"Phew!" Summer tossed her hat aside with a flick of her neck, knowing Winter seemed to have little favor for it. "What a day. Winter? Ya still awake?" Not that it was that late in the day. "Ah'm home!"

Hoofsteps approached, but they were not the cloven stompers of her stallion.

Maple appeared from the living room into the hallway. "There ya are!"

Summer blinked softly. "Maple? Maple!" She had gone entirely rigid. "There ain't no dragonponies for ya 'round here!" Wild visions of Winter being forced to hide in the attic all day danced in her head. "So ya can go home."

"Did he... enchant you to say that?" Maple was looking over Summer with naked curiosity. "It's alright, ah think."

Winter came trotting up behind her at a sedate rate. On seeing Summer he casually went around Maple, homing in on her like the fuzzy-scaly love missile that he was, a faint smile on his face.

Summer felt some of her trepidation fade with his sighting, only for it to rebound fiercely. "W-wait! What were... You know?" She threw one hoof wide. "What have you two been doin'?!"

Winter leaned in to touch his nose to her cheek, but she rebuffed him, her hoof catching his nose before pushing him back. "Ah need answers."

"Y-you can't do that!" squeaked Maple, looking terrified. "Defying his orders will make him mind whammy you. Besides... he's friendly."

"How friendly," Summer spat with acid dripping from her words. "Be specific."

Maple's ears rolled back against her head. "Don't you worry none. Ah know yer his favorite."

"His favorite?!" She turned to Winter, flames in her own eyes. "Is that so?!"

Winter held up his hooves calmly and shook his head.

"So I ain't yer favorite then?" Her teeth grit as she spoke, showing a worrisome grin of teeth. "Tossed aside, jus' like that, huh?"

Winter's horn began to glow gently as Summer lifted into the air. She squawked like a poked bird and began to flail in place. "Ya put me down right now! Ah ain't done tearin' ya a new one!"

He smiled just faintly, drawing her closer at a sedate rate. With a raised hoof, he pointed to his chest, then to hers. He brought his other hoof in to draw a heart in the air, his magic causing the motion to be highlighted, actually drawing the pink floating heart.

With a gently puff, he blew the heart towards her wriggling form, to crash against and dissolve into magical smoke.

She sagged with a grumble. "Ah git it, ya love me. Ah... love you too, but... what did you do with her?" She thrust a hoof at Maple. "She's actin' like ya done took her as a girlfriend too!"

"He did," helpfully added Maple. "He took control of my mind and ah can only think of how amazing he is. For a heart-stealing monster... he's really kind of great."

Winter shook his head slowly and set Summer back on the ground. He pointed at himself, then at Maple before be clopped his two hooves together. Drawing the hooves back left the floating glowing image of two hooves meeting, though one was colored like Maple's hoof.

"He's saying you two are friends," translated Summer without any seeming time to process it. "Jus' friends?"

He nodded slowly, then an idea seemed to hit him and he waved away the image of the two hooves, replacing it with a pink butterfly.

Both mares peered at the image confusedly. Maple seemed to get it first. "It's the element of kindness!" She pointed at it excitedly. "What's that supposed ta mean?"

Summer sagged with relief. "Ah think it means he really is just trying to be nice to you, Maple." She turned towards her friend and approached on firm hooves. "And yer makin' a mess of my home."

"W-what? I came to rescue you... and ah got captured. Ah'm sorry... Ah know yer his favorite n' all. Don't you worry none, I'll just be the beta mare." She sat down and brought up a hoof in a sudden salute. "Reportin' fer duty."

Summer swatted at her saluting hoof, knocking it aside. "First order, knock that out! Yer a friend, not... Really? What are we, animals? Tryin' to herd with me! Nopony does that anymore!"

"I wouldn't mind trying," she sheepishly admitted, tapping her hooves together. "He has enough fer two."

Summer's face began to darken swiftly. "What on Equestria do ya mean by that?!" She thrust a hoof forward at Winter, prodding him right in the chest. "Why is she talkin' like that?! What did you do with her?!"

Winter turned and walked away calmly. Both mares blinked softly, watching him walk leisurely down the hallway. Maple shrugged softly at Summer. Summer was scowling and began trailing after Winter. "Are ya tryin' ta show us somethin'? Look, Maple... Tell me straight... did you two... Did...?"

Maple shook her head quickly, a blush growing as she followed after Summer. "N-no! He done cooked me lunch and he's been right nice even though he never said a word. He claimed me and then that was that. Just treated me real nice."

"What does that even mean?!" She paused to rear up and throw her forelegs wide. "'Claim'? Did he... get physical or not?"

"He... touched mah nose?" she admitted with an unsure smile. "And he's trapped mah heart."

Winter arrived at the bathroom and went right inside. He hopped up into the tub and made a motion as if to start the water, pantomiming taking a shower, running his hooves over himself and wobbling the shampoo bottle in his magic. Just as Maple peeked in, he pointed at her.

Summer looked between her fake-washing boyfriend and Maple and back again, then snapped onto Maple. "Did ya sneak in on him when he was takin' a shower?!"

Maple blinked slowly. "Ya... Wow... He really is yer favorite... You understood him so easily." She shook her head slowly. "Yer definately the alpha ma--"

Summer put her own hoof over Maple's mouth much as Winter had done before. "Enough. Answer the question."

"Ah did," she admitted around the hoof, her nose twitching a little. "Ya know, never noticed hoof smells before today. Is that part of dragon-pony magic?"

Summer wrenched her hoof away. "Ah smell like dirt and work. Today's been rough and I came home expectin' to relax and to enjoy my boyfriend. Mine, not yours!"

Winter hopped out of the tub and walked over to Summer's side. He gently sniffed at her sweaty form before looping around her, gently nudging her towards the bath.

"Not while she's here!" she boomed in outrage, though she was still being gently shepherded despite her words.

Maple advanced along with them. "Summer, we're friends. That's why ah came here in the first place, ta rescue you. Now, I mighta done a bad job of that, but ah won't mess this one up. Yer the one in charge, so we're gonna wash ya good and yer gonna like it."

"If I'm the one in charge, why are you both not doing what I tell you to?" She was nudged into the tub, scowling at the both of them like a petulant foal that had been tossed in there. "Get on home!"

"After you're clean and relaxed," she sang out with a smile. "I'm ready to begin, my dragon-pony master." She nodded towards Winter.

Winter shook his head softly and leaned in to touch his nose to Summer.

"His name's Winter Flames," provided Summer as if she understood his intent. She sighed slowly. "And he says we should let you help, but then you go home!"

"I'm on tha case!" She snapped up a hoof before moving to the water faucets and grabbing one handle in her mouth, getting the water cascading over Summer, and onto her own head before she could pull back, wet.

Winter shook his head softly and his horn began to glow, plucking up Maple. Both mares squeaked as he brought them together, setting Maple right beside Summer in the tub, water cascading over both of them. Maple's hat floated away, set to dry on a hook.

Without prompting or waiting, Winter brought over the soap and shampoo and got to work cleaning both of the mares, his face revealing no emotion. It was as if the chore were just another he planned to get done, even if it involved two mares that were interested in him.

Summer rolled her eyes and sagged in place. "Ah don't think he's changin' his mind none. May as well just relax and get clean."

"He's... so assertive..." Maple glanced towards him before looking away, blush growing. "How does he do that without sayin' a thin'? It makes me feel all gooey inside."

Summer suddenly shoved her. "Ah didn't want to hear about ya bein' all squishy inside!"

"Ah didn't mean nothin'!" She turned to Summer, sliding her bottom in a pivot on the tub. "Look, um..." She raised a hoof as Winter washed over that arm. "Ah... We're friends, Summer... we been friends fer years... Please don't chase me away. Ah'll play nice, promise."

"This isn't a game... Wait! So yer not 'heart stolen'?" She raised a brow at her friend, peering at her suspiciously.

"Ah am... An'... ah I kinda like it... How did you run into him in the first place? Did he just walk in one day and claim you?"

Summer's cheeks lit up at the idea. "N-no! Ah..." She realized the truth was potentially even more damning. "Ah... ordered him."

Both Maple and Winter were staring at her. "W-what? Ah did..." She thrust a wet hoof at Winter, water droplets spraying across his face. "Promise ya won't be mad."

Winter inclined an ear at her before he softly nodded. He liked being a kirin. He liked being her kirin. He rolled a hoof at her, and she seemed to understand.

"Alright, alright, so... Ah was feelin' a bit lonesome like... and ah saw one, a kirin... Such a big, proud thing, lookin' around quiet-like... Never been so scared, but never... so attracted neither..."

Maple put both wet hooves to her chest. "Ah know that feelin'!"

Summer gave her friend a glare before sighing. "Well, so ah heard of a special mare that could get you any missing pony ya wanted, even if that pony don't technically exist none. So... ah saved up mah bits and went to her, hopin' it weren't no old mare's tale or nothin'."

Maple gasped sharply. "Is that where you went when you left for a few days?"

"That's the one," she sighed out, slumping against a wall of her tub. "That mare did exactly what she promised, an' made you." She was looking to Winter, smiling a little awkwardly. "Best bits ah ever did spend... That some friend of mine won't let me enjoy!"

Maple shook her head firmly. "Did she tell you he could mind control ponies? Is that just a thing all creatures like him can do?"

Winter shook his head softly as he worked.

Summer snorted wetly. "Ah don't think he's doin' that."

"Yeah? Then how do ya know exactly what he's thinkin' without him usin' no words?" Maple crossed her arms. "He's already got you deep... and he's takin' me... and... I don't even regret it no more." She suddenly threw herself against Summer, grabbing her in a desperate hug. "Give me a chance!"

Summer flailed, trying to disentangle from her grabbing friend. "This ain't exactly the same thin' as askin' to borrow some toy I bought. He's a pony, uh, creature. He gets ta make up his own mind, not what ah say fer him to do. Ya can't just--" She paused as shampoo was dumped on her head and he began sudsing up her mane thoroughly. "Can we talk about this when we're clean?"

"Ya bought him, fair an' square," noted Maple. "Never heard of nopony buyin' a magic stallion before, but ya did it."

Summer recoiled as the truth was slapped across her. "It... ain't like that..."

Author's Note

Maple confronts Summer with uncomfortable truths. What should they do with Maple? Eject her violently from the house? Hug her and stroke her and give her a pet name? Is it herd time, or something else?

Written early for patreons who got this ahead of everyone else. Want to get early chapters, or even your own story written? atreon!

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