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Veteran Guardsmares in RGRE

By Wingnut
Created: 2022-05-22 23:15:04
Updated: 2022-05-24 02:03:56
Expiry: Never

  1. >Be Anon, the local interdimensional alien.
  2. >That title would usually conjure images of secret government labs, sadistic scientists, horrifying experiments and men in suits interrogating you.
  3. >Not a rather normal-looking bar filled with colorful ponies.
  4. >The pony part is the only odd thing about the bar. Odd for you, anyway, seeing as ponies are the local dominant sapient lifeform.
  5. >In this country, at least. Other countries apparently have lots more sapient species.
  6. >You see a few now and then as you're going on your walks, but that's it. Ponies are the majority.
  7. >Nice people, for the most part.
  8. >They didn't lock you up to experiment on you or anything like that.
  9. >Well, they did, but only temporarily, and it was to see if you were carrying any diseases that might be dangerous to them.
  10. >Just a quarantine and a bunch of blood/urine/stool/spit/hair samples and medical checkups.
  11. >No anal probes, thank goodness.
  12. >Ass status: still exit only.
  13. >The fact that there's lots of other sapient species probably was the likeliest reason they didn't freak out more.
  14. >After some weird magical experiments, they determined that they wouldn't be able to send you home.
  15. >You disbelieved the "magic" at first, but it took about five seconds of seeing them casually violating the laws of physics left and right to accept that this world worked differently.
  16. >After a while of telling them what you know, trading a few gadgets like your digital watch to their scientists and learning some social customs, you were released.
  17. >They paid you well, you were able to afford rent for at least a year ahead.
  18. >Plenty of time to find a job and get situated.
  19. >The social customs, though...
  20. >It was like some kind of parody.
  21. >Their society was immensely like the human one on Earth, except with the gender roles flipped upside down.
  22. >With most ponies of both genders acting more like overdone stereotypes you'd see on TV rather than real people.
  23. >Whiny, bitchy, bratty, weak stallions that the soyboys at home would be proud of.
  24. >"Marely" mares that acted more like a bunch of frat boys than any man that you knew in real life.
  25. >It took you a while to really get it.
  26. >For better or for worse, despite being an alien, you were immediately labeled as a "stallion".
  27. >Better, because that meant you managed to sort of immediately slide into their society, without the months/years of social ostracizing and proving you're a decent person or whatever.
  28. >Worse, because: a) Everyone expected you to act like the most annoying kind of woman you have seen on Earth. Ugh.
  29. >b) The mares were also after your ass.
  30. >Still no anal probes, fortunately
  31. >It didn't even make sense!
  32. >The stallions still were the ones that mounted the mares, so what did mares care about what a stallion's ass is like?
  33. >Didn't stop them with smacking yours with their damn hard hooves now and then.
  34. >Or "accidentally" running into you when they figured out that your crotch was generally at their face level.
  35. >Fuckingaliens.jpg
  36. >They drove you to drink.
  37. >You didn't turn into an alcoholic or anything remotely like that, but you still frequented drinking establishments a little more often than you used to.
  38. >Getting free drinks now and then was nice, though they were often some kind of horrifyingly girly cocktails.
  39. >Or "colty", as they call them here.
  40. >True to the frat boy nature of the mares buying you drinks, they were also often laced with something.
  41. >Fortunately, none of their magical date-rape drugs worked on you.
  42. >They'd either go right through you, or just make you a little more buzzed.
  43. >One time, you could have sworn the mares just emptied a whole shaker of salt into your drink.
  44. >What the hell was that even supposed to achieve? Raise your blood pressure?
  45. >Busting them or downing a dozen fruity drinks without getting affected at all and walking away with a laugh was hilarious.
  46. >It was funny for a time, but since you went to bars to get away from that crap, you kept looking for new ones.
  47. >Eventually, you found an out of the way kind of place.
  48. >It was semi-hidden and a bit hard to find, but it was actually really great.
  49. >Not a seedy dive bar on the outskirts, but more of a hangout place for the local police/military to get a pint at after work.
  50. >A guardsmare recommended it to you after you actually got into a fight with some mares.
  51. >You drank some three hundred bit's worth of fancy-ass cocktails, ones that they kept spiking more and more frantically.
  52. >In the end, you laughed at them, told them to go fuck themselves, and tried to leave.
  53. >They had a bunch of drinks too, though, and were sloshed enough to "not care about hitting a smartflank stallion".
  54. >You ended up beating the crap out of four of them, with two more running away.
  55. >That was a fun night.
  56. >The guards didn't believe you, of course, but there were a couple dozen witnesses.
  57. >Not that they thought you were the aggressor, but they couldn't believe that a "stallion" would not only pick a fight with some mares, but also do something more than sissy-slap them.
  58. >After you explained the situation and the constant drugging attempts, one guardsmare told you that you should visit her haunt, instead.
  59. >"Almost no one but active and retired guardsmares go there," she explained. "No guarantees that you won't be hit on, but anyone trying to drug a colt there would get pony-piled and knocked out faster than they could blink."
  60. >It was called The Palisade.
  61. >It turned out to be a nice place.
  62. >You got lots and LOTS of looks, some whistles and comments about your legs, but the mares there at least knew the "look, don't touch" rule.
  63. >And were disciplined enough to actually follow it.
  64. >You were fine with that.
  65. >That's where you were right now, having an ale.
  66. >That brought a smile to your face, and not just because it was good.
  67. >When you approached the bartender the first time you came there, she politely told you "Sorry darling, but I don't think we have the kind of stuff you'd like here."
  68. >You scoffed and told her to speak for herself, and go gargle cocktails if she wanted to.
  69. >Then you asked for the darkest, most bitter ale that they had.
  70. >That earned you some raised eyebrows and a slightly open mouth.
  71. >The barmare was clearly and old hand (hoof?) at it, though.
  72. >After a second of recovery, she shrugged, and poured you a mug, though she watched you very intently as you examined it.
  73. >It was a lovely dark color with a nice foam.
  74. >You took a sip, then downed half of it in one go. It was good. Real good.
  75. "That was great. I'll take another, please," you asked with a smile.
  76. >This time, the barmare couldn't hide her shock.
  77. >A bunch of the patrons behind you started whispering, as well.
  78. >You chuckled as you took your second mug from the flabbergasted mare and went to find a seat.
  79. >That was a fun memory.
  80. >So here you were, sprawled out on one of the short, pony-height chairs, enjoying a drink after a long day.
  81. >The furniture was one of the few small annoyances about Equestria.
  82. >Overall, you weren't all that much bigger than the average pony, but you were far taller.
  83. >Which meant that you had to splay your legs out awkwardly every time you sat down, sometimes reaching under other pony's chairs.
  84. >The mares didn't mind. At all. They did the opposite of minding it as they openly ogled your legs.
  85. >Long legs was a thing around here, apparently.
  86. >Still, they did keep to themselves, though a few would "accidentally" drape their tails over your legs now and then.
  87. >You didn't mind. Honestly, it was better than putting them on the floor. The ponies had some pretty nice tails.
  88. >Overall, you could sit there calmly without having to watch your drink for any levitating pills getting tossed into it, or getting crude comments about your balls.
  89. >The only mare you really talked to here so far was the one who told you about the bar.
  90. >To your surprise, she didn't try hitting on you.
  91. >She already had a "herd", apparently.
  92. >Another quirk of their culture. The males were born less often than the females, which probably led to them being the coddled gender.
  93. >Which also meant that families were often made of mini-harems of multiple mares per stallion.
  94. >So it came as a slight surprise to you when when a few mares approached you.
  95. >"Darn... My regular seat's taken... And what *is* that creature?"
  96. "Hmmm?"
  97. >You've only been coming here a couple weeks.
  98. >You assumed that the regulars would eventually start talking you up.
  99. >They were certainly sizing you up more often instead of acting shocked by your "janefilly" behavior as you came in lately.
  100. >This didn't sound like it, though.
  101. >You turn towards the voice.
  102. >It takes you a few seconds to process the sight.
  103. >Three mares are standing in front of your table.
  104. >They're an unusual sight, though. You've almost never seen ponies like them.
  105. >Crippled.
  106. >One pegasus, her entire left side scarred, and with nothing but a stump for a wing.
  107. >Looks like burns of some kind, but how did she get burned so evenly?
  108. >One unicorn, her horn broken halfway, standing in a slightly crooked fashion.
  109. >Leg injury?
  110. >And an earth pony... With both her hindlegs missing.
  111. >She's riding around with her rump in a mini-cart of sorts.
  112. "Yes? Can I help you, ladies?"
  113. >That gives them pause.
  114. >Ponies tend to be confused when they see you at first, but that tends to disappear the second you open your mouth.
  115. >You have a relatively deep voice, which immediately identifies you as a "stallion" to them.
  116. >The earth pony folds her ears.
  117. >"That's fine, it's nothing. Just, it's a little hard to find space for... Nevermind, sir, enjoy your evening."
  118. "Hold up."
  119. >It only takes a second to figure it out.
  120. >The table you've taken is in a corner, near a support beam.
  121. >The beam makes it so that there's no space for another table, but enough extra room to stretch your legs out comfortably from your chair.
  122. >You assume the earth mare with the cart needs some extra space, too.
  123. "Come on, you can have the seat. I don't want you to have to run around looking for some space. I can sit anywhere else."
  124. >They're a little taken aback by this.
  125. >The pegasus, who was checking out your legs, raises her eyes in surprise.
  126. >The unicorn raises an eyebrow.
  127. >The earth pony speaks again.
  128. >"Really? Are you sure? We're just here for a drink. I don't want to sit next to a silently resentful passive-aggressive stallion all evening. Uh, I mean..."
  129. >You narrow your eyes as she stammers a bit.
  130. >That kind of comment is exactly what you go here to get away from.
  131. >After months of things like that, you were getting more than a little annoyed.
  132. >Fortunately, you figured out ways to get back at the mares without doing anything violent or stupid.
  133. "And I don't want to sit next to a smarta- smartflank meathead mare all evening. So how about we both behave like civilized people, and we won't have to sit next to people we don't want to?"
  134. >"Ummm... okay...?"
  135. "In fact, I have an even better idea. Come here..."
  136. >You reach out with your arms and gently, but firmly grab the mare by the forelegs.
  137. >Her eyes become wide as saucers.
  138. >"Wait, what are you-"
  139. >Since she has no leverage on her back side, pulling her by the forelegs makes the cart roll forward towards you.
  140. >You carefully lift her from the cart.
  141. >That makes the other two's eyes go wide as well.
  142. >"Strong one," the unicorn mutters quietly.
  143.  
  144. >You lift the mare and put her in the best seat in the house.
  145. >Your lap.
  146. >She's frozen stiff, not quite sure what is happening.
  147. >Being "marehandled" by a stallion is a very unusual experience for mares, you found out.
  148. >They tend to freeze up when you do that, which makes it funny.
  149. "There. Now neither one of us has to sit NEXT to each other. You can sit right here in my lap."
  150. >If you did this to a girl on Earth, she'd likely be screaming her head off by now.
  151. >If the situation was reversed, tough...
  152. >Yeah, you'd likely be as confused as the mare.
  153. >"Lap..?" she mutters.
  154. >It's not how pony's legs really work, so they don't have laps others can sit on.
  155. "Yep, my anatomy's different, courtesy of being an alien. Get comfortable," You explain, reaching for your beer.
  156. >The mares just stare at you in confusion for a full minute.
  157. >Eventually, the pegasus mutters something.
  158. >You swear you heard an "unf" in there.
  159. >Looks like she figured out that your choice of sitting positions would be considered rather sexual, if you were a pony.
  160. >You, however, possess the amazing, undefeatable power of PANTS!
  161. >Which makes the situation lewd at worst.
  162. >The earth pony wiggles around a little bit as she decides to follow your advice.
  163. >Whoa.
  164. >Clearly, she's keeping up with some kind of physical therapy or exercises despite her missing legs, because she has some serious muscle in there.
  165. >Unf indeed.
  166. >"So, uh, girls..." She adresses her companions. "Go get me a drink? I don't think I'm going to be moving much this evening. I'm rather enjoying this seat."
  167. >The two nod, going to the bar.
  168. >You chuckle as you gently keep her stable with one hand on her chest, while holding your mug with the other one.
  169. >She bites her lip, before speaking.
  170. >"So, look, I'm sorry about what I said. Honestly. Just had a long day, you know?"
  171. "I can understand that. And I'm sorry for dragging you around like that. That was uncalled for, but I'm a little short on temper in regards to baseless sexist comments."
  172. >"Base- no, nevermind."
  173. "Heh. Too late. And yes, baseless. It might apply to your stallions, maybe. But I'm not a stallion, I'm a man. Same way a male griffon is a tercel, not a stallion. I'm a different species."
  174. >"I guess? I heard gryphon males still act a lot like stallions, though..."
  175. "I'm not even from this dimension," you shrug. "The very fabric of reality is different where I'm from. It's nice to be accepted as one of the ponies, but when you start to expect me to act exactly the same, it gets annoying."
  176. >"Alien, huh..." She turns her neck to look at you more closely.
  177. >"I think I heard about you. I thought you meant you were from really far away, but you're that guy that was in the papers a few months ago, right?"
  178. "Yeah, I think I was the big story for a few weeks. I certainly talked to lots of reporters about it. I'm surprised it fizzled out so fast, honestly. An alien would be big news forever where I'm from."
  179. >"Well, we saw some really weird manure in the last few years, so... Ponies are less surprised, I guess. Maybe if you turned out to be giant, or really weird looking, or something, the interest would have lasted longer.
  180. >You shrug.
  181. "Hooray for me, I guess," you muse, idly running your fingers through her chest fluff.
  182. >Her breathing gets a little faster and her muscles tense for a moment.
  183. >Her companions return, carrying several mugs on their backs.
  184. >"Soo, uh... Who's your new friend there, Sab?" The pegasus asks.
  185. >Sab? That's an odd name for a pony.
  186. >"Oh, I haven't asked him his name yet,.. Or introduced myself," she grins sheepishly.
  187. >"My name's Sabaton," she says.
  188. >Now it makes more sense. You take a peek at her rear. It's an armored pony hoof.
  189. >"My friends here are Sky River and Warden," she indicates the pegasus and the unicorn, respectively.
  190. "Pleasure to meet you. My name's Anonymous, or just Anon for short."
  191. >They share out their drinks. You notice that Warden doesn't use magic at all.
  192. >A few minutes pass in silence as the mares take sips from their mugs.
  193. >They're clearly interested in you, examining you from the corners of their eyes while attempting to appear aloof.
  194. >It's not working very well.
  195. >They don't seem to know where to start, though.
  196. >Honestly, you don't either, so you just relax and decide to go with the flow.
  197. >Eventually, Sky River speaks up,
  198. >"So, that's... An interesting way to sit, Anon. Do stallions usually sit with mares on top where you're from?"
  199. "Not... Exactly. Sometimes. Also, not really a stallion."
  200. >Sabaton explains the whole "alien" thing while you take another swig of your drink.
  201. >"So, if your people don't really usually do it either, why'd you grab Sabaton like that?"
  202. "Just... Frustrated, I guess. Too many mares keep annoying me every day. She just happened to be the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak."
  203. >Their expressions fall at hearing that.
  204. "Relax, I'm not mad at her," You reassure them. "Just wanted to mess with her a bit."
  205. >The unicorn frowns.
  206. >"Are mares really putting you down all day long? I didn't think ponies in Canterlot were raised that badly..."
  207. "Well, not really putting me down. More like telling me dumb things and to "act more like a stallion", slapping me on the rear, and making comments about my legs. And balls."
  208. >Warden snorts into her drink, almost choking. The other two quickly raise their mugs in an attempt not to laugh.
  209. >Sabaton speaks next.
  210. >"Well, couldn't you just, y'know, explain things the same way you just did to us? That you're different from pony stallions?"
  211. >You open your mouth, close it, then sit there, staring into the distance for a whole minute.
  212. >The mares seem a little concerned.
  213. "Huh. Oh, I tried. Believe me, I tried. But whenever, I start talking, the mare's eyes tend to glaze over in half a second, and they just start nodding automatically, repeating stuff like "That's nice, sweetie", "uh huh", "go on".
  214.  
  215. "While staring at my legs or trying to see through my pants, too. Or while running their tails along my crotch, or wrapping them around my legs and stroking them. You... Hm. You're probably the only mares outside the scientists and professors that interviewed me that I had a real conversation with. We've barely begun to talk, and this is already the longest conversation I had in weeks."
  216. >The three mares all cringe a little.
  217. >Warden rubs the back of her head sheepishly.
  218. >"Well, uh.. Yeah, mares are... Well, they're mares, you know? We can't help what we are."
  219. >You think that over.
  220. "I don't think that's entirely right, since we're talking just fine. You're the nicest bunch of mares I met so far."
  221. >They don't seem to take the compliment well, if their drooping ears are any indication. Odd.
  222. "I honestly don't know what's the bigger insult there. The fact that they think I'm so dumb that I'm not going to notice they're not listening to me, or the fact that they think I'm not going to *hear* them discussing the best ways to "drag him and his sexy legs home, and teach him to behave like a proper stallion" and how "it'll be easy to rein him in with a firm hoof and guidance from a real mare".
  223. >Ugh.
  224. >You take a long pull from your mug. It's almost empty at this point.
  225. >The mare's eyes dart around uncomfortably, and they try to hide inside their mugs, if the way they're drinking is any indication.
  226. >"Well, you see..." Warden begins.
  227. "Yes, I do see," you interrupt. "We have a saying back home. "There's no smoke without a fire." So from my few interactions with your stallions, I already know that, mostly, they're about as airheaded as the mares make them out to be. It's a perfect match, really. If the mares were more sane, I'd be sorry for them, but as things stand, you all really deserve each other," you finish with a snort.
  228. >"So, uh... Few interactions? You don't usually hang out with other stallions?" Cloud River asks.
  229. >You make a face. A really, really disgusted face. She looks at you with confused expression.
  230. "No. HELL no. If I stay around them any longer than strictly necessary, I won't resist the urge to smack them upside the head, and shout at them to man up and grow some balls already. Not that it even means anything to them. Argh."
  231. >The three mares stare at you for a good long while, until Sabaton exclaims.
  232. >"You really are an alien."
  233. >You snort.
  234. "No kidding. A thirsty alien. I'm going to need a refill. Do you mind if I get up?"
  235. >The other two immediately get up,
  236. >"No, no, we'll get you a drink," Warden says.
  237. >"Yeah, we need a refill anyway. Be right back," Sky River adds.
  238.  
  239. >You shrug. Fine by you. Absentmindedly, you run your fingers through Sabaton's coat again, while playing with her mane.
  240. >She tenses up again, but slowly leans into you.
  241. >You notice her tense and wonder if you're doing anything inappropriate.
  242. >Then you remember all the wildly inappropriate things mares say and do to you all the time.
  243. >Yeah, this is nothing.
  244. >You continue slowly petting her while her friends are off getting drinks.
  245. >It's actually quite relaxing. Her coat is nice and soft.
  246. >You didn't tell the others what to get you, but at least they can't get anything too bad in this place.
  247. >They return in a minute, still looking a little surprised.
  248. >"Uhh, we weren't sure what to get you, so we asked the barmare what you usually drink," Warden says.
  249. >"You actually like ale? The real good, bitter stuff?" Sky River asks.
  250. "Wouldn't be here if I didn't, would I? Not like this place sells other kind of drinks," You say, reaching for your mug.
  251. >"It's safe, by the way," Warden adds. "We didn't mess with your drink, I promise."
  252. >You chuckle.
  253. "Wouldn't do anything if you did. Fortunately for me, your weird pony date-rape drugs don't work on me at all. I found that out through lots of experience."
  254. >Warden scowls.fiercely.
  255. >"Seriously? Right here in Canterlot? I'd expect that from some seedy holes in Manehatten or other cities, but the capital..."
  256. >She seems to have the strongest reactions to ponies misbehaving.
  257. >With a special emphasis on Canterlot.
  258. >Maybe she's a local, or perhaps some kind of noble.
  259. >The few that you met did tend to go on and on about "proper behavior", despite being massive douchenozzles themselves.
  260. >It seemed that "The aristocrats!" was as much of a joke here as back on Earth.
  261. "Yeah. Maybe I went to some "bad parts of town" or something, I don't really know. But it happened fairly often. Honestly, I can't say for certain how often that happened, because mares would end up buying drinks for me every single time I went out somewhere. And since usually I can't even tell if the drink was spiked or not, I don't know how many tried it.
  262. >"Shouldn't be bad parts in Canterlot..." Warden grumbles into her mug.
  263. >You shrug.
  264. >The other two don't seem happy about the situation either, but keep quiet.
  265. "Gotta admit though, it was surprising at just how often I noticed them trying it. Do stallions really get drugged and dragged away every single time they so much as step outside their house?"
  266. >"No," Sabaton says firmly. "The dungeons would be full to bursting if that was the case. The Guard takes things like that seriously. Proper mares don't treat stallions that way. "
  267. "Hrm. Maybe because I'm something unusual. You'd think that would be a turn-off instead of the other way around, though."
  268. >"Uh, well... An exotic stallion is something just about any mare would be very, very interested in having."
  269. "I think I remember some of the newspaper articles calling me that... "Exotic alien stallion from places unknown", or something like that. I guess that hyped me up for all the weirdos in the city. Bleh."
  270. >"What about the place where you came from, though? Let's say, a stallion dropped in from Equestria. Are you saying none of the human mares would be interested at all?" Sky River asks.
  271. >You stop to think.
  272. >Really think. This an interesting question.
  273.  
  274. >There might be some women interested in a cute little pony with a horse dick.
  275. >Until he opened his mouth, that is.
  276. >Then again, some might like the whiny bastards anyway.
  277. >Little girls would be the ones who would really go nuts over the pony, though.
  278. >They'd likely ride him to death, and not in the sexy fun way.
  279. "Not sure, but not nearly as much as the attention I got, that's for sure."
  280. >Not to mention the whole "government would likely lock him up" thing."
  281. "Now, if a mare dropped in, well..."
  282. >You consider all the stuff you saw online.
  283. >People fetishizing everything from knitting to xenomorphs.
  284. >You glance at the mares.
  285. >Sophisticated faces, clearly sapient, cute looks, exotic colors, slightly smaller than humans...
  286. >Shapely booty.
  287. "Yeah, there'd be lines stretching several blocks long. Most would only like to see an alien, but there'd be loads of people interested in sexytimes."
  288. >"Loads of... Mares?" Sky River asks uncertainly.
  289. "Guys. Men. Thousands. Hundreds of thousands, probably. The internet - well, you don't know what that is. It's technology to share information quickly, among other things. People would find out about you very, very fast, and... Yeah, there'd be lots of interest of that sort, I'd bet."
  290. >The mare's eyes are wide again.
  291. >"Nooo... You're pulling my tail. That's impossible."
  292. "Seriously? You just asked me yourself what the reaction back home would be. Now you're surprised I confirmed what you were thinking in the first place?"
  293. >"Sure, I'd get such a thing for a stallion, but for a mare? No stallion would just-"
  294. "Not. Stallions. MEN. We're... Different from your males. A lot. More than just our choice of drinks."
  295. >She quiets down, but is obviously unconvinced. The other two look doubtful as well.
  296. >you shake your head.
  297. "I've seen you ponies casually tell the laws of physics to go sit in a corner while you violate the fabric of reality, but aliens having a different disposition is unbelievable to you? Come on."
  298. >They mull it over for a bit.
  299. >Sabaton tries to form a question.
  300. >"So, ah.. From the way you're describing it, your society, is, what? A bunch of Amarezonian sta- men, all huge and strong, in charge of your tribes? And they're the ones who chase down females?
  301. >The other two look excited at such a prospect.
  302. >You snort, putting a hand over your mouth. It doesn't help much, as you end up laughing your ass off anyway.
  303. >You hold Sabaton tighter so she doesn't fall off as you're shaking from laughter.
  304. >It takes a little while for the giggles to subside.
  305. >The mares look at you expectantly.
  306. "Alright, well.. First of all, calling it "tribes" gives the image of some kind of primitive hole in the woods. We have a rather advanced civilization, thank you very much. A bunch of our technology is actually quite far ahead compared to you, though that might be because there's no magic in our world, so we had to get creative."
  307. >"No magic?!"
  308. >"How do you... Do things? Everything? Grow crops, get rain, build things -"
  309.  
  310. "Science. And technology. And, most importantly, hands," you explain, showing off your digits with your right hand.
  311. >Your left one moves to Sabaton's scalp, scratching her behind the ears.
  312. >She lets out a small gasp and bites her lip, lidding her eyes and pressing herself against you.
  313. >"Yessss..."
  314. >Sky River and Warden watch you with wide eyes.
  315. >You chuckle. Poor mares are just constantly getting their minds blown tonight.
  316. >You stop after a couple minutes, making Sabaton pout for a moment before she recomposes her expression into something more "marely".
  317. "Now, as I was saying... It's... Well, that was a really silly description, but yes, our men are a lot more like the mares around here, far as our behavior goes, anyway. Our gender ratio is almost one to one, with a very slight tilt to females, because they tend to live longer."
  318. >The three get thoughtful, likely trying to imagine something that sounds completely alien to them.
  319. >"A country run by stallions..." Sky River mutters.
  320. >Clearly, such a concept is a little out there for them.
  321. >A country run entirely by women might be a little surprising to you, but not nearly as shocking as they're making it out to be.
  322. >You guess that the stallions really have no interest in politics here.
  323. >Or they're too busy beating off the mares all the time.
  324. >Sabaton tries again.
  325. >"So then, your... Politicians? Your military, your... Goodness, there's so many marely professions, now that I think about it... Miners, other industry workers, builders, scientists... All of them are full of men, instead?"
  326. >You shrug, making a so-so gesture.
  327. "Not entirely. There's a little less disparity between the genders back home, I think. We had both female and male leaders, for example. Some of those, though? Yeah, absolutely. The military, for one. Ninety-nine percent or so male, and the only reason women even get in is because the idiots at the top took pity at the screeching activists and lowered the entry requirements for them."
  328. >That tidbit makes the mares go slack-jawed.
  329. >Some of the conversations around the bar quiet down, too.
  330. >You haven't realized just how many ponies might have been eavesdropping on your conversation.
  331. >With their fancy moving ears, they could pick up sounds quite well.
  332. >Guess you have an audience.
  333. >Not like it matters, you suppose.
  334. >None of this was any kind of secret, and you already told pretty much everything to the scientists that interviewed you.
  335. >Warden purses her lips after taking a pull from her mug.
  336. >"Alright, look... I get that you come from a different place, but sending sta- men to fight still sounds wrong. The fighting, and... Injuries..."
  337. >She unconsciously runs a hoof over her broken horn while glancing at you, as if looking for scars.
  338. >You never served, so you don't have any.
  339. "Injuries... Heh. Try death. Remember the slightly larger amount of women over men? "
  340.  
  341. "That's not because they live longer than men on average, it's because men die lots more. As Sabaton guessed, we're the ones doing all the dangerous jobs. And when wars start, men are the cannon fodder."
  342. >Warden shudders.
  343. >Lots of the bar patrons stop trying to pretend they're not listening and turn to stare at you,
  344. >Sky River finds her voice first.
  345. >"How?! Are your females crazy? Why don't they do something about it? That's horrible!"
  346. >You shrug.
  347. "No messed up gender ratio, remember? When men are plentiful, they don't really care. At all. And like I said, we're the ones with the "get things done" mentality. "
  348. >"I'd like it if there were plenty of stallions for every mare, and I still wouldn't let them do anything dangerous..." The pegasus mutters sullenly.
  349. >There's murmured agreements from her companions as they nurse their drinks.
  350. >You shrug again.
  351. "Just how things are back home. Someone's gotta get shit done. Just like here. You knew what could happen to you, but you did it anyway, didn't you?"
  352. >You nod towards her burned half.
  353. >She grimaces a bit and turns partially sideways, to show her "good" side towards you.
  354. >Her chest puffs up a bit in pride, though.
  355. >"Yeah. The mares know they might end up getting carried back in a box, if there's even anything left to carry. We sign up anyway. For Equestria."
  356. >The others take it as a toast, taking a swig of their drinks.
  357. >You join in. It's honestly a nice country, even with the crazy ponies inhabiting it.
  358. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened? And don't think I'm going to be put off by a "violent" story because I'm a "stallion". Spare no details. If you're comfortable talking about it, that is."
  359. >She mulls it over, shifting her good wing.
  360. >A mare from another table calls out.
  361. >"Well Tartarus, mare, don't wimp out in front of a colt, alien or not. You going to turn down a challenge like that? And if we're sharing fighting stories, then we gotta do it properly. Come 'ere."
  362. >A bunch of tables are pushed together, and you're politely ushered to a place in the middle.
  363. >You carry Sabaton as the other guardsmares stare at your ass.
  364. >Mares.
  365. >Some drinks are procured for you, and the guardsmares all look at your little group with varying expressions.
  366. >Some are interested, likely not having experienced the kind of combat that produced injuries like that.
  367. >Some older ones are looking a little smug, likely thinking that they have more badass stories than whatever happened to Sky River and her friends.
  368. >And a bunch are checking you out, though there's also a lot of sympathy in those looks.
  369. >Almost like they're looking for signs of old wounds instead of just the usual sexual predator stuff.
  370. >Sky River takes a swig, and begins.
  371. >"Alright, so, you can probably guess what kind of damage this is pretty easily - I got burned, badly. As to how, well, that's a bit more exciting."
  372. >"Dragonfire."
  373. >A few of the spectators let out low whistles.
  374.  
  375. >That does sound interesting.
  376. >You wonder whether they're impressed because fighting a dragon is a rare occasion, or because she survived the fight at all.
  377. >"Now, most of you probably already heard about the event, since they're so rare. Yes, I was there six years ago, stationed at ol' Dusty down south."
  378. >Dusty? Probably some kind of nickname for a military outpost.
  379. >"As usual with these things, there was almost no warning. Can't really predict when one of the firebreathers gets funny ideas in their heads and swoops in to raid a village. We got an urgent message from one of the outlying watchposts about a juvenile dragon on an aggressive approach, going straight towards one of the outlying small towns. The base commander immediately yelled at us to scramble and intercept it. All the pegasi dropped their armor and grabbed their best weapons, and flew like mad."
  380. >Dropped their armor? Sounds rather strange, to say the least.
  381. >Noticing your confusion, she explains.
  382. >"Wearing metal armor doesn't protect you from fire, and in fact can make it worse. You're covered in melting metal and getting cooked alive. Not to mention a dragon's claws and teeth can shred through it like tissue paper. It's better to drop it to gain more maneuverability and dodge the attacks. We all get drilled on what to do in case of a dragon raid, but I never expected for that training to ever become relevant. There can be gaps of hundreds of years between dragon attacks."
  383. >She takes a gulp from her mug.
  384. >"Anyway, we were all pretty afraid, not going to lie. It's one thing to fight a creature your own size, and we get plenty of experience to do that in sparring. But in this case, we were going on protocols that were developed hundreds of years ago, with no real practice. "
  385. >"Still, we knew the theory. Immensely durable scales, practically impenetrable by conventional weaponry. Aim for the weak spots in the wings, eyes, throat, and belly. Lure it towards ground support with heavy ranged weaponry, if available. Nothing like that was available, though. We had a couple old ballistae in the base, but it's flight path didn't go near us. We knew that a few more pegasi were pulling sky chariots with unicorn support somewhere behind us, but they'd take way longer to arrive."
  386. >"We managed to catch up to it just as it was landing near a village, can't remember it's name now. Just some tiny backwater with several dozen houses. Now, we obviously weren't meant to engage first. There have been instances where the dragons weren't actually looking for a fight, and just came looking for a cave to sleep in, or wanted to see a pony, or something like that."
  387. >"This one was trouble, though. All red, the size of a three-story house, and covered in sharp spines. It screamed something about "bringing tribute in gold and jewels in return for their pitiful lives", and shot a gout of flame over the homes."
  388.  
  389. >"It was probably meant to be a warning shot or something, but a few roofs caught on fire. Even if they didn't, that'd still have been enough for us to act. The squadron leader gestured for us to go in silently. We came from behind, so we had the element of surprise."
  390. >"This was it, the big moment. Do or die. I gripped my spear tighter and dove down along with my wingmates. The position was really good - the dragon was both distracted by the screaming, fleeing civilians and was on the ground, with it's wings spread for extra intimidation."
  391. >"Their back is the most armored part, so those that tried spearing through it's hide lost their spears or caused shallow wounds, at best. I picked one of the wing membranes, running it right through. Lots of others went for the wings too, and we tore them to shreds on the first pass."
  392. >"It wasn't remotely a life-threatening wound, but it was definitely a crippling one, and painful to boot. Unfortunately, at least a good dozen mares ended up bouncing off it's hide or didn't let go of their spears when they got stuck, and were strewn all around the now very pissed dragon."
  393. >"It screamed in pain, which gave them a few seconds to get on their hooves. Not enough to get away from it's fire breath, but enough to get some distance. I saw a good half a dozen get their backsides set on fire as I was banking towards it again. The screams..."
  394. >She takes another long pull from her mug. The other guards look at her with understanding, some of them nodding silently.
  395. >"Now, protocol says that after a successful group charge, all soldiers should disperse and begin engaging the dragon individually, so as to confuse it and not give it a single target to focus on."
  396. >"I still had my spear and the height advantage, so I climbed a little higher in hopes to swoop down and take it's eye out. Maybe even kill it. Other mares began going at it too, harassing it from it's blind spots or trying to evacuate the injured."
  397. >"I dove as it was taking a swipe at one grounded mare. It saw me at the last moment and dodged, though I managed to graze it's face a little. All it did was get it's attention, though.
  398. >"A moment later, I was dodging a claw swipe, and a second after that, a gout of flame. If it wasn't for my special talent, I'd have been roasted right there and then."
  399. >A few mares raise their eyebrows, silently urging her to elaborate. You wonder at what her talent could be. Ponies often seemed to have names related to their marks, but what could "Sky River" mean?
  400. >She frowns a little.
  401. >"Jetstreams. I could ride them around crazy fast, and make my own, for a brief moment. I managed to blow most of the fire away, though my coat and feathers still got crisped. I lost control from the pain and fell down, hitting the ground hard."
  402. >"And I didn't get up fast enough. The others saw the opportunity and charged in, but not in time to stop it from breathing fire again, straight at me."
  403.  
  404. >"I couldn't dodge or fly away, but I managed to blow another stream of wind straight at the incoming fire. For a brief second, I managed to hold it off, but it wasn't enough. It saved me from becoming a pile of ash, but my left half got fried, and there was almost nothing left of my wing."
  405. >"Everything was pain after that. I just tried to get away, hobbling on injured legs, trying not to scream. I found some cover behind a building and collapsed, half delirious. Later on, others told me how the squadron leader took the opportunity I gave them to stab it right in the mouth, and got knocked through a building for her trouble."
  406. >"There was no single dragon-slaying hero in that engagement. We all contributed, hacking it down bit by bit, getting crushed or burnt for it. The support eventually arrived, and with the reinforcements, they managed to bring it down."
  407. >"They stayed behind to put out the fires, while the chariots were loaded up with the injured, bringing them back to the base. I don't remember much about it. I woke up the next day in the infirmary, practically mummified, with several dozen other pegasi in the same position."
  408. >"The rest is pretty obvious. Burn treatment, feather regrowth for those who didn't lose their wings, valor medals and commendations for every participant, some promotions, and... Honorable discharges for those who's injuries were too severe to treat. Like mine."
  409. >She glances at her burnt half.
  410. >It's not too bad. Her coat is partially regrown, likely some medicinal magic or something to that effect. A bit thin, but at least she's not half-bald.
  411. >The wing is gone, however. Nothing but a tiny stump remains.
  412. >She shrugs, a melancholy look on her face.
  413. >"Got a pension for the rest of my life and all that, along with the best restoration potions they could feed me to fix my coat up a little. Only flying I can ever do now is in balloons and airships, though."
  414. >The listeners cheer, telling her various encouraging words. The closest ones give her a few hearty pats on her back and offer a full mug, which she takes.
  415. >That was quite the tale.
  416. >You wait for the cacophony to die down a little.
  417. "So, that was very impressive, Sky River. Not everyone could face down a three-story tall monster and charge straight at it with an oversized toothpick."
  418. >This prompts another round of cheering and back-slaps, this time with some crude comments thrown in. Sky River blushes a tiny bit, hiding behind her mug.
  419. >Mares.
  420. "I have a few questions though, if you don't mind? There's no dragons where I'm from, but we do have fairy tales about them. Some say they're intelligent, others only depict them as dangerous animals. Since you said it could speak, I'm assuming they're sapient?"
  421. >"Yeah," Sky river nods. "But we don't really know much about them besides where to stab them. Dragon society - if it even exists, again, we barely know anything - is a mystery. "
  422.  
  423. >"We know they're tough, hard to kill, long-lived, and have a hoarding instinct for gold bigger than Canterlot mountain. Way back in the old days, they'd raid our cities to fill up their hoards, but as Equestria got stronger and more organized, ponies started successfully repelling their assaults."
  424. >"In time, they learned that ponies weren't easy prey any more, and left us alone. Some wanted to take the fight to them, but killing a single dragon always took dozens or even hundreds of casualties, so we ended up leaving them alone as well."
  425. >"Every now and then, though... Maybe some young hothead gets jealous of an old dragon's hoard that they acquired way back when, and gets the idea to do the same, but they still try to extort gold from us sometimes."
  426. >"Young" being a very relative term, by the way. At a rough estimate, it takes dragons some three hundred years to get as big as the one we fought. No clue what makes them think that they can get away with it - maybe their parents don't really teach them not to mess with us, or maybe they think they're hot manure and decide to ignore the warnings. Either way, whenever one shows up, it always ends badly."
  427. >"Badly for the bastards, you mean," Warden says. "Yeah, we take casualties, but we haven't let a single a single one get away for centuries. I still think we should decorate some observation towers on the border with dragon skulls, to really drive the point home."
  428. >Oooh. That's unusually gruesome for a pony to suggest.
  429. >The other guardsmares seem to agree, though, thumping their chests and launching various insulting epithets towards the dragons.
  430. >It appears that this bunch is a little less saccharine than the average pony.
  431. >Sure, most of them behave almost like humans, but they still seem to have a rather high aversion for killing things, compared to humanity on average.
  432. >You take a swig as you glance at the other two mares.
  433. >Sabaton is still sitting in your lap, appearing rather satisfied with her seating arrangement. At some point, she snaked her tail towards your legs, wrapping it around the left one.
  434. >Warden is across the table, drinking from her mug with a satisfied expression.
  435. "So, that's one down. Are the two of you willing to share?"
  436. >Sabaton shares a look with Warden. They stare at each other silently until the unicorn shrugs.
  437. >"I guess I can go next. My story's not nearly as impressive, though. It was actually a civilian matter, though the military did get pulled in for it."
  438. >She takes a moment, likely dusting off some unpleasant memories.
  439. >"Right, so, you've probably heard of Silverdale. If not the city, then at least what happened there."
  440. >Most of the listeners nod, though a few tilt their heads.
  441. >"Eh, to sum it up: mining town in northern Equestria. Lots of silver mines, everything owned by this robber baron of a mare that... Well, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself."
  442.  
  443. >"Now, the operation was so big and the money flow so large, that they stuck a whole garrison of guards there to protect the town. Both from any organized gangs that might get ideas, and to keep order among the rough and tumble mares of the town."
  444. >"It was an interesting posting. Never had to deal with actual bandits. Plenty of action, though, but it was mostly smacking around drunk and rowdy mares that got a little too big for their britches after a lucky strike. "
  445. >"One day, there was a huge collapse across several levels of a mine. That wasn't our jurisdiction at all - they had their own rescue teams, or at least they were supposed to. Still, it was so bad that the commander ordered us to provide assistance."
  446. >"The miners knew what to do far better than us, so we mostly let them take the lead, helping to smash up and move the rocks where we could. We were pulling the mares out one by one, and magically boring holes for air where they were too deep to reach quickly."
  447. >"It was a big mess, of course, but we all managed to keep our heads on our necks and worked in shifts for two days straight. Most of the miners got rescued, with just a few stuck in the deepest part of the mine."
  448. >"I was freshly rested that morning, so I was volunteered for the sortie to pull them out, along with another unicorn guardsmare, called Sparkflow. So Sparky and I went down to the deep tunnels with two earth pony mares from the rescue team. They all got to clearing the rubble while I held a shield up in case things started going pear-shaped."
  449. >"The rubble kept shifting, which the two rescuers assured me was normal. They asked me to try and make the rocks fall in such a way they'd make a tunnel the mares stuck on the other side could crawl through. It took a few good hours of shifting rocks and making sure nothing was going to collapse further until we finally managed to pull them out."
  450. >"Four tired and thirsty mares crawled out from the other side. After some water and a quick once-over, we hightailed it back to the surface. Unfortunately, when I stopped holding the whole thing together, the rubble started shifting a lot more. It was gradual at first, and we were moving upwards fast, but not fast enough."
  451. >"We climbed up from the lower tunnels into the main one near the surface. Sunlight was already visible. There was a huge crash somewhere back in the depths, though, which ended up shaking the entire mine. Rocks got dislodged from the roof, and started falling on our heads."
  452. >"Needless to say, we galloped for all we could. I kept a shield above everyone while Sparky shot down the smaller rocks. Right as we were about to leave, though, the entire entrance came down right on top of us. "
  453. >"I managed to keep my shield for a few more moments, letting them escape. I couldn't move, though, barely dragging my hooves as I was furiously pumping every drop of magic that I could to prevent that several-ton boulder from making me into a pancake."
  454.  
  455. >"I might have screamed, I don't remember. The few things I remember are a horrible headache and the smell of burning horn. And hair. And then, a crack, one I could feel inside my head."
  456. >The unicorns listening to this wince, some rubbing their horns unconsciously.
  457. >"Now, Sparkflow grabbed me with her magic the moment she got to safety, so at least I wasn't flattened. Still, she didn't manage to pull me out completely, and my right hindleg got caught under the rock and pulverized. Not that I blame her! It was a manure situation, and we both did what we could."
  458. >"Now, the reason for such a massive collapse.. You might think that it's just an occupational hazard, but I learned a thing or two while hanging around all those miner mares. Ponies have been building mines for centuries, and we've gotten pretty dang good at it. The threat of a collapse is actually very, VERY small - if, and that's a big if, the mine is reinforced properly. Now, reinforcing the mine costs extra bits, and if you recall that robber baron that I mentioned... You can probably add two and two together."
  459. >The were some disgusted snorts from the audience.
  460. >"Obviously, an investigation was launched, inspectors called in, all that stuff. Turns out, Tight Strings - that was her name - was REALLY skimping on the reinforcements. Some mines, the inspectors outright refused to step inside after they got a good look from the outside. Everyone in town started calling her Tight Cunt."
  461. >A few mares chuckle, while she suddenly goes quiet and glances at you. You raise an eyebrow.
  462. >Was she expecting you to get offended at the profanity, or something?
  463. >Trying not to laugh, you down some ale.
  464. >After a moment, she relaxes again and continues.
  465. >"Heard there were some bribing attempts. Only reason she managed to keep it up so long was because the locals were getting paid to keep quiet. This brought attention all the way from Canterlot, though, and she got busted real hard. I heard Celestia herself judged her case, though I didn't really bother looking up the details. Lots of assets and dirty money was seized, which was used for payouts for the victims, including me. "
  466. >"And seeing as this was technically a military operation as I was working under orders, I got my honorable discharge and pension as well."
  467. >"If I ever saw that cunt walking down the street, I'd have something more than words to give her. They managed to fix my leg at least to the point it didn't have to be amputated, but my horn was a lost cause completely. All that because some greedy scumbag didn't have enough bits to roll around in. The fat compensation payout was nice, but I'd still prefer to have my horn back."
  468. >"Hear, hear," one unicorn says, raising a mug.
  469. >You join in, looking expectantly at Sabaton after you swallow your mouthful.
  470. >The audience shares your expectant demeanor.
  471. >The earth mare purses her lips, frowning a little.
  472.  
  473. >"Suppose it's my turn, eh? Alright, fine. I was stationed in the northern mountains, patrolling to keep the hordes of mountain giants at bay. One day, after sending a hundred of them packing, a giant the size of Canterlot Castle charged at me. I wasn't going to be cowed, though. I bucked it SO hard, I smashed it to thousands of tiny pieces, though I lost both of my legs, too. Guess I don't know my own strength."
  474. >All the mares burst out laughing, with lots of jeering, booing and whistling coming immediately after.
  475. >You can only assume that there's no such thing as mountain giants and that story was completely made up.
  476. >It makes you think, though.
  477. >Sky River's story would sound completely made up on Earth, too.
  478. >How are you supposed to know if someone is telling you the truth when they're telling you things about the locations and creatures of this world?
  479. >Strange thought.
  480. >"Alright, alright," Sabaton waves her right hoof around. "Quit hollering like a bunch of colts going shopping. "
  481. >"Fact is, my story's not nearly as good or interesting as these two's. They went down swinging or saving ponies, at least. Me, I just got unlucky and was eaten by a cragadile."
  482. >"Hold up, hold up," the other mares begin to protest. "You can't just say "got eaten by a cragadile" and leave it there. There's still a story in there."
  483. >"Alright, alright, fine. So I was stationed in one of the swamp outposts. Most of you probably don't know about them. There's usually other ponies who deal with that stuff, rangers and suchlike, but there's a few places where they put guardsmares, too. "
  484. >"See, there's all sorts of crazy magical plants in swamps, which are useful for potions of all kinds, including the ones you find in combat first aid kits. The quartermasters like to be stocked up on those things, so the top brass sends us out sometimes to help out the civilian herbalists and stuff."
  485. >"Crazy magical plants usually mean crazy magical animals, too. The ponies who work in the swamps are usually good enough to sneak right past them, but if too many of them start breeding and taking over the area, we get called in for some population control."
  486. >"It's a rather nasty posting, what with the humidity and all the bugs and muck, so the poor shmucks who get sent there are just either picked at random or get moved there for bad behavior. And no, I wasn't sent there for being naughty. Just luck of the draw."
  487. >"Unfortunately, that also means most mares don't really have much of a clue what to do. We're trained for fighting intelligent enemies, not animalistic beasts. Many mares often get ambushed by camouflaged predators that they weren't expecting at all, and weren't trained to spot."
  488. >"There's a few rangers giving directions to guardsmare groups at all times, but there's still plenty of close calls and leg bites. And sometimes, we just go in pairs, accompanying a civilian with no rangers to hold our hoof."
  489. >"One such escort mission went badly for me. It was supposed to be a walk in the park - or swamp, as it were. There was this crotchety old mare I was told to protect while she got her stuff. It was right after we cleared out a large quadrant of the swamp, so it was supposed to be safe. Not a single predator in sight."
  490. >"They assigned me a partner, a pegasus named Static Discharge. And off we went. And guess what the old dingbat we were supposed to protect did first? Went off the safe path somewhere into the brush to her "special gathering spots". "
  491. >"We didn't even know it. The swamp's easy to get lost and confused in, you know? Especially if you're unfamiliar with the area. If I would have known, I would have dragged her back by the tail, and damn whatever punishment I'd get for it. "
  492.  
  493. >"Though I don't think I'd have gotten anything but a stern talking to. We were told to stick to the safe areas quite strictly. Since we didn't know the area wasn't safe, we weren't on high alert, either."
  494. >"It all happened so damn fast. One moment I was walking past a mucky area towards a patch of some weird mushrooms the herbalist was aiming for, the other one there were jaws clamping down on my hindlegs."
  495. >"Don't know if you ever read anything on cragadiles, but they're vicious and extremely good at what they do. I got lots of firsthoof experience of that. Once they get their jaws on their prey, they start rolling - yes, rolling - to literally twist and rip your limbs off before finishing you off."
  496. >Some mares in the audience grimace. The picture Sabaton's painting is not pretty.
  497. >You wonder at this "cragadile" thing.
  498. >The behavior sounds entirely like a crocodile.
  499. >As different as this world is, there seem to be lots of examples of parallel evolution happening.
  500. >"Now, it's not that easy to drag off an earth pony, but the thing WAS some eight times larger than me. I dug in with my front hooves and screamed. Static reacted fast, but those things barely need seconds to turn you into an obituary. By the time she flew over and rammed her spear through it's eye, both my legs were nearly gone, and it managed to rip them off completely in it's death throes."
  501. >"It hurt. Just a little, though, you know? Nothing I couldn't deal with."
  502. >The audience snorts and roll their eyes.
  503. >"Yeah yeah, I was screaming my head off and bleeding all over the place. The herbalist pulled some crap from her satchel to put on my legs while muttering how "I probably shouldn't have went off the path and now the guards are going to give me crap"."
  504. >"I was in shock and wasn't too sure if I was hearing things right, but decided that if I was, I would punch that old moron if it was the last thing I did. While she was busy with that, Static was trying to pry open the cragadile's jaws with her spear."
  505. >"I'm sure you've all heard that doctors can reattach limbs, if you do it real fast after you lost them. After grabbing my legs from it's mouth, she stuffed them in her pack, put me on her back, grabbed the swearing old herbalist, and took off towards the outpost."
  506. >"She made good time, considering her load. Unfortunately, the infirmary there wasn't equipped for those kind of operations. "Maybe if it was a clean cut," they told me. But my legs were really, really messed up by the cragadile's teeth. Sure, they loaded me up on a chariot and sent me off to a real hospital after patching me up, but that DID take too long. The doctors did what they could, but it was a bust."
  507. >"There was an investigation and all that, of course. Guess I got at least some tiny bit of luck through that crapshow I went through, since they concluded that what happened wasn't our fault, even though we violated orders not to go to the quadrants that weren't cleared out."
  508.  
  509. >"So. Standard ending for broken guardsmares that fell in the line of duty - honorable discharge and a military pension. Losing my legs was something else, though."
  510. >"I was crying and screaming for months like a little colt, I'm not ashamed to admit. This damn cart... It sucks, you know? I wasn't about to become some drunkard bum or shut-in crazy cat lord for the rest of my life, though. "
  511. >"I learned how to move again, bit by bit. How to keep myself in shape, even without my hindlegs. How to carefully keep my balance and get some leverage while standing still."
  512. >"How to throw a punch without losing my balance."
  513. >"It took me a few months, but I did it. And then, I went back to the village near the swamp where it all happened. I went to the home of that old scum-sucking swampwalker that led me into the cragadile's jaws."
  514. >"I knocked on the door. And when she opened it, I punched her.
  515. >Right.
  516. >In.
  517. >The.
  518. >Snout."
  519. >The entire audience explodes with laughter again, cheering and stomping their hooves. A few shake their heads, though they're also smiling widely. There's various exclamations of approval and toasts coming her way.
  520. >You smile as well. Punching old people might be a bit much, but there's always exceptions.
  521. >After things quiet down a bit, Sabaton concludes her story.
  522. >"Now, of course, she wasn't too happy about it. Tried to threaten me with lawsuits and assault charges and all that manure. I just laughed in her face and told her that I'd gladly pay my fines, and when everything was over, I'd come right back and sock her right in the kisser a second time. That was for one leg, I told her, and I still owed her a good punch for the second one."
  523. >"She really started screaming after that one. Got attention, too. Someone called the local constable. Unsurprisingly, though, the old hag was not a popular member of that village. The officer just took a look at the whole situation, had a good laugh, and charged me twenty bits for "disturbing the peace". Told the hag that if she tried anything, half the town would show up at the trial to testify that they've been wanting to land a punch like that on her for decades."
  524. >This triggers another bout of laughter and cheering. You chuckle as well, running a hand through her mane.
  525. >Some of the onlookers track your movements with their eyes quite closely.
  526. >You watch them from the corner of your eyes as you finish your mug.
  527. >That was what, the third, fourth this evening?
  528. >Probably enough for tonight.
  529. >You were only looking for a buzz, not to get smashed and get a headache the next morning.
  530. >One of the other mares glances at where Sabaton's tail is, then raises her gaze towards you.
  531. >"So, mister tough alien Amarezonian stallion, what do you think? Are our mares tougher than your alien military?" She asks with a smirk.
  532. >Hm.
  533. >Obviously, she thinks you're going to be either horrified or impressed, or likely both.
  534.  
  535. >There are far worse stories from Earth, though, even if there's no dragons or other crazy magical creatures.
  536. >Stories about trench warfare and chemical weapons would likely leave these mares horrified, no matter how tough they're pretending to be.
  537. >And you played a few too many video games to be awed by fighting magical monsters, even if they are real over here.
  538. >You shrug nonchalantly. Most of the mares seem rather surprised.
  539. "While we don't have the kind of monsters you ponies have in this world, that just means we end up fighting other people far more often. And those of you with more experience, well... You probably know that people can be the worst monsters of all. Animals are just looking for food. While the casual cruelty a seemingly normal person is capable of... Yeah. Believe me, there would be plenty of similar stories where I'm from."
  540. >Some mares look a bit sceptic, but several older ones give grim nods, staring at the disbelieving ones with angry frowns.
  541. >"Colt's right. Forget breaking up some drunk fights or dealing with hooligans. Ask a forensic specialist or a detective about the things they deal with someday. No animal gets up to the kind of freaky things ponies with too much money or free time do," one older mare grumps, taking a pull from her tankard.
  542. >This makes the conversation die down for a little while, the others mostly going back to their drinking and quiet discussions, though most of them are still surreptitiously checking you out.
  543. >Mares gonna mare.
  544. >Eventually, one of them pipes up.
  545. >"So, big guy, what's with the sitting position? For a while, I was seriously wondering whether to tell you off for public indecency. Getting a mare to sit on your junk like that? What would your father think?"
  546. >That question was probably rhetorical, but it throws you for a loop.
  547. >What WOULD Dadnon say about you having a cute alien girl with an ass so firm you could bounce coins off it sitting in your lap?
  548. "Huh..."
  549. >The entire audience is staring at you now, their ears perked and alert. You scratch your chin as you ponder the question.
  550. ""Congratulations," maybe," you say, to the shock of the mares. "Or maybe nothing. Just a firm pat on the shoulder, perhaps with a "I'm proud of you, son." "
  551. >There's a few spit-takes and exclamations of disbelief.
  552. >"What?!"
  553. >"No way."
  554. >"You're pulling our tails."
  555. >"Is his dad a slut, or something?"
  556. >You frown.
  557. "I don't know how much of our conversation you all listened in on, but my species behave a little differently to yours. What would YOUR f- mothers say if you brought ME home?"
  558. >There's a second of silence as they consider the question.
  559. >"Sweet Celestia, look at those legs."
  560. >"Unf."
  561. >"I knew you liked them tall, filly, but damn."
  562. >"Good heavens, mare, you'll need backup to hold down a stallion like that. Call me if you ever need anything."
  563. >"Let me get the ropes, you're going to need to hold him tight to keep other mares from snatching him away."
  564. >"Unf."
  565. >"Dem legs doe."
  566. >"I'm proud of you, daughter."
  567. >They all suddenly stop and fold their ears in embarrassment, looking away.
  568. >You try and fail to hold in your laughter.
  569. >Slowly, they turn back towards you, surprised looks on their faces.
  570. >Once they make sure that you're really not going to start berating them, they relax a little.
  571. >"So, I've seen you around for a couple weeks now. If this is something normal for you, can I have a seat on your balls next time you come around?" One of the braver mares asks.
  572. >Sabaton frowns, along with many other mares.
  573. >You give her a flat look.
  574. >"Firstly: no. Secondly, she's not sitting on my balls. That's not how my posture works. And lastly, I'm wearing pants, so she wouldn't be able to feel anything even if she was sitting right on my dick," You explain, slapping your thigh in emphasis.
  575. >The action encourages all the mares to check out your backside with raised eyebrows.
  576. >You roll your eyes as they take their sweet time, a few of them turning away with a light blush.
  577. >You pet Sabatons's tail while they're at it, making the mare fold her ears and squirm a little.
  578. >"Pants, huh," one mare finally says.
  579. "Yup. Not something I ever saw ponies wear."
  580. >"Bit of a fancy getup for a bar, though, isn't it?"
  581. "Fancy? Oh right, the clothes thing. No, not really. Humans wear clothes all the time, pretty much. We don't have the kind of fluff and coats you ponies do. You're fine naked, while I'd get chilly right now, for example. Though it's also for decency."
  582. >"I could warm you up..." Some mare mutters from the back. There's a few snorts at that.
  583. >"Decency?" Another one asks, clearly confused.
  584. "Well... How do I put this. You have tails covering your back, right? What would happen if a pony - mare or stallion - walked around with their tail raised high all the time? Is it acceptable behavior?"
  585. >"Whorses do," one mare snorts.
  586. >"My mother would tan my hide," Another adds.
  587. >"It's considered pretty crude, though not illegal," Warden finished.
  588. "Right. And I don't have a tail. AND I walk on two legs, so my privates are on my front, not on my backside. So even if it was warm and I could walk around naked, all of my... Equipment would be right around eye level for you mares."
  589. >They all go silent at that, their eyes wide.
  590. >"Unf," some mare says from the back of the crowd again.
  591. >You facepalm. A few mares facehoof.
  592. >"Discipline, mare. If you're that thirsty, go suck on the ale tap," Warden says.
  593. >There's a few chuckles.
  594. >You smile.
  595. >The first mare that asked you about your sitting position speaks up again.
  596. >"So there's really nothing suggestive about the way you're sitting? Ponies might still get the wrong idea, though. They way this appears to us, well." She trails off, making a few vague gestures.
  597.  
  598. "Ah, well. It's not... Entirely innocent, I'll admit. Nothing remotely as bad as you seem to be implying, though. Highly suggestive, if I'd have to define it."
  599. >She gets a predatory smile.
  600. >"Ohoho, so what are you suggesting with that pose? That you're going to take the mare home and... Grease her wheels a little? Give that cart a good checkup?"
  601. >She jokes, making references to Sabaton's walking aid.
  602. >Some mares laugh.
  603. >The mare in question scowls angrily, though.
  604. >"Stop it," She whispers quietly.
  605. >The only reason you hear her at all is because her head is so close to yours right now.
  606. >"Check for any loose nails with a solid bang? Or a whole lot of banging?" The mare continues.
  607. >"Shut up!" Sabaton shouts.
  608. >The joker blinks.
  609. >"Hey, chill out, what's the problem? You didn't look like one of those ponies who get all iffy if you mention their disabilities. You talked about it just fine before."
  610. >"It's not that," Sabaton snaps angrily as you hold on to her tighter so she doesn't fall off. "Don't ruin this for me, alright? This is the best night I've had in years. No colt's interested in a broken mare. This is the first time I even got to talk to one in forever, let alone sit with one so closely together. So don't scare him off, alright?"
  611. >You slowly run your hands lower through Sabaton's body, going all the way down to her belly.
  612. >She goes silent and swallows heavily.
  613. "Relax, I'm not going anywhere. And if you really think something like that is going to scare me off, well, you haven't been listening to me very closely tonight. And you're a fine mare, by the way."
  614. >She folds her ears, blushing a little.
  615. >"Look, it's really kind of you to say that, but I know you're just being nice..." She mutters quietly.
  616. >Your hands go lower.
  617. >"I really had fun talking to you tonight, but I know that-"
  618. >She goes quiet as you spread your fingers as wide as possible on her flanks.
  619. >And squeeze.
  620. >Hard.
  621. >All she can do is gasp in surprise, tensing up her muscles.
  622. >Which just makes her booty all the more firm and defined.
  623. >Oh lawdy.
  624. >This mare.
  625. >You haven't slept with any ponies yet, though that was entirely because you found their personalities to be extremely offputting, not because of a lack of physical attraction.
  626. >It did take a little while to notice, but after you acclimatized a bit, notice you did.
  627. >Mares were shapely.
  628. >They didn't have breasts, but their hindquarters...
  629. >Ohlordsavemefromsin.jpg
  630. >So it seemed that the exotic attraction went both ways.
  631. >The other mares look at Sabaton in confusion.
  632. >Only the ones sitting closest to you can see what's happening.
  633. >A few raise their eyebrows appreciatively, while others bite their lips or take hurried gulps of their drinks.
  634. >You put your chin on top of her head.
  635. "Shush," you say in her ear. "Speak for yourself, please, and don't try to ascribe me any of your pony motivations. I'm not one, if you still haven't noticed," you remind her, giving her rear another firm squeeze.
  636.  
  637. >She stammers, unable to form sentences. Or words.
  638. >Sky River and Warden look at her with some concern, suspicious of what you're doing to their friend.
  639. >They bend down to look under the table.
  640. >Their eyes go wide and their cheeks red as they watch you fondling Sabaton's rear.
  641. "Also, from all the times mares kept telling me of what I'm supposed to do and what I never would do, well... It just makes me want to do the opposite, really," You continue.
  642. >Most, if not all, of the audience have caught on that something lewd is happening under the table.
  643. >None of them seem intent on telling you off or arresting you, though.
  644. >They're mostly smiling in approval, making suggestive eyebrow gestures towards Sabaton.
  645. >The mare Sabaton shouted at gives a smug chuckle.
  646. >"Well then, it looks like you were worried for nothing, were you? So, colt, are you going to drive her home, or just tease her all evening?"
  647. "Sure, I'd like to take a closer look at that cart, maybe realign the wheels a little. I don't have much experience, but I'm sure I'd do a bang-up job at it."
  648. >Sabaton is blushing furiously at this point, constantly squirming and tensing up her muscles. Which is slowly making certain parts of your body come to life down there, too.
  649. >Warden and Sky River are also biting their lips and fidgeting in their chairs.
  650. >You should get a move on before you actually make a scene and get slapped with a fine for indecent behavior or something like that.
  651. "So, Sabaton..."
  652. >"Y'-y-yes?" She manages to stammer out.
  653. "Would you mind... Would you like to... Go somewhere a little more private?"
  654. >She just sits there, slack-jawed.
  655. >Every mare quiets down. You could hear a pin drop.
  656. >Sabaton sputters for a bit.
  657. >"Really?" She asks in a tiny voice.
  658. "Well, if you're not interested, I suppose I can just go...?"
  659. >"What's wrong with you, mare?! A 10/10 stallion makes you an offer like that, and you're being skittish? What, you some kind of carpet muncher?" Someone in the crowd shouts.
  660. >That breaks the floodgates, all the guardsmares making suggestive comments about taking you home and showing you a a good time with a proper mare.
  661. >All three of the original trio - Warden, Sabaton, and Sky River - all tense up, glancing around warily.
  662. >Do they think the others are going to try and drag you away?
  663. >Or maybe they think you'd go with some other mare after all?
  664. >They really do have low self-esteem.
  665. >You click your tongue in disappointment, twisting Sabaton's ear.
  666. >She whines a little, turning to look at you.
  667. "Yes, no, maybe so?"
  668. >"Y-yes?" She asks uncertainly.
  669.  
  670. >You shrug, holding her tighter to yourself as you get up from the chair.
  671. >Carrying her with you, you bring her to the corner where she left her little two-wheeled cart.
  672. >You gently deposit her on it, but keep holding on to her front legs.
  673. >Turning around, you put her forelegs around your waist, holding her by the hooves.
  674. >Her grip is nice and firm.
  675. >You take a few experimental steps towards the door. She rolls along, secured to you quite nicely.
  676. >You can't see her expression, but you can only assume that the "tough marely mare" is embarrassed by getting dragged along by a "colt".
  677. >You chuckle at the thought.
  678. "Well, ladies, it's been a fun evening, but I think it's time for me to go. Thanks for the drinks and the company," You say as you wave goodbye to the gathered guardsmares.
  679. >All of them erupt in cheering, some raising their tankards in a toast, others making lewd gestures in Sabaton's direction.
  680. >Warden and Sky River, who had been watching with stupefied expressions, quickly scramble to follow you as you and your passenger move towards the door leading outside.
  681. >As you step outside, you turn your head back.
  682. "Say, Sabaton, I just remembered... I actually live in a small apartment with lots of stairs, and it's a bit of a walk from here. Would you mind if we went to your place, instead? I assume you live somewhere close by, anyway..."
  683. >"Yes! I mean no! No, I wouldn't mind. It's not too far. Just turn left now, and keep going down until you reach Petunia street, then turn right."
  684. "Alrighty."
  685. >"Just, um..."
  686. "Yes?"
  687. >"Well, Warden and Sky River..."
  688. "Oh dang, I'm sorry. Do you live together? I didn't realize that at all. I just assumed you were all friends having a meet-up."
  689. >"We are, but we do live together. We met through one of those support program type things, and... Well, that's a long story for another time."
  690. >As she says that, Sky River bursts through the door, Warden hobbling after her.
  691. >"Wait up!"
  692. >"Yeah, just where do you think you're going with her?"
  693. "Well... Since I live pretty far, I invited myself to your place. Hope you're okay with that."
  694. >Sky river squints at you.
  695. >"Invited yourself to....?"
  696. >You smile. Poor mares are still having doubts in regards to what's about to happen.
  697. >Time to go for the frontal assault.
  698. "Invited myself to give Sabaton here the screwing of her lifetime. Hmm, is that a word ponies use? I know you don't say "fuck". Rutting? Pounding? That mare said banging, we use that too. Pick one of those."
  699. >The two of them start stammering again, blushing and looking away.
  700. >There's also some kind of sound from behind you, though you don't quite catch it.
  701. "Sorry about that, by the way. Feel free to go back and order a few more drinks. I intend to get loud. Or, well, I intend to make HER get loud."
  702. >There's something like a whinny from Sabaton this time.
  703. >The two blush even harder.
  704. >Warden finds her voice, though.
  705. >"Nuh uh, buddy, we're coming with. We're not leaving you alone with our friend."
  706.  
  707. "Fair enough," you shrug. "Let's get going."
  708. >You go slowly, to match Warden's limp.
  709. >The journey passes in silence.
  710. >The mares keep looking at each other, sometimes opening their mouths, though they never seem to find the words.
  711. >Soon enough, you're standing in front of a modest house.
  712. >Still, it's a modest house in Canterlot, so it's really nice.
  713. >White stone, two stories high, with a tiny front lawn.
  714. >You approach the door as Sky River fishes in her saddlebags for a key.
  715. "So, I've been here for a few months, so I'm still unfamiliar with some things here and there. Are you three.. I don't know, a herd? Do those exist without a stallion?"
  716. >The mares glance between each other.
  717. >"Kind of?" Warden ventures.
  718. >"It's quite common," Sky River elaborates. "Mares often get together with their best friends to form herds so they can all court a stallion as a group. Some say it's better for the her relationships than a single mare adding members after she finds a stallion. Except..."
  719. >"We never though we'd actually find one. We didn't even bother looking," Sabaton finishes from behind you, with a heavy voice.
  720. "Well, I'm still not a stallion, so I guess you didn't," you smile. "Let's see if I'm good enough of an alternative."
  721. >"HOLD UP!"
  722. >Warden suddenly jumps in front of you with a shout.
  723. >"What... Do you even understand what you just said? What your intentions towards us are?"
  724. >You stop, thinking over your words.
  725. >From the way you were talking with them at first, this was mostly a sex thing.
  726. >But now... Herds are families. You more or less accidentally stated your intention to become a thing with all three of these mares.
  727. >You lick your lips.
  728. "I... Yes, now that you pointed it out, I do understand. I... Wasn't thinking about what I was saying, sorry."
  729. >Her face falls at that. Sky River sags a little too.
  730. "I'm not... Opposed to the idea, however. I wasn't lying when I said you're the nicest group of mares I met. Let's just... Take it slowly and we'll see where it goes, yeah?"
  731. >Warden stands there, opening and closing her mouth a few times. After a few tries, she speaks, suspicion heavy in her voice.
  732. >"You... You're not just telling us this to string us along, are you? I swear, if you're some kind of gold digger..."
  733. >You see moisture gathering in the corners of her eyes.
  734. >Damn.
  735. >You never even thought of such a possibility, but it's easy to see how the males in this world would be the golddiggers.
  736. >Slowly, you unhook Sabaton's forelegs from your waist and put them down.
  737. >You walk right up to Warden, looking down at her. She tries to put up a defiant facade, but she's clearly very vulnerable right now.
  738. >Kneeling down, you hug her, rubbing your face into her neck.
  739. >She sobs quietly a few times before wiping her eyes with a foreleg.
  740. >"C-come on. Make yourself at home," She says quietly, hiding her face from you.
  741. >You follow her inside the house, Sabaton following behind you.
  742.  
  743. >You take off your boots before entering a spacious sitting room.
  744. >Sky River is already inside, awkwardly sitting on a sofa.
  745. >There's a pitcher of water with a few glasses set out on a small coffee table.
  746. >"So, uh, I don't know if you're hungry or not, but we don't really have all that much stuff right now, and we usually go out to eat, so..."
  747. >You smile, trying to calm her down.
  748. "No worries. What I need right now is a trip to the bathroom and maybe a glass of water. I did drink a lot of ale."
  749. >"Second door on the left," She supplies.
  750. >You nod, going to take care of business.
  751. >Pony-sized bathrooms are a little awkward, but you manage.
  752. >You come back to find the three whispering between themselves on the couch.
  753. >Since you're not wearing boots, your sock-clad feet make no noise on the floor.
  754. >You sneak up on Sabaton, scratching behind both of her ears.
  755. >She gasps and whimpers a little.
  756. >The other two go quiet and observe you with keen interest.
  757. >You slide your hands through her mane, neck, chest fluff, belly, and go lower.
  758. >Sabaton's breathing slowly gets heavier.
  759. >You slide your hands under her rump and slowly lift her from behind the couch, holding her close to yourself.
  760. "So... Don't think I forgot my promise. Which way is your bedroom?"
  761. >She swallows nervously, and silently points a foreleg towards a door, holding on to you tightly with the other one.
  762. >You nod, though you make a small detour to drink a glass of water. You're going to need it.
  763. >You then go to the door she showed you, gently rubbing her back.
  764. >You carefully open the door and make your way inside.
  765. >As befitting a military mare, it's rather plain. Spartan. Bed, nightstand, a small bookshelf, tiny wardrobe.
  766. >Bed's at least a decent size, though.
  767. >Almost long enough so your legs won't end up dangling off the end. Almost.
  768. >You gently lay her down on her back, cupping her cheek with your right arm.
  769. >"Is.. Is this really happening? Really?"
  770. >You snort.
  771. >She's lying on her back, not trying to hide anything.
  772. >You've been flashed by mares plenty of times, so you know how things look down there.
  773. >And you've seen enough of their rubbable bellies to get a serious temptation to just grab a pony and pet them silly sometimes.
  774. >Never been at an angle where you could see their teats, though.
  775. >You reach out your left hand towards them, tweaking and pinching one of them.
  776. >"Eeek!"
  777. "You tell me, Sabaton. People pinch themselves to check if they're dreaming. Do you think you're dreaming right now?"
  778. >"N-no.."
  779. "Well then... You have your answer," you say, starting to take your clothes off.
  780. >You blink as there's a quiet "oooh" behind you.
  781. >Warden and Sky River are looking into the room from the door.
  782. >Right, those two,
  783. "Umm.."
  784. >You all stand there awkwardly for a moment.
  785. "Do ponies, uh... Or herds, do they... Watch? Or... What?"
  786. >The mares glance between each other.
  787. >Warden licks her lips.
  788. >"Well... It depends on the herd, but..."
  789.  
  790. >Sky River pipes up.
  791. >"Plenty of mares like to get some one on one time with their stallions, but it's nothing unusual all the mares in a herd to go at it at the same time to make the stallion feel good. You know, whisper encouragements in his ear, dirty talk, nibble at their sensitive spots... Mares gotta keep their stallions happy, you know?"
  792. >"And afterwards, it's way easier to go to your bedroom and rub one out when you're already turned on, since stallions are usually only good for one go," Warden adds.
  793. "Well, believe me, I don't need.. Encouragement, heh," you say, taking off your pants and folding them up.
  794. >The mares all stare at the bulge in your underpants.
  795. >Warden drools a little.
  796. >You hear some kind of squishing sound from Sabaton as you're putting your pants down on a chair.
  797. >"Do you.. Do you want us to leave?" River asks tentatively.
  798. >You think on the question.
  799. >You've never been the kind of guy that got off from getting watched. It was a weird fetish.
  800. >Sex was supposed to be intimate, special.
  801. >How can you focus on your partner while you were focusing on all the people watching you?
  802. >The whole thing was highly unappealing, for many reasons.
  803. >This was... Sort of different, though.
  804. >They weren't just some freaky strangers trying to get a peek.
  805. >When you were in a herd, you were supposed to love everyone equally.
  806. >At least you assumed so. You're going to have lots and lots of questions about it afterwards.
  807. >For now, though...
  808. "Well, when in Rome.." You mutter. "I... I don't mind, I suppose, but I really don't need any "help", alright? Can you just... Stay quiet? Please?"
  809. >All three mares smile widely.
  810. >"Thank you!" Sky River exclaims. "It's been so, SO long for me, I just... Mare, if I still had both my wings, I'd be pinning you to the wall right now, I swear."
  811. >Warden nods.
  812. >"C-come on, Anon, quit teasing us with that lewd getup. You're going to make Sabaton explode at this rate."
  813. >Lewd getup?
  814. >You blink, looking at yourself.
  815. >You're mostly naked now, wearing nothing but your socks and underpants.
  816. >Weird.
  817. >With a shrug, you take off the socks (which actually makes the mares a little disappointed, for some reason), and reach for your underpants.
  818. >You hesitate for a moment.
  819. >Sabaton, who is biting her hoof and shivering all over at this point, notices your expression.
  820. >"Something... Something wrong, Anon?"
  821. "No, just... Hoping you won't find my dick weird or make fun of it, I guess."
  822. >Her eyes actually widen in horror.
  823. >"What kind of mare would do that?!"
  824. >There are similar exclamations from the two behind you.
  825. >"Sounds like a good way to be sent to sleep on the couch for a month," Warden mutters.
  826. >"Human mares don't know how good they have it, seriously," Sky River grumbles.
  827. >You smile a little as you slide your underpants down, tossing them aside.
  828.  
  829. >Sabaton goes back to biting her left hoof, seemingly trying to restrain herself from lowering her right one towards her nethers.
  830. >Her eyes are locked on to your crotch.
  831. >There's another squishing sound, and you see her pussy move, her clit peeking out.
  832. >That's new.
  833. >You bend over, cupping her cheeks with both hands, kissing her on the nose.
  834. >She grabs you with both forelegs, pulling you in for a kiss.
  835. "So, ah, I've never actually been with a mare before, so, if there's anything you want or don't want me to do..."
  836. >"Don't tease me," She breathes out. "For the love of Celestia, just don't tease me. I never thought I'd feel a stallion's touch again. I want - I need - this so bad, just ram yourself inside me, please. We can talk about sweet spots and all that fancy manure later. Now, please, just take me, I'm begging you. Take me," she babbles.
  837. "Shhhhhh. No need to beg. Shhhhh...."
  838. >You comfort her, petting her neck with your left hand and nibbling on her ear as you line yourself up with your right hand.
  839. >She gasps as you start parting her folds, making the whole squishing thing again.
  840. >You grit your teeth as you firmly push into her, trying to fulfill her request.
  841. >There's no shortage of lubrication, from both of you.
  842. >She whimpers quietly as you soon bottom out inside her, your balls slapping against her tailhole.
  843. >You both just lay against each other for a moment, panting and feeling each other's heartbeats through your chests.
  844. >Then something inside her moves, squeezing and caressing your dick.
  845. "Holy shit..." You mutter.
  846. >Pony pussy is something else.
  847. >You slowly start to pull out, before ramming yourself back inside her.
  848. >She gasps.
  849. >Almost immediately, you start humping her at a steady pace, remembering her request not to go slow.
  850. >Her eyes become unfocused, and she loses any semblance of self-control.
  851. >Her forelegs lock around your waist, keeping you as close to herself as possible.
  852. >Any coherent sounds disappear, and she starts making cute little whinnies and whimpers.
  853. >She still manages to regain enough focus for a second here and there to squeeze your dick with those amazing muscles of hers, making you grunt.
  854. >Hnnng.
  855. >Bit by bit, her whinnies and neighs become louder.
  856. >Your breathing is getting faster, too. You're both getting close.
  857. >You try to hold on, though with how amazing she feels around your dick, her soft coat rubbing against your naked chest and belly, and with just how goddamn cute she is with those moans, you feel yourself nearing the end.
  858. >Sabaton cums first, losing her battle to keep herself quiet and letting out a long, loud moan of pleasure, gushing around your dick.
  859. >You hold off for a few more thrusts, still going despite her orgasm and making her moan louder, before hilting inside her and staying there, filling her with your seed.
  860. >You both hold each other as close as possible, making tiny, barely noticeable thrusts, riding the waves of pleasure as long as you can.
  861.  
  862. >"Sorry," Sabaton mutters as you regain your breath.
  863. "Huh?"
  864. >W-well, I'm not usually such a quick shot, I promise," she says, with some embarrassment. "Just, you know, it's been a while, and I was really turned on, and.."
  865. >You try not to laugh. Quick shot?
  866. >Is this the equivalent of a guy making excuses for not lasting long?
  867. "It's fine, silly, I didn't last much longer than you did. And I've been plenty pent up, too."
  868. >"Really? But... With all those mares throwing themselves at you..."
  869. "Oh please, I have standards," you scoff. "And I've been busy trying to adapt to a new reality, too. Seriously, though those mares? They can go make out with a garden hose. "
  870. >She laughs, nuzzling your face.
  871. >You shift a little, feeling her warm depths.
  872. >You're still inside her.
  873. >Slowly, you begin to pull out.
  874. >She sighs sadly, giving you one last squeeze.
  875. "Hrng- damn it, you're good at that."
  876. >"I- I am?"
  877. "Hell yeah. That was amazing."
  878. >She folds her ears in embarrassment.
  879. >"Thank you..."
  880. >You gently grasp her ears with your fingers, pulling them back to a standing position.
  881. "I meant it, you know."
  882. >You begin to run your hands all over her, exploring her body.
  883. >She sighs and completely melts at the sensation of your fingers running through her coat.
  884. >You keep doing that for a while, throwing in an ear scratch or a butt squeeze now and then.
  885. >She lets out breathy sighs in those moments, gently nibbling on your neck and ear.
  886. >"Whoa..."
  887. >You forgot the other two were even there.
  888. >"Sorry," River says. "Just, you two finished, so, you know... We can talk now, right?"
  889. "Sure. Come join us, if you want. Though.. It's a bit messy. We should get a towel or something next time so we don't ruin the sheets."
  890. >Warden grins as she comes closer.
  891. >"Oh, you did some ruining, alright."
  892. >"I'm ruined for anything but human dick now," Sabaton purrs into your neck, the vibrations sending shivers down your spine,
  893. >You sigh as you feel Warden lie down on your back, rubbing herself against you and sandwiching you between herself and Sabaton.
  894. >Their coats all over your bare skin feel amazing.
  895. >Sky River lays down near Sabaton, examining your dick with great interest.
  896. >You raise an eyebrow.
  897. "Like what you see? Give me a bit more to recover, and it's going inside you next."
  898. >"W-what?!' She squawks in surprise.
  899.  
  900. "Something wrong?"
  901. >"I just, I mean, you.."
  902. >You remember what they said before.
  903. "Is that really so strange? I can go two rounds at least, no problem. Can your stallions really only go once an evening? You'd think they would have more endurance, what with having to deal with so many mares all the time."
  904. >The mares glance between each other,
  905. >Sky River shrugs helplessly.
  906. >"We don't really have much experience with stallions. All we know is what other mares tell us. And I think it's not that they can't, it's just... It's hard to get them to put out, or so the mares say."
  907. >Warden snorts.
  908. >"One old acquaintance of mine told me once how she managed to convince her colt to have a go with every mare in their herd on their anniversary, but he'd complain about getting "icky" after every time and would spend half an hour in the shower after each mare. Bit of a turn-off for those who were left waiting."
  909. >You laugh, shaking your head.
  910. "Your stallions are something else, alright. I don't mind getting messy or going several times, but I do think you should shower afterwards. Sleeping in your mess is nasty. And I think it's worse for you ponies. I can't imagine having your fur being stuck together from your dried... Juices feels nice."
  911. >You lower your right hand towards Sabaton's hindquarters as you say that.
  912. >As you said, they're quite a mess, her coat on her thighs stuck together and her tail soaked with your combined fluids.
  913. >She folds her ears in embarrassment. You straighten them out with your left hand again.
  914. >Moving away from the messy part, you rest your hand on her teats, slowly kneading and rubbing them.
  915. >She squirms and bites her lip, but doesn't protest.
  916. >They're much smaller than what humans have. You wonder how sensitive they actually are. Something to ask later.
  917. >Or find out through experimentation.
  918. >Sky River's still tracking your movements like a hawk.
  919. >You move your hand from Sabaton's ears towards Sky River's.
  920. >She sighs as you start petting her.
  921. >"You - you don't have to..."
  922. "What if I want to?" You ask, ever so slowly dragging your nails through her scalp, going towards her neck and lower.
  923. >She bites her lip, and Warden answers for her.
  924. >"No red-blooded mare would say "no"."
  925. "In that case, I'd hate to leave you ladies frustrated, especially after that show..."
  926. >Sky River and Warden both glance at each other, blushing.
  927. >"We're not entirely frustrated..."
  928. >"Yeah, we might have left a puddle by the door. Or two."
  929. >"We'll mop it up! Promise."
  930. >You chuckle, giving River's flank a squeeze.
  931. >Her tail whips out, and you hear a wet sound from her nethers.
  932. "Looks to me like that only set you off more."
  933. >"Well, hooves are no match for a good, long, hard - mmmmmfffff."
  934. >You squeeze her again, firmer.
  935. >The sounds, sights, and sensations start bringing your dick to life again.
  936. >Sky River notices your dick twitch, swallowing nervously, a small, slightly incredulous smile on her face.
  937. >"So you really.. Okay. Alright."
  938.  
  939. >You notice a slight problem, though.
  940. >There's four of you on the bed, and it's quite packed. There's really no space for anything vigorous.
  941. >Your concerns are validated as Sky River's squirming makes her slide off the side of the bed.
  942. "Should we... Take this to your bedroom, Sky?"
  943. >"Nuuuu...." Sabaton protests weakly.as your hand finally leaves her teats alone.
  944. >Sky River stands up, motioning for you to get up with her wing.
  945. >"Can I... Could I, um... Maybe..."
  946. >She taps her forehooves together, blushing and looking away with her ears folded.
  947. >Does she have some kind of kink?
  948. "Come on, you're a big mare. Use your words."
  949. >She turns to look you in the eyes as you stand before her.
  950. >"Just... Just let me enjoy this for a bit, alright?"
  951. >Hm?
  952. >Her eyes immediately dart lower, towards your crotch.
  953. >She bends down slightly and angles her head, sticking her muzzle under your sack and balancing your balls on her nose.
  954. >You let out an involuntary breath. Her muzzle is very soft.
  955. >She just stands there with her eyes closed, taking deep breaths.
  956. >After a minute of that, her tongue darts out, licking up from your taint to your sack.
  957. >She starts nibbling on your ballsack with her lips, running her tongue all over.
  958. >Her wing snakes out from behind her back, gently caressing your dick.
  959. >"Mmmmmff..."
  960. >Judging by the sounds, she's enjoying herself a lot.
  961. >So are you.
  962. >You were at half-mast at first, but you're rock hard now.
  963. >You try not to giggle as some of the feathers tickle your belly.
  964. >Mares over here seem to really, really like balls for some reason.
  965. >You decide to reciprocate a little and slowly move your hands towards her head, scratching her ears and mane.
  966. >She opens her eyes and shoots a lusty look towards you with lidded eyes, before looking downwards again.
  967. >After a minute more of this, you grip her head tighter. You're really, really hard right now, and while the wing and her mouth make absolutely amazing foreplay, you're not getting much real stimulation.
  968. >She seems to understand it, and releases your ballsack from her mouth with a small "pop" with some reluctance.
  969. >Leaning back a little, she kisses your tip, using her wing to angle your dick towards her.
  970. >With a small lick, she takes your head in her mouth, slowly going deeper.
  971. >It's an amazingly arousing sight.
  972. >The way her muzzle is shaped, you're the perfect size to fill her up to the brim without hurting her.
  973. >Her lips form around your dick, filling up her mouth entirely without making her stretch her jaw.
  974. >Something she seems to enjoy immensely.
  975. >She does her best to communicate this by maintaining eye contact all the time, giving you her best sultry gaze as she takes more and more of you into her muzzle.
  976. >You soon feel some resistance, but she is undaunted.
  977. >Straightening out her neck, she takes the remainder of your shaft into her throat with no problems, bumping her muzzle into your belly.
  978.  
  979. >You let out a long groan as she works her throat muscles to milk your dick the best she can.
  980. >She also goes right back to licking your balls now that she's able to reach them again.
  981. >Her tongue goes back and forth between the left and right ones as she keeps working her mouth and throat muscles.
  982. >Then she reaches behind you with her wing, firmly pressing on your backside and keeping you in place.
  983. >You wonder how long she can hold her breath.
  984. >She goes at it for a solid minute without showing any signs of slowing down.
  985. >Must be a pegasus thing.
  986. >After another minute, you're both seriously impressed and somewhat jealous.
  987. >Going diving must be great when you can hold your breath that long.
  988. >You won't last long at this rate, though. You already feel yourself getting close.
  989. >Some time ago, you noticed she started rubbing herself off with her foreleg.
  990. >That won't do.
  991. >Ever so slowly, you start pushing her off.
  992. >She looks at you in confusion, trying to push you back into her muzzle with her wing.
  993. >You tickle her ears, distracting her and making her muscles relax for a moment.
  994. >There's a small whine as you leave her throat.
  995. >A moment later, your dick pops out of her mouth, glistening with her saliva.
  996. >"What... Did I do something wrong?" She asks, sadness in her voice.
  997. "No, that was absolutely amazing. I'm not going to have all the fun here, though. You said yourself that hooves are not as fun. I'm finishing inside your marehood, and that's final. Go on, get up on the bed."
  998. >She blushes, covering her muzzle with her hoof.
  999. >You reach out and smack her on the flank to get her to hurry up.
  1000. >"Eep!"
  1001. >She quickly jumps on the bed, Warden clearing off to give her space. Sabaton watches the spectacle keenly.
  1002. >Sky River lays down on her left side, looking at you with a blush.
  1003. >The side she was burned on. You noticed that she always kept trying to present her undamaged half to you throughout the evening.
  1004. >You make a mental note to yourself to make her lay down on her right side some time and show her that her scars don't make her any less attractive.
  1005. >For now, though...
  1006. >You spread yourself over her, being careful not to press on her wing too much. You don't really know how fragile it is, yet.
  1007. >Caressing her neck with both hands, you find her pussy with your dick.
  1008. >She moans lightly as you effortlessly enter her, both of you extremely well lubricated.
  1009. >You decide to go all out this time, pounding her rear with wet slaps.
  1010. >Both of you were close already, so it doesn't take long.
  1011. >After a dozen thrusts, you feel the familiar sensation.
  1012. >You bite her neck and hug her close, making her tense up and squeeze your dick hard.
  1013. >It sets her off as well, and you both finish together, you groaning into her neck, and her trying to silence herself with a hoof.
  1014. >"Aaaaaah!"
  1015. >It doesn't help much as her moans ring out through the room.
  1016. >Just like with Sabaton, you stay inside her, enjoying the closeness and the warmth.
  1017.  
  1018. >Sky River keeps squeezing and kneading your dick, trying to keep you hard and inside her,
  1019. >You oblige her, staying where you are.
  1020. >There are some sounds from either side of you.
  1021. >You peek at Sabaton.
  1022. >She has her forelegs near her marehood, both of them glistening.
  1023. >She looks embarrassed, but you smile.
  1024. >Looks like she had some more fun. Good for her.
  1025. >Looking the other way, you see Warden.
  1026. >The unicorn is a sweaty, obviously aroused mess.
  1027. >She's sitting on the floor, biting her hoof.
  1028. >She notices you looking at her. You narrow your eyes.
  1029. >"No," she whispers quietly.
  1030. >"No way," she says, louder.
  1031. >Sky River turns towards her with a questioning expression.
  1032. >You narrow your eyes a little more. She starts fidgeting.
  1033. >"There's no way you're going to..."
  1034. "Try and stop me."
  1035. >Warden sputters. You beckon her towards yourself.
  1036. >Slowly, on unsure legs, she makes her way to the bed, stopping a small distance away.
  1037. >You reach out a hand and rest it on her cheek, pulling her closer in.
  1038. >You bump her muzzle with your nose, looking into her eyes.
  1039. >Then you close them, and go in for a kiss.
  1040. >She shivers as you gently explore each other's mouths.
  1041. >Sky River squeezes you extra hard. You twitch, slowly finally pulling out of her.
  1042. >The kiss ends, leaving Warden panting.
  1043. "Let me catch my breath a little, and you'll see."
  1044.  
  1045. >She nods silently.
  1046. >You lay there for a while, draped over Sky River.
  1047. >She doesn't seem to mind the weight, smiling contentedly.
  1048. >After a short while, Sabaton rolls closer to you, nuzzling your neck.
  1049. >All that time, you keep one hand on Warden, slowly petting her.
  1050. >A few times, you run your fingers by the base of her broken horn.
  1051. >She tries to shy away a little, but you hold her close.
  1052. >It's nice, but it's still a rather uneven surface you're lying on, and holding up your hand that much gets a little tiring.
  1053. >Eventually, you get up, giving Sky River a kiss on the cheek and an ear scratch for Sabaton as you go.
  1054. >They both blush a little.
  1055. >Warden watches you with an uncertain smile as you stand up, standing in front of her.
  1056. >Inevitably, her eyes are drawn towards your dick, which is hanging right in front of her face.
  1057. >With some struggling, she forces to look you in the eyes.
  1058. >"So, umm... How do you...How do you want me..?"
  1059. >She fidgets in place a little, making little "clop" sounds on the floor.
  1060. >Good question.
  1061. "Well, the bed's a little full..."
  1062. >It would be a shame to move the mares from the bed. They look very comfy there.
  1063. >"Well, you could, you know, go the traditional way and mount me? Or... Do humans only do it on beds?"
  1064. >Mounting.
  1065. >You know what the word means, of course.
  1066. >You're not too sure your anatomy is compatible with that, though.
  1067. "Usually, yes. We're quite flexible, but most of our positions involve lying down in some way. Still, though... Hmm..."
  1068. >You give her an evaluating look.
  1069. >She stops fidgeting and stands up firmer, puffing up her chest a little.
  1070. >"I- I can take it! I know you're a big stall- man and I've got a bad leg, but I can still hold you up!"
  1071. >Not entirely your concern, but but it's still a valid one.
  1072. "I was wondering if we can make it work at all, actually. Our bodies are not that different, but... Well, let's see."
  1073. >She freezes in place as you walk around her, trailing your fingers along her spine.
  1074. >A shiver runs down her back, making her tail twitch.
  1075. >You come up from her behind, examining the view.
  1076. >She doesn't have that "built like a tank" stockiness Sabaton has, or the sleek pegasus build of Sky River.
  1077. >The best way you can describe unicorns is "elegant."
  1078. >As unicorns tend to be, she is taller than other ponies, but your genitals still don't quite line up.
  1079. >If you're standing up, you're a bit too high, and if you get down on your knees, you're too low.
  1080. >Idly, you start kneading her flanks, pondering at how to go about this best.
  1081. >She whinnies quietly, instinctively moving her tail aside, displaying herself and inviting you to claim her.
  1082. >Her pussy clenches, demonstrating her need.
  1083. >You move your hands from her butt towards her back, putting your weight on her.
  1084. >She widens her stance a little, but otherwise shows no reaction.
  1085. >Okay.
  1086. >You stretch your legs out a a little at an angle, lowering your body and lining yourself up.
  1087.  
  1088. >You're not fully erect yet, but fondling her rear and the sight of her presenting herself to you went a long way towards that goal.
  1089. >You're a tiny bit sore, but plenty willing to show the unicorn a good time.
  1090. >You poke her rear a few times, finding the right spot and slowly pushing yourself in.
  1091. >"Haaaaa..."
  1092. >She lets out a breathy sigh and you feel her whole body shiver.
  1093. >Her tail twitches again, finding it's way to your leg and wrapping around it.
  1094. >Her tight warmth quickly makes you harden all the way, reaching her deepest spots.
  1095. >Moments later, you bottom out, pressing against her rear with your skin.
  1096. >She whinnies again, her tongue hanging out a little.
  1097. >The position is a little awkward, but you slowly start moving.
  1098. >She grips you with all her strength as you're pulling out, clearly not wanting you to go.
  1099. >The second you start pushing in, though, she immediately relaxes, granting you smooth entry and even trying to pull you in with her muscles.
  1100. >It's a slower pace than Sabaton or Sky River, but a pleasant one.
  1101. >Barely noticeably, she starts pushing against you as you're close to bottoming out, making a slapping sound as you two come together.
  1102. >You dance this dance for some time. In, out, in, out.
  1103. >You finished twice already this evening, so you assume it's going to take you some time to reach your peak.
  1104. >She rubbed out a few as well, but it seems that having you actually stimulating her depths is giving her extra pleasure.
  1105. >"Mfffff..."
  1106. >She fixes her stance a little bit, whinnying now and then.
  1107. >Judging how the other mares acted, you assume that she's getting close.
  1108. >She pushes against you a little harder, but you keep up the steady pace, holding on to her firmly.
  1109. >Best to edge her a little and draw out her pleasure as long as possible.
  1110. >As she gets even louder, a few shivers running down her sides, you slow down your thrusts.
  1111. >A long groan escapes her mouth, and she turns her head towards you with a small pout.
  1112. >You grin at her.
  1113. "Discipline, Warden."
  1114. >She grits her teeth and looks straight ahead again as you keep slowly pumping in and out of her.
  1115. >Despite your delaying tactics, though, she is very close, and it only takes a few more moments until you feel her whole body shivering.
  1116. >Instantly, you give a few hard thrusts, with expected results.
  1117. >She clenches up, screaming in pleasure as her walls squeeze you and her juices run down her legs.
  1118. >You gently keep thrusting, trying to draw out her orgasm as long as possible.
  1119. >By the end, her forelegs slowly fold halfway, before she catches on and manages to right herself, though not without some effort.
  1120. >You rub her back, not entirely sure what to do.
  1121. >She catches on quite fast.
  1122. >"You.. Haaa.. So hard... You didn't finish... Did you?"
  1123. "No, sorry. Don't be silly and blame yourself, though. I went two times already, so it's going to take me a little more."
  1124.  
  1125. >She walks backwards, pushing herself against you.
  1126. >"Do it. Keep going. Keep going, and don't you dare stop no matter what happens, you amazing stud. You hear me? Not if I cum again, not if I pass out."
  1127. "Well, if you insist..."
  1128. >"Yes! By all whatever you consider holy, yes! I'm not going to leave you hanging after the night you showed us all. I think the entire female side of my family tree would rise from their graves to scold me if I did. Do it!"
  1129. >You chuckle at her fiery exclamation.
  1130. "I could take care of it myself.."
  1131. >"What?! No. No way. You're finishing inside me. I'll die of shame otherwise."
  1132. "Very well then..."
  1133. >You lean forward a bit, pulling out slowly before ramming yourself in at full speed.
  1134. >There's no playing around or holding back now, just a furious sprint, trying to reach the finish as fast as possible.
  1135. >She moans loudly, her legs folding again.
  1136. >You grab her rear instead, straightening out your back and lifting her hindquarters off the ground.
  1137. >She gasps in surprise, finding a better grip with her forelegs and pushing her rear against you, indicating her approval.
  1138. >You go to town then, jackhammering yourself in and out, pounding her harder than any of the mares before, loud smacks filling up the room.
  1139. >She whinnies and whines, but manages to keep her forelegs steady.
  1140. >It still takes you a good few minutes of pounding the mare senseless until you feel yourself reaching your peak.
  1141. >She cums again, letting out a long, drawn out whinny, her forelegs slipping a little.
  1142. >Fortunately, you're very close too, and it only takes you a few more thrusts as you start unloading into her.
  1143. >She sighs in contentment, still retaining enough awareness to sense that she achieved her goal.
  1144. >Slowly, you both slide down to the ground, drained and exhausted.
  1145. >"Celestia have mercy..." She mutters.
  1146. >"I think it's Anon you need to ask to have mercy, Warden," Sky River says with a smile.
  1147. She and Sabaton are both looking at you, peeking over the side of the bed.
  1148. >Sabaton tilts her head.
  1149. >"Is this... Normal for humans? If we stay together, should we expect to get pounded senseless every night?" She asks with a slightly fearful, but also excited voice.
  1150. >You let out a tired laugh, rubbing your face into Warden's mane and running circles around her broken horn with your fingers.
  1151. "Not usually, no. Some days, I don't feel like having sex at all. Other times, well... There were days when I'd just keep thinking about sex and get hard all day long, even if I jacked off three or four times."
  1152. >Sabaton takes in a sharp breath.
  1153. "Good thing no red-blooded mare would ever refuse to have some fun, eh?" You ask as you wink at them.
  1154. >The two giggle a little as Warden groans.
  1155. >You decide to stop squishing the mare as you get up, grabbing her by the foreleg.
  1156. >With a little effort, she stands up, an exhausted, dopey smile on her face.
  1157. >"You animal..."
  1158. "You asked for it."
  1159. >She laughs a little.
  1160. >"Can't say that I didn't."
  1161.  
  1162. >You both stand there, breathing deeply.
  1163. >You run your eyes over the mares.
  1164. >They're all messy, and you're no better.
  1165. >There's also small puddles on the floor.
  1166. >The smell of sex permeates the entire room.
  1167. "Right. Now would be the time to clean up, I think."
  1168. >The mares all groan, but get to it without any other complaints.
  1169. >You go to open the windows and air the place out as Sky River and Warden go to get a bucket and some rags.
  1170. >Grabbing Sabaton, you lift her with some effort, and follow her directions upstairs.
  1171. >There's a decently sized tub there. Enough for at least two of you together without getting too cramped.
  1172. >You start the water and get to cleaning the mare, despite her meek protests.
  1173. >Eventually you relent, only shampooing her mane as she takes a sponge and gets to cleaning the rest of herself.
  1174. >Warden and Sky River arrive a couple minutes later, sitting down and patiently waiting their turn.
  1175. >Sky River studies the motions of your fingers while Warden goes to brush her teeth.
  1176. >Soon enough, you're finished, and you quickly sponge yourself off.
  1177. >Cleaning bare skin really is easier than fur.
  1178. >You help Sabaton out of the tub and onto a towel, where you help her dry off.
  1179. >Sky River goes in next as Warden finishes brushing her teeth, going over to you to hug you from behind.
  1180. >"Thank you," She whispers in your ear. "That was absolutely amazing."
  1181. >"Yeah, thanks for the best night in my life," Sabaton sighs, turning her head to nuzzle you.
  1182. >Sky River scoffs from the bath.
  1183. >"No fair, girls, now I can't hug him from here and look like an ungrateful jerk."
  1184. >You chuckle, reaching out to boop her on the nose.
  1185. "I'm sure I'll survive without a hug from you long enough for you to finish your bath."
  1186. >She grumbles a bit as she lathers herself up, but you can see that she's pretending.
  1187. >Warden joins her, the two mares helping to get each other's backs.
  1188. >You wait patiently as they both finish and towel off.
  1189. "So, ladies... Even if I wanted to, I'm far too tired to walk home. What shall we do about our sleeping arrangements?"
  1190. >The three stop, considering the issue.
  1191. >There's some frowns and staring between them.
  1192. >Quite obviously, each one of them want to invite you to their bed, but don't want to challenge the others and ruin the mood.
  1193. >Finally, Sky River speaks.
  1194. >"Well... My bed is the largest, and it might be a bit snug, but... Maybe we all can manage to fit in there?"
  1195. >Warden chews on her lip before nodding.
  1196. >Sabaton shrugs.
  1197. >"Might as well try."
  1198. >Carrying Sabaton again, you make your way to Sky River's bedroom.
  1199. >It's rather spacious. You can only assume that pegasi must be at least somewhat claustrophobic.
  1200. >The bed is similarly large.
  1201. >Sky River licks her lips nervously, looking at you.
  1202. >"Well, Anon, you're the biggest one here, so.. Stallions first?"
  1203. >With a smile, you climb onto the bed. It's rather wide and comfortable, though still a tiny bit short.
  1204. >The mares frown as they see your feet dangling off the edge.
  1205.  
  1206. >Warden runs off somewhere, coming back with a chair and setting in against the bed.
  1207. >Sky River bites the blanket, extending it over the chair.
  1208. >You smile gratefully as you stretch out on the bed, reaching out a hand towards Sabaton and helping her clamber on.
  1209. >She takes the place on your right, while Warden lies down on the left, snuggling up to you.
  1210. >You play with both of their ears as you look curiously at Sky River.
  1211. >She eyes the scene for a minute before shrugging and climbing right on top of you, laying her head on your chest and stretching herself out.
  1212. >The other two mares move their tails, laying them across your legs.
  1213. >You smile.
  1214. "As comfy as you mares are, I think I'd still like a blanket."
  1215. >Warden chuckles, bringing the corner of the blanket towards your hand in her mouth.
  1216. >You grab it, stretching it out over all three mares and yourself, everyone relaxing and getting comfortable.
  1217. >You could get used to this.
  1218.  
  1219. Holy shit someone made art for this

Collected Lichen greens

by Wingnut

The First Fish

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Veteran Guardsmares in RGRE

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The first step north

by Wingnut

Windigo poem

by Wingnut