Eat the Heat

by RagingPonyRider

Rating: mature
Tags: Slice of Life, Human, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Lyra, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Romance, Sex
Length: 10280

A blend of friendship, hospitality, heat, and food porn, and eventually actual porn, all during the hottest day of summer.

What could be worse than the hottest month of the year or the mares of Ponyville in heat? How about both at once?

One on end, there's Victor the university student. He wanted nothing more than to spend his month of vacation in peace and leisure, not drenched in sweat and being hit on by mares. But when he learns of her host and friend Lyra's dilemma with her own heat, he wants to take her mind off it the only way a culinary student knows how.

On the other, there's Twilight the newest princess. The transition from ordinary unicorn to alicorn princess was not simple, but she managed to adjust. However, when she may have found a flaw in her transformation that affects her heat cycle, she desperately seeks for a solution.

When the two's predicaments meet, Twilight requests that she and her friends try some of Victor's main dish, the spicy curry. Will the curry get everypony's mind off the heat, or will Victor's friendship with Lyra burn into flames?

First time trying to write clop so constructive criticism is much appreciated, and being an overzealous idiot I am, one with story. That said, clop won't take place until near the end, but there will be some mild food porn to keep you entertained until then.

Published 2013-11-26 04:30:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-03-18 04:07:47 UTC

1 - Heat Wave

“Grrk! Shit, that’s hot!”

Victor hastily wiped his hand of the boiling solution on his shirt and suckled the wound. An unnaturally large bubble from the sauce just erupted and splashed his stirring hand.

He immediately realized his mistake, but that instant was all it took for the wooden spoon to sink. He warily stared at the bubbling pot. Its vegetables floated serenely as bubbles popped around them yet maliciously holding captive his quintessential tool.

Damn sauce. If you weren't good food, I would have left you to burn.

“Are you alright in there?” The voice of a purple alicorn rang behind him. “If you’d like, I can help.”

“No, that’s alright,” Victor called out. “Just burnt myself a bit. It’s coming right now.” As he patted his face from the steam he could not help but smile. It was not often he had ponies over to join him for dinner. On top of that, the list included the latest Princess Twilight Sparkle. As uncomfortable as he was with the reason for her and her friends’ presence, he was more than happy to treat them.

He returned with a fresh spoon as fast as he could and fished the now scalding one out before throwing it into the sink. Thankfully, the curry had not burned and stuck to the pot. He eyed the second pot of the redder, more pungent batch of curry and grimaced.

Sweltering as it was, being surrounded by two boiling pots of sauce, he was lucky to busy himself with the preparations instead of tending to his guests. As a chef trainee, an opportunity to serve another was always a golden one.

Smiling at his work, Victor turned off the hot plates and carried the pots over to the dining room, the ponies no doubt craving dinner.

“Sorry it took so long, guys, but dinner’s ready.”

“Uuuuugh, finally!” Rainbow Dash howled irritatedly, raising her hooves up in the air. “You know how long you were in there for?” She leapt off her chair and stretched legs, her tail swishing behind her wildly.

“Rainbow, I know you’re hungry, but you’re still a guest in this household!” Rarity chastised beside her. “Besides, not all of us are as edgy as you, remember?”

“Ooooh, I can’t wait!” Pinkie was shaking with such anticipation her chair was vibrating along with her. “This is the first time I’ve tried real, authentic human food!” Victor snorted at the tautology, but did not speak while he laid the pots down.

“Well, remember ta thank Victor and Twilight here.” Applejack took her stetson and tried to fan herself. Just looking at Pinkie’s hyperactive antics made her tired and sweaty. “But, uh, ya never told us what ya were makin’ in the first place, sugarcube.”

Victor tried his best to ignore her stare while keeping a straight face. “Well, it’s just something I whipped up. I didn’t know what you’d like, so I just went with my original plan.”

“Uh, if you don’t mind me asking, Victor,” Fluttershy chirped as she rubbed her hooves together. “where’s Lyra gone?”

“Yeah, she’s totally missing out.” Rainbow added. She leaned in to get a whiff of the red sauce, only to pull back with teary eyes. “I mean, doesn’t she love this kind of thing?”

“Agreed, it’s odd for the host to miss out on her guest’s event.” Rarity pulled her mane back and stared at the door, as if expecting her burst in any moment.

Behind closed lips, Victor clenched his teeth. Why was she absent? “Don’t know. Probably gone to see Bon Bon. Why, is there something wrong?”

“Oh no, there’s nothing wrong, it’s just…” Fluttershy cowered in her seat. “I just thought she would have liked this, is all.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to leave leftovers for her.” Even as he said it, he could not hide his discomfort. His rule of thumb was that food was meant to be eaten fresh and seeing Lyra leave his food aside left him with a fire in his chest.

“You sure?” Twilight asked, resting her hooves on the table.

Victor promptly replaced his pout with a smirk, despite the princess keeping hers. “Yeah, I’m sure. Now…” He picked up a small ladle and poured a scoop of the yellow curry onto everypony’s respective bowls. “Let’s see if your hypothesis is true. Ice bags, ice cream, and the…coolant is in the fridge. There’s rice if it get’s too hot for you, but I doubt Rainbow Dash would want any.” He slid the bowls to each pony and looked at Rainbow, who gave an unamused look at him. “Relax, Rainbow. You’re here to eat and help Twilight with her little lab experiment, not burn your tongue off. Finish your plate, and then I’ll pour you the spicier one.”

Her pout changed into a sly grin. “You kidding? I’ve been ready for this all day!”

“Then dig in. Twilight, how’s the test supposed to go?”

She cleared her throat, a confident smile appearing on her face. “First, finish the first bowl, then we’ll take a ten minute break to see if we feel anything different, and then a repeat with the second curry.”

“If we’re done talking, then let’s get eating already.” Victor tried to keep his optimism by thinking how favorably his guests would react to his cooking and smiled even wider.

On cue, everypony cheered “Yeah!” and eagerly took their first spoonful.

Ten hours ago...

“Grrk! Shit, that’s hot!”

Victor briskly pulled his hand away from the pan and wrapped it in his apron. Trying to make food as simple as fried eggs was nothing to him, but making hot food in the summer heat was no picnic.

In hindsight, he chose a bad day to move to Ponyville. He had two weeks to adjust, but he still felt like he was being boiled alive every day. Nevertheless he kept a brave face and carried on, thinking of this as practice for his future career.

However, even during vacation, the life of a university student was not as easy as he hoped it was. Even with a steady allowance from his parents every month, he was here to gain work experience. Familiarizing himself with Earth’s first aliens was collateral.

With ponies, griffins, minotaurs, and other fantastical creatures that resided Equestria and beyond, he wanted to study them to better cater to their specific diets. It had taken years for the humans and Celestia and other ambassadors to reach a truce, and it was only three years ago travel to each other’s planets was made public.

Almost eight years had passed since First Contact. Victor had not paid much attention to it, not much of a science-fiction fan himself. It was only during high school, when a real-life pony speaker introduced himself, did he learn the magnitude of this discovery. The trade of resources, culture and most recently, technology, begun to establish a trusting bond between the worlds. However, the topic that got his attention was the fact most of the school cafeteria foods did not cater to the pony.

The biggest reason why Victor became a culinary arts student was to be able to create things no one has ever even thought of before. Sure, he could have been an artist, a sculptor, or even a fashion designer, but the aspect of experimenting with food and eating it afterwards caught his attention.

Paying for this, on top of rent, ingredients, and other miscellaneous expenses, however, quickly brought him down to earth.

Victor’s frown deepened as he now poured the eggs to a bacon-laden plate. Despite first impression, the ponies were quite accepting of carnivores and eating meat. Unfortunately, nopony in town sold meat nor ate it despite their equine physiology. He chuckled at the memory of telling the local princess, Twilight, how he once saw a horse eat a bird fallen from its nest.

Besides, they drink milk, eateggs, make soap from fat, and even take care of carnivorous animals. Must be some kind of pony-cultural thing.

Placing the pan back on the stovetop, he returned and made quick work of his breakfast. He sadly remembered his bacon was the last of the meat in his refrigerator and he needed to buy extra groceries to make up for it. Putting the plate in the sink for later, he opened the pantry and saw it crammed with various cans and other miscellanea.

That’s right, I’m not in my dorm. I need real food. Authentic food.

“Vic? Ya up already?”

He chuckled. He could practically hear her hooves dragging on the floor. “Aww, ya made me breakfast? Thanks.”

“Actually, I was just cleaning up. Breakfast was fifteen minutes ago.”

“I take back what I said,” Lyra grumbled and she wrapped her hooves around Victor’s legs. “You’re the worst houseguest ever! Don’t ya have any respect fer your host? I oughta buck ya out right now.”

He barked with laughter. The green unicorn was never an early riser unless it was a workday, and with the summer heat and her languid voice , she could have easily feigned a hangover. “Isn’t it usually the host that prepares for the guest? By the way, we’re out of meat.”

“Grr...curse you humans and your love for meat.” Lyra glanced the refrigerator and released her grip on him. “I ordered a week’s worth of bacon just for you and you go scarfing it down in just four days?” she asked with admonishment.

“Sorry, can’t help it. Human nature.” Victor got to his knees and gave a short one-armed hug before walking to the sink. “With all the physical labor we did centuries ago, we’re pretty much hardwired to love fatty foods. Either that, or I empty your fridge of every veggie I can eat to compensate.” Over the running faucet, another disgruntled groan from the unicorn.

“With all the meat you eat, I’m surprised you don’t have a gut,” she scoffed. It was clear the novelty of a human in her residence has worn off.

He smirked. “Amazing what fifteen minutes of exercise before eating can do for metabolism. Seriously though-” he looked directly at her face, smile gone “-sorry about all this. I can make it without meat for the rest of my stay and I’ll buy whatever extras I need myself.”

With his knees on the floor to properly position himself to the sink, Lyra clumsily balanced herself on her hind legs and gave him a light pat on the back. “Hey, come on. Didn’t you just say a host takes care of the guest? I can always order more bacon from the griffins. Instead of buying something for yourself, why don’t you save those bits and buy something for me instead?”

Victor nearly dropped the plate at her words. His scrubbing slowed down as her pats were getting dangerously close to the seat of his pants. “Are...you okay?”

“Just dandy,” she slurred and her patting turned into rubbing. “Hey, I got an idea...if you really want some meat, I know a certain unicorn that you could eat, ya know…?”

The desire to burst laughing at her terrible flirting was held back by the fact she was flirting. It was almost frightening how eager she initially wanted Victor to stay at her place during his vacation. In the end she assured him that she just wanted to know more about humans as well as be the first in Ponyville to befriend one, but he still remembered her manic enthusiasm.

She was now leaning dangerously close to Victor’s face, smiling hungrily. “You can’t be out of meat yet. I’m sure you’ve got something...extra to spare.Think you can share? In return, I’m sure I’ve got some meat of my own to share.”

It took all the mental strength he could muster to not scarper. Luckily, he learned from his first day here which of her buttons to push. Shivering, he grabbed her by the shoulders. “Lyra, you realize what you’re saying?”

Her half-lidded eyes drew closer to his own. “Yeah. I want you to take me to my room and-”

“Are you implying that you’re fat?”

POW!

“Say what?! I’m pudgy, not fat! Call me that one more time, I dare you! I double-dare you-”

“No Lyra, wait!” Victor raised one hand in surrender while another nursed his reddening cheek. The ponies, despite their anthropomorphic tendencies, were not built for slapping faces. The sting quickly turned numb. “I didn’t mean that, honest!”

Slowly, she got on four hooves again. She opened her mouth, but nothing but an “Ah.” of realization. She looked between her legs and gasped again. “Oh...sorry, Victor. I just-it’s this darned heat.” She wiped her forehead as her cheek turned scarlet. “It’s kinda driving me up the wall, you know?”

Still nursing his cheek, Victor shook his fist with annoyance. “What does the summer heat have anything to do with you flirting?” Victor asked exasperatedly.

Lyra fidgeted with her mane and looked at the floor. “It’s…not the temperature, Vic.” She was looking anywhere but his face and her cheeks were turning darker by the minute. “It’s...oh, how do you humans call it...oh yeah! That time of the month!”

Victor nearly tripped and caught himself on the sink. “WHAT?!”

“Or in this case, that time every year or so!” she chirped, abashed as ever. “Like most animals, we have estrous cycles and every year or so we, er, “go into heat”, if you know what I mean.”

He scowled at the euphemism. He was never an animal person, ever since he was assaulted by his uncle’s dog when he was in kindergarten. “No. Sorry, but I really don’t get what you’re saying.”

“You don’t get what-grrh!” The unicorn actually slammed her hoof to her face, narrowly missing her horn. “Alright, I’ll be blunt: I need a good lay. Like, right now.”

Victor blinked several times before responding. Eventually, his mind clicked into place and a tide of thoughts filled his imagination. “Oh...and you want...me?”

“Yes! I mean-no! I mean-” she raised a hoof to keep Victor quiet while she gathered her rational mind. Normally, he would be chuckling at her exasperation, but he was just as freaked out as she was. Two weeks with her was enough to get a good grasp on her personality, but it was no where enough time for them to even think about sex.

After a few calming breaths, Lyra stared at him. “Look, sorry for freaking you out, man. You’re going out today, right?”

“Uh...yeah?”

“Good. Just...forget about this, alright?” Lyra sighed and looked back at her bedroom. “Luckily, Bon Bon and I are prepared for this, but for some other mares...just don’t let any of them smooth-talk you into coming into their houses, alright?”

Victor felt his skin crawl. “What, you kidding?” He chuckled, but his nervousness was clear. “Why on Earth-er, Equestria would mares seduce some random man on the street?” When humans first discovered and arrived on Equestria, the first thing anthropologists, or in this case, equinologists, learned was how wary ponies were of new species, bordering xenophobia. Relations with other species, like the griffins and minotaurs, was relatively smoother to form. “Are mares that desperate in heat?”

“Depends on the mare,” she muttered as she wiped the sweat off her head. “Hopefully, this darned heat keeps their mind off of their...other one.” She trotted over to the fridge and skimmed for whatever she could.

Victor nodded weakly and went back to the sink to finish the dishes. As disturbed as he was with the idea of mares hounding a male, Lyra’s mood was unsettling. She was normally good-natured, so seeing her in such a depressed state left him a sick feeling.

Mares in heat, burning weather...geez, everypony has a lot on their plates this summer.

With the dishes done, he ran to his room to fetch his bag, filled with his laptop and library books. Lyra had been generous enough to lend him her library card to occasionally borrow cookbooks with recipes to try out. As simple as copying down recipes and jotting notes was to a university student, he was on vacation and leisurely reading through books was preferable over a numb hand.

He returned to the kitchen and was about to head out when he saw Lyra again. His eyes skimmed across her frown to her plate. Toasted bagels with cream cheese.

“How much more bland can you get?”

Lyra’s cheeks burned as she grimaced at him. Explaining her predicament and looking down her legs right in front of him was beyond humiliating in retrospect. “You don’t get much an appetite when you wake up. I’ll be sure to cook up something tastier for lunch.”

The two of them locked eyes for several tense seconds. The awkwardness had not left them since he went to get his bag. They could feel the other had something to say and was waiting for someone to break the silence.

“Well? You leaving or what?” Lyra started, trying her best not to look at his eyes.

Victor blinked before frowning. It was apparent she was on edge after revealing and explaining her heat. On top of that was her freudian slip. When he heard it, the first thing he wanted to do was step back in shock. Sex was the last thing he had in mind, with the summer heat rolling around, and how could he possess the gall to take the mare to bed?

I want to know more about heat, but Lyra would hate me even more. I could probably find out more about it at the library, but isn’t there something, anything I can do to cheer her up? Take her mind off her heat, at least?

Almost immediately, he snapped his fingers. He knew what he wanted to say, but it was not until his nails dug into his palm did he muster enough courage.

“If it’s not too inconvenient,” he begun, his cheeks warming up. “let me make dinner. For the both of us.” He finished by shoving his hands into his jeans pockets, as if to say “Pretty please?”

It was Lyra’s turn to react. Her eyes widened and the blue aura holding her bagel popped out of existence.

“Crap!” She leaped from her seat to grab it in her mouth, but it was over. The bagel had, predictably, fell on the cream cheese-side. Grumbling incoherently, she levitated it and took a knife to see if she could not scrape away the contaminated cheese.

But Victor was not deterred. “Well?”

After removing most of the cheese, she sighed and faced him. She was not going to brush him off, no matter how much she refused to look at his brown eyes. “Well, alright. But what are you gonna be making? Something vegetarian, obviously?” Being reminded of all that bacon disappearing in just a few days still slightly irked her.

He shrugged and gave a hopeful smile. “Dunno. Something human.”

That cheered her up considerably. Her eyes widened again, this time accompanied by an amused smirk. “Ooh, human food. Haven’t had one of those since-oh yeah!” She sped over to the pantry and pulled out a plastic bag filled with what looked like tiny green crystals. She levitated it over to him. “It took a few days, but here’s the first batch. I had some, but I was thinking you could try it too, seeing as you know what the original’s like.”

He held the bag up to his eyes. “Lyra, are these-”

“Prototypes of that popping rock candy you gave me. I shared them with Bon Bon and she wanted to try making them herself.” She smiled even bigger. “She wanted me to thank you for bringing them to her first. This could be the next big thing for her!”

He mirrored her jubilant smile. Lyra and Bon Bon were the closest of friends he had the pleasure of knowing. If anypony could help get her out of her funk, it was her. “Thanks a bunch.” He nodded and walked to the door.

“You got enough bits for lunch, yeah?.” As soon as she said it, her face fell. “If you’re gonna make dinner, you’re gonna need some extra bits for ingredients, no?” She got off her chair and returned to the pantry.

He scoffed. “Relax, mom. I’ve been saving up my allowances and I’ve more than enough.”

“You sure?”

He stepped back in surprise at the sudden change. Her face frowning in concern was a force to be reckoned with, with those puppy-dog eyes and drooping ears.

He steeled himself before answering. “Yeah. Don’t fret.” He shook his backpack so she could hear the jangling of bits in a spare pocket. The coins added to the already considerable weight of the bag, but he did not want to worry her any further. “I’ll be back around...4 or 5 o’clock? That should leave me enough time to make whatever dinner for the both of us.” He finished with the brightest smile he could manage, thankfully returned by Lyra.

“Perfect. Can’t wait!” Without another word, she crammed the rest of breakfast in her cheeks and levitated her plate and silverware over to the sinks. “Hee you hoon!” Still chewing, she trotted to the sink and turned on the faucet.

“See you soon!” After a brief wave, he put on his shoes and closed the door behind him.

Now, with the house empty, she swallowed her bagel and turned her focus on the dishes.

I wonder what he’s got cooking up in that head of his for dinner? I hope it’s something cold, this heat’s going to burn me up in the afternoon!

Suddenly, she gasped at the familiar feeling returning. Her hind legs clenched together, desperately trying to keep her privates from leaving a trail down her coat. She could not hold back a moan as she shuffled her legs, rubbing her vulva against itself.

Great, I just HAD to remind myself...Victor, hurry back, okay?

As if on cue, the burning in her crotch intensified and her grip on the dishes disappeared. They went ignored, however, as Lyra’s legs gave out and she panted as the sensation seemed to amplify the summer heat as well. Ignoring the urges as best as she could, she got back on her legs and limped her way to her room.

Darn it all…I’m gonna be late for work...

Author's Note

Thanks to my editor for this chapter and hopefully throughout this whole story, Lord_Ike.

I've fixed the chapter with him and I hope you look forward to the next chapter. (sorry for the short a/n.)

2 - Cool Rinse

“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!