Stoic... how did one stoically respond to that?!
She pulled back, freeing his pole and softly smooching the tip. "You back to wake? I was jus' helpin' you relax, and put this thing away." She softly nuzzled just along the underside of his growing flare. "This'll be our little secret. Neither of us want Summer hurt none. Now, if'n ya could just put this away, that'd work too."
But he had just learned how to do it at all. Doing it while powerfully erect and being teased was so far beyond him, she may as well have asked him to casually jump up to the moon. He reached down, his hooves on her shoulders.
"I'll finish," she promised, misunderstanding the gesture. Before he could even really think of words, he began to vanish down her snout, her warm heat slurping and sucking gently at him. Her tongue teased in ways that Summer never had. Cherry was a trained mare, confident in her ability to bring a stallion to fulfillment, and the difference was impossible to argue. He slumped back, the pains feeling distant in the face of the mare's attentions. He was helpless before her work, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
Was this rape? He was pretty sure it counted... But his body was reacting on its own. It wanted this, and he was too hurt to really argue it. Should he be mad? He wanted to keep his promise to Summer.
It was suddenly too late. His great balls pulled up and his shaft began to powerfully twitch, spraying thick seed across Cherry's tongue. His eyes widened before he limply flopped in place. Sleep... He faded away, his shredded form more than willing to let go of the troubling world.
Cherry pulled back, licking her lips. "That was different." As similar to a pony as he was, he tasted different than a proper stallion. She watched the tool withdraw to just a sheath and, with a little encouragement, she had it stowed away properly in the sleeping form of the mare-shaped stallion. She smiled at his sleeping form. "Don't know a stallion that don't sleep better after that," she whispered, curling with him and no longer being prodded in the side by his masculinity. Finally, she could get some sleep too.
He woke up to the sound of rocks being moved. He could see Cherry clearing the debris she had piled at the entrance to the cave. Beyond it, the light of morning spilled out. She looked over her shoulder at him. "Awake? Good. Time to get back to town." She came trotting over to his side. "You feelin' any better?"
Winter rose to his hooves, considering Cherry. He could remember the night before, the sensation of that mare's lips working him. It had felt good, really good, but also terrible. He had cheated. He should have fought her, even if doing that would have hurt. He should have spoken, even if Kirin were quiet. He should have...
Cherry's hoof came up under his chin. "I can see you thinkin' in there. This is all on me if yer thinkin' what I think yer thinkin'. Yer a good stallion for frettin' about it." She lowered the same hoof and returned to the entrance, kicking aside a few more rocks. "Let's get movin'. Can you walk?"
He tried a step, aches and sharp lances firing through him. Still, it was less than the day before. He took another step, and another, clenching his teeth and trying to ignore the pain of his savaged body. Cherry suddenly was up against him, supporting him. They were walking side by side through the desert, leaving him with his thoughts. He had done wrong by Summer. A tiny part of him wondered if doing other things with Cherry would be equally as more intense than Summer could provide. He recoiled from those unfaithful thoughts, chastising himself silently for even thinking them.
Cherry was Summer's boss. If he told her... It would end Summer, on multiple fronts. He could imagine the town having to choose between Summer's tearful admission and Cherry's cool denial. They would have doubts, but they would take Cherry's word above Summer's. She basically owned the town. If he told her...
"Ah can see town." She pointed ahead to where the tip-tops of the taller buildings were coming into view. The morning had turned the desert from frigid chill to sweltering heat in no time at all, bathing them as they trundled towards safety.
Cherry's steps became more lively as they got closer to the town. "Now let's get you in the eyes of a proper doctor, hmm? You're still hurt, bein' a brave stallion or not. Won't do Summer no good if I bring back a stallion that can't even stand on his own."
Was she already pretending it didn't happen? Of course she was. A doctor was a good idea... He allowed her to guide him along in a bit of a fog until he was laying down on a cot. A stallion was poking and checking him over. Some distant talk of disinfectants lulled him to sleep.
"Where is he?!" Summer clopped a hoof down. Maple was peeking out from just behind her.
The doctor inclined his head. "Inside, gettin' some rest. He'll be alright, ah think. 'yotes got 'em good."
Summer fell back, her hooves going to her face. "He was attacked?!"
The doctor nodded softly. "Ripped up good, but he'll live. Miss Jubilee scared 'em off before it went too far. He just needs some rest now."
"Oh thank her everythin'..." She let out an explosive gust of breath. "Never figured mah boss would be the one protectin' mah stallion like that."
Maple wrapped an arm around Summer, drawing her close. Summer looked ready to fight it at first but the switch flipped almost instantly and she buried herself in her friend's chest, sobbing with relief. Maple gently rubbed the top of Summer, whispering little nothings and holding the mare. Looking over Summer to the doctor still standing there, Maple smiled. "Thank you fer treatin' him."
He inclined his head faintly. "Well, Miss Jubilee asks you to take care of a pony, what do you say? You two kin head home. Ah'll be sure ta let ya know when he's up and ready."
Maple softly patted Summer, still rocking with her. "If it ain't much trouble, we'll stay here fer now."
The doctor smiled gently. "A lot of worried family acts that way." He pointed to a small couch. "Ya can wait if ya want."
They were soon perched on it, leaning on one another and waiting for Winter to awaken.
When he poked his nose out of the back, Maple had lapsed off, leaving Summer as the one to see him, her ears going erect. She thundered towards him, only the thump of Maple flopping to the ground competing with the sound of her gallop.
"Wha?" got out the dizzy Maple as she got herself back together, standing up to see Summer hugging a quiet Winter. "Oh..." She smiled gently, stepping closer. "You alright?"
Winter shook his head softly, teeth set. He gently pushed Summer back, then pointed past her.
Summer glanced in the direction, the door leading outside. "You want to go home? Alright. Me too... Doctor, we're goin' home."
The doctor hiked a brow. "Ya come back if he gets to bleedin' again."
"We will," Summer promised, leading the way towards freedom. They all headed towards Summer's home. Winter was silent. But he usually was. That hardly seemed unusual.
It was Maple that noticed something amiss. Summer was too busy being overjoyed to have him back at all, leaving maple to study his steps, the set of his mouth and the faint frown on his face. "What's wrong?" But he didn't say. He didn't usually say anything. Maple closed in with him, and he pushed her away. That wasn't like him.
Maple hurried up to trot alongside Summer. "Something's wrong."
"Wrong?" Summer turned an ear towards Maple. "We finally have Winter back!" she gushed with unbridled joy. "I am going to tuck him in and get him a big bowl of soup to help him."
Maple's ears fell, unsure if she could get through to her friend in that instant. She glanced over her shoulder, making a silent promise to find out what was going on.
He was in a soft warm bed. Her smell was around him, which was nice, but also not. He had done something terrible. Pawing at the soft comforter on top of him, Winter thought of a thousand things he could have done differently. But... Cherry had saved him. Without her, he would have been ripped apart by hungry 'yotes.
If he had chased her away afterwards, somehow, he would have died, alone and miserable, in the desert, possibly never even pointing in the right direction for the very bed he had finally found his way back to.
"I hope you're hungry," came a sing-song voice. Summer came trotting in, a tray bouncing on her back with a steaming bowl of something. "Made some soup just for sick stallions."
He wasn't sick exactly, but he didn't correct her. He pushed, managing to re-arrange himself to be sitting up a few precious inches. Did he deserve to be fed by her hoof? She was a busy mare, with a job and responsibilities, unlike him...
"Don't look like that." She slid up onto the bed, the tray sliding off of her, soon perched before her, her fore hooves on either side of it. "I'm here for you. Shoot, Maple's here for you too."
"Sure am," came a distant voice echoing through the house.
He twitched an ear towards the sound of Maple before focusing on Summer. She had a spoon attached to a hoof and was offering him a spoonful of whatever soup she had made. "Say ahhh."
Part of him wished she would go away. Being around her made him feel dirty, a reminder of how unclean he had been and how poorly he had behaved. He didn't deserve to be hoof-served like some good kirin.
Pop, right in his mouth it went. Ooo, chicken noodle! Wait, ponies did chicken noodle? Baffled for a moment in confusion, he chewed and swallowed the therapeutic brew, only to have another offered. His self-reflection was broken, for the moment, as he ate lunch, or was it breakfast? There were no un-blindered windows in that room, so he couldn't be sure.
Summer trotted off, his belly singing her praises. He heard Maple and Summer talking, but couldn't quite make the words. Maple came in, watching him as she came closer. "Feelin' better?"
His ears were trained on her as she walked across the room.
"Not feelin' chatty?" She reared up, her forehooves settling on the edge of the bed. "That's alright. Ah can do the talkin'." Despite his silent staring, she went right on, "You look terrible, an' ah don't mean the bandages none." She pulled herself up onto the bed, looming over him then. "What's wrong? Besides it probably hurtin'."
He watched her, silent as he usually was, but she moved in suddenly. Was she going to kiss him? He turned his snout away.
Her hoof touched him on the cheek just under his eye, brushing something away. "Ya know yer cryin', right? We want to help... Does it hurt that bad?"
He stiffened. Even as a stoic kirin, his body had betrayed his emotions.
"We're here for you," she went on. "It was my fault, takin' you out like that without Cherry there ta help. Sorry... Really sorry... Ya can be mad at me."
But he wasn't mad at Maple. He needed a mirror to look at who he was mad at. He looked away from Maple.
She sat down, just barely putting pressure on his still sensitive body. "Ah don't give up easy none." She thrust a hoof at his face as he turned back towards her. "20 questions?"
He inclined his head as a great question mark appeared over his head.
"20 questions," she repeated with a smile. "I get to ask 20 things. Ya can nod or shake yer head, but ya gotta be honest."
He considered silently before he softly nodded. He would at least give her that much.
"Great!" she chimed, a bright smile on her face. "First question, are ya hurtin', physical like, more than when ya came home?"
He shook his head softly. His body was healing, he felt certain. Kirins weren't wimps. Then again, ponies probably weren't either.
"Good, good." She reached a hoof just under his chin, meeting his eyes. "Did something happen, somethin' besides getting bit a lot?"
He hesitated, tensing under her. "Alright," she said, apparently accepting his not-answer as an answer. "Did it leave any marks?"
Winter frowned faintly a moment. Did mental and spiritual marks count? He supposed not... He shook his head at Maple.
"Something bad, didn't leave no marks... Did it make you feel bad? Ah mean, guilty?"
His ears pinned against his head, tail lashing under the comforter. How was she reading him so well?! He gave the slightest of nods.
"Are ya embarrassed about runnin' off like that?" She tilted her head but held up a hoof. "Hold up, that's a bad question. Is that the main thin' yer upset about?"
He lifted an ornate ear towards her. He hadn't even really thought about that. That had been a foolish thing to do, but... he hadn't really thought about doing it. He couldn't think, he just ran... and ended up there. Still, if he hadn't, he could have avoided the other part... Still...
She leaned forward a little, her nose coming close to his. "I think that's a no."
While it would be nice to blame his run for everything... He shook his head softly.
"Alright. Next question..." she rose back up, tapping at her chin thoughtfully. "Was it somethin' after ya got lost?"
He nodded as a tremble ran through him. She was going to figure it out, then they'd all know how terrible he'd been.
"Was it before Miss Jubilee found you?" He shook his head, and that confused her.
"But if she was with ya...? Did she leave ya alone?" He shook his head softly, eyes closing.
"Now I'm confused... Was she bad at keepin' an eye on ya?" He shook his head a bit more vigorously. Oh no, she kept a good eye on him.
Suddenly her face lit up. "Did somethin' happen with the doctor?"
He blinked his eyes open, his vision blurry with fresh tears. The doctor? He shook his head.
Maple's mouth opened and closed a few times. "We're runnin' out of things it could be... Did... Miss Jubilee do anythin' that hurt ya?"
The door to the room suddenly banged open, making both of them jump. There was Summer, nostrils flaring. "What did she do?!" she demanded, stomping closer.
Maple slid right off Winter. "I was workin' on findin' that out, but ya--"
Summer hopped up onto the bed, eyes locked on Winter. "Ah can't understand you. Ah could hear you, loud as day. No words, but ah knew what ya meant... That stopped." She thrust a hoof at Winter, just shy of touching his nose. "What did she do?!"
He shrank away from her growing anger even as his own flared in response. He was trying to be a good kirin! Didn't she understand? Of course she didn't. She wasn't trying to be a good pony, she just was, unlike him. His anger fizzled with a miserable pop and he flopped back.
Her expression softened, ears lowering. "Look, Winter... Ah ain't mad at ya... Ah'm mad fer ya. Please... tell us what hurt you."
Maple bobbed her head quickly. "Yes, please. Oh! Wait a moment." she bounced down from the bed and galloped away, only to return with a notepad in her mouth. She set it on the bed and got to scribbling on it and tearing sheets out.
Soon there was a collection of suspects. A coyote on one, Jubilee on the next, an outline of a pony with a question mark through them on the next, the sheriff on the one after that, and the doctor on the last one." Maple wobbled a hoof over the lot of them. "Point at the one that hurt you."
Summer blinked softly. "Well, obviously the 'yotes hurt him. Why he has the bandages an' everythin'." She looked to him with a little smile. "Don't reckon we should count that, unless they hurt you most?"
His eyes darted from paper to paper, spending the most time not looking at the little mockup of Jubilee. But what would he point to? The coyotes would surely be a fine excuse... He pointed at the canine.
Summer booped him right on the nose. "Ya said it happened after Jubilee rescued you from them. Look, whatever it is, ah won't be mad." She held a hoof to her chest. "But no more lies. Tell me."
She had been listening? He quirked an ear at her before it fell back down. They had teamed up to trap him, to learn the truth... Because they cared about him. He flumped with a heavy sigh, his horn glowing as the picture of Jubilee lifted into the air in his magic.
"I will tear her apart!" Summer jumped to the ground, looking ready to storm off, at least until Maple landed on her in a sudden tackle, driving her to the ground.
"Let's not get too hasty," quickly insisted Maple, wrestling to keep Summer from getting away too quickly. "This is... Miss Jubilee... we're talkin' 'bout. She'll fire you and that won't be the last of it."
Summer suddenly shoved Maple free, growling at the other mare. "She hurt Winter! He won't talk to us none, so we gotta get the words out of her."
Maple circled in front of Summer. "I wanna know as much as you do, but we can do this more subtle-like than askin' fer trouble."
"And how do ya reckon we do that? Just ask her nicely?" She was stepping towards the exit, closing in with Maple with a growing scowl.
"We could start with that," timidly noted Maple, backing up a little. "Ask subtle-like... At least try to do it without trouble."
Summer applied a hoof to her own face. "We're already in trouble. Mah stallion's hurtin' somethin' fierce an' we're sitting here bein' scared to do somethin' 'bout it?"
A touch from behind had her spinning around with a defensive snarl, only to see Winter standing there, shivering on unsure legs. Her anger fizzled as her eyes went wide. "Ya shouldn't be up!" But he came in and gently hugged her. The both of them crashed to their haunches. "Go... back to bed," she weakly insisted, but he was crying, and soon she was holding him, her arms wrapped around him. "Stubborn stallion..."
New arms joined them, Maple hugging the both of them. "We'll figure this out... as a family." She squeezed them firmly. "Even if ya'll decide ah'll be a family friend, that's still family."
Summer snorted in a sudden fit of laughter. "Maple, ah swear... ain't angry at you none right now... ah..."
Winter suddenly touched her nose with his own, the two staring at one another for a quiet moment.
"He doesn't want me to," she sighed out. "What did she do?" she blurted out at him, hugging him all the tighter. "We're here for you."
Maple tilted her head. "Maybe she talked herself into somethin', like ah did when we first met... Maybe she declared herself--"
"She wouldn't! Would she?" Summer looked between Maple and Winter. One was looking unsure, the other had started to avoid her gaze. "She would... She did!" She pointed down between Winter's hindlegs. "She did things to you. We didn't use our 20, so answer true. Did she do something to you, down there?"
Winter looked between Summer's heated glare and Maple's worried sympathy. He could just not answer, but that would be an answer all on its own. His head tipped forward, hanging before it bobbed weakly.
Summer smoothly stood up on her hooves, kissed him on the cheek, and walked off into the house.
"That was calmer than I--" Maple and Winter both cringed as they heard a plate or a glass smashing against something hard, shattering, and it wasn't the last, just the first.
Summer went off to work on time, and she came home without news of being fired or chase out of the town. It was as if the admission had never happened. She cared for Winter when she was there, and trusted in Maple to do it when she was not.
"Gonna have to start tendin' mah own trees soon," warned Maple. "But Winter's looking a might better now."
Winter nodded at that, on his hooves with a faint smile.
Summer kissed either of them on their right cheek. "Yer both doin' great. It's alright... Once Winter's working at full, that's when ah'll go talk to her." She turned away, trotting towards the kitchen. "'Till then, we recover."
Maple drew a worried breath, glancing at Winter before moving instead for the front door. "Ah'll go fer now. Be back later!"
"Not stayin' for dinner?" came Summer's voice. "Ya helped all day long, 'least ah can offer ya."
Maple's ears pinned on her head. "Tomorrow. Ya don't owe me nothin', promise. We're friends." She smiled awkwardly before fleeing out the front door, pausing only to make sure it was closed behind her.
Visions of Summer's righteous fury showing during the confrontation danced in her mind. If she wanted to help her friend, she had to cut that right off. Maple raced for the cherry plant, galloping down the town road and drawing curious stares of the few ponies about, wondering what all the rush was for.
No pony actually stopped her and she reached the factory where cherries were brought, washed, sorted, packed, and shipped. It was the economic center of the heart. Others did their businesses, varied, but smaller, all tiny compared to Miss Jubilee. Maple took a slow breath. She was a fellow orchard tender. They were peers, sort of...
"Sizing the competition?" The door to the outhouse swung open, allowing Miss Jubilee to emerge. "Reckon this ain't the year maple syrup overtakes cherries, Darling."
Maple smiled awkwardly, forcing a laugh. "Don't 'magine so. Just... admirin' the factory."
"Ain't she a beaut?" Cherry closed the distance at a casual walk. "Ya thinkin' ah expandin'?"
Maple glanced left and right. "Jubilee, I was hopin' we could talk, mare to mare."
Cherry hiked a brow at that. One could plainly see her surprise at her honorific not being used. "Somethin' important like?" When Maple nodded, Cherry turned began to walk towards her factory. "Walk wit' me then. Ah have an office that's private enough. What's on yer mind?"
Maple lurched into motion, hurrying up to Cherry's side before slowing into an easy walk. "Winter's recoverin' nicely."
"That's good." Cherry softly nodded as she pushed the door open, entering the factory floor where ponies labored to prepare her cherries for market. "He was lookin' mighty sore when ah first laid eyes on him. How's Summer? Poor girl's been workin' hard, real hard. But ah can tell somethin's up."
Maple raised a hoof, buffing it against her chest as she walked along with the other three legs. "It was actually just about that."
"Ah was hopin' it was." Miss Jubilee nudged open the door to a dark office, though a swat of her hoof summoned electrical light from above. "Head on in, let's chat about it."
Maple slipped inside, spotting a simple desk. It had papers on it, but they seemed organized into neat little piles. On one side was a large chair that looked quite comfy. The one across from it, less so. It was good to be boss. Maple went for the lesser of the two and hopped up, sitting on her haunches. "So... let me start with sayin' ah'm here to talk, not point hooves or yell at nopony."
Cherry hopped up into her larger chair, reclining comfortably. "Ah didn't think you would be, Dear, but now you've made me concerned. What is there to be yelling about?"
Maple ran one hoof up and down the opposing leg. "Now, don't get me wrong or nothin'. Ah really 'ppreciate ya rescuing Winter like ya did."
"He's doing well, yes?" confirmed Jubilee with a smile.
"Much better, yes..." Maple's eyes drifted towards a few hanging awards on the wall. "But there's somethin' ya did that made him... uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable?" Her brows raised as one. "It weren't no five star resort, hiding in a cave like that. Neither of us were comfortable, Dear."
"I can imagine... but..." Her cheeks began to get darker and darker. How did one... "Miss Jubilee, did you... have sex with Winter?"
Jubilee sat up so suddenly her chair almost fell over. "Of course not! Really, he is involved with Summer, is he not?"
Maple's ears flickered, confusion growing. "Did you... do... anything kind of like that?"
Suddenly her eyes half-closed, her posture relaxing. "Oh! Ohhhh, yes, of course." She waved it away as if it were nothing. "That stallion was shivering to death, possibly literally, so I cuddled in close, and what does he do? Go on, guess."
Maple inclined her head left and right and it hit her. She had been the one to even show Winter it could be done and she groaned loudly. "He was showin'."
Cherry squinted at Maple. "He do that to you too then? Ain't given a mare much choice. Either ah let him freeze or I make that go away."
"He's... not good at hidin'," awkwardly explained Maple. "An' now he thinks he cheated, and now Summer--"
"--Thinks I was stealing her stallion," finished Miss Jubilee, sitting up straight. "Tarnation! Ah figured he was the one bein' naughty. Weren't gonna say nothin' to avoid hurtin' Summer none. An' here we are." She suddenly shoved one of her piles aside, scattering the documents. "What a mess this is."
Maple let out a little breath. As annoyed as Miss Jubilee was, her anger was directed at not-her, and even sounded productive. Perhaps things could just work out.
"Maple, somethin' bothers me." Jubilee fixed eyes with her would-be peer. "How do you fit into all this? Ya know an awful lot 'bout each pony involved, even private thin's. He was with ya when things went south, and he bolted east. Ah take pride in knowin' my dear workers, but ya keep showin' up with all the answers. Ah kin put my hoof on everythin' else, but yer the piece that won't fit."
Maple went rigid. "Oh, well, ya see--"
"No, let me get it fer once." Jubilee leaned forward over her desk. "'Bout time ah figured you out some. Ya know 'bout his private thin's. Ya know what she's feeling. Yer right close to the both of them, and asked me a question..." A smile slowly spread over her face. "Did Summer go and herd with you? Are you sharin' that stallion?"
Maple's wide eyes were answer enough. Cherry burst into merry laughter. "How did I not put those together before. It makes too much sense... So yer not just here as a concerned friend. You were angry too. Were ya ready to teach me a lesson?"
"No! No no no!" hurriedly assured Maple, waving her hooves wildly across one another. "A-ah figured there had to be a reason, an' there was!"
"There was," agreed Miss Jubilee, letting out a final sigh of her own. "But we're still in a right mess, now ain't we? Ya heard my side. I weren't tryin' ta go takin' yer stallion. It made him stop showin', and put him to sleep. That was the goal, an' ah got him back in one piece."
"Ah heard... But they didn't." She rubbed at her cheek softly. "Ah'll talk to 'em..."
"Please." Cherry Jubilee hopped down to the floor. "The door's still open, so come on back, let me know what they said. If they need it from my own lips, fine. The sooner we can clear the air, the better. I just don't want no shouting matches in my factory, so I'll stop over there if she wants to put eyes on me."
"Yes, of course." Maple stepped down gently to the wooden floor. "Thank you."
"Yer quite welcome." She leaned forward a little. "So how long were ya plannin' on hidin' that yer part of the family?"
Maple's cheeks darkened anew. "Ain't nothin' official! I-I... should go." She turned away and hurriedly trotted for the door, almost crashing into it before she got her mouth on the doorknob and worked it open. "Good day, Miss Jubilee."
Jubilee watched Maple flee with a shake of her head. "Flighty little mare." She softly fanned at her face with a hoof as she approached her door. "What a mess." Hopefully one on the way towards being mended.
Winter lifted an ornate ear at the sound of the front door opening. He walked out of the kitchen to see Maple there, panting. With a little smile, he trotted towards the familiar mare, his friend.
Maple returned the smile on seeing him. "Hey, there you are. Did Summer already go?" When he nodded, she closed with him and touched nose to nose. "I went and talked, you know, to her."
He tilted his head quizzically.
"Not Summer, or ah'd already know she left." Maple walked past Winter, heading further into the home. "Miss Jubilee."
Winter's teeth set as he turned, the expression fading quickly. Good kirin were stoic. He was a good kirin... He followed Maple instead.
She led him towards the living room just to pause at the kitchen. She peeked inside and looked around. "Were you cleanin'? Yer still gettin' better. Ya don't--"
He stepped under her, his head and horn brushing against her as he slipped into the kitchen. The stripes on his horn glowed as he began resuming his cleaning chores, moving a wet dish into the drying rack and reaching for the next.
"I get the hint. If it makes you feel good, ah ain't gonna stop you..." She sat down, watching Winter work without actually putting his hooves on anything. "Watching a unicorn, or kirin, work is a strange thing, let me tell ya... So... she said what happened... 'tween you two."
He dropped a plate but caught it an instant later, only allowing it to lose a few inches of height. Winter glanced over at Maple without turning his head. He wasn't bothered at all, obviously.
"You were.... showin', when you were hurt... Ah can imagine, all cut and... bleeding an'..." Maple squirmed in place. "Ya weren't thinkin', and ya weren't used to it none... Ya didn't mean nothin'... but she didn't know that." She watched the soapy rag work over the plate far more slowly than it had at first. "She... thought you were comin' to her, not the other way. She... wanted you to go to sleep, and you were cold..." She adjusted her footing from hoof to hoof. "Were she tellin' the truth?"
Winter gently set the plate down. With a silent breath, he turned to Maple, looking at her properly, but there still weren't words. He thought back to the time, but he was in pain. He was hurt, and tired, and mostly hurt. He couldn't remember much of it, but then...
Maple suddenly hurried, scrambling to her hooves to get up to him. Her fore hooves touched his face, brushing at flowing tears. "I don't mean to hurt you!" she assured, her ears pinned back. "Ah'm so sorry... Why did I even listen to her?!" A sudden loud sniffle rocked her. "Here I am, makin' you cry all over again. Ah--"
Suddenly Winter's hoof was on her lips. He leaned in, replacing the hoof with his snout, touching noses with her. His eyes closed, then hers followed. They sat there in growing silence, his magic grabbing the water spigot and turning it off.
They just sat there together, feeling things, and making it clear, to each other, that they cared so much for one another, despite any other factor in that wide world.
Summer danced from hoof to hoof. There was a pony in her house she was very not used to having there! "Nice to see you, Miss Jubilee."
"This ain't the time t' be treatin' me special." Jubilee gestured at herself and shook her head. "Mistakes were made, at least partly mah own fault. An' ah ain't gonna accept just sittin' on it none. Yer family, Summer. Mine, if you don't mind my claiming it."
Summer flipped one ear back with growing uncertainty as Winter came in between them, facing Jubilee with the stoicism that defined his strength.
"You're lookin' better." Jubilee nodded in appreciation at the effimate stallion. "Much better. Now, ah've been told that weren't no intentional thing, what happened back there." She threw a hoof over her shoulder. "But ah done assumed it was, and ya know what happens when ya go assumin' things."
Summer bit down lightly on her closed lips a moment. "Yer just... takin' responsibility then?"
"Ah am." Jubilee inclined her head. "And you sound a mite surprised. Reckon that ain't unusual, but the way ah figure, it's the right thing to do, and we end up in a better place if ah do it. Didn't get where ah am for bein' no silly mare." She waved the thought away. "'Sides, he was right injured. Even if he was doin' what ah thought he was doin', shoulda thought it through. Ain't many times it becomes right to make a move on a claimed stallion like that." She fluttered her lashes at Summer. "And ah don't want to lose you."
Summer suddenly rose to full height, stepping around Winter towards Jubilee. "Miss Jubilee." The company owner did not flinch or back away. "Thank you for rescuing Winter."
"Yer most welcome." She glanced towards the stallion. "Just keep a better eye on 'em."
"I'll do that." Summer cracked a little smile, the tension breaking in the room. "Actually... since yer here..."
"Go 'head and ask it." Cherry nodded her head as she half-turned away. "Ah do owe ya one."
"Well this should be a small one." Summer brought up two hooves close together. "Ah think... now that ponies done saw 'em, Winter would be happier... outside..." She pointed towards the door. "Ah was wonderin', could he--"
"--join the family?" finished Jubilee with a big smile. "Now that ain't hardly a favor. Is he a good worker?"
Summer waved a hoof around expansively. "He cleans my house, makes mah food, everythin'! I don't have to do nothin' when ah get home but relax."
Jubilee closed on Winter with new eyes. "This place does look clean as it can get. But showing is strictly against the rules." She poked Winter right above his eyes on his armor plating. "You save that fer yer mare." She twirled in place towards Summer. "Speakin' ah that, Maple ran off without explainin' it rightly, but are ya formin' a herd?" Summer began to go a deep red. "Ah just want to know the situation, avoid future mistakes."
Summer's coloring returned with a vengeance. "We're still talkin' 'bout that."
"None of my business." Cherry leaned in. "But if ya do, kindly pass on the word. That'd make her part of the family."
Summer suddenly coughed, breathing out of sync. "You're alright with it?"
"None of my business." She shrugged lightly, starting for the door at a relaxed stroll. "Yer adults, ya get to make yer decisions."
Summer watched as her boss left, the door shutting behind her. "Have a nice day," she got out, long after Jubilee was too far to hear it. She turned stiffly to Winter. "Did you get that?"
Winter touched his nose to her cheek with a faint smile.
It was infectious, the smile spreading to her face. "Maybe ah am overthinking this a touch... So... I didn't ask you or nothin'. Do you want to work, with me?" She pointed at herself and then out the same door that had just been used. "We'll be together."
He nodded in placid acceptance. Being with Summer sounded fun. Being outside sounded more fun than laying about the house. But... His horn began to glow along its bands as he took hold of a plate of leftovers from breakfast and he brought it over towards Summer.
"Yer not wrong." She understood him. She had grown good at doing that. "Won't be no dinner waitin' fer us when we get home." She poked him suddenly in the side. "Ya know, that's just how it was before ya got here! We'll survive, take turns makin' food. Ya get to enjoy mah cookin' more often." She buffed her chest with the flat of a hoof. "Ya make it seem like ah can't cook none."
He shook his head quickly at that. Insulting her cooking abilities had been so far from his intention. "Don't worry 'bout it." Her hoof was on his mouth. "I was jokin'. We'll take care of it, together." She put out her arms and he reciprocated without delay, the two coming together in a warm hug before his glowing horn pushed her away a few inches. "Mmm?"
He pointed at himself, then the door. He inclined his head faintly then straightened it.
"Not sure ah get what yer sayin' there." Summer rubbed at her chin thoughtfully, but then it came. "Oh! Are... ya askin' if ahm mad?" He nodded quickly. "Yes!" She thumped into him from the side. "Ya better not do that again! But... also no... Ah'm glad yer back, and I... Ah'm glad yer here, alright?"
"Did I see Miss--" Maple slowed to a stop, seeing the two were exchanging a warm kiss of forgiveness. "Oh! Sorry." She turned right around. "Ah know when ah done became the third wheel." But she got nowhere. Her hooves slid against the wood floor, then it withdrew from her. She was floating in Winter's strong magic. "Um, hi?"
Summer grinned at the mare caught in her stallion's grip. "Well lookie there, one of our friends done came a knockin', though they forgot to knock." She gestured for Maple to be closer and Winter obliged, drawing her in his magic. "Jubilee apologized for the mess she made."
"That's good." Maple's hooves cycled a little, helpless there in the air. "You two alright? Ah can go..."
Summer circled around her captured friend. "That sounds too easy there. Seems to me we got you right where we want to have ya right now." Winter nodded silently. "Now, ah got some bad news for ya."
Maple's ears sagged down. "Ya kickin' me out?"
Summer reached up to swat her friend on the side. "You put that right out of yer head. But ya can't come by while I'm at work nomore."
Maple's confusion grew visibly. "How is that much different?"
Summer sat on her haunches with a smirk. "'Cause it ain't cause ah don't want ya around. Yer our friend, Maple, a dear friend. We both like ya." Winter nodded in agreement. "But ah'm draggin' Winter with me to work. We're gonna earn some bits together."
Maple blinked, the missing pieces coming together. "Oh! Oh! You're a cruel one, Summer." Even as Summer giggled, Maple was allowed to hit the ground on her hooves, where she could swat at Summer in mild buffets of her hooves. "Ah can visit after ya work, like ah used to, before... things changed."
Winter pointed at himself. "Like you, yes." Maple nodded as she approached the kirin. "What are ya gonna do, wash the cherries, sort 'em, pick 'em? Ah never had much to do with 'em." Maple frowned a little. "It's almost maple season, gonna be busy there anywho, just as well."
"We'll see where he fits in best." Summer nodded with confidence. "He's a worker, and he's a good pony most of the time." She stuck out her tongue mildly at the kirin that had caused quite an upheaval of late. "But he'll earn his keep like the rest of us. Bet he'll feel better fer it."
But he was walking away, back into the kitchen. He began to clean and tidy things, preparing to start dinner. The idea of working for his share sounded actually kinda nice. He remembered... working before. Every day? No, most days though. He wouldn't be lazy. He'd pull his part of things. It was fair, right? He dipped a dish into soapy water and got to scrubbing vigorously.
A shame he'd have to not cook. He kinda liked cooking.
Maple peeked in at the diligently working kirin and turned back to Summer. "Yer gonna have to get back to helpin' out around here. He can't work and be yer house stallion at the same time."
"I will miss that, but it's fer the best." She nodded firmly. "And... since we've come this far... it's time for everypony to get their eyes on him, get used to 'em! He's a friend, mah friend."
"Yer boyfriend," emphasized Maple with waggling brows. "Ponies aughta know who that is."
Summer colored at that. "I wasn't plannin' on introducin' him like that!"
"And why not?" Maple inclined her head to the right. "That's what he is. Even with... me... he is that, no doubt about it. He loves ya to pieces..."
"Not so loud." Summer threw a leg over Maple's withers, drawing her away from the archway into the kitchen, deeper into the living room. "Ah know that, Ah know..."
"But yer not actin' it." Maple frowned a little before her smile returned. "There ain't nothin' wrong with lovin' somepony."
"But..." Summer took a deep breath, her sides swelling a moment. "Look, ah didn't get him the normal way."
Maple tilted her head the other way.
"I didn't find him somewhere and have a nice chat." Summer tapped at her cheek, dancing on her other hooves. "I paid fer 'em."
"Yer gonna have to explain that." Maple shook her head with obvious confusion. "But that's fer later. He still loves ya... Yer not... foalnappin' him, are ya?"
"No! No..." Summer shook her head violently. "He could leave anytime he wanted..." But they had conditioned him to never want that... "Ah just have to sort through thin's. Ah'm glad we're movin' forward, gettin' him out inta the world. Foal steps." She drew her hooves together, not quite touching. "Wish me luck?"
"I'll do more than that." Maple touched her nose to Summer's cheek. "Yer stuck with me for dinner."
"Oh no," dramatically cried Summer in the midst of a giggle. "However will we survive. Winter!" She looked towards the kitchen. "Make sure to put out three plates." No response came, nor was one required. "This'll be a goodbye dinner."
"Not hardly." Maple turned towards the kitchen. "This is a hello party, to a new start. Ah hope Winter does super well." She inclined an ear. "But if a pony picks fun of 'em, you lemme know."
"Before or after I tear them in half?" Summer moved to stand next to Maple.
"Ah'd hope before. We can tag team 'em." She met, hoof to hoof in a clop of solidarity. They would protect their kirin.
Winter Flame ran a hoof over his scales, though they already were shining with his efforts to be clean and presentable. There was little more for him to do. He wasn't wearing a uniform, none had yet been provided. He was a kirin, a girly guy kirin, who would help with cherries! With a soft nod, he headed for the door. Summer was there, waiting patiently for him.
He touched his nose to her cheek and they left together. His magic produced a loud click as he locked the door behind them. "Huh." He looked at her noise. "It's a right pain to lock it from the outside, so ah don't even bother half the time. When you were in there, you locked it, that was good." She inclined her head a little. "But now yer lockin' it from the outside."
A softer, but clearly audible, click announced that he had unlocked the door. She thumped him from the side. "That weren't no complaint. But most ponies in this town know each other. Who're we even keepin' out? Maple?"
Winter could remember locking one's door being... just... It was just a thing? And yet, Summer's words made sense too. Their town was small and most of the ponies there knew all the other ponies. He was the odd one, and if he wanted to get in... Well, he could. So that lock wasn't doing much.
"If she wants in, ah wouldn't even be mad. So long as she didn't make a mess." Summer rolled her eyes and trotted forward towards work. "Let's go and show you off to the town. Maybe you'll even make some new friends?"
His ears perked, but his expression neutral, he hurried to catch up with her before matching her pace, trotting along.
They were not alone in their journey. A goodly portion of the town worked for Miss Jubilee, which meant a lot of them went in to work at the same time. Ponies nodded and shouted brief words of well wishes along the way. "Mornin'.", "Howdy.", and other such statements as they spotted coworkers they knew.
"Who's that?" A stallion walking in the same direction as Summer was looking aside at Summer and her companion.
Summer put on her brightest smile. "This here's Winter Flame." She waggled a hoof briefly as she trotted along. "He's a kirin, and..." Should she hide it? She shook her head firmly. "He's mah boyfriend."
The stallion colored, ears dipping a moment. Though Summer seemed unaware of it, Winter noticed placidly. Did that stallion have feelings for Summer? Feelings that were officially crushed by news of her getting a boyfriend.
"O-oh... Never... saw... them before." It clicked. "You said 'he'?"
"Boyfriends tend to be hes," dryly noted Summer with a smile. "And he is one of those. Now say hi and be nice. He's joinin' us at the factory."
"Howdy?" He offered a hoof as he came in close to the kirin.
Winter raised a hoof to meet with the stallions.
"He don't say much, do he?" The stallion inclined his head as he separated back out to the other side of Summer.
"He don't," she agreed with a laugh. "He talks in other ways, and he'll work hard. He messes up, jus' tell 'em nice and calm and he'll get better."
Winter suddenly accelerated. "Uh, see you later!" Summer hurried to catch up with her kirin, finding what had made him advance. There was Jubilee in front of the factory.
Jubilee saw them right about then. "One of my new children." She nodded at Winter softly. "Been thinkin' of where to put ya. Now, ah'll spare ya the story, but sorting's strictly off limits to new faces since... the incident." That group of five knew what they did! "How are you at pickin'?" She pointed up at his curved horn. "Ya got that right fancy horn there. Bet you could pick cherries real good with a little practice."
When he nodded, she clapped him on the shoulder. "Perfect. Welcome to Cherry Hill Ranch. Yer allowed one cherry a shift, but the rest is fer the customers." She inclined her head. "Ah give breaks and lunch, so ya can go get somethin' proper to eat." Her eyes darted to Summer, standing there next to Winter. "Summer, you know the ins and outs of cherry harvestin'. Why not show your beau the ropes?"
"With pleasure, ma'am." She grabbed him by the shoulder, nipping him as she pulled him in a new direction. "This way." She got to trotting away from her boss. "The biggest trick of it is learnin' how to tell when they're ripe, and that changes with the kind of cherry." He inclined his head. "Ah'll teach you about the different kinds, but we'll start with the basics."
Jubilee watched as they trotted off together with a pleased smile before she returned to welcoming her workers to a new day of cherry production. A fine day for bringing cherries to the ponies of Equestria!
A soft horn blew out from the direction of the factory, but Winter wasn't there. He was off in the fields, willing cherries to come free of their trees with his glowing horn. But what that horn meant, he didn't know. Looking around, he didn't see Summer. She had wandered off to other trees in equal need of plucking.
Nothing for it but to look for her, so he set the last of his harvested cherries into the container, closed it, hefted it up into the air and trotted along with it floating alongside him.
It was a pity when it thumped into him and cherries were sent flying. That was rude. But he wasn't angry. Anger was not a proper response for a kirin. He was calm. He was steady.
"Ya think ya can just storm on in here and take our mares?!" Oh, it was the stallion from before. Winter inclined his head faintly as his glowing horn began to grab up the spilled cherries. Each one floated briefly before Winter's eye, placing the ones that avoided bruising back in his basket, the others remained on the ground, wasted.
"Don't got nothin' to say?!" He took a firm step closer, glaring at Winter.
Winter did not get angry. Anger was not a kirin thing. He watched the stallion placidly.
"Ah was gonna ask her!" He thumped a hoof to the ground. "She was gonna be mine!" Down came the other hoof. "And you jus' come in outta nowhere, like that?!" He was dancing in place, a tantrum of emotions. "We been workmates fer years!"
That stallion was clearly having a lot of emotions. If only he was a kirin. It'd be so much calmer. Winter nodded slowly, then pointed at the factory.
"What?" The stallion's eyes fell to the re-sorted basket. "You think that's more important than me?!"
"'Cause it is." Summer had arrived, standing a short distance behind the stallion. "Why are you botherin' Winter? He's tryin' to work, unlike some ponies around here."
The stallion twirled on her. "There you are! You never gave me a chance!"
"Slip Knot, we've known each other, what, a dozen years now?" She raised a brow at him. Half an eye was on Winter, walking away silently. She relaxed, knowing he had removed himself from the conflict. "And how many times in all them years didja even ask to spend Hearts and Hooves day togetha?"
Slip took an angry step forward, dust kicking up. "Ah was waiting fer the right moment!"
"Slip... Ya wait long enough, and the right moment done passed." Summer glanced away and back. "If ya care about me, ah'm real happy. Go find another mare ya fancy, and tell her about it."
"But he!" He pointed where there was no kirin. "What?" Baffled, he crashed to his haunches. "Bright Blossoms." That was a name she hadn't heard in a while. "Yer a big part of mah life."
"Slip, we're coworkers," she noted, perhaps coldly. "We hung out maybe at company functions an' whatnot. Ya never made it seem like ya even wanted more than that."
"Ah..."
"You were thinkin' it, but never acted on it. Don't get me wrong." She half turned away. "Ah get it... Feel sorry, but ah been snatched up while you were thinkin' 'bout it."
Slip sank in building misery. "They ain't even a pony!"
Summer's caring look turned to a sharp frown almost instantly. "Yeah?"
"He's some other creature!" He bounced upright, hooves dancing a bit in a scuffle. "Don't you want a normal pony?"
"Winter is a darling creature. He's my creature, and ah'm his pony. So ah'll thank you not to be badmouthin' him when he ain't done not a thin' wrong!"
Slip shrank back a step before he advanced instead, anger building visibly. "Is he forcing you?!"
That was when the laughter began, long and unstoppable. She crashed to her haunches, the laughter rolling free without end.
"What? What! Is that a yes?!" He inclined his head at the hysterical mare. "I'll save you!"
"If anypony forced anypony else," she finally got out, laboring to control her breath. "Ah done forced him. But he forgave me, and ah owe him so much ah can't even put it t'words right. Did he force me? Winter's been dancing my song since we met, and now I feel horrible. Thanks." She stood up on shaky legs. "But that ain't here or there. We..." She wobbled a hoof between herself and Slip Knot. "We got nothin'. We're friends, but yer workin' on losin' even that. We gonna be friends or is this where I just say g'bye?"
A little whimper escaped him as he shrank back and away. "I'm... sorry..."
"Then show it by goin' back to that stallion ah like workin' with." Summer snorted softly. "And don't pick on my boyfriend! He ain't hurt a fly, and he'd feel bad if he did it on accident."
"Something going on?" It could only go so long before Jubilee detected the disharmony in her orchard. Her eyes looked between the two, taking measure. "Is this company business?"
"No, ma'am!" barked Slip, saluting their boss. "I was just checkin' if I could help train the new stallion."
Jubilee smiled broadly. "Now that's the family spirit!" Her eyes flicked to Summer. "Ah know you're keeping your boy nice and tight. If you want to, let a family member lend a hoof. It'll be good fer him to learn to work with more ponies anywho."
Summer flicked her ears back. "Ah'll... consider it. Slip here's a classic stallion, no offense. My boy's a bit... soft. Ah think maybe that's a bad match?"
"Not many mares admit their stallion's soft," noted Jubilee, sounding amused. "Still, ya got a point. Right passive creature he is; needs a soft touch." She nodded with growing understanding. "Any objection to Lambert?"
Her ears pricked right up. "Lambert's a sweet little stallion. That's perfect." Summer clopped her hooves together once, a smile on her face. "If he don't mind none that is. Ah ain't trying to impose and ah know he's tryin' to work too."
"If ah tell him to do it, then it's work." Jubilee waved the concern away. "Besides, he's a sweet pony, don't reckon he'll have any objections to it."
Slip Knot took a slow shaky step back. "Ah... better get back to work."
"Good idea." Jubilee watched him until he was out of sight, then turned to face Summer. "Might glad he stopped that before I had to bring a hoof down."
Summer's cheeks lit up. "You heard?!"
"Honey, knowing what's going on out here is my job." Jubilee buffed her chest proudly. "If he talks to anypony else like that ever again..."
"Don't punish him!" She blushed at her outburst. "Ah mean, he's just hurtin', you know? He'll get over it, but don't hold it against him. He ain't done nothin', in the end."
"I'll take that under advisement. But, daughter mine, this here's my orchard. I decide who gets their bottom tanned." Jubilee tossed her mane with a triumphant turn, striding off to tend to other business.
Quietly, he set down a basket to join many of its cousins, a great big pile of cherries waiting to be sorted and packed. A blast of the factory's horn meant... something?
"Shift's up," came Jubilee's thundering call. "Come on in with whatever ya got." She wasn't far away, watching ponies come in from the field. "Good work. Right good." She took the time to encourage each as they passed, seemingly pleased with the results of the day's effort. "And you." She was looking to Winter.
"Ya did right good fer your first day. But there's plenty left to learn." She waved another pony over without looking away. "This here's Lambert."
A slight stallion trotted up to about a foot and a half away from Jubilee, standing there patiently. It was a hunch, but Winter decided almost immediately that he was alright with Lambert. They were cut from the same cloth.
Jubilee threw a leg over Lambert's neck. "Lammie-kins, Winter here's new to things, but he listens. Can ya help bring him up to speed? Startin' tomorrow, obviously."
Winter inclined his head. Working with the quiet stallion didn't seem an awful possibility. Not that he said anything to agree with it specifically.
Lambert nodded, not as silent. "Sure thing, ma'am." His eyes were on Winter. "Nice to meetcha."
Winter nodded and offered a hoof.
Lambert met it with one of his owns, a little smile on his face. "I like 'em." The two soft stallions had decided the other was alright. "See you tomorrow, um, ma'am?" Only when she released him did he actually move.
Heading for home? Winter could but guess. "I'll see you tomorrow." Jubilee pointed past Winter at something. He turned to see Summer trotting up towards him.
"I miss anythin'?" She stood just beside Winter, touching lightly.
"Just told Lambert 'bout his new assignment." Jubilee inclined her head towards Winter. "An' ah think the two hit it off. Hard to tell sometimes with yer boy there."
"He seems happy." Summer pressed a bit more firmly against her stallion. "Thank you, for givin' him a chance."
"Everypony gets a chance, but not every one of those does somethin' with it." Jubilee's eyes wandered up and down across Winter. "Ya did good, fer yer first day. Better than some. Expect more feedback tomorra." She leveled a hoof at one of the baskets he had set down. "We'll be inspectin' yer harvest."
Winter did not look scared at the idea. He nudged back against Summer, then started walking away with nary a word.
"I think he's ready to go home," laughed out Summer. "'xcuse me, ma'am. See you tomorrow!" And off she went, hurrying to catch up with Winter and walk home with him.
A bright giggle caught Winter's attention. A group of foals were rushing up to greet their parents off of work, then running around wildly. A little colt had found him. "Yer funny lookin'," he noted with all the subtelty that foals were known for.
Summer looked ready to advance, but Winter leaned over, right in her way just enough to delay her. He nodded at the small pony child.
"Hi!" The colt waved a hoof a bit haphazardly. "I'm Tumbleweed! What's yer name?"
"He's Winter Flame," provided Summer. "Don't talk much, but he's a nice one."
"Hi Winter." The boy circled around Winter curiously. "Ya some kinda unicorn?"
He was, sorta? He willed his horn to glow, then popped the boy's hat back into place on his head.
That only made the foal giggle with simple delight. "Cool! But since yer not an earth pony--" Which he was. "--Gonna bet yer not so tough."
Winter shook his head lightly.
"Knew it!" Tumble bounced forward and back with a big happy grin. "Nice meeting ya!" And off he galloped back to his folks.
"That there's a bit of a lie." Summer softly pressed against him. "Only a little one. Yer plenty tough in my eyes."
A nice statement, but Winter could remember not long before when he got hurt and lost and made a mess of everything. Tough was not an attribute he could assign himself. But he didn't argue. He just walked with her towards home.
Summer reached the door first, grabbing the knob in her teeth and pulling it open. "Ah'll make dinner tonight."
Winter trotted past her, moving right for the kitchen. Summer dashed ahead of him and cut him off. "Ah said ah will make dinner." She thrust a hoof towards the couch in the living room. "Go sit down."
He inclined his head, then tried to move around her to the left... no. Right? No, she kept moving to be in his way. He wasn't mad. That wasn't a Kirin thing to do. He pointed at her, then himself, then onwards into the kitchen.
"Ya won't take the day off?" He didn't say anything, but he also didn't move. "You are somethin' else!" She reached up a hoof to bop him on the nose. "Fine, we'll share then. Ah'll make the main course, you work on dessert. Something sweet from my sweet kirin." She was smiling as she turned to get to work.
He joined her and they got to work. He may have lent a magical grip when he saw the opportunity, but he mostly stayed in his lane, preparing them a little sponge cake to enjoy, topped with cherries, of course.
Summer clopped her hooves as she settled at the table, food spread before them. "Ah had joked before, but ah'm actually kinda surprised Maple isn't already here."
He looked around, but no sign of the third member of their curious little social group. Well, that just made other opportunities. He grabbed a fork in his magic and carved out a bit of the oats that had been fried into little patties. He lifted the fork not to his mouth, but hers.
Her cheeks darkened and she burst into laughter. "Silly thing, I can feed mahself!" But the fork remained in silent offering. "Silly thing..." Silly or not, she did snap up the offered food. "Mmm, not bad, but my opinion's only worth so much. You eat!" She pointed at his plate.
What he had not expected was a fork to come at him that he wasn't controlling. Attached to her hoof, she was returning the favor with a big smile. He opened his mouth, allowing her to drop the food in for him to chew on consideringly before he nodded and reached to have more.
She made a pleased noise, accepting his approval and launching into devouring her dinner. "Ya made a good impression." She spotted his glance. "Ah heard from the others. Not used to having a kirin 'round, but ya worked hard and didn't cause no fuss."
Things became companionably quiet a moment before she resumed, "Well, 'cept that stallion! Really, Slip..." She sank, cheek against a hoof a moment before she sat back up. "Sorry he bothered you like that."
But he was not bothered. Kirin were not easily bothered! Instead, he sliced something new and brought it towards her.
"Already time fer dessert?" She leaned forward and took the cherry and cream covered bit of cake, savoring it with an appreciative mmm of approval. "Right nice." She licked her lips clean with a swipe of her tongue. "Ah could get used to this... Maybe takin' turns isn't the right way."
He nodded softly, and it was settled. They would share cooking duties between them, as they shared the food afterwards. He pushed back with his hooves, satiated.
"Ain't gonna eat yer own cake?" She pointed at where plenty of it remained. "Go on. Ain't right not to have at least one little bite."
He stepped down though, away from the cake as he circled around and touched his nose into her side. "Oh!" She smiled down at him. "Lookin' fer a different kinda dessert?"
Winter nuzzled into her a bit more firmly, nudging her from her chair with her consent as he advanced, nipping at her fur and grasping with his hooves. "A-alright! Ya wanna big helpin' of Summer Pie, ah get it!"
Summer got his snout to her neck, nipping and tugging gently as he wrapped around her. Stiffness ground against her soft fur, showing just how he planned to celebrate the end of his first work day.
And she did not object, except to suddenly back away. "Not in the kitchen, ya silly thing." She trotted off towards the bedroom instead, her tail flagged along the way in a signal he could not miss.
He hurried after her, willing off the lights of rooms they passed through along the way. He stepped into the bedroom to find her on her belly, her back end raised a bit. She was looking at him over a shoulder, smiling at him with, quite fittingly, bedroom eyes.
A more clear invitation had yet to be invented by man or pony. Winter shook himself with a quiet snort as he advanced. As slight as he was in frame, he could feel the heavy weight of his arousal swaying beneath him with each step. He wanted his mare, and she wanted him. Winter climbed up onto the bed and nosed at her tail, draped over as it was, concealing his target. A tease?
She brushed the tail over his nose, almost making him sneeze. "Go on, make it lift," she invited playfully.
A challenge he would accept! He licked right where her tail ran into the core of her body, nibbling so carefully in a circle around it. The way her skin tensed and flicked, he could tell she was enjoying his attentions, her little gasps a hint. He nuzzled up under her tail, coaxing it up. There was her tight back door, just above his primary target. A clean pony, she smelled of a mare, a clean country mare.
He had never even really thought of it before, but he flicked out his tongue. She trembled with a squeak. "Did you just?!" He had licked her rear opening, and he did it again, making her squirm so delightfully. "Oh. Oh!" Her tail had flagged up out of the way, but he was distracted with the noises and motions she was making with the teasing he was doing.
He took hold of her rump, one hoof on either cheek as he buried his face against her, working down, tongue flickering just across the top of her damp folds. They winked open, startling him a moment with a huff. "That means come on," noted Summer, watching him over her back. "Not the first time ya saw it."
No. Not his first. He began to climb up onto her, advancing just far enough that the top of his flat-ended tool could find those winking lips, meeting the two in a wet kiss as he began to sink into her welcoming depths just as quickly as it felt she was ready for. The two were becoming one, both breathing heavily as they came together. "Mmmm, yes... Go on... make me yer mare."
Not that he had much doubt she was already his mare. And he, her stallion. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up and back, nuzzling her cheek gently with a kind smile that didn't quite match his rocking hips, working in and out of her like the horny stallion he was even as he so gently assured her of his love and affection.
"Yer... sending... crossed signals," she huffed with a silly grin of her own. "That ain't a complaint." She pressed back in time with his thrusts, the two slapping into one another with building passion. "Ah... forgot... how nice it is... ta have privacy."
That night, they were alone, and both were quite happy to make the most of that.
He couldn't quite tell what it was, but something about her just made him... horny. Well, she was a pretty mare to start, so it didn't take much, and she wasn't complaining.
"You look happy." Lambert couldn't nail down the specifics, but he had a good idea the kirin was pleased about something. "Ready to work?"
And so it began with a little nod from Winter. He learned all about tree care that day, from knowing when a tree needed pruning, to signs of various ailments and what to do about it. In many cases, that involved finding a more specialized pony. Treating a sick cherry tree was important, and not simple.
"Ah know how to do it." Winter looked over at Lambert. "How to treat some tree sicks, ah meant." Lambert circled around Winter, heading deeper into the orchard. "Been workin' here fer years, ya pick up a thin' or two if yer payin' attention."
Winter caught up with Lambert easily, walking alongside him.
"Ah like this."
Winter perked an ear at the statement.
"Ah mean... yer quiet."
Winter nodded, not much argument to be had against that.
"Most ponies talk over me, and I'm the quiet one. Around you, ah can talk, and ya don't seem to mind it none." And he went right back on to how to pick the most perfect cherries. "And those ya leave alone." He pointed to a collection of them. "It's a subtle thing, see right there?" He reached up and tapped lightly. "But they ain't ready to pick."
"Boys." There came Jubilee. "Hope yer gettin' alon'." Not that she seemed all that worried. Eyes on Winter, she approached without deviation. "Inspected yer day one harvest."
Lambert backed away without a word, giving the boss horse her space.
"Well within limits." She wobbled a hoof in the air. "Not perfect, but that ain't the goal nohow." She leaned in a bit. "You look a bit upset, ha, gettin' better at reading that stony face ah yers. Still, knock that right outta yer head." She motioned as if she were going to bop Winter, but there was no actual contact. "Yer not perfect, and it was your first day." She turned to Lambert then. "See Lambert here's been working it for years now. If I saw that harvest from him, ah'd wonder what was wrong. Practice. Ain't no cure for practice. Ya done fine."
Lambert dipped his head. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Yer quite welcome." She leaned in towards Winter. "He teachin' ya right?" Winter nodded silently. "Good! You'll get better. Already half decent, why ah'm happy. Just fine fer yer first day." She reached up, tapping at Winter's ornate horn. "Do like that you kin reach up into the top parts of the trees without knocking the wrong cherries down or tryin' to climb up."
Lambert canted his head to the left a little. He did not have a horn, or wings, just a pony that one.
"But don't let that get to yer head," scolded Jubilee. "Ya still got a long way to go to learnin' 'xactly what to pick and when. Keep listening to Lammie-kins. He won't steer ya wrong." And she trotted off just like that off to other things on her plate.
Winter turned to find Lambert close! Too close! Their snouts brushed when he turned, causing him to blink, ears flicking wildly in a surprised moment before he regained his calmness.
"Ain't jealous," he started, still so close Winter could smell his breath. "Really. Actually kinda tickled, workin' with a kirin."
Winter inclined his head.
"That's what ya are, right?" Winter nodded. "What ah remembered." Lambert tapped at the side of his head, looking confidently proud of that fact. "Ya hooked up wit' Summer, right?" Winter calmly nodded along, though he did wonder if he was about to meet a second jealous stallion.
"I'm jealous." Well, he admitted it. "Yer so fun to hang around." Wait... "Ah like the cut of ya too." Wait...
Winter shook his head softly, but could not voice a more specific question.
"Sorry, not tryin' ta make ya 'barrased." He turned away at last, removing his face from being so close. "Ain't proper of me, sorry. Jus' not used to... bein' able to talk. Really nice."
Winter resumed following him, the conversation turning back towards things cherry related.
When the lunch whistle rang, Summer found him in a jiff. "Let's get somethin' ta eat." She thumped against his side and they walked off, pressed against one another. Still in the honeymoon phase of things, Winter silently hoped that never ended.
"Ya havin' a good time? Good." He had barely nodded, but she was getting so used to him. "Lambert treating you right?" Which also meant she spotted when he didn't nod fast enough. "What'd he do? Want me to have a talk?" He shook his head quickly.
She circled in front of him. "Ya just tryin' to be nice?"
Winter considered that a moment, his horn starting to glow. He conjured a male symbol over his head, hovering with a little bob in its bright blue tint. Did ponies share that symbol?
"Yes, I know yer a stallion." She rolled her eyes softly. "Ain't a mystery to me."
Ah, good. He willed the symbol aside a little, then wrapped a big heart around it, and an arrow show through it, well, the image of an arrow shot through it, pointing at himself.
Her eyes widened a bit. "Oh! Oh... He... does know yer a stallion, right?"
Winter nodded, fairly certain this fact was not a mystery to Lambert.
"Ya sure ya don't want me to have a little chat?"
Winter leaned in, touching nose to nose in a little rub.
"Alright," she sighed out, her breath washing over him. "If yer not too bothered, but if ya are, ya don't wait. Ya come find me and ah'll straighten it right out." She waved the idea away as she turned. "Really, just because yer a slight stallion doesn't mean ya think like a mare." She turned an ear. "Ya done proved that wrong a few times. Yer a stallion! My stallion."
He hurried up and rubbed his side against hers, happy to be her stallion. He threw a leg over her withers, drawing her close; his mare. They shared equally joyful smiles as they went to get a bite to eat at one of several eateries that made their living providing warm food to hungry workers emerging from the factory. The town really was built around Jubilee's cherries.
She bonked her head against his from the side. "She has me workin' in sorting today. Ah wonder if she'll have you try that out soon?"
Soon ended up just being after lunch. Jubilee was waving them both over as they returned. "Ya get to show your boy how it's done." She pointed into the main factory. "Now, there are a few positions. Running the belt--"
"--Not where he'd be best," quickly cut in Summer. "But ah bet he could sort real good."
"Ah thought so too." Jubilee nodded as they pressed inside to actually see the wheel she had mentioned. "But ah prefer mah ponies understand what's goin' on 'round them. Winter, you'll stand right there." She walked over and tapped the floor where other ponies were hurrying to form a line. "If ya see a yellow cherry, it goes there." She pointed at a bin.
"And the red cherries go there." Summer inclined at another bin. "Nice an' simple!"
"That's only half the game." Jubilee was watching Summer. Judging.
"'Course. If a cherry ain't no good, it goes in there." She pointed to a far less pretty bin. "Only the good cherries go in the good bins. Now, see, the trick is that the cherries will be rollin' on past ya. So ya gotta be quick on yer hooves."
Winter nodded softly. He knew what a conveyor belt was and how they worked.
A whistle sounded, and a large pony began to march forward on the wheel, getting the rest of the lines moving. The cherries were coming. Not any single cherry, but a batch of them. As they passed the ponies ahead of winter, they sorted as quickly as they could, but more were coming for the pony beyond them to busily sort, filtering down from one to the next.
Winter's horn began to glow as he focused on the red ones that looked right, filtering down to just them. When the cherries began to reach him, he grabbed them and floated them rapidly over to the bin.
Jubilee had not left, watching instead. "Huh..."
Summer couldn't participate, being quite busy sorting what was in front of her with great sweeps of her hooves to shove cherries where they belonged.
"Stop." The whistle blow shrilly at Jubilee's command the belts slowed to a halt. "You, get over here. You, take her place." She swapped the position of the pony at the start of the line with Winter. "Yer only getting the red cherries. Doin' a fine job of it, don't get me wrong, but..." She tapped the line ahead of Winter. "We can make it work better here. You get rid of all the red ones. That leaves yellows and duds for the others ta work with."
And so it was that Winter focused entirely on the red cherries, the big nice lovely red ones. If it wasn't bright red and perfect, he left it alone for other ponies past him to deal with. But he brushed all the good ones with his magic, filling the red cherry bin with barely a sound, his magic not releasing any given cherry until it was already landed.
As opposed to the others who had to shove the cherries with their hooves, sending them skidding and falling into their proper bins.
"Shoot." Jubilee shook her head, faced with a new problem. That darn magic pony could be useful in two places, but there was only one of him. She'd have to decide if picking or sorting was where she wanted to make use of that talent. "Need to see about encouragin' 'em," she grumbled as she stormed off to see to other affairs.
A hoof suddenly blocked one of the cherries Winter as moving. "Not that one." The pony to his left, a mare, shoved it towards the trash. "No good."
Winter nodded softly, resuming his work. He wasn't entirely sure what he had missed, but he still had tricks to learn. Perfect, he was far from being.
"Oh." There was Lambert, having found Winter. "Ya doin' right good."
"We're busy, Lammie," noted Summer, working a line up from Winter. "What're you assigned to?"
"Ah thought I was assigned to him." Lambert pointed at Winter. "But if he's busy here, guess ah'll find somethin' else?"
"He right appreciates the tips you gave," assured Summer with a brief tip of her hat, having to get right back to sorting quickly. "But the belts don't stop. Ya know that."
Well, unless Jubilee demanded it, at least. "Right right. Ah'm gittin'!" And off he got, trotting towards some other task that was in need of doing. Only to pause a few steps in and loop about, going across the line from Winter. Summer was giving him half a glare, trying to focus on her cherries. Winter was focused on his work and little else.
"Ya gotta look fer these." Lambert plucked a cherry free of Winter's magic grip, turning it carefully between his hooves. "It hit the ground or somethin', got a bruise, right there."
Winter had missed it. A faint discoloration in just a little spot. He began to twirl each cherry before it got whisked away, giving a chance to look for future such imperfections. "There ya go." Lambert seemed mighty proud of his help. "Yer a natural."
Summer inclined her head faintly. That wasn't as jealous as she expected. But there were other emotions on the field she'd have to be wary of. For the time being, she had work to do, as did Winter, so she focused on that. They had jobs, respectable jobs! Jubilee wouldn't regret having either around.
"Time to rise and shine," half-sang Summer as she wrenched the curtains open wide with a swipe of her hooves in either direction.
Light flooding the room, Winter snorted awake, blinking as he sat up. The light implied it not only time to wake up, but perhaps late for doing so. He pointed to that closed window.
"Yer not late." Summer turned towards him with a clop of her hooves on the wood floor. "It's a day off, best day." She butted her head against him on her way past. "Breakfast is already prepped, let you get some extra Zs."
He scrambled to his hooves, his usual pattern, destroyed! Winter emerged from the room to quickly walk, not quite a trot, to the kitchen and peek inside. Yep, several oat cakes still steaming and a few hay bacon strips across them and a serving of eggs. It smelled good.
Not quite what he was used to that combination being. He frowned a bit, digging back for that, yeah. The eggs were the same, but the bacon and the oat and hay were off. Were ponies herbivores? Putting that thought aside, he accelerated to a proper trot to hop up onto his seat. With a glowing horn, he began to eat, and his complaints died as silently as they had lived. It was a good breakfast.
"The factory's closed," explained Summer as she bustled past to do something in the house. "We're all off. Means there'll be plenty of us worker ponies about the town, doin' things. Shoppin', chores, or jus' havin' fun. Ah'm hopin' we can do that last one." Her head poked back in. "Now that yer a known thin', there's no reason to hide you no more."
He considered that as a hay bacon strip slowly vanished into his face one nibble at a time. He didn't even have to hold it in his magic, drawing it in with his teeth and lips, chomping along its length until it was gone. Perfectly crisp, just not made of pig. A bright sparkling question mark appeared over his head.
"That's a surprise." Summer cantered in place with a grin. "Gonna show you off now that ah can, and we'll have a good time, together."
Winter slid down to his hooves with a nod. He brushed against her on his way past, ready to trust her to make the day interesting. "That's the spirit!" She charged ahead, grabbing the door knob in her teeth and with a twist, she had it open.
They emerged from their home, though Winter was glancing back at the house with a little faint frown.
But not too faint for Summer to notice. "What?" But Winter just shook his head. "Well forget it. Time to hit the town, paint it red or what not." She nodded firmly as she proceeded towards the main thoroughfare of the town.
Winter caught up easily. As promised, there were plenty of ponies about. A day off at Jubilee's put a lot of ponies out and about, enjoying that leisure time. There were other ponies working even harder than usual. Barbers were snipping beards and manes. Eateries were wide open for business. The town was alive with activity.
"You keep out of trouble." Oh, the sheriff, giving Winter a pointed look.
Winter circled wide around the angry stallion to return to Summer's side. "Don't mind him none," she assured as they went. "Heard he got yelled at by Miss Jubilee, put anypony on edge that. Now, fer our first stop..." She turned slowly in place.
While she was doing that, Winter felt a tugging. Looking off, then down, he spotted it. Foals were fascinated with him, clearly. There stood a filly with a big wide brim hat and an even larger grin. "Hey there!" She bounced around him in a circle. "Yer funny lookin'. That thing work?" She pointed at his horn.
Every child, much the same questions. Still, he couldn't bring himself to be mad at the little excited girl. He nodded and wrapped the magic around her, giving the gentlest tug. "Are ya gonna pick me up?" She bounced all the higher, hooves pedaling. "I wanna see that!"
That was permission. He turned the tug into a gentle draw, pulling her free from the ground in the field of his magic. She squealed and cheered as he swooped her around like an energetic aircraft. He could see her father, he assume it was her father. A stallion was watching with a mixture of concern and amusement. Still, good. A foal shouldn't be wandering off willy nilly.
Still, with them there, Winter kept his play gentler than he might have been tempted to otherwise. He set her to the ground and patted her hatted head. "Thanks miss!" She scurried away.
"Ya ain't that girly," huffed Summer defensively. "Good on you. That went way better than last time." She planted a smooch on his closer cheek. "Keep that up and everypony'll get used to ya real quick."
"Summer! Winter!" There was Maple, galloping down the street towards them. "Come see!" And she looped right back around, trusting in them to follow.
Fortunately for her, that is exactly what they did. They went up the street a short distance before turning off the main path towards a smaller orchard. There were no cherries, or any fruits in sight. "Behold," sang out Maple with a sweep of her left hoof. "This here's mah orchard, where ah make the magic happen."
Summer snorted softly. "I done seen it before, Maple."
"But he hasn't." She pointed the same hoof at Winter. "Everythin's new to him."
Winter had seen a maple before, he could remember. He used to have to rake them, when he was a kid... Boy, raking them would be a lot easier with his horn, just...
"Ya alright?" Maple was watching Winter's thoughts drift away.
Winter bobbed his head at her and closed, touching his nose to her cheek.
That got a grin out of Maple. "That's more like it. Missed you too." She touched nose to nose, then turned rapidly, pointing at a spigot over a bucket. "See right there? Ah'm gettin' some tasty sap." She tapped at that bucket. "Go on, grab a little with that fancy magic ah yers."
Winter considered this challenge before he gathered his power into a little scoop, a magical spoon to get a little portion of the thick syrup. As it floated into the air, Maple began to giggle. "Now, raw syrup's fine right on its own. Ya can do thin's with it, make it into sugar, or taffy, filter it to try and get all the sediment out, all kindsa things, but even just as it is, maple syrup is great! Try it."
And into his mouth it went, snapping his jaws and lips down to seal it before he released the magic. Which allowed the syrup to suddenly explode in his mouth, landing right on his tongue and spreading about with no effort on his part, which meant he was getting a mouth full of maple! Overwhelming sweetness had him go still a moment, blinking as he worked through it.
"Now ah gotta work." Maple inclined her head at her trees. "But ah just had to wave ya down and say howdy."
"Right nice to see ya." Summer threw a leg over Maple in a gentle hug. "Stop by fer dinner?"
"Love to." Maple's eyes were on Winter. "Ya alright?"
With a few swallows, the flavor ebbed to a more easily tolerated level. He nodded at Maple gently. "Good!" She slipped free of Summer. "Now, go on. Have fun." She waved them away, apparently done with them.
"Yer somethin' else." Summer led Winter back towards the main road. "Still, good ta see her."
Winter nodded in simple agreement. The pun came to his mind; Maple was sweet. It was, perhaps, for the best that he would not speak it aloud. Only he would know of his sin.
"Ya ever have a carrot dog?" Summer pointed at a stand where several such dogs were slowly turning over an open flame. "Ah'm sure ya had a carrot before, but that ain't nothing on this."
Winter was soon holding a carrot, roasted, in a bun with all the toppings one might put on a hotdog and a few extras he wasn't even sure what they were. Still, Summer was devouring hers, so he decided to give it a go. With a big chomp, flavors familiar and new swirled about. It was a day of tastes, but it was a good taste. "Knew you'd like it." She was watching him make the carrot dog vanish. "Ya know what's perfect after a dog?"
Apparently, it was dancing. Winter led him towards a loud source of music. There were ponies skipping and jumping and shuffling about. Some were in pairs, twirling and capering with one another. Which is exactly what Summer aimed to do with Winter. She hooked an arm around one of his, drawing him upright and starting to move with the music. "If yer new to this, jus' follow me. Ah'll be gentle."
Winter did not have many memories of dancing, but not none. Move with the music, move with your partner... yes, he was getting into the pattern with her as they danced, at first on two legs. "Yer real good at this." She fell back to fours. "Lesee how ya do down here." The dance proceeded on all fours, forward one two, hoof out, hoof in, turn around and back a step.
He was following not only her but the ponies around them, all moving with the music with hoots and cheers. He did not join in those noises, of course, but he was moving with them, the faintest smile on his face. Dancing was fun. Who he was dancing with made it even better.
As ponies began to rise, he advanced on her. Instead of letting her stand up on her own, he scooped her up, his magic assisting as they both rose, her in his affectional grip. "Oh!" She was blushing, but not objecting as they danced the next part close together, pressing.
Whistles came from the crowd, some noticing the dancing that was closer than required by a few steps. Some of the other partners were egged on by the display to come in closer. The music slowed to accommodate things, turning into more of a romantic slow beat for couples, just like them.
The dancing floor thinned a little, with just the romantic duos taking up the space. Eyes were upon them, cheers and whistles encouraging their dances. Well, except that one mare. She was dancing alone, but she didn't seem to care or mind, just rocking out to the music in complete obliviousness to the changed mood of things.
Summer rested her chin on Winter's shoulder, holding him with her folded arms with the gentle clops of her hooves against the firm packed ground beneath them. They were a thing, and they were announcing it pretty loudly to the town. She nipped his ear, making it flicker just a little, but the calls grew in intensity. A signal. She was making it very obvious who her special somepony was, even if they weren't a pony.
Winter wrapped her in his magic like a warm blanket, supporting her as he began a twirl that had her bending over backwards, then around to his other arm in a feat that would have required quite a bit more dancing practice if not for cheating.
Summer burst into merry laughter. "Warn a girl before you do that." She brushed her nose against his, clearly not that upset about the whole thing. "Smooth mover..."
The song was reaching a climax. Winter could see some of the other couples were going in. He took the cue, leaning forwards. He bumped against her faster than he expected. She had taken the cue too. They met, lips colliding, breath shared as they forgot everything but each other for a moment.
Summer awoke with wide eyes, heaving chest and twitching ears.
Winter stirred from what had been a perfectly pleasant sleep. He did not seem angry, instead watching her quietly.
Summer set a hoof on his shoulders. "Ah..."
Winter pulled her closer as he shuffled in, soon holding her warmly, as if to assure her that no words were needed. A bad dream? He would help by just being himself, and caring about her.
"Yer the best." She smooched his cheek, but also pushed him back a little. "But this... This may be... really important." She rubbed at her cheek, where she had been kissed. "Fer both of us. Ah... Ah had a name dream."
Winter looked at her placidly. That sure sounded important, but...
"Do ya not know what that is?" He shook his head. "Every mare has one before a little foal comes to them. It's why ponies tend to have right good names. I saw a little colt. He was..." A tear ran down her face. "He was precious..." She twisted suddenly to look at her own midsection. "And he's inside there?"
It seemed to be dawning on her even as she worked through it. "Ya done put a foal in me!"
Winter started to work through that from his side. It wasn't as if the male part of that equation was without thought and feelings. He would become a father? He squeaked.
Summer's ears twitched. "Did you just make a sound?" Compared to his usual silence... "Was that... like a shout?"
Winter was blushing badly, as if embarrassed at his incredibly soft outburst. He reached for her.
She reached back, the two soon meeting in a warm hug. "We... have done things that make foals, suppose... we aught not be that surprised." He was pawing at her snout. "What?" But it clicked. "Oh! The name! Right! Morning Fire."
Winter pointed at himself emphatically.
"What?" She frowned with thought as he kept pointing. "Ya silly kirin, it's not... Oh... Oh! Oh..." She looked back at her belly, still nice and trim and not showing at all. "Ya done put a kirin in that oven, didn't ya?!"
And in he came, nosing at her belly. He could imagine the little smiling kirin colt. Already he felt love. He would do his best, as a father, and... He sat up and pointed at himself, then Summer. A series of wedding bells appeared over his head, donging melodically.
It was a shame ponies didn't have the same strong tradition of wedding bells. "Not catchin' yer meanin' there... Ah mean, yeah, we're gonna be..." She swallowed with a suddenly thick tongue. "Parents..."
A knock came from the front door. "Who is it?!" snapped Summer, only to blush right after. "Sorry."
"Somethin' happen?" Maple had her nose in the door, not even in sight of their bed. "That didn't sound like the usual mornin' Summer."
Nopony told her not to, so she came further inside, the door kicked shut behind her. "Y'all alright?"
Winter hopped down from the bed, shaking himself out before advancing to run into her.
What he did not expect was her to gasp and back up so quickly she thumped her rump on the door she had just come in through. "Yer showin'," she warned, pointing a hoof at the problem.
Winter looked down at an angle and, yep, there it was, just dangling there, mostly rigid. The news of impending parenthood had, apparently, stirred something in him and given him quite the flagpole to show off to the world. Embarrassment threatened to creep up, but he fought it off. He was a kirin, calm and collected. Maple was a friend, a good one. Surprised, but not appalled. He waved her forward.
"Ya... sure?"
"What's all the fuss--Oh!" Summer emerged to see the twitching source of the issue. "Be careful with that." She pointed at it. "It's loaded. Already got me."
"Already..." One could almost see the gears turning in her head. "Ya don't mean?!"
"Ah do. Had a namin' dream."
Maple began to dance in place, her eyes wide. "Congratulations! Oh wow! We gotta... We..." She hurried forward, forgetting Winter's state to give Summer a great big hug. "Ah'm here for ya!"
Winter's nose danced softly. Something... Something smelled good. He followed that scent right to Maple's bottom.
She squealed, swatting Winter on the nose, a brush of her soft hair. "Ya goin' fer two? Cut that out."
Chastised, he backed away and sat down.
Summer rubbed at her cheek, looking more thoughtful. "Ah... Ah'm gonna make breakfast." And she wandered off, looking perhaps a bit fuzzy in her thoughts.
Maple looked ready to follow her, but almost ran into Winter, sitting there, looking... well, lewd. "Are ya that..." She meant to point at it, but in her hurry, she ended up touching the thing, and it twitched in reply, as if pleased by her presence. Her cheeks went bright red. "Sorry! Put that away!"
But putting it away was still a trick he was... fair to middlin' at. He just watched her calmly.
"Now I understand." She nodded at him. "Miss Jubilee don't seem so odd all of a sudden..." Her nose flared, nostrils puffing as she took in his scent. For all his female-like appearance, his musk was powerfully male, especially with that tool just wafting in the breeze. "Summer?"
"Yeah?" came her voice, unseen from the kitchen. "Breakfast'll be ready in not too long."
"Ah think... Winter really wants to... play... But this is yer house."
"Play?" Her head poked free of the kitchen. From her vantage point, she could only see his seated back, and Maple's face. "Ain't gonna stop ya from havin' fun." She waved it off on her way back to cooking.
With permission given, Winter plucked up Maple in his magic and casually carried her into the bedroom he had never made it far from that day.
Maple barely got out a squeak. It was happening. She was being overwhelmed by Winter, just as she said would happen. Just as she had warned! Just as... she had wanted. Her tail twitched as she looked around. Summer's room was not a place she visited often, but there were more immediate things to think about, vying for her attention.
Winter was upon her, nipping at her ears one by one, his cloven hooves brushing at her sides. Her tail lifted, excitement growing. He was on her, nuzzling into the back of her neck with slow nips through her fur, tugging lightly as he got into position. He could feel her fluttering nethers, winking, ready.
She was being dominated, swept away, but it was exactly what she had wanted. Did he remember? She couldn't tell. He was not a stallion of many words, and, in that moment, she was alright with that. She felt him moving over her, his weight pressing down even as that pillar began to slide into her, brushing against parts of her that did not often get that kind of attention.
Maple shuddered, arching her back and fluttering around the intruder. "Ya brute," she murmured, no fangs in the statement. But it stopped. Did he believe her? "Ya thoughtful thing." She nuzzled at his right leg, brushing her nose against the warm fur.
But he wasn't moving.
"Yer gonna make me say it." He did not respond. She danced under him, partially impaled, but denied the satisfaction of completion. "Do it! Make me a mare!"
His ears pricked. He was her first? He wrapped an arm around her, cradling her as his horn glowed, adjusting things with little movements before he pressed forward. The movement began, but it was no wild rutting as she imagined. Instead he was smoothly pistoning against her, in to the hit, rubbing, then withdrawing to about halfway, pausing, then right back in.
It was... good. But... "Ya can go faster." She tickled his belly with her thrashing tail. "Go on. Ah ain't made ah paper or nothin'."
He angled forward and bit her, his teeth capturing the ruff of her neck firmly, even if it meant getting a mouth full of mane in the process. Her encouragements faded, only to return in less articulate but all the more impassioned grunts and whickers. He was no longer pausing, working against her like a well tuned machine.
"Breakfast's ready!" came a call.
She shoved back against him, clearly willing to wait on breakfast. He pressed back against her, and it was over, twitching and pulsing as he filled her with his vital essence. Winter released her mane, replacing teeth with gently licking tongue and soft nuzzles.
Maple burst into soft giggles. "Ya done did it, claimed me." She wriggled her backside under him. "Guess ah'm yers now."
"Fellas?" Summer's hooves could be heard approaching.
Winter drew free of Maple, already softened and withdrawing. Despite that, he was still on top of her, hugging her. He wouldn't just breed and bail on her. A fact Maple seemed entirely alright with, enjoying the company and snuggles. "We're in here," she called, realizing the position she was in only after the fact. She made to leap away, but Winter had her securely.
He was being cuddly and delightful and Summer was coming. Winter folded her ears back and braced herself.
Summer poked her nose in just as she came around the corner. "What's ta..." She trailed that off as she absorbed what she was seeing. "Winter!"
That got him to release Maple, looking to Summer placidly.
"What're you doin'?"
"Ah can explain!" Maple scrambled to her hooves. Summer was just raising a brow at her, daring her. "Mebbe... Alright, look... He... An' I... Are we--" She gestured at herself, Summer, then Winter. "Are we a thin'? Or... did I jus' mess up super bad?"
Summer stepped up to bop Maple on the snout. "That is a question ta ask before ah find ya in the state yer in right now." She twisted to look at Winter. "That goes fer you too! Yer expectin' a foal, consarnit! Ya want two? This is how ya get two. Bet ya don't even know how to deal wit' one!"
Winter stepped up to Summer, leaning forward to press his nose to hers. But she wasn't having it, dancing away. "Don't you think you can play the 'Love me because ah'm cute!' routine on me. Now, look... We didn't set no real good boundaries. I'll take some blame for that." She turned back to Maple, heaving a slow sigh. "Look, even if we were a thin', this is just bad plannin'! Ah got one in here. If we're lucky, or unlucky, you may too. I should not be the only one this bothers!"
Maple's ears were folded back against her head tightly. "Ah'm really sorry. Ah'll do mah best, promise. If ah have to miss days to help ya, ah will!"
Summer poked Maple in the chest. "And if you have the same problem?"
"Then we'll get fat, together-like." She pointed at Winter. "And ah'm gonna guess he'll love on us all the while."
Summer applied a hoof to her face. "Bet he would. Ideal-like, you'd be takin' care of me and he'd go to work and earn some bits to keep this... going... This is just terrible herd management!"
Maple smiled so wide her cheeks squeaked with the effort. "We're a herd?"
Summer scowled at Maple. "We're either a stupid herd, or ah'm a mare that done just got cheated on. That's the choice ah got. Ah'd rather not... Look, breakfast's ready." She pointed the way and began moving. "If ya two can stop messin' around long enough to enjoy what I made for ya."
The two followed Summer to the kitchen. Winter didn't go for his chair, instead hanging near Summer, sitting as her side on the kitchen floor.
"Ah know ya don't want me to feel bad." She set a hoof on his head. "Let this be a lesson for... this." She waggled a hoof over all three of them. "We gotta set rules. But first, breakfast. Eat."
Winter shoved cherries with graceful sweeps of his magic, sending entire batches of good red cherries floating off into their assigned bin. He didn't catch all of them, nor was he expected to. The ones he did catch were good, and he got a lot of them. His presence reduced the pressure on the ponies further along on the line, allowing them to do their job better as they picked and sorted what made it past him, including the other colors.
It meant their line of production was running well, which meant a lot of filled bins. Other ponies hurried in every time a bin was getting near the top, replacing them with empty ones without any verbal prompting and allowing the work to continue without a pause.
They were a factory, cogs in it. There were no mechanical automations, however. Every part of that had a pony doing it. A pony ran to set the pace of the track. Ponies sorted. Ponies moved the bins. They were all living parts of that machine. Like an artificial machine, any one part failing could bring the whole system down, but they all knew their job and the line kept moving, allowing the cherries to get a step closer to arriving before the smiling ponies that paid for them.
When the lunch bell sounded, Winter did not join Summer for food. He stood before Miss Jubilee, to her confusion. "Somethin' up?" She looked him over curiously. "Ya look like ya want somethin' there, but can't quite put a hoof on the what of it."
Winter pointed at Summer, chewing a sandwich and ignorant of their 'conversation'.
"You treatin' her right?" He nodded softly. "Good. So, what about her?"
Winter pulled out a shining bit from his pocket, holding it up and pointing at Summer.
"If yer tryin' to buy her, she ain't mine to sell, truth told." Jubilee looked more amused than appalled at the notion. "I would say she's worth more than a single bit though."
Winter shook his head, producing another bit. He shook one bit at Summer, then clinked the bits together and put both bits over his own head, tapping against his own horn.
Jubilee drew a soft breath through her teeth with the resulting hiss. "Alright, now... Now we're gettin' somewhere. This way." She led Winter out of sight, to her office. "Now, just to be perfectly clear, are ya askin' fer a raise?" He nodded simply. "Now why should I give it?" She sat on her large chair, arms crossing as she took up the position of authority, a position she knew well.
Winter fidgeted just faintly. He floated the bit back behind himself, in the direction of Summer. He waggled it, then released it to clatter to the ground.
Jubilee peered at the fallen coin. "Is... Son, you make a mare work to keep up with you." She huffed in annoyance at the communication barrier between them. "That's her pay?" He nodded. "And you dropped it?" He nodded. "So she ain't gettin' paid?" He nodded. "Well, that ain't happenin'." Jubilee shook her head. "My little ponies do their work, they get paid. Not a promise I'd even consider breaking."
Winter nudged the coin, lifting it all of an inch before it fell to the ground.
"Is somethin' wrong with her?" He nodded. Jubilee rose to her hooves, standing on the chair. "What's wrong with my Summer?!"
Winter shook his head quickly, considering. He reared up and pointed at his own belly, cradling the child that would never be in it before he fell back to all fours. He pointed at the fallen coin, lifting it with his horn. It joined the other coin and tapped against his own horn as he pointed at himself.
Jubilee's ears pricked up straight. "Oh! Oh! You... stud." She said the word as if it were quite dirty, but she was smiling. "Why didn't she tell me the good news?! Now, look, yer new, I get that. But I pay mares expectin' little ones days off at 60% pay fer as long as they need while they're laid up bein' moms. Dads get days off too to spend wit' their new foals. We're a family!"
She looked powerfully proud of the measures she took to support the families within her family. "So if she feels bad, she can get time off, no problem. So there ain't not a problem."
Winter knew that he could possibly have to support two mares, not one, thanks to his actions. It was, ultimately, his own fault. Not one he even regretted. But he'd have to be a man! Er, stallion? He had to make more bits. His face remained calm, for he was a kirin, calm and collected. He tapped the two coins against his horn.
"You still want a raise?" She leaned forward, squinting just a little at him. "Why should I?"
He tapped the coins against his glowing horn, separating them to tap at different parts of that glowing projection of his head. Winter set the coins down and instead conjured the image of a tree, exploding with cherries raining down gently in all directions.
"Ah got you on the production line," noted Jubilee. "You're mine, sweet thing. I decide where you're best off."
Winter nodded firmly. He sat and moved his hooves like the other ponies did, sorting cherries as the tree exploded again with a fresh wave of spectral cherries.
Jubilee rubbed a cheek with the flat of a hoof. "Ya can't do both at once... Can't even see the trees from the line."
Winter dismissed the tree, instead continuing the sorting motion busily. He perked an ear and looked off at the clock that hung in Jubilee's office pointedly. Satisfied, he stood up and pantomimed walking in place. The tree appeared anew, and the cherries exploded.
Jubilee clopped a hoof on her desk. "Are you offerin' to work overtime hours?" He nodded. "Ha! And they said I weren't no good at riddles." She looked quite pleased with herself. "Now, see, the line has very specific hours. Need all the ponies workin' together for it to be any good. That ain't something we can even think about negotiating none. Done deal." She wiped her hooves clean of the very idea of it.
"You want to help out before the line, or after it, that's somethin' else." She set a hoof under her chin, eyeing Winter appraisingly. "Now, just to be clear, this ain't a charity. You want my bits? I'll make you work for 'em. Yer signing up for long days. Or maybe comin' in on yer off days? Either way, yer givin' up time off, and I expect it to be good time. You slack off, I kick you right back to yer usual hours. You think you can handle that?" But he nodded without even a hint of hesitation.
She hopped down, circling her desk and coming up on him in a flash. "You." He didn't shrink, just watching her placidly. "You are a good pony." She patted his shoulder. "Lookin' out for yer partner like that. Tell ya what." She turned away, returning to her seat. "If she calls off, I'll give you another shift to make up fer her lost bits. How's that?"
He shook his head, tapping his horn with his coins. He made the sorting motion, pushing phantom cherries off, then drew his hooves away, allowing more phantom cherries to roll into view before his magic banished half of them in a clean sweep. He pointed at himself.
"Shoot." She frowned at him. He had realized he was doing more work than some of the other ponies with his cheating magic ways. He had learned the job and was operating at about 160% the expected efficiency of a given worker, and he wanted a raise, clearly. This was all perfectly understandable without a word. "There's politics," she warned. "If I promote you, there are ponies who have been here longer."
They would be angry. It wasn't 'fair' that a kirin could get the job done faster with less time on the job. "They won't be calmed down telling them that you'd be awful on the belt driver." She laughed at the very idea. "I'd almost like to see that little girly body of yers even try that. Bet you'd cry before we got half a bin out of it. But quickly sorting and picking? You got that down..."
She tapped at her chin thoughtfully. "So, we can't do that, but that don't mean you walk out of here with nothin'. Ah can give raises without promotions." She snorted. "Ah can give promotions without raises. Both have happened. Promotions, ponies know of. Raises... That's between you an' me. And if yer smart, ya won't share." She rolled her eyes suddenly. "Not that you're a chatty sort."
A third coin joined the two, tapping his horn.
"Are you askin' what the raise is, or already asking fer more?" She set her hooves together with a smirk. "You'll just..." she trailed off. "No... Take that back. You got a mare expectin'. You want some good news to bring her." She grabbed a quill in her mouth and scratched out something on a paper she flipped over. She pushed the paper across the desk. "Will this do?"
Winter set the coins away and took the paper in his magic, peeking at the number written there. It was an hourly figure, it had to be, but it was higher. He nodded and tucked the paper away in acceptance of it. He turned back to the factory floor.
"I expect to get that value out of you," she warned as he walked back to his position.
Winter worked with renewed vigor, sorting cherries even harder than usual.
"Where were ya?" Summer thumped against his side. "We usually eat lunch together-like, and ah didn't see you nowhere."
Winter raised a hoof to his lips.
"A secret?!" Summer frowned at him.
But he just nodded, repeating the gesture as he reached into his pocket with his magic and drew the paper. He tapped his lips a third time.
"Oh! It's a secret right now. That's different." She sat with a thump. "Alright. Ah won't tell nopony. What is it?"
He willed the paper right into her view and her eyes scanned over the number written there. "Huh, what's this?" She looked up to see an equal number of bits floating beside Winter's horn. "Ya... Ya got a raise?!" He nodded. "Oh!" But he was in on her, nuzzling her belly warmly. He backed up a step and pointed at himself, then at her belly again.
"Oh..." Her smile was slow in growing, but profound. "Oh." A single tear escaped her. "You wonderful creature. Yer workin' hard for this nutso herd... Ya didn't make no unreasonable promises, did ya?" She closed in, nose to nose, nuzzling with love and concern together. "Don't want you runnin' yerself ragged."
He shook his head and sat up proud and tall. This only got a laugh out of her. "That's our stallion. Ya know, tradition-wise, the mares look out for their stallion. But then, tradition-wise, the mares don't all... let the stallion have their way at the same time if they're any smart." But she was being nuzzled, and was soon returning it, which turned to kisses, then snuggles as they both flopped to the floor.
"Ah'm... not used to another pony carin' for me," admitted Summer as she held him tight. "This is gonna take some gettin' used to, ya know?" She ran a hoof up and down his side in slow circles. "But if it were anypony, yer a good one fer it to be." Their lips met in a soft kiss, celebrating their increased financial security with all the hugs that could be fit into making dinner for the evening.
"Now, just to be clear." She was gathering the plates to set in the sink. "Ah'm not quitting. I don't plan on it. If I get sick, that's one thing, but plenty of mares are jus' fine to the big day."
"This much." Summer waved to a picture frame that had become the home of the increased amount Winter had gotten for himself. Was it technically required? Far from it, but Summer's grin spoke that she thought it worth the price. "Now he's makin' almost twice me."
Maple inclined her head before flicking upright. "And ya ain't mad? He's kinda new at it, and you've been workin' there forever-like."
"He's good at it." Summer shrugged expansively. "Besides, he's doin' it for me, for us." She wagged the hoof between herself and Maple. "He saw he has a family that's only gonna get bigger an', without even askin', went to make sure he can do his part to make it work. Ahm so proud ah him!"
Maple allowed an unsure little laugh. "Y-yeah... That's good, sure." She rubbed her cheek. "But Jubilee ain't no fool."
"'Course she ain't" Summer squinted at Maple. "What's that got to do with nothin'?"
"So if she bumped him up like that." Maple pointed firmly at the number. "She's gonna expect to get that out of him. He signed up to work, and work hard." She brought her hooves to barely touch one another. "Ah don't think he's thinkin' this through."
"Like you thought it through?" She thumped Maple on the chest. "Had a namin' dream yet?"
"No!" Maple's cheeks went dark at the idea. "I may not, we can't know that."
"But the odds are with ya." Summer began to circle around Maple in a prowl. "Ah asked why he had to do it, that day, an' you know what he said?"
"Nothing?" That seemed a safe bet, considering what stallion was being spoken of.
Summer snorted softly. "He says a lot an' you know it. He pointed at his nose." She turned a hoof at her own, twitching it with big sniffs of air. "He thought you smelled good."
Maple's coloring only grew darker. "He didn't!"
"He did." Summer nodded firmly. "You were ready. Probably part of why you were hot to trot, even in yer friend's house!"
"Ah said sorry!" Maple sank to her belly, covering her face with her hooves.
"Ah ain't angry." Summer patted Maple on the shoulder. "But ya were ready and ya did it anyway. This is at least half yer fault. Didn't yer mom teach ya about that?"
Maple's ears wilted down to either side, hanging. "Ah'm no young filly, Summer... It's been... quite some time since we had that chat. We're both done grown up... It never... It never came up. I wasn't even thinkin' of that."
"If it makes you feel better." Summer snorted as she pointed at herself. "Ah obviously made the same choice. But when ah did it, there weren't no other foals involved. Now... we can't take back what we already did. Yer probably a tickin' bomb, jus' like me. When ya get that dream, ya tell me, alright?"
"I will. Ah will!" Maple scrambled back to her hooves. "Look, ah'm jus' sayin' we need to support him too. 'Sides, that's what herd do normal-like."
"Herds are not normal," caustically noted Summer, each word spoken firmly. "But here we are... Here we are..." She reached for Maple, who didn't resist, running a hoof over Maple's belly and sides. "Technically, ya know, means we're gonna be married too."
Maple's bright coloring shifted with that new realization being driven home. "Well, we were already best of friends... Ah'm not... against it."
"But it means we have to make a choice." Summer prodded firmly. "Two herd mares are two things." She raised both her hooves, one higher. "They're either like sisters." One hoof lowered so the other could go hight. "Or they're wives. Which is it we're aimin' for?"
Maple began to fidget with restless energy. "Before all that, shouldn't we... make it official? We can't keep this a secret forever-like."
"We could." Summer closed with Maple, leaning in over the unsure maple farmer. "This here ain't no big town. People like to get upset about new things. Shoot, remember how they reacted to jus' him bein' here? Now he's gone and snatched up two mares right under their watch? There gonna be some unkind thoughts 'round that."
"That ain't fair." Maple sat, but raised her head, upright. "Like yer boss. Miss Jubilee thinks he's great, an' she likes both of us plenty. Bet she could knock heads together, an' ah bet she would if ponies started actin' up."
Summer danced in place from hoof to hoof. "Well, sure..." It weren't hard to imagine Jubilee thumping a pony that was being unreasonable to one of her workers. "But hiding behind mah boss..."
"She already owes ya one." Maple's unsure expression brightened to a smile. "If ya promise it's way in the past an' tell her the truth, bet she'd sign right up to stand behind ya."
Her bright smile turned into a squeak as Summer shoved her over. "When did you get so wicked?!" Summer stormed away. "Still, ain't a bad idea..."
"Right?!" Maple trailed after Summer. "Bet if you jus' told her, she'd announce it fer us, make a big deal out of it. We'll... be... It'll be awkward sure... but ain't not a pony in this town that'd fight her if she says it's a good thing."
A bell chimed. It was a little thing, but it let Winter announce that food was ready. Maple turned an ear towards it. "Winter food? I'm invited too?"
Summer rolled her eyes. "Did you already forget? We're family." She threw a leg over Maple, the two headed for the kitchen. "But ya never did answer the question. We sisters, or wives?"
They turned the corner into the kitchen, only to find a kirin's snout in the way. There was Winter, giving each of them a welcoming touch of his snoot to theirs before gesturing at the dinner he had made.
Maple clapped her hooves in appreciation. "Lookin' mighty good! Like to spoil a mare." She hurried up, leaving Summer's grip, and her question, behind. "Ah could get used to havin' two ponies around that right like to whip up somethin' tasty."
Winter just looked at her curiously. Summer put it to words. "You cook plenty."
"Well, sure." Maple got comfy in her seat. "But ah make sweet things. Things you expect maple in. That ain't this." She spread her hooves over the dinner provided. "Both are nice, but it ain't the same."
Summer climbed up onto her own seat. "Sellin' yerself short. There are recipes out there for not-dessert that use maple." She leaned over the table, looking at Maple. "In fact, gonna get you a book of 'em, so there. Now, you want a challenge? Try usin' cherry for not-dessert. Now that's a real challenge."
Maple laughed awkwardly. "Alright alright! Still... yer not 'Cherry'. That's yer boss. You're Summer. Bein' all warm and bright all over us." She fanned herself lightly. "An' that's alright too." She shoved a hoof into a fork, clicking it into place, ready for her to use, attached to her hoof. "Winter now, he's a contradiction, right there in the name. Cool and collected 'xcept when he's not. Real hot if you know where to look."
Summer took a slow loud breath. "We're 'bout to announce to everypony exactly where to look."
Winter inclined his head. He hadn't heard that part of the conversation.
"Oh." Summer seemed to pick up without a word spoken. "Jus' an idea Maple had." She pointed at the nibbling mare. "Come right out an' tell Miss Jubilee exactly what's going on, let her make a big deal 'bout it. If it has her seal of approval, not many gonna make a fuss about it."
Winter's ears twitched atop his head, ornate things turning this way and that. Internally, he considered it, the situation, the idea, and the fallout of it. He snorted and pawed at the chair he had sat on, unsure.
"She's gonna get involved." Summer inclined her head at Winter. "Not much avoidin' that. But if we pick how, we can take advantage a bit. Forgive her for that mixup we had, but get her on our side, so we can be together without a big stink."
Part of that made sense, total sense. But other parts of that... Flame wafted up along his scaled back, the scent of charred wood teasing the air as he set the chair he was seated on to smolder under his emotional outpouring. His expression remained neutral, but emotions were emotions, and he failed to keep them entirely in order despite it. His left eye was lost to sight, becoming flames even as he sat there calmly.
Maple cringed a bit. "You feel alright there, Winter?"
Summer reached to pat a flame, only to discover that fire was, strangely enough, very warm. She wrenched her hoof back and away. "Winter, what's wrong?"
Winter had no words. He wasn't known for that. His horn began to glow, only to ignite instead of forming anything useful. He hopped to the floor, scorch marks with every touch of his burning hooves. He could see the damage he was causing and that didn't help as he began to scramble away.
Only to have the mares chasing after him as they exploded out of the house. He crashed to his haunches on the dirt, heaving for breath. The ground smoldered but he couldn't set the dirt on fire it seemed. The scraggly grasses that were too close combusted, burning away quickly as more and more of his form was lost to the fire that swept over him, transitioning from a kirin fully into a nirik.
The worst part being that he didn't know why. What they said wasn't that bad. Nothing that awful was going on! He just had to take control of his feelings. He was a kirin! Kirins were cool and collected! Kirins did not let their feelings just... run away with them. Winter grunted softly as he tried to force those emotions down. Everything was fine. Everything was... fine...
Summer suddenly grabbed him in a hug. It was a kind of nice. It was also a terrible idea. Summer quickly realized this as she let out a scream and fell back, her attempt to love away the problem proving quite a poor idea overall.
Maple was on Summer in a flash, patting out the flames and smothering her as best she could.
And there was Winter, watching it, but unable to help in any real way. If he reached, he would only be making it worse. His magic had fled him, used for the fire? He had hurt Summer! The flames only got hotter as he fidgeted in place. He wanted to help. He was mad, at himself, and at her. Why did she do that?! He wanted to swat her, but doing that would hurt a lot more than he wanted in that moment.
He wanted to shout, but kirins didn't shout.
They burned, apparently. Oh, and shouted. He wasn't sure when it happened exactly, but he was letting out a howl, wordless, but full of the emotions he had been keeping such a tight lid on for months. The heat spread from him as he stomped and thrashed, letting it all out whether he wanted to or not.
All the thousand little things were escaping him, the tight lid on his emotions blown clear off into the air as he lit up the area brightly, forcing the mares to back away. He wanted them closer, not farther away! His fire only got hotter as he snarled and stomped, even the dirt starting to light on fire, pools of flames beneath him wherever he set a hoof.
He wanted them closer, but they couldn't, and he knew that. He had to calm down. He had to be a calm and collected kirin. That is what kirins were! He had to calm down.
He had a headache. It was such a small thing compared to everything else going on, but it was a fact that Winter couldn't deny. To make it worse, it was growing as the flames crackled around him. Was being on fire a taxing thing? That made a sort of sense, but the headache wasn't helping him be calm at all, and he burned.
"Everythin' all right over here?" A stallion poked their nose in from closer to the main road, drawn perhaps by the light of the fire. "Oh..."
Maple waved wildly. "We're fine! This is a normal thin' fer him."
The stallion inclined his head. "This is normal? Uh... if everypony's alright?"
Maple and Summer nodded, even if the latter was a bit charred in places. "Well, alright then. G'luck wit' it." And off the stallion went about his business.
Summer patted herself down. "We've got to stop this, somehow."
"No we don't."
Summed raised a brow at Maple. "Ya done lost yer senses?"
"Nah." Maple was watching Winter. "Jus' reckon..."
The lights went out. The headache was gone, but so was he. He collapsed forward in an ungainly position. The fire began to gutter out, no longer fed. The kirin was back.
Maple gestured grandly. "Ta da."
"How could you know that?" angrily insisted Summer. "Were you jus' guessin'?"
"Yes?" admitted Maple without much resistance. "An' I was right." She nodded with smug victory. "Let's get him inside afore anything else crazy happens."
The mares circled to either side of the unconscious kirin. Swatting at a few lingering flames that didn't resist being stomped out, they were able to get in and heft him up on top of their shared bodies, carrying him inside.
"He's light," noted Summer. "I don't like it."
Winter felt lighter than usual, as if he'd burned himself like a candle to make all those flames.
They dumped him on the bed and retreated into the living room. Maple pointed back towards the bedroom. "Well, this won't stand. We gotta know what happened, and make sure it stops."
Summer nodded slowly. "Yeah... 'course... but how?"
Maple rubbed at her cheek. "Ah... don't know..." She began chewing at the edge of a hoof. "Could try the library? Think they got anythin' on kirins?"
"Doubt it." Summer frowned at the thought. "Hay, where'd the other kirin come from? A kirin would know about a kirin, ya think?"
Maple perked at that idea. "Now yer thinkin'! Ain't not a creature ah'd expect more to know 'bout kirin problems than another kirin. Ah'll ask around, find out where they came from." She hurried towards the door. "Make sure Winter's alright."
"Like ya needed to--" The door closed, Maple already gone. "--tell me." She rolled her eyes, heading into her bedroom to check in on Winter. "What happened to you?"
The next morning, Winter woke first. He shook himself out and hopped to the floor. However fatigued he had been, he trotted to the living room as if nothing had happened. He was hungry. Very hungry. He got right to making breakfast, extra sized!
Summer woke at the smells reaching her. "Hm?" Her hooves weren't resting on Winter anymore. "Wha?" But the likely outcome clicked soon enough. "Yer hurt! Ah'm supposed to be carin' fer ya." She hopped down and winced, still burned in places from her misplaced hug. "Shoot."
She came in at a walk, unlike the spirited trot Winter had performed. "Whatever you are making, it smells great, but are you sure you should be making it?"
Winter turned away from his cooking, the glow at the pan showing he was still gently shaking it as he hurried over to Summer. He nuzzled into her cheek and nudged against her, getting her over towards a chair.
"Fine fine." She climbed up into her spot. "Seriously though, you alright?"
Winter nodded as he put his attention back on preparing breakfast. Soon a great big portion of hayfries and lightly sauteed veggies were put out, seasoned and ready to devour. He hopped up opposiste of her and got right to eating without even a moment of delay.
"Ya did... feel light. Filling yerself back up?" But he did not answer, being far too busy glutting himself on food. "That makes sense enough... But what was that? Ya done scared us." He looked up at her briefly, but no words came, and he returned to his food. "Right..." Summer sighed and started at her own. "Mmm, just as tasty as it smelled. Does cooking yerself make ya better at cooking other thin's?"
With more food than a pony should eat in him, Winter sat back, a gently pleased face displayed. It could have been a silly grin, at least if one adjusted for his usual muted emotions.
"You look mighty pleased wit' yerself." Summer was smiling too. "Ah'm glad yer feelin' better." That was the more important part, she figured. "Gonna--" She started to slid from the chair with a wince, only to be grabbed whole body by Winter's magic.
He shook his head and hopped down himself, instead carrying her along. "We gotta get ready fer work!" she lamented, but there was no escape from the all encompassing magic on her. "Let go of me!"
But he didn't until she was carefully set on her own bed. He pointed at her, then the bed and a firm nod.
"Are you groundin' me?!" He only nodded again. "Ah'm a grown mare!" And yet he walked out, the door closing behind him. "Consarn it..."
Winter showed up to work, even if it was early.
Cherry noticed him from atop her cart. "What're you doin' here?" She raised a brow at him. "Lookin'... serious." She leaned forward. "An' without Summer. Is my Summer okay?!"
Winter pointed back home, then pointed at himself, then the factory.
"Ah..." She quirked a smile. "Ah must be gettin' used to ya, since I could swear ah get yer meanin'. She don't feel so hot, so you're here nice an' early to make up the difference." He nodded firmly. "Knew it!" She clopped her hooves once. "Alright then. You can help gather up some dew touched cherries that you'll get to help sort when the factory opens proper." She hopped down. "After me." She led the way for her worker.
He'd get his bits, but she'd extract the bits out of him. A fair trade.
Maple tried the books, but the books of a small town's library were woefully lacking, especially in details of a mythical far removed race. She was forced to give up with a sigh, but not on the project. She marched up to ponies she knew had seen it. "Hey, remember that kirin that came into town before?"
"Yeah?" The mare nodded in the memory. "Mysterious creature, but nice enough. What about 'em?"
Maple smiled brightly. "Do you remember where he came from?"
"The train." The mare pointed the way towards the station.
Maple sagged. The train was not exactly an answer.
And yet...
She thanked the mare and rushed off towards the station. She had to wait in line between two other ponies, but the moment she got to the front, she rushed the counter. "Hey there."
"Howdy, Maple." Just about everypony in that town knew all the other ponies. "Right nice to see ya. Goin' on a trip?"
"Maybe soon." Maple nodded quickly. "But fer today, was hopin' for information. Where do kirin come from?"
"Well, shoot, ya see." He was smiling a bit oddly. "When a kirin mare and a kirin--"
"--Not like that!" Maple waved wildly. "Ah mean, if ah wanted to ride a train to the kirins, which train would ah be wantin'?"
"Jealous ah Summer?" He was leaning over on a propped up arm, cheek smooshed against flat of a hoof. "Figure to get yerself one of those?"
Maple was confused at first, but it came to her, along with bright red cheeks. "No!" She already had a kirin, not that she was there to share that fact. "Since yer askin', ah wanted to get him a surprise ticket some time, to visit home."
"Aw." His unkind gaze turned gentle. "That's real nice'a you. Best to make it two though, or Summer will tan your hide somethin' awful." He chuckled as he ducked down, coming up with a big book. "Here's the list of stations." Thump, down it went, and he began flipping through it. "Now, they ain't got a station right on their doorstep, nope. Hear they're workin' on that? Ain't a thing right now, so no matter."
"But close? That kirin got here jus' fine," reasoned Maple out loud. "So it can't be too far."
"And it ain't." He dropped a hoof down on a listing. "Here ya go, this'll get you close, then ya gotta walk the rest." He turned the book to face her, showing the name of the station. "Then all the kirin anycreature could want."
"Even a kirin?" Posited Maple with a smile.
"Hm." The station officer raised a hoof to his chin. "Well, maybe if ya were a kirin, ya may want even more kirin 'bout. Can't say that for sure either way. Anythin' else ah can help wit' today?"
"No, but thank you." Maple dropped her head low. "You were a huge help!" And off she scampered.
Summer opened the door when it was clopped against. "It ain't locked. Like anypony bothers in this town." she opened it to find Maple. "Oh! Hey there Maple."
"Summer." Maple advanced with a smile even as she gasped for breath. "Got news. Ah know how to get to the other kirin."
"That's great!" Summer nodded with a smile that slowly soured, realizing something. Her lovely kirin had been fashioned from nothing. Would the other kirin welcome him, or would they know he was a fake on first sight and cast him out? She had raised him as much as a pony as any kirin. Would the way he acted turn them off and get him chased out of their town? "Maybe that thing he did isn't even a thing they worry about."
"Pardon?" Maple was watching her, confused. "What do you mean?"
Summer let out an 'oops'. She hadn't meant to say that last part out loud. "Ah'm just nervous... He done never met another kirin before! What if they don't get alon'?!"
"This is our Winter we're talkin' about." Maple touched nose to nose. "What kinda creature wouldn't like 'em? Ah'd be more worried some young kirin mare tried to steal him away from us!"
Summer's worry melted into laughter. "Winter would never let that happen!" Her brows came down. "Not after he learned his lesson last time. 'Sides, he has two foals on the way, he knows it, and he's a responsible creature."
Maple nudged at Summer, poking her front side. "So let's bring 'em over there so they can say hi. Ah'm sure he'll hit it right off."
Hooves were heard walking closer. Winter came into view, placid-eyed, but also tired. "You look awful!" burst Summer, rushing to hug Winter. "What is Cherry doin'--"
Winter set a hoof over her mouth, shaking his head, then pointing to the kitchen, where he was trying to get to.
Maple stood right in the way. "Nope! Both of you, sit down, relax. Maple's on the job tonight!" And off she trotted to get on that task.
Winter did not fight against Maple's volunteering to handle dinner duty for a change. He came inside, nosed at Summer warmly, and closed the door behind them with his glowing horn.
"Welcome home." She snuffled gently, noses close. "Oh, Winter, ah learned where kirins are from. We're thinkin' to go visit, all of us. Learn all about you, from the horse's mouth, as it were." Winter looked dubious. "They could help us avoid you settin' on fire again." His doubt faded. "An' we can learn all about kirin in general. Ya know 'bout ponies, but I don't know nothin' 'bout you. Ain't fair." She smooched his cheek. "All three of us."
Maple's dinner was good, if sweet. She couldn't resist using a little syrup on everything, even what wasn't dessert. Winter wondered silently if Cherry Jubilee put cherries on all her dishes. Did she cook? She was rich enough to just not do that. Hm.
He put those thoughts aside and enjoyed the dinner as the two mares chatted amiably without him. Being a kirin meant having a rich inner life! Distantly, he could remember he wasn't that much louder before. A little louder. But a kirin wasn't that. Loud wasn't their thing. He had been loud, and he hated it. He could do without that entirely.
Summer was looking at him expectantly. Did he miss a question? "Look at you off somewhere else." She waved off into the distance. "We're all done an' windin' down. Maple wants to sleep over, an' ah ain't got a problem with it. Do you?"
Winter pricked up his ears. Oh, that was the question? His magic scritched Maple under her chin gently, getting a giggle from her.
"That sounds like a 'I'd be jus' fine havin' her around'." Summer hopped down. "Let's relax. I feel better, so ah'm goin' back to work tomorrow, then we'll see about gettin' the time to visit those other kirin."
So it was said, and so it would be. They played games and laughed, well, two of them on that part, and eventually went to bed, all three snuggled in tight on the bed that was not made for three ponies. It managed though, so long as all three ponies were friendly. This turned out to not be a problem.
Winter awoke with his arms around Summer, and arms around him from behind. Peeking carefully, he could see Maple still snoozing against him, snuggled against his warmth. Kirin were good like that, like built in organic heaters that could keep the underside of a blanket toasty without a problem. He was a fire creature. A memory there. Like a fire elemental, though he was a lot more living than that, clearly. A fire aligned creature, yes. Kirin were those! He was happy that his warmth brought comfort to his mares, which he had two of.
He was still pretty sure that wasn't entirely normal. From what he heard, that wasn't normal even in the world of ponies, and he had no memories of that being normal before. He was being odd. So were they. An odd but loving family. Was that so bad?
He kissed the top of Summer's head and wriggled out from between the mares, managing a peck on Maple's cheek before he slid to the ground. It was morning! He had a job to do. He trotted briskly to the kitchen and got on that.
They came in time, drawn by the scent of breakfast. It was his pleasure to see them seated and filling their bellies with his efforts. "You are the best." Summer nodded at him firmly. "But ya don't have to handle breakfast all the time." He pointed at Maple. "Well, sure, she handled it last night."
Maple burst into giggles. "He's takin' a turn, ain't nothin' wrong with that. Let's all take turns." She hopped down. "Now, ya got work, an' so do I! Love to stay here and be with ya, but we all got places to be."
They spilled free of the house, two in one direction, and the third in another. Summer walked next to Winter. "Glad to be headed back. Ya talk to Miss Jubilee?" When he nodded, she let out a phew. "Figured ya did, but good to hear it. C'mon. Ah gotta talk to her today."
But not right away. The first part of their shift had them sorting, and she attacked that diligently. "See me when ya can." Oops, there she was. "Next time the line lulls." And there she went.
The line had little lulls, when new loads of cherries were being brought over to be run through or when the bins were full and needed to be removed. It was the time a pony could use to move without disrupting things. It was also when ponies tended to dash off to the little foal's room. Or went to see what the boss wanted, in that case.
She turned as a lull began, only to feel resistance at her shoulder. Her eyes found Winter's. He nodded at her, and the sensation faded. He was with her. That was the whole of the message, and one she got. She marched off with a smile. Summer knocked gently at the office door. "Ma'am?"
"Come on in," came Miss Jubilee's voice through the wood. When the door opened, she was already waving Summer in. "Come in, close that."
Summer kicked back on the door, knocking it shut on the way towards the desk. "Ya wanted to talk wit' me?"
"You." She pointed at Summer. "Ya got some mighty fine spokesponies."
Summer colored softly. "Winter didn't let me leave the house yesterday. Ah'm real--"
Jubilee set a hoof on Summer's face, quieting her. "Ah ain't mad a stallion's lookin' out fer his +1. Ya feelin' better today? Yer workin' like it."
Summer bobbed her head swiftly. "Oh, yes, much! Plan to make up fer lost time."
"Yer stallion did that fer you yesterday." Jubilee crossed her arms. "And he ain't even all the spokesponies ah was talkin' 'bout."
"O-oh." That matched with how tired Winter had looked. "Speakin' of that! Ah want to do somethin' right nice fer him."
Jubilee clapped her hooves together. "Aw! How nice. Now ah'm curious. Whatcha got in mind fer the fella?"
Summer dared a smile. A happy boss was more likely to say yes. "Ah was gonna take him on a trip to visit the other kirins. He's been away fer so long." Forever was a long time, right? "Deserves to touch bases."
"Hm." She sat up, tapping at the desk with thought behind her clever eyes. "That sounds like somethin' what ain't done in just a day. Ah'd be more annoyed than anythin' if ah went on a special trip to visit kinfolk and was told to pack it up as soon as ah arrived."
"Yeah... Ah was hopin' fer at least a few to let him enjoy it." Summer smiled hopefully, trying to discern what her boss was thinking. "Ah know it's a lot."
"Losin' the two of you'll slow down the line." Jubilee crossed her arms meaningfully. "Only he needs to be there..." Summer tensed at that line of logic. "But ah get it. Really. Two young lovers." She sighed with a happy smile. "Ya don't want him wanderin' off to who knows where without ya. And he likely wouldn't want to go if it meant leavin' ya." Her eyes dipped. "'Specially with what ya got comin'."
Summer went a bright red. A mare's pregnant status was not a fact that was shared outside of close relations. It wasn't like Equestrian mares got big and slow during the event, so they could keep it to themselves if they wanted to, and it became the default. The husband, maybe family, and the closest of friends...
Not your boss, unless you were using it as a reason to call off a day. Having that fact brought up made her feel naked, which she was, minus her hat. "Yuh-huh."
"Look at you, red as one of my cherries." Jubilee stepped down and over to Summer, grabbing her by the cheeks in her hooves. "Darling thing. We are a family! Ah'm tickled pink, but not as pink as you are, that yer part of the family's gettin' bigger! Now, our mutual friend stopped by." She could see Summer looking confused. "Maple, fellow orchard tender? Ya two are friendly, last ah knew."
"Y-yeah! We're friends." She nodded, still trapped in Jubilee's hooves. "What'd she say?"
"Same thing you were, mostly." Jubilee leaned in, noses almost touching, but not quite. "An' one other little thing. A tiny thing, barely a speck."
"What was that?" Summer frowned, trying to guess what it was. "Can't think of much else she'd--"
"She explained why she might be around the two of ya."
Summer went cold and stiff. She might have collapsed, if not held up in her bosses' grip as she was.
"An' she asked fer mah blessin', as the head matriarch of the town." Jubilee suddenly released Summer, letting her flop backwards to her haunches. "That just tickled me somethin' fierce. Head matriarch. Ah like the sound of that." She tapped at her chin. "Well, if ah'm everyone's mom, than I got words for you, young mare." She set her hooves on her hips. "Really, polyamory? It ain't 'gainst the law, but..."
Summer squeaked in horror. "It just kinda worked out that way. Ah was tryin'... And..." She sank in misery. "Ya think ah'm some kinda wierdo, don't ya?"
"A little," she admitted. "But yer my wierd little mare." She smooched the top of Summer's forehead. "But ah'm drawin' a line, right here! This little herd of yours? It ain't gettin' any bigger. Some other pony or other creature comes batting their lashes, you send 'em packin'!" Jubilee nodded firmly with her words. "And that's that. Ya already got plenty. Don't get greed...ier than you already are!"
"Promise!" That felt like an easy promise to make. "It's already a thing keeping the three of us balanced."
"How do you even manage that?" Jubilee circled with a kind smile. "Ah've tried that, little mare. It's a tricky thing. So easy to hurt feelin's. The way she was talkin', she's right happy with the setup. You just as pleased?" Summer quickly nodded at that, even if her neck felt too stiff. "Good. Your boy seems mighty pleased, so, right now, seems ain't nopony gettin' hurt. That's what matters in the end."
Jubilee ended up back in front of Summer. "So ah'm givin' it. Ah'll be the one announcin' how things are."
Summer felt joints locking anew. Their secret! "B-but..."
"Ain't havin' ya try to play coy about it." She crossed her arms. "We're bein' honest, and if anypony gives you flack, well, they'll have to get through me first. But that's only true so long as you do the one thin' ah asked. No more! Three's already a lot, Summer."
"Three's plenty!" squeaked out Summer. "I don't want more."
"Good. We're in agreement then." She began to pat at Summer, dusting her with a waving hoof. "Now, take a moment, deep breaths. Walk out there like you ain't just been told ya pa just died."
Summer hurried to a large mirror that Jubilee kept in her office, desperately straightening herself out. "Ah wasn't expectin' half of this today."
"The best things come as a surprise." Jubilee was smiling, watching Summer fuss over herself. "Now just 'magine the surprise the rest of the town will feel when I gather them 'round and lay the news on 'em. Oh, I can't wait to see their faces." She began to clap slowly. "Worth it just fer that if nothin' else. Now, just to sort one thing. Y'all a traditional herd, right?" Summer nodded, eyes on the mirror. "Which means there's a stallion, we got that picked out. And some mares, we got those. But of the mares, there was usually an alpha mare, the mom of the family." She began to dance a hoof in the air. "Which of you two is that? Now, hold on! Lemme guess... Maple's nice, right nice. Sunny little mare, good rival. Ain't no bad blood there. But ah don't see her climbin' to the top... No... Summer, yer the big mare, ain'tcha?"
With bright cheeks, but otherwise assembled, Summer turned towards the door back to the factory floor. "Yes, um, ma'am."
"No." That drew a curious expression from Summer. "No," repeated Jubilee. "Yer wife done invoked the mom clause, and ah'm takin' it, so call me mom." She grinned, clearly taking some enjoyment from the situation. "Won't take no fer an answer there, an' ah want to see my grandfoals the moment they're breathin'."
Jubilee was not one to sit on an idea. "Did you hear?" From atop her wagon, she began to spread the good word, to the amazement of ponies through the town. "A herd, for the common people." She fanned herself lightly. "Isn't it charming?"
Few were the ponies willing to directly counter her claims. She was the most singularly powerful pony in town. "Why, they even asked me to be their matriarch, not directly, of course." She fluttered her lashes. "I'm not joining, but if they need help, they can come running to me for help. It's so nice to see younger ponies willing to respect their elders." She was laying clear lines in the sand. To cross the herd was to cross her, if one dared.
"It's lovely, a new family." She clasped her hooves under her chin. "I hear they're getting married official-like soon. I'll be giving them away." If the town hadn't been aware of their family, Cherry was busy making sure it'd be impossible to remain ignorant. "Will you be there? They'd love to have their community with them." That it also meant she would want them there didn't need to be said out loud. What wasn't said could be heard just as clearly as what was. "I'll be catering the event."
"Hm? No." She shook her head. "I'm not cooking for it. What do I look like?" She laughed at the very idea. "I mean I'll be paying to make sure it's catered with all kinds of tastiness. You don't want to miss that, now do you?"
The effect was felt by all of them quickly. Maple was confused when she brought her barrels of sweet stuff to market. "Congratulations!" one pony told her with a big smile.
"Didn't know us little ponies could even do that," noted another, scratching at her cheek. "What's it like?"
"Don't you get any ideas." The stallion with her nudged that mare away, lest she get any herding notions.
Maple was just trying to sell her sweet syrup... "Got fresh supplies. Get 'em while they're at their best!" Not that maple syrup went bad that quickly, sealed up, but that was not the point of marketing!
"Hey, Maple." A lanky stallion was smiling at her. "I didn't even know you were available, let alone like that. Wish you'da told me."
Maple perked one ear up, the other going to the side. "Told you... what exactly?"
He shrugged like it was no big deal. "That you woulda been happy as a second mare. I woulda invited ya."
Maple knew him. Nice enough pony, but she had no interest in him beyond that. "Uh... thanks? You talk to your lady before makin' that kind of offer? Reckon she'd be somethin' irate if she heard." She nudged one of her smaller jars of maple forward. "Ya could smooth it over with some maple syrup!"
He paled, called out. "O-oh, um, you wouldn't!" But Maple was smiling at him, and not answering. "Uhm..." Well, one way to get her to be quiet... He snatched a jar. "I'll take this." Bits were exchanged. "Ya have a good day now."
"Thanks fer stoppin' by!" She waved as he made himself scarce. "Daft pony..."
She was far from the only one to notice the attention. Winter was strolling through town, a new experience, being allowed to just... wander. He wasn't a secret anymore, so there was no harm in it, in theory. He played with the children that were curious about him, smiled (mutedly) at the adults, and just enjoyed existing as-- "That's something else." He turned to the voice to see two stallions chatting, watching him. "Two mares, at once. I don't think I could even handle it."
The smaller of the two nodded at Winter. "How do you do it? One mare's already more than enough."
The larger nudged the smaller. "Well, he's already half a mare!" At least in appearance. Kirin males were feminine by pony standards, and Winter had this turned up to 11. "Maybe it's just like hangin' with friends?"
The smaller blinked with wide eyes. "Is that it?! That kinda makes sense. I'm a bit jealous now!"
Winter wandered over towards the two curiously, ornate ears directed at them silently, save for the sound of his steps on the dirt.
The smaller male waved at Winter. "Hey. No offense or nothin'. Just curious, ya know?"
"Goes fer me too." The larger shrugged softly. "That ain't fer me. Got one girl, pleased as punch with 'er, wouldn't trade her in fer anythin', even two mares. But it still makes ya think."
"A lot," gushed the smaller with a silly smile. "Is this a kirin thin'?"
Winter paused, considering that. Was it a kirin thing? He... didn't think so, but he also didn't know. Hm. He shrugged gently, as much an answer as he could give. He offered a cloven hoof towards them. It was met with a clop and a clop, either of them thrusting a hoof to join. There was no animosity there at that moment.
The smaller laughed. "He's a friendly thing. Um..." He leaned off to the left a bit. "Sorry fer askin'." His voice dropped to a rough whisper. "But ah gotta know... Ya... like a girl, ya know, where it counts?"
The larger swatted at him. "Now that's not a polite question." But he still looked to Winter. "But he did already ask..." He clearly wasn't opposed to hearing the answer.
Winter blushed, just faintly. It was obvious to him what they were asking, but how would one even answer that, without words? He could... show them? That seemed incredibly inappropriate. That he was actually... He was coloring more and more as he thought about it.
The smaller waved his hoofs wildly. "Sorry! Wasn't tryin' to poke fun, jus' curious, ya know?"
Winter raised a hoof, then the other, tracing a heart as his horn glowed, painting the air with it. He wasn't mad at the two stallions, even as he struggled to think of how to reply. Ah! He made a line in the ground. He made another line in the ground a small distance away, about the right length for... that. He pointed at it.
The larger whistled, taking his turn to color. "Yer kiddin'!"
"What?!" The smaller bounced in place, clearly amazed. "Ya saved all yer stallion fer that one place!" He clapped his hooves against his cheek. "That's a right clever idea."
Winter smiled gently. He had communicated, and the two hadn't reacted with jealousy. In fact, it seemed, to him, they were quite friendly, if a little nosey. He didn't mind that. He pointed at the little one and inclined his head curiously.
"Hm? Oh. Are ya askin' mah name?" Winter nodded softly. "Ten Gallon." He tipped his hat, all ten gallons of it, at Winter.
"Sure Shot." The larger nodded. "Nice to meet ya. Winter was it?" Winter nodded quickly. "So, ya want to hang out with the guys, or you more a lady's stallion?"
Winter sat on his haunches in front of them.
Ten Gallon laughed, moving around to throw a hoof at Winter in a playful punch. "That sure sounds like he wants to hang out to me!"
"Then ya should meet the others." Sure Shot was turning away. "We got a card game later. Bet you got a real mean poker face."
Winter had made new friends, outside of his direct family.
Summer arrived at her place on the line to find something new there. A pillow. A big soft pony-sized pillow. "What's this doin' here?" She pointed at it accusingly. "Gonna get in the way ah things."
Another mare shook her head. "It's fer you, silly." She burst into giggles. "Expecting mares need to take the weight off their hooves."
Summer began to glow. All eyes were on her. They knew. They all knew! "I'm not delicate!" She threw the pillow free with a toss of her neck. "Ah'll stand jus' like everypony else and ah'll still beat y'all in accuracy."
"Except Winter," noted a stallion one row up.
"Except him." She glared at her partner, but that expression lightened quickly. It was hard to be angry at him for too long. He didn't put the pillow there... "Either which way! We got work tah do and ah plan to get it done!" She would stand for no special treatment on account of her condition. It wasn't like Equestrian mares really had to slow down until the time was upon them anyway.
Not that this did much to stop the ribbing, and the questions. Did she have a naming dream yet? How many foals was it?! Was Winter the father? Summer dutifully failed to answer any of those. Perhaps in spite, she had her best day, sorting as never she had before. The cherries for those past her on the line were slim pickings, as she didn't allow many to get past her.
"Good job, everypony." Jubilee was walking along as things winded down. "A right fine day." She stopped though, in front of Summer. "Ya got a minute?"
That was a false question. For Cherry, there was always a minute. "Of course, ma--" A hoof was pressed to Summer's mouth. She shied back away from it. "Mom?"
"There's more like it." Jubilee looked all too pleased at the title. "We have a wedding to plan." Whistles and cheers echoed from those still close enough to hear it. "Now, I have your size, and Winter's, but not Maple's. Could you fetch her sizes for me?"
Summer blinked at that. "What do ya need her sizes fer? Or ours?!"
Jubilee twirled a hoof slowly. "Fer yer dresses an' things? 'Course." She snorted as if that had been quite obvious. "No children of mine are tying the knot in less than the best. Get me her sizes, kindly, so I can make that happen. Ah, and a list of any family members you need contacted that don't live in town." She leaned in. "I assume ya can tell the ones livin' right here 'bout it on yer own."
"That... goes for Maple too, I assume?" Summer felt confident it wouldn't apply to Winter, who had no family that he wasn't about to marry in the very ceremony he would be inviting them to. That would not work... "Wait, hold, back up... Why are you talking like you're--"
"--Because I am," answered Jubilee before the question could be asked. "Now sit back and let me handle all the fuss. You just have to show up, smile, and enjoy that special day." Jubilee's voice dropped for a whisper, "An' if you could aim the flowers in my direction, ah'll owe ya one." She winked with proper flair at the idea. "Wouldn't mind a little luck finding my special pony. Not that ah'm hurtin' fer family." She threw her hooves wide. "Got a whole building of special dears right here, an' one of 'ems gettin' married!"
A new round of cheers, though much quieter. Most of the others had left. The day's shift was over. Winter had joined Summer, standing at her side in the quiet way he was in the habit of. Jubilee poked him with a smirk. "Now, ah'm expectin' ya want a right smart tux, but, jus' to check..." Her eyes wandered over his female curves. "Ya don't want a dress, do ya? 'Cause if ya do, ah'm gonna make that happen, so jus' be honest with me."
Summer scooted between Winter and Cherry. "A tuxedo will do jus' fine!" she got out hastily. "He's a stallion, not a mare."
Cherry shrugged at that. "Wouldn't even be the first stallion ah met that don't like a tux, jus' checkin'. Now, you two go on home. Ya did good today." She casually smooched either on the forehead, even if one of them was looking a bit prickly. "See you bright an early in the 'morrow!"
Winter nudged against Summer, guiding her towards the door. They had a home to return to.
Winter sat with his swaying tail carving relaxed trails behind him as he looked over at the other members of the group. There were about five there, including Winter. Each had a small stack of bits in front of them, though the bits varied in denomination from single bits to a hundred in a single coin.
Winter's stack had a few twenties and singles. He wasn't the richest there by far, but he wasn't the poorest either. It seemed clear there was skin in the game, regardless. He pointed to his stack, then to the pile that seemed to be the largest.
The earth pony that owned that enormous pile sat up. "Don't be sad none. We don't run on forsakin' rules fer that. Ah can only go as far as the highest pony. Won't be doin' the pushin'." He polished his chest with a hoof and a haughty expression. "Ah'm mostly in it fer the fun of it."
Winter inclined his head at Ten Gallon, who seemed to have the smallest stack of the bunch.
The rich pony gathered the intent with no more words than the none given. "Rule stays fer all of us. We play small until the junior players drop out, or stop bein' so small!" He clopped his considerable hooves together. "Name's Firm Step and it's nice to meet you. Yer the talk of the town."
Winter pointed at himself with an inclined head.
"Yes, you." Firm laughed at the very notion. "Not many got Miss Jubilee singin' their praises. Let's see how yer game goes."
They dealt out the cards. The game was quite similar to Texas hold 'em. He knew that game. Half the winning was not letting other see what you drew, and he knew how to do that. He was a calm kirin, and calm was his specialty!
"Before ya worry." Firm was watching Winter. "Ah'm dealin' out change. We can all play." They would not cancel games despite the lower players doin' their best against players with much larger bits.
The game's time ran out long before his bits did. Winter went home with a pouch about the same size as he had come with. The trick was that the amount each coin was worth had tilted slightly.
"Winter?" Summer was watching him come in the door. "You alright?"
Winter inclined his head at her. What about him wasn't good?
Summer reached out and carefully patted some flames away from his shoulder. Oh. "Yeah, don't know what you were doin'. Was it that stressful?"
Winter set his bag aside with a jingle. He pointed to it with a little smile.
"Ah don't know how much ya went with..." She sniffed the bag, for the good that did. "But ya look happy with it, so guessin' it went well." She threw her head towards the kitchen. "Ah got a snack ready fer ya, big player."
Winter gently nuzzled her and threw a hoof over to draw her close. However things went, Summer was worth being around. Without a word, he plodded past her to find what she had made. Turned out to be just as tasty as she promised. Light, crunchy, and just what he needed after that game.
The drink was a sweet fruit blend that seemed a little sour compared to the usual.
"Like it?" She was watching him. "Just the thing fer just before bed."
He swigged the last down and set the glass down with a nod. A last nuzzle and the two were off to bed to end the day.
It was a pity that the next game night didn't go so well. He came home with new smoldering flecks of flames and an empty bag of bits to his name. "Fleeced ya, huh?" Summer was there to help pat him out and offer consoling hugs.
"Probably did that on purpose." Winter perked an ear. "What? Never heard? They got the new player nice and comfy so they could take it all." She slid the empty money bag away. "Yer gonna have to get better, and jus' having a poker face ain't gonna cut it."
Winter touched his nose to her cheek and pointed in the factory's direction.
"Nothin' doin'!" She stomped in place. "Ah know how much ya went with this time, and makin' that up would overwhelm ya. Jus' take it as a lesson well in need of learning'." She huffed as she made sure she entirely put him out. "Don't bet what ya ain't already lost."
But he was back for the next card night. Sure, he was one of the low ball players with only single bit coins to their name, but he ignored any laughter that came from it. He was there to learn. When to fold and when to push. He had to learn their reactions just as well as hiding his own. He also had to react.
That was one of the stranger parts of it. He had to look happy or sad about things, to throw the others off their game at the right time. He had to seem confident in his placements. There were no words needed, but he still had to communicate clearly.
Ten Gallon nudged him away from the table. "Ah see what yer doin'. Right smart of ya." He tipped his enormous hat towards Winter. "Ain't so hot fer me. Ah ain't that bang-up at the game."
Winter inclined his head at the other low-bit player. He offered a hoof and Ten accepted it as the small pony came in for a hug.
Ten giggled as he came away from it. "Ya hug like a mare." It didn't look like he was complaining about that fact. "Come on, let's not give up our few bits to those aces so easy."
Much to the irritation of the other players, they didn't knock Winter out of the running for most of the session. He was getting the hang of it.
"Yer playing for real." Firm Step had his hooves crossed and was giving Winter a stern look just before he could flee with his lack of winnings. "Ain't right fer a bit player to stay on that long. Either play for real or find a lighter table to be at."
Glancing around revealed the other players looking at him anxiously. They wanted him to take one option given... Winter just nodded and walked off. Did that mean he'd be back with more bits? It was as many words as came from him on the average day.
"You're not smoking." Summer came in for warm noses and a quick smooch. "Does that mean you won? You won last time and..."
He had smoldered. But he wasn't that day. He returned the kiss and hugged her gently. He didn't share his plans, though. On his own, he would win or lose. That was a stallion's game between stallions. Dragging her into it just felt wrong.
Jubilee came up behind Winter the next day. "All planned. Yer big day's comin' this weekend!" She slipped a note past him. "All the invites are out. Everythin' is ready." She turned to the rest of the workers with a big smile. "We're takin' the last half of the last day off. Ah expect you all to show up with smiles." A cheer erupted. "An' you will get paid fer the missin' hours." The cheer redoubled in intensity, and Jubilee nodded in satisfaction.
Winter accepted the slip and floated it in into easy viewing. As Jubilee promised, that weekend. He pointed to himself, then Summer.
Jubilee hiked a brow at him. "Hm? What are ya askin'?"
Summer waved from her line. "Ah think he's askin' if we're prepared. Ya mentioned suits an' stuff, but none of us got that."
"Oh! Yes, of course." Jubilee started back towards her office. "Got that all sorted, but we should make sure everythin' fits right. What looks good on paper ain't always the real deal once you try it on." She was gone into her room with a click of a shut door.
The floor was full of a fresh wave of congratulations being offered to them. It was something of a surprise when Maple showed up. "I wasn't expectin' it neither!" She waves her hooves frantically at the other two members of her herd. "Just told Miss Jubi—Er, Mom had things fer us."
The three arrived at Jubilee's door at the same time. It was open. Inside was a smug Jubilee in front of three racks of clothing. Two of them were flowery dresses. One was a sharp tuxedo.
She had the dresses done up with ornaments of maple trees and honey jars on one, with cherries of all sorts on the other. The tuxedo had a bold pattern of icy breezes and blazing heat as if in competition across their cool colors. All three ponies approached the suit that was built for them. The earth ponies felt over them with curious hooves while Winter hovered his up into a slow rotating view before himself with the sheen of his magic.
"I don't need not one wit of magic to see that you all love it." Jubilee clapped her hooves with a starry smile. "You'll all look so dashing!"
Maple nosed into her dress with some hesitation. "An' we can keep these?"
"Yeah, it ain't for a second?" Summer peered at her boss with doubt.
Jubilee waved that right away. "They are already yours." She leaned in with a smile a size too large. "That is, assumin' you like them, ah course!" She walked in a dance towards Winter. "They cut this with your lines in mind. Destiny may have shaped you like a mare, but you'll be the most dashing stallion in the building."
Winter lowered his head as the tux slid closer. He stepped into it as he pulled it into position around himself, soon wearing it entirely in a move that would be called cheating to any pony that wasn't a unicorn. He pace from hoof to hoof as he looked himself over.
The wives were applauding at the appearance of their fire-winter themed husband. Maple leaned forward. "One thing. Our husband, lovely as he is, does also tend to ignite once in a while..."
Jubilee waved at Winter. "Go ahead, do the fire thing."
That was so much easier to say than it was to do. Winter frowned a little without arriving at an idea that would force the issue. He wasn't angry or upset, and his emotions felt securely controlled. He just wasn't ready to ignite.
Summer threw a leg over him, the other busy holding her dress. "He doesn't get to pick when he'll go on in flames. Ah'm pretty sure he doesn't want to do that even once."
Jubilee inclined her head at that. "Well, that's jus' fine. I had that suit made with that in mind, so it shouldn't burn up so easily. He can' get mad and still look good. Jus' hope he never has reason to be mad at me." She batted her lashes as she turned in place. "But ah am his mother, so ah'll get right on his nerves given some time."
Maple burst into giggles at that presented idea. "Mom, are you really alright being our honorary, well, moms? I have a mom!" She threw her hooves wide. "In fact, callin' you both mom will be kinda awkward."
Jubilee raised a brow. "You ain't even the first wife that had two moms in attendance. Just pretend ah'm hers." She pointed to Summer with a little smile. "No offense to hers', but she ain't in a position to be there, much as I'd like her to be."
Summer wilted at that. "Ah can't help that none..." Her parents being there was well beyond her power. "Still... if you insist... mom... then ah accept that. But you best not be bad mouthin' mah original parents! They worked hard to get me where I am."
"And ah'm right glad they did." She went in for a hug with Summer. "Or ah'd never got to meet with ya!"
As it turned out, Equestria did not have the same tradition about not seeing the wife on the wedding day. Winter was dutifully tugging and pulling with his magic to get both of their dresses on just so. He gestured at himself silently.
Maple grinned at him. "Lookin' good! Wow, can't... Today's the day!" She danced in place. "Today... Oh," She shut up.
Summer thumped Maple with a hoof. "You went an' said ah got it, so I'm using it! Headmare powers. Spit it out and stop bein' coy. What's botherin' you?"
Maple fidgeted a moment before the words came out, "I had a dream." Both of her partners looked at her with an intensity. "That kinda dream... Not a kirin though, just a happy little earth pony." She smiled gently. "I think..." It wasn't an assured thing, the tribe one saw in that dream. They can and did surprise the mother. "They looked so happy..."
Winter set a hoof on her shoulder in silent support.
"Ah'm scared..." She took a slow breath. "Never did this before... Does it hurt? Kinda has to hurt a little... Ain't a small thing we're doin'."
Summer shook her head defiantly. "We are healthy moms. We'll get it done and barely notice. There's a local doula I know. Right good mare she is. She'll coach us both through this, make sure we have our hooves on the ground." She ran her snout against Maple's cheek in a slow caress. "So stop worrying. We'll make it."
Maple blinked slowly at Summer. "Is that like a midwife?"
"No... Think birth coach. She'll teach us what's going on during, after, even before." Summer cradled her still slender belly, not that ponies got bloated with children. "She'll teach us a thin' or two so we know what's goin' on, and she'll be with us through it. She probably knows a midwife who'll be there too. Ah'll ask!"
Winter inclined his head gently but did not speak, not that he had much to add as the stallion of the group. He was there for both of them, and that was all he could offer.
Maple's nervous smile turned into an easier one. "Alright... alright... Okay! Let's... get married first! I'll... just kinda die if we admit we're doin' it out of order."
Summer rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. We won't be the first by far that got married with a family already comin'. Ah'll keep that part on the quiet fer ya, promise." The two shared a clop of hooves. "Winter, feelin' ready? Yer allowed to shake that head of yours."
But he didn't do that. Instead, he went to each mare to touch nose to snout and turned, about to start for the door. It was their big day, and he was ready to face it!
Summer walked at his side with a grin. "Alright then! Let's show this town what we're made of." All three of them met with a clop of hooves.
As a unit, or a family as many would say, they marched out to the flower-strewn stage where things would take place. Ponies of the town clapped in applause. There were even two ponies not of the town.
Applejack whistled and stomped in applause. Next to her was Twilight looking pensively on the whole thing. "I never saw a kirin before."
"Oh, I have." Applejack bobbed her head. "An' when I heard there was one gettin' married here, just had to visit."
"And invite a friend." Twilight smiled at Applejack. "They are interesting creatures. Can they use that horn for magic, or is it for defensive or ornamental purposes?"
Applejack hiked a brow. "They can use their horns jus' fine, but they're also pretty ornawhatever too. Jus' look at it." She pointed at Summer as he talked with ponies, silently. "That's a right fancier horn than any unicorn I know of."
Twilight colored at the implication. "My horn is quite fancy!"
"Sure, sure, quite nice for a unicorn." Applejack inclined her head. "But ya can't argue they take that and turn it up to the highest it goes really. 'Bout the only thing they could do is have more an antler. More horns!" She looked more amused than anything else. "Probably fer the best they don't do that."
Twilight stewed a moment in her horn inferiority complex. "He's... awful quiet, isn't he?"
Applejack perked an ear. "Huh... Maybe he has the jitters. It is his big day an' all. Big Mac was quiet on his day!"
Twilight hiked a brow at that. "AJ, Big Mac is quiet on most of his days."
"Well... yeah, but you could still tell the difference! I've talked with a kirin or two, think ah should say hi?"
"Couldn't hurt." Twilight nodded lightly. "Just... be gentle. We are strangers, and this is a big day."
They watched and clapped along at the proper parts, even if it was a bit confusing when a pony called out two wives involved. Applejack nudged Twilight. "Now it's a royal weddin'."
"Stop that! Most royal weddings are one mare and one stallion." She crossed her arms. "The ones I'm aware of." Her lips moved with mental tabulations. "Yep... One and one. Don't make this normal." She blushed softly with the thoughts. "I don't understand anyway."
"What's to understand?" Applejack threw her head at the happy new family. "They like each other 'nough to put up with each other, so they put a ring on it. Jus' like a regular weddin' really, just with more ponies involved. Not fer me, but ain't much not to get, I should think."
Twilight threw a hoof up. "Even a family of just two has to deal with incredible stressors to remain viable. How can three or more ponies manage it?"
"Now that's true." Applejack shrugged softly at the thought of it. "Awful true. They're settin' themselves up fer a big challenge, for sure. Reason why the community's rallyin' behind 'em. They seem liked enough, that'll help. All the ponies here want 'em to succeed. Good on 'em! Hope it works out for 'em."
"I... do hope that as well." Twilight patted her friend on the back. "Looks like they're open to be talked to, if you can win through the crowd."
"Jus' watch me!" Applejack hopped to all fours and strode forward. The crowd had no choice but the part for the determined farmer as she made a straight line for the new family. She might have been showing off just a little. "Winter, Summer! Now there's a name that sounds like it just belongs together." She looked at the mare she hadn't named. "And Maple, right? Hey, that matches." She clapped her hooves in a grand clop.
Maple inclined her head. "How do I match?"
"Well, see." She wobbled a hoof between Summer and Winter. "They're opposed but harmonious, like it. You." She pointed to Maple. "You belong in the Winter, who you like, but ya need the Summer too. It all fits together, see? One big family that fits each other pretty well, 'least workin' from just the names." Just the names was plenty enough in half of pony society.
Winter smiled gently at Applejack, pleased? He nodded at her, but spoke nothing.
Summer nodded at the fellow country mare. "That's right kind of you. Hay! Didn't you work in the factory? Ya did! Ah remember you!" She leaned in at Applejack with a grin. "Yer a safety warnin' now."
Applejack colored at the reminder. "Ah, yeah... Not my best moment..." She whistled a few notes of a random song. "Let's put that aside fer the moment."
"Reckon they won't." A powerful mare approached with a grin. "Applejack!"
Applejack forced a smile at the rich mare that had hired her. "Hey..."
"Did you forget me." She half-turned away. "It's Cherry Jubilee. You worked for me fer a time. That was a bit of a mess."
Applejack's blush returned with a vengeance. She had not come over there to remember that moment! "Ah do hope things are goin' better now."
"Much better, thank you. Now what are you doin' with my foals?" She grabbed at the new family, ensnaring them by the neck with her arms. "Did they mention? I'm their honorary matron. Ain't that a grand thin'?"
Applejack blinked softly. "Huh! Congratulations then. Sorry, weren't tryin' to steal them away, but ah was curious if he's alright." She angled her head at Winter. "Ain't said a word all ceremony. If he just likes bein' quiet, then Ah'll take after 'em, but even Big Mac managed a few words for his vow, so ah'm just checkin' in, ya know, friendly-like."
Summer raised her forehooves. "He likes bein' quiet."
Maple inclined her head. "We're still not sure if he even can talk."
Applejack frowned at that news. "Can't talk?" She peered at Winter in a new way. "Which is it? Do ya prefer quiet, or gotta be quiet?"
Winter squirmed in place. He was a kirin! Kirin were quiet. Wasn't that a known fact? He opened his mouth and nothing came out, then he closed it hard enough to make a pop as his lips sealed shut.
"Ain't sure how to take that... Ya mute? Sorry, ain't tryin' to poke fun. Reckon yer a fine creature, mute or not."
Summer stormed forward, leaving Cherry to infringe on Applejack's personal space. "Stop harassin' him! What do you know about Kirin, anyway?"
"More than most, actually." Applejack inclined an ear. "Been to their town, gave 'em a hoof an' all. Was wondering if he didn't get fixed of the silence spell or somethin'."
Twilight arrived, having taken much longer to weave through the crowd. "Hello! Applejack, we shouldn't monopolize them at their wedding! I'm certain a lot of these other ponies are waiting for their turn to talk to them." Soft grumbles made it clear that Twilight was speaking the truth.
"Right, right... Look, ah'll let ya get back to it, but ah plan to be in town a bit longer. Look me up." She curled a hoof on herself. "Applejack, and this here's Twilight, a real smart pony. We can figure it out, promise that much."
Cherry turned back to the new family as the others wandered off. "Plan to start the reception now, and you'll be expected. Who else is gonna cut that cake?! Now you be friendly with the ponies here while I get the last things in place." She trotted off with a happy hum.
Maple slid up next to Summer. "Reckon we should talk to her?"
Summer huffed. "I reckon we should enjoy this little party." She waved at the next pony in line. "Come on up! Ah hear they're gettin' vittles ready for us just over yonder."
The party proceeded without too much thought about Applejack's offer. At least for most of them. Winter kept his thoughts to himself, but he had them. Silence spell? Was being quiet not... Was he? Did they lie to him?
Just how loud were kirin without a 'silence spell', whatever that came from. Did they catch on fire? Was that a kirin thing, or just a Winter thing? Would the other kirin look at him oddly for it, and shout. They'd shout insults at him, all secure in their non-combustible selves!
"You alright?" Maple nudged against Winter from the side. "You look mighty distracted."
Winter calmed himself down and leaned back against her before they resumed their socializing. He would have time yet to approach that mare from out of town and see what she knew. Hopefully, it would answer more questions than it brought up, though he wasn't sure if that'd be the case. "Hot Streak!" One of the card ponies came right up to him.
"That's what they call you at the table when yer not around." The stallion winked at him. "Always winnin' in streaks like that. Either ya got it or ya don't and there ain't no middle at all!" The stallion laughed, which Winter did not join to no surprise.
A soft clopping had Applejack hopping from her bed. A glance showed the sun was heavy, late in the day on towards evening. "Hello?" But nopony answered as she came over to the door. A delivery? She threw it open, her eyes directed at the ground where she saw the bottoms of legs. "What?" She recoiled, vision raising to see the rest of Winter. "Hey there! Ya startled me. What brings ya this way?"
Winter pointed past Applejack.
"Hm? Oh, yeah, you can come in, if that's what yer askin'?" She stepped aside for the kirin and closed the door behind him. "Welcome to my little place, borrowed as it is. Now how can ah help?"
Winter turned back to the apple farmer and raised a hoof to direct at his throat as he opened and closed his mouth slowly with little pops, but no words, and not much sound other than those muted pops.
"Oh right! The silence spell." Applejack nodded as she sat down. "Alright, wanna hear the entire story?" Winter nodded quickly in a bob. "So, me an' Fluttershy, another friend of mine, went out and found the kirin. They were silent, like you!"
Yes, silent kirin! That was the normal way. The way kirin were meant to be. Winter liked the way the story was going.
"But we met one kirin that weren't silent. In fact, she had a lot to say. An' she told us the kirin wanted to stop becoming Nirik. That's when they go all... flamey." She wobbled her hooves in a pantomime of fire. "If they were quiet, they couldn't upset each other, so no fire! Weren't a good idea... Anywho... One adventure later and we convinced them to stop bein' so quiet, and now they're happy, and talking." Applejack leaned forward slowly towards her visitor. "And then there's you."
Winter silently sat there, watching Applejack and showing no reaction to the words she had just said. He slowly raised a hoof and pointed at himself.
"Yes you." Applejack smiled a little. "Curious thin' you are. Now, those kirin went quiet, and stopped bein' quiet, but you're still quiet. Ah still don't know fer sure if you got dunked in the silent stream or not. Ah assume so? Ya get fixed?" He shook his head. "Well... then ya should head back to the kirins and get that sorted out." She lifted her shoulders. "Don't mean ya gotta talk, but should have the option, right? Mah big brother's real quiet, but when he has somethin' to say, he can say it."
Winter wanted for a moment to see Applejack's brother. Perhaps in silence they would find understanding. Applejack was loud, and opinionated. Not in a rude way, so far he could see, but quiet was what he had gotten used to. Becoming a source of noise himself sounded... scary.
"Ain't no pressure." She patted him, perhaps seeing his discomfort. "It's yer life, and ya done went and got a family, so ya must be doin' somethin' right! Ah ain't here to tell you otherwise."
He smiled just a little at those words. His life was good. He had a good life? The memory of his former life drifted towards the surface. He had been playing a game... He had work the next day? Winter clearly didn't get to that. He shook his head free of those thoughts. Winter had a family, with two lovely wives that loved him a lot, and he loved a lot! He had a life, and it was a good one... He nodded at Applejack and rose to his hooves. She didn't stop him from leaving.
"Hm." As soon as he was gone and the door was closed, Applejack fetched some paper and scribbled out a quick note.
Howdy Do, Autumn Blaze,
I ran into another kirin, Winter Flame. I don't think he's from your village, at least not recently? He's acting like he's still silent. You want to ask your princess what she thinks? Yes, I know she's not exactly a princess, but she's your princess. Ask her about it, if you would. I pointed him towards your town but that isn't any promises, and he's grown enough that I can't go forcing the issue without being super rude about it.
Either way, I'll include the address for here so your reply gets to the right place. Let me know, quick if you can. Just want to make sure there isn't a lost kirin out there not getting the help they need when I could have given that hoof.
A Concerned Pony, Applejack
She checked her ts and is before she folded it shut and delivered it to the nearest post pony. "An' now I wait!"
"Wait for what?" There was Twilight, looking at her curiously. "Writing home?"
"Writing to his home, I think." She moved past Twilight. "But, fer now, dinner. Wanna join?"
The two went off to get a nibble.
"Nuh uh." Summer moved to block the way Maple had been going. "You ain't leavin'."
Maple inclined her head slowly. "This was a right fun day an' all, but it's late and ah should get some sleep, pretty sure."
Summer pointed towards their bedroom. "Then sleep here. You ain't sleepin' alone an ya shouldn't be alone no more. We're married! For Celestia's sake, that you still have your house is... embarrasin'! Only families wit' problems sleep in separate beds, let alone separate houses! C'mon, we don't snore."
Maple darkened quickly. "Ah know that! We've slept together before, Summer."
"I know you did! So what's the problem?"
Maple stepped forward instead of back, almost thumping chest to check with Summer. "That's my family home! It was left ta me and just... givin' it up don't sit right with me none! I don't see you givin' up yer house. You could! You could move in with me jus' the same and I'd put you up without a complaint."
Summer clenched her teeth, but stepped back. "That... does change things... I wouldn't take kindly if ya asked me to move out." Even if that just happened if one looked at it the wrong way. "But we're still a family... We should be together, in one place. 'Sides, one day we're gonna pop! An' the others should be there, to get us to the doctor an' be with us, ya know?"
"I get that..." Maple pawed at the ground and flopped to her haunches. "I get it! I do... You're not bein' all mean about it... But just leavin' the house to rot... Ah can't do that!"
Summer set a hoof on her chin. "Got family?"
"Pardon?"
"Family." Summer smiled in a slowly emerging gesture. "Family to give the house to, that you'd trust to take right proper care of it, and you'd be givin' them a pleasant house. A fair trade, hm?"
"Hm..." She didn't sound nearly as certain. "I'll check with 'em, but that ain't tonight." She turned for the door. "Tonight, goin' home, alright? And even head mare powers won't stop that."
"My power has limits." She hurried up to Maple's side and smooched her on the snout. "But I'm giving you some love to take with you, so there."
"Oh, no." Maple motioned as if gathering something. "That I'll gladly take with me. Tell Winter I said I hope he had a pleasant sleep." And she was off towards her own home.
Applejack!
Hi there! Wow, we should write to each other more often! How are things? How are you? Why aren't you in Ponyville? That's your home, right? Did you move? Is anything wrong? Tell me! If you just wanted to move, that's alright too. I didn't mean to sound all judgy. Anyway! Hi!
Rain Shine has a name! And she's not our princess, sheesh! She's more like a mayor than anything else if you had to put a title to her. She usually has good ideas and we listen to her because she tends to know which end is which. Anyway! I asked her about it and she got curious. We don't know any Winter Flames, even with the missing kirin, so you found a new one! Which is confusing anyway.
We kirin, there aren't like a ton of us. Bring him over! She said that. Bring him over so we can say hello properly and see if he's cursed or not. If he is cursed, we can fix it, but even if he isn't, we want to meet the new kirin! You said he's quiet, but maybe he's playful too. I'd like a chance to play with someone new, even if they don't talk a lot. I can talk at them if they're alright with that. The town was mostly a downer because they didn't like it when I talked at them. Glad that's over!
So bring him over, and you visit too! You're still our friend, right? I'd love to see you!
Burning with Excitement, Autumn Blaze
Applejack set the note down with a tired sigh. "Well... Alright then."
"You keep exchanging letters without telling me." Twilight sat next to her. "Going to share? This is why we haven't gone back, right?"
Applejack tapped at the letter. "Too right. Just like I thought, Winter doesn't fit in right with the kirin neither. They wanna meet him, shake hooves, but also figure out what's goin' on."
Twilight inclined her head slowly. "That sounds delightful, but we have no say over what he does, or not, and he's married, so there are other ponies who get a say. We can't just order them to go to the kirin village."
"Reckon not... Good call though." Applejack headed for the door with a flick of her tail. "Gonna chat with Summer. She seems to be the one in charge. If I get her sayin' alright, the others will probably follow along without much a fuss."
Twilight quickly cut off Applejack's planned route. "Hold on! Maybe I should talk to her? You two seem to have a history, and not all a good one." She tapped at her own chest. "Unlike me."
"Twilight... You were there." Applejack let her brows raise back to default. "She remembers when y'all all came to get me and we made a right mess of the factory. Whichever of us goes, she'll remember that. Kinda hard to forget, really... I really should apologize for that while I'm at it, her an' Miss Jubilee, an' I'll find both at the factory." She looped around Twilight, but the unicorn was still next to her, following. "Ya ain't stopping me."
"Don't plan to. If you owe an apology, then I do too. We both caused the same mess at the same time." Twilight advanced to Applejack's side in their march down the street. "By my calculations, we are equally due to give a sincere apology for how that worked out, and for any inconvenience that made."
"Well... can't argue that rightly..." Applejack relaxed a little. With the two not arguing about who was going where, they could march side by side without any further delays. They had some past mistakes to live up to!
"Look what washed up." Jubilee was atop her wagon, watching the two approaching. "Ah knew somethin' was comin' towards my factory I needed to be there fer."
Applejack took her hat in a hoof. "We ain't comin' to cause no trouble. We're here fer the opposite, in fact."
Twilight nodded in quick agreement. "We were entirely wrong that day. We both owe you an apology."
"I'd almost say you two owe a bit more than that." But she smiled just a little. "But that would be uncharitable of me. My daughter just got married, so I'm in a right good mood. You were there! I saw you both... Now, about that..." She leaned off the edge of her wagon. "About that... I saw the attention you were payin' to Winter. You stay away from that boy! He's magnet for trouble mares." She suddenly snorted. "Me included."
Twilight recoiled. "Me?"
Applejack snickered softly. "Twi, love you, but you are a trouble mare."
Jubilee leaned far enough that she was in danger of falling. "As if you aren't! I gave you a chance to earn some bits fer yer family, and look how that turned out."
Applejack darkened swiftly. "Ain't no excuse fer that... Why I'm here. Any way I can make up for it?"
Cherry Jubilee pulled herself back onto the wagon properly, arms crossing. "Now... that's a temptin' offer... That go for you too, princess?" Her eyes wandered up and down. "Nice look, by the way. Never did congratulate you proper-like..."
Twilight pointed at herself, but it was fairly clear who Cherry meant. "Um... yes. If I can make it right, I'd like to do so."
"Well... Good." Jubilee sprang to the ground, her stallions rushing to catch her just before she hit the ground, letting her down smoothly to reach it gently. "Then I have just the thing! Now... I heard how you fixed things up real nice with them buffalo, ain't that right?"
Twilight nodded with growing uncertainty. "We... did, yes. Do you also have a buffalo problem?"
"Nope." Cherry leaned forward with a waggle of her brows. "But I'd like one."
Applejack hiked a brow high at that, leaning in with one eye facing the wealthy pony. "Hol' on there. We usually aim to fix problems, not make 'em. Now... I know we... kinda did that last time, but that ain't a habit we want to keep goin'."
"I sell cherries." Jubilee gestured grandly to her factory. "One big use of cherries? Pies. Even better, when yer makin' pies, the cherries don't need to look perfect, just taste good. An' each and every one of our cherries tastes great." She licked her lips as if tasting those cherries. "Now, if we had buffalo stampedin' on through... We could offer them some pies... Are ya followin' me yet?"
Twilight crashed to her haunches. "But this isn't their migration path."
"Now, I hear..." Jubilee circled Twilight in a wide path. "I hear... You are quite the trouble solver. Almost as much of a troublemaker, when you set your little head to it, hm? Now... All I'm sayin' is a path of hungry buffalo would be mighty good for business, and they'll be mighty happy to get some of my cherries in their bellies. Everycreature wins!"
Applejack set her hat back on her head. "Now... I wanna make good, Miss Jubilee, but I don't want to go lyin' to nopony, or creature. 'Sides, they know which way they want to go. Family tradition. We both know how that is, don't we?"
Jubilee sucked on her teeth with a click to finish it. "Going for a sore spot... Yeah, I know how traditions go... All ah'm sayin' is if I could sell a lot of cherries, then I think I could forget the past problems, hm? That's a nice, fair, and honest deal, now ain't it? Won't even sweat the details." She made a gentle shooing gesture. "Yer clever ponies. You'll think of some way. Impress me."
Twilight turned to look down the street over the small town. "I imagine the market here is already saturated."
"Like finding somepony in Ponyville that ain't already enjoyin' one of my apples," agreed Applejack, the idea of selling fruit not a foreign one to her. "So we can't hope to just sell more to them."
"Now yer thinkin'!" Jubilee put a leg over either mare, drawing them close. "Always good to see. I expect something amazin'. I'll be watchin'. Now, jus' to be clear, we're not hurtin' anycreature, which includes you two. Don't go tryin' so hard you bust somethin'. That ain't the goal."
Applejack let out a strained laugh as she scooted away from the wealthy mare. "You got it, ma'am. We're on the case!"
Twilight closed with her, both moving away from the factory and the waving Jubilee. "Sales strategies is not my specialty... I almost wish Rarity was here. I bet she could think of something..."
"But she ain't here, and we are. So we're going to have to use what we got." Applejack tapped her head with slow thunks. "We're both clever ponies. Let's act like it. We got a bunch of cherries, and we want them to go away and become bits. That's the goal."
Twilight hopped in place with a bright smile. "What if we check Canterlot? This town is right on the railway, so if they need cherries, being able to supply them there would count, right?"
"Now yer thinkin'! You got some contacts. Ask Celestia." Applejack put a hoof by her ears, as if it were a phone. "She'll be able to tell ya real quick if they can use some of those up at the castle. They're always throwin' big parties an' what not. Bet they could make some cherry treats."
The two hurried away on their sudden new task as cherry salesmares.
Maple knocked on the door. "Ya in there?" She put an ear to it, only to find a pony in front of her on. "Oh!" But that wasn't a pony. That was a kirin. Her husband to be exactly. "There ya are. Yer usually inside yer house, ain't ya?" She hurried to where he stood next to the house instead of inside it. "Still glad to see ya."
He hugged her without words, as was his way. The two embraced for a quiet moment before he gently released her. He pointed back where she had come from, and inclined his head gently.
"Just came from home, yep." She nodded in the direction of the house. "And, please, don't start yellin' at me to move out too."
Yelling was not a thing Winter was in the market of doing often, so he just nodded and pressed his nose to hers in warm acceptance instead.
Maple warmed in her cheeks a little. "That's playin' dirty... If I was here, I could get more Summer and Winter time... But it ain't that easy... That house... My parents lived there. Their parents lived there... Their parents before 'em! Um, lose track past that, but that's still three generations at least... Just... Givin' it up... I'd be betrayin' them!"
Winter looked to Summer's house, then off in the direction of Maple's. Both mares wanted to hold tight to their places with large emotional value... A pity they weren't... He clopped his hooves with a thought, and rushed off without a parting word, not that one was often expected.
Maple blinked at his receding form. "Did I say somethin'?" She quickly decided that was unlikely, shaking her head. "He must have some kinda idea... Hope it's a good one."
"Comin'! Hold yer horses." The large stallion reached the door and threw it open to find a slight kirin gazing up at him patiently. "Huh? Winter? Today ain't card day. Why are you stoppin' by?"
Winter waved away from the house and took a step in that direction. He looked over his shoulder and gestured with his head.
"You... want me to follow ya?" When Winter nodded, the stallion emerged and his tail lashed the doorknob, closing it behind himself. "This better be good."
Winter led the stallion to Maple's house, where the other members of the poker gang were already gathered, some looking more confused than the others. "Hey," greeted the newest large stallion. "Any idea what Winter wants? He ain't much for jus' sayin' what he's after."
Ten Gallon nodded forcefully for his hat to jostle. "I think I know. He seems to want to move this." He pointed to the house. "And if I had to guess, he wants it with the house he lives in." Winter was nodding furiously. "Yep, got it. Make one bigger house?"
Another stallion shook his head. "A fine idea, but I ain't moving nopony's house without their go ahead. This is Maple's house, not yours, even if yer married. That's just polite." The others murmured in argument, but seemed to be largely in agreement with the basic concept. "We just need to talk to her, make sure she's alright with it. This ain't a surprise or nothin'?"
Ten Gallon laughed suddenly. "If it is a surprise, a hint, it's a bad one. You don't do things like this without tellin' a mare first, or she'll chew your ear off, after she makes you wish it would happen from all the yellin'."
Stronger agreement came from the crowd. One stepped forward. "Well, now that we know what ya want, how 'bout we go an' talk to her? You know where she's hiding?"
Winter brightened. He did! He hoped? He led the way back to his house at an energetic walk that wanted to become a trot. His glowing horn threw open the door and he went inside, looking around as he did. Calling to her was not an option, but his eyes worked fine. It wasn't that large of a... Oh there she was, in the kitchen, enjoying a sandwich.
She spotted him about as soon as he had, the two perking, but her eyes went right off him, ears dancing. "Who else is in here?" She hopped down, abandoning lunch to emerge and find all the other stallions. "Oh! Hey fellas... Ain't ya the ones Winter hangs out with sometimes?"
Even as Winter wrapped a leg around her, Ten Gallon was stepping forward. "Sure are, ma'am. Yer husband has a big idea and we thought it'd be safer to check with ya before we go doin' anythin'."
Maple inclined her head slowly. "Right appreciate that... So what's the big idea?"
The largest of them pointed at Maple's house, which was a wall blocking the view. "He wants us to move your house. Here." He pointed down. "Think he wants to make one bigger house out of the two."
Maple blinked once, then twice, and three times rapidly, processing that. "Winter!" She bopped him one. "Glad yer friends thought to ask first! That's a big thing! Um... Um, wow... Hm. I like the idea of bein' closer... I like the idea of keepin' the house in one piece... Don't much like leavin' the land behind... But..." She danced in place with uncertainty. "Is it alright if I think about it?"
Ten Gallon casually thwapped Winter with that large hat of his. "Told ya it's better to ask. C'mon!" He and the others moved to depart. "Let us know if she says alright. This ain't a no from us, but a mare's wrath ain't worth even a friend fer."
Winter gently closed the door behind them and turned back to Maple. She sighed as she walked not back to the kitchen, but the living room. "I know yer tryin' yer best. That... is even kind of romantic... Our houses are comin' together... figuratively, and you want to go and make it literal! But ya got one more mare to ask about this." She snickered at his confused expression. "Sometimes yer brilliant, and sometimes yer thick as a rock. Winter! Summer, she's the head mare anyway, and if we don't ask her, we'd both get in mighty big trouble."
Summer peered at her two partners. "Yer gonna stack them?!"
Maple rubbed at her face with a hoof, squirming with growing uncertainty. "It don't have to be on top of each other..."
Summer worked with her hooves with imaginary houses. "Next to each other then?"
Winter watched the two talk. Talking was not a place for him.
Maple nodded. "Could do that. Our houses are comin' together, figurative and literal-like. Um, if ya like the idea... If ya don't, then we forget that idea."
Summer peeked out a window. "Here, right?"
Maple huffed at that. "I'd rather we moved to my land, but that's a lesser sacrifice than givin' up the house, which ah won't do! The land will still be there..."
Summer tapped her hooves slowly. "We both got one story houses, some attic space, not much more."
Maple nodded slowly at that. "Yeah..." Where Summer was going with that, she wasn't sure.
Summer brought her hooves together. "So if we put 'em side by side, we're gonna have to knock some walls out, 'least to put in doors. Hm... Could... Could put it one ahead of the other, facin' opposite ways, then the front doors ah both become front and back doors of the whole thin'. Then ya just have to do the least 'mount of finessin' to get from one to the other without hurting 'em."
Maple burst into giggles. "Yer gonna make me the back door mare. That ain't right, Summer."
Summer joined her in laughter. "I wasn't thinking that." She swatted at her wife. "I just figured that way would mean the less damage to either house. We don't want them banged up any more than we'd absolutely have to, right?"
Maple peeked towards the back of the small home they were in. "So... yer alright with the idea then?"
"If you are." Summer looked in the same direction. "Havin' a back door won't be so bad. We'll have more space fer the both of us... and our family, which is on the way to gettin' bigger."
Maple colored sharply. "Speakin' ah that!" She thrust a hoof at Winter. "I demand Winter time."
Summer inclined her head slowly. "He is yer husband, you get to have Winter time. Why are ya makin' a formal request?"
Winter perked his ears at the sudden change of topic. He tried to nuzzle Maple, but she pushed him back. "I mean special Winter time. We're married, so..."
Summer leered at Maple. "We're married too."
Maple squeaked with surprise. "I didn't even think you wanted that..."
Summer wagged a hoof. "I don't, not specifically, but yer response tells me maybe you do."
Maple pranced in place. "That wasn't fair! Now, ah ain't no mare chaser. I already let this stallion right here climb up... and enjoyed it... And ah want it again!"
Winter was able to rub his cheek against Maple's, to her smiling consent.
"Ain't arguin' that." Summer waved it away. "What ah was askin' is what our relationship is, which got nothin' to do with how much ya like Winter bein' the top."
Maple nodded. "A lot." Wait, that wasn't a question. She sank to her haunches. "I never tried with no mare before..."
"We can try, if you want. Never did it before neither... Maybe we'll hate it. Maybe we'll love it. Ain't many ways t' find out."
Maple danced slowly. "Not many ways," she mumbled in agreement. "Ah'm a little scared."
"Good of you to admit it." Summer set a hoof on Maple's shoulder, pressing softly. "Ah am too, but we've been friends ferever! So if we don't like it, we just stop. No hard feelin's, just stop."
"Just stop, yes..." Maple suddenly recoiled. "Yer distractin' me!" She pointed at Winter. "Want some alone time with our stallion, that's what ah was askin'."
"And I already did answered that." Summer shoved Maple suddenly towards Winter. "Go on. He's as much yours as mine, and there ain't nothin' he can do to you that ain't already been done."
Maple's recovering cheeks lit up at the implications. "Well, that's true, ah guess... C'mon Winter."
But Winter did not move. Instead he pointed at Maple, then Summer and inclined his head.
Maple wrinkled her nose. "Summer and I can figure that out afterwards. Right now Ah know 'xactly what I want, and yer the one with it. So... Kindly?"
Winter considered the aggressive Maple. That was a new side of her, but not an entirely displeasing side. He kissed her quivering nose, but turned to Summer instead to touch his nose to hers.
"Go on," Summer bade. "I'll be plannin' houses, apparently. Ya got all yer friends signed up to help? Yer a talented spokespony for not ever spokin'. Ah do swear, now, go on! She'll lose it if you keep her waitin' like that."
Winter grabbed Maple in his magic, lifting her from the ground smoothly. He supported her from all angles, it was like the world was moving under her, riding some unseen force that didn't even feel like an elevator. Elevators didn't push up on every part of one's body at the same time, removing most sensation of acceleration. He walked off with her as she squeaked and pedaled at the air.
Summer shook her head slowly. "Time to plan." She went to grab a bit of paper and sketch out what the two houses together would look like in a way that preserved as much as possible of both dwellings.
"Yer overthinkin'." Applejack smiled confidently. "Ah got an idea that's nice an' simple."
Twilight sat up at her desk. "Do share. Celestia's agreed to buy some of the cherries, but not enough to make any real dent in Miss Jubilee's supply. I don't dare press her more than I already have." She swallowed nervously. "I've already asked too much."
"Ya ain't done no such thing." Applejack slapped down a map of Equestia and her hoof a moment later on a town. "Appleloosa. You remember it?"
Twilight squinted at the map and the town. "What about it? We can't redirect the buffalo without lying to them or otherwise causing trouble, so that's out."
"So let's not." Applejack nodded in shallow motions. "They go there, so we go there. The cherries can go there. Ya know how they feed 'em now, right?"
"Pies?" Twilight shrugged in memory of the event. "Why?"
Applejack rolled a hoof. "The buffalo don't pay for them pies, which means what they get comes out of the town coffers. Their supply of apples, local grown by Apples, an' other pie 'gredients."
Twilight hopped from her chair. "Sure. Where are you headed with this?"
"Ah'm headed to lettin' Appleloosa keep its apples fer sellin', and instead they can import some of these cherries Miss Jubilee has plenty of. They pay her instead, and maybe everypony wins?" Applejack clopped once with the finality of the idea. "And we've done paid back Cherry Jubilee fer the trouble we done made before."
Twilight went for the door. "There are some numbers there that may work out, or not. We won't know--"
"--'less we ask." Applejack was already at her side, pausing only to let Twilight slip through the door that wouldn't hold them both at once. "Let's do some fancy math. By which ah mean you'll be doin' some fancy math."
They walked side by side down the road of the town. "I appreciate the confidence, but this is math you've done before. You've run an orchard your entire life." Twilight cocked an ear at Applejack. "Nothing new there. We just need to know what margin works for Miss Jubilee, and how much Appleloosa is willing to pay. If they match up..."
"Then we win." Applejack hopped, clopping her hooves mid leap before hitting the ground. "The cherries ain't no apples, but they're a fine pie. The buffalo should be pleased enough with it."
They were not expecting the dubious expression of Miss Jubilee. "Ya want what now? Y'see, that there's very private information..."
Twilight was looking at the filing cabinet she desired, though it was closed. "Of course. This is only requested for your profit and benefit."
Applejack gently pulled Twilight back. "We jus' need to know what price we should ask fer, if we got somepony ready to buy a great big bushel of cherries. It's hard to ask if we don't got no price to quote."
Twilight slipped forward past Applejack's warning arm. "We'd also like to know your basic stocks. Promising too many would not be good for you."
Cherry Jubilee raised both brows as she steepled her hooves. "Now that's a big claim right there. You think you can put the pinch on me? That sounds like the good kind of problem."
Applejack rolled a hoof. "Sure is, ask us any time cider season comes 'round. Still, not havin' enough creates bad blood, and that's never good. Also, you don't get paid fer what ain't sold. Better to make promises ya can keep in the end."
Cherry nodded to herself, hoof tapping at her papers. "Yer not wrong there... Still..." She folded her hooves against one another. "Let's try this else, hm?" She grabbed a pen in her mouth and scribbled a number, pushing it towards them. "Make that vanish in a year, an' we're even. All forgiven. Aim fer that."
Twilight grabbed the paper in her magic, drawing it into easy view. "Hm. This looks like a low estimate."
"'Cause it is," retorted Cherry. "But still a fine number. You get that movin', an' alls forgiven."
Twilight went still, numbers tumbling in her mind. "If we doubled or tripled that, for extra credit, would you be able to handle that?"
Applejack tipped her hat. "More important, what do you want per cherry? We need a number to offer, ma'am."
Cherry Jubilee smiled, a predatory mask. "If you can double or triple that, I'd be willin' to come down in price jus' for knowin' it's all movin'. Hm. Fine." She grabbed the same pen, but a new paper, scribbling busily. "Consider this a rough draft, if you will. You offer these numbers, and ah'll say yes. They want better, they'll have to negotiate with me proper-like." She allowed Twilight to snatch that second paper. "Yer gettin' me excited, and curious, little mares. Don't dissapoint me now."
Twilight placed the two papers together and folded them sharply. "This is enough information to start with. We'll be back."
"Wit' good news," added Applejack. "Hopefully."
Cherry waved gently as they ran off. "Crazy mares..."
"Time for a letter." Twilight willed her quill to dance. "And this time for a pony less... Celestia." That was a point of obvious relief for her. "Hm, actually." She paused in her writing. "Applejack, this may be your place."
"Why's that?" Applejack came over to see what had started to be written. "Don't mind writin' no letters, but whatfor?"
"This is to your family." Twilight waved off. "Appleloosa. Questions and ideas from you will be received better than anything I say."
Applejack pushed the paper away. "Yer not wrong there." She took a fresh paper and snatched the floating quill out of the air with her mouth. "I'll write 'em then." She got to scribbling her note. "Hopefully they'll like the idea."
"The numbers don't work!" wailed a mare, hooves in the air, seated on her chair in the office of the dusty town. "We've gotten peace, but... at what cost?"
Breaburn inclined his head. "Don't look so down, Bitcoin."
Bitcoin threw the papers aside. "They don't work. Twice a year we have to lose a whole lot of inventory to avoid losing a whole lot more inventory! And it's at the worst times, both ways! We can't be givin' up apples right then, but we do..."
"Letter." A local postpony pressed a letter against Breaburn. "Afternoon." He tipped his hat and went on his way without a delay.
"Hm?" Breaburn unfolded the letter to see what was written on it. "Oh, from cousin AJ!" Maybe it would be good news?
Winter sniffed gently at the air, taking in the excited scents of his lovely wife. Maple was gazing at him with want in her eyes, a smoldering view she normally kept quite hidden. An unspoken language, his favorite, he felt all the more excited to be the target of that wanting gaze. He nipped her rump in soft but firm strokes of his teeth, exploring where she was soft and where she was hard.
Maple was many things, but sedentary was not one of them. She had the build of a farmer, strong and fit. "Stop lookin' at me like ah'm a tasty dinner," she huffed out, tail flicking. "You can enjoy having a cake, or eat it, and this cake wants some eatin'!"
Well, if she insisted. He closed in at her and nosed at her rump. The contact was enough to make her squeak. "H-hey! That ain't the spot."
It wasn't as if he couldn't see what he was doing, nuzzling downwards towards her other portal. As far as he could see, every part of her was enchanting, from top to bottom. He licked slowly, teasingly, just a little distant from her teardrop of an entrance. The way she flexed and gasped was hint enough that she felt it, and enjoyed it. But it would get better, he knew that.
His breath washed over her fur, parting it just long enough for him to kiss the briefly exposed bare skin on his slow way towards the main event. "Ya tease!" Not that she was resisting it. Her slick portal winked open, welcoming his attention and requesting more without a word. Winter could feel his shaft swaying under him, steely hard and twitching. Part of him wanted to throw aside the foreplay and get right into things, but he held himself back. That was just another emotion he had to keep in line, and he was good at that.
Winter trailed the quivering vulva in front of him, feeling how it struggled with the accompanying little cry of the mare that owned it. "Ohh! That's... That's more like it!" The cake was getting their tasting, as she had requested. "Go on..." She thrust her rump back at him, forcing him to recoil in a sudden back step. He put a hoof on her rump to hold her still as he nuzzled in, tickling at her sensitive flesh with the countless fuzz of his snout. She squealed at the tickle, but that turned into a soft moan as he began to lick and explore with kisses to spare on his beloved mare.
He wanted to explore deeper, but his tongue and snout could get much further without risking things, but he had one other avenue. With his horn aglow, he reached in, tickling at her walls in a slow inspection of the trembling walls of her tunnel that he spread wide to see as he worked. She shouted in surprise, going beet red. "Summer's gonna hear that... Hope she don't think ah was hurt or nothin'." But she wasn't, trembling from the back of her body to the front as her stallion inspected her. "Celestia take it..."
With his magic holding her and exploring her, he could take his time in finding the most sensitive spots, as if he were playing her like an especially furry and delightful instrument. The louder she became, the better he was doing it, which wasn't exactly how music worked, but it was good enough. The only trick was that he was ready to move forward, and he could feel the slick touch of her walls to show she felt just as ready.
He reared up and hugged her from above, holding her close as he shuffled into position, nudging his fat blunt tipped member against her eager portal. "Go on," she beckoned, taking a wide stand to support his weight. "Go on..."
As if he needed much encouragement. He drove forward into her, his testing probing helping him to press just as far and fast as was comfortable for his beloved wife. He drew her back as he worked into her, savoring the tight wet embrace of her passage as it squeezed and pulled at him with an obvious desire for what he had.
"How ya doin' in here?" There was Summer, the door thrown open, and her eyes on them. "O-oh... Sorry..." She backed away quickly and closed the door.
Maple and Winter stared at that closed door a long moment before Maple burst into laughter. "Well, that just shot the mood! Ah swear..."
Winter gently hugged her from above even as he gently slipped back and down. There were no ill feelings there, however awkward that had been."
"We'll get another chance." She quickly twirled about and went in for a gentle nuzzle. "Ah'm actually looking forward to..." She trailed off. "By the way... That thing..." She pointed up at Winter's horn. "That was amazing! It felt... It felt like a pony twice either of our size was... doin' things...but there weren't no pain or nothin'. So... Just sayin'... Ya got permission to do that again... Alright?"
Winter rubbed along her side with a faint smile. As close to a firm nod as he rose to at times. The two walked off to tackle other business.
"This is too good." Bit Coin slapped a hoof at their table, scowling at Breaburn. "Gonna bet there are catches. She ain't in the business of sellin' cherries for a loss.
Braeburn shrugged softly. "Sure not, but she don't have to sell for a loss, just fer less than we're losin' from the apples. Figure out the profit'd be if we could actually sell the apples proper instead of givin' 'em away and we'll know what we can offer."
A challenge had been given. "I'm on the case." Bit got to furious work, moving beads of a large abacus around as she crunched numbers. "I'll have it to you by tomorrow!"
So it was that Breaburn caught a train to another small town. He met Applejack at the trainyard when he arrived, the two hugging with famial bliss. "Right nice to see ya! So ah hear ya got a surplus ah cherries?"
"Sure do! Well, not me specific, but ah got the deal. Now, why didn't you just give me yer numbers? Every pony involved is bein' real guarded wit' those!"
Breaburn hiked a brow. "Ya coulda given yer numbers too, cous'. We all got our reasons. Well, ah'm here, gonna make me an offer?"
Twilight hopped forward, landing between the two. "With pleasure! There was one number we're missing. How many pounds of fruit do you actually need for the pie offering to the bufallo, yearly?"
Breaburn peered at Twilight, backing away from the two of them. "Well, we ain't gonna get nowhere if we don't try..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a paper. "Can ya match this?"
Twilight reached with her magic to have a look. "Oh... Not this. This is a better price than Miss Jubilee allowed us to offer."
Applejack leaned over for a peek, whistling in appreciation. "But not by too much." She reached for Twilight's pocket.
Twilight danced back, denying this. "With that amount, we can offer..." She made a new offer, not exactly any of the numbers Miss Jubilee had written. "How does that sound?"
The two locked eyes for a long moment. Applejack looked back and forth between them, looking ready to say something, but not quite reaching it. They broke the silence with a clop, the two meeting hoof to hoof and a smile to a smile. Breaburn walked past them. "Gonna get a place fer mahself and ya can show me the cherries ah'll be bringin' back!"
Applejack let him go before scooting in front of Twilight. "What'dja do?! That weren't one of the sets we were given."
"I did math." She floated the paper from her pocket and surrendered it to Applejack. "Miss Jubilee was following a set equation that all the numbers matched, so I used the same equation to calculate a new number based on the actual demand. She should agree, considering this was her low estimate, meaning she likely had room to haggle further, but we didn't have to negotiate beyond her starting point."
Applejack hiked a brow high. "Gonna hope yer right on that."
They brought the news to Cherry Jubilee shortly after that. She smiled bright at the two of them. "Welcome! You two look like ya got somethin' good and I am all here for it. Go on."
Applejack set the paper down, the original with the terms they were sent away with. "Got good news mostly. We didn't go with one ah yer numbers, but Twi's right sure it'll match."
Twilight bobbed her head. "Same price per pound, offered at the scaling point you were using."
Cherry Jubilee steepled her hooves. "If I didn't know you were a fancy pony, Ah'd already be shoutin'. What numbers ya got? Let's get right to the point so ah can stop guessin' in mah head."
So Twilight gave them, more than the middle amount she had given, but not enough to reach the heaviest load she had offered. "And for this amount of bits."
Cherry rubbed at her chin softly. "An' they took it?" Both mares nodded vigorously. "Shoot... They're gonna renegotiate that eventually... So why don't I cut them to the chase."
So it was that Breaburn was denied, at least that starting price. Miss Jubilee offered a better, slightly better price, in return for a three year contract. As soon as the ink dried, he was sent off with a big smile and a cart being pulled by other ponies to bring home full of cherries. "An' that's that. Yer forgiven', officially." Jubilee threw open the door to the front of her factory, shoving her face inside. "Ya hear that? Applejack and Twilight are off the forbidden list."
Whoops and hollers drifted from inside even as Miss Jubilee closed the door. "That's that. Now, if you two need anythin' else, well, ya know where to find me."
Applejack clapped firmly, wiping off her hooves of the dirt not on them. "Not that we got that cleared... Let's take our kirin friend."
Twilight blinked slowly. "Oh, yes. I almost forgot about that. Miss Jubilee!" She went to catch up with the factory owner. "We want to take Winter to meet the other kirin, please."
Miss Jubilee crossed her arms. "Ya ask him yet? He's got two wives, and they're both expectin', so if they don't both sign off, there ain't no way he's goin' nowhere, 'cause he's learned what it's like to be a stallion that ain't got the blessin' of his plus two."
Twilight colored softly. "Yes, right..." She had been there for the unusual wedding. "I will check, but I wanted your permission first, since it would involve him being away."
"And her." Jubilee tapped the desk before her. "Summer's a right valuable worker too, not just him. Yer also yankin' Maple away, but that's between you an' her. She don't have a boss that could yell at her, just her own bills what won't get paid if she's on a trip with you."
Twilight sagged softly at the scope of how much would need to be interrupted to see it done. "This is important, for Winter, even if he doesn't fully realize it yet. I will speak to them, of course, but I wanted us to be clear first at least."
Jubilee leaned forward with a wicked smile. "If ya hadn't just finished getting me some business, ah'd tell ya to take a hike, princess, but ah'm in a good mood, the best kind really... Winter deserves a little vacation... If he gives permission, I'll allow it! But only if he asks fer it. Ya can't ask for him." She sat back on her chair. "But there ain't no objection from me."
That would have to be good enough. Twilight nodded as she turned for the door. "Thank you. I'll check with them all before we make any further plans."
Summer peered at the princess at her door. "Ah thought you were headin' home. Why are you even in town, much less at mah door?"
Winter poked his head free past her, joining her at the door in his quiet way.
Twilight smiled nervously at the two of them. "I wanted to invite both of you, all three if Maple is up for it, for a little trip."
Summer nudged Winter back. "He's doin' just fine, Princess."
"It's about the other kirin." Twilight cleared her throat softly. "I want Winter to have a chance to meet them, that's all."
Winter advanced, slipping around Summer. As slight as he was, he has power and his interest was not hidden.
Summer sighed dramatically at it. "Well, ya got one yes at least..."
"But that's hardly enough." Twilight's horn glowed as a book popped into being. "If you have a traditional herding arrangement, attempting to take the stallion on a trip without permission of the head mare is a grave insult, at best. That isn't my goal."
Summer's defeated sag turned into a curious blinking. "There's a book about it?! Ah was just... kinda wingin' it... Anywho! Ah'm the headmare." She stood tall and proudly. "So ya got that right." She waved to the side at Winter. "Which means it's mah job to protect him." She glanced about. "Right?"
"That is correct." Twilight offered the book, floating it in reach of Summer. "You're welcome to read up on the topic. When it comes to familial decisions, the head mare, or alpha mare as some call her, makes the final decision for the health and happiness of her herd. Which is why I came to you. I think meeting the other kirin will be very valuable to Winter. But that is your choice, not mine." But she didn't point at Summer, instead both of them in a sweep. A family decision.
Summer raised an ear. "Somethin' botherin' me... Yer a princess. Why in Equestria are you... even encouragin' this? Aren't we done with herds, official-like?"
Twilight recoiled a step. "Well, yes, technically... The political forces that were in play when Princess Celestia made that declaration moons ago have long since past." She ran her tongue across her lips. "I wrote to her, while I was taking care of other things..." She saw no reason to go into detail about the cherry situation, and casually pushed past it. "And her feelings have abated. Equestria is a much more egalitarian place, and she is happy for that. But if consenting adult ponies want to get together in unusual groups, that is beween them, and not for the crown to weigh in on."
Summer's expression brightened with a smile and a tip of her hat. "Well, shoot, that's real kind of her. Suppose there's a reason she's been the queen so long."
"Princess."
"Right, princess." Summer flicked an ear at her mistake. "I'm a little distract--" Winter nudged against her. "Which isn't fair. Look... Winter's a real important part of the family. Ah don't want some strange kirin spookin' him."
Twilight recoiled. "The kirin get along quite well. I will accompany you, if you allow."
"She wants to meet 'em." Applejack came into view from around the corner of Summer's house. "Now, ah hear 'round town you plan on some heavy house work. A little trip would give time for other ponies to work without you needin' to use the place."
Summer let out an exasperated laugh. "Word getting around? Ah... can't do that. Work needs me."
Twilight raised a hoof. "I don't mean to make you feel cornered, but we did check on that ahead of time. If you ask her, Jubilee is prepared to give the time off you and Winter need to take this trip."
Winter nudged against her, pacing impatiently. "Yeah, I get it." She nudged back against him. "He wants to go, to see... Silly fella wants to know 'bout other kirin 'much as you do, ah guess... Look, ah could say no, but that would be makin' him powerful sad, and that ain't what ah'm aimin' for... My stallion's my everythin'." Her smile relaxed as Winter snuggled against her. "And I'm jus' as big a part of his world. We're a family, so if he wants to see his origin, how can ah say no to that?"
Applejack clapped her hooves in one firm stroke. "I've been there, to the kirin village. Ah'm happy to lead the way back and do introductions, seein' as they know who ah am already."
Summer's eyes sparkled. "You have?! Shoulda started with that."
Applejack eyes Twilight with a smirk. "Toldja."
Twilight colored, called out and proven wrong. "In any event, the only pony remaining to check with is Maple. I assume you do want to doublecheck with her."
"Of course." Summer turned back for the house. "She'll come back after work. Fer now, wanna try some quality food? Winter's turn, and he's serious 'bout his food."
Winter hurried back inside to the kitchen to resume cooking with extra energy. Summer laughed at his trot. "And now Winter wants to impress the two of ya. Stayin'?"
Twilight was the first inside, dipping her head. "Thank you for the invitation. He is... Is he quiet all the time?"
"'less he's real angry." Summer shook her head slowly. "That don't happen much. He's such a good stallion."
Applejack flipped an ear back. "Does he... um... catch on fire?"
Summer stopped in place, turning stiffly back to Applejack. "So that's... a normal Kirin thing, right?"
"Reckon ah can't say that. But it ain't a wierd thing for 'em either. Means they're really worked up, fer good or bad. Ready to fight, again fer good or bad. Like throwin' your hat down." Both country mares nodded one another, understanding the meaning behind angrily throwing one's hat to the ground. Not an action one did lightly. "Means all bets are off and he's ready fer it, 'least on the inside..."
"Fascinating." Twilight was pondering the idea, wings fidgeting. "That could get in the way of civil discourse."
"And it right did." Applejack nodded firmly. "Got so much in the way they went and quieted themselves up. No talkin', no getting excited. Just quiet and peace.
Summer brought her hooves together. "And that's where Winter is, wonderful thing he is, so peaceful... 'cept the one time he wasn't and he got a little mad."
Twilight walked past her, head up. "We will do our best to be polite. This is your house, after all. No reason to be poor guests."
"Darn tootin'." Applejack tipped her hat properly. "Thanks kindly fer the invite."
So it was that they got to enjoy tasty kirin vittles. "Hm." Applejack considered as she enjoyed dinner. "Mighty fine, but not the same as the other kirin treats."
Summer perked an ear at that. "You've had kirin food? Winter's just using recipes I had laying around. It's such a treat, having him make family classics." She gave a firm clap. "But they have a unique taste, a Winter-twist that makes it his recipe in the end.
Winter dipped his head lightly with a sedately pleased smile.
Twilight chomped anew. "Very nice, Winter. I imagine you're curious to experience traditional Kirin meals." That he nodded quickly was confirmation of that. "I'm also curious to try it. We both have something to look foward to."
"Ah'm home!" A slap of the door sealed the alert that Maple had arrived. "And ah smell treats!" She hurried in, just to freeze as she turned the bend. "Oh! Guests... Hello!"
Applejack nodded at Maple. "Evenin'. We're just visitin'. Don't even mind us. Winter worked hard to make y'all some mighty fine food."
"I bet he did." Maple hopped up into a chair, joining them. "Always somethin' real tasty when Winter's involved." She clapped as a plate floated over, laden with delectables. "Thanks!" She took a big bite, but no more. "So what brings y'all round here?" She was looking at Twilight and Applejack curiously.
Summer sighed softly with a little smile. "These two want to drag us to the kirin town. Winter wants to go. Do you want to go?"
Maple's ears quivered. "If he wants to go... But what about work?"
Summer waved limply at the two visitors. "They already chatted with my boss to get her alright. If we say yes, then we go. And we can have the house worked on while we're gone."
Maple sat up, taking a fresh bite with thoughtful noises. "That would be convenient... Sure! Why not? We'll get to meet a buncha kirin all at once!"
Summer leaned in. "They won't be as perfect as our kirin, just to warn. There's only one of him."
Winter managed a subtle blush, easy to miss if one wasn't looking for it.
Twilight laughed. "It's so good to see you're all getting along. How nice to have a family."
Applejack tipped her hat. "Darn tootin'! Ain't much better than family, though good friends comes in a close second, ah suppose."
Twilight considered that. "Friends are family you get to pick." She threw an arm around Applejack and drew her closer. "I'm quite happy to have you as a part of my friend-family, Applejack."
Applejack colored far more vividly than Winter could ever manage. "Shucks... Ah love ya too, but we're in their house. They don't need some strange ponies getting all snuggly in front ah them."
Maple clasped her hooves together firmly. "I loved Summer long before this... happened... That... That's how I got involved. It was like she was being carried away on some... crazy... scary adventure... I wanted to be there too, to be a part of it... I'm so happy that worked out." She swallowed, cheeks on fire as many others there. "Sorry."
Winter set a hoof on Maple's shoulder with a sedate expression. The meaning seemed to get to her. "Aw." She nuzzled his cheek gently. "So, yes. If Summer's going, well, then so am I! I'm not letting them wander off after all that!"
Summer thrust a hoof towards the two guests. "Well, then that's settled then! Ah'll talk to Miss Jubilee, and if she's as agreeable as yer makin' it sound, then we can go visit them kirin."
Maple waved a hoof. "But first we tell those nice stallions to get the houses together. I hope it comes out well."
Winter nodded gently and took a fresh bite of his food. Everything was settled, so it was food time.
This unspoken sentiment spread as the noises of eating filled the room along with happy noises of enjoyment. It was a sedate but joyful little dinner.
"Thank you." Twilight pushed away from the table and slid to her hooves. "This was a delight. If you ever stop by Ponyville, I would be absolutely delighted to return the favor."
"That goes fer me too." Applejack joined Twilight on the ground. "And we're not kiddin'. We both got powerful tasty vittles fer sharin' with friends, which ah'm gonna hope y'all count as now."
Summer joined them, hopping to the ground. "So fast! We just met... Still, if we're in town, I won't say no to any meal prepared with love. But I won't visit you both in the same day or it sounds like I may get fat before my time."
Maple giggled at the vision in her mind. "That's not a bad problem to have, as problems go. I'll pack things in so my trees'll wait fer me to get back. You talk to your boss." She met Summer's hoof with her own, a clop of solidarity. "Then we visit the kirins!"
Winter smiled just a little, a practically ecstatic expression for him. That he was looking forward to it was quite clear to those who knew him, and those were the only ones that mattered in his book.
Winter remembered. He had never been from any town of kirin. He had been from another place entirely, with different creatures. The train ride was a fine time to ruminate on that. They didn't have fur. They didn't have armored plates like he had. Poor things, they didn't have horns.
But... He had been one of those? He thought? 65% odds. He had... been playing something, something fun, and then he was here, being introduced to Summer. He smiled mildly at that memory. Meeting her had been a good thing by all measures.
"What are you thinkin' 'bout?" Summer had noticed him. "You look happy."
Maple clapped her hooves lightly. "Bet he's excited to see all those other kirin."
That was as fine an answer as anything else. He nodded, but went back to thinking. He wasn't always a kirin, but he had become one, and he was a good one! He hoped. He followed the instructions given to him, to be a strong and silent kirin, to be a good partner to Summer...
Would the other kirin agree? Would he be celebrated, or scorned? He had no idea what the other kirin thought of things, but they should agree that he's been a good kirin... right? But he'd already been told they may not all be quiet.
Maybe not as quiet? Maybe they were still quiet, compared to the average pony, but not silent? Winter mused on the varying levels of quiet they may or may not be. Would they respect his silence as a good thing... or a bad thing? Would he be a pillar of stoicism, or just some snob that's being standoffish and rude?
Being rude wasn't the idea... He wanted to be friends. Quiet friends... But still friends.
He jumped with a hoof landing on his side. Summer had reached over and touched him, offering silent support. She knew him. She understood his words without them being said. His love for her only swelled larger and he leaned in to rub noses in a moment of shared bonding.
Whatever happened, he had Summer and Maple at his side. They would help and they loved him. Confidence rebounding with these facts, Winter settled on the seat for the journey.
The train pulled up to a gentle stop at the end of the line. Not everycreature on it was getting off. Some were bound for stations back the other way, waiting patiently for the train to start back towards them. But that was where Twilight, Applejack, and the new family disembarked. Twilight looked to Applejack.
"This way." She waved forward and got to a steady walk. "The kirin seem to like their privacy. Ain't so close to much anythin' else."
They liked their quiet? This made sense to Winter. Maybe they'd get along...
"Hey!" They all looked up to see a kirin waving excitedly down at them. "Is that you, Applejack?" Autumn Blaze had spotted them and looked happy about it. "And some new ponies... and..." She squinted. "Who's that? One moment!" She ducked out of sight.
Winter flipped his ears back. They had only seen one kirin and they were already very loud! Would the entire town be that loud? Had he been lied to?! His steps became stiff with worry as the group advanced. What had he signed up for?
"I said to wait!" Autumn popped out from around a corner in front of them. "Alright, I guess I didn't exactly say to wait, but I meant it." She went up to Applejack, delivering a firm but brief hug, but moving right past her. Her target was not subtle, moving right up to Winter. "Now, as I was saying... Who are you? I know every kirin around, but I don't know you." She didn't sound angry about it, curiosity bubbling out of control.
Winter inclined his head at Autumn, barely resisting the urge to retreat from her loud presence.
Autumn inclined her head right back, the two staring at one another a moment. "Oh! Wow! How did you get away?" She turned to the others. "Poor thing's still silent? We can fix that! One more dip in the river and he'll be singing with the rest of us."
They sang?! Winter shrank away, just to bump his butt against something. He looked over his shoulder to see Maple standing behind him, barring his retreat. "Don't be scared. We're here."
Applejack tossed her head at the new kirin. "He's awful quiet, as ya noticed, but he's also the happy husband of those two there." She pointed at Summer and Maple.
Autumn colored vividly. "W-wait....Both of them?!" She looked from one mare to the other. "Wow. Wow! I didn't even know you could do that. Neat!" She clapped with a big smile. "I'm not sure I could get one pony to put up with me for the long haul. Two?" She frowned with new thought. "Maybe two would help, they could share... If I'm too much for one, two may be just right..."
Twilight coughed into a hoof. "We're not here to change up your marital patterns."
Autumn whirled on Twilight. "Hi there! I'm Autumn Blaze and it's great to meet you. What's your name?"
Twilight blinked at the sudden introduction. "Oh, sorry. I'm Twilight Sparkle. Applejack's friend, and hopefully soon yours?"
"Pleased to meetcha!" She thrust a cloven hoof out and soon was shaking Twilight's hoof vigorously. "A friend of Applejack's is probably already a friend of mine."
"Who are you shouting at?" Another kirin stepped out, male, but effimate. They were not as effimate as Winter. Were the girliest mare a -100 and the manliest stallion a 100, he rated a -30, whereas Winter as down at -80. "Oh, hey." He could see the visitors. "What's up with the--"
"A new kirin," burst Autumn, answering before the question was finished. "And they're still silent!"
"You going to make your tea?" The kirin stallion considered Autumn. "You should talk to Rain Shine first."
Maple stepped up next to Winter. "I'm detecting a pattern right there."
Summer perked an ear at her. "What pattern?"
"The kirin, they have a name pattern going." She looked quite proud to have spotted it. "Cool, hot." She turned to Winter. "Winter, cool. Flame, hot." She loop about to Autumn. "Autumn, cool. Blaze, Hot. Rain, cool. Shine, hot, or at least warm feelin'. Am ah off?"
The stallion curled an arm to point at himself. "Evening Spark."
Autumn burst into merry laughter. "You caught us. We kirin are dual creatures, cool and hot. Have you seen our hot side? It's hard to forget."
Twilight smiled gently at that. "We have very similar names."
Evening inclined an ornate ear at Twilight. "We do?"
"Twilight Sparkle." She pointed at herself. "Which is almost Evening Spark."
"Neat." He didn't argue that, the words were synonyms. "Are we friends now? I thought I'd have to work harder to make my first pony friend."
Autumn threw an arm over Evening. "I told you! It isn't just Applejack and Fluttershy. A lot of ponies are super friendly. They told me stories about them, and these are their friends." She waved at the collection of creatures visiting. "Which means they're all friendly, which means they want to be pals with us all, and I'm signing up for that. Hello new friends!"
Winter dared to walk up to Autumn, meeting her gaze and staring at her. She stared back at him. There was quiet, blissful quiet. He could feel his nerves relaxing in that calming hush. He just had to make eye contact, talk without words. It was working...
Autumn blinked. "Aw, dang it. You win." She laughed as she turned away, abandoning the staring contest that Winter didn't even know he was in. "Let's go visit the town!" With joy, she led them into the kirin village. Eyes turned towards them curiously as they came in.
"What's this?" Rain Shine was guided out by several excited kirin. "Oh." Her eyes fell on Winter right away. "I don't... Who are you?"
Winter flipped his ears back. Rain didn't have the loud jangle of Autumn, a plus, but she was talking, and he didn't have the words to reply. He looked to Summer, who was already advancing. "This here's Winter Flame, my husband. He really wanted to meet other kirins like himself."
Rain considered Winter. It was quiet, other than the curious murmurs of other kirin about them. She knew how to watch and listen. Maybe he could be friends with her? "Thank you, for the introduction." She lowered herself until her head was even with his. "But I would like to hear from you."
Winter took an unsure step backwards away. He didn't have words to share!
"Can you speak?" she asked in the gentle tones that Autumn entirely lacked. "Or do you choose not to?"
Winter inclined his head left and right in slow motions. Kirin were supposed to be quiet! He was a good kirin! Why were the others all talking? Tears stung at his eyes, not a bawling, but they were shed silently as his confusion grew uncomfortably. Was he a broken kirin? Either he was wrong, or they were all wrong, and there were so many more of them than him...
"It's alright." Maple flopped against him, sinking to sit on his left side. "You're upsetting him."
Summer nodded at that, moving between Winter and the large Rain. "He's my stallion, and I will protect thim."
Rain turned her attention on Summer. "You are easier to talk to, so I will ask you. Does he not talk because he can't talk, or because he would rather not talk?"
Summer raised a hoof behind her head. "I know he's really uncomfortable right now. He just wanted to meet other kirin... I bet he thought they'd be quiet too."
Twilight was watching the whole exchange with rapt fascination. "That was true, before. Some tea or another addressed it?"
Autumn nodded firmly. "I can make some up. Rain Shine, should I? I'll get right on that!"
"Hold yourself." Rain sat up instead of laying on her belly. "You are not one of mine. My words only go so far, but I think you understand them at least. Autumn here can make a special tea. A few sips will banish the silence from your throat. But I will not force you... We were wrong to force silence on others. I won't force sounds on them now."
Winter curled on himself with a little whimper. His mares closed in between him and Rain Shine. Maple waved at the Celestia-sized kirin. "This is a lot to put on a creature all at once. Can he jus' be himself fer now?"
Rain simply nodded at Maple. "Of course. You are all welcome here. Please, see to their lodging. We have guests." The kirin began chatting louder and scattering back to their business, some of which seemed to include setting up things for their new guests.
One kirin, a stallion, was watching Winter curiously. "You're..." He looked instead to the more talkative mares. "He looks like a mare." Blunt, simple, but also true.
Applejack considered the kirin in kind. Compared to ponies, that stallion was also mare-y. -20? Androngynous. On some levels, kinda pretty. Exotic? No, that was a keyword for anything out of the normal. Not helpful. Applejack shook those thoughts free. "Ah noticed that mahself, but girly or not, that stallion managed to fetch himself not one but two mares." She smirked at that. "Reckon he's secured his stallion card."
The kirin hummed softly, turning instead to Rain. "Will you be my mare?"
"I will not," she gently, but firmly, denied. "You keep asking that." She sounded more amused than offended.
"I don't want any other mare." He snorted softly, but smiled. "So I keep hoping."
Rain tapped the hopeful stallion on the nose. "Silly thing... Now, he didn't ask to be what he is. Let's not make fun of a stallion for being mare-shaped. We don't get to pick these things, and a pretty stallion isn't an awful thing."
It was Summer's turn to darken. She had chosen it. She had literally drawn what she thought the ideal kirin should be, based on her love-addled, or maybe lust-addled, thoughts of one other kirin she'd ever seen. She'd drawn a kirin that was not like all the other kirin she could now see.
Summer held her lips closed with her teeth, trembling. She had messed up. The only real question was how badly she had managed to do so, and asking felt horrifying on every level. "You alright?" A kirin had asked, a mare. "You're looking as bad as your friend was."
In a small, but clean and fresh little hut, Winter and Maple were together. Maple was squeezing Winter by the cheeks, her hooves pressing in slow circles. "Everything's alright," she assured. "Whether you get along with them or not won't scare us away."
Winter curled a hoof to his chin. There was that... Maple and Summer weren't kirins, and they liked him just as he was... Still... He stood up and nuzzled gently at her. She didn't seem surprised when he walked past her. He had to know...
He walked up to another kirin. Male or female? He actually wasn't sure and colored mildly at that. Not that he planned on doing anything with any kirin that required that knowledge, but that lack of basic knowledge was... irritating. The kirin didn't even notice Winter. So Winter waited, and watched.
Minutes passed in silence. The other kirin stretched out and stood up, turning to-- "Oh!" she yelped, her voice making it clear which she was. "When did you get there? You suprised me..." She angled he head to the side faintly. "You really do look like a mare." She colored at that. "More than me..." She rated a -20, comfortably angrongynous. "I won't admit it. I won't!"
What would she not admit? Winter looked at her curiously.
"Nnng! Not fair!" She trembled in place before flopping forward. "I'm super jealous. Why is a stallion looking so much more mare than me, a mare?"
She did not have the harsh jangles of Autumn Blaze, but she spoke, and she had things to say. He reached for her prone form and set a hoof quietly on her shoulder.
"Aw, thanks." She sat up, understanding the gesture without words. "Well... You are pretty, not gonna lie." She glanced off and back. "Are you... much of a stallion?" She sharply inhaled. "No insults intended! Just, um, figured your dial was all set one way...." She sank without flopping. "I sound like an idiot... Maybe being quiet has perks."
Winter smiled faintly. There was a kirin understanding the truth. Quiet could be a blessed thing. He gestured at himself, then her, and offered a hoof.
She met the hoof with a slop clop. "Splash Steam," she introduced. "Nice to meet you, and thank you for not being mad at me... Probably would deserve it. You're Winter Flame, right?" He nodded. "That's a nice name."
He considered. Splash Steam was also nice. He nodded at her and sat next to her.
"I remember this." She went quiet, and just sat with him. The two shared in silence. That was it! It was what Winter had hoped for. There was a kirin, just... being. They were silent, but talking. They were experiencing and sharing without words getting in the way. It was... It was nice, but he knew she would speak eventually. This was a break, for her, not a way of life, as it was for him.
She inclined an ear at him. "This is what it was like, for all of us." She colored. "Sorry, I can be quiet if you want."
Winter perked at that. He pawed at her gently.
"Want to hear more? Alright." Silence was good, but she made him too curious. "We used to get into fierce fights... We'd burst into flames." She threw her arms wide. "Fwoosh... And then things burned, sometimes each other, but our things too... We weren't happy... But then we found the stream of silence, and it quieted us down, inside and out. Our emotions were cool. Our voices were silenced. Nothing but quiet." She fell back to that silence for a time, existing with Winter. "Some parts of it were kind of nice... Thank you, for the reminder. I need to shut up more often." She stood up. "Thank you."
Was she leaving? He stood up as she had, watching her, eye to eye. She met his gaze, the two staring at one another.
But she did withdraw, turning. "I missed that. If it helps... you can still be quiet when you can talk." She smiled gently. "I wouldn't mind being quiet with you again." She trotted off in a jog towards other things in her day, leaving Winter to his thoughts.
"How ya doin'?" Oh, Applejack. She wasn't as quiet. At least she seemed nice, and she wasn't quite as jangly as Autumn. "Yer lookin' happier. Glad ya caught yer breath."
Winter raised a hoof in a mild wave. She was a friend, even if not quiet.
"Saw that other kirin. Ya two hit it off?" He nodded. "That's good! The girls'll be happy to hear ya made a friend." She pointed past him. "That's where yer stayin', right?"
He looked and nodded, that was the comfy place they had been given to use.
"Liking it?"
She sure liked to ask a lot of questions. Compared to the silence he had just enjoyed, it was... He sighed gently and set a hoof on her, meeting her eyes. Sometimes that worked. And it was working. Applejack was looking him back in the eyes, and for a time, there were quiet between them.
"That a yes?" she asked, one ear falling. "Ah don't understand ya like yer mares. Mighty fine family, bein' so tight ya don't even need no words."
Winter nodded with growing pride. Yes, they talked without words. That was family!
"But there are things ya need words for," she went and countered the words she had just said. "Big thoughts, little thoughts... Sometimes, you know, gotta talk it out to work through it. Just bein' there ain't always enough." She rubbed behind her head softly. "Yer makin' it work, jus' hopin' ya can keep it goin'."
Winter watched her leave, mild displeasure on his face. Was he doing it wrong? The trip had raised so many questions. A little quiet time considering it would help.
Summer didn't go talk to Maple, or Twilight, or any of those. She had to go to the top. "Miss?"
Rain Shine looked up from where she had been relaxing on a large cushion fit for her. "Hm? Oh. You're the couple..." She trailed off. "That isn't the right word, there are three of you. Triplet? No, that makes me think of foals... How can I help?"
Summer looked around at the other kirin, but they were mostly not paying attention. They were talking to each other, or playing games, and otherwise enjoying their best kirin lives. The town was quite idyllic. Did any of them have jobs? Summer shook her head as she came in closer. "Ma'am. I did... somethin' really dumb. It didn't..." She bit it back. No excuses... "I did somethin' really really dumb."
Rain inclined her head faintly. "Care to share it?" She did not get loud, or move. She had the quiet cool of the kirin, and she was patient.
Summer sat and played her hooves together. "Ya see... before ah met Winter, ah was a lonely mare. Ah was makin' ends meet, but still lonely."
Rain blinked slowly. "What did you do?" She did not claim sympathy. Perhaps she had none, or perhaps she did. She didn't say.
"Ah... heard ah could get a pony." She laughed a little hysterically, breath held even as she did it. "They could do a kirin, they said... Brought a picture, one ah drew... An'... they made 'em. An' ah got a Winter." She started at a touch. Rain was touching her face, split hoof gently brushing away tears. "Sorry..."
Rain inclined her head the other way. "Winter is made? He is magic?"
"Maybe? I dunno!" She threw up her hooves and brought them down in two clops. "Ah don't know how any of it worked... but she went and made him just as ah drew him, so we got a girly kirin stallion." She colored through her entire face. "All pretty, with that big horn that's so darn perfect." She glanced at the other kirin, voice lowering. "He's even big where one might want a stallion to be big."
Rain joined the coloring, though hers was far less complete. "I see... But he is not one of mine. He is not even a kirin. He is... a dream, in the form of a kirin. A lovely dream, that had made you happy."
Summer smiled, tears staining her cheeks in silent spilling. "You ain't angry? Ah'd be livid! Plenty of reason to be, somepony just... makin' somepony up like that... If ah saw a relation like that, ah'd lose... Ah'd be so mad..."
"But they are not a relation. They aren't like many kirin I know." Rain leaned in slowly. "They are a lovely dream that brings joy, and wishes only to be a good dream, not a nightmare. Why would I be angry at that?"
Summer tapped her hooves in nervous little motions. "He's tellin' the world what a kirin is, and he don't even know! Poor thing..." She slumped with a heavy gust of air. "Poor thing... And ah did it! I made this... I made him!" She recoiled. "Did I make him? He... He came to me lookin' different... All tall and furless. Two legs!" Summer stood up to show the basic shape of a human as best she could. "Fingers here." She thrust forward one of her forehooves. "An' so confused... Ah... Ah told him my dream, and he started to dream with me, and..." She crashed forward, drawing eyes as she slapped into the ground on her belly. "Yer right! He's my dream, jus'... dreamin' with me! I'm awful."
Rain did not understand much of that, and didn't pretend to, instead gently being there for the distressed mare. "Are they unhappy?"
"Pardon me." Eyes rose to see Twilight there at the doorway. "Sorry, but that description." Her magic glowed as she formed the image of a human in the air. "Is it like this?" The holographic human waved, fingers wriggling.
Summer's eyes went wide. "Yes, just like that! How...?"
Twilight waved the image away. "That is a human. I've met them before, both on their world, and on this one. Curious species... Winter is one of those?"
Summer trembled. Somepony knew about that? "Am ah in trouble?"
"I should imagine not, at least from me." Twilight turned to Summer's borrowed hut. "This is more of a question for you and him. Does he know where he came from?" She squinted with thought. "And do you know where Doctor Fetlock is? I would dearly like a... conversation."
Summer could hear the meaning in that. "It was right hard trackin' her down the first time."
"I was afraid of that," sighed out Twilight. "Thank you." Not aimed at Summer, but Rain Shine. "This must be terribly confusing."
Rain nodded at both of her visitors. "Quite, but interesting as well... Summer." Summer turned quickly to the large kirin. "You have been bad. Fetishizing us." She inclined her head. "On some level, it is charming, to be thought of that way. Are we really so comely? This is your first time meeting us, is it not?"
Summer shuffled in place. "N-not exactly. Ah met one other who came through town. They left a powerful 'pression on me. Ah'm real sorry."
"You can put wrong to right." She smiled gently, showing no real anger. "Learn us, the real us, the ugly and the wonderful. The angry and the thoughtful. We are creatures, just like you, with ups... and downs." She lifted and lowered her hoof with that. "We may drive you to anger at times, but I imagine ponies do the same, hm?"
Twilight bowed her head at Rain Shine. "Thank you for being understanding. As... awkward as this is, I don't think Summer meant anything bad."
"Now--" Twilight walked alongside Summer. "I don't suggest you just spring this all on him all at once. You have to approach carefully, with consideration for his feelings."
"R-right, of course." Summer swallowed thickly. "Is he gonna hate me?"
Twilight patted Summer on the back. "Probably not. Many... I don't have a word for them. Replacements? Most replacements that find a happy new life become quite attached to that, I've found. His love for you isn't a lie."
"That's good..." She was quiet a moment, just their hooves on the ground. "But do ah deserve it?"
"That is up to him to decide." She turned to the mare, getting a little in the way. "But I do know if you break ties with him, it will hurt him. You won't be doing him a favor, or yourself, if I have the situation understood as well as I think I do." She tapped at her cheek softly. "Your love for him isn't a lie, either. It may have had an... impure motivation to start, but you have developed a genuine family."
Summer smiled at that, marred with her emotions. "T-thanks. You're just the best." She reached with one hoof, hugging Twilight briefly, if firmly. "Right... May have started kinda bad... but we came out of that... I just gotta tell him the truth, and let him decide. Whatever he wants, he gets. I owe him that much!"
"It's very clear." Twilight inclined her head at the hut they had been approaching. "You all adore each other very much."
Lifted by this fact, Summer charged into the room. There was Maple, cooking something on the small stove there. Winter spotted her right away and rose to trot up to her with a mild smile, practically a grin by his standards.
Summer flinched back, which he noticed. She forced herself upright. "S-sorry, just... We need to talk." She sat in front of him. "Heart to heart."
Maple slid what she was cooking to the side, off the heat. "That sounds like somethin' I should be there for." She walked over and sat next to Winter, facing Summer.
Winter sat with Maple, the two watching Summer, eager to hear what she had to say.
Summer swallowed thickly, her nervousness not well hidden. "Right... So..." She played with her hooves in the air. "Before you joined me, Winter, I was... kinda lonely."
Winter leaned in for a nosetouch, but she gently pushed him back. "Story time. Nuzzles afterwards if you're feeling up for it."
Maple put an arm around Winter. "Let's hear what she has to say, looks important."
Words. Winter settled with a faint huff. He would wait for the words to be done. That she was upset about something seemed clear, but not much else.
"Winter... I didn't meet you, not by chance. Not sure how much you remember it..." She flopped bonelessly to her haunches. "Ah... kinda ordered you."
Ordered him? He perked an ear, a loud exclamation of confusion in his books.
Summer put both hooves to her head as if to fight back a headache. "Ah was lonely an' thought... And ah got you! And you've been... just the best. But ah did that!"
Twilight tilted her head. That hadn't been very careful or slow. She backed away out of sight, leaving the family to have their chat.
Winter blinked silently, as was his way. He reached to place a hoof on her, which she shied back from. He set the hoof back down on the ground.
"Oops." Maple swatted gently at a lick of fire on Winter's shoulder. "You alright?" She looked to Summer. "You bought him?"
"I'm the worst," admitted Summer, flopping over entirely.
Winter had so many questions, and so few answers. But, perhaps more, he wanted Summer to stop being so sad... He grunted, practically a shout for him, the fires growing against his will as he struggled against the emotions.
Maple frantically beat at him with a towel, trying to put it out. "Let's just... all calm down, everypony... We can talk about this reasonably and figure--"
"No!" shouted Winter suddenly, his voice cracked and uneven. He hadn't talked in a long time.
Summer sat up suddenly. "Winter?"
"No," he barely got out, shuddering and flickering with his emotions. "No..." Visions of his past life washed into his mind. He had been playing a game, with friends he'd never seen before. He was playing... and then Summer. "No..."
Summer didn't have to flick her ears back, already folded. "Winter... I understand if you're angry at me. I deserve it!"
"No!" he shouted at Summer, fires blazing hot and high and driving Maple back. "No..."
Maple abandoned the towel, useless as it was proving to be. "Summer, perhaps it'd be better if you explained what happened 'xactly."
"Y-yes, of course." Summer looked to Maple and Winter. "When ya first came, you were--"
"Like this," interrupted Twilight, a hologram of a human appearing in the air, with her horn glowing with the same halo of magic.
Winter's eyes widened. That image... it brought back some memories. He had hands. He had fingers. He had a job and a life... He had a lot of things... But he traded it away, without being asked. It was stolen, and in its place, Summer, and Maple. He felt his vision shift, becoming nothing but heat as his eyes shifted to nothing but the fire of a nirik. He could still see, but it was like everything was on fire, the heat haze washing over everything in his vision.
"Like that," miserably allowed Summer. "An ah told ya all about the kirin... an' you became one, the best one I know! My kirin..."
Winter flashed his teeth, deadly sharp in nirik form. Biting her. Yes, that felt like a great thing to do. Bite, tear, and burn until it all made sense again. Yes....
"No!" he barked at that part of himself, stomping with a puff of flames. Most of the town was made of wood, but they had put them in a hut of stone. The why of that seemed suddenly very clear. "No..."
Maple suddenly moved in front of Summer. "Alright, Ah'm the only straight-thinkin' adult in here, so ah'll set it straight." She pointed at Winter. "We love you. But what do you--" She pointed directly at their flaming husband. "--want? We want that. Simple as that."
Summer sat up, blinking. "When did you start talkin' like that?"
"What?" Maple wheeled on her. "I can speak sense when there's sense that needs speakin'!"
Winter crashed to his haunches, still burning. What did he want?
Twilight approached on slow hooves. "I understand part of what you're going through."
Winter looked at the unicorn. How would they know?! They were just saying that. His flames burst higher in irritation. "Hear me out," she gently assured. "I've been chasing Doctor Fetlock, the one who gave you to Summer, for a while."
His flames guttered out suddenly, leaving him tired. He flopped forward onto his belly. "Are you alright?" asked Twilight, looking at the fallen kirin. "Should I... come back later?"
"No." That one word, he had reclaimed. He forced himself upright enough to look at her.
"Continue? Or stay gone?" But she got the hint. "Doctor Fetlock is a master of 'filling holes'. She, somehow, conjures humans to take the part of ponies that are missing, be that through misfortune or simply not existing in the first place." She gestured a bit wildly as she explained. "Once she completes the sale, she doesn't seem to care what happens to the new pony or creature, and divests all responsibility to the new 'owner'."
Winter tried to think on that, to dredge up old memories. He sure didn't remember hearing about tons of missing people, but he didn't remember a lot... Still...
Twilight nudged against Summer, sending her forward. Summer came in with a shy smile. "Ah'm really sorry... If ya don't want nothin' to do wit' me, ah understand. Ain't no excuse fer what ah done."
Winter placed a hoof on her snout. "No..." He frowned. That word was pretty flexible, but he needed more of them... Silence just wasn't enough for that situation. "No... No. I." He turned the booping hoof on himself. "I..." Ugh, stupid words. He drew her in and hugged her firmly. That was an answer!
Summer smiled awkwardly. "Now, no matter what Twilight jus' said, ah ain't yer 'owner'. Yer free to do whatever ya want." Which, apparently, meant hugging her without pause. "Ah'm pretty alright with this option..." A new presence nestled in. She drew Maple into the hug, completing the family. "We are one strange family!" she laughed out, Maple joining her, and a new strange sound coming in third.
Winter was laughing, an odd noise, coming from an unused throat, but it was laughter. His wives hugged him all the tighter as he laughed and cried at once, the pressure running loose that had been held in for so long.
Twilight jumped at a poke, twisting around to see Rain Shine drawing back a hoof. She gestured with her head at the family and backed away. Twilight followed the kirin leader outside the little house. "Can I help you?"
"I can only assume you helped them." She pointed to the hut and its odd family. "Thank you for that. Did I hear him speak? I thought he was silenced... No, that doesn't make sense." She put together the secrets shared with her. "He has decided to speak?"
Twilight nodded firmly. "It was his choice and none other." She let out a slow breath. "I think they'll heal back stronger for it."
"They are welcome to stay, that friendly dream of a kirin." She inclined her head. "He is prompting emotions among my kirin. Jealousy, anger, desire, disgust..."
"Those are not good emotions..." Twilight squinted at Rain Shine. "And you want him to stay longer?"
"For as long as they need to be ready to leave, no more or less." Rain Shine nodded with the stoic energy of kirin. "That goes for you and Applejack, though you two are welcome with less strings attached. Most are pleased to have you here." She leaned in, horn almost touching Twilight's. "In fact, the children had many questions about ponies. Would you have the time to talk to them about it?"
Twilight's eyes shined. "I would be delighted! I'll have a lesson plan prepared for tomorrow. Where is the school?"
Rain Shine led Twilight off. Applejack's advice had been spot on in what motivated the unicorn. Their foals would get an excited lesson, if not exciting, the following day.
"Alright to come in?" Applejack was at the door, smiling at the ponies and kirin within.
"Yes." Another word. Winter waved her in and pointed to the table Summer was seated at.
Summer greeted her with a brief hug. "Hey there. Ya done missed all the drama... Probably fer the best... Already embarassed 'nough that Twilight saw it..."
Applejack cringed at that. "Oooo, that bad?" She looked to Winter curiously. "I heard you. Ya talkin' now?" He nodded. "But only a little. That's fine. Ain't no rush. Got a brother who's powerful quiet. Bet you two would get right along." She flicked an ear back. "He's, uh, met the Good Doctor before..." That got his attention. "Ah'll send him by, you two probably got plenty to chat about."
Maple looked over from where she was trying to finish lunch. "Wait, your brother? So you know all about her then?"
"Not much," she admitted with a shrug and closed eyes for that moment. "Brother ain't talkin' to me much. An' he's quiet to start. But I bet he'll open up to another pony already dealin' with her. Shoot, wish ah could trap her in a room... Ah'd get a few answers out of her..."
Maple brought over a large platter to set on the table, sliding free from her back. "Time to eat, not ruminate, unless yer ruminatin' with yer teeth. Go ahead with that."
Winter walked through the village, at all the kirin enjoying their best lives. They were talking, and so could he. But was he a kirin? He was shaped like one, but even that was odd. He looked girlier than the other boy kirins he saw. He looked girlier than some of the girl kirin he saw. He wasn't born a kirin. He didn't know their ways.
Silence.
He thought silence and stoicism was the root of being a kirin, but that wasn't true. They weren't quiet! They were kinda stoic, but not the stoic Winter had been practicing. He knew nothing of the kirin.
He could go home.
He could grab Summer and Maple and just... leave.
But that hardly felt like a satisfying answer. "No." Ah, his favorite word. But he needed something else...
There! He spotted her talking with another kirin at a stand, buying some fruit? Winter walked up to her quietly as they exchanged bits.
The lady kirin turned to leave and started. "Oh! When did you get there?" She was smiling, that was good. "You're so quiet."
"Yes."
She started anew. "Oh, did they fix you?" She nodded with a gentle smile. "That's a nice voice, you shouldn't hide it. It clears up a few things."
Winter inclined his head at that.
"Well." She seemed to understand him fairly well, that was nice. "You have a stallion's voice. Soft, but stallion. When you talk, it's pretty clear which you are." She glanced away and back quickly, coloring faintly. "You are a stallion, right?"
"Yes." Winter turned a hoof on himself just to aim it at the lady kirin, raising both hooves.
"Wait?" she asked, getting a nod from him. "Sure. What are we waiting for?"
"Bad at... talking." Winter licked over his lips. "Kirin. Teach me?"
"Teach you Kirin? We speak Ponish." She flickered her ornate ears. "Awful entitled of them, calling it that. A lot of creatures speak it. Not really 'ponish' if everyone's using it..."
Winter considred that a moment, but that was a distraction. "No." He had that word nailed down tight. "To be kirin." He turned both hooves at himself. "Not good kirin. Not know kirin. Help?"
She angled her head as she sank to her haunches. "Huh... Well, we have holidays and..." She frowned with new thoughts. "I'm not the one that's best for this." She stood up. "But I know a nice kirin that is. Come with me?"
"Yes." He followed after her with a little smile, radiant on his scale. "Thank you."
"You're quite welcome." They looped around the town to a small amphitheatre. There was a lot of young kirin looking at Twilight Sparkle as she went over something or other. There was a drawing of a pony behind her.
There was another adult there, a mare with a patient look, seated on her haunches. She was watching the young kirin more than whatever Twilight was going over. Winter's guide went right up to that one. "Afternoon!" They nodded at one another. "Wanted to talk to you about him." She pointed back at Winter.
She leaned around the other mare to look at the quiet Winter. "He's the one they're talking about." She put her cloven hoof over her snout. "Pardon me, that was rude... But I hear you... I hear a lot of things." She lowered her hoof. "My students are ever the source of gossip. Gossip and seasonal sniffles. Two constants of the teaching life."
Winter leaned in, curiosity not well hidden. "Teach. Me?" He pointed at himself. "Kirin."
The other mare shook her head. "I think he wants to learn how to be a kirin."
"Oh! Hm." She circled around Winter. "But you are a kirin... How would I teach an acorn how to be an acorn, or lecture an apple on being an apple?"
Winter shook his head. "No." Ah, that word had its uses. "Not kirin." He pointed at himself. "Something else. Then kirin. Teach how kirin, please."
The other mare rubbed at her cheek. "I think he wants to know a lot of what you're teching the foals here. That's why I brought him. He has the physical part down, but not up here." She tapped at the side of her head.
"Hm." She looked over at Twilight still rambling. "Let's start with the basics... Thank you, I'll take this from here."
The other mare smiled brightly. "Great! Good luck, Winter!" She departed with his friendly wave in the action.
The teacher pointed to herself. "Introductions. I am Still Insight. You are.."
"Winter Flames." He was thankful he was talking. Giving a name silently could be trying at times. "Hello."
"Hello to you too." She inclined an ear. "You are talking as if you just started talking."
Winter shrunk at that. "Yes."
"Were you silenced?" She tapped at her own throat. "I thought they fixed everyrin."
Winter shook his head. "I... thought." He frowned. "Thought..."
"Calm down," gently bade Still. "There's no rush."
Her patience was a soothing balm. "Thought kirin were quiet."
"Sometimes they are." She pointed at her class. "Most of them are being quiet, like good students. The moment I allow them, they will get quite loud, like foals. Kirin are creatures, like any other. We are loud, and we are quiet. Never either forever."
Winter felt a smile coming, and didn't resist it. She was teaching how to kirin, and she was a real kirin. First hand accounts, at last! "Thank you." He tapped himself gently. "Am I bad kirin?"
"What? No!" A few foals peeked over and she waved for them to pay attention to Twilight. "No... Some kirin are very quiet. Up to them, and up to you. That doesn't make them bad kirin, or good ones. They just are. What's important is what you do with the sounds you do make, and in the silence. Are you nice?"
Winter nodded quickly. He was a good and nice kirin! Or so he hoped.
"Then how quiet you are doesn't matter as much." Still gently patted Winter on the shoulder. "Do you know about nirik?" His confused expression spoke volumes. "Ever get angry? So angry you..."
Winter got that. "Yes." He perked and sank almost at once. "I... do not like..."
"It has its place." Still pointed off. "Autumn showed us that. When the need is there, be glad you have it, but there are ways to keep it calm when it's not." She had his complete attention. "It'll come out without asking if you let a lot of anger build up." She turned to the class as a whole. "Pardon, Twilight. Class; When you're feeling very angry?"
"You let it out," shouted the class as one, bursting into foalish giggles. Everyrin knew that!
Still nodded at Winter. "Don't hold it back. If you're angry, or sad, or anything else, be that. It's not wrong to be any of those things. Holding them back gives the nirik power to break free when you don't need it."
Winter's eyes were wide with wonder. It all made a lot of sense, having it said out loud like that... Bottling up emotions was bad! He knew that... He knew that and he forgot it, trying to be a perfectly stoic kirin... Dumb.. "I feel dumb." There, he admitted it, and he already felt a little better. "Thank you."
"You should never feel dumb for not knowing something." She booped the nose of her largest student. "Maybe if you ignore what you know."
Winter wriggled his nose with a muted squeak. "Yes... Let it out... Then no nirik?"
"That's most of it." She shrugged. "But, sometimes, if there's a powerful reason, you will get angry, or sad, or something else. Especially if you need to protect a loved one... Don't hold the nirik back, it's part of you. Invite it free, and be it." With a rush of flames, the teacher combusted. No anger, no tears. She was just on fire. She still had her gentle smile despite the licks of flames. "You are the nirik too."
Winter couldn't help himself. He reached out and put a hoof on the Nirik, and he didn't burn. "Not burn."
"Oh." She fizzled out with a puff of smoke, returned to her kirin self. "It's very hard to burn a kirin, and even harder to burn a nirik. We are creatures of calm flames, burning tranquility." She laughed gently. "It's in our names." She pointed to herself. "Still, quiet, calm. Insight, a flash, bright, sudden." She turned that hoof on Winter. "Winter, cool, calm, sedate. Flames, hot, burning, urgent. We are both of those things. That is what being a kirin is. That is what being a nirik is. Take pride in both halves."
Winter tilted his head left and right. "How... nirik?" He reached out a hoof, and it refused to just be on fire by thinking fire at it.
Still grasped his hoof between both of hers. "You have to feel it. That rush of urgency. Anger's an easy one to reach for, everyrin knows what it's like to be mad..."
Did every kirin? Winter had worked so hard not to feel it... but he had felt it. He thought back to the times he burned and raged, unable to stop. That frantic thumping in his chest and the manic sensation. He had to do something! He just didn't know what!
"There you are."
What? Winter looked down over a burning leg. He was on fire. He was a nirik. In his startled jump, the flames went out, returning him to normal.
"You have the start." She patted him gently on the head, just behind his horn. "You can get the rest now. You just need practice. Now, it has been a delight showing you a few things, but I do have a class." She nodded to them as Twilight was wrapping up. "If you'd like, come back when the sun's low. The class will be home, and we can talk more."
Still walked to the front of the class. "Thank you, Twilight. Class, what do we say to nice creatures?"
"Thank you, Teacher Twilight," they said as one, giggling loudly right afterwards.
Twilight dipped her head at the Still and the class. "A pleasure. I hope that has proven enlightening." She looked past Still, to where Winter was sitting. "Oh, Winter. I hope that was a nice chat?"
"Quite." Still gently patted at Twilight. "Now, you've done your part, twice over from my counting. Class, let's continue." She was back in teaching mode, and the class proceeded.
Twilight went to Winter. "Good afternoon."
"Hello." He smiled at the friendly unicorn. "Can talk?"
"You can," she verified.
That was not what he had meant... "Time. Talk about Fetlock."
Twilight perked. "You came here for that?"
"No." He pointed at Still. "Lean about kirin. Learn about nirik." He smiled gently. "Good learning. I am... glad I did that... I will do it again. But I want to... learn... about Fetlock."
Twilight inclined her head. "Alright. You are a victim of hers, so, yes. What do you want to know?"
"Who is she?" That felt like a safe starting point.
"A unicorn." Twilight pointed up at her own horn. "Like me. Much less regarding of friendship or moralities, unlike me... As I said before, she makes creatures, often to replace a lost or 'missing' one her client has in mind."
"Where?"
Twilight shook her head. "A fine question! Manehattan, usually, but she travels, a lot, and is good at hiding in the cracks of society. She seems to advertise through word of mouth. Somepony heard of her, who told somepony, who told Summer. She then went to Fetlock and described what she wanted, and then you..."
Winter inclined his head slowly. "And then me..." He sat up. "Am I a monster?"
"No!" Twilight pressed both hooves on his front. "You are a victim. As a creature, you're fine, and quite nice from what I've seen. You are loved, and have friends. Whatever your origin may be, these are not things anypony can argue with."
Winter leaned in, nose twitching. "Would you be alright, if she made another Twilight, even if they were very nice?"
Twilight worked her mouth silently, imagining that. "I..." That was a heavy question! "I would..."
"I am kirin." Winter nodded to one wife and then the other.
Summer applauded with a clopping meeting that Maple joined an instant after. "Good."
Maple nodded firmly. "Ah knew you were. Glad you feel better 'bout it."
Winter went up to touch nose to cheek with each. "Learning. Wait?"
Summer inclined her head.
Maple got it. "Wait for you?" He nodded. "Of course we're gonna wait for you." She swatted at him. "That's what a family would do, ain't it?"
Summer nodded firmly. "We're going nowhere until you're ready to go. But, just to note." She reached over, slapping a hoof on a sheet of paper. "Our home isn't a world away. You can still reach out and talk to these kirin any time ya want."
Winter willed the paper in the air to float in front of him for proper consideration. "Yes... Not yet." He put the paper down in his magic. "Learn more. Then." He pointed to the paper. "Then."
Maple slapped both hooves down on Winter's chest. "Listen t'you! All talkin' an' whatnot." She nestled in, rubbing the top of her head under Winter's chin, nose to his throat. "I like it. I liked it before, but I like this too..."
Summer smiled at both of them. "Here's a 'hear hear' to that. Our stallion done got even better. Didn't think it was possible." She turned for the small stove. "Now, since ya went and found yer voice... What do you want for lunch?"
Winter perked up at that. "Lunch." As if he were tasting the word more than any theoretical food. "Mmm... Meat."
Summer perked her ears, turning around halfway, curling so her front and back both faced him. "Meat? Oh, since you can ask, do kirin eat meat?"
A fine question that made him think with a raised hoof to his chin. "I don't... know. But I want meat."
Summer nodded. "Well, if you want it, yer gettin' it! Gimmie half a trot to get some." She abandoned the goal of reaching the stove to take off out the door towards the market.
Maple sat next to him. "Why meat? Ah mean, sure, everycreature's got their taste... but why that?"
Winter considered a quiet moment. "Good memories. Meat." He held up his hooves as if holding a sandwhich between them, a big perfect burger. "I..." He dropped the phantom burger. "I was not a kirin." The words left him heavily, a big thing to admit. "I was not a kirin..."
"You're a Winter," argued Maple. "And a darn tootin' fine Winter at that!"
Winter smiled at Maple's eagerness. "Thank you. I was not a kirin. I liked meat." He licked over his lips. "Cow?"
Maple's eyes went wide. "Woah! Wait... don't let the cows hear you say that... They're creatures too, you know." She glanced left and right for privacy and leaned in. "Pretty sure only Griffons would trade that kinda meat..."
Winter hummed softly. "Hm..."
"Yer thinkin' the wrong thing!" Maple bapped at him impotently. "We're not visitin' the griffons to buy that."
"Okay," he allowed, sagging a little. He was a bit sad, and he showed it. Let it show... He'd keep that nirik away until it was needed.
Maple blinked softly. "Did... Huh... I'm not used to you... showin' yer emotions like that."
"Back!" Summer came rushing in with a bag on her back, bouncing with each step. "Hope yer ready!" She leaned off to let the bag fall to the counter where it flopped open, revealing two smaller packages within. "Ah ain't no specialty when it comes to this, so ah let them give me a sampler."
Winter rushed up for a peek. One of them was fish, smelled like it. Trout. The other was bird, and it smelled, unsurprisingly, of raw chicken. Neither were cow, but he clapped anyway. "I can help."
Summer touched noses with him. "But I want to make a treat."
He returned the touch, rubbing. "It will be a treat... to cook with you. With you both?"
Maple jumped up to her hooves. "Let's do it!"
So they got to cooking. Winter remembered how to prepare meat, and ended up leading the way, but they all had their hooves on it, the meal a creation of their shared want to make up some tasty food.
A snout poked in, a kirin stallion following it. "Mmm, something smells wonderful. What are you making?" The idea of personal space in private property seemed a loose concept among the kirin.
Winter pointed proudly at the food he was gently prodding with a magic-held spatula. "Fish and Fowl. Tasty." He licked his lips in eager anticipation. "Share?"
"Gladly." He moved to sit at the small table. "Thanks!"
Summer sat across from the new kirin. "Hey, since yer here, got a kirin question."
"If I can help." The kirin inclined his head at Summer. "What is the question?"
Summer pointed to the joyfully cooking Winter. "What do kirin usually eat? What's good for 'em? I want to fill my stallion with what'll keep him happy and healthy."
The stallion perked his tufted ears up, going red at the tips of them. "Oh! That's... very thoughtful of you. We kirin can eat a lot of things." He hummed with thoughts of foods filling his mind. "But a healthy kirin mixes fruit and vegetables in. We can eat hay, like a pony, but we aren't ponies." He smiled wider than he had to, pointing to his canines. "We like meat." He glimmered with heat. "We're good at cooking it. He seems to know that."
"Yes!" Winter approached with a serving platter floating next to him. "I hope you are hungry." He set the platter down in the center of the table and slid in himself. "Eat."
Maple sank next to him. "Gladly. Ah ain't the meat kind usually, but this smells great."
"Agreed," joined the kirin.
Things quieted down, save for the sounds of chomping and eager consumption. "Mmm." The stallion nodded at Winter. "You can cook."
"I can cook," he agreed with a smile. "Thank you." He took another big chunk of breaded bird. "Mmm..."
Summer scurried off, returning with a bowl of various fruits she put beside the main dish. "A healthy kirin eats this too! So does a healthy pony."
The kirin looked to Winter. "She was asking about kirin food. You seem to know it already. Meat, fruits, a little hay and vegetables... All good. We like our food cooked."
Winter nodded firmly. "Better when.... cooked, yes. Thank you." He willed a bit of trout up, tapping it with the kirin's bit and they chomped together, then a slice of apple and some cherries. Mmm. Though that made him think. He picked up a peach from the bowl. "How... Cook?"
The kirin eyed it a moment, but it clicked. "Oh! Never heard of baking? You can make all kinds of tasty fruits into pies and cakes and things." He licked his lips with appreciation. "If you don't know, your mares might?" He looked to them.
Summer took the peach from Winter. "Peach pie? I can do that! I'd want you to take the--" She didn't get to finish. The peach glowed brightly with Winter's magic, splitting in half and the core casually falling out. "Like that... but a lot of peaches to make the treat with." She looked to the new kirin. "Ain't nothin' wrong with a peach jus' the way it is, ah hope?"
The kirin willed one of the two halves over and took a nice big chomp out of it. "Nope." Easy answer that. "Mmm, but it's even better when it's cooked. Most things are."
Heat was a part of him. Heat was a part of a healthy happy kirin... That made sense. Winter bounced in place a little, feeling happier by the moment. He was a kirin. He hadn't been a kirin before, but he was a kirin, and that was a fine thing to be! "Sorry."
The other kirin blinked. "Sorry?"
Winter pointed at the two mares. "Want time."
"Oh!" The stallion got to his hooves. "Sorry. See you later." He left without further prompting. Getting between a stallion and their mate wasn't on his plans for the day.
With privacy returned, Winter went to touch nose to each of his wives' cheeks. "I love you."
Maple began to tear up suddenly. "Wow... Ah always knew ya did... but hearin' it... Don't ever hesitate to say that again."
Summer grabber Winter by the cheeks. "I don't love you. I adore you." She brought him closer by the cheeks, touching noses. "You are my everythin'... If you are hurt or sad, you tell us."
Winter felt something... oh... he was crying too. Happy tears. No flames were trying to escape him, just liquid pride. "Yes." That word felt improper. Insufficient. Weak, small... Just not enough. He nuzzled and nipped Summer's ear, just to turn that same loving attention on Maple. "I love you both. I am not mad." He sank to his haunches. "I am not mad. I am happy." He thumped his own chest. "I am glad to be me."
Maple leaned in against Winter. "I'm glad yer who you are too, and who that is ain't a solid thin'." She nudged against him. "It'll change. We'll change... Part of bein' 'live."
Summer nodded at that. "Well said! Ha... I feel silly now. Alright, I'll make up for it by making some of that pie. Winter, you promised to help."
Winter scrambled to his hooves and followed after her to help some some fruits ready for the pie process. "Yes. Tonight, going to class. Learn how to kirin..."
Still Insight was waiting patiently in the darkening ampitheatre. "There you are." Her horn began to glow as she spotted Winter approaching. "I was worried a moment you may not come."
"No." Ah, that mastered word. "I want to learn." He tapped at his own chest. "I am happy to be a kirin. Show me how to... How to be a good kirin."
Still gently pressed a cloven hoof to his face. "You're already a good kirin."
Winter sank to his haunches. "You... don't know?"
"I do know," Still gently countered. "You have friends and family that came all this way just for you. That doesn't happen easily for bad creatures, kirin or not. You are loved and you are cared for. If that isn't a good creature, I must not know what one of those are."
Winter inclined an ornate ear, not that the mare before him had one any less so. "I was not a kirin. I am now."
"I think you mentioned that... What were you? You don't have to tell me, but I am curious" Still willed a steaming cup closer. "Want some tea?"
Winter accepted the tea, taking the cup into his magic as she grabbed another. "I was tall." He stood up. "Like this. Less fur." He felt over himself. "Most here." He clonked down on the top of his head. "Um... No tail." He looked back at his long thin tail. Life without it felt like a strange thing to consider. "Fingers." He held up a cloven hoof, only two fingers there. "Happy. I was happy. I am happy now."
"Good," she chimed, sipping her tea. "You've gone from a happy place to another. I can think of worse things. Did you ask to be a kirin?"
"No." He sank back to his haunches. "I did not."
"Oh..." She shook her head slowly. "That isn't good. One shouldn't make a creature into a different creature without asking. That is rude. You agree?"
"I agree." That teacher seemed to know which way was up. "But I am happy."
"Good." She inclined her head. "But you look like you have a question."
"I asked Twilight something." He pointed to where that happened. "If she would be happy, if another Twilight appeared, no matter hownice the new Twilight was."
Still blinked at that. "Is there another of you?"
"I don't think so..." He patted himself down as if a second copy could fall out with the effort. "Just one."
"Good, good... Then that question is for her to think about. For you, a different situation." She drew from her tea gently. "You were one thing, and happy. You are something else, and happy. That sounds good to me. What do you feel like?"
"I want to find the pony who did it."
"And punish them?"
Winter inclined his head slowly. "No... I am not angry. I have questions."
Still set a hoof on his shoulder. "We don't always get to ask our maker questions, and even they don't always have it even when we do."
