Tending Flowersby FlammenwerferChapters1. The Seeds2. The Planting3. The Sprouting5. The Flourishing6. The Prospering | Epilogue4. The Blooming1. The SeedsAuthor's Note WHAAAAT? Another romance story with clop from Flamm that will have similar themes as the others but be just different enough to warrant a new story with new characters? YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT IT IS. What's great is that I will neither confirm, nor deny that some measure of events and dialogue are based on personal experience. 1. The Seeds “Hmmm… lemme get that one, and the one right behind it, please!” the human male said whilst hunched over, having made his selection of the spinach from in front of the glass viewing pane. The stallion behind the vegetable cart was more than happy to oblige his request with a gruff voice: “You got it, Seth!” he stated as he reached into the confines of his cart and pulled Seth’s choices out front and center. He then placed the two bags of spinach leaves atop his cart and weighed them. “Alright, we’re looking at three bits-fifty this time. Larger, healthier yields around this time are coming in!” the bright-eyed vendor stallion attempted to explain the slight price increase to one of his new regulars. Seth was not particularly phased, and remarked with a friendly smile: “Hey, I need to eat more greens anyway. Tastes so much better here, which makes it easier.” He happily handed over three single-bit notes and a fifty-cent coin. In the back of his mind, he was glad that the tacit one-to-one exchange rate between a dollar and a bit was established… unlike when he went to Europe a few years ago and had a bad time with that rate. The stallion behind the cart eagerly accepted his payment and bagged up the fresh produce. “Hah!” he said. “Well, with all you humans coming through, business is definitely on the up! Y’all keep buyin’ and I’ll keep sellin’ to ya!” he added, handing over the plastic bag. Seth gladly took the bag and hefted it up along with the rest of his grocery loot from the last hour of shopping. “Careful what you wish for… if they get any better than this, I’ll clean out your entire stock and piss off everyone else!” "And careful to you, too! Eat too much of this and you'll be shitting leaves!" Seth laughed. Hard. "HAH! If it gets me more goddamn fiber then it's an even trade in my book!" And with that, he started on his way as he waved back. “Later, dude!” “See ya next time, Seth!” As Seth strode on his merry way, he took a deep breath of the fresh Ponyville air, one that served to cool off his lungs a smidge and provided some relief from the warmer day. Thankfully, it was nothing too hot that would merit any sunscreen for his lighter skin. A gentle breeze further blew over him from the adjacent, seemingly endless expanse of fields, which also ruffled a few errant strands of his light-brown hair out of his chosen, neatly-combed style. His thoughts were suddenly drawn to how his hair grew fast and was a little longer than he would normally keep it. He would probably have to lose most, if not all of it when the human-equine basic training kicked off, so he wanted to treasure it while it lasted. That’s when Seth realized that he’d been at his essentials-shopping spree for a good couple of hours by this point, and figured it was a good time to take stock of what he had versus what he needed. If there was one good thing about doing martial arts for seven years, it was some discipline and order… And considering that he had a rather ad hoc approach to life thus far, it came as a shock to most who knew him. There were probably weirder things in the world, though. Let’s see… got the vegetables, from Green… Some meat from that one Griffon… damnit how the hell do I keep forgetting his name? Vodka… because ‘fuck it’ is a perfect reason to drink this dank-ass pony grog… New wallet, though not sure why I need it so much since payment cards don’t work here yet… it was a mighty need. The mere mental mention of ‘card’ was enough to snap him out of his pensiveness and remember that tomorrow would be his mother’s birthday. Past-Seth was well-aware of this, and it had already been discussed with his family that he would not be able to make it back to Earth due to an overbooking of portal crossings—a consequence of an extremely affordable method of travel and only five gateways thus far between the two worlds. Thus, everyone settled for Seth returning home for a couple of days the following week, and Seth would send over a card per the request of his mom. Mrs. Conway had an odd obsession with them for birthdays, holidays, or any other occasion for that matter... The reasoning always eluded him. But nevertheless, he knew what his last objective for the day was: obtain a suitable birthday card because his creative side—sure as shit—was sure as shit. Seth pursed his lips, and then drew his gaze back towards Ponyville’s bustling marketplace on a Wednesday afternoon. He huffed out, unsatisfied. I can do better than JUST a card. The human liked to think of himself as a somewhat-model son… though perhaps not so model in the sense that he should have a seven-figure salary and a hot wife with big tits, and multiple grandchildren by now, per his parents. Nevertheless, mom was a fan of flowers, so in his mind, a simple bouquet of the more ‘exotic’ Equestrian flora would certainly be in order. “Flowers…” he mumbled to himself. “Fuck's sake, I passed them like… three times?” Though he probably would’ve figured things out after an extra minute or two of deliberation, some pre-emptive salvation was always welcome in his book: “Lookin’ fer somethin’, Seth?” Seth smirked at the familiar youthful, southern twang and turned on his heels to find exactly who he expected. “Hey Apple Bloom!” he greeted with a bright smile, and promptly had hooves thrown around his neck in a rather aggressive hug that had come to be expected from the young mare. He was still getting used to the ponies needing to stand on their hind legs for this, and often that wasn’t even enough. Nevertheless, he reciprocated in kind and held her tightly for a moment before he separated from her. “Well, now that you mention it…” Seth put forth, but quickly rolled his eyes as he saw in Bloom’s that she was not paying the slightest bit of attention. “...ahem!” She shook her head once to wipe away her daydream, but quickly followed up with an expert, joking inflection of her voice that she honed specifically for Seth over his tenure here: “Whoops! Heh, sorry ‘bout that. Guess I’m just lost in those deep blue eyes of yers…” She tossed in an allusive wink to boot, and Seth gestured harshly with a single hand towards her. “Okay you are way too young for me to banter with like that, so I’m gonna just let that slide... again,” he stated firstly. He didn’t want a visit from the pony version of Chris Hanson. “But in all seriousness, yeah, it’s my mom’s birthday tomorrow and I wanna send her a card and some flowers through PortalMail tonight. Know anywhere I can get a decent bouquet? Preferably something a little on the exotic side?” he asked. Apple Bloom’s eyes lit up brightly and she bounced once in place. “Do I!” she exclaimed. “One of the girls’ and my best friends specializes in more exotic flowers. Her name’s Schneeblume.” She then gestured back towards the market. “Head back into town and take the third left. Second house on the right—you’ll know it when ya see it!” Seth shot fake incredulity at her, but it was physically impossible to not smile at her exuberance. “You sure about that? I’m taking a big risk here, Bloom…” he added with mock importance. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, but her reassurance was all he needed. “Trust me, Seth… she’ll have exactly what you need.” He shrugged, fully convinced, then let his smile return to his face. “Well alright then! I’ll head over there right now. So, hey—thanks a lot for the direction!” he said, and tousled Apple Bloom’s mane, which offset her bow, much to her chagrin. Still, she beamed back up at him and Seth imparted another side-hung for her troubles. “Anytime!” she replied, then quickly continued when Seth turned to take his leave: “Oh hey! By the way! Seth!” “Yeah?” he called back over his shoulder and turned to face her as he kept walking away. “Keep the light stubble on yer face!” she hinted with a deep, suggestive wink. “It looks really nice!” Seth chuckled whilst shaking his head, but still halfheartedly scolded her in return: “Damnit, ‘Bloom, I’m too old for you! Stop hitting on me—I don’t want a visit from your sister in the middle of the night to break my kneecaps!” “No promises~!” “UGH!” Seth started back towards the town center in following Apple Bloom’s direction, and all the while busied his mind with wondering what he should get for his darling mother. She was partial to the lavender color, or really, just purple in general… so perhaps there would be something different that would at least have that criteria met? But in thinking of his mother, Seth brought his thoughts to his entire family, and how supportive they had been of his wayward journey in trying to figure out what he wanted out of life. Seth smirked when his thought train drifted to his father, who sternly but lovingly told him that he had no choice but to do something productive. He didn’t care what it was, but until that time came, it was either going to be going to school, or joining the military. After taking a couple of years off to get some odd work experience here and there as well as earn some cash, nothing stuck with him. So, he decided to go to Community College to see if that offered any answers. A year into that, and there was only fleeting interest in certain subjects that often had but tangential to do with one another, such as history and basic nuclear chemistry. Go figure. The Portal had already been open for a couple of years by that point, and with it, a nascent interest between the humans and ponies had built up to an obsessive compulsion to learn as much about one another as possible. On that front, nothing but excellent words had come of the Earth-Equestria Student Exchange Program, so he almost took that avenue up. But when the military announced that it was accepting new volunteers to go through basic training and drill with their Equestrian counterparts, it was another whole opportunity. To help form a cohesive, allied task force to further understand one another and strengthen a future inter-planetary alliance? Once the recruiter told him that, his response was ‘sign me the fuck up!’ So, here he was. Back in reality, Seth hung that third left per Apple Bloom’s instruction. In terms of his direction in life, he had put all his hope into his current path. The Army gave him a head start and moved him (and the surprisingly few volunteers) to Equestria to acclimate for a several-month period before basic training was to begin. Equestria had already treated him so well, but in the end, he just hoped that he would find his place within these new colorful boundaries of an unexplored planet… That, or he’d be out of ideas and shit out of luck, otherwise. At least the experience so far had been totally worth it, and if he was left with nothing more than when he started, he hoped to be able to say that the memories were spectacular. “Okay… second house on the…” he stopped immediately once his prize was within sight. His eyes widened considerably. “Ah. That’s what ‘Bloom meant.” As Seth got a closer look, the second house on the right of this lovely, quaint street so close to the market district was quite literally the epitome of a flora farm right in the front. Prefacing what seemed like a standard, garden variety white house with a door front and center and accompanied by two windows flanking either side… was the entire garden that he figured was where all the ‘business’ was taken care of. A white, painted fence surrounded the front yard, and posts were erected at specific points along the perimeter which led to the construction of a skeleton overhang. An innumerable number of vines climbed up these very posts and crisscrossed one another to form an entire roof of flowers… flowers of all colors and types that seemed like they should not even go together. They grew upon one another naturally, though clearly set in such a way to make them appear as such. A technicolor awning. Seth had seen the concept of Equestrian ‘magic’ first hand via unicorns, but this in and of itself was magical as well. A sudden feeling of being under-dressed for such beauty diffused through him. By force of habit, he smoothed out his blood-red t-shirt, wiped his jeans of anything that might’ve made him at all less-presentable, and proceeded forward towards the open gate. The side of the open post proudly displayed ‘OPEN’ in what looked like German script, which he regarded as a nice, elegant touch. Seth passed through the gate posts and into (and under) the literal flower awning. He could not refrain from staring… though perhaps that was the whole point of it. Specific pathways of neatly trimmed, emerald-green grass were defined as walkways, but on either side of them sat perfect phalanxes of planted flowers; hundreds of them! Every single one of them was for sale, per the strategically-placed price tags, but he could not detect a hint of a blemish on any of the arrangements. They were all perfectly grown, perfectly manicured to suit any need. Only a master of their art and a touch so loving and tender could have produced such order in beauty. Around and above him, on the supporting posts, vines crawled their way up and displayed their creations proudly, as well as letting in only a few golden rays of the sun above. As he had seen from outside, different types of flowers had interwoven with each other in an intimate embrace of floral majesty that called to him. Especially so when, on one of the posts to his right, there was a bright purple and white tulip that stared him in the face beckoning him over with an ethereal finger. He was suddenly reminded of that one trippy garden scene from Alice in Wonderland. The only difference was that he was definitely not dropping acid like she probably was, because these flowers sure as hell weren't telling him to learn shit from them. Seth spared a look over both his shoulders and—upon seeing nopony there to help him at the moment—decided to fancy a look for himself. He strolled up to the flower that so captured his attention and brought his face up close and personal. Never had he been one to appreciate beauty in the form of a floral arrangements so much. Sure, he enjoyed them, and enjoyed giving them to the occasional girlfriend that he had, but never had he been captured by one himself. This is gorgeous… He drew the middle knuckle of his right index finger up to one of the petals, and it was indeed real and healthy. This would be perfect for his mom… or, at least the color would be! A soft, foreign-accented voice suddenly flowed over his ears like a gentle waterfall from behind: “Hallo!” Seth perked up and swiveled on his heels to meet this ‘flower mare,’ and what first greeted him was a pair of bright, beaming, lavender eyes that locked straight onto his own blues. Her coat was a gorgeous, porcelain white that nearly blinded him from how the sun above struck her at such an angle through the vines, but further brought more attention to her eyes… and that straight, jet-black mane that fell over the sides of her face and flowed down the back of her neck. And that little bit of ‘floof’ on her chest was adorable—something that he was always fond of with ponies, mares especially. The cherry on top was that her face had trace amounts of dirt and mud that she likely hadn’t noticed before… Seth wasn’t sure why, but it added to her sudden allure. Also, her bright-white teeth were perfect. Hail Hygiene. And in putting together everything he was taking in with the mare in front of him, Seth quickly realized that he was staring at her… certainly a bit longer than what would’ve been deemed appropriate by any societal standards. But he felt his heart flutter in his chest. Oh no… not now, goddamnit. Regardless, he forced that down and cleared his throat. He returned the greeting in earnest and genuine eagerness: “Uhhh… Hi!” he said, and quickly spat out the next words that came to his mind to save face: “I’m uhh… I’m looking for some… flowers!” The mare before him smiled brightly and gazed around at their surroundings. The combined smell of dozens of flower-types was hypnotizing, and that’s what he internally tried to blame for his borderline sperg response. “Well… it appears you’re in the right place!” she joked and added a little giggle of her own that brought a familiar lightness to Seth’s diaphragm area. He could tell right away that her accent was German. Not a shred of doubt. Not you too, butterflies. You stop that. Stop that right now! He stood up straight and smiled. “I take it then that you’re Miss Schneeblume?” The mare cocked her head to the right with that inquisitive look that nearly gave Seth a heart attack from a straight cuteness injection. “I am… do I know you?” she inquired. “I was referred to you by my friend Apple Bloom,” he said, then added with a joking inflection. “She told me that you’d have exactly what I needed when it came to flowers…” Schneeblume’s face brightened up once more, and with a knowing smirk, she rolled her eyes. “Ah, Apple Bloom… she and the Crusaders really need to stop giving me so much credit sometimes and giving me a reputation that I don’t even know I have…” she mused. Ah, the Crusader trio. Seth knew them well. He was then was quick to point out their immediate surroundings. “You sure about that? This… all of this is fucking incredible!” he said, and immediately slapped a couple fingers to his mouth when he let his oft-use of profanity slip through. His feelings were one-hundred percent genuine—this really was incredible. Great… so much for first impressions. Thankfully for him, Schnee averted her gaze and giggled heartily, hoof to muzzle. Her cheeks colored ever so slightly, which brought an assload of relief to Seth’s own chest. “Please excuse my language…” he added, but Schnee was quick to dismiss his apology. “That’s quite alright! I’ve had a lot of praise given to me for my displays but never any with… that level of conviction,” she giggled again. She beamed up at him, her perfect teeth on display. “But thank you, really, for your kind words. It’s always lovely to hear from a bystander’s perspective…” And at that moment, Schnee caught herself with what seemed like a realization: “I don’t believe I caught your name, Mister…” “Seth,” the human answered with his own smile, more than happy to formally introduce himself to the beautiful mare. “Seth Conway. Nice to meet you, Miss Schneeblume,” he added, and knelt down to properly be able to extend his right hand to the mare. Schneeblume blushed at the gesture and placed her right hoof into his… and upon closing his grip on her, he noticed that instead of coat and hoof as he had experienced many times, he felt cold, hard ceramic in his hold. A quick glance downward indeed showed him something that he hadn’t noticed the first time around: Her leg, from just below the ‘elbow’ to her hoof, was an entirely ceramic and metal prosthetic. A perfect mirror of her left hoof, which was clearly still organic. This time, Seth was quick to not react to her hoof, and after a gentle grip and shake, he released her and righted his posture. However, he was human… and as a result, many questions remained. Namely, when and how did that happen? Of course, it was none of his business… and there were more pressing matters to attend to, which Schneeblume was thankfully much better at putting them back on track with much less gawking like on Seth’s part. “A pleasure to meet you as well, Seth! And please, no need for the formality at all. ‘Schneeblume’ or ‘Schnee’ will do just fine,” she replied with a smile that Seth had grown quite comfortable with over the past couple of moments. Even more so, she lowered her eyelids a smidge, which threw him for a loop. Wait… did she just flirt with me? No. Stop reading into shit. Get your flowers before you embarrass yourself further… “Sounds good, Schnee!” he said. “But yes, I am looking for some flowers. It’s mom’s birthday tomorrow and she’s in love with the color purple and its likeness. It's an obsession, really, but who am I to judge?” Schnee glanced away and adopted a rather pensive look, and she brought her ceramic hoof to her chin. “Hmmm…” she hummed. “Birthday flowers for mom… purple…” she thought out loud, then turned back to Seth: “Are you looking for a specific number? A bouquet? A specific type?” Seth shook his head. “Nope! Whatever looks the best and most beautiful. Mom deserves the best so whatever looks the best is what I’ll go for.” Schnee smirked up at him. “In that case, we’ve got a lot of breathing room! A nice bouquet of various flowers should do nicely, but we’ll pick them just right, starting with this!” she said, and trot her way past Seth to the very flower he was eyeing up a few moments earlier. She picked it right from the vine with her mouth, then held it in the crook of her left hoof whilst looking back at Seth. “We can pick as we go. Walk with me?” Schnee asked. Her right ear was cocked a little higher than her left at the questioning inflection. Seth could never say no to that face. “Absolutely!” and he quickly fell into step right beside her. Schnee led the way into the first row of flowers, where the color purple was most prominent out of various types. “If I may…” Schneeblume began whilst examining two different types of flowers in front of her. “...did you just come through the Portal?” Seth responded casually whilst watching Schnee through her through process: “Yeah, but I’ve been here in Ponyville for about a month or so, actually. Guess you could consider that ‘just’ coming through the Portal, I suppose?” As much as he hated himself for staring, he couldn’t help but notice how lithe and ‘fit’ Schnee’s figure was. Especially her haunches… which seemed quite muscular for just a mare who was doing some flower tending. Either these flowers required a shit-tonne of love and care, or her workout routine was killer. And if it was the latter, he needed to get on that to keep what semblance of shape he had maintained from Krav Maga. That only begged the question of when it was socially appropriate to ask someone you just met for their workout routine? Because that would just be an admission that he was ‘mirin’… which he totally was. “Hmmm…” Schnee hummed again, and then picked a specific flower and added it to the crook of her hoof. “I see! How do you like it here so far?” Schnee asked. That Germanic twang of hers was really growing on him. “I love it here!” Seth answered genuinely, putting of all the lovely experiences he’s had thus far in his short time in Equestria into his response. “Everyone—erm, everypony, rather, is so nice here, which was a huge surprise considering how different we look and sometimes act… “...Humans and ponies that is,” he clarified. Schneeblume smiled back at him before she led him onward to another awning post that had lots more purple on it. And she nodded in agreement. “Ja, I must say that the… integration? Well, integration of sorts, I suppose, has gone lot more smoothly than I expected.” Schnee wondered aloud whilst glancing back at him over her shoulder: “Perhaps our species have much more in common than we don’t?” Seth shrugged. “I’d like to think so. Though I’ll leave the politics of it all to the politicians and just enjoy the ride while I’m here…” he replied, then quickly followed up with a bit of a probing gamble: “I know this may sound a bit rude… but judging by your accent, it does not seem you’re from ‘here’ either, so perhaps we have a bit in common ourselves…” Schneeblume chuckled as she settled on another flower, adding it to the collection with gentle reverence as—in Seth’s odd opinion—General Grievous would add a lightsaber. “Not at all! I asked you, so I think it’s only fair, ja?” she teased with a lopsided smile over her shoulder. “But you’d be right! I’m indeed not from Equestria, though I’ve been here for a little less than five years.” She brought yet another flower, one that looked like a lilac rose, to her muzzle and took a gentle whiff. She then exhaled and relaxed her posture in a way that reflected with a fondness in her follow-up: “It’s home all the same, to me.” Schneeblume bade Seth to follow her further, and he duly kept pace behind her. Being the very definition of the man that he was, he occasionally spared a glance at her backside… which during his small tenure in Equestria, he had grown quite fond of in the fairer sex of ponies. He had never been an ‘ass man’ back on Earth, either. It had to have been literally magic because he was dead-set in giving all his glory to a fine pair of hypno-globes. To be fair, there weren’t exactly breasts in the traditional human sense to gawk at, so his preferences made a temporary switch. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. Yonder posterior, however... “And if I may continue asking…” Schneeblume again chanced, startling Seth from his daydream. “...what brought you through the Portal?” The human shrugged. “Direction,” Seth answered straightforwardly. “Back on Earth I’d been trying to figure out what the hell I wanted to do with my life, but never really found something that really ‘clicked,’ y’know?” Schnee nodded at him, seemingly intently listening, before snatching another flower. “Mhmm…” “So, I joined the military because they were offering a transfer opportunity to Equestria. Sounded pretty fun so I decided to give it a go. I set out for Basic in Canterlot in a few months.” Schnee’s right ear perked up. “Oh?” she asked. “Well I’m sure you still have some time to figure things out… how old are you?” “Twenty-two,” Seth said. “Psh…” Schnee scoffed playfully. “Ja, you’ve got plenty of time. I just got lucky a few years ago with what I’m doing now at twenty-six. You’ll find your purpose and direction when you’re meant to, I’m sure,” she added. Seth was more than able to agree with that, but his words died on his tongue when he caught a glance at her cutie mark, which was some red flower with an emerald-green stem that was wrapped elegantly around… Wait… is that a potato masher? Seth blinked. And blinked again. That’s not a potato masher… that’s a damn stick grenade. Fucking… what?! These ass tattoos are weird, man. Seth shook his mind of the thought—it left an innumerable amount of questions were left in its wake, exactly zero of them appropriate—and decided to ask another question of his own: “Yeah, that’s the hope… but what about you? With how expertly you’ve been maintaining all of this...” Seth gestured with both hands to their surroundings. “...this is the work of a master! You probably found your calling when you were a kid!” The pretty mare loosed a lighthearted chuckle and another blush to boot. “Not quite… but thank you for all the kind words, Liebling. Perhaps your ‘purpose’ is making mares’ faces all rosy,” Schneeblume teased. Seth rallied in his mind… and was not so blind to let that clear-as-day flirting go unnoticed. Further seeing that she was eating up the (genuine) praise he lavished on her, Seth decided to press his luck further, and prodded her ‘defenses’ once more: “Oh really? Then just what was a friendly, pretty mare such as yourself doing before you found your calling with flowers?” Schnee had finished placing another two flowers into the crook of her hoof when she paused for a moment. She stared ahead for another couple of seconds before angling her gaze back at Seth—he immediately noticed that the natural gleam that her lavender eyes radiated was suddenly no longer there. For the briefest moments, they were completely hollow. “I…” she hesitated. Seth suddenly felt all the confidence wilt away within him. Every single butterfly in his stomach was just blown out of the sky by an anti-aircraft cannon, courtesy of him asking, clearly, too personal of a question. He went into full damage-control mode behind his calm exterior, but his ability to walk back his previous question was stymied by Schneeblume’s next, simple words. “I… traveled a bit after secondary. Went to Prance for four years,” she said with what appeared to be some more internal deliberation, from Seth’s standpoint. He saw the telltale signs of fighting for appropriate words. Schnee turned back towards a patch of flowers on the ground to snag two more, then promptly about-faced with that erstwhile radiant visage. “But then I went back home to Alemaneia for a little bit and after that, I needed a change of pace, really. Equestria was always said to have been the land of opportunity and direction, so, like you, I thought I’d give it a try!” Seth smiled warmly at the mare before him, and awkwardly placed his hands in his pockets. Internally, there was a massive hurrah for possibly salvaging a shit situation. “Guess you were right then—we do have more in common,” he chanced again. And this time, Schneeblume grinned back up at him from behind the veil of her jet-black bangs. Her blush had returned. “So it seems,” she mused in her native tongue and pawed at the grass beneath her ceramic hoof. “Gesundheit,” Seth replied with utmost seriousness. And apparently that caught the poor mare by surprise, if she slapping her hoof to her muzzle to stifle a powerful chortle was anything to go by. She also nearly lost her hold on the bouquet she was putting together, and Seth beamed inwardly. “Thanks for that one,” she reflected with no small measure of hilarity. “Well,” Seth then brought them back to the better parts of their previous conversation. “From the looks of all of this, and how highly Apple Bloom and her friends speak of you, it seems like you’ve definitely found your direction here. A perfect fit,” he said. And his mind had something else to silently tack onto that: Which means there’s hope for YOU if your inner autismo doesn’t get you killed. Schnee lowered her head under the weight of his praise and blushed again, unable to contain another giggle. She herself had a look around at her own creation and simply came back with: “Heh… So it seems,” she repeated her previous, native words. Seth made a mental note to look that up later. She tilted her head toward another direction. “This way,” Schnee directed, and whilst slipping past Seth, drew the length of her tail over his thigh to further pull him along. Seth may have been oblivious, but even he noticed that. Dude, she totally just molested your leg with her tail. The ponies have been a lot more physical but none of them did THAT. Well, there were those two other mares that were totally into you that did the same thing. You’re just retarded. Third time’s the charm, you better go for this, dude... “Right behind you!” he said, and once again fell right into step with the porcelain-coated mare. “Und…” Schnee hummed out with her right hoof tentatively outstretched. She hovered over a couple of different flower types, but all were varying degrees of purple. She decided to swipe all of them. “Let’s just add all of these, since it’d be a crime to separate them,” she said. She then glanced up at Seth and shot him a playful wink with an open-mouthed smile. “Don’t worry… I won’t charge you extra for those.” Seth was genuinely touched at that gesture… though he was probably a little biased since he fancied this mare already from when they barely met however many minutes ago. Nevertheless, his own feelings on Schnee’s generosity aside, he also noticed that wink she gave him… along with that extra swish of her tail. If the latter even meant anything, of course… in his completely scientific opinion, Seth had some moderate certainty that Schnee was possibly into him as he was into her. He drove himself to no small amount of internal deliberation as to whether any of her most minute actions directed at him were suddenly all signals of some kind. That, or he was probably just retarded or autistic. Possibly some combination of the both considering how much of his days he would waste on the internet back on Earth. “Thank you very much, Schnee… but really, it’s not necessary. I have no problem paying any extra for this masterpiece of a tailored bouquet you’re putting together,” Seth insisted. His insistence fell flat on Alemaneian will of steel, as Schneeblume merely brushed him off. “And I insist otherwise, Seth,” she said. “Besides…” And then she meekly smirked up at him. “Consider it thanks for a little bit of nice conversation.” A moment of silence ensued while their eyes were still firmly locked onto one another’s face… which led to a seemingly mutual realization that they were staring. Well, at least that’s what Seth told himself when he eventually averted his eyes elsewhere. Schneeblume did the same… but in that moment she waved him after her. “Well, I think fourteen flowers will do just nicely for a birthday arrangement,” Schnee mused out loud, and after some sleight of hoof, wrapped the entire bundle appropriately in some plastic-wrap that was on a roll on one of the awnings. With some crinkling and the addition of a very purple bow to seal it all tightly, Schnee handed the completed bouquet to Seth for his inspection. “What do you think?” she asked, smiling with anticipation. Seth held the finished bouquet in both of his hands and brought it up to his nose for a smell. The crinkling of the fresh plastic faded away and instead his entire senses were taken up by the very smell that was emitted by all ten flowers. He was no stranger to flowers, naturally. He lived in a rather lush area of his country back on Earth. However, much like most things on the new planet of Equis, and now in this great nation of Equestria, the same things seemed… different. Food tasted better. Colors… brighter. Flowers smelt so much better. And the mere fourteen flowers in front of him… the smell was so powerful that when he took that first whiff, his eyes shut on their own accord. He initially smelt a strong hit of lavender, but this quickly melted away into the sea of… purple smells. He never knew that a color could smell so good. What a time to be alive. Mom would love it. Seth opened his eyes and beamed down at Schnee. “It’s perfect!” Schneeblume returned his smile with a face-spanning one of her own and bounced twice on all four hooves. “Oh wunderbar!” she exclaimed with a squee that nearly made Seth suffer a massive hemorrhagic stroke. “I’m so happy to hear that, Seth!” The human added: “And the best part is that my mom will absolutely love this! Thank you so much!” Schnee further retreated behind her mane but that proud smile never waned. Nevertheless, now that he was more than satisfied with the product, it was time to move to something a little more pertinent since he had taken up more than a fair share of this lovely mare’s time. “What do I owe you?” he asked whilst reaching back for his wallet. Schneeblume squinted whilst she counted with her right hoof the flowers in Seth’s hand. He could see her mumbling something to herself for a moment before she came back with a definitive: “Small bouquet. Healthy mix of common to super-rare flowers. Let’s call it twenty bits, even.” She then tentatively angled her face away, keeping her gaze fixated on the tall human before her. “Is that fair?” Seth playfully huffed. “You tell me, Miss Schnee, master of the floral arts! What’s your product and your time worth to you?” he said, which earned another lighthearted giggle out of the mare… ...internally though, he wasn’t sure why he defaulted to those words for praise because he damn-near wanted to hurl at his (self-proclaimed) piss-poor attempts at buttering this mare up. Schnee cleared her throat, then offered a warm, cheek-to-cheek smirk. “Twenty bits it is, then…” Seth had absolutely no hesitation in reaching into his billfold and handing over a twenty-bit note. “Worth every penny.” Schnee gingerly swiped the bill from his hand via her mouth and stored it in a cash pocket of her gardening pouch. She turned back with a bright smile. “Danke sehr! Want a receipt?” Seth shook his head. “Nah, I think I’m good. Thank you again, Schnee!” Schnee smiled and blew one of her bangs out of her face. “More than happy to help, Seth. Thank you for the business!” And at this point, Seth found himself in that position. He had the product beautifully wrapped in his hands. He had exchanged currency with Schnee for said product, and an even trade had been agreed upon. The transaction was over. Done. Which meant that Seth had little business left on her property and ‘storefront,’ as it were. Which, by extension, meant that every fraction of a second that he kept taking in Schnee’s inviting, lavender eyes was a fraction of a second longer than it was appropriate to be standing there still. At the spontaneous crossroads of a series of firsts in Equestria, the human was presented with two options: He could either bid the lovely mare goodbye and take his leave since no more transactions needed to be made, as per a normal goddamn person in an economy. Or alternatively, go for broke and inquire on the Alemaneian mare’s lunch plans for the weekend, and if she would even be interested in accompanying him. Time slowed to a crawl in his head, and his conscience had some choice words for him: I swear to god, man… you clearly like this girl. If you DON’T ask this girl out right goddamn now, I will never, EVER forgive you. Ask her RIGHT NOW, or I will make you look back on this moment years down the line and have you asking yourself ‘what if’ at three in the morning. JUST. DO IT. MAKE. YOUR DREAMS. COME TRUE. “Absolutely. I’ll definitely be back for all my floral needs… Oh, by the way, Schnee?” Seth finally voiced after a couple of seconds in the real world. Schneeblume cocked her head to the left. Her welcoming smile never left her face. “Ja?” Seth took a deep breath and—forcing down his urge to pivot on his feet awkwardly—decided to just be out with it and be genuine with his desires. Because that always worked in every situation. Honesty was always a virtue. Right? “I was wondering if umm…” Out with it, cunt! Don’t you dare even think about pussyfootin’ now! If you bitch out, you’re double gay. “...if you have any time in your—your busy schedule, I’m sure—would you like to have lunch this weekend?” Seth witnessed Schnee’s eyes widen… almost comically so. The shock and unexpectedness could be read from those lavender pools, down to her now slightly-slackened mouth, to the tentative raising of a single hoof. Her cheeks colored profusely through her pale coat. No response was forthcoming over the next whole second and a half, and after such an eternity, Seth felt the need to clarify his position: “To take you out! I’d love to take you out, I mean…” he immediately added. There could be no ambiguity with his question now. But that same, stunned look remained on Schneeblume’s face. Obviously, he struck out and he just needed to wait for the rejection, which was totally fine. Human and pony relationships still weren’t THAT common, and he couldn’t blame anyone for not really wanting to ford that river just yet. He was surprised he himself was so willing, in hindsight. It’s not like this would ruin his week, or even his day if Schnee came right out and flatly said— “Ja!” Seth blinked out of his mental stupor. “Wait, what?” Schneeblume had the brightest smile he had seen today, and she nodded vehemently. “Yes! I’d love to! Does this Saturday work for you?” It was Seth’s turn to be stunned. Holy shit… you actually did it. Absolute madman. “Y-Yes! Absolutely! It definitely does!” Seth finally forced himself to respond, though he had a genuinely proud smirk on his mug. A glimmering-faced Schnee danced on her hooves for a moment and circled once in place. “Come by at noon? We can walk into town together…” Schnee shyly suggested. Seth nodded once with a bright smile. This truly had been the land of firsts for him. “You got it! See you at noon on Saturday!” And with an extra pep in his step, the human quickly took his leave after a bout of awkward smiling between the two of them… ushered out by the very hope of the next few days passing much more quickly. As he walked away, Seth simply did not notice a brimming Schneeblume squee to herself and bounce, light on her hooves, back into her rows of flowers. 2. The PlantingHe told the three of them exactly what he did. Their reactions were simultaneous and unanimous: “YOU WHAT?!” Seth deadpanned. Perhaps, in hindsight, it was probably best to keep this from the three Crusaders for at least another day or so. But, they probably would’ve found out anyway and likely confronted him about his… endeavors, so it was best to be upfront about it, in his mind. After getting over the initial, awkward childishness of ascending to a treehouse, he stood before a tribunal of the Crusaders who had varying degrees of humor written on their faces. Sweetie Belle, in the center, seemed to be trying her best to keep her composure but was failing miserably as her lips cracked open with laughter. Scootaloo already succumbed and had buried her face in her hooves. Apple Bloom was a completely lost cause and had doubled over. And with that, Seth decided to finally address the point: “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, but I did it. It was me, Dio!” “Huh?” “N-Nevermind,” he dismissed their immediate questions. “Point being, I’m gonna need your girls’ help…” The three young mares exchanged mutually confused looks with one another. “With what?” Scootaloo asked. Seth could not get a word out before Sweetie Belle cut in: “Okay look, there’s a lot you don’t know about Schneeblume… and probably some of it for good reason,” she explained with a hint of pity toward the human, which evoked a single, raised eyebrow. She continued: “But it’s her job to eventually tell you that if you ever see her again, not ours. So I wouldn’t take the rejection too personally… she’s still been working through some things over the last five years.” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded together in sync. Seth, however, felt his confusion bubble over to a boiling point. “Oh for… WHAT?!” his tone bade clarification. “You know she said yes, right?” The sound was vacuumed out of the room, and was only broken by the sound of three sets of mandibles hitting the floor and a resounding, synchronous: “SHE WHAT?!” Seth stood there before them… completely straight-faced, as the three Crusaders chose their preferred method of composing themselves. What stood out the most was Sweetie Belle, who promptly threw her head back in rapturous, gut-busting laughter. And Seth just took it. ...but then again, what could he have possibly done? These young mares were like, fifteen anyway. Not like he could batista bomb them off the side of the tree-house without some Royal Guard running up to him and slandering him as criminal scum. And all while his thoughts took him into some… admittedly weird territory, Sweetie Belle composed herself and locked eyes back with Seth… who retained his stoicism in the face of ridicule by teenage girls. Sweetie Belle immediately reared her head back in an even more powerful burst of laughter before she realized that Seth was not playing any games. “Y...You’re serious, aren’t you?” Pursing his lips, Seth held his palms out in a half-shrug and nodded. Apple Bloom cut in after a bit of examination on her part: “Applejack taught me how to spot a liar a million miles away… and what I’m sure’ve is that this blue-eyed idiot just went and asked out Schneeblume and she actually said yes!” Seth finally got a word in, exasperated: “I literally just told you all of this… I mean, why the hell would I be willingly hanging out with three girls—ahem, mares—seven years younger than me?” He then pointed straight at Apple Bloom. “I’m still expecting your sister to show up somewhere and kick my ass in my sleep, by the way…” which earned him a few chuckles from the red-maned teen. And in addressing all three of the Crusaders as an entity, he requested with utmost imploration in his words: “Point is, girls… I went to get some flowers per Bloom’s recommendation, was stunned silly by this mare and shit-knows-what, and it just felt right to at least try my luck… so I went for it. By some diety’s grace, she said yes! I actually wanna get to know her better and want this to work! “Help a brother out! How do I not insta-fuck-up with smol Germ—Alemaneian pone when I treat her to lunch this Saturday?” Scootaloo had something rather immediate to point out: “Well, you could start by not talking like that for one…” Sweetie Belle also had her own thoughts to tack right on to Scootaloo’s: “Serious question, are you actually retarded?” Seth rolled his eyes and sighed. “You know, for fifteen year-olds, you throw some gnarly shade… middle school must’ve been a helluva drug for you three. “But OF COURSE NOT. I only talk so unhinged because we’re all friends… I think? I hope by this point since none of your families wanna kill me after meeting you.” “Fair ‘nuff,” Apple Bloom added. Seth decided to add some incentive to his plea: “Here, tell y’all what: help me out, and I’ll buy you three lunch for your time. Deal?” Everypony perked up at that mention, and Sweetie Belle shared a wordless glance with both of her friends on either side of her. “Make it two milkshakes for each of us and then we’ll be talking.” Seth tersely nodded once without a shred of hesitation. “Agreed!” Sweetie then turned to both of her friends, who regarded her with equal measure of mischievousness… which in turn, stirred a sense of unease at the holiest levels inside of Seth. Nothing good came about from multiple girls (and in this case, young mares all the same) scheming together. She then nodded a couple of times. “Alright, Seth. Fine. You’ve got yourself a deal. We’ll give you a couple pointers with her that we’ve learned over the years…” Scootaloo picked up right where she left off: “Take the advice or don’t. I personally don’t care… but what the three of us do care about, is Schneeblume.” Apple Bloom flipped her mane out of her face and decided to convey to him exactly what Seth expected they were getting at: “Pretty much, don’t fuck things up so hard where ya end up hurtin’ her… because if ya hurt Schnee in any way…” Bloom’s face, along with the rest of the girls’, suddenly became quite dark. Seth subconsciously took a step back before the young Apple finished her conspicuous threat: “You can expect a visit in the middle of the night… but yer gonnna wish it was from mah sister.” Seth held both his hands up defensively. “Hey… totally fair. Best friends and all—I’d kill for them too. But this is exactly why I came to you three. I knew you were some of the best friends to this mare. I don’t want that to happen.” Apple Bloom nodded thoughtfully, and in looking at her other two closest friends, they appeared to share the same sentiment. “Alright…” Sweetie Belle said. “So, if you’re gonna take her to lunch, here’s some things we think you should do…” Saturday had finally come, and as Seth had hoped, it was another warm day with just the right amount of wind spells that produced nary a cloud in the sky. Most ideal for walking somewhere which was the ultimate plan for lunchtime. Excitement had gotten the better of him the previous evening, and he hadn’t been able to sleep much, as a consequence. That familiar lightness in his stomach that he loved to experience when thrills came about was most prominent, and he hoped it would carry him through the day on his date with Schnee. Seth resolved to rise around seven in the morning once he realized that a true deep sleep just simply wasn’t going to happen… so instead of moping about, something productive could be done. A nice, hearty breakfast made from scratch was in the cards, as well as a simple workout routine to get the blood flowing. It was a shame that cell phone service didn’t work in Equestria… yet. He would have so many pictures to send back home to his family and friends to prove that he was being weaned off of fast food binges at lightning speed. No one would believe him without video evidence otherwise. Seth also decided to take a more ritualistic approach to getting ready, which entailed an almost two-hour shower and a meticulous process in picking his clothes. The latter, he felt, was particularly important—while his first impressions on Schnee appeared to be on the positive side, the first date was another ‘introduction,’ in a sense… and first impressions always last a lifetime. So, a casual, sky-blue t-shirt and a matching set of blue jeans to match his eye color would work well for the occasion. Nothing too fancy, and wholly inoffensive in his mind. Though to be fair, that was subjective, as most ponies went about their daily business without anything but their own coats, only dressing up for specific events that called for it. Culture shock, for sure. And as the final tens of minutes approached zero hour, Seth had to remind himself that this wasn’t a huge ordeal. It was a nice little date that would hopefully lead somewhere more. If it didn’t, then that was perfectly okay, and the next time would be even easier. What was the worst that could happen? ...other than accidentally insulting the poor Flower Mare, that is. Then inevitably getting his shit kicked out of him by three teenage fillies to the tune of O’ Sole Mio playing in his head. Seth took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh air that he was in so desperate need of to calm his nerves. As he meandered his way over to Schnee’s house, he glanced around at the ponies that were out and about on this beautiful weekend. He waved to all of the friends he had made if he happened to see them… which included a select few humans who had also settled in the area. “It’s gonna be just fine…” he whispered to himself as he rounded the corner to that fateful street. His eyes were drawn to the same floral display that had attracted him those several days ago. He made a beeline straight for the same white gate that had welcomed him. Despite his best attempts, he felt his heart gorilla smashing against his sternum as the final steps were taken towards Schnee’s mauve-colored front door. Most of his mental clarity was spent on making sure he didn’t start sweating, because that was no way to begin this… and all the while, just before he made to knock, he reminded himself that he had done this a few times before. This was not his first rodeo with a girl. Dude. Stop. Relax. Take a deep breath. You’re fucking zen right now. Plug yourself into the matrix and try not to shit out your own colon… for both of our sakes? Thanks. Following the advice of his inner voice, he took another deep breath and steadied himself. “Alright, Seth…” he said whilst running a couple fingers through his hair to ensure order. “First date with a pony… here goes nothing!” Remember your training, soldier. And remember, no Russian. Seth raised his right hand to the door and knocked precisely three times… and immediately he silently hoped he didn’t knock too hard, and thus giving some forceful impression. But what if he did? What if he had broken some pony social norms and— The door unlatched and swung inward. “Seth!” came an excited, familiar, Germanic voice from within. Schnee stepped out into the sunlight, which seemed to glint off of her porcelain-white coat. Gone were the accents of some dirt and soil from her flower tending that had provided such an extra pull to her already gorgeous face… and in its place was a completely clean, fresh coat that took Seth’s breath away for the briefest of moments. If she was gorgeous then… she was absolutely stunning now. Seth’s heart began fluttering to the point of once again gorilla smashing the inside of his ribcage. But his bright smile could not be helped once he lay eyes on her bright, lavender eyes and that beaming smile of Schnee’s own. “Hi Schnee!” he replied, and at his words, Schnee stood on her hind legs and opened both her front legs for a hug… one which Seth immediately went for. He embraced Schnee in his arms and felt how soft her coat was… almost exactly like those soft, velvety blankets that he enjoyed bundling himself up with and burying his face it at a department store. He had the strong urge to cuddle at the moment. Further, she smelt—unsurprisingly—of a sweet, floral fragrance. So sweet that it was intoxicating, almost candy-like. It fit her perfectly, in his mind. Seth separated from her, and Schnee dropped back down to all fours and looked up at him with that same, bright smile… one that was so contagious for him. What’s more, he had just noticed that Schnee had placed a small, blue flower of some kind right above her right ear, and wove it through her mane. It accented that blemishless face of hers perfectly, and Seth already considered himself unimaginably lucky to even score a small lunch date with this mare. He gestured out beyond the gate. “Shall we?” Schneeblume shut the door behind her and stood right next to Seth, nuzzling up once against his leg before nodding up at him. “Ja! We shall!” Seth led barely a pace ahead, and they started towards the town once they left the perimeter of her house. His insides were boiling up, and he felt compelled to mention something to his date with no small bout of awkwardness. “By the way… I’m sure you get this a lot, but you look absolutely beautiful today.” He glanced away out of reflex but quickly calmed his nerves when he heard the cutest giggle, as well as witnessing a deeply-blushing Schnee retreat behind her flowing mane. Schnee met Seth’s gaze with her own with one of her eyes partially obscured by her locks. “You’re too much, Seth… you know that? Already with the compliments??” she teased in return. Seth smirked back at her and boldly asked: “W-Well, is it working?” Schnee’s cheeks colored again, and the smallest, childlike, scrunched-up grin formed on her lips. “...Ja…” Seth gave into the urge to laugh at just how insufferably adorable Schnee was being. “Well, I’m only telling the truth! Besides, I really like that little flower addition above your ear. Accents your face and eyes perfectly,” he pointed out with his finger and brushed one of the petals of said flower. Schnee had to stop in her tracks for a moment and run her right hoof over her face whilst laughing uproariously. “Mein Gott, Seth! Stop it! My coat’s gonna turn red if you keep this up!” she jokingly whined… and then playfully bumped into his leg with her haunches. Again, that laughter was contagious for Seth and he eagerly joined in. “Well then, to break away from that, did you have an eating preference?” Schnee drew her hoof to her chin. “Ehm… Not really. I’ll eat anything… but you humans are omnivores, ja?” she asked. Oh. Right. That. It was Seth’s turn for his reticence to rear its head. “Does… Does that bother you?” he asked cautiously. He was startled at how quickly and vehemently Schnee moved to dismiss any notion of his ask. “NEIN!” she sharply said, but appeared to catch herself. “Ehm… I mean, no! No, not at all! The griffons and other species that live among us eat meat often. I-It’s quite alright! Everywhere has mostly vegetarian options here… it’s Equestria after all.” she added. Her smile was as prominent as ever, and a smile like that instantly calmed Seth’s nerves. In the interest of the rest of the day, he figured now would be a good time to put forth a proposal, and one that had no small bearing of influence from his informative talk with the Crusaders. “Well in that case…” he began, and ran his hand up his left arm for comfort. “Have you been to that one cafe ummm… damn I can’t remember the name.” He twirled his hand to jog his memory. “The one that’s by Honeydew’s fruit stand…” Schnee perked up even more. “Ahh, the Silver Talon, ja??” she voiced with such excitement. “I love that place, they make the best garden sandwiches in Ponyville in my objective opinion,” she said, and tacked on a mischievous giggle. HNNNNG. “Alright! Then it’s off to the Silver Talon for a good lunch, and then afterwards I’m thinking we can get some tea and sit on the park’s edge. How’s that sound?” Seth laid out. With an open-mouthed smile, Schnee sighed and seemingly regarded him with a much calmer aura. Her eyes appeared to sparkle. “That sounds lovely, Seth,” she said. Seth made a massive, highlighted, double-underlined mental note to high-five each of the Crusaders for that suggestion. With their destination now set, Seth strolled with Schnee at his side, and though there was definitely a little initial awkwardness in regards to bouts of silence between small conversation points, he knew this was to be expected. What was also a relief to know was that Schnee was apparently one who appreciated lulls in the talking, per the Crusaders. Seth himself could not count the number of times he had hung out with friends, only to just laze around with them and do shit-all, barely saying a few sentences to them over the course of hours. Mutual silence was wholly underrated, and learning that fact would make things much more pleasurable… at least, that was his hope. Over the short walk, several small topics came and went, as there really wasn’t enough time to delve into the nitty gritty details about each other… the ones that mattered for any potential start to a relationship. Nevertheless, Seth could not stop smiling, to the point where his cheeks hurt. His fears were slowly melting away and as the worst case scenarios seemingly became less and less likely, his confidence soared. His chest was impossibly light. And everytime he glanced over and down at Schneeblume, she was smiling even wider than he was… though this was likely due to pony facial structure. He still wasn’t sure how physics allowed for their eyes to get so damn wide and their mouths to sometimes take up three fourths of their faces. Shit’s straight out of a cartoon, man. One thing that was constant from the moment they left the mare’s house to the moment they had ordered their food and sat down across from each other at their little table: Seth would always notice her prosthetic… that section of her right hoof of ceramic and some metal. His human wonder was always present. Small measures of pity washed over him every time he caught a glimpse of it, but he knew for a fact that Schnee would not appreciate such feelings if they weren’t warranted. “Seth, if I can pivot us for a brief moment…” Schnee voiced, and her previous lightheartedness appeared to evaporate in favor of a much more serious look. Seth’s attention was garnered immediately. “Yeah, of course!” he said, and nodded while leaning forward in his chair. With just the look on her face, she had his undivided attention. “Is something wrong?” Schneeblume shook her head softly, and the tiniest simper returned to her lips. “No, but before we go any further, I just wanted to ummm… cover a couple of things.” Seth silently nodded, and bade her to continue. Schneeblume glanced away and down for a moment, seemingly collecting her thoughts before she inhaled, steeling herself. “Well… as I’m sure you’ve already guessed by now, there’s a few important… details about me that you’re not familiar with. I’m not sure what the girls have told you…?” Seth shook his head. “They haven’t told me anything private. While they did mention the idea of ‘things you’re working through,’ they didn’t reveal anything, and told me that it was your job to tell me anything you wanted, if you wanted. Not theirs,” he informed. Schnee let out a deep breath and smiled, placated if only a little bit. “Wonderful young mares… I don’t know what I’d do without them…” she said, staring into nothing longingly. She then pivoted back to the conversation at hand: “Well, I want to give you a little bit of color on those… things. The thing is… I enjoy your company so far, perhaps a little more than I expected by the start of the first date…” she admitted. Internally, Seth was overjoyed and brimming with excitement. His curiosity, however, had fucktupled in sized at this point, and his desire to know more had intensified. “The feeling is mutual, Schnee,” he added in with a comforting smile, one which Schnee returned to him. “Thank you… but in all seriousness, I wanted to sort of… let you know what you’re getting into if we’re to continue after today. Regarding me…” Seth only nodded again, and in what he considered a brave move, he reached forward and grasped her left hoof on the table in a show of moral support. He smiled invitingly. Schnee appeared to sink a little more comfortably in her chair with Seth’s wordless reassurance. She cleared her throat and pursed her lips before raising her right hoof—her ceramic one. “I’m not blind, Seth… I know you’ve noticed my hoof, ja?” she asked, almost rhetorically. Before Seth could even respond to that in his defense, if he had been staring or been rude, Schnee immediately added: “Oh! I’m not mad at your or blaming you for looking, please know that! But it’s often the silent talk of the room…” she said. Seth nodded twice. “Yeah, I’ve definitely noticed it… and wondered,” he admitted in kind. Schnee pursed her lips as she acknowledged his words. Seth’s hand and her hoof were still connected together, and the mare showed no desire to break that hold. “Well, before I came to Equestria… Before all of this, I ummm… well, I was a soldier,” she admitted with difficulty. Seth had mild suspicions ever since he laid eyes on her cutie mark when he met her, but he really had no idea what it actually meant by that point. He still was getting used to the whole concept of organic ass tattoos, so it could’ve been some odd form of shitty modern art for all he knew. It didn’t make it any less surprising, though, considering her character and personality that he knew thus far. Her gentleness and lack of any rough point of her visible personality certainly did not hint towards that. “Okay,” he said, and simply nodded for her to continue. “About nine years ago, a war began a continent over, and I fought in it for the entire four years. “I won’t… well, I have no desire to bore you with the details for lack of better words, but during that war, I did a lot of things I’m not proud of, for lack of better words… things I’m still slowly but surely dealing with to this day. It’s how I met the Crusaders and how they became three of my closest friends,” she explained. She took a moment, and Seth thought it was a trick of the light when he thought he saw a hint of an obvious emotion reflect off her wide eyes: shame. However, she seemingly built herself back up, and willed herself onward: “And, as I’m sure you can connect dots pretty well, it’s how I lost my hoof… I actually have more of my leg intact, but it’s just the way this newer prosthetic is fashioned,” Schnee answered the burning question in Seth’s mind, and dangled her ceramic hoof for emphasis. Seth was not blind to the large measure of pain behind those bright eyes, but he figured that after all these years, time allowed her to finally talk about these things openly, if only somewhat, as she had demonstrated. But internally, he wondered why she would out this so early. This seemed like something that she would keep close to her until he got to know her better. And yet, it was first date talk. Hmmm. Schnee, however, continued on: “I just wanted to get that out of the way just to, as I said, let you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into so there’s no surprises.” She quickly added in a sudden, defensive tone: “I’m still a mare!” And in what seemed like a defense of her character that Seth had never once called into question, she continued: “I’m a mare who loves doing mare-y things and dressing up and lots of flowers and has hobbies and interests and anything somepony could want in a mare… “...I hope,” she continued with direct allusion from her fearful eyes. “But… I understand the idea of ‘perception.’ I totally get it. I’m still dealing with a lot of relics left behind from the war, and I don’t know how they’d affect you if we were to become involved. “But in the end, I wanted to give you the chance to… opt out at the end of today if your feelings towards me have changed. I’ll hold no ill will if you wish to not pursue anything anymore.” Schnee sunk her head lower upon finishing her sentence. Seth’s heart had ached at this admission, and he couldn’t help but pity her in what she voiced as not exactly being worthy of this kind of affection. The thought never even entered his mind… and the implicit question of “would you really want to date a seasoned combat veteran?” already had and answer in his mind. And again with no hesitation, he reached forward and grasped Schnee’s other hoof, her right hoof. He closed his fingers around the cool ceramic and felt how contrastingly smooth and pristine it was compared to her left hoof in his left hand… how he could see the reflection of her face at an off-angle on its surface. Schnee recoiled her face slightly at the gesture, and then regarded Seth questioningly with large eyes. Seth made sure to greet her with soft ones of his own, along with a reassuring upturn of his lips. “Thanks for letting me know ‘what I’m getting into…’ But I’m more than eager to ‘get into it.’” Despite holding the same look on his face, internally, bombs were exploding with how terrible choice of words he had. That’s great, Seth. Drop a sex innuendo before food is served on the first date. Well-fucking-done, lad. Hell I like you. I’ll let you come home and fuck my sister. Thankfully, it appeared that the demi-goddesses Celestia and Luna were smiling upon him, and Schneeblume perked up enormously, almost about-facing from her previous reticence and cackled heartily. And while tracing figure-eights on the table with her ceramic hoof, she replied with a now-familiar phrase in her native tongue with her erstwhile teasing allure: “Lovely choice of words, Seth… but... “So it seems...” Seth, however, made good on his mental promise to look up the meaning of that phrase from those days ago, and had formulated an appropriate response with confident, yet admittedly poor pronunciation: “And it is so.” Schneeblume’s ears perked up straight at an instant. Her eyes irised open to the point where they could take in all the light of the day. Her perfect teeth were again on display in a smile that would physically maim a human by the sheer happiness radiated. And she immediately followed it up with an uncontrollable giggle that ended in an accidental snort. Seth felt like he had about four strokes, three heart attacks, and a bout of ass cancer all at the same time from an adorability injection so powerful, his pancreas was begging for a mercy killing from all the insulin required to prevent his spine from slithering out his anus. Schnee wiped her right eye and stared back into his with a hum of bliss whilst she leaned forward over the table. “You really are too much… you know that?” Converting some of your social awkwardness into confidence. Son, I am proud. She cleared her throat and had something else to add: “But…” her voice dipped to barely over a whisper, and she let her bangs obscure part of her lavender pools. “...I’m so happy to hear that, Seth. And for the record?” In the unspoken game of tit-for-tat, Schnee removed her left hoof from Seth’s hand and placed it atop of his right, which was still cradling her ‘wounded’ hoof. She ended her mental meandering with a hopeful smile. “I would love to see where this goes.” Seth’s face would probably be swollen in the morning from the involuntary grinning. Hearing that from Schnee gave him all the boost he needed. The butterflies were back with a vengeance of their parents being gunned down in an alleyway, and his heart was playing bongos with his ribs. He suddenly thought of a select few of his friends who weren’t the ‘relationship’ type for whatever reason—and that was totally their prerogative… but he pitied the poor fuckers who would not know such joys as dickhead butterflies and a lightness in the chest so specific as this. After Schnee poured some measure of her thoughts out before lunch regarding her soldiering past and her hoof, the usual questions regarding family, friends, hobbies, et cetera were tossed about… but in hindsight weren’t really dwelled upon. Lunch was actually eaten in relative silence, but the difference between such an experience now, and any time else that Seth had been privy to silent meals, was that it was comfortable. Still, many questions swam around in Seth’s mind, mainly about Schneeblume’s time during this ‘Equidae War.’ As he figured he could expect, it certainly left its mark on her… ...but to what degree? Not that it mattered in the scope of their futures, but he just had a desire to know, and maybe lend a hand wherever he could to make sure Schnee was always smiling. In the end, it further highlighted how much the ponies did have in common with the humans. [A Couple Hours Later…] A planned rainstorm for the following day necessitated the weather pegasi (still an odd concept for Seth) to prepare accordingly. In the sky he could spot small specks amongst the blue—teams of ponies moving hulking behemoths of clouds that appeared as popcorn-esque bundles into place, slowly but surely. His eyes always lit up at the scenes, and he remembered watching for hours the first time he ever spotted such controlled weather activity. It was little different this time, sitting on the edge of Ponyville’s park. One benefit of its placement in the town was that it bordered the lush, expansive, essentially-untouched plains of wild grass… grass that swayed to and fro with the natural, pendulous cadence of the wind’s gentle encouragement. The sounds of nature were aplenty, with the birds chirping infrequently amongst the rustling of the trees attempting to join the choreography of the endless grass. The soft howling of the wind filled in any remaining lack of sound, creating a wondrous bout of music perfectly suited for ASMR. Any remaining, doubtful nerves were stealthily quashed by nature around them, and the caressing of his cheeks by natures soft, windy hand. His neatly-combed hair—especially so for the occasion—was somewhat disturbed, but Seth hardly afforded this a thought. Especially since his lovely date Schneeblume was sat flush right next to him. Seth glanced over and found the very depiction of ‘bliss’ on her face. A gentle smirk rested on her face, and her normally beaming lavender irises were halfway veiled by her eyelids, which drew attention to her gorgeous eyelashes. A steaming cup of tea rested in the grasp of her left and ceramic hooves, cradled lovingly before she took each and every sip. He would watch her as she would, in her own perfect process, bring the brim of the cup to her muzzle and let the steam waft over her nose. She would softly breathe in the fumes of her fruity tea elixir before she took a drink… then finally exhale, satisfied. She apparently noticed Seth’s eyes on her, and she met his—her expression unchanged. But she smiled nonetheless. A hint of blush also made itself known. “This is lovely…” came her accented words, an accent that had continuously grown on Seth since he met her. He nodded and stared back at the sea of wild grass that spanned towards the continually cloudening horizing. “Yeah… I’ve always enjoyed things scenic. Scenic drives, scenic hikes, all of that stuff. A lot of people say it makes for great pictures, which is true, but it always calms me. Made things even better when I came through the portal and realized that your entire planet is just one giant postcard.” Schneeblume snickered. “Mmm… ja, I can agree. I’m from Alemaneia, which is a gorgeous land... and there’s few places as beautiful as this country, that’s for sure,” she said. Her blissful smirk creeped wider on her face with nostalgia. “These plains, especially,” she noted, and gestured outward with her ceramic hoof. She drew over the horizon. “These plains specifically remind me so much of my home. In Alemaneia, I was born in the province of Seele, on the southern tips of the country. Right on the border with Prance and Anglomaneia, there’s a massive field full of tall, lush grass and wildflowers as far as the eye can see… tens of miles in every direction,” she brought forth with no small amount of seemingly nostalgic longing in her voice. She hummed, then nodded. “Ja… the Seele Plains were always lovely to just walk or frolic in.” Seth’s own smile widened in direct proportion to Schneeblume’s perceived happiness. “Sounds gorgeous,” Seth softly voiced. “Sure sounds like there’s a lot of good memories with Seele, huh?” Schnee’s response did not come immediately, though Schneeblume’s expression never waned. He saw her continue to stare into the Ponyville Plains, though with a very detectable measure of something on her mind. Nevertheless, she turned back towards him with a warm smile. “Mostly good memories…” She faced forward again and exhaled. “Ja. Mostly.” Silence fell upon the duo again, and with how close they sat together, Seth had a strong urge to try and wrap his arm around the happy mare. A feeling of stupidity boiled up inside him, as he suddenly felt like he was back in high school with his first girlfriend and the goddamn movies. The sudden thought of him trying his favorite trick (that actually worked, he reminded himself) surfaced in his mind: Hey, one time I went fishing, and I caught a fish that was thiiiiiiiiis big. And he used that as an excuse to put the arm around the girl. She nearly died laughing but it worked all the same. That pool of consideration dried up when—most unexpected for Seth—Schneeblume instead leaned comfortably into him, letting her body slacken against his rigid form. A startled seth peered down and found Schnee resting her eyes with that same, godforsaken, cute slit of a smile on her face. There was probably more strain on his heart at this point by sheer way of cuteness than he would ever receive with the harshest PT in basic training. “Hmmm… again, this is lovely,” Schneeblume spoke barely above a whisper. She then opened her eyes and angled her head upward to meet Seth’s soft gaze. “Thank you so much for today, Seth.” He wrapped his right arm around Schnee without any flair or terrible excuse, and held her closely against him… a gesture she seemed to melt into. Seth began to run a couple fingers through her coat on her upper front leg out of habit. But hearing the way Schnee spoke those words to him truly warmed his heart on a day that was becoming progressively chillier by the minute. His stomach was as light as the vestiges of the clouds that began floating above them. This was a success, and Seth—with a dopey grin on his face as he held a gorgeous mare against his side that he figured he didn’t have a chance in hell with at the start—could not have been happier with how the day had gone. And with what Schneeblume had revealed to him earlier, perhaps as they got closer, she would open up to him more about her past? But, that wasn’t for today. Today was only a drop in the bucket of getting to know one another—the personality test of dating was successfully completed. The near future seemed that much brighter. You did it! You son of a bitch you actually did it! Now try not to fuck it up so quickly, aye? “The pleasure was all mine, I assure you.” Author's Note The madman actually did it! Let's see how this goes! And let's see how much Schnee opens up to him in the future. Oh, and in case you didn't notice, cover art was updated with blushhhh 3. The Sprouting [Several Weeks Later…] The grass of Ponyville Plains felt as if it was cradling his entire body in its soft embrace… and had the added benefit that it didn’t appear to agitate his environmental allergies one bit. This was one of the things he relished in as he lay back—right arm folded behind his head—as he stared into the mostly-cloudy sky above. From an activity that he felt existed only in cheesy romance movies, Seth was one who enjoyed such happenings here in Equestria, especially since there were swathes of seemingly untamed land and gorgeous sky without a hint of light pollution to be seen, which made the occasional stargazing a sight to behold. Seeing the fringes of a galaxy that was still questionably the Milky Way or not brought some sense of allure, bundled up with an odd fear as if it were a two-for-one deal that no one asked for. Nevertheless, it produced the same effect as it always had for him. The smile on Seth’s face right now, and the shimmer in his blue eyes all the while was not the result merely of partaking in one of his now-favorite pastimes. He pointed up towards a specific cloud formation that the weather pegasi were slowly building up and moving into position: “That one looks like a clown snorting some good shit.” “PFFFFT!” came the barely-stifled guffaw of Schneeblume to his left. She lay next to him in the grass with barely a few inches between them, and both her hooves were suddenly pressed to her face as she squeaked laughter into them. “What in the… HOW do you even see such things? I can’t unsee it now!” she giggled out. Seth angled his face towards Schnee’s to get a better look at her and she, in turn, looked towards him. The moment her eyes met his, that familiar, welcome warmth diffused through his chest and core, more than enough to keep him going on this chillier day. This was helped along even more when Schnee smiled wider, contagious enough to get him both blushing and smiling painfully. He gestured around the cloud formation. “Well there’s the dude’s weird hair, right? Then there’s his giant ball nose pressed against that flat cloud there, which looks like a table… and obviously the only reason why someone’s nose, especially a clown’s, would be pressed against a table was because he needs some of that Big C due to shit kids!” Seth laid out his succinct reasoning. He snickered. “I mean, have you seen kids at parties? Like, holy fuck.” Schneeblume’s cackling was incessant, to the point where her face was red, her eyes shut tightly, and she looked like she was about to choke… the latter of which seemed even more likely when she started hacking and coughing for a good ten seconds. Seth rolled over right next to her just to be safe, and though he knew she was fine, a nascent concern welled up within him. Still, he giggled along with her. “Oh shit, you okay, hun?” he asked, running his right fingers through the coat of her chest… a gesture he had to get used to as one much more appropriate for a mare than a woman. The irony and hilarity were not lost upon him, but still, the softness of Schnee’s coat was something else. As for the mare, her cackling fit died down into only remnant whimpers, though her eyes were tearing even as she calmed down—Seth didn’t think he was that funny, but the confidence boost was always welcome. Schnee took a deep breath and locked eyes with Seth, smirking softly. “Never better, Liebling,” she replied. She then placed her ceramic hoof atop Seth’s hand and held him there. His fingers wove into her chest ‘floof’ and his palm rested at the apex of her sternum. His idly brushing thumb could trace the outline of her ribs, but most importantly, he could feel how steady, yet fast her heart was beating. It appeared to match his own heart’s pace. Something about Schnee’s demeanor and face lit a fire within his core that he had longed to feel again since his last serious girlfriend… the way she looked at him and reflected all the light in those lavender eyes right back at him… a reflection that told he was the reason for her look. It was a wonderful feeling Seth hoped would continue for the foreseeable future, especially since he and Schnee formalized title in the last week… even more so by the fact that this former soldier-mare, a right warrior during the time she served, he was sure, was allowing him to have her in such a submissive position. This was further amplified by the knowledge that she could probably snap his neck at an instant, again filling him with the thrill of knowing his marefriend could easily reverse the roles and then some. Though perhaps he was wearing a bit too much of his heart on his sleeve, as through Schneeblume’s eyes that radiated such happiness towards him, he saw a flicker of unease… the subtlest of aversions in her gaze that he could subconsciously recognize. “Something on your mind?” he dared to ask, still looming over the flower mare. Schneeblume blinked, and her smile wavered as she listed her gaze off to her left. She sighed forlornly, and her grip on his hand tightened. “I…” she sighed again, pursing her lips. Seth silently encouraged her by gently scrunching his fingers through her coat and over her skin. Having felt her heart rate settle down gave him some indication that she heeded his silent advice and calmed herself. The pleading tone of her collected question nearly wrenched Seth’s heart out of his chest: “Does it… does it bother you, knowing what you do so far about me?” It was about her previous soldiering, after all. It was only during the second and third dates after dinner did Schnee open just a little bit more about her past… likely after Seth had shown her that she could be as comfortable as she wanted with him. Still, she was testing the waters clearly, and let him in on a few vague details of her past that he didn’t feel comfortable asking about on his own. A perfectly rational plan of action, if he saw any. Still, there wasn’t even a second thought about it in his mind. He shook his head. “Nope!” Schneeblume cocked her head, and a hopeful, tentative smile laid claim to her mug. “...really?” Seth shrugged and reiterated: “Of course not! Why would it bother me?” he asked, but didn’t give Schnee the chance to really answer when he followed up with: “In a way, I actually respect you so much more!” However, his brain had a buffering issue and only just realized how those words could’ve been construed… and with a sudden shot of adrenaline welling up the fear in his eyes, he quickly patched that up with what he intended to convey: “Ehm… n-not to say I didn’t respect you at all! That’s definitely not what I meant… fuckin’ hell that’s really not what I meant…” But seemingly in his embarrassment, Schneeblume’s adorable complexion returned when she began cracking up once again, further easing Seth’s nerves. This time, Schnee rolled over and nudged Seth onto his back with her hoof. Effectively, the two switched positions, and Schnee leered down on Seth’s face with soft features that he wished he could stare into as long as he liked. Her mane’s locks draped her around her face and tickled the fringes of Seth’s cheeks and nose. “You always know what to say, don’t you?” the mare voiced, then flipped her jet-black locks to one side of her neck. Seth reached his hand up and cupped the now-barren side of Schnee’s face, forming his palm around her cheek and letting his fingers intertwine with the outer edge of her ear. The mare let her eyes fall shut and leaned into the gesture with no small measure of bliss detectable on her face. Her genuine smile that came with it worked wonders for Seth, whose heart melted at the sight. “On occasion,” he replied with a chuckle. In a move that drew a cocked eyebrow from him, Schneeblume shrugged off his hand and gently placed both her hooves on either side of Seth’s face, framing his cheeks. The coolness of her ceramic hoof actually felt kinda nice on his recently-shaven stubble remnant. Nevertheless, his eyes were planted squarely on the mare above him, who’s lidded gaze bore directly into his own. Schnee uttered with great allusion: “May I?” Seth reflected her playful complexion right back at her. He was so ready for this. “Absolutely!” And with that Seth watched with bated breath as the white-coated mare above him unceremoniously closed the distance between their mouths and pressed her warm lips to his—he eagerly received the gesture and molded his own to hers. Seth’s eyes shuttered by instinct, especially when he felt the softest, dampest part of her lips against his. His diaphragm felt as if it carried negative weight, and the fluttering in his chest returned… but despite the sudden influx of wonderful lightness as a result of their first kiss, it was over within a second. And a gentle, yet clearly audible ‘smacking’ of their lips was the harbinger of the end. Schneeblume separated from Seth and continued to peer down at him, her eyes still perpetually lidded and seemingly examining his reaction. The human hoped his eyes returned back to her how much he was swimming in happiness at fording this important step in their fledgling relationship. His hands drifted up Schnee’s neck and gingerly cupped both sides of her face, mirroring her own hooves on him. He watched her shutter her eyes and smile widely, which created a continuous feedback loop of stomach butterflies seemingly transferring between the two of them. Schneeblume kissed him again. And then again one more time. In a bout of playfulness that welled up inside him, Seth nipped at Schnee’s lower lip as she pulled away, just barely grasping at the fringes. Still, the gesture and bundled intimacy was not seemingly lost on the mare, and—in combination with everything that had just happened in the span of a few whole seconds, her cheeks colored heavily. She retreated behind her mane and giggled all girly-like while trying to shake the feeling by way of reflex… the sight was too much, and through sheer hilarity by way of adorableness, Seth was unable to contain his laughter. He sure as hell was running on a high from their first set of little, chaste pecks. Tack on the layers of scenery, comfortable temperatures just cool enough to warrant snuggling close, and the gentle breeze that would serve to cool off their own blushing heat, Seth really couldn’t have asked for much more than this… …doubly so when Schneeblume sighed out blissfully and lay her head on his chest. The mare adjusted herself so that much of her body rested on Seth’s side, and threw her left hoof over his torso to hold on tightly. He could practically feel the wide smirk on her face as she made herself comfortable against him. As for Seth, it was utterly impossible to not feel like the greatest, happiest man in the world at the moment. He figured part of it was because of the ‘young love’ bias, where the beginning of the relationship is more ‘active involvement’ so to speak… but at the same time, the rest of it was because of Schnee’s rather decorated history that he knew of. He wasn’t entirely sure what always went through that pretty little head of hers, especially when she’d occasionally space out in the middle of their conversations, but he figured that if she was comfortable enough around him to hold him tight and let herself be vulnerable with him… Shit, you must be doing something right, man. He draped his left arm over Schnee’s midsection and went about idly running his fingers through the coat of her accessible front leg, and occasionally weaving his digits through her mane. Seth was not sure how long passed in calm silence between the two… only hearing the breeze caress them both in its cool, fleeting embrace. Though, it had to have been a decent amount of time, because every time he opened his eyes from periodic resting, the sky progressively got beefier with puffy, more ominous looking clouds than each passing glance. That, and sharing body heat was becoming less and less viable as the requisite chill began to wreath the entire field. Seth figured it was in all parties’ best interests to voice this for proper action: “Shit, how long’ve we been here? Starting to get pretty chilly.” Schneeblume muttered only some garbled projection of her grogginess into his shirt. She lifted her head to look down on him, and her eyes had told all. Seth blinked, then snickered. “Pfff! Were you actually sleeping?” he asked. “You’re a comfy pillow~,” she warmly stated. She did, however, let a visible shiver run up her spine before directing her attention to her surroundings and the sky… and Seth had to admit that the wind blowing through her jet-black locks in conjunction with her brief, warrior-like stoicism made her look quite majestic from his point of view below. Schneeblume only needed to take a single, sweeping scan of her surroundings to formulate her own conclusions on Seth’s assertions. “Und ja… Looks like it’s going to rain, too. Hard. And soon,” she also noted. And with that, the mare reluctantly dislodged herself from Seth and got to her four hooves, stretching herself out all the while—it was impossible for Seth to not get a good look at her ‘curvature’. The mention of rain, however, was music to Seth’s ears. “Sweet! Though I don’t think either of us wants getting drenched,” he said whilst getting to his own feet. He did a quick wipe of his pants and then placed both his hands on his waist whilst angled his gaze down toward his marefriend, who met his in kind. Seth smirked. “Day’s still young. Hot drinks at your place or mine?” Schneeblume had an immediate answer to that one and emphasized that with her ceramic hoof to her chest. “Mine. I actually have serviceable tea there, unlike a certain somehuman I know,~” she teased in a singsong tone and a wink to boot. She touched off her banter by nudging into his leg with her flank and drawing the length of her tail up his thigh and hip as she strode on by. Her stride quickly morphed into a swift canter on account of the wind picking up, and Seth made haste to fall right into step with her. He chuckled mischievously. “Hey, race you to your place!” he challenged. Schnee, however, giggled and shot him a lopsided, incredulous gaze. “Liebling, you would lose spectacularly—not trying to brag or anything, but I’d outrun you anytime, anywhere,” she so confidently shot him down with a playful purse of her lips. Seth pulled her tenderly against him and ran his hand up and down her neck, a gesture that she melted into, and leaned up against him in response. “Oh?” he snickered. “So confident in your earth-pony athleticism?” Schneeblume halfheartedly scoffed. “Not even! But…” she held off for dramatic effect, then added with a barely measurable bit of awkwardness: “…when you’re charging an entrenched enemy with overlapping fields of machine-gun fire aimed right at you… you learn how to run pretty damn fast, heh.” Seth looked almost impressed at that statement, mainly with the imbued, morbid sarcasm. His reply was every bit of logical concession as it was awkward: “Ah… right. Very fair point.” Silence fell upon the duo once more, though the blood continued to flow by virtue of the trek back to Schneeblume’s house. The lapse in conversation—though not awkward feeling on any of their parts—did merit a little bit of thinking for Seth… namely, on how to approach a likely sensitive topic that his marefriend just so happened to remind him of in the spur of the moment. “Hey babe?” Schnee—leaning comfortably against Seth’s leg for support—angled her face at a hilariously awkward angle and flashed her pearly whites and lavender pools up at him. She fluttered her eyelashes. “Ja, mein Schatz?” The German and the requisite accent never got old, and likely would never get old. “Well… if you’d let me—and in time, if ever. Totally no obligation beyond what you’ve told me—I’d like to know a little bit more about your ummm… your service,” he put it forth, albeit in hindsight, probably not as eloquently as he’d have liked. Schneeblume held her position and blinked a couple of times, seemingly either judging Seth harshly, or formulating her response—he hoped for the latter. He meant nothing by his question in terms of prying, but he’d love to hear about her experiences, her thoughts, et cetera during the war. Human curiosity, if he could call it anything, as well as wanting to dive deeper into the odd parallels between the two worlds. “Ahhh… ummm, well…” she paused for a moment, separating from Seth and falling into synchronous step with him by his side. “What uh… what did you want to know?” she cautiously said, and her voice dropped even lower. Seth could measure the uncertainty on her face with a goddamn ruler… and again with the loving touch of hindsight, he understood exactly how possibly insensitive his implicit questions about her past were. That, and if she was comfortable with talking about her experiences, she, in her mind, might have been gauging exactly how much she could reveal without scaring him off. Nevertheless, she requested a follow-up, so there was really no turning back. Honesty was always a virtue, though, so Seth opted to speak his mind: “Well… shit. Now that I think of it, any question I could really ask would have this like… naivety about it that would almost sound insulting,” he said, and ran his right hand over the back of his neck. He then became blissfully lost in a circular train of thought that showed through his words continued words: “But really, I guess I just want to know umm, whatever you would feel comfortable with telling me. In some sense I just wanna say that it’s okay if you ever want to talk to me about anything or if you need to talk at all because I know it’s difficult and I can truly never understand what you went through but—” “Seth.” Schneeblume’s sudden interjection was terse, but softly flowed over his ears. Even so, the underlying tone brooked no argument, especially when he realized that she had abruptly stopped the two of them in the middle of the sparsely populated street. Seth flinched momentarily, figuring he had clearly said something out of line or implied something that was insulting… which suddenly made him sick to his stomach. With pursed lips, he turned to face down at Schnee, and apparently, he couldn’t hide any form of shame and feelings of stupidity from his face, as the mare’s face suddenly morphed to one of concern. Good going, asshole. Can’t you just accept a good thing and run with it just once in your life? She beckoned him down with her wounded hoof, and in locking eye-contact, Seth knelt to the floor to be at proper level with her. That same hoof that she used some ethereal force to pull him to face-level, she placed on his shoulder. She spoke a single word so softly, so lovingly, yet so firmly that Seth nearly recoiled at the underlying tone: “Stop.” But alas, this manifested simply as a loss of words: “Shit… umm… I’m sorry.” That was apparently the wrong thing to say, as Schnee rattled him with her hoof, and she replied barely above a whisper: “No. Stop it. Just… don’t talk. Listen to me, Liebling.” Her eyes were squarely trained on his, and her face was barely a couple inches from his own. Seth could acutely hear her breathing, and as by way of the chillier weather, could feel it all the same break upon his face. She drew her hoof tenderly down his cheek, and the cool touch of the ceramic on his skin fielded goosebumps on the back of his neck and arms… yet the gesture on a deeper level felt warm an intimate all the same. “I want you to relax, handsome…” Schnee began anew. “I don’t want you to ever feel like you’re trotting on eggshells around me… that you can’t say what you feel because of some notion that I’ll take offense. Don’t.” She then added with an admirable resoluteness: “Please. Put this out of your mind.” And before Seth could even weigh in on this, Schnee held her hoof up to preemptively silence anything else that would be voiced from his gob. “And please,” she continued with a more pleading but warmer tone. “You mean so well… I can’t thank you enough for your kindness—your understanding at my insecurities when they come up, and your gentleness around me. But you don’t have to coddle me. “We owe it to each other to be honest with one another, and to me, this also means saying what we want to say. And if time comes that you want me to talk about something I’m not comfortable with, I’ll simply say so—we’ll leave it for another time.” Schnee punctuated with a soft smile, placing both her front hooves on his shoulders. “Sehr gut?” Seth took a deep breath and exhaled as he took stock of this little discussion—she wasn’t mad at him. She wasn’t scolding him. She was merely reminding him of what he knew all along, but what was limiting him subconsciously, whether he liked it or not: Schneeblume—as he already was well-aware—was a soldier. An elite at that. She was a big girl and could take care of herself. There was no need for the kid gloves. Seth averted his gaze for the briefest of moments, a pensiveness shining through his blue-eyed stare as he forced himself to come to terms… terms that he was trying perhaps a little too hard to be ‘understanding’ around her combat history in a desire to satisfy his innate human curiosity. He smiled back and nodded, a determined happiness welling up within his chest at seeing those soft lavender pools staring back at him. “You got it, beautiful,” he affirmed, then returned Schneeblume’s previous gesture back to sender by cradling her cheek in his right palm. Schneeblume again leaned wholeheartedly into the gesture, sighing out and letting Seth scratch just under her jawline. She hummed. “Hmmm… good. Now…” She disengaged from Seth’s heavenly treatment of her face and pulled him along, back on track via her tail. They were on the last leg of the journey back to her place. “I know you’re curious—why don’t you ask me what questions you have, and we can go from there…~” she encouraged with a hint of teasing at the end of her words. Seth was now on the spot, and though one question rose above the others, it was both the most cliché, and the most insensitive one that could be asked of a combat veteran, ever. Ayyy gurl, you put anyone in the ground? Lmao. However, instead of unleashing that beast unto the world and more than likely losing his marefriend and getting his shit reinserted via his mouth by the Crusaders the very next hour… a war question inserted itself that he felt was fairly thought provoking, and decided to field that: “Umm… so, you fought the entire war from start to finish, right?” he asked firstly for confirmation. Schnee nodded once. “Ja…” “Of all the ehm… memories you carry with you, what’s one that stands out in your head as being positive?” The air fell silent again as the last of his words left his mouth, and in a bout of a nervous tick, Seth ran his fingers through his less-than-neatly combed hair on account of them lazing in the fields. He managed to pick out a few errant pieces of blades of grass that had buried themselves in by the time Schneeblume’s response came from her stoic, forward-facing muzzle. “About a year and a half into the war…” she began. Seth’s attention was instantly garnered, and all of it was lavished on Schneeblume. “Yeah?” he sounded for her to continue. “I was regular infantry at the time—we hadn’t been formed into the Stoßtruppe battalions yet. At the tail-end of an offensive in Prance, my unit had gone far beyond our objectives…” she began to tell, seemingly switching into a lecturing mode. “We had taken no casualties that day, either… so we were stupidly spurred on by dumb luck and adrenaline I suppose. But anyway, we advanced waaaaay too far, and got trapped in recently-created nopony’s land behind some uhh… what was it. Some abandoned homes I think,” Schnee went on. Seth kept stock of where they were as Schneeblume kinda went on autopilot. They were just about to round the last corner onto her home street. For good measure, he tactically slowed their walking pace to something more comfortably apt for storytelling. “Okay…” The porcelain-coated mare continued: “While we were all in cover, we expected that we wouldn’t be able to hold the ground we took once artillery opened up on us… but, it didn’t.” Seth queried: “Any idea why? I’d think a group of empty houses to use as cover would be prime targets.” Schneeblume nodded and continued. “Ja… but we received a dispatch from our command that told us our platoon got so far ahead that we had actually broken through an enemy flank on our own, and the Prench did not have the guns to spare to relocate artillery to use on us. But…” Seth raised an eyebrow. “But…” “There were still enemy troops opposite of us. Even worse, it appeared two snipers had their sights on us,” she explained, gesturing while she talked with her right hoof. “Ahhh,” Seth reacted. “So if any one of you poked your heads out…” Schnee nodded once. “Exactly,” she affirmed. “Even more than that, command couldn’t confirm whether the Prench had sealed the breach, so we didn’t even know if we were trapped in a pocket. That would’ve been really bad. “So, rather than risk a running retreat to friendly lines and likely getting shot to hell from all sides, we decided to hold out behind our cover for as long as possible. We were promised that a relief unit was fighting to link up with us.” The smallest fringes of a smirk creeped up her face. “Thing is, no counterattack was coming, front or back. And as we dug in, boredom kinda set in. One of the rather… boisterous members of my own fireteam, Grau, randomly decided that he’d had enough and wanted to mess around with the enemy sniper.” Seth immediately shot his gaze over to Schnee. “You’re... you’re joking, right?” She shook her head resolutely. That smirk never left her. “Not in the slightest. The moment he announced that, we all had the same reaction that you did just now: ‘Are you out of your goddamn mind? Do you have a death wish?’ “But, that’s when he revealed his oh-so brilliant entertainment plan: he ended up removing his helmet and using a piece of… I think it was chalk? He used it to draw a face on his helmet…” Seth weighed in: “He fucking did not…” “It gets so much better!” Schnee replied with an extra bit of enthusiasm that hitherto was not present in her words. She cleared her throat as the two of them were just about to turn into her house’s walkway. “Then he put the helmet face—and he named it after a terrible drill sergeant we had back during basic—onto the end of a tree branch that was laying around and stuck it out of cover to draw the snipers’ fire… just so the enemy could shoot our Scheißvogel of a drill sergeant in effigy,” she said. Seth bobbed his head in consideration but let out a tiny giggle at her choice of compound swear word—he at the very least understood that. “Seems reasonable. Fair enough,” he replied. Schnee slowed her trot and she came to a halt half-way to her door. Seth stopped right next to her to see the mare attempting pitifully to cover the laughter threatening to spill forth from her muzzle. Her cheeks looked like they were going to explode through her pursed lips, and the under-breath chortles and snorts were more than a little audible. The look was contagious, and Seth caught those same giggles: “Shit what happened next then?” Schneeblume lost it completely and threw her head back in uncontrollable cackling that could probably be heard from both ends of the block. Seeing her this unwound was always a treat, and Seth welcomed her weight dearly when Schneeblume decided to lean herself fully against him for support. “HehehaHAHAH Oh god, Seth!” she called out, then looked straight up at him. “The Prench snipers couldn’t hit the damn helmet! Every single time, Grau tried to make it easy for them… BUT THEY COULDN’T FUCKING HIT IT!” She launched back into another fit of guffaw. “He was cursing out the enemy in a way that mocked our former officer, scolding the enemy each time for their lack of marksponyship… and Seth…” she exclaimed with a wide, open-mouthed smile. “It was the hardest I had ever laughed in my entire life. I was incapacitated on my back… face dirty, uniform in tatters, probably had blood on me… crying my eyes out laughing. My chest and tummy hurt so much!” she reminisced, red in the face from her own current laughter. She blinked up at Seth, wiping her eyes. “If the enemy attacked us then, it would’ve been over. This went on for a good five minutes of straight foolery before somepony mentioned that they might respond with artillery next time, not bullets. “…which made us laugh even harder. The enemy must’ve heard us all.” Seth was chuckling heartily—he could only imagine Schnee in full getup literally rolling on the floor laughing. “And did that get y’all to stop?” “PFFT! No!” Schnee dismissed outright. “We had been fighting for so long… we had seen things that nopony should ever have to see… done things that nopony should ever have to do… this was the first bit of true entertainment that we all had since the war began. We milked it for all it was worth!” Schneeblume wasn’t even looking up at Seth anymore—he could see that much. However, standing just in front of her front door, she stared beyond it. It was a look that Seth had become accustomed to thus far during their incredibly short relationship thus far, especially when it concerned aspects of the war. What was distinctly different this time, however, was that Schnee was smiling. Fondly so. And when she finally turned away from her stupor and addressed her coltfriend behind her, Seth met that soft smile of hers with one of his own… one that he felt conveyed a deep fondness for her, and how much it meant to him to see her smile. She blinked a couple of times before mustering some words: “Thank you, Seth… handsome.” Through the (however mild) rollercoaster of emotions the two of them experienced over the course of the last few minutes, the statement seemed oddly out of place for Seth, who responded firstly with a cocked stare. “Huh? For what?” he asked. Schneeblume’s expression did not waver. “For making me remember one of the best moments of my life,” she softly replied. And if that didn’t make Seth feel like a million dollars run through the coke-laden ass-crack of the hottest escort in an upscale Los Angeles suburb, then he sure as hell didn’t know what did. The modest, dopey smile that he unconsciously fronted likely confirmed those feelings entirely. Seth knelt and pulled Schneeblume into a hug, which she accepted with more eagerness than he expected. While their cheeks were pressed together, he turned his head and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Anything’s worth it if I get to keep seeing that smile of yours,” he said once they separated. He felt he was getting better at making this mare blush—which meant that his efforts to continue doing so would be incessant. “That tongue of yours is a weapon, you know that?” Schneeblume added from behind the veil of her mane… …and then instantly went redder in the face than Seth had ever seen—more than had ever been his doing. Her porcelain coat turned a burning, lava color as she immediately panicked at the innuendo her words carried. “Th-That’s… THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!” the mare fidgeted harshly on her hooves and fought to dispel any other meaning she might have conveyed. Seth, however, was on the verge of losing his cool entirely—but laughing at his new girlfriend at a time like this was probably not advised. “PFFT! Wow babe… I’m actually impressed at that!” he replied with a barely veiled snort under his breath. What was worse than that was that Schnee looked positively adorable when she was both red in the face and peeved at him. “Oh you know good and well I didn’t mean it like that!” she scolded with a hoof pointed straight at him, but her words had the same element of teasing behind them—no bite at all, and as such, Seth was not convinced in the slightest. Seth didn’t even feel the need to respond, only staring back down at his embarrassed mare with an almost pitying smile… and the undying urge to bust out laughing. This had been the first time that Schnee had a slip of the tongue in his presence and he was going to revel in it. Schneeblume, however, pursed her lips and deadpanned as she took a breath. She then reached for her door, unlocked it, and pushed it open. She gestured inwardly, her expression having rebounded back to a softer edge. “Shall we?” “We shall!” Seth followed closely behind Schnee and by force of habit, undid his shoes right by the front door. While in the past, the mare had always questioned this practice since there was practically no carpet in her house, Seth had explained to her it was a relic of manners for a particular set of friends who were picky about such things. In the end, it was just easier for him to abide as such. Schneeblume’s house was as spartan and well-planned out as he would expect from any German, and apparently the alleged stereotype held true for Alemaneians: the foyer immediately opened into a hallway that led straight down towards the back of the house, while hanging an immediate right from the front door led straight into the living/family room. Hanging a left instead would take one straight to the kitchen… …which was where Schnee was headed while Seth re-took in the sights Schneeblume shook her mane out a bit to free up any tangles from laying out in the grass for the last couple of hours, then began her short journey into the kitchen. She spoke over her shoulder: “I’ll get some tea started. Wait for me on the couch?” Seth reached out with a hand after her while still standing in the doorway. He made to follow her. “Can I help with anything?” he asked. Schnee turned on her hooves but continued her trek by walking backwards into the kitchen. She smiled and shook her head. “Nein,” she said. “Thank you though! Need to surprise you with some good tea… because I don’t think your mouth knows what decent tea tastes like,” she quipped with a wink. Seth rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. “Oh come on!” he protested halfheartedly. “How was I supposed to know that ‘Equestria Black Dry’ was actually shit-tier tea?” Schnee had rounded the wall toward the kitchen and only had her head sticking out to talk: “Being cultured needs to be taught, Liebling~,” she playfully jabbed with a giggle. And Seth was left open-mouthed and ready to quip right back, but Schneeblume never gave him the chance, as she slinked behind the wall with a mischievous smile. All he could then hear was her hooves trotting towards her stove and cabinet—he could hear the extra weight of her right, ceramic hoof against the floor every time she took a step. Once the sounds of kitchen fumbling and preparation were abundant, as well as a gorgeous singing voice serenading him through the walls fell over his ears, he felt it was time to take his seat in the living room. Seriously, he could definitely get used to her singing… whatever it was she was singing in German. She could probably sing about how she’d disembowel him and fuck his mom in front of a kindergarten class on field trip… but so long as she did so with that lovely tone in her native language, he’d probably be pretty gung-ho about it. Seth made his way to the sofa right in the middle of the living room, which could comfortably seat three ponies (or one human and another pony, based on more recent experience). It faced towards one of the windows to the front of the house—a quick gaze outside showed that a light drizzle had begun to fall over Ponyville, as well as the gentle pattering of the rain on the roof. He smiled. Perfect day. He took some extra care in moving the coffee table a couple inches farther away from the front of the couch so he could have enough room for his legs to stretch. That’s when he plopped down lazily and draped his arm over the armrest. A sudden wave of fatigue overcame him which manifested in the form of a deep yawn, which wasn’t helped by Schneeblume’s sonorous chorus in the kitchen. He could feel his eyelids forcefully closing on themselves, and he figured there was no harm in letting them have his way, at least while Schnee was occupied. That didn’t get to happen though, as the sudden hoof-falls in the foyer roused him completely. He glanced over and found that gorgeous face he had grown so accustomed to over the last few weeks staring happily back at him. “Water is boiling, and tea will soon be steeping!” she excitedly announced. Seth responded with a clear thumbs up, then opened his arms wide as an invitation for her to jump into them. As he had found out through his tenure here—even before he met Schnee—the ponies tended to be suckers for cuddling or snuggling. But now, since he was no longer single, he had an excuse to pursue one of his favorite pastimes. He could see another smile creeping its way up Schnee’s adorably excited face. However, she stopped in her tracks and suddenly righted her posture as if she just remembered something. “Oh! Hold on. Stay there, I wanna show you something…” she added almost with an air of mystery, then tore down the hallway. Seth watched the place where she would’ve been if he could’ve seen through the wall—he could still hear the extra heaviness of her right front hoof striking the floor during her admittedly fast dash towards her room. Huh… she wasn’t joking. Fuck, she’s fast. He raised a lone eyebrow, and a bout of curiosity further raised its head when he heard a bunch of rummaging and what sounded like something moving around that was made of heavy metal. Seth recoiled a bit when he heard what sounded like a few grunts of exertion, then a massive metallic slam against the wooden floor. He cleared his throat and called out to his flower mare: “Ummm… you okay babe?” “Mphfnnnhnny! Btsnnn!” Seth giggled softly and shook his head. Clearly she had her hooves full… and mouth full as well. Giggity. More controlled, rhythmic hoof-falls approaching back from down the hall told him that she was carrying something out into the living room… which was then confirmed when she rounded the corner with what looked like a foam handle in her mouth. Said handle was attached to two supports which helped carry an onyx-black, metal chest that appeared to be twice the size of Schnee’s head. There was also an unknown marking embossed on the front that Seth couldn’t quite place due to the color and the lighting. Seth watched as Schnee deposited the chest onto the table with a mighty clinking of all the materials, then turned to him while stretching her mouth out. Then she spoke: “This,” she said, tapping the top of the chest. “Contains many ‘things’ that came back with me from the war.” She went silent for a moment, then asked timidly: “From your curiosity, and our conversations so far… I’d like to share it with you, i-if that’s okay with you?” Seth, once again, felt his excitement and honor well up within him. He smiled brightly, which again, brought Schneeblume to blush. “Yeah… yeah of course! I’d love to!” With that, Seth helped to pull the table back to its original position right in front of the couch so he could see things better, and Schnee got to work plopping down on her haunches right next to him. She unceremoniously threw open the chest and—with a sly smirk—reached in knowingly and tossed something right in Seth’s lap. “Here, catch!” “Wha—huh?” The heavy object landed right in his hands in his lap, and he immediately recognized it as a stick grenade. Panic stuck his face. “JESUS CHRIST!” Schneeblume chuckled loudly, nudging his shoulder with her own. “Oh relax, you… it’s hollowed out. The last grenade I never got to throw, actually!” she added with a little extra giddiness—or rather, an eagerness that Seth was more than happy to have her show, especially when it came to what was apparently her war chest. Seth regarded the Stielhufgranate with a couple of deep nods, impressed, as he examined the hollowed-out explosive from all angles. It was strikingly like German stick grenades he had seen in documentaries and museums, right down to the German language printed around the metal head. He wagered that it was a little smaller in size, likely to accommodate the crook of a pony’s hoof. Even more than that, due to its rather young age as a result of the chronological proximity of the war, it was in excellent condition. The concept of ponies also being so dexterous without fingers, let alone opposable thumbs (especially those who did not have the luxury of using magic) was an interesting one at that. Still, Seth was enraptured by the object. He was going into the military, of course, and his family were avid shooters when they had the time… but he had only been able to come into contact with a grenade that his veteran grandfather had hollowed out—not a stick grenade like the one Schnee had been allowing him to fondle. “This is fucking cool…” he mentioned all without paying Schnee any mind at first. He heard her giggle to his right, and upon glancing over at her again, he noticed her expression—while she was clearly calm and happy, there was one more emotion that he could read, clear as day, in her eyes. Relief. He wasn’t sure why he was getting that vibe… possibly because this was some of her most personal ‘things’ from the war. At least, that’s what made sense to him. Schneeblume’s right ear suddenly perked up and swiveled towards the kitchen right as the kettle began to shrilly whistle. “Right!” she announced, then slid off the couch and onto her hooves which were already in step towards the kitchen. “I’ll return with tea! Feel free to keep looking through my box if you like!” she said right as she disappeared behind the foyer wall. Giggity. “Okay!” Seth called back, then wasted no time in taking her up on that invitation. He held his hand up tentatively over the open war chest. Don’t mind if I do… let’s see where the Ark of the Covenant lies… He hesitated an extra split second at that thought… especially when a very similar thought entailed his face melting off if he discovered something that was not meant for his human, mortal eyes. But upon reaching in and grabbing the first, most obvious thing he could, he was instead greeted by a steel helmet—one that took the exact shape of a familiar German stahlhelm that he was ‘used’ to seeing back on Earth. In fact, being the slight history buff that he was, he noticed that the woodland camouflage was quite reminiscent of stormtrooper units from the first world war. Even the sloping of the rear was on perfect point. Jesus. The similarities are no joke… down to the conflicts of all things… Like with the stick grenade before it, Seth examined the helmet that was a little too large for his own head on account of it being made for pony anatomy. He thumbed over the texture of the painted camouflage, noting the sharp difference in texture when it came across a chip due to wear and tear… and time. The straps were still fully functional, but per the design, he knew it would not fit, and nor did he feel like trying it on out of respect for his marefriend. He would’ve felt weird about it, to say the least. Seth placed the helmet back on the coffee table with a resounding, metallic scratching sound against wood. He reached in again and felt around to what appeared to be a stack of photo paper. In retrieving it, it was exactly as he had expected: A stack of color photos from the war. All of them had Schneeblume in them in some way, he figured. Right off the top was a portrait shot of Schnee in full uniform. Her helmet was shined and probably new at that point. Her face held a sense of great pride, especially in those lavender eyes of hers that never seemed to have aged since then. Her uniform was also probably new, but this was all set to an ominous backdrop of what appeared to be a marred battlefield. Again, it looked strikingly like a first world war battlefield—he was starting to get some clarity on how this Equidae War was fought. Schneeblume was beautiful—beautiful but deadly looking, and that same warmth at that objective truth (to Seth) spread across his face and chest, manifesting in a soft smile. Even in that uniform, she managed to steal his breath. However, another measure of pity had still risen right behind it—he couldn’t help but wonder how much she had gone through by the time this photo was taken. Was that expression on her face fake at that point? Were those bright, wide eyes of hers that he already found himself staring into more and more these days… were they hollow? He pursed his lips, but decided not to dwell on that image, literally and figuratively. He slid that photo to the back of the stack. The next photo was another portrait of Schneeblume, this time with a much more formal aura about it with the immediate difference being the monochrome color scheme. It certainly had to be an older picture, for two reasons that became apparent to Seth immediately: One, the uniform appeared much older, and the pickelhaube helmet with the lone spike was adorned proudly on Schnee’s head. Assuming a similar linear transition, this would make sense. Secondly, and perhaps most profoundly, Schnee was smiling brightly… almost, dare Seth say, naively living in the moment and unaware of what was to come. He slid that picture to the rear of the group and was faced with another one. This time it was a large, color, wide shot of what seemed to be an entire platoon in full combat uniform—Schneeblume was just off to the left. He could pick out those lavender eyes anywhere. The fact that all had some variant of the same stahlhelm sitting on the coffee table right now told him that this was certainly a little bit later into the war. While there weren’t any bright smiles in the picture, there were a few light-hearted grins to be found, and the mood gave off a smidge of a celebratory attitude. All in all, there must’ve been about thirty ponies present. This was probably her stormtrooper unit. He placed that picture in the back and found another photo of the exact same type, though with one three immediately recognizable differences: firstly, the uniforms were no longer neat and well-put together, but rather ragged and worn. Secondly, that celebratory air that was conveyed was not present. And perhaps thirdly and most importantly, there were several less ponies in this picture. Schneeblume sat on her haunches a little bit closer to center this time. Out of curiosity, Seth immediately flipped to the next picture in the deck—and he pursed his lips and sighed out forlornly at his suspicions being correct. Another picture much later revealed them to be even worse off… some even looked badly wounded. Even worse than that, there were only seven ponies remaining. Seth only found himself staring at this picture… one who’s colors seemed to be duller and much less vibrant than the ones present on the top of the deck. More specifically, he was staring at Schneeblume, who gazed back at him with hollow eyes. There was zero emotion behind them… so devoid was her dirty and stoic face of any emotion that Seth could feel his bones chill. From what he knew of Schneeblume currently and her personality that she let him see, how terrible were things that they created this mare in the picture? Seth looked up and out the window at the world outside—the now-darker clouds were dumping their torrential fury on the earth, and that’s when he became aware of the white noise of the incessant rain patter on the roof. Still, his thoughts were hyper-focused… …and he could only wonder what exactly was going on inside that now-civilian head of hers—the stuff that she wasn’t letting him in on. “Ah! I see you found my photo stash…” Seth blinked once and then addressed the source of the voice to his right, being Schneeblume happily trotting in with a tea tray perfectly balanced on her back. Considering the connotations of the phrase ‘photo stash,’ Seth had to prevent himself from fancying a giggle. “Yeah, totally found your stash,” he played along, flipping past the last platoon picture and coming upon what looked like more neutral scenery of some sort. Schnee shimmied up to the coffee table and expertly slid the metal tray off her back and onto the safe, flat surface of the table. The steeping tea within two white, ceramic cups barely sloshed around before settling motionless. And that’s when the mare hopped back up on the couch and, whilst observing the human’s expedition into her war chest, leaned her head on his shoulder. “So…” she broke the small silence. “While the tea’s getting ready, what do you think?” As for Seth, while his first, reactive answer to that question would have been ‘goddamn this stuff is cool! Like, holy shit, man!’, he was more than wise enough to know that this chest of war materials held a lot of deeper—perhaps hidden—meanings for Schneeblume. ‘Cool’ really was not an appropriate word here... even though he used it not even a couple of minutes ago—still it felt weird this time around, and his marefriend merited a response: “These are nice pieces of history,” he said softly, but capitalized on what he felt was another implicit question in Schnee’s original: “But from that look on your face, I think there’s something else you seem to wanna ask me…?” he chanced. There was nothing but silence from Schneeblume, and truth be told, he was actually kinda scared to look back down at her and face her, so he instead decided to busy himself with her helmet and examine how the interior looked. An unknown amount of time passed, or at least it felt that way with the amount of figurative nail biting he was doing in his head, but Seth finally heard Schnee clear her throat: “Are… are you sure that you don’t feel any differently about me?” came her incredibly meek question. That, Detective, is the right question. And once the last of her words left her mouth, Seth felt her bury her face into his torso and essentially force his arm around her… a gesture he would always accept from her if she wanted to be held, and as such, had few qualms with tightening his hold around her, and letting her get comfortable against him. His answer to said question, however, was instantaneous and genuine: “Of course not,” he added with a resolute shake of his head. Schneeblume revealed her eyes from the veil of his shirt while keeping the rest of her face covered. While she looked positively adorable with those lavender eyes peeking at him and he smiled at her all the same, she still, apparently, wasn’t done: “Okay… are you sure?” she asked again, and her insecurities were still shining brightly. Seth had a better approach to this: “Hey babe, remember when like, half an hour ago you told me that I didn’t have to be super careful and coddling around you?” he asked. Apparently Schnee could see where this was headed, and she sighed. “Ja…” Seth couldn’t believe he was about to turn this back on her, but it was for the best. What was even this universe? “Well… kinda the same thing with me. Since our first date, you don’t have to tread carefully around or coddle me regarding your war history. I find it interesting and I respect you so much over it, and you’re also doing just fine, babe… with us,” he said, and flashed her his pearly whites again in such a way that got her blushing… …and hiding said blush by burying her face into his shirt. Seth, however, had a better idea: He unslung his arm from around her and used the brim of his index finger to lift her face up just enough to lock eyes with her… and with some poeticism that he didn’t even know a meme-tier shitlord like himself was capable of, he spoke from the heart: “So, whadd’ya say we figure this out together, eh? A dude barely an adult ready to go into basic training in a few months… and a seasoned, beautiful mare who’s already done her time in hell?” Seth wasn’t sure if Schnee would ever break up with him just by the sheer volume and intensity that he had been making her blush as of late. To be fair, most of the time it was intentional… …this time certainly wasn’t. But unlike the usual instances where she would often giggle it off and be all cutesy about it while attempting to stifle any sort of embarrassment by shying away, this time, she did no such thing. She stared him directly in the eye, and in Seth’s mind, perhaps she was trying to discern any disingenuity in his words, of which he knew for a fact there was none. And rather than words, she instead simply scooched as close as she could, flush against him… and his vision was entirely taken up by this gorgeous mare when she brought her lips to his much more aggressively than earlier. And in anticipation, he met her halfway. The familiar wetness of her lips against his sent another rush of emotions straight into his core, so much so that he was only concerned with the idea of being as close to Schneeblume as possible. Perhaps it was his male instinct with his new girlfriend that he wanted to somehow ‘protect’ her from things… but honestly, this mare was an elite soldier with an unknowable amount of actual combat experience—she very likely killed ponies. He didn’t have to ‘protect’ her from anything. A gentle ‘smack’ echoed through the living room, barely audible over the pattering of the rain above them… but all that needed to be heard or said was perfectly conveyed when the two locked eyes with each other and smiled brightly. Schneeblume fluttered her eyelashes at Seth… a gesture that always got him going for some reason. Probably because he watched too many Disney movies when he was a kid. “You always know what to say, don’t you?” she reiterated. Seth brought his hand to her cheek and stroked her with his thumb—and he smiled brighter when Schneeblume let her eyes flutter shut and she leaned into his palm. “Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “I only manage to surprise once in a while with my words—otherwise I usually inject some bad joke, pun, or innuendo at the worst possible times. I just get lucky sometimes…” Schneeblume cocked her head, then leaned in again with a mischievous smile on her face. “You sure about that, Liebling?” she asked. “Because I’m starting to think that I’m the lucky one…” Seth could not physically come back to that at all because Schneeblume lunged herself at him and forced him on his back on the couch. Her lips were upon him at an instant, kissing her way from his lips, up his cheeks, and then trailing back down excitedly to where she started. And once the two got comfortable with Seth’s arms around the mare, and her hooves keeping his face right where she wanted it, the make out session began and continued in earnest. The tea continued to steep, and ultimately went cold. Author's Note Y'all need to wait just a little longer for some clop ;) 5. The FlourishingAuthor's Note New chapter. There's clop. Hope you enjoy! I hate all of you. jk I love you No homo. 5. The Flourishing [A Couple Months Later…] Seth judged the timing just right, and his open palm caught a ceramic hoof right before it reached its intended destination—his face. And from the power behind the punch that nearly pushed said hand back into his own mug, he knew one-hundred percent that Schneeblume was not holding back—not pulling any literal punches in this exercise. He was rewarded with fond memories of the first time they ever attempted this type of sparring, and his palms in particular were sore for days. Now, he didn’t even flinch. He was either getting better at this, or a two-inch thick callus formed without his knowledge. All the while, Seth was grappling with Schneeblume’s other hoof which held a black, rubber bayonet in its grasp... and the mare seemingly fought with all the strength in her hind legs to overpower him. His heels were dug firmly into the grass, his quads and ass bore the brunt of all the added weight, and as the sweat streamed down his face, he still managed to stare down a very determined Schneeblume. She taunted him with that gritted smile of hers—demanded that he give her his best in this grueling exercise… …or perish. And at that very moment, Seth could take stock of all the cuts and bruises that he left Schnee’s house with over the weeks. Though she often made up for completely wiping the floor with him with certain ‘rewards’ for reaching specific milestones, it was still a marvel at how much this mare was capable of in terms of both finesse and raw power. And yet, he held his ground. He stood firm. Seth knew the price of defeat. And Seth also knew of how sweet victory was—victory that was determined by Schneeblume’s own conditions and generosity. Seth’s grip could not hold anymore, and that meant that Schnee had put even more strength into her hooves to push him forward. With his legs firmly locked and his feet entrenched, he knew that she was trying to get his torso to bend backward, thus leaving him in an untenable position. From there, he deduced that she was trying to make him disengage, which would put her on the offensive again… that, or he’d just fall flat and his ass would be grass anyway. As much as he knew he had improved over the months, he was nowhere near having even a sperm cell of a ballsack’s worth of Stoßtruppe fury that Schneeblume could muster in a fraction of a second’s moment. But, due to the ultimate lessons from the countless drills that Schnee had put him through, one thing she emphasized constantly was to use his (and her) anatomy to his advantage in a fight. As she would always say… she knew well that he could fight a human with the martial arts training he had throughout his life, but she needed to make sure that he could fight a pony. And the tricks were all in making their anatomical differences work for him. Further, it appeared that Schneeblume was testing him again, because a stroke of brilliance came to him in the form of a reversal that Schnee had to have set up just right—no way an actual enemy would have willingly given him such an opening in real-life combat. More convincingly, a warrior mare who had almost died on several occasions in situations just like these would no way in hell make such a seemingly ‘rookie’ error. But there was one difference of anatomy in particular: human legs could bend forward at the knee. Equine hind legs could not. She had left her core just in the range of his knees. A sudden thought crossed his mind before Seth actioned his plan: Huh… so that’s why she insisted on the knee-pads then… And then he drove his padded right knee straight into Schnee’s (unsurprisingly hard) abs. An enormous amount of guilt welled up inside him after hearing such a harsh yelp come out of his marefriend’s mouth—and it was genuine, if her suddenly wide eyes, slackened, gasping mouth, and jack-knifing of her body to accommodate his goddamn knee in her stomach was anything to go by. However, he had to suppress that guilt as quickly as it came, for Schnee continued to relentlessly drill into him to not have compassion for his enemies when it came down to a life and death situation. Deal with emotion later when it’s all said and done. Not during the heat of battle. With Schneeblume stunned and briefly incapacitated, Seth pulled his knee back and lunged forward to envelop her in a bear-hug that pulled her flush against him. And in using the sheer difference in size between the two of them, he was able to easily slam her to the ground onto her back. This earned him another unnatural yelp that sounded like the wind getting knocked out of her. The guilt persisted. He shut it down. Remember, after the battle. Letting automation take hold of his body, Seth then crawled atop of a writhing Schneeblume and drew a rubber knife that she had lent him. He pressed the rubber blade up against her neck and held it there firmly... a wordless signal to yield. He watched with bated breath at his marefriend-turned-combatant’s next move. Schneeblume’s chest rose and fell with some difficulty as she took in as much air back into her lungs—again corroborating to Seth that he probably, unexpectedly, knocked the wind out of her. Her eyes were wide and staring straight into his. He had pressed his shins into the crooks of her knees to prevent (as much as possible) a sudden breakout from her end, whilst doing his best to hold both of her front hooves down with his free hand and an elbow. Then through her open mouth, Schneeblume smiled, and she flicked her rubber knife away, disarming herself. She conceded. “Well done, Liebling,” came her first words in a while, as hoarse as they were. Seth released her completely from his hold, then fell back onto his ass and rested his arms on his knees. It was his turn to wipe the sweat from his face and take in a few good, deep breaths for good measure. “Heh, thanks babe...” he replied, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. “You’re really testing me now, aren’t you?” Schneeblume sat up on her haunches—still heaving breath into her lungs—but smiled, nonetheless. “You’re getting much better at this… definitely have come a long way since we started, and it shows. Now I’m starting to get bruises!” she said, giggling. Seth wanted to laugh at that, though his fatigue after this particularly riveting course only merited him a breathless chuckle. At least by the time he’d have to report to Basic, he’d be in much better shape than when he came to Equestria. Best workout routine ever. Who else gets to work out with a professional soldier in the very thing they’re most experienced in? Still, he had saved his concern for the end of the match, and that’s when he decided to finally—if anxiously—voice it: “Heh… how’s your stomach, by the way? I… I didn’t—well, I hoped I didn’t hit you too hard…” Schneeblume, to her credit, began actually laughing out loud. “Oh no Seth, that was a lovely hit! You cleared out my lungs with that one—I was hoping you would recognize the opening before it was too late, and it looks like the training paid off!” she said. She then sheepishly added with a giggle: “Well… I also didn’t really expect you to knee me that hard, thinking you’d hold back on my account still. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you did exactly what I told you to do! “Again, you’ve grown much in this small amount of time.” Seth blinked some sweat out of his eyes and sighed dreamily, gazing at his lovely mare that was equally as tuckered out as he was. Silence reigned over the couple on this cool, cloudy day… but even though there was no sunlight, she looked positively radiant to him. His smile was wide and out of complete control of his rational thought—he had probably smiled more during his short tenure here in Equestria than likely the last few years back on Earth up to this point. “Hehe... hey,” he replied, then added extra allusion to his words. “I had the greatest teacher ever!” And when Schneeblume blinked and focused her eyes right on his, the color that returned to her pale face furthered the smiling feedback loop between the two. After these short few months, she still managed to make his chest weightless… managed to continually rouse those butterflies within his core merely from the way she would look at him. It was a look of happiness… of glee… …and as of most recently, pride. And after every session between them, he never felt ashamed to feel oh so aroused at that specific look that Schnee would bestow on him—when she would lid those gorgeous, lavender irises just enough to make him want to smother her face with his own. With the way her bangs would fall like beautiful curtains over her face further created an image of wantonness that Seth was finding increasingly harder and harder to let pass by. With an extra teasing flair added by a lopsided smirk, it seemed that Schneeblume knew exactly what she was doing to him. And he knew she loved every moment of it. This brought him back momentarily to when the two of them went extremely far in her backyard after that first, grueling training session... how the built-up sexual tension that had amassed over their fledgling relationship had finally come to a head. He also loved every moment of it. Especially so when it came to the end of these sessions. While Schnee would encourage and reward his excellent performance with little things (kisses, snuggles, a traditional, home-cooked Alemaneian meal, war stories, etc.), she tacked on sort of an extra performance ‘bonus’ when Seth would go above and beyond her expectations for their training. That is, she would let him feel her up. She would let him explore her body just enough to leave just the littlest to his imagination, but also satisfy them both... ...for the time being, of course. Their combined reverie was suddenly interrupted by the rolling, creeping booming of distant thunder. Both Seth and Schnee looked upward and in all directions to determine the source but were instead met with the prompt onset of a gentle drizzle. Seth smiled softly as the rain gradually picked up by the second, and a gentle metallic ‘tinging’ began to sound through his loaned helmet—he still couldn’t believe he’d be wearing some pony version of a pickelhaube. Not in his life. He still felt absolutely ridiculous with it on. Back in reality Schnee appeared to harbor the same sentiment as he with the rain. When Seth brought his eyes back to level with hers, she angled her own gaze back at him at the same time. A few seconds later, the rain appeared to intensify a bit more, and suddenly there were small rivulets falling off of Seth’s quickly drenched face and hair. As for Schnee, the brim of her helmet was creating a cascading waterfall effect, with the water sultrily veiling her face and amplifying so many emotions they continued to share silently with each other. Perhaps most interestingly, the cool rain on his skin (which also soaked his shirt and pants to said skin) did little to cool off his burning feelings for the mare in front of him. Even more perhaps, these feelings of his were being projected a little too intensely... ...especially when he saw Schnee blush heavily and lower her head. Her coy, yet shy smile was still ever present, though her face was becoming more veiled by water and her wet locks of mane. Her coat stuck to her skin tightly, and highlighted her svelte, yet muscular appearance that Seth really enjoyed. Schnee cleared her throat: “And just what are you looking at, Liebling?” she asked, borderline lasciviously. Seth winked before fielding his response. “A gorgeous mare,” he so confidently delivered. And in another victory lap for him, Schneeblume retreated further into her posture. Her bright, teeth-baring smile was unmistakable though, and shined through the gentle haze of the rain like the sun would through the clouds on a spring day. This was something that Seth would kill to see constantly, but what furthered his attraction impossibly more was Schnee’s helmet—seeing her in one of the most iconic pieces of soldiery that existed gave her some sort of surreal attraction that Seth had trouble placing. Schnee giggled back in return. “After all this time... you never let up with the compliments, do you?” she joked. Seth shook his head. “Hell no! Someone’s gotta remind you how gorgeous you are! I’m just glad that person gets to be me,” he said. Without missing a beat, Schneeblume returned his banter with a targeted precision: “Hehe, well, I for one...” she placed her right hoof on her wet chest. “...am always glad that it is you.” It was Seth’s turn to feel his blush return as a deep heat rushed straight up to his cheeks. While his rising heartrate muddled his confidence just a little bit, he decided to unclip the helmet from his head and let it fall into the damp grass next to him. He reveled in the feeling of the cool rain quenching the heat from his sweaty head. Schnee mirrored him in letting her own helmet fall lifelessly to the grass. Seth leaned back onto his hands and smirked at Schnee: “Careful babe... those’re some pretty heavy kissing words...” he playfully threatened. However, in his mind, that spontaneous outing of some of his internal feelings mixed with the tension of the moment seemed to completely obliterate his rational thought—those words sent a wave of cringe straight into his cerebellum. Wow dude... really? After all this time, THAT’S the best you could come up with? ‘Kissing words?’ What the fuck man? Does this look like The Notebook to you? But much to his great relief, Schneeblume leaned forward, flipped her wet mane out of her face, and lidded her eyes. And then batted her lashes. “Then perhaps you should do something about these ‘kissing words,’ hmmm?” Seth knew an invitation when he saw it, and his face lit up like a goddamn stick grenade. By the power of the sudden influx of giddiness in his core, he sure as hell wasn’t going to give up a chance to fulfill one of his childish fantasies: making out in the rain. That’s when he righted himself from his leaning-back and crawled forward to meet a patiently waiting Schneeblume. And as the rain continued to fall, Seth excitedly yet gingerly took hold of Schneeblume’s face and brought her lips to his. He felt his heart erupt once again, as with every time the two locked lips… but even more so when Schneeblume immediately wrapped her wet, front legs around his neck and held him just as close as he held her. The last thing that Seth saw before he let his own eyes shut in bliss, was his mare’s looking upon him with what he could feel was the same way he looked at her. And that made everything worth it. It made everything right. As he let the world willingly go black, he poured everything into his other senses. Seth could feel the Equestrian rain fall upon them… every drop that landed on his exposed skin or ran down his face stimulated him in such a way that amplified his connection with Schnee. He could feel her lips against his, mashing and separating at their own dictated cadence that had worked for them since the first time they ever joined together in the fields. He could feel her hot breath break upon his face when they would separate time and again for air. And he could also feel those long, damp, gorgeous locks in his grasp as he ran all of his fingers lovingly through her mane… those locks that made her overall feminine visage so prominent that others would be easily mistaken regarding her soldiering past. Seth knew for a fact that Schnee loved feeling his fingers massaging her scalp and straightening her mane. After all, she would let him brush her from time to time… …but he also knew that he loved it more than she claimed to. It was just the little things in life that he cherished the most. Seth opened his eyes slightly when he felt Schnee softly push him back onto his ass with a single hoof… but their lips never separated in the slightest. He opted to let her dictate to him exactly what she wanted—this tended to be the case with most things in their relationship and he didn’t mind in the slightest. Schnee’s wishes became readily apparent when—with the extra space created in Seth’s lap—she plopped herself right down onto him and re-wrapped her legs around his neck. Their faces were thusly reacquainted with nary an interruption. Just as planned. But after what seemed like a couple of minutes later, Seth did have to disengage on account of needing air in his lungs. His lips broke from Schnee’s with a gentle smack that could barely be heard over the cascading rainfall. Seth felt Schnee’s right hoof lazily hooked on the back of his neck and watched her as she leaned back just a tad. His eyes met hers again in a shared, mutual lovey-dovey look that spoke volumes. Lovely thoughts about the mare in front of him danced in his mind like a beautiful Broadway performance, and Seth only hoped that he would be able to muster the courage to say them all as time went on. There was one thing that Seth never had an issue with voicing, though… and he was ever reminded of it as Schneeblume sat in his lap. Even more so than when this all started, she was absolutely soaked to the bone, and her mane was completely matted to her face. Her left eye was completely visible to him in all of its lavender glory, but her right eye was partially veiled by her jet-black locks. And the way she looked at him further beckoned the words out of his mouth: “You’re so beautiful, baby… and good god I’m so goddamn lucky,” And he stroked the side of her wet face with his thumb. This mare in his hold meant so much to him. She was his. Schneeblume only let her pearly whites beam during this rainy day, all before she lidded her eyes again and bit at her lower lip… such a gesture from her never failed to send Seth’s heart ablaze, and into a familiar race that could rival the best horses at a derby. Seth’s breath was taken away completely when his mare leaned forward and whispered into his ear: “Seth… I think I’m more than ready…” He could practically feel his pupils dilate within his eyeballs, and his jaw slackened just a tad while also smiling like a kid who was taken to a goddamn candy factory. That’s also when he felt Schnee’s tongue flick at his earlobe before she pulled back completely into his vision. Her visage that screamed ‘take me, now!’ was flashing at him like a strobe light. Though clearly stunned by the sudden admission, he put forth tentatively: “Oh! Ummm… okay! A-Are you sure?” Schneeblume responded with a most-uncharacteristic assertiveness and longing whilst she pressed her cheek into his. “I want you, Seth. I’m so sure now… and I want you to do whatever you want to me… “…please?” No sooner did Schneeblume’s words leave her mouth and get processed by Seth’s brain than did he scoop up the soaking mare in his arms and make haste for the indoors… …all while Schnee’s girly giggling and squee-ing in aroused anticipation sounded the entire way. [A couple minutes later…] Of course, Seth’s luck would have it that they couldn’t get immediately down to banging on the couch or on her bed. The human inwardly cursed his amazing mare over the fact that she was a damn German at heart—their respective feet and hooves had to be clean and wiped before the two even got to set their first steps inside… even more so with the pouring rain and the mud generated as a result. But noooo, that wasn’t even enough! The two were apparently soaking wet, and Seth was sent straight to the bathroom to wash up and put his clean, comfortable clothes on. Said clothes were his usual pajamas that he would wear to bed, and the ones he would most often bring over to Schnee’s place since he had a habit of staying overnight after their training sessions. One thing Seth had to give his mare credit for was applying the standards she held him to right back onto herself. In the end he was treated to a much cleaner, fluffier, bubblier Schneeblume than the sweaty, fierce, literal soldier of a mare from the outdoors. …not that Seth had anything against the latter. When their second session had ended and he was able to get a true, good look at Schnee when they were all done, that’s when he became a little more ‘enlightened.’ That’s when he found out he had a slight, yet rather specific thing for girls after they worked out… in all their sore, sweaty goodness. Being the ‘clean’ person that he was in valuing personal hygiene, this came as sort of a shock to him, but who was he to question ‘penile nuance?’ Two sets of showers later and some basic preparation for both parties, and Seth found himself on the freshly washed sheets, embraced wonderfully by the pull of Schneeblume’s bed. He also found the mare herself planted squarely atop of him, hind legs framing either side of his waist. Schnee had also discarded her prosthetic for the moment, to make sure there were no ‘accidents’ like what happened during their first training session. Seth regarded the mare above him with bated breath… shaky yet stable as fortress built on mud when he felt her sultry gaze bore into him. Of all the times he had been in some way intimate with Schnee, Seth knew this was unlike any of them. So different did he feel now, that a primal surge of nigh-helplessness cut a swathe through his rational thought… especially when the Alemaneian war veteran’s lustful gaze was brought nearer to his own. And much like he preferred his life up to his point, his entire field of view was soon eclipsed by this beautiful mare he called his own… having gotten lost in the windows of her irises before he handed off the baton of action to his instinct. His eyelids fell shut in sync with Schneeblume’s… his heart beat powerfully in his chest like production clockwork at a munitions factory. He felt an almost teenage heat of lust rush to his cheeks and stain them the color of the rows of roses in her garden. Schnee’s tongue was suddenly in his mouth. No sooner did Seth feel the welcome intrusion into his mouth than did he pull his mare flush against him. It was a dance that he had all but become used to since the two shared their first kiss, but one he still cherished each time ‘practice’ came about. Seth knew all too well that his puny human tongue was no match for Schnee’s wider, somewhat larger equine appendage—his own muscle was made short work of by hers at every turn. Shock tactics need not apply only to soldiers themselves. Nevertheless, it was always something he reveled in, and he would take all liberties and pleasures associated therein as he pulled the two of them into a more prone position. He could already feel the moisture returning to his face as his entire body heat up… both from the intimacy and anticipation of their coming act, but also the fact that he had another goddamn body against him. Being embraced by her velvety comforter also likely added to the sensation. Just as planned… As their mouths continued their action, and their tongues did not cease in their re-aquainting of one another, Seth became acutely aware of Schneeblume’s movements of her lower body. Namely, as her legs were spread to accommodate his torso beneath her, he could feel her grinding her lower body into his, just above his crotch. Seth smiled inwardly as he felt her teats pressing into him, and he could feel that her nipples had hardened completely by this point in what he felt was her own sense of anticipation. They weren’t large really, though then again, any ‘peeks’ he had gotten from other mares just from where they were walking didn’t really indicate that ponies were all that diverse in terms of breast size… not like human women were, anyway. But Seth quickly found those thoughts of his irrelevant when Schnee sunk just a smidge lower, and her teats pressed nice and firmly into the bulge that was quickly forming in his pants… …and rather suddenly at that. So much so that it even surprised him how quickly of an erection he got when they hadn’t been at their little moment for even a good minute. Call my dick Carolus Rex and watch him rise. As Seth continued to hold Schnee against him and counter-assault her tongue with his own, he had to stop himself from busting out laughing into at his dumbass joke. Unfortunately, this was a little more difficult than he had anticipated. It still worked in his favor, however, when instead of a cackle erupting directly into her mouth, Seth was able to restrain himself enough where it manifested into merely a pleasure-filled moan. This in turn let Schnee to separate slightly from him, and she smiled against his lips. Seth barely opened his eyes to see the happiest, lustful lavender pools staring back at him so closely… so intently… that he had enormous issue in not smiling back. Schneeblume nipped at his lips, and he let her know of all his thoughts with a rather prominent hum at her gesture… one that she had copied from him from the first time they ever kissed. The former assault trooper of his marefriend giggled lasciviously before speaking: “Someone’s excited…~” she cooed, then wiggled her lower haunches. …which had the rather immediate effect of nestling Seth’s lengthening member into the small little valley of cleavage she possessed with her teats. Though he was fully clothed, the tightness of his pants around his erection gave him all the immediate feeling he needed, and he had conceded fully that it felt amazing. Oddly enough, he had to also concede that he sort of missed the whole ‘woman pressing her chest into his own’ when they would be intimate… but this wholly made up for any of that, along with just Schnee being Schnee in general. Perhaps ‘boobs’ were the same, no matter what country or even planet and dimension someone hailed from. Seth bit her lower lip right back, and after snagging it between his teeth, he ran his tongue over it once, which caused Schneeblume to pull back with a girly squee. “What can I say?” Seth asked rhetorically as he began kissing down Schnee’s jawline. He earned a gentle little sigh or squeak with every deliberate, deep peck that he gave her as he made his way down. That was all the motivation he needed to continue, even as he spoke between each of his individual kisses: “You… …just… …make… …me… …excited… …every… …day….” By the time he finished his words, Seth had kissed the entire length down her jaw and her neck, ending right at her collarbone which he promptly sunk his teeth into. An aura of warmth and pleasure spread across his body and washed over his face when Schneeblume gave in completely and moaned unabashedly at his gesture… one which she clearly enjoyed more than what she would let on in a semi-public environment. This was what he lived for. And while he lapped his tongue against the sensitive skin of the crook of her neck, Seth smirked devilishly when he heard Schnee shakily groan out: “Seth…~” “Now it sounds like you’re getting excited, babe…” No rebuttal came from Schnee… at least that Seth could discern through her heavier breathing. One thing he did understand clear as day, however, was when Schnee pulled his head harder against her neck. He got the message clear as day. “Mhmmm!” he affirmed as his mouth went right back to sucking at her neck. He also discovered that what really got Schnee going was when he would press the flat of his tongue through what little of her coat covered her skin, and then almost try to force it through even further. Every time he did this, Schnee’s breath would hitch in her throat… and that in turn fueled his own erection in some odd feedback loop of arousal between the two. Seth continued to make out with Schnee’s neck, which he was more than content with even as he lost track of time—this was one of the gestures that he felt was a little more than underrated: necking. Plus, this allowed him to explore her body at his own pace with his tongue, which he would drag around her collarbone after each little kiss that he bestowed on her. Even though his dick was screaming for a release… howling like a Lovecraftian horror in the night demanding to be set free from a magical seal of his pants, he was enjoying himself immensely. It was the very idea of making the mare he cared about so much feel amazing that was pleasure-able experience in and of itself. Seth figured he wasn’t alone in this sentiment amongst other men, or even women. But unfortunately, his fun was cut a little too short when Schneeblume pulled him away from the sanctity of her neck and brought her face level with his own. Seth bit his lip as he gazed upon the completely blushed face of his mare, and how her lidded eyes were screaming at him… screaming at him to not only to have his way with her, but make sure that he felt it. Well… that’s what he hoped they said, at the very least. He could feel her breath breaking upon his face frequently in waves as she forced air into her lungs, and he further gave into her desires that she was projecting when she closed his lips on his once more. Seth reveled in her humming, and the fact that she almost desperately forced her tongue into his mouth—a gesture in which he would more than gladly meet as long as he was allowed to continue to run his fingers through her mane and her coat. Thankfully, she levied no argument again as he did exactly that. “Mmmmm…~” she moaned when Seth dug his fingers into her stiff, firm back muscles and drew rows down her body… dragging his fingers through her coat and down to her haunches right where her cutie mark lay. Seth began to aggressively bite at her lips when Schnee showed signs of retreating from her kiss, but this turned out to work in his favor as he got to hear her moan… moan from when he began massaging his fingers into her haunches. “Fuck, Seth!” Schnee groaned out… not entirely loud, but louder than their current activity had been thus far. What was even better was that Seth had never really heard Schnee swear outside of her native language. “Hmmm?” he responded, kissing the underside of her mouth as he continued to massage her ass. “Is this what you like?” he asked. Shit… did that sound sexy? Fuck if I know. I’ve always been bad at this… Thankfully, Schneeblume responded with a purposeful nod. “Mhmmm!” she said whilst biting her lip. “I love it,” came her raspy follow-up. Knowing he had the full clear to grope and massage as he pleased, Seth helped himself to two (2) full servings of Schneeblume’s ass and made sure both of his hands had more than their fill of her succulent rear. He relished in how firm and tight her muscular curvature was, and knowing without a shred of doubt that the ass that he had fawned over ever since he met her was definitely real in every aspect… haunches that were sculpted and honed in the crucible of endless hours of training and warfare… …and ultimately an ass that he couldn’t help but deliver unto a tiny, but firm smack. T’was a gamble that he was willing to take, given the circumstances. And t’was a gamble that Seth bet correctly on, as Schneeblume’s reaction to Seth’s ‘love tap’ was immediate… and she whined out in pure pleasure: “Oh fuck me, yeeesss!” Seth couldn’t help but giggle evilly at her reaction, but still held his grip firmly on her haunches. “And somepony definitely loved that,” he did well to mention. That’s when Seth had to immediately come to terms with the fact that he was not done being surprised by his mare at all… especially so when she extricated herself from him and yanked at the collar of his shirt with her teeth. Naturally, he got the message as his torso was getting tugged upward, and he was forced into a sitting position… but he didn’t even get to be comfortable here when Schnee started tugging at the hem of his shirt and doing her damndest to nearly rip it off of him. It got to the point that he couldn’t even get steady enough to do it himself. “Whoa… Schnee… SCHNEE!” Seth cried out as Schnee was quite literally crawling over him and grunting to get his shirt off his torso. “Goddamnit, Schnee! Hold the fuck up I’ll get it off, babe! Don’t worry!” “NEIN!” she exclaimed flat out which made him stop in his tracks… and at the same time strengthened his boner beyond. There was a little something about getting screamed at in her native tongue with associated sexual undertones that just pushed him to that special edge every time. But her tone brooked no argument in and of itself. “Okay…” Seth said, acquiescing to Schnee’s clear desire to be a big girl and do this herself. There was definitely the appeal in getting undressed by his undeniably sexy warrior princess… but when Schneeblume already began having trouble with trying to get any of his arms through the arm holes, he already knew that in the interest of time it would be easier to just take it off himself. However, like a protective puppy, every time Seth got his hands anywhere near the hem of his own shirt, Schneeblume would growl at him. “FIIIIINE…” Seth conceded. “But at least let me help out with this!” And before Schnee could even object, Seth fit his arms back through his sleeves, and left her the job of removing the garment from around his neck and over his head. It took a bit of awkward hoof placement but ultimately Schneeblume was much more successful this time around in her endeavor to rid Seth of his garment. “There… that’s better!” he said, finally happy to be free of his suddenly constrictive shirt. But a wave of self-consciousness suddenly arose him when he found Schneeblume staring… staring at his bare torso as it was on full display for her gawking. He himself was definitely happy where he was physically, but there was always room for improvement. He also was keenly aware that there were men who would always be in better physical shape than him… which further fueled an internal feedback loop of conflict regarding his appearance to his marefriend. But this was all promptly silenced when the mare herself sighed out blissfully and nuzzled her cheek into his pecs… all while biting her lip and emitting a low, gentle coo that sounded like she was purring. And at this point, Seth felt like his heart was trying to break out of his ribcage like a pissed off cockatoo. In his experiences with women, it was usually straight to the point (which wasn’t a bad thing, per se). But it was his first experience with a ‘girlfriend’ with whom he had his longest running relationship with. Furthermore, he felt such a more intimate attachment to her. As a result, it was these little things that made him appreciate her that much more… …and he never knew that he could become so much more constricted in his pants from simple, targeted nuzzling. Funny how nature do that. And as if Schneeblume happened to be reading his mind, after the two shared a couple-second kiss, he watched as she turned her gawking eyes downward. A slight ‘deer in the headlights’ moment washed over him, but was quickly assuaged when Schneeblume hummed out pleasurably and slid herself to the floor between his legs. “Time to get these off…~” she hummed out, and placed one of her hooves right atop of Seth’s tent. He shuddered briefly at the feeling, then motioned to help her speed up this whole process. It appeared that Schneeblume was much more receptive this time around, and didn’t make to bite his hand off lest he allow her to do it himself. Thankfully for both, it was a simple matter of just pulling down the elastic band of his mesh shorts and then discarding them entirely. Thus, he was left completely bare for Schneeblume’s viewing pleasure. Well, hopefully pleasure, of course. It wasn’t the rest of his body that Schnee was apparently concerned with, but rather the erect, engorged spire that was his dick… which was quite literally staring at her in the face. While now would be a good time to have any self-conscious thoughts, Seth felt none of the sort, and actually found it amusing how Schnee was wide-eyed, examining his dick from either side. But in another move that took him by surprise, she giggled that girly giggle of hers that would drive him absolutely insane… and then nuzzled his dick much like she did his chest not even a few moments prior. The sensation was amazing—interesting, but amazing nonetheless as she lavished his member with the same treatment as she would his face. She continued to run her soft, almost microfiber-esque cheeks up and down the length of his throbbing shaft before Seth thought of something that was actually important for the situation: “Mmmm… that feels amazing, babe… but question—how are we gonna, you know… do this?” Schnee pulled back momentarily to look up into his eyes, and gazed back questioningly whilst cocking her head to the right: “Hmm? What do you mean? I figured we’d do it the old-fashioned way?” she suggested. Seth pursed his lips. That didn’t help him at all. “Well, I think your definition of ‘old-fashioned’ is a bit different than mine. What’s your version mean?” Schneeblume shrugged. “I figured you’d just… you know… mount me?” Seth bobbed his head in consideration. The prospect of taking Schneeblume from behind was definitely appealing, especially if he got to stare at that ass the entire time. But once he thought about it from the position of anatomy and size disparity, he knew for a fact that he’d be at an incredibly awkward angle that wouldn’t be conducive to future back health. And in so thinking, he felt that Schnee had just not taken that into account either. Germans and logistics. Two mortal enemies. “I’m not so sure that’ll work, cutie. That’d probably destroy my back from the odd angle and positioning…” he voiced with no small amount of trepidation. Schneeblume still smiled at him, nonetheless. “Okay! Then what would you suggest?” she replied whilst batting her eyelashes. Clearly, she was eager for Seth’s suggestion as to how the two can get things on and not destroy each other’s bodies in the worst ways possible. That’s when he figured he’d take some initiative in the situation. And by ‘initiative,’ Seth meant picking up Schneeblume and reversing their positions. After a teeny squeak of surprise from the mare which upped the whole cuteness factor by like, a billion, Seth placed her onto her back with him leering down upon her. But the best part of this was that all the odd fumbling around didn’t have to take place anymore—his dick was perfectly lined up with a soaking Schneeblume’s crescent. Once the mare seemingly got over the sudden change in orientation, her expression bounced back to one of pure sex as she stared back up into Seth’s eyes. “Well, this is certainly… interesting,” she said, and then promptly added with an extra rasp of allusion in her voice: “But I must say, I love having you on top of me like this…~” Seth giggled. “And you have no idea how much I love being in this position with you… among other things,” he also alluded. He earned himself a chortle, and then a sexy giggle from Schneeblume. She then scooched her lower body down just enough where Seth’s dick pressed right up against her entrance. She was more than ready for him. And that eager expression on her face that could very easily rival his own had told him she was done with the small talk and limited foreplay. And her next words sealed the deal as Seth pushed past her labia with the head of his cock: “Mhmm! Take me, Liebling…~” There was no grand moment of enlightenment or odd moral conundrum that followed once he slowly thrust forward for the first time. He was now sheathed completely inside her. A moment of silence washed over the both of them as the two relished in their intimate joining. Only the sounds of their heavy, shuddering breaths in perfect sync with each other could be heard over the pouring rain pattering the rooftop. But even so, their two pairs of eyes remained trained on one another… and Seth took little issue in getting himself lost again in those lavender windows of hers. The sensation between his legs, however… was something else. He had had sex before with other women, and of course it felt awesome. But this time was something else—the lightness in his core that somehow extended down to his member, twitching with every heartbeat of his that was still somehow in perfect synch with Schnee’s. Though he probably outpaced Schnee’s heartrate when he watched her extend her wounded hoof up to his face and trace a line down the edge of his jaw. The feeling and meaning of that gesture—while their eyes never broke contact—was not lost upon him. But goddamn… Schneeblume felt amazing around him. Hell, perhaps a little more amazing than he expected. And this alone compelled him to break their little reverie and mention to Schnee: “Heh… babe I just need to apologize in advance but… I’m not gonna last long at all. Just wanted to get that out there,” he admitted with another awkward chuckle on his part. And whilst he took Schnee’s hoof in his hand and imparted a couple kisses upon it, Schneeblume responded to him with a mirrored shakiness and lust: “Hehe… kein Problem, Liebling,” she said, and Seth understood that well enough. “Because I don’t think I’m going to ‘last long’ either~.” Seth felt Schneeblume punctuating her words by giving a less-than-subtle wiggle to her lower body, which further stimulated his own. Most importantly, it reminded him to actually start doing something rather than just sit there on his knees with his erection taking up free real estate inside Schnee. Seth pulled his hips back, which only left the head of his dick still within his mare—her reaction was immediate, and she looked at him with a certain longing after emitting a gentle groan. One that he almost pitied with the emotions she conveyed. She wanted him back in her. Fully. And that’s what he would give her. Seth bucked forward and hilted himself entirely once again inside her, and Schnee emitted this tiny, curt squeak that made his member swell up that much more. Which, in turn, made his job that much harder in putting on some measure of an acceptable performance. But that gorgeous, blushed face that Schnee was giving him—complete with lidded eyes and barely-opened mouth… While Seth always had the desire to make Schnee smile and make her feel as amazing as possible in all aspects… this was now his only priority. Whatever mental video game he was playing had switched his objective to this being the primary. And he knew he couldn’t fail at that. Seth found an easy rhythm at first to test the waters for both him and her. He pulled his dick back entirely and would press himself fully back in her at easy intervals. He worked up a pistoning that was already making him feel light in the core from how amazing Schnee felt around him. His lust further helped him along when his eyes wandered down this mare’s porcelain, svelte form that seemed like it was crafted and sculpted from the best artisans that Alemaneia had at her disposal. Goddamn Seth loved her body… he loved how when she lay on her back like she was now, Schnee would curl her hooves into her chest in what made her look almost shy and reticent. He loved how her perfectly white coat topped that mouthwatering musculature that he had come to appreciate more and more every day of their relationship. He loved how her cute little navel looked amongst her smooth, velvety coat… also framed by the occasional scar that had been left behind as a relic from the War. But as Seth bit his lip and gazed down at his mare whilst properly fucking her, he loved how her body writhed and contorted to his gestures. And how her moans slowly picked up intensity and frequency to match with Seth’s own ‘coital rhythm.’ “Ahhhn~ Seth…” Schnee groaned, letting her head be fully embraced by her bed, and letting her eyes rest so she could truly feel. Seth never let up his thrusting but took every liberty in running his hands down Schnee’s form and digging his fingers into her skin where she loved it the most. Whatever it took to amplify the pleasure he was giving her—it was not even a second thought for him. But as he picked up some speed, Seth knew that whatever he did had to have been halfway decent when Schneeblume did her best to wrap her legs around him—to hold him in place. “That good, honey?” he asked with his own lustful inflection. Schneeblume nodded, and tried to press himself further into him each time that Seth sheathed himself fully within her. “Mhmmm~!” she said, then promptly added: “Harder…” Seth bit his lip. “Yeah? You want me to go harder?” “Ja bitte…” she moaned out at the mere suggestion. And who was Seth to deny his mare’s request for something so simple as slamming his cock into her? So it would be done, and upon Seth pulling back, he altered his rhythm by plunging himself as deep as he could possibly go with her, sacrificing speed for power. Her reaction was immediate, and she cried out through her now-open mouth. “Yeeeesssss! Just like that, Seth!” “Fuck yes…” he replied. Keeping this pace was no trouble for him physically, but what wasn’t helping him along was when Schneeblume was moaning cutely every time he filled her completely. Every time she did so, combined with every time she writhed or called his name was all the proof he needed to know he was succeeding in the goal he set out to achieve. The only problem was that this knowledge was making things worse for him on the endurance front. A stirring in his loins out of the electric amounts of pleasure he himself was getting was a telltale reminder that he was but a mortal man. And mortal men had their limits when it came to dicking down their love interests and not bursting too early. Yeah, he was definitely mortal. “Schnee… baby I’m sorry but I’m close already…” Schneeblume beckoned his face down and lavished him with a single, wet kiss as he continued to pound into her. That’s all she was able to do anyway considering the awkward angle of Seth’s back due to their size difference. “I don’t care Liebling… MMMM!” she groaned. “You have… ahhhnnn~… plenty of time to make it… JA!... up to me, hmm?” That thought alone made Seth’s smile widen. “Oh? You wanna go again after this?!” he dared ask, lest he lose control entirely. Schnee bit her lip, moaning as she nodded. “Mhmmm! Ja! I want you to fuck me again… “…and again… “…and again!” That desire to take her in every single way that entered his mind was nearly too much for him, and Seth was barely able to regain control to at least warn Schnee of the inevitable: “Fuck babe… I’m gonna cum…!” Schnee’s face brightened with blushed glee. “Ja! Then cum! Cum! Cum so you can fuck me again! “Cum!” Her encouragement was all Seth needed to thrust forward once more and drain himself completely inside Schneeblume. As he poured his pearlescence into her, Seth could feel his entire body spasming lightly as he came the hardest he ever did in his life up to this point… and this was further prolonged by Schnee groaning in absolute ecstasy as she no-doubt felt him literally filling her up. And that feeling of emptying himself remained on his mind as he went into autopilot, doing his best to press his lips to his marefriend’s before her wish was granted for another ‘offensive’ of sorts. [Later That Night…] The hours passed by like minutes, and Seth had no recollection of when the sun went down. Likely because he was more concerned with being quite literally balls-deep in Schneeblume during that time. It still continued to amaze him how a heated training exercise and the pouring rain could ignite something so fierce within the two of them… one that would inevitably be brought out in the heavy petting that followed after such a productive day. And this time, it had pushed the two over the edge entirely. And after that first round together, Seth had lost count of how many times the two went at it, each time somehow more intense than the last. The end result was what he currently basked in, eyes staring at the ceiling as a bout of silence veiled him and Schnee… well, other than the random assortments of bodily fluids that absorbed into her bed. They could clean sheets later… or burn them if they so needed to. No issue at all. Seth could practically feel the dopey smirk on his face—this was the culmination of everything he had worked for since he and Schnee got together… and it was somehow even more amazing than he could have ever thought possible. His lower body was sore like a motherfucker, and he wasn’t entirely sure he could feel his legs beneath the heavy covers of Schnee’s bed. One thing he was sure of—his dick was entirely placated. It slumbered soundly in its lair buried in between his legs, his mesh shorts, and the velvety covers of the bed. And there it rested and rejuvenated itself until the next time Seth would valiantly call it into action, and to take up the figurative sword for the crusade into Schneeblume’s sheath. Seth chuckled. Well, that’s ONE way to imagine it. His chuckling with no outward context seemed to rouse his partner, who was cuddled up with her muzzle wedged under his chin and her right hoof thrown over his torso—a rather favorite sleeping/napping position of both of them. “Heh, what’s so funny, Schatz?” Schnee inquired softly. Seth could feel her smile, and her gentle exhales breaking against his neck further added to the wondrousness of such a simple snuggling position. He separated from Schnee with a smirk but only just—he reoriented them so the two faced each other on the same pillow. “Hehe, nothing really—just… thinking of how everything went down today. From the training, to the silly words, to… well, here,” he said. Despite the night having cast a comforting shadow over the room and bathed the two of them in a sleep-conducive darkness, Seth was quite fond of the contrast between Schnee’s lavender eyes and the nightly veil. Her porcelain features were just visible enough—but her eyes were ever a sight to behold. And he quickly found himself getting lost in her gaze again. At least one of his hands and one of her hooves remained joined at all times. Schneeblume giggled heartily, nuzzling her face into the pillow. “Today was… interesting to say the least,” she said, then nodded. “Ja… that I’ll admit.” She continued, falling back into another reverie, but voicing her daydream out loud. “I kinda wonder about the same thing but on a different level... how I ended up from being so shattered at the end of the War to... well, as you said: here,” she finished with a smirk. Seth smirked right back at her and nodded. “Yeah, I can only imagine... as for me, I knew when I heard of this military program back on Earth that there would be quite a few new things in store for me but... not like this, that’s for sure,” he reinforced. He also stroked Schnee’s cheek with this thumb, while he cupped her face for a couple of seconds. Seth watched as Schneeblume lidded her eyes and sighed out blissfully. He then saw her reach with her right hoof and place the flat of it softly against his cheek, returning his gesture. He felt the sudden, cool contrast of ceramic on his skin. Then he let his eyes fall shut as a result and opted to just exist in the moment as Schnee traced the line of his jaw. In resting his eyes, he heard Schneeblume coo: “Seth... mein Schatz... my amazing, wonderful, understanding coltfriend...” He didn’t really understand much of the latter half of her words, but he knew just from her tone that she was speaking sweet little nothings about him. He responded by gently taking her hoof back into his hand and bringing it up to his face so he could kiss it properly. That’s when he decided to open his eyes, expecting to see her blushing like crazy and smiling like she always did when he bestowed the little gestures on her. And he did see just that... but what he didn’t expect—which made him recoil oh so slightly—was seeing Schneeblume’s beaming face marred with misty eyes and rivulets of tears beginning to dampen down her face. Seth’s boyfriend-ly instincts instantly kicked in, and he scooched closer and placed his left hand comfortingly on her cheek once more. “Hey hey hey... what’s wrong, babe? Did I do something bad? Say something weird?” he asked, perhaps a little too overzealously in his mind. But his immediate fears were assuaged somewhat when Schnee only smiled through her tears and shook her head. She held his hand to her face with her hoof whilst giggling. “No, dear, nothing at all! It's just...” Schnee pursed her lips, seemingly jogging her mind for the right words. “...I’m just so—so happy with you, Seth.” It was one of the few times that Seth actually felt words and acknowledged how they affected him physically. He had all the implicit (and explicit) clues he could have wanted regarding how Schneeblume felt about their relationship, but this was the first time that she had emotionally stated how happy she actually was. A very specific type of happiness—specific for a man—welled up within him and was threatening to overflow from his own eyes. “Ahhh, Schnee… heh, babe you’re gonna get me started, too…” he joked, preemptively wiping his own eyes. Schnee seemed undeterred… especially when she then slid flush against Seth to bury her face in his neck. “About three years into the war, I met somepony…” she began. Seth recognized the sudden turn of her storytelling tone of voice, and his attention turned fully towards her. Though he could only really stare at the ceiling on account of their snuggling orientation, he still ran his fingertips through Schnee’s mane and over her scalp as she began whatever story she wanted to tell him. “Okay…” he said and bade her to continue. “Ponies getting together during the War was a lot more common than one might think… but I was one of them. I met a stallion by the name of Silber. By this time, I was already in my assault unit, but he was frontline infantry.” Schneeblume took a deep breath, sighed out, and then continued: “The War had a habit of bringing some ponies together romantically… or lustfully. Most likely because it gave us some comfort during our time in hell. ‘Trench marriages,’ as they were called, were somewhat common, usually right before major offensives. Same with sex in general. I’m sure I don’t need to explain why…” Seth nodded with perfect understanding. “No, of course,” he said. “Silber and I got to know each other when my Stoßtruppe unit marched back from the front after a successful trench capture. He pretty much trot up to me while I was resting and started fawning over me, completely enamored… and just trying to chat me up. “But he was good looking. I had just come back from a battle. I was tired, sweaty, bloody, and not in any right state of mind. If you honestly believe that I snatched him and took him right back to barracks…” Seth waited with bated anticipation at her words, with his preconceived notions already fresh in his mind, ready to be dashed. He also knew for a fact that she was deliberately hanging on her words. “…then you would be absolutely right!” Seth had to stifle the deep laughter that threatened to blow over from deep in his core. “Precautions had to be taken, of course. Mares who got pregnant accidentally… or purposefully to avoid frontline duty were threatened with court martial. Stallions who knowingly participated in such schemes were sent to the most active section of the front. “That wasn’t me, though. I just wanted some relief after everything… just a little bit of happiness. But, of course, it happened to end up more than that. Over our short time together, we developed some sort of an odd routine,” she further explained. Seth continued to quietly listen to her story, knowing full well that this was probably about to get very painful for her. “Mhmm…” he said. “From the way our units were used during those times, I would get sent on a mission with my platoon. He would be waiting in the trenches to prevent against any counterattack. We would usually meet up in those same trenches when we would march back home after a mission completion. “It was the first bit of normalcy that I had ever had in the past three years… normalcy other than the death and destruction, that is. For the first time in my life, I think I was content. Scheiß, I felt in love…” Seth bobbed his head. It made perfect sense to him, especially when emotions ran high during war and were probably not quite in equilibrium. Schneeblume continued: “One day, a counterattack came right after an attack by my unit was repulsed. As per a plan, we led them right into our awaiting trench firing line. It was a horrific fight that got really close and personal. I… I still remember every detail as to how it happened… “B-But the important thing is, we both survived. And when the shock hadn’t even worn off, he proposed to me in the middle of a bombed-out trench.” Seth heard her chuckle softly. “And I said yes. I loved him, after all. And he loved me. But… we agreed upon something that was a little different than similar situations: We would survive the war, then be married. Then, we would settle down in a life of peace together. “It was a dangerous gamble, emotionally. But we were willing to play that game.” Seth nodded, toying with the tip of Schnee’s ear between his fingers. Schneeblume’s follow-up, however, was not immediately forthcoming. A small bout of silence took over the conversational air of the night. Seth could only infer what was going on in her head as she was recalling these undoubtedly painful details of the War. Especially considering one thing that Seth knew was readily apparent: Schnee was not married. Her voice finally came through, much timider than before: “There’s a reason why Der Oberkommando des Reichsheeres—” “The over-what-now?” Seth interrupted. Schnee giggled. “OKR—the Imperial Army High Command. I’ll make you fluent in Alemaneian, yet!” Schnee answered with a joking tone that rebounded only for a small moment. She continued: “There was a reason OKR discouraged relationships at the front during wartime. I was the prime example of this: my objective changed from completing my missions as successfully as possible… “…to ‘surviving.’” Seth added: “Makes sense to me—if I have something like that to look forward to when the war ends, I’d be doing my damndest to not needlessly put myself in further harm’s way.” “Exactly,” Schnee replied. “It’s literally our job description as soldiers—even more so for assault troops like me. So, performance would often suffer in front line units as they fought to only stay alive.” She shook her head. “Not that it mattered, though. Almost a month exactly before the War ended, Silber was killed during a gas attack. I watched him die.” Seth pursed his lips and sighed out. Well, there it is. “I’m sorry, babe…” Seth felt compelled to say, though he wasn’t sure whether that was the right thing to say. Probably should’ve kept your mouth shut, actually… Seth expected Schnee to absolutely lose it—this was a super painful memory, after all. Watching somepony die an excruciating death would be painful for anyone, but even more so if that person was someone that they loved. He couldn’t imagine what went through her mind during every agonizing moment of that scene. However, she… didn’t. He felt no change in her posture, heard no sniffles, and felt no tears against him other than the ones she had spilled slightly earlier. Instead, he only felt her head shaking slowly, seemingly in reflection. “I had never felt more broken in my life at that point. I had no more tears to cry. The War had taken everything from me,” she said shakily, and her ending words almost had a sense of pent up, silent rage to them. “I had just accepted that after then, I wouldn’t be able to love like I did anymore… if I even was in love, really. Maybe it was the War doing the talking for us. But after everything I did lose, I felt I wouldn’t be able to build such relationships like that—friends or otherwise—for fear of losing them like I lost everything…” This time around, Seth felt it was the better option to not say anything, and just hold Schneeblume in his arms for however long she liked. Beyond that, he wasn’t even sure what he could say that would meaningfully add to her words… “But…” she began anew. This time though, Schnee wrested herself from Seth’s hold and lay on top of him. Her frizzy, matted mane fell over her neck and down the right side of her face, tickling Seth’s cheek as he stared back up into those lavender pools. Pools that regarded him so warmly. “The Crusaders… and you proved to me that maybe I wasn’t too far gone for friendship and romance,” she said. And Seth sighed blissfully and let his eyes fall shut when Schnee pressed the tip of her nose lovingly to his. She then nuzzled him as she beamed. “And no matter what happens between us, I’ll be forever grateful to you for showing me this, mein Schatz.” 6. The Prospering | Epilogue [A Couple Years Later…] The gentle foot and hoof-falls of a decent trek came to an abrupt halt as the first rows of stones came into view—a single section nestled within lushness of grass and trees. Though the morning mist was still ever present, the sun above began poking holes through the clouds above. As the sounds of early-morning wildlife entered into her ears, and as the cold helped to bristle her coat, Schnee still found herself markedly comfortable where she was. The war had turned her into a morning pony… or rather, one who could easily adapt to whenever the hell she needed to get up. She sighed blissfully as she stood quietly beside her human. When it came to a trip back to Earth with Seth, she’d be up whenever he wanted her to be. Even more so when he wanted her to meet his parents… and take a trip to a continent named ‘Europe’ to see some of the sites of the humans’ own ‘Great War.’ He apparently wanted to give her a ‘gift’ of sorts. He gave her more than she could have ever hoped. “Well, here we are,” Seth’s voice comfortably broke the somber silence, and Schnee’s thoughts. A breeze blew over the duo and served to mess up a couple strands of her long, flowing mane that was just getting a tad too long for her. Seth loved her mane when it was long, however… and she in turn loved when he would run his fingers through it. She felt the drawbacks were outweighed by the benefits, wholly. Even after these short, couple years. The little things still mattered to her—to the both of them. "Langemark Cemetery, Belgium. Close by to what was once called the ‘Ypres Salient.’” Schneeblume smiled up at him—to which he returned the gesture in the same way as he always did since the day they met—and gazed over the identical stones in perfect rows. “So it seems…” she said, nodding, and then aiming her gaze forward. “And the pon—the men buried here. They’re like me?” Seth nodded down to her and offered her a gentle smirk. “Yeah. They’re German. Just like Alemaneians. Those that died during our First World War.” Schnee nodded again, her eyes scanning over every stone over this one section. “How many?” Seth seemed to take a couple seconds for an educated guess. Not that it was super important to her, but she did want to know at least a ballpark. “Forty-five thousand, I think. Maybe fifty?” Schneeblume pursed her lips and nodded once. So many. For one cemetery no less. As they stood at the edge, and the occasional, other human visitor came and went, Schneeblume was washed over with a certain feeling. It was somewhat familiar to her from when she would visit memorials for the Equidae War—a feeling of somberness and respect for those who didn’t make it out like she did. But… this was different for her. She felt almost a sense of kindredness. Like she belonged here… not in a morbid sense though. She felt welcomed. And another gentle gust of a breeze through the trees tickled at her face, and further calmed her nerves… ones that were high ever since she was brought to Earth for a tour of the Great War sites. She thought that she might not have been welcomed in any of their memorial sites. She was glad to have been wrong on so many levels. And this time, Schneeblume decided to ask something of Seth straight from her heart: “Liebling?” Seth’s eyes met hers and he smiled. “Ja, meine Blume?” Schnee felt her cheeks go red at that comment—Seth had been getting more creative with his words as he got better with her native language. “Could… Would you mind giving me a few moments?” Schnee asked tentatively, feeling the confidence in her voice taper off as the last of her words exited her mouth. Her sudden lack of confidence, however, appeared to be unfounded. Seth smiled brightly at her and seemed to wordlessly convey that he understood exactly what she wanted. He was getting good at reading her. Too good, perhaps. “Of course, babe. I knew you’d probably want some time here, of all places,” he said. That’s when he reached forward and cupped Schnee’s cheek, which she instinctively leaned into whilst unable to contain her beaming smile. But in the midst of her sudden lack of spatial awareness, she was also bestowed a kiss on her lips by her beau. Oh, how she adored him. “Take as much time as you need. I’ll come check up on you in a little while. Sound good?” Schnee only had to bat her eyelashes and respond with a now-timeless sentence: “I love you.” Seth blushed, then toyed with her ear in with his fingers for a single second. “Love you too, babe.” Schnee watched him turn on his heels and stroll back from whence they came. She internally commented how that dress uniform of his fit him so well… how the gold threads of the Solar Guard were complemented by the navy ones of the Lunar Guard. She bit her lip—he looked hot. But more importantly, it reminded her of his achievements. He made it… and though he never failed to thank her consistently for her help, she knew he did it himself. That warmth that had entered her heart from the day they met was as strong as ever, swimming in her chest. She was so proud of him. She took a deep breath and looked back towards the cemetery, and a quick glance around revealed that she was alone within earshot… Not that it really mattered, but she preferred to do her revering with a little extra privacy, especially when there existed a certain kindredness of the fallen. Schneeblume stepped forward with her ceramic hoof, making her first hoof-mark in the beautifully manicured grass. Nothing willed her away, and she pressed onward in an easy trot until she happened upon the first row of stones. A certain calmness entered into her heart, one that compelled her to close her eyes and take a deep, thoughtful breath as another welcoming breeze surrounded her form—one that embraced her like an old friend. At that moment, a feeling most inexplicable wafted over her corporeal form: She was tired, despite the gratuitous amounts of sleep and hearty breakfast she was afforded. Her hind legs were fatigued… and she felt compelled to sit down. And so she did, plopping her haunches down on the grass between two stones. She regarded the left gravestone with gentle, prideful reverence whilst reading the name embossed on it: Friedrich Müller… Schneeblume sighed out once with a somber smile. As a gentle tear made itself known to the world in her right eye and traveled down her cheek, she placed her left hoof against the stone and traced a single line downward. Further—though she could not explain why she felt compelled to do such a thing—she began to recite something most familiar to her: “The land was scarred. The grass will grow. “The air was poisoned. The breeze will blow. “The flowers snuffed. But they will bloom. “Life was born here. Taken much too soon. “But beauty will always return to the Seel—” Schneeblume caught herself in the spur of the moment, and made one adjustment to a poem she had written those years ago: “But beauty will always return to Flanders Fields.” She recited her entire work from memory, and duly made sure to replace a certain Seele Plains with Flanders Fields out of respect for the fallen in front of her. To her, the warmth in her cheeks on this cool morning demonstrated that perhaps… the change fit. And someone clearing their throat right beside her indicated that she might’ve not been speaking to herself. “Did you write that yourself?” called a voice in a familiar tongue. Torn out of her reverie, Schneeblume gasped and nearly jumped out of her own coat—startled. She whipped her gaze to the right and found a young man in the midst of taking a seat next to her. Getting a good look at him as she controlled her heartrate, Schnee immediately discerned that his features were quite young—at least several years younger than Seth. His short, yet unkempt black hair whipped with the gentle breeze that coursed over the cemetery, and his piercing green eyes (which complemented his pale visage along with a sharp jaw) found hers with a platonic warmness that Schnee found so familiar… …too familiar. Yet, she could not place it. The only thing she found mildly out of the ordinary was his choice of attire, which seemed somewhat ‘dated’ compared to the more contemporary clothes of the human’s she’d interacted with thus far. It looked plain, almost like one of her uniforms she used to wear in the army, but immaculately pressed and cleaned. Perhaps this man was currently in the service—Schnee met no shortage of current and former military personnel. She replied in her identical, yet different tongue: “I did… some different context from where I came from but… it felt right for some reason. I don’t know why,” she replied, huffing after some sudden introspection. The newcomer folded his arms over his knees and smiled right back at her, revealing perfect teeth. “Well, I must say it was beautiful to hear.” Schneeblume returned a half-smirk. “Thank you! Safe to assume you were eavesdropping?” she teased. The German man shrugged with a knowing grin, chuckling warmly all the while. “Heh, I tend to catch many conversations around here when I come and visit,” he said, turning his gaze away and staring off into the distance for a few moments. Schneeblume’s feelings eluded her for the umpteenth time this day. Something seemed off about this human—she was often privy to sudden conversation by virtue of being a pony in the human world, on top of being a veteran. But she was again struck by the aura of familiarity from this man. As if she knew him somehow. Her mild daydream was disrupted when the human turned to her again: “Still. It’s… good to know that this place hasn’t been forgotten after nearly a century. Still plenty of visitors that I’ve seen,” he said, nodding. Schneeblume nodded as well, sighing out in an untold relief. “That’s so reassuring! Our… ehm… ‘Great War’ ended about eight years ago. I still worry that ponies like me will be forgotten. Especially the ponies that never got to live. I think I can rest a little easier now…” she mused aloud. The man offered his right hand to her and smiled. “Walter Weber.” Schneeblume returned the smile and offered her ceramic hoof to his palm. “Schneeblume Herbstlicht. Lovely to meet you, Walter!” Walter glanced down at their joined hand and hoof and seemed particularly unfazed by her prosthetic. In fact, he only nodded and returned his gaze to her eyes, smiling fondly at her. They didn’t have to even say a word to each other in that moment of camaraderie. “The pleasure is all mine, Lady Herbstlicht.” Walter called attention to something new on Schnee’s right hoof: A gold wedding band. “I see you have found a lucky man!” Schneeblume blushed and regarded her band with love almost leaking from her eyes. The gold glimmered in what little sun was able to break through the mist and cloud layer. It reminded her of just a week prior, when he proposed to her literally right after she met his parents. She could not remember any time she cried such tears of joy in her life… having welled up with such strong, positive emotion that she was simply not used to. Of course she said ‘yes!’ She then giggled and sighed out dreamily, her eyes misting over at the amazing memory that would be cherished until the day she died. Especially so, as she repeated her answer to Seth’s proposal. Yes! A million times yes! To both our worlds, yes! “I did. I never thought I’d be able to after my war… but, he’s my everything now. I don’t know what I’d do without him,” she thought aloud. Walter smirked. “It seems you’ve come a long way… but the scars never leave, do they?” Schnee raised an internal eyebrow at that question… it was oddly specific for her, especially from one who appeared so young and—dare she say—naïve. But yet… the question felt right. “They… don’t,” Schnee hesitated with her answer, regarding Walter with renewed suspicion. “And they never will. They can only become less visible.” Walter nodded and reached to his right whilst continuing the conversation: “I would like you to do something for me, if you feel so inclined, Miss Schneeblume…” Before Schnee could even—curiously—inquire on what he could possibly mean by that, Walter handed her a flower: A poppy, having beautifully bloomed. “I would like you to live,” Walter continued, his tone turning from friendly and cordial to almost pleading in nature. And yet, his bright, gorgeous, inviting smile never waned. Schnee’s gazed flicked back and forth from his face to the flower, to which she tentatively yet instinctually reached for. It called to her. And she would have it. “Live for all of us, man and pony, who never got the chance. Live in happiness. Live in peace.” Schnee could barely process what he was saying, especially when her attention was focused on the gorgeous, blood-red poppy in the crook of her wounded hoof. Someone suddenly called to her from behind: “Hey gorgeous!” Seth’svoice rang out through the morning mist as he strode over to her. “You doing alright, babe?” he further inquired. Her confusion waned away in his sudden presence, and she smiled up at him, nodding. “Ummm, yeah! I was just—” She gestured towards her right to introduce her fiancé to Walter… …only, he was no longer there. Schneeblume blinked. Then blinked again, hard. She then recoiled and got to her hooves, glancing all around her as her coat bristled. Nothing but the wind and the two of them were present in the immediate area. Silence reigned supreme. The somber mood had returned. Seth did not appear blind to her sudden change in mood, and he knelt to eye-level. “Hey… something up?” he asked. Schnee’s mouth opened, but no words came out… nor did any thoughts materialize in her head. In an attempt to rationalize the last few minutes, her eyes happened to glance at the gravestone that lay to her right: Walter Weber. She could feel her face going pale… and that’s when she lifted her right hoof to her face, where a lone poppy rested in its crook. Schnee cocked her head and twirled it in her grasp as she fought with her words, especially as more tears began to well up in her eyes. Did… did that just happen? Seth seemed to notice this as well: “Hey, cool! You found a poppy! But… where? There aren’t any around here,” he noted his observation, drawing his own gaze around the area. Schneeblume continued to regard the poppy in her hoof, and she could slowly feel her mouth curling upward as warm feelings returned to her core. An again-inexplicable heat rose to her face as a flurry of emotions ran through her mind, making her feel like she wanted to cry and laugh altogether. Without answering Seth, she placed the flower atop of Walter’s stone. Thank you, Walter. I WILL live. Rest in peace. Schneeblume then turned fully to Seth, smiled up at him, and locked eyes as she stood on her hind legs. Instinct kicked in for the both of them as the two embraced one another, with Schnee wrapping her left hoof around his neck and leaning back just enough to get a good look. Seth cocked his head, and silently asked his previous question inquiring about her emotional state, given where they were, and what he was not privy to just now. Schneeblume, however, wanted to answer him vocally: “Kein Problem, mein Schatz. I just… had a moment, was all,” she explained vaguely. She didn’t know how he would react if she told him the full truth. Perhaps she would tell him at a later date… of Walter. Schnee continued, beaming brightly at Seth as the sun began to cut a swathe through the morning clouds. “I was also reminded that I made the right choice… and that I eagerly await to see what our life together holds,” she said, unashamed at the two small drops cascading down from her eyes. Seth’s face brightened, and he adopted his trademark sarcasm and jest: “You sure, Schnee? The return window’s still open, you know…” Schneeblume couldn’t stem the tide of her pent-up laughter… laughter infused with all the joy and love she had for this silly human. From the first day they met, to their first kiss, to their first training session, and to the first time they came together and made love, Schneeblume had never felt so strongly about anyone, or anything. “That won’t be necessary, Seth. As sappy as it may sound I... I just... can’t wait to live in peace with you.” The two shared a tender kiss and pressed their noses together, beaming brighter than the sun, all the while. Author's Note *Closes Book and places pen down* Of many endings I've done to stories, I wanted to try something a little bit different. I went with my gut here with what I liked and felt was right. In the end, I think this was a halfway decent sendoff for this couple after a short story, and I can only hope you think so, too! Thank you guys SO much for reading in this little corner of the woods. I just hope you guys enjoyed the ride as much as I enjoyed putting drivel to paper. Please feel free to comment your likes, dislikes, rants, concerns, lambastings, etc. below. In the end, it's how I improve as a writer, whether I'm shitposting or not. Again, thank you SO MUCH, and I hope I'll be seeing you around soon for some other cool things going on! ~Flamm 4. The Blooming [Several Weeks Later…] Today had been one of those ‘odd’ days for Seth. Firstly, he ended up sleeping through his alarm in the morning—unheard of considering he was one of the lightest sleepers imaginable. Secondly, while deciding to take himself to breakfast, he ended up accidentally bumping into (and spilling a drink all over) some batpony mare that sounded quite Scottish, who then proceeded to tear into him with the most Shakespearean-level of grotesque profanity he had ever heard in his entire life. And thirdly, Schneeblume had requested his presence sometime after lunch for an unknown reason, other than the fact of it being a ‘surprise,’ and ‘something that’ll be good for you in the long run, I promise. Just make sure to bring any of your martial arts gear that you have.’ And in thinking back to even before the two were an item, his sentiment regarding girls ‘scheming’ was never bound to end well… or at least, go the way he anticipated at all. But then again, that was likely the whole point of ‘surprise.’ Still, it didn’t stop him from speculating what she wanted to accomplish regarding his gear—of which consisted mainly of some gloves to hit a bag back at his place. Either way, he figured it would be best to dress for the possible occasion as he made his way down the familiar path from his place to hers. A loose fitting, black shirt would do the trick, as he felt perhaps Schneeblume had some workout regimen in mind… …which was also kinda weird now that he thought of it. Was she trying to say he was fat or something? A quick glance downward confirmed that he, in fact, was not… and a due diligence running of both of his hands up his stomach confirmed that the modest outline of his abs was still present. Thanks, Krav Maga and a decent gym! Plain mesh, gray shorts would also suit him well assuming his assessment of Schneeblume’s out of the blue request was correct—and as he rounded the corner into the beautiful garden of the Herbtstlicht household that had become so familiar to him, he hoped he had made the right call. Seth raised his right fist to her door, and despite his reservations, a bright complexion was slapped on his face—it was never a dull moment to see his marefriend. Only one way to find out! He knocked three times in rapid succession and fixed his hair, which was getting a little longer down the back of his neck. Within a few moments, the door flew open. Seth—bright smile still adorning his face at the very presence of his marefriend—opened his mouth to greet her but instead was greeted by a porcelain-white, ball of velvety coat, jet black mane, and beaming smile lunging herself at his face. “Hey ba—AAAABE!” Schneeblume’s entire body slammed into Seth’s upper torso and he was barely able to catch and hold her under her butt… as well as nearly stumbling off the front steps and taking them both to the ground. Clearly Schnee didn’t care, as all she did to alleviate the situation that she put the two of them in was to giggle whilst pecking his entire face with tiny, wet kisses. And since she showed no signs of stopping after several seconds (and since the ‘poor’ dude couldn’t see straight on account of something on his face) he decided to just let his ass fall to the soft grass beneath them and let Schneeblume have her way with this face. Not exactly a bad situation to be in, if he was being completely honest with himself. But good lord, she just wouldn’t let up smothering him. “Hey… you doing okay hon’?” he dared to interrupt Schnee’s little reverie. Now unabashedly sitting in his lap, the mare pulled back from assaulting his face and beamed at him. Seth could have sworn he saw a massive sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him, which made him feel light on the clouds. “Quite,” she simply said before connecting her lips with his. Seth’s eyes shuttered close by reflex of contact with her lips, and both of them instantly started deeply making out with one another with Schneeblume dictating the entire cadence of their little semi-public display of affection. Every brief second the two of them separated for air, the two would immediately smash back together… and what really got him going was that Schnee would hum out in pleasure every time she exhaled. Their tongues tentatively greeted each other at the forefront of their joined mouths as well, though only the tips thus far. He could feel her front hooves wrapped tightly around his neck, though he did notice one thing that was different: the lack of a fair portion of mass and weight of her right hoof—which meant that she indeed did not have her prosthetic on. This was the first time she ‘stood before’ him without the remainder of her hoof. Most curious… but I sure as shit ain’t gonna complain right now. Damn right you’re not... cunt. After an undetermined amount of time, the two separated for the final time and ended their long, protracted kissing session. Schneeblume, however, merely held herself up by Seth’s neck supporting her hooves, and she pressed her forehead to his so their eyes were squarely trained on nothing else but each other. She finally spoke: “Hallo!” Then she giggled and blushed, which was still as contagious to Seth as it was on the first day they met. Seth smiled warmly in return and kissed the brim of her forehead. “Hello to you too!” he replied. Schneeblume rubbed her nose against his and giggled yet again. Her smile almost seemed drawn on for how permanent it was on her face. “Damn babe… you’re really affectionate today! Not that I’m complaining!” he mentioned with a sly, teasing smile. Schneeblume lidded her eyes and chuckled through a wide smile in return. “Don’t act like you’re making it easy not to be…” she quipped, then stroked her right hoof over Seth’s jawline. “Especially with this bit of stubble right here… you should keep this more often!” Seth was not blind to the implicit ‘suggestion.’ He’d wait a day or two extra between shaves moving forward now. He bit his lip and nipped at hers… then kissed her once. “You’re right…” he said, and then kissed her again. “I’m not making it easy.” He kissed her again. “And neither are you.” And again. And again… …and again. Seth had suddenly turned the tide on an assault that Schneeblume had full control over… and after peppering her face with indiscriminate kisses (because to him, she was just that kissable), Schnee emitted a combination of laughter, squee-ing, and lighthearted shrieks as Seth fought to ‘subdue’ her. However, during their little bit of ‘roughhousing,’ Schnee suddenly jerked her head to the right to avoid another onslaught from Seth’s lips… …and in turn, his mouth landed straight in the crook of her neck. Seth finding his face buried in warm, velvety coat was one thing… but hearing Schneeblume emit a soft, yet pronounced moan was another. Both froze immediately, and two sets of eyes shot open. Neither moved for what seemed like a small eternity, but by some planned synchronization, both pulled away and—while still holding each other—dared gaze each other down again. No rose in the garden could compare to how burning red both their cheeks were… but for Seth, hearing Schnee emit such a sound had aroused him in more ways than he had thought imaginable. It would be by sheer force of divine intervention that the mare sitting on his lap, looking as stunned as he was, was not feeling the after-effects of a sudden exodus of blood southward. She had to have noticed… and if she looked downward there would probably an awkward yet not-so awkward explanation to be given. Really, what was Seth even to say to that? Silently, he awkwardly averted his gaze from her… at the exact same time she did from him. And Schnee said what they were both thinking with about as much awkwardness as he would come to expect: “L-Lets go inside… ja?” Seth nodded emphatically. “Yeah! Yeah, good idea,” he said. He patted Schnee’s side twice and she promptly ‘dismounted’ him, and once he got to his feet, he was again reminded of the fact that she was not wearing her prosthetic. Indeed, this was the first time he had ever seen her without it and was greeted with what almost looked like—from a couple feet away—just a smaller version of her left hoof. Only when she held it level instead of letting it touch the ground did he see the final product of her war procedure: four skin flaps folded up at the tip to create a ‘nub’ of sorts of what remained. He certainly wasn’t put off by it—their little makeout session that almost went too far was a clear indication of that. But it was an interesting development, at least in Seth’s eyes, that she would allow him to see her without it. Though… perhaps that could be reaching, considering that she might not be all that shy about it—maybe it was just coincidental that after a couple months together as an item, he never saw her without it. Seth stretched out and picked up his fallen boxing gloves, then decided to call attention to her hoof as Schnee led the way back into her house… which was made even more apparent by she having the tiniest of limps in her walk—likely the result of perfecting life without a good chunk of her leg for the last several years. She either barely let it touch, or completely held it level off the ground. “Huh, never seen you without your prosthetic. Where’s the rest of your hoof, hun?” he both seriously questioned, and jested at the same time. Schnee called back over her shoulder as the two walked past the threshold of the front door: “Honestly, probably somewhere in the Seele Plains.” Seth blinked harshly at her response. Did he hear her correctly? “Huh?” he dared to ask. “Hmm?” she returned his question without a hitch, nor any acknowledgement of her previous words. Roight. He also thought he noticed her walking with an extra sashay in her hips—that, or he was becoming more of an ass-man… much more quickly than he expected. She’s totally doing that on purpose, dude… By habit once again, he kicked off his shoes and placed the pair neatly by the doorway, then shut the door properly behind the two of them. “So!” Seth began the conversation anew and clapped both his hands together eagerly. “Not that I’m never happy to come over or see you at all… but what’s the occasion? You seemed pretty insistent this time around! “Again…” he held both his hands level. “Not complaining. Will never turn down an opportunity to look at a gorgeous work of art,” he finished with a wink. Of course, Schneeblume blushed—he knew how to hit that switch at will, now. But this time she returned it with an eye-roll. “Oh for… Seth you’re really too much sometime, I swear,” she giggled nonetheless. She pointed her stubbier right hoof towards the kitchen. “Can you do me a favor, Liebling, and fetch me the remainder of my leg?” she asked with a nigh undetectable joking inflection to her tone. “Sure!” Seth nodded with a bright smile and started on his way. Schnee made her way down the hallway towards her bedroom. “I’ll tell you all in a moment, Seth! Just bring that back to my room please~,” she requested. Seth answered with an exaggeratedly creepy, old-man voice: “You got it, toots!” And clearly his choice in vocabulary and tone was sound, since he heard Schneeblume snort from down the hall. Her prosthetic wasn’t hard to find at all. A few steps into the kitchen and he found it resting—freshly cleaned and shined—on the dining room table waiting for him. Seth held his hand out and he hovered tentatively over the lifeless ceramic and metal appendage, feeling an odd sense about touching what was essentially a body part of Schneeblume… without her actually attached to it. Still, he then picked it up and felt the sheer heft in his palm. He turned it to face him and watched it go limp around the hinge, then juggled it lightly. Heavier than I thought it was… impressive. Seth pivoted on his heel and hung a left at the front door so he could stride straight down the hall to Schneeblume’s bedroom. With the door wide open, he decided to waltz right in… though he had to halt mid-step, eyes brimming with a sudden sparkle of want as he found Schnee sitting in her own coat on the edge of her bed, placing her long, perfect mane into a ponytail. The ‘focused’ expression on her face further added to the allure that had never once waned since Seth first laid eyes on her. His heart beat rapidly in his chest and he could feel that familiar heat rising within his core and face. And still, he smiled brightly… gazing upon his mare with a certain longing. He knew damn well how good he had it. Wouldn’t I just love to take a bite outta that snack… It then appeared that Schneeblume felt his eyes upon her, as she blinked herself out of her stupor and turned to Seth once her ponytail was fresh and ready. It further topped off Seth to the max when she returned almost the same smile right back to him. Once eye contact had been established, Seth didn’t even remember willing the next words out of his mouth: “Schnee… You are so goddamn good looking… like… my god, babe—you’re hot!” Her face colored profusely, and she shied away just a smidge… as Seth had come to expect every time he lavished her with compliments that were genuine from his heart. What he didn’t expect, however, was for her to lid her eyes and just barely tug at her bottom lip with her teeth. She also exhaled greatly—apparently she was also holding that one in. Either way, Seth was in no way blind to that expression on her face, as dense as he might be to some social cues. He had been around the block a couple of times. That was the periphery of a genuine ‘fuck me’ face. “You really spoil me… you know that?” Schnee said in a much lower, more pronounced voice than Seth had heard her speak before. The teasing tone was most evident. And Seth would gladly take part. He slyly smirked right back at her. “Well is that why you called me over?” he asked innocently. “Because I’ll spoil you anytime you ask… and anytime you don’t ask, frankly,” he quipped right back. Schneeblume ate it up… but her more sensual visage retreated behind a rather visible layer of insecurity, and instead manifested as a deep, girly giggle behind both of her front legs. “I don’t know what to do with you sometimes. I say it all the time now, but you’re just too much… way too much, Liebling… and I love it! “But for your information, why I called you over here—starting today, I’m going to preemptively advance your career a couple years,” she declared, bouncing back to a much more excitable demeanor. Seth cocked his head almost ninety degrees from being so suddenly perplexed. “Ummmm… sounds lovely? But, wanna fill me in?” “Sure!” Schnee said, then smiled with her outstretched left hoof before saying with her own joking tone: “Toss me the rest of my leg?” “Ah, right! Here you go!” Seth replied and tossed her leg over to her. It landed next to her on the bed with a silent thud. She reached for it but stopped suddenly when Seth could barely restrain the emission of a strained whine from his mouth… and hilarity was on the verge of boiling over the moment a terrible thought had lined the inside of his skull. And now Schnee was staring back at him with an adorably curious smile. “Okay, what’s so funny?” she asked. Seth had folded his lips inward as the worst thing came to his mind about this whole situation, and he squeaked out his response: “You…” he said, and nearly lost it. “I’m glad I was able to help you by… lending you a hoof.” Schneeblume deadpanned immediately and seeing her reaction crippled Seth with cackling laughter at such a terrible pun. Schnee pursed her lips and nodded. She was failing miserably, however, to hide her finding it just as hilarious as he was. “Wow. So that’s what we’re doing now? Pfft! You’re lucky you’re so handsome...” Seth finally settled down and made to reassure his mare: “Don’t worry, babe. I may have terrible jokes, but you can always count on me to… “...put you back on your hooves.” And then he proceeded to lose it again. What he didn’t count on this time, however, was Schneeblume’s detached, ceramic hoof sailing right into his cock and balls with missile-like precision. The ceramic, rogue prosthetic slammed into his meat and two-veg, then unceremoniously fell to the floor with a mighty thud of ceramic against wood. Seth’s lungs were suddenly evacuated as his entire body scrunched up at a forty-five-degree angle. He doubled over onto the floor and held his family jewels in as tender of a grasp as he could. Fuck she’s good… oh fuck that hurt… The price of puns! Fuck… And from the sound of Schnee’s sudden, sharp inhale from beyond the periphery of his ears, as well as her subsequent, urgency-laden cursing, his predicament was not her intention. “Mein Gott! Scheiße!” Schneeblume exclaimed and immediately dashed to Seth’s side. She tried to examine him as best as she could, and from what Seth could see through tearful eyes, she had genuine fear and remorse in her own as she looked him over. “Seth! I’m so sorry, mein Schatz! I didn’t mean to hit you there! Do you need… ice? Etwas? Verdammt es…” she cursed herself. The pain was unimaginable, as Seth had never once been love-tapped by ceramic before, let alone been nailed there for a hot minute. The pain was throbbing and felt like he grew a second heart down there, while the pain radiated upward into his lower abdomen. Schnee tried to kiss his forehead and cuddle him awkwardly in any attempt to make up for her mistake of being accurate. Seth, however, smirked slyly through his pain and decided to take another golden opportunity: “Achhh… it’s okay babe…” he managed to squeak out, feeling as if his voice rose a couple octaves permanently. “But… I think I’m… “...I’m gonna need a hoof,” he finished his third pun in a row with a goofy smile. He had never seen a mare—or a woman, for that matter—turn from concerned to adorably rage-filled within fractions of a second. Well, at least he figured this was the true case when Schneeblume proceeded to repeatedly slap his face with her stubby hoof, forcing Seth to go on a cackling defensive. “FOTZE!” she seethed through her teeth. HAH! Oh god I have an idea what THAT means… “YOU ASSHOLE! I THOUGHT I REALLY HURT YOU, DIPSHIT!” Seth was on the verge of tears (mostly because of his own stupid puns, and the rest being a combination of the ridiculousness of the situation and him having been nailed in the dick). It was also an experience to be cussed out in essentially German—kinda scary actually. But through it all, he was able to wrangle Schneeblume and pull her against him for a hug… which she ultimately relaxed (or relented) into. The both of them were now calmed down, and they lay in each other’s embrace on the floor for a few moments to catch their breath. Seth kissed the top of Schnee’s head, burying his face in her mane and taking in the beautiful smell of her plumeria shampoo. “So… what’s the occasion, Schnee?” He ventured to ask again. Schnee lifted her head and leered down at Seth—gone was her hilariously peeved expression, instead supplanted with a more neutral smile that he was used to seeing. “Well… before I was so rudely interrupted, I’m going to help advance your career preemptively,” she answered. Seth nodded. “Right, but that was all you told me before and that still doesn’t help me, heh… should I be worried about something?” The flower mare shrugged above him and shook her head. “I don’t think so… so long as you don’t mind getting to terribly roughed up, as they say…~” she further added with extra crypticism. Seth blinked. Hard. “Ummm… what exactly are you getting at?” He questioned further. That’s when Schnee dislodged herself from him and got back to her hooves, as well as freeing up Seth to get back to his own feet. She bade him to wait for a moment while she scanned around the floor, then perked up when she found her lifeless prosthetic. She scooped it up in her ‘good’ hoof and—with Seth watching very curiously—she inserted what remained of her right leg, then twisted the object just so until it ‘locked’ in place. Schneeblume shook it a couple of times to seemingly calibrate it before placing her hoof back on the floor, exactly as Seth was used to seeing her. Huh, so that’s how it works… “That’s better…” she remarked, then added: “Anyway, during Basic Training, you’re going to re-learn how to fight hoof-to-hoof… or in your case, hand-to-hoof.” Seth, again, cocked his head. Schneeblume wasn’t necessarily wrong but seemed so out-of-the-blue that he wasn’t exactly sure what might’ve brought it on. “Uhh… yeah, makes sense,” he replied vaguely, wanting to see exactly where she was going with this. Schneeblume turned on her hooves and began to walk out of her room. She bade Seth to follow her, which he did. He was further enticed to fall in with her when he noticed that her hips had a very prominent sway to them with every step she took. “The better you do, and the more aptitude you show, the better of a job you may land after the fact—the coveted enlistments are the Royal Guard positions under the Special Forces that they’re also opening up to humans. They’re the highest paying, but only the best of the best can be selected,” she continued to lecture. Seth nodded, he was starting to maybe see where she was going with this. “Got it… makes perfect sense,” he said. “There’s two problems you’ll face as a result,” Schnee began anew. “One, your stature as a human gives you distinct advantages and disadvantages when facing an equine foe—you’ll need to learn to understand both ends. “And secondly, what they’ll likely teach you in basic will be pure and utter horseshit, and I want to preemptively make you ‘unlearn’ it. You already have a hoof up with your own martial arts training, but it’ll still need expanding upon,” she punctuated with a sly smirk over her shoulder. Seth chuckled out loud. “Hah! Okay, fair enough… then how do you propose we go about that?” Schneeblume chuckled as she led him through the kitchen and towards the lone door that separated them from the backyard. She stopped for dramatic effect as she reached out to grab the handle, then looked back at Seth with that determined smile that he was always so fond of. “Well isn’t it obvious?” she said. “I’m going to lend you some training.” She threw open the door, and Seth was greeted with some of the fluffiest, well-maintained grass he had ever seen beyond the fields outside of Ponyville. The entire backyard was lined with a fence, but even more impressive was that the perimeter was also lined with an assortment of mixed flowers that gave off sort of an ‘arena’ vibe to the human. Interspaced between large sections of grass were lines of dirt and soil that was where Seth assumed Schnee would place extra flowers. He honestly didn’t know—he was more taken with how lovely this little back yard was. “Ummm…” he finally spoke, and looked down and back towards Schneeblume, who was beaming up at him. “You really sure about this? I’d welcome anything you’d wanna show me but so long as it doesn’t, you know, stir up some… stuff?” She dismissed that outright. “Oh shush you, I’ll be fine, Seth, don’t you worry! Now…” she said and leveled a mischievous gaze at him that made Seth take a single step backward. “Grab your equipment. Let’s get started.” It was a simple matter of just grabbing his sparring gloves, as well as soft pads that were used for kicking. For extra, enigmatic ‘realism’ as well as protection, Schneeblume let him borrow an old helmet (which looked utterly ridiculous on him) while she used her own stahlhelm (which was surreal on its own). She herself also ended up putting on what looked like oversized loafers on her four hooves, but in actuality were exactly the analogous types of gloving and padding that Seth donned. Seth stood in the middle of her back yard, bare feet being lightly tickled by the grass beneath him, while stretching out in his sparring gear. The helmet was also something he was getting used to, as metal with padding didn’t really seem to go well together. Schneeblume insisted on it, though. The mare in question also stood before him and stretched out in her own way, as well as making sure that everything fit the way it was supposed to. Seth did make sure to place a single eye on her haunches every time she stretched out just right. Seth spoke up: “Alright! So, what’ve ya got for me?” he asked excitedly, though he’d be lying if he said that there wasn’t a small tinge of fear within him at what Schneeblume was possibly scheming in that head of hers. Seemingly pumped up and trotting excitedly in place on each individual hoof, Schneeblume began anew: “Pony technology has not advanced as much as human technology has, so firearms are not doled out to everypony in the ranks. The use of magic from unicorns also complicates things further… but one thing that remained the same is close quarters, hoof-to-hoof—or in your case, hand-to-hand or hand-to-hoof—combat.” She placed one of her padding-clad hooves to her chest. “I fought in the most destructive war our planet has ever seen—I’ve lived this combat for four years and had to relearn everything I was taught through a trial by inferno, realizing what worked and what got you killed.” She began pacing ever so slightly. “While the probability that you would be sent off to fight anywhere here is extraordinarily low, a human in your position would do well to be as much of a master in the ‘modern pony’ fighting arts as you are able. Complex maneuvers and technique often go to hell the moment close fighting is upon you.” Seth shrugged, then nodded vehemently. “Makes perfect sense to me! I’m sure you of all ponies know that war is probably not like movies or books…” Schneeblume shut her eyes and shook her head slowly. “It most certainly is not, mein Schatz… which is why I want to help get you ahead of the game!” Seth watched with keen interest as Schnee cocked her head to the right, and then to the left, seemingly stretching out her neck before putting a few paces distance between the two of them. “Now the ‘game…’ is for you,” she pointed directly at Seth, and then back at herself, smirking deviously. “...to take me to the ground, and I, you. A winner of each round will be the one who pins the other. Oh also, only rule: no blows to the head~.” Seth just stood there and stared, eyebrow cocked, and jaw lopsidedly slackened. This was escalating very quickly, and when he ran the scenarios in his head, he was neither blind nor stupid as to how things would likely end up—namely, with his ass handed to him on a silver platter. Regardless, what gave him the most pause was him potentially getting lucky and actually hurting Schneeblume accidentally in the process… something he’d never forgive himself for, even if it was merely in play. “Ummm…” he said awkwardly and gazed down at both of his glove-clad hands. Apparently, Schneeblume read his mind loud and clear. “You’re so sweet… But you’re not going to hurt me,” she flatly stated with a soft smile to boot, then added with no extra flair and the confidence of a seasoned soldier: “You won’t be able to.” Seth still wasn’t convinced… he knew exactly where he stood, but that protective instinct within him as a boyfriend just wouldn’t let up. Nevertheless, the two of them were supposed to have fun with this, so he (somewhat reluctantly) descended into his fighting stance. He stretched his fingers within his gloves and brought his hands to bear in front of his face. Schneeblume beamed. “Sehr gut! Now we’re getting somewhere!” She dropped low into her own stance and raised her ceramic hoof somewhat outstretched in front of her face. Apparently, Seth’s confusion was palpable, so she decided to pre-empt any questions: “I fought with a spade, club, or a knife most of the time. It’s my natural stance. Now…” She let herself become a little nimbler on her hooves and she smirked right at Seth… who suddenly felt his stomach become a little lighter in fear. “Let’s begin lesson one: rules of close quarters warfare. To demonstrate, I want you to attack me. Subdue me to the ground as you were taught. Ja? “LOS!” Seth’s heart was raging in his chest as the time was now upon him. From how Schneeblume was approaching this, she clearly had an odd structure to everything, and seemed super into it all. It would be a shame if he disappointed her in any way, his reluctances to even lay an ‘aggressive’ hand on her aside. And so, in his stance, he took a deep breath and began to circle the mare… who perfectly kept pace with him on the other end of the ‘diameter’ of the circle they were making. An unknown amount of time was spent with the two of them in an odd dance while Seth attempted to figure out how he would approach her defenses. Their eyes never broke contact with one another, and in his thoughts he could—for some reason—hear the Guile theme song playing in his head. And apparently, Schneeblume already had an answer to that question of ‘how to approach this.’ “Let’s make this a little more structured…” she said and beckoned him forward with one of her hooves. “I want you to try and tackle me—the faster and harsher you can subdue your enemy, the higher the chance of survival.” Seth understood what she meant completely, but something deep down in him prevented him from moving forward, and kept his nimble feet anchored in place on the grass. Schneeblume rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. “What do I need to do for you to practice with me?? This is for your career, silly! And you know I’ll be fine! Do you need me to like… insult you or something? Taunt and goad you into attacking?” she playfully suggested. Seth giggled heartily, especially as an idea rushed to his head: “That might work!” he played along. “Babe, can you say: ‘Yang Xiao Long is the worst girl in the series?” Schneeblume cocked her head. “Ummm… I have no idea what that means but, okay!” She cleared her throat and reoriented herself in her fighting stance. In a harsh teasing tone, she taunted Seth: “Hah! Dumb human! Don’t you know that Yang Xiao Long is the worst girl in the entire series??” Seth was about to die on the inside of laughter but acted on that nonetheless. He charged forward, intent on taking his marefriend to the ground for her heresy and showing her what for. “YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU SONOVABITCH!” Schneeblume never wavered, and right when Seth crossed an unseen threshold that the mare had seemingly set, she swept her hoof across the ground and launched clumps of dirt into the air... ...and right into Seth’s face. The human was instantly stopped in his tracks by virtue of being blinded by earth. “WHOA WHAT THE HELL?!” he exclaimed, and his hands went to his face out of reflex… ...but in the midst of his little ‘crisis’ he did not witness giving Schneeblume the best opening she could’ve asked for. Nor did he witness her rearing up on her front hooves. What he did feel, however, was two rear hooves slamming directly into his abdomen and the force behind such a buck sending him straight to the ground and onto his ass with a mighty ‘OOF!’. While the strike itself didn’t hurt—likely because of the ‘gloves’ that Schnee was wearing on all of her hooves, the sheer kinetic force behind her attack stunned him immensely. While on his ass, Seth took the time to wipe his face and his eyes clean of any dirt, and looked over to a victorious-looking Schnee with a look that could only convey ‘Why??’ And the now-excited mare appeared to read him like a book as she trot over to him. “The first rule of close-quarters battle is that there really are no rules. In a matter of life and death, you will use whatever advantage you can get to come out on top—even the environment, my dear,” she explained, then kissed his dirty forehead and offered her hoof to her to him. Seth processed her words for a moment, and they made perfect sense to him—the concept of ‘fairness’ didn’t seem to stick very well when your life was literally in the enemy’s hands, who happened to be right in front of you. Seth smiled up at Schneeblume, who returned the face full-force. Now he was starting to understand what she had planned here. He reached up and grasped her outstretched hoof, and she helped hoist him back onto his feet. “Got it! And goddamn you hit hard…” he lamented, grabbing his stomach and feeling his abs for any engraving of her hoof. Thankfully there was none. Schneeblume blushed but snickered and had some words about that. “Stopping power is also important… especially if you find yourself against multiple opponents. It’s imperative to knock as many out of the fight—lethally or nonlethally—as possible. Your life literally depends on it.” Seth giggled. “Yeah… totally agree. You’re the expert, after all. But I think I’ll be pretty sore for a couple of days when we’re done here…” he mentioned whilst the two of them got back into position. “Now…” Schneeblume began anew, wiping her face and whipping her mane out of her vision. “Something very important to note when facing ponies: we have a much lower center of gravity by virtue of anatomy. This comes with its own set of advantages, namely much better balance on our four hooves. This better balance helps translate into greater agility during a fight.” She continued to talk animatedly with her hoof, and while Seth listened with rapt attention, he couldn’t help but feel a giant wave of happiness wash over him at seeing his mare speak so emphatically. Just the way her expression carved a wide smile underneath her moving lips made Seth just want to practice with her as much as possible if it made her this happy and giddy. He nodded. “Right, right!” he agreed. “We can run faster, jump farther, dash quicker, and so on…” she finished, but not before getting back into her fighting stance. Seth reciprocated and retreated back into his own, knowing that shit was about to get real once more. In some odd manner, he honestly could not wait on how he was going to get his ass handed to him this time. “That being said, I want you to experience this first-hoof… attempt to wrestle me to the floor, but at the same time, I don’t want you to lose sight of me. There will be dire consequences if you do…” she alluded with no small part mix of playfulness and crypticism. Seth was definitely struck at that playful tone but nevertheless, his marefriend gave him an objective in a game he was already starting to find entertaining. He’d be damned if he didn’t give it his all and possibly walk away impressing her. Pipedream, but alas, a dream nonetheless. He nodded and smirked right back at her. “You got it! Keep hitting me with some words if you wanna hammer home the point. You’re already a pretty good teacher!” he voiced, all while tentatively closing in on his ‘target.’ Schnee knelt low in anticipation of his arrival, and only chuckled fiercely. “Oh don’t worry, Liebling… I had no intention of staying silent!” Seth closed in completely, and was about to lunge on the attack towards Schneeblume but she stopped him with a raised hoof: “A quick exercise. Keep your defensive posture like that… but make sure you’re facing me at all times. The drill starts… NOW!” Schneeblume instantly dashed to the right at a speed that nearly lost Seth this little game from the onset by way of being stunned silly. Her lavender eyes pierced directly into his with a fire beneath them that was admittedly getting him a little hot under the collar. Nevertheless, he was able to keep up with that one move, and he pivoted on his front foot to face her. She then dashed to the left… ...and then back again to the right… and again to the right. And then attempted to quickly cross to his rear, and Seth barely was able to keep track of her and her scurrying hooves. He synced his eyes down to his feet as he fought to maintain his body like a board, but goddamn he was already breathing hard from the sheer exertion he was exerting from his legs just trying to keep Schneeblume in his sights. She certainly wasn’t kidding about the agility of earth ponies… or ponies in general, really. Even more than that, Schneeblume was a trained assault tactician and she was probably not even putting a fraction of the effort she could be right now. And that kinda scared him… ...and turned him on at the same time. Scaroused… Schneeblume began almost prancing on her hooves, bouncing her weight around from side to side, dashing in random directions along some imaginary circumference around Seth in an attempt to trip him up with increasing difficulty. She even tossed in a roll over her back after a particularly complex move-set that tested Seth’s ability to keep track of her… ...and after nearly slipping on his own feet in the grass in an attempt to match her, she dashed behind him, and that’s when he knew that he fucked up. Especially when he felt Schneeblume’s gloved, rear hooves smash darectly into his mid back and slam his entire front against the ground with a rather pronounced cry from Seth. And barely a millisecond later, he felt a mass of pony climbing over him, and a hoof grip him by the forehead to lift his face up off the ground. He then felt Schnee draw her right hoof in a straight line across his neck with the cool, ceramic tip. “Your throat has now been cut and you’re dead on the battlefield,” she mentioned so matter-of-factly, laying her weight atop him victoriously. And there he lay, ‘dead,’ cradled by the grass and dirt beneath likely mucking up his shirt, but it was comfortable, especially after taking two hits from the mare of his dreams. Whatever improvised routine she had come up with, though, was working marvelously as a workout because Seth was already sweating bullets just from that one exercise. His breath entered and left his lungs rapidly, and he had half a desire to just lay in the grass and catch his breath. And to Schnee’s words, all he had to say to that was: “Well, shit.” He wouldn’t exactly mind her sitting on top of him like she claimed him… actually that was kind of a nice thought, now that he thought about it a little more. Seth heard Schneeblume chuckle above him, but then that familiar warmness returned when she wrapped her hooves snuggly around his neck and lay herself upon him. He could sense her tail was swishing like mad, since her hips were shimmying from side to side on him—hell, he could practically feel her smile. Further, both her hind legs were draped over his sides, so she effectively had him pinned to the ground on his frontside… ...and all that glorious, giddy movements perfectly flushed with his backside weren’t exactly doing wonders for a sudden-onset-boner, which made him shift his lower torso awkwardly to avoid crushing his member. Suddenly, Seth heard Schnee giggle mischievously girly-like, and he froze in place. Is… Is she doing this on purpose? After an undetermined amount of time, Seth felt Schneeblume plant a wet kiss on the back of his neck, and then she patted him twice on the shoulder before dismounting him. “That’s enough rest for now—time to get back to it!” she declared excitedly. Seth rolled over onto his back and saw his marefriend leering down upon him with that same determination he loved to see from her. At the very least, she was getting something out of this. To tell the truth, he himself had already learned a couple of things so far despite getting sent to the ground twice. He’d say this would be a win-win for him! “Right!” he said and got himself back onto his feet. His hands migrated to his lower back in a move that he felt categorized pregnant women. “Goddamn, man…” he lamented out loud. “Two hits in and I’m starting to feel sorry for the enemies of Alemaneia,” he joked, if only partially. Schneeblume did chuckle on that, but Seth’s words were instead rewarded with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “Oh hush up you big baby—you’ll never make it anywhere if you moan about little hits like that! I’ll help make you a Royal Guard yet!” she declared, and promptly descended into her fighting stance with driven gaze. Seth matched her in his stance, ready for the next ‘lesson’ as it were, and it definitely seemed that Schneeblume was ready to deliver. “Now you know the price of losing track of your opponent in close quarters. Let’s expand a little bit on that…” The lessons continued in earnest, and Seth approached them as he would a formal instruction—with utmost, keen interest and participation. In some sense, for the briefest of times, Schneeblume stopped being his marefriend, and Seth started seeing her as a mentor of sorts. After all, she had been through the worst that this pony world had to offer—she was the best of the best of Alemaneia. If there was any definition of ‘warrior’ in any self-respecting Equestrian dictionary, her picture would be right next to it. But in taking to heart Schneeblume’s lessons and advice through her rather hands-on instruction, it all came with Seth getting sent to the ground over… and over… and over… and over again. Each and every time he was treated to another piece of pony anatomy, or pony physical capability that he hadn’t the slightest clue about. He learned quite quickly that being in the path of hind legs, especially if they happened to be earth ponies, was almost a guaranteed to rearrange your insides lethally if you caught the strike just right. Seth was also privy to the sheer stability presented with four hooves, as with another exercise where Schnee had him wrap his arms around her barrel and attempt to pull her to the ground—he simply couldn’t do it, even leaning his entire weight onto her. It was actually really impressive that she was able to withstand that much extra weight on her, let alone dispersed over what seemed such an awkward position. Though it certainly didn’t help that the incessant grunts of exertion from both of them painted a rather lewd picture in his mind. And in some awkward positioning, he had to put an inordinate amount of effort into making sure he didn’t pop a stiffy at the worst possible time. This was kind of the problem with the current lesson he found himself in. Schneeblume had found it well-and good enough for him to start learning how to truly ‘wrestle’ a pony. The previous advantages and disadvantages of pony anatomy were something he still had to bear in mind, so this lesson built upon this natural progression quite well in his opinion. However, what didn’t really go well for him was the fact that he was wrestling a mare who was used to wrestling other ponies who were trying to kill her at all times—he was trying his damndest nonetheless… …but what was even worse for him was the fact that this mare happened to be his marefriend—one he found rather gorgeous and one whom he was undeniably attracted to in a sexual manner. Being in such an intimate embrace even for training purposes, coupled with all their flushness and squirming around together in any attempt to get an advantage was not doing him any favors for his Johnson. So that’s where Seth found himself—forced onto his side and on the verge of being forced onto his face with Schneeblume above him while he fought with every fiber of strength in his body to counter her. His left hand was screaming for mercy and begging him to just release himself to the confines of the grass beneath him and let Schneeblume win… …but where was the fun in that? Seth cast a sweaty, side-gaze up at Schneeblume and smirked. “HNNH… I’m… not gonna make this… ach… easy for you now that you’ve taught me all the secrets,” he strained out through a gritted smile. Schneeblume, who had more than her fair share of moisture forming on her brow and rosy cheeks gladly returned the gesture as she put more of her strength into making him submit—Seth felt that immediately. “Getting cocky now… are we?” she teased. “I’m not even putting part of my strength into this! I could squash you like a bug right now, Liebling,” she playfully rebuked. Seth felt her up her strength even more, and his left arm and hand were clinging on for dear life. He was only partially worried that he’d have to amputate it when this was all done. But in the end, Schneeblume was one-hundred percent right—she could end this (and end him) in the blink of an eye. If the whole point of this was to just teach him a lesson, then what was this all about? Seth decided to have a little fun, and he shot his sly smirk right up to his marefriend. “Oh yeah? You can… hng… end this, huh?” he reiterated sarcastically. “Then why not? You… hmph… enjoying the view and position?” he teased. Even through Schneeblume’s red face from exertion, he could see the slightest hint of blushing that further added to the fact. She swiftly replied: “Oh you’re so very funny, aren’t you? GAH!... This how you’re gonna joke when you get into a… MMPH!... real fight?” she shot right back and pressed him further towards the ground. Seth’s only supporting arm couldn’t hold out much longer, and with how Schnee’s hooves were oriented in bracing his thighs and other arm, he was in no position to reach for anything else… but above all this he formulated a plan, and it involved him pressing his teasing, much like Schnee jokingly goaded him earlier into ‘attacking.’ He shook his head and chuckled. “Deflecting the question, aren’t you? Well… I think you… love being in this position with me. HAH… I bet you’ve wanted to ‘pin me down’ in more ways than one, and you just needed an… HEH… excuse, didn’t ya?” he challenged, gambling on a ‘good’ response from those words. He could see Schneeblume subtly flinch under that and go as red as she did this afternoon before their sudden makeout session at the front of her house. Even more hilarious for his end (and that sustained him just enough), Schnee adopted her cute, angry face. “Why you little…” she spoke in her native language, but then immediately shifted back. “You absolutely wish that was the case, my dear!” And with those words, Seth found an opening that he was staking everything on: “Well… maybe I do!” Schneeblume blinked. Hard. And her mouth went ever so slightly slack in that way that Seth found adorable. However, now was not the time to dwell on that, because he could feel the pressure Schnee was applying to his back suddenly soften. He smirked. Jackpot! And with the last vestiges of reserves of energy he could call from his aching body, Seth explosively forced Schnee off of his back via an outward roll and sent her flying off of him with a startled shriek. He was quick to roll over and pin her to the ground once she landed flat on her back. Seth used both of his hands to stretch both her front hooves up and out, while applying just enough pressure with his knees against Schnee’s hind legs (just as she had taught him not even half an hour prior). And there, Seth was face-to-face with Schneeblume, having reversed his position on her entirely. Sweat was pouring off of both of their faces, and Seth’s face mirrored that of Schnee’s—eyes completely wide and jaw slackened—mainly because he wasn’t even sure how he was able to pull this off almost flawlessly. Schneeblume seemed to be in as much shock as he was. Even more than that though, her face was burning red. And Seth figured that it was likely because of their sudden positioning with he as the dominant one now as opposed to her… he was sure his earlier prodding had something to do with it, but he didn’t really want to push his luck in his head. Silence reigned supreme between the both of them, and their eyes never broke lock from one another, especially as they both breathed heavily in sync. Then, Schneeblume blinked and gazed downward, almost as if something caught her eye… and Seth became even more concerned when her eyes widened considerably more than they already were. He then decided to venture downward—his eyes scanning over and enjoying Schnee’s lithe and fit body all the while—and his face paled when he saw a massive tent in his mesh shorts being pitched, leaving very little to the imagination. Seth’s stomach sank into his bowels, and he had half a mind to not look back up at Schnee’s face as he mentally scolded his member. YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE, PENIS! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO STAND BY UNTIL READY! NOT GO IN GUNS BLAZING! YOU WERE MY BROTHER! I LOVED YOU! Seth pursed his lips, and with no words coming from Schneeblume (as well as no resistance from her part from their positioning) he figured it was time to address this, and he angled his face back up. He still averted his eyes while he jogged his brain for how he could get out of this without seeming like as much of a pervert as he really was on the inside. “Well then…” he said, deadpanned. “I am so sorry about all of…” he began and flicked his eyes to meet Schnee’s all the while. His words died on his mouth, however, when her gaze was lidded, her cheeks and ears were blushed a deep hue of red, and—while breathing very heavily—she was prominently snagging her lower lip with her teeth. “…that…” Seth’s words tapered off a cliff. Schnee started wiggling her front legs, and at that instant, Seth released all of her limbs from his hold… …only for Schnee to throw her front legs around Seth’s neck, and then yank his face downward so his lips could smash against hers. OH SHIT OKAY! From the moment Seth’s lips touched Schnee’s, he could slowly feel all of the background to their little training session just fading away. All of his feeling and emotions were focused solely on how his lips molded to Schnee’s, how even as a human and she a pony, they just fit so well together… how they broke apart at the perfect times and reconnected not even a moment later… …indescribable. Especially as Schneeblume began to moan through her lips every time she deeply exhaled. Seth felt up Schnee’s coat beneath him and reveled in how its softness seemed to envelop his now-hypersensitive hands as he explored her body. He could feel how fiercely her heart beat behind her own ribs when he lovingly caressed the apex of her chest… he could feel her torso writhing against his expeditionary hand, and she arched her back and twitched every time his wandering fingers touched her somewhere she enjoyed. And as Seth circled her cute little navel with his thumb, the two opened their mouth to one another simultaneously… and he instantly noticed Schneeblume dart her tongue forward and take a swipe at his upper lip. Mouths held their position together, and their hot breath broke upon face and muzzle like the lapping waves of the Equestrian shorelines. Both got the message as clear as the day around them. Both tongues met half-way and took little haste in acquainting their tongues with one another in an intimate embrace… one that bore more than striking resemblance to their more recent wrestling exercise. After what seemed like a small eternity but was only a couple of seconds, the two separated their faces with a rather wet, detaching sound. Several miniscule strands of saliva connected their tongues, and then their lips, and their eyes opened to the world once again… …admittedly though, the world was much less interesting than the individual before either of their visions. Their eyes spoke purer emotion than any words could have conveyed through speech. Their eyes reflected each other’s light—radiated each other’s excitement that was boiled to near-explosive power by the heat from their cores. And for Seth, this was made unimaginably better by virtue of Schneeblume batting her lashes at him. She was learning well and good as to what prodded him in just the right ways. Even further, Schnee’s teeth snagged her lower lip once more, and those once fluttering, gorgeous lashes of hers veiled half her lavender pools. Her complete expression confirmed everything he had hoped their dancing-around and building sexual tension would lead do: She wanted him. And he hoped his own visage—a nigh mirror image of hers—conveyed the exact same thing to this mare that was coming to mean so much to him, so quickly: he wanted her. And Seth staked his first, figurative claim to her body by burying his face in the crook of Schnee’s neck, which elicited a soft moan that was equally so profound, he could feel his dick throb painfully between his legs as a result. His body took the reins over from rational thought, and as Seth began kissing and nipping his way down Schneeblume’s neck, he vowed to coax out even more of those pleasureful sounds. “Seth…” Schnee groaned. “Hmm?” he asked in return, taking full liberty with his tongue to trace circles and squiggles through her coat as he traced his way down her with kisses. “You’re making me insane…” she squeaked out. Seth didn’t understand a word of that, but from how she said it, and how she kept a firm hold in guiding his path down her little body, he could infer pretty well, and thus felt confident enough to respond: “Yeah?” he asked. “And do you know I love when you break into Germa—Alemaneian…” he added while nipping particularly harshly around her collar bone, which elicited a feminine moan that further fueled his raging boner. It was almost like a feedback loop that made him want to put his dick in this pony more and more—something that Seth noted would probably get him arrested back on Earth. At Schneeblume’s vocal, yet wordless urging, Seth continued to kiss a trail down her torso, and calling upon his more playful side, he circled his tongue once around her cute little navel before continuing his trek downward. “Nyuhh… w-where’re you going?” Schneeblume moaned out. Seth already had the perfect answer once he was face to face—for the first time—with her pert teats, which sat just above his real prize. “Making you feel good,” he simply replied, but shot his gaze upward nonetheless. “Stop me if I’m going too far,” he noted, wanting to wait for the final okay from her. Still, in looking back up at her, he found a completely flustered, beat-red-in-the-face Schnee who’s lidded gaze, heaving chest, and slackened mouth screamed ‘sex’ at him, and further did not help the sudden constriction of his normally loose, mesh shorts. She was supporting herself as best as she could with her hooves to look down on him, but pony anatomy was proving problematic in that regard. “Don’t tease me anymore, Seth, please…~” Seth felt almost impressed at that. Well, that was a lot more direct than I expected. He smiled up at her, and then after planting a couple more kisses on her that barely grazed her nipples, he was finally lined up with what he wanted in the first place: her little crescent. What was surprising to him was that it looked a lot more humanoid than he expected, at least, from just her outer lips which were incredibly soaked to the point that her coat was a whole shade darker around it. Laying fully on his stomach in front of her, Seth indulged his curiosity and coaxed her legs apart with his hands—and his thumbs pressing into her inner thighs elicited a gentle sigh and shudder from her. Even more than that, making use of his thumbs, he spread her lips apart, revealing Schnee’s red-hot tunnel to him in all of its glory. From his experience, everything appeared to be where it was supposed to, but there were subtle differences between hers and a woman’s. Not that it mattered, really—considering how horny he was. And from how much she was leaking at the moment, it didn’t seem to matter to her, either. Seth dove in without an ounce of hesitation, and he placed his first kiss onto Schnee’s lower lips, which brought forth a shudder from the mare he was already enjoying servicing so much… then he took his first, tentative lick from her base right up to her clit. This now exhorted an angelic groan from her that Seth had immediately made up his mind in wanting—no, demanding—to hear more of. Seth circled his tongue around her tunnel, but also had to fight to keep Schnee in place as her immediate reaction was to begin writhing. Her moans were muffled by way of pressing her hooves to her mouth, which made sense to him, considering that they were in her backyard and anypony could peek over the fences to check out the commotion. And that’s when Seth drew himself a little closer and began worming his tongue into her tunnel, lapping as best as he could at her upper wall—and then agonizingly slowly drew the entire flat of his tongue outward. To him, she had almost a floral taste… not really that sweet but definitely not off-putting… he could definitely get used to this! “AHHHN, SETH!” Schneeblume arched her back and almost screamed into her hooves as Seth continued to pleasure her little tunnel, and though this was already turning into his favorite choir to listen to, he was not done exploring her just yet. He decided to move a little north and promptly attached himself to her clit—then, he sucked as if it were one of her teats. Schneeblume emitted a long, drawn out, almost strained-sounding moan of pleasure along with something else from her mouth: “Ja… JA! There! Seth please mein Schatz right there!” she pleaded. “Mhmmm!” Seth hummed directly into her swollen pussy, and sent his vocal vibrations straight into her, which continued to feed the endless streams of sighs, encouragement, and pleasureful sounds dripping from Schnee’s eager mouth. Unfortunately, as much as Seth was over the moon in making Schnee quiver and writhe beneath, him, his two nostrils just weren’t enough, and he needed to pull back for a proper breath of fresh air. …but something hard slammed into the back of his head in an attempt to keep him here. “OWW! Fuck! What was that?” he questioned. “Scheiße! I’m so sorry, handsome—wrong hoof!” Schnee quickly apologized and retracted the culprit back to her chest: her ceramic hoof. And once he saw that Seth’s core and mouth exploded in uncontrollable laughter—the situation they found themselves in: him eating her out in the middle of their garden after a training session laden with sexual tension… only to be brought down from cloud sixty-nine down and back to earth with her weapon of a prosthetic slapping some measure of rationality back into them. Schneeblume was clearly next, and she let her own helmeted head fall flat backward on the ground and began laughing her head off all the same. Once they settled down, though, it was time to address the question of ‘what now?’ Seth cleared his throat first, sitting back on his butt as his erection hissed and slithered back into its flaccid state. Schnee shakily got to her haunches and faced him. Both faces could match each other blush for blush. “Ummm… soo… that happened. Is… babe is everything okay b-between us?” he asked, and his emotions could be read like a book on his face. His heart beat incredibly fast, not because of arousal, but due to apprehension. Did they go too far? They never really had a serious discussion about their eventual intimacy as a couple, and all parties were literally begging for it after their hard training session. Schneeblume only giggled as she shook her head, placing her face against one of her hooves. “In my backyard… what is even going on now,” she jokingly lamented. She then placed both her front hooves into the grass and smiled brightly at Seth. “Nothing’s wrong, Liebling… but as amazing as you were making me feel between my legs…” she began anew and blushed deeply again after recalling the details of a minute ago. “…I’d… I’d like to wait just a little bit longer before we uhm… get to that point,” she said. And then she angled her face away slightly while keeping her apprehensive eyes glued to Seth’s. “Is… is that okay?” she asked. Without a single moment of hesitation from Seth, he nodded vehemently and scooted closer to his mare. “Yeah! Yeah, hon’, absolutely! We should both be ready for that… guess we just got a little carried away with teasing each other and the wrestling lesson…” he admitted sheepishly. Schneeblume snorted into her hooves, laughing all the while which served to calm Seth’s raging heart. “I’ll say! Though…” her expression morphed into a mischievous one “…I have to admit that you were very clever on that last part. You still pinned me fair and square. Most impressive, Seth!” she complimented. Seth brought his right hand to the back of his neck and averted his gaze bashfully. “Heh, well… thanks babe. I had an excellent teacher though, so I credit her for the ingenuity,” he shot right back at her, which seemingly transferred his same emotion right back into her. Schnee got to her hooves and stretched out like a cat—Seth took no issue in tracing her backside curvature. “Well… this doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun~,” she alluded, and began trotting past a sitting Seth, heading back for the kitchen door. Seth cocked an eyebrow, and his core suddenly lightened with anticipation. “Oh? What’s that mean?” he took the bait and got to his feet to fall into step with her. Schneeblume glanced slyly and lasciviously over her shoulder while swaying her hips (the space between her legs was soaked to hell) as she walked. “Wanna stay the night?” she suddenly offered, then promptly followed up knowingly with: “We can feel each other up on my bed if you like?” Seth recoiled with a wide grin on his face, pleasantly surprised. He subtly moved both of his hands to his front to prevent any necromancy on his boner. Damn this mare… “I’d be totally down for that… though something tells me you might want this even more than I do, which is impressive,” he quipped right back. Schneeblume led him into the kitchen and watched him walk by before shutting the door. Her lidded gaze had returned full force. “Well, you did give me a taste of what was to… come. I wouldn’t mind surveying the stock.” [Just After Midnight…] Seth felt himself stirring into the land of the woken, and unwillingly so. His eyelids were still as heavy as steel, and his entire body ached like nothing he had ever experienced in his life—ever single muscle in his body felt like it had been lit on fire at some point during the day, either from the intense training session, or the slight burst of sexual tension come to life that was his first sample of going down on Schnee… Seth creaked his eyes open and found no trace of daylight to be seen, and in fact, moonlight crept in from the window through the drawn curtains, bathing part of the exposed bed in Luna’s majesty. Since the last thing he remembered was laying down next to Schnee for a nap, they must’ve really tuckered themselves out for it to be this late already. Not that he was complaining, of course. Schnee’s bed was super warm, and since she had already wanted him to stay, there was little shame in going right back to sleep, in his mind. And in shutting his eyes, he resolved to do just that. However, Seth couldn’t shake a sinking feeling in his head that he was being watched—he felt mildly uncomfortable in a way he couldn’t rightly place, but the hairs on the back of his neck were standing straight in such a way that biology dictated something was wrong. He opened his eyes and turned his head over to Schnee, and nearly suffered a heart attack from pure fear-induced adrenaline shooting through his veins when he found Schnee staring right back at him. Her pupils were unnaturally wide. Even weirder was the fact that, on her pillow, she didn’t seem to be even looking at Seth, but through him. “JESUS CHRIST!” Seth hissed out through a whisper, jumping in his skin and nearly falling off the bed. He was definitely not about scenes reminiscent of two wide-eyed children asking him to come play with him. And Schneeblume staring straight through him in the darkness of night, barely visible through what little moonlight shone through the curtains was ranking pretty damn far up in that territory. His mare’s reaction, however, was even more unexpected—she thrust her hoof forward and covered his mouth while shuffling flush against him with utmost urgency in her still unsettlingly-wide eyes. “SHHH! SHHH! SHHH…” she shushed him, and Seth’s head suddenly being enveloped in her hooves stunned him silly. “Ummm… babe what’s going on?” he dared to ask, his words muffled by way of nearly being forced to deepthroat Schnee’s ceramic hoof. Her response was harsh, and hissed through her gritted teeth: “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” she ordered… or, Seth felt like it was an order from how forcefully he receded into his fetal position under her. He was getting more uncomfortable by the minute, but he figured she meant ‘be quiet’ as she continued to hold his mouth. What made things even more interesting was when she pointed towards (and seemingly past) the wall on the far side of the room. He followed her hoof to find nothing in particular to look at. “Do you see ‘em, Red? There… past the barbed wire. Prench officer.” Seth understood the word for ‘Prench,’ and immediately began putting two-and-two together. And a sudden pang of pity washed over his features as he stared at a rigid, wide-pupiled Schneeblume that did not seem to have any bearing of reality at the moment. She was probably having a very vivid night terror, or she’s hallucinating. He sighed out. Oh babe… “Can you take the shot? Make sure they don’t see your horn. They see the light of magic and we’re fucked.” Seth gingerly removed Schnee’s hoof from his lips and—to try and not make things worse, since he had no idea how to deal with someone in an episode like this—whispered to her: “Babe? It’s not real… come on honey, snap out of it,” he softly willed, patting her hoof that remained outstretched. He kissed her ceramic hoof and tried to plant kisses as best as he could on her face—anything to snap her out of this stupor… and when it seemed like she was relaxing into him, he kissed his way up to her ear and continued to whisper his little nothings: “Schnee… beautiful… I’m here, okay? I know you can hear me, and I’ll be here for you… okay? Know that I’ll always—” Schneeblume sat straight up in bed and emitted a hellish, blood curdling, guttural scream of pure fear—one that probably took five years off Seth’s life just from how much his skin chilled to the bone from hearing it. He shielded his ears from just the sheer intensity that it hit him, and he was hoping in the back of his mind that nopony would think he was murdering her. “INCOMING!” she screamed. …and Seth watched her dive off the bed and hit the floor like her life depended on it. Whimpering and mumbling incomprehensible garble to his ears, he watched her with no small measure of sadness as she crawled under the bed and hid there. Seth sat up in pure shock, praying that he didn’t accidentally make anything worse for her. But what hurt him the most was hearing her under the bed. She was crying… whimpering and talking to herself like a legitimately insane person in Alemaneian, of which barely any snippets he was able to understand. “It’s okay… you’ll survive… please… “…only artillery. You’ve done this before. You’ll survive… You always survive… “God help me… please… don’t let me die… not now…” Seth shut his eyes tightly and shook his head—he knew there was a small possibility that he’d bear witness to one of her trauma episodes. But he didn’t realize—as her boyfriend—how hard it would actually be to see and hear in reality. I can’t see her like this. I need to snap her out of it… somehow. Seth swept the covers aside and dropped his feet to the ice-cold wooden floor. He then stooped low, but realized that Schnee was way under there, so he had to fall to all fours. What he saw made him feel like his heart was getting ripped into a million pieces: Schneeblume, coat and mane matted to hell from their earlier activities plus sleep, was curled tightly into a ball of shivering fluff. Her front hooves were covering her head and she continued to whimper for her life. Seth, determined as ever, did his absolute best to squeeze himself under her bed until his arms could comfortably reach her. “Schneeblume! Come one baby, snap out of it!” he commanded, softly massaging one of her ears and tapping her face all the while. Her incomprehensible, foreign word salad of speech suddenly sounded a little clearer, though her eyes were shut tightly. Perhaps he was getting somewhere… But in continuing his approach, it appeared to be waning. “The attack’s coming! They’re coming!” Seth—heart rattling his ribcage—looked regretfully to his open, right palm. He had firmly decided on a Hail Mary. He never thought he would ever decide to lay a hand on a woman (or mare) like this, but it was hopefully for her own good to prevent her from hurting him or even worse, herself, in her sudden episode. Come on, gorgeous… WAKE. UP! Seth slapped Schneeblume across the face, and the sharp sound of his palm connecting with her cheek in conjunction with the mare’s reactionary, shrill shriek would be seared into his brain. But there was suddenly silence. Seth watched intently as Schneeblume blinked her eyes, and then opened them widely to take in what little light and context were around her. “Ech… huh? Seth?” she asked, and then bumped her head into the bottom of her bed when she tried to raise it. Seth watched as she glanced around her, and then back at him, and then back at her position. An aura of knowing struck her face… …and the human could see her visage morph from outright confusion, to pure, unadulterated shame. Her mouth curled downward, and her tears freely flowed, unabashedly dripping onto the hardwood floor beneath her. Her whimpers and gentle cries were hard for Seth to take in, but he was just happy that she wasn’t in a position to hurt herself anymore. “Hey… Schnee, you okay honey?” Seth softly called out and reached his hand towards her, implicitly asking for her hoof. Schneeblume tearfully regarded his open hand, and then Seth’s eyes… And then retreated further into her little ball and faced away from him. Seth sighed out, almost feeling offended that she would pull away from him like that… but he had to remind himself that she was at her most vulnerable right now—likely some of her worst state of mind since the war itself. Hell, now that he thought about it, even if it may be liberating, he wouldn’t want to thrust this on anyone either. He tried to coax her out: “Oh baby… please don’t be like that… let’s go back to bed, hmmm?” He heard her voice finally—alert and in the moment, though thick and slurred through her quiet sobbing. “I never wanted you to see me like this…” Seth pursed his lips and nodded. He kept his arm outstretched regardless. “I know, Schnee. I know. But you know I’d never look at you differently, right? And I don’t.” Schnee didn’t respond, but her ear perked up ever so slightly and she angled her head more towards him. She continued to sniffle all the while, though. Seth curled his fingers in his open hand in a come-hither motion. “Please babe… come on out. Let’s go back to sleep,” he said. He heard Schneeblume sigh out, but to his delight, she uncurled herself and crawled back towards him. Though she somewhat averted her gaze from him, she still accepted his hand and held it tightly against her chest. That was all Seth needed and he gently slid her out from under the bed. Once they were both out from their previously cramped surroundings, Seth got to his feet and promptly scooped up Schneeblume into his arms. He saw her front legs (cutely) curl into her chest, and only then did she finally look him in the eyes. Her tear-filled lavender pools gazed up into his and seemed to soak up all of Luna’s moonlight. Seth couldn’t help but smile back down at her, and he damn-near almost felt like shedding a tear himself from how much emotion was being shared silently between them. He sat on the edge of the bed and then lay the both of them back so they could snuggle under the covers. Schneeblume, however, instantly gravitated to his front and locked eyes with him pleadingly. “I’m sorry…” she said forlornly. Seth wouldn’t tolerate that one bit, and as the two of them lay on the same pillow facing one another, the covers fallen atop them, he placed his right hand on Schnee’s cheek… the same gesture she always loved to melt herself into. This seemed to be no different, and Schneeblume let out any breath she was holding. She shuttered her eyes and let Seth stroke her cheek. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, beautiful…” he said resolutely. “You can’t control these things.” Schneeblume still shook her head nonetheless. “I just… I haven’t had an episode like that in over six months. I thought I was done with it… I was doing so well…” she lamented. Seth quieted her down with a soft, long kiss to her forehead, which gave the mare an excuse to press her nose into his neck—Seth could feel her still-shaky breath breaking against his neck, and it felt comforting if he was being honest with himself. “It’s okay… you know more than all of us that these things take time. We’ll just take things one step at a time—just like our relationship… or a few steps at a time if we’re going by earlier today,” he joked. And to his relief, Seth heard Schnee giggling through her tears. Schneeblume then brought his face down to meet hers and planted a wet kiss on his lips… but as his eyes fluttered shut and he held her face in place, he knew this was so much more than just a simple kiss. He could practically feel Schnee putting every ounce of gratitude that she had in her, into her affection. Then they separated—a single strand of saliva keeping them connected until it broke on the pillow. Schnee only had one thing to say about all of this: “Hold me…?” Seth flashed his pearly whites at her. “Always,” he said, and wrapped his arms as best as he could around her. Schnee smiled brightly, and seemingly took complete solace being wrapped up by the combination of the blankets and Seth’s arms. Their warmth, their ethereal connection, and the soft sounds of the night from outside did well to escort both Seth and Schnee back into Luna’s domain without nary a further interruption. Author's Note Part 4 down! Hope you enjoyed! Let me know your thoughts below! Some good things definitely... coming next chapter
1. The SeedsAuthor's Note WHAAAAT? Another romance story with clop from Flamm that will have similar themes as the others but be just different enough to warrant a new story with new characters? YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT IT IS. What's great is that I will neither confirm, nor deny that some measure of events and dialogue are based on personal experience. 1. The Seeds “Hmmm… lemme get that one, and the one right behind it, please!” the human male said whilst hunched over, having made his selection of the spinach from in front of the glass viewing pane. The stallion behind the vegetable cart was more than happy to oblige his request with a gruff voice: “You got it, Seth!” he stated as he reached into the confines of his cart and pulled Seth’s choices out front and center. He then placed the two bags of spinach leaves atop his cart and weighed them. “Alright, we’re looking at three bits-fifty this time. Larger, healthier yields around this time are coming in!” the bright-eyed vendor stallion attempted to explain the slight price increase to one of his new regulars. Seth was not particularly phased, and remarked with a friendly smile: “Hey, I need to eat more greens anyway. Tastes so much better here, which makes it easier.” He happily handed over three single-bit notes and a fifty-cent coin. In the back of his mind, he was glad that the tacit one-to-one exchange rate between a dollar and a bit was established… unlike when he went to Europe a few years ago and had a bad time with that rate. The stallion behind the cart eagerly accepted his payment and bagged up the fresh produce. “Hah!” he said. “Well, with all you humans coming through, business is definitely on the up! Y’all keep buyin’ and I’ll keep sellin’ to ya!” he added, handing over the plastic bag. Seth gladly took the bag and hefted it up along with the rest of his grocery loot from the last hour of shopping. “Careful what you wish for… if they get any better than this, I’ll clean out your entire stock and piss off everyone else!” "And careful to you, too! Eat too much of this and you'll be shitting leaves!" Seth laughed. Hard. "HAH! If it gets me more goddamn fiber then it's an even trade in my book!" And with that, he started on his way as he waved back. “Later, dude!” “See ya next time, Seth!” As Seth strode on his merry way, he took a deep breath of the fresh Ponyville air, one that served to cool off his lungs a smidge and provided some relief from the warmer day. Thankfully, it was nothing too hot that would merit any sunscreen for his lighter skin. A gentle breeze further blew over him from the adjacent, seemingly endless expanse of fields, which also ruffled a few errant strands of his light-brown hair out of his chosen, neatly-combed style. His thoughts were suddenly drawn to how his hair grew fast and was a little longer than he would normally keep it. He would probably have to lose most, if not all of it when the human-equine basic training kicked off, so he wanted to treasure it while it lasted. That’s when Seth realized that he’d been at his essentials-shopping spree for a good couple of hours by this point, and figured it was a good time to take stock of what he had versus what he needed. If there was one good thing about doing martial arts for seven years, it was some discipline and order… And considering that he had a rather ad hoc approach to life thus far, it came as a shock to most who knew him. There were probably weirder things in the world, though. Let’s see… got the vegetables, from Green… Some meat from that one Griffon… damnit how the hell do I keep forgetting his name? Vodka… because ‘fuck it’ is a perfect reason to drink this dank-ass pony grog… New wallet, though not sure why I need it so much since payment cards don’t work here yet… it was a mighty need. The mere mental mention of ‘card’ was enough to snap him out of his pensiveness and remember that tomorrow would be his mother’s birthday. Past-Seth was well-aware of this, and it had already been discussed with his family that he would not be able to make it back to Earth due to an overbooking of portal crossings—a consequence of an extremely affordable method of travel and only five gateways thus far between the two worlds. Thus, everyone settled for Seth returning home for a couple of days the following week, and Seth would send over a card per the request of his mom. Mrs. Conway had an odd obsession with them for birthdays, holidays, or any other occasion for that matter... The reasoning always eluded him. But nevertheless, he knew what his last objective for the day was: obtain a suitable birthday card because his creative side—sure as shit—was sure as shit. Seth pursed his lips, and then drew his gaze back towards Ponyville’s bustling marketplace on a Wednesday afternoon. He huffed out, unsatisfied. I can do better than JUST a card. The human liked to think of himself as a somewhat-model son… though perhaps not so model in the sense that he should have a seven-figure salary and a hot wife with big tits, and multiple grandchildren by now, per his parents. Nevertheless, mom was a fan of flowers, so in his mind, a simple bouquet of the more ‘exotic’ Equestrian flora would certainly be in order. “Flowers…” he mumbled to himself. “Fuck's sake, I passed them like… three times?” Though he probably would’ve figured things out after an extra minute or two of deliberation, some pre-emptive salvation was always welcome in his book: “Lookin’ fer somethin’, Seth?” Seth smirked at the familiar youthful, southern twang and turned on his heels to find exactly who he expected. “Hey Apple Bloom!” he greeted with a bright smile, and promptly had hooves thrown around his neck in a rather aggressive hug that had come to be expected from the young mare. He was still getting used to the ponies needing to stand on their hind legs for this, and often that wasn’t even enough. Nevertheless, he reciprocated in kind and held her tightly for a moment before he separated from her. “Well, now that you mention it…” Seth put forth, but quickly rolled his eyes as he saw in Bloom’s that she was not paying the slightest bit of attention. “...ahem!” She shook her head once to wipe away her daydream, but quickly followed up with an expert, joking inflection of her voice that she honed specifically for Seth over his tenure here: “Whoops! Heh, sorry ‘bout that. Guess I’m just lost in those deep blue eyes of yers…” She tossed in an allusive wink to boot, and Seth gestured harshly with a single hand towards her. “Okay you are way too young for me to banter with like that, so I’m gonna just let that slide... again,” he stated firstly. He didn’t want a visit from the pony version of Chris Hanson. “But in all seriousness, yeah, it’s my mom’s birthday tomorrow and I wanna send her a card and some flowers through PortalMail tonight. Know anywhere I can get a decent bouquet? Preferably something a little on the exotic side?” he asked. Apple Bloom’s eyes lit up brightly and she bounced once in place. “Do I!” she exclaimed. “One of the girls’ and my best friends specializes in more exotic flowers. Her name’s Schneeblume.” She then gestured back towards the market. “Head back into town and take the third left. Second house on the right—you’ll know it when ya see it!” Seth shot fake incredulity at her, but it was physically impossible to not smile at her exuberance. “You sure about that? I’m taking a big risk here, Bloom…” he added with mock importance. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, but her reassurance was all he needed. “Trust me, Seth… she’ll have exactly what you need.” He shrugged, fully convinced, then let his smile return to his face. “Well alright then! I’ll head over there right now. So, hey—thanks a lot for the direction!” he said, and tousled Apple Bloom’s mane, which offset her bow, much to her chagrin. Still, she beamed back up at him and Seth imparted another side-hung for her troubles. “Anytime!” she replied, then quickly continued when Seth turned to take his leave: “Oh hey! By the way! Seth!” “Yeah?” he called back over his shoulder and turned to face her as he kept walking away. “Keep the light stubble on yer face!” she hinted with a deep, suggestive wink. “It looks really nice!” Seth chuckled whilst shaking his head, but still halfheartedly scolded her in return: “Damnit, ‘Bloom, I’m too old for you! Stop hitting on me—I don’t want a visit from your sister in the middle of the night to break my kneecaps!” “No promises~!” “UGH!” Seth started back towards the town center in following Apple Bloom’s direction, and all the while busied his mind with wondering what he should get for his darling mother. She was partial to the lavender color, or really, just purple in general… so perhaps there would be something different that would at least have that criteria met? But in thinking of his mother, Seth brought his thoughts to his entire family, and how supportive they had been of his wayward journey in trying to figure out what he wanted out of life. Seth smirked when his thought train drifted to his father, who sternly but lovingly told him that he had no choice but to do something productive. He didn’t care what it was, but until that time came, it was either going to be going to school, or joining the military. After taking a couple of years off to get some odd work experience here and there as well as earn some cash, nothing stuck with him. So, he decided to go to Community College to see if that offered any answers. A year into that, and there was only fleeting interest in certain subjects that often had but tangential to do with one another, such as history and basic nuclear chemistry. Go figure. The Portal had already been open for a couple of years by that point, and with it, a nascent interest between the humans and ponies had built up to an obsessive compulsion to learn as much about one another as possible. On that front, nothing but excellent words had come of the Earth-Equestria Student Exchange Program, so he almost took that avenue up. But when the military announced that it was accepting new volunteers to go through basic training and drill with their Equestrian counterparts, it was another whole opportunity. To help form a cohesive, allied task force to further understand one another and strengthen a future inter-planetary alliance? Once the recruiter told him that, his response was ‘sign me the fuck up!’ So, here he was. Back in reality, Seth hung that third left per Apple Bloom’s instruction. In terms of his direction in life, he had put all his hope into his current path. The Army gave him a head start and moved him (and the surprisingly few volunteers) to Equestria to acclimate for a several-month period before basic training was to begin. Equestria had already treated him so well, but in the end, he just hoped that he would find his place within these new colorful boundaries of an unexplored planet… That, or he’d be out of ideas and shit out of luck, otherwise. At least the experience so far had been totally worth it, and if he was left with nothing more than when he started, he hoped to be able to say that the memories were spectacular. “Okay… second house on the…” he stopped immediately once his prize was within sight. His eyes widened considerably. “Ah. That’s what ‘Bloom meant.” As Seth got a closer look, the second house on the right of this lovely, quaint street so close to the market district was quite literally the epitome of a flora farm right in the front. Prefacing what seemed like a standard, garden variety white house with a door front and center and accompanied by two windows flanking either side… was the entire garden that he figured was where all the ‘business’ was taken care of. A white, painted fence surrounded the front yard, and posts were erected at specific points along the perimeter which led to the construction of a skeleton overhang. An innumerable number of vines climbed up these very posts and crisscrossed one another to form an entire roof of flowers… flowers of all colors and types that seemed like they should not even go together. They grew upon one another naturally, though clearly set in such a way to make them appear as such. A technicolor awning. Seth had seen the concept of Equestrian ‘magic’ first hand via unicorns, but this in and of itself was magical as well. A sudden feeling of being under-dressed for such beauty diffused through him. By force of habit, he smoothed out his blood-red t-shirt, wiped his jeans of anything that might’ve made him at all less-presentable, and proceeded forward towards the open gate. The side of the open post proudly displayed ‘OPEN’ in what looked like German script, which he regarded as a nice, elegant touch. Seth passed through the gate posts and into (and under) the literal flower awning. He could not refrain from staring… though perhaps that was the whole point of it. Specific pathways of neatly trimmed, emerald-green grass were defined as walkways, but on either side of them sat perfect phalanxes of planted flowers; hundreds of them! Every single one of them was for sale, per the strategically-placed price tags, but he could not detect a hint of a blemish on any of the arrangements. They were all perfectly grown, perfectly manicured to suit any need. Only a master of their art and a touch so loving and tender could have produced such order in beauty. Around and above him, on the supporting posts, vines crawled their way up and displayed their creations proudly, as well as letting in only a few golden rays of the sun above. As he had seen from outside, different types of flowers had interwoven with each other in an intimate embrace of floral majesty that called to him. Especially so when, on one of the posts to his right, there was a bright purple and white tulip that stared him in the face beckoning him over with an ethereal finger. He was suddenly reminded of that one trippy garden scene from Alice in Wonderland. The only difference was that he was definitely not dropping acid like she probably was, because these flowers sure as hell weren't telling him to learn shit from them. Seth spared a look over both his shoulders and—upon seeing nopony there to help him at the moment—decided to fancy a look for himself. He strolled up to the flower that so captured his attention and brought his face up close and personal. Never had he been one to appreciate beauty in the form of a floral arrangements so much. Sure, he enjoyed them, and enjoyed giving them to the occasional girlfriend that he had, but never had he been captured by one himself. This is gorgeous… He drew the middle knuckle of his right index finger up to one of the petals, and it was indeed real and healthy. This would be perfect for his mom… or, at least the color would be! A soft, foreign-accented voice suddenly flowed over his ears like a gentle waterfall from behind: “Hallo!” Seth perked up and swiveled on his heels to meet this ‘flower mare,’ and what first greeted him was a pair of bright, beaming, lavender eyes that locked straight onto his own blues. Her coat was a gorgeous, porcelain white that nearly blinded him from how the sun above struck her at such an angle through the vines, but further brought more attention to her eyes… and that straight, jet-black mane that fell over the sides of her face and flowed down the back of her neck. And that little bit of ‘floof’ on her chest was adorable—something that he was always fond of with ponies, mares especially. The cherry on top was that her face had trace amounts of dirt and mud that she likely hadn’t noticed before… Seth wasn’t sure why, but it added to her sudden allure. Also, her bright-white teeth were perfect. Hail Hygiene. And in putting together everything he was taking in with the mare in front of him, Seth quickly realized that he was staring at her… certainly a bit longer than what would’ve been deemed appropriate by any societal standards. But he felt his heart flutter in his chest. Oh no… not now, goddamnit. Regardless, he forced that down and cleared his throat. He returned the greeting in earnest and genuine eagerness: “Uhhh… Hi!” he said, and quickly spat out the next words that came to his mind to save face: “I’m uhh… I’m looking for some… flowers!” The mare before him smiled brightly and gazed around at their surroundings. The combined smell of dozens of flower-types was hypnotizing, and that’s what he internally tried to blame for his borderline sperg response. “Well… it appears you’re in the right place!” she joked and added a little giggle of her own that brought a familiar lightness to Seth’s diaphragm area. He could tell right away that her accent was German. Not a shred of doubt. Not you too, butterflies. You stop that. Stop that right now! He stood up straight and smiled. “I take it then that you’re Miss Schneeblume?” The mare cocked her head to the right with that inquisitive look that nearly gave Seth a heart attack from a straight cuteness injection. “I am… do I know you?” she inquired. “I was referred to you by my friend Apple Bloom,” he said, then added with a joking inflection. “She told me that you’d have exactly what I needed when it came to flowers…” Schneeblume’s face brightened up once more, and with a knowing smirk, she rolled her eyes. “Ah, Apple Bloom… she and the Crusaders really need to stop giving me so much credit sometimes and giving me a reputation that I don’t even know I have…” she mused. Ah, the Crusader trio. Seth knew them well. He was then was quick to point out their immediate surroundings. “You sure about that? This… all of this is fucking incredible!” he said, and immediately slapped a couple fingers to his mouth when he let his oft-use of profanity slip through. His feelings were one-hundred percent genuine—this really was incredible. Great… so much for first impressions. Thankfully for him, Schnee averted her gaze and giggled heartily, hoof to muzzle. Her cheeks colored ever so slightly, which brought an assload of relief to Seth’s own chest. “Please excuse my language…” he added, but Schnee was quick to dismiss his apology. “That’s quite alright! I’ve had a lot of praise given to me for my displays but never any with… that level of conviction,” she giggled again. She beamed up at him, her perfect teeth on display. “But thank you, really, for your kind words. It’s always lovely to hear from a bystander’s perspective…” And at that moment, Schnee caught herself with what seemed like a realization: “I don’t believe I caught your name, Mister…” “Seth,” the human answered with his own smile, more than happy to formally introduce himself to the beautiful mare. “Seth Conway. Nice to meet you, Miss Schneeblume,” he added, and knelt down to properly be able to extend his right hand to the mare. Schneeblume blushed at the gesture and placed her right hoof into his… and upon closing his grip on her, he noticed that instead of coat and hoof as he had experienced many times, he felt cold, hard ceramic in his hold. A quick glance downward indeed showed him something that he hadn’t noticed the first time around: Her leg, from just below the ‘elbow’ to her hoof, was an entirely ceramic and metal prosthetic. A perfect mirror of her left hoof, which was clearly still organic. This time, Seth was quick to not react to her hoof, and after a gentle grip and shake, he released her and righted his posture. However, he was human… and as a result, many questions remained. Namely, when and how did that happen? Of course, it was none of his business… and there were more pressing matters to attend to, which Schneeblume was thankfully much better at putting them back on track with much less gawking like on Seth’s part. “A pleasure to meet you as well, Seth! And please, no need for the formality at all. ‘Schneeblume’ or ‘Schnee’ will do just fine,” she replied with a smile that Seth had grown quite comfortable with over the past couple of moments. Even more so, she lowered her eyelids a smidge, which threw him for a loop. Wait… did she just flirt with me? No. Stop reading into shit. Get your flowers before you embarrass yourself further… “Sounds good, Schnee!” he said. “But yes, I am looking for some flowers. It’s mom’s birthday tomorrow and she’s in love with the color purple and its likeness. It's an obsession, really, but who am I to judge?” Schnee glanced away and adopted a rather pensive look, and she brought her ceramic hoof to her chin. “Hmmm…” she hummed. “Birthday flowers for mom… purple…” she thought out loud, then turned back to Seth: “Are you looking for a specific number? A bouquet? A specific type?” Seth shook his head. “Nope! Whatever looks the best and most beautiful. Mom deserves the best so whatever looks the best is what I’ll go for.” Schnee smirked up at him. “In that case, we’ve got a lot of breathing room! A nice bouquet of various flowers should do nicely, but we’ll pick them just right, starting with this!” she said, and trot her way past Seth to the very flower he was eyeing up a few moments earlier. She picked it right from the vine with her mouth, then held it in the crook of her left hoof whilst looking back at Seth. “We can pick as we go. Walk with me?” Schnee asked. Her right ear was cocked a little higher than her left at the questioning inflection. Seth could never say no to that face. “Absolutely!” and he quickly fell into step right beside her. Schnee led the way into the first row of flowers, where the color purple was most prominent out of various types. “If I may…” Schneeblume began whilst examining two different types of flowers in front of her. “...did you just come through the Portal?” Seth responded casually whilst watching Schnee through her through process: “Yeah, but I’ve been here in Ponyville for about a month or so, actually. Guess you could consider that ‘just’ coming through the Portal, I suppose?” As much as he hated himself for staring, he couldn’t help but notice how lithe and ‘fit’ Schnee’s figure was. Especially her haunches… which seemed quite muscular for just a mare who was doing some flower tending. Either these flowers required a shit-tonne of love and care, or her workout routine was killer. And if it was the latter, he needed to get on that to keep what semblance of shape he had maintained from Krav Maga. That only begged the question of when it was socially appropriate to ask someone you just met for their workout routine? Because that would just be an admission that he was ‘mirin’… which he totally was. “Hmmm…” Schnee hummed again, and then picked a specific flower and added it to the crook of her hoof. “I see! How do you like it here so far?” Schnee asked. That Germanic twang of hers was really growing on him. “I love it here!” Seth answered genuinely, putting of all the lovely experiences he’s had thus far in his short time in Equestria into his response. “Everyone—erm, everypony, rather, is so nice here, which was a huge surprise considering how different we look and sometimes act… “...Humans and ponies that is,” he clarified. Schneeblume smiled back at him before she led him onward to another awning post that had lots more purple on it. And she nodded in agreement. “Ja, I must say that the… integration? Well, integration of sorts, I suppose, has gone lot more smoothly than I expected.” Schnee wondered aloud whilst glancing back at him over her shoulder: “Perhaps our species have much more in common than we don’t?” Seth shrugged. “I’d like to think so. Though I’ll leave the politics of it all to the politicians and just enjoy the ride while I’m here…” he replied, then quickly followed up with a bit of a probing gamble: “I know this may sound a bit rude… but judging by your accent, it does not seem you’re from ‘here’ either, so perhaps we have a bit in common ourselves…” Schneeblume chuckled as she settled on another flower, adding it to the collection with gentle reverence as—in Seth’s odd opinion—General Grievous would add a lightsaber. “Not at all! I asked you, so I think it’s only fair, ja?” she teased with a lopsided smile over her shoulder. “But you’d be right! I’m indeed not from Equestria, though I’ve been here for a little less than five years.” She brought yet another flower, one that looked like a lilac rose, to her muzzle and took a gentle whiff. She then exhaled and relaxed her posture in a way that reflected with a fondness in her follow-up: “It’s home all the same, to me.” Schneeblume bade Seth to follow her further, and he duly kept pace behind her. Being the very definition of the man that he was, he occasionally spared a glance at her backside… which during his small tenure in Equestria, he had grown quite fond of in the fairer sex of ponies. He had never been an ‘ass man’ back on Earth, either. It had to have been literally magic because he was dead-set in giving all his glory to a fine pair of hypno-globes. To be fair, there weren’t exactly breasts in the traditional human sense to gawk at, so his preferences made a temporary switch. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. Yonder posterior, however... “And if I may continue asking…” Schneeblume again chanced, startling Seth from his daydream. “...what brought you through the Portal?” The human shrugged. “Direction,” Seth answered straightforwardly. “Back on Earth I’d been trying to figure out what the hell I wanted to do with my life, but never really found something that really ‘clicked,’ y’know?” Schnee nodded at him, seemingly intently listening, before snatching another flower. “Mhmm…” “So, I joined the military because they were offering a transfer opportunity to Equestria. Sounded pretty fun so I decided to give it a go. I set out for Basic in Canterlot in a few months.” Schnee’s right ear perked up. “Oh?” she asked. “Well I’m sure you still have some time to figure things out… how old are you?” “Twenty-two,” Seth said. “Psh…” Schnee scoffed playfully. “Ja, you’ve got plenty of time. I just got lucky a few years ago with what I’m doing now at twenty-six. You’ll find your purpose and direction when you’re meant to, I’m sure,” she added. Seth was more than able to agree with that, but his words died on his tongue when he caught a glance at her cutie mark, which was some red flower with an emerald-green stem that was wrapped elegantly around… Wait… is that a potato masher? Seth blinked. And blinked again. That’s not a potato masher… that’s a damn stick grenade. Fucking… what?! These ass tattoos are weird, man. Seth shook his mind of the thought—it left an innumerable amount of questions were left in its wake, exactly zero of them appropriate—and decided to ask another question of his own: “Yeah, that’s the hope… but what about you? With how expertly you’ve been maintaining all of this...” Seth gestured with both hands to their surroundings. “...this is the work of a master! You probably found your calling when you were a kid!” The pretty mare loosed a lighthearted chuckle and another blush to boot. “Not quite… but thank you for all the kind words, Liebling. Perhaps your ‘purpose’ is making mares’ faces all rosy,” Schneeblume teased. Seth rallied in his mind… and was not so blind to let that clear-as-day flirting go unnoticed. Further seeing that she was eating up the (genuine) praise he lavished on her, Seth decided to press his luck further, and prodded her ‘defenses’ once more: “Oh really? Then just what was a friendly, pretty mare such as yourself doing before you found your calling with flowers?” Schnee had finished placing another two flowers into the crook of her hoof when she paused for a moment. She stared ahead for another couple of seconds before angling her gaze back at Seth—he immediately noticed that the natural gleam that her lavender eyes radiated was suddenly no longer there. For the briefest moments, they were completely hollow. “I…” she hesitated. Seth suddenly felt all the confidence wilt away within him. Every single butterfly in his stomach was just blown out of the sky by an anti-aircraft cannon, courtesy of him asking, clearly, too personal of a question. He went into full damage-control mode behind his calm exterior, but his ability to walk back his previous question was stymied by Schneeblume’s next, simple words. “I… traveled a bit after secondary. Went to Prance for four years,” she said with what appeared to be some more internal deliberation, from Seth’s standpoint. He saw the telltale signs of fighting for appropriate words. Schnee turned back towards a patch of flowers on the ground to snag two more, then promptly about-faced with that erstwhile radiant visage. “But then I went back home to Alemaneia for a little bit and after that, I needed a change of pace, really. Equestria was always said to have been the land of opportunity and direction, so, like you, I thought I’d give it a try!” Seth smiled warmly at the mare before him, and awkwardly placed his hands in his pockets. Internally, there was a massive hurrah for possibly salvaging a shit situation. “Guess you were right then—we do have more in common,” he chanced again. And this time, Schneeblume grinned back up at him from behind the veil of her jet-black bangs. Her blush had returned. “So it seems,” she mused in her native tongue and pawed at the grass beneath her ceramic hoof. “Gesundheit,” Seth replied with utmost seriousness. And apparently that caught the poor mare by surprise, if she slapping her hoof to her muzzle to stifle a powerful chortle was anything to go by. She also nearly lost her hold on the bouquet she was putting together, and Seth beamed inwardly. “Thanks for that one,” she reflected with no small measure of hilarity. “Well,” Seth then brought them back to the better parts of their previous conversation. “From the looks of all of this, and how highly Apple Bloom and her friends speak of you, it seems like you’ve definitely found your direction here. A perfect fit,” he said. And his mind had something else to silently tack onto that: Which means there’s hope for YOU if your inner autismo doesn’t get you killed. Schnee lowered her head under the weight of his praise and blushed again, unable to contain another giggle. She herself had a look around at her own creation and simply came back with: “Heh… So it seems,” she repeated her previous, native words. Seth made a mental note to look that up later. She tilted her head toward another direction. “This way,” Schnee directed, and whilst slipping past Seth, drew the length of her tail over his thigh to further pull him along. Seth may have been oblivious, but even he noticed that. Dude, she totally just molested your leg with her tail. The ponies have been a lot more physical but none of them did THAT. Well, there were those two other mares that were totally into you that did the same thing. You’re just retarded. Third time’s the charm, you better go for this, dude... “Right behind you!” he said, and once again fell right into step with the porcelain-coated mare. “Und…” Schnee hummed out with her right hoof tentatively outstretched. She hovered over a couple of different flower types, but all were varying degrees of purple. She decided to swipe all of them. “Let’s just add all of these, since it’d be a crime to separate them,” she said. She then glanced up at Seth and shot him a playful wink with an open-mouthed smile. “Don’t worry… I won’t charge you extra for those.” Seth was genuinely touched at that gesture… though he was probably a little biased since he fancied this mare already from when they barely met however many minutes ago. Nevertheless, his own feelings on Schnee’s generosity aside, he also noticed that wink she gave him… along with that extra swish of her tail. If the latter even meant anything, of course… in his completely scientific opinion, Seth had some moderate certainty that Schnee was possibly into him as he was into her. He drove himself to no small amount of internal deliberation as to whether any of her most minute actions directed at him were suddenly all signals of some kind. That, or he was probably just retarded or autistic. Possibly some combination of the both considering how much of his days he would waste on the internet back on Earth. “Thank you very much, Schnee… but really, it’s not necessary. I have no problem paying any extra for this masterpiece of a tailored bouquet you’re putting together,” Seth insisted. His insistence fell flat on Alemaneian will of steel, as Schneeblume merely brushed him off. “And I insist otherwise, Seth,” she said. “Besides…” And then she meekly smirked up at him. “Consider it thanks for a little bit of nice conversation.” A moment of silence ensued while their eyes were still firmly locked onto one another’s face… which led to a seemingly mutual realization that they were staring. Well, at least that’s what Seth told himself when he eventually averted his eyes elsewhere. Schneeblume did the same… but in that moment she waved him after her. “Well, I think fourteen flowers will do just nicely for a birthday arrangement,” Schnee mused out loud, and after some sleight of hoof, wrapped the entire bundle appropriately in some plastic-wrap that was on a roll on one of the awnings. With some crinkling and the addition of a very purple bow to seal it all tightly, Schnee handed the completed bouquet to Seth for his inspection. “What do you think?” she asked, smiling with anticipation. Seth held the finished bouquet in both of his hands and brought it up to his nose for a smell. The crinkling of the fresh plastic faded away and instead his entire senses were taken up by the very smell that was emitted by all ten flowers. He was no stranger to flowers, naturally. He lived in a rather lush area of his country back on Earth. However, much like most things on the new planet of Equis, and now in this great nation of Equestria, the same things seemed… different. Food tasted better. Colors… brighter. Flowers smelt so much better. And the mere fourteen flowers in front of him… the smell was so powerful that when he took that first whiff, his eyes shut on their own accord. He initially smelt a strong hit of lavender, but this quickly melted away into the sea of… purple smells. He never knew that a color could smell so good. What a time to be alive. Mom would love it. Seth opened his eyes and beamed down at Schnee. “It’s perfect!” Schneeblume returned his smile with a face-spanning one of her own and bounced twice on all four hooves. “Oh wunderbar!” she exclaimed with a squee that nearly made Seth suffer a massive hemorrhagic stroke. “I’m so happy to hear that, Seth!” The human added: “And the best part is that my mom will absolutely love this! Thank you so much!” Schnee further retreated behind her mane but that proud smile never waned. Nevertheless, now that he was more than satisfied with the product, it was time to move to something a little more pertinent since he had taken up more than a fair share of this lovely mare’s time. “What do I owe you?” he asked whilst reaching back for his wallet. Schneeblume squinted whilst she counted with her right hoof the flowers in Seth’s hand. He could see her mumbling something to herself for a moment before she came back with a definitive: “Small bouquet. Healthy mix of common to super-rare flowers. Let’s call it twenty bits, even.” She then tentatively angled her face away, keeping her gaze fixated on the tall human before her. “Is that fair?” Seth playfully huffed. “You tell me, Miss Schnee, master of the floral arts! What’s your product and your time worth to you?” he said, which earned another lighthearted giggle out of the mare… ...internally though, he wasn’t sure why he defaulted to those words for praise because he damn-near wanted to hurl at his (self-proclaimed) piss-poor attempts at buttering this mare up. Schnee cleared her throat, then offered a warm, cheek-to-cheek smirk. “Twenty bits it is, then…” Seth had absolutely no hesitation in reaching into his billfold and handing over a twenty-bit note. “Worth every penny.” Schnee gingerly swiped the bill from his hand via her mouth and stored it in a cash pocket of her gardening pouch. She turned back with a bright smile. “Danke sehr! Want a receipt?” Seth shook his head. “Nah, I think I’m good. Thank you again, Schnee!” Schnee smiled and blew one of her bangs out of her face. “More than happy to help, Seth. Thank you for the business!” And at this point, Seth found himself in that position. He had the product beautifully wrapped in his hands. He had exchanged currency with Schnee for said product, and an even trade had been agreed upon. The transaction was over. Done. Which meant that Seth had little business left on her property and ‘storefront,’ as it were. Which, by extension, meant that every fraction of a second that he kept taking in Schnee’s inviting, lavender eyes was a fraction of a second longer than it was appropriate to be standing there still. At the spontaneous crossroads of a series of firsts in Equestria, the human was presented with two options: He could either bid the lovely mare goodbye and take his leave since no more transactions needed to be made, as per a normal goddamn person in an economy. Or alternatively, go for broke and inquire on the Alemaneian mare’s lunch plans for the weekend, and if she would even be interested in accompanying him. Time slowed to a crawl in his head, and his conscience had some choice words for him: I swear to god, man… you clearly like this girl. If you DON’T ask this girl out right goddamn now, I will never, EVER forgive you. Ask her RIGHT NOW, or I will make you look back on this moment years down the line and have you asking yourself ‘what if’ at three in the morning. JUST. DO IT. MAKE. YOUR DREAMS. COME TRUE. “Absolutely. I’ll definitely be back for all my floral needs… Oh, by the way, Schnee?” Seth finally voiced after a couple of seconds in the real world. Schneeblume cocked her head to the left. Her welcoming smile never left her face. “Ja?” Seth took a deep breath and—forcing down his urge to pivot on his feet awkwardly—decided to just be out with it and be genuine with his desires. Because that always worked in every situation. Honesty was always a virtue. Right? “I was wondering if umm…” Out with it, cunt! Don’t you dare even think about pussyfootin’ now! If you bitch out, you’re double gay. “...if you have any time in your—your busy schedule, I’m sure—would you like to have lunch this weekend?” Seth witnessed Schnee’s eyes widen… almost comically so. The shock and unexpectedness could be read from those lavender pools, down to her now slightly-slackened mouth, to the tentative raising of a single hoof. Her cheeks colored profusely through her pale coat. No response was forthcoming over the next whole second and a half, and after such an eternity, Seth felt the need to clarify his position: “To take you out! I’d love to take you out, I mean…” he immediately added. There could be no ambiguity with his question now. But that same, stunned look remained on Schneeblume’s face. Obviously, he struck out and he just needed to wait for the rejection, which was totally fine. Human and pony relationships still weren’t THAT common, and he couldn’t blame anyone for not really wanting to ford that river just yet. He was surprised he himself was so willing, in hindsight. It’s not like this would ruin his week, or even his day if Schnee came right out and flatly said— “Ja!” Seth blinked out of his mental stupor. “Wait, what?” Schneeblume had the brightest smile he had seen today, and she nodded vehemently. “Yes! I’d love to! Does this Saturday work for you?” It was Seth’s turn to be stunned. Holy shit… you actually did it. Absolute madman. “Y-Yes! Absolutely! It definitely does!” Seth finally forced himself to respond, though he had a genuinely proud smirk on his mug. A glimmering-faced Schnee danced on her hooves for a moment and circled once in place. “Come by at noon? We can walk into town together…” Schnee shyly suggested. Seth nodded once with a bright smile. This truly had been the land of firsts for him. “You got it! See you at noon on Saturday!” And with an extra pep in his step, the human quickly took his leave after a bout of awkward smiling between the two of them… ushered out by the very hope of the next few days passing much more quickly. As he walked away, Seth simply did not notice a brimming Schneeblume squee to herself and bounce, light on her hooves, back into her rows of flowers.
2. The PlantingHe told the three of them exactly what he did. Their reactions were simultaneous and unanimous: “YOU WHAT?!” Seth deadpanned. Perhaps, in hindsight, it was probably best to keep this from the three Crusaders for at least another day or so. But, they probably would’ve found out anyway and likely confronted him about his… endeavors, so it was best to be upfront about it, in his mind. After getting over the initial, awkward childishness of ascending to a treehouse, he stood before a tribunal of the Crusaders who had varying degrees of humor written on their faces. Sweetie Belle, in the center, seemed to be trying her best to keep her composure but was failing miserably as her lips cracked open with laughter. Scootaloo already succumbed and had buried her face in her hooves. Apple Bloom was a completely lost cause and had doubled over. And with that, Seth decided to finally address the point: “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, but I did it. It was me, Dio!” “Huh?” “N-Nevermind,” he dismissed their immediate questions. “Point being, I’m gonna need your girls’ help…” The three young mares exchanged mutually confused looks with one another. “With what?” Scootaloo asked. Seth could not get a word out before Sweetie Belle cut in: “Okay look, there’s a lot you don’t know about Schneeblume… and probably some of it for good reason,” she explained with a hint of pity toward the human, which evoked a single, raised eyebrow. She continued: “But it’s her job to eventually tell you that if you ever see her again, not ours. So I wouldn’t take the rejection too personally… she’s still been working through some things over the last five years.” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded together in sync. Seth, however, felt his confusion bubble over to a boiling point. “Oh for… WHAT?!” his tone bade clarification. “You know she said yes, right?” The sound was vacuumed out of the room, and was only broken by the sound of three sets of mandibles hitting the floor and a resounding, synchronous: “SHE WHAT?!” Seth stood there before them… completely straight-faced, as the three Crusaders chose their preferred method of composing themselves. What stood out the most was Sweetie Belle, who promptly threw her head back in rapturous, gut-busting laughter. And Seth just took it. ...but then again, what could he have possibly done? These young mares were like, fifteen anyway. Not like he could batista bomb them off the side of the tree-house without some Royal Guard running up to him and slandering him as criminal scum. And all while his thoughts took him into some… admittedly weird territory, Sweetie Belle composed herself and locked eyes back with Seth… who retained his stoicism in the face of ridicule by teenage girls. Sweetie Belle immediately reared her head back in an even more powerful burst of laughter before she realized that Seth was not playing any games. “Y...You’re serious, aren’t you?” Pursing his lips, Seth held his palms out in a half-shrug and nodded. Apple Bloom cut in after a bit of examination on her part: “Applejack taught me how to spot a liar a million miles away… and what I’m sure’ve is that this blue-eyed idiot just went and asked out Schneeblume and she actually said yes!” Seth finally got a word in, exasperated: “I literally just told you all of this… I mean, why the hell would I be willingly hanging out with three girls—ahem, mares—seven years younger than me?” He then pointed straight at Apple Bloom. “I’m still expecting your sister to show up somewhere and kick my ass in my sleep, by the way…” which earned him a few chuckles from the red-maned teen. And in addressing all three of the Crusaders as an entity, he requested with utmost imploration in his words: “Point is, girls… I went to get some flowers per Bloom’s recommendation, was stunned silly by this mare and shit-knows-what, and it just felt right to at least try my luck… so I went for it. By some diety’s grace, she said yes! I actually wanna get to know her better and want this to work! “Help a brother out! How do I not insta-fuck-up with smol Germ—Alemaneian pone when I treat her to lunch this Saturday?” Scootaloo had something rather immediate to point out: “Well, you could start by not talking like that for one…” Sweetie Belle also had her own thoughts to tack right on to Scootaloo’s: “Serious question, are you actually retarded?” Seth rolled his eyes and sighed. “You know, for fifteen year-olds, you throw some gnarly shade… middle school must’ve been a helluva drug for you three. “But OF COURSE NOT. I only talk so unhinged because we’re all friends… I think? I hope by this point since none of your families wanna kill me after meeting you.” “Fair ‘nuff,” Apple Bloom added. Seth decided to add some incentive to his plea: “Here, tell y’all what: help me out, and I’ll buy you three lunch for your time. Deal?” Everypony perked up at that mention, and Sweetie Belle shared a wordless glance with both of her friends on either side of her. “Make it two milkshakes for each of us and then we’ll be talking.” Seth tersely nodded once without a shred of hesitation. “Agreed!” Sweetie then turned to both of her friends, who regarded her with equal measure of mischievousness… which in turn, stirred a sense of unease at the holiest levels inside of Seth. Nothing good came about from multiple girls (and in this case, young mares all the same) scheming together. She then nodded a couple of times. “Alright, Seth. Fine. You’ve got yourself a deal. We’ll give you a couple pointers with her that we’ve learned over the years…” Scootaloo picked up right where she left off: “Take the advice or don’t. I personally don’t care… but what the three of us do care about, is Schneeblume.” Apple Bloom flipped her mane out of her face and decided to convey to him exactly what Seth expected they were getting at: “Pretty much, don’t fuck things up so hard where ya end up hurtin’ her… because if ya hurt Schnee in any way…” Bloom’s face, along with the rest of the girls’, suddenly became quite dark. Seth subconsciously took a step back before the young Apple finished her conspicuous threat: “You can expect a visit in the middle of the night… but yer gonnna wish it was from mah sister.” Seth held both his hands up defensively. “Hey… totally fair. Best friends and all—I’d kill for them too. But this is exactly why I came to you three. I knew you were some of the best friends to this mare. I don’t want that to happen.” Apple Bloom nodded thoughtfully, and in looking at her other two closest friends, they appeared to share the same sentiment. “Alright…” Sweetie Belle said. “So, if you’re gonna take her to lunch, here’s some things we think you should do…” Saturday had finally come, and as Seth had hoped, it was another warm day with just the right amount of wind spells that produced nary a cloud in the sky. Most ideal for walking somewhere which was the ultimate plan for lunchtime. Excitement had gotten the better of him the previous evening, and he hadn’t been able to sleep much, as a consequence. That familiar lightness in his stomach that he loved to experience when thrills came about was most prominent, and he hoped it would carry him through the day on his date with Schnee. Seth resolved to rise around seven in the morning once he realized that a true deep sleep just simply wasn’t going to happen… so instead of moping about, something productive could be done. A nice, hearty breakfast made from scratch was in the cards, as well as a simple workout routine to get the blood flowing. It was a shame that cell phone service didn’t work in Equestria… yet. He would have so many pictures to send back home to his family and friends to prove that he was being weaned off of fast food binges at lightning speed. No one would believe him without video evidence otherwise. Seth also decided to take a more ritualistic approach to getting ready, which entailed an almost two-hour shower and a meticulous process in picking his clothes. The latter, he felt, was particularly important—while his first impressions on Schnee appeared to be on the positive side, the first date was another ‘introduction,’ in a sense… and first impressions always last a lifetime. So, a casual, sky-blue t-shirt and a matching set of blue jeans to match his eye color would work well for the occasion. Nothing too fancy, and wholly inoffensive in his mind. Though to be fair, that was subjective, as most ponies went about their daily business without anything but their own coats, only dressing up for specific events that called for it. Culture shock, for sure. And as the final tens of minutes approached zero hour, Seth had to remind himself that this wasn’t a huge ordeal. It was a nice little date that would hopefully lead somewhere more. If it didn’t, then that was perfectly okay, and the next time would be even easier. What was the worst that could happen? ...other than accidentally insulting the poor Flower Mare, that is. Then inevitably getting his shit kicked out of him by three teenage fillies to the tune of O’ Sole Mio playing in his head. Seth took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh air that he was in so desperate need of to calm his nerves. As he meandered his way over to Schnee’s house, he glanced around at the ponies that were out and about on this beautiful weekend. He waved to all of the friends he had made if he happened to see them… which included a select few humans who had also settled in the area. “It’s gonna be just fine…” he whispered to himself as he rounded the corner to that fateful street. His eyes were drawn to the same floral display that had attracted him those several days ago. He made a beeline straight for the same white gate that had welcomed him. Despite his best attempts, he felt his heart gorilla smashing against his sternum as the final steps were taken towards Schnee’s mauve-colored front door. Most of his mental clarity was spent on making sure he didn’t start sweating, because that was no way to begin this… and all the while, just before he made to knock, he reminded himself that he had done this a few times before. This was not his first rodeo with a girl. Dude. Stop. Relax. Take a deep breath. You’re fucking zen right now. Plug yourself into the matrix and try not to shit out your own colon… for both of our sakes? Thanks. Following the advice of his inner voice, he took another deep breath and steadied himself. “Alright, Seth…” he said whilst running a couple fingers through his hair to ensure order. “First date with a pony… here goes nothing!” Remember your training, soldier. And remember, no Russian. Seth raised his right hand to the door and knocked precisely three times… and immediately he silently hoped he didn’t knock too hard, and thus giving some forceful impression. But what if he did? What if he had broken some pony social norms and— The door unlatched and swung inward. “Seth!” came an excited, familiar, Germanic voice from within. Schnee stepped out into the sunlight, which seemed to glint off of her porcelain-white coat. Gone were the accents of some dirt and soil from her flower tending that had provided such an extra pull to her already gorgeous face… and in its place was a completely clean, fresh coat that took Seth’s breath away for the briefest of moments. If she was gorgeous then… she was absolutely stunning now. Seth’s heart began fluttering to the point of once again gorilla smashing the inside of his ribcage. But his bright smile could not be helped once he lay eyes on her bright, lavender eyes and that beaming smile of Schnee’s own. “Hi Schnee!” he replied, and at his words, Schnee stood on her hind legs and opened both her front legs for a hug… one which Seth immediately went for. He embraced Schnee in his arms and felt how soft her coat was… almost exactly like those soft, velvety blankets that he enjoyed bundling himself up with and burying his face it at a department store. He had the strong urge to cuddle at the moment. Further, she smelt—unsurprisingly—of a sweet, floral fragrance. So sweet that it was intoxicating, almost candy-like. It fit her perfectly, in his mind. Seth separated from her, and Schnee dropped back down to all fours and looked up at him with that same, bright smile… one that was so contagious for him. What’s more, he had just noticed that Schnee had placed a small, blue flower of some kind right above her right ear, and wove it through her mane. It accented that blemishless face of hers perfectly, and Seth already considered himself unimaginably lucky to even score a small lunch date with this mare. He gestured out beyond the gate. “Shall we?” Schneeblume shut the door behind her and stood right next to Seth, nuzzling up once against his leg before nodding up at him. “Ja! We shall!” Seth led barely a pace ahead, and they started towards the town once they left the perimeter of her house. His insides were boiling up, and he felt compelled to mention something to his date with no small bout of awkwardness. “By the way… I’m sure you get this a lot, but you look absolutely beautiful today.” He glanced away out of reflex but quickly calmed his nerves when he heard the cutest giggle, as well as witnessing a deeply-blushing Schnee retreat behind her flowing mane. Schnee met Seth’s gaze with her own with one of her eyes partially obscured by her locks. “You’re too much, Seth… you know that? Already with the compliments??” she teased in return. Seth smirked back at her and boldly asked: “W-Well, is it working?” Schnee’s cheeks colored again, and the smallest, childlike, scrunched-up grin formed on her lips. “...Ja…” Seth gave into the urge to laugh at just how insufferably adorable Schnee was being. “Well, I’m only telling the truth! Besides, I really like that little flower addition above your ear. Accents your face and eyes perfectly,” he pointed out with his finger and brushed one of the petals of said flower. Schnee had to stop in her tracks for a moment and run her right hoof over her face whilst laughing uproariously. “Mein Gott, Seth! Stop it! My coat’s gonna turn red if you keep this up!” she jokingly whined… and then playfully bumped into his leg with her haunches. Again, that laughter was contagious for Seth and he eagerly joined in. “Well then, to break away from that, did you have an eating preference?” Schnee drew her hoof to her chin. “Ehm… Not really. I’ll eat anything… but you humans are omnivores, ja?” she asked. Oh. Right. That. It was Seth’s turn for his reticence to rear its head. “Does… Does that bother you?” he asked cautiously. He was startled at how quickly and vehemently Schnee moved to dismiss any notion of his ask. “NEIN!” she sharply said, but appeared to catch herself. “Ehm… I mean, no! No, not at all! The griffons and other species that live among us eat meat often. I-It’s quite alright! Everywhere has mostly vegetarian options here… it’s Equestria after all.” she added. Her smile was as prominent as ever, and a smile like that instantly calmed Seth’s nerves. In the interest of the rest of the day, he figured now would be a good time to put forth a proposal, and one that had no small bearing of influence from his informative talk with the Crusaders. “Well in that case…” he began, and ran his hand up his left arm for comfort. “Have you been to that one cafe ummm… damn I can’t remember the name.” He twirled his hand to jog his memory. “The one that’s by Honeydew’s fruit stand…” Schnee perked up even more. “Ahh, the Silver Talon, ja??” she voiced with such excitement. “I love that place, they make the best garden sandwiches in Ponyville in my objective opinion,” she said, and tacked on a mischievous giggle. HNNNNG. “Alright! Then it’s off to the Silver Talon for a good lunch, and then afterwards I’m thinking we can get some tea and sit on the park’s edge. How’s that sound?” Seth laid out. With an open-mouthed smile, Schnee sighed and seemingly regarded him with a much calmer aura. Her eyes appeared to sparkle. “That sounds lovely, Seth,” she said. Seth made a massive, highlighted, double-underlined mental note to high-five each of the Crusaders for that suggestion. With their destination now set, Seth strolled with Schnee at his side, and though there was definitely a little initial awkwardness in regards to bouts of silence between small conversation points, he knew this was to be expected. What was also a relief to know was that Schnee was apparently one who appreciated lulls in the talking, per the Crusaders. Seth himself could not count the number of times he had hung out with friends, only to just laze around with them and do shit-all, barely saying a few sentences to them over the course of hours. Mutual silence was wholly underrated, and learning that fact would make things much more pleasurable… at least, that was his hope. Over the short walk, several small topics came and went, as there really wasn’t enough time to delve into the nitty gritty details about each other… the ones that mattered for any potential start to a relationship. Nevertheless, Seth could not stop smiling, to the point where his cheeks hurt. His fears were slowly melting away and as the worst case scenarios seemingly became less and less likely, his confidence soared. His chest was impossibly light. And everytime he glanced over and down at Schneeblume, she was smiling even wider than he was… though this was likely due to pony facial structure. He still wasn’t sure how physics allowed for their eyes to get so damn wide and their mouths to sometimes take up three fourths of their faces. Shit’s straight out of a cartoon, man. One thing that was constant from the moment they left the mare’s house to the moment they had ordered their food and sat down across from each other at their little table: Seth would always notice her prosthetic… that section of her right hoof of ceramic and some metal. His human wonder was always present. Small measures of pity washed over him every time he caught a glimpse of it, but he knew for a fact that Schnee would not appreciate such feelings if they weren’t warranted. “Seth, if I can pivot us for a brief moment…” Schnee voiced, and her previous lightheartedness appeared to evaporate in favor of a much more serious look. Seth’s attention was garnered immediately. “Yeah, of course!” he said, and nodded while leaning forward in his chair. With just the look on her face, she had his undivided attention. “Is something wrong?” Schneeblume shook her head softly, and the tiniest simper returned to her lips. “No, but before we go any further, I just wanted to ummm… cover a couple of things.” Seth silently nodded, and bade her to continue. Schneeblume glanced away and down for a moment, seemingly collecting her thoughts before she inhaled, steeling herself. “Well… as I’m sure you’ve already guessed by now, there’s a few important… details about me that you’re not familiar with. I’m not sure what the girls have told you…?” Seth shook his head. “They haven’t told me anything private. While they did mention the idea of ‘things you’re working through,’ they didn’t reveal anything, and told me that it was your job to tell me anything you wanted, if you wanted. Not theirs,” he informed. Schnee let out a deep breath and smiled, placated if only a little bit. “Wonderful young mares… I don’t know what I’d do without them…” she said, staring into nothing longingly. She then pivoted back to the conversation at hand: “Well, I want to give you a little bit of color on those… things. The thing is… I enjoy your company so far, perhaps a little more than I expected by the start of the first date…” she admitted. Internally, Seth was overjoyed and brimming with excitement. His curiosity, however, had fucktupled in sized at this point, and his desire to know more had intensified. “The feeling is mutual, Schnee,” he added in with a comforting smile, one which Schnee returned to him. “Thank you… but in all seriousness, I wanted to sort of… let you know what you’re getting into if we’re to continue after today. Regarding me…” Seth only nodded again, and in what he considered a brave move, he reached forward and grasped her left hoof on the table in a show of moral support. He smiled invitingly. Schnee appeared to sink a little more comfortably in her chair with Seth’s wordless reassurance. She cleared her throat and pursed her lips before raising her right hoof—her ceramic one. “I’m not blind, Seth… I know you’ve noticed my hoof, ja?” she asked, almost rhetorically. Before Seth could even respond to that in his defense, if he had been staring or been rude, Schnee immediately added: “Oh! I’m not mad at your or blaming you for looking, please know that! But it’s often the silent talk of the room…” she said. Seth nodded twice. “Yeah, I’ve definitely noticed it… and wondered,” he admitted in kind. Schnee pursed her lips as she acknowledged his words. Seth’s hand and her hoof were still connected together, and the mare showed no desire to break that hold. “Well, before I came to Equestria… Before all of this, I ummm… well, I was a soldier,” she admitted with difficulty. Seth had mild suspicions ever since he laid eyes on her cutie mark when he met her, but he really had no idea what it actually meant by that point. He still was getting used to the whole concept of organic ass tattoos, so it could’ve been some odd form of shitty modern art for all he knew. It didn’t make it any less surprising, though, considering her character and personality that he knew thus far. Her gentleness and lack of any rough point of her visible personality certainly did not hint towards that. “Okay,” he said, and simply nodded for her to continue. “About nine years ago, a war began a continent over, and I fought in it for the entire four years. “I won’t… well, I have no desire to bore you with the details for lack of better words, but during that war, I did a lot of things I’m not proud of, for lack of better words… things I’m still slowly but surely dealing with to this day. It’s how I met the Crusaders and how they became three of my closest friends,” she explained. She took a moment, and Seth thought it was a trick of the light when he thought he saw a hint of an obvious emotion reflect off her wide eyes: shame. However, she seemingly built herself back up, and willed herself onward: “And, as I’m sure you can connect dots pretty well, it’s how I lost my hoof… I actually have more of my leg intact, but it’s just the way this newer prosthetic is fashioned,” Schnee answered the burning question in Seth’s mind, and dangled her ceramic hoof for emphasis. Seth was not blind to the large measure of pain behind those bright eyes, but he figured that after all these years, time allowed her to finally talk about these things openly, if only somewhat, as she had demonstrated. But internally, he wondered why she would out this so early. This seemed like something that she would keep close to her until he got to know her better. And yet, it was first date talk. Hmmm. Schnee, however, continued on: “I just wanted to get that out of the way just to, as I said, let you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into so there’s no surprises.” She quickly added in a sudden, defensive tone: “I’m still a mare!” And in what seemed like a defense of her character that Seth had never once called into question, she continued: “I’m a mare who loves doing mare-y things and dressing up and lots of flowers and has hobbies and interests and anything somepony could want in a mare… “...I hope,” she continued with direct allusion from her fearful eyes. “But… I understand the idea of ‘perception.’ I totally get it. I’m still dealing with a lot of relics left behind from the war, and I don’t know how they’d affect you if we were to become involved. “But in the end, I wanted to give you the chance to… opt out at the end of today if your feelings towards me have changed. I’ll hold no ill will if you wish to not pursue anything anymore.” Schnee sunk her head lower upon finishing her sentence. Seth’s heart had ached at this admission, and he couldn’t help but pity her in what she voiced as not exactly being worthy of this kind of affection. The thought never even entered his mind… and the implicit question of “would you really want to date a seasoned combat veteran?” already had and answer in his mind. And again with no hesitation, he reached forward and grasped Schnee’s other hoof, her right hoof. He closed his fingers around the cool ceramic and felt how contrastingly smooth and pristine it was compared to her left hoof in his left hand… how he could see the reflection of her face at an off-angle on its surface. Schnee recoiled her face slightly at the gesture, and then regarded Seth questioningly with large eyes. Seth made sure to greet her with soft ones of his own, along with a reassuring upturn of his lips. “Thanks for letting me know ‘what I’m getting into…’ But I’m more than eager to ‘get into it.’” Despite holding the same look on his face, internally, bombs were exploding with how terrible choice of words he had. That’s great, Seth. Drop a sex innuendo before food is served on the first date. Well-fucking-done, lad. Hell I like you. I’ll let you come home and fuck my sister. Thankfully, it appeared that the demi-goddesses Celestia and Luna were smiling upon him, and Schneeblume perked up enormously, almost about-facing from her previous reticence and cackled heartily. And while tracing figure-eights on the table with her ceramic hoof, she replied with a now-familiar phrase in her native tongue with her erstwhile teasing allure: “Lovely choice of words, Seth… but... “So it seems...” Seth, however, made good on his mental promise to look up the meaning of that phrase from those days ago, and had formulated an appropriate response with confident, yet admittedly poor pronunciation: “And it is so.” Schneeblume’s ears perked up straight at an instant. Her eyes irised open to the point where they could take in all the light of the day. Her perfect teeth were again on display in a smile that would physically maim a human by the sheer happiness radiated. And she immediately followed it up with an uncontrollable giggle that ended in an accidental snort. Seth felt like he had about four strokes, three heart attacks, and a bout of ass cancer all at the same time from an adorability injection so powerful, his pancreas was begging for a mercy killing from all the insulin required to prevent his spine from slithering out his anus. Schnee wiped her right eye and stared back into his with a hum of bliss whilst she leaned forward over the table. “You really are too much… you know that?” Converting some of your social awkwardness into confidence. Son, I am proud. She cleared her throat and had something else to add: “But…” her voice dipped to barely over a whisper, and she let her bangs obscure part of her lavender pools. “...I’m so happy to hear that, Seth. And for the record?” In the unspoken game of tit-for-tat, Schnee removed her left hoof from Seth’s hand and placed it atop of his right, which was still cradling her ‘wounded’ hoof. She ended her mental meandering with a hopeful smile. “I would love to see where this goes.” Seth’s face would probably be swollen in the morning from the involuntary grinning. Hearing that from Schnee gave him all the boost he needed. The butterflies were back with a vengeance of their parents being gunned down in an alleyway, and his heart was playing bongos with his ribs. He suddenly thought of a select few of his friends who weren’t the ‘relationship’ type for whatever reason—and that was totally their prerogative… but he pitied the poor fuckers who would not know such joys as dickhead butterflies and a lightness in the chest so specific as this. After Schnee poured some measure of her thoughts out before lunch regarding her soldiering past and her hoof, the usual questions regarding family, friends, hobbies, et cetera were tossed about… but in hindsight weren’t really dwelled upon. Lunch was actually eaten in relative silence, but the difference between such an experience now, and any time else that Seth had been privy to silent meals, was that it was comfortable. Still, many questions swam around in Seth’s mind, mainly about Schneeblume’s time during this ‘Equidae War.’ As he figured he could expect, it certainly left its mark on her… ...but to what degree? Not that it mattered in the scope of their futures, but he just had a desire to know, and maybe lend a hand wherever he could to make sure Schnee was always smiling. In the end, it further highlighted how much the ponies did have in common with the humans. [A Couple Hours Later…] A planned rainstorm for the following day necessitated the weather pegasi (still an odd concept for Seth) to prepare accordingly. In the sky he could spot small specks amongst the blue—teams of ponies moving hulking behemoths of clouds that appeared as popcorn-esque bundles into place, slowly but surely. His eyes always lit up at the scenes, and he remembered watching for hours the first time he ever spotted such controlled weather activity. It was little different this time, sitting on the edge of Ponyville’s park. One benefit of its placement in the town was that it bordered the lush, expansive, essentially-untouched plains of wild grass… grass that swayed to and fro with the natural, pendulous cadence of the wind’s gentle encouragement. The sounds of nature were aplenty, with the birds chirping infrequently amongst the rustling of the trees attempting to join the choreography of the endless grass. The soft howling of the wind filled in any remaining lack of sound, creating a wondrous bout of music perfectly suited for ASMR. Any remaining, doubtful nerves were stealthily quashed by nature around them, and the caressing of his cheeks by natures soft, windy hand. His neatly-combed hair—especially so for the occasion—was somewhat disturbed, but Seth hardly afforded this a thought. Especially since his lovely date Schneeblume was sat flush right next to him. Seth glanced over and found the very depiction of ‘bliss’ on her face. A gentle smirk rested on her face, and her normally beaming lavender irises were halfway veiled by her eyelids, which drew attention to her gorgeous eyelashes. A steaming cup of tea rested in the grasp of her left and ceramic hooves, cradled lovingly before she took each and every sip. He would watch her as she would, in her own perfect process, bring the brim of the cup to her muzzle and let the steam waft over her nose. She would softly breathe in the fumes of her fruity tea elixir before she took a drink… then finally exhale, satisfied. She apparently noticed Seth’s eyes on her, and she met his—her expression unchanged. But she smiled nonetheless. A hint of blush also made itself known. “This is lovely…” came her accented words, an accent that had continuously grown on Seth since he met her. He nodded and stared back at the sea of wild grass that spanned towards the continually cloudening horizing. “Yeah… I’ve always enjoyed things scenic. Scenic drives, scenic hikes, all of that stuff. A lot of people say it makes for great pictures, which is true, but it always calms me. Made things even better when I came through the portal and realized that your entire planet is just one giant postcard.” Schneeblume snickered. “Mmm… ja, I can agree. I’m from Alemaneia, which is a gorgeous land... and there’s few places as beautiful as this country, that’s for sure,” she said. Her blissful smirk creeped wider on her face with nostalgia. “These plains, especially,” she noted, and gestured outward with her ceramic hoof. She drew over the horizon. “These plains specifically remind me so much of my home. In Alemaneia, I was born in the province of Seele, on the southern tips of the country. Right on the border with Prance and Anglomaneia, there’s a massive field full of tall, lush grass and wildflowers as far as the eye can see… tens of miles in every direction,” she brought forth with no small amount of seemingly nostalgic longing in her voice. She hummed, then nodded. “Ja… the Seele Plains were always lovely to just walk or frolic in.” Seth’s own smile widened in direct proportion to Schneeblume’s perceived happiness. “Sounds gorgeous,” Seth softly voiced. “Sure sounds like there’s a lot of good memories with Seele, huh?” Schnee’s response did not come immediately, though Schneeblume’s expression never waned. He saw her continue to stare into the Ponyville Plains, though with a very detectable measure of something on her mind. Nevertheless, she turned back towards him with a warm smile. “Mostly good memories…” She faced forward again and exhaled. “Ja. Mostly.” Silence fell upon the duo again, and with how close they sat together, Seth had a strong urge to try and wrap his arm around the happy mare. A feeling of stupidity boiled up inside him, as he suddenly felt like he was back in high school with his first girlfriend and the goddamn movies. The sudden thought of him trying his favorite trick (that actually worked, he reminded himself) surfaced in his mind: Hey, one time I went fishing, and I caught a fish that was thiiiiiiiiis big. And he used that as an excuse to put the arm around the girl. She nearly died laughing but it worked all the same. That pool of consideration dried up when—most unexpected for Seth—Schneeblume instead leaned comfortably into him, letting her body slacken against his rigid form. A startled seth peered down and found Schnee resting her eyes with that same, godforsaken, cute slit of a smile on her face. There was probably more strain on his heart at this point by sheer way of cuteness than he would ever receive with the harshest PT in basic training. “Hmmm… again, this is lovely,” Schneeblume spoke barely above a whisper. She then opened her eyes and angled her head upward to meet Seth’s soft gaze. “Thank you so much for today, Seth.” He wrapped his right arm around Schnee without any flair or terrible excuse, and held her closely against him… a gesture she seemed to melt into. Seth began to run a couple fingers through her coat on her upper front leg out of habit. But hearing the way Schnee spoke those words to him truly warmed his heart on a day that was becoming progressively chillier by the minute. His stomach was as light as the vestiges of the clouds that began floating above them. This was a success, and Seth—with a dopey grin on his face as he held a gorgeous mare against his side that he figured he didn’t have a chance in hell with at the start—could not have been happier with how the day had gone. And with what Schneeblume had revealed to him earlier, perhaps as they got closer, she would open up to him more about her past? But, that wasn’t for today. Today was only a drop in the bucket of getting to know one another—the personality test of dating was successfully completed. The near future seemed that much brighter. You did it! You son of a bitch you actually did it! Now try not to fuck it up so quickly, aye? “The pleasure was all mine, I assure you.” Author's Note The madman actually did it! Let's see how this goes! And let's see how much Schnee opens up to him in the future. Oh, and in case you didn't notice, cover art was updated with blushhhh
3. The Sprouting [Several Weeks Later…] The grass of Ponyville Plains felt as if it was cradling his entire body in its soft embrace… and had the added benefit that it didn’t appear to agitate his environmental allergies one bit. This was one of the things he relished in as he lay back—right arm folded behind his head—as he stared into the mostly-cloudy sky above. From an activity that he felt existed only in cheesy romance movies, Seth was one who enjoyed such happenings here in Equestria, especially since there were swathes of seemingly untamed land and gorgeous sky without a hint of light pollution to be seen, which made the occasional stargazing a sight to behold. Seeing the fringes of a galaxy that was still questionably the Milky Way or not brought some sense of allure, bundled up with an odd fear as if it were a two-for-one deal that no one asked for. Nevertheless, it produced the same effect as it always had for him. The smile on Seth’s face right now, and the shimmer in his blue eyes all the while was not the result merely of partaking in one of his now-favorite pastimes. He pointed up towards a specific cloud formation that the weather pegasi were slowly building up and moving into position: “That one looks like a clown snorting some good shit.” “PFFFFT!” came the barely-stifled guffaw of Schneeblume to his left. She lay next to him in the grass with barely a few inches between them, and both her hooves were suddenly pressed to her face as she squeaked laughter into them. “What in the… HOW do you even see such things? I can’t unsee it now!” she giggled out. Seth angled his face towards Schnee’s to get a better look at her and she, in turn, looked towards him. The moment her eyes met his, that familiar, welcome warmth diffused through his chest and core, more than enough to keep him going on this chillier day. This was helped along even more when Schnee smiled wider, contagious enough to get him both blushing and smiling painfully. He gestured around the cloud formation. “Well there’s the dude’s weird hair, right? Then there’s his giant ball nose pressed against that flat cloud there, which looks like a table… and obviously the only reason why someone’s nose, especially a clown’s, would be pressed against a table was because he needs some of that Big C due to shit kids!” Seth laid out his succinct reasoning. He snickered. “I mean, have you seen kids at parties? Like, holy fuck.” Schneeblume’s cackling was incessant, to the point where her face was red, her eyes shut tightly, and she looked like she was about to choke… the latter of which seemed even more likely when she started hacking and coughing for a good ten seconds. Seth rolled over right next to her just to be safe, and though he knew she was fine, a nascent concern welled up within him. Still, he giggled along with her. “Oh shit, you okay, hun?” he asked, running his right fingers through the coat of her chest… a gesture he had to get used to as one much more appropriate for a mare than a woman. The irony and hilarity were not lost upon him, but still, the softness of Schnee’s coat was something else. As for the mare, her cackling fit died down into only remnant whimpers, though her eyes were tearing even as she calmed down—Seth didn’t think he was that funny, but the confidence boost was always welcome. Schnee took a deep breath and locked eyes with Seth, smirking softly. “Never better, Liebling,” she replied. She then placed her ceramic hoof atop Seth’s hand and held him there. His fingers wove into her chest ‘floof’ and his palm rested at the apex of her sternum. His idly brushing thumb could trace the outline of her ribs, but most importantly, he could feel how steady, yet fast her heart was beating. It appeared to match his own heart’s pace. Something about Schnee’s demeanor and face lit a fire within his core that he had longed to feel again since his last serious girlfriend… the way she looked at him and reflected all the light in those lavender eyes right back at him… a reflection that told he was the reason for her look. It was a wonderful feeling Seth hoped would continue for the foreseeable future, especially since he and Schnee formalized title in the last week… even more so by the fact that this former soldier-mare, a right warrior during the time she served, he was sure, was allowing him to have her in such a submissive position. This was further amplified by the knowledge that she could probably snap his neck at an instant, again filling him with the thrill of knowing his marefriend could easily reverse the roles and then some. Though perhaps he was wearing a bit too much of his heart on his sleeve, as through Schneeblume’s eyes that radiated such happiness towards him, he saw a flicker of unease… the subtlest of aversions in her gaze that he could subconsciously recognize. “Something on your mind?” he dared to ask, still looming over the flower mare. Schneeblume blinked, and her smile wavered as she listed her gaze off to her left. She sighed forlornly, and her grip on his hand tightened. “I…” she sighed again, pursing her lips. Seth silently encouraged her by gently scrunching his fingers through her coat and over her skin. Having felt her heart rate settle down gave him some indication that she heeded his silent advice and calmed herself. The pleading tone of her collected question nearly wrenched Seth’s heart out of his chest: “Does it… does it bother you, knowing what you do so far about me?” It was about her previous soldiering, after all. It was only during the second and third dates after dinner did Schnee open just a little bit more about her past… likely after Seth had shown her that she could be as comfortable as she wanted with him. Still, she was testing the waters clearly, and let him in on a few vague details of her past that he didn’t feel comfortable asking about on his own. A perfectly rational plan of action, if he saw any. Still, there wasn’t even a second thought about it in his mind. He shook his head. “Nope!” Schneeblume cocked her head, and a hopeful, tentative smile laid claim to her mug. “...really?” Seth shrugged and reiterated: “Of course not! Why would it bother me?” he asked, but didn’t give Schnee the chance to really answer when he followed up with: “In a way, I actually respect you so much more!” However, his brain had a buffering issue and only just realized how those words could’ve been construed… and with a sudden shot of adrenaline welling up the fear in his eyes, he quickly patched that up with what he intended to convey: “Ehm… n-not to say I didn’t respect you at all! That’s definitely not what I meant… fuckin’ hell that’s really not what I meant…” But seemingly in his embarrassment, Schneeblume’s adorable complexion returned when she began cracking up once again, further easing Seth’s nerves. This time, Schnee rolled over and nudged Seth onto his back with her hoof. Effectively, the two switched positions, and Schnee leered down on Seth’s face with soft features that he wished he could stare into as long as he liked. Her mane’s locks draped her around her face and tickled the fringes of Seth’s cheeks and nose. “You always know what to say, don’t you?” the mare voiced, then flipped her jet-black locks to one side of her neck. Seth reached his hand up and cupped the now-barren side of Schnee’s face, forming his palm around her cheek and letting his fingers intertwine with the outer edge of her ear. The mare let her eyes fall shut and leaned into the gesture with no small measure of bliss detectable on her face. Her genuine smile that came with it worked wonders for Seth, whose heart melted at the sight. “On occasion,” he replied with a chuckle. In a move that drew a cocked eyebrow from him, Schneeblume shrugged off his hand and gently placed both her hooves on either side of Seth’s face, framing his cheeks. The coolness of her ceramic hoof actually felt kinda nice on his recently-shaven stubble remnant. Nevertheless, his eyes were planted squarely on the mare above him, who’s lidded gaze bore directly into his own. Schnee uttered with great allusion: “May I?” Seth reflected her playful complexion right back at her. He was so ready for this. “Absolutely!” And with that Seth watched with bated breath as the white-coated mare above him unceremoniously closed the distance between their mouths and pressed her warm lips to his—he eagerly received the gesture and molded his own to hers. Seth’s eyes shuttered by instinct, especially when he felt the softest, dampest part of her lips against his. His diaphragm felt as if it carried negative weight, and the fluttering in his chest returned… but despite the sudden influx of wonderful lightness as a result of their first kiss, it was over within a second. And a gentle, yet clearly audible ‘smacking’ of their lips was the harbinger of the end. Schneeblume separated from Seth and continued to peer down at him, her eyes still perpetually lidded and seemingly examining his reaction. The human hoped his eyes returned back to her how much he was swimming in happiness at fording this important step in their fledgling relationship. His hands drifted up Schnee’s neck and gingerly cupped both sides of her face, mirroring her own hooves on him. He watched her shutter her eyes and smile widely, which created a continuous feedback loop of stomach butterflies seemingly transferring between the two of them. Schneeblume kissed him again. And then again one more time. In a bout of playfulness that welled up inside him, Seth nipped at Schnee’s lower lip as she pulled away, just barely grasping at the fringes. Still, the gesture and bundled intimacy was not seemingly lost on the mare, and—in combination with everything that had just happened in the span of a few whole seconds, her cheeks colored heavily. She retreated behind her mane and giggled all girly-like while trying to shake the feeling by way of reflex… the sight was too much, and through sheer hilarity by way of adorableness, Seth was unable to contain his laughter. He sure as hell was running on a high from their first set of little, chaste pecks. Tack on the layers of scenery, comfortable temperatures just cool enough to warrant snuggling close, and the gentle breeze that would serve to cool off their own blushing heat, Seth really couldn’t have asked for much more than this… …doubly so when Schneeblume sighed out blissfully and lay her head on his chest. The mare adjusted herself so that much of her body rested on Seth’s side, and threw her left hoof over his torso to hold on tightly. He could practically feel the wide smirk on her face as she made herself comfortable against him. As for Seth, it was utterly impossible to not feel like the greatest, happiest man in the world at the moment. He figured part of it was because of the ‘young love’ bias, where the beginning of the relationship is more ‘active involvement’ so to speak… but at the same time, the rest of it was because of Schnee’s rather decorated history that he knew of. He wasn’t entirely sure what always went through that pretty little head of hers, especially when she’d occasionally space out in the middle of their conversations, but he figured that if she was comfortable enough around him to hold him tight and let herself be vulnerable with him… Shit, you must be doing something right, man. He draped his left arm over Schnee’s midsection and went about idly running his fingers through the coat of her accessible front leg, and occasionally weaving his digits through her mane. Seth was not sure how long passed in calm silence between the two… only hearing the breeze caress them both in its cool, fleeting embrace. Though, it had to have been a decent amount of time, because every time he opened his eyes from periodic resting, the sky progressively got beefier with puffy, more ominous looking clouds than each passing glance. That, and sharing body heat was becoming less and less viable as the requisite chill began to wreath the entire field. Seth figured it was in all parties’ best interests to voice this for proper action: “Shit, how long’ve we been here? Starting to get pretty chilly.” Schneeblume muttered only some garbled projection of her grogginess into his shirt. She lifted her head to look down on him, and her eyes had told all. Seth blinked, then snickered. “Pfff! Were you actually sleeping?” he asked. “You’re a comfy pillow~,” she warmly stated. She did, however, let a visible shiver run up her spine before directing her attention to her surroundings and the sky… and Seth had to admit that the wind blowing through her jet-black locks in conjunction with her brief, warrior-like stoicism made her look quite majestic from his point of view below. Schneeblume only needed to take a single, sweeping scan of her surroundings to formulate her own conclusions on Seth’s assertions. “Und ja… Looks like it’s going to rain, too. Hard. And soon,” she also noted. And with that, the mare reluctantly dislodged herself from Seth and got to her four hooves, stretching herself out all the while—it was impossible for Seth to not get a good look at her ‘curvature’. The mention of rain, however, was music to Seth’s ears. “Sweet! Though I don’t think either of us wants getting drenched,” he said whilst getting to his own feet. He did a quick wipe of his pants and then placed both his hands on his waist whilst angled his gaze down toward his marefriend, who met his in kind. Seth smirked. “Day’s still young. Hot drinks at your place or mine?” Schneeblume had an immediate answer to that one and emphasized that with her ceramic hoof to her chest. “Mine. I actually have serviceable tea there, unlike a certain somehuman I know,~” she teased in a singsong tone and a wink to boot. She touched off her banter by nudging into his leg with her flank and drawing the length of her tail up his thigh and hip as she strode on by. Her stride quickly morphed into a swift canter on account of the wind picking up, and Seth made haste to fall right into step with her. He chuckled mischievously. “Hey, race you to your place!” he challenged. Schnee, however, giggled and shot him a lopsided, incredulous gaze. “Liebling, you would lose spectacularly—not trying to brag or anything, but I’d outrun you anytime, anywhere,” she so confidently shot him down with a playful purse of her lips. Seth pulled her tenderly against him and ran his hand up and down her neck, a gesture that she melted into, and leaned up against him in response. “Oh?” he snickered. “So confident in your earth-pony athleticism?” Schneeblume halfheartedly scoffed. “Not even! But…” she held off for dramatic effect, then added with a barely measurable bit of awkwardness: “…when you’re charging an entrenched enemy with overlapping fields of machine-gun fire aimed right at you… you learn how to run pretty damn fast, heh.” Seth looked almost impressed at that statement, mainly with the imbued, morbid sarcasm. His reply was every bit of logical concession as it was awkward: “Ah… right. Very fair point.” Silence fell upon the duo once more, though the blood continued to flow by virtue of the trek back to Schneeblume’s house. The lapse in conversation—though not awkward feeling on any of their parts—did merit a little bit of thinking for Seth… namely, on how to approach a likely sensitive topic that his marefriend just so happened to remind him of in the spur of the moment. “Hey babe?” Schnee—leaning comfortably against Seth’s leg for support—angled her face at a hilariously awkward angle and flashed her pearly whites and lavender pools up at him. She fluttered her eyelashes. “Ja, mein Schatz?” The German and the requisite accent never got old, and likely would never get old. “Well… if you’d let me—and in time, if ever. Totally no obligation beyond what you’ve told me—I’d like to know a little bit more about your ummm… your service,” he put it forth, albeit in hindsight, probably not as eloquently as he’d have liked. Schneeblume held her position and blinked a couple of times, seemingly either judging Seth harshly, or formulating her response—he hoped for the latter. He meant nothing by his question in terms of prying, but he’d love to hear about her experiences, her thoughts, et cetera during the war. Human curiosity, if he could call it anything, as well as wanting to dive deeper into the odd parallels between the two worlds. “Ahhh… ummm, well…” she paused for a moment, separating from Seth and falling into synchronous step with him by his side. “What uh… what did you want to know?” she cautiously said, and her voice dropped even lower. Seth could measure the uncertainty on her face with a goddamn ruler… and again with the loving touch of hindsight, he understood exactly how possibly insensitive his implicit questions about her past were. That, and if she was comfortable with talking about her experiences, she, in her mind, might have been gauging exactly how much she could reveal without scaring him off. Nevertheless, she requested a follow-up, so there was really no turning back. Honesty was always a virtue, though, so Seth opted to speak his mind: “Well… shit. Now that I think of it, any question I could really ask would have this like… naivety about it that would almost sound insulting,” he said, and ran his right hand over the back of his neck. He then became blissfully lost in a circular train of thought that showed through his words continued words: “But really, I guess I just want to know umm, whatever you would feel comfortable with telling me. In some sense I just wanna say that it’s okay if you ever want to talk to me about anything or if you need to talk at all because I know it’s difficult and I can truly never understand what you went through but—” “Seth.” Schneeblume’s sudden interjection was terse, but softly flowed over his ears. Even so, the underlying tone brooked no argument, especially when he realized that she had abruptly stopped the two of them in the middle of the sparsely populated street. Seth flinched momentarily, figuring he had clearly said something out of line or implied something that was insulting… which suddenly made him sick to his stomach. With pursed lips, he turned to face down at Schnee, and apparently, he couldn’t hide any form of shame and feelings of stupidity from his face, as the mare’s face suddenly morphed to one of concern. Good going, asshole. Can’t you just accept a good thing and run with it just once in your life? She beckoned him down with her wounded hoof, and in locking eye-contact, Seth knelt to the floor to be at proper level with her. That same hoof that she used some ethereal force to pull him to face-level, she placed on his shoulder. She spoke a single word so softly, so lovingly, yet so firmly that Seth nearly recoiled at the underlying tone: “Stop.” But alas, this manifested simply as a loss of words: “Shit… umm… I’m sorry.” That was apparently the wrong thing to say, as Schnee rattled him with her hoof, and she replied barely above a whisper: “No. Stop it. Just… don’t talk. Listen to me, Liebling.” Her eyes were squarely trained on his, and her face was barely a couple inches from his own. Seth could acutely hear her breathing, and as by way of the chillier weather, could feel it all the same break upon his face. She drew her hoof tenderly down his cheek, and the cool touch of the ceramic on his skin fielded goosebumps on the back of his neck and arms… yet the gesture on a deeper level felt warm an intimate all the same. “I want you to relax, handsome…” Schnee began anew. “I don’t want you to ever feel like you’re trotting on eggshells around me… that you can’t say what you feel because of some notion that I’ll take offense. Don’t.” She then added with an admirable resoluteness: “Please. Put this out of your mind.” And before Seth could even weigh in on this, Schnee held her hoof up to preemptively silence anything else that would be voiced from his gob. “And please,” she continued with a more pleading but warmer tone. “You mean so well… I can’t thank you enough for your kindness—your understanding at my insecurities when they come up, and your gentleness around me. But you don’t have to coddle me. “We owe it to each other to be honest with one another, and to me, this also means saying what we want to say. And if time comes that you want me to talk about something I’m not comfortable with, I’ll simply say so—we’ll leave it for another time.” Schnee punctuated with a soft smile, placing both her front hooves on his shoulders. “Sehr gut?” Seth took a deep breath and exhaled as he took stock of this little discussion—she wasn’t mad at him. She wasn’t scolding him. She was merely reminding him of what he knew all along, but what was limiting him subconsciously, whether he liked it or not: Schneeblume—as he already was well-aware—was a soldier. An elite at that. She was a big girl and could take care of herself. There was no need for the kid gloves. Seth averted his gaze for the briefest of moments, a pensiveness shining through his blue-eyed stare as he forced himself to come to terms… terms that he was trying perhaps a little too hard to be ‘understanding’ around her combat history in a desire to satisfy his innate human curiosity. He smiled back and nodded, a determined happiness welling up within his chest at seeing those soft lavender pools staring back at him. “You got it, beautiful,” he affirmed, then returned Schneeblume’s previous gesture back to sender by cradling her cheek in his right palm. Schneeblume again leaned wholeheartedly into the gesture, sighing out and letting Seth scratch just under her jawline. She hummed. “Hmmm… good. Now…” She disengaged from Seth’s heavenly treatment of her face and pulled him along, back on track via her tail. They were on the last leg of the journey back to her place. “I know you’re curious—why don’t you ask me what questions you have, and we can go from there…~” she encouraged with a hint of teasing at the end of her words. Seth was now on the spot, and though one question rose above the others, it was both the most cliché, and the most insensitive one that could be asked of a combat veteran, ever. Ayyy gurl, you put anyone in the ground? Lmao. However, instead of unleashing that beast unto the world and more than likely losing his marefriend and getting his shit reinserted via his mouth by the Crusaders the very next hour… a war question inserted itself that he felt was fairly thought provoking, and decided to field that: “Umm… so, you fought the entire war from start to finish, right?” he asked firstly for confirmation. Schnee nodded once. “Ja…” “Of all the ehm… memories you carry with you, what’s one that stands out in your head as being positive?” The air fell silent again as the last of his words left his mouth, and in a bout of a nervous tick, Seth ran his fingers through his less-than-neatly combed hair on account of them lazing in the fields. He managed to pick out a few errant pieces of blades of grass that had buried themselves in by the time Schneeblume’s response came from her stoic, forward-facing muzzle. “About a year and a half into the war…” she began. Seth’s attention was instantly garnered, and all of it was lavished on Schneeblume. “Yeah?” he sounded for her to continue. “I was regular infantry at the time—we hadn’t been formed into the Stoßtruppe battalions yet. At the tail-end of an offensive in Prance, my unit had gone far beyond our objectives…” she began to tell, seemingly switching into a lecturing mode. “We had taken no casualties that day, either… so we were stupidly spurred on by dumb luck and adrenaline I suppose. But anyway, we advanced waaaaay too far, and got trapped in recently-created nopony’s land behind some uhh… what was it. Some abandoned homes I think,” Schnee went on. Seth kept stock of where they were as Schneeblume kinda went on autopilot. They were just about to round the last corner onto her home street. For good measure, he tactically slowed their walking pace to something more comfortably apt for storytelling. “Okay…” The porcelain-coated mare continued: “While we were all in cover, we expected that we wouldn’t be able to hold the ground we took once artillery opened up on us… but, it didn’t.” Seth queried: “Any idea why? I’d think a group of empty houses to use as cover would be prime targets.” Schneeblume nodded and continued. “Ja… but we received a dispatch from our command that told us our platoon got so far ahead that we had actually broken through an enemy flank on our own, and the Prench did not have the guns to spare to relocate artillery to use on us. But…” Seth raised an eyebrow. “But…” “There were still enemy troops opposite of us. Even worse, it appeared two snipers had their sights on us,” she explained, gesturing while she talked with her right hoof. “Ahhh,” Seth reacted. “So if any one of you poked your heads out…” Schnee nodded once. “Exactly,” she affirmed. “Even more than that, command couldn’t confirm whether the Prench had sealed the breach, so we didn’t even know if we were trapped in a pocket. That would’ve been really bad. “So, rather than risk a running retreat to friendly lines and likely getting shot to hell from all sides, we decided to hold out behind our cover for as long as possible. We were promised that a relief unit was fighting to link up with us.” The smallest fringes of a smirk creeped up her face. “Thing is, no counterattack was coming, front or back. And as we dug in, boredom kinda set in. One of the rather… boisterous members of my own fireteam, Grau, randomly decided that he’d had enough and wanted to mess around with the enemy sniper.” Seth immediately shot his gaze over to Schnee. “You’re... you’re joking, right?” She shook her head resolutely. That smirk never left her. “Not in the slightest. The moment he announced that, we all had the same reaction that you did just now: ‘Are you out of your goddamn mind? Do you have a death wish?’ “But, that’s when he revealed his oh-so brilliant entertainment plan: he ended up removing his helmet and using a piece of… I think it was chalk? He used it to draw a face on his helmet…” Seth weighed in: “He fucking did not…” “It gets so much better!” Schnee replied with an extra bit of enthusiasm that hitherto was not present in her words. She cleared her throat as the two of them were just about to turn into her house’s walkway. “Then he put the helmet face—and he named it after a terrible drill sergeant we had back during basic—onto the end of a tree branch that was laying around and stuck it out of cover to draw the snipers’ fire… just so the enemy could shoot our Scheißvogel of a drill sergeant in effigy,” she said. Seth bobbed his head in consideration but let out a tiny giggle at her choice of compound swear word—he at the very least understood that. “Seems reasonable. Fair enough,” he replied. Schnee slowed her trot and she came to a halt half-way to her door. Seth stopped right next to her to see the mare attempting pitifully to cover the laughter threatening to spill forth from her muzzle. Her cheeks looked like they were going to explode through her pursed lips, and the under-breath chortles and snorts were more than a little audible. The look was contagious, and Seth caught those same giggles: “Shit what happened next then?” Schneeblume lost it completely and threw her head back in uncontrollable cackling that could probably be heard from both ends of the block. Seeing her this unwound was always a treat, and Seth welcomed her weight dearly when Schneeblume decided to lean herself fully against him for support. “HehehaHAHAH Oh god, Seth!” she called out, then looked straight up at him. “The Prench snipers couldn’t hit the damn helmet! Every single time, Grau tried to make it easy for them… BUT THEY COULDN’T FUCKING HIT IT!” She launched back into another fit of guffaw. “He was cursing out the enemy in a way that mocked our former officer, scolding the enemy each time for their lack of marksponyship… and Seth…” she exclaimed with a wide, open-mouthed smile. “It was the hardest I had ever laughed in my entire life. I was incapacitated on my back… face dirty, uniform in tatters, probably had blood on me… crying my eyes out laughing. My chest and tummy hurt so much!” she reminisced, red in the face from her own current laughter. She blinked up at Seth, wiping her eyes. “If the enemy attacked us then, it would’ve been over. This went on for a good five minutes of straight foolery before somepony mentioned that they might respond with artillery next time, not bullets. “…which made us laugh even harder. The enemy must’ve heard us all.” Seth was chuckling heartily—he could only imagine Schnee in full getup literally rolling on the floor laughing. “And did that get y’all to stop?” “PFFT! No!” Schnee dismissed outright. “We had been fighting for so long… we had seen things that nopony should ever have to see… done things that nopony should ever have to do… this was the first bit of true entertainment that we all had since the war began. We milked it for all it was worth!” Schneeblume wasn’t even looking up at Seth anymore—he could see that much. However, standing just in front of her front door, she stared beyond it. It was a look that Seth had become accustomed to thus far during their incredibly short relationship thus far, especially when it concerned aspects of the war. What was distinctly different this time, however, was that Schnee was smiling. Fondly so. And when she finally turned away from her stupor and addressed her coltfriend behind her, Seth met that soft smile of hers with one of his own… one that he felt conveyed a deep fondness for her, and how much it meant to him to see her smile. She blinked a couple of times before mustering some words: “Thank you, Seth… handsome.” Through the (however mild) rollercoaster of emotions the two of them experienced over the course of the last few minutes, the statement seemed oddly out of place for Seth, who responded firstly with a cocked stare. “Huh? For what?” he asked. Schneeblume’s expression did not waver. “For making me remember one of the best moments of my life,” she softly replied. And if that didn’t make Seth feel like a million dollars run through the coke-laden ass-crack of the hottest escort in an upscale Los Angeles suburb, then he sure as hell didn’t know what did. The modest, dopey smile that he unconsciously fronted likely confirmed those feelings entirely. Seth knelt and pulled Schneeblume into a hug, which she accepted with more eagerness than he expected. While their cheeks were pressed together, he turned his head and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Anything’s worth it if I get to keep seeing that smile of yours,” he said once they separated. He felt he was getting better at making this mare blush—which meant that his efforts to continue doing so would be incessant. “That tongue of yours is a weapon, you know that?” Schneeblume added from behind the veil of her mane… …and then instantly went redder in the face than Seth had ever seen—more than had ever been his doing. Her porcelain coat turned a burning, lava color as she immediately panicked at the innuendo her words carried. “Th-That’s… THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!” the mare fidgeted harshly on her hooves and fought to dispel any other meaning she might have conveyed. Seth, however, was on the verge of losing his cool entirely—but laughing at his new girlfriend at a time like this was probably not advised. “PFFT! Wow babe… I’m actually impressed at that!” he replied with a barely veiled snort under his breath. What was worse than that was that Schnee looked positively adorable when she was both red in the face and peeved at him. “Oh you know good and well I didn’t mean it like that!” she scolded with a hoof pointed straight at him, but her words had the same element of teasing behind them—no bite at all, and as such, Seth was not convinced in the slightest. Seth didn’t even feel the need to respond, only staring back down at his embarrassed mare with an almost pitying smile… and the undying urge to bust out laughing. This had been the first time that Schnee had a slip of the tongue in his presence and he was going to revel in it. Schneeblume, however, pursed her lips and deadpanned as she took a breath. She then reached for her door, unlocked it, and pushed it open. She gestured inwardly, her expression having rebounded back to a softer edge. “Shall we?” “We shall!” Seth followed closely behind Schnee and by force of habit, undid his shoes right by the front door. While in the past, the mare had always questioned this practice since there was practically no carpet in her house, Seth had explained to her it was a relic of manners for a particular set of friends who were picky about such things. In the end, it was just easier for him to abide as such. Schneeblume’s house was as spartan and well-planned out as he would expect from any German, and apparently the alleged stereotype held true for Alemaneians: the foyer immediately opened into a hallway that led straight down towards the back of the house, while hanging an immediate right from the front door led straight into the living/family room. Hanging a left instead would take one straight to the kitchen… …which was where Schnee was headed while Seth re-took in the sights Schneeblume shook her mane out a bit to free up any tangles from laying out in the grass for the last couple of hours, then began her short journey into the kitchen. She spoke over her shoulder: “I’ll get some tea started. Wait for me on the couch?” Seth reached out with a hand after her while still standing in the doorway. He made to follow her. “Can I help with anything?” he asked. Schnee turned on her hooves but continued her trek by walking backwards into the kitchen. She smiled and shook her head. “Nein,” she said. “Thank you though! Need to surprise you with some good tea… because I don’t think your mouth knows what decent tea tastes like,” she quipped with a wink. Seth rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. “Oh come on!” he protested halfheartedly. “How was I supposed to know that ‘Equestria Black Dry’ was actually shit-tier tea?” Schnee had rounded the wall toward the kitchen and only had her head sticking out to talk: “Being cultured needs to be taught, Liebling~,” she playfully jabbed with a giggle. And Seth was left open-mouthed and ready to quip right back, but Schneeblume never gave him the chance, as she slinked behind the wall with a mischievous smile. All he could then hear was her hooves trotting towards her stove and cabinet—he could hear the extra weight of her right, ceramic hoof against the floor every time she took a step. Once the sounds of kitchen fumbling and preparation were abundant, as well as a gorgeous singing voice serenading him through the walls fell over his ears, he felt it was time to take his seat in the living room. Seriously, he could definitely get used to her singing… whatever it was she was singing in German. She could probably sing about how she’d disembowel him and fuck his mom in front of a kindergarten class on field trip… but so long as she did so with that lovely tone in her native language, he’d probably be pretty gung-ho about it. Seth made his way to the sofa right in the middle of the living room, which could comfortably seat three ponies (or one human and another pony, based on more recent experience). It faced towards one of the windows to the front of the house—a quick gaze outside showed that a light drizzle had begun to fall over Ponyville, as well as the gentle pattering of the rain on the roof. He smiled. Perfect day. He took some extra care in moving the coffee table a couple inches farther away from the front of the couch so he could have enough room for his legs to stretch. That’s when he plopped down lazily and draped his arm over the armrest. A sudden wave of fatigue overcame him which manifested in the form of a deep yawn, which wasn’t helped by Schneeblume’s sonorous chorus in the kitchen. He could feel his eyelids forcefully closing on themselves, and he figured there was no harm in letting them have his way, at least while Schnee was occupied. That didn’t get to happen though, as the sudden hoof-falls in the foyer roused him completely. He glanced over and found that gorgeous face he had grown so accustomed to over the last few weeks staring happily back at him. “Water is boiling, and tea will soon be steeping!” she excitedly announced. Seth responded with a clear thumbs up, then opened his arms wide as an invitation for her to jump into them. As he had found out through his tenure here—even before he met Schnee—the ponies tended to be suckers for cuddling or snuggling. But now, since he was no longer single, he had an excuse to pursue one of his favorite pastimes. He could see another smile creeping its way up Schnee’s adorably excited face. However, she stopped in her tracks and suddenly righted her posture as if she just remembered something. “Oh! Hold on. Stay there, I wanna show you something…” she added almost with an air of mystery, then tore down the hallway. Seth watched the place where she would’ve been if he could’ve seen through the wall—he could still hear the extra heaviness of her right front hoof striking the floor during her admittedly fast dash towards her room. Huh… she wasn’t joking. Fuck, she’s fast. He raised a lone eyebrow, and a bout of curiosity further raised its head when he heard a bunch of rummaging and what sounded like something moving around that was made of heavy metal. Seth recoiled a bit when he heard what sounded like a few grunts of exertion, then a massive metallic slam against the wooden floor. He cleared his throat and called out to his flower mare: “Ummm… you okay babe?” “Mphfnnnhnny! Btsnnn!” Seth giggled softly and shook his head. Clearly she had her hooves full… and mouth full as well. Giggity. More controlled, rhythmic hoof-falls approaching back from down the hall told him that she was carrying something out into the living room… which was then confirmed when she rounded the corner with what looked like a foam handle in her mouth. Said handle was attached to two supports which helped carry an onyx-black, metal chest that appeared to be twice the size of Schnee’s head. There was also an unknown marking embossed on the front that Seth couldn’t quite place due to the color and the lighting. Seth watched as Schnee deposited the chest onto the table with a mighty clinking of all the materials, then turned to him while stretching her mouth out. Then she spoke: “This,” she said, tapping the top of the chest. “Contains many ‘things’ that came back with me from the war.” She went silent for a moment, then asked timidly: “From your curiosity, and our conversations so far… I’d like to share it with you, i-if that’s okay with you?” Seth, once again, felt his excitement and honor well up within him. He smiled brightly, which again, brought Schneeblume to blush. “Yeah… yeah of course! I’d love to!” With that, Seth helped to pull the table back to its original position right in front of the couch so he could see things better, and Schnee got to work plopping down on her haunches right next to him. She unceremoniously threw open the chest and—with a sly smirk—reached in knowingly and tossed something right in Seth’s lap. “Here, catch!” “Wha—huh?” The heavy object landed right in his hands in his lap, and he immediately recognized it as a stick grenade. Panic stuck his face. “JESUS CHRIST!” Schneeblume chuckled loudly, nudging his shoulder with her own. “Oh relax, you… it’s hollowed out. The last grenade I never got to throw, actually!” she added with a little extra giddiness—or rather, an eagerness that Seth was more than happy to have her show, especially when it came to what was apparently her war chest. Seth regarded the Stielhufgranate with a couple of deep nods, impressed, as he examined the hollowed-out explosive from all angles. It was strikingly like German stick grenades he had seen in documentaries and museums, right down to the German language printed around the metal head. He wagered that it was a little smaller in size, likely to accommodate the crook of a pony’s hoof. Even more than that, due to its rather young age as a result of the chronological proximity of the war, it was in excellent condition. The concept of ponies also being so dexterous without fingers, let alone opposable thumbs (especially those who did not have the luxury of using magic) was an interesting one at that. Still, Seth was enraptured by the object. He was going into the military, of course, and his family were avid shooters when they had the time… but he had only been able to come into contact with a grenade that his veteran grandfather had hollowed out—not a stick grenade like the one Schnee had been allowing him to fondle. “This is fucking cool…” he mentioned all without paying Schnee any mind at first. He heard her giggle to his right, and upon glancing over at her again, he noticed her expression—while she was clearly calm and happy, there was one more emotion that he could read, clear as day, in her eyes. Relief. He wasn’t sure why he was getting that vibe… possibly because this was some of her most personal ‘things’ from the war. At least, that’s what made sense to him. Schneeblume’s right ear suddenly perked up and swiveled towards the kitchen right as the kettle began to shrilly whistle. “Right!” she announced, then slid off the couch and onto her hooves which were already in step towards the kitchen. “I’ll return with tea! Feel free to keep looking through my box if you like!” she said right as she disappeared behind the foyer wall. Giggity. “Okay!” Seth called back, then wasted no time in taking her up on that invitation. He held his hand up tentatively over the open war chest. Don’t mind if I do… let’s see where the Ark of the Covenant lies… He hesitated an extra split second at that thought… especially when a very similar thought entailed his face melting off if he discovered something that was not meant for his human, mortal eyes. But upon reaching in and grabbing the first, most obvious thing he could, he was instead greeted by a steel helmet—one that took the exact shape of a familiar German stahlhelm that he was ‘used’ to seeing back on Earth. In fact, being the slight history buff that he was, he noticed that the woodland camouflage was quite reminiscent of stormtrooper units from the first world war. Even the sloping of the rear was on perfect point. Jesus. The similarities are no joke… down to the conflicts of all things… Like with the stick grenade before it, Seth examined the helmet that was a little too large for his own head on account of it being made for pony anatomy. He thumbed over the texture of the painted camouflage, noting the sharp difference in texture when it came across a chip due to wear and tear… and time. The straps were still fully functional, but per the design, he knew it would not fit, and nor did he feel like trying it on out of respect for his marefriend. He would’ve felt weird about it, to say the least. Seth placed the helmet back on the coffee table with a resounding, metallic scratching sound against wood. He reached in again and felt around to what appeared to be a stack of photo paper. In retrieving it, it was exactly as he had expected: A stack of color photos from the war. All of them had Schneeblume in them in some way, he figured. Right off the top was a portrait shot of Schnee in full uniform. Her helmet was shined and probably new at that point. Her face held a sense of great pride, especially in those lavender eyes of hers that never seemed to have aged since then. Her uniform was also probably new, but this was all set to an ominous backdrop of what appeared to be a marred battlefield. Again, it looked strikingly like a first world war battlefield—he was starting to get some clarity on how this Equidae War was fought. Schneeblume was beautiful—beautiful but deadly looking, and that same warmth at that objective truth (to Seth) spread across his face and chest, manifesting in a soft smile. Even in that uniform, she managed to steal his breath. However, another measure of pity had still risen right behind it—he couldn’t help but wonder how much she had gone through by the time this photo was taken. Was that expression on her face fake at that point? Were those bright, wide eyes of hers that he already found himself staring into more and more these days… were they hollow? He pursed his lips, but decided not to dwell on that image, literally and figuratively. He slid that photo to the back of the stack. The next photo was another portrait of Schneeblume, this time with a much more formal aura about it with the immediate difference being the monochrome color scheme. It certainly had to be an older picture, for two reasons that became apparent to Seth immediately: One, the uniform appeared much older, and the pickelhaube helmet with the lone spike was adorned proudly on Schnee’s head. Assuming a similar linear transition, this would make sense. Secondly, and perhaps most profoundly, Schnee was smiling brightly… almost, dare Seth say, naively living in the moment and unaware of what was to come. He slid that picture to the rear of the group and was faced with another one. This time it was a large, color, wide shot of what seemed to be an entire platoon in full combat uniform—Schneeblume was just off to the left. He could pick out those lavender eyes anywhere. The fact that all had some variant of the same stahlhelm sitting on the coffee table right now told him that this was certainly a little bit later into the war. While there weren’t any bright smiles in the picture, there were a few light-hearted grins to be found, and the mood gave off a smidge of a celebratory attitude. All in all, there must’ve been about thirty ponies present. This was probably her stormtrooper unit. He placed that picture in the back and found another photo of the exact same type, though with one three immediately recognizable differences: firstly, the uniforms were no longer neat and well-put together, but rather ragged and worn. Secondly, that celebratory air that was conveyed was not present. And perhaps thirdly and most importantly, there were several less ponies in this picture. Schneeblume sat on her haunches a little bit closer to center this time. Out of curiosity, Seth immediately flipped to the next picture in the deck—and he pursed his lips and sighed out forlornly at his suspicions being correct. Another picture much later revealed them to be even worse off… some even looked badly wounded. Even worse than that, there were only seven ponies remaining. Seth only found himself staring at this picture… one who’s colors seemed to be duller and much less vibrant than the ones present on the top of the deck. More specifically, he was staring at Schneeblume, who gazed back at him with hollow eyes. There was zero emotion behind them… so devoid was her dirty and stoic face of any emotion that Seth could feel his bones chill. From what he knew of Schneeblume currently and her personality that she let him see, how terrible were things that they created this mare in the picture? Seth looked up and out the window at the world outside—the now-darker clouds were dumping their torrential fury on the earth, and that’s when he became aware of the white noise of the incessant rain patter on the roof. Still, his thoughts were hyper-focused… …and he could only wonder what exactly was going on inside that now-civilian head of hers—the stuff that she wasn’t letting him in on. “Ah! I see you found my photo stash…” Seth blinked once and then addressed the source of the voice to his right, being Schneeblume happily trotting in with a tea tray perfectly balanced on her back. Considering the connotations of the phrase ‘photo stash,’ Seth had to prevent himself from fancying a giggle. “Yeah, totally found your stash,” he played along, flipping past the last platoon picture and coming upon what looked like more neutral scenery of some sort. Schnee shimmied up to the coffee table and expertly slid the metal tray off her back and onto the safe, flat surface of the table. The steeping tea within two white, ceramic cups barely sloshed around before settling motionless. And that’s when the mare hopped back up on the couch and, whilst observing the human’s expedition into her war chest, leaned her head on his shoulder. “So…” she broke the small silence. “While the tea’s getting ready, what do you think?” As for Seth, while his first, reactive answer to that question would have been ‘goddamn this stuff is cool! Like, holy shit, man!’, he was more than wise enough to know that this chest of war materials held a lot of deeper—perhaps hidden—meanings for Schneeblume. ‘Cool’ really was not an appropriate word here... even though he used it not even a couple of minutes ago—still it felt weird this time around, and his marefriend merited a response: “These are nice pieces of history,” he said softly, but capitalized on what he felt was another implicit question in Schnee’s original: “But from that look on your face, I think there’s something else you seem to wanna ask me…?” he chanced. There was nothing but silence from Schneeblume, and truth be told, he was actually kinda scared to look back down at her and face her, so he instead decided to busy himself with her helmet and examine how the interior looked. An unknown amount of time passed, or at least it felt that way with the amount of figurative nail biting he was doing in his head, but Seth finally heard Schnee clear her throat: “Are… are you sure that you don’t feel any differently about me?” came her incredibly meek question. That, Detective, is the right question. And once the last of her words left her mouth, Seth felt her bury her face into his torso and essentially force his arm around her… a gesture he would always accept from her if she wanted to be held, and as such, had few qualms with tightening his hold around her, and letting her get comfortable against him. His answer to said question, however, was instantaneous and genuine: “Of course not,” he added with a resolute shake of his head. Schneeblume revealed her eyes from the veil of his shirt while keeping the rest of her face covered. While she looked positively adorable with those lavender eyes peeking at him and he smiled at her all the same, she still, apparently, wasn’t done: “Okay… are you sure?” she asked again, and her insecurities were still shining brightly. Seth had a better approach to this: “Hey babe, remember when like, half an hour ago you told me that I didn’t have to be super careful and coddling around you?” he asked. Apparently Schnee could see where this was headed, and she sighed. “Ja…” Seth couldn’t believe he was about to turn this back on her, but it was for the best. What was even this universe? “Well… kinda the same thing with me. Since our first date, you don’t have to tread carefully around or coddle me regarding your war history. I find it interesting and I respect you so much over it, and you’re also doing just fine, babe… with us,” he said, and flashed her his pearly whites again in such a way that got her blushing… …and hiding said blush by burying her face into his shirt. Seth, however, had a better idea: He unslung his arm from around her and used the brim of his index finger to lift her face up just enough to lock eyes with her… and with some poeticism that he didn’t even know a meme-tier shitlord like himself was capable of, he spoke from the heart: “So, whadd’ya say we figure this out together, eh? A dude barely an adult ready to go into basic training in a few months… and a seasoned, beautiful mare who’s already done her time in hell?” Seth wasn’t sure if Schnee would ever break up with him just by the sheer volume and intensity that he had been making her blush as of late. To be fair, most of the time it was intentional… …this time certainly wasn’t. But unlike the usual instances where she would often giggle it off and be all cutesy about it while attempting to stifle any sort of embarrassment by shying away, this time, she did no such thing. She stared him directly in the eye, and in Seth’s mind, perhaps she was trying to discern any disingenuity in his words, of which he knew for a fact there was none. And rather than words, she instead simply scooched as close as she could, flush against him… and his vision was entirely taken up by this gorgeous mare when she brought her lips to his much more aggressively than earlier. And in anticipation, he met her halfway. The familiar wetness of her lips against his sent another rush of emotions straight into his core, so much so that he was only concerned with the idea of being as close to Schneeblume as possible. Perhaps it was his male instinct with his new girlfriend that he wanted to somehow ‘protect’ her from things… but honestly, this mare was an elite soldier with an unknowable amount of actual combat experience—she very likely killed ponies. He didn’t have to ‘protect’ her from anything. A gentle ‘smack’ echoed through the living room, barely audible over the pattering of the rain above them… but all that needed to be heard or said was perfectly conveyed when the two locked eyes with each other and smiled brightly. Schneeblume fluttered her eyelashes at Seth… a gesture that always got him going for some reason. Probably because he watched too many Disney movies when he was a kid. “You always know what to say, don’t you?” she reiterated. Seth brought his hand to her cheek and stroked her with his thumb—and he smiled brighter when Schneeblume let her eyes flutter shut and she leaned into his palm. “Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “I only manage to surprise once in a while with my words—otherwise I usually inject some bad joke, pun, or innuendo at the worst possible times. I just get lucky sometimes…” Schneeblume cocked her head, then leaned in again with a mischievous smile on her face. “You sure about that, Liebling?” she asked. “Because I’m starting to think that I’m the lucky one…” Seth could not physically come back to that at all because Schneeblume lunged herself at him and forced him on his back on the couch. Her lips were upon him at an instant, kissing her way from his lips, up his cheeks, and then trailing back down excitedly to where she started. And once the two got comfortable with Seth’s arms around the mare, and her hooves keeping his face right where she wanted it, the make out session began and continued in earnest. The tea continued to steep, and ultimately went cold. Author's Note Y'all need to wait just a little longer for some clop ;)
5. The FlourishingAuthor's Note New chapter. There's clop. Hope you enjoy! I hate all of you. jk I love you No homo. 5. The Flourishing [A Couple Months Later…] Seth judged the timing just right, and his open palm caught a ceramic hoof right before it reached its intended destination—his face. And from the power behind the punch that nearly pushed said hand back into his own mug, he knew one-hundred percent that Schneeblume was not holding back—not pulling any literal punches in this exercise. He was rewarded with fond memories of the first time they ever attempted this type of sparring, and his palms in particular were sore for days. Now, he didn’t even flinch. He was either getting better at this, or a two-inch thick callus formed without his knowledge. All the while, Seth was grappling with Schneeblume’s other hoof which held a black, rubber bayonet in its grasp... and the mare seemingly fought with all the strength in her hind legs to overpower him. His heels were dug firmly into the grass, his quads and ass bore the brunt of all the added weight, and as the sweat streamed down his face, he still managed to stare down a very determined Schneeblume. She taunted him with that gritted smile of hers—demanded that he give her his best in this grueling exercise… …or perish. And at that very moment, Seth could take stock of all the cuts and bruises that he left Schnee’s house with over the weeks. Though she often made up for completely wiping the floor with him with certain ‘rewards’ for reaching specific milestones, it was still a marvel at how much this mare was capable of in terms of both finesse and raw power. And yet, he held his ground. He stood firm. Seth knew the price of defeat. And Seth also knew of how sweet victory was—victory that was determined by Schneeblume’s own conditions and generosity. Seth’s grip could not hold anymore, and that meant that Schnee had put even more strength into her hooves to push him forward. With his legs firmly locked and his feet entrenched, he knew that she was trying to get his torso to bend backward, thus leaving him in an untenable position. From there, he deduced that she was trying to make him disengage, which would put her on the offensive again… that, or he’d just fall flat and his ass would be grass anyway. As much as he knew he had improved over the months, he was nowhere near having even a sperm cell of a ballsack’s worth of Stoßtruppe fury that Schneeblume could muster in a fraction of a second’s moment. But, due to the ultimate lessons from the countless drills that Schnee had put him through, one thing she emphasized constantly was to use his (and her) anatomy to his advantage in a fight. As she would always say… she knew well that he could fight a human with the martial arts training he had throughout his life, but she needed to make sure that he could fight a pony. And the tricks were all in making their anatomical differences work for him. Further, it appeared that Schneeblume was testing him again, because a stroke of brilliance came to him in the form of a reversal that Schnee had to have set up just right—no way an actual enemy would have willingly given him such an opening in real-life combat. More convincingly, a warrior mare who had almost died on several occasions in situations just like these would no way in hell make such a seemingly ‘rookie’ error. But there was one difference of anatomy in particular: human legs could bend forward at the knee. Equine hind legs could not. She had left her core just in the range of his knees. A sudden thought crossed his mind before Seth actioned his plan: Huh… so that’s why she insisted on the knee-pads then… And then he drove his padded right knee straight into Schnee’s (unsurprisingly hard) abs. An enormous amount of guilt welled up inside him after hearing such a harsh yelp come out of his marefriend’s mouth—and it was genuine, if her suddenly wide eyes, slackened, gasping mouth, and jack-knifing of her body to accommodate his goddamn knee in her stomach was anything to go by. However, he had to suppress that guilt as quickly as it came, for Schnee continued to relentlessly drill into him to not have compassion for his enemies when it came down to a life and death situation. Deal with emotion later when it’s all said and done. Not during the heat of battle. With Schneeblume stunned and briefly incapacitated, Seth pulled his knee back and lunged forward to envelop her in a bear-hug that pulled her flush against him. And in using the sheer difference in size between the two of them, he was able to easily slam her to the ground onto her back. This earned him another unnatural yelp that sounded like the wind getting knocked out of her. The guilt persisted. He shut it down. Remember, after the battle. Letting automation take hold of his body, Seth then crawled atop of a writhing Schneeblume and drew a rubber knife that she had lent him. He pressed the rubber blade up against her neck and held it there firmly... a wordless signal to yield. He watched with bated breath at his marefriend-turned-combatant’s next move. Schneeblume’s chest rose and fell with some difficulty as she took in as much air back into her lungs—again corroborating to Seth that he probably, unexpectedly, knocked the wind out of her. Her eyes were wide and staring straight into his. He had pressed his shins into the crooks of her knees to prevent (as much as possible) a sudden breakout from her end, whilst doing his best to hold both of her front hooves down with his free hand and an elbow. Then through her open mouth, Schneeblume smiled, and she flicked her rubber knife away, disarming herself. She conceded. “Well done, Liebling,” came her first words in a while, as hoarse as they were. Seth released her completely from his hold, then fell back onto his ass and rested his arms on his knees. It was his turn to wipe the sweat from his face and take in a few good, deep breaths for good measure. “Heh, thanks babe...” he replied, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. “You’re really testing me now, aren’t you?” Schneeblume sat up on her haunches—still heaving breath into her lungs—but smiled, nonetheless. “You’re getting much better at this… definitely have come a long way since we started, and it shows. Now I’m starting to get bruises!” she said, giggling. Seth wanted to laugh at that, though his fatigue after this particularly riveting course only merited him a breathless chuckle. At least by the time he’d have to report to Basic, he’d be in much better shape than when he came to Equestria. Best workout routine ever. Who else gets to work out with a professional soldier in the very thing they’re most experienced in? Still, he had saved his concern for the end of the match, and that’s when he decided to finally—if anxiously—voice it: “Heh… how’s your stomach, by the way? I… I didn’t—well, I hoped I didn’t hit you too hard…” Schneeblume, to her credit, began actually laughing out loud. “Oh no Seth, that was a lovely hit! You cleared out my lungs with that one—I was hoping you would recognize the opening before it was too late, and it looks like the training paid off!” she said. She then sheepishly added with a giggle: “Well… I also didn’t really expect you to knee me that hard, thinking you’d hold back on my account still. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you did exactly what I told you to do! “Again, you’ve grown much in this small amount of time.” Seth blinked some sweat out of his eyes and sighed dreamily, gazing at his lovely mare that was equally as tuckered out as he was. Silence reigned over the couple on this cool, cloudy day… but even though there was no sunlight, she looked positively radiant to him. His smile was wide and out of complete control of his rational thought—he had probably smiled more during his short tenure here in Equestria than likely the last few years back on Earth up to this point. “Hehe... hey,” he replied, then added extra allusion to his words. “I had the greatest teacher ever!” And when Schneeblume blinked and focused her eyes right on his, the color that returned to her pale face furthered the smiling feedback loop between the two. After these short few months, she still managed to make his chest weightless… managed to continually rouse those butterflies within his core merely from the way she would look at him. It was a look of happiness… of glee… …and as of most recently, pride. And after every session between them, he never felt ashamed to feel oh so aroused at that specific look that Schnee would bestow on him—when she would lid those gorgeous, lavender irises just enough to make him want to smother her face with his own. With the way her bangs would fall like beautiful curtains over her face further created an image of wantonness that Seth was finding increasingly harder and harder to let pass by. With an extra teasing flair added by a lopsided smirk, it seemed that Schneeblume knew exactly what she was doing to him. And he knew she loved every moment of it. This brought him back momentarily to when the two of them went extremely far in her backyard after that first, grueling training session... how the built-up sexual tension that had amassed over their fledgling relationship had finally come to a head. He also loved every moment of it. Especially so when it came to the end of these sessions. While Schnee would encourage and reward his excellent performance with little things (kisses, snuggles, a traditional, home-cooked Alemaneian meal, war stories, etc.), she tacked on sort of an extra performance ‘bonus’ when Seth would go above and beyond her expectations for their training. That is, she would let him feel her up. She would let him explore her body just enough to leave just the littlest to his imagination, but also satisfy them both... ...for the time being, of course. Their combined reverie was suddenly interrupted by the rolling, creeping booming of distant thunder. Both Seth and Schnee looked upward and in all directions to determine the source but were instead met with the prompt onset of a gentle drizzle. Seth smiled softly as the rain gradually picked up by the second, and a gentle metallic ‘tinging’ began to sound through his loaned helmet—he still couldn’t believe he’d be wearing some pony version of a pickelhaube. Not in his life. He still felt absolutely ridiculous with it on. Back in reality Schnee appeared to harbor the same sentiment as he with the rain. When Seth brought his eyes back to level with hers, she angled her own gaze back at him at the same time. A few seconds later, the rain appeared to intensify a bit more, and suddenly there were small rivulets falling off of Seth’s quickly drenched face and hair. As for Schnee, the brim of her helmet was creating a cascading waterfall effect, with the water sultrily veiling her face and amplifying so many emotions they continued to share silently with each other. Perhaps most interestingly, the cool rain on his skin (which also soaked his shirt and pants to said skin) did little to cool off his burning feelings for the mare in front of him. Even more perhaps, these feelings of his were being projected a little too intensely... ...especially when he saw Schnee blush heavily and lower her head. Her coy, yet shy smile was still ever present, though her face was becoming more veiled by water and her wet locks of mane. Her coat stuck to her skin tightly, and highlighted her svelte, yet muscular appearance that Seth really enjoyed. Schnee cleared her throat: “And just what are you looking at, Liebling?” she asked, borderline lasciviously. Seth winked before fielding his response. “A gorgeous mare,” he so confidently delivered. And in another victory lap for him, Schneeblume retreated further into her posture. Her bright, teeth-baring smile was unmistakable though, and shined through the gentle haze of the rain like the sun would through the clouds on a spring day. This was something that Seth would kill to see constantly, but what furthered his attraction impossibly more was Schnee’s helmet—seeing her in one of the most iconic pieces of soldiery that existed gave her some sort of surreal attraction that Seth had trouble placing. Schnee giggled back in return. “After all this time... you never let up with the compliments, do you?” she joked. Seth shook his head. “Hell no! Someone’s gotta remind you how gorgeous you are! I’m just glad that person gets to be me,” he said. Without missing a beat, Schneeblume returned his banter with a targeted precision: “Hehe, well, I for one...” she placed her right hoof on her wet chest. “...am always glad that it is you.” It was Seth’s turn to feel his blush return as a deep heat rushed straight up to his cheeks. While his rising heartrate muddled his confidence just a little bit, he decided to unclip the helmet from his head and let it fall into the damp grass next to him. He reveled in the feeling of the cool rain quenching the heat from his sweaty head. Schnee mirrored him in letting her own helmet fall lifelessly to the grass. Seth leaned back onto his hands and smirked at Schnee: “Careful babe... those’re some pretty heavy kissing words...” he playfully threatened. However, in his mind, that spontaneous outing of some of his internal feelings mixed with the tension of the moment seemed to completely obliterate his rational thought—those words sent a wave of cringe straight into his cerebellum. Wow dude... really? After all this time, THAT’S the best you could come up with? ‘Kissing words?’ What the fuck man? Does this look like The Notebook to you? But much to his great relief, Schneeblume leaned forward, flipped her wet mane out of her face, and lidded her eyes. And then batted her lashes. “Then perhaps you should do something about these ‘kissing words,’ hmmm?” Seth knew an invitation when he saw it, and his face lit up like a goddamn stick grenade. By the power of the sudden influx of giddiness in his core, he sure as hell wasn’t going to give up a chance to fulfill one of his childish fantasies: making out in the rain. That’s when he righted himself from his leaning-back and crawled forward to meet a patiently waiting Schneeblume. And as the rain continued to fall, Seth excitedly yet gingerly took hold of Schneeblume’s face and brought her lips to his. He felt his heart erupt once again, as with every time the two locked lips… but even more so when Schneeblume immediately wrapped her wet, front legs around his neck and held him just as close as he held her. The last thing that Seth saw before he let his own eyes shut in bliss, was his mare’s looking upon him with what he could feel was the same way he looked at her. And that made everything worth it. It made everything right. As he let the world willingly go black, he poured everything into his other senses. Seth could feel the Equestrian rain fall upon them… every drop that landed on his exposed skin or ran down his face stimulated him in such a way that amplified his connection with Schnee. He could feel her lips against his, mashing and separating at their own dictated cadence that had worked for them since the first time they ever joined together in the fields. He could feel her hot breath break upon his face when they would separate time and again for air. And he could also feel those long, damp, gorgeous locks in his grasp as he ran all of his fingers lovingly through her mane… those locks that made her overall feminine visage so prominent that others would be easily mistaken regarding her soldiering past. Seth knew for a fact that Schnee loved feeling his fingers massaging her scalp and straightening her mane. After all, she would let him brush her from time to time… …but he also knew that he loved it more than she claimed to. It was just the little things in life that he cherished the most. Seth opened his eyes slightly when he felt Schnee softly push him back onto his ass with a single hoof… but their lips never separated in the slightest. He opted to let her dictate to him exactly what she wanted—this tended to be the case with most things in their relationship and he didn’t mind in the slightest. Schnee’s wishes became readily apparent when—with the extra space created in Seth’s lap—she plopped herself right down onto him and re-wrapped her legs around his neck. Their faces were thusly reacquainted with nary an interruption. Just as planned. But after what seemed like a couple of minutes later, Seth did have to disengage on account of needing air in his lungs. His lips broke from Schnee’s with a gentle smack that could barely be heard over the cascading rainfall. Seth felt Schnee’s right hoof lazily hooked on the back of his neck and watched her as she leaned back just a tad. His eyes met hers again in a shared, mutual lovey-dovey look that spoke volumes. Lovely thoughts about the mare in front of him danced in his mind like a beautiful Broadway performance, and Seth only hoped that he would be able to muster the courage to say them all as time went on. There was one thing that Seth never had an issue with voicing, though… and he was ever reminded of it as Schneeblume sat in his lap. Even more so than when this all started, she was absolutely soaked to the bone, and her mane was completely matted to her face. Her left eye was completely visible to him in all of its lavender glory, but her right eye was partially veiled by her jet-black locks. And the way she looked at him further beckoned the words out of his mouth: “You’re so beautiful, baby… and good god I’m so goddamn lucky,” And he stroked the side of her wet face with his thumb. This mare in his hold meant so much to him. She was his. Schneeblume only let her pearly whites beam during this rainy day, all before she lidded her eyes again and bit at her lower lip… such a gesture from her never failed to send Seth’s heart ablaze, and into a familiar race that could rival the best horses at a derby. Seth’s breath was taken away completely when his mare leaned forward and whispered into his ear: “Seth… I think I’m more than ready…” He could practically feel his pupils dilate within his eyeballs, and his jaw slackened just a tad while also smiling like a kid who was taken to a goddamn candy factory. That’s also when he felt Schnee’s tongue flick at his earlobe before she pulled back completely into his vision. Her visage that screamed ‘take me, now!’ was flashing at him like a strobe light. Though clearly stunned by the sudden admission, he put forth tentatively: “Oh! Ummm… okay! A-Are you sure?” Schneeblume responded with a most-uncharacteristic assertiveness and longing whilst she pressed her cheek into his. “I want you, Seth. I’m so sure now… and I want you to do whatever you want to me… “…please?” No sooner did Schneeblume’s words leave her mouth and get processed by Seth’s brain than did he scoop up the soaking mare in his arms and make haste for the indoors… …all while Schnee’s girly giggling and squee-ing in aroused anticipation sounded the entire way. [A couple minutes later…] Of course, Seth’s luck would have it that they couldn’t get immediately down to banging on the couch or on her bed. The human inwardly cursed his amazing mare over the fact that she was a damn German at heart—their respective feet and hooves had to be clean and wiped before the two even got to set their first steps inside… even more so with the pouring rain and the mud generated as a result. But noooo, that wasn’t even enough! The two were apparently soaking wet, and Seth was sent straight to the bathroom to wash up and put his clean, comfortable clothes on. Said clothes were his usual pajamas that he would wear to bed, and the ones he would most often bring over to Schnee’s place since he had a habit of staying overnight after their training sessions. One thing Seth had to give his mare credit for was applying the standards she held him to right back onto herself. In the end he was treated to a much cleaner, fluffier, bubblier Schneeblume than the sweaty, fierce, literal soldier of a mare from the outdoors. …not that Seth had anything against the latter. When their second session had ended and he was able to get a true, good look at Schnee when they were all done, that’s when he became a little more ‘enlightened.’ That’s when he found out he had a slight, yet rather specific thing for girls after they worked out… in all their sore, sweaty goodness. Being the ‘clean’ person that he was in valuing personal hygiene, this came as sort of a shock to him, but who was he to question ‘penile nuance?’ Two sets of showers later and some basic preparation for both parties, and Seth found himself on the freshly washed sheets, embraced wonderfully by the pull of Schneeblume’s bed. He also found the mare herself planted squarely atop of him, hind legs framing either side of his waist. Schnee had also discarded her prosthetic for the moment, to make sure there were no ‘accidents’ like what happened during their first training session. Seth regarded the mare above him with bated breath… shaky yet stable as fortress built on mud when he felt her sultry gaze bore into him. Of all the times he had been in some way intimate with Schnee, Seth knew this was unlike any of them. So different did he feel now, that a primal surge of nigh-helplessness cut a swathe through his rational thought… especially when the Alemaneian war veteran’s lustful gaze was brought nearer to his own. And much like he preferred his life up to his point, his entire field of view was soon eclipsed by this beautiful mare he called his own… having gotten lost in the windows of her irises before he handed off the baton of action to his instinct. His eyelids fell shut in sync with Schneeblume’s… his heart beat powerfully in his chest like production clockwork at a munitions factory. He felt an almost teenage heat of lust rush to his cheeks and stain them the color of the rows of roses in her garden. Schnee’s tongue was suddenly in his mouth. No sooner did Seth feel the welcome intrusion into his mouth than did he pull his mare flush against him. It was a dance that he had all but become used to since the two shared their first kiss, but one he still cherished each time ‘practice’ came about. Seth knew all too well that his puny human tongue was no match for Schnee’s wider, somewhat larger equine appendage—his own muscle was made short work of by hers at every turn. Shock tactics need not apply only to soldiers themselves. Nevertheless, it was always something he reveled in, and he would take all liberties and pleasures associated therein as he pulled the two of them into a more prone position. He could already feel the moisture returning to his face as his entire body heat up… both from the intimacy and anticipation of their coming act, but also the fact that he had another goddamn body against him. Being embraced by her velvety comforter also likely added to the sensation. Just as planned… As their mouths continued their action, and their tongues did not cease in their re-aquainting of one another, Seth became acutely aware of Schneeblume’s movements of her lower body. Namely, as her legs were spread to accommodate his torso beneath her, he could feel her grinding her lower body into his, just above his crotch. Seth smiled inwardly as he felt her teats pressing into him, and he could feel that her nipples had hardened completely by this point in what he felt was her own sense of anticipation. They weren’t large really, though then again, any ‘peeks’ he had gotten from other mares just from where they were walking didn’t really indicate that ponies were all that diverse in terms of breast size… not like human women were, anyway. But Seth quickly found those thoughts of his irrelevant when Schnee sunk just a smidge lower, and her teats pressed nice and firmly into the bulge that was quickly forming in his pants… …and rather suddenly at that. So much so that it even surprised him how quickly of an erection he got when they hadn’t been at their little moment for even a good minute. Call my dick Carolus Rex and watch him rise. As Seth continued to hold Schnee against him and counter-assault her tongue with his own, he had to stop himself from busting out laughing into at his dumbass joke. Unfortunately, this was a little more difficult than he had anticipated. It still worked in his favor, however, when instead of a cackle erupting directly into her mouth, Seth was able to restrain himself enough where it manifested into merely a pleasure-filled moan. This in turn let Schnee to separate slightly from him, and she smiled against his lips. Seth barely opened his eyes to see the happiest, lustful lavender pools staring back at him so closely… so intently… that he had enormous issue in not smiling back. Schneeblume nipped at his lips, and he let her know of all his thoughts with a rather prominent hum at her gesture… one that she had copied from him from the first time they ever kissed. The former assault trooper of his marefriend giggled lasciviously before speaking: “Someone’s excited…~” she cooed, then wiggled her lower haunches. …which had the rather immediate effect of nestling Seth’s lengthening member into the small little valley of cleavage she possessed with her teats. Though he was fully clothed, the tightness of his pants around his erection gave him all the immediate feeling he needed, and he had conceded fully that it felt amazing. Oddly enough, he had to also concede that he sort of missed the whole ‘woman pressing her chest into his own’ when they would be intimate… but this wholly made up for any of that, along with just Schnee being Schnee in general. Perhaps ‘boobs’ were the same, no matter what country or even planet and dimension someone hailed from. Seth bit her lower lip right back, and after snagging it between his teeth, he ran his tongue over it once, which caused Schneeblume to pull back with a girly squee. “What can I say?” Seth asked rhetorically as he began kissing down Schnee’s jawline. He earned a gentle little sigh or squeak with every deliberate, deep peck that he gave her as he made his way down. That was all the motivation he needed to continue, even as he spoke between each of his individual kisses: “You… …just… …make… …me… …excited… …every… …day….” By the time he finished his words, Seth had kissed the entire length down her jaw and her neck, ending right at her collarbone which he promptly sunk his teeth into. An aura of warmth and pleasure spread across his body and washed over his face when Schneeblume gave in completely and moaned unabashedly at his gesture… one which she clearly enjoyed more than what she would let on in a semi-public environment. This was what he lived for. And while he lapped his tongue against the sensitive skin of the crook of her neck, Seth smirked devilishly when he heard Schnee shakily groan out: “Seth…~” “Now it sounds like you’re getting excited, babe…” No rebuttal came from Schnee… at least that Seth could discern through her heavier breathing. One thing he did understand clear as day, however, was when Schnee pulled his head harder against her neck. He got the message clear as day. “Mhmmm!” he affirmed as his mouth went right back to sucking at her neck. He also discovered that what really got Schnee going was when he would press the flat of his tongue through what little of her coat covered her skin, and then almost try to force it through even further. Every time he did this, Schnee’s breath would hitch in her throat… and that in turn fueled his own erection in some odd feedback loop of arousal between the two. Seth continued to make out with Schnee’s neck, which he was more than content with even as he lost track of time—this was one of the gestures that he felt was a little more than underrated: necking. Plus, this allowed him to explore her body at his own pace with his tongue, which he would drag around her collarbone after each little kiss that he bestowed on her. Even though his dick was screaming for a release… howling like a Lovecraftian horror in the night demanding to be set free from a magical seal of his pants, he was enjoying himself immensely. It was the very idea of making the mare he cared about so much feel amazing that was pleasure-able experience in and of itself. Seth figured he wasn’t alone in this sentiment amongst other men, or even women. But unfortunately, his fun was cut a little too short when Schneeblume pulled him away from the sanctity of her neck and brought her face level with his own. Seth bit his lip as he gazed upon the completely blushed face of his mare, and how her lidded eyes were screaming at him… screaming at him to not only to have his way with her, but make sure that he felt it. Well… that’s what he hoped they said, at the very least. He could feel her breath breaking upon his face frequently in waves as she forced air into her lungs, and he further gave into her desires that she was projecting when she closed his lips on his once more. Seth reveled in her humming, and the fact that she almost desperately forced her tongue into his mouth—a gesture in which he would more than gladly meet as long as he was allowed to continue to run his fingers through her mane and her coat. Thankfully, she levied no argument again as he did exactly that. “Mmmmm…~” she moaned when Seth dug his fingers into her stiff, firm back muscles and drew rows down her body… dragging his fingers through her coat and down to her haunches right where her cutie mark lay. Seth began to aggressively bite at her lips when Schnee showed signs of retreating from her kiss, but this turned out to work in his favor as he got to hear her moan… moan from when he began massaging his fingers into her haunches. “Fuck, Seth!” Schnee groaned out… not entirely loud, but louder than their current activity had been thus far. What was even better was that Seth had never really heard Schnee swear outside of her native language. “Hmmm?” he responded, kissing the underside of her mouth as he continued to massage her ass. “Is this what you like?” he asked. Shit… did that sound sexy? Fuck if I know. I’ve always been bad at this… Thankfully, Schneeblume responded with a purposeful nod. “Mhmmm!” she said whilst biting her lip. “I love it,” came her raspy follow-up. Knowing he had the full clear to grope and massage as he pleased, Seth helped himself to two (2) full servings of Schneeblume’s ass and made sure both of his hands had more than their fill of her succulent rear. He relished in how firm and tight her muscular curvature was, and knowing without a shred of doubt that the ass that he had fawned over ever since he met her was definitely real in every aspect… haunches that were sculpted and honed in the crucible of endless hours of training and warfare… …and ultimately an ass that he couldn’t help but deliver unto a tiny, but firm smack. T’was a gamble that he was willing to take, given the circumstances. And t’was a gamble that Seth bet correctly on, as Schneeblume’s reaction to Seth’s ‘love tap’ was immediate… and she whined out in pure pleasure: “Oh fuck me, yeeesss!” Seth couldn’t help but giggle evilly at her reaction, but still held his grip firmly on her haunches. “And somepony definitely loved that,” he did well to mention. That’s when Seth had to immediately come to terms with the fact that he was not done being surprised by his mare at all… especially so when she extricated herself from him and yanked at the collar of his shirt with her teeth. Naturally, he got the message as his torso was getting tugged upward, and he was forced into a sitting position… but he didn’t even get to be comfortable here when Schnee started tugging at the hem of his shirt and doing her damndest to nearly rip it off of him. It got to the point that he couldn’t even get steady enough to do it himself. “Whoa… Schnee… SCHNEE!” Seth cried out as Schnee was quite literally crawling over him and grunting to get his shirt off his torso. “Goddamnit, Schnee! Hold the fuck up I’ll get it off, babe! Don’t worry!” “NEIN!” she exclaimed flat out which made him stop in his tracks… and at the same time strengthened his boner beyond. There was a little something about getting screamed at in her native tongue with associated sexual undertones that just pushed him to that special edge every time. But her tone brooked no argument in and of itself. “Okay…” Seth said, acquiescing to Schnee’s clear desire to be a big girl and do this herself. There was definitely the appeal in getting undressed by his undeniably sexy warrior princess… but when Schneeblume already began having trouble with trying to get any of his arms through the arm holes, he already knew that in the interest of time it would be easier to just take it off himself. However, like a protective puppy, every time Seth got his hands anywhere near the hem of his own shirt, Schneeblume would growl at him. “FIIIIINE…” Seth conceded. “But at least let me help out with this!” And before Schnee could even object, Seth fit his arms back through his sleeves, and left her the job of removing the garment from around his neck and over his head. It took a bit of awkward hoof placement but ultimately Schneeblume was much more successful this time around in her endeavor to rid Seth of his garment. “There… that’s better!” he said, finally happy to be free of his suddenly constrictive shirt. But a wave of self-consciousness suddenly arose him when he found Schneeblume staring… staring at his bare torso as it was on full display for her gawking. He himself was definitely happy where he was physically, but there was always room for improvement. He also was keenly aware that there were men who would always be in better physical shape than him… which further fueled an internal feedback loop of conflict regarding his appearance to his marefriend. But this was all promptly silenced when the mare herself sighed out blissfully and nuzzled her cheek into his pecs… all while biting her lip and emitting a low, gentle coo that sounded like she was purring. And at this point, Seth felt like his heart was trying to break out of his ribcage like a pissed off cockatoo. In his experiences with women, it was usually straight to the point (which wasn’t a bad thing, per se). But it was his first experience with a ‘girlfriend’ with whom he had his longest running relationship with. Furthermore, he felt such a more intimate attachment to her. As a result, it was these little things that made him appreciate her that much more… …and he never knew that he could become so much more constricted in his pants from simple, targeted nuzzling. Funny how nature do that. And as if Schneeblume happened to be reading his mind, after the two shared a couple-second kiss, he watched as she turned her gawking eyes downward. A slight ‘deer in the headlights’ moment washed over him, but was quickly assuaged when Schneeblume hummed out pleasurably and slid herself to the floor between his legs. “Time to get these off…~” she hummed out, and placed one of her hooves right atop of Seth’s tent. He shuddered briefly at the feeling, then motioned to help her speed up this whole process. It appeared that Schneeblume was much more receptive this time around, and didn’t make to bite his hand off lest he allow her to do it himself. Thankfully for both, it was a simple matter of just pulling down the elastic band of his mesh shorts and then discarding them entirely. Thus, he was left completely bare for Schneeblume’s viewing pleasure. Well, hopefully pleasure, of course. It wasn’t the rest of his body that Schnee was apparently concerned with, but rather the erect, engorged spire that was his dick… which was quite literally staring at her in the face. While now would be a good time to have any self-conscious thoughts, Seth felt none of the sort, and actually found it amusing how Schnee was wide-eyed, examining his dick from either side. But in another move that took him by surprise, she giggled that girly giggle of hers that would drive him absolutely insane… and then nuzzled his dick much like she did his chest not even a few moments prior. The sensation was amazing—interesting, but amazing nonetheless as she lavished his member with the same treatment as she would his face. She continued to run her soft, almost microfiber-esque cheeks up and down the length of his throbbing shaft before Seth thought of something that was actually important for the situation: “Mmmm… that feels amazing, babe… but question—how are we gonna, you know… do this?” Schnee pulled back momentarily to look up into his eyes, and gazed back questioningly whilst cocking her head to the right: “Hmm? What do you mean? I figured we’d do it the old-fashioned way?” she suggested. Seth pursed his lips. That didn’t help him at all. “Well, I think your definition of ‘old-fashioned’ is a bit different than mine. What’s your version mean?” Schneeblume shrugged. “I figured you’d just… you know… mount me?” Seth bobbed his head in consideration. The prospect of taking Schneeblume from behind was definitely appealing, especially if he got to stare at that ass the entire time. But once he thought about it from the position of anatomy and size disparity, he knew for a fact that he’d be at an incredibly awkward angle that wouldn’t be conducive to future back health. And in so thinking, he felt that Schnee had just not taken that into account either. Germans and logistics. Two mortal enemies. “I’m not so sure that’ll work, cutie. That’d probably destroy my back from the odd angle and positioning…” he voiced with no small amount of trepidation. Schneeblume still smiled at him, nonetheless. “Okay! Then what would you suggest?” she replied whilst batting her eyelashes. Clearly, she was eager for Seth’s suggestion as to how the two can get things on and not destroy each other’s bodies in the worst ways possible. That’s when he figured he’d take some initiative in the situation. And by ‘initiative,’ Seth meant picking up Schneeblume and reversing their positions. After a teeny squeak of surprise from the mare which upped the whole cuteness factor by like, a billion, Seth placed her onto her back with him leering down upon her. But the best part of this was that all the odd fumbling around didn’t have to take place anymore—his dick was perfectly lined up with a soaking Schneeblume’s crescent. Once the mare seemingly got over the sudden change in orientation, her expression bounced back to one of pure sex as she stared back up into Seth’s eyes. “Well, this is certainly… interesting,” she said, and then promptly added with an extra rasp of allusion in her voice: “But I must say, I love having you on top of me like this…~” Seth giggled. “And you have no idea how much I love being in this position with you… among other things,” he also alluded. He earned himself a chortle, and then a sexy giggle from Schneeblume. She then scooched her lower body down just enough where Seth’s dick pressed right up against her entrance. She was more than ready for him. And that eager expression on her face that could very easily rival his own had told him she was done with the small talk and limited foreplay. And her next words sealed the deal as Seth pushed past her labia with the head of his cock: “Mhmm! Take me, Liebling…~” There was no grand moment of enlightenment or odd moral conundrum that followed once he slowly thrust forward for the first time. He was now sheathed completely inside her. A moment of silence washed over the both of them as the two relished in their intimate joining. Only the sounds of their heavy, shuddering breaths in perfect sync with each other could be heard over the pouring rain pattering the rooftop. But even so, their two pairs of eyes remained trained on one another… and Seth took little issue in getting himself lost again in those lavender windows of hers. The sensation between his legs, however… was something else. He had had sex before with other women, and of course it felt awesome. But this time was something else—the lightness in his core that somehow extended down to his member, twitching with every heartbeat of his that was still somehow in perfect synch with Schnee’s. Though he probably outpaced Schnee’s heartrate when he watched her extend her wounded hoof up to his face and trace a line down the edge of his jaw. The feeling and meaning of that gesture—while their eyes never broke contact—was not lost upon him. But goddamn… Schneeblume felt amazing around him. Hell, perhaps a little more amazing than he expected. And this alone compelled him to break their little reverie and mention to Schnee: “Heh… babe I just need to apologize in advance but… I’m not gonna last long at all. Just wanted to get that out there,” he admitted with another awkward chuckle on his part. And whilst he took Schnee’s hoof in his hand and imparted a couple kisses upon it, Schneeblume responded to him with a mirrored shakiness and lust: “Hehe… kein Problem, Liebling,” she said, and Seth understood that well enough. “Because I don’t think I’m going to ‘last long’ either~.” Seth felt Schneeblume punctuating her words by giving a less-than-subtle wiggle to her lower body, which further stimulated his own. Most importantly, it reminded him to actually start doing something rather than just sit there on his knees with his erection taking up free real estate inside Schnee. Seth pulled his hips back, which only left the head of his dick still within his mare—her reaction was immediate, and she looked at him with a certain longing after emitting a gentle groan. One that he almost pitied with the emotions she conveyed. She wanted him back in her. Fully. And that’s what he would give her. Seth bucked forward and hilted himself entirely once again inside her, and Schnee emitted this tiny, curt squeak that made his member swell up that much more. Which, in turn, made his job that much harder in putting on some measure of an acceptable performance. But that gorgeous, blushed face that Schnee was giving him—complete with lidded eyes and barely-opened mouth… While Seth always had the desire to make Schnee smile and make her feel as amazing as possible in all aspects… this was now his only priority. Whatever mental video game he was playing had switched his objective to this being the primary. And he knew he couldn’t fail at that. Seth found an easy rhythm at first to test the waters for both him and her. He pulled his dick back entirely and would press himself fully back in her at easy intervals. He worked up a pistoning that was already making him feel light in the core from how amazing Schnee felt around him. His lust further helped him along when his eyes wandered down this mare’s porcelain, svelte form that seemed like it was crafted and sculpted from the best artisans that Alemaneia had at her disposal. Goddamn Seth loved her body… he loved how when she lay on her back like she was now, Schnee would curl her hooves into her chest in what made her look almost shy and reticent. He loved how her perfectly white coat topped that mouthwatering musculature that he had come to appreciate more and more every day of their relationship. He loved how her cute little navel looked amongst her smooth, velvety coat… also framed by the occasional scar that had been left behind as a relic from the War. But as Seth bit his lip and gazed down at his mare whilst properly fucking her, he loved how her body writhed and contorted to his gestures. And how her moans slowly picked up intensity and frequency to match with Seth’s own ‘coital rhythm.’ “Ahhhn~ Seth…” Schnee groaned, letting her head be fully embraced by her bed, and letting her eyes rest so she could truly feel. Seth never let up his thrusting but took every liberty in running his hands down Schnee’s form and digging his fingers into her skin where she loved it the most. Whatever it took to amplify the pleasure he was giving her—it was not even a second thought for him. But as he picked up some speed, Seth knew that whatever he did had to have been halfway decent when Schneeblume did her best to wrap her legs around him—to hold him in place. “That good, honey?” he asked with his own lustful inflection. Schneeblume nodded, and tried to press himself further into him each time that Seth sheathed himself fully within her. “Mhmmm~!” she said, then promptly added: “Harder…” Seth bit his lip. “Yeah? You want me to go harder?” “Ja bitte…” she moaned out at the mere suggestion. And who was Seth to deny his mare’s request for something so simple as slamming his cock into her? So it would be done, and upon Seth pulling back, he altered his rhythm by plunging himself as deep as he could possibly go with her, sacrificing speed for power. Her reaction was immediate, and she cried out through her now-open mouth. “Yeeeesssss! Just like that, Seth!” “Fuck yes…” he replied. Keeping this pace was no trouble for him physically, but what wasn’t helping him along was when Schneeblume was moaning cutely every time he filled her completely. Every time she did so, combined with every time she writhed or called his name was all the proof he needed to know he was succeeding in the goal he set out to achieve. The only problem was that this knowledge was making things worse for him on the endurance front. A stirring in his loins out of the electric amounts of pleasure he himself was getting was a telltale reminder that he was but a mortal man. And mortal men had their limits when it came to dicking down their love interests and not bursting too early. Yeah, he was definitely mortal. “Schnee… baby I’m sorry but I’m close already…” Schneeblume beckoned his face down and lavished him with a single, wet kiss as he continued to pound into her. That’s all she was able to do anyway considering the awkward angle of Seth’s back due to their size difference. “I don’t care Liebling… MMMM!” she groaned. “You have… ahhhnnn~… plenty of time to make it… JA!... up to me, hmm?” That thought alone made Seth’s smile widen. “Oh? You wanna go again after this?!” he dared ask, lest he lose control entirely. Schnee bit her lip, moaning as she nodded. “Mhmmm! Ja! I want you to fuck me again… “…and again… “…and again!” That desire to take her in every single way that entered his mind was nearly too much for him, and Seth was barely able to regain control to at least warn Schnee of the inevitable: “Fuck babe… I’m gonna cum…!” Schnee’s face brightened with blushed glee. “Ja! Then cum! Cum! Cum so you can fuck me again! “Cum!” Her encouragement was all Seth needed to thrust forward once more and drain himself completely inside Schneeblume. As he poured his pearlescence into her, Seth could feel his entire body spasming lightly as he came the hardest he ever did in his life up to this point… and this was further prolonged by Schnee groaning in absolute ecstasy as she no-doubt felt him literally filling her up. And that feeling of emptying himself remained on his mind as he went into autopilot, doing his best to press his lips to his marefriend’s before her wish was granted for another ‘offensive’ of sorts. [Later That Night…] The hours passed by like minutes, and Seth had no recollection of when the sun went down. Likely because he was more concerned with being quite literally balls-deep in Schneeblume during that time. It still continued to amaze him how a heated training exercise and the pouring rain could ignite something so fierce within the two of them… one that would inevitably be brought out in the heavy petting that followed after such a productive day. And this time, it had pushed the two over the edge entirely. And after that first round together, Seth had lost count of how many times the two went at it, each time somehow more intense than the last. The end result was what he currently basked in, eyes staring at the ceiling as a bout of silence veiled him and Schnee… well, other than the random assortments of bodily fluids that absorbed into her bed. They could clean sheets later… or burn them if they so needed to. No issue at all. Seth could practically feel the dopey smirk on his face—this was the culmination of everything he had worked for since he and Schnee got together… and it was somehow even more amazing than he could have ever thought possible. His lower body was sore like a motherfucker, and he wasn’t entirely sure he could feel his legs beneath the heavy covers of Schnee’s bed. One thing he was sure of—his dick was entirely placated. It slumbered soundly in its lair buried in between his legs, his mesh shorts, and the velvety covers of the bed. And there it rested and rejuvenated itself until the next time Seth would valiantly call it into action, and to take up the figurative sword for the crusade into Schneeblume’s sheath. Seth chuckled. Well, that’s ONE way to imagine it. His chuckling with no outward context seemed to rouse his partner, who was cuddled up with her muzzle wedged under his chin and her right hoof thrown over his torso—a rather favorite sleeping/napping position of both of them. “Heh, what’s so funny, Schatz?” Schnee inquired softly. Seth could feel her smile, and her gentle exhales breaking against his neck further added to the wondrousness of such a simple snuggling position. He separated from Schnee with a smirk but only just—he reoriented them so the two faced each other on the same pillow. “Hehe, nothing really—just… thinking of how everything went down today. From the training, to the silly words, to… well, here,” he said. Despite the night having cast a comforting shadow over the room and bathed the two of them in a sleep-conducive darkness, Seth was quite fond of the contrast between Schnee’s lavender eyes and the nightly veil. Her porcelain features were just visible enough—but her eyes were ever a sight to behold. And he quickly found himself getting lost in her gaze again. At least one of his hands and one of her hooves remained joined at all times. Schneeblume giggled heartily, nuzzling her face into the pillow. “Today was… interesting to say the least,” she said, then nodded. “Ja… that I’ll admit.” She continued, falling back into another reverie, but voicing her daydream out loud. “I kinda wonder about the same thing but on a different level... how I ended up from being so shattered at the end of the War to... well, as you said: here,” she finished with a smirk. Seth smirked right back at her and nodded. “Yeah, I can only imagine... as for me, I knew when I heard of this military program back on Earth that there would be quite a few new things in store for me but... not like this, that’s for sure,” he reinforced. He also stroked Schnee’s cheek with this thumb, while he cupped her face for a couple of seconds. Seth watched as Schneeblume lidded her eyes and sighed out blissfully. He then saw her reach with her right hoof and place the flat of it softly against his cheek, returning his gesture. He felt the sudden, cool contrast of ceramic on his skin. Then he let his eyes fall shut as a result and opted to just exist in the moment as Schnee traced the line of his jaw. In resting his eyes, he heard Schneeblume coo: “Seth... mein Schatz... my amazing, wonderful, understanding coltfriend...” He didn’t really understand much of the latter half of her words, but he knew just from her tone that she was speaking sweet little nothings about him. He responded by gently taking her hoof back into his hand and bringing it up to his face so he could kiss it properly. That’s when he decided to open his eyes, expecting to see her blushing like crazy and smiling like she always did when he bestowed the little gestures on her. And he did see just that... but what he didn’t expect—which made him recoil oh so slightly—was seeing Schneeblume’s beaming face marred with misty eyes and rivulets of tears beginning to dampen down her face. Seth’s boyfriend-ly instincts instantly kicked in, and he scooched closer and placed his left hand comfortingly on her cheek once more. “Hey hey hey... what’s wrong, babe? Did I do something bad? Say something weird?” he asked, perhaps a little too overzealously in his mind. But his immediate fears were assuaged somewhat when Schnee only smiled through her tears and shook her head. She held his hand to her face with her hoof whilst giggling. “No, dear, nothing at all! It's just...” Schnee pursed her lips, seemingly jogging her mind for the right words. “...I’m just so—so happy with you, Seth.” It was one of the few times that Seth actually felt words and acknowledged how they affected him physically. He had all the implicit (and explicit) clues he could have wanted regarding how Schneeblume felt about their relationship, but this was the first time that she had emotionally stated how happy she actually was. A very specific type of happiness—specific for a man—welled up within him and was threatening to overflow from his own eyes. “Ahhh, Schnee… heh, babe you’re gonna get me started, too…” he joked, preemptively wiping his own eyes. Schnee seemed undeterred… especially when she then slid flush against Seth to bury her face in his neck. “About three years into the war, I met somepony…” she began. Seth recognized the sudden turn of her storytelling tone of voice, and his attention turned fully towards her. Though he could only really stare at the ceiling on account of their snuggling orientation, he still ran his fingertips through Schnee’s mane and over her scalp as she began whatever story she wanted to tell him. “Okay…” he said and bade her to continue. “Ponies getting together during the War was a lot more common than one might think… but I was one of them. I met a stallion by the name of Silber. By this time, I was already in my assault unit, but he was frontline infantry.” Schneeblume took a deep breath, sighed out, and then continued: “The War had a habit of bringing some ponies together romantically… or lustfully. Most likely because it gave us some comfort during our time in hell. ‘Trench marriages,’ as they were called, were somewhat common, usually right before major offensives. Same with sex in general. I’m sure I don’t need to explain why…” Seth nodded with perfect understanding. “No, of course,” he said. “Silber and I got to know each other when my Stoßtruppe unit marched back from the front after a successful trench capture. He pretty much trot up to me while I was resting and started fawning over me, completely enamored… and just trying to chat me up. “But he was good looking. I had just come back from a battle. I was tired, sweaty, bloody, and not in any right state of mind. If you honestly believe that I snatched him and took him right back to barracks…” Seth waited with bated anticipation at her words, with his preconceived notions already fresh in his mind, ready to be dashed. He also knew for a fact that she was deliberately hanging on her words. “…then you would be absolutely right!” Seth had to stifle the deep laughter that threatened to blow over from deep in his core. “Precautions had to be taken, of course. Mares who got pregnant accidentally… or purposefully to avoid frontline duty were threatened with court martial. Stallions who knowingly participated in such schemes were sent to the most active section of the front. “That wasn’t me, though. I just wanted some relief after everything… just a little bit of happiness. But, of course, it happened to end up more than that. Over our short time together, we developed some sort of an odd routine,” she further explained. Seth continued to quietly listen to her story, knowing full well that this was probably about to get very painful for her. “Mhmm…” he said. “From the way our units were used during those times, I would get sent on a mission with my platoon. He would be waiting in the trenches to prevent against any counterattack. We would usually meet up in those same trenches when we would march back home after a mission completion. “It was the first bit of normalcy that I had ever had in the past three years… normalcy other than the death and destruction, that is. For the first time in my life, I think I was content. Scheiß, I felt in love…” Seth bobbed his head. It made perfect sense to him, especially when emotions ran high during war and were probably not quite in equilibrium. Schneeblume continued: “One day, a counterattack came right after an attack by my unit was repulsed. As per a plan, we led them right into our awaiting trench firing line. It was a horrific fight that got really close and personal. I… I still remember every detail as to how it happened… “B-But the important thing is, we both survived. And when the shock hadn’t even worn off, he proposed to me in the middle of a bombed-out trench.” Seth heard her chuckle softly. “And I said yes. I loved him, after all. And he loved me. But… we agreed upon something that was a little different than similar situations: We would survive the war, then be married. Then, we would settle down in a life of peace together. “It was a dangerous gamble, emotionally. But we were willing to play that game.” Seth nodded, toying with the tip of Schnee’s ear between his fingers. Schneeblume’s follow-up, however, was not immediately forthcoming. A small bout of silence took over the conversational air of the night. Seth could only infer what was going on in her head as she was recalling these undoubtedly painful details of the War. Especially considering one thing that Seth knew was readily apparent: Schnee was not married. Her voice finally came through, much timider than before: “There’s a reason why Der Oberkommando des Reichsheeres—” “The over-what-now?” Seth interrupted. Schnee giggled. “OKR—the Imperial Army High Command. I’ll make you fluent in Alemaneian, yet!” Schnee answered with a joking tone that rebounded only for a small moment. She continued: “There was a reason OKR discouraged relationships at the front during wartime. I was the prime example of this: my objective changed from completing my missions as successfully as possible… “…to ‘surviving.’” Seth added: “Makes sense to me—if I have something like that to look forward to when the war ends, I’d be doing my damndest to not needlessly put myself in further harm’s way.” “Exactly,” Schnee replied. “It’s literally our job description as soldiers—even more so for assault troops like me. So, performance would often suffer in front line units as they fought to only stay alive.” She shook her head. “Not that it mattered, though. Almost a month exactly before the War ended, Silber was killed during a gas attack. I watched him die.” Seth pursed his lips and sighed out. Well, there it is. “I’m sorry, babe…” Seth felt compelled to say, though he wasn’t sure whether that was the right thing to say. Probably should’ve kept your mouth shut, actually… Seth expected Schnee to absolutely lose it—this was a super painful memory, after all. Watching somepony die an excruciating death would be painful for anyone, but even more so if that person was someone that they loved. He couldn’t imagine what went through her mind during every agonizing moment of that scene. However, she… didn’t. He felt no change in her posture, heard no sniffles, and felt no tears against him other than the ones she had spilled slightly earlier. Instead, he only felt her head shaking slowly, seemingly in reflection. “I had never felt more broken in my life at that point. I had no more tears to cry. The War had taken everything from me,” she said shakily, and her ending words almost had a sense of pent up, silent rage to them. “I had just accepted that after then, I wouldn’t be able to love like I did anymore… if I even was in love, really. Maybe it was the War doing the talking for us. But after everything I did lose, I felt I wouldn’t be able to build such relationships like that—friends or otherwise—for fear of losing them like I lost everything…” This time around, Seth felt it was the better option to not say anything, and just hold Schneeblume in his arms for however long she liked. Beyond that, he wasn’t even sure what he could say that would meaningfully add to her words… “But…” she began anew. This time though, Schnee wrested herself from Seth’s hold and lay on top of him. Her frizzy, matted mane fell over her neck and down the right side of her face, tickling Seth’s cheek as he stared back up into those lavender pools. Pools that regarded him so warmly. “The Crusaders… and you proved to me that maybe I wasn’t too far gone for friendship and romance,” she said. And Seth sighed blissfully and let his eyes fall shut when Schnee pressed the tip of her nose lovingly to his. She then nuzzled him as she beamed. “And no matter what happens between us, I’ll be forever grateful to you for showing me this, mein Schatz.”
6. The Prospering | Epilogue [A Couple Years Later…] The gentle foot and hoof-falls of a decent trek came to an abrupt halt as the first rows of stones came into view—a single section nestled within lushness of grass and trees. Though the morning mist was still ever present, the sun above began poking holes through the clouds above. As the sounds of early-morning wildlife entered into her ears, and as the cold helped to bristle her coat, Schnee still found herself markedly comfortable where she was. The war had turned her into a morning pony… or rather, one who could easily adapt to whenever the hell she needed to get up. She sighed blissfully as she stood quietly beside her human. When it came to a trip back to Earth with Seth, she’d be up whenever he wanted her to be. Even more so when he wanted her to meet his parents… and take a trip to a continent named ‘Europe’ to see some of the sites of the humans’ own ‘Great War.’ He apparently wanted to give her a ‘gift’ of sorts. He gave her more than she could have ever hoped. “Well, here we are,” Seth’s voice comfortably broke the somber silence, and Schnee’s thoughts. A breeze blew over the duo and served to mess up a couple strands of her long, flowing mane that was just getting a tad too long for her. Seth loved her mane when it was long, however… and she in turn loved when he would run his fingers through it. She felt the drawbacks were outweighed by the benefits, wholly. Even after these short, couple years. The little things still mattered to her—to the both of them. "Langemark Cemetery, Belgium. Close by to what was once called the ‘Ypres Salient.’” Schneeblume smiled up at him—to which he returned the gesture in the same way as he always did since the day they met—and gazed over the identical stones in perfect rows. “So it seems…” she said, nodding, and then aiming her gaze forward. “And the pon—the men buried here. They’re like me?” Seth nodded down to her and offered her a gentle smirk. “Yeah. They’re German. Just like Alemaneians. Those that died during our First World War.” Schnee nodded again, her eyes scanning over every stone over this one section. “How many?” Seth seemed to take a couple seconds for an educated guess. Not that it was super important to her, but she did want to know at least a ballpark. “Forty-five thousand, I think. Maybe fifty?” Schneeblume pursed her lips and nodded once. So many. For one cemetery no less. As they stood at the edge, and the occasional, other human visitor came and went, Schneeblume was washed over with a certain feeling. It was somewhat familiar to her from when she would visit memorials for the Equidae War—a feeling of somberness and respect for those who didn’t make it out like she did. But… this was different for her. She felt almost a sense of kindredness. Like she belonged here… not in a morbid sense though. She felt welcomed. And another gentle gust of a breeze through the trees tickled at her face, and further calmed her nerves… ones that were high ever since she was brought to Earth for a tour of the Great War sites. She thought that she might not have been welcomed in any of their memorial sites. She was glad to have been wrong on so many levels. And this time, Schneeblume decided to ask something of Seth straight from her heart: “Liebling?” Seth’s eyes met hers and he smiled. “Ja, meine Blume?” Schnee felt her cheeks go red at that comment—Seth had been getting more creative with his words as he got better with her native language. “Could… Would you mind giving me a few moments?” Schnee asked tentatively, feeling the confidence in her voice taper off as the last of her words exited her mouth. Her sudden lack of confidence, however, appeared to be unfounded. Seth smiled brightly at her and seemed to wordlessly convey that he understood exactly what she wanted. He was getting good at reading her. Too good, perhaps. “Of course, babe. I knew you’d probably want some time here, of all places,” he said. That’s when he reached forward and cupped Schnee’s cheek, which she instinctively leaned into whilst unable to contain her beaming smile. But in the midst of her sudden lack of spatial awareness, she was also bestowed a kiss on her lips by her beau. Oh, how she adored him. “Take as much time as you need. I’ll come check up on you in a little while. Sound good?” Schnee only had to bat her eyelashes and respond with a now-timeless sentence: “I love you.” Seth blushed, then toyed with her ear in with his fingers for a single second. “Love you too, babe.” Schnee watched him turn on his heels and stroll back from whence they came. She internally commented how that dress uniform of his fit him so well… how the gold threads of the Solar Guard were complemented by the navy ones of the Lunar Guard. She bit her lip—he looked hot. But more importantly, it reminded her of his achievements. He made it… and though he never failed to thank her consistently for her help, she knew he did it himself. That warmth that had entered her heart from the day they met was as strong as ever, swimming in her chest. She was so proud of him. She took a deep breath and looked back towards the cemetery, and a quick glance around revealed that she was alone within earshot… Not that it really mattered, but she preferred to do her revering with a little extra privacy, especially when there existed a certain kindredness of the fallen. Schneeblume stepped forward with her ceramic hoof, making her first hoof-mark in the beautifully manicured grass. Nothing willed her away, and she pressed onward in an easy trot until she happened upon the first row of stones. A certain calmness entered into her heart, one that compelled her to close her eyes and take a deep, thoughtful breath as another welcoming breeze surrounded her form—one that embraced her like an old friend. At that moment, a feeling most inexplicable wafted over her corporeal form: She was tired, despite the gratuitous amounts of sleep and hearty breakfast she was afforded. Her hind legs were fatigued… and she felt compelled to sit down. And so she did, plopping her haunches down on the grass between two stones. She regarded the left gravestone with gentle, prideful reverence whilst reading the name embossed on it: Friedrich Müller… Schneeblume sighed out once with a somber smile. As a gentle tear made itself known to the world in her right eye and traveled down her cheek, she placed her left hoof against the stone and traced a single line downward. Further—though she could not explain why she felt compelled to do such a thing—she began to recite something most familiar to her: “The land was scarred. The grass will grow. “The air was poisoned. The breeze will blow. “The flowers snuffed. But they will bloom. “Life was born here. Taken much too soon. “But beauty will always return to the Seel—” Schneeblume caught herself in the spur of the moment, and made one adjustment to a poem she had written those years ago: “But beauty will always return to Flanders Fields.” She recited her entire work from memory, and duly made sure to replace a certain Seele Plains with Flanders Fields out of respect for the fallen in front of her. To her, the warmth in her cheeks on this cool morning demonstrated that perhaps… the change fit. And someone clearing their throat right beside her indicated that she might’ve not been speaking to herself. “Did you write that yourself?” called a voice in a familiar tongue. Torn out of her reverie, Schneeblume gasped and nearly jumped out of her own coat—startled. She whipped her gaze to the right and found a young man in the midst of taking a seat next to her. Getting a good look at him as she controlled her heartrate, Schnee immediately discerned that his features were quite young—at least several years younger than Seth. His short, yet unkempt black hair whipped with the gentle breeze that coursed over the cemetery, and his piercing green eyes (which complemented his pale visage along with a sharp jaw) found hers with a platonic warmness that Schnee found so familiar… …too familiar. Yet, she could not place it. The only thing she found mildly out of the ordinary was his choice of attire, which seemed somewhat ‘dated’ compared to the more contemporary clothes of the human’s she’d interacted with thus far. It looked plain, almost like one of her uniforms she used to wear in the army, but immaculately pressed and cleaned. Perhaps this man was currently in the service—Schnee met no shortage of current and former military personnel. She replied in her identical, yet different tongue: “I did… some different context from where I came from but… it felt right for some reason. I don’t know why,” she replied, huffing after some sudden introspection. The newcomer folded his arms over his knees and smiled right back at her, revealing perfect teeth. “Well, I must say it was beautiful to hear.” Schneeblume returned a half-smirk. “Thank you! Safe to assume you were eavesdropping?” she teased. The German man shrugged with a knowing grin, chuckling warmly all the while. “Heh, I tend to catch many conversations around here when I come and visit,” he said, turning his gaze away and staring off into the distance for a few moments. Schneeblume’s feelings eluded her for the umpteenth time this day. Something seemed off about this human—she was often privy to sudden conversation by virtue of being a pony in the human world, on top of being a veteran. But she was again struck by the aura of familiarity from this man. As if she knew him somehow. Her mild daydream was disrupted when the human turned to her again: “Still. It’s… good to know that this place hasn’t been forgotten after nearly a century. Still plenty of visitors that I’ve seen,” he said, nodding. Schneeblume nodded as well, sighing out in an untold relief. “That’s so reassuring! Our… ehm… ‘Great War’ ended about eight years ago. I still worry that ponies like me will be forgotten. Especially the ponies that never got to live. I think I can rest a little easier now…” she mused aloud. The man offered his right hand to her and smiled. “Walter Weber.” Schneeblume returned the smile and offered her ceramic hoof to his palm. “Schneeblume Herbstlicht. Lovely to meet you, Walter!” Walter glanced down at their joined hand and hoof and seemed particularly unfazed by her prosthetic. In fact, he only nodded and returned his gaze to her eyes, smiling fondly at her. They didn’t have to even say a word to each other in that moment of camaraderie. “The pleasure is all mine, Lady Herbstlicht.” Walter called attention to something new on Schnee’s right hoof: A gold wedding band. “I see you have found a lucky man!” Schneeblume blushed and regarded her band with love almost leaking from her eyes. The gold glimmered in what little sun was able to break through the mist and cloud layer. It reminded her of just a week prior, when he proposed to her literally right after she met his parents. She could not remember any time she cried such tears of joy in her life… having welled up with such strong, positive emotion that she was simply not used to. Of course she said ‘yes!’ She then giggled and sighed out dreamily, her eyes misting over at the amazing memory that would be cherished until the day she died. Especially so, as she repeated her answer to Seth’s proposal. Yes! A million times yes! To both our worlds, yes! “I did. I never thought I’d be able to after my war… but, he’s my everything now. I don’t know what I’d do without him,” she thought aloud. Walter smirked. “It seems you’ve come a long way… but the scars never leave, do they?” Schnee raised an internal eyebrow at that question… it was oddly specific for her, especially from one who appeared so young and—dare she say—naïve. But yet… the question felt right. “They… don’t,” Schnee hesitated with her answer, regarding Walter with renewed suspicion. “And they never will. They can only become less visible.” Walter nodded and reached to his right whilst continuing the conversation: “I would like you to do something for me, if you feel so inclined, Miss Schneeblume…” Before Schnee could even—curiously—inquire on what he could possibly mean by that, Walter handed her a flower: A poppy, having beautifully bloomed. “I would like you to live,” Walter continued, his tone turning from friendly and cordial to almost pleading in nature. And yet, his bright, gorgeous, inviting smile never waned. Schnee’s gazed flicked back and forth from his face to the flower, to which she tentatively yet instinctually reached for. It called to her. And she would have it. “Live for all of us, man and pony, who never got the chance. Live in happiness. Live in peace.” Schnee could barely process what he was saying, especially when her attention was focused on the gorgeous, blood-red poppy in the crook of her wounded hoof. Someone suddenly called to her from behind: “Hey gorgeous!” Seth’svoice rang out through the morning mist as he strode over to her. “You doing alright, babe?” he further inquired. Her confusion waned away in his sudden presence, and she smiled up at him, nodding. “Ummm, yeah! I was just—” She gestured towards her right to introduce her fiancé to Walter… …only, he was no longer there. Schneeblume blinked. Then blinked again, hard. She then recoiled and got to her hooves, glancing all around her as her coat bristled. Nothing but the wind and the two of them were present in the immediate area. Silence reigned supreme. The somber mood had returned. Seth did not appear blind to her sudden change in mood, and he knelt to eye-level. “Hey… something up?” he asked. Schnee’s mouth opened, but no words came out… nor did any thoughts materialize in her head. In an attempt to rationalize the last few minutes, her eyes happened to glance at the gravestone that lay to her right: Walter Weber. She could feel her face going pale… and that’s when she lifted her right hoof to her face, where a lone poppy rested in its crook. Schnee cocked her head and twirled it in her grasp as she fought with her words, especially as more tears began to well up in her eyes. Did… did that just happen? Seth seemed to notice this as well: “Hey, cool! You found a poppy! But… where? There aren’t any around here,” he noted his observation, drawing his own gaze around the area. Schneeblume continued to regard the poppy in her hoof, and she could slowly feel her mouth curling upward as warm feelings returned to her core. An again-inexplicable heat rose to her face as a flurry of emotions ran through her mind, making her feel like she wanted to cry and laugh altogether. Without answering Seth, she placed the flower atop of Walter’s stone. Thank you, Walter. I WILL live. Rest in peace. Schneeblume then turned fully to Seth, smiled up at him, and locked eyes as she stood on her hind legs. Instinct kicked in for the both of them as the two embraced one another, with Schnee wrapping her left hoof around his neck and leaning back just enough to get a good look. Seth cocked his head, and silently asked his previous question inquiring about her emotional state, given where they were, and what he was not privy to just now. Schneeblume, however, wanted to answer him vocally: “Kein Problem, mein Schatz. I just… had a moment, was all,” she explained vaguely. She didn’t know how he would react if she told him the full truth. Perhaps she would tell him at a later date… of Walter. Schnee continued, beaming brightly at Seth as the sun began to cut a swathe through the morning clouds. “I was also reminded that I made the right choice… and that I eagerly await to see what our life together holds,” she said, unashamed at the two small drops cascading down from her eyes. Seth’s face brightened, and he adopted his trademark sarcasm and jest: “You sure, Schnee? The return window’s still open, you know…” Schneeblume couldn’t stem the tide of her pent-up laughter… laughter infused with all the joy and love she had for this silly human. From the first day they met, to their first kiss, to their first training session, and to the first time they came together and made love, Schneeblume had never felt so strongly about anyone, or anything. “That won’t be necessary, Seth. As sappy as it may sound I... I just... can’t wait to live in peace with you.” The two shared a tender kiss and pressed their noses together, beaming brighter than the sun, all the while. Author's Note *Closes Book and places pen down* Of many endings I've done to stories, I wanted to try something a little bit different. I went with my gut here with what I liked and felt was right. In the end, I think this was a halfway decent sendoff for this couple after a short story, and I can only hope you think so, too! Thank you guys SO much for reading in this little corner of the woods. I just hope you guys enjoyed the ride as much as I enjoyed putting drivel to paper. Please feel free to comment your likes, dislikes, rants, concerns, lambastings, etc. below. In the end, it's how I improve as a writer, whether I'm shitposting or not. Again, thank you SO MUCH, and I hope I'll be seeing you around soon for some other cool things going on! ~Flamm
4. The Blooming [Several Weeks Later…] Today had been one of those ‘odd’ days for Seth. Firstly, he ended up sleeping through his alarm in the morning—unheard of considering he was one of the lightest sleepers imaginable. Secondly, while deciding to take himself to breakfast, he ended up accidentally bumping into (and spilling a drink all over) some batpony mare that sounded quite Scottish, who then proceeded to tear into him with the most Shakespearean-level of grotesque profanity he had ever heard in his entire life. And thirdly, Schneeblume had requested his presence sometime after lunch for an unknown reason, other than the fact of it being a ‘surprise,’ and ‘something that’ll be good for you in the long run, I promise. Just make sure to bring any of your martial arts gear that you have.’ And in thinking back to even before the two were an item, his sentiment regarding girls ‘scheming’ was never bound to end well… or at least, go the way he anticipated at all. But then again, that was likely the whole point of ‘surprise.’ Still, it didn’t stop him from speculating what she wanted to accomplish regarding his gear—of which consisted mainly of some gloves to hit a bag back at his place. Either way, he figured it would be best to dress for the possible occasion as he made his way down the familiar path from his place to hers. A loose fitting, black shirt would do the trick, as he felt perhaps Schneeblume had some workout regimen in mind… …which was also kinda weird now that he thought of it. Was she trying to say he was fat or something? A quick glance downward confirmed that he, in fact, was not… and a due diligence running of both of his hands up his stomach confirmed that the modest outline of his abs was still present. Thanks, Krav Maga and a decent gym! Plain mesh, gray shorts would also suit him well assuming his assessment of Schneeblume’s out of the blue request was correct—and as he rounded the corner into the beautiful garden of the Herbtstlicht household that had become so familiar to him, he hoped he had made the right call. Seth raised his right fist to her door, and despite his reservations, a bright complexion was slapped on his face—it was never a dull moment to see his marefriend. Only one way to find out! He knocked three times in rapid succession and fixed his hair, which was getting a little longer down the back of his neck. Within a few moments, the door flew open. Seth—bright smile still adorning his face at the very presence of his marefriend—opened his mouth to greet her but instead was greeted by a porcelain-white, ball of velvety coat, jet black mane, and beaming smile lunging herself at his face. “Hey ba—AAAABE!” Schneeblume’s entire body slammed into Seth’s upper torso and he was barely able to catch and hold her under her butt… as well as nearly stumbling off the front steps and taking them both to the ground. Clearly Schnee didn’t care, as all she did to alleviate the situation that she put the two of them in was to giggle whilst pecking his entire face with tiny, wet kisses. And since she showed no signs of stopping after several seconds (and since the ‘poor’ dude couldn’t see straight on account of something on his face) he decided to just let his ass fall to the soft grass beneath them and let Schneeblume have her way with this face. Not exactly a bad situation to be in, if he was being completely honest with himself. But good lord, she just wouldn’t let up smothering him. “Hey… you doing okay hon’?” he dared to interrupt Schnee’s little reverie. Now unabashedly sitting in his lap, the mare pulled back from assaulting his face and beamed at him. Seth could have sworn he saw a massive sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him, which made him feel light on the clouds. “Quite,” she simply said before connecting her lips with his. Seth’s eyes shuttered close by reflex of contact with her lips, and both of them instantly started deeply making out with one another with Schneeblume dictating the entire cadence of their little semi-public display of affection. Every brief second the two of them separated for air, the two would immediately smash back together… and what really got him going was that Schnee would hum out in pleasure every time she exhaled. Their tongues tentatively greeted each other at the forefront of their joined mouths as well, though only the tips thus far. He could feel her front hooves wrapped tightly around his neck, though he did notice one thing that was different: the lack of a fair portion of mass and weight of her right hoof—which meant that she indeed did not have her prosthetic on. This was the first time she ‘stood before’ him without the remainder of her hoof. Most curious… but I sure as shit ain’t gonna complain right now. Damn right you’re not... cunt. After an undetermined amount of time, the two separated for the final time and ended their long, protracted kissing session. Schneeblume, however, merely held herself up by Seth’s neck supporting her hooves, and she pressed her forehead to his so their eyes were squarely trained on nothing else but each other. She finally spoke: “Hallo!” Then she giggled and blushed, which was still as contagious to Seth as it was on the first day they met. Seth smiled warmly in return and kissed the brim of her forehead. “Hello to you too!” he replied. Schneeblume rubbed her nose against his and giggled yet again. Her smile almost seemed drawn on for how permanent it was on her face. “Damn babe… you’re really affectionate today! Not that I’m complaining!” he mentioned with a sly, teasing smile. Schneeblume lidded her eyes and chuckled through a wide smile in return. “Don’t act like you’re making it easy not to be…” she quipped, then stroked her right hoof over Seth’s jawline. “Especially with this bit of stubble right here… you should keep this more often!” Seth was not blind to the implicit ‘suggestion.’ He’d wait a day or two extra between shaves moving forward now. He bit his lip and nipped at hers… then kissed her once. “You’re right…” he said, and then kissed her again. “I’m not making it easy.” He kissed her again. “And neither are you.” And again. And again… …and again. Seth had suddenly turned the tide on an assault that Schneeblume had full control over… and after peppering her face with indiscriminate kisses (because to him, she was just that kissable), Schnee emitted a combination of laughter, squee-ing, and lighthearted shrieks as Seth fought to ‘subdue’ her. However, during their little bit of ‘roughhousing,’ Schnee suddenly jerked her head to the right to avoid another onslaught from Seth’s lips… …and in turn, his mouth landed straight in the crook of her neck. Seth finding his face buried in warm, velvety coat was one thing… but hearing Schneeblume emit a soft, yet pronounced moan was another. Both froze immediately, and two sets of eyes shot open. Neither moved for what seemed like a small eternity, but by some planned synchronization, both pulled away and—while still holding each other—dared gaze each other down again. No rose in the garden could compare to how burning red both their cheeks were… but for Seth, hearing Schnee emit such a sound had aroused him in more ways than he had thought imaginable. It would be by sheer force of divine intervention that the mare sitting on his lap, looking as stunned as he was, was not feeling the after-effects of a sudden exodus of blood southward. She had to have noticed… and if she looked downward there would probably an awkward yet not-so awkward explanation to be given. Really, what was Seth even to say to that? Silently, he awkwardly averted his gaze from her… at the exact same time she did from him. And Schnee said what they were both thinking with about as much awkwardness as he would come to expect: “L-Lets go inside… ja?” Seth nodded emphatically. “Yeah! Yeah, good idea,” he said. He patted Schnee’s side twice and she promptly ‘dismounted’ him, and once he got to his feet, he was again reminded of the fact that she was not wearing her prosthetic. Indeed, this was the first time he had ever seen her without it and was greeted with what almost looked like—from a couple feet away—just a smaller version of her left hoof. Only when she held it level instead of letting it touch the ground did he see the final product of her war procedure: four skin flaps folded up at the tip to create a ‘nub’ of sorts of what remained. He certainly wasn’t put off by it—their little makeout session that almost went too far was a clear indication of that. But it was an interesting development, at least in Seth’s eyes, that she would allow him to see her without it. Though… perhaps that could be reaching, considering that she might not be all that shy about it—maybe it was just coincidental that after a couple months together as an item, he never saw her without it. Seth stretched out and picked up his fallen boxing gloves, then decided to call attention to her hoof as Schnee led the way back into her house… which was made even more apparent by she having the tiniest of limps in her walk—likely the result of perfecting life without a good chunk of her leg for the last several years. She either barely let it touch, or completely held it level off the ground. “Huh, never seen you without your prosthetic. Where’s the rest of your hoof, hun?” he both seriously questioned, and jested at the same time. Schnee called back over her shoulder as the two walked past the threshold of the front door: “Honestly, probably somewhere in the Seele Plains.” Seth blinked harshly at her response. Did he hear her correctly? “Huh?” he dared to ask. “Hmm?” she returned his question without a hitch, nor any acknowledgement of her previous words. Roight. He also thought he noticed her walking with an extra sashay in her hips—that, or he was becoming more of an ass-man… much more quickly than he expected. She’s totally doing that on purpose, dude… By habit once again, he kicked off his shoes and placed the pair neatly by the doorway, then shut the door properly behind the two of them. “So!” Seth began the conversation anew and clapped both his hands together eagerly. “Not that I’m never happy to come over or see you at all… but what’s the occasion? You seemed pretty insistent this time around! “Again…” he held both his hands level. “Not complaining. Will never turn down an opportunity to look at a gorgeous work of art,” he finished with a wink. Of course, Schneeblume blushed—he knew how to hit that switch at will, now. But this time she returned it with an eye-roll. “Oh for… Seth you’re really too much sometime, I swear,” she giggled nonetheless. She pointed her stubbier right hoof towards the kitchen. “Can you do me a favor, Liebling, and fetch me the remainder of my leg?” she asked with a nigh undetectable joking inflection to her tone. “Sure!” Seth nodded with a bright smile and started on his way. Schnee made her way down the hallway towards her bedroom. “I’ll tell you all in a moment, Seth! Just bring that back to my room please~,” she requested. Seth answered with an exaggeratedly creepy, old-man voice: “You got it, toots!” And clearly his choice in vocabulary and tone was sound, since he heard Schneeblume snort from down the hall. Her prosthetic wasn’t hard to find at all. A few steps into the kitchen and he found it resting—freshly cleaned and shined—on the dining room table waiting for him. Seth held his hand out and he hovered tentatively over the lifeless ceramic and metal appendage, feeling an odd sense about touching what was essentially a body part of Schneeblume… without her actually attached to it. Still, he then picked it up and felt the sheer heft in his palm. He turned it to face him and watched it go limp around the hinge, then juggled it lightly. Heavier than I thought it was… impressive. Seth pivoted on his heel and hung a left at the front door so he could stride straight down the hall to Schneeblume’s bedroom. With the door wide open, he decided to waltz right in… though he had to halt mid-step, eyes brimming with a sudden sparkle of want as he found Schnee sitting in her own coat on the edge of her bed, placing her long, perfect mane into a ponytail. The ‘focused’ expression on her face further added to the allure that had never once waned since Seth first laid eyes on her. His heart beat rapidly in his chest and he could feel that familiar heat rising within his core and face. And still, he smiled brightly… gazing upon his mare with a certain longing. He knew damn well how good he had it. Wouldn’t I just love to take a bite outta that snack… It then appeared that Schneeblume felt his eyes upon her, as she blinked herself out of her stupor and turned to Seth once her ponytail was fresh and ready. It further topped off Seth to the max when she returned almost the same smile right back to him. Once eye contact had been established, Seth didn’t even remember willing the next words out of his mouth: “Schnee… You are so goddamn good looking… like… my god, babe—you’re hot!” Her face colored profusely, and she shied away just a smidge… as Seth had come to expect every time he lavished her with compliments that were genuine from his heart. What he didn’t expect, however, was for her to lid her eyes and just barely tug at her bottom lip with her teeth. She also exhaled greatly—apparently she was also holding that one in. Either way, Seth was in no way blind to that expression on her face, as dense as he might be to some social cues. He had been around the block a couple of times. That was the periphery of a genuine ‘fuck me’ face. “You really spoil me… you know that?” Schnee said in a much lower, more pronounced voice than Seth had heard her speak before. The teasing tone was most evident. And Seth would gladly take part. He slyly smirked right back at her. “Well is that why you called me over?” he asked innocently. “Because I’ll spoil you anytime you ask… and anytime you don’t ask, frankly,” he quipped right back. Schneeblume ate it up… but her more sensual visage retreated behind a rather visible layer of insecurity, and instead manifested as a deep, girly giggle behind both of her front legs. “I don’t know what to do with you sometimes. I say it all the time now, but you’re just too much… way too much, Liebling… and I love it! “But for your information, why I called you over here—starting today, I’m going to preemptively advance your career a couple years,” she declared, bouncing back to a much more excitable demeanor. Seth cocked his head almost ninety degrees from being so suddenly perplexed. “Ummmm… sounds lovely? But, wanna fill me in?” “Sure!” Schnee said, then smiled with her outstretched left hoof before saying with her own joking tone: “Toss me the rest of my leg?” “Ah, right! Here you go!” Seth replied and tossed her leg over to her. It landed next to her on the bed with a silent thud. She reached for it but stopped suddenly when Seth could barely restrain the emission of a strained whine from his mouth… and hilarity was on the verge of boiling over the moment a terrible thought had lined the inside of his skull. And now Schnee was staring back at him with an adorably curious smile. “Okay, what’s so funny?” she asked. Seth had folded his lips inward as the worst thing came to his mind about this whole situation, and he squeaked out his response: “You…” he said, and nearly lost it. “I’m glad I was able to help you by… lending you a hoof.” Schneeblume deadpanned immediately and seeing her reaction crippled Seth with cackling laughter at such a terrible pun. Schnee pursed her lips and nodded. She was failing miserably, however, to hide her finding it just as hilarious as he was. “Wow. So that’s what we’re doing now? Pfft! You’re lucky you’re so handsome...” Seth finally settled down and made to reassure his mare: “Don’t worry, babe. I may have terrible jokes, but you can always count on me to… “...put you back on your hooves.” And then he proceeded to lose it again. What he didn’t count on this time, however, was Schneeblume’s detached, ceramic hoof sailing right into his cock and balls with missile-like precision. The ceramic, rogue prosthetic slammed into his meat and two-veg, then unceremoniously fell to the floor with a mighty thud of ceramic against wood. Seth’s lungs were suddenly evacuated as his entire body scrunched up at a forty-five-degree angle. He doubled over onto the floor and held his family jewels in as tender of a grasp as he could. Fuck she’s good… oh fuck that hurt… The price of puns! Fuck… And from the sound of Schnee’s sudden, sharp inhale from beyond the periphery of his ears, as well as her subsequent, urgency-laden cursing, his predicament was not her intention. “Mein Gott! Scheiße!” Schneeblume exclaimed and immediately dashed to Seth’s side. She tried to examine him as best as she could, and from what Seth could see through tearful eyes, she had genuine fear and remorse in her own as she looked him over. “Seth! I’m so sorry, mein Schatz! I didn’t mean to hit you there! Do you need… ice? Etwas? Verdammt es…” she cursed herself. The pain was unimaginable, as Seth had never once been love-tapped by ceramic before, let alone been nailed there for a hot minute. The pain was throbbing and felt like he grew a second heart down there, while the pain radiated upward into his lower abdomen. Schnee tried to kiss his forehead and cuddle him awkwardly in any attempt to make up for her mistake of being accurate. Seth, however, smirked slyly through his pain and decided to take another golden opportunity: “Achhh… it’s okay babe…” he managed to squeak out, feeling as if his voice rose a couple octaves permanently. “But… I think I’m… “...I’m gonna need a hoof,” he finished his third pun in a row with a goofy smile. He had never seen a mare—or a woman, for that matter—turn from concerned to adorably rage-filled within fractions of a second. Well, at least he figured this was the true case when Schneeblume proceeded to repeatedly slap his face with her stubby hoof, forcing Seth to go on a cackling defensive. “FOTZE!” she seethed through her teeth. HAH! Oh god I have an idea what THAT means… “YOU ASSHOLE! I THOUGHT I REALLY HURT YOU, DIPSHIT!” Seth was on the verge of tears (mostly because of his own stupid puns, and the rest being a combination of the ridiculousness of the situation and him having been nailed in the dick). It was also an experience to be cussed out in essentially German—kinda scary actually. But through it all, he was able to wrangle Schneeblume and pull her against him for a hug… which she ultimately relaxed (or relented) into. The both of them were now calmed down, and they lay in each other’s embrace on the floor for a few moments to catch their breath. Seth kissed the top of Schnee’s head, burying his face in her mane and taking in the beautiful smell of her plumeria shampoo. “So… what’s the occasion, Schnee?” He ventured to ask again. Schnee lifted her head and leered down at Seth—gone was her hilariously peeved expression, instead supplanted with a more neutral smile that he was used to seeing. “Well… before I was so rudely interrupted, I’m going to help advance your career preemptively,” she answered. Seth nodded. “Right, but that was all you told me before and that still doesn’t help me, heh… should I be worried about something?” The flower mare shrugged above him and shook her head. “I don’t think so… so long as you don’t mind getting to terribly roughed up, as they say…~” she further added with extra crypticism. Seth blinked. Hard. “Ummm… what exactly are you getting at?” He questioned further. That’s when Schnee dislodged herself from him and got back to her hooves, as well as freeing up Seth to get back to his own feet. She bade him to wait for a moment while she scanned around the floor, then perked up when she found her lifeless prosthetic. She scooped it up in her ‘good’ hoof and—with Seth watching very curiously—she inserted what remained of her right leg, then twisted the object just so until it ‘locked’ in place. Schneeblume shook it a couple of times to seemingly calibrate it before placing her hoof back on the floor, exactly as Seth was used to seeing her. Huh, so that’s how it works… “That’s better…” she remarked, then added: “Anyway, during Basic Training, you’re going to re-learn how to fight hoof-to-hoof… or in your case, hand-to-hoof.” Seth, again, cocked his head. Schneeblume wasn’t necessarily wrong but seemed so out-of-the-blue that he wasn’t exactly sure what might’ve brought it on. “Uhh… yeah, makes sense,” he replied vaguely, wanting to see exactly where she was going with this. Schneeblume turned on her hooves and began to walk out of her room. She bade Seth to follow her, which he did. He was further enticed to fall in with her when he noticed that her hips had a very prominent sway to them with every step she took. “The better you do, and the more aptitude you show, the better of a job you may land after the fact—the coveted enlistments are the Royal Guard positions under the Special Forces that they’re also opening up to humans. They’re the highest paying, but only the best of the best can be selected,” she continued to lecture. Seth nodded, he was starting to maybe see where she was going with this. “Got it… makes perfect sense,” he said. “There’s two problems you’ll face as a result,” Schnee began anew. “One, your stature as a human gives you distinct advantages and disadvantages when facing an equine foe—you’ll need to learn to understand both ends. “And secondly, what they’ll likely teach you in basic will be pure and utter horseshit, and I want to preemptively make you ‘unlearn’ it. You already have a hoof up with your own martial arts training, but it’ll still need expanding upon,” she punctuated with a sly smirk over her shoulder. Seth chuckled out loud. “Hah! Okay, fair enough… then how do you propose we go about that?” Schneeblume chuckled as she led him through the kitchen and towards the lone door that separated them from the backyard. She stopped for dramatic effect as she reached out to grab the handle, then looked back at Seth with that determined smile that he was always so fond of. “Well isn’t it obvious?” she said. “I’m going to lend you some training.” She threw open the door, and Seth was greeted with some of the fluffiest, well-maintained grass he had ever seen beyond the fields outside of Ponyville. The entire backyard was lined with a fence, but even more impressive was that the perimeter was also lined with an assortment of mixed flowers that gave off sort of an ‘arena’ vibe to the human. Interspaced between large sections of grass were lines of dirt and soil that was where Seth assumed Schnee would place extra flowers. He honestly didn’t know—he was more taken with how lovely this little back yard was. “Ummm…” he finally spoke, and looked down and back towards Schneeblume, who was beaming up at him. “You really sure about this? I’d welcome anything you’d wanna show me but so long as it doesn’t, you know, stir up some… stuff?” She dismissed that outright. “Oh shush you, I’ll be fine, Seth, don’t you worry! Now…” she said and leveled a mischievous gaze at him that made Seth take a single step backward. “Grab your equipment. Let’s get started.” It was a simple matter of just grabbing his sparring gloves, as well as soft pads that were used for kicking. For extra, enigmatic ‘realism’ as well as protection, Schneeblume let him borrow an old helmet (which looked utterly ridiculous on him) while she used her own stahlhelm (which was surreal on its own). She herself also ended up putting on what looked like oversized loafers on her four hooves, but in actuality were exactly the analogous types of gloving and padding that Seth donned. Seth stood in the middle of her back yard, bare feet being lightly tickled by the grass beneath him, while stretching out in his sparring gear. The helmet was also something he was getting used to, as metal with padding didn’t really seem to go well together. Schneeblume insisted on it, though. The mare in question also stood before him and stretched out in her own way, as well as making sure that everything fit the way it was supposed to. Seth did make sure to place a single eye on her haunches every time she stretched out just right. Seth spoke up: “Alright! So, what’ve ya got for me?” he asked excitedly, though he’d be lying if he said that there wasn’t a small tinge of fear within him at what Schneeblume was possibly scheming in that head of hers. Seemingly pumped up and trotting excitedly in place on each individual hoof, Schneeblume began anew: “Pony technology has not advanced as much as human technology has, so firearms are not doled out to everypony in the ranks. The use of magic from unicorns also complicates things further… but one thing that remained the same is close quarters, hoof-to-hoof—or in your case, hand-to-hand or hand-to-hoof—combat.” She placed one of her padding-clad hooves to her chest. “I fought in the most destructive war our planet has ever seen—I’ve lived this combat for four years and had to relearn everything I was taught through a trial by inferno, realizing what worked and what got you killed.” She began pacing ever so slightly. “While the probability that you would be sent off to fight anywhere here is extraordinarily low, a human in your position would do well to be as much of a master in the ‘modern pony’ fighting arts as you are able. Complex maneuvers and technique often go to hell the moment close fighting is upon you.” Seth shrugged, then nodded vehemently. “Makes perfect sense to me! I’m sure you of all ponies know that war is probably not like movies or books…” Schneeblume shut her eyes and shook her head slowly. “It most certainly is not, mein Schatz… which is why I want to help get you ahead of the game!” Seth watched with keen interest as Schnee cocked her head to the right, and then to the left, seemingly stretching out her neck before putting a few paces distance between the two of them. “Now the ‘game…’ is for you,” she pointed directly at Seth, and then back at herself, smirking deviously. “...to take me to the ground, and I, you. A winner of each round will be the one who pins the other. Oh also, only rule: no blows to the head~.” Seth just stood there and stared, eyebrow cocked, and jaw lopsidedly slackened. This was escalating very quickly, and when he ran the scenarios in his head, he was neither blind nor stupid as to how things would likely end up—namely, with his ass handed to him on a silver platter. Regardless, what gave him the most pause was him potentially getting lucky and actually hurting Schneeblume accidentally in the process… something he’d never forgive himself for, even if it was merely in play. “Ummm…” he said awkwardly and gazed down at both of his glove-clad hands. Apparently, Schneeblume read his mind loud and clear. “You’re so sweet… But you’re not going to hurt me,” she flatly stated with a soft smile to boot, then added with no extra flair and the confidence of a seasoned soldier: “You won’t be able to.” Seth still wasn’t convinced… he knew exactly where he stood, but that protective instinct within him as a boyfriend just wouldn’t let up. Nevertheless, the two of them were supposed to have fun with this, so he (somewhat reluctantly) descended into his fighting stance. He stretched his fingers within his gloves and brought his hands to bear in front of his face. Schneeblume beamed. “Sehr gut! Now we’re getting somewhere!” She dropped low into her own stance and raised her ceramic hoof somewhat outstretched in front of her face. Apparently, Seth’s confusion was palpable, so she decided to pre-empt any questions: “I fought with a spade, club, or a knife most of the time. It’s my natural stance. Now…” She let herself become a little nimbler on her hooves and she smirked right at Seth… who suddenly felt his stomach become a little lighter in fear. “Let’s begin lesson one: rules of close quarters warfare. To demonstrate, I want you to attack me. Subdue me to the ground as you were taught. Ja? “LOS!” Seth’s heart was raging in his chest as the time was now upon him. From how Schneeblume was approaching this, she clearly had an odd structure to everything, and seemed super into it all. It would be a shame if he disappointed her in any way, his reluctances to even lay an ‘aggressive’ hand on her aside. And so, in his stance, he took a deep breath and began to circle the mare… who perfectly kept pace with him on the other end of the ‘diameter’ of the circle they were making. An unknown amount of time was spent with the two of them in an odd dance while Seth attempted to figure out how he would approach her defenses. Their eyes never broke contact with one another, and in his thoughts he could—for some reason—hear the Guile theme song playing in his head. And apparently, Schneeblume already had an answer to that question of ‘how to approach this.’ “Let’s make this a little more structured…” she said and beckoned him forward with one of her hooves. “I want you to try and tackle me—the faster and harsher you can subdue your enemy, the higher the chance of survival.” Seth understood what she meant completely, but something deep down in him prevented him from moving forward, and kept his nimble feet anchored in place on the grass. Schneeblume rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. “What do I need to do for you to practice with me?? This is for your career, silly! And you know I’ll be fine! Do you need me to like… insult you or something? Taunt and goad you into attacking?” she playfully suggested. Seth giggled heartily, especially as an idea rushed to his head: “That might work!” he played along. “Babe, can you say: ‘Yang Xiao Long is the worst girl in the series?” Schneeblume cocked her head. “Ummm… I have no idea what that means but, okay!” She cleared her throat and reoriented herself in her fighting stance. In a harsh teasing tone, she taunted Seth: “Hah! Dumb human! Don’t you know that Yang Xiao Long is the worst girl in the entire series??” Seth was about to die on the inside of laughter but acted on that nonetheless. He charged forward, intent on taking his marefriend to the ground for her heresy and showing her what for. “YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU SONOVABITCH!” Schneeblume never wavered, and right when Seth crossed an unseen threshold that the mare had seemingly set, she swept her hoof across the ground and launched clumps of dirt into the air... ...and right into Seth’s face. The human was instantly stopped in his tracks by virtue of being blinded by earth. “WHOA WHAT THE HELL?!” he exclaimed, and his hands went to his face out of reflex… ...but in the midst of his little ‘crisis’ he did not witness giving Schneeblume the best opening she could’ve asked for. Nor did he witness her rearing up on her front hooves. What he did feel, however, was two rear hooves slamming directly into his abdomen and the force behind such a buck sending him straight to the ground and onto his ass with a mighty ‘OOF!’. While the strike itself didn’t hurt—likely because of the ‘gloves’ that Schnee was wearing on all of her hooves, the sheer kinetic force behind her attack stunned him immensely. While on his ass, Seth took the time to wipe his face and his eyes clean of any dirt, and looked over to a victorious-looking Schnee with a look that could only convey ‘Why??’ And the now-excited mare appeared to read him like a book as she trot over to him. “The first rule of close-quarters battle is that there really are no rules. In a matter of life and death, you will use whatever advantage you can get to come out on top—even the environment, my dear,” she explained, then kissed his dirty forehead and offered her hoof to her to him. Seth processed her words for a moment, and they made perfect sense to him—the concept of ‘fairness’ didn’t seem to stick very well when your life was literally in the enemy’s hands, who happened to be right in front of you. Seth smiled up at Schneeblume, who returned the face full-force. Now he was starting to understand what she had planned here. He reached up and grasped her outstretched hoof, and she helped hoist him back onto his feet. “Got it! And goddamn you hit hard…” he lamented, grabbing his stomach and feeling his abs for any engraving of her hoof. Thankfully there was none. Schneeblume blushed but snickered and had some words about that. “Stopping power is also important… especially if you find yourself against multiple opponents. It’s imperative to knock as many out of the fight—lethally or nonlethally—as possible. Your life literally depends on it.” Seth giggled. “Yeah… totally agree. You’re the expert, after all. But I think I’ll be pretty sore for a couple of days when we’re done here…” he mentioned whilst the two of them got back into position. “Now…” Schneeblume began anew, wiping her face and whipping her mane out of her vision. “Something very important to note when facing ponies: we have a much lower center of gravity by virtue of anatomy. This comes with its own set of advantages, namely much better balance on our four hooves. This better balance helps translate into greater agility during a fight.” She continued to talk animatedly with her hoof, and while Seth listened with rapt attention, he couldn’t help but feel a giant wave of happiness wash over him at seeing his mare speak so emphatically. Just the way her expression carved a wide smile underneath her moving lips made Seth just want to practice with her as much as possible if it made her this happy and giddy. He nodded. “Right, right!” he agreed. “We can run faster, jump farther, dash quicker, and so on…” she finished, but not before getting back into her fighting stance. Seth reciprocated and retreated back into his own, knowing that shit was about to get real once more. In some odd manner, he honestly could not wait on how he was going to get his ass handed to him this time. “That being said, I want you to experience this first-hoof… attempt to wrestle me to the floor, but at the same time, I don’t want you to lose sight of me. There will be dire consequences if you do…” she alluded with no small part mix of playfulness and crypticism. Seth was definitely struck at that playful tone but nevertheless, his marefriend gave him an objective in a game he was already starting to find entertaining. He’d be damned if he didn’t give it his all and possibly walk away impressing her. Pipedream, but alas, a dream nonetheless. He nodded and smirked right back at her. “You got it! Keep hitting me with some words if you wanna hammer home the point. You’re already a pretty good teacher!” he voiced, all while tentatively closing in on his ‘target.’ Schnee knelt low in anticipation of his arrival, and only chuckled fiercely. “Oh don’t worry, Liebling… I had no intention of staying silent!” Seth closed in completely, and was about to lunge on the attack towards Schneeblume but she stopped him with a raised hoof: “A quick exercise. Keep your defensive posture like that… but make sure you’re facing me at all times. The drill starts… NOW!” Schneeblume instantly dashed to the right at a speed that nearly lost Seth this little game from the onset by way of being stunned silly. Her lavender eyes pierced directly into his with a fire beneath them that was admittedly getting him a little hot under the collar. Nevertheless, he was able to keep up with that one move, and he pivoted on his front foot to face her. She then dashed to the left… ...and then back again to the right… and again to the right. And then attempted to quickly cross to his rear, and Seth barely was able to keep track of her and her scurrying hooves. He synced his eyes down to his feet as he fought to maintain his body like a board, but goddamn he was already breathing hard from the sheer exertion he was exerting from his legs just trying to keep Schneeblume in his sights. She certainly wasn’t kidding about the agility of earth ponies… or ponies in general, really. Even more than that, Schneeblume was a trained assault tactician and she was probably not even putting a fraction of the effort she could be right now. And that kinda scared him… ...and turned him on at the same time. Scaroused… Schneeblume began almost prancing on her hooves, bouncing her weight around from side to side, dashing in random directions along some imaginary circumference around Seth in an attempt to trip him up with increasing difficulty. She even tossed in a roll over her back after a particularly complex move-set that tested Seth’s ability to keep track of her… ...and after nearly slipping on his own feet in the grass in an attempt to match her, she dashed behind him, and that’s when he knew that he fucked up. Especially when he felt Schneeblume’s gloved, rear hooves smash darectly into his mid back and slam his entire front against the ground with a rather pronounced cry from Seth. And barely a millisecond later, he felt a mass of pony climbing over him, and a hoof grip him by the forehead to lift his face up off the ground. He then felt Schnee draw her right hoof in a straight line across his neck with the cool, ceramic tip. “Your throat has now been cut and you’re dead on the battlefield,” she mentioned so matter-of-factly, laying her weight atop him victoriously. And there he lay, ‘dead,’ cradled by the grass and dirt beneath likely mucking up his shirt, but it was comfortable, especially after taking two hits from the mare of his dreams. Whatever improvised routine she had come up with, though, was working marvelously as a workout because Seth was already sweating bullets just from that one exercise. His breath entered and left his lungs rapidly, and he had half a desire to just lay in the grass and catch his breath. And to Schnee’s words, all he had to say to that was: “Well, shit.” He wouldn’t exactly mind her sitting on top of him like she claimed him… actually that was kind of a nice thought, now that he thought about it a little more. Seth heard Schneeblume chuckle above him, but then that familiar warmness returned when she wrapped her hooves snuggly around his neck and lay herself upon him. He could sense her tail was swishing like mad, since her hips were shimmying from side to side on him—hell, he could practically feel her smile. Further, both her hind legs were draped over his sides, so she effectively had him pinned to the ground on his frontside… ...and all that glorious, giddy movements perfectly flushed with his backside weren’t exactly doing wonders for a sudden-onset-boner, which made him shift his lower torso awkwardly to avoid crushing his member. Suddenly, Seth heard Schnee giggle mischievously girly-like, and he froze in place. Is… Is she doing this on purpose? After an undetermined amount of time, Seth felt Schneeblume plant a wet kiss on the back of his neck, and then she patted him twice on the shoulder before dismounting him. “That’s enough rest for now—time to get back to it!” she declared excitedly. Seth rolled over onto his back and saw his marefriend leering down upon him with that same determination he loved to see from her. At the very least, she was getting something out of this. To tell the truth, he himself had already learned a couple of things so far despite getting sent to the ground twice. He’d say this would be a win-win for him! “Right!” he said and got himself back onto his feet. His hands migrated to his lower back in a move that he felt categorized pregnant women. “Goddamn, man…” he lamented out loud. “Two hits in and I’m starting to feel sorry for the enemies of Alemaneia,” he joked, if only partially. Schneeblume did chuckle on that, but Seth’s words were instead rewarded with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “Oh hush up you big baby—you’ll never make it anywhere if you moan about little hits like that! I’ll help make you a Royal Guard yet!” she declared, and promptly descended into her fighting stance with driven gaze. Seth matched her in his stance, ready for the next ‘lesson’ as it were, and it definitely seemed that Schneeblume was ready to deliver. “Now you know the price of losing track of your opponent in close quarters. Let’s expand a little bit on that…” The lessons continued in earnest, and Seth approached them as he would a formal instruction—with utmost, keen interest and participation. In some sense, for the briefest of times, Schneeblume stopped being his marefriend, and Seth started seeing her as a mentor of sorts. After all, she had been through the worst that this pony world had to offer—she was the best of the best of Alemaneia. If there was any definition of ‘warrior’ in any self-respecting Equestrian dictionary, her picture would be right next to it. But in taking to heart Schneeblume’s lessons and advice through her rather hands-on instruction, it all came with Seth getting sent to the ground over… and over… and over… and over again. Each and every time he was treated to another piece of pony anatomy, or pony physical capability that he hadn’t the slightest clue about. He learned quite quickly that being in the path of hind legs, especially if they happened to be earth ponies, was almost a guaranteed to rearrange your insides lethally if you caught the strike just right. Seth was also privy to the sheer stability presented with four hooves, as with another exercise where Schnee had him wrap his arms around her barrel and attempt to pull her to the ground—he simply couldn’t do it, even leaning his entire weight onto her. It was actually really impressive that she was able to withstand that much extra weight on her, let alone dispersed over what seemed such an awkward position. Though it certainly didn’t help that the incessant grunts of exertion from both of them painted a rather lewd picture in his mind. And in some awkward positioning, he had to put an inordinate amount of effort into making sure he didn’t pop a stiffy at the worst possible time. This was kind of the problem with the current lesson he found himself in. Schneeblume had found it well-and good enough for him to start learning how to truly ‘wrestle’ a pony. The previous advantages and disadvantages of pony anatomy were something he still had to bear in mind, so this lesson built upon this natural progression quite well in his opinion. However, what didn’t really go well for him was the fact that he was wrestling a mare who was used to wrestling other ponies who were trying to kill her at all times—he was trying his damndest nonetheless… …but what was even worse for him was the fact that this mare happened to be his marefriend—one he found rather gorgeous and one whom he was undeniably attracted to in a sexual manner. Being in such an intimate embrace even for training purposes, coupled with all their flushness and squirming around together in any attempt to get an advantage was not doing him any favors for his Johnson. So that’s where Seth found himself—forced onto his side and on the verge of being forced onto his face with Schneeblume above him while he fought with every fiber of strength in his body to counter her. His left hand was screaming for mercy and begging him to just release himself to the confines of the grass beneath him and let Schneeblume win… …but where was the fun in that? Seth cast a sweaty, side-gaze up at Schneeblume and smirked. “HNNH… I’m… not gonna make this… ach… easy for you now that you’ve taught me all the secrets,” he strained out through a gritted smile. Schneeblume, who had more than her fair share of moisture forming on her brow and rosy cheeks gladly returned the gesture as she put more of her strength into making him submit—Seth felt that immediately. “Getting cocky now… are we?” she teased. “I’m not even putting part of my strength into this! I could squash you like a bug right now, Liebling,” she playfully rebuked. Seth felt her up her strength even more, and his left arm and hand were clinging on for dear life. He was only partially worried that he’d have to amputate it when this was all done. But in the end, Schneeblume was one-hundred percent right—she could end this (and end him) in the blink of an eye. If the whole point of this was to just teach him a lesson, then what was this all about? Seth decided to have a little fun, and he shot his sly smirk right up to his marefriend. “Oh yeah? You can… hng… end this, huh?” he reiterated sarcastically. “Then why not? You… hmph… enjoying the view and position?” he teased. Even through Schneeblume’s red face from exertion, he could see the slightest hint of blushing that further added to the fact. She swiftly replied: “Oh you’re so very funny, aren’t you? GAH!... This how you’re gonna joke when you get into a… MMPH!... real fight?” she shot right back and pressed him further towards the ground. Seth’s only supporting arm couldn’t hold out much longer, and with how Schnee’s hooves were oriented in bracing his thighs and other arm, he was in no position to reach for anything else… but above all this he formulated a plan, and it involved him pressing his teasing, much like Schnee jokingly goaded him earlier into ‘attacking.’ He shook his head and chuckled. “Deflecting the question, aren’t you? Well… I think you… love being in this position with me. HAH… I bet you’ve wanted to ‘pin me down’ in more ways than one, and you just needed an… HEH… excuse, didn’t ya?” he challenged, gambling on a ‘good’ response from those words. He could see Schneeblume subtly flinch under that and go as red as she did this afternoon before their sudden makeout session at the front of her house. Even more hilarious for his end (and that sustained him just enough), Schnee adopted her cute, angry face. “Why you little…” she spoke in her native language, but then immediately shifted back. “You absolutely wish that was the case, my dear!” And with those words, Seth found an opening that he was staking everything on: “Well… maybe I do!” Schneeblume blinked. Hard. And her mouth went ever so slightly slack in that way that Seth found adorable. However, now was not the time to dwell on that, because he could feel the pressure Schnee was applying to his back suddenly soften. He smirked. Jackpot! And with the last vestiges of reserves of energy he could call from his aching body, Seth explosively forced Schnee off of his back via an outward roll and sent her flying off of him with a startled shriek. He was quick to roll over and pin her to the ground once she landed flat on her back. Seth used both of his hands to stretch both her front hooves up and out, while applying just enough pressure with his knees against Schnee’s hind legs (just as she had taught him not even half an hour prior). And there, Seth was face-to-face with Schneeblume, having reversed his position on her entirely. Sweat was pouring off of both of their faces, and Seth’s face mirrored that of Schnee’s—eyes completely wide and jaw slackened—mainly because he wasn’t even sure how he was able to pull this off almost flawlessly. Schneeblume seemed to be in as much shock as he was. Even more than that though, her face was burning red. And Seth figured that it was likely because of their sudden positioning with he as the dominant one now as opposed to her… he was sure his earlier prodding had something to do with it, but he didn’t really want to push his luck in his head. Silence reigned supreme between the both of them, and their eyes never broke lock from one another, especially as they both breathed heavily in sync. Then, Schneeblume blinked and gazed downward, almost as if something caught her eye… and Seth became even more concerned when her eyes widened considerably more than they already were. He then decided to venture downward—his eyes scanning over and enjoying Schnee’s lithe and fit body all the while—and his face paled when he saw a massive tent in his mesh shorts being pitched, leaving very little to the imagination. Seth’s stomach sank into his bowels, and he had half a mind to not look back up at Schnee’s face as he mentally scolded his member. YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE, PENIS! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO STAND BY UNTIL READY! NOT GO IN GUNS BLAZING! YOU WERE MY BROTHER! I LOVED YOU! Seth pursed his lips, and with no words coming from Schneeblume (as well as no resistance from her part from their positioning) he figured it was time to address this, and he angled his face back up. He still averted his eyes while he jogged his brain for how he could get out of this without seeming like as much of a pervert as he really was on the inside. “Well then…” he said, deadpanned. “I am so sorry about all of…” he began and flicked his eyes to meet Schnee’s all the while. His words died on his mouth, however, when her gaze was lidded, her cheeks and ears were blushed a deep hue of red, and—while breathing very heavily—she was prominently snagging her lower lip with her teeth. “…that…” Seth’s words tapered off a cliff. Schnee started wiggling her front legs, and at that instant, Seth released all of her limbs from his hold… …only for Schnee to throw her front legs around Seth’s neck, and then yank his face downward so his lips could smash against hers. OH SHIT OKAY! From the moment Seth’s lips touched Schnee’s, he could slowly feel all of the background to their little training session just fading away. All of his feeling and emotions were focused solely on how his lips molded to Schnee’s, how even as a human and she a pony, they just fit so well together… how they broke apart at the perfect times and reconnected not even a moment later… …indescribable. Especially as Schneeblume began to moan through her lips every time she deeply exhaled. Seth felt up Schnee’s coat beneath him and reveled in how its softness seemed to envelop his now-hypersensitive hands as he explored her body. He could feel how fiercely her heart beat behind her own ribs when he lovingly caressed the apex of her chest… he could feel her torso writhing against his expeditionary hand, and she arched her back and twitched every time his wandering fingers touched her somewhere she enjoyed. And as Seth circled her cute little navel with his thumb, the two opened their mouth to one another simultaneously… and he instantly noticed Schneeblume dart her tongue forward and take a swipe at his upper lip. Mouths held their position together, and their hot breath broke upon face and muzzle like the lapping waves of the Equestrian shorelines. Both got the message as clear as the day around them. Both tongues met half-way and took little haste in acquainting their tongues with one another in an intimate embrace… one that bore more than striking resemblance to their more recent wrestling exercise. After what seemed like a small eternity but was only a couple of seconds, the two separated their faces with a rather wet, detaching sound. Several miniscule strands of saliva connected their tongues, and then their lips, and their eyes opened to the world once again… …admittedly though, the world was much less interesting than the individual before either of their visions. Their eyes spoke purer emotion than any words could have conveyed through speech. Their eyes reflected each other’s light—radiated each other’s excitement that was boiled to near-explosive power by the heat from their cores. And for Seth, this was made unimaginably better by virtue of Schneeblume batting her lashes at him. She was learning well and good as to what prodded him in just the right ways. Even further, Schnee’s teeth snagged her lower lip once more, and those once fluttering, gorgeous lashes of hers veiled half her lavender pools. Her complete expression confirmed everything he had hoped their dancing-around and building sexual tension would lead do: She wanted him. And he hoped his own visage—a nigh mirror image of hers—conveyed the exact same thing to this mare that was coming to mean so much to him, so quickly: he wanted her. And Seth staked his first, figurative claim to her body by burying his face in the crook of Schnee’s neck, which elicited a soft moan that was equally so profound, he could feel his dick throb painfully between his legs as a result. His body took the reins over from rational thought, and as Seth began kissing and nipping his way down Schneeblume’s neck, he vowed to coax out even more of those pleasureful sounds. “Seth…” Schnee groaned. “Hmm?” he asked in return, taking full liberty with his tongue to trace circles and squiggles through her coat as he traced his way down her with kisses. “You’re making me insane…” she squeaked out. Seth didn’t understand a word of that, but from how she said it, and how she kept a firm hold in guiding his path down her little body, he could infer pretty well, and thus felt confident enough to respond: “Yeah?” he asked. “And do you know I love when you break into Germa—Alemaneian…” he added while nipping particularly harshly around her collar bone, which elicited a feminine moan that further fueled his raging boner. It was almost like a feedback loop that made him want to put his dick in this pony more and more—something that Seth noted would probably get him arrested back on Earth. At Schneeblume’s vocal, yet wordless urging, Seth continued to kiss a trail down her torso, and calling upon his more playful side, he circled his tongue once around her cute little navel before continuing his trek downward. “Nyuhh… w-where’re you going?” Schneeblume moaned out. Seth already had the perfect answer once he was face to face—for the first time—with her pert teats, which sat just above his real prize. “Making you feel good,” he simply replied, but shot his gaze upward nonetheless. “Stop me if I’m going too far,” he noted, wanting to wait for the final okay from her. Still, in looking back up at her, he found a completely flustered, beat-red-in-the-face Schnee who’s lidded gaze, heaving chest, and slackened mouth screamed ‘sex’ at him, and further did not help the sudden constriction of his normally loose, mesh shorts. She was supporting herself as best as she could with her hooves to look down on him, but pony anatomy was proving problematic in that regard. “Don’t tease me anymore, Seth, please…~” Seth felt almost impressed at that. Well, that was a lot more direct than I expected. He smiled up at her, and then after planting a couple more kisses on her that barely grazed her nipples, he was finally lined up with what he wanted in the first place: her little crescent. What was surprising to him was that it looked a lot more humanoid than he expected, at least, from just her outer lips which were incredibly soaked to the point that her coat was a whole shade darker around it. Laying fully on his stomach in front of her, Seth indulged his curiosity and coaxed her legs apart with his hands—and his thumbs pressing into her inner thighs elicited a gentle sigh and shudder from her. Even more than that, making use of his thumbs, he spread her lips apart, revealing Schnee’s red-hot tunnel to him in all of its glory. From his experience, everything appeared to be where it was supposed to, but there were subtle differences between hers and a woman’s. Not that it mattered, really—considering how horny he was. And from how much she was leaking at the moment, it didn’t seem to matter to her, either. Seth dove in without an ounce of hesitation, and he placed his first kiss onto Schnee’s lower lips, which brought forth a shudder from the mare he was already enjoying servicing so much… then he took his first, tentative lick from her base right up to her clit. This now exhorted an angelic groan from her that Seth had immediately made up his mind in wanting—no, demanding—to hear more of. Seth circled his tongue around her tunnel, but also had to fight to keep Schnee in place as her immediate reaction was to begin writhing. Her moans were muffled by way of pressing her hooves to her mouth, which made sense to him, considering that they were in her backyard and anypony could peek over the fences to check out the commotion. And that’s when Seth drew himself a little closer and began worming his tongue into her tunnel, lapping as best as he could at her upper wall—and then agonizingly slowly drew the entire flat of his tongue outward. To him, she had almost a floral taste… not really that sweet but definitely not off-putting… he could definitely get used to this! “AHHHN, SETH!” Schneeblume arched her back and almost screamed into her hooves as Seth continued to pleasure her little tunnel, and though this was already turning into his favorite choir to listen to, he was not done exploring her just yet. He decided to move a little north and promptly attached himself to her clit—then, he sucked as if it were one of her teats. Schneeblume emitted a long, drawn out, almost strained-sounding moan of pleasure along with something else from her mouth: “Ja… JA! There! Seth please mein Schatz right there!” she pleaded. “Mhmmm!” Seth hummed directly into her swollen pussy, and sent his vocal vibrations straight into her, which continued to feed the endless streams of sighs, encouragement, and pleasureful sounds dripping from Schnee’s eager mouth. Unfortunately, as much as Seth was over the moon in making Schnee quiver and writhe beneath, him, his two nostrils just weren’t enough, and he needed to pull back for a proper breath of fresh air. …but something hard slammed into the back of his head in an attempt to keep him here. “OWW! Fuck! What was that?” he questioned. “Scheiße! I’m so sorry, handsome—wrong hoof!” Schnee quickly apologized and retracted the culprit back to her chest: her ceramic hoof. And once he saw that Seth’s core and mouth exploded in uncontrollable laughter—the situation they found themselves in: him eating her out in the middle of their garden after a training session laden with sexual tension… only to be brought down from cloud sixty-nine down and back to earth with her weapon of a prosthetic slapping some measure of rationality back into them. Schneeblume was clearly next, and she let her own helmeted head fall flat backward on the ground and began laughing her head off all the same. Once they settled down, though, it was time to address the question of ‘what now?’ Seth cleared his throat first, sitting back on his butt as his erection hissed and slithered back into its flaccid state. Schnee shakily got to her haunches and faced him. Both faces could match each other blush for blush. “Ummm… soo… that happened. Is… babe is everything okay b-between us?” he asked, and his emotions could be read like a book on his face. His heart beat incredibly fast, not because of arousal, but due to apprehension. Did they go too far? They never really had a serious discussion about their eventual intimacy as a couple, and all parties were literally begging for it after their hard training session. Schneeblume only giggled as she shook her head, placing her face against one of her hooves. “In my backyard… what is even going on now,” she jokingly lamented. She then placed both her front hooves into the grass and smiled brightly at Seth. “Nothing’s wrong, Liebling… but as amazing as you were making me feel between my legs…” she began anew and blushed deeply again after recalling the details of a minute ago. “…I’d… I’d like to wait just a little bit longer before we uhm… get to that point,” she said. And then she angled her face away slightly while keeping her apprehensive eyes glued to Seth’s. “Is… is that okay?” she asked. Without a single moment of hesitation from Seth, he nodded vehemently and scooted closer to his mare. “Yeah! Yeah, hon’, absolutely! We should both be ready for that… guess we just got a little carried away with teasing each other and the wrestling lesson…” he admitted sheepishly. Schneeblume snorted into her hooves, laughing all the while which served to calm Seth’s raging heart. “I’ll say! Though…” her expression morphed into a mischievous one “…I have to admit that you were very clever on that last part. You still pinned me fair and square. Most impressive, Seth!” she complimented. Seth brought his right hand to the back of his neck and averted his gaze bashfully. “Heh, well… thanks babe. I had an excellent teacher though, so I credit her for the ingenuity,” he shot right back at her, which seemingly transferred his same emotion right back into her. Schnee got to her hooves and stretched out like a cat—Seth took no issue in tracing her backside curvature. “Well… this doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun~,” she alluded, and began trotting past a sitting Seth, heading back for the kitchen door. Seth cocked an eyebrow, and his core suddenly lightened with anticipation. “Oh? What’s that mean?” he took the bait and got to his feet to fall into step with her. Schneeblume glanced slyly and lasciviously over her shoulder while swaying her hips (the space between her legs was soaked to hell) as she walked. “Wanna stay the night?” she suddenly offered, then promptly followed up knowingly with: “We can feel each other up on my bed if you like?” Seth recoiled with a wide grin on his face, pleasantly surprised. He subtly moved both of his hands to his front to prevent any necromancy on his boner. Damn this mare… “I’d be totally down for that… though something tells me you might want this even more than I do, which is impressive,” he quipped right back. Schneeblume led him into the kitchen and watched him walk by before shutting the door. Her lidded gaze had returned full force. “Well, you did give me a taste of what was to… come. I wouldn’t mind surveying the stock.” [Just After Midnight…] Seth felt himself stirring into the land of the woken, and unwillingly so. His eyelids were still as heavy as steel, and his entire body ached like nothing he had ever experienced in his life—ever single muscle in his body felt like it had been lit on fire at some point during the day, either from the intense training session, or the slight burst of sexual tension come to life that was his first sample of going down on Schnee… Seth creaked his eyes open and found no trace of daylight to be seen, and in fact, moonlight crept in from the window through the drawn curtains, bathing part of the exposed bed in Luna’s majesty. Since the last thing he remembered was laying down next to Schnee for a nap, they must’ve really tuckered themselves out for it to be this late already. Not that he was complaining, of course. Schnee’s bed was super warm, and since she had already wanted him to stay, there was little shame in going right back to sleep, in his mind. And in shutting his eyes, he resolved to do just that. However, Seth couldn’t shake a sinking feeling in his head that he was being watched—he felt mildly uncomfortable in a way he couldn’t rightly place, but the hairs on the back of his neck were standing straight in such a way that biology dictated something was wrong. He opened his eyes and turned his head over to Schnee, and nearly suffered a heart attack from pure fear-induced adrenaline shooting through his veins when he found Schnee staring right back at him. Her pupils were unnaturally wide. Even weirder was the fact that, on her pillow, she didn’t seem to be even looking at Seth, but through him. “JESUS CHRIST!” Seth hissed out through a whisper, jumping in his skin and nearly falling off the bed. He was definitely not about scenes reminiscent of two wide-eyed children asking him to come play with him. And Schneeblume staring straight through him in the darkness of night, barely visible through what little moonlight shone through the curtains was ranking pretty damn far up in that territory. His mare’s reaction, however, was even more unexpected—she thrust her hoof forward and covered his mouth while shuffling flush against him with utmost urgency in her still unsettlingly-wide eyes. “SHHH! SHHH! SHHH…” she shushed him, and Seth’s head suddenly being enveloped in her hooves stunned him silly. “Ummm… babe what’s going on?” he dared to ask, his words muffled by way of nearly being forced to deepthroat Schnee’s ceramic hoof. Her response was harsh, and hissed through her gritted teeth: “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” she ordered… or, Seth felt like it was an order from how forcefully he receded into his fetal position under her. He was getting more uncomfortable by the minute, but he figured she meant ‘be quiet’ as she continued to hold his mouth. What made things even more interesting was when she pointed towards (and seemingly past) the wall on the far side of the room. He followed her hoof to find nothing in particular to look at. “Do you see ‘em, Red? There… past the barbed wire. Prench officer.” Seth understood the word for ‘Prench,’ and immediately began putting two-and-two together. And a sudden pang of pity washed over his features as he stared at a rigid, wide-pupiled Schneeblume that did not seem to have any bearing of reality at the moment. She was probably having a very vivid night terror, or she’s hallucinating. He sighed out. Oh babe… “Can you take the shot? Make sure they don’t see your horn. They see the light of magic and we’re fucked.” Seth gingerly removed Schnee’s hoof from his lips and—to try and not make things worse, since he had no idea how to deal with someone in an episode like this—whispered to her: “Babe? It’s not real… come on honey, snap out of it,” he softly willed, patting her hoof that remained outstretched. He kissed her ceramic hoof and tried to plant kisses as best as he could on her face—anything to snap her out of this stupor… and when it seemed like she was relaxing into him, he kissed his way up to her ear and continued to whisper his little nothings: “Schnee… beautiful… I’m here, okay? I know you can hear me, and I’ll be here for you… okay? Know that I’ll always—” Schneeblume sat straight up in bed and emitted a hellish, blood curdling, guttural scream of pure fear—one that probably took five years off Seth’s life just from how much his skin chilled to the bone from hearing it. He shielded his ears from just the sheer intensity that it hit him, and he was hoping in the back of his mind that nopony would think he was murdering her. “INCOMING!” she screamed. …and Seth watched her dive off the bed and hit the floor like her life depended on it. Whimpering and mumbling incomprehensible garble to his ears, he watched her with no small measure of sadness as she crawled under the bed and hid there. Seth sat up in pure shock, praying that he didn’t accidentally make anything worse for her. But what hurt him the most was hearing her under the bed. She was crying… whimpering and talking to herself like a legitimately insane person in Alemaneian, of which barely any snippets he was able to understand. “It’s okay… you’ll survive… please… “…only artillery. You’ve done this before. You’ll survive… You always survive… “God help me… please… don’t let me die… not now…” Seth shut his eyes tightly and shook his head—he knew there was a small possibility that he’d bear witness to one of her trauma episodes. But he didn’t realize—as her boyfriend—how hard it would actually be to see and hear in reality. I can’t see her like this. I need to snap her out of it… somehow. Seth swept the covers aside and dropped his feet to the ice-cold wooden floor. He then stooped low, but realized that Schnee was way under there, so he had to fall to all fours. What he saw made him feel like his heart was getting ripped into a million pieces: Schneeblume, coat and mane matted to hell from their earlier activities plus sleep, was curled tightly into a ball of shivering fluff. Her front hooves were covering her head and she continued to whimper for her life. Seth, determined as ever, did his absolute best to squeeze himself under her bed until his arms could comfortably reach her. “Schneeblume! Come one baby, snap out of it!” he commanded, softly massaging one of her ears and tapping her face all the while. Her incomprehensible, foreign word salad of speech suddenly sounded a little clearer, though her eyes were shut tightly. Perhaps he was getting somewhere… But in continuing his approach, it appeared to be waning. “The attack’s coming! They’re coming!” Seth—heart rattling his ribcage—looked regretfully to his open, right palm. He had firmly decided on a Hail Mary. He never thought he would ever decide to lay a hand on a woman (or mare) like this, but it was hopefully for her own good to prevent her from hurting him or even worse, herself, in her sudden episode. Come on, gorgeous… WAKE. UP! Seth slapped Schneeblume across the face, and the sharp sound of his palm connecting with her cheek in conjunction with the mare’s reactionary, shrill shriek would be seared into his brain. But there was suddenly silence. Seth watched intently as Schneeblume blinked her eyes, and then opened them widely to take in what little light and context were around her. “Ech… huh? Seth?” she asked, and then bumped her head into the bottom of her bed when she tried to raise it. Seth watched as she glanced around her, and then back at him, and then back at her position. An aura of knowing struck her face… …and the human could see her visage morph from outright confusion, to pure, unadulterated shame. Her mouth curled downward, and her tears freely flowed, unabashedly dripping onto the hardwood floor beneath her. Her whimpers and gentle cries were hard for Seth to take in, but he was just happy that she wasn’t in a position to hurt herself anymore. “Hey… Schnee, you okay honey?” Seth softly called out and reached his hand towards her, implicitly asking for her hoof. Schneeblume tearfully regarded his open hand, and then Seth’s eyes… And then retreated further into her little ball and faced away from him. Seth sighed out, almost feeling offended that she would pull away from him like that… but he had to remind himself that she was at her most vulnerable right now—likely some of her worst state of mind since the war itself. Hell, now that he thought about it, even if it may be liberating, he wouldn’t want to thrust this on anyone either. He tried to coax her out: “Oh baby… please don’t be like that… let’s go back to bed, hmmm?” He heard her voice finally—alert and in the moment, though thick and slurred through her quiet sobbing. “I never wanted you to see me like this…” Seth pursed his lips and nodded. He kept his arm outstretched regardless. “I know, Schnee. I know. But you know I’d never look at you differently, right? And I don’t.” Schnee didn’t respond, but her ear perked up ever so slightly and she angled her head more towards him. She continued to sniffle all the while, though. Seth curled his fingers in his open hand in a come-hither motion. “Please babe… come on out. Let’s go back to sleep,” he said. He heard Schneeblume sigh out, but to his delight, she uncurled herself and crawled back towards him. Though she somewhat averted her gaze from him, she still accepted his hand and held it tightly against her chest. That was all Seth needed and he gently slid her out from under the bed. Once they were both out from their previously cramped surroundings, Seth got to his feet and promptly scooped up Schneeblume into his arms. He saw her front legs (cutely) curl into her chest, and only then did she finally look him in the eyes. Her tear-filled lavender pools gazed up into his and seemed to soak up all of Luna’s moonlight. Seth couldn’t help but smile back down at her, and he damn-near almost felt like shedding a tear himself from how much emotion was being shared silently between them. He sat on the edge of the bed and then lay the both of them back so they could snuggle under the covers. Schneeblume, however, instantly gravitated to his front and locked eyes with him pleadingly. “I’m sorry…” she said forlornly. Seth wouldn’t tolerate that one bit, and as the two of them lay on the same pillow facing one another, the covers fallen atop them, he placed his right hand on Schnee’s cheek… the same gesture she always loved to melt herself into. This seemed to be no different, and Schneeblume let out any breath she was holding. She shuttered her eyes and let Seth stroke her cheek. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, beautiful…” he said resolutely. “You can’t control these things.” Schneeblume still shook her head nonetheless. “I just… I haven’t had an episode like that in over six months. I thought I was done with it… I was doing so well…” she lamented. Seth quieted her down with a soft, long kiss to her forehead, which gave the mare an excuse to press her nose into his neck—Seth could feel her still-shaky breath breaking against his neck, and it felt comforting if he was being honest with himself. “It’s okay… you know more than all of us that these things take time. We’ll just take things one step at a time—just like our relationship… or a few steps at a time if we’re going by earlier today,” he joked. And to his relief, Seth heard Schnee giggling through her tears. Schneeblume then brought his face down to meet hers and planted a wet kiss on his lips… but as his eyes fluttered shut and he held her face in place, he knew this was so much more than just a simple kiss. He could practically feel Schnee putting every ounce of gratitude that she had in her, into her affection. Then they separated—a single strand of saliva keeping them connected until it broke on the pillow. Schnee only had one thing to say about all of this: “Hold me…?” Seth flashed his pearly whites at her. “Always,” he said, and wrapped his arms as best as he could around her. Schnee smiled brightly, and seemingly took complete solace being wrapped up by the combination of the blankets and Seth’s arms. Their warmth, their ethereal connection, and the soft sounds of the night from outside did well to escort both Seth and Schnee back into Luna’s domain without nary a further interruption. Author's Note Part 4 down! Hope you enjoyed! Let me know your thoughts below! Some good things definitely... coming next chapter
