The ponies watched Lorraine storm out. Twilight just sighed and face-hoofed. Fluttershy sniffled a little. Pinkie looked lost and confused. Dash looked at the floor. Rarity looked on the verge of tears.

As one, Alastor and John both got up. They looked at each other.

Alastor gave a small bow and gestured towards the door. “By all means, go comfort her.”

John nodded and started towards the door. He paused by the radio demon. “Try not to leave any lasting damage.” The bug commented.

“Well that depends on if they’ll listen or not.” Alastor chuckled.

“Mmmm.” John grunted as he left, following his girlfriend.

Alastor turned towards the ponies. “Now, class, who can tell me why Lorraine got so furious?”

John paused outside of Lorraine’s room. He took a breath before softly knocking. “Lorraine? Sweetie? Can I come in?”

The door opened and the semi-flaming fox face peaked through the crack.

“Ah, you’re still fiery.” He smiled softly. “Care for some company?”

“Yeah.” She replied bluntly.

The fox stepped aside to let the bug in. Said bug immediately took her hand and half-dragged her over to the bed. He then plopped her in his lap so he could wrap his good arm around her in a hug. He rested his chin on her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay.”

"...Did I overstep?" Lorraine asked softly. "Rarity had a point, but she didn't listen to me, I've been getting paranoid over Pinkie and 'Shy and... I feel bad..."

The vixen stared at her charred wooden hands. "We should be safe, things should be okay now, but it doesn't feel like it."

John shifted his bad arm around to gently take a wooden hand in his massive one. “It’s okay. I’m not surprised you blew up, the ponies really haven’t let up. Even if you went a tad overboard, Rarity still deserved it because she explicitly went against what you said.”

Lorraine bristled, flames crackling. "Pinkie and Fluttershy want to fuck you." she spat as her ears splayed to the side.

“Well, that is true.” John lightly squeezed her with his good arm. “However, I don’t really think of them in that way, if that’s reassuring at all. Really, you’re the only one I wanna fuck at the moment.” He stuck his tongue out at her.

She sighed. "... I-" she cut herself off, struggling to find the words. She spoke up again cautiously. "With everything going on with my biology, I don't trust myself to make sound decisions, I don't feel like I have control over any of this, and I'm starting to feel pressured..."

“Pressured?” John asked, tilting his head a little.

"...Pinkie's comment about letting either you or Alastor sleep with me to sort out my heat struck a nerve..." Lorraine stated. "Add the doubts and worries I have about Fluttershy actually convincing you to... you know... I've been in a pretty bad headspace and I just try to ignore it, like usual."

“Well you don’t have to sleep with anyone, but admittedly the thought is tempting.” He nuzzled her cheek. “Is it that bad at the moment?”

"Remember early on in our relationship when I told you I was worried about being an inadequate girlfriend because wouldn't you better off with someone you could meet in person? Or How I felt bad I don't have a normal sex drive?" she asked.

“Yeah. I remember all of that. And I counter that with, I’m happy just being with you.” John said with a nod. “Plus, now we’re in person. Plus plus, I know all your sex drive triggers, or at least a few of them, darling,” He chuckled “You’re a great girlfriend.”

"...I feel bad though... There's been a few little things I've been hung up about because I'm not thinking straight..."

“I could always make you melt so you don’t have to think about anything.” He hummed with a small smirk.

“Huh?” She blinked.

“To be perfectly blunt. I could quell your heat for the moment. To be more blunt, I could rub you off as you just relax in my arms.” He chuckled softly.

"Oh..." she said, the flames of her body turned pink as she fell silent in embarrassment for a brief moment. "...Um, my uh, next cycle isn't for another hour..."

She cleared her throat, flames snapping back to their orange hue. "I was wondering, what did you mean about Fluttershy being a maybe for the herd?"

“Kinda regretting that honestly.” John winced. “I mean, I was on the same wavelength as her to start. She’s cute, and seems to care, but that’s about it. That and we don’t really know her all that well. Honestly, that might’ve been some of my old flame of attraction slipping through.” He hummed. “However, she and Pinkie have been on the more pushy side lately. Which I don’t appreciate. I don’t like having stuff forced on me, tends to make me shy away and not want to do whatever it is.”

"...I don't like this, you're mine but as soon as they heard we started a herd, purely for legal and security reasons, they think you're fair game... That you'd want to bring more chicks as fuck buddies or something and I've been stuck in a loop of What if that actually happens? I'm torn because you're mine!" she said, her volume growing louder. "I feel like a fuckin' hypocrite because almost everyone here has assumed I'm going to fuck Alastor sooner or later and it pisses me off! Oh thanks girls for impacting my already compromised thought process!"

Her persona form melted away into blue sparkles. Lorraine, now a doe once more, snuggled up to her boyfriend. "I trust you, I love you, sometimes to the point where I have to take a step back because I'm worried I'll scare you off," she explained. "... I'm still worried my fictional crushes will bite me in the arse, or that you'll... want to be intimate with someone else..."

"Sorry," she said almost immediately. "You've been through way worse than me, I shouldn't be like this..."

“Shhhh… It’s okay.” John shushed. “You’re letting it out and that’s good. Listen Lorraine, all I want is you. You’re amazing, and nothing is going to tug me away from that. Also, that’s exactly how I felt about Alastor initially.”

She took a deep breath. "If you were okay with me doing, our usual um, steamy cuddles, with Alastor... I'm not in the headspace to say otherwise. That's how badly this pony peer pressure and harem bullshit has been affecting me, I know I wouldn't be in this situation if I didn't suddenly have a spike in libido every four-five hours."

John’s mouth opened and closed. Half his face screwed up in thought. A grumbling hum rumbled in his chest. “But you’re mine though…”

The doe looked relieved to hear that. "Okay then, I'm just a confused insecure mess because my life is bullshit and hormones... I think I just needed assurance that I don't have to do anything I wouldn't normally do..."

“I’ll always be here.” John nuzzled her again. “It’s gonna be okay. Now, do I need to have a serious talk with the ponies? Well, Pinkie and Fluttershy… and Rarity?”

“Could you? If that’s okay?” Lorraine asked.

“I definitely can.” John nodded. “After I cuddle away your fears.”

"So, toots, feelin' better?" Angel Dust asked as the spider demon led her and John back to the dinning room.

"Mostly." Lorraine admitted.

"Good 'cause Smiles wanted the whole herd present fer the next part of his presentation... I personally think he's wastin' his time but no, we have to give 'em a chance or it could impact the herds reputation..."

“Should I be worried?” John asked, raising his brow despite the fact that he had his hood up.

“With Al… Maybe?” Angel shrugged.

The three reentered the dining room. Twilight had a small pile of papers in front of her, apparently she’d taken notes. Rainbow was sitting next to her and was snickering at whatever note she was reading. Fluttershy was sniffling and was being hugged by an, also sniffling, Pinkie. Rarity just looked rather embarrassed. Alastor was sitting calmly at the head of the table drinking what smelled like tea.

“Yo, brought the love birds.” Angel called out.

“Wonderful.” Alastor’s smile widened as John and Lorraine moved to sit on either side of him, with Angel leaning against Al’s chair.

“Soooo, how’d it go?” John asked, scooting closer to the table a bit.

"I believe they are sufficiently aware of their mistakes, however, I wanted everyone present for this part of the conversation," Alastor explained. His grin was sharp as he addressed the room. "To ensure we're all on the same page, we're going to play a little game of sorts. We will share who we like, romantically or platonically, and why. Do be honest."

"Hey, I know this game!" Angel chimed in. "It's a demon trust exercise, ya gotta be brutally honest, helps get the message across 'cause some of us are just dense like that, right Alastor?"

The spider's knowing grin was met with an eye roll.

Angel snickered. "Alright bitches, whose goin' first?"

Twilight raised a hoof. “I love Lorraine as a sister, though I think I need to get to know John a little more before I can come to a more informed consensus. The same goes for Alastor to be honest.”

“That’s fine. We have time.” John shrugged. “We spend enough time at the library anyway.”

“I think John and Lorraine are cool.” Rainbow spoke up. “No real feelings beyond that, I guess. You guys aren’t all that weird, the more I think about it.”

“Thanks, I guess?” Lorraine said looking slightly confused.

“Ooo! Ooo! Me!” Pinkie bounced up and down.

“Aww, shit.” Angel muttered. “Go ahead.” He said with a sigh.

“I do want to bang John… and Alastor… and maybe Angel.” She took a deep breath in. “But I can’t go and shove myself into somepony else’s relationship, especially if they tell me no.”

“Look, she’s learning.” Alastor chuckled.

“I’m an earth pony, we can be stubborn.” Pinkie frowned at the radio demon.

“Pinkie, if it means anything, I just want you to be happy and I hope you can find someone to make you happy.” John said, gesturing his good hand at her. “Also, preferably somebody that isn’t just there to bang, though knowing you that’s probably going to happen.”

“Probably.” Pinkie giggled, before her smile softened. “But… Thanks. Means a lot.”

"I'm glad I don't need to drag your grandmothers into this mess, they've been rather worried about you young lady," Alastor said sternly and relaxed into his seat. "As for myself, Angel Dust is a dear and valued partner-"

"Aw, love you too Smiles!"

"Don't make this more difficult for me than it already is," the radio demon grumbled. "Ahem, and I hold nothing but respect for Twilight and look forward to talking more with her in the future. As for these two..."

Alastor paused and took a deep breath. "...I absolutely adore Lorraine, her strength of character, her enthusiasm, I wish for nothing more than to treat her properly, with all the care and respect a being of my caliber should," he said and then continued, smile thin and voice deadpan. "I have no desire for sexual intimacy with her whatsoever."

"So your teasing, is just that, teasing?" Twilight asked.

"Of course it is, she likes it, I stop when asked, it is all in good fun," Alastor replied. "And John is a good man, more than worthy of my respect and admiration! I wish nothing but the best for these two!"

“Al, you’re much better than I initially thought. I wish I knew you weren’t some kind of competitor for Lorraine’s affections sooner.” John chuckled as he shook his head. “Either way, you can cuddle her when I’m not able to. In fact, I plan on seeing you pinned between Lorraine and Angel regularly.”

“Wait, no, I have to choose who to get cuddles from?” Lorraine asked, looking between the boys.

“Well, no, you’re gonna be getting them from all of us but in case one of us is missing, you’ll have to make do with one less, I guess.” John paused. “That came out more complicated than I planned.” The hood turned towards Angel. “Angel.”

“Yeah?” Angel looked over at the hooded bug.

“You’re cute.” John stated.

“Bitch, you know it.” Angel smirked at him.

“And while I’m at it.” John continued, looking towards the blue pegasus. “Rainbow, you’re awesome. You’ve gotten much better since we first met.”

“Thanks?” Rainbow tilted her head a little in confusion.

“Fluttershy, you’re cute, but I don’t really see anything beyond that.” John said with a sigh towards the yellow mare. “Sorry.”

“That’s fine…” Fluttershy replied softly. “I think my attraction wasn’t much more than curiosity and a bit of infatuation, I think.” She finished as her cheeks turned pink.

John looked towards the white unicorn. “Rarity, you’ve been a great friend to Lorraine, though your insistence on doing things for free does get on my nerves. And your handling of our herd news was definitely a blow that’ll take a bit to recover from.”

“I… understand.” Rarity replied a little weakly. “I do hope you’ll still accept what I made for you.”

“If you accept being paid for it, of course.” John nodded.

Then the bug looked over at Lorraine. “Lorraine, darling, you are the love of my life and I have no idea what I’d do without you. You’re amazing and adorable, and I am so happy that I ended up here with you.” John was grinning beneath his hood. “I’ll always be here for you, and it’s my mission to protect you and keep you safe.”

There was a chorus of awwwws from the mares and Angel.

Lorraine had a dopey, toothy grin on her face. "Sometimes I feel like love isn't a strong enough word to describe how I feel about you John. I feel safe with you, content to be as weak, as emotional, as vulnerable as I dare to be with you. I take comfort in the two of us just being in the same room doing our own thing. I think you're cute and amazing, and I'm glad to be able to support you as best I can," she grew more serious. "It was a really big deal, starting a relationship with you... You have my heart in your hands..."

There were even more awwws.

“And I don’t know how to respond to that.” John said after a moment. He got up, walked around Alastor and Angel, and knelt next to the doe’s chair so he could hug her. Lorraine accepted the hug somewhat awkwardly.

When she pulled away and John plodded back to his seat, her ears were splayed to the side and she was embarrassed. "Anyway, Twilight's just awesome, it's nice having an honorary sibling again, Dash is cool, Angel Dust is alright I guess? I don't him well enough yet," she added. "I like Alastor, not in the same way I like John, it's like a friendship with romance as opposed to a friendship with benefits. It's different but we're learning and I think he's neat."

"An' I don't wanna fuck him either," she added. "No, just no..."

"A friendship with romance! An excellent way of putting it." Alastor remarked.

“I like that term.” John chuckled. “It’s a cute term.”

“I think somebody’s missin’.” Angel looked over at Rarity.

"No." Lorraine said flatly.

Twilight, ever the voice of reason, spoke up. "At least give Rarity the chance to apologize."

"No, I won't be guilt-tripped," the doe replied calmly. "I'd rather leave things be for now."

“So, we’ll leave that be for now since things are fresh.” John nodded.

“Works for me.” Angel shrugged, pushing away from Alastor’s chair.

“You.” He pointed At Alastor.

“You.” He pointed at Lorraine.

“And you.” He pointed at John.

“You’re all hot in my book.” Angel nodded.

Alastor rolled his eyes.

“Wut.” Lorraine blinked.

“Well I’d fuck ya, if ya’d let me.” Angel chuckled.

“No.” Lorraine said flatly.

“Really?” John tugged his hood down. “Even with this?” He used his bad hand to clumsily gesture at the bad side of his face.

“Are ya kidding? That makes ya hotter.” Angel grinned at him.

“Oh my fucking God, what is this?” Lorraine said through a sigh.

“Wut.” John blinked.

“Ya got that Harvey Dent thing going on.” Angel nodded. “And it’s hot.”

“If you say so.” John commented.

“If yer not down with it, it’s good.” Angel shrugged.

“Just am processing getting complimented by a guy.” John said flatly. “Gimme a few.”

There came a knock at John’s door, rousing the bug from his nap. With a yawn John got up and opened the door. Rarity was on the other side, levitating a box.

“Hello, I have your suit.” Rarity said somewhat awkwardly.

“Oh yay. Cool.” John yawned. “One sec.” He stepped away from the door and rummaged around in a drawer by the bed.

“Are you going to-” Rarity was cut off as John held out a small coin purse.

“For your hard work.” John said, somewhat sleepily.

“Oh you don’t have to-” Rarity was cut off again as John swapped the box out with the coin purse. She blinked, then sighed and shook her head. “Are you going to at least try it on?”

“Later. Sleepy.” John hummed as he set the box on the end table next to the bed.

“But how will you know it fits right?” Rarity was trying to stop herself from whining.

“I’ll fix it.” Mar replied as John flopped back onto the bed.

“Alright.” Rarity sighed again and closed the door, leaving the bug to his nap.

Lorraine had retreated to her room for the day, no one had seen hide nor hair of the doe since her quiet appearance at breakfast. It wasn't helping that Alastor was being possessive (according to Angel Dust anyway), and preventing even the rest of the herd from interacting with her. And John was completely unfazed by the situation when asked.

They could hear music on the other side of the bedroom door. A calming piece that everyone swore they heard somewhere before but couldn't place. It seemed to wind it's way throughout the hotel, creating a calm ambience where tension and stress melted away.

The doe resurfaced at around lunchtime, had her lunch quietly, and returned to her room.

The pattern repeated at dinner, that same, relaxing music still floating in the air.

It was later in the evening that the other members of the herd gathered outside the doe's room.

"You sure she's just having a quiet day?" Angel asked John. "I've never seen her do this before..."

“It’s normal.” John replied. “She just sits and listens to cope, at least that’s as far as I’ve noticed. It’s how she chills and relaxes. Plus, introvert, she’s just introverting more than normal.”

“Eh, if you’re sure.” Angel shrugged.

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Alastor nodded.

“She is, and she’ll come out whenever she’s ready to interact with people.” John said with a nod, only for the door to open, attracting the attention of the group.

Lorraine blinked at the assembly. "Hey."

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked. "Everyone was a bit worried."

"I wasn't." Alastor added.

"Oh, 'm fine." Lorraine replied.

The doe let them in, the music was coming from a bright blue, glowing door open ajar. A door that wasn't supposed to be there. Books lay strewn about her bed. The doe clambered back onto the bed and resumed reading.

“See, she’s nice and cozy.” John nodded.

“Want some company?” Twilight asked, yet clambered up onto the bed anyway to levitate a book.

Angel moved over to plop down next to the bed and relax against it. “Hey, ya needs quiet days every so often.”

“Yeah.” The doe nodded.

“That’s fine.” John sat on the bed between the unicorn and the doe. “Want some company, or should we leave?”

“You can stay, it’s fine.” The doe replied.

“Okay then.” Alastor said before he was dragged down to sit next to Angel. Alastor humphed, before he leaned against the spider.

John just sat and relaxed, closing his eyes and listening to the music. “This is nice.”

The doe nodded again. “Yep.”

Author's Note

Lucid: Happy we could get this done. I've been a little under the weather most of this month so I write when I have the energy too. Took us a little bit to get this done, but I'm happy with the result. Hope you enjoy.