"Princess, what a unexpected surprise." Vinyl stood in the open doorway of her house, gazing at Twilight from behind her glasses. "Would you like to come in?"

Vinyl stood aside to let Twilight pass. Twilight entered the hallway, levitating a crate behind her.

"Thanks," Twilight continued until she reached the living room and placed the crate down next to the coffee table covered in take away rappers.

Vinyl entered the room behind her and quickly winced at the state she saw the room was in.

"Uh, please excuse the state of the room, Princess, I'm not used to such distinguished company."

"Think nothing of it," Twilight dismissed with her hoof. "I'm the one who came here unannounced."

"So, um, what can I do for you Princess? Octavia is at work at the moment, but I can let her know that you stopped by?" Vinyl shuffled nervously.

"Actually," Twilight cleared some old newspapers from a chair and sat down. "It's you I came here to speak to."

"Me?" Vinyl was shocked. "I thought you princesses were all into that hoity toity classical music, what could you possibly need me for?"

"Well, actually," Twilight pointed to the crate, "I was hoping you could help me with this."

Vinyl moved towards the crate and looked at Twilight for permission, Twilight nodded and she opened up the crate.

"Records? So you want me to perform a set?"

"Not exactly," Twilight smiled, "Why don't you listen to one of them and see?"

Vinyl looked at the records and then at Twilight and back at the records before smiling herself.

'Oh, this princess is fun,' she thought to herself. 'Okay, I'll play your game.'

Vinyl left the room and shortly returned, a turntable held in her telekenetic grip. She set down the equipment and plugged it in.

"Okay, Princess, lets see what you've got for me."

Deftly, Vinyl levitated a single disk and loaded it onto her deck. Setting it to play, she flicked the device on and very quickly turned it off again after a blare of incomprehensible noise.

"What in Equestria was that?" she glared at Twilight.

"That was music." Said Twilight calmly, a smile still etched across her features.

"No shit that's music," Vinyl shook her head. "Where from, a nation of death ponies?"

"Not ponies, no." Twilight shook her head. "Earth."

"Earth!" If Vinyl had water in her mouth, she'd have spat it out. "You mean humans listen to that shit?"

"Well..." Twilight tilted her head slightly. "Not exactly. It is Earth music; extracted from what's assumed to be a human musical storage device. but it's just the raw data without any of the... stuff that makes it suitable to be listened to. I was hoping to hire your services to turn it into music. You know, add all the bits that need to be added."

"You mean the beat?" Vinyl asked.

"I guess," Twilight shrugged, "I must profess I'm not an expert of music."

"I can tell," Vinyl chuckled. "It does sound like an interesting project."

"So, you'll do it?" asked Twilight excitedly, leaning forward eagerly.

Vinyl thought about it for a moment, it didn't seem much different than mixing a new track. Just a lot more effort.

"Sure," Vinyl nodded. "Though it wont be cheap."

"Trust me," Twilight produced a coin purse. "Money is no issue."

"Or quick."

"Ahh," Twilight looked sullen. "I was hoping you could get at least a couple of discs finished before Friday. It's sort of a birthday present."

"It's Richards birthday?"

"Yes," Twilight nodded. "I was hoping to get him something special, given you know..." Twilight waved her hooves around her.

'Well, I guess I know the other mare that Richard likes,' Thought Vinyl smiling inwardly. 'Not that it matters, by now it will be too late.'

"Well, I guess I can pull a couple of all-nighters," said Vinyl, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof. "Though, I would like to ask a favour?"

"Absolutely," said Twilight, "Anything you need."

"Let me play the party."

"I'll have to speak to Pinkie Pie, it's really her that's organizing the party." replied Twilight. "But I don't think that should be a problem."

"Then we have a deal?" asked Vinyl offering her hoof.

"Deal," confirmed Twilight with a shake of her hoof. "I'll come by Friday morning to see how you're getting on and to go over the details of the party with you."

Octavia arrived home just in time to see Twilight Sparkle flying off and Vinyl still standing in the door. The sight caused her to start hyperventilating.

'Oh crap, Richard's told her what happened,' she thought.

Nervously she approached a beaming Vinyl and rushed past her to get inside as quickly as possible.

"Wow, you look really nervous for a mare who just got her world rocked," grinned Vinyl, shutting the door behind her.

*Slap*

The sound of Ocatavia slapping Vinyl across the face filled the corridor.

"Don't! You! Dare!" shouted Octavia, starting to cry. "You and your fucking stupid advice!"

Completely ignoring the slap, Vinyl rushed to comfort her friend, pulling her into a hug and practically carrying her to the living room and placing her down on the sofa.

"What the fuck happened?" asked Vinyl. "I thought he was practically eating out of your hoof."

"He left," hiccoughed Octavia, tears falling down his face. "There I was begging him to fuck me after doing everything you said, and he just left."

"Oh..." Vinyl took her glasses off, placing them on the table before pulling Octavia into a deep hug.

"And I bet he told Twilight, didn't he?" She sobbed. "That's why she was here right?"

"No," Vinyl shook her head, "that's not why. At least, she didn't mention it."

"Then what did she want?" asked Octavia, burying her face in Vinyl's shoulder.

"She wanted to hire me to make some music." Vinyl responded flatly.

Octavia didn't respond.

"As a present." Continued Vinyl.

Octavia remained silent.

"For Richard's birthday party." finished Vinyl.

"Oh." said Octavia, the finality of that statement breaking Vinyl's heart.

"Yeah..." Vinyl gently rubbed Octavia's back as her sobbing began to ease. "I guess we know the mystery pony that Richard likes now."

"Fuck..."

Richard felt dirty and guilty. Images of Octavia, reared up and presenting, were seared into his mind. The only thing that gave him hope was the image of Twilight from the dream. He moved fast through the streets of the town, fast enough that he could get home as quickly as possible, but not too fast that he might draw undue attention to himself. Fortunately for him he missed the winks and waves of passing mares. Reaching home, he locked the door quickly behind him and headed for the shower.

Twilight walked through the door of Sugarcube Corner humming a cheerful tune and a with a bounce to her step. The café was busy with ponies having afternoon tea, however the line was short enough that Twilight saw Pinkie wasn't on duty. She motioned to Mrs Cake who was serving a customer at the till and she mouthed to Twilight.

'Pinkie is in the back.'

Twilight nodded in thanks and then slipped past the counter to back rooms of the bakery. Immediately she found herself in a maelstrom of chaos and mess, and in the centre of it all, the conductor of mayhem was Pinkie Pie.

"Oh, hi, Twilight." she said cheerily as she started pouring batter into a baking try with her hooves and continued mixing a bowl with her mane. "I'll be with you in a minute. You'll probably want to stand over there, you're currently in the splash zone."

She deftly pointed with one of her rear hooves to a small circle of kitchen that had somehow miraculously remained free of any dirt or baking debris.

Twilight didn't need to be told twice, as she quickly made her way over to the safe space, narrowly dodging a whisk as it flew over ahead and landed in the sink with a splash. Watching on in awe, Twilight observed Pinkie finish pouring both bowls of batter into a series of baking trays and then, carrying them on her main, deposit them in the oven. Then she watched as Pinkie power washed the used dishes and implements, working herself in a foaming froth before rapidly shaking herself dry.

"There we go," Pinkie said as she turned to face Twilight. "Why are you here?"

"Well, actually, Pinkie, I was hoping I could help you plan Richards party?"

"Ooh," Pinkie gasped, "Of course you can, after all, you know what they say; two heads are better than one. Unless of course you're the Cerberus I guess, in which case 3 heads are better. Then again there's the hydra and who knows how many heads they can have."

"Uh-huh," Twilight just nodded along. "So, how are the plans going so far?"

"Super," chirped Pinkie. "Why don't I show you? Just make sure to keep your wings tucked in?"

"My wings? Why would I need to do that?"

Pinkie just smiled and reached to push a plank in the wall and suddenly the floor underneath Twilight collapsed into a slide.

"Pinkie!" she screamed as the ground fell way beneath her and shot down into the dark.

"Whee!" Pinkie screamed as she jumped in after her.

Applejack was worried, it had been three days since the Picnic and she hadn't seen hide nor hair of either Richard or Twilight. She'd heard that Pinkie had gone into the Palace yesterday morning dragging a covered cart, after which the doors had been shut behind her and no one had seen her since either. She was currently sitting at Fluttershy's cottage drinking tea. She didn't really care much for the flavour, it was some sort of herbal mixture that Fluttershy kept on hand for when she needed to relax, but she appreciated the company all the same. They had just been discussing the issues that filled Applejack's mind.

"I don't know, Shy, what do ya make of all of this?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know, Applejack, I know Rarity hasn't seen Twilight since the Picnic either. She claimed she was meant to have a lunch with her yesterday to 'discuss strategy'; whatever that means; and Twilight didn't show."

"That's not like Twilight," said Applejack.

"Unless she's gotten a new shipment of books for her library, you mean?" chuckled Fluttershy. "But I know what you mean, at least she'd get Spike to send a letter. But he hasn't been seen either."

"At least Pinkies with her, I guess," Applejack mused. "What about Richard? I hope he's not cooped up in his house all alone."

"Poor thing," said Fluttershy. "The heat must be hitting him pretty badly. I heard from a little bird that the last time he was seen around the town was leaving the music college. I had heard Octavia had offered him a job."

"That's nice of her," said Applejack flatly. "I wonder why she did that?"

"I'm not sure," shrugged Fluttershy, taking a quick sip of her tea. "But she's always come across as a fairly nice pony. Maybe she'd seen him around town and thought he was a hard worker. I can imagine his hands are quite useful when dealing with delicate instruments."

"I guess," nodded Applejack, not wanting to push any further. Fluttershy did always try to see the best in everypony. "So what do we do about this situation?"

"Is there much for us to do?" asked Fluttershy. "Tomorrow's the last day of the bet and after that all this craziness will behind us."

"That's what worry's me. I can understand Richard lying low, but what about Twilight. I have no doubt that Rarity's 'strategizing' was all about trying to teach Twi how to win the bet. It seems strange for her to give up given everything that's at stake." said Applejack, politely taking a small sip of her tea, her nose scrunching at the taste.

"You don't think Pinkie is trying to help Twilight win do you? I would have expected Pinkie to be more impartial than that." said Fluttershy.

Fluttershy had a point, and this confused Applejack. Whatever was going on in the Palace, she had no doubt that Pinkie wouldn't try and sway the bet one way or the other. At least not intentionally. Sadly, thought Applejack, she wasn't always the brightest bulb in the fixture. Mulling over the situation, she realized the only way to find out what was going on was to investigate themsevles.

"Ah got a suggestion," she said finally. "Why don't you go and check in on Richard, like you said he's probably going through a rough time and I think your experience with bad heats as well as your more gentle side might make him more amenable to seeing you."

"That seems fair," nodded Fluttershy. "And I guess you'll check in on Twilight and make sure she's not involved in some dangerous plot to rob Richard of his dignity?"

"Ah trust Twilight to not go overboard," said Applejack, "But ah'd still like to see what's going on. Ah can't imagine what spending two days alone in that big old castle with Pinkie are doing to her."

With a plan of action created, Applejack put down her mug and walked over to Fluttershy, giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Just be careful with Richard, ya hear. Ah'd hate to hear that he tried to jump ya bones."

"Don't worry, Applejack, I've dealt with worse caring for my animals."

Applejack doubted that, but said nothing as she picked up her hat and headed out the door.

Fluttershy made her way towards Richard's house, stopping a handful of times to fill her saddlebags with groceries. She hoped that a promise of fresh food might help get her through the door if everything else failed. Thinking back to what she'd bought, she almost felt bad for Richard. She knew he was an omnivore, but sadly the markets of Ponyville had limited fare for him, especially given the wide range of pony foods he physically couldn't eat. Still, she'd tried her best to get a variety of fresh fruit and vegetable, as well as some bread and cheese. Hopefully it would help him feel at least a little bit better.

Reaching his front gate, Fluttershy could see that the house was dark and quiet. All of the curtains were closed and the house looked completely uninviting. She thought back to the times she'd taken similar steps to avoid the worst of her heat cycle and knew that he was probably feeling miserable and alone. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself; opened the front gate; and started up the path to the front door and knocked.

The sound echoed through the quiet building, she knew that if he was in he'd have heard it but there was no response. Still, not wanting to give up, Fluttershy knocked again. Still there was no response. Sighing, Fluttershy opened the letterbox and peered inside. The inside of the house was just as dark and uninviting as the outside, the corridor was almost pitch black and deathly silent.

"Richard," Fluttershy called, trying to summon her loudest voice. "It's Fluttershy. I just want to talk. I've brought some fresh food as well."

Fluttershy waited for several seconds, but the house remained silent. However, just as she was getting ready to call out again, she heard a door open and close. This was followed by footsteps slowly making their way down towards her. Quickly closing the letterbox, Fluttershy composed herself as she heard the footsteps approach the door and the scrape of the bolt unlocking.

Slowly the door opened to reveal the tired, sweaty, red face of Richard. His hair was a mess and his eyes appeared bloodshot in the mid morning light.

"Fluttershy?" Richard asked groggily. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to chat," Fluttershy shot him her brightest smile. "May I come in?"

Richard gave grunt and a shrug before stepping aside and opening the door wide enough for Fluttershy to step through. Wordlessly, Richard shut the door behind her before moving through the corridor into the dark living room and sitting down and staring off into space.

"How about we get some light in here, hmm?" Fluttershy asked soothingly as she set down her saddlebags before going over and opening the curtains.

"There, isn't that better?" she said as the room was filled with daylight. Richard just grunted in response.

"I brought some groceries," she stated, picking up the saddlebags. "How about I put them away and then make us a cup of tea?"

Richard shrugged.

Fluttershy managed to hold in a sigh at the lack of communication, forcing herself to maintain a smile as she went over to the kitchen attached to the living area and start putting the food away. As she opened the fridge and cupboards she noticed they were all completely bare.

"Richard, when was the last time you've eaten?"

"Don't know." Richard stated.

Fluttershy didn't know whether to frown or smile. Speaking was an improvement at least, but she was disappointed in the lack of care he was taking for himself. Taking a quick stock over the food she had bought, she worked out a small plan and clapped her hooves together.

"Okay, here's what we're going to go do." Fluttershy said. "You're going to go and take a shower and put on some fresh clothes. And I'm going to prepare us both an early lunch. Then we're going to sit down and discuss why you've locked yourself away from the rest of the world. Deal?"

"Okay," Richard nodded before slowly standing up and leaving the room.

'Okay, Fluttershy,' she thought to herself as she turned towards the stove and brushed her mane out of her eyes. 'Time to be a good friend.'

As Applejack approached the palace of friendship, she couldn't help but worry about Fluttershy. She knew Richard wouldn't consciously do anything to hurt her; not after how much Fluttershy had looked after him when he first arrived. The problem was that he wasn't likely in his right mind at the moment. Applejack frowned, she had to trust Fluttershy knew what she was doing, she had her own problematic shut in to deal with right now.

Walking up the pathway to the palace, Applejack noticed a strange golden haze around the building that appeared to seal it off from the outside world. The closer she got to the building, the more clear the haze became.

'She hasn't,' Applejack thought to herself, as she got close enough to gently prod the haze with her hoof, finding the haze acting like a solid barrier.

'She has,' she thought to herself.

"Twilight!" Applejack called out. "Why have you sealed the palace off in some sort of bubble?!"

There was a brief moment of calm before there was a flash of light as Twilight appeared beside her and she was a mess. Her main was matted and unkempt, as if she hadn't slept for the last couple of days. This was reinforced by the large bags under bloodshot eyes. Her coat was also strangely covered in splatters of paint.

"Oh, hi, Applejack." yawned Twilight. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah was worried about you, Twilight." said Applejack. "No one's seen you for two days. What have you and Pinkie been doing?"

"Two days, really?" asked Twilight. "Huh, that would explain why my pancakes were cold earlier."

"Twilight," Applejack sighed. "Are you okay?"

"Right as rain," Twilight yawned again, before promptly falling over.

"Okay," sighed Applejack. "We're going to get you some coffee."

"None for me, thanks, I've already ate today," Twilight said.

Applejack facehoofed, it was going to be a long morning.

Applejack sat in a booth of Sugarcube Corner opposite Twilight who appeared to be half asleep, completely unaware of her surroundings.

"Here you go sweeties," Mrs cake said as she placed three large mugs of black coffee down between them.

"Why have you gotten three mugs of coffee?" asked Twilight. "Is somepony joining us?"

"No," said Applejack. "I got two mugs for you because you're pancake tired. Now drink up."

"I don't want to," moaned Twilight, "I'm fine."

"Twilight, how many hooves am I holding up?" Applejack ask, while not holding up anything.

"Five?" answered Twilight sheepishly.

"Yes, I was holding up five hooves," Applejack rolled her eyes. "You need to drink this coffee."

"Fine..." Twilight moaned, picking up a mug with her hooves and taking a sip of the thick; dark; caffeinated nectar. "Bleh, needs sugar."

Fluttershy hummed happily as she started slicing a loaf of bread. The kitchen was now pleasantly warm and filled with the delicious smell of tomato and onion soup that was bubbling away on the stove. Up above, she could hear the gentle patter of running water as Richard took his shower. Reaching for the cheese once the bread was sliced, Fluttershy mused on how much she liked taking care of other creatures. She didn't know why, but being a hostess always filled her with a great sense of joy and purpose.

Once the cheese was suitably prepared, Fluttershy placed a lid on the pot of soup and started going about setting up a table for their lunch. Richard didn't have much in the way of dishes or cutlery, but she did managed to assemble two bowls, two plates and the appropriate spoons and knives required for the both of them, though the bowls were fairly dusty and in need of a good wash. She had just finished the table when she heard the shower turn off and the door to the bathroom open and shut, followed by the door to what she assumed was Richard's bedroom.

With everything else ready, she filled Richards kettle and set it going on the stove next to the pot; and fetched a small pouch of special leaves from her saddlebags that she'd brought just in case. Having seen the state of Richard a few minutes earlier, she figured it might come in useful.

A few minutes later, Fluttershy was pouring a special mug of tea as she heard Richard's footsteps coming down the stairs.

"How are you feeling?" Fluttershy asked over her shoulder as Richard he dropped himself down on the sofa.

"Much better now, thanks, Fluttershy. Though I don't know how long that will last, this heat is really kicking me over and over again."

"I know how that feels," said Fluttershy, floating over to Richard with the cup of tea that she placed on the table in front of him. "Here, drink that, it'll help."

"What's this?" Richard asked, picking the cup up and inspecting the tea within. "It doesn't smell like tea."

"It's moon tea," said Fluttershy, "It's a special blend of herbs designed to help manage the symptoms of estrus. I drink it myself whenever I get my really bad heat cycles. I know it doesn't smell great, and it'll taste like swamp water, but please trust me when I say you'll feel a lot better afterwards. Think of it as my own version of the Apple family tonic"

"I can't drink this," Richard shook his head. "I told you before, I'm not going to cheat."

"Richard, you just said it yourself, this heat is hitting you hard. A lot harder than you expected, I'm sure. I don't know if that's the reason why you locked yourself away, but either way, this isn't healthy." Fluttershy sat down next to him and placed a hoof on his leg gently.

"And it's not cheating to let a friend help you, so please drink it."

Richard placed the cup down on the table and pushed it away from him.

"The heat isn't the reason I'm hiding away, not specifically anyway." he said.

"Then what is?" Fluttershy asked pleadingly. "Please talk to me. I'll keep everything between us, I promise."

Richard sighed and rubbed his hands across his face, it didn't seem like Fluttershy was leaving him any options.

"It's Octavia," said Richard, relenting.

"Octavia?" Fluttershy looked at him confused. "What did she do? I thought she offered you a job?"

"She did," Richard nodded. "But I guess it was just a pretext to try and get me to have sex with her?"

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked in disbelief.

"Well, you know, like what you and Applejack were doing the other day except between me and her."

"Richard," she glared at him, "That's not funny."

"Sorry," Richard frowned, "Well, what I mean is she basically did everything she could short of actually forcing me to fuck her."

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked Richard. "I mean I've imagined some crazy things when my heat got really bad."

"I didn't imagine her tackling me to the ground," Richard stated. "Nor her leaning up against a filing cabinet, revealing herself and asking me to 'come and get her'."

Even as he told Fluttershy what happened, just saying those last words caused an image of Twilight in the dream to enter his mind and caused his heat to start acting up once more.

"That sounds awful," Fluttershy said. "I never expected a mare like Octavia to do something like that."

"Nor did I," Richard shrugged. "I'm not sure what to do about it."

"You need to drink the tea," she pushed the cup back towards him.

"I told you, I can't."

"Well, what are you going to do? You can't just stay hidden away in here. You were already miserable and if it's anything like my cycles tomorrow will be the worst day yet."

Richard eyed the cup with suspicion, slowly he picked it up and sniffed it. It really did have an unpleasant scent, like a compost heap or a decaying tree.

"Why can't I stay inside? Afterall it's only one more day and I win the bet?"

"Because of Twilight," said Fluttershy. "How do you think she'd take it if she found out you were hiding away in here because of the bet? It'd crush her, and I know you'd never want to hurt her like that. Besides, if that's what happened with Octavia, think what might happen if Twilight was to try the bet?"

"I don't know..." he said, slowly putting down the cup, but stopped by Fluttershy placing a hoof on his hands.

"Don't think of it like drinking to win the bet, think of it like trying to avoid hurting somepony you care about."

Fluttershy stared at Richard as his shoulders slumped and realized she'd won, a smile forming on her face.

"Fine," Richard gritted his teeth and drank the the dirty brown liquid down as quickly as possible. "Gah, that stuff is awful. You weren't kidding about the swamp water taste."

"There you go," Fluttershy said beaming. "You'll feel much better soon enough, and you'll be able to walk around the town without wanting jump every mare you see, at least for a short while. Now, how about some lunch?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," he said, "It does smell delicious by the way. But that was a low blow using Twilight against me like that."

Fluttershy had to stifle a chuckle as she got up from the couch and glided over to the stove and fetching a ladle to pour the soup.

'I told you I knew how to look after myself, Applejack.'

"Feeling better?" Applejack asked as Twilight finished her fourth cup of coffee and slammed the mug down on the table between them.

"Much," Twilight said energetically. "I really needed that, thanks Applejack."

"How many hooves am ah holding up?" she looked at her friend with concern, raising one of her hooves.

"One," answered Twilight. "I told you, Applejack, I'm fine."

"You were literally working yourself to exhaustion and had sealed your palace off with a magical dome," Applejack glared at Twilight. "You're obviously not 'fine'. What's going on?"

"It really is nothing, Applejack, I just made a mistake in trying to keep up with Pinkie while preparing a party, that's all."

"You tried to keep up with Pinkie Pie?" Applejack laughed. "Ah thought you were smarter than that, sugar cube. What drove you to do that?"

"It's Richard's birthday tomorrow," said Twilight.

"Ahhh, ah see." said Applejack, leaning back and taking a slow sip of her own coffee.

"After everything that's happened this week I wanted to make it as good as possible. You know, make him feel as welcome and loved as possible."

"Loved?" Applejack's eyebrows raised.

"As a friend, AJ." Twilight rolled her eyes. "As a friend."

"But why go through all this trouble?" Applejack leaned back and crossed her hooves. "No offense, but you're hardly the most sociable pony and planning parties aren't really your cup of tea so to speak."

"Because it's his Birthday, Applejack, I wanted to make sure it went perfectly." Twilight slammed a hoof on the table.

"So, get him a great present and leave the party planning to Pinkie." stated Applejack.

"Well, actually I did get him a good present." Twilight smiled. "At least, I hope he thinks it's great."

"What'd you get him?" Applejack was curious.

"I'm sorry, AJ, but I can't tell you." Twilight cast her eyes down. "I wont know it its ready in time till tomorrow morning."

"So, let me get this straight, you've gotten him a present that's so secret you can't even tell one of your friends, but you still want to throw yourself into planning a party until you practically pass out from exhaustion?" Applejack laughed. "And you're going to tell me you're only doing this because he's had a bad week? Ah'm not convinced."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Twilight asked rhetorically.

"Well, for starters, you could cancel the bet." chuckled Applejack. "Ah'm sure that would make him feel a lot better than seeing you wear yourself out."

"I can't do that," Twilight said weakly. "I'd lose and you know the stakes."

"What I know is that bet has been a source of frustration for mah friends all week. Celestia knows what suffering it's been putting Richard through." she stated pointedly. "And don't think ah I don't know about Rarity and her sneaking."

"I know, Applejack, and as I recall that was kind of the point of the bet. To get him to see how difficult it could be being a mare after all his boasting." said Twilight. "And if he was suffering so bad, he could always ask to call of the bet himself."

"And risk being turned into a mare for a week." replied Applejack. "Look, all ah'm saying is you're going to a lot more effort than you usually do when trying to cheer up one of your friends. And ah can't help but wonder if there's something more to it?"

"I don't recall ever throwing a party for a friend who recently lost the chance to see everyone they ever knew and loved ever again before." said Twilight.

"This is different, Twilight, and ah know you know that too." Applejack shook her head. "If you don't want to admit it to me, that's fine, all ah'm going to say is be careful. If ah'm right, there's more than just a friendship at stake here."

Twilight smiled.

"Don't worry, I'd never do anything to hurt Richard."

"Ah know, sugarcube." said Applejack as she started sliding out of the booth.

'That was kind of mah point,' she thought to herself.

"By the way, what time's the party?"

"That's Pinkies department," said Twilight. "I'm sure they'll go out this afternoon."

Richard awoke quickly, his body already being to itch and sweat and smiled. He had just had the best night's sleep all week. It had still be uncomfortable and sticky, but far less so than previous nights, and the images of Twilight less frequent. He had to admit it, Fluttershy's tea really worked. As he stretched and opened his eyes, he even noticed that the room smelt less musty than it had on previous mornings.

Forcing himself out of bed, he was already beginning to feel the heat start returning as he headed eagerly downstairs to boil the kettle. Before she had left yesturday, Fluttershy had given him a second small bag of leaves to brew. She had said she understood if he didn't want to take it, and if he didn't use it he could return it to her after today, but to keep it just in case. After that night's sleep, and the warning about how bad the heat could be today, he was ready to drink another cup of the foul liquid. He didn't expect it to stop the heat completely, but if it prevented it getting any worse, it would be worth it.

Deciding he could take the time while the kettle boiled to take a shower, Richard entered the hallway just as he heard the letterbox open and close.

"Huh," he muttered to himself, "A little early for the post."

He turned around to look, and there on the doormat was a single piece of black card. Curious, he bent down to pick it up and inspect it. It was small, smaller than A5 and turning it over he saw there were just seven words written on it neatly in deep green ink.

"Richard. Palace Of Friendship. Dusk. Come Alone."

Making a quick detour back into the living room, Richard placed the card on the coffee table before returning to the hallway and making his way up to the bathroom.

'That's strange,' he thought to himself as he climbed the stairs. 'I wonder what that means.'

Richard raised his hand to knock on the front door to the palace, however before he could make contact it swung open before him, revealing the dark room beyond.

"Hello?" Richard called out into the palace as he crossed the threshold. There was no response beyond his voice echoing back.

"Huh," he muttered to himself, "I guess no one's home."

He turned to leave, but the door suddenly slammed shut in his face. Richard tried the handle, but the door wouldn't budge.

"Okay," Richard whispered, "Stay calm. You were invited here, there absolutely isn't some sort of end of the world stuff going on."

In response, a quiet chuckle echoed from the dark room behind him.

Richard turned back towards the centre of the room. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could make out vague shapes in the gloom.

"Okay, Rainbow Dash, I know you're there. And I'm not in the mood to be pranked right now."

*Click*

"SURPRISE!" A chorus of voices shouted out and the room lit up, revealing Richard to be surrounded by what appeared to be the whole town. Across the centre of the room was a banner that read 'Happy Birthday Richard,' and the table that usually held the map of Equestria was piled high with presents.

Richard was overwhelmed by everything, and just stood there shocked.

"Happy Birthday," Richard failed to remain on his feet as a pink blur charged at him, deftly placing a party hat on his head before pulling him into a hug.

"Pinkie, did you do all this?" Richard asked the mare that was clinging tightly to him.

"Nuh uh," Pinkie shook her head excitedly. "Twilight helped a lot too."

"Twilight?"

Richard looked up as he felt himself become weightless as he was lifted up and placed on his feet by a glowing purple magical grip.

"Happy Birthday, Richard." Richard's heart skipped a beat.

Standing before him was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. Twilight was wearing a flowing midnight blue dress that glittered like the night sky, with every step she took he could see whole new constellations blink in and out of existence. Her hooves with encased in silver horseshoes each encrusted with a star made of diamonds that glittered in light of the room. Around her neck was a simple choker with a single crescent moon made of a material he had never seen before but appeared to produce a silvery glow of its own. Then his eyes reach her face, her eyes were framed with dusky eye shadow that only served to highlight the impossibly deep violet eyes that he wished to lose himself in forever. Then finally was her mane. While it was simply done up in her usual style, it shimmered and shone in the light reflected by a single star fixed by her left ear. Yet the star looked dim compared to her radiant smile.

"You're staring," Pinkie said in a sing song voice.

Richard pushed Pinkie aside and stepped towards Twilight. He offered her his hand and she gracefully placed a hoof in his palm. Gently grasping her hoof, he bent down and gently kissed it, causing Twilight to giggle.

"Sorry," Richard said as he released her hoof, feeling suddenly self conscious. "You just look so beautiful."

"Thanks," said Twilight shyly, feeling her cheeks heating up. "I was hoping you'd like it."

'She hoped I liked it?' Richards chest was suddenly full of butterflies.

"You know, I now feel incredibly under dressed," he glanced down at the simple shirt and jeans he was wearing. "Though in my defence, I had no idea why I was coming over here."

"Nonsense," said Applejack as appeared next to them, followed by the rest of the elements, Rainbow and Rarity hanging at the back whispering and giggling quietly together. "You look fine, most of us aren't dressed to nines either."

"Besides, it's your party," said Fluttershy. "I don't think anypony will care about what you're wearing."

"Speaking of party, why don't you give him your present, Twilight?" said Pinkie excitedly.

"It's okay, Pinkie," said Richard, "I'm sure it can wait."

"Nope," stated Pinkie flatly. "Trust me, you're going to want this present now."

Richard looked at Pinkie and Twilight questioningly, but Twilight just smiled sheepishly and walked off, Pinkie bouncing behind her.

"Do you have any idea what that's about?" Richard asked the other four next to him.

"No idea," said Rainbow, "Those two refused to tell the rest of us what Twilight had gotten you, they kept saying it was a surprise. Not that anything can trump what I got you."

"Oh, I'm sure nothing can beat whatever Wonderbolt merchandise you got him," said Rarity sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Hmm," Rainbow glared at Rarity angrily. "Well, it's better than whatever hoity toity crap you made him."

"Girls, please, I'm sure whatever y'all both got him is great," said Applejack. "It's not a competition."

"You know, I'm excited to see what this present is," said Fluttershy. "I've not seen Twilight this nervous about anything in a long time."

As if summoned by the mention of her name, Richard spotted Twilight walking towards them and he noticed that she was nervously biting her lip.

"Hey, Twi, is everything okay?" asked Richard.

Twilight looked up at him and smiled. "Of course it is. Ready to receive your present?"

"Sure," Richard smiled at her warmly. "Whenever you're ready."

Twilight swalled nervously and turned to look back towards Pinkie who was standing next to Vinyl at a turn table. Twilight nodded at Pinkie who then whispered something to Vinyl, causing the DJ to flip a switch and the room filled with music.

Music that was extremely familiar to Richard.

Music that he hadn't heard since he'd arrived in Equestria.

Richard could only stare at Twilight open mouthed as he heard the familiar intro to 'Call me Maybe.'

"Where...? How...?"

"So she got you some music, big whoop," Said Rainbow, earning her a cuff around the back of her head from Applejack.

Twilight ignored Rainbow, her attention focused on the look of surprise etched on Richard's face as she slowly walked towards him. The closer she got, the more her stomach started doing flips.

"Do you like it?" she asked him quietly, barely audible over the music. "We managed to extract some music from a device in your backpack. I thought you'd appreciate it, given... well you know."

Richard was overwhelmed and his heart was beating a mile a minute. He had given up hope of ever hearing music from back home ever again and it seemed to him that Twilight had done the impossible. Nervously, Richard knelt down and with shaking arms reached out and pulled Twilight into a hug.

"Thank you," he whispered into her ear.

As Richard loosened his grip, Twilight leaned back to look him in the eyes. The look of pure joy etched on his face warmed her heart and caused her own heart to beat rapidly.

Richard saw Twilight open her mouth to speak, but all he could hear was his blood pounding in his ears as he stared into her eyes. In that moment, the whole room melted away and it was just him and her. He was vaguely aware of her tilting her head to look at him quizzically as his eyes drifted down and became entranced by her lips. He hadn't noticed it before, but there was a faint layer of lipstick upon them and now it was all he could see. Suddenly, he found them getting closer as he unconsciously leaned in towards them and then without thinking he met them with his own.

Twilight froze as Richard kissed her, her whole body locking in place as a shiver ran down her spine.

The music stopped and the whole room fell silent as they observed the spectacle in front of them.

Richard broke the kiss and leaned back confused, trying to process what he had just done. He looked down at Twilight frozen in his arms a look of shock in her eyes and he was filled with shame and regret. Releasing her, he took a step backwards and without a word he turned and fled into the night. The last thing he heard before the palace door slammed shut behind him was the sound of Rainbow Dash letting out a loud 'whoop.'

Twilight walked towards the water fountain in the centre of the town, she could Richard sitting on its edge, his back towards her. He appeared to be crouched over, holding his head in his hand. The sight made Twilight frown.

As she slowly approached him, her mind was going a mile a minute as she could feel her lips still tingling from what had happened mere minutes ago. At first she had been shocked, confused about what was happening, but as Richard broke contact and left she felt... sad. She didn't know why, but she already missed the feeling of his lips pressed against him.

'You do know why,' a voice inside her said. 'Its the same reason you spent the last three days preparing his party. The same reason you cared so much about his about his present. You like him.'

Twilight expected that realization to shock or scare her, but instead it filled her with warmth. The thought that she liked Richard felt comforting and natural. She still wasn't sure quite how much she liked him, but for now that didn't seem to matter.

Filled with a nervous excitement, Twilight reached the fountain and sat down next to Richard, draping a wing across his shoulder.

"Richard?" Twilight asked a subtle hint of affection in her voice, "Are you alright?"

"I'm sorry, Twilight," Richard mumbled from behind his hands. "I guess it was the heat affecting me, I mean I hadn't had any moon tea since this morning and I guess I let it get the better of me."

Twilight frowned.

"Are you sure it was just the heat?" she asked nervously. "You didn't want to kiss me at all?"

"I don't know," said Richard. "I mean, it's no secret how I feel about you."

Twilight chucked slightly.

"No, I guess not."

"It didn't help that you had to go and look so beautiful," Twilight blushed, her heart fluttering.

"You really think so?" Twilight looked at his huddled form.

"Of course," Richard nodded. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

"Then look at me," Twilight was surprised at the words that left her lips.

"No," Richard refused. "I can't."

Twilight calmly attempted to pry his hands away from his face.

"Look. At. Me." she repeated calm but forcefully.

Richard relented and slowly withdrew his hands from his face and turned to face her, his eyes downcast.

"Why?"

The question had barely left his lips before he felt her hoof turn his gaze up to meet hers and the gap between them was closed as she kissed him nervously. It was little more than a peck of the lips, Twilight quickly withdrawing as Richard sat there in surprise.

"Twilight?"

"Yes?" she replied wryly.

"What was that?" Richard looked at her in confusion.

"What did you think that was?" she smiled at him, a blush evident on her cheek.

"Are you saying..." Richard took a deep breath. "Do you like me?"

"I think so," Twilight nodded. "I can't say 'I love you,' not yet. But yes, Richard, I do like you."

Both Richard's and Twilight's hearts started beating rapidly, as they looked at each other.

"So, what now?" asked Richard.

Twilight smiled and wrapped her hooves around his neck, pulling him close until their foreheads touched. Richard's heart started beating rapidly at the proximity and he was aware that as he breathed her in, he could detect a subtle hint of lavender. For a moment they were still and once more Richard was hypnotized by here eyes, the deep violet pools drawing him and setting his soul aflame.

"I can think of something," she whispered.

She leaned forwards and once more their lips met. Twilight had little experience in kissing and her movements were nervous and clumsy. She could feel her knees go weak as Richards breathing increased and he slowly pushed back into the kiss, his movement similarly clumsy and nervous. His lips were soft and scalding against her own and each time they met she could swear they were getting hotter. Twilight could feel his body shaking in her hooves though she didn't know which of the two of them it was actually shaking as her own breathing rapidly increased. She could smell him, the sweat and the pheromones caused by the potion coursing through his veins and it was intoxicating. She wished she could remain there and drown in him, their lips forever locked. His warmth was all she would ever need.

Suddenly there was a flash of light as a shower of sparks shot out of Twilight's horn, causing them to separate in shock.

"What was that?" Richard asked, dropping his hands to hang loosely around her neck. "Are you alright?"

Twilight smiled at his concern.

"I'm not sure what that was," she said nervously, making a mental note to check with Cadance if she might have an idea what had happened. She had never experienced such a burst of magic before.

"But I'm fine really. Didn't really feel a thing. How about you? You aren't hurt are you?"

"No," Richard shifted uncomfortably in his skin, sweat beginning to pour down as he became acutely aware of a raging erection as he had a moment to think and inspect himself. "But I'm not sure I can hold on much longer."

Twilight looked at him carefully.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," said Richard beginning to pant, "Is if we go on for much longer, you'll win the bet. I'm sorry but you, this, it's all too much."

Twilight could see he was telling the truth. His face was bright red and large beads of sweat were beginning to form as his body burned in her touch. Slowly she glanced down and could see a bulge in his lap which could only mean he was erect.

The power she held right now sent a scarily thrilling chill down her spine. In one ear she could hear Rarity yelling at her, telling Twilight that this was the moment, her chance to win the bet and put Richard in his place. In the other ear she could hear Applejack, scalding her and warning her to not ruin any chance of this relationship happening.

She realized she had to make a decision quick as Richard's hands slowly rose to the side of her face, cupping her chin as he slowly approached. She gulped and hoped that she'd made the right one as she reached out and pulled him with her hooves.

Author's Note

Hopefully this chapter has been a good read. I have to say I'm shocked at my lack of writing as I look back over the release dates of previous chapters and so I thank everyone for sticking with or returning to the story over time. It has been nearly 7 years exactly since the first chapter was published and the longest hiatus was nearly 2 years between updates. Which quite frankly is somewhat shameful.

My only defence is losing the drive to write chapters as I got distracted half way through and returning to write a chapter can be a difficult process, especially as I get excited about future plot points and end up planning whole new sequels to this story that just started out as a fun idea in the fimfic IRC channel.

Also, I'm curious, but who do you guys think is going to win the bet as it enters the last few hours.