Windy and Shy: Onward and Upward

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 6

Chapter 1

As they made the drive home, Windy and Evershy knew that as much as was behind them now, even more was in front of them. Windy called Bow and gave him a brief rundown of what had happened so if he should see stories on the net or the news he wouldn't be worried about them; she also asked to spread the word to their family and friends and made it clear that they needed to talk when she got home. Evershy, on the other hand, remained quiet as she tried to rehearse just how she would explain all this to Cirrus. Before she knew it, Windy was driving through her neighborhood and she could feel her body actually shaking from the fear and anxiety.

"Shy." Windy finally spoke as they pulled into her driveway. "Are you ready?"

Evershy let out a short laugh and shook her head. "No." She felt Windy's hand take hers and immediately squeezed back; with a deep breath she smiled as best she could and nodded. Windy killed the engine and followed her up to the porch as she pulled her keys out and unlocked the door. "Cirrus?" Evershy called as they stepped inside.

"Evershy." Cirrus emerged from the hallway, smiling at the sight of her. "Welcome home, dear." He went to her with a tight hug. "How was your trip?"

"It was... interesting." Evershy answered timidly.

"Windy." Cirrus tipped his head.

"Hey, Cirrus." Windy smiled with a short wave.

"Well, how about I make some tea and you can tell me all about your cruise." Cirrus took her hand and started for the kitchen, halting as she resisted. He looked back and saw the distressed look in her eyes. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Cirrus... I have to talk to you." Her eyes began to dampen.

Her tone alone was enough to let Cirrus know that this wasn't going to be good. "Alright, did something happen?"

"A lot happened." Evershy nodded as she led him to the couch and sat him down. She dove straight into the long and sordid story of what had happened to her and Windy on the cruise. Holding nothing back, she detailed how they learned what the cruise actually was and about the bizarre Breath Of Fresh Air; she then told him about the mad stallion Solstice and his dangerous experiments. From there, she revealed what had happened between her and Windy; the revelation about her feelings and her own admittance to sharing them. Finally, she told him about Daydream and the night they shared after saving the ship. Cirrus could only sit in silence as she spoke, wave after wave of shock going through him as the tale unfolded. As his wife finished her story, he took a deep breath and reached up to remove his glasses.

"Well." Cirrus wiped his damp eyes with a shaky hand. "That... is quite the story." He took a breath to compose himself. "I'm glad you're safe, above all else. I can't imagine how terrifying that ordeal must have been. At the same time... I... I'm deeply saddened to hear that you would betray our vows like that."

Windy took a step closer to the couch. "Cirrus, the situation was..."

"Please, Windy." He looked to her sharply. "I think you've done enough."

"Don't be angry with her." Evershy called his gaze back to her. "She didn't do anything wrong. Everything that happened between us, between Daydream and I... those were my choices; and as cruel as it may sound to you I don't regret making them."

Cirrus looked at her with hurt eyes. "Do you truly mean that?"

"I'm so sorry, Cirrus." Tears ran down her cheeks. "I love you... and it makes me feel so horrible to hurt you like this; I've been terrified of this moment for days now and as much as I've tried to prepare it hasn't made it any easier."

Cirrus' own tears began to fall free. "You know, I've been worried about you for a while now. I noticed that things were growing... more distant between us over the past year." He thumbed a tear from his eyes. "I thought it would do you good to get out of the house for a bit. I figured that once you got home things would be different." He forced a smile. "I guess I was right." He sighed. "This is so much to take in at once."

"I know, Cirrus." Evershy nodded. "But I told myself I wouldn't lie to you about any of this; we've shared too much for me to ever be anything but honest with you."

"If that's so, then are you honestly unhappy with our marriage?" He asked. "Have I done something... or not done something to push you into the arms of others?"

"No, Cirrus." Evershy leaned forward. "This isn't about anything you've done, this is about me." She assured. "This is about parts of my life that existed before you and I even met."

He shrugged lifelessly. "These are things you never felt you could talk to me about? In all the time we've been together?"

"I couldn't even admit them to myself." She confessed. "I buried so much in order to lead the type of life I thought I was supposed to, but on that ship... everything came out in one massive wave. It was so hard to deal with at the time given what was happening with Solstice, and the only reason I was able to come to terms with things was because of Windy and Daydream." She reached out and took his hands. "Please, don't think that I regret any of the life we've shared. I just can't keep pretending these other parts of me don't exist anymore."

"I see." He held her hands tighter.

"I came home not knowing what would happen after I told you all this." Evershy admitted. "I don't fully know what to do now. I suppose it depends on what you say next."

Cirrus looked down at their clasped hands with a mixture of emotion so potent he could hardly form words. After a long, quiet minute he looked back up to her. "I imagine... I need some time think." He finally spoke. "I feel so much right now, anything I say will be too skewed by emotion."

Evershy slowly nodded. "I understand." She glanced back at Windy. "Windy offered to let me stay with her if that was the case."

"I... think that would be best." Cirrus reluctantly agreed as he released her hands. Evershy slowly stood, her heart sinking as she saw the pain her husband was in. He stood as well and looked at her with a smile that was loving in spite of everything he had just heard. "I am glad you're home safe. As much as this hurts, it would have been a thousand times worse if something had happened to you on that ship."

Evershy could only smile back, relieved that not all the love between them had been destroyed. She quietly followed Windy back out into the driveway, glancing back one last time to see him slowly shut the door. As she rounded the car she finally broke down into tears and fell against the hood.

"Shy." Windy hurried to her, Evershy throwing herself into her arms as she sobbed. "Shy… I'm so sorry." She hugged her tightly. It took nearly twenty minutes for Evershy to finally regain her composure and was able to get back into the car. Windy once again took to the driver's seat and headed back for her home.

After another silent ride, Windy pulled into her driveway and hit the control for the garage door. She could see Bow's shadow in the master bedroom window that overlooked the front of the house; the form quickly vanished as he no doubt was heading down to greet her. Pulling into the garage, she cut the engine and sat back in the seat.

"Guess it's my turn." She looked over at Evershy.

"I'm not in much condition to be supportive." Evershy smiled, rubbing her reddened eyes.

"You don't have to do a thing , Shy." Windy assured. "Come on." They left the car and entered the house through the laundry room. As they passed through into the kitchen they found Bow, his face depressing as he saw the tear stained Evershy.

"This is worse than I thought, huh?" He asked.

"Oh yeah." Windy nodded.

Bow sighed and went to the coffee maker. "Good thing I prepared." He offered them a smile which brought Windy a great deal of relief. Windy got Evershy comfortable in the living room and headed upstairs into the bedroom with Bow. He closed the door behind them as Windy sat on the bed. "First of all." He stepped over to the bed and stood over her, quickly lowering to his knees and taking her shoulders. "I'm so glad to see you in one piece. That story you told me really shook me."

Windy wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh, Bow." After everything that had happened she finally started to cry.

"Hey, it's okay." He hugged her. "Just tell me what went on and what happened to Evershy."

"Might want to grab a seat." Windy ran her arm across her eyes as she pulled away. As Bow sat beside her she, much like Evershy had, recounted the entire ordeal of what had occurred on the cruise. She told him about what happened after she consumed Solstice's drink and how it led to the leap in her relationship with Evershy. She told him about Big Ben and the Twins as well as their showdown with Solstice. Finally, she told him about what had happened between Evershy and Cirrus.

Bow put his arm around her and pulled her into him, kissing her head. "That's a lot to go through in one week." He noted.

"Yeah." Windy looked up at him. "Look, I can only imagine how you feel about all this; but things between Shy and I are different now." She stood and faced him. "I told her I would be there for her from now on and I meant it... I love her, Bow... I love her so much and I can't keep pretending I don't. I know I'm asking so much of you right now, more than I have any right to; and if it's too much then I understand." She smiled at him. "I'm sorry I'm always putting you through hell with my drama."

Bow smiled and laughed lightly. "Life is never boring with you, honey; that's one of the things I love so much about you. If you were really too much, I would have run away a long time ago."

An arrant tear shook free as she chuckled. "Fair point." She went to him and held his cheeks. "Are you really okay with this?"

Bow reached up and took her forearms in his heavy hands. "Honestly, I'm not sure." He smiled up at her. "All I ever know for sure is that I love you, I just wing it from there."

Windy quickly pulled him into a kiss. "I love you too, Bow." She laid her forehead to his as their lips parted. "Thank you... you don't know how much this means to me."

"You two must be exhausted after all this." He surmised. "For now, let's just focus on the immediate; we can talk more about where we go from here later."

"Alright." Windy kissed his forehead. "Let's get Shy set up for the night."

"Okay." He nodded as he stood from the bed. "I'm going to call work and let them know I won't be in tomorrow, I'll let Sky Star know about what happened with the cruise... that alone is more than a sufficient reason to take a day for us." They headed back downstairs and Evershy looked over the couch to see Windy coming to join her.

"Shy, I'm going to get you set up in Dash's old room." Windy informed as she sat beside her.

"Wait." Evershy set her cup down. "Are things with you and Bow... okay?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "He's... understanding of what's going on at the least."

"You're lucky." Evershy conceded.

"Believe me, I know." Windy scooted closer and laid her hand on Evershy's leg. "If you need anything special, just let me know and I can run to the store."

"No, you're already doing more than enough."

"Hey." Windy reached up and held her cheek. "I told you that from now on I'm at your side 100%. There's no such thing as enough I could do for you, Shy."

As they stared into each other's eyes, Bow returned with his cell phone in hand. "Okay, he says he understands the situation and is filling out a vacation form for me. I'll be able to get a paid week off and he says he's glad you're okay."

"Best boss in the world." Windy laughed.

"Bow." Evershy looked up at him. "I don't know what to say."

"Look, you and I have been friends a long time now." Bow sat across from them in the arm chair. "As much as Windy always joked about liking you, I had a feeling she was being more serious than she was letting on." He looked to his wife with a knowing smile. "I love and trust her more than any creature else, so I know that when she tells me how serious this is for her I know she means it."

"You aren't angry with me?" Evershy asked.

"No." Bow shook his head. "But I'm certainly not saying this isn't weird, awkward and confusing... because it is." He chuckled. "But like I told Windy, in situations like this I always start with what I know. Windy is the most important creature in my life and now I'm getting a sense of just how important you are to her; and I know you well enough to know that whatever this is... it's important enough to compromise your entire life." He gently shrugged. "I love Windy enough and care about you enough to know that I want to help... that's about all I can say right here at the moment."

"Thank you, Bow." Evershy nodded, deeply moved by his outlook and understanding.

"It's been a long day." He stood. "How about I run out and get us dinner."

"Sounds perfect." Windy agreed.

"Ok, be back soon." He grabbed his keys and wallet, heading out into the garage.

Windy got up and pulled Evershy with her. "Come on, let's get you settled."

"Alright." Evershy followed her into the guest room which was still furnished with the fundamentals. "We've still got our luggage, so I'll throw your stuff in the wash so you'll have some extra clothes."

"Thank you." Evershy sat on the foreign bed and ran her hand over the sheets.

Windy glanced back and saw the distant look in her eyes. "Shy?"

"I was just thinking how much easier this was when we were getting chased around by a maniac." She managed to laugh.

"Ha... got that right." Windy joined her on the bed. "Hey." She gently took Evershy's chin. "No regrets, right?"

"No." She gladly accepted a loving kiss from her.

"Then how about we get that laundry started?" Windy asked. "Don't want Bow getting a peek at your unmentionables now do we?"

"Preferably not." Evershy laughed as they headed back out to the car to get their suitcases.

Author's Note

Finally getting to the next part of this story. I originally intended for each tale to focus on a different pair of MLP moms that would weave into one larger plot, but I realized I left so much hanging at the end of part 1 that I simply couldn't gloss over this important part of the story. So this will maintain a focus on Windy and Evershy, with the next story working to further develop this world as a whole.

Chapter 2

Bow returned with take-out about forty five minutes later, happy to find Windy and Evershy in seemingly better spirits than he had left them. He had his fair share of questions but let it be for the moment, knowing that they were both emotionally drained from the day's events. After dinner, Bow cleaned up and headed upstairs for the night while Windy got Evershy set up for the evening.

"Are you sure you don't need anything else?" Windy asked as Evershy emerged from the guest bath in her night gown.

"I'm okay, Windy." She sat on the bed. "Right now, I just want to sleep; I can't even think anymore."

"Alright." Windy knelt in front of her. "But if you do need something during the night, just call me."

"I will." Evershy smiled down at her warmly.

"Okay." Windy bounded back up. "Want me to tuck you in?" She asked with a wry smile.

"Goodnight, Windy." Evershy giggled.

"Night, Shy." She bent down and softly kissed her. "Love you."

"Love you, too." Evershy whispered back as she laid down and settled onto the pillow.

Windy caught the light on her way out and jogged upstairs to get ready for the evening herself. She haphazardly changed into cloth shorts and a long night shirt before joining Bow in the bed.

"How's she doing?" Bow asked as he lifted his arm, Windy immediately cuddling up.

"She's wiped out... not that I blame her." She laid her head on his chest and her arm across his stomach. "Bow, I can't thank you enough for being understanding about all this... I don't think I'll ever be able to." She rolled her head to look up at him. "I really lucked out when they were passing out husbands."

Bow chuckled and pulled her tight against him. "Then can you tell me what this is about? I mean, what's your end plan in this situation?"

Windy let out a long sigh as she already knew the answer. "I want to be in her life and for her to be in mine... in... ours." She timidly admitted. "I know saying that makes me the selfish one in all this, but that's honestly how I feel. You're the stallion of my dreams... and she's the mare of them; I want you both as close to me as possible." She pushed herself up from his body and looked down at him. "Does that make me sound like a bad person?"

Bow looked into her eyes, seeing the genuine distress that the idea was bringing to her. "I wouldn't say bad; passionate for sure... maybe even greedy." He ran his hand up and down her arm. "Well... definitely greedy."

Windy lowered her head and laughed. "I deserve that."

"It isn't coming from a bad place though." He reached up and took her cheek. "I'm not going to vilify you for being true to your heart, so don't you go doing it either." He smiled.

"Thank you." Windy said through a sniffle.

"Come on, you need to get some sleep." He pulled her down on top of him and she settled into his body.

"Okay." She nodded. "Goodnight, Bow."

"Goodnight, sweetheart." He kissed the top of her nose, reaching over and turning off the lamp.

When Windy and Bow awoke, they were greatly surprised by the smell of cooking coming from downstairs. They headed down to find Evershy in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Shy?" Windy rubbed her still tired eyes.

"Good morning." She hailed as she worked over the gas range.

"Shy... you don't have to do this." Windy took notice of the hefty meal she was preparing.

"I know." She looked back down at the omelet that was in the works. "Honestly... I just needed something to keep my mind occupied." A small smile formed on her lips. "And it's the least I can do for you two letting me stay here."

"Well, thank you." Bow said graciously as he noticed a pot of coffee already prepared.

"Here, let me help you." Windy assisted her with the rest while Bow set the table. As the three of them sat down to eat, Windy's eyes lit up as she tasted Evershy's cooking. "Oh wow, this is great, Shy." She beamed. "Way better than mine."

"Really?" Evershy looked over at Bow.

"I know better than to answer that." He shook his head.

"So, did you sleep at all last night?" Windy asked.

"A little." Evershy shrugged. "Not as much as I probably should have... but better than not at all."

"I hear you." Windy nodded. "I feel jet-lagged and we weren't even on a plane."

"You two should just focus on taking it easy today." Bow advised. "Since I've got some time off now, I'm going to take care of some things around the house."

"No argument here." Windy assured.

Evershy glanced over at her. "I think I'd like a hot bath. Would it be alright if I borrowed some body wash and shampoo?"

"Of course, Shy." Windy smiled. "Whatever I've got is yours, I'll get you sorted out."

"Thank you." Evershy lightly smiled back.

After breakfast, Evershy returned to the guest room while Windy gathered enough toiletries to keep her stocked. She fumbled into the guest bathroom with an armful of soaps, hair care products and lotions.

"Here you go, Shy." She let everything spill out onto the vanity.

"Oh my." Evershy chortled from her seat on the tub side as she filled the basin. "Thank you."

"No problem." Windy sat on the closed toilet lid. "How you feeling today?"

"Okay." She looked down into the rolling water. "I keep waiting for Cirrus to call... then I think maybe I should call him, but I know I shouldn't. I want him to take the time he needs until we talk again." She shook her head with a tired sigh. "My mind is just a jumble of things right now."

"That's normal, Shy."

"Nothing about this is normal, Windy." Evershy refuted. "At least not for any creature my age. I feel like a mooching teenager crashing at her friend's house."

"Shy..." Windy began.

"And I know you keep telling me I shouldn't feel that way." Evershy cut her off. "But that doesn't change the fact that I do... and that isn't your fault, Windy." She removed her glasses and set them aside. "This is just all new; and new is as scary as it is exciting. My life has been a certain way for over twenty years and now it's something completely different; which is why I'm so happy you're with me, because I couldn't possibly go through this alone."

Windy left the toilet and sat on the tub with her. "You're right." She admitted. "I just... hate seeing you this upset and I don't know how to fix it, which is driving me crazy."

"Thank you, Windy." Evershy took her hands. "But there's nothing to fix. This is a process, and what I'm feeling is just part of that process."

Windy slowly nodded. "I'm not used to being the rock." She confessed. "I was always the one leaning on your shoulder, you were the level headed one that always knew what to do." She laughed. "I'm supposed to be the impulsive, bad influence."

Evershy laughed along with her. "You're doing great, Windy." She tugged her forward and kissed her. "I'll feel a lot better after a hot soak."

"Get to soaking then." Windy chuckled, petting her cheek. She left Evershy to her bath and headed back upstairs; hearing the sound of the shower echoing from the master bath. Windy cast her shirt off and tugged the drawstring of her shorts as she stepped into the steamy room. Her shorts and panties fell to the tile floor just before she rounded the bend of the walk in shower and wrapped her arms around Bow's torso. "Started without me?" She laid her cheek to his wet back.

"Sorry." He spun around as her grip lessened, putting his arms around her.

"Mm." Windy sighed contently as she pressed against his chest. "I missed feeling you."

"It was pretty lonely here without you too." He admitted.

"So you had zero fun having the house to yourself?" She pushed back, looking up at him with a curious smile.

"Well, not zero." He laughed.

"Uh huh." Windy reached up and took his head, gazing lovingly into his eyes. "Thanks to that crazy loon on that ship I almost lost you."

"After you told me what happened, the worst part was realizing how much danger you were in and I didn't even know." He ran his thumb across her cheek. "I knew you were safe, but I was still terrified to find out that I almost lost you too. Even though this business with Evershy is a lot... everything else really puts it into perspective."

"So, the moral is that if you plan on having marital drama, almost die to help take the edge off?" She grinned.

"Absolutely not." He took her shoulders and gently shook her with a smile.

"Kidding." She giggled, hugging onto him.

"God." Bow groaned as he reached for the built in shelf and took up the bottle of body wash.

"Love you." Windy innocently reminded.

"I know." He laughed, filling his left palm with a thick helping. Tossing the bottle back on the shelf, he rubbed his hands together and set them to her back. She made a deep sigh as he massaged the soap into her coat, his left hand moving up to her neck and his opposite down to her rear. She slowly twisted in his arms so he could continue his attention on her front; raising her arms and lacing her hands around his neck. Bow brought his hands up to her shoulders and dragged them down to her breasts, rolling them in his soapy palms until they were white with suds.

"That feels so good, honey." Windy whispered, the cascading water from the oversized shower head bouncing off of his broad shoulders and onto her face. Her right hand fell from his neck and took his wrist, eagerly moving his hand between her thighs. Audible delight left her as his slick fingers danced over her clit; feeling him start to get hard, she rolled her hips and ground her ass against him. His chest vibrated as he moaned in his throat at the stimulation, lowering his head and kissing her neck in response. He reached lower, just enough to work his middle finger inside of her; she immediately tensed, her sudden cry ringing out over the sound of the falling water. Growing erection forcing its way between her slippery thighs, Bow began to thrust; his shaft running across her labia like a saw. "Dirty tease." Windy gasped.

"You started it." He toned into her ear.

Lips on her neck, hand to her breast, cock between her legs and finger deep inside; Windy writhed in pleasure, her passion filling the bathroom with sounds that her husband had missed for over a week. "Bow..." She said in a quivering voice.

"Yes?" He gently nibbled her ear. No coherent answered followed, Windy buckled with a husky growl as she climaxed; his strong arms easily holding her in place as she jerked and spasmed. As it ran its course, she hung like a limp noodle.

"Fuck, Bow." She panted. "I needed that." Albeit wobbly, she turned and yanked him down into a long kiss. He spun her around as they embraced, letting the warm water wash the remaining soap from her body. "Speaking of needing things." Windy giggled as his primed member jabbed into her side. "This sure looks like it could use some attention." She fell to her knees and drug her nails down his bobbing shaft. "When was the last time you fired this thing?"

"The night before you left." He pet her head, curling her hair between his fingers.

"You must be so backed up." She pouted. "Poor thing." She parted her lips and sucked him into her mouth, immediately taking him to the back of her throat. He stumbled at the aggressive intake and braced his hooves in a wider stance. Windy tossed her head from side to side as she lapped her tongue over the head, left hand working the base of his shaft and right tugging and kneading his balls. Bow palmed her head, laying his other hand against the shower wall to further steady himself. His head lowered, lips separating to release a drawn out, pleasured breath. After a few minutes of steady suckling she withdrew him from her mouth, grasping the tip and mashing it against her cheek as she caught her breath. Windy smiled as he reached down and stroked himself with desperate need. "Oh yeah." She sat back on her ankles. "Get me nice and dirty again babe, all over my fucking face." She looked up into his eyes pleadingly, mouth hanging open in anticipation.

Bow took her hair and pulled her face up farther as he staggered closer. "Fuuuck!" His baritone groan reverberated as he proceeded to cover her face and neck with his long stored seed. Windy happily drank every bit that landed in her mouth and ran her hands over her cheeks, smearing the warmth onto her breasts.

"Holy shit." Windy laughed at the sheer volume.

"It has been a week." Bow reminded through a spent breath.

Windy stood with a satisfied grin as he backed up; she grabbed the body wash again and wiggled it in front of him. "Can I convince you to give me another once over?" She asked, tapping his nose with the battle.

The day went by rather quietly, as was expected. Even so, Windy began to notice that Bow and Evershy just didn't seem to know how to be around one another. Bow worked around the house as he intended to occupy himself and Evershy was always hesitant to leave the guest bedroom. When she was alone with either of them they seemed normal, but when the three of them were together they both grew quiet and reserved. The once clear bounds of the friendship they shared were now compromised and it was clear that each was struggling with how to approach the other. Windy did her best to be high spirited but the looming awkwardness never waned and she went to bed that night distressed over the fact, something that did not go unnoticed by Bow. He struggled to sleep and wound up waking around 3 am; Windy was tight against him and he gently slid from under her, his wife immediately cuddling a pillow in his place. He sat on the edge of the bed for a while before deciding to head downstairs to get some coffee. He noticed the light on in the kitchen as he descended the stairs and upon investigation he found Evershy sitting at the table with a cup of her own.

"Bow?" She quickly looked up at the sound of his entry.

"Uh... hey." He waved, not prepared to run into her at such an hour. "Can't sleep, huh?" He went to the coffee pot and helped himself to a cup of his own.

"Not for lack of trying." She admitted as she stared down into her cup.

Bow quietly prepared his coffee; thinking about how poor a choice it was to simply try and avoid any alone time with his long time friend who was obviously in need of as many as she could get. With a sigh he started knocking his fist on the counter which caught her ear. "Listen, Evershy… I'm sorry if I've been... distant."

"I understand." Evershy nodded.

Bow slowly turned and headed to the table, sitting across from her. "This isn't going to get any better until you and I talk about all this."

"I suppose not." She conceded. "Windy has certainly been trying her best."

"I know." He nodded.

"So, how do we even start?" She asked. "I don't really know what to say; honestly, I don't feel I have much right to say anything."

Hearing that made Bow realize how his silence was affecting her. "Of course you do, Evershy." He sighed. "You're not a stranger here and I don't want you to feel like you are." He let out a short laugh. "Hell, sometimes you know where things are around here better than I do."

Evershy laughed softly. "I just... I'm sorry I'm disrupting your life like this."

"It honestly isn't so bad." He assured. "Don't get me wrong, this would be a different story if Windy just showed up with some stranger that I didn't know or trust saying all this; but you're no stranger and I certainly trust you." He paused to take a drink. "So, this has been a thing since before my time... huh?"

"Yes." She confirmed.

"What happened with you two back then?" He asked further.

"It wasn't much, honestly." She confessed. "But it was so important that it impacted the rest of our lives. We grew up around each other, always close and best friends all through school. Then, I suppose we reached that age where our curiosities began to take over. We were in college at the time; Windy got a little drunker than usual and things started to come out." She chuckled. "I was so shocked at first, a little disgusted too but... there was a part of me that really wanted it as well; so we wound up spending that night together." She smiled as she thought back to the moment. "It was an eye opening moment for me. I was raised very... traditionally; sex alone was something that I was taught was a bit taboo and should be saved for marriage, and what Windy and I shared that night would have been unspeakable to my parents." Her smile faded. "I enjoyed it; and it scared me that I did so I convinced myself that it was just a one time thing. Windy noticed how I was acting and played it off too, blaming the alcohol and we... never spoke of it again. Something blossomed that night and we both walked away from it because of my stupid fears and insecurities." Her mind then flashed back to their time on the ship. "But, it meant so much to her too. She confessed that she never fully abandoned those feelings and has been harboring them all this time. I realized how much I did too and... well, all of the sudden we were college girls again."

"That's about how she put it." He noted.

"Windy is important to me." Evershy continued. "She showed me how limited my thinking has been and how much of myself I buried just to live the life my parents thought I should. She showed me that sex wasn't something to be afraid or ashamed of, that we need to enjoy our lives the way we want and not the way we think we should." Her voice grew impassioned as she spoke.

"Yeah." Bow nodded in agreement. "She's taught me that same lesson over the years." He drummed his fingers along the side of the cup. "Windy and I have opened up a lot and honestly, as timid as I was about it a first, it's been wonderful. She's always been an intensely sexual mare and that's a side of her I've been able to experience in ways I never knew I could or would."

"So, you really don't hold it against her for being with Ben and the twins?" She asked with a hint of wonder.

"No." He shook his head. "Over the years I've learned that sex is wonderful, but it doesn't define a relationship." He shrugged. "Any two creatures can have sex, it isn't hard or complicated even though we try to make it that way because we've equivocated sex and love over the years. But, they're two different things and that's what I've come know." He smiled. "Windy and I love and trust each other above all else. I know that even if she gets physical with another creature, at the end of the day that doesn't undo that love and trust; I know she'll always come home to me and that level of bond is what truly makes a relationship."

"That's a beautiful outlook, Bow." She admitted.

"Yeah, but that's also what makes this situation so much different." He continued. "This isn't just about sex. Windy is in love with you and wants the same bond with you that she shares with me; and it's clear that you feel the same way. Which means that we know where Windy stands; the only thing left is to decided where you and I stand with each other."

"I have different stakes in this." Evershy noted. "I didn't just risk my marriage because I love Windy, I also did it because I can't keep holding myself back in life anymore. Windy may have been the trigger, but what is going on with me has been building for a long time and was going to surface one way or another sooner or later." She took a composing breath. "I won't ask Windy to make the same sacrifice. I don't want to damage your relationship with her and I don't want to cost her the love you two share."

"I know." He nodded. "Thank you." He sat back in the chair. "But I know Windy and I know what she'd do if she heard you say that. Honestly, I realistically only have two choices. I can either accept what you two have and allow that to become part of my new normal; or, I can try to resist it and run the risk of losing my friend and my wife."

Evershy lowered her head in shame. "I'm sorry to force you into that type of choice, Bow."

"Well, like you said, this was boiling under the surface and was going to happen one way or the other." He bobbed his head in thought. "And like I said, this would be different if it was any creature other than you." He let out a long breath. "I've spent all day thinking about this, Evershy. I won't risk losing Windy and I wouldn't abandon my friendship with you; so, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm willing to try and make this craziness work."

Evershy's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "You are?"

"Yeah." He nodded surely. "So please don't feel like you're just a guest here or that you owe us anything; you know you're always welcome here."

Evershy wiped a tear from her eye as relief began replacing anxiety. "Thank you, Bow."

"So can we stop feeling weird around each other?" He asked as he stood.

"That sounds great." She quickly went to him, hugging him tightly.

Bow gently put his arms around her, feeling much better himself having finally been able to talk about everything. "You should really try and get some sleep."

"I know." Evershy took their cups and put them into the sink. "You too."

"I'll see you in the morning then." Bow waved as he headed for the stairs. "Goodnight, Evershy."

"Goodnight, Bow." She waved back with a warm smile.

Chapter 3

Bow was still out when Windy woke up the next morning, she decided to leave him be and went downstairs to check on Evershy. The main rooms of the house were devoid of activity so she cracked open the guest bedroom door and peeked inside; she noticed Evershy awake and watching T.V.

"Shy?" She called, pushing the door open.

"Oh, good morning." Evershy smiled with a brightness that had been absent in recent days.

"You seem... good." Windy noted as she went to join her in the bed.

"Did you talk to Bow this morning?" She asked.

"No, he's asleep." Windy put her arm around her and cuddled up. "Why?"

"Well, he and I were both having a little trouble sleeping and we wound up talking early this morning."

"About what?" Windy eagerly inquired. Evershy recounted what the two of them had spoken about, as well as her and Bow's feelings about everything. As Windy listened, her smile slowly widened as she was given the positive news about things moving forward. "Shy, that's so wonderful to hear." Windy pulled Evershy tight against her. "I was really starting to get scared that this was going to fall apart. I couldn't bear to let either of you go."

"Well, we both feel the same way about you." Evershy reached over and rubbed her thigh. "That's pretty good common ground."

"Aw." Windy chuckled. "Remind me to rock my husband's world later."

Evershy's eyes drifted to the television. "Oh, look at this." She picked up the remote and increased the volume. "News about the cruise is finally spreading."

"Oh yeah?" Windy looked and saw a picture of the ship above a news anchor's head. The mare was delivering a brief and no doubt censored account of what happened. "I hope the boys are OK."

"Me too." Evershy nodded.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Windy took her wrist and jostled her arm. "Feeling up to getting out of the house?"

"I don't know." Evershy considered the idea.

"I suppose we could stay in bed all day." Windy tap-danced her fingers up Evershy's chest.

"Windy." Evershy took her hand and held it over her heart.

"Ok, how about breakfast then?" She buried her nose in Evershy's neck, making dramatic chewing noises.

"Ah!" Evershy laughed and crumpled up at the ticking sensation. "Stop it!" Their wrestling was halted by the sound of Evershy's phone ringing; her face quickly grew serious as she leaned over to see who was calling. A tornado of emotion swept through her as she saw Cirrus' name. Slowly picking up the phone, she swiped the call button and held it to her ear. "Hello, Cirrus." Windy immediately froze, trying to hide her presence in the room. "She did? Oh dear." Evershy continued after a long pause. "What did you tell her?" Again she paused as Cirrus spoke. "I see, thank you for that. I will." Another minute passed. "Alright, I'll be there soon... bye." She ended the call with a heavy sigh.

"What happened?" Windy asked.

"Fluttershy called the house to check on me."

"Oh shit."

"He told her the truth, but not the details. He said I should be the one to talk to her about it, and I agree. Apparently they're on their way out here to see us." She laid the phone back on the night stand. "He also wants me to come by to talk."

Windy sat up on the side of the bed. "Do you... want me to come with?"

"I need to handle this myself, Windy." Evershy swung her legs off the opposite side and stood. "I've been waiting for this, but..." She failed to finish her thought.

"Shy." Windy rounded the bed and took her by the arms. "Whatever happens, it'll be okay; I'll always be right here."

"I know." Evershy nodded with a small smile. "Thank you." She slipped her arms around Windy's waist and hugged her.

Windy left her to get ready, finding Bow finally awake. She let him know what was happening and that the girls were headed out to visit them as well. Bow offered to let Evershy use his truck to make the trip, giving her what comfort he could before she went to see Cirrus. Evershy steeled herself before the trip, preparing for whatever response Cirrus would have to her recent decisions. For the first time in her life she felt like a stranger going to her own home; while the house had been a part of her life for so long, it also represented an Evershy that she knew no longer existed. It was a quiet trip, but the severe anxiousness that hung over her the last time had lessened; mostly due to the knowledge that she not only had Windy at her side but Bow as well. Pulling up to the house, she took several deep breaths before heading to the door. It opened not long after she rang the bell and when their eyes met a flood of varying emotions passed through the both of them.

"Hello, Cirrus." She wanted to hug him at the least, but felt unsure if she should do even that.

"Hello." He held the door, stepping aside so she could enter.

"How... have you been?" She asked as she made her way to the living room couch.

"As well as can be expected, I suppose." Cirrus closed the door. "It is nice to see you though." He headed over to join her.

"It's good to see you too, Cirrus." She smiled. "So, I guess you've made up your mind about all this."

He sat with an exhausted sigh. "The last days have been nothing but difficult thought; there's no making up my mind in this situation as I can't say there's a true answer. All I've been able to do is look at things as clearly as possible, which has been hard since all I see around me is memories that we've shared." He clasped his hands between his knees. "But as sweet as memories are... they are only the past, and this is about the future." He looked into her eyes with deep remorse. "I had to ask myself the most basic question, that being the one of 'can I forgive you'; after a deal of consideration I brought myself to the conclusion that I could. Even so, I realized that even if I brought myself to forgive your infidelity and this desire to have a relationship with Windy, it wouldn't change the fact that your actions would only be repeated in the future." He slowly shook his head. "To put it simply, you've changed and this change is a permanent one. When I look at you, I honestly don't recognize the mare I see; you simply aren't the Evershy I married." He saw the hurt on her face at his words.

"You're right, I'm not." She conceded. "But I don't consider that to be a bad thing."

Cirrus smiled lightly. "Neither do I."

"What?" She grew confused.

"As angry and hurt as I am, I can't look at this from just my point of view." He began. "You said you felt you had to hide parts of yourself, even from me; and now those parts have broken free. I can't just tell you to lock them away again for my sake, I would never do that to you." He reached up to the cross around his neck and held it between his fingers. "I thought a lot about life and what it means to share one; sharing a life is about equal give and take and we've shared so much over the years, but knowing that you weren't being true to all of yourself means that the balance of that give and take was skewed. I'm sorry for that."

"It wasn't your fault, Cirrus." She assured.

"It's okay." He raised his hand to still her worry. "You and I have shared an amazing life; we've had so many ups and downs, brought up two wonderful children and have made countless good memories. But, I guess that sometimes two creatures can only go so far together and it seems we've reached that point. Your path has changed and we're no longer heading in the same direction, and that isn't any creature's fault... it's simply what is." He sighed. "I asked myself if I could walk this path with you and... I just can't... which means that I have to... let you go." He struggled to get to the words out.

"Cirrus." Evershy's fists balled as she struggled to stay strong. "It's... over then?"

"I'm going to go onto the city court's website and begin the process of filing for separation." He voiced was filled with pained reluctance. "This isn't what I want, Evershy… this is just what needs to happen."

"I... I understand." She managed through her breaking voice. Even Cirrus could barely hold back his tears; he quietly stood and opened his arms to her. Evershy looked up at him, at the stallion she had shared so much with for over twenty years and started to cry. She quickly stood and hugged onto him, his hands running up and down her back as she wept into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Cirrus." She sobbed.

"Me too, dear." He choked as they rocked in place. "Listen, I don't want this to be ugly or painful." He continued. "If you want to stay with Windy then I understand, take whatever of yours you need."

"Okay." Evershy nodded. "Thank you." She pulled herself back and wiped her eyes. "Cirrus, even if you never fully forgive me for this; please just know that I do love you and I always will."

He held her shoulders and nodded. "I know I feel a lot of things now, but there will always be a part of me that loves you too; and whatever you're looking for in life now, I hope you find it."

Evershy hugged him again. "Thank you."

Windy got an emotional phone call from Evershy telling her what she and Cirrus had discussed; asking that she come over to help her collect her things. She had Bow aid her in fitting as much luggage in her car as possible and had them on the road in minutes to go help her. The process was somber and heartbreaking for all of them; both Cirrus and Evershy realizing that their time together was really over and Windy and Bow watching their friends' pain in real time. Cirrus resolved himself to the bedroom while they worked; Evershy sorrowfully directing them as to what to pack. It took some time but they got everything loaded up into Bow's truck; and while Windy and Evershy made a final round, Bow went to the master bedroom and knocked on the door. Cirrus pulled the door open, a sad smile on his face as he looked up at his friend.

"We've... uh, got everything she needs." He informed.

"Okay." Cirrus nodded.

"Look, I know this is complicated and I'm sure your view of Windy has certainly changed, but you and I have been friends a long time and that hasn't changed for me; I hope it hasn't for you either."

"Of course not, Bow." He promised.

"You know if you need anything, I'll be here." Bow vowed.

"Thank you." Cirrus patted his arm. "I'll be alright though, eventually. I have some planning of my own to do now as to where I go from here. But, if you would, just take care of Evershy. Help her get to where she wants to go and make sure she's safe."

"I will." Bow nodded soundly, his heavy hand falling to Cirrus' shoulder. "You keep strong too." He left Cirrus to his thoughts and went out to the driveway; Windy was sitting on the hood of her car with Evershy hugging her side. "Okay, I guess we're ready to go."

"Cirrus is letting Evershy take her car, so you can take your truck and she'll follow us back." Windy relayed.

"Okay." He went to them, rubbing Evershy's arm. "You ready?"

Evershy sat upright with a hard breath. "Yes." She nodded, running her wrist under her nose.

The trio made a silent procession home, exhausted by the short but emotional day. Once back, Evershy left her car in the driveway and began taking her things into the guest bedroom to sort. The room didn't quite afford enough closet space to hold all her clothes, so she held onto some of the suitcases for extra storage. After about an hour, Windy went to check on her; finding her sitting on the bed with a small box of her jewelry.

"How's it going, Shy?" She asked, sitting beside her and looking into the box.

"This is such a difficult feeling, Windy." She rolled a ring that Cirrus had given her in her hand. "I don't have much excuse to be sad because this is the choice I made. I never expected Cirrus to be okay with this, but still... to hear the words actually come from him... it hurt so badly." She tightened her hand around the ring. "But at the same time, there is a part of me that feels free; free in knowing that from here forward I can explore being me." She looked at Windy with a tired smile. "You'd think feeling sad and happy at the same time would cancel itself out, but it's just overwhelming."

"We just have to keep moving forward, Shy." Windy scooted closer and opened her hand, laying her own on top of the ring. "I know there's going to be happy times ahead for us and I can't wait to share them with you. All this pain right now is temporary."

"I'm looking forward to them too." Evershy raised Windy's hand and kissed it. "You know, as long as it isn't another cruise." She managed to laugh.

Windy shook her head with an amused breath. "Hell will freeze before I get on another cruise ship. I have... like...vacation PTSD now." As they laughed, a knock sounded on the door. "Come on in, hon." Windy called.

Bow peeked in, phone cupped in his palm. "It's Rainbow, she wants to talk to you."

"Sure." Windy held out her hand and was promptly given the phone. "Hey, sweetie. What's..." She immediately pulled the phone away from her ear, her daughter's excited speech loud enough for even Evershy to hear. "Rainbow... calm down a second." She brought the phone closer again. "I know, it's... complicated." A long pause followed. "I'm sure she is, but it's best to talk about it in person." Another pause came. "Okay, your father is staying home for a while so I'll have him head up and meet you two. Okay, sweetie; see you tomorrow." Windy ended the call with a sigh. "They're already catching a flight, they'll be here around 2pm tomorrow."

"Fluttershy must be so upset." Evershy noted with lament.

"Yeah." Windy nodded. "But Rainbow is with her; still, we'd both better prepare for an earful."

"You want me to try and soften them up before they get here?" Bow asked. "You know they're going to bomb me with questions."

"Just tell them that we'll explain everything when we see them." Evershy instructed. "I wouldn't lie to Cirrus and I'm not going to lie to my daughter."

"Well, I need a drink." Windy rose from the bed, already dreading having to explain everything to her ornery offspring.

"Better make it two." Bow laughed as he stepped out of her way.

"Make it three." Evershy added with a giggle.

"Now we're talking!" Windy called back from the hallway as they followed after her.

Chapter 4

Bow left around eleven in the morning for the airport, leaving Windy and Evershy to prepare for the visit. While Evershy's vote was to rehearse what they would say to their daughters, Windy's was to enjoy what time they had to relax; she was able to convince her fretting friend to join her in the hot tub within the enclosed patio for a glass of wine. The heated, bubbling water was a blessing on their bodies which had been wracked from nerves ever since they got home.

"Ahh, that's better." Windy sighed as she laid her arm out over the edge and leaned back.

"This is nice, Windy." Evershy admitted. "But we really should consider how we tell the girls about all this; I mean, this is really going to shock them."

"It's going to shock them no matter how we say it." Windy noted as she sipped her wine. "You've been a wreck for days now and I'm right behind you, we can't have an honest conversation about anything if we're in that mindset."

"I suppose not." Evershy conceded.

"Just relax and when they get here... we'll simply say what needs to be said."

"I'm just worried about Fluttershy. Splitting from Cirrus is painful enough but I'd hate for all this to push her away too."

"Shy, it isn't like I'm not worried about the same thing." Windy sat up straight. "But you have your own life to live, and so do I. I don't want Rainbow or Fluttershy to hold any of this against me, but if they do then that's their choice. I love my daughter and yours has been just as close to me since the day she was born, but they're grown and we can't be beholden to them when it comes to how we live our lives."

"I know you're right, as cold as that sounds." Evershy took a much longer sip from her own glass.

"It isn't about being cold, it's about being real." Windy scooted closer and put her arm around her. "Which is the main thing you're working on now, right? Being real about yourself and what you want, not any creature else." She pecked her on the cheek. "Besides, kids today are all progressive now. I'm sure they'll be fine with the fact that their moms are banging."

"Windy." Evershy snorted, slapping her thigh through the water.

"Speaking of which, the last few days have been rough and we haven't gotten to spend any real 'quality' time together." Windy set her glass aside and slid her arm across Evershy's waist. "We've got the place to ourselves, how about we really unwind?" She started kissing her neck and jaw.

"After everything... that does sound nice." Evershy set her own glass at a safe distance and brought Windy's head up for a kiss. "Keep moving forward, right?"

"Exactly." Windy welcomed her tongue into her mouth. Crafty fingers undoing Evershy's top, Windy sent it floating away to the opposite side of the tub and submerged to suck on her breasts. Evershy reached around and returned the favor, pulling off Windy's top and tossing it onto the concrete. "Ooh." Windy rose from the water with an amused smile. "You're learning."

"I have a terrible teacher." Evershy laughed.

"How about we take this to the bedroom?" Windy suggested. "I don't think the filter can handle what I'm going to do to you."

Evershy rolled her eyes, far too used to Windy's raunchiness. They left the warm water, hastily toweling off as they moved into Evershy's room. Barely getting the door closed, they were in each others arms and dragging their fingertips over one another. Windy pushed her back onto the bed and grabbed the waist of her bikini bottoms, pulling them around her hips and up her legs; discarding them without much care for where they landed. Shimmying out of her own, she laid on top of her; mounting her leg and letting their bodies meld together as she began kissing her neck.

"Windy, can I at least take my glasses off?" Evershy asked through a pleasured gasp.

"Leave them on." Windy mumbled into her neckline. "It's a hot look." She added, maneuvering around to the opposite side of her throat. "Like the sexy librarian all the boys want to fuck." She suddenly pushed herself up with an eager smile. "Oh, we're totally doing that this Halloween."

"We are definitely not doing that." Evershy smiled up at her.

"Come on." Windy toned. "We'll get you a knee length skirt, low cut blouse and a yard stick... ooh, makes me wet just thinking about it."

"Get down here." Evershy reached up and took Windy's hair, pulling her down into a kiss. They hastily ground themselves against each others legs, trails of their lust running down onto the sheets. Windy rolled onto her back, dragging Evershy on top of her and firmly gripping her rear.

"Shy, sit this perfect ass of yours right on my face." She ordered in a near growl.

Evershy raised up and pulled a 180, hovering herself just over Windy's waiting mouth. "Like this?"

"Perfect." Windy grabbed her hips and brought her down hard, tongue plunging inside in a single motion. Evershy fell forward onto her palms, gripping the sheets as Windy smothered herself. She watched Windy's knees part, inviting her to reciprocate; she laid flat and hooked her arms around Windy's legs, eyes affixed to her twitching slit. Evershy felt her lower body tremble from Windy's muffled moan as her tongue washed over her clit; it was a flavor she had not tasted in decades and yet she remembered it well. Drawn back in time to when they were younger, she repositioned her right wrist and sank three fingers into Windy's depths; lips tightly wrapping around the protruding nub above the entrance.

"Oh my god, Shy." Windy whined as she pulled back for air. "You haven't lost your touch."

The praise half registering in her mind, Evershy reflexively responded by pistoning her digits even faster; Windy diving back into her own feast in response. They worked each other into a heated state, the doubled efforts of one serving to spur the other and vice versa. She could feel Windy getting close, her abs were flexing wildly and her hips rolled in time to her movements; her own attentions had halted as she groaned and thrashed her head on the bed from the welling sensation inside of her. Evershy heard her name bounce off the walls as Windy's thighs clamped together around her hand, she could hardly move her fingers within the vice-like bind so she merely focused on mashing her tongue down onto her clit as hard as she could. Her eyes widened as Windy's nails dug into her soft ass, moans and expletives echoing in her ears.

"Fuck me..." Windy whispered as she lay flat on the bed.

Evershy sat upright and looked down over her shoulder. "Windy?"

"Yeah?" Windy's glassy eyes focused up at her, seeing an aggressive glint in the usually docile mare.

"Keep going." Evershy fully sat back and pressed herself down on her mouth. Windy gathered her strength and made her move to bring Evershy off; tongue pressing inside once more and thumbs teasing the entrance to her ass. Evershy closed her eyes, grasping her breasts and rocking her hips to massage her clit on Windy's lip. Losing herself in the moment, she started to roughly fuck Windy's tongue; pawing her nipples and registering pleasured mewls that only her demure voice could craft. In a rare moment of excess she actually cried out; a flood of warmth coating her nether as she gushed down onto Windy. She immediately fell forward again, Windy gasping for air as she swallowed the mouthful.

"Whoa... almost drowned there." Windy chuckled, giving Evershy's ass a sound spank.

"Sorry." Evershy weakly offered as she recovered.

"Don't be." Windy laid her head back. "I think I like you as a dominatrix; maybe we'll swap out that librarian outfit for some tight leather and knee high boots."

"We're still not doing that." Evershy reminded with a tired laugh.

Undoubtedly more relaxed, the duo waited for Bow to return with their daughters. Windy answered her phone at around four to hear that they were just around the corner; sighing heavily as she ended the call.

"They'll be here in a few." Windy stood from the dining room table and patted Evershy's shoulder.

"Okay." Evershy nodded, following her into the living room to wait.

Soon enough they heard Bow's truck pull into the driveway and come to a stop. As the front door opened, Bow stepped in with a tired look on his face.

"Your turn." He chuckled as he pocketed his keys.

"Mom!?" Rainbow Dash brazenly entered with Fluttershy behind her.

"Hello, honey." Windy waved from her seat on the arm of the couch. "I see you went easy on your father."

"He asked if we wanted to stop for ice cream." She narrowed her eyes, looking towards the kitchen. "This isn't a boo-boo and we're not twelve, dad!"

"I noticed." Bow noted as he returned with a glass of water.

"Mom." Fluttershy slowly went to Evershy and knelt in front of her.

"Fluttershy, dear." Evershy reached out and took her hands, squeezing them tenderly. "I trust you have a lot of questions."

"I'm sorry I sent you on that cruise!" Fluttershy suddenly blurted out, her eyes wet with tears. "I'm stupid for not realizing what it was and we never meant for you two to be in danger and...what happened between you and dad is because of it isn't it..."

"Sweetie." Evershy pulled her in and hugged her. "None of this is your fault. There is no way you could have known what would happen and we don't blame you two at all." She petted her hair. "The same goes for what happened between your father and I."

"I'm just glad you're okay." Fluttershy cried into her shoulder.

"Everything is Ok." Evershy promised. "Please don't cry."

"She been like this the whole time?" Windy quietly asked.

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash sighed. "Listen... I'm sorry too."

"Didn't read the pamphlet, did you?" Windy eyed her with a smirk.

"Ah... no." She admitted. "I figured if it was good with Shy, then it was ok."

Windy reached out and lightly punched her jaw. "It's fine, thanks for being there for her."

"Well yeah." Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head shyly. "So what the heck is going on?"

Windy glanced over at Evershy. "That's a story and a half, kiddo; and one you might not like the ending of."

"Are you and dad really splitting?" Fluttershy finally asked as she sat back on her knees.

"Yes." Evershy answered simply.

Fluttershy's head dropped. "Why? What happened?"

"I'll have to tell you about what happened on the ship first." Evershy patted the spot next to her; as her daughter sat at her side she once again recounted what happened on the cruise ship, not sparing the girls any details. As she finished, she could see the overwhelmed look in Fluttershy's eyes and frowned. "I know that story is a lot to take in, but it's important when it comes to your father and I." She continued. "To put it simply, I rediscovered so much of myself on that ship and that is something I'm happy with; but, the cost of that discovery was... your father."

"Wait!" Rainbow Dash held her hands up and looked between her mother and Evershy. "So... you two..."

"It's more than that, Rainbow." Windy elaborated.

"Rainbow Dash." Evershy looked to her with honest eyes. "Your mother and I had something special, long before we even met your fathers; and it was something we were both forced to walk away from at the time. We've found it again and this time we're embracing it."

"So you're like... together? Together together?"

"Yep." Windy confirmed.

Out of the blue, a heavy panic filled Rainbow Dash's eyes. "Does that mean that... Fluttershy and I are sisters now?" She looked at Fluttershy worriedly. "Holy crap... I've been making out with my sister!" As soon as the words left her mouth she clamped her hand over it, rapidly looking around the room.

Windy looked over at Fluttershy whose face had gone bright red and was promptly buried in her hands. She looked back at her daughter, smiling from ear to ear. "Well well well, looks like the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Oh my." Fluttershy muttered into her palms.

"And here I thought this couldn't get any more complicated." Bow noted.

"I didn't..." Rainbow Dash rapidly tried to back peddle.

"Hey, it's okay." Windy assured. "I don't blame you." She reached over and rubbed Evershy's shoulder. "There's just something about these Shy women, am I right?"

"Mom!" Rainbow Dash glared at her. "Don't be gross."

"Gross!?" Windy stood with a hard eye. "You're literally doing the same thing I am."

"It's not the same." She defended. "You two are..." She immediately stopped herself.

"Uh oh." Bow shook his head.

"What?" Windy stormed over to her daughter. "What are we? Old!?"

"That's not what I was going to say."

"Oh really?" Windy took her in a headlock. "Then what is it then?"

"Ow!" Rainbow Dash struggled. "Knock it off, mom! Dad, help!"

"Don't drag me into this." Bow chortled as he drank his water.

As they battled, Evershy looked at Fluttershy with a calm smile. "How about you and I talk somewhere quieter?"

"Okay." Fluttershy slowly nodded, following her to the guest bedroom. As Evershy shut the door behind them, she sat on the bed and smiled up at her daughter.

"I know that was all hard to hear and I know that it will take you some time to take it all in; but I want you to know that if you feel you need to be angry at me or even hate me for my decisions, then I do understand."

"It's just... why all of the sudden?" Fluttershy asked. "You and dad have been together for so long and you seemed so happy."

"We were happy." Evershy assured. "Believe me, what your father and I shared was so special and what is happening now doesn't mean that it was for nothing. I love your father and I always will." She thought back to her talk with Cirrus. "You know what, your father actually said it best; he said that our lives were just taking different paths now and he can't follow me on mine."

"He said that?"

"Yes, he did." Evershy nodded. "This may seem too sudden to make sense but I think everything happens for a reason. I regret not being fully honest with myself when I was younger but I also can't say I regret the life I had."

"That doesn't make sense." Fluttershy admitted as she sat beside her.

"No, it doesn't; but look at it this way." Evershy reached over and set her hand atop hers. "If Windy and I had stayed together back then, then I never would have had my time with Cirrus and neither of us would have such amazing little girls; and without those girls, we wouldn't have wound up on that cruise and I wouldn't have been able to find the 'me' that I abandoned so long ago. Not to mention we wouldn't have been there to put a stop to Solstice and his experiments." She patted Fluttershy's hand. "Life always changes, no matter how old you get; I'm starting a new part of mine but you and Cirrus will never not be a part of that life. That is, if you can find it in you to forgive me and still look at me as your mother."

"I don't want to lose either of you." Fluttershy pursed her lips. "If this is your choice I can't do anything about it, it's just... hard."

"I know, sweetie." Evershy nodded. "It's hard for me too. If there's one thing I've learned above all else it's to not run from your feelings; and that's a lesson I hope you learn far earlier than I did." She smiled. "You love Rainbow, don't you?"

"I..." Fluttershy wiggled uncomfortably in place.

"It's okay." Evershy promised. "To be honest, it isn't that surprising; you two are just like us. You were inseperable while you were growing up so it makes sense that your feelings for her evolved beyond just friendship. Don't ever feel ashamed about what you feel and don't make yourself think you shouldn't feel those things or that you aren't allowed to; if you genuinely want to be with her then I think that's wonderful."

"Really?" She looked to her mother with cautious optimism. "I was scared to tell you."

"I'm sorry that you felt that way." Evershy shook her head. "I know how that feels; but as long as you're safe and happy... that's all I care about." She laughed lightly. "If Rainbow is anything like her mom, then you're in good hands."

"Thank you." Fluttershy quickly hugged her. "I want to be happy for you too."

"I appreciate that, but you take all the time you need to process this; I know this isn't going to be easy for you or Zephyr."

"Does he know?" Fluttershy asked as she sat back.

"Not yet, things have been so hectic and I'm waiting till I'm in a better place to speak to him." Evershy stood and offered her hand. "Come on, let's go make sure our girlfriends haven't killed each other."

"Right." Fluttershy nodded, accepting her hand with warm giggle.

Author's Note

I'm sure feelings about Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy being together will be mixed, but the situation was just too funny and bond strengthening to pass up on my part.

Chapter 5

Windy and Rainbow Dash ceased their familial squabble when they noticed their respective Shys' return from the bedroom.

"Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash fixed her hair as she stood up straight. "You okay?"

"Mm hm." Fluttershy nodded.

"Does that mean I can keep my title of cool aunt?" Windy asked.

"Of course." Fluttershy hugged her with a laugh.

"Thank goodness." Windy patted her back as she squeezed her.

"Mom explained things pretty well." She admitted. "It's just a lot to adjust to."

"There's a lot of that going around." Bow said in consolation.

"So, you're okay with this, Dad?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Bow chuckled in thought. "I... had to make a decision about it." He began. "Taking everything into consideration, I made the decision to always stick by your mom; just like I promised on our wedding day."

Windy leaned against his chest with a happy smile. "I keep putting that promise to the test, that's for sure. Thankfully you're always the rock I know I can hang on to."

"You girls must be hungry after your trip." Evershy noted. "How about I make dinner for us?"

"It's getting late." Windy interrupted. "Let's just go out; it'll be easier and we can relax and catch up."

"Okay." Rainbow Dash nodded.

"You mean I get to drive some more?" Bow asked with fake enthusiasm.

"I'll drive." Evershy volunteered with a laugh.

"Great." Windy took the girls under her arms. "Where do you want to go?"

"Well, it's been forever since we've been in town." Fluttershy thought. "I really miss Palamino's, we don't have one where we are."

"Perfect." Windy hugged them against her. "To the Shy-mobile!"

"Mom..." Rainbow Dash groaned as everyone headed out the door.

The Italian hole in the wall brought back pleasant memories as it was a standard of the girls' childhood when they were growing up. They nestled into a corner booth; Bow taking the inside curve with Windy at his side, Evershy on the end and the girls on the opposite side. They were quick to order some long time favorites and all took a round of drinks to accompany their lemon waters.

Windy smiled at the girls, taking a sip of her Campari. "So, how long has this been a thing?"

"About six months now." Fluttershy answered, hooking her arm around Rainbow Dash's. "Honestly, when we started officially dating things didn't feel different in the slightest."

"That's the sign of a strong relationship." Bow noted.

"Yeah, well... that's how I look at it." Rainbow Dash shyly admitted. "I wasn't going to let her wind up with some jerk who would just take advantage of her." Fluttershy smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Aww, isn't that cute?" Windy put her arm around Evershy. "Like looking in a mirror." Windy copied the gesture of affection.

"So, how has your university time been going?" Bow asked. "You're on your second year now, right?"

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash confirmed. "We're between semesters right now so it's mostly just been working and league practice for me; the college soccer season starts up again next month."

"And what about you, dear?" Evershy glanced over at Fluttershy. "Still enjoying the nursing program?"

"Definitely." Fluttershy nodded with a bright smile. "I'm lucky enough to get paid for time spent training on the hospital grounds outside of classes. Between the two of us we manage to hold onto the apartment."

"That's wonderful, I'm so proud of you two." Evershy lauded.

"We all are." Windy assured. "It isn't as easy at it used to be to maintain a school and work life."

Their talk was briefly interrupted by the arrival of their meals. They spent the rest of the dinner just talking about normal life, taking a break from all the craziness and drama that had plagued them all for days now. It was a welcome reprieve and a good look at what their new normal could become. When they got back to the house, Bow set the girls up in the den with an air mattress and spare linens. Everyone went to bed that night feeling better in one way or another; particularly Evershy, who had her fear of her daughter's rejection put to rest.

The following morning, Windy and Evershy were able to indulge in the act of making breakfast for their little girls again; and while they felt like a whole as they ate they couldn't ignore the fact that they were one short. After eating, Fluttershy took her mother aside while the others tended the kitchen.

"Hey mom, I'd like to go see dad today." Fluttershy said as they left the earshot of the others.

"I think that's a good idea." Evershy agreed.

"It's just... I know he's going to have his own side to all this." She continued.

"Yes, he will." Evershy nodded. "Whatever he has to say though, it doesn't change where I stand. You're free to agree or disagree with either of us; just as he and I will have different outlooks, you're going to have one of your own and that's okay." She softly took her wrists. "I don't ever want you to feel like you have to take sides; one thing that I know will never change is how much we both love you."

Fluttershy smiled with a comforted nod. "Thanks, mom."

"You can take my car if you want." Evershy offered.

"Okay." She waited while Evershy went to get her keys, once in her possession she returned to the kitchen and took Rainbow Dash's hand. "Dashie, I'm going to see my dad."

"Oh." Rainbow Dash fidgeted with uncertainty. "Do you... want me to go with you?"

"It's okay, I need some alone time with him."

"Alright." Rainbow Dash nodded. "Call me if you need me though."

"I will." Fluttershy gently kissed her lips. "Be back later." She hurried out for the car and headed on her way.

"She going to see, Cirrus?" Windy asked from her spot at the sink.

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash said with slight concern.

"That's good." She admitted with a sigh. "I'd like to be more supportive on that front, but I'm pretty sure he hates my guts about now."

"He doesn't hate you, honey." Bow assured. "He knows you aren't the cause of what's happening."

"Bow is right." Evershy added as she returned to the kitchen.

"I guess I'll know for sure if my ears start burning." Windy chuckled.

"Rainbow Dash?" Evershy smiled down at her. "Is there anything you'd like to do today while Fluttershy is gone?"

"Nah." Rainbow Dash shook her head. "The last two days have been long, trying to catch a flight and getting out here... I'm wiped. I think I'll just chill till she get's back." She headed back towards her temporary room.

"How about us then?" Windy asked as her daughter trotted off.

"Actually, I was going to see what we could do with that room to make things easier for Evershy." Bow relayed.

"Really?" Evershy asked.

"Yeah, can't have you living out of suitcases forever." He smiled at her. "Besides, I've run out of housework so I need something to keep busy."

"Thank you." She smiled in appreciation.

"Yeah, you should look into decorating it how you like, Shy." Windy chimed in.

"Oh, I don't want to just go around redecorating your house."

"Our house." Windy insisted. "You aren't just a guest."

"She's right." Bow nodded. "If you're going to be here now then you should definitely have your own space that feels like home to you."

"You really don't mind?" Evershy asked again.

"Hey, as long as nobody touches the garage or the main bathroom then I'm good." He shrugged. "Those places are very important to a stallion.

Windy laughed and slapped his shoulder. "Spoken like a true 'guy'."

The trio spent the remainder of the morning and early afternoon taking measurements, weighing options and spit-balling ideas for Evershy's room. She eventually had a solid list of what she wanted to do and what additional furnishings would get her sorted out.

The session halted around five when Fluttershy finally returned; Rainbow Dash came running once she was back and found her with a not disheartened look on her face. "Shy, how'd it go?" She asked.

"Okay." Fluttershy nodded. "He's... doing better than I thought he would be." She glanced over and saw her mother coming to join them. "He said a lot of the things you did, mom. Mostly though, we just talked about normal stuff; I guess he doesn't want this to hang over our heads any more than it already is."

"That's good to hear." Evershy smiled.

"Our return flight is tomorrow." She looked over at Rainbow Dash. "But I want to come back when we can schedule a real vacation."

"Sure." Rainbow Dash agreed. "Whatever you want to do, we'll make it happen."

"Thank you." Fluttershy smiled as she yawned. "Ooh, I'm sorry."

"Rainbow Dash said you've had a long couple of days." Evershy recalled. "How about you just take it easy now?"

"Good idea." She slowly nodded. "I could use a nap."

As Rainbow Dash took her back to the room, Evershy returned to her own. Bow and Windy were still idling, not wanting to pry too much.

"How's she doing?" Windy asked.

"Good." Evershy sat on the bed. "She's just worn out from everything."

"Can't blame her." Bow leaned against the wall. "But at least she's past the bluntest part."

"Yeah." Windy sat beside Evershy. "I think we all are."

"Well, I think we've done enough for now." Bow pocketed his measuring tape. "If you're up for it, you two can go shopping tomorrow while I'm taking the girls back up to the airport."

"I think that's a great idea." Windy agreed.

"Okay." Evershy patted her leg. "Once Fluttershy is rested, we should spend the rest of the day with them while they're here."

"No arguments here." Bow headed for the door. "I'm going to get cleaned up."

"Ooh, I better give him a hand." Windy muttered over to Evershy with a grin.

"Go." She pushed Windy off the bed with lighthearted laugh.

They spent that night enjoying their time with the girls, not knowing when they would see them again. The following morning, after a heartful goodbye, Bow took Windy's car and left with them for the airport. While he was gone, as suggested, Windy and Evershy headed out to gather items on their list. The furniture store afforded them an armoire and extended dresser to solve her storage issues; they picked up paint and supplies at the hardware store, color matching towels, mats and accessories for the bathroom at the mall and finally lunch. Bow returned home near two in the afternoon, finding the house suspiciously quiet. He heard faint music coming from Evershy's room and found the duo already well into repainting the room.

"Getting a little ahead, aren't you?" He looked over the walls.

"Maybe." Windy silenced the radio on her phone. "But we know what we're doing."

"Really?" He smiled. "Is that why there's no painter's tape along the ceiling or floorboards?"

"Pssh." Windy waved him off. "We've got steady hands, it's fine."

"Sorry, Bow." Evershy went to him with a stripe of paint on her cheek. "I guess we just got excited to get started."

"Nothing wrong with that." He chuckled. "Color looks good."

"Shy picked it out." Windy informed.

"Alright, well let me grab a drink and I'll come help you get this done." He offered.

"Thanks, hon." Windy saluted as she walked by.

"Yes, thank you Bo...OOW" Evershy lurched forward and into him, Bow catching her and holding her upright. Evershy looked up at him in embarrassment and quickly pulled her hands from his chest, casting her eyes back across the room. "Windy!"

"Whoops." Windy grinned at them. "Must have slipped." She restarted the music and took up her roller again.

"Subtle, honey." Bow shook his head, offering Evershy and apologetic smile; although their eyes held on each others' a bit longer than usual before Evershy pulled herself back.

"It's okay." Evershy assured. "Just Windy being Windy."

"That's always her excuse." He laughed as he headed for the kitchen.

"Why'd you do that?" Evershy grumbled as she picked up her brush.

"Why?" Windy eyed her. "Did you not like it?"

Evershy pursed her lips. "You're such a goof."

"That isn't a no." She smiled, returning to her work.

With Bow at their side, they finshed the first coat for the bedroom and moved on to the bathroom; stopping to eat once it had its own new shade. After their break, they went through and applied a second coat where needed and then began moving the new furniture inside from the garage. Bow set it into position under Evershy's direction while Windy swapped out the bathroom accents. Lastly, Evershy was able to empty the rest of the luggage which held the remainder of her things and by the evening she was able to look upon her new suite.

"Well, how does it look?" Bow asked as he sat in the chair.

"Perfect." Evershy answered in near tears.

"Awesome." Windy kissed her.

"That's good." Bow pushed himself up; as he passed her he hugged her from the side. "Welcome home, then."

Hearing that made Evershy feel better about many things. "Thank you." She smiled warmly as they looked over their hard work.

Chapter 7

Bow awoke with a mare under each arm, everything that the previous night had entailed flooding back into his mind. His eyes panned across his chest to see Windy and Evershy still asleep, both contently snuggled against either side of him. He looked down at Evershy with a mixed bag of emotions; while he undoubtedly enjoyed what happened between them he couldn't help but feel a nagging guilt about it all. His hand came up and rested on her shoulder, running down her arm and onto her blanketed hip.

"Hey." He quickly looked over to see Windy smiling up at him. "Feeling like quite the stallion right now I'll bet."

He breathed a quiet laugh. "I have to admit, I didn't quite see things going this way; but, it's a pretty nice feeling."

Windy rubbed his chest languidly. "Last night was something amazing Bow; something I always wished for but never in a million years thought would happen." She reached across his body and ran her fingers through Evershy's hair. "I love you both so much; and in spite of all the pain and drama that came with this I can't help but feel so happy right now." She felt him squeeze her against his body but saw the troubled look in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

Bow sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. I know last night was her choice but I really feel like... like I betrayed Cirrus by doing that."

Windy took his cheek and pulled his head over to look into his eyes. "Bow, don't do that to yourself." She said sternly. "Cirrus and I were never going to be best friends, I'm about a good life and he's about the good book; even so I respect the guy. So I'm not being biased when I say that he made his choice and so did you." Her hand fell to his chest. "I know I dropped a lot in your lap when we got back but you still had a choice; and you chose to be there not just for me but for her; and trust me, that means so much to her. Like she said, she's her own mare now and what happened between you two last night wasn't anything wrong or anything to feel bad about."

Bow considered her assessment with a slow nod. "In all honesty I know you're right, it's just a..." He stopped as he felt Evershy begin to stir.

"Well, speak of the sexy devil." Windy laughed as her eyes began to open.

"Oh." Evershy realized where she was and smiled. "Morning."

"Morning, Evershy." Bow gazed down at her softly.

"How you feeling?" Windy inquired with a smirk.

"Good." Evershy smiled up at Bow. "Kinda sticky though." She laughed as her head returned to his shoulder.

"Nothing a hot shower won't fix." Windy pulled the blanket away and straddled Bow. "But, since all the walls between you two have finally come down and Bow here still has a few days of vacation left, I say we run him ragged." She smiled and bopped his nose.

"Don't threaten me." He laughed.

"Hey, it's two on one now, stud." She reminded. "Not too old to keep up with a couple of wild girls like us are you?"

"I wouldn't exactly say I'm wild, Windy." Evershy interjected.

"You'll get there sweetie, one day at a time." Windy assured.

"I think Evershy needs to rub off on you for a change." Bow reached up and pulled her down on top of him.

"Babe, she rubs off on me all the time." Windy huskily toned. "Shy, get up here and help me show my better half what he's up against."

"Oh dear." Evershy flustered as she began to realize what she was a part of now.

After a brief but intense delay, the day got underway. Things truly did feel new for the three of them and Evershy's lingering concern about her ability to fully move forward in life had lifted. She was sitting alone in the dining room for a while before Windy wandered back through and found her, noticing the thoughtful look on her face.

"What's up, Shy?" She asked as she sat in the chair beside her.

"Oh, I was just thinking that I should start working again." Evershy answered.

"You want to get a job?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I could use something to keep me out and about; also, I don't just want to freeload. I feel like I should bring something in to help out and at least cover my own expenses."

"Aw, but if you start working it's going to make me look bad." Windy sulked but almost instantly cheered. "Hey, why don't we do something together? Start our own business."

"What?" Evershy looked at her sideways. "We can't do that."

"Why not?" Windy asked. "I mean, you really want to just go out and get a job so someone half your age can tell you what to do?"

"Well..."

"Exactly." Windy cut her off.

"But, what would we even do?" She asked.

Windy hummed in thought. "We should be cam girls!" She said excitedly.

"What!?" Evershy's eyes widened.

"Yeah." Windy smiled. "We could put on private shows; lonely guys would pay a fortune to see you spray like a friggin geyser."

"Absolutely not." Evershy shook her head, red with embarrassment at the mere thought.

"You sure, it's easy money." Windy added with a salesman's smile.

"I'm not doing porn." She insisted.

"Fine, fine." Windy sighed. "But we should do our own thing."

"That I agree with." Evershy stood. "We'll think of something."

"Where you going?"

Evershy took out her phone and looked down at it. "It's well past time I talked to Zephyr, he still doesn't know what's going on."

"Oh." Windy nodded. "Good idea." She patted her chest. "I'll keep working on ideas."

"Ok." Evershy started for her room, looking back and pointing at her. "Nothing sex related."

"I know... geez." Windy threw her hands up.

Evershy went into her room and sat on the bed, scrolling though her contacts all the way to the bottom where Zephyr's name sat. More sure of herself and in a better place then when she had this conversation with Fluttershy, her talk with Zephyr on the subject was far more matter of fact. Usually the mouthy one, Zephyr sat quietly as she explained what was happening and why; the more distant one from the family than her daughter, he took the story in stride, mostly concerned about how everyone else was handling the situation. He apologized for being out of contact for so long and promised a visit, he also promised to call his father and be there for him as much as he could. Evershy reminded him, as she did for Fluttershy, that this was a decision between the two of them and it didn't affect their love or willingness to be there for him; he thanked her and honestly wished her well, letting her know he would see her as soon as he could. After the nearly two hour conversation, Evershy felt a bit drained and went to the kitchen to find something to eat. To her surprise, she found Windy still writing notes about possible business ventures.

"You're still at it?" Evershy looked over her shoulder.

"Hey, I'm serious about this." Windy tapped her cheek with the pen.

"Good to know." Evershy opened the fridge, pulling out a pre-packaged chef's salad.

"How'd the talk go?" Windy asked as she doodled on her scratch paper.

"Good." She sat on one of the stools that lined the kitchen island. "He said he'd come down as soon as he could."

"That'll be nice." Windy noted positively.

They heard the front door open and Bow came into the house, he tossed his keys on the door-side table and joined them. "Hey, hon." As he rounded the island, Windy leaned back and hugged his side with a welcoming kiss.

"Hey, stud." She smacked his ass, watching him as he went to the fridge. "Ahem... I believe you're forgetting someone." She toned.

Bow looked back at her and then to Evershy. "Oh, forgive me." He went to Evershy, she laughed with mild embarrassment as they shared a kiss of their own.

"Aw." Windy laid her head in her hand. "You two make a cute couple."

"So, what are you working on?" Bow asked, noticing her scrawling.

"Shy and I are going to go into business." She answered succinctly.

"What?" He looked between them.

"Well, I was thinking of getting a job again." Evershy explained. "But Windy thinks we should start a home business."

"That's... an interesting idea." Bow slowly nodded. "Anything in mind?"

"Well, Shy used to teach... I was thinking we could organize our own tutor program. Kind of like our own night school."

"Oh." Evershy perked up at the idea. "That could be nice; I would just need to update my certification."

"Yeah, and I can handle all the managerial stuff." Windy noted. "What do you think, hon?" She looked to Bow.

"Sounds like a positive move." He nodded. "It'll take some doing to get started though."

"We can start small." Windy continued. "Get our name out on social media, set up a website and all that; sound like a plan, Shy?"

"Yeah, it does." Evershy said surely. "Let's do it."

Bow smiled as they high-fived over the idea.

Life continued to move on and improve as time went by. Over the next month, Evershy was able to recertify herself for accredited teaching and the officially named Everwind tutoring and prep program was off the ground. Bow lovingly sacrificed his garage for them to operate out of, having a separate heating and cooling system installed to keep things comfortable for Evershy and her classes. The additional income that began to flow in was welcome though and allowed other long waiting improvements around the house to be made. As more time passed, Evershy and Cirrus slowly started to communicate again; talking at least once a week over the phone in an earnest effort to remain close. The two of them even came together to meet with Zephyr when he finally made his trip down to see them, wanting to be together to talk to him about everything. Their son was atypically emotional and apologized for not being around as much as his sister, promising to work on maintaining more frequent contact with them. On the home side of things, the intimacy between Evershy and Bow continued to grow; nourished, of course, by the ever eager Windy who exploited every opportunity to get them together both in and out of the bedroom. The new normal that they had tasted during their daughters' visit had become a reality and after seven months everything felt like it had fallen perfectly into place.

It was the beginning of the weekend; Windy and Evershy were out in the backyard pulling another batch of vegetables from the garden Evershy had started some months back. Bow sat on the couch, reading the Saturday paper; he looked up as the doorbell rang and laid the paper aside to go answer. He opened the door and paused at the massive stallion that was on the opposite side.

"Hello." Bow greeted.

"Hi." He tipped his head. "Does... Windy Whistles live here?"

"Yes." Bow nodded. "Who are you?"

"Well, she knows me as Ben." He answered.

"Oh." Bow's suspicion calmed at the now familiar name. "I see, just a second." He stepped back into the house and looked to the back door. "Honey! You've got a visitor!"

After a few moments, Windy and Evershy came inside; as they rounded the corner Windy's eyes widened as she saw their guest. "B.B!?"

"Oh my." Evershy gasped at the familiar face.

"Hey." Ben waved shortly.

"Oh my god!" Windy ran to the door and hugged him. "B.B., look at you... I didn't recognize you wearing actual clothes." She noted with a laugh as she backed away, looking him up and down.

"Yeah." He smiled sheepishly. "It's good to see you again."

"Ben." Evershy approached.

"Evershy?" He looked to her with a bit of confusion. "You're here too?"

"Yes." She nodded. "That's... a long story."

"Come in." Windy grabbed his hand.

"Hold on a second." Ben paused and looked back towards the driveway with a wave.

They heard a set of car doors open and close, Windy squealed in delight as she saw who else had come. "Aron! Nora!" She hurried out onto the porch as they appeared; the griffons smiled at the sight of her and hugged her tightly as she dropped to her knees before them.

"Hello." Aron pressed his cheek against hers.

"Mrs. Windy." Nora did the same against her opposite.

"I can't believe you're here." Windy nuzzled them, a tear leaving her eye. "God I missed you two."

"We missed." Aron began.

"You too." Nora finished.

Evershy brought her hand to her mouth as Daydream stepped around after them. He looked at her in shock but it soon dissolved into a warm smile, he waved and she slowly stepped outside the greet him. "Daydream." She smiled brightly.

"Hey, Evershy." He walked around Windy and the twins to reach her. "Long time."

"Yeah, it has been." She reached out, taking his hands and pulling him into a hug. "How are you?"

"Good." He slowly put his arms around her, the smell of her hair brining back all the memories of their time together.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Windy stood and looked back at Ben. "Miss us that much?"

"Yeah, but that's not why." Ben explained, his face growing stern. "Solstice escaped custody."

"What!?" Windy looked over at Evershy with heavy shock at the jarring news.

Chapter 8

The group stood silent at the bomb Ben had dropped on them; having moved on so much since the incident, just hearing the name was enough to drag them all back to nearly a year ago when they battled the stallion.

"How in the world did he get away?" Evershy asked, breaking the silence.

"Not entirely sure." Ben shook his head. "We were paid a visit by the police who let us know, they didn't give us a lot of details. Apparently, they've been trying to contact everyone who was on the ship to let them know, but they're having a hard time."

"Since that was the case." Daydream continued. "We started to get worried about you and came to tell you ourselves."

"How did you find us?" Windy asked.

"Well, we were still able to access the cruise's databases using the employee portal." He explained. "We found your addresses and booked a flight."

"Why don't we talk about this inside." Evershy suggested.

"Yeah, come on in boys." Windy ushered everyone inside. "B.B., this is my husband Bow." She introduced as they gathered in the living room.

"Nice to meet you, sir." Ben extended his hand.

"Bow is fine." Bow firmly took his hand.

Windy pushed the twins closer with a smile. "And this is Aron and Nora." Bow looked down at them and held his hand out; the twins shrunk a bit as they looked up at him, knowing how intimate they had been with Windy. Bow looked to Windy with a bit of confusion and she gently took their shoulders. "Hey now, no need to be like that." She assured. "Bow knows all about you guys."

"He..." Aron glanced back at her.

"Does?" Nora did the same.

"Yeah." Bow called their attention back with a friendly smile. "It's nice to get the chance to meet you."

The twins both extended a talon, Bow took them both in one hand and shook. Windy went to Daydream and slapped his arm. "And this is Daydream, Evershy's other boyfriend."

"Windy." Evershy huffed.

"Good to meet you." Daydream waved.

"Likewise." Bow nodded. "Listen, I imagine this is a bit awkward for you four but don't let it be." He looked over them. "When I heard what happened, I was shaken to the core; there's a good chance that Windy and Evershy wouldn't have made it home without you boys, and I'm grateful for how brave you all were on that ship."

"We're glad we could help." Ben noted. "Honestly, if it wasn't for them being bold enough to stand up, Solstice would still be using us and the guests for his experiments."

"Speaking of which." Windy sighed. "Guess we should start with the bad news, what do you guys know?"

"All the cops told us was that he had escaped from the hospital and a hunt was on the recapture him." Daydream detailed. "They wanted to inform us so we could keep our eyes open, also to ask if we wanted any type of protection since we were the ones noted on record as bringing him down." He gestured to the twins. "Aron and Nora did some digging online and found out a bit more based on a reporter who was covering the story and releasing information on his private blogs."

"What did that say?" Evershy asked.

"Solstice was said to be rendered incapable of emotion after being exposed to his own weapon." Ben continued. "But apparently, it wasn't permanent… to an extent at least."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bow queried.

"He interviewed creatures..." Aron took over.

"At the hospital after the escape." Nora concluded.

"They said he was crying, laughing and screaming..." Aron continued.

"All at the same time." Nora ended.

"Well... that's freaky." Windy noted.

"My guess is that he can't control his emotional responses anymore." Ben surmised. "Whatever that crap did to him damaged his brain and it sounds like he just feels any or all emotions all at once."

"He can't be hard to track down in that state." Evershy suggested.

"Who knows." Daydream shrugged. "The guys' devious and resourceful as hell... this could have just made him even more dangerous."

"Heh." Windy chuckled. "Guess he really did become a super villain."

"That's why we were worried about you." Daydream added. "You two were just as responsible for him going down as us, we were afraid he might come after you."

"We thought maybe you'd like to go into protection." Ben offered.

"Hell no." Windy immediately answered.

"But..." Aron looked up at her in concern.

"Mrs. Windy." Nora gave her a similar look.

"I'm not going to live in fear of that maniac." Windy smiled down at them. "If he wants to show up, let him. We'll just kick his ass again."

"That's about the answer I'd expect." Bow laughed.

"Windy is right." Evershy continued. "We're not trapped on a ship anymore, he doesn't have the advantage."

"Well hell, guess we didn't need to be so worried after all." Daydream chuckled.

"Thank you though." Evershy took his hand with a smile. "It means a lot that you boys came all this way just for us."

"Yeah." Windy laced her arms around the twins. "Now that the grim stuff is out of the way, how about you tell us how you've been getting along?"

"Okay..." Aron nodded.

"Mrs. Windy." Nora nodded.

"Any of you boys want a beer or anything?" Bow asked as he moved to the kitchen.

"Absolutely." Ben laughed.

"Actually." Daydream spun Evershy off to the side. "You... want to get coffee or something?"

"Sure." Evershy went to her purse on the table to retrieve her keys. "We'll be back soon, Windy."

Windy gave them a wave as they headed out to her car. Daydream glanced back at the house as he got in the passenger seat, looking back to her with some confusion. "So, did you just happen to be visiting when we showed up?"

"Ah... no." Evershy started the car. "I'm living with Windy and Bow; my husband and I are separated now."

"What?" Daydream eyed her in shock. "Shit... is that because of..."

"No, Daydream." She smiled over at him. "It wasn't your fault, it's... a long story."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere." He buckled himself in. "If you want to tell me about it."

"Alright." Evershy pulled out of the driveway and headed downtown; along the way she told him all that had happened when she returned home and how much her life had changed. As they pulled into the lot of the coffee house, Daydream slid out of the car with an amused laugh.

"So you teach now?" He asked as he rounded the front bumper.

"Yep." She nodded proudly. "I have classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday."

"Nice." He joined her on the sidewalk and held the door. "Wish I had teachers that looked like you when I was in school." He grinned.

"Now you sound like Windy." Evershy giggled as she stepped inside. They placed their order and sat at a round table near one of the large pane windows that overlooked the adjacent street. "So, what about you?" She asked as they sat. "Find a good job?"

"Well, I don't know about good." He admitted with a sigh. "I'm just working in retail, best I could get on short notice."

"There's nothing wrong with that." Evershy assured.

"Yeah, between the four of us we pay the bills." He nodded. "Ben got a warehouse job and the twins are working as mouthpieces at an amusement park."

"Really?" Evershy asked with a tilted smile.

"Yeah." He laughed. "Turns out creatures get a kick out of listening to them do live promos. Ben and I are so used to them I guess the novelty is lost on us."

"Did Ben get his G.E.D?"

"Uh huh." He glanced over at the sight of the counter attendant waving at them. "He wrapped that up a couple months ago." Daydream quickly excused himself, jogging over the counter to grab their drinks. "Here you go." He set hers down before her.

"Thank you." She adjusted the straw and took a drink. "Well, that's all wonderful news. I'm proud of all of you for turning things around so quickly, it couldn't have been easy."

"Thanks." He sat back in the chair. "All things considered, I'm glad you're doing okay too. I... uh, thought about you a lot."

Evershy smiled down into her coffee. "I thought you were going to find a mare even better than me?" She eyed him.

"Heh." He rubbed the back of his head. "Told you I wasn't going to hold my breath on that." He wryly reminded.

Back at the house, Bow and Ben sat in the backyard talking stallion over a few beers. Windy and the twins caught up with each others lives on the couch, but the quiet house soon gave her a window to do some more intimate catching up with her favorite feathered duo. At some point she stole them away to the upstairs for a little one on two; clothes quickly discarded, she stood at the end of her bed with one hoof planted firmly on the mattress. Aron was on his knees before her, break parted and tongue winding about her interior. Nora was on his knees at her back, his beak spreading her ass like a car jack so his own tongue could tantalize her opposite entrance. Windy's body was twisted, a palm on each of their heads and eyes rolled to the ceiling as she once again indulged in their unique synchronicity.

"Fuck... you can't teach this type of teamwork." Windy dug her fingers into their scalps. "You two haven't lost your touch."

"We missed being..." Aron said through a pause.

"Able to please you." Nora finished after a long lap of his tongue.

"You boys must be so backed up now that you aren't getting it on the regular." She teased. "I think it's time I please you for a change." She took their talons and pulled them up, running her fingers through Nora's plumage. "Lay on the bed, sweetie." She requested, kissing the tip of his beak. Nora laid back on the bed and shimmied up the mattress, Windy crawling up his body; his feathered chest tickling her nipples.

"Mrs..."

"Hush." Windy stopped him. "You just lay back and let momma do all the work." She twirled around into reverse cowgirl, reaching down and gently guiding him into her ass. Sitting back onto him, her hips moved from side to side and forward and back while he wriggled beneath her. She held her hand out and called for Aron to step up on the bed; he took her hand and did as asked, immediately being pulled forward. He latched onto her head to steady himself as she licked her lips at the treat before her. She pressed his shaft against his stomach with her thumb and dragged her tongue up his balls, the softer down that covered them a unique feel. Windy took both of them into her mouth, gently tugging and lapping as she ground the ball of the thumb up and down his length; all the while keeping her lower half in motion to pleasure Nora.

"Mrs. Windy, that's..." Aron moaned.

"So good." Nora said in similar fashion.

Windy squeezed her ass tightly and began to bounce faster; she also opened wide and roughly jammed Aron into her mouth, pursing her lips tightly around him and dropping her hands. Aron quickly began to fuck her mouth, his thin tail twitching in delight as his hips shot forward. Windy folded her tongue so that his tip mashed into it with each push and slid her loose hands between her thighs to tend her own needs. Her mind spaced as she absorbed all the sensations that were flowing thought her; Aron's pistoning cock in her mouth, his balls slapping her lips, her fingers deep inside herself and Nora's barbed tip massaging her rectum. Her eyes opened up in a bit of shock at the feeling of talons digging into her rear, she registered Nora's fevered chirps and knew that he was close. A similar feeling came from above as Aron dug into her head and starting pulling her forward in time with his trusts. Windy's eyes rolled back as she brought herself off to the rough treatment, the vibrations of her moaning tipping Aron over the top; with a restrained squawk he made a final shove and splattered the back of her throat with cum. Forever in their mysterious synch, Nora sounded his release as he pumped his own load straight up her ass. Windy shuddered as she filled up from both ends; grabbing Aron's rear and holding him inside her mouth as she sucked him clean while working her ass as fast as possible to milk Nora dry. When she felt they had enough she pulled her mouth away and Aron fell to his knees, his head landing against her breast as his arms wrapped around her. She swallowed everything he had given while cuddling him to her chest, taking a moment to catch her breath and pulling her weight from Nora's pelvis. Removing herself completely, she fell back onto the bed and Aron was quick to spoon against her side. Nora crawled up her opposite and she hooked her arms around them; reveling in the aftermath.

Back downstairs, the front door opened as Evershy and Daydream returned. They found the living room empty and headed out back to where Bow and Ben still lounged.

"We're home." Evershy announced.

"Welcome back." Bow hailed.

"You two seem to be getting along pretty well." She noted.

"Well, it's been a long time since I've had someone my own size to pick on." Bow ribbed.

"It's nice meeting someone whose faced some of the same things I have in life." Ben added.

"Big boy problems." Daydream laughed.

"Where are Windy, Aron and Nora?" Evershy asked.

"You didn't pass them?" Bow looked back through the enclosed patio. "Well, I have an idea then. Guess that's our fault for leaving them alone for too long."

"What time is it anyway?" Ben asked as he stood from the patio chair.

"Almost four." Daydream quickly checked his phone.

"Shit." Ben chuckled. "Wish time moved this quick at work.

The four of them headed back inside just in time to catch Windy and the twins attempting to sneak back down the stairs.

"Oh, hey." Windy waved innocently.

"Geez, Windy." Evershy smiled at her.

"What?" Windy asked as they came down. "We were talking." She gave her a wink. "You know these two can talk my head off."

"I'll bet." Daydream looked to the twins who shyly averted their eyes. "Anyway, we should be getting back to the motel."

"Aw, don't go yet." Windy protested. "Why don't you stay for dinner, Shy and I can whip something up."

"You don't have to do that for us." Ben politely assured.

"Oh stop it." She patted his chest as she went by. "You four waited on us hand and hoof for almost a week, let us return to favor."

"Yeah." Evershy agreed. "Besides, Daydream said you barely brought anything to eat with you."

"We would..." Aron began.

"Appreciate that." Nora ended.

"Great." Windy hugged onto Bow's arm. "Want to play bartender, hon?"

"Sure." He kissed the side of her muzzle before going to the liquor cabinet.

The night was a lot of fun for all of them, it felt like the final night they spent together on the ship when they were finally able to relax and enjoy themselves. As the evening grew later, Daydream checked the time and let out a tired sigh.

"We should be heading back." He smiled at Evershy who he was snuggled up with on the couch.

"Are you okay to drive?" She asked.

"No." Bow laughed, recognizing the look in his eyes.

"Hey." Daydream said sourly.

"Bow's right." Windy agreed. "Just stay here tonight."

"Are you sure..." Aron looked up at her from his spot on the rug.

"That's okay?" Nora looked up at her as well.

"Of course." She assured. "We can set you up in the den." Her eyes drifted over to Evershy. "And I'm sure Shy won't have a problem letting Daydream bunk with her."

"I don't mind." Evershy, well buzzed herself, smiled up at him.

"Um... okay." Daydream grinned back at her.

"Settled then." Windy got up from Bow's lap. "Come on, I'll get the den ready."

"I'm okay out here." Ben patted the back of the couch on which he sat. "If that's okay."

"You sure?" Bow asked. "I've had to sleep on the couch my fair share of times, it isn't as great as it looks." He laughed.

Ben nodded with a smile. "Beats that tiny motel mattress." He laid back into the cushion as Bow joined Windy in setting the twins up.

Chapter 9

To no one's surprise, the last thing Evershy and Daydream did was go to sleep. As soon as her door shut they were locked in a hurried kiss, stripping each other as fast as possible as they fell onto the bed.

"God, I missed you." Daydream growled into her neck.

Evershy gasped as he ripped the bridge of her bra in half to expose her breasts. "Ah... Daydream!" She grabbed his head as his mouth engulfed her nipple, burying her nose in his mane to take in his familiar scent. Slowly pushing his head lower and lower, he got the idea and yanked her panties off; her torso slammed back onto the bed as he gorged himself on her dripping pussy. Body warm and extra receptive thanks to the alcohol, Evershy panted and thrashed in mindless pleasure. Daydream freed a hand to pull his boxers down, frantically kicking them off before taking full hold of her hips again. His attentions lacked any finesse, but made up for it in sheer intensity as he indulged in that sweet flavor that had been dancing in the back of his memory for almost a year. With a long lick up her clit he hooked his arms under her knees and leapt up the bed; taking a firm hold of his hardened length, he pushed himself inside of her with a trembling moan.

"Oh fuck." He collapsed on top of her, pumping into her with rapid, shallow thrusts. "You feel just as amazing as I remember."

"So do you." Evershy whispered as her legs wrapped around him.

Daydream ran his arms under her back and hooked his fingers around her shoulders, pulling her against him as hard as he could. He brought his nose to hers, their lips occasionally brushing against each other as he maintained the manic motion of his hips. "Yeah?" He asked through a tight grunt.

"Yes." Evershy hugged his neck, staring intently into his eyes. "I love it... keep fucking me." She cocked her head and aggressively kissed him, her throat reverberating with impassioned noises as he started going even harder. The room began to heat up and they could feel the sweat beading on one another, the ceaseless intercourse finally dragging Evershy to her limit. "Daydream... I'm so close, please don't stop!" She dug her nails into his neck. "God, don't stop!"

Wildly panting, Daydream pushed himself further as Evershy's increasingly garbled pleas delighted his ears. He suddenly felt her twined arms and legs tighten around him like a python, his name echoing across the room as she came; he held himself deep inside her as a warm rush flowed around his cock. She maintained that vice-like grip for a good minute before finally allowing her limbs to fall to the bed.

Daydream slowly pulled out and rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling with a light head and shallow breaths. "Holy shit... that was intense." He licked his dried lips.

Evershy returned to her senses and tilted her head over to see him trying to recover. "Here, let me turn on the fan." She reached over to the night stand and hit the remote for the ceiling fan, the circulated air came down on them and cooled their overheated bodies.

"Fuck that's so good." Daydream laughed.

"Sorry, should have done that first." Evershy giggled as she rolled onto her side, running her hand up his damp chest. "That was amazing, Daydream."

"You bring out the best in me." He smiled over at her.

She reached down and stroked his still pining erection. "It's your turn now." Her delicate fingers followed a particularly pronounced vein.

"Taking requests?"

"However you want." She offered, voice laced with a seduction granted to her by her new walk in life. Daydream pivoted to his side and gently pushed her onto her back, he straddled her midsection and settled his cock between her breasts. "Oh." She smiled at him, reaching up and mashing her bosom around his length.

Daydream started to thrust between them, watching in amazement as he all but vanished in her cleavage. He laid his hands atop hers and tightened the seal even more, the feel of her soft and sweaty skin an absolute treat. She held on as he got a little rougher and opened her mouth so that his tip graced her muzzle with each trip.

"Shit, I've never actually gotten off this way before." Daydream noted as he sped up even more. "You just feel too good!" Breathing picking up again, he leaned forward and pressed her breasts together even more. "Evershy… I... fuck!" He whined in sheer pleasure as he started cumming; she quickly craned her neck and took it all into her mouth, calmly suckling and swallowing it all until his body began to relax. "Ah!" He dismounted her and fell onto his side. "Wow, that was awesome."

Evershy laughed and sat up against the wall. "I'm glad." Her thumb collected the rest from her lips and she sucked the digit clean.

"You know." He slowly pushed himself up and sat beside her. "I didn't know what to expect when I saw you again, and this sure wasn't the first thing I imagined."

"What were you expecting?" She asked with sincere curiosity.

"Well." He put his arm around her. "A punch from your husband seemed the most likely thing."

"That's fair." She laughed. "Believe me, I didn't imagine this either." Her hand clasped onto his. "Honestly, I didn't think I would get to see you again."

"You probably wouldn't have if it wasn't for what happened with Solstice." He admitted. "As badly as I wanted to see you again, I don't know, I thought it may be better if you didn't." He shrugged. "I figured you'd just want to move on. Hell, I tried to move on too but... well, in case you haven't noticed I haven't exactly gotten over you."

"It's okay." Evershy reached up and pet his cheek. "Given what just happened, I think it's safe to say I haven't exactly gotten over you either."

Daydream squeezed her hand softly. "Hey, since you're not as tied down, would it be okay if we kept in touch?"

"Of course." She nodded. "I'd love that."

"Cool." He smiled.

Evershy reached over and picked up the remote. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly tired anymore."

"That's fine." He cuddled up with her as she turned the T.V. on. "I'd like to spend as much time together as possible before I go back to my riveting life of getting yelled at by strangers for minimum wage."

Evershy laid her head against his with a soft laugh, silently sharing the sentiment as she started channel surfing.

Cities away, in the early hours of the morning, a quiet street was startled by the shattering of a pharmacy door's glass. Forcing his way past the metal screen with berserk strength, Solstice clambered over the counter and began rummaging through the stockpile of drugs as the alarm screeched. His reddened eyes struggled to read the labels in the dim light and he was quick to knock anything he wasn't looking for to the floor.

"Come on, come... heh...ha ha ha..." Gritting his teeth he clamped his muzzle shut, growling in anger as he fought the uncontrollable impulse. "Damn it!" He slammed his head into one of the shelves in an outburst of rage. "Focus!" He returned to his search as the sounds of sirens began to arise in the distance. "Oh no." His eyes went wide with a sudden, consuming fear. "Not now... I'll be taken back and..." He punched himself in the head to stay the feeling. Knowing time was short, he took what he could and fled the building, sprinting down the back alleys in time to avoid the police. Hugging the walls, he stumbled along until being accosted by a homeless stallion.

"Hey!" The ragged, middle-aged creature blocked his path.

"Move!" Solstice pushed by but his shoulder was quickly grabbed.

"Hold on." The bum eyed the pill bottles. "What'cha got there? I can trade you for some of those."

"Let me go!" Solstice glared back at him, the sounds of the sirens not doing anything for his manic nerves.

"Come on, don't be like that. Let's make a..." He choked as Solstice reached out a took his throat with adrenaline fueled strength. Solstice pushed him up against the wall and squeezed tighter as the stallion beat on his arm and shoulder in a panic.

"Disgusting filth!" Solstice barked. "I should..." He shuddered as he began to cry, his face souring into a distorted frown. "I'm... I'm sorry." He wept as the stallion went limp in his grip, arms falling lifelessly and eyes rolled back into his skull. Solstice let the body fall as he scrambled to pick up the bottles he had dropped; he continued his mad dash through the night as sirens continued to echo around him. Making his way into the industrial district of the city, Solstice returned to the vacant warehouse where he had holed up following his initial escape. He dumped his bounty out onto a table that was set up with a rudimentary chemical mixing station he had cobbled together from whatever junk he could salvage. Falling into the rickety metal chair that sat adjacent, he began going through the bottles until he found what he was looking for. Pulling the cap off, he dumped them out into a small bowl and used an old spoon to grind them into powder. The powder was quickly added to a solution that he had already concocted which was then placed over a small heating element. After a few moments he took the liquid and downed it in a single swig. He sat still in the chair for nearly ten minutes until, with a heavy sigh, he sat upright and stared down at his work. "Finally." He said in a shallow voice. "This will have to do for now." Planting his hand on the table he pushed himself up and wandered over to one of the dirty windows. "I need a permanent solution though, and that..." He coughed as he fought off a laughing fit. "Is going to take more than what I have here." Finally finding a moment of clarity, his mind thought back to everything that had led him to this moment. "I'm going to flay those miserable sows for doing this to me." He muttered as a smile washed over his face, one that was finally under his own power.

Evershy and Windy made breakfast for everyone the next morning before the boys needed to get back on the road; enjoying another hour or two before they parted ways once more. As they finally got ready to head out, Daydream grabbed some paper and began writing things down. He handed the paper to Evershy as they walked towards the door.

"Here, this is our address, our cell numbers and the apartment number."

"Thank you." Evershy folded the paper. "I'll text you ours."

"Listen." He stopped their procession. "God forbid, but if anything weird happens and you need help, just call us and we'll be here."

"Yeah." Ben nodded. "And if anything happens on our end, we'll keep you updated."

"Thank you." Windy went to him, reaching up and lacing her arms around his neck. "But don't be strangers, we don't have to wait for something bad to happen to get together. You know where we are, if you ever want to drop by just let us know."

"Will do." Ben hugged her, getting her to laugh as he lifted her from the ground.

"Thank you for..." Aron smiled up at her as she returned to the ground.

"Having us here." Nora mimicked his brother's smile.

"We're so glad we can..." Aron opened an arm.

"Keep being in your life." Nora opened his opposite.

"Me too, sweethearts." Windy hugged them. "Make sure I see you sooner rather than later."

"We..." Aron nuzzled her cheek.

"Will." Nora nuzzled her opposite.

Daydream hugged Evershy and kissed her cheek. "Stay safe."

"You too." Evershy squeezed him tightly.

Bow held the door for them, shaking their hands again as they left. They piled into their car and started back to the motel to check out before heading home. As he closed the door, the house returned to normal and the trio wistfully convened in the living room. "I can see why you two connected with them so much." Bow began as he sat on the couch. "They're good kids."

"Yeah, they really are." Windy smiled as she and Evershy went to join him, she bumped Evershy off balance and sent her into Bow's lap as she fell to the cushion at his side.

"Windy." She laughed but immediately got comfortable, putting her arms around his neck.

Bow wrapped his arm around her waist and got settled. "I know you said you don't want to live in fear because of this whole Solstice deal, and I agree that we shouldn't." He looked down at Windy. "But I think it would still be a good idea to install a security system, some front and rear cameras wouldn't be bad either."

"Yeah, you're right." Windy admitted, laying into his side. "I want to be brave, but not stupid."

"I think that's a good idea too." Evershy concurred. "We don't just have ourselves to worry about, I certainly want precautions to keep my students safe too."

"Alright." Bow nodded. "I'll get started on it, get some package and installation quotes."

"Thank you." Evershy gave him a little kiss but quickly went back in for a much more languid second.

Windy reached out and ran her hand over Evershy's ass with a knowing smile. "Daydream really got your engine running, huh?"

"Well... yeah." Evershy admitted with a timid smile, stroking Bow's muzzle. "Mind if I borrow Bow for a bit?"

"Do I ever?" Windy spanked her with a laugh.

"I certainly don't." Bow stood, hefting Evershy up in his arms.

Windy held her phone up as he carried her around the couch. "Can you record it this time?" She asked.

"We're still not doing that." Evershy reminded, having already fielded the question more than once.

"Hmph." Windy pouted. "Maybe I'll install some cameras of my own." She muttered.

"What?" Bow's voice drifted down the stairs.

"Nothing!" Windy called back with an innocent smile. She looked at her phone and opened her photos, swiping over to a selfie she had taken of the three of them snuggled in bed together. She stared at it as the brave front she put on waivered, the thought that something out there could take away all their newfound happiness creeping into her mind.

Chapter 6

Waking up in a room that felt like her own was a wonderful feeling for Evershy, in fact she felt more like herself than she had since returning home. Freshening up and getting dressed, she headed out into the kitchen to start brewing coffee. The smell eventually summoned Windy downstairs, still in her oversized night shirt.

"Morning, Windy." Evershy said with renewed cheer.

"Hey, Shy." Windy looked her over. "You look like you're doing good."

"I am." Evershy took Windy's hands as she neared. "I'm feeling a lot better now." Not usually the aggressor; she kissed Windy, much to her delight.

"Mmm." Windy sounded as their lips touched. "We should explore this more." Windy hopped up on the counter and pulled Evershy into her, legs wrapping around her waist.

"Windy, not in the kitchen." Evershy snickered.

"Why not?" Windy asked flippantly. "Would it help to know I'm not wearing any underwear?"

"Bow might come down."

"So what if he does?" Windy asked with sincere curiosity.

"You might not..." Evershy paused in thought. "Actually, I know you don't care... but I do."

"You shouldn't." Windy tapped her nose. "Like I said, what's mine is yours now; that includes the hubby."

"I know what you're trying to do, Windy." Evershy smiled at her knowingly. "But... I can't do that."

"Afraid you might like it too much?" Windy giggled.

"That has nothing to do with it." Evershy shook her head with an exasperated eye roll. "It would just be... weird."

"It's not like he's a stranger or anything." Windy countered.

"That's exactly why." Evershy said adamantly. "I've known Bow forever and have never thought about him like that before. This is already so different, for him as much as me and I don't want to make it weird again." Her face settled into suspicion. "Besides, how do you know how he sees me?"

Windy glanced over towards the stairs at the sound of hoof steps. "Good question, let's ask him. Bow!? Do you think Evershy is..." Her voice ceased as Evershy clamped her muzzle shut.

Bow wandered into the kitchen, finding them in the bizarre position. "It's too early for whatever this is."

Windy wriggled free of Evershy's grasp. "What? I was just going to ask you a question."

"No she wasn't." Evershy looked up at her sternly.

"Honey, don't drive her crazy." Bow chuckled as he headed for the coffee. "Now you're getting to see what it's like when you actually live with her."

"Hey." Windy eyed him sourly.

"I shared a dorm with her, I know." Evershy laughed.

"Wow, you two are more alike than I thought." Windy released her leg hold and jumped down. "I'm going to get dressed." She meandered back upstairs.

"Let me guess." Bow began as he filled his cup. "She was asking about me, wasn't she?"

"Um." Evershy tightened up at his astuteness.

He glanced over his shoulder to see the embarrassed look on her face. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Yeah." She admitted. "How did you know?"

"We had a similar talk last night." He confessed as he leaned on the granite island in the kitchen's center. "She can be a dog chasing a bone when it comes to things."

"True." She laughed. "Sorry, I keep trying to make sure things don't feel weird again."

"That's what I told her." He shrugged. "I'm still trying to figure out what all this is now and I know you are too; it doesn't need any more help being... well, like you said, weird."

Knowing that he was in the same boat brought her some peace of mind on the topic. "I'm not avoiding it because I don't think you're great, Bow. I mean, you've been amazing through all this and Windy is so lucky to have someone with as open a mind and heart as you." Her face depressed. "I wish... I wish I could have said that." She sighed heavily. "But, you've always been and continue to be an irreplaceable friend to me; it's hard... not to see you like that, you know?"

Bow slowly nodded. "Yeah." He weighed speaking his mind about his talk with Cirrus. "I uh... I talked to Cirrus before we left the house. I asked him if he needed anything and he told me to just watch out for you and be there for you."

"He did?" Evershy asked in a whisper.

"Yeah. I told him I would... I mean, of course I would." He looked to her with honest eyes. "I know how you feel though, about seeing each other a certain way; when I look at you I still see my friend's wife." His eyes drifted down to his coffee. "So don't worry about Windy and don't ever feel pressured to change our relationship."

Before Evershy could respond, Windy came back down ready for the day. She sashayed over to Bow for a kiss and got herself a cup of her own. Evershy let it go for now but had to admit she wasn't exactly sure how to feel about what Bow had said about how he saw her; it made her feel as if she still wasn't making progress in moving forward. The topic changed though and the three planned out their day; finally having some time to just relax. About two hours later, Evershy got a call from Cirrus with an update on their situation. She took the call to her room, returning a few minutes later with a look of accepting resolve in her eyes.

"What was it?" Windy asked.

"Cirrus has the papers ready for me." She explained. "I'm going to meet with him at the bank so we can close out our joint account and get everything signed."

"You feel okay to go alone?" Windy further inquired.

"Yes." Evershy nodded. "I was expecting this sooner or later so it isn't a surprise… and it needs to be done." A hardened smile returned to her face. "I'll be back soon."

"Okay." Windy went to her with a kiss. "Love you."

"Love you too." Evershy took up her purse and headed out to the car, the sound of it pulling out following not long after.

When Evershy returned she found an antsy Windy awaiting her, she was quick to her side as soon as she walked in the door.

"Hey, how'd it go?"

"Well, we went through everything together and I signed the paperwork." Evershy began. "We're keeping the division of property simple and I'm fine with his decisions; we've also agreed to handle our own outstanding debts." She dug in her purse and pulled out a temporary card. "I have my own account now." She noted with some pride.

"Already on the road to independence." Windy lightly smiled.

"I'll get a permanent card in the mail." She further explained. "Speaking of which, Cirrus is having my mail forwarded here; I'm going to have to go online and register this as my new address for all my creditors, doctors and all that fun stuff."

"Bow will have to put in a bigger mail box."

"Where is he?" Evershy asked as she moved into the kitchen.

"Oh, he went out to the credit union and the grocery store; he said he'd be back around five." She stepped up behind Evershy and wrapped her arms around her waist. "Which means I've got some time to spend with my strong, independent mare."

Evershy laughed and laid her arms across Windy's. "I guess that does call for some celebrating." She admitted as Windy gingerly pulled her along upstairs towards the master bedroom.

Bow returned home around three o'clock, carrying the groceries through the laundry room and into the kitchen. He announced his return but didn't get a response. After a second trip to retrieve the rest of his purchases he looked around the house but found no one. Naturally, he went upstairs and headed into the bedroom.

"Honey, I'm back..." He stopped short as he stumbled across Windy and Evershy in bed together; he quickly looked to the side as Evershy squealed, pulling the sheet up to her neck.

"Hey, sweetie." Windy waved.

"Windy!" Evershy shrank down. "You said five!"

"Did I?" Windy tapped her chin. "I must have misheard him."

"Wow, hon." Bow shook his head. "That's pretty underhanded, even for you." He glanced back, seeing that she had covered up. "Sorry, Evershy."

"It's okay." Evershy muttered into the sheet.

Windy looked back and forth between them. "Geez, I'm just trying to get you two comfortable around each other."

"Evershy and I talked about how we both already talked to you about this." Bow reminded. "I'll wait downstairs so you can get dressed."

Evershy thought back to those talks after he mentioned them. "Bow?" She spoke up as he turned to leave, stopping him in the doorway.

"Hm?" He looked back.

"I appreciate what you said this morning, but something you mentioned has been bothering me."

"What's that?" He asked.

"You said that... you still see me as Cirrus' wife." She sat upright, still holding the sheet against her neck. "I understand that, but that's not who I am anymore. I'm just Evershy now; and you if still see me like that then that means I haven't moved on in your eyes." Her heartbeat began to speed as she spoke. "So, you don't have to go... if you don't want to."

"I... don't?" Bow repeated.

"He doesn't?" Windy repeated again.

"No, he doesn't." Evershy gave Bow a calm smile, letting the sheet fall past her breasts.

Bow idled in shock for several moments before cautiously approaching the bed; he sat on its side and returned her smile. "Are you sure?"

Evershy nodded. "I mean, if I was ever going to do something like this I'd want it to be with someone I trusted."

Windy's brain unscrambled from the realization that her longest running fantasy was becoming a reality. She reached out and took Bow's cheek with a pleased grin. "Honey, let me help you out here." She pulled him into a kiss, as their lips parted she gently moved those lips closer to Evershy.

Evershy looked into his eyes, leaning in and gently kissing him. Bow reached up and took her shoulder, their kiss slowly turning from timid to impassioned. Her hand found it's way to his ear and she lightly gripped it as their heads rolled from side to side. She soon sat back with a smile, her whole body warm from the experience. "That was nice." She quietly admitted.

"Yes, it was." Windy reached up and tugged on Bow's sleeve. "But someone here is a little overdressed."

Bow reached down, pulling his shirt up and over his head. Evershy admired his strong frame as it fell to the floor, having never seen him without a shirt before. As he sat back on the bed, Evershy reached up and swam her fingers through his mane; down his neck and to his shoulder they went, the feel of his muscle sending shiivers down her arm. Bow cupped her breast in his hand, bending down and laying his lips to her neck; she gasped and gripped his upper arm at the feeling, tilting her head to the side to allow him full access. Windy slithered down the bed and underneath Bow's chest, hands maneuvering down and undoing his khakis. Bow drew back with a sharp breath as he felt his wife's mouth around his flared tip; he pushed up from the bed, stepping out of his pants as they hit the floor. Windy stayed on her hands and knees with her head bobbing wildly as she sucked him. Evershy watched in a trance, her mind a bit overwhelmed as so many new things were happening at once. Her daze faded as she heard Windy call her name.

"You're up, Shy." Windy smiled at her, Bow's cock held firmly in her hand.

"Oh." Evershy quickly looked up at Bow. "Okay." She pulled the sheet from her body, baring herself to him in full; sitting on the edge of the bed she held out her hands and invited him over. Bow took her hand and stood before her, her eyes widening as she got a much closer look at how big he was. Her hands gently wrapped themselves around his shaft, delicate fingers a completely different sensation than Windy's. Evershy's palms slid up and down it's length, Windy's saliva coating them as she worked. Her jaw slowly lowered and Bow let out a long breath as he filled her mouth; he reached forward and gently held her head, eyes rolling up towards the ceiling at the feeling.

"Does he taste good, Shy?" Windy asked rhetorically as she sat behind her, spooning herself against her back. She nuzzled her neck, left hand reaching around to fondle her breast while her right sank between her thighs. Evershy moaned around the cock in her mouth as Windy's fingers worked their way inside of her; head moving faster in response to the pleasure. Bow's mind was swimming with the very idea of what was happening and his eyes shot downward when he felt the attention cease. With a light yelp, Evershy was dragged back onto the bed and on top of Windy; who waggled her slick fingers in front of Bow as she smiled up at him. "I think she's ready for you now, hon." She reached down and hooked her hands behind Evershy's knees, pulling her legs up and apart to put her on full display.

Bow braced his knees against the mattress, looking down into Evershy's still blushing face. "Are you ready?" He asked again.

"Y...yeah." Evershy nodded.

Needing no further encouragement, Bow leaned in and pressed his tip past her entrance; she flinched at first but reached up to grab his shoulders, pulling him down on top of the two of them. Bow eased his length inside of her, the new type of warmth absolutely intoxicating. Evershy's eyes lit up as she was stretched farther than she'd ever been; Windy noticed her transcended look and chuckled.

"How's he feel?" She whispered into her ear.

"God... he's so big." Evershy mewled.

As much decorum as Bow tried to maintain in this situation; hearing her say that about him reached that primal part of his brain. He reached for her cheek, holding it steady as he began to thrust into her. "You feel amazing, Evershy." He complemented in return.

"Told you." Windy reminded. "Now give it to her good, honey; I've waited half my life to see this show and I intend to enjoy it." Pinned between Bow and Windy, Evershy could do little more than simply let the pleasure consume her; only able to voice her enjoyment as she panted and whined. Windy's fingers dug into Evershy's body, the sight of her husband fucking her friend driving her crazy with lust. She pushed Evershy upward with her hips which caused Bow to plunge even deeper and she could feel Evershy's body begin to tense in all the right ways as Bow's intense thrusts steered her towards the edge. She quickly ran her hand down Evershy's belly and began massaging her clit with her fingertips, in full anticipation of what was about to happen. "Ready for a treat, stud?" She asked as she forcefully worked her fingers. Overwhelmed by the amount of stimulation, Evershy let out a ringing cry as she came; her legs forced themselves free of Windy and wrapped around Bow's waist as her unique level of overflow began forcing its way out past Bow's pistoning cock.

"Whoa!" Bow reflexively slowed as he was caught completely off guard by the sudden rush, feeling squirts hit the inside of this thighs.

"Keep going!" Evershy wrapped her arms around him as well and pulled him into her. "Fuck me! Please!" Bow gripped her waist with his free hand and slammed himself into her repeatedly. He grimaced in pleasure as her wildly twitching walls gripped him with all the strength of a hand. As she finally calmed down, he pulled out; finding the edge of the bed soaked.

"Wow." He panted in amazement.

"I know, right." Windy patted Evershy's stomach. "All the crunches I do and I can't even come close to pulling that off." She kissed Evershy's cheek with a smile. "You okay?"

"Yes." Evershy gasped. "Just... give me a minute."

"Can do." Windy slid out from under her but quickly straddled her midsection. "Besides, it's my turn." She noted as she hiked her tail.

Bow smirked and roughly grabbed the base on her tail, impaling her in one smooth motion. "You I know I don't have to hold back with."

"Damn right." Windy glanced back at him with hungry eyes.

"Wait... he was holding back?" Evershy mumbled; getting her answer as she watched Bow take her without restraint. He took her shoulder in his opposite hand and pulled her back as he jutted his hips forward. Windy grunted and growled as her entire body rippled from each impact, both of them clearly turned on from the situation.

"That's right!" Windy lowered her head. "Fuck me! Harder!"

"Harder?" Evershy asked herself in shock.

"Shy!" Windy fell forward on to her, mashing their breasts together. "Touch me! I don't care where... I just want to feel you!" Evershy held her close, Windy burying her face into her shoulder as she cried out in bliss. "Oh my god! This feels so good, honey!" She gripped the sheets so hard her knuckles began to turn white. "This is heaven!" Bow bore down on her as her weight shifted, not letting up for a second. The feeling of being pounded so hard and trapped between the two ponies she loved the most in life was so much that Windy actually began to cry from how wonderful it felt. She dropped her head past Evershy's shoulder and took in a mouthful of sheet, screaming as one of the most intense orgasms of her life overloaded her senses. Bow slowed to a stop, taking in deep breaths as he finally found a chance to rest; he patted Windy's back and gave her ass a loving slap as he pulled out. Windy laid motionless for several long moments, Evershy rubbing her back as she recovered. "Holy shit..." She muttered into the spit soaked portion of cloth.

"Are you okay?" Evershy asked with a light laugh.

"Are you kidding?" Windy asked back in garbled speech. "Winning the lottery wouldn't feel as good as that did." She rolled off of Evershy and slapped her arm. "Tag out." She said with a breathless laugh.

Evershy got off the bed and laid her hands to Bow's chest; smiling up at him invitingly. "Alright."

"Gladly." Bow put his arm around her and pulled her against him. Evershy ran her hands up his neck and to his head, pulling him down so she could kiss him again. His hands drifted down to her rear and he effortlessly picked her up; he climbed onto the bed and sat back on his hooves, standing her up on her knees. Getting the idea, Evershy pushed herself up and reached down between her legs, taking hold of him as she squatted down onto his waiting member. Bow held her as she sank down, putting her arms around his neck and settling into a comfortable position. Once used to the feeling, she began to work her hips; lifting herself up about hallway and falling back down. Bow palmed her ass in both bands and lifted her in tandem, pulling her back down even harder as she freefell. Windy rolled onto her side and watched them intently, her hand drifting up and down her sweaty body.

Evershy and Bow kissed as he raised and lowered her, her nipples dragging against his course coat with each trip. Her mind couldn't help but replay how rough he was with Windy and she began to grow eager as her need built once again. "Bow." She raised her lips to his ear. "You don't have to hold back with me, take me as hard as you want."

"Okay." He laid a hand to the back of her neck and wrapped his other arm completely around her waist. She felt his whole body reset itself and began lifting her even higher up his shaft before slamming her down with all his strength. Her head fell over his shoulder and she held onto him tightly as he repeated the act. She choked out a moan at the powerful sensation of him bottoming out inside of her and before she knew it he was going even faster. "Fuck, I'm getting close." His grip tightened and his chest began to heave.

"Oh god, Bow." Evershy raked her nails down his back at the feeling of him swelling inside her even more. "That's... so good!"

Every time his tip crashed into her cervix it sent shivers through him and he thrusted up in time with his pulls to get even more. "Here it comes!" He groaned into her ear.

"Yes!" Evershy held him even tighter. "Cum in me, Bow!"

Bow's hands shot up to her shoulders, fingers wrapping around them as he yanked her down as hard as he could. As he buried himself in her a final time, a hot spurt shot into her deepest regions. He felt another wave of warmth force its way out of her, coating his balls and running down his legs onto the sheets. His head fell onto her shoulder, snorting and grunting like a wild bronco as he emptied himself into one of his closest friends. Fresh cum pushed itself free, having nowhere else to go and adding itself to the collection of fluids pooling beneath them. They held that strong embrace for minutes, their minds processing what just happened as much as their bodies were. After that long silence, Evershy pulled back and looked down into his eyes; she merely smiled, but that smile said everything that needed to be said in that moment.