Decisions Decisions

Five years had passed, since Anon had made his fateful decision, and he couldn’t be happier. Having steeled his resolve and informed his friends of his choice, things had worked out surprisingly smoothly. Not a single one of his companions had abandoned him, taking his selection in stride. As time passed and the various students graduated, he kept in contact with everybody; it wasn’t that difficult either, considering most of them lived in or near Ponyville. Hell, Twilight had even decided to free Cozy Glow, although she was placed in the newly minted Friendship Gulag near the Crystal Empire.

Left to choose which, if any lover he would take, Anon locked himself away in his room. Who would he pick - how could he make such a decision? Each and every student, including Cozy, had strong selling points and, more importantly, he didn’t want to hurt any of them. He considered them all friends and wished to see them all happy - nor did leaving the sadomasochistic pegasus to live an eternity as a statue rest easily with him.

Ocellus was demure and kindhearted. Smolder was tomboyish and impulsive. Silverstream was cheerful and lighthearted. Yona was strong-willed and decisive. Cozy was maniacal and brilliant. Gallus was down to earth and snarky. The man had no doubt that each would make for an endearing romantic partner, which made his selection even more difficult.

Throughout a day and a night, foregoing any sleep and barely eating anything, Anon stewed on his predicament. Weary and hungry, he wandered towards the cafeteria to get some coffee. Selection or not, he had work to do and he desperately needed caffeine. Shambling past a buffet of breakfast foods, he looked over at the vittles. Eyeing each intently, he wondered which was more appealing; that’s when the final piece clicked into place.

Why did he have to pick any of them, when he could choose all of them. Rushing off to Twilight’s office, he readied himself to inform the Headmare of his decision. There hadn’t been anything in the contract about him selecting several of the candidates, which was just what he planned to do.

Bursting into the Princess’ office, catching the alicorn woefully off guard, Anon pleaded his case. Twilight nodded, listening intently to the man’s frantic choice and his logic behind it. To his surprise, she simply got up, trotted over, shook his hoof, and told him she’d summon the aspirants.

In less than half an hour, Twilight had gathered them all; hell, even Cozy was there, although she was accompanied by a pair of royal sentries. Each of the students seemed confused, speculating among themselves over who he had chosen. While they all seemed reluctantly cheerful and optimistic, there was the unmistakable tang of tension in the air.

Clearing his throat, Anon stepped amongst his suitors and looked to them each in turn. Freely mentioning the allure of each of them, one by one, he spoke highly of them all. It was only when he was concluded that he took a breath, threw open his arms, and offered himself up as a polyamorous lover.

The students paused, staring blankly up at the man. It was so damn quiet that you could hear a pin drop; not a single sound filled the room. Anon stood frozen, his gaze sweeping over his friends, as his anxiety gradually dialed up to an unimaginable level. He’d had no way of knowing how they’d take the news, so he was left to speculate on what they were thinking. Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, they pounced on him.

Hugged from head to toe, Anon toppled to the floor. Under the writhing mass of a changeling, griffon, dragon, hippogriff, yak, and pegasus, he lay pinned. It took him a second to realize they hadn’t leapt on him in anger - no, quite the opposite. They were all smiling and laughing, pleased beyond measure that they’d all continue being a part of his life.

Twilight, apparently pleased with the man’s decision, did what she could to accommodate him and his harem. Procuring a townhouse for them all to share, within walking distance of the school, she ensured their things were all moved safely. Her lone stipulation was that she periodically get to observe their alone time with the human - for scientific purposes, of course. None of them minded, too pleased with the opportunity to live together.

Wasting no time, the collective of lovers moved into their new abode. It didn’t take long for confusion and discontent to settle in, though they sorted it out in short order. Each was allotted time with Anon, rotating in shifts, throughout the week. Surprisingly, the arrangement worked out swimmingly, evenly distributing the man amongst the crowd while ensuring their friendships remained intact.

As the month sailed by and the students graduated, the sextet took various jobs; Ocellus became a postal carrier, Smolder worked as a cartographer, Silverstream was employed as a guidance counselor, Yona was offered a position at Rarity’s shop, Gallus got inducted into the Royal Guard, and Cozy Glow shaped up to be the best professional dominatrix Equestria had ever seen! The only resident who took an additional romantic interest was Yona.

Shortly after starting work, the not-so-little yak began a second relationship with Sandbar. She’d apparently harbored feelings towards him for years, since their time together at the school, so she eventually seized the initiative. Following in the human’s footsteps, she saw no reason not to share herself between her bipedal lover and quadrupedal admirer.

Yes, things worked out smoothly for everycreature in the household. Anon’s paramours were flourishing and growing, his tenure at the academy was set, and the finances were more than stable. It was ironic; of all the residents of the home, the only one who didn’t seem to change was the human.

He’d accomplished what mere mortals dreamt of, lording over a small harem of diverse and wonderfully colorful creatures. Like the protagonist of a poorly written and remarkably low-brow isekai, he’d done what few, if any, ever could. His heterosexuality had suffered, he’d developed a number of kinks, and done the do with a startling array of sapient quadrupeds, yet he couldn’t be happier. Though he suffered through many, many misadventures through the years, those are stories for another time...