Foolers Rush In

by AJ Aficionado

Rating: mature
Tags: Slice of Life, Romance
Length: 11110

Roseluck's continuing mission to find a marefriend for Lily Valley brings the two of them inside Ponyville's exclusive fillyfooler bar.

*** To be Re-written ***

After her first attempt at finding a marefriend for Lily Valley led to Discord-fueled disaster, Roseluck, the greatest stallion-chaser in Ponyville, comes up with a new plan for how to find her shy but needy friend the mare of her dreams at the local filly bar.

When things start to go bad from the outset, will the aid of an unexpected pony be enough to win the day and find Lily the marefriend she needs? Or will the notoriously mare-averse Roseluck find her good intentions can backfire in the most spectacular and sexy of ways, forced to call into question her own proclivities and face feelings she didn't even know she had…?

Or could both happen at once, and the marefriend Lily needs is much closer than she thought…?

Follow-up to the events of Fertile Ground.

Edited by teacher and friend, Firesight.

Proofread by Based Changeling Aficionado Denim_Blue.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-10-22 18:31:16 UTC

Where Stallions Fear To Tread

Foolers Rush In

By AJ Aficionado

Two well-dressed earth pony mares walked quietly amongst rows of nearly identical pink and yellow painted houses topped with straw in the darkening twilight, hooves clopping gently on the stone-paved sidewalk alongside the dirt main road.

The taller of the two had a striking red and pink striped mane and flanks covered by a rich, burgundy ruffled gown fixed to her abdomen by a pair of fasteners cleverly disguised as red rose buds. Holding her tail aloft with head held high, she proudly displayed her long, feminine neck for the viewing pleasure of the occasional pony passing on the road or soaring through the sky. Completing the perfectly color-coordinated package of equine smugness were a green belt and steel dress shoes to match her eyes and a pair of red rose buds behind each of her large and tapered ears.

Her considerably less confident, but no less lovely, friend stood a foot shorter, the crest of her golden mane tied back in a ponytail with a blue ribbon. Her dress — a reminder of her one and only invitation to the Grand Galloping Gala — wore a much more conservative blue and white dress with peach trim and matching steel dress shoes. A pair of white lily bulbs adorned her short, stubby ears; her trademark look. She looked down at the asymmetrical locking stones as she walked, eyes unfocused, finding herself mesmerized by the lack of any logical progression or pattern; a chaotic mess of whatever City Hall has been authorized to use by their grossly inflated rock budget to place on the ground to facilitate the mundane function of a sidewalk.

“Lily!”

One of these days we’ll get preformed slabs like normal ponies in the city. The yellow-maned mare mused idly, thinking about the cost-saving virtues of utilitarian concrete. Anything to not think about where she was going, and why.

“Lily!”

A gentle flank bump by her red-headed friend finally brought Lily out of her daze, and into eye contact with the flank’s owner. Oh, how beautiful her eyes are! Lily thought to herself not for the first time, but refused to say aloud. For what point was there in admiring her outgoing friend when she had eyes only for stallions? “Huh? What is it Rose? Is somepony looking at me weird?” she looked around half-frantically.

“Oh they’re looking alright, sweetie!” Roseluck exclaimed, flagging her tail for a gaggle of gossiping mares and token stallion opposite them, gratified at the sudden knicker she heard at her display. “But you aren’t looking back! Now how’s a good-looking gal like you going to chat up a mare when you’re contemplating the meaning of existence or whatever it is you’re doing?”

Lily rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’m not at the bar yet, Rose. Give me a moment of peace before I humiliate myself again!” Lily gave a grouchy stomp at the overly expensive, but unyielding stone. “And I wasn’t thinking about the universe. Though, I do have quite a few questions I could seriously consider…”

“Like the nature of mass orgies in ancient Pegasopolis with a hundred, perhaps a hundred and twenty hot, sweaty cloplite mares rutting each other in the Temple of Mineighrva to build camaraderie?”

Lily squealed in shock, reflexively standing on her hind legs and kicking at an invisible attacker.

Rose was both amused and disappointed by her reaction. How was Lily ever going to discover intimacy if the mere thought of it was enough to send her scurrying back into her shell? “Perhaps just… one cloplite mare and yourself for starters? I’m sure we can get you there after enough tries.” Roseluck snarked, giving a gentle snort. “Lily, it’s not like the last time. You don’t need to be so uptight! Look around you; there’s not a sign of chocolate milk clouds, popcorn piles or insane chaos demigods anywhere. You’re going to be perfectly fine. Honest!” Roseluck gave her friend a reassuring nuzzle, attempting to calm her down some. In truth, her own nerves were acting up a bit, knowing where they were going and what happened in the aftermath of their last visit.  Steady, Rose… you’re not a filly-fooler; you’re just trying to help a friend...

Lily resisted the urge to cling to her, shivering at the memories of that day. None of it had been normal or even possible without a chaos god’s intervention, and yet… “Yeah. I know, Rose, it’s just…”

Rose shook her head sternly. If she could head into such alien territory, there was no reason Lily couldn’t. “Your old crush back in Hoofington is not going to ruin the rest of your life, Lily! You need to get back in the race. Now we’re both looking good and ponies have been craning their necks, nearly walking into street signs or crashing into houses admiring us while we’ve been walking. You’ve got to learn to give yourself credit! Keep your tail up, that’s what the hole in the back is for, and show those mares what you got!” Roseluck patted her nervous friend on the back.

Her tail only clamped down harder at the advice. “I’m still dubious about this whole “wingmare” strategy of yours.” Lily’s eyes narrowed suspiciously at her friend.

Roseluck cringed, remembering her first outing at the filly bar before Discord’s escape from his prison of stone. “Yes, I must admit I kinda messed up the last time. That’s why we’re both dressed up tonight —” Roseluck stopped, looking around nervously at the lit windows on the darkened street for potential spies before continuing more quietly —“Aaand I’ve also asked Cloud Kicker for some advice on how Wingmare-ing is supposed to work. To be honest, I usually go into a bar looking to grab up all of the stallions I can manage in a night and never learned coordinated mating strategies. First time for everything, I say!”

“Are… you… kidding me!?” Lily whipped her head around to face Roseluck, her eyeridges furrowed. “You’ve never done this before? I trusted you to know what you were doing!”

Roseluck brought hoof to mouth. “Shhhh! Keep your voice down! And don’t get angry at me, Lily. Is there any other mare who would have been able to drag you to a filly bar without knocking you out first?”

“You had to push me almost the whole way there!” Lily growled, inwardly furious with herself for not having deduced the obvious fact that being an self-styled stallion aficionado, Roseluck wasn’t likely to have secret knowledge of how to get mares in the sack.

“Details, details…” Roseluck waved a carefree hoof, trying to ignore her own churning insides, reminding herself again she was doing this to help Lily, and if that meant she risked attracting some filly-fooler attention of her own, so be it. “What matters is this time, we’re rolling in there with a plan. And any plan with Cloud Kicker’s approval is going to work. She personally assured me that you’d be winning so much, you’d get sick of it! Said you’d end up going to her house and telling her ‘please, Cloud Kicker, I’m winning too much!’ and she’d be like, ‘I’m sorry, Lily; I’m sorry, but you’re going to keep on winning!’” she struck an excellent imitation of the pegasus mare’s voice.

Lily flinched to hear it; she’d always been intimidated by Cloud Kicker’s looks and confidence. “Okay! Okay! I get it. I think I’m sick of winning already...” Lily said miserably, bowing her head and ears, now counting down the blocks and the bricks in the sidewalk before they arrived at their destination. When they rounded a corner and it came in sight, she froze in her tracks

Realizing she’d stopped, Rose looked back at her. “Lily, please don’t make a mare have to start pushing you again…”

“Okay, okay! I’m going. I just really hope you know what you’re doing this time...” she forced herself to move forward once more.

Roseluck nickered contentedly, “There’s a good filly. Now let’s go get you lucky!” The two began to walk again down a side road toward a well-lit sign in front of an old-time wooden saloon.

“That’ll be the day. Oh, but Rose…”

“Yes, blondie?” Rose waggled her eyebrows playfully.

 “You’re right. No one else could have gotten me to go to that bar but you.” Lily smiled bashfully, walking ahead of her friend.

Roseluck blushed but didn’t immediately respond, pulling a pair of binoculars out of a tactical holster strapped to her back concealed by the dress. “Alright Lily, just as we planned it, you go first…”

Lily Valley quietly made her way past small clusters of mares gathered beneath the overhead shelter outside the swinging wooden doors as a pair of mares, to her horror, were already making out at a bench near the entrance before making it inside. Trying unsuccessfully to ignore the wet kisses, moaning and the smell of arousal, Lily stopped dead in her tracks again, looking back in the direction she came.

Roseluck poked her head up from behind a convenient row of hedges across the road from the front of the bar. “Lily, get your flank in there!” she mouthed noiselessly, jabbing an impatient hoof at the door and praying to the Tetriarchal Sisters of Equestria that Lily could read lips.

Lily could feel herself heat up as she imagined the pair of mares near the door as herself and Roseluck — no matter how forcefully she suppressed that impossibly forlorn fantasy, it kept reasserting itself! — finally settling on the bar as the lesser of two awkward situations. She just hoped she could squeeze through one of the smaller windows if the need arose, having already ruled out the idea of going through the plate-glass window out front. Bleeding out on the sidewalk or being cornered by mares, I can’t imagine what’s scarier! Then again, I’m already about about to die of embarrassment anyway... she thought miserably, wishing she was a unicorn so she could turn herself invisible.

“She’s in!” Roseluck allowed herself a stealthy commando pony victory dance from behind her leafy barricade as she worked herself into a position where she could peer through the window at her shy friend without ruining her dress — an issue most pony special forces operatives don't have to contend with.

Cloud Kicker’s instructions had been explicit: enter separately to make sure Lily’s prospective marefriends didn’t know the two of them were together, and thus might think she was already taken. Having run through the entire plan back to front, she felt her mind beginning to wander. Hard to believe we mares are so picky with each other. All the best fashion; all the flashiest accessories. All it does is keep us from rutting one another on the strength of our character and the beauty of our physical form. Roseluck sighed. Well, *my** physical form anyway.* She trailed a hoof down the length of her neck for an imaginary mare admirer.

Roseluck nearly dropped her binoculars at that, her eyes widening at where her thoughts had just gone. No, I don’t mean it like *that!** Or do I?* Roseluck swallowed hard, remembering again the events surrounding Discord’s escape: the normally shy Lily turning aggressive and seducing her dedicated colt-chasing friend with the help of a magical attitude adjustment and some added stallion equipment, noisily making love to her as all Equestria descended into the madness of the Chaos God’s return.

Roseluck shook her head forcefully to clear it. No, that’s stupid! Must just be the proximity of the bar. I mean, this is what I would think if I really *were a fillyfooler, not me as in… **me!* Forcibly stuffing the notion of mare love under a metaphorical rock for the time being — her metaphorical closet being jam-packed — Roseluck raised her binoculars back up to her eyes and peered inside the bar at Lily, who was making small talk with a yellow-coated orange-maned mare. The rose vendor immediately recognized the mare from the Ponyville Market as the carrot farmer, Golden Harvest.

After a fleeting hope that maybe she could scarper the scene, let Golden Harvest give Lily the time of her life, and see if Time Turner was available for the night, Roseluck noticed the toothpaste-colored mare sitting next to Goldie was now chatting the carrot farmer up instead of Lily, and deflated. Darn it! You were right again, Cloud Kicker; the farmer brought friends with her that I’ll need to distract. Guess I’ll have to mosey on in there and be as distracting as possible. The self-proclaimed ‘Winning’ Pegasus had also told Rose that ‘distraction’ might involve her chatting up or feigning interest with one or more of the friends to carry out her mission as wingmare, but those details were negotiable as far as Rose was concerned...

“Hey… Rose?”

Roseluck shooed away the pony behind her with her hoof, continuing her vigil. “Not now I’m busy — AHHH!”  Panicking, she dropped the binoculars into the hedge, blocking them from view with her body, and looked back at the speaker, a bronze coated pegasus mare with striking blue eyes and mane, wearing a simple purple dress. Far worse than having discovered Rose, though, was that the newcomer was studying her with something considerably more than purely academic interest, looking her over from head to hoof.

“Well, this is a surprise! I haven’t seen you here before, Rose! So what are you doing back here? Afraid to go inside and —” The pegasus grinned and gave her hips a suggestive sway “— Mingle?”

Curse the pony who thought of giving only some ponies the ability to fly! Roseluck froze in horror at the realization that she was now, at this moment, likely being sized up by a mare for her worth as a mate and was okay with it on some level. It was a perverted sort of honor to receive validation from a fellow mare, but only as a worthy competitor competing for the attention of a stallion, she quickly reminded herself. The twitching in the mare’s bronze wings and dilating pupils were not the kind of attention she was used to. Fortunately, Rose was no stranger to escaping the things that were out to get her and mares were her specialty. After all, you don’t sleep with another mare’s colt too often without needing to plead your case to the judge, jury, and potential executioner of pain.

Recovering quickly, Roseluck laughed. “You nearly scared me to death there! Um… I know I’ve seen you around, but… have we met?”

Her grin got wider. “I suppose we haven’t! The name’s Raindrops.” She gave the earth pony a quick glimpse up her dress at her rain droplet cutie mark  “I’m with the weather team, naturally.” Roseluck tensed up as she noticed the pegasus arching her neck forward as a display of quality. “We haven’t spoken but I’ve seen you around while on the job. If you don’t mind me saying so, you’re pretty hard to miss, actually.”

Roseluck scoffed, displaying her neck in return with upturned muzzle, her expression as smug as an Apple and just as honest, too. This mare is trying to hook up with me. With me! Doesn’t she know who I am? She’s got to be lying. This is some sort of sick joke. *I am the mare who’s sneaking off with your brother every night. **I am the ‘friend’ your stallion won’t tell you about. I am your worst nightmare come true, sister, and Ponyville’s greatest lover of stallions! Do your worst, filly!* she mentally challenged. “Well I should think so, Rainy! You don’t see a mare like me in the bushes very often!”

Now it was Raindrop’s turn to look surprised at the mare’s frankness, quickly melting away into a flirtatious smile. “Quite so, Miss Roseluck. And what brings you to this finely manicured hedge this evening?” She a lit beside her, showing enough sense to hide herself from view as well.

Feigning contriteness, Roseluck plowed forward with her newly-minted strategy. “I suppose I owe you the truth. In return I must insist upon your complete discretion in this matter,” she said in overly-grave tones. “You see, I’m on an errand of mercy for a good friend.”

Raindrops brought hoof to chest in a solemn pledge. “On my word as a weathermare, I will not tell another living soul. So why are you here? There aren’t even any flowers in this hedge! Surely you aren’t here for the scenery… or are ya?” The pegasus winked at the florist suggestively.

Roseluck’s cheeks flushed. “Of course not! My goals are purely altruistic. I’m here to help my friend, Lily, find true companionship and happiness with a mare by giving her my… support and confidence.” Roseluck wrapped a leg around one of the limbs of the nearby hedge as if it were her best friend.

Raindrops brough hoof to chin, even as her wings began to twitch with greater urgency. “Your support and confidence… in a bar filled with mares who want to hook up and rut into the wee hours. And how exactly do you intend to do that as Ponyville’s self-professed Straight-ist Mare in Equestria?” her grin went lopsided.

Roseluck’s blush got deeper, both at the title bestowed on her and the fact she thought she was being teased. “By being there at her side!” Roseluck thumped her chest with gusto. “Sure, what I’m doing isn’t the most… honest thing in the world, but if I can create an opening for Lily to talk to some mare by keeping her buddies distracted, why shouldn’t I help her? I’m all the poor gal has got!”

Proving a rank amateur at maintaining a neutral expression, the pegasus’ wings nearly deployed entirely, holding them awkward and stiff, halfway folded, until she regained the motor function to tuck them back in. “Please forgive my suspicion. Lily is that pink little blonde-maned cutie who works with you at Daisy’s shop, correct?”

“Can’t keep anything from you, can I?” Roseluck replied, not quite able to keep the bitterness out of her voice for her winged cousins. “But you’re right. Lily’s sitting by Golden Harvest and by the looks of things, can’t get a word in edgewise with Goldie’s friends hogging all her attention.” She nodded towards the open bar.

Raindrops closed her eyes and shook her head, regarding her new friend with a pitiable expression. “You really think it’s that easy, don’t you? Listen, you’re going to need some backup in there and insider knowledge on this establishment or this is not going to work. If those fillies know your reputation even half as well as I do, your cover is going to be blown faster than you can say ‘fantastic filly flash’.”

Roseluck brought hoof to face with a sigh of resignation. “Ah, horseapples! You’re probably right. I’m not a fillyfooler. This idea is silly! But I still need to help Lily out.”

“Yeah… you’re in a bit of a bind.” Raindrops became suddenly interested in the sunset. “Celestia really knows her stuff with that sun, eh? Sure wish I could get that promotion!”

Roseluck threw her face to the sky, seeking answers from the heavens and finding only one, feathery, flying pony solution. “Ugh, fine! Raindrops, I know we just met and all, but I really need your help! Can you…?” she couldn’t finish the sentence. Cloud Kicker had warned her this might be necessary, but she’d been praying it wouldn’t be.

The pegasus willed every molecule of her strength into keeping her wings steady as she turned to face Roseluck in as overly comedic a fashion as possible. “Mmm yeees?”

I hate myself so much right now. Forcing as straight a face as her fillyfooler circumstances would allow, she summoned every ounce of customer service politeness into a single request. “Can we go in there as a couple and… help my friend out with Golden Harvest?”

Raindrop’s wings deployed with a distant clap of thunder from the sky above, her unfurled bronze-feathered wings giving her the appearance of an ancient Steedgyption hieroglyph on the side of a pyramid. “Terrific! Who knows, Rosie; you may even enjoy yourself a little. Just relax and leave everything to me.”

“I hope you appreciate this, Lily…” Roseluck muttered under her breath as the pegasus rattled off her plan at high speed.

I hope you appreciate this, Rose! It didn’t take long for Lily to begin questioning the wisdom of her friend’s plan. Nearly everypony inside wore plain dresses with minimal accessories while she and her so-called ‘wingmare’ were styling eight-year old Canterlot fashion. We’re going to stand out alright. Just not in the good way!

In fairness, the bar itself was not as scary a place as she’d imagined, filled with buzzcut-maned mares with multiple piercings and skull and bones cutie marks — the shy mare had nearly passed out when such a mare came near her back in Hoofington. In fact, she saw more than a few familiar faces among the crowd; ponies she’d seen outside her greenhouse fortress buying flowers back at Daisy’s shop.

A loud crunch greeted Lily as she stepped through the wooden doors which she was relieved, and somewhat disgusted, to discover was an empty peanut shell. At least I’m not allergic! The rough wood floor was absolutely covered with them. Taking note of what other crunchy dangers might be lurking about, Lily took a look around the chandelier lit room. Neon signs — no doubt powered by magic — advertised the local pilsner, Buck-o Beer, along with wine and cider-based drinks. Not a milkshake dispenser to be found, Lily, lamented, silently, as she slowly ambled up to the counter on the other end of the hall. Long benches made from huge split logs, made up the center of the long, dimly lit room on either side of her. They were clearly designed to encourage mass mingling and easily sat up to twenty mares each.

For those who wanted a bit more privacy and intimacy, booths made with more comfortable naugahyde covered cushions lined the left and right walls. Above each booth were framed group photos with the year and description stamped into a bronze nameplate at the bottom. Not only was the bar serving drinks but food as well, carried on trays by unicorns and a few well-coordinated pegasi who could manage the balancing act by steadying the load with their wings. The most action was up at the front where drinks were being mixed, ponies were jamming bits into an ancient Cloppola jukebox, and a large, curly-maned and shockingly orange earth pony was nursing a shot of bourbon that caught Lily’s eye. The mares on either side of her wearing sympathetic expressions and giving her an occasional nuzzle or pat on the back.

“It’s not yehr fault, lass. Yeh’re not the mare who decided t’ play our… our… song…” The heavily accented pony sniffled, gave her drink a dour look and finally threw it back sans chaser. “Oi! that’s not gonnae make me walk home any easier, is it?”

Lily arched an eyebrow as she waited behind a pair of purplish earth pony mares. She didn’t have to ask herself what they’d be ordering. Why is she sad at hearing a song with her friend?

“We weren’t coming here to get you drunk, Goldie!” A minty unicorn sitting next to her replied, concerned. “We were just trying to get you off your farm for awhile. I know it has to be rough living right next to the mare giving you trouble.”

There was a murmur of assent from the mares sitting up at the bar.

The green-maned barmare nodded, tipping her huge cowcolt hat in front of her eyes. Pushing it back up out of way, she gave the two mares in front of Lily their usual order (a bottle of pinot noir) and leaned across the bar in front of Goldie, giving her a sympathetic look. “Honey, there ain’t no mare in the world that gal is going to settle down fer between the apple farm, galloping across Equestria with her friends, and raisin’ that sweet little Apple Bloom. Sorry to say, but my cousin’s one bronco that won’t never be tamed by nopony!”

Her Equestrian… it burns! Lily looked away as she cringed at the barmare’s spectacular triple-negative sentence.

The carrot farmer sighed in defeat. “Ah knew the risks, Apple Fritter. And Ah know yer right, but it still smarts. Can ah just have one more t’ top me off?” The orange mare signalled for another drink, but the barmare shook her head.

“Ah think yer about done fer the night, Golden Harvest.” The barmare signaled Lily to step to the counter as Goldie sighed, her muzzle laid against the surface. “Yer friends are right, filly. Ah know how much she meant to ya, but ya gotta let ‘er go. Yer such a pretty young thang. Others will come along.”

Standing alongside the jilted mare in front of the counter, Lily stole a glance at her and had to agree. From behind, her tangle of orange curls looked messy. But up close and from the side, she couldn’t help but admire the way the curls dangled in front of her beautiful green eyes. So much like Roseluck’s eyes, Lily couldn’t help but notice. Her face was tear-streaked; all hope seemed to have gone out on her world. It was a sentiment Lily could appreciate, being her natural state.

“Maybe we should you get you home, Goldie. I’m really starting to think this was a bad idea,”  said a mare Lily didn’t recognize, reached into her saddlebag to pay the tab.

Lily’s jaw tightened, her eyes darting toward mundane objects on the wall as she tried to think of something to say to her. She’s so cute! I need to say something cool. “Ummm...”

“Oh. I’m sorry, honey!” the barmare drawled. “Didn’t mean to keep ya waitin’. My stars, don’t you look nice this evening! Now what kin I get choo?” her accent seemed to get stronger as she spoke.

“Lily?” The toothpaste mare looked up at the flower pony, eyes wide with shock. “Hey Golden Harvest, look who it is. It’s greenhouse pony!”

Lily whinnied heatedly, “Hey that’s not fair! I do other things around the shop too. Just not when other ponies are watching…” she finished lamely. Are others ponies really talking about me when I’m not around? I can’t ever escape them!

Golden Harvest’s head jerked up, brushing her mane out of her face to see her properly, tear-streaked-and-cider-glazed eyes focusing on her with some difficulty. “Lily Valley... by the ancestors! I didn’t think I’d ever meet you. Much less in a place like this! Yeh’re a fair sight!” she looked over a cringing Lily from head to toe.

“T-thank you! I… I’ll just have a sarsparilla please.” The barmare hooved a bottle Lily’s way, which she opened with her hoof, hoping her cheeks weren’t too hot. “Have we…”

“What’s Daisy been up to? I almost never see that mare at the shop these days. Always getting dressed up and heading off all over Equestria on business. That girl is going to burn herself out!”

“It does seem like Roseluck is in charge of Daisy’s Fleuronic Fantasies these days. Can you imagine if she came in here!? I think I’d just die!” the barmare made a show of fanning herself with her stetson.

“Speak for yourself, Apple Fritter. I think I might have a word with her. Fifty bits for a northern crystal rose? It’s highway robbery, I tell you!” The toothpaste mare groused.

As random mares from the counter started discussing the minutiae of Lily’s occupation and seemingly just as quickly forgot about Lily herself, her ears felt flat against her head. I really need to get out of here. The comic shop is only a couple blocks away and still open for another hour. Never an awkward question or judgemental glance from the mare behind the counter… “Nevermind Goldie. I’ll just go…” Lily dropped a bit on the counter and headed for the door.

“Wha? Hey wait up Lily!” Goldie called out to Lily to no avail. Unable to hear with all the noise, Lily was almost to the exit doors when Roseluck entered and blocked her way, Raindrops at her side, the pair grinning at the diminutive mare. “Going so soon, Lily?”

Oh! Well… Yes. Maybe?” Lily sighed and about-faced back towards the bar. “No…”

“That’s the spirit, Lily!” Raindrops all but purred, gliding a bronze wing across Roseluck’s back, nearly causing her knees to buckle and her tail to flag hard, knocking the ushanka off a nearby mare’s head. Pretending not to notice, the pegasus looked directly at Lily. “There’s no need to worry about Minuette’s banter; she’s only having fun with ya. Just call her a toothpaste pony and she’ll back right off!”

“Buuuck you!” Minuette called back, the unicorn grinning as she launched a telekinetic peanut at her heckler which Raindrops narrowly dodged.

The mares at the front laughed before returning to their drinks.

Rose stood stock still, her face frozen in terror. Raindrops didn’t notice and she was having a whispered conversation with Golden Harvest at her seat.

Lily approached her cautiously. If she’s scared then I’m really in trouble! “Rose, you okay? You look as if you’ve seen the Headless Horse!”

“It’s nothing! Everything’s cool.” A few of the mares sitting on the nearby benches started pointing at Roseluck — one even squeed! — whispers carrying the message from the center of the room to the walls within minutes. “Raindrops may have… accidently brushed up against me with her wing ‘cuz I know that just didn’t happen on purpose! Everything is juuust fine.” She forced a smile to her lips.

“Uh huh…” Lily glanced over at Goldie who was waving her over to a conveniently vacated barstool next to her.

“I just need a drink. You talk with your friend here and I’ll keep the rest of  ‘em busy for ya!”

“I’m sure you will, Rose!” Raindrops cut in, her voice sly. “We have a bench all ready for us. My friends and I have so many questions about you, mystery lady!”

“Er, right!” Help me, somepony! Rose, turned around to tell Lily to go find help if she was gone for over an hour, but Lily was already distracted by her new friend. Hay-covered horseapple sundaes! Roseluck cursed internally, as she ducked her head down and hoped she’d melt into the floor before she’d make her appointment in the hot seat. You better appreciate this, Lily… and you better get laid for it!

Tomfoolery

Sitting on the barstool next to Golden Harvest, Lily cautiously brought herself to meet the brightly-colored earth pony's gaze. Golden Harvest smiled back awkwardly, her eyes glassy with intoxication. The two locked gazes in a silent standoff.

Oh, hayseed! What am I supposed to say now? Sorry I ran away from you like you were an Everfree monster? While feverishly wracking her brain to think of something witty to say, Lily took the opportunity to get an unobstructed look at her admirer for the first time — hopefully without looking creepy. Golden Harvest was not only large, though powerfully built, her light orange fur was longer than that of most Equestrian mares, giving her a wild, exotic, and not at all unpleasant, look. Lily was filled with an overwhelming urge to brush the alluring stranger’s coat to see if she felt as soft and cozy as she looked. Darn it, Lily, say something to her!

Golden Harvest gave Lily an apologetic look. “Terribly sorry if I scared yeh back there, Lily. I just dinnae expect to ever see yeh here of all places! I s’pose anypony would be scared. Ah’m a pure nick and drunk to boot…” She eyed her empty mug guiltily.

Lily blinked at the odd expression, but knew well enough what drunk meant. “No, no! It’s not you. It’s just… well, I really shouldn’t be in here!”

“Yeh shoo-dent? Why not?” Golden Harvest’s face turned anxious. “Yeh’re not allergic to peanuts are yeh?”

Lily’s eyes swept the room, spotting groups of mares already engaged in foreplay across the hall. Poor Rose is going to be eaten alive. *Alive and screaming!*** Looking back at Golden, she shook her head. “I’d be dead for sure! I mean I’m not sure I’m ready to be looking for somepony. Especially here!”

“Aye, but seeing yeh dressed up like that, I’d be more worried about somepony finding you!” Golden Harvest tossed her mane back, sitting up on the wooden stool as straight as her anatomy and drunkenness would allow her to look at her properly. “But I understand the feeling. I’m not so sure I should be out tonight, either…”

Lily’s ears perked up at that. Omigosh, this is great! I can do a good thing for equinity and get us both out of here! Comic shop, here I come! Taking a swig of sarsaparilla, savoring her treat as she so rarely went outside to purchase it, Lily resolved to explore her new diplomatic escape angle with eye contact and polite interest — a huge, but necessary concession for their mutual survival. “Why don’t you want to be here? Did you get dragged here by a friend, too?”

“Ha!” Golden Harvest rapped the bar with a generic steel-shoed hoof. “I see Ah’m not the only one! Well, it was me friends, actually. But they only meant well. They seen me wallowin’ in me own shame and misery and brought me out here to find a mare and get me ‘back in the saddle’ as Apple Cobbler put it.” The orange mare requested a glass of water from the barmare and took a drink. “May as well get to work on treating the hangover before it starts! But where are me manners? Care for something with a bit more kick?”

Lily shook her head vigorously, weaving precariously as her stool nearly fell over. “Oh no! I couldn't drink something like that! What if I get sick and die?”

Golden Harvest’s eyeridges disappeared into her curly mane. “Well, I sayr-tainly hope my drunk isn’t fatal. That would be a first for me!”

Smooth as butter, Lily. Maybe we should try not to offend our ticket out of here and make with the flippin’ friendship already! Lily’s internal monologue chided. “I didn’t mean it like that! I just… Can I try that again?”

Golden Harvest laughed. A deep, hearty laugh that seemed to warm up Lily from the inside. “The night is young. Take your time, lass. I’m happy to have company that isn’t trying to get me hitched!” Goldie’s face fell, remembering her lost Apple, but recovered quickly. “So what’s it like working for Daisy? Do you enjoy working at her shop?” Golden Harvest brushed at her curly bangs nervously.

Lily had to think about that for a moment. The job was a bit tedious at times, if necessarily lacking in stress for her delicate emotional state, save for the occasional Ponyville disaster destroying the town. Daisy was a sweet, motherly mare who kept an icebox full of delicious two-percent milk and could cook like nopony’s business, and Roseluck… she supposed the gorgeous red and pink, nectar smelling, ball of stallion lust was just an emotional roller-coaster sent by the Matriarchs to keep the shy mare’s life interesting. “It’s got it’s upsides and downsides, but I’m happy with it. I really enjoy knowing my boss is my friend and Roseluck is…” Lily gave a lovesick sigh, “She’s really one of a kind.” Over at Roseluck’s bench, Lily heard bits and pieces of her friend retelling one of her stallion conquest stories.

“Yeh got that right! Strange, to see her inside a filly bar, eh? Methinks she’s a bit bi-curious!” Goldie smiled smugly, rubbing her forehooves together like the happiest merchant in Manehatten Harbor contemplating her profits. “Would I be presumin’ too much to assume yeh’ve noticed how bonnie she is?”

“Eep!” Lily’s forehooves met the side of her head with a flash. Some words just don’t need translation.

“I thought so!” Goldie proclaimed loudly. “So how does a bonnie lass like yehrself end up here talking to me?”

Omigosh she thinks I’m bonnie! What do I do? What do I do? She started to panic, covering up her fear with a question she already knew the answer to. “Bonnie… that means ‘cute’ right?”

“Aye!”

“You think I’m… cute?” Lily looked at the earth pony as if she’d sprouted wings and a horn.

“Aye! I’d have thought a mare like you could help Rosie see the error of her ways.” Golden Harvest looked contemplative for a moment, then went alarmed. “Or is that why you’re here? Oh, Lily… I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean nothing hurtful by it!”

She’s attracted to me! That’s not possible! There is collaboration at the highest level of Equestria’s government to get my hopes up! This is all a lie! Lily eyed her orange friend suspiciously, “You’re joking! You really think I’m cute?” she asked in disbelief.

Golden Harvest shifted uncomfortably atop her stool, her ears bowed submissively. “Um… aye? Is this a sore topic with yeh? Cuz we could not talk about it…”

Lily brought hoof to face. Roseluck is right. I really am the one keeping me single… “Golden Harvest… I’m really sorry I snapped at you like that. I’m just so nervous right now and I don’t do very well with other ponies on the best of days.” Lily sniffled quietly, hiding her face in her hooves, “And you shouldn’t put yourself down. You’re... bonnie too! I-I want to talk to you. I’m just so scared…”

“Oh, Lily, it’s alright!” Despite the emotional outpouring, Golden Harvest internally breathed a sigh of relief. “Say… yeh want we should find someplace a bit more private so we can talk about it?” Goldie looked momentarily defensive, as Lily raised her tear-streaked eyes up at her fearfully. “No, it’s nothing like that! I mean just for talk. Someplace quiet, a place away from all… this. Ah think we kin both relate to each other right now.”

Lily nodded, wiping her eyes. “I’d l-like that. I trust you… Golden Harvest.”

She smiled. “Call me ‘Goldie’, Lily. We can stay in one of the overnight rooms. This place looks small from the front but there’s loads of room in the back. Gotta stash us crazy foolers somewhere lest we break down and start rutting on the side of the road!”

Lily giggled as she climbed down from her stool. “I can see that!”

Golden Harvest looked over her shoulder before climbing down. A crowd of mares had gathered around Sea Swirl, hungry looks in their eyes, as the unicorn rolled over onto her back, tail flagging hard as she displayed her slickened marehood for the assembly, taunting them with her tongue stuck out. Her horn glowed a gentle red, which gave way to yellow. When finally her aura changed to green, mares from the crowd descended on the mare as the mares sitting at a table arranged with stacks of bits cheered. “We might be seeing a lot more in a moment, none of which I think yeh’re prepared fer just yet. We should go.”

Lily gasped as she looked on at the scene, her cheeks flushing hard, quickly following behind her new friend through a door leading behind the bar. Before disappearing behind the door, she saw tongues in places not normally discussed in polite conversation.

The lowering of the sun only brought more mares into the packed hall, the increase in chatter nearly drowning out the old jukebox, which had switched from moody love songs to newer, more energetic dance tunes. Taken in by the revelry, one purple-coated unicorn with a prominent twin-dolphin cutie mark was dancing naked atop her table. Between the candles, the warm muggy night air, and the body heat of dozens of mares, Roseluck was sporting a thin sheen of sweat across her face and body. Not that it bothered the others mares at the table, who not only bought the rose-colored mare drinks — four empty cider mugs and a bottle of wine were already claimed by her bottomless thirst — but were even ordering her food.

Ït’s alright, girls… really. I ate before I left!” a swaying Roseluck announced as a second cucumber sandwich appeared in a field of unicorn magic in front her, barely a minute after the empty dish was carried off.

“Not me, Rose. I always prefer eating out; especially when I’ve muffed up the meal…” Raindrops announced with a lewd grin, taking a large bite of garlic bread. A few mares giggled at the double-entendre while tipsy Roseluck missed the joke entirely.

“Gotta soak up that grappa somehow!” Minuette lifted the sandwich up under her nose, tempting her as she stared vacantly at the empty plate, her mind and body sedated with good drink. “Come on, Rose. Tasty sandwich! Yummy~!” she addressed Rose like she was speaking to a foal.

Roseluck chuckled and picked up the sandwich in one hoof,  “Alright, alright. But no more! I feel like I’m taking advantage of your... ” Rose’s increasingly glazed eyes fixed on the blue-striped unicorn’s horn, noting how the the blue glow reflected off her eyes and minty-coated muzzle the darkness of the bar. “You know, filly... you really got a good thing going on with those lovely shades of blue. Has anypony told you that? They’d slay a stallion from a mile away!”

“Why thank you!” Minuette nuzzled Roseluck affectionately, delighting in her flinch. “I never knew you had such an appreciation for the female form!”

A peal of raucous laughter and hoofstomps erupted from the table’s occupants. A few even clinked their mugs at the unfolding scene.

Rose’s already-rosy cheeks turned a deeper hue; she retained enough of her sensibilities to recognize she was being teased and raised her free hoof defensively. “Hey, I don’t have to be a fillyfooler to notice something like that! Can’t a gal appreciate the competition every now and then?” Roseluck took a bite of sandwich, chasing it with liquid courage. “Not that… you’re actually competition. I just… think you could be competition?”

“Wouldn’t even think about trying to be your competition!” A bespectacled dark orange coated earth pony teased, sipping her rum and cola through a straw. Neighboring tables going quiet as they turned to listen in, mares whispering back and forth in excited tones, a few bits even exchanging hooves as bets were made on the proceedings. “Not if the rumors I heard about you are correct! So tell me Rose... is it really true you got tucked in by an entire construction crew in Manehatten?”

Making no further pretension of stealth, every mare — save a few of the more intimately invested ones — at the surrounding tables were now focusing on Roseluck. The Ponyville rumor mill was an efficient machine, still nothing was going to put the controversy to rest until they’d heard it from Roseluck herself, who’d done the impossible and paid them all a visit to tell them.

“Whoa! I never heard about that…” Raindrop’s wings began to unfold again, thankfully with nopony noticing them or the heat traveling down to her nethers. Then again, she was far from the only one at that point! “Tell us more!”

For the first time since she’d entered the bar, Roseluck smiled. Finally, a leg to stand on! “You bet your Apple-lovin’ flank I did, Apple Cobbler!” Roseluck finished off her fifth mug of ale, slapped it on the table, belched for a solid three seconds — “nice one!” somepony yelled from across the room — and focused intensely on Apple Cobbler’s big blue eyes. Those bangs look super cute on her! Why is she not putting them to good use on a hunky, Canterlot guardstallion...?

“I was in Manehatten on business for Daisy. I'd set up in a motel and was touring the city, beforehand. It was a real scorcher! Weather patrol must’ve been on strike ‘cause it was ninety-two degrees Fahrenheit and don't even ask about the humidity…” Roseluck wiped a hoof across her brow. “Didn’t make it any easier that the road was covered with blacktop that made everything seem ten times worse! Even without wearing any clothes, I was soaked with sweat and thinking of nothing but downing a quart of ice cream back at the motel when a fire hydrant across the street blew out. It felt glorious, but I could only imagine how I looked dripping everywhere with my mane and tail all out of sorts!”

Wings and tails twitched all around the hall. “Oh, I think I can imagine it…” an orange-coated cotton candy-maned pegasus chimed in as her wings flared, deploying through strategically placed holes on her maid’s uniform. Roseluck wondered briefly if she’d come straight from work or if it was a fetish thing, but didn’t feel the need to ask just then. “So now that your smoking hot body was cooled off, what did you do?”

Roseluck helped herself to another bite of sandwich, chewing slowly, reveling in all royal treatment and positive attention she was receiving. A mare could get used to all this flattery! And here I thought this was going to be difficult! Why was I so afraid to come here before…? “Well, I wasn’t thinking about ice cream anymore, but I still needed to grab some lunch before getting dressed and going to a meeting with a thestral supplier on renegotiating the cost of Zebrecen Shade Bloom. As I was looking for a place to eat, I came upon a construction area. There were big, tough, earth pony stallions wearing utility orange, with belts carrying various tools strapped to their sides, going at the old pavement with jackhammers — still can't believe the city folks walk on that hard stuff. So anyway, I stopped long enough to, well… admire the scenery when one of them noticed me and started walking in my direction.”

“It begins!” Minuette announced to cheers and whinnies of approval from the assembly.

Roseluck acknowledged them with a wry grin before continuing. “Oh, I could see it in his eyes, girls: I was the only mare in the world for him! He didn't say hi, and I wasn't about to ruin that labor-hardened stud of an earth pony's dream. We started making out right there on the one clear lane of traffic... but not for long... I broke the kiss and slapped the muscular workcolt on his flank with my tail and invited him to take the ride of his life!” She went wistful at the memory, basking in a fresh round of cheers and adulation from her audience.

“And you did this out in the open?” the barmare gaped as she passed Roseluck a fresh mug of ale, this one on the house.

“Sure did!” Roseluck boasted, taking a swig of the new drink and smacking her lips for a moment. “Attracted a lot of attention, too! All his buddies stopped working and came over to watch!”

A series of impressed sounds floated up, more and more mares collecting around her to listen. “You’re a braver mare than I, fillyfriend!”

Rose gave her a funny look for a moment, but lost in the story and a deepening alcohol-induced haze, she continued, some part of her noting in quickly forgotten alarm that she was getting turned on by telling her story. “Thanks! In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have done this in public, but at the time nothing mattered to me. I was at peace with the world!” Roseluck downed half the mug in one draw, her cheeks warm and face glowing with pride. “Bowing my head and presenting myself to him, I heard him mount me with a squish on my back, and bore his weight easily. Whether it was my new friend or not, I can't be certain because his coworkers soon joined him, nipping and suckling at my ears, and licking the length of my neck from opposite sides…”

Minuette lit up her horn, gasping as she pierced her wet, eager marehood with her electric-blue magical aura; it’s size and girth contoured to fit her perfectly after many years of practice. Within no time, her slickened wetness was dripping onto the wooden floor from the gaps between her magical construct and inner walls as she thrusted it repeatedly up inside her with growing need. “Oh don’t mind me, everypony. Please, continue your… oh! Story, Rose. Unn~”

Roseluck’s nose twitched at the smell of her arousal, most prominent among several others now evident to her nose. Whoa… she even smells like mint! Trying not to think about why it was turning her on even more, she concluded such questions were best left for later.

“So the biggest one of the bunch — the Boss... at least I think he was the Boss because he was certainly the most well-endowed — came over to me and took over on neck and make-out duty, while his subordinates took turns sucking my teats and rutting me senseless, occasionally pulling out to make their erection last.”

She closed her eyes and smiled at the memory, enjoying the appreciative murmurs that came up from her avid audience. “It’s funny what I remember. I can still feel their weight on my back, their nibbling my ear, the nips on my neck. I can recall the exact feel of each shaft inside me, it’s shape, size and texture. I can still hear the others cheering, grumbling for having to wait their turn while hearing my cries for more!”

“More!”  the mares listening agreed as one, urging her to continue the story, cheeks flushed, wings splayed and now more than a few hooves starting to stray south.

“Give a filly a chance, girls!” she replied, basking in the attention, grateful that even fillyfoolers could appreciate a good stallion story, and finding herself oddly flattered that she was turning them on. “Between the eight of them rotating in and out, I may have been standing there getting tucked in for hours, because my legs were starting to get really tired. No joke, girls — I thought I had died and gone to the Summerlands, enjoying my reward for an honest and hard-working life, even if for only a day. But no, my real reward came at the end,” she told them all. “That was when the boss finally took me!”

“R-Really?” the barmare was now leaning heavily on the bar. “W-wait… if he was the Boss, why didn’t he take you first?” she asked slightly breathlessly, rocking back and forth against the counter slightly.

“Funny you ask…” a now-swaying Roseluck giggled, polishing off the rest of her ale and wiping her mouth with a foreleg; the mug was swiftly replaced before her. “‘Cause I asked him that too! He smiled and told me between nips and kisses his workcolts were the reason they got done everyday. And that they were good fellas and deserved to go first. Then he told me he was going to make damn sure he was the one I'd remember the most! And by Celestia, did I ever! He was as big as a Saddle Arabian and I felt like a filly having her first when he entered into me. Even his probing thrusts were so strong they scooted me forward an inch each time, and then when he'd penetrated me fully, he gave my ear a gentle bite and told me to ‘hang on!’ I whinnied so loud, they must have heard of it clear over in Baltimare!”

The room had fallen silent except for the wet sounds of hooves and auras involved in self-pleasuring, though some of the listeners were rubbing up against each other hard. “So he was as good as advertised?” a voice called from the back.

“You better believe it, sister!” Rose slammed her latest mug down, sloshing out some ale. “Bracing my hooves as best I could, I threw myself back onto him with each thrust of my hips, chomping down on his length to force his surrender sooner. Oh, but he was good, and wise to my tactics. He’d pull out just before coming and continue the foreplay, holding out until he could do so no longer. After a solid hour of going at it, I could go on no further and he carried me back to the motel on his back before rutting me again and again.” Roseluck sighed, barely aware her own winking marehood was gently dripping onto the floor, accompanied by an ever-stronger smell of rose petals. “Oh, I sure hope he kept his job!”

Silence, save the occasional gasp of a self-pleasuring mare, filled the room. “Sounds like satisfying you is a full-time job in and of itself, Rose!” Apple Cobbler finally spoke again.

“You said it!” the minty mare added her cheeks bright red against her blue fur. “You know, I bet we could do it, too!” she said, to eager sounds of agreement from the assembled mares.

Her earth pony alcohol resistance keeping her only two sheets to the wind, for the first time since the start of the Crystal Heart discussion, Rose was beginning to feel a bit disconcerted. Anger, Rose could handle. Appreciation for her exploits were rare, but always welcome. But a hungry-looking audience of openly aroused mares was a new and uncomfortable beast she’d yet to catalog. “You all must be —” Roseluck’s eyes darted around the table at the hungry faces of its equine occupants and swallowed hard “— very impressed huh?” Her smile, which had been brimming with confidence just a short time earlier, went nervous, her eyes flitting from one fillyfooler to the next, suddenly and very uncomfortably reminded of where she was.

The bronze pegasus snorted gently, the blast of air tickling the highly erogenous, reddened tip of Roseluck’s right ear. She gasped, the walls of her marehood winking involuntarily, and turned around to find herself muzzle to muzzle with her marefriend for the evening. Her bronze wings were fully deployed, twitching slightly. “I know I’m impressed! Not everyday a stallion-settler experiences the kind of fun we mares experience on a regular basis.”

Minuette and Apple Cobbler walked over and took shelter under their friend’s wings.

You what?” Roseluck shot the pegasus an involuntarily hostile look, before catching herself. “I mean, you do that sort of thing… regularly? As in more than one of you at a time?”

As if to answer, the purple-coated unicorn from earlier, having stopped dancing to listen to Roseluck’s story was approached by two mares: one of whom began to kiss her full on the lips, while the second nudged the dolphin-lover’s tail aside, plunging deep inside her marehood with her long, ring-pierced tongue. They were soon joined by a third and fourth who went to work on her cutie mark and neck. Roseluck stared, transfixed by the sight of a group of mares ganging up on another mare who, far from struggling, lifted her flagging two-tone blue tail helpfully out of the way until climaxing with a muffled cry, sending a forceful, salty stream of fragrant nectar down the second mare’s throat. The greedy mare didn’t let a single drop hit the table, tilting her neck up to trap the salty load in her muzzle. The table cheered as the tan-coated mare displayed her trophy at the tip of her long, thick tongue before swallowing it down, licking both their lips clean so as not to waste any.

Roseluck felt a sudden, unwelcome twinge of insecurity at how short her tongue was by comparison. Now I know how stallions must feel!

“We get around, filly,” Raindrops said silkily, the two of them watching as the five mares at the nearby table reconfigured and started rutting again. Minuette and Apple Cobbler stood aside to allow their marefriend to address Rose alone. “We’re living that dream of yours.” Her voice dropped low and she spoke directly into her ear. “Every… single… day.”

The weathermare allowed a moment for her words to have the desired effect before nuzzling the length of Roseluck’s neck, the latter shuddering as unbidden lust leaked out from ominous, widening cracks in her mental dam holding back the tide of fillyfoolery.

“So why don’t you admit it?” Raindrops trailed kisses up a stunned, unresisting, Roseluck’s neck. “We all can see it, Rose; all those stallions but you never kept a single one. They mean nothing to you! You just want the eyes of every jealous mare on you; comparing themselves to you; wishing they could have what you got.” Wrapping her forehooves around her neck, she reached behind Roseluck’s ear and nuzzled it. “You’ll never be truly satisfied until you’ve spent a night with a mare you’ve deemed ‘worthy’.”

Shoving her confusion aside and gathering up her scattered senses, Roseluck whinnied harshly, stepping back defensively as she roughly rubbed her violated ear. “Now hold on there, Neighfertiti! You can’t just go accusing ponies of being a fooler based on the fact they’ve never been with a mare!”

That brought an immediate upsurge of voices, all speaking over each other. “Rose, we can all smell how turned on you are…”

“Figures. Some mares can’t ever be easy about this…”

“It’s not like anypony is going to hate you for coming out, Rose. A good percentage of us mares are at least bi…”

“She’s right. You’ll never know unless you try…?”

“That was a hot story. I’ll have to try to find that construction crew!”

“Speak for yourself! I wasn’t turned on by them; I was turned on by the idea of her being in that scene with mares!”

“Smell? By, Cadance, she’s soaked the bench with her filly cream! Sure glad I don’t have to clean that up!”

“Rose, are you going to finish that sandwich?”

“Enough, already!” Roseluck roared, kicking her forehooves out. The sound of chattering bar attendees quieting as they looked at each other nervously. “Now tell me. What is this all about? Why do ponies think I’m… that way?”

“Rose… maybe we should talk about this outside? You are very drunk, horny, beautiful, and creating a scene,” Minuette stated casually, suddenly worried they’d pushed her too hard.

“That is because I am the mare who creates scenes!” Roseluck fired back, bringing a hoof to her chest proudly, sticking out her neck for good measure. She was greeted by eyerolls, groans, head shakes, sighs, and a smattering of applause. “And I want to know where this is all coming from. Spit it out!”

Raindrops ears splayed back at the harshness of Roseluck’s tone, sensing if the mare walked out now, she’d probably never come back in. “Fine”, she huffed. “I didn’t want to bring this up, Rose, but we know about Blossomforth.”

Roseluck’s cheeks flushed hard as she ran through a kaleidoscope of emotional states; her expression ranged from surprise, fear, false confidence, guilt, anger, regret, arousal, and bitterness as the image of snowy-white feathers and a freckled-face smile floated past her mind’s eye. “W-what about her?”

“You had a crush on her, Rose,” Minuette stated bluntly, setting a hoof down firmly for emphasis.

“Ngh!” Roseluck sat back and clamped her hooves over her ears, shut her eyes tightly , trying to will her audience and unwelcome memories away. “I don’t really want to talk about her! Listen, gals; it’s not at all like that, okay? I still feel terrible over what I did to her with Thunderlane. And you —” Roseluck pointed an accusing hoof at Raindrops “— don’t know anything about me if you think I don’t enjoy stallion company or respect the ones I’ve slept with!”

Raindrops sighed. “Maybe you’re right, Rose. I should not have said that. But I was there. What you and Blossomforth had was… special.” The bronze pegasus closed her eyes, remembering back to their school days. She chuckled when she remembered Cheerilee’s strange manecut. “The two of you were inseparable throughout elementary school; always at her side. You had other friends, but nothing like her.”

“It’s true...” Roseluck nodded sadly.

“And then Thunderlane showed up…” Raindrops cut in, her expression neutral.

Roseluck growled. “It’s not at all how it looks!”

Raindrops shook her head. “Isn’t it? Now for argument’s sake, we could postulate that you got angry at Blossomforth for stealing your stallion. That is where you’re going with this, right? And yet you made no thought of sharing him with her like most mares would.”

“I’m no ordinary mare!” Roseluck protested.

“Quite true!” Raindrops shot back. “Normal mares wouldn’t value the relationships with their marefriends over that of their stallion. That is 'Mare Code 101' for straight fillies and yet you do. That’s why you’re here tonight, isn’t it?”

Roseluck looked nervously over at the bar where Lily was sitting before only to find they were nowhere to be seen. She and Golden Harvest had taken their leave. “Don't tell me about the Mare Code! I came here to help a friend!” And it looks like I did! Roseluck thought to herself. It was gratifying but worrisome. For now, she was all alone in a bar full of fillyfoolers, one of whom was making her relive memories and hear things she didn’t want to. I helped Lily, now who’s going to help *ME?***

“You came here to help your marefriend, Rose.” Raindrops confirmed her thought with a smile, taking a stab at the air with her hoof. “The way you and Lily get on reminds me exactly of how you and Blossomforth did. It’s really cute actually…”

“No!” Roseluck brought forehooves to the side of her head, teeth gritting as she was forced to face facts. “It can’t be!”

Raindrops gave the sympathetic smile of a mare who’d seen this before. “It won’t be weird anymore once you’ve tried it out, Rose. You’ve driven yourself crazy and driven away potential marefriends in the process because of the hurt that one innocent filly caused you. Hey, maybe I’m full of horseapples and maybe all of Ponyville’s gone mad.” Raindrops snorted, “wouldn’t be the first time.”

Roseluck looked back at her fearfully, her urge to flee growing. “I don’t know what to do!”

“Oh, I think you do!” Raindrops winked at the cream-coated cutie, rubbing her chin before an idea brought a smile to her face. “I’ll tell you what… we have a wrestling mat behind the bar where we regulars like to spar with one another. Want to try?” she asked hopefully. “It’s your choice entirely.”

“Wrestling mat? Sparring?” Rose repeated in some confusion, her mind a bit sluggish but not so far gone she couldn’t ask a simple question. “What good does that do?”

She smiled, and so did the others. “Like I once heard Goldie say, ‘ye never get t’ know a pony so well as when ye fight ‘em!’” She did a surprisingly good imitation of the Caleponian mare’s voice. “Though I’m not saying we have to here. Tonight’s not a scheduled night so it should be empty. We go in there, lay alongside each other, cross tails, and… get to know each other. See what you’re comfortable with doing. The point is, it can really help get you comfortable with the idea of closeness with another mare without all the…”

She was cut off as the mare with the dolphin cutie mark climaxed again with a blissful cry, the pair of mares pleasuring her marehood lapping up the erotic flood while a third had the unicorn pinned down with her horn fully enveloped in her mouth. She bobbed up and down on the lightly-glowing pillar as she pleasured it’s firm, supple hardness. Eager to get another climax out of their willing captive, the trio continued their ministrations unabated as three more mares walked up to the four to help the others, her neck, teats, and mouth now occupied by frenzied licking and sucking — fifteen bystanders cheering lustily, hooves and bottles banging the floor and table as they tallied how many orgasms the sea-themed mare had experienced (twelve) in the last hour. Before Roseluck could see what the approaching seventh and eight mares joining the pileup was intending to do with the lovely unicorn — pleasure her ear tips or the dock of her tail, Roseluck guessed with a shudder — Rose turned her attention back to her date for the night.

“Without all the distractions!” Raindrops finished, her fillyfriends Apple Cobbler and Minuette giggling into their hooves. “And don’t worry Rose. We won’t tackle you like ‘poor’ Sea Swirl over there.” The pegasus made a quotation gesture with her forehooves. “She’s trying to break her record of twenty-five consecutive orgasms in one session. I think you still have about fifteen minutes left if you want to place a bet!”

“I’ll… pass on that bet, thanks.” Roseluck swallowed hard, her eyes examining each of the three mares in turn, searching for duplicity in their expressions. The flower mare had achieved her mission for the evening, but thinking back to her long-lost love — my friend! the defiant mare reminded herself forcefully — she conceded that it was an avenue worth exploring, if very carefully. “Alright, you win. I’ll go. But this is all purely academic. No grabbing or poking or… flower sniffing unless I ask.”

“Not a word to anypony!” Minuette chimed in. “But you wouldn’t mind if me and Cobbler tag along? The three of us are together as you’ve probably guessed, and you two will need a referee and spectator to view your bout should you two decide to spar…” Minuette’s stated as if the matter had already been decided.

Her heart racing at the prospect of what she was facing, Roseluck’s mind couldn’t help but wander back to Ponyville elementary, and the last time she’d wrestled another mare. Slowly, her anxiety morphed into indignation. Is this what Neighfertiti is playing at? That she’s the new Blossomforth? We’ll see about that! Her confidence returning, Rose once again found her confidence, drawing her tail to its full height and gazing haughtily on the pegasus. “Was getting pinned to the floor and embarrassed in front of your fillyfriends all a part of your plan?” Roseluck spoke softly into her hooves, distorting her words, slightly. “You’re on! Lead the way, fillies.”

“You haven’t heard the rules yet, Rose!” Cobbler reminded her, smiling that she’d taken the bait. “When you do, you might consider a bit of… warm up first.”

“Oh… right. Hehe... Oh dear.” Lily, get me out of here! Hear my thoughts. *Help!***