Cherry helped Winter settle against the hard wall of the little cave they'd found. She left him there as she looped back to the cave entrance just a few feet away, working to block it with rocks and other debris as best she could. "We don't need nothin' huntin' us while we get some rest."

Rest? He quirked an ear at her, watching her. He felt tired and hurt and not in the mood to argue, so he didn't, just laying there.

He wondered if he passed out a moment, only coming to at the sound of her moving around near him. A glance showed she had a fire circle made up and with a loud clacking of stones striking one another, she soon had a proper fire going. "No good freezin' out here," she muttered to herself, tossing the rocks aside. "You awake?"

He watched her, but he wasn't saying anything at that moment.

Cherry circled around the growing fire. "I can see you lookin'. Still hurtin'?" When he nodded, she flopped down beside him. "Ain't much ah can do 'bout that but keep you warm and safe."

Warm. He reached a hoof out and pulled her closer. She was warm, just as she promised, and snuggling into her felt quite natural.

Cherry laughed at the pawing she was getting, drawn against the mare-shaped stallion not-pony. "Hon, yer showin'." She lifted an ear. "An' I do remember yer a thin' with mah Summer, so if you go an' hurt her feelings, say by messin' with her boss, I'd have little choice but to buck you into next Tuesday."

Those were a lot of words. He inclined his head at her silently.

"Showing," she repeated with an arced brow before he felt it, one of her legs brushing his exposed sheath in a light brushing. "Ya proved yer a stallion, now put that away and go to bed."

Sleep... That sounded good. He closed his eyes and tried to settle in, only to suddenly wince, pulling something torn in the struggle with the coyotes.

Cherry frowned at the sight, he was clearly not interested in her, exactly, but he was still showing. It was an odd mixture of signals. She rolled her eyes, penning it up to an odd creature thing as she sank down next to him, dedicated to keeping the stupid male warm, even if he was being rude.

"I missed you so much," gushed Summer, hugging Winter tightly from the front.

"Me too," chimed Maple, bouncing just a bit to the side.

"Maple, darling, love you, but we need some 'us' time." She made a shooing motion then met his eyes directly. "We have some catching up to do." She turned around and waved her tail enticingly. "Mighty rude of ya, leavin' yer mare waiting..."

The wink of her lips brought him forward. He hopped up on her without delay and hugged her firmly from above, stroking firmly into her delightful body. Some distant part of his mind noted she didn't feel quite... right? But it was warm and wet and welcoming.

He rutted her with building vigor, determined to make up for the lost time he... had spent in the desert.

Winter suddenly blinked open his eyes, the tortured logic of the dream breaking in half. But the sensations were still there. He was buried in something soft and wet and so inviting. He looked down to see Cherry's lips wrapped around his twitching pole, working up and down with some practice. His brows went up in a moment of panic before he remembered he was supposed to be stoic. Stoic... how did one stoically respond to that?!

She pulled back, freeing his pole and softly smooching the tip. "You back to wake? I was jus' helpin' you relax, and put this thing away." She softly nuzzled just along the underside of his growing flare. "This'll be our little secret. Neither of us want Summer hurt none. Now, if'n ya could just put this away, that'd work too."

But he had just learned how to do it at all. Doing it while powerfully erect and being teased was so far beyond him, she may as well have asked him to casually jump up to the moon. He reached down, his hooves on her shoulders.

"I'll finish," she promised, misunderstanding the gesture. Before he could even really think of words, he began to vanish down her snout, her warm heat slurping and sucking gently at him. Her tongue teased in ways that Summer never had. Cherry was a trained mare, confident in her ability to bring a stallion to fulfillment, and the difference was impossible to argue. He slumped back, the pains feeling distant in the face of the mare's attentions. He was helpless before her work, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

Was this rape? He was pretty sure it counted... But his body was reacting on its own. It wanted this, and he was too hurt to really argue it. Should he be mad? He wanted to keep his promise to Summer.

It was suddenly too late. His great balls pulled up and his shaft began to powerfully twitch, spraying thick seed across Cherry's tongue. His eyes widened before he limply flopped in place. Sleep... He faded away, his shredded form more than willing to let go of the troubling world.

Cherry pulled back, licking her lips. "That was different." As similar to a pony as he was, he tasted different than a proper stallion. She watched the tool withdraw to just a sheath and, with a little encouragement, she had it stowed away properly in the sleeping form of the mare-shaped stallion. She smiled at his sleeping form. "Don't know a stallion that don't sleep better after that," she whispered, curling with him and no longer being prodded in the side by his masculinity. Finally, she could get some sleep too.

He woke up to the sound of rocks being moved. He could see Cherry clearing the debris she had piled at the entrance to the cave. Beyond it, the light of morning spilled out. She looked over her shoulder at him. "Awake? Good. Time to get back to town." She came trotting over to his side. "You feelin' any better?"

Winter rose to his hooves, considering Cherry. He could remember the night before, the sensation of that mare's lips working him. It had felt good, really good, but also terrible. He had cheated. He should have fought her, even if doing that would have hurt. He should have spoken, even if Kirin were quiet. He should have...

Cherry's hoof came up under his chin. "I can see you thinkin' in there. This is all on me if yer thinkin' what I think yer thinkin'. Yer a good stallion for frettin' about it." She lowered the same hoof and returned to the entrance, kicking aside a few more rocks. "Let's get movin'. Can you walk?"

He tried a step, aches and sharp lances firing through him. Still, it was less than the day before. He took another step, and another, clenching his teeth and trying to ignore the pain of his savaged body. Cherry suddenly was up against him, supporting him. They were walking side by side through the desert, leaving him with his thoughts. He had done wrong by Summer. A tiny part of him wondered if doing other things with Cherry would be equally as more intense than Summer could provide. He recoiled from those unfaithful thoughts, chastising himself silently for even thinking them.

Cherry was Summer's boss. If he told her... It would end Summer, on multiple fronts. He could imagine the town having to choose between Summer's tearful admission and Cherry's cool denial. They would have doubts, but they would take Cherry's word above Summer's. She basically owned the town. If he told her...

"Ah can see town." She pointed ahead to where the tip-tops of the taller buildings were coming into view. The morning had turned the desert from frigid chill to sweltering heat in no time at all, bathing them as they trundled towards safety.

Cherry's steps became more lively as they got closer to the town. "Now let's get you in the eyes of a proper doctor, hmm? You're still hurt, bein' a brave stallion or not. Won't do Summer no good if I bring back a stallion that can't even stand on his own."

Was she already pretending it didn't happen? Of course she was. A doctor was a good idea... He allowed her to guide him along in a bit of a fog until he was laying down on a cot. A stallion was poking and checking him over. Some distant talk of disinfectants lulled him to sleep.

"Where is he?!" Summer clopped a hoof down. Maple was peeking out from just behind her.

The doctor inclined his head. "Inside, gettin' some rest. He'll be alright, ah think. 'yotes got 'em good."

Summer fell back, her hooves going to her face. "He was attacked?!"

The doctor nodded softly. "Ripped up good, but he'll live. Miss Jubilee scared 'em off before it went too far. He just needs some rest now."

"Oh thank her everythin'..." She let out an explosive gust of breath. "Never figured mah boss would be the one protectin' mah stallion like that."

Maple wrapped an arm around Summer, drawing her close. Summer looked ready to fight it at first but the switch flipped almost instantly and she buried herself in her friend's chest, sobbing with relief. Maple gently rubbed the top of Summer, whispering little nothings and holding the mare. Looking over Summer to the doctor still standing there, Maple smiled. "Thank you fer treatin' him."

He inclined his head faintly. "Well, Miss Jubilee asks you to take care of a pony, what do you say? You two kin head home. Ah'll be sure ta let ya know when he's up and ready."

Maple softly patted Summer, still rocking with her. "If it ain't much trouble, we'll stay here fer now."

The doctor smiled gently. "A lot of worried family acts that way." He pointed to a small couch. "Ya can wait if ya want."

They were soon perched on it, leaning on one another and waiting for Winter to awaken.

When he poked his nose out of the back, Maple had lapsed off, leaving Summer as the one to see him, her ears going erect. She thundered towards him, only the thump of Maple flopping to the ground competing with the sound of her gallop.

"Wha?" got out the dizzy Maple as she got herself back together, standing up to see Summer hugging a quiet Winter. "Oh..." She smiled gently, stepping closer. "You alright?"

Winter shook his head softly, teeth set. He gently pushed Summer back, then pointed past her.

Summer glanced in the direction, the door leading outside. "You want to go home? Alright. Me too... Doctor, we're goin' home."

The doctor hiked a brow. "Ya come back if he gets to bleedin' again."

"We will," Summer promised, leading the way towards freedom. They all headed towards Summer's home. Winter was silent. But he usually was. That hardly seemed unusual.

It was Maple that noticed something amiss. Summer was too busy being overjoyed to have him back at all, leaving maple to study his steps, the set of his mouth and the faint frown on his face. "What's wrong?" But he didn't say. He didn't usually say anything. Maple closed in with him, and he pushed her away. That wasn't like him.

Maple hurried up to trot alongside Summer. "Something's wrong."

"Wrong?" Summer turned an ear towards Maple. "We finally have Winter back!" she gushed with unbridled joy. "I am going to tuck him in and get him a big bowl of soup to help him."

Maple's ears fell, unsure if she could get through to her friend in that instant. She glanced over her shoulder, making a silent promise to find out what was going on.

Author's Note

On one hoof, she saved him. On the other, that's a heck of a price tag on that service. Maple wants to help, but what can she do?

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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