Winter Flame let out his breath, but it was almost silent. He felt, well, happy, and content. It hadn't been the first time he'd ever done that, he felt certain. He knew how that part worked, and what it was meant for. Yet, he was certain that was the first time with a mare specifically. What had it been before? Spirits, perhaps? Other spirits.

She had kissed him on the cheek and wandered off into the house, leaving him there on her bed, thinking his thoughts. Sitting there thinking felt like a natural thing to do, so he did not begrudge that. The weight that jostled as he shifted position drew his eyes downwards towards the new subtle sensation.

When he wasn't talking so much, he could pay more attention to things, he decided. It wasn't a bad way to be. There, between his legs, his hind legs, was a tool that had changed dramatically from just earlier in the day. It was flat at the end, with a curious ring about 3/4ths up. It wasn't hard, and that was fine. He wasn't with anything it needed to be hard for, and he wasn't in the mood to grab it.

How would he have grabbed it? His hooves wouldn't... His horn suddenly lit up as the answer came to him with a remembered image of a floating apple. He grabbed his soft tool in his magic as he smiled gently. Right, he could grab, and pull, and do all those other things. Hooves were not stopping that. Wait...

He looked up, but it was hard to see up at that angle. Had he that horn before? He still couldn't see it, so maybe he had? Having magic was nice. He returned to his previous thought thread, examining how he had changed. His tool was exposed and dangling, unlike his concealed and furry balls.

Those were bigger than before, and hung a bit off-balance. One was lower than the other, he could easily see. Curious, but there wasn't much else to do down there. He felt he would learn more about how well they worked when it came time for that kind of thing, which wasn't that moment. No, he felt too satisfied to really want to do much just yet.

His thoughts wandered off to the spirit world, or what must have been the spirit world? He could see the character creation screen in his memory, what he would eventually become. That kirin looked nice, and it would be him. It was what he had selected.

Why had he wanted to be a kirin? He frowned faintly, gently grasping onto that thought. Why? Well, kirin seemed pretty interesting. They had magic, that was great. Oh, a companion, yes, that had been promised, and he could hear her moving around the house. Yes, a companion, he liked her quite a bit.

He slipped from the bed and awkwardly stepped from the room, though not as awkwardly as he remembered coming in. Were his arms shorter, his legs longer, or some combination of the two? He couldn't say, but he didn't feel like he was ready to flop over with each step, so he accepted it and ambled along.

"That you, Winter?" came her voice before her head popped into view through a doorway. "Ah was just makin' some lunch. Ya hungry?"

Winter and Summer. He appreciated the way their names fit together. With a soft nod, he ambled towards her, his eyes wandering to the decorations that dotted the hallway, speaking of a pony that liked cherries, and had a family. He stopped in front of a picture that showed a whole group of ponies he didn't know, Summer nowhere in sight. Who were they? He examined it patiently. Patience seemed to come so much more easily. It was like his old spirit life had been a constant tumult and rush, he remembered that.

Now he felt no urgent pressing. If he wanted to take the time to examine that picture, nothing was forcing him onwards. He could see a ranch house behind them, cherry blossom petals on the ground, and a set of ponies smiling at the camera.

"Winter?" She stepped out of the kitchen(?) and approached with a perked ear. She never had put her hat back on. "Winter. What are you--Oh." She sat down next to him. "Old family portrait. Look at me, huh..." She pointed at a little bundle of cloth held carefully by one of the mares. "I weren't nothin' just yet."

He felt a faint smile coming, realizing Summer had been just a little foal, not even a yearling, when the picture had been taken. She was adorable. She still was. He put an arm over her and drew her closer, feeling her warm furry body pressed against his smooth naked one.

She laughed gently. "Aw, yer a friendly one aintcha. Just how ah was hopin'." She nuzzled under his chin gently before pointing towards the kitchen. "Come on then, let's get some food in that belly of yers." She started to turn but paused, noticing something. "Wow!" She pointed up at his forehead. "When did you go and get that?!"

His horn? He tilted his head at her placidly, not sharing her excitement. He already knew he had a horn, though it was sort of nice to have confirmation.

"You are already mysterious... Love it." She finished turning away and trotted down the hallway. "Can ya use it, or is it just fer show right now?"

He grabbed her back end as he walked, squeezing her firm rump in his magic.

She squeaked in horrified surprise, her back hooves lashing out. Thankfully he hadn't been following quite close enough to be bashed across the face. The sensation of being grabbed passed as quickly as it came and she looked over her shoulder towards the source. "Was that you? Ah'm sorry fer makin' a fuss, just weren't expecting no sudden thin' like that. Ya surprise a mare like that, somepony may get hurt."

Her ears fell as adrenaline gave way to regret. "But... maybe ah... could get used to that... I don't want you thinkin' ah don't want ya to be interested, 'cause ya should be. Shoot, yer literally here for me. Ah'm messin' this up." She reached up as she turned, putting a hoof under his chin. "Ah'm sorry, ya forgive?"

Her explosion of emotions didn't quite gel with him. He felt so relaxed about the world at large. She was a mare, his mare. He had surprised her, and that was all there was to it. It wasn't a grand statement, just a thing. He cupped her cheeks in his magic and drew her closer as he lowered his head, gently kissing her on the nose.

Her cheeks warmed as she smiled. "That sure sounds like ah yes without any fancy words. How do unicorns deal with this? 'magine a whole family of 'em. Never know when yer gonna be poked without a pony attached." She shook her head as she turned away. "Anyway, lunch's on!"

Lunch, as it turned out, was a simple affair of a sandwich and some soup. The bread housed an interior of tomatoes, lettuce, carrot slices, and a heavy slice of some kind of fish. The soup had corn and a rich broth, spiced enough to make his tongue burn just a little, but not enough to stop him from drinking onwards. Had she made the food? He considered it as he ate, but he didn't ask.

Her eyes were on him more often than not, watching his considering gaze and his still ungainly form that wasn't quite a kirin yet. "Ya know, ya kinda remind me of... nah." She waved it off, having never seen a human herself before then, but she had heard stories about the curious bipedal visitors, naked, save any clothing they wore, though her kirin wore no clothes, and that was fine by her. Actually... "That reminds me." She hopped down from her chair and was gone a moment, returning with her hat in her teeth.

She swung it around up onto her head and grinned.

There was still a divot in it from when he had smashed it and he considered that before reaching out a hoof and just knocking it off of her head without a word.

"Hey." She grabbed it in her teeth and swung it back into place. "It isn't time to play right now."

He reached, but she shied away, avoiding the hoof. That was alright, he had magic. Her hat lifted from her head and casually floated away from her.

"Hey!" She chased after the errant clothing as he kept moving it away from her, launching a game of chase as he calmly bit into his sandwich, not at all excited even as she fumed and charged after the hat he kept moving away.

She jumped for it, barely getting her teeth on it and holding firmly. "That's it! Ya like the darn thing so much, fine!" She stomped up to him. With a firm thrust, she pointed to the ground. "Get down here."

He wasn't sure what she had in mind, but he didn't see a reason to deny her. He set the meal down and slowly sank down before her. The moment his head was low enough she swung the hat, but instead of putting it on her head and hiding her pretty features, she popped it onto his head, but it refused to come all the way down. She tugged and grunted with effort before a loud rip filled the room. She had forced the hat into place, his horn piercing the poor garment. "There, it's yours now."

He looked up, able to see the wide brim of the hat extending forward. He didn't pluck it off. He could wear it, he quietly decided, if it meant he could see her pretty eyes. With a soft nod, he sat up and resumed lunch as if nothing unusual had happened.

"Ya sure are somethin' else... Now look, tomorrow ah gotta get back t' work." She pointed off and away. "Ah'll be workin' with the cherries, down at Cherry Jubilee's. She's a right nice mare, and she pays the bills, so ah ain't takin' any more days off than ah already have, so you have to be a good kirin and stay here, alright?"

He nodded gently as the last of his food floated into his mouth, chewed on quietly.

"Good." She took a slow breath. "Good. The town's not ready fer ya yet. Besides, yer here for me anyway, and ah'll be back as soon as ah can, ah swear!" She smiled then, a bright and giddy expression. "How could ah mare stay away from her dream stallion?"

With his food finished, he stepped down from his own chair, just to slip, his hoof sliding on the tiles of the kitchen/dining room and sending him crashing to the floor in an artless display. She was over in a flash, fussing over him, but he was gently picking himself up, not looking all that upset about the moment of gracelessness.

"We have to finish fixing you..." She glanced towards her bedroom. "That worked before... maybe... a few more times..." She licked over her lips, considering it. "Maybe ah'll let... No, too early for that. Ya ain't quite built right fer it."

Or she didn't want to be mounted by something caught between states, he quietly mused. She was waiting until he looked like a kirin before she would raise her tail for him. Until then, only her mouth would open, or maybe her hooves? Could ponies do that with their hooves? He reached for her with his magic, gently stroking across her back and working lower in a slow and patient way.

Her cheeks warmed the closer he got towards her tail, but she wasn't fussing or kicking, allowing his slow exploring of her back. Silly mare, he thought without speaking. No one said he couldn't return the favor. He imagined she would make so much more noise than he had, and he wanted to play her like the fine instrument she was.

Author's Note

Tony, aka Winter Flame, is settling into his new life. He likes his mare, and likes having magic, and he likes doing what guys do. Perhaps this new life agrees with him, even if he remembers much more of his past existence than many others caught in this web before.

How would you be feeling at this point?

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