“Hey, Bon Bon, sorry I’m late.”

The door’s bells jingled and the mare instinctively placed her ice pack down from her head. When she realized who it was, she frowned at Lyra as she continued to cool herself. “Where have you been? Did you sleep in again?”

Still tired, she did not bother looking up until she got her apron on. “Believe me, I would’ve gotten here earlier, but I got, er…held back.”

“Was it something to do with Victor?”

“No!” Her head turned up so fast it was dizzying. “Uh...I mean, not mainly...anyways!” She slapped herself awake. “I’m ready to work now. What needs doing?” She looked around the empty shop, desperate for something to pass the time.

“As you can see, nothing for the time being. And I’ve already passed the time you’ve missed by checking inventory.” Bon Bon pounded the counter. “The ice cream machine should have been a hit! I spend so many bits into that contraption, and what? Just sitting there, collecting dust. Gah!” She headbutted the counter and scowled with regret as pain spread through her skull.

“Woah, calm down,” Lyra said before reappearing from the kitchen, a yellow apron around her chest. “And I thought I was frustrated.”

Bon Bon chuckled irritatedly, making her ice pack slosh about. “I’d like to see you come up with a good idea. Who comes to a candy store at summer, anyways?” She gave a small smirk. “By the way, what about those pop rocks? Pretty good for first time, right?”

Lyra put on her best smile. Indeed, it was fun to taste something that crackled like fireworks in your mouth, but it was still candy, and prone to melting like the rest in the building. It was one of the reason she only made a sample’s worth.

“Yeah, they’ll be a hit with the foals. But just in case, I gave the rest to Victor. He’ll be able to judge if it’s like the original or not.”

Bon Bon blinked at the mention. “Oh yeah, how is he? Was he holding you back? Is that why you were late?”

“What? No!” Lyra waved a hoof at her, chuckling. “It’s just...some thing’s come up. This heat doesn’t make it easier, either.”

“What does the heat have to do with-oh. Oh!” Bon Bon covered her mouth with her hoof. “Is it that

“Hey, it’s called “subtlety”, You should try it sometimes.” Lyra smirked triumphantly when Bon Bon failed to deliver a rebuttal.

“But you took care of it, right?” Bon Bon pulled out last week’s issue of Canterlot Weekly but kept her eyes on her friend. “You have a cooler, don’t you ?”

“Yeah. That’s why I was late.” Lyra’s skin was getting hotter by the second. She did not need a reminder of her embarrassment at flirting with Victor.

Bon Bon smirked, her eyes peering over the magazine. “Did he find out?”

“About my heat? Yeah,” Lyra admitted. “He was surprisingly nonchalant about it, though.”

“Did he want to help you with that?” Bon Bon snickered at Lyra’s shocked face. “He seems like a nice guy, and I’ve seen you in one of your more…frisky moods before. I’m sure he’d be-”

“Don’t go there!” Lyra said, slightly louder than she wanted. She could really use that ice cream machine right about now. “He’s...he’s not that kind of guy, okay? Sheesh, you’re the last mare I thought would tell me to get laid, Bon Bon. Usually it’s the other way around.”

“You’ve been very excited to meet him-you’ve even gave him a place to stay. Ponyville Inn’s not a bad place, you know.”

Lyra frowned. Since when did Bon Bon care so much her personal life? “I just wanted to rub it in everypony’s face, alright? I told everypony those newspaper photos were real, and a year later we learn we’ve made contact with alien life!” Relenting, she pulled out several bits from her saddlebag and onto the counter. “Mind if I be your first customer on the ice cream machine while I do inventory?”

“Go nuts.” As Lyra levitated a waffle cone ready, Bon Bon tried to strike up another conversation. “How is Victor, anyways? Is he still going out to the library?”

“Yeah,” Lyra called over the whirring of the ice cream machine. It took all over her concentration to not bury her face and mane in the freezing vanilla. “I mean, I see the reason for it. Twilight’s got some cool human gadgets-”

“Lyra.” Bon Bon frowned again. “Puns.”

“Sorry, but yeah, she’s got some of those electric fans she got imported for herself and the library. I swear, I counted five of them the last time I visited her.” Her tongue lapping like a dog’s at the mound of ice cream she now had, she shoved the whole cone into her muzzle, eliciting a soft moan. She took a bite out of the cream as she marched down the aisles, inspecting each basket and plastic boxes full of candies. “He says he wants to make me dinner for tonight, since he ate all my bacon this morning.”

Bon Bon turned her head so fast her ice pack fell to the floor. “Huh? He’s asked you out?” she asked as she retrieved her relief.

“Nah, he’s just making dinner. He’s not taking me to one!” Lyra laughed, careful not to snort her ice cream, but the idea lingered. A dinner, just the two of them, laughing and talking, probably some wine-

Lyra did not know whether to cringe or blush. The throbbing from her groin was gone, but her brain was telling her skin to burn like a hot plate, along with some other signals. “There’s really not much difference from our other dinners, now that I think about it. Well, except that he’s the one cooking.”

“You sure?” Bon Bon called out. Lyra could not see it, but the earth pony had the widest smirk yet. “Sounds awfully friendly to me.”

“Again, he’s not that kind of guy. Stop teasing me about it.” Lyra grumbled, but she too, had a smile. The sound of being served dinner by her guest was very enticing, especially to her stomach. “He wants to make it up for the meat he ate. He’s just wants to be a good friend.”

Bon Bon let out a soft chuckle. “I hear there’s already been some pony-human relationships back on their Earth. And even if there’s nothing going on-”

“Which there isn’t!”

“You sure?” Lyra turned to see Bon Bon, her eyes narrowing, humor receding. “Even if there isn’t, why don’t you just ask him for help just this once, before somepony else does?”

Lyra was shaking with irritation at this point, with no more ice cream to cool her down. She knew what Bon Bon was getting at. The cooler was the most popular option for eliminating heat, but only due to the convenience. Having a male-of any species-is much more effective in the long run than a cooler, mostly because a non-equine cannot impregnate a mare.

However, therein laid a problem: Lyra was not the only mare in heat, and it was no secret there were more mares than stallions in Ponyville. Despite most foreigners’ impressions, ponies were rarely polygamous.

Citizens of a town as tightly-knit as Ponyville usually knew who was with who and when was romping with why, especially in heat season. That did not stop some heat-motivated mares from asking if their latest visitor was cool with a one-night stand during his vacation.

“You really think that’s a good idea?” Lyra sighed. At this point, she could not pretend to be interested in inventory any longer. “I don’t want to come off as insensitive and be like Cloud Kicker, you know? We got a good friendship going on. Besides, I can always ask you for help.”

Bon Bon smirked, but shook her head. “Sure, for a couple nights, but you can’t always depend on me. I’m not complaining, but you can be pretty wild when you want to be.”

Lyra frowned, not at the remark, but the thought accompanying it. Would Victor even like that that about her? No, before that, would he agree to it at all?

“How do I even go about it?” Lyra asked. “About asking him, I mean. For that matter, why does it have to be him? Why not some stallion or another? Heck, why don’t I just stick with the cooler?”

“Do you want him to do it with somepony else?”

“No!” Before she could stop herself, the response came right out. Lyra whipped her head back and saw Bon Bon with a curious look. “Th-th-that’s not what I meant-I mean…” She sighed again and wiped away the sweat from her forehead. “I don’t care if he helps me or any other mare. I just want him to be careful. He might get the wrong impression on all of us if one of us took advantage of him.”

“You’re being overprotective.” Bon Bon responded. “If he’s like us during our own college years, he’d know when someone’s hitting on him. Don’t act a jealous schoolfilly when you were the one that said there’s nothing going on. Just look forward to dinner tonight. Oh.” She laid down her magazine and ice pack. “By the way, does he cook well?”

“Hm?” Lyra blinked. Victor never cooked for her, only described the foods and procedures of cooking his people’s developed. Even if he offered, Lyra insisted that she would be the one catering him, not vice-versa. “No. I was too busy cooking for him.”

“If there’s really nothing going on, then mind if I ask him out sometimes?”

“Huh?!” Lyra blurted out as Bon Bon walked over to her. “What, are you in heat too?”

“Do I look like I’m needing the “D”?” Bon Bon deadpanned.

"The what?!" she gave a howl of laughter or confusion.

“The “D”. It’s a phrase some humans use when a female is...frustrated.” Bon Bon waved her magazine and wiggled her eyebrows for good measure.

Lyra did not know whether to laugh or worry. Maybe Bon Bon was not in season, but the summer heat had melted her brain to act opposite of how she usually does.

“Since when did you know more about humans than me?” Lyra asked, chuckling nervously.

“I read the latest news and gossip. Nothing else to do much in this blistering heat.” She turned to face her ice cream machine and grimaced. “Is the ice cream good?”

“Uh, the vanilla is, at least.” Lyra stammered, trying to avoid the worst of her cranky disdain.

”The chocolate, then.” Her frown was replaced with a tired grin as she loaded her cone.

Lyra chuckled at her and proceeded down the aisle. Although the weather was undeniable, the thought of Victor smiling with food in tow, made her feel a little lighter inside.

“By the way,” Lyra drawled out. “I think the reason why noponies’ visiting is that they don’t even know we sell ice cream now. I mean, who thinks “ice cream” when they hear “candy shop” anyhow?”

A pound on the counter made Lyra snicker and Bon Bon’s curse to the air.

“Advertisement! I knew I forgot something!”

Victor’s feet seemed to shake the ground with each step. He had been walking for five minutes and he already felt sweat soaking his shirt and black hair. The bright sunlight reflecting off of every surface and blinding him during the whole trip was not helping.

I knew I should have put on sunblock before I went out. Oh, who am I kidding, I would just sweat all of it off.

He looked around the street and saw everypony in similar situations. While most ponies preferred to stay indoors, there were some who basked in the shades their homes provided, drinking cold beverages as they lazily talked about whatever that came to mind. Some mares even wore wide-brimmed hats to keep the reflected light out of their eyes as they bathed in shadow.

“Oy, Storgeo!” a mare called out, one with a purple aviator she rested on her horn. “Walking around, even on a day like this?”

Victor’s ears perked. The residential party pony hosted a welcome party for him the first day here, so most ponies knew his full name. It was still unexpected to hear his last name spoken out of the blue. “Yeah, Vinyl,” he responded lamely. While he was normally not this rude to strangers, the heat made his every move laborious and he wanted to conserve his energy by keeping stoic.

Next to her, a grey earth pony tipped up her silk hat and pointed at a pitcher and cups on the table between her and the unicorn. “Care for a glass? Not good to go sweating a trail behind you all day without relief,” she said with a smile.

Victor wiped his wet neck and smiled. “Thanks Octavia, but I-”

He stopped when he heard something frying. He looked down and saw the the sweat he wiped off fell off his fingers and onto the road, evaporating on contact.

“-nevermind,” Victor muttered and he lumbered into the shade. He got on one knee to reach the small table, but the unicorn beat him to the punch.

“Here, dude,” she said as a purple aura surround the pitcher, tipping its contents into a glass.

“Uh, thanks.” Victor took the cup and drank. He wanted to gulp it down, feel its cold rejuvenate his mouth and throat, but the gaze of the two mares forced him to gaze back instead. “What? Something wrong?”

Victor finished his glass before focusing on the two. It was not the first time he was being stared at. Ever since day one, ponies would stare whenever he did anything, even if it was something as mundane as tying his shoelaces. After a few days, the curiosity died down but he was still wary, especially of the so-called “Cutie Mark Crusaders”.

Vinyl chuckled and shook her head. “Nah, dude. Just...observing all.”

Victor finished his punch and helped himself to another glass. “Isn’t staring rude?” he asked, draining his cup just as quick.

“But it’s sooooo hot!” she blurted. She threw her hooves in the air and leaned back on her chair, emphasizing her belly. “Moving anything but the eyes are a pain. Helps that eyeballs don’t have sweat glands.”

“I never would have guessed,” Victor commented flatly.

Octavia snickered and helped herself to another glass. “I don’t mean to pry, but what are you doing in this heat?”

“Walking.”

Octavia rested her head on her hooves, leaning forward. “You know what I mean. Everypony’s wondering why you keep visiting Twilight.”

“I’m visiting the library, not her.” He finished his third glass but decided to savor the shade a bit longer. “It’s cooler than Lyra’s place, and I need to return a book. It’s a good place to pass the time, while Ly-”

He stopped himself just in time. He had only spent a little over a week socializing with the townsponies but he knew about Vinyl, mostly from Octavia. He remembered Lyra’s bashfulness when she explained herself. If Vinyl knew about Lyra’s current condition, she would never let it go.

“Pass the time with what exactly?” Vinyl spun her empty glass in her hooves. She was not going to let this go. “If I remember correctly, it should be time for Twilight’s “you-know-what” to start-”

Octavia groaned. “Do you have to talk about that now?”

“-not gonna think of visiting her during that, are you?” Vinyl finished, her eyebrow rising.

Even if heat meant nothing to him, his face burned regardless. The thought of every other mare in Ponyville acting like Lyra was a bit unnerving.

Until he remembered her terrible flirting skills.

“What are you laughing at?” Vinyl asked, chuckling a little herself as Victor covered his mouth and doubled over.

Octavia copied her and took another sip. “I told you, Vinyl, that Twilight’s not that kind of mare. She’s not like you, you know.”

“Oh, don’t tell me you don’t like me for it.” Vinyl bumped Octavia’s shoulder with an elbow, her laughter growing. “This heat’s the perfect time for-”

“Cool off!” Octavia had been growing more red by the second and her embarrassment culminated in her splashing her drink over Vinyl. It stopped her from speaking any further, but she devolved into raucous howls. “It’s always like this with you! Sorry you had to see that,” Octavia said to Victor, who had recovered from his own bout of laughter.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I needed that.” He smirked at Octavia’s confused look and placed his cup on the table. “Thanks for the drink.” He turned around to walk back into the burning sun, but stopped himself. “Wait, what was that last bit? About Twilight?”

Before Octavia could talk, Vinyl had cleaned most of her coat, thanks to her unicorn magic, and returned to the conversation. “Didn’t nopony tell you? Now’s right about the time for-”

“Vinyl!” Octavia reprimanded. Her voice was devoid of humor and it was completely stern. Even Vinyl snapped to attention. “I can tolerate you telling everypony about us, but don’t go spreading rumors about the princess. Are you crazy?”

“Sorry, sorry!” Vinyl whimpered and put her front hooves together for forgiveness.

“How are you sure?” Victor asked. “Are heat cycles that clear-cut? Are they that predictable?” If so, this could be less troublesome than expected.

“Not exactly,” Octavia answered, laying her down and glaring at Vinyl one last time. “Everypony’s...cycle shows up at different times and periods, but once it does, we can prepare for it for next time.”

“Prepare?”

Octavia could no longer continue with her face burning and busied herself by pouring another drink.

Instead, Vinyl entered the conversation. “You got three options to deal with heat, dude.” She tried to look humble for Octavia but a meek smile remained on her face. “Find a dude to lay with, use a cooler, or get off on your own. Effectiveness in that order.”

Normally, talking about such a intimate subject would have made Victor shirk away like Octavia, but his curiosity took over. Vinyl’s frankness with the topic helped with that. “A cooler?”

“It’s a thing we have. Like a toy.” Victor groaned when Vinyl suggestively wiggled her eyebrows. “Get a fake dick, add some formula that simulates spunk, sprinkle some magic, and bam! A cooling a day keeps the heat away, you know?”

“Uh, I guess?.” Victor was starting to regret asking her, and was beginning to prefer the burning sun than talk about this any further. “So anyways, what you’re saying is that it’s Twilight’s time too?”

“Yep.” Vinyl’s aviators were back on, blocking her eyes but not her smile. “But I wouldn’t worry. Twilight should be more than ready. But in my opinion, getting someone else, male or female, is a lot more fun. More effective and a lot more satisfying, too.”

At this, Octavia interrupted, pouting a little. “Vinyl Scratch, you would try to flirt with a town guest while I’m right here?” she asked with disdain. “It’s not even your time yet.”

“What? It won’t be cheating if I let you in on the fun too!”

Aaaaaaand that’s my cue to get out of here.

Victor walked out of the shade and sped up when he heard the two mares’ quarreling grow in volume and audacity.

“Does your hormones know no bounds, Scratch?!”

“Hey, it’s your hormones that’s the problem, so I’m just trying to-”

“ ”Take advantage of him’ is what you were going to say?”

“Aha! So you were jealous!”

When Victor reached the library, he was sweaty and red in the face. The conversation had remained on his mind the rest of the trip, replaying tidbits he would rather not.

Relax, it’s just like Vinyl said. Twilight’s not somepony without a plan. That girl’s obsession with planning could be seen by the blind.

Wait...how the hell does VINYL know about her heat cycle, anways?!

“Hey, Twilight.” He pulled back the door and basked in the rushing cool air before closing it behind him. “I brought you the library book back-”

Victor stopped when he realized the princess was nowhere to be found. Every surface, from the floor to the tables, were sprinkled with books and magazines.

“Uh, Twilight?” he called out. He picked up any text in his path as he waded through to a nearby table. “You here? It’s me, Victor.”

As he laid what he managed to collect on the table, the floor began rumbling, threatening to trip him. He balanced himself by falling to his knees and holding onto the table, but was scared nevertheless.

An earthquake? Now?! How do ponies put up with this!

The sound of a door slamming made him jump. He turned to see Twilight in the basement’s doorway. She had clearly run up here. Her hair was wild with a few strands sticking out here and there, and her large eyes were slightly red.

Victor took an instinctive step back. “Oh God, don’t tell me, you-”

“So you know!” she shrieked. She picked up several books and put them in stacks on the tables. “It’s terrible, I tell you! I can’t find anything! This is...no, calm down...calm down…” She straightened her hair and took several deep breaths, her hoof over her chest.

Victor took the moment to help clear the floor of leftover books.. He tried to act casual and avoided eye contact. Who knew what a hormone-addled magical alicorn could do to him?

“So, uh, Twilight?”

Before she could respond, another rumbling was felt from upstairs.

“What was that?! Was it an earth-oh, hey, Victor!” Spike waved a claw and the human weakly waved back. “Man, that was some quake, huh? We never get earthquakes thought, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.” He jogged down and started cleaning up. “Jeez. Hope the next one doesn’t leave such a mess.”

“Er, actually Spike, that was me.” Twilight said sheepishly. She rubbed her head as she helped her assistant. “I was downstairs with some experiments, but when I heard Victor I sprinted up.”

“Huh?” Spike looked around at the shelves. “But the books must have fallen out, right? I mean, isn’t that what a quake’s supposed to do? Make books fall off the shelves, break a couple plates?”

“The books were like that when I got here, Spike.” Victor picked up a book from the table. “Physiology and Psychology of a Pony”?”

“Studying biology?” Spike asked. “I didn’t know we even had this many books on ponies. What’s the occasion?”

Twilight rubbed her leg anxiously. “There’s something wrong with me, Spike. I’d rather not say more than that.” She walked past them and sat down on a cushioned chair next to the table.

“Huh? Are you sick?” Spike frowned in worry. “And you couldn’t find a cure in any of the books? Should I send a letter to the princess for help? Maybe a check-up?”

“No!” she shrieked. Her face turned scarlet when she realized her outburst. “I-I mean, it’s not that kind of sick, Spike.”

Spike wore an exasperated look while Victor stood behind him. “Best not to worry about it, Spike. It’s a...female thing. Trust me on this.”

Twilight silently sighed her thanks when Spike faced Victor, confused as ever. “You know what’s up with her?”

“Well, not exactly,” Victor chuckled uncomfortably. He was in a similar situation as Spike once. He was a preteen when he asked her mother what tampons were for when he spotted them at the supermarket. “But I know better than to bother a girl when she gets like this. You’ll learn when you’re older.”

“Ugh, now you’re telling me that, too?”

“Again, it’s a female thing. It’s something we dudes will never fully understand, anyways.”

Spike opened his mouth, but eventually slumped in surrender and faced Twilight, who smiled reassuringly at him. “Alright, Just so long as there’s nothing wrong, Twilight.”

“Don’t worry, Spike. I was overreacting anyways.”

Victor scoffed. “Like Pinkie Pie when she threw me that party?”

“That’s how she normally is.” Twilight finished putting the last of the books away. Her horn glowed brighter as every fan in the room turned on. filling the library with a circulating breeze. “Much better, no?”

“Yeah, now I can nap in peace.” Spike turned around and headed for the stairs.

Before he could leave, a thought formed in Victor’s head. He placed his bag down and pulled out the bag of pop rocks. “Before you go, here’s a little something from Lyra and Bon Bon.”

“Huh?” Spike shook the bag, making the candy glisten. “Aw sweet! Gems!”

Victor laughed as he took the bag back and opened it. “Not gems, but they are sweet.” He raised the bag to his head and poured some of it into his mouth. “Pop rocks. Bon Bon made ‘em.” He passed the bag back to Spike and waited for the show.

“Pop rocks?” Instead of the dragon, however, Twilight asked first. “Why would Bon Bon call them-”

Before she could finish, the candy began crackling in Victor’s mouth. “That’s why.” He stuck his tongue out and Twilight and Spike gawked at the tiny crystals popping and bouncing. “Ib’s a candy from mah worl’. Ah gav’ some to ‘yra an’ Bon Bon when Ah foun’ some lef’ in mah bag.” He swallowed quickly, although he could feel them stinging his throat. “Hm, less sweet than I thought it would be.”

“Dude, that’s awesome!” Spike jumped in awe and looked at Twilight pleadingly. “Can I try them now, Twilight? Please?”

Twilight sighed but her smile remained. “Alright, but can you buy some things for me?” Twilight levitated a list out of nowhere over to him. “Nothing serious, just some more parchment, quills, you know, the usual.”

“Why don’t you just use the pen and paper like everypony else?” Spike groaned.

“You don’t expect me to write a formal letter with those, do you?”

“Well, you got a point.” Spike relented and jogged upstairs, returning with a coin purse.

“If you make it back soon, I’ll have some juice and gems ready for you,” Twilight said in sing-song voice.

This was enough to get his back straighten out of his slump. “Alright! Have some rubies ready for me! I’ll be back in a jiff!” He sprinted out the door. Victor could practically hear the burning rubber one hears in cartoons.

Victor chuckled at the display as he sat down near the desk and opened his bag. “Seems a bit cruel, don’t you think?” He pulled out his laptop and battery. “I know he doesn’t mind the hot weather, but could have been a bit more convincing.”

“Oh, be quiet,” Twilight returned and proceeded to place the books back on their shelves. “I just need some time to think about this, and I don’t need Spike to dote on me.”

“With the way you talk, it sounds like he’s taking care of you.”

“He helps, yes, but like you said, there are some things he’s not meant to know yet. By the way-” she smiled sheepishly at him “thanks for the assist. I don’t know how I would have explained it to him.”

“No prob.” Victor looked away and returned to his laptop. “So what, you really are...you know.”

“No, and that’s the problem.”

Victor stared at Twilight. Twilight immediately turned away, but he continued to stare. He knew Twilight only for several days, but even he found it absurd she would treat the absence of a nuisance as a nuisance. “What? I might not know much about heat, but from the way Lyra explained it, it sounds like a real pain in the rump.”

“It’s a pain, but it’s something every mare goes through!” Twilight huffed. “I’ve prepared for it and everything. It’s usually happens around this time of the month, but now that the month’s almost over, what if something’s seriously wrong with me?”

Victor looked around at the books surrounding them. Was that why she was overreacting? “So that’s what those books were for?” He scratched his head. “Wouldn’t you be better off going to a doctor?”

“I went just yesterday, but either they couldn’t find the problem, or my heat schedule was just a bit off, or everypony thought I was lying.” Twilight groaned. “When Spike comes back, I’m sending a letter to Princess Celestia about this.”

Victor scoffed. “What would she know about heat? Hell, do alicorns even go into heat?”

“All the more reason to ask her about it.”

Victor shook his head. His laptop finished booting up and he got to searching for dinner. There was little point in bringing physical cookbooks when he could bring electronic copies, and he wanted to make something special for Lyra. Unfortunately, he had few ingredients on hand, which meant he had to make due with what he could purchase today from the marketplace.

A ponified version of human food? Would that even be possible? So many of my favorites include meat, and there’s not a lot of meals I can make that allow substitutes.

“Soup, or something fluid?” He silently wished he had internet connection and look for more recipes, but he had to make due with his personal database. “Soup, where would I get the broth... Pizza, maybe, but don’t they have those here… damn, no idea…”

Pony cuisine, despite the difference in diets, is so similar to our own, in some form or culture or era, it’s hard to think of something that passes as genuinely “human”. Hell, what I make might even look like I ripped something off one of their cookbooks.

“Fajitas? Spaghetti? Curry? Burgers?”

Twirling his hair irritatedly, Victor reached in his bag and pulled out a folder, containing the recipes of foods he found worthwhile as well as a list of names of foods similar to his own species’s. It was limited, but that was one of the reasons he was in the library.

“Do you mind? I can be pretty lazy in warm weather, but I’m actually working right now.”

Twilight, who had been peering over his shoulder, frantically stepped back as Victor stood up. She had returned from preparing Spike’s snack and took a moment to peek at his fascinating device. No matter how politely she asked him, Victor always refused her advances to dismantle his laptop for study in the past.

Making a quick trip to a few recipe books he knew, he sat back down, but kept his eye contact with Twilight’s. “Mind helping me out if you’re bored?”

Twilight’s look of embarrassment was replaced with curiosity. “Oh? How?”

“You’ve got some general knowledge about, well, everything, right?” He shuffled aside, allowing Twilight a view of the monitor. “Just tell me if you’ve seen or heard anything like these, okay?”

“Ooh, human delicacies?” She broke a smile as she scanned the monitor. She had an opportunity to read through the list before, but it was only a skim as to not annoy her guest, and now was a chance to get a closer look. “Burgers, we have hay for meat...mushroom soup, rare, but not uncommon for first nation ponies...spaghetti, yes, with flowers for meat...boy, you guys eat a lot of meat, huh?”

“I’ve had this talk with Lyra before. I’d rather not repeat it,” he said as he clicked onwards. “Oh, here’s some of the more exotic stuff.”

“Sushi?” Twilight turned green. “You eat them too? Well, some ponies out east have them if they can stomach them, and some griffins have them too… aly-got? Some kind of cheesy fondue? Pinkie Pie would love that…” She licked her lips, and Victor thought he heard a stomach rumble. “Rah-men? Never heard of that… kimchi, fermented vegetables? Sounds edible, but I can’t imagine the smell… Curry?”

Victor scowled and looked closer at the screen. Since when did he have two of the same recipes? “Do you have them?”

“Not to my knowledge.” She leaned in closer until Victor could almost see the screen’s images reflect off her eyeballs. “Varied ingredients and manner of serving, usually spicy…”

While she was distracted, Victor gasped. If he remembered correctly, he had a few packs of curry powder in his luggage bag. His mother had packed his favorite in advance, knowing about Ponyville’s marketplace and saying he could buy ingredients there.

Huh, I completely forgot about them. But the last thing I need is something spicy to go with this God-forsaken weather.

“Twi-” He stopped when he saw her muzzle almost squashed against the screen.

“...despite its spiciness, people still eat it...the brain reacts by releasing endorphins, allowing the the taste to induce pleasure and lessen pain.” Twilight blinked several times to moisten her eyes before retreating back. She withdrew the physiology book from before and fluttered the pages. “Endorphins, endorphins, pituitary…” Twilight gasped even loud than Victor, making him recoil from the suddenness. “Victor, do you know what endorphins are?!”

“Uh, the chemical in the brain that’s released when you eat spicy food?”

“Yes! And do you know when it’s also released?”

“Urh, exercise?” Victor squirmed slightly in his seat and blushed at how close she was. Even Lyra was never this...affectionate, at least until this morning. Twilight pressed her hooves to his chest, she was so excited.

“No! Heat!” Her cheeks were flushed, but it could have been due to her excitement as much as due to the nature of the matter. “Why didn’t I think of this sooner?!”

Suddenly, the door opened, forcing Twilight to separate from him.

“Twilight, I’m back!” Spike walked in with a lighter purse and inkwells on top of a pyramid of parchment. It was a wonder how he carried it all. “Aw cool! You got that computer thing again. Can I try “Minesweeper” again? Please? I think I know how to do it now!”

Blank, Victor relented while Twilight led the dragon to his snack. “Thanks for the delivery, Spike. Just be ready to send a letter to the princess in a bit.” She rounded on Victor. “You’re a culinary student, right? Do you know how to cook those things?”

“Some of them, but I can’t do anything without ingredients,” he answered coarsely. He only heard about it from the abrasive Rainbow Dash, but he knew this was when she would start playing Twenty Questions. Nevertheless, he was never the one to deny a friend something. “What, you want me to make you something?”

“Huh?” Spike perked up, his cheeks filled with gems and juice. “Twilight, are you hungry, too? It’s a bit early for lunch, but I can still eat. Should I make something, or are we going out?”

Twilight shook her head. She levitated a quill and parchment and got to writing. “No Spike, it’s not like that. Victor-” she rounded on him but kept scribbling furiously. “-sorry for asking so out-of-the-blue, do you think you can make some of those things? I think I’m onto something here.”

Victor crossed his arms. He was afraid of this, but he did not want to tell her about his dinner with Lyra. Nothing she had to know about. “Couldn’t I do this some other time? Sure, I can make curry, but I’m busy-”

“That’s perfect!” She clopped her hooves together “Spike! Can you send this letter now?”

“Aye aye!”

Victor groaned and rubbed his temples. Even without heat, she was still just as crazy, it seemed. “Why do you even want me to cook? You guys have hot sauce and such, don’t you?”

“But there might be a difference between human spicy foods and Equestrian spicy food we don’t know about! The possibilities are endless! Not to mention the effects they might have on our different physiologies!” Twilight squealed. “Can I try this out just this once, please? Oh please, oh please, oh please?”

Despite being twice her size, Victor was under her gaze. Twilight was a friend, but he remembered how everypony kept talking about her status and her connection with the other princesses. With her initial impression of her, he found some of their claims dubious, but she was begging him, after all.

Man, what decent human being would refuse after that? Oh shit…

Yes, he remembered Twilight saying about him being the first human visiting Ponyville on his first day. What kind of impression would it be, turning down a favor to the princess? Even worse, if word spread of this, it could give everypony the wrong impression of humans in general. They were quite skeptical of him during his entrance before Twilight met him.

Can’t leave a bad impression, can I? Let’s just get this over with, then.

“Hmm. Fine, I guess.” He looked at his laptop, but Spike had already learned how to work the mousepad. “Spike, I’m going shopping. Make sure to close the laptop when you’re done with it. I don’t want the entire battery running out when I get back.”

“Can do!” he saluted, frowning in concentration.

BKOW!

“Alright then, watch my stuff for me for a bit, ‘kay?” He slapped himself-how hypocritical. “I’ll be back soon. Just gotta go back to Lyra’s for my wallet. Twilight?” He turned to her, who waited for him at the door. “You’re coming with me?”

“Of course!” She smiled eagerly.

“Really?” Victor raised an eyebrow. “Leaving this cool, air-conditioned place, just to join me for shopping? Even when my computer’s right there?”

“Well…” she scratched her mane and fidgeted a little. “Alright, maybe I just feel a little guilty of staying in one of the few air-conditioned buildings in Ponyville while everypony else is roasting in their coats.” She stretched her legs and back. “Besides, I could use a walk before the warmth makes me fall asleep.”

BKOW!

Victor sighed. Only Twilight would feel guilty about something as petty as that. “Alright then.” He opened the door, allowing a heavy heat wave to wash over them. “Ugh, it’s already hard to breathe.”

Nevertheless, he smiled at Twilight and she smiled back. They closed the door behind them without a word.

BKOW!

Meanwhile, Spike slammed a fist on the table. “Aww hayseed! How does anyone clear this in twenty seconds? Just how many mines are there anyways?!”

Author's Note

Kay, it took forever, but here it is. Sorry it took so long. A combination of procrastination, real life, and other hobbies took up most of my time, but here it is. Hope it was worth the wait.

As for the next chapter, here's the plan: I'll be alternating between stories to write for. So now that I got this chapter down, I'll get working on my other story, and after that, I'll return to this one. I can't guarantee when that will be, but I'll be working as much as I can to publish the chapters out.

Thanks for your support!