My Life on a Cassette Tape

"You're... alright with this? I'll be honest, even knowing how kinky you can be, you are both taking this exceptionally well." I said, looking between the two other clothed ponies in the room. How in the world this was working out was beyond me, and even though I shouldn't be asking them to reconsider their acceptance of my living situation, I also was far too confused to care.

"Come on man, it's hot." Double chuckled. "Plus, if they really didn't like this the front door is right there. Sure, they'd have to throw something on, but these ponies are obviously free to go as they please, so I really don't mind whatever you get up to. Heck, Berry was gone for most of last night with little explanation and you didn't seem to mind that!"

"I may not be the closest to the situation," Thyme said, still looking the three mares over, "but yeah, I can see that this is consensual, so it's fine with me. I may be surprised that you were so open with us, you three especially," she said, finally turning to face me instead of the naked mares, "but everypony is different. Everypony has different levels of openness." She then clapped as her eyes shone with the excitement of a new idea. "We should go on a double date!"

"Wouldn't it be a... quintuple date? I mean, I guess double might work if you three are also in a relationship with each other... who even pays for meals on dates with you guys, do you got a system of turns or something?"

"Permission to speak, Master?" Raven said, catching me off guard. She really was selling this hard. I liked it. I might have to make this a tad more of a permanent situation.

"Permission granted." I said with a nod, my boner aching to get some attention as I fought the urge to see if the two clothed ponies were comfortable with even that.

"Most of the time it's going to be me. Most of the rest of these ponies don't have much in the way of jobs and my trust fund's stipends are more than sufficient to both pay the taxes of this place, make investments for the future, and have plenty of fun on the side." Raven said with a cheeky smirk. She wasn't lying, but it certainly hit my pride hard enough to make my boner falter.

"Wow, it literally pays to have a rich filly in the harem, doesn't it?" Double said, leaning back. "My parent's have only ever given me about twenty bits in an allowance every month. Sure, it's a decent amount, but it isn't like I'm buying an Arcano-Wagon on that money. I'm lucky to get a new game every other month."

"I only ever got five bits in an allowance, and that was during the school year when I couldn't work at the burger place." I said with a shrug.

"You two got paid?" Thyme cocked an eyebrow, and then laughed. "Sorry, couldn't help it. My parents would give me spending bits whenever I went out with my friends, or at least when I said I was going out with my friends. Most of the time I just wanted to go to the mall to get a pretzel and see if there was anything else I might want. Usually that meant walking about the place with a pretzel and then going home after an hour or two."

"So..." Double began, looking over at me, "Tonight at that burger place you mentioned yesterday? We can still walk about Ponyville today like we said we would, but we can come back here, fix ourselves up and then hit the town for real."

"Well, a burger place is nice and all, but if we're doing a date, I think we might want to go a tad bit more fancy." I said, leaning back, looking at the ceiling in thought, trying to use the limited knowledge I had of nice places to eat. "I think I saw a small place that's only open weekends and by reservation only."

"The Exquisite Cuisine?" Berry provided helpfully.

"Probably. I could see about reservations. Hayburger can serve as our back up plan if not." I said, looking at Double and Thyme to see what they thought.

"Sounds good to me. Now how about you let these three get their clothes on. I may be alright with your life style, but that's for private settings. Public indecency is still a crime." He said sternly. I smirked and nodded, various thoughts flying through my head.

"Yeah, one time thrills aren't the best. I might have a bit of fun here and there in public, but it's all stuff that won't get us in trouble." I half-truthed. I never did anything that would get us into trouble, the recorder made sure of that. "So, mares, you all can get dressed so we can head out and have some more normal fun." I said, standing up with a stretch and a smile. The three mares released their poses and all smiled.

"We should do that more often!" Periwinkle chuckled. "I'm glad we gave it a try, I would've never known how much fun it is to just... stand there!" She gave a pleasant shudder before moving over to the kitchen where her clothes were.

"I'm hitting the bathroom real quick before we head out." Double said, standing up, patting me on the back. "Thanks for trusting us with this. The offer to have you join us one day after we're married is a valid one, just don't aim at me if you accept."

"I'll try and keep that in mind." I said with a chuckle. As the other ponies filtered out, getting ready to head out, I took a moment in thought and then walked up stairs. Knocking on the door of the room with the doppelgangers, I waited for a response. The door slowly creaked open, Stellar Afterglow peaking through the gap.

"Is the pizza here?" She asked softly.

"I was just checking up on... pizza?" I blinked a few times, realizing what she had said.

"Guess not then. What you want?" She asked, opening the door a tad more to peak her head out. I sighed and shook my head. I couldn't begrudge them wanting food, I was actually up here for that reason.

"Well I was going to say that if you wanted to get some breakfast we were all about to head out for the day so the kitchen would be open in short order, but I guess you got yourself pretty well sorted." I said with a smirk. "So... how's Gunther?" Her expression fell at that.

"Well... he's slowly getting better as far as most things ago. We've been tending to him through most of the night and this morning. Want to come in?" She asked, already opening the door before I could object, not needing to see the griffon getting fucked.

"- and I just wanted to be with him, but then he found the artifact and... I just miss him so much!" Gunther cried. I stood there processing this for what seemed to be a long while, unsure what exactly I was looking at. In the center of the floor, Gunther, Dick Slut, Puppershy, and Sultry Rose sat in a sort of circle on the pillows of the now bare bed. Gunther sat there, wrapped in the bed's comforter while gripping a tissue. Dick Slut sat to his left, rubbing his back gently while Sultry Rose offered him another tissue from the box in her hand. Puppershy for her part was the only indecent pony in the room, naked except for a collar, but she was also curled up in a ball, nestling against Gunther comfortingly.

I was floored to say the least. I shouldn't have been surprised by the fact these ponies were capable of complex emotions and thoughts, they had shown that in their ability to be self defining, but for some reason the thought that ponies made out of trauma might be able to help others with theirs never came upon me up until I saw it for myself.

Gunther looked up at me, and instead of seeing the griffon I so despised, I saw a deeply trouble griffon. I still felt an edge of hatred towards him, but it was an edge on the overwhelming feeling of pity that was now forming in my gut. I was realizing exactly how poorly I had done, even though I still felt it was justice to some measure. I stared at him, and he at me, locked in our gazes, his eyes taking on a reverential fear towards me. I stepped up to him, squatting down before him, staring him in the eyes as I tried to read his very soul.

"Back off, you dick!" Dick Slut hissed at me. I ignored him, my stare still intense. I sighed finally, standing up and turning to leave. "We don't need you in here!" My doppelganger said in a defiant tone as I began to walk out. "You might think us monsters, but at least we aren't torturing anybody, you monster!" I gritted my teeth, my pity catching alight in the embers of my rage.

"Dick!" I heard the sharp crack of skin on skin, and paused turning to face the scene. Dick slut lay on the floor, clutching at his cheek while Rose glared at him. "You of all ponies know he isn't free of his own traumas! You might have taken one burden off of him, but the absence of that trauma is almost as bitter as the weight of it! I feel Periwinkle's regret at her father's condition as a hole the shape of that emotion. He may not know exactly what it was that made you, but the hole you left stings him as much as the traumas you lost from him sting you!" I froze, taking that in. She was right. I had no concrete memories of what had made me into Dick Slut, but the void where that was left as much of an impact as it still being there. A perfectly cut hole in my emotions.

"Say you're sorry, Dick." Puppershy said in a soft voice. "We're not here for blame, we all make mistakes. We're here to heal from the hurts we have. Apologize... please?" Dick sighed and sat back up, looking at me with the same contempt I felt towards Gunther - the mirror a startling effect.

"I'm sorry for the outburst, but you'll stay clear of Gunther if you know what's best for everypony. He doesn't need more trauma on top of what he already has." He said, the same bite in his voice as would drip from my own at times. It was almost frightening seeing it from the outside.

"We'll see." I said simply, leaving the room, Stella closing the door behind me. I gave a sigh, looking about, happy to see no pony was around to witness that. I might have been ready to let my mares be naked in the presence of company, but I wasn't comfortable with the prospect of letting my cousin learn of my less than heroic - more appropriately my down right malicious - actions. I'd have to do better. Otherwise, it wouldn't be Cress at my cousin's wedding.