Equestria girls the introvert

by SUPERETHAN2

Rating: teen
Tags: Sunset Shimmer, Alternate Universe, Human, Romance, Original Character, Pinkie Pie (EqG), Rainbow Dash (EqG), Applejack (EqG), Equestria Girls
Length: 115909

Marcus an introvert ends up befriending the girls and eventually ends up with something more.

Marcus has never been a social butterfly. He was more of an introvert who usually never leaves his house and only has a small group of friends. Over the years he managed to overcome his shyness for the most part, but he has still remained an introvert at heart. What will happen when he ends up befriending the girls one by one?
Now cancelled as I decided to remake it which you can find here. I will keep this up for those that like it to keep reading and as a record of my own writing history.

Eventual oc x harem. current girls: Rainbow, Applejack, Sunset, Rarity, Pinkie, Trixie, and Fluttershy with many more to come.

Published 2021-02-02 21:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-09-04 03:03:22 UTC

2 tutoring Rainbow Dash

I am actually hopeful that I will continue to adjust quite well here. The friendly atmosphere really goes a long way to make things more welcoming. This school is truly turning out to be completely unlike any other in many ways. I was in math class, carefully taking notes and paying close attention. I have always been a good enough student and math has always been one of my better classes. Ever since Pinkie invited me to her party, I found myself pondering all about it, every once in a while. Knowing Pinkie, it will definitely be crazy.

Suddenly, the bell rang, taking me out of my thoughts. I quickly placed my notebook in my backpack and left my seat. I began to make my way to my next class.

"Hang on a second, Mr. Anderson."

I turned around and made my way back into the classroom.

"I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I need you to help tutor a student and get their grades up enough to continue to play football and since you are actually my best student, I figure you will be the best student for the job." He explained, before going to his desk and pulling out a file.

"Who's the student?"

Before he could answer, we heard someone entering the classroom. I turned around and saw, a cyan girl around my age with long rainbow hair and a carefree smile on her face.

"I'm here to meet my egghead tutor, so I can kick the other team's butt in the next game," She called out, before the smile became a cocky one, "As always of course."

"Come on and meet him miss Dash," He simply said before rubbing his face in frustration.

Great, it looks like I am tutoring one of the most popular girls in school and it seems like she is a handful. Rainbow quickly rushed towards us, and I found myself a little taken back with how attractive she looks, and the best part is there is no iota of make-up on her face. It was all-natural beauty.

"Is this my tutor?" She asked in disbelief, as she looked me up and down and I could have sworn her cheeks reddened for a brief second, before it faded away, "He doesn't seem like an egg head to me."

"If he agrees to it Ms. Dash."

Rainbow shrugged her shoulders before a cocky grin formed on her face, "Well, as I'm sure you already know I'm Rainbow Dash, Captain of every sports team and proud member of the Rainbooms, the saviors of CHS," She held out her hand which I shook, "I don't know if you will be the best person to tutor me, but maybe we can have some fun?" She stated with a smile, "What do you say?"

"Like I told you before Ms. Dash. This is serious and not fun and games. You are beyond lucky to be given this chance."

"Yeah yeah. I know I'm too awesome not to be given this second chance to." Rainbow responded with a dismissive hand wave.

"I don't usually go to bars on weekdays, but I can make an exception." I barely managed to hear him mumble, before he turned towards me, "What do you say Mr. Anderson."

"Yeah, I'll do it."

"Awesome! Meet you after school," Rainbow told me, before leaving the classroom.

"Good luck Mr. Anderson. You are going to need it."

After school, I was waiting patiently for her outside. I hope this whole tutoring thing ends up going well. From what Pinkie has told me about Rainbow and what I saw earlier, her attitude might get in the way from learning.

"Have I kept you waiting long?"

I snapped out of my thoughts to find Rainbow, standing in front of me with the same carefree smile from earlier.

"No, you haven't," I answered, deciding to get this whole tutoring thing over with, "So, where do you want to go?"

"My place of course. Follow me and try to keep up," She answered, before leading me to her house.

On the bright side, her quickness might allow us to get this session done quicker, so I can relax for the rest of the day.

"You know," Rainbow began, before giving me a good look, "I still don't see how you are the best person for this job. You don't seem like an egghead."

"I assume that's a compliment."

"Heh. Maybe," She chuckled, "Well, you seem like a cool guy. I think we are going to get along well."

Well, at least one of us is completely sure of that. I just hope that means she is willing to listen and actually learn.

We arrived at Rainbow's house, and she gave me a nervous smile to my surprise. What could she be nervous about?

"My parents aren't home and normally they are against me having people without them there," she told me somewhat sheepishly.

As would any parent.

"But what they don't know won't hurt them or get me in trouble," She finished, before leading me inside.

We entered her room and she quickly kicked her boots off, before carelessly tossing them into a corner. Her room was slightly messy, with a bunch of various sports equipment on the floor. There were trophies and other awards on shelves, showing that her bragging wasn't just for show. There was even a small habitat with a pet tortoise, who upon noticing Rainbow, seemed to have become excited. Rainbow smiled before going to the habitat and gently picking up the tortoise.

"Yes, Tank. I'm finally home." She said before placing the tortoise back and turning to look at me, "Alright, feel free to sit on the bed."

The bed was somewhat messy and even had a rainbow in clouds theme to it. There was even a rainbow banner hanging above. When I got closer and found a spot to sit, I noticed various 1st place medals hanging on the wooden frame. Looking around, there were a few other decorations with the same rainbow theme. I found myself enjoying it, as I was always fascinated with Rainbows. Rainbow joined me a moment later, with a remote, which she used to turn on a T.V. in front of the bed. She then picked up a video game controller from a nearby dresser and used it to turn her console on.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, just having some fun," She began, before sitting on the bed, "I always like to relax after a long day of school with some Daring Doo and since I figured you were cool, you would be fine with this before we have to do our studying thing."

Figures, she would pull something like this.

"So do I."

"Yeah, I knew you would be ok with it," she told me, giving me a smile.

"No, I want to get this session over with, so I can relax at home."

"Come on. Just a couple hours and I promise I will try to listen."

I sighed, as I pondered what to do. Well, from what Pinkie told me and from what I've seen of her so far, she is incredibly competitive.

"Does your Daring Doo game have co-op?" I asked.

"Yeah, why do you..." She began confused, before her face lit up in realization, "Oh, you want to have some fun too. Hope you are ready to lose."

Yep, she definitely is. Like the old saying goes, pride comes before the fall. I just hope I can manage to win against her.

"How about a wager?"

"Oh," Her face lit up in amusement, "I'm listening."

"It's simple. If I win one game, we study first, and you will listen to everything I say."

"Alright," She agreed, "But if I win, well since this is your first time, I will go easy on you. You just have to clean my room. Deal," She held out her hand.

"Deal," I responded, shaking it.

Rainbow entered the co-op menu and gave me a cocky look.

"To make things fairer, instead of a race, we will be battling for the most points," she told me, before reaching for a second controller and handing it to me.

"How does it work exactly?"

"You just collect them as you go through the level, and you receive a bonus the quicker you finish."

Rainbow selected the game mode and started the match. She quickly rushed through the stage and collected points along the way, while I made it through at a decent pace and collected as many points as I could. When Rainbow finished going through, she placed the controller down.

"I do hope you are quick at cleaning up, so we can get this tutoring done, before my parents get home."

"You are so sure you are going to win."

"Well, what can I say?" She chuckled, "I have been playing longer than you have."

After a couple minutes, I finally finished the stage, and our scores were slowly being tallied up.

"Well, dude you had a good try, but there was no way you..." Rainbow stopped in complete shock, as her score stopped increasing while mine kept going, "H-how? What? No way."

After a few moments, my score finally stopped, showing that it was considerably higher than Rainbow's.

"Are you ready to study Rainbow?" I asked, before taking a notebook and textbook from my backpack.

"How?" She simply asked, completely stunned.

"Common sense," I answered, "The best way to get the most points is to find an ideal balance between taking your time to collect them and rushing through."

"Ok. I am a girl of my word, but I will beat you next time," she told me, before holding out her hand.

"We'll see," I responded, shaking it.

Nice to see my little plan worked out. Now just to get through this session and I'm home free for the day.

We have been studying for over an hour now and true to her word, Rainbow is listening. To my annoyance her notes are incredibly lackluster, so we are studying mine.

"Hey, can we take a break yet," Rainbow asked, scratching her head, "This is getting overwhelming."

"Maybe after another hour or so," I answered.

She gave me an admittedly cute pout, but didn't argue further, as I repeated the lesson one more time. After a few minutes I let her try an example problem.

"The only reason I'm doing this is to get back in the game," Rainbow told me, as she stopped writing, "I don't see how this will help me in the future."

"I am more focused on the here and now. Just get through another hour and we can call it quits for today." I responded.

"Fine," She groaned, before getting back to working out the problem.

After another hour of having her do problems and going over the steps, we finally decided to stop to her and my relief. Now that's done, I can finally relax for the day.

"Hey, you want a snack?" Rainbow asked me, "My parents usually get the good stuff."

"I guess one snack before I go won't hurt."

"Not so fast dude. You aren't leaving until I have a rematch," She objected.

"Fine."

"And this time I'll win because it will be a race," She finished, before doing a victory pose by raising her fist in the air.

Let's get this over with.

I skillfully dodged a trap with the controller in one hand and a microwave pizza in the other. Rainbow and I were actually neck and neck. I risked a glance at her to find her eyes narrowed in concentration and determination. There even seems to be sweat on her face. We each kept switching leads as we got closer to the end of the stage. I could feel my heart rate increase as I saw the end goal. In the end I managed to reach the end microseconds before her.

"You won again," Rainbow stated in a tone that wasn't angry or spiteful, to my slight surprise.

"It was close."

"Again. This time I will win."

"You aren't going to let this go until you do, right?"

"Nope and you better not let me win. That's even worse."

"Yeah, let's just do it."

We played a few more rounds and she managed to win a couple. While she seemed happy to finally have gotten a victory, she seemed a little peeved that I still seemed to be better overall.

"Ok, that's enough. This has been fun and all, but I have to clean my room before my parents get home."

"Behind on chores?" I asked

To my slight surprise, she blushed in embarrassment.

"Yeah, my parents are laid back and I want to surprise them with a clean room."

"Apparently, not enough to have done it earlier. Not to mention you were willing to have me do it for you, if you had won our bet." I couldn't help but quip.

"Yeah, well..." She could only stutter, as the blush got darker, "Whatever."

I watched for a few seconds as she quickly picked up some dirty laundry and made her way to a hamper.

"Would you like some help?" I asked.

She stared at me and blinked in surprise, "Seriously? You got lucky and managed to avoid doing it for our bet and now you are offering?"

"Yeah, you want it or not?"

She smirked, as she walked right up to me, "Sure, just make sure you don't touch my bras, alright?"

"Of course not," I stuttered, as I blushed in embarrassment.

"Got you. It's going to be fun to mess with you," She laughed.

"Let's just get to it."

"Alright, do a good job and you might get one as a prize."

I only gave her an unamused look in response, and she sighed in frustration.

"Dang, it's going to be harder to keep on messing with you, than I thought," She complained.

"Of course," I scoffed, "Who would fall for the same thing more than once?"

"A challenge huh. Bring it on."

In no time at all, Rainbow and I managed to completely clean her room.

"My parents will be here soon, so you better go, but first," She began before going to her drawer and pulling out a bra, "Your reward."

"Seriously?" I asked before shaking my head.

"I know you aren't falling for this again. I just thought it was worth a shot."

"The fact you are willing to tease someone you just met today with one of your bras three times is just plain weird and says a lot about you."

"I... It.." Rainbow stuttered, completely embarrassed, "Whatever."

"This has been fun. See you tomorrow." I simply said, before making my way out of her room.

"Yeah, later dude. I will be sure to get back to you tomorrow."

For the next few days, Rainbow and I continued to study and play her game. I continued to beat her every time during the points rounds, but we were still close during the races. She was even making great progress during our tutoring, and I have no doubt she will pass her next exam.

"This is much easier now. Now, I know I won't fail," she told me with a grin.

"Didn't you already know before we even started in the first place?"

"Yeah, but now I am twenty percent surer," She responded, trying too hard to sound confident.

"Well, you aren't the only one."

"Good. Now, it's time for me to kick your butt again," she told me, before picking up a controller.

"Last I checked I have five victories on you," I quipped, as I put my notebook and textbook in my backpack.

"Yeah, well today I will change that," She responded, with a light blush, before grabbing the other controller, "Let's just play," She finished, before she quickly tossed the controller at me.

I managed to catch it and sighed in slight annoyance, "Alright."

"Nice catch," She told me slightly impressed, "Do you play sports?"

"No, I just go to the gym often."

"Huh," She began to think, "Maybe you should join a sports team. I can't make you as good as me, but I might be able to turn you into a winner." She finished with a smile.

"I'll think about it."

"At least let me train you. Think of it as my way of paying you back for this. Maybe you can even be my personal tutor when I need help and I teach you how to play different sports,"

"Maybe. Why are you offering this anyway?"

"You seem pretty cool. Not anyone can keep on beating me at anything." She admitted.

"Ok, I guess we can give it a shot."

Later that night, I was lying on my bed, drawing in one of my notebooks. Playing with Rainbow and seeing Daring Doo made me want to do a few drawings of her, going on adventures. Now that this tutoring thing is over and done with, I can relax until Pinkie's party. It's going to be tough to be at a wild party, but I'm sure I will get through it and become more comfortable socializing. Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate, as I received a text message. Rainbow and I exchanged numbers to keep in touch and speaking of the devil, she was the one who sent the message.

I was thinking we will start your training sometime next week. We will still be playing video games in between your sessions.

I smiled, before I sent her my response

Fine by me. I can't wait to keep on beating you at your favorite game.

What do you know? I made another friend already. Looks like I am doing well so far. I only hope I can keep it up.

Author's Note

This chapter was a lot of fun to write. I especially enjoy Rainbow's and Marcus' interactions.

next chapter Marcus goes to Pinkie's party and meets up with a certain someone.

3 Pinkie's party

I took a deep breath, as I finished combing my hair and took one last look. Tonight, is Pinkie's party and I am a little nervous. I have never been to a large gathering like this before and don't know what to expect. Knowing Pinkie, she managed to invite the whole school to the event. How they will all fit in her house is a question I have decided not to think about. Let's just say those magical events completely destroyed my skeptical side. Thankfully, since it's pinkie, it isn't a fancy event, so I don't have to worry about my clothing.

I took out my phone and checked the time. I smiled, as I still have plenty of time before it starts. Who would have thought that to push someone like me to go out, was for an incredibly friendly, likable, extrovert like Pinkie? God, if the girl wasn't so adorable, I wouldn't give her the time of day. She's overwhelming but in a good way. I quickly made my way out of my house and got on my way to the party.

I arrived at Pinkie's house and took a good long look at the scene before me. I could see many students, some I even vaguely recognized, walking inside, before being greeted by an excited Pinkie. The party seemed to be crazy and loud from what I could see. I took a relaxing breath. Alright I can do this. Just walk right up there, greet Pinkie, and enter the party.

I walked closer to Pinkie and when she saw me, her eyes lit up in pure happiness. God, she's not going to tackle me in public, is she? I froze when she rushed towards me. Oh god.

"Oh Marky," I heard, before I ended up on the soft lawn with Pinkie on top of me, "You came."

"Yeah, I told you I would." I groaned from the impact.

"I know!" She began hugging me, "I am just so happy to see you!" She gave me a kiss on the cheek, "School isn't enough time to see each other."

I blushed in embarrassment, as I noticed eyes are on us and most people are giving us amused looks.

"Pinkie. Must you do this in front of everyone?"

"What's wrong?" She asked innocently, "I greet you like this at school all the time."

"Yeah, but... Not... Never mind," I responded nervously.

I decided it's most likely not worth trying to explain doing it in front of so many people was my issue. At least before class it was only in front of a few teens. Finally, she got up and held up her hand.

"Anyway, I am happy to see you here," Pinkie told me, helping me up.

"Well, I am a man of my word." I responded.

I followed Pinkie as she led me inside. It was going as you would expect from a party. There was music playing, provided by Vinyl, I think her name is. There were groups of teens chatting in small groups. I could feel anxiety from being in front of so many groups of people begin to form. At least at school I could get away from crowds like this, but it looks like I'm stuck.

"Well, Marky as much as I want to stay with you," Pinkie began before embracing me again, "I better get back outside to greet everyone."

"Ok."

"Then again I guess it won't hurt not to," Pinkie told me with a huge smile.

"Uh."

"The others can just arrive on their own. I don't have to greet them Pinkie Pie style," She decided before tightening her embrace, "I usually love to greet all of my friends personally, but for you Marky I can miss out." She finished giving me what seems to be a flirty look.

"You don't have to do that for me," I manage to say.

She giggled, "But I want to."

"I mean. I'm not going anywhere, so you can do both."

"Oh. I guess so. I usually hate waiting for what I want," She responded with a cute pout, "But I guess I can," She gave me another kiss on the cheek before separating from me, "I will be back as soon as I can Marky."

I took a relaxing breath as I watched her rush outside. She has been much more affectionate towards me lately. She's adorable and the affection isn't bad, it's just a bit overwhelming at times. I bought myself some time to calm down enough to handle her for the rest of the evening. Might as well try to fit in and have some fun. I walked up to a nearby table, with snacks. One of the best things about Pinkie is her skills at baked goods. I'm not one to have much of a sweet tooth, but even I can't resist them. I grabbed a cupcake and began to eat it. Knowing Pinkie, she was most likely going even crazier with her greetings just to get back to me sooner. I shouldn't have to wait long.

"Hi there. Marcus right."

I turned around and swallowed the cupcake, before I realized it was Sunset who was talking to me. I haven't seen her face to face since the school tour.

"Yeah, can I help you?"

"Well, I haven't talked to you since the school tour," She began somewhat nervously, "I noticed you all by yourself and figured I would see how you were doing."

"You wanted to check up on someone you only met once before?" I asked.

She only nodded with a nervous blush, "I was just wondering if things are going well for you here."

"Not counting the whole battle of the bands fiasco, things have been going well."

"That's good. I trust you have made friends."

Wow, what is she, my mother? I have enough people pushing me to be more social as it is.

"Not counting Pinkie, since she is an obvious one," I began earning a giggle and nod from her, which made me pause for a brief moment from how cute it sounded, "I am close with Big Mac..."

"You're friends with Applejack's brother?" She asked.

"Uh Yeah." I answered awkwardly.

"But he usually doesn't say more than one-word responses." She pointed out, still stunned.

"I guess we just connect due to not being the best socially."

"Huh? That's..."

"Ironic," I finished.

"That and really fitting." She answered, "Anybody else?"

"Well, there's Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah, she did mention getting tutored by you. She wasn't too bad, was she?" She asked, concerned.

"Not really, it was kind of fun actually."

"Huh?" She asked stunned for a few moments, "She did say she was ready, and she seemed surer of it, than usual. Which for her is saying a lot."

"Yeah, I could tell despite knowing her for only a few days."

"I hope she really is ready."

"Trust me she is. I managed to get her to listen," I answered.

"Huh? How did you manage that?"

"By betting I could beat her at her Daring Doo game."

"Yeah, that would do it," She simply said, impressed, "Nice you managed to win though. Was it hard?"

Before I could answer, I was suddenly in a surprise hug and had my eyes covered.

"Guess who?"

"Come on Pinkie. What are you five?"

"Aw. Come on Marky I am just young at heart." Pinkie giggled before removing her hands from my eyes, "Nice to see you two talking to each other." She stated before turning towards Sunset, "Where are the others?"

Sunset shrugged, "Most likely doing their own things. I know I would want to spend time with other peers at these kinds of events."

"Oh well. Looks like it's just us three," Pinkie responded with a giggle.

"So, what do you two want to do?" Sunset asked us.

"I'm fine with whatever." I answered.

Pinkie's face lit up and she embraced me, "Oh Marky there is tons of fun stuff we can do! There's music to dance to and I am sure you know a bunch of great songs. There are plenty of sweets for us to enjoy and if you want, I could make something special just for you," She blurted out so quickly I barely could keep up with her before giving me a seemingly flirty look.

I have never met anyone more overwhelming than Pinkie. It takes all of my focus to keep up with her and it takes a lot out of me. If she is like this normally then I dread what a sugar rush Pinkie is like, assuming she isn't already on a sugar rush 24/7.

"Whoa slow down Pinkie before you overwhelm him." Sunset told her hyper friend.

"Your two suggestions sound good to me. let's do both," I answered before taking a relaxing breath.

"Okie dokie lokie."

Sunset shot me a stunned look, "Wait you got all she said."

"It wasn't easy, but yeah."

"I'm impressed. I have never met anyone who could keep up with her."

"Uh. Thanks."

Pinkie let go of me and got right up to my face with a giant smile, "Now Marky why don't we go dance together?"

"Uh... Ok."

"Great!" She exclaimed before dragging me closer to where the music was playing.

I could feel my social anxiety rise up, as we entered the crowd of dancing teens. I took a relaxing breath as I felt Pinkie put her hands on my shoulder and she even gave me what seemed to be a flirty look.

"Marky, do you know why I am having this party?" Pinkie asked.

"You said it's an annual party." I managed to answer despite my anxiety.

Pinkie giggled, "Yes, silly but I have different reasons for each party."

"The reason for this party?" I asked.

"Well... Are you ok Marky?" Pinkie asked concerned, "You look nervous. Are you ok dancing? Do you know how to dance? Am I making you uncomfortable? if you want I..." Pinkie stated before I placed my hand on her mouth.

I sighed, "It's not you Pinkie. Sometimes I just get social anxiety when around crowds."

"But why?" She asked confused, "There's nothing to be nervous about," She moved her face closer to mine, "Don't worry Marky, just follow my lead."

"Pinkie, I..." Was all I could get out before Pinkie led me in a dance and I ended up following along.

I could feel my nervousness fade away as I got used to what we were doing. After a few minutes she stopped.

"Are you having fun Marky?" She asked me.

"I... Yeah, can we keep going?" I asked.

"Of course, Marky." She responded before giving me a smile, "I'm just happy you are enjoying yourself."

We got back to dancing. I have to hand it to Pinkie. She managed to get me to calm down enough to try something new. I am really grateful to have a friend like her that can push me to things outside of my comfort zone and make it so it's not so uncomfortable anymore.

"It's amusing to see you two interact," I heard before turning around to spot Sunset watching us with a smile.

I couldn't help but smile, as I continued my dance with Pinkie. This whole party thing was turning out to be much better than I thought.

"Well, what do you think of the music?" Pinkie asked me after we finished dancing.

"It's nice despite not hearing anything like it before." I answered, earning confused looks.

"Really? These songs are well known around here," Sunset pointed out.

I shrugged nervously, "Well, not where I am from."

"Oh," Pinkie began excitedly, "I bet you know all kinds of awesome songs that we all haven't heard before."

"Well, I suppose so."

"You have to play them for us," Pinkie told me, giving me a cute look.

"I am curious about the kind of music you listen to," Sunset added.

"I guess I could show you."

"Oh. Better idea. I could ask vinyl to take a break and you can play a few for all of us here."

"I... You mean right here right now?" I asked.

"Sure. I know everyone will enjoy it," Pinkie answered with a smile.

That smile actually managed to remove any and all reluctance to play my music. I took out my phone and turned it on.

"Ok. Whenever you are ready," I told them.

"Great. I will talk to Vinyl while you pick a song," Pinkie responded, sounding excited, before she left.

I looked through my music selection and tried to decide what would be a good first song.

"Know what song you are going to play?" Sunset asked me.

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites."

It wasn't long before Pinkie returned and pointed at Vinyl, who was leaving the area.

"Are you ready Marky?"

"Yeah, let's do this."

I followed Pinkie up to the speakers and she addressed the crowd, while I plugged them to my phone.

"Ok. Everyone you are about to hear an awesome song, I am sure none of you have ever heard before," She announced before turning to me with an excited smile, "Hit it Marky."

I couldn't help but smile right back despite my slight nervousness, "You got it," I started the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04854XqcfCY

I hope everyone enjoys the song. Oh, what am I saying? Who wouldn't enjoy the beauty of Queen? I smiled as I noticed everyone listened in awe and some even managed to sing along, as best as they could.

"Of the world!" A familiar voice sang out after the song ended.

I turned and saw it was Rainbow Dash, with an embarrassed blush. She groaned and gave everyone an annoyed look.

"What!? Can't a girl enjoy and sing along to an awesome song?" She asked, annoyed.

Everyone chuckled and she even joined along. Glad to see someone enjoyed the song so much they mistakenly added to it at the end.

"Wasn't that awesome. Don't worry Marky here will play more," Pinkie announced causing everyone to cheer.

I smiled as I quickly scrolled for another song to play. It actually feels great to introduce everyone to new songs for them to listen to.

Sunset, Pinkie and I were currently sitting together and eating snacks.

"Those songs were incredible." Sunset told me.

"Yeah, everyone seemed to enjoy it, especially since they were new," Pinkie added before eating a cupcake.

"I just can't believe we never heard them before," Sunset told us, "Well, better late than never."

"Marky, you have to do this for future parties. Vinyl would appreciate the help." Pinkie suggested.

"Sure. I don't mind."

"Great," Pinkie answered.

"Another thing," Sunset said.

"What?" I asked.

"Another reason I approached you earlier was to say thanks," She answered nervously with a slight blush.

"For what?"

"For what you told me at the end of the school tour," She answered, "I have taken those words to heart and things seem to be going better. I appreciate it."

"Ah. No problem. Glad I could help you out," I responded as I began to recall that.

"Well that concludes the school tour," She told me with the same smile she gave me earlier, "Do you have any questions"

I pause. Throughout the tour there was something bugging me about her. She seemed nice, but it felt forced. Should I bring it up or just shrug it off. I sighed. Well, she seems nice enough. Maybe she won't get mad.

"Are you acting?" I asked before mentally facepalming.

Figures, I would phrase it poorly.

"What do you mean?" She asked me confused.

I took a relaxing breath, "Look you seem nice and all, but it didn't seem completely genuine to me," I began, causing her to nervously flinch, "It seems like you are forcing yourself to be extra nice. Am I wrong?"

Perhaps, I should have kept my mouth shut. She seemed on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"I... Well..." She tried to say before she sighed, "I'm sorry," she said sadly before looking at the floor.

"Sorry?"

"I wasn't good enough at being friendly," She answered somberly.

"What are you talking about?"

She nervously glanced at me and took a deep breath, "I wasn't the friendliest teen around until certain events made me realize the error of my ways and since then I have been trying to make up for them with no success. Everyone who knew me hates me, not that I blame them, and I hoped to earn their trust. I figured the best option for me right now would be to make friends with new students who didn't have to deal with the old Sunset Shimmer, but I can't even be a nice property."

"It's not that," I began, causing the girl to give me a confused look, "Look. You are great at being nice when you don't go overboard. My problem was you seem to force it most of the time. Just act natural and find a good balance."

"I..." She tried to respond but couldn't.

"Just try to tone it down a little and do what seems natural."

"I'll try. thanks."

"No problem."

It felt good to know I helped her out with her issues, and she seemed to be in a better position in her life. I know she managed to get seemingly everyone's trust after the sirens fiasco and knowing I at least played a small part in helping her get where she is, makes me feel great.

"What are you two talking about?" Pinkie asked us.

"I hoped you had fun Marky," Pinkie told me after the party was over.

"Yeah, I did."

Pinkie embraced me and squealed, "Oh. Goody. Well, goodnight. See you tomorrow," she told me, before kissing me on the cheek.

She let go of me and I left her house. This party was actually one of the best experiences of my life. I am glad Pinkie convinced me to go. Maybe I should go out more and be more social. I guess I can try to take more than baby steps. Now I have to do what Big Mac wants me to do. Hope it's as fun as this party was, or at least not terrible.

Author's Note

This chapter was a little hard to write. It took quite a bit of thought to come up with dialogue and I had to trim down or stop myself from repeating things you already know or at least keep that short and to the point. The final few sections were easier to write since I didn't run into that problem.

Next chapter. Marcus does Big Mac's thing and meets his sister.

4 meeting applejack

I took a deep breath as I approached Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie's party went much better than I thought it would and I hope this will go well too. As I got closer, I noticed Big Mac, waiting for me and when he noticed me, he called me over.

"Howdy," He greeted, "Nice to see you decided to show up."

"I am a man of my word."

He only smiled and nodded before leading me inside. The place was decorated for a typical country event. There were apple-based goods on tables, and everyone was wearing a cowboy hat.

"A certain someone was looking forward to meeting you," Big Mac told me.

"Uh. Who?" I asked.

"Nope."

I sighed in frustration at his refusal to answer, "Ok. Are they the reason you invited me?"

"Sort of," He shrugged, "I mainly wanted a friend to come with here."

"Right."

"Big Mac, are you here with your friend?"

"Eeyup!"

A certain blond-haired girl entered the room, wearing her usual hat. When she noticed Big Mac and I, she walked towards us. Like with Rainbow, I was stunned at how attractive she was, without makeup.

"Howdy. You must be the one I heard about," She greeted me while holding out her hand.

I grabbed her hand and managed not to wince from her strong handshake. Seems the whole apple family has a strong grip. Thanks to Big Mac I managed to get somewhat used to it.

"You heard about me?" I asked before we stopped, and I quickly shook my hand.

Applejack chuckled, "You have a pretty strong handshake. Pinkie talks about you all the time."

"Ah."

"That was one thing," She continued with a thoughtful look on her face, "Then Rainbow was bragging about how she was going to ace her test and the kicker she mentioned you."

"Ok."

"Yeah. Usually, she never mentions anyone else involved, but she kept bringing you up." She explained with a small smile, "Seems you made a good impression on her," She looked at me from head to toe, "No wonder Pinkie is interested in you."

I could feel my face heat up a bit, as Big Mac chuckled.

"Since you're interested in him. Why not have him be your date." Big Mac said with a laugh.

"Um," Applejack pondered before smiling, "Why not. If Rainbow and Pinkie seem to like him, I might as well get to know him too."

"Hold on. I was just joking."

"Well, I still want to. Besides, you spent plenty of time with him. Let me have this one." She argued before looking at me, "What do you say I show you around?"

"Sure. I don't mind."

"Great," She responded before dragging me with her.

I looked back to find Big Mac giving me a smile. Why do I have the feeling he planned this?

"There are no greater apple products than those here. I guarantee it." Applejack told me as she handed me a slice of apple pie.

I like fruits as much as the next guy, but I never thought I would meet anyone like this. Not that it's annoying or anything. I actually like how serious she takes the family business. I happily took a bite of the apple pie, as I haven't had some in quite a while and was happy to find it tasted better than the ones in the past.

"So, how is it?" She asked me with an eager smile.

"Normally, I am against bold statements like that, I have to admit it lived up to it," I said before taking another bite.

She chuckled, "Unlike most we actually are completely honest or at least we try to be."

"Kind of hard to do with something subjective like taste, but you seem to be doing a great job."

"Like I said, we try." She repeated before grabbing a slice herself, "So, what do you think about Pinkie."

I pondered the question for a moment or two.

"At first, I was worried we would clash due to our different personalities and don't get me wrong there is a little bit of that, but I don't know. Pinkie is just the kind of person to make friends with everyone, even those that struggle a bit socially. In short, despite our differences, I am glad she reaches out to me and helps me out of my little bubble."

"That's wow." She simply responded.

"Yeah." I said awkwardly.

We stood in silence for at least a minute.

"You know Pinkie is worried about you, right?" She finally asked.

"She is?"

She sighed, "I know it's weird for that girl to be worried about anything, but it seems that way." She shook her head, "Please tell me Rainbow didn't give you too much trouble."

I was glad for the change in subject and felt more comfortable responding.

"No, she tried to stall at first with one of her Daring doo games."

"Sounds like her," She quipped with a chuckle.

"Never thought the night sky could look so appealing " I commented.

We both were calmly standing outside. The party wasn't as exciting as Pinkie's, and I found myself actually wishing it was. I don't know why, but I find myself missing her presence.

"Sounds like you don't get out much," Applejack quipped with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess I could do that a bit more," I responded with an embarrassed blush.

"That you should. There's a lot of things you would miss out on."

"Yeah." I simply said.

I found myself remembering the events of Pinkie's party and tutoring Rainbow Dash. They were both things I haven't experienced before and despite my initial fears, things ended up going pretty well. I guess I could try to make a more conscious effort.

"You know I am angry at Big Mac for not telling me about you."

"You are?"

"Yep. He should have told his little sis." She answered before smiling a bit, "You seem like fine company."

"How are you two doing?"

Speak of the devil. Both Applejack and I turned when Big Mac appeared and walked up to us.

"What are you doing here?" Applejack asked.

"What? I can't check on my lil sis?"

"Doing the overprotective brother routine?" I asked.

"Nope," He responded, giving me an unamused look.

"Uh huh," I responded.

"Look this was your idea and besides I can take care of myself," Applejack told him while crossing her arms, "Not that I need to."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Well, I'm not exactly one to wear makeup and look all pretty."

"So?"

"What do you mean?" She asked me confused, "I'm not like Rarity. I don't exactly attract boys like her," She explained before sighing, "Not that I want to. I just hope when I find him, he isn't repulsed by me."

"That's silly."

"How so?" She asked me.

"I... I think you look beautiful," I managed to say with a sigh.

"You do?" She asked me stunned while Big Mac gave me what seemed to be a warning look.

I ignored him and focused on the girl beside me.

"Yeah, I do," I assured her.

"Even if I don't wear makeup?"

"You don't need it. You have great natural beauty."

She blushed a little and looked away. God this is really awkward. Conversations ending like this one is one of the reasons I tend to shy away from them, but I gotta get through it.

"Thank you," She managed to say, "But if you saw Rarity, you would see what I mean."

"Forget about her. I am talking about you. Don't sell yourself short alright." I responded.

"Why don't we talk about something else?" Big Mac suggested before giving me another annoyed look.

I simply ignored him while Applejack nodded in agreement.

"So," She began as she looked at both Big Mac and I, "When did you two meet?"

Before I could answer, Big Mac responded.

"Shortly after his arrival. Why?"

She gave him an unamused look, "You have been friends for a while now and not once did you tell me and the family. I didn't know about your friendship until you mentioned bringing your gym buddy and I asked who he was."

"You didn't ask."

"I didn't think you had a friend."

"That was your problem," He countered.

"Why You," She simply said with noticeable rage.

I sighed as I watched them argue. I didn't know what to do. As much as I wanted to stop it, I didn't think it was right to get involved. Hopefully they stop fighting soon.

"I'm sorry you had to see that?" Applejack told me.

After the two finished bickering, Applejack dragged me back inside, where we went back to eating snacks.

"It's... Let's just move on." I responded.

"Fine by me."

We continued to eat in silence for a few moments.

"Did you mean what you said?" She asked me.

"Yes, I did." I answered awkwardly.

"I don't get that kind of attention."

"Really?" I asked.

"Not that I know of. Then again I don't really focus on boys that much."

"If you really don't, then... That's messed up," I managed to say.

"Thank you for saying that. I can see why Pinkie digs you," She told me with a smile, "Once you get out of your shell a little you make good company."

"I... Thank you?"

As I walked home, I found myself pondering her words. Despite the awkward conversation, she seemed to have enjoyed it. I was always scared to leave my comfort zone when it came to socializing, as I didn't want to risk anything. Are my fears unfounded and if I continue to push myself further out of my comfort zone, will I have made things easier for myself? I don't know. Things are going too fast for me. I need some time to think. Thankfully, I have no further promises until I start training with Rainbow in sports. That is plenty of time to relax and think.

I pulled out my phone and found a text from Rainbow.

Hey. Just wondering what that song was you played at the party. The one I was singing along too. I kind of want to make it my victory theme.

I smiled before answering her back. Who would have thought it would feel great to introduce someone to the legend that is queen. Even if I don't end up being more social, at least I have friends I enjoy the company of.

Author's Note

This chapter was the biggest pain, but in the end I managed to get through. Applejack's dialouge is written normally, since it's easier on me. If it bothers you i'm sorry.

Next chapter- Marcus finally gets to chill and relax after recent events.

6 Bonding with Rainbow

Today is a day I have been slightly looking forward to, doing sports with Rainbow. After everything a simple day of playing sports should help get my mind off these recent events. I sighed and pulled out my phone as I approached the field, we agreed upon to use. I looked around and didn't see her, so I decided to send her a text.

I'm here. Where are you?

I'll be there in a minute.

I put my phone back in my pocket and decided to just wait. I haven't been in the best of moods lately. From my falling out with Big Mac, which I still don't completely understand to my upcoming fancy date with Pinkie. I don't know how to feel about her picking me as her date. Now I have to prepare for it and I doubt a week is enough time to. Looks like I was right, and Pinkie does seem to have a crush on me. I could feel my face heat up a bit, as I imagine us as a couple.

She's adorable and a great friend, but she is so overwhelming. Would I be able to handle her? She has always been there for me, and she does reach out to me. At her part she did help calm me down and actually enjoy my time there. I shook my head. I'll think about this later and figure out what to do.

"Have I kept you waiting long?"

I turned around and in all her late glory was Rainbow with a soccer ball in her hands. Her cocky grin turned into a questioning look.

"Are you ok dude?"

"Y-yeah, just t-thinking about a f-few things. D-don't w-worry about it." I stammered nervously.

"Are you sure? Your face is a little red."

"Yeah, yeah let's just get started." I responded, regaining my composure.

Dash and I walked into an area with a couple of goal posts.

"I have been waiting for this day when I will finally kick your butt," she told me with a smug grin.

"God, you know how to hold onto a grudge."

"Let's just get started," She shot back annoyed before her grin returned, "First to five goals win and please actually try to get at least one. I hope you do better than Twilight."

"I hope so too considering I had this body for more than a few days."

Rainbow chuckled, "Yeah, yeah. Get a hold of yourself smart aleck."

Rainbow and I got into positions in the middle of the two goals. She was stretching with the same cocky smile on her face. My chances of victory I knew were slim, but I hoped to at least get one goal. Thank God we weren't currently under a wager of some kind. I took a relaxing breath and prepared for the game. Rainbow dropped the soccer ball to the ground with a determined look.

"On the count of three. One. Two. Three." She said before rushing towards the ball.

I tried to intercept her, but she slipped past me with the ball. As quickly as I could I turned around and chased her, which proved incredibly difficult. At first, I was questioning how she could be the captain of every sports team, but now I was beginning to see why. Despite my best efforts she managed to score a goal.

"A poor start, hopefully you'll score soon." Rainbow said with a cocky grin before tossing the ball in the air and performing a victory pose.

Geez, she sure is a sore loser. All this bragging all because I am better at a dang video game than her.

Rainbow managed to catch the ball before she walked right up to me, "You know what. Maybe you need something to motivate you."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Tell you what if you manage at least to get two goals I'll buy you lunch," Rainbow offered, "That way you actually might have a chance at a victory."

What is with her? She is acting all cocky and holding this petty grudge, yet she is willing to offer this.

"If you wanted a date all you had to do was ask," I couldn't help but quip.

I knew as soon those words left my mouth, I was going to regret it, but I didn't care. Her face actually became the same shade of red as the portion of her hair, and she stammered a bit.

"I... It's not like that," She denied before looking away, "As friends nothing more. No offense but I have zero interest in that girly romance trash."

"You do know it wouldn't have to be that way, right?"

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"It doesn't have to involve pretty dresses and fancy restaurants. Just two people enjoying each other's company."

Rainbow looked like she was considering my words before she shook her head, "Whatever. Do we have a deal or not?"

"Fine."

That was weird, but that offer does sound good. Just have to get two goals. How hard could that be? I have a feeling it will actually be a difficult challenge.

I charged faster than last time and managed to get to the ball around the same time as Rainbow. After a minute of struggling to get the ball, I managed to and rushed as fast as I could to the goal. Unfortunately for me Rainbow easily caught up to me and kept trying to steal it. I struggled with the ball before I was near the goal. I managed to block her foot before kicking it and scoring a goal.

As I took a relaxing breath, Rainbow gave me a minorly impressed look.

"Good. You are better than Twilight."

"What isn't?"

Rainbow chuckled, "Haha. Good one," She gave me a light punch on the shoulder, "Seriously, you have potential that I will be glad to bring out, but the game has just started."

The next couple rounds ended up with Rainbow managing to get the ball before me and despite my best attempts to steal, managed to score. I sighed and focused on the ball, as Rainbow gave me another cocky smile.

"Come on, you just have to get another goal before I get two more," She teased, "You better not miss this chance."

Ok. She is getting on my nerves now. I gritted my teeth and prepared to win this round.

"Begin."

I rushed forward and quickly managed to kick the ball away. Before Rainbow could react, I quickly ran after it and caught up to it. Rainbow was by me not even a second later and gave me another mildly impressed look.

"Well played," She admitted, "Looks like you are finally taking this seriously."

"Yeah, I am," I agreed before kicking the ball as hard as I could and hoping it makes it in.

Rainbow and I ran after it and to my slight horror it was beginning to slow down. Come on. Make it in please. To my relief the ball managed to make it right into the goal.

"You have power in those legs of yours. Good to know," Rainbow commented, "Wonder how well you would do at football."

The rest of the game was intense. Despite already scoring two goals I gave it everything I had, but so did her. I found myself getting winded during the final rounds, but she seemed like she could go for hundreds more. With stamina like her, no wonder she is captain of every sports team.

"We definitely need to work on your stamina," She noted, "Thankfully, that will improve alongside everything else." She then gave me a smile, an actual genuine smile, "Well done. You actually did well, and I can't wait to make you even better," She placed a hand on my shoulder, "Heck you might just be as awesome as me one day."

I waited for her to downplay the compliment by saying 'don't count on it', but she didn't.

"Come on. Let's get you some water before we grab lunch."

"I'm telling you the chicken here is the best," Rainbow told me with a cocky grin.

"Try KFC and get back to me," I countered.

"I will be happy to prove you wrong."

Instead of responding to her nonsense, I took another sip from my water bottle. I hope the chicken here is actually as good as she keeps telling me. Now that I think about it the game wasn't actually that bad. Sure, her teasing and cocky attitude was annoying, but it wasn't too bad. On the plus side it helped to take my mind off certain things. Once again, I must conclude becoming more social and making more friends actually seems kind of nice.

I was taking out my thoughts when a bucket of chicken was placed at our table. Rainbow and I each took a piece and took a bite.

"So how is it?" She asked.

"Umm..." I pretended to ponder for a second before answering, "Not quite like KFC, but close enough I guess."

"Whatever," Rainbow grunted while shrugging.

"So," I began.

"So what?"

"I'm just wondering why you are doing this," I answered before taking another bite.

"Training you?" She asked, getting a nod from me, "A part of it was payback for beating me at Daring Doo."

I snickered, but before I could respond she spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah. You called it I know," She snapped playfully, "I just wanted to see how you would do."

"Alright."

"Now you are on the Rainbow training program. You better get ready because I am going to make you even more awesome."

"Ok."

"You know this isn't that bad actually," Rainbow admitted.

"What?"

"If this is what a date is, it's actually not that bad. It helps I'm with someone I actually enjoy spending time with." She answered with a small grin.

"Oh. Right." I answered nervously as I felt my face heat up a bit.

Rainbow chuckled, "Don't get ahead of yourself. We are only friends after all."

"Of course," I nodded.

"What to do next time. Football? Dodgeball?" She asked, "I should also make sure to bring plenty of water," She noted before turning towards me, "Sorry about that by the way. I should have guessed you would need it."

"It's fine. Now we know."

"We might not be able to do it next week," Rainbow told me with an annoyed look, "Rarity wants me to join her for some fancy party. I hate having to wear a dress, but I have to support her."

"Oh, I know."

"You do?"

"Guess who Pinkie is bringing."

"Of course, she is," Rainbow responded, "Well we'll suffer together I guess."

"Yeah."

"Well, dude," Rainbow began as we left, "It has been fun beating you. Now you know why you shouldn't mess with me."

I snickered, "Oh please Dashie. I am just getting started.

"So am I," She countered, "You know I only let my closest friends call me Dashie and yet I don't mind you calling me that."

"Does that mean I can?"

She playfully rolled her eyes, "Yeah fine. Just don't embarrass me when you do it."

"No promises."

"Whatever. See you later," She groaned in mock anger before holding out her fist.

I smiled before giving her a fist bump and she went on her way. What to do now? I checked my phone and saw it was still early in the afternoon. I guess I could see about getting a suit for the upcoming party. The sooner I prepare the better.

I entered my house when the sun was beginning to set slightly annoyed with a suit in my hands. It took a while to find one I could afford. It's going to be a pain to learn to put one on and to get used to it. The sooner I get this over with the better. You know I am curious how Pinkie and the rest of the girls are going to look. I am actually looking forward to seeing Rainbow in one. I just hope I don't lose my composure in front of her. Anyway, that's one step towards preparation. Now I just have to learn how to act during it and I should be fine. I just know that is going to be easier said than done.

Author's Note

I have to say I am enjoying writing Marcus's and Rainbow's dynamitic. It's a quick bond that I find fun so far and can't wait to develop further.

Next chapter: With out any plans Marcus plans to stay home and relax for once, but that changes and he ends up meeting a certain animal lover.

7 Peace and quiet for once... Maybe not.

After God knows how long, I can finally get some peace and quiet. I swear being Pinkie's friend has caused a chain reaction of me having to go out more. It was enjoyable I have to admit, but I am just so drained, but at least now I can relax at home. I was currently relaxing in my room without a care in the world.

My room was filled with various artist products. I had a couple easels in the corner and a ton of buckets of paint in my closet. My desk was scattered with various notebooks, filled with different drawings I have done over the years. I grabbed a notebook and skimmed through it for an empty page. After finding one I opened a drawer, revealing a few boxes of colored pencils, crayons, and markers, but before I could grab a box of colored pencils, I was interrupted.

"Hey son."

"Yes, Dad?" I asked before closing the notebook.

"I have been thinking. You have been feeling lonely here, right?"

"Not really."

"I know lately you have been leaving the house more often and that you made some more friends," He began before entering my room, "But I'm sure you want another kind of company."

"What do you mean?"

"How would you like a pet?"

A pet? I have to admit I wouldn't mind having one, but I find it odd that my father would offer to get me one out of the blue.

"I guess I wouldn't mind getting one. Why do you ask?"

"I think more company will help you out."

I don't see how getting one would help with my social skills, but if he thinks it will help.

"Ok."

I took a relaxing breath as I stood near the animal shelter. Father wanted me to choose and buy a pet on my own. It seems getting the pet is what he meant by helping me be more social. Alright stop wasting time and just do it. I entered the pet shelter while taking another deep breath. Inside I saw a familiar light-yellow skinned girl around my age with long pink hair. Figures she would be here from what Pinkie told me about her.

"Oh Hello," She began in a barely audible tone, "Are you here to adopt?"

Fluttershy has an air of shyness that could rival the one I had during my elementary school days. The only thing Pinkie told me about her was her love of countless animals.

"Not sure. Maybe if I find the right one for me," I answered.

I most likely will. Maybe taking care of a pet will help take my mind off certain things.

"Ok. Well..." She paused before her eyes widened in realization, "Oh it's you. Marcus right."

"Uh yeah," I began awkwardly, "You know me?"

"Pinkie talks about you," She answered, "Anyway, shall I show you the animals we have."

"Lead the way."

I always thought those emotional commercials with sad animals in shelters were hugely exaggerating, but they actually weren't. Well, not by much anyway. Seeing all these poor animals without a good home and as much as I want to, I can't take more than one home. Such harsh reality.

"Feel free to look around," Fluttershy told me.

I simply nodded as I moved along the various cages. Some dogs or cats were sleeping surprisingly peacefully, but the ones awake seemed excited to see a new face. Like they were hopeful another might get taken to a better home. God this is tough. Who to pick?

"Hey come back!" I heard Fluttershy shout.

Surprised by the action I turned to see what was going on, when I noticed a dog out of its cage. He was an excited little pup with light brown fur. I quickly moved in front of him and held out my hands. He excitedly jumped into them and began licking my face when I brought him closer. Fluttershy walked up to us looking relieved.

"Good you caught him."

"Why was he out?" I asked.

"Well," She began nervously with a guilty expression, "I just like to take as many animals as possible out and give them some affection whenever I can. It's just too sad seeing them here without a good home."

"Hey, you don't have to justify your actions to me. I get it. I think it's amazing of you to risk getting in trouble to do that."

"Oh. Thank you," She told me with lightly blushing cheeks, "I guess I better put him back."

I looked at the happy excited pup for a second before shaking my head.

"No need. I'll adopt him."

"He does seem to like you. Are you sure?" She asked me.

I nodded, "Yeah I was having trouble deciding so I think This is fate's way of doing it for me."

I left the animal shelter with a now sleeping pup in my hands. Well, that wasn't so bad. Maybe having him to take care of will make things better and more exciting. I just wished Dad took me. It's annoying having to drop him off home and going back out to get some food and other things for him. Oh well no use crying over spilled milk. The sooner I can relax the better I will be able to deal with the upcoming party.

Author's Note

A shorter chapter to relax bit before we get into longer and more serious events.

Next chapter: As the fancy party approaches Marcus tries his best to prepare and end up spending time with a few people.

8 errand and making another friend

I entered the mall, exhausted and more than ready to finally head home and relax for the rest of the day. Sadly, I have one last errand, getting food and maybe a toy or two for my new pet. Thankfully, this shouldn't take long, and I can finally get back home.

The mall was filled with other teens, and I even recognized a few of them, as I walked around. Some of them noticed me and I could hear a few whispers.

"Is that the guy from Pinkie's party?"

"The songs he played were interesting."

"Pinkie seems into him."

I tried my best to ignore them as I got deeper and deeper into the mall. I am still not used to my newfound popularity and hopefully it quickly fades. After a couple minutes of walking, I encountered a blue skinned girl around my age, wearing a magician outfit. She was handing out flyers to people passing by her, only for them to give her strange looks, before awkwardly leaving. When I got closer to her, she walked right up to me.

"Behold the incredible acts of the great and powerful Trixie," She began dramatically, as she handed me a flier, "Since Trixie's attempts at a band didn't work out as well as Trixie wanted, she decided to stick to her magician tricks."

After looking at the flier for a few seconds, I realized why they reacted the way they did. The flier contained a poorly done drawing of Trixie and I assume for friends on a stage doing what I guess are magician tricks. Looking back at Trixie, I began to recall her attempts at the battle of the bands fiasco.

"I remember you. Your band honestly should have ended up in the finals."

No offense to the Rainbooms, but to be fair Trixie should have gotten that win. Sure, if they hadn't the Dazzlings wouldn't have been stopped, but still.

"Oh," She began looking pleased, "Trixie is happy to see someone realize that fact," She then took a good look at me, and her cheeks seemed to redden a bit, "Trixie and her group will be live streaming their acts and we will enjoy any supporters," She walked closer to me and gently rubbed my chin, "Especially, ones like you. We will even try to set up public performances and if that happens, Trixie would appreciate you coming."

"O-oh I guess I could, if it happens," I answered nervously.

"Well, Trixie won't keep you from what you are doing," She giggled before backing away from me.

"Yeah," I only responded awkwardly before continuing on my way.

What was that about? Was she flirting with me? I shook my head and decided to just continue with what I came here for. I can ponder this later.

I left the pet store with a couple bags, filled with dog food and a few small toys, that I quickly placed in my backpack. Now that this is done, I can finally go back home and maybe relax with a couple drawings. Along the way out, I saw a familiar green skinned girl struggling with a few bags. To my annoyance no one seemed to notice her struggling. Having enough of everyone ignoring the poor girl without a care, I quickly ran right up to her.

"Wallflower," I called when I got close.

She turned around with a stunned look and dropped a couple bags, spilling the contents onto the floor. Looking around no one still seemed to have noticed. Geez what the heck is going on here?

"You remembered my name?" She asked, completely stunned.

"Yeah," I quickly answered before placing the items back into the bags, "Let me help you."

"You want to help me?" She asked dumbly while blinking in surprise.

"Yeah," I responded, picking up a few bags.

Is she used to others ignoring her that she can't comprehend someone actually reaching out and helping her? Geez what the heck is going on here? No matter. Might as well be there for her when no one else will.

"Come on."

She finally managed to snap out of her thoughts and with a light blush on her face, she nodded, looking absolutely adorable. She picked up the rest of the bags with her cheeks still red and she gave me a nervous and grateful smile.

"Thank you."

"No problem. You looked like you needed it," I responded once again baffled by everyone else still not noticing.

We both left the mall, and I began to follow her back to her house. It saddened me to see she wasn't kidding when she told me no one seems to notice her. How? Why? Were questions about this that I had no answers to, and I don't think I ever will.

"Thanks again. This has never happened to me before," Wallflower admitted sheepishly.

"Like I said you needed it."

"It's nice that someone noticed for once," Was her bitter response.

The rest of the trip to her house was done in complete silence. This poor girl has it rough. Despite not being the most social, others still notice me. Heck to my slight annoyance it's the opposite right now. Hopefully, things get better for her in the future.

We finally arrived at her house and after dropping off the bags, she looked at me completely nervous and seemed to be mentally debating something.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"O-oh yes," She began nervously before taking a deep breath, "I was wondering since you remember me and all if you want to be friends?"

"Sure, it sounds like you need one." I answered with a gentle smile.

"Oh, thank you," She cried out before rushing towards me and giving me a hug.

"Yeah, no problem," I answered awkwardly.

The hug actually feels quite nice, and she smells like fresh flowers. I was somewhat used to this kind of affection from others, due to Pinkie. Besides, after what I've seen today, Wallflowers more than deserve to do this. Let the poor girl finally feel satisfied.

I was walking my way home, finally ready to go back home and relax for the rest of the day. I felt a vibration from my phone and quickly pulled it out. Could it be a text from Wallflower already? No, it was a text from good old dad.

Since you are still gone, I decided against making lunch, so you might want to eat out.

I simply shrug in response. Since he's not in the mood to cook, where should I go? Looking around I noticed one place that seemed to stick out, Sugar Cube Corner. Wait, doesn't Pinkie work here? Well, I guess I could see her outside of school, out of my own volition. I entered the shop and looked around. It seems like a nice place for some good treats. It wasn't even a second later that I heard a gasp and not even a microsecond after that, I ended up in a familiar embrace. The only thing I could see were beautiful blue eyes looking at me in pure joy.

"Pinkie," I greeted the only one who would do such a thing.

"Oh Marky. I am just so happy to see you here. It's not like you to go out on your own, but it's nice to see. I have always wanted to serve you here and now I get to." Pinkie blurted out quickly.

Before I could respond, someone else spoke up.

"Pinkie, what have I told you about being overly affectionate to customers?"

"Oh sorry Mr. Cake," She apologized before letting go of me and stepping back a bit.

Now that she wasn't so close to me, I noticed her waitress outfit and that her hair was in a poofy ponytail. It's a nice look on her and I found myself blushing a little. I quickly shook my head and snapped out of it.

"Come on Marky. let's get you to a table." Pinkie suggested before leading me.

Ok. I am going to get served by a cute waitress that appears to have a crush on me. That's something any teenage boy would do anything for and I'm no exception. Just stay calm and enjoy this.

I finally arrived back home much later than I planned, but to be honest the day actually wasn't that bad. I made a new friend by reaching out to someone that seemed to need it even more than me and I guess getting my new pet was a good idea as well. I pulled out my phone and looked at my texts. There were plenty of playful jabs from Rainbow which I gladly gave back and a bunch of funny and cute pictures of pastries with faces, Pinkie likes to send me sometimes. I wonder what Wallflower will send me, if any. I might have to be the one to reach out to her. I chuckled at the irony of the situation. I just hope I am able to help her, considering I am still learning about this myself.

9 fancy party

I gently combed my still wet hair, making sure I look as presentable as possible. Today is the day I have been nervous about, the fancy party Pinkie invited me to. After putting my comb down, I took a good look in the mirror. My black hair was neatly combed back and the fancy suit I was wearing was put on as best as I could. I suppose I am as physically ready as possible, but I am not quite ready mentally. I am nervous at how things might end up. This isn't just a normal party and I'm worried I might end up screwing things up. I took a relaxing breath, as I left the bathroom. Just have to stay calm and hopefully things end up going ok.

I nervously walked up to Pinkie's door and after a moment of hesitance, finally knocked on it. Pinkie and I agreed to meet up at her house so we could go together. I wonder what kind of dress she has. My thoughts were answered when the door opened. She was wearing a dress in various shades of blue that matched her eyes very well. There were a few pink heart symbols in the middle and a few different colored balloons on the bottom. She also had a matching pair of blue heels with a symbol of three balloons, two blue and one yellow and her hair was in a long poofy ponytail. I found myself blushing at how beautiful she looked.

"Hello Mark..." She began before stopping when she looked at me.

I noticed her cheeks redden, as she just stared blankly at me for a few moments. I shook my head and managed to shake off my blush.

"Pinkie."

"Y-yes I will," She quickly and nervously blurted out.

"You'll what?"

"Oh!" She shouted nervously while her blush darkened, "Nothing. It wasn't like I imagined you asking me out or anything."

"Ok," I responded awkwardly

After regaining her composure, Pinkie walked right up to me and grabbed my right hand, "Come on Marky. Rarity wants us to be on time," She then began leading, well, more like dragging me with her in complete excitement.

Glad to see one of us is excited about this. Ok calm down Marcus. You are going to a fancy party with a beautiful girl as your date. I should try to be excited and enjoy this as much as I can.

Pinkie led me to a large fancy building that had a lengthy line leading to the entrance. Everyone was wearing fancy outfits and waiting patiently for entrance. I could see two security guards, with an attractive young woman in the middle, with a clipboard in her hands.

"Oh, Marky, isn't this so exciting?" Pinkie asked me excitedly.

"Yes, I suppose it is."

"I bet Rarity is excited too! She had been working hard preparing dresses to impress potential clients. It will be great to see her hard work pay off."

So that's the whole point of this party. Hopefully it goes well for Rarity, and she manages to get plenty of clients to help her aspiring business.

"That's nice."

"Yep, and I can't wait to introduce you to her."

Finally, we made it to the front of the line, and I began to feel a little nervous. I took a quick breath to calm my nerves. For some reason a part of me is a little fearful that I won't be allowed in. No, I can't think like that. Surely, Pinkie has an invitation and has the right to bring a plus one. She wouldn't lie to me, and I doubt she would be mistaken about such a thing.

"Invitations?" The lady asked us.

Pinkie pulled out a golden piece of paper from her hair and handed it to the lady. She blinked in either recognition or surprise from where Pinkie got the invitation from. Most likely both, as she simply nodded.

"Ah you're one of the special invites and this must be your plus one," She turned to look at me, making me a little nervous, before turning back to Pinkie, "Aren't you a lucky one. Plenty of girls are going to be envious."

I found myself blushing at her words for a brief moment. What did she mean by that? It couldn't have been about my appearance, could it?

"Oh yes I am," Pinkie agreed with a giggle as I felt her tighten her hold on my hand.

"Well, come on in you two."

I took another relaxing breath as Pinkie led me inside. I just have to stay calm and try to enjoy myself. I can do this.

We entered a fancy looking room, with plenty of fancy looking people socializing. There were plenty of tables with fancy looking food in the corners and a couple of expensive glass statues as scenery. I looked around to find Pinkie's friends and sure enough I quickly spotted a certain Rainbow haired girl, who was wearing a simple Rainbow-colored dress with matching fancy shoes.

"Come on Marky, let's meet with the girls," Pinkie suggested before leading me.

"Yes, let's."

As we got closer to the girls, I began to hear Rainbow complaining.

"The things I do for friends."

"Oh, pipe down Rainbow. Wearing a fancy dress ain't going to kill you," Applejack scolded the girl.

"I figured you would be on my side," Rainbow countered with her arms crossed.

Applejack shook her head, "I don't like it any more than you do, but we are supporting Rarity. You know, being loyal."

"You had to go there?" Rainbow asked in frustration.

"Yep."

"Hey girls," Pinkie shouted, getting their attention.

The girls quickly turned, and I noticed only Rainbow, Applejack, Sunset, and Fluttershy were here.

"Hey Pinkie," Applejack greeted before she noticed me and her cheeks redden a bit, "O-oh Howdy Marcus. You're looking great."

"Thanks. You look great yourself," I responded awkwardly.

She was wearing a simple green dress that matched her eyes, with three symbols of apples on the bottom, with matching fancy boots. It really suited her actually and she even had a green scrunchy instead of her usual red. I looked at the others and their cheeks were slightly red as well. Rainbow was the first one to regain her composure and walked right up to me.

"Sup, dude. You really clean up well."

"Yeah, so do you Dashie."

"Please. I always look awesome. Now I am just twenty percent more," She bragged in mocked offense.

"Says the girl I overheard complaining about this," I quipped, causing everyone except Rainbow to laugh

"Yeah," Rainbow began awkwardly with an embarrassed blush, "Well, I realized it isn't so bad," She continued before whispering, "well... that... you're..."

"What was that?" I asked.

"Nothing. Just with my friends it won't be so bad." She answered quickly and nervously.

"Whatever you say Dashie."

"Well, what do you know Rainbow? You found someone who can match you," Applejack commented with a chuckle.

"Please. He just got lucky," Rainbow defended.

"Anyway, while it's nice to know you can keep a certain someone in check," Sunset told me before walking right up to me.

Sunset's dress was the most interesting one I have seen yet. It had the appearance of red and yellow flames, and she was wearing black fancy boots with a symbol of a red and yellow flaming sun. Her long hair was in a flame styled ponytail.

"Hey!" Rainbow shouted in frustration.

"Nice to see you again. You know Pinkie is lucky she is with you. Like they said you do look great," Sunset told me.

"Yep, I really am!" Pinkie cheered as she embraced me.

I turned to the last girl of the group who nervously walked right up. She was wearing a light-blue dress with symbols of butterflies and pink strap on open-toed shoes. There was even a butterfly accessory in her hair.

"Oh. Hi. Is the dog you adopted doing well?" She asked me.

"Yeah, he's still an excited little pup."

"Oh goody. I hope you two will be happy together," She responded, sounding calmer and happier.

"Hey. I just realized. Where's Rarity?" Pinkie asked.

"She's preparing for her dress showcase. She said she will meet us here before it's showtime," Rainbow answered before rolling her eyes, "I will never understand her interests."

"I don't either, Rainbow, but you should be more supportive. Again loyalty," Applejack told her.

"I am loyal. Doesn't mean I have to kiss up to her and her interests."

"I'm not telling you to!" Applejack responded before shaking her head.

"Hello girls. Sorry for the wait, but I had to make sure everything was perfect," A voice called out.

The girls and I turned around and were greeted by the sight of a white skinned girl, with expertly curled purple hair, with a hair clip in the shape of three blue diamonds, wearing a fancy blue dress, with matching diamonds in the center and matching high-heel shoes. Despite being around my age she was walking in those shoes like an expert.

"About time you showed up, Rarity," Rainbow complained with a scowl.

"You can't rush perfection Rainbow."

"You can when it's me," Rainbow scoffed with a cocky grin.

"Rainbow, darling we all can't be you," Rarity simply responded before turning to the others, "Anyway, everything is perfect and ready to go. I hope it goes well."

"Don't be silly, Rarity. I may not understand this, but I know you are the best at what you do."

"Thank you, Applejack. You know it's hard for me to get inspiration and come up with new designs," Rarity responded with a sigh, "I am hoping to find someone creative who could help me come up with ideas."

"Don't worry Rarity. You'll figure something out," Sunset assured her.

"I hope so," She replied before she noticed me.

She paused and her eyes widened a bit. Her cheeks turned a light shade of Pink, which was very noticeable on her white face. After a moment of awkwardness, I decided to be the one to talk first.

"Hello."

She shook her head and regained her composure, "Oh. Hello Darling. You must be Marcus, Pinkie's plus one. I have heard about you from the others and it's nice to finally meet you face to face," She responded before holding out her hand.

It wasn't held out in position for a handshake, which confused me for a brief moment, before remembering I was at a fancy party and meeting a girl that's into this kind of thing. Well, here's hoping I don't find a way to screw something simple like this up. I gently took her hand in mine and gently kissed it. I realized too late that I may have misread that. Here's hoping I didn't.

"Oh my. You are the first boy to actually do what I wanted," She began with a smile, "You sure know how to pick them Pinkie."

"Aw. Thank you, Rarity."

"Look dude you better never do that to me," Rainbow told me before cringing in disgust.

Rarity rolled her eyes, "Oh Rainbow. One of these days when you meet the right boy you will think differently."

Rainbow looked at me for a second before turning back to Rarity, "Yeah, well, we'll see,"

Rarity took out her phone, "The showcase will start in a few minutes. I better go," She then began to go on her way.

"Come on we better get going if we want a good view," Sunset told us before leading us.

We were all standing in front of a stage, waiting patiently for the start of the showcase. A moment later Rarity appeared from behind the curtain and gracefully walked to the podium.

"Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for coming. It has always been my dream to own my chain of Boutiques and I am honored to have the opportunity to share some of my own passion projects in hopes you all are interested in helping me achieve my dreams. Now I have worked long and hard on the examples I am about to show you. Please enjoy." Rarity announced before the curtain was raised, revealing a few models, wearing different dresses.

I found myself amazed and began to look at the dresses as much as I could. I found myself getting many ideas of different designs just from those few. I really wished I brought my notebook with me so I can sketch them out while they are fresh in my mind. Sadly, even if I did bring it, I would be too embarrassed to start drawing in public. Looks like I am going to have to wait and hope I can keep these ideas in my mind.

"Well, that's the show. Thank you everyone for coming and please continue to enjoy yourselves. The evening is still young, so feel free to stay a while." Rarity announced snapping me from my thoughts.

"That wasn't that bad I guess," Rainbow commented.

"Well, it was fairly quick. Rarity didn't exactly have that many examples," Sunset pointed out.

"It's probably for the best. I have always been one for quality over quantity," Applejack defended.

"Well, I am just happy Rarity is one step closer to her dream and she managed to make such awesome dresses," Pinkie stated in excitement.

"That went well, didn't it?" Rarity asked, approaching us.

"Of course, it did Rarity. I am sure you are going to get tons of clients," Sunset assured her.

"Now I just have to hope I can keep on coming up with new wonderful ideas. Now why don't we all relax and chat a bit."

The girls and I were standing near a snack table and upon closer look the food seemed so fancy I couldn't recognize most of them. Oh well I wasn't hungry anyway and I can wait until I get home. I noticed Pinkie pull out a cupcake from her hair and took a bite.

"Thank you, girls, again for coming here and supporting me," Rarity began before looking at me, "Oh and you too Marcus darling. Don't want to forget about you."

I simply nodded.

"That's what friends are for Rarity. They always support each other no matter what." Applejack stated before looking at Rainbow.

"What? Despite my complaints, I showed up and stayed, so I am loyal," Rainbow stated somewhat bitterly while crossing her arms.

"Yeah, I'll give you that one." Applejack conceded.

Rainbow only huffed in response.

"So, Marcus, did you happen to enjoy the show?" Rarity asked me.

"Oh. Yeah, the dresses looked great," I answered nervously, remembering how I spaced out during the whole show.

"Oh really. Since you like dresses so much, you must enjoy wearing them," Rainbow teased with a chuckle.

I blushed in embarrassment for a brief moment while the girls chuckled, before I managed to regain my composure.

"Oh, and what if I do Dashie?" I asked, faking annoyance, "You don't have a problem with cross dressers, do you?"

"Well... I," She tried to say as I walked right up to her.

Gathering all of my courage, I gently placed a hand on her left cheek, "Especially, those that could likely do the look better than you ever could. Aren't you envious?"

"No, I'm not," Rainbow stuttered completely red in the face, "I have no problems with cross dressers and... You were joking, weren't you?"

"Yep, like you." I responded before removing my hand from her face and giving her a grin.

"No, fair. I had you," She complained with another cute pout.

I and the rest of the girls laughed.

"Like I said Rainbow, you met your match." Applejack told the fuming girl.

"Yeah, yeah. This isn't over."

I simply gave her a challenging grin which she returned. The girls and I spent the rest of the party making small talk with one another.

It was night by the time Pinkie, and I left the building. I pulled my phone out and was happy to find it was only eight. There was plenty of time for dinner.

"Thank you for coming with me, Marky," Pinkie told me.

"No problem."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes, I actually did," I answered honestly.

Talking with the girls and messing with Rainbow a little bit was all kinds of fun. It certainly seems like I could have fun with these girls. Maybe I should try to get to know them and spend more time with them. I will try to keep that in mind in the future.

"I'm glad," She began before nervously looking back at me and her shoes a few times, "T-there's something I want to give you."

"What?"

"Well," She began before moving her face closer to mine.

Wait, is she going to do what I think she is going to do? When her face was about an inch away from mine, she stopped. I felt my face heat up, as I stared at her lips. I think I am about to be kissed by an adorable girl and I don't quite know how to react.

"I... Well, thank you," she told me before she pressed her lips onto mine.

It only lasted a couple seconds at the most, but it felt much longer than that. Not that it was a bad thing. In fact, it was quite pleasant. When she released, I wanted nothing more than to feel those soft lips again.

"Well, I'll see you later," she told me nervously with blushing cheeks before she left.

I was still stunned, so I didn't even respond. I barely noticed she left, and I found myself still wondering what just happened. Great, I just got official confirmation that she does have a crush on me. Now I have to figure out what to do about it.

Author's Note

The first event chapter I set up to and it in turn will set Marcus on to form more relationships in the future.

Next chapter: The friendship games is approaching and what part will Marcus play in them.

10. friendship games is approaching

I awoke with a yawn, and I looked around my bed, to find my new pet sleeping by me. He looked adorable all snuggled up near me and I found myself smiling. After a moment I sighed and looked at my alarm clock and saw I woke up a few minutes before the alarm went off. I carefully got out of bed and turned it off, before going to the bathroom to get ready.

As I shampooed my hair my thoughts went back to the events of the fancy party, more specifically the kiss Pinkie gave me. I have never received that kind of attention from a girl before, and despite not being completely used to Pinkie's affection, I think I was beginning to. At least before that big one. Not that I didn't enjoy it. In fact, I actually want it to happen again.

I entered the school, hoping for another normal day. Preparing for that party really makes me want to relax without having to worry about anything, for at least a little bit. It's not like there is any upcoming event where things will get too wild for my tastes.

Well, today I learned that one shouldn't tempt fate. I barely made it through the first hour when I got called up to the principal's office. Managing to remember the way, I quickly walked to it, wanting to get whatever she wanted out of the way. I opened the door and to my slight surprise, Sunset was there too.

"Glad to see you managed to find the way. Come sit down," Principal Celestia greeted me.

I quickly took a seat next to Sunset.

"So, why are we here?" Sunset asked.

"Well, I don't know if you two are aware of the upcoming friendship games against Crystal Prep," Celestia began, "But we compete against them in various events and the first is the academic decathlon. For that we usually have a group of students talented in various areas. The first student we add is the one with the highest-grade point average," Celestia explained to us.

After a brief moment I managed to put two and two together.

"So, you're saying we are tied for the highest GPA?" I asked in disbelief.

If I'm right, then I am stunned that's true. I wasn't really paying attention to my grades that much. Sure, I studied and did my overall best on everything, but I have always been like this. I guess I have always been an overachiever at school. Who knew?

"Yes, which brings up the question of who gets the spot," Celestia answered.

"Couldn't we both get it? Wouldn't that only help boost our chances to win?" Sunset asked.

Celestia sighed and pondered the questions for a brief moment, "You made a good point, but at the same time I would feel more comfortable placing students who specialized in specific subjects, which include various fine arts, than another who excels overall in main subjects."

I guess she also makes a good point and since it's her decision, I don't care much either way about it.

"Ok. What does that mean for us?" Sunset asked.

"Since you two are even in the main subjects, let's see how you fare in the various arts."

"When?" I asked.

"Next week. That should give you two time to prepare as much as you can."

Later at lunch I was out in the same area I first encountered Wallflower, with a notebook in one hand. I was completely focused on making as many drawings for outfits as I could. I was still filled with ideas from Rarity's showcase, and I wanted to get them all drawn. Once I finished my latest drawing, I placed the pencil onto my ear and decided to eat lunch before the bell rings.

"Marcus."

I turned around and was greeted by the sight of Wallflower, looking nervous.

"Oh, hi Wallflower. What's up?" I asked before finishing the last of my sandwich.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to see my garden. Well, the school garden actually. It's much nicer than this small field of flowers." She managed to nervously ask me while looking at the floor.

"Sure. You work in the school garden?" I asked as an attempt of small talk.

"Yeah, I'm president of the school's gardening club," She answered seemingly beaming up, "Well, I'm the only member actually." She added awkwardly.

That's both depressing and kind of strange. Shouldn't clubs have a minimum student requirement to remain?

"That's pretty cool," I commented before standing up, "Want to show me now?" I asked.

"Sure," She actually exclaimed excitedly, before to my slight surprise dragged me away.

She led me to a much larger field of various different flowers that looked expertly placed and despite that, there seemed to be plenty more room for it to grow.

"So, what do you think?" Wallflower asked me.

"It looks like an expert spent years getting it like this. Did you really do this yourself?"

"Yes, I have plenty of free time on my hands and passion." She answered with a sheepish blush and smile that made her look completely adorable.

"I can see that."

Wallflower and I both sat down near the field of flowers.

"You know this is the first time I had a conversation like this," she admitted nervously, "Well, at least in a while."

"Really? That's kind of terrible," I commented confused, "That's one thing I don't get. How is it that no one seems to remember you? Normally, after the magical events that have happened, my skeptical side is nonexistent, but this just seems too weird to me."

Wallflower became more nervous than usual and gave me a sheepish smile, "Yeah, I don't know what to tell you," She took a relaxing breath, "I guess I'm just that forgettable."

"That just plain sucks."

After school as I was walking home, I realized I might have left something important. I froze and pulled out my backpack and just as I feared, I couldn't find my notebook. Figures, I must have dropped it when Wallflower dragged me away. Hopefully, no one took it and if they did, they took it to the school's lost and found. That notebook was one of many where I sketch out many designs for various costumes for characters. I guess losing that one isn't a big deal, though I would rather have it back after all the time I spent on the drawings. I sighed before continuing on my way home. No use in crying over spilled milk.

Author's Note

A pretty short chapter, but an important one to show the how I am handling major events. First of all no anon-a-miss. I am not touching that one with a thousand foot pole. I'm tempted to make a joke to make fun of it, but ironically I think that would be worst, so I'm not even going to bother making fun of it.

Next chapter: Marcus learns what happened to his notebook and it might help set him down a path to make him more social.

11 From notebooks to partnerships

I sighed as I entered the school. There was no luck finding the notebook in the field, meaning someone found it. Here's hoping they brought it to the lost and found. In hindsight, I should have put it away when eating, though it was Wallflower who dragged me away. No, can't blame her for this. Well, I can't make a fuss to her about it at any rate. Come on. Better go find it.

Along the way I noticed Pinkie and a few of the girls sitting together on the floor. Curious about it, I quietly walked up to them and heard a few snippets of their conversation.

"Pinkie, I don't know what's the big deal with that notebook," Rainbow told her.

"Wait until you see what's inside Dashie."

"Um Pinkie shouldn't you take it to the lost and found, if that is ok with you," Fluttershy suggested.

"After I show you girls what's in it," Pinkie responded before opening the notebook.

"Pinkie, darling It's wrong to just open someone's notebook," Rarity scolded the pink girl, "Who knows what could be written in..." Rarity paused after glancing at the notebook and her eyes lit up in what seemed to be excitement, "Look at all of those incredible drawings. Those outfit designs are just brilliant," She grabbed the notebook from Pinkie and scrolled through it, becoming more and more excited.

Great, looks like someone likes the drawings I did. I don't quite know how to feel about this. On one hand it's nice to see someone actually like them, but It's a little embarrassing to have someone look through it like that.

"Rarity, those are great drawings and all, but why are you acting like you struck gold?" Rainbow asked with raised eyebrows.

"Because Rainbow darling, I have been having trouble coming up with new designs for outfits and this notebook is the key to all that. All of these designs to use and to help me get more inspiration. With this I just have to worry about getting more clients." Rarity answered.

"Um Rarity we should give that back to its proper owner. Maybe they will be willing to help you, if that's ok."

Rarity was about to respond when I walked right up to the girls. I was going to let them know it's my notebook, but I found it easier said than done. I took a deep relaxing breath. I can do this. Just let them know and get it back, so you don't have to worry about this.

"Marky!" Pinkie shouted before I could find the courage to speak up and before she tackled me in a hug.

"Pinkie," I answered nervously.

Ever since the kiss, I have been more nervous around Pinkie. My mind is full of emotions I can't make sense of and I don't quite know how to deal with her crush on me. Thankfully, she seems to be treating me with the usual amount of affection, so I can hopefully figure it out.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Oh. After school yesterday while out in a nice field of flowers, I stumbled on a notebook. Being curious about it, I picked it up, which was strange because it seemed like an ordinary notebook, but I still picked it up and when I opened it, I was shocked to find amazing drawings of different outfits. There was even one in a similar style to my dress from the fancy party, where I finally kissed you. Anyway, I thought it was amazing, so I decided to show my friends here, before taking it to the school lost and found and you stumbled upon us, making me happy to see you. Are you all caught up Marky? Did I do a great job recapping everything?" Pinkie explained quickly with a large smile on her face.

"Yes, you did Pinkie," I answered, managing to catch every word from her mouth.

"Oh goody." She responded before nuzzling me, making me blush.

"Geez Pinkie go cuddle your boyfriend in private," Rainbow Dash teased with a chuckle.

Pinkie started blushing before she let go of me and I got up.

"What's wrong Dashie? Jealous?" I asked with a smirk.

"No, why would I be jealous?" She denied with an embarrassed blush, "Why would I be jealous of a stud getting hugged by one of my friends?" She continued before covering her mouth, "I mean I'm not," She finished before looking away.

"Calm down Rainbow he's only teasing you back," Applejack told her before chuckling, "Though it's nice to see you be on the receiving end."

"Oh, shut up!" Rainbow growled angrily, "He just keeps getting lucky."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Applejack simply said with a smirk.

I looked at the rest of the girls and Fluttershy was simply nervously watching this whole thing go down, while Rarity had her eyes glued to my notebook, completely unaware of the outside world.

"Anyway," I began awkwardly before finding the courage to continue, "You girls are looking for the owner of that notebook, right?" I asked for getting nods from every girl; even Rarity nodded, showing she was actually paying attention, "Look no further because it's mine," I managed to finish.

"Really?" Rainbow asked with raised eyebrows, "I find that hard to believe."

Rarity removed her eyes from the notebook and looked at me, "I'm afraid I must agree with Rainbow. This doesn't seem like yours."

"What makes you two think that? I mean you hardly know me and what I can do," I pointed out.

"Point taken, but I just can't picture you actually drawing these," Rarity told me, "If you could prove it to us, we will be more than happy to admit we were wrong."

I took out my backpack and pulled out another notebook from it.

"I believe you Marky," Pinkie told me.

"Thank you, Pinkie," I answered before opening the second notebook.

"What is another notebook going to pro..." Rainbow stopped when she saw the notebook I was holding was also filled with drawings of the same quality.

"I... I stand corrected," Was all Rarity muttered before taking the second notebook from my hands and scrolling through it like the first one.

"Since this seems to be enough proof for you, can I have them back?" I asked, holding out my hand.

Instead of answering, Rarity just scrolled through to the end of the notebook before she looked at me like she hit the jackpot at a casino.

"Marcus, Darling I'm truly sorry for not believing in your artistic talents. You have a gift and it's terrible of me not to think you had them," She apologized.

"It's fine I forgive you," I responded.

"No, darling it's not fine!" She argued before getting right up in my face, "You need to share this to the world and let everyone else know all about it. I will even help you as my way of saying sorry. You can help me come up with designs for new outfits and I will credit you as the artistic designer." Rarity offered with a charming smile.

"More like you want to use him to improve your business and are disguising it as a way to make it up to him," Applejack scoffed.

Rarity gave her a dirty look, "Don't be silly Applejack. I would never dream of using a handsome, talented, and kind boy like him... " She paused to gently rub my chin, "... for personal gain. I am only looking out for his best interests. We can both help each other out." She gave me another charming smile, "What do you say Darling? This will be good for the two of us."

"I... I guess it won't hurt," I managed to say nervously while blushing.

"I am glad to hear you agree, darling," She giggled with a smile, before giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, "Here's to our new partnership," She continued cheerfully before giving me only one of the notebooks back, "I hope you don't mind if I keep one to look closely at to try and come up with ideas of my own. That way we both can bounce off each other and make them the best they can be," Rarity placed the notebook into her backpack, "Well, see you later girls and Marcus. I can't wait for us to get started."

I was completely stunned. What just happened? All I wanted was to just get my notebook back and somehow, I got roped into helping another with their aspiring business. I touched the cheek that she kissed. That's another thing that confuses me. Does she also have a thing for me? She did call me handsome and talented, after all. I sighed in frustration. Why is it that whenever I try to do something simple it escalates into something else that changes my life up.

"Wow dude. You just got yourself into something crazy," Rainbow simply said.

I looked at the other girls and to my slight bafflement, Pinkie seemed annoyed by something. Is she jealous that Rarity kissed me?

"Figures Rarity would pull something like this. Here's hoping she actually has good intentions for you," Applejack commented.

"Um... I think we should trust Rarity. She wouldn't intentionally take advantage of someone and not have mutually beneficial business relationships with them. At least I hope so," Fluttershy put in her two cents.

"At any rate dude. Things might get wild with the two of you. Are you sure you can handle it?" Rainbow teased.

"I handle you, don't I?" I responded.

"Hardly," Rainbow chuckled with a grin, "Though, that's still enough to handle anything else."

"Pinkie, you haven't said anything. Are you ok?" Applejack asked her.

"Oh. I'm fine. I just think it's great that two of my friends are going to help each other," Pinkie answered simply in a neutral tone of voice.

"Ok," Applejack responded confused.

Suddenly, the bell rang signaling the start of the first period.

"Well, we better get going," Pinkie said before rushing towards me and giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, "See you later Marky," She told me in her usual cheerful voice before returning to the neutral tone one, "Let's go girls."

"What's with her?" Rainbow asked.

"I think it's jealousy, Dashie," I answered before making my own way to class.

That's just great. Now I have to deal with possibly two girls liking me and one of them being jealous. What am I going to do? Hopefully, I figure something out soon. Now to just get through the rest of the day.

Author's Note

A much quicker update than usual. Here's hoping it stays that way, though not making any promises. Here's an important chapter to help set up a major character arc for Marcus to get him to interact more socially. With that and the friendship games approaching will he be able to handle it?

next chapter- Marcus and Rarity start working together while he starts reaching out more to Wallflower.

12 business and pleasure

It's currently lunch period and I'm sitting next to Wallflower in the school garden. She happily invited me to sit next to her, during lunch, from now on, which I am happy for. Ever since the whole thing with Big Mac, which I still don't know what his whole deal is, it has been a little depressing that a friend is upset with me. Well, it has been quite a while. Maybe he calmed down, but I am going to wait for him to approach me. Better to have him decide to come to me to make up. Anyway, Wallflower is excitedly talking about all kinds of different flowers and I'm actually listening. It's cute when she is actually happy, instead of being nervous.

"You really enjoy gardening," I commented.

"Yeah, you could say it's my thing. You know my special talent." She answered nervously, yet excitedly.

"That's great."

"Yeah, if it wasn't for this, who knows where I'd be? It's hard being the only member, but it's also very rewarding."

"And you are able to keep the club despite being the only member?" I asked.

"It seems barely being noticed has its perks too," She said bittersweetly, "Huh, my curse is also responsible for the one thing that allowed me to keep going. Who would have thought?"

"Yeah, I don't quite know how to respond to that," I admitted.

"At least things are better now that I met you," She admitted nervously with a light blush on her face, "Since there's still some time left before class, want me to show you the basics of tending to the flowers?" She offered.

"Sure, it might be fun."

It actually was kind of fun to be honest. We didn't have enough time to do much, but it was enough for me to want to do more. Maybe I should join. It might be a good thing to bring the club up to two members, that way if something does happen, there's a better chance for the club to stay.

After school I was walking through the hall, when my name was called.

"Marcus, Darling."

I stopped and turned around to find Rarity walking right up to me. Right her partnership offer. Looks like we are going to get started on that. Here's hoping it actually turns out well for me.

"Yes, Rarity?" I asked.

"I do hope you haven't forgotten about our new partnership Darling?" She teased before gently rubbing my chin.

"N-no of course not," I began nervously, "Just let me text my dad about this and we can get started."

"Sounds great. I can't wait!" She exclaimed excitedly, "I brainstormed all day about different ideas. Your drawings have been the perfect source of inspiration."

"That's great."

"Yes, and I just know with your help it's only going to get better from here," She answered before grabbing my hand, "Now Darling we better get going. The sooner we get started the better off we all will be."

Rarity and I arrived at her house, and I began to feel nervous, when I realized this was the third time I went to a girl's house. I took a relaxing breath, as Rarity opened the door and led me inside.

"Thankfully, we should be all alone Darling," Rarity told me happily before gently rubbing my chin, "My sister Sweetie Belle should be playing with her friends," She shook her head, "They are always getting into trouble. No matter. Shall we get started?"

I simply nodded nervously at the implications at the two of us being alone. At least with Rainbow, she wasn't the kind to be into romance. With Rarity I could tell she was the opposite of Rainbow in that case and therefore being alone with her at her house could lead to that, especially with how flirty she seems to be.

"Before we get started, could I interest you in something to drink?" Rarity offered me with a charming smile.

"Drink?"

"But of course. What kind of host would I be if I didn't at least give them that?" Rarity explained, "Besides, it's been a while since I had a handsome boy here," She added, giving me a wink.

"Water sounds great right now," I answered nervously.

"Anything for my future designer," Rarity answered before leading me into the kitchen.

Rarity grabbed a cup and began filling it up with fresh water, "I know I already apologized for not believing you were responsible for these drawings, but I feel I must make it up to you."

"You don't have to."

"On the contrary darling. I doubt I would be able to sleep at night if I don't try," Rarity countered before placing ice cubes into the cup, "You are full of surprises Darling."

"What are you..."

"I know I haven't known you for long, but I have heard good things about you from Pinkie and even Rainbow. At first, I figured they were exaggerating, but now I'm sure they were downplaying it," Rarity interrupted me as she walked closer to me.

"I'm nothing special. I'm just a guy trying to get over his social issues."

"Handsome, intelligent, talented and even modest. You are the whole package darling," was all she said before she handed me my water.

I decided it was not worth it arguing. I don't exactly see what she means, but if she feels that way, then who am I to argue?

Working with Rarity isn't that bad. Sure, I am used to doing this kind of thing on my own but sharing ideas with someone else and giving some thoughts was actually a fun and interesting thing. Another thing I had to get used to was Rarity insisting on being close together to the point where our faces were almost touching.

"Rarity, not that I'm complaining, but why are you this close to me?" I asked.

"Because Darling, I want to be this close and catch your talent in action," She answered before actually moving closer, "Besides, I like the smell of your cologne. I don't usually like to mix business and pleasure darling, but I think I can make an exception," She finished battening her eyes at me.

I was stunned by the display of affection to respond. I was distracted by the smell of her fancy perfume, which actually suited her. Rarity is a very beautiful girl, who takes her appearance very seriously. Her elegant well-groomed hair and she uses the right amount of make-up to suit her, despite being one to prefer girls who use less. I took a relaxing breath when she finally separated from me, though it wasn't by much.

"Are you ok Darling?" She asked, concerned.

"Yeah, let's just get back to business."

"Are you sure darling?" She asked me, "We have done plenty of work for now. Why don't we just relax for a bit. Since you are friends with some of my close friends and if we are going to be business partners, why don't we be friends as well," She then gave me a flirty look, "And who knows maybe if things go well, we could be more."

"I... Yeah ok."

"Am I making you uncomfortable Darling?" She asked me.

"A little," I admitted.

"I'm sorry about that. Like I said it has been a while since I had a boy here alone to flirt with a little. Sometimes, I can't help but do some harmless flirting with guys that manage to catch my eye. Well, I intend it to be harmless at any rate. I don't really mean anything too serious about it. Don't get me wrong you managed to impress me enough that I would like to be more than friends with you, once we get to know each other some more and more importantly if you feel the same way. I will try not to make you too uncomfortable, though I can't help it." She explained.

"That's... I guess I can respect you being straightforward with me."

"I care about you to tell you straight up to hopefully help make you more comfortable," she giggled.

"Thank you."

"Well, Marcus this has been the start of a wonderful partnership," Rarity began as she led me out of her house, "and the start of a wonderful friendship."

"Hopefully, also the start of an aspiring business."

"You really need to be more confident in yourself and your talents. Don't worry I will help you realize that," She giggled before walking right up to me, "See you later darling," She then gave me a quick peck on both cheeks before giggling at my stunned reaction.

"I'm sorry to say I might not be able to keep my promise. It's actually fun to make you all nervous, though I will try," was all she said as she closed her door.

After managing to regain my composure I shook my head and made my way back home. Well, I managed to get through that. Working with her was actually kind of interesting and not really that bad. Sure, her flirting and displays of affection were a little overwhelming, but hopefully I will get used to them soon.

Later that night my thoughts began to go to Wallflower. I think we are becoming good friends, but I really want to help her out even more. I pulled out my phone and sent her a text.

Hi. I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out tomorrow after school. I can treat you to lunch and we can just relax for a while.

I hope I don't screw anything up. I am still quite new to reaching out to someone else, but I am determined to pull it off for her sake. Well, my social life is continuing to change, and I think it's best if I try to embrace it and make the best of it. It certainly seems to be changing for the better.

Author's Note

I'm on a roll with these chapters. Here's hoping it stays that way lol.
Next chapter: Marcus spends time with Wallflower and maybe encounter a certain someone.

13. Spending time with Wallflower and encountering a Twilight.

I entered CHS, hoping to have an ordinary day for once. While working with Rarity, ended up going well, I really want to relax before the Friendship games arrive, since there's a chance, I could be picked to represent the school. As I continued walking through the halls, I got the feeling I was being watched. I nervously continued anyway, while looking all around me. Out of the corner of my eye, I swore I saw quick movements and before I could turn...

"Marky!" A certain someone exclaimed before tackling me with a hug, "Oh Marky. What a wonderful surprise to see you here," She beamed before nuzzling me.

"Pinkie, we're at school. Of course, we would end up seeing each other."

"That's what makes it wonderful!" She exclaimed, "The fact it's guaranteed."

I sighed in minor annoyance. When it comes to Pinkie Pie you can't exactly argue against her logically, because she goes by her own twisted form of reasoning.

"Now that's done, could you help me up?" I asked.

"Of course," She answered before somehow getting up, while holding on to me.

"So, how was it with you and Rarity?" She asked.

"It went well."

"That's good! I hope you two had fun" She began in a cheerful tone before it became a neutral one, "But not too much fun."

Well, it appears she is still jealous. Hopefully, this behavior doesn't last long. It's just plain wrong for her to not be cheery twenty-four seven. I was taken out of my thoughts when the school bell rang.

"Come on Pinkie we better get to class," I said, noticing she was still grabbing on to me.

"Aw. Why can't we have every class together?" She complained.

"Even if we did, we wouldn't be allowed to stay like this," I pointed out.

"That just sucks," She continued to complain, before reluctantly letting go of me.

Just great! She is becoming clingy. That's the last thing I need right now. I will try to deal with this later, if I can.

I'm currently standing in front of Wallflower's house, ready for our date, I guess you could call it. I was more than ready after school, but she insisted on getting ready first. I never could understand girls, sometimes. Anyway, I think she had plenty of time to prepare. At least I hope she has. I knocked on the door and waited patiently for her to answer. You know it feels weird doing this. Usually, someone else reaches out to me, to get me to do something social like this, but here I am reaching out to more of an introvert than I am. Is this how Pinkie feels when interacting with me? Before, I could continue this line of thought the door opened, revealing Wallflower in a different set of attire. She was wearing a sunflower themed outfit, with matching boots and there was even a sunflower accessory in her hair, that was in a loose ponytail. I found myself stunned by how adorable she looked.

"Oh. Hi," She greeted me nervously, "So, what are we..."

"Beautiful."

"Huh?" She asked, confused.

"I... It..." I began awkwardly and nervously, "I mean you look wonderful."

"Oh... I... Thank you," She began nervously with a light blush, "I haven't been asked to spend time with someone before, so I wanted to look my best. Sorry if it's a bit much, I haven't done something like this before."

"No, no it's fine. Like I said you look great," I answered, still somewhat nervous, "Well, shall we get to it?"

She simply nodded before we went on our way.

We both were sitting at a booth with burgers in front of us.

"So, how have things been?" Wallflower asked me before taking a bite.

"A little bit crazy to be completely honest," I answered, "I mean with the whole friendship games approaching and I might have to take part."

"You do?" She asked.

"Maybe, apparently I am tied with Sunset for the student with the highest GPA and we have to compete for the chance to help represent CHS."

I noticed when I mentioned Sunset, she seemed to get annoyed a bit, but she shrugged it off.

"That sounds great. I'm hoping you are the one that gets to."

"Thanks," I began awkwardly, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"It's just I noticed you seemed annoyed when I brought up Sunset. I wasn't there when she was a bully, but I get that she has a rotten history."

She sighed, "It's a sore subject. It just annoys me how popular she is. Even at her worst she still was. Sure, it was only because of fear and her using underhanded tactics, but still. To make it worse she ended up seemingly turning over a new leaf. Don't get me wrong, on the surface it sounds great and at first people were giving her the kind of behavior she deserved. Almost no one liked her. At least until she managed to quickly change that. I know she helped save us all from the Dazzlings' control, but the fact everyone else seems to have quickly forgiven her, just rubs me the wrong way. If there were just a few more people not as easily swayed, or even never forgiving her, I would be fine with it," She ranted before taking a relaxing breath.

I was stunned by what she admitted and before I could respond she spoke up again.

"This sounds really petty, huh? It's just I am barely noticed, while she, despite being a horrible bully in the past, gets easily forgiven and is one of the most, if not the most popular girl in school. It's just not fair."

I shook my head, "Wallflower, listen to me," I began getting her attention, "If that's how you really feel, then you shouldn't feel too bad. To be honest you are justified to feel that way. Life isn't fair and that is the cruel reality. You have every right to feel that way, as long as you don't do something bad, because of it."

"Oh. Of course not," She began chuckling awkwardly, "Thank you. I guess I just needed to get that off of my chest."

I nodded, "No problem. Do you feel better?"

"Yeah," She nodded, smiling a little, "I think now I just need to relax and focus on the positives. At least now I have you and I think that's a good place to start for right now."

"That's the spirit."

"Thank you for this, I had fun," Wallflower told me as we were walking to her front door.

"No problem. I did too."

Wallflower opened the door, but she stopped right when she was about to go in and only stared at me for a few seconds.

"Is something wro-

I was interrupted when she suddenly gave me a hug. I awkwardly hugged her back and we stayed like that for a few seconds, before she let go.

"Right. Thanks again," She nervously said before entering her house.

"Yeah, no problem," I awkwardly said in response.

I took a relaxing breath before deciding to go on my way. Well, despite the suddenness of the hug, I actually enjoyed it and she seem to be getting more comfortable showing affection towards me. Now to get back home to relax and maybe prepare for the competition for the friendship games.

Along the way home there was a crowd of people, and it was kind of difficult to get past without bumping into people. Despite my best efforts I bumped into someone wearing a hoodie, knocking them down.

"Sorry about that," I sighed, holding out a hand.

The other person grabbed my hand and I pulled them up, which caused the hood of the hoodie to fall, allowing me to see the person I bumped into was a purple skinned girl around my age, with purple hair that had lighter purple and pink streaks, in a large bun. She was wearing thick glasses, giving her the appearance of a cute nerd.

"It's ok," She responded nervously, before pulling the hood back up and continuing on her way.

Now that I think about it, she seems kind of familiar. Like I've seen her somewhere before. Wait, she looks like the girl from another world that helped the girls against the Dazzlings. Twilight Sparkle. Oh of course. Pinkie did tell me about Twilight and how she is a princess from another world, filled with pony counterparts of her and her friends, so it logically would mean there's a human Twilight here. Wait, since Sunset is also from the same world, then that means her human counterpart is out there somewhere. I shook my head and cleared my thoughts. I will think about that more when I get home.

Author's Note

Marcus spends time with Wallflower, where I try to develop her in my way. Hopefully, Marcus is able to prevent the events from that special. He even ends up encountering human Twilight.

Next chapter- Training for the competition. Pinkie decided to help train the two together in cooking.

14 cooking practice and therapy sessions

As I entered the school, for once I recalled that the Friendship games are getting closer and closer. In that time, I haven't really done much to prepare and to be honest I am fine with that. I guess I will just wing it and whatever happens, well happens. As I continued walking, I began to nervously look around the hallway for Pinkie, just in case she decided to tackle me again.

"Marky!"

Speak of the devil. I turned around and was greeted by the sight of Pinkie walking right up to me with a grin on her face.

"Pinkie."

"Do you have any plans for today, Marky?" Pinkie asked.

"No, why do you ask?"

"Well, since you and Sunset have to compete against each other to decide who will take part in the friendship games, why not practice together at my place? You can practice your baking skills. The girls and I will even be there to judge you two. What do you say?" She blurted out quickly and excitedly.

"Uh, sure. That will be fine I guess."

"Oh goody," She exclaimed happily before embracing me, "Come by my place after school and we will help both you and Sunset out."

I left the school and was on my way to Pinkie's house, when I was suddenly in a tight embrace.

"Ready to go Marky?" Pinkie asked as she began to lead me.

"I was already on my way. You don't have to..."

"But I want to!" She exclaimed, interrupting me in an excited tone of voice.

I sighed and decided to just let her drag me without arguing. She is really becoming more and more clingy by the day. In relatively no time at all, we arrived at her house. She led me inside and the rest of the girls minus Sunset were in the living room. Pinkie finally let go of me and I followed her to them. Rarity was surprisingly the first to walk right up to me.

"Hello, Marcus darling," She greeted me before giving me a kiss on each cheek, making me blush.

I noticed Pinkie frowned, but thankfully she didn't make a scene.

"First Pinkie and now Rarity. Wow, dude aren't you a chick magnet?" Rainbow commented with a chuckle.

"And I suppose since you're jealous you're next," I responded.

"I'm not jealous," She denied blushing in embarrassment, while I and the rest of the girls laughed.

"Oh, calm down Rainbow. It's not like we are actually dating or anything," Rarity added with a smirk, "Go right ahead. It would be your first-time showing interest in a boy and I'm happy for you."

Rainbow only groaned in annoyance with a darker blush on her face. Before anyone could say anything else, there was a knock on the door.

"Oh. It must be Sunset," Pinkie said before going to the door, "Now, we can get started."

"You really seem to be affectionate with him lately, Rarity," Applejack pointed out.

"What can I say Applejack?" Rarity began before embracing me and gently rubbing my face with hers, "He is actually quite a catch after all. Cute, smart, talented and such a nice guy. Though like I said, we aren't dating," Then she whispered, "Least... yet...but.... will."

"What was the last part?" Applejack asked.

"Nothing."

Should I be annoyed that they were talking like I wasn't even in the room? Whatever, I'm more concerned with having two girls being into me. Look, as a teenage male, I like many others have our fantasies about these kinds of things, but that's what they are, fantasies. As much as I may dream about it, I know I would have trouble with it in real life. Both girls are incredibly attractive, but who to choose, if I decide to choose one. Hopefully, more won't follow suit. I was interrupted by my thoughts, when Pinkie came back with Sunset.

"Hello girls and guy. What did I miss?" Sunset greeted us.

"Nothing much. Just some banter with friends," Rainbow answered, "Now can we get started? I want to eat some treats."

Sunset and I were with Pinkie in the kitchen, which contained a bunch of ingredients needed to cook any dessert item, known to man.

"Ok. You two will cook any three desserts you want. You will have three hours so good luck," Pinkie announced before leaving to join the other girls in the living room.

As I was getting all the ingredients needed to bake a cake, Sunset spoke up.

"Isn't this crazy? Us being the students with the highest GPA."

"Yeah, kind of surprising actually." I responded before getting a large bowl.

"Wait?" She asked, stunned while getting her own ingredients, "Are you telling me you were unaware of your grades?"

"Yeah, I mean I always studied and did my best and all. I just never really paid attention to them. I never had them on my mind," I answered carefully, cracking a couple eggs and placing the yoke into the bowl.

"Huh. I have always been at the top of my teachings. I don't know if Pinkie told you, but I was the personal student of the Princess. Well, one of them. Anyway, even after coming here, I managed to stay at the top grades wise, which only required a few adjustments and learning a few things that are common knowledge here."

"I see."

"Yeah, I remember the first few years clearly. On the surface I showed myself as a smart and nice student, who managed to quickly make my way to the top, when on the inside I had a demon inside me that eventually showed itself. That's when I became a vicious bully, who kept my position and ruled with an iron fist. Despite this, I knew everyone stopped liking me, but were too scared to really do anything about it. The worst part was that I was smart enough to keep the appearance of a perfect little angel to the teachers and staff and no one was brave enough to expose me for the wolf in sheep's clothing I really was." Sunset continued while she placed her own ingredients into a bowl.

"That's...."

"During those dark times I was actually very lonely, but I tried to hide it, by getting more power. My former lackeys Snips and Snails were my only real companionships," She continued, cringing on the word lackeys, before sighing, "I don't know if you are aware, or if you listened to the rumors about me, before the whole Dazzlings fiasco, but I used to date Flash Sentry. Do you know him?"

"Not personally, but I think I've seen him," I answered, mixing my ingredients.

"Well, I didn't really like him in that way and only dated him to help me become more popular by proxy. Our relationship was, well I was smart enough to treat him well, to keep him around as long as possible. Sadly, I couldn't keep my toxic behavior from him and well that's history. Looking back, I like to think I wasn't faking as much as I thought and enjoyed it. Though, I guess that's just me looking back with my new mindset on things and enjoying the memories in a new healthier way."

"Wow, you really have a lot on your mind." I couldn't help but comment.

She sighed before sheepishly rubbing the back of her head, "Yeah, I don't know. I just started briefly answering about my academic past and it turned to me venting a bit of my cruel history as a bully. I don't know. It just felt good to get it all out."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Can I tell you something?" She asked me seriously.

"Uh... Sure."

"It's just that even though everyone else seemed to have forgiven me for everything, I am still having trouble getting over it. It just seems too easy, you know. I get that I helped save the day, but I would have been fine if at least some of the school still hasn't forgiven me. Don't get me wrong, it's nice not facing hate anymore, but..." She paused to collect herself.

"You feel you still have much work to do to make up for everything. That there are at least some people you hurt personally and must make it up to them in turn, instead of simply doing one huge thing and earning it all in one swoop." I answered.

"Yeah," She answered bitterly, "Despite this, I'm still glad Twilight helped me realize the error of my ways. Better for me to feel bitter about the way I used to be and try to make up for it, than to continue doing so and being delusional about how to be truly happy. I still have a long way to go, but I know true happiness will be worth it, when I finally make it there," She finished with a small smile.

Her mentioning Twilight reminded me of that encounter the other day, from her human counterpart.

"Speaking of Twilight, it probably isn't that big of a deal, but I should mention it."

"What?" She asked curiously.

"Well, I might have encountered our world's Twilight."

"You what?" She asked, her eyes widening, and she walked right up to me, "There's a human Twilight?" She questioned before lightly smacking herself on the head, "Oh. Of course, there would be. I should have figured it out. That's good to know." Her eyes then widened again, and she gasped, "Then that means there's another Sunset in this world. Oh, what if we end up meeting each other?" She panicked a little, "What would I do? What if I'm messing up her life just by being here? What?"

"Calm down!" I told her gently, shaking her, "Look, human Sunset doesn't know about you, and we don't even know if she lives here in this city. I doubt your presence is messing with anything in her life, as of now."

"How are you sure about that?"

"Look, you two having the same name might cause some potential issues, with credit payments and such, but that has an easy solution."

"What if we end up meeting face to face?"

"I guess tell her and reveal the truth. It's up to you, but I feel she would deserve that. I know if I was her, I would want to know what's going on."

"Alright. I guess we just cross that bridge, if and when we get to it," She answered before taking a relaxing breath, "Anyway, thanks for listening while I went on and on. It was probably boring for you."

"Not at all. I'm glad I could give you a little therapy session. Though, you might want to start baking," I responded while continuing to stir my ingredient mix.

She blinked for a few seconds before looking at me, mixing and her unmixed bowl, before a light blush formed and she chuckled nervously.

"Yeah, I should."

"No sweat. We still have plenty of time."

I placed my finished cake, doughnuts, and cookies onto the kitchen table. The other girls excitedly walked up to them, as Sunset placed her own cake, cookies, and doughnuts on the table.

"You managed to both finish with minutes to spare,' Pinkie told us with a big smile, "The food smells so good. I can't wait."

"Calm down Pinkie," Applejack told the excited party girl, "How should we do this?"

"Let's try out all of the food for one first then move on to the other, so we don't get confused on which is which." Rarity suggested.

We all nodded at the suggestion.

"Alright Marky. Let's do yours first," Pinkie suggested before grabbing a knife and slicing my cake into seven pieces and handing one to all of us.

"Pinkie, why are you giving a piece to Sunset and Marcus. They aren't judging."

"We baked the goods, Dashie. We have every right to enjoy them too," I answered.

"He's right," Pinkie agreed, "It wouldn't be fair to leave them out."

We all ate our cake slices and the cake ended up quite well, if I could say. I don't know if it's better than Sunset's, but I know I at least did a decent job. When we tried my doughnuts, they were ok I guess, but my cookies were much better.

"What do you girls think?" Pinkie asked.

"He did a fine job, and I wouldn't mind him cooking for me," Applejack answered.

"A man that's also a pretty good cook is a fine catch, I must say," Rarity answered with a wink, that made me blush, "He would make a fine husband, that can keep the kids satisfied with good meals with the wife gone."

"Um. I agree with Applejack and somewhat with Rarity," Fluttershy answered nervously with a light blush.

"Yeah, he can make decent sweets," Was all Rainbow said.

"Well," Pinkie began before embracing me, "With me he will only get better and better and together we will bake the best sweets in the world," She continued giving Rarity a dirty look, who returned it, "Despite it being his first time, it was a great effort," Pinkie sliced Sunset's cake into seven equal pieces and handed one to us all.

After finishing my share of Sunset's sweets, I have to conclude that I actually found them a little better than mine.

"Girls, what do you think?" Pinkie asked.

"It was close, but I have to give it to Marcus. They both are beginners, but they still managed to make sweets that are actually enjoyable." Applejack answered.

"Like Applejack said it was a great effort for both and it was so close, but I find Marcus's sweets to be better," Rarity answered before giving me another flirty wink, "Good job darling. Your future wife will be a lucky one."

I blushed in embarrassment at her words, while Pinkie gave her a glare.

"Um... I 'm sorry to say, but I found Sunset's slightly more enjoyable. Please don't be mad," Fluttershy answered.

"It's fine, shy," I assured her.

"Oh. good," She responded relieved.

"I have to agree with shy," Rainbow began, "Sunset's was just more enjoyable overall."

"Looks like I'm the tie breaker," Pinkie giggled before grabbing some leftovers and putting them all in her mouth, "Quell da quinner qs," Pinkie answered incoherently.

"Dang it, Pinkie swallow," Applejack scolded.

I only chuckled in response, "Figures, Pinkie would pull this to be more dramatic."

Pinkie swallowed the food and gave me a smile, "See? He gets me. Anyway, the winner is Marcus. It was so close, and every treat was so good, but in the end, his was slightly more enjoyable." Pinkie finally answered, "Anyway, hope this gives you two enough practice and whoever ends up being picked helps us finally get a victory."

When I left Pinkie's house it was sunset and before I could get far, Sunset walked right up to me.

"That was a good match," she told me holding out her hand.

"Yeah, it was," I answered, shaking it.

"Thank you again for letting me ramble back there," She began with a smile, "I feel a lot better now I got it off my chest."

"No problem."

"I really hope I'm able to finally get over my past and embrace a better future." She told me before sighing.

"Look at the sky. What do you see?" I asked her.

"A beautiful sunset," she answered confusedly.

"That's the beauty about a sunset. It not only marks the end of something, but it also marks the start of something new. Sorry if that sounds cheesy, but here you are a mark of the end of your past as a horrible person and also the mark of the start of your future as a better person."

"It does a little," She chuckled, "But it sounds really fitting. I just have to keep moving forwards and enjoy the night sky, or in my case my future as a better person. Thank you. You've really helped clear some things and given me something to think about again." She told me before giving me a hug.

"Oh. No problem." I answered nervously and awkwardly.

I managed to make it back home before night and quickly made my way to my room. You know ever since my fallout with Big Mac, I have only been associating with girls, not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just worth noting. They all seem to have taken a liking to me. Some more than others. It's just surreal. I have never been social and yet here I am surrounded by girls, who for some reason enjoy spending time with me. Well, at any rate it will help me become more social. I am just going to continue enjoying it.

Author's Note

A simple cooking practice run turned amateur therapy session, as Sunset shares some things with Marcus.

Next chapter: Friendship games arrives. I'm not yet sure how I will handle it. I might have it be one huge chapter or maybe split it up. Which ever ends up being better paced for me.

15 friendship games

The next few days thankfully went by quickly and were not really noteworthy. Today was the day where we learned who's going to be the one, who will help represent CHS in the friendship games. Sunset and I were excused from classes in order to be challenged and like anyone else would be, I am glad for the break from class. We were currently in an empty classroom with Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna.

"Alright you two. With the friendship games in a few days, the time has come to test you both," Celestia told us both as she looked at a clipboard, "This should only take up half the day, so you should be done in time for lunch."

Sunset and I looked at each other and nodded. To be honest the tests went by like a blur. We started with cooking and unlike the test with Pinkie, it seemed to have only been judged for presentation. My Rainbow styled cake stunned both Celestia and Luna, with even Sunset proudly stating I won. Though, in my mind her simple chocolate styled cake is good to look at. It at least should taste better.

Next was woodworking and let me tell you it was actually interesting to figure it all out. It was something I'm not quite used to, so I opted to make something simple, yet still stunning. I managed with seconds to spare, to make a small replica of CHS. It wasn't my best work and I wanted nothing more, but to improve on it. Make it a little bigger and map out the actual shape of the exterior of the school, instead of going by memory. Well, I am definitely working on the craft more in my free time. Just think of all the things I can make when I get better. Thankfully, they seemed really pleased with my effort. Sunset's own bird house seems to be of the same quality, but I managed to get the victory due to mine being more interesting and creative.

Next was musical talent and this one was much quicker than the others. It was nice to listen to Sunset sing and it's impressive how she was able to come up with lyrics on the spot. I was a little nervous having to perform in front of them, but I managed to, by singing one of my favorites songs. My voice was nowhere near as good as hers and I almost stumbled a bit, but they still were nice enough to cheer.

Finally, after a few more challenges, it was almost lunch and after being around two cakes that I wasn't allowed to eat, I was more than ready for it.

"Well done the both of you," Celestia told us, "We have seen you use various abilities in different crafts and you each have shown different levels of talents in them. Now we just want to see well you think on your feet. Feel free to make any work of art you want. You have until the lunch bell rings."

I looked at the various arts and crafts and stumbled upon different colored clay. It was rare that I could afford clay and I could only get it in white. That wasn't too bad, since I could paint it when it dries, but this is an interesting opportunity to mess with a product I normally couldn't get my hands on. Though the question is, what to sculpt? It only took a brief second, before I had my answer. I grabbed at the different colored clay I needed and quickly got to work. The world around me faded, as I carefully sculpted different pieces into the right shapes and pieced them together. Finally, after who knows how long, I finished my creation, a sculpture of Principal Celestia herself. I carefully placed it on the table in order to dry, as the lunch bell rang.

"Done you two?" She questioned as she looked away from the clipboard, "So, what did you two..." She stopped and gasped when she noticed my sculpture of her, "Did you sculpt this? You sculpt it this quick?" She asked, stunned.

"Yeah, I didn't have much time, so I made it smaller than I wanted to and normally I would have a picture to make it look more accurate, instead of relying on memory. It's not ideal, but it should be good enough for the first time."

Celestia only continued to stare at it, and she wasn't the only one. Luna was sporting a grin on her face and when Sunset got away from her painting she gasped in surprise.

"Be that as it may," Celestia finally answered, "The fact you managed to do this in a short time and other limitations shows, maybe even more so, how skilled you are."

"Skills that will help us finally win against them," Luna added.

"Luna, the games aren't about that, despite what Principal Cinch seems to believe," Celestia began lightly scolding her sister, "At any rate, she's right, in that your skills will be good for the games, so congrats. You two showed good skills, but in the end, you are the one who will help represent us." She told me.

I simply nodded in response.

"Go ahead to lunch you two."

Sunset and I left the classroom and went on our way to the cafeteria.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," Sunset began sounding somewhat nervous.

"Yeah, I suppose it was."

"I mean you are incredibly talented. As an aspiring artist myself, what you managed to do back there is just..." She stopped to ponder the right words, "Amazing. I just can't think of any other way to describe it," She finished excited, "I didn't know you were that skilled. I can see why Pinkie and Rarity are into you."

"Oh. Thanks," I answered nervously.

God, another one?

"Cute, intelligent, nice, and talented. Any girl would be lucky to be with you."

"Yeah," was all I could say awkwardly.

We continued on our way to the cafeteria while I couldn't help but ponder why I keep on attracting these beautiful girls. It's like I am a main character in a harem story, by an amateur writer, doing it for fun.

It was finally almost time for the friendship games to begin and I was very nervous. Here's hoping things go well and I manage to help us win. At the very least, I hope I don't screw everything up. On my way to the school, I was taken out of my thoughts, when someone in a hoodie rushed past me. What the? I stopped, turned around, and noticed that it was the supposed human Twilight I saw the other day. What was she doing here? Before I could continue to ponder, I noticed Sunset walking right up to me.

"Did you see someone in a hoodie?" She asked me.

"Yeah, but she's long gone," I answered.

"She? You know who it was?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

I sighed, "At least I think so. From what I could see, they looked like human Twilight."

"What? What is she doing here?" She gasped in shock.

"I don't know. I'm afraid you would know better than me." Was all I could answer with.

"Princess Twilight is a very curious pony who is even smarter than I am. She looks for and absorbs knowledge like a sponge. From what I understand word has spread about the events that went on here and if her human counterpart is half as curious then..."

"You have to stop a curious teen from messing with dangerous forces, she won't understand and get her and everyone else around her from getting in deep trouble."

"Yeah," She sighed in frustration, "Looks like I am still paying for stealing Twilight's element. Not only do I have to deal with the girl's random pony ups," She continued cringing on the term pony ups, "I didn't come up with the name. Now I have to deal with a curious and yet ignorant Twilight. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about representing the school for the friendship games."

It was then I realized she was wearing a different outfit that really suited her in my honest opinion. She was wearing a light blue blouse with a white transparent section on the bottom and a short black jacket on the top, that had yellow arrowhead symbols on the sleeves.

"Is that a new outfit I noticed?" I questioned.

She blinked in surprise at the question but didn't seem annoyed. In fact, she seemed nervously excited.

"Oh, you noticed?" She asked in a nervous, yet excited tone, "Well, after the talk we had the other day. I decided a new set of attire would help me mark my change into a better person. So, what do you think?"

"Amazing. The blue really suits you."

"You think so?" she asked with a light blush.

"I know so."

"Thanks," she responded with a sheepish smile, "Well, I better go tell the girls about this." She continued after a few moments, before walking back to the school.

When she was out of sight, I took a deep breath. Looks like I might have gotten another girl to fall for me. How am I doing this? Whatever. I should focus on the games and not screw up.

I entered the school gymnasium and to my happiness, managed to find Wallflower, seemingly isolated from the rest of the student body, by sitting in the middle of empty space. Seriously? Even with everyone sitting together in one large room, she is still somehow separated from everyone else. Well, not for long.

"Wallflower," I greeted quietly enough so that only she could hear.

"Oh Marcus. What a wonderful surprise," She greeted me back.

Wow, someone actually acknowledging and talking to her is still surprising to her. Even now everyone else still seems to haven't noticed us. Though to be fair, they are more focused on the announcement. Why have us come here for it? Wouldn't just telling us it on the intercom be simple enough?

"So, what do you think the announcement is?" Wallflower asked me.

"Not sure. It must be something important to have us come here, instead of just using the intercom."

Before she could respond, Principal Celestia finally appeared on the stage and gave us all a friendly and charming smile.

"Attention students. As I am sure you all know, tomorrow, Canterlot High School will be hosting our fellow students from Crystal Prep Academy as we join together in the spirit of excellence, sportsmanship, and fidelity to compete in the Friendship Games," She began.

The applause she received was lackluster to say the least and from what I heard; I can't blame them.

"Since the games only happen every four years, I'm sure you're all curious what goes on."

That's one of the reasons. Why every four years? Why not annually, or bi-annually, if you can't do it every year? Doing it that way will only let one generation of students experience it once, making them least likely to be excited. That in addition from us not even winning once and well two plus two equals four.

"You mean other than us losing?!"

"And that is exactly why I've asked Rainbow Dash to come up and give you all a little, um... context." Principal Celestia finished, ignoring that random student's remark, before handing the microphone to Rainbow.

Oh. With Rainbow this might actually be good. I gave her my full attention to see what she's going to do.

"Thank you, Principal Celestia," Rainbow began before giving us a serious look, "I know a lot of you might think there's no way we can beat a fancy school like Crystal Prep at anything."

"Unless it's a losing to Crystal Prep competition..." Pinkie to my surprise blurted out.

God. If Pinkie of all people is being like this, then this must be bad.

"And I know CHS has never won the friendship games, even once." Rainbow continued annoyed.

"Oh dear. I hope this speech isn't meant to be motivational," Rarity commented.

"Crystal Prep students are super athletic, super smart, and super motivated. But there's one thing they aren't. They aren't Wondercolts!" Rainbow finished enthusiastically.

I don't know what went over me. Perhaps, it was the fun of messing with the rainbow haired girl and being used to our typical banter, that led me to slowly clap my hands. Everyone's eyes were on me before some slowly began to clap. After a few moments more joined in, causing said girl to smirk happily.

"Well, now..."

"I have to say I am impressed Dashie," I began.

"Oh? I always have that effect on people," She began proudly with a cocky smile, "About time I hear you say that stud," She mumbled and unknown to her we all still heard her clearly, "Alright let's hear it," She smirked.

"First of all, we all could hear you mumbling. Next time do it away from the microphone," I began with a cocky smile of my own, making her blush in embarrassment, "I have to say using reverse psychology was a clever idea."

"Reverse what now?" She questioned before covering her mouth, "Oh I mean. Of course! I always come up with awesome ideas like this," She bragged trying to cover her slip up.

"Well, there's just one problem."

"What? It's too awesome for all of you to handle?" She asked with her cocky smile on full blast.

"No, in case you haven't noticed, you failed. You only hammered in the point we don't stand a chance and your little statement at the end, trying to encourage us isn't working," I answered.

To my slight surprise, everyone in the crowd agreed with me.

"Yeah, we may be Wondercolts, but we are still losers."

"How are we possibly going to win this time?"

"He's got you there, Rainbow!" I heard Applejack call out.

Rainbow blushed in both embarrassment and anger, before she glared right at me, "Yeah, well I'm not done yet! Get ready because my song is going to fix everything," She told me before mumbling, "Why do I get turned on, when he does this?"

During her little dance number, where she somehow managed to get everyone else to sing along, she ended up glowing blue, before her hair became longer and she sprouted cyan wings. Is that one of those pony ups? It reminds me of tinker bell or rather anything fairy tale related. She even floated near me with the cocky smile back on her face.

"Well, what do you think now?"

"The song was alright I guess, and you did manage to actually encourage them all," I began, pondering for a few seconds, before shrugging, "I'll give you a B- for effort and actually succeeding," I finally answered clapping slowly.

"Whatever," She scoffed, but I did notice her cheeks redden a bit, before she left.

Great, another one of the girls seems into me. At least she seems to not be upfront about it, so that will hopefully mean I don't have to put up with it. Now I just have to focus on Pinkie and Rarity. After snapping out of my thoughts, I noticed everyone else had left and when I was about to follow suit, I heard some talking.

"Rainbow Dash, that was amazing! Even I feel like we can win!"

Looks like the girls are still here.

"I feel like my school pride is at an all-time high!"

I followed the sound and spotted the girls, from a distance, where they couldn't see me. Vice Principal Luna was also with them.

"Is anybody else wondering how Dash ponied up without playing her guitar?" Applejack asked.

"I know, right? It's probably because I'm so awesome!" Rainbow bragged with a cocky smile.

I managed to resist the urge to give a snarky response and reveal myself. In fact, I think it's time for me to leave.

"Maybe. I mean, you are awesome, but there's gotta be more to it than that, right? It just seems so random."

Don't encourage her Sunset. You will only make her more unbearable.

"Well, it would be nice if you girls could get a handle on it. We'd like to keep magic as far away from the Friendship Games as possible. We don't want to be accused of cheating." I heard vice Principal Luna tell the girls.

Wait. What?! I turned around, completely annoyed and quickly walked back to the girls.

"We don't need magic to defeat those hoity-toity Crystal Preppers."

"Excuse me!" I exclaimed calmly, despite my annoyance.

The girls turned around and were stunned to see me. In the case of Pinkie and to a lesser extent Rarity, they were excited to see me too.

"Marky!" Pinkie greeted me happily, "What a pleasant surprise."

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" Rainbow asked, annoyed.

"Yes," I bluntly answered, making the rainbow haired girl blink in surprise, before turning towards Luna, "I got distracted by my thoughts and didn't notice everyone else leave without me and before I followed suit, I heard you girls. Sorry, but I got curious."

"No need to apologize Marcus, darling," Rarity assured me with a smile and wink, "We're all happy to see you. Some more than others."

"Thank you, Rarity," I decided to respond kindly, "Now the reason I interrupted was because Vice Principal Luna said something about keeping magic away from the games, to prevent the school from being accused of cheating."

"That's right," Luna confirmed, "I was hoping Sunset, since she came from a world of magic, would be able to get to the bottom of it and to figure out how to keep it under control."

"So, that means, at least some of these girls will take part in the competition."

"Indeed. They each have skills we are looking for."

"Let me get this straight," I began, "Instead of finding others to compete, who don't have this kind of problem, you are having these girls take part, despite the risk and hoping Sunset would be able to stop it."

"You make a good point, but these girls are good, and I would like to point out we only found out about this now, so we don't really have time for others," Luna responded.

"Look there had to have been other potential people you could have chosen that you picked these girls over, who might be willing to have the opportunity," I countered, "Especially, after Rainbow's wonderful performance, making them more enthusiastic about it."

"Hey!" Rainbow interrupted, completely annoyed, "Look, I was chosen because of how awesome I am, and I trust Sunset will be able to figure this out, so don't worry about it. Now I'm not too mad since you finally acknowledge how awesome I am, so I will let it slide."

I rolled my eyes before sighing, "That's another issue. Look, I know nothing about magic, so correct me if I'm wrong, but since magic didn't exist in this world, before a certain incident, that means any exposure of magic is untested and undocumented. Meaning with it you girls are in uncharted territory."

"Huh?" Rainbow asked, confused.

"Tell me, has Twilight had trouble helping you during your adventures?" I asked.

"Yeah, her original plan to confront the Dazzlings straight up, didn't exactly work," Applejack admitted.

"Not to mention how hard it was to get the spell ready," Pinkie added.

"Exactly my point. Despite being knowledgeable in magic, she still had trouble figuring it out. Now you expect Sunset to somehow figure it all out. That wouldn't be too bad, if you weren't putting pressure on her, by having there be consequences, if she fails. Don't you see how stressful that would be?"

The girls were in complete silence as they pondered my words. I took relaxing breaths. Whatever they decide to do, at least I called them out on it.

"You made your case and made it well," Luna told me before sighing, "But I'm afraid the girls will still have to compete."

"Yeah, I'm still doing this," Rainbow told me, "I trust Sunset will be able to handle it and if she has trouble, we all will be there for her."

"Yeah," The others agreed before looking at said girl, who hasn't said a word.

"Sunset, are you going to say anything?" Rarity asked.

"Oh. Oh!" She began awkwardly with a light blush, "Sorry, just thinking. I will try my best to figure this all out."

The girls cheered for her, while I decided to simply leave. Like I said, they can decide what to do. I did my part by calling it all out. I began to make my way out.

"Well, I better go get started on figuring out how Rainbow ponied up. See you later!" I heard say as I was leaving the gymnasium.

I began to think maybe I shouldn't have spoken up like that. Sure, I was doing what I thought was right, but I didn't really accomplish anything.

"Wait up," I heard Sunset calling after me.

"Yes?" I asked before stopping and turning around.

"I just wanted to thank you for speaking up to them. I really appreciate it," She told me before sighing, "You are right. This whole thing with the girls is something unusual and undocumented. It's going to be hard for me to figure it all out, especially with the consequences hanging over my head, but I have to try. I can't let them all down. If it comes down to it, I'm sure I will have Twilight's help. Still thanks again. It was very nice to have you stick up for me."

"No problem. Are you sure you'll manage?"

"I kind of have to. I refuse to let my friends down."

"Not that I'm complaining about you being here, but shouldn't you be there when Crystal Prep arrives." Wallflower told me.

"I could say the same thing about you," I began, "Besides, as long as I show up during the welcoming party, it should be fine."

Wallflower and I were at her garden to simply enjoy the view and relax a bit, before the games started.

"I wasn't going to watch the games, since I am barely noticed anyway, but I will be there to support you. You most likely won't notice, but I will be there."

"Nonsense, I'm sure I will notice you in the crowd."

"I know I said I'm glad you were chosen instead of Sunset, but now I am beginning to change my mind," Wallflower admitted with a sheepish look, "That way we could just stay here and just enjoy the view."

"Yeah, but we can always do this another time."

"I guess. Well, you might want to go and meet with Crystal Prep."

I sighed before getting up, "Yeah, I guess I'll see you later."

"Hopefully, sooner than later."

I was walking through the hallways and along the way I saw a few Crystal Prep students that had looks of arrogance and superiority on their faces. Why? I have no idea. It wasn't like they personally won, the games before, due to it being every four years. It's one thing to get cocky about your own personal accomplishments, but for ones the previous generation of students did. I guess it's natural to be cockier if your school has the reputation of being unbeatable, but still. I was taken out of my thoughts, when I noticed human Twilight, holding a strange device. Suddenly, purple energy began to flow into the device. What the?

Before I could question what just happened, Twilight opened the door, the purple energy was coming from. I carefully followed her and saw the girls were inside and that it was a large band room for practice. The girls became excited when they saw Twilight.

"Twilight?" They all asked.

"Uh, yes?" Twilight asked, confused.

Applejack walked right up to her, and I noticed the girls each were wearing different outfits. If I had to guess they were outfits Rarity made them try for the games.

"Well, I'll be. You should have told us you were coming."

"Darling, those glasses. What are you wearing? It's so Severe." Rarity told her.

"My uniform?" Twilight asked.

"Your uniform for what?" Fluttershy asked.

Before Twilight could answer, I finally entered the room, and all of the girls turned towards me.

"Oh. Marky!" Pinkie greeted happily, "What a wonderful surprise. We were just finishing band practice and Twilight has decided to visit us again. I guess to help us all out. Oh. You haven't met her, haven't you? What luck. Now you can meet her and become great friends," She continued, still sounding excited, "But hopefully not too much," She finished in a neutral tone, while giving Rarity a dirty look.

"Like Pinkie said, Marcus darling. It's always wonderful to have you here," Rarity simply said, giving me a wink, before giving Pinkie a dirty look of her own.

Ignoring the flirting and somewhat bickering girls, I turned my attention to the purple skinned girl, with glasses, and violet hair, with a single purple and pink streak, in a bun, looking confused and rightfully so. Well, I should give her some answers. I walked right up to her and held out my hand.

"I don't know if you remember, or if it was actually you, but I think you were the one I ran into a few days ago," I began.

"Oh. Yeah, sorry about that. I was just in a rush," Twilight apologized sheepishly.

"Oh. Don't worry about it. The Name's Marcus."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle." She told me before shaking my hand.

"Nice to meet you Twilight," I responded, giving her a gentle smile that caused said girl to lightly blush, "Now you seem confused."

"It's just, I don't know why everyone in this school seems to know me."

"That's a long, unbelievable and yet true story," I answered looking at Sunset.

Sunset's eyes widened and she facepalmed. While the other girls only looked confused. Seriously? They can't put two and two together. Especially after Sunset telling them about human Twilight. At least I'm sure she did.

"Why didn't I realize this before?" Sunset asked.

"Sunset, what are you talking about?" Rarity asked.

"Girls, this is clearly not the Twilight we know. This is the Twilight from this world."

The other girls gasped in realization, while Twilight only became more confused.

"What do you mean the me in this world?"

Before anyone could answer, Principal Celestia and I assume the Principal of Crystal Prep entered the room.

"And our music program has especially taken off." Principal Celestia began before gasping when she noticed Twilight, "Twilight?"

"This is getting ridiculous!" Twilight exclaimed, annoyed.

"I must apologize for the curiosity of my prized student." The Principal of Crystal Prep told us.

"Your student?" Celestia asked, confused.

"The smart ones are always curious. I'll return her to check in with the rest of her classmates." The Principal of Crystal Prep simply said before leading Twilight out.

"I didn't know Twilight had a twin sister." Celestia commented.

"She doesn't! That Twilight is obviously the Twilight from this world since it couldn't possibly be the Twilight from the pony world since the Twilight from the pony world doesn't go to Crystal Prep or wear glasses." Pinkie corrected.

"Never mind." Celestia simply responded before walking away.

After a few moments of awkwardness of the events, the girls and I began walking out to the hallways.

"I can't believe our world's Twilight goes to Crystal Prep!" Rarity exclaimed dramatically.

"You're saying that Twilight's gonna play against us?" Rainbow asked bitterly and in denial, "She'd never do that!"

"Our Twilight wouldn't" Fluttershy corrected.

I noticed during this brief exchange Sunset seemed to get more and more annoyed and before I could ask if she was ok, she began to rant a bit.

"Our Twilight is a princess in Equestria and an expert in friendship magic! And if she was here, we'd have already figured out why magic is randomly popping up during pep rallies and costume changes," She then took a deep breath, "Sorry. I'm just frustrated that I haven't heard back from her."

The other girls and I had worried looks on our faces. Normally, I would be glad to be proven right, but I hoped I would have been wrong about Sunset getting stressed from trying to figure out how to keep the girl's powers in check.

"Don't say anything," Rainbow told me.

"If seeing her like this isn't proof enough for you, then nothing I could ever say could convince you," Was all I simply said.

"She's a princess in Equestria. Probably got problems of her own to deal with." Applejack told her.

"We certainly can't expect her to drop everything and pop through the portal whenever. Especially if it's to deal with something as minor as a few random pony-ups." Rarity added.

"But they aren't minor! Magic came into this world when I stole Twilight's crown. It's taken a lot for me to earn everyone's trust. If we have to forfeit the games because I can't think of a way to keep it under control..." Sunset argued.

"Oh, Sunset, I'm sure you'll be able to figure things out." Fluttershy assured her.

"You're the one who helped us understand what was going on with the sirens. Remember?" Applejack added.

"I guess. But Twilight was the one who really figured out what we needed to defeat them. Sunset countered.

"But don't you remember, darling? What we needed to defeat them was you." Rarity reminded her.

Sunset sighed, but managed to perk up a bit, "All right."

The girls cheered.

"Come on, guys! Let's see if we can find any info about the events and come up with a strategy. You coming, Sunset?" Rainbow asked her.

"I'll... catch up with you guys in a bit." Sunset simply responded.

The girls left, leaving Sunset and I alone. While finding out about the events sounded tempting, I was more focused on the stressed-out girl in front of me.

"Oh. You're not joining the girls?" She asked me.

I shook my head, "No, are you alright?" I asked.

She sighed, "Yeah, it's just frustrating. I created this whole mess in the first place, and I am having trouble figuring out how to keep it under control. The girls are counting on me and all the trust they give me, makes me more upset, when I could let them down." She took a relaxing deep breath, "I know Princess Twilight might be busy. For all I know she could even be on an important mission of her own, but I really need her help."

"Do you really?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's an expert in friendship magic, while I am still learning and struggling with it."

"You told me you were the personal student of Princess Celestia before her."

"Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?" Sunset asked me with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, I know absolutely nothing about this and correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me you are incredibly talented yourself. You might not be Princess Twilight, but that doesn't matter. You helped play a part in taking down the Dazzlings and I'm sure you will play a part in keeping things under control."

"You think so?" She asked.

"Yeah, from what you told me, you managed to adapt to this new world and your human body, while from what I heard Twilight had more trouble than you did. If you could adapt and still thrive through that, then you should be able to do the same thing here."

"Thank you for the kind words," She told me before lightly embracing me, "I'm still going to see if Twilight will answer, but I will try not to rely on her."

"No problem," I answered sheepishly.

"I don't know how you talked me into joining you for the welcoming party," Wallflower told me.

"And I don't know how you talked me into changing my outfit," I countered.

We were currently walking through the hallways to said party. We are going to be fashionably late, since she insisted on changing a bit to look nicer for the occasion. Why I have no idea. I was wearing a nice Jacket with a black shirt underneath and black boots, with my hair slightly spiked up with hair gel.

"I figured you should look nicer for the competition," she told me.

"From what I've seen so far. They seem to be smug and arrogant. Why would I want to look nicer to people like that?"

"To show them we can look impressive too."

"I guess, though I doubt it would make a difference," I answered as we arrived at the gymnasium.

When we entered, I noticed the Rainbooms gathered near Twilight and five other Crystal Prep students and they seemed to be bickering, while Pinkie was talking to Twilight. Not wanting to get involved with them, after scolding them for the whole thing involving Sunset, I simply left them be. Principal Celestia arrived on the stage.

"Hello, everyone! I'd like to take this opportunity to greet all of our visitors from Crystal Prep Academy and welcome them to CHS."

"Maybe you were right," Wallflower admitted to me with a frown, "Both schools don't seem to be getting along."

"What a waste too. The outfit you're wearing should be for a better event than this," I responded.

She was wearing the same outfit she wore on our date, days ago and it just looks amazing on her.

"Oh," She began blushing lightly, "Thanks."

"And lastly, I would like to recognize the twelve students that CHS has elected to compete. I don't think we could have chosen a better group to represent the excellence, sportsmanship, and friendship the games stand for." Principal Celestia finished, starting the party.

I noticed Twilight helped Pinkie bring in some cannons, to I assume help spice the party up a bit and to be honest that was actually more than welcome. Pinkie did her thing and managed to get both schools to be friendlier with one another, or at least not act completely hostile. In the process I noticed her glow pink. Looks like she's ponying up. At least it's not during the games, but it's still a bad sign for Sunset. I was taken out of my brief thoughts when I noticed her magic getting sucked into a device Twilight has. Wait. What? I did notice her device sucked up energy before. Was that actually magic from another of the girls? Of course, it was. Well, I better tell the girls. Principal Cinch then appeared on the stage.

"I'd like to thank Principal Celestia for her unconventional welcome. It's been four years since the last Friendship Games, but it feels as though nothing has changed. Canterlot High continues to pick its competitors in a popularity contest and Crystal Prep continues to field its top twelve students. It is a comfort to know that even after so many years of losses, your school remains committed to its ideals, however misguided they may be. I wish you all the best of luck, regardless of the inevitable outcome."

Wow, what an unpleasant woman. I actually want to help us win for once just to knock her and her goddamned school down a peg. The worst part is her words seemed to have ruined the friendly atmosphere. Figures, the root of the problem with Crystal Prep isn't the students, but their horrible principal. I turned towards Wallflower.

"Wallflower, there's something important I must tell the Rainbooms. You can come with me, but I must tell them."

"No, I'd rather stay here," She told me looking at the group of said girls sheepishly, "You'll be back quick, right?"

I sighed, "Wallflower I won't force you, but if you no longer want to keep on being unnoticed, you are going to have to do your part and put yourself out there. Just think about it."

She didn't say anything but seemed to be deep in thought. I quickly made my way to the girls, who were in a conversation about what just happened.

"Wow, Pinkie, what happened to you?" Sunset asked.

"I don't know. Everyone started having fun after Twilight and I fired the party cannons and I ponied up, but then the magic was drained out of me" Pinkie answered.

"What do you mean by that?" Sunset asked, confused.

"I think I have the answer to that," I blurted out.

The girls turned and as usual, Pinkie and Rarity were excited to meet me.

"Marcus, Darling. What a wonderful surprise, especially in that nice new outfit of yours," Rarity greeted me while walking up to me.

"Marky, I was wondering where you were," Pinkie greeted me excitedly, "I tried to make the party better and make both schools act friendly to each other, which worked, until that awful Cinch ruined it. That made me sad. Until you showed up and made me feel better," Pinkie blurted out while walking up to me and embracing me, making Rarity give her a dirty look.

"What do you mean you know?" Sunset asked.

"Twilight. Human Twilight has a device that I saw absorbing Pinkie's magic," I answered, making the girls gasp.

"Are you sure?" Sunset asked with a serious expression.

"I also saw it absorb what I thought was energy before she entered the music room earlier. I assume one of you ponied up there."

The girls looked at Rarity who gasped in realization.

"So, that's what happened," Sunset said in realization, "That Twilight absorbed the magic from the portal, deactivating it," At my confused look she clarified, "Oh. I decided to go find Twilight in person to see what's going on. If she was too busy, I would have decided to do it on my own, but before I could make it through, it disappeared," She then sighed, "Now we have to deal with Twilight absorbing our magic."

"Where is she, anyway?" Rainbow asked, looking around.

"That's just great," Sunset sighed, "It's not like we can confront her during the games. I doubt she would admit to it and we can't remove that device by force, or Crystal Prep will raise a fuss about us scaring the competition."

"Is it really that big of a deal?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Sunset asked.

"Think about it. All that device is doing is taking away their magic and is actually helping you with your goal in keeping magic out of the games. Sure, it's risky leaving it in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use it and there is always a risk of things going awry, but it's not really doing that much harm, currently. I'm afraid you girls are going to have to wait until after the games to confront her and hope things don't go wrong until then."

"Are you serious?" Rainbow asked me bitterly, "We can't just stand around and let this happen. We need to act now and..."

"You brought up a good point," Sunset began interrupting Rainbow, "Rainbow, he's right in that it's actually not that harmful."

"So far. What if all that magic runs amok?" Rainbow asked.

"Then we cross that bridge when we get to it. For right now we try not to pony up and if it happens, just wait until afterwards to get it back. Since it doesn't seem to be that big of a deal, I rather not deal with it during the games and get CHS in trouble. If it does go awry, then we act imminently." Sunset answered her.

"Fine," Rainbow sighed while crossing her arms, "But I just don't like sitting around and hoping for the ideal outcome."

"Neither do I, but it seems to be the only thing we can do," Sunset answered.

The moment has finally arrived. Here I am standing with the Rainbooms, minus Sunset, and six other students, representing CHS in the games. I am feeling nervous, though not as much as the Rainbooms, including Sunset. Not only are the games on their mind, but they have to deal with human Twilight and her magic absorbing device. Said girl was looking nervous herself while the other Crystal Prep students were giving us all cocky looks. Though, the ones in front with Twilight seemed to be giving me glances for some reason.

"Welcome to the first event, the Academic Decathlon! You'll be scored on chemistry, home-ec and everything in between. But remember, only the six students from each team with the most points will move on to event number two. Good luck!"

With what felt like a musical montage we went from subject to subject. From chemistry to cooking and from woodworking to a spelling bee, where students got eliminated one by one. Finally, at the end it was just Twilight and me. I was kind of shocked and nervous, that I was the last one from my school, left standing at this first part of the competition and slightly more so with the girls cheering me on. Even Rainbow, who recently has been annoyed with me, was doing so. Well, more than usual. I nervously walked up to Twilight who seemed equally nervous, and we each went to our respective chalkboards. This is it. It's all up to me to get us our victory. I managed to calm my nerves, as I worked on the algebraic math problem. They're all rooting and counting on me. I can't let them down. I could feel myself nervously sweating, as I continued to work on it. Stay calm and don't screw it up. I finished the problem and Principal Cinch looked it over. My nervousness increased, as it felt like I was being thoroughly judged for any and all mistakes.

"Correct," Cinch told me reluctantly, completely calming me down.

I looked and saw Twilight had the exact same answer. So, what happened? Who won, or is it a tie? I noticed the staff tallying the points.

"After careful and unbiased tallying of the points," Luna began, giving Cinch a dirty look, "Despite both Marcus and Twilight getting the problem right, He has managed to score more overall points, making him and CHS the winner of the first competition."

In response to her words every CHS student cheered and chanted out my name. That made me feel even more nervous and yet so happy as well. The Rainbooms even came up to congratulate me. Pinkie embraced me in a huge hug.

"Awesome job Marky!" She exclaimed before kissing me on the cheek.

Rarity then walked over and gently rubbed my cheek, "Yes, congratulations darling. You really are something special," She then kissed me on the cheek like Pinkie, "Help us win the whole thing and there might be a better reward for you," she told me with a wink, making me blush.

"Awesome job there, dude," Rainbow told me.

"Yeah, thanks."

"This is the first time we have ever come to winning and I hope it keeps happening," Applejack commented.

I noticed Twilight looking down at defeat and her fellow students seemed angry at her. Poor girl, she still tried her best and came close to victory. Would the others have treated me the same if I lost? No, they wouldn't have, right? I can't think like that. They have always been supportive of me and would never do that. I have to stop having fears like that.

After a bit I and the rest of the Rainbooms, minus Sunset, were standing on one side of the stage, while Twilight and the five Crystal Prep girls that were confronting the girls at the welcoming party, were on the other side.

"Now we present the students that will be moving on to the second event."

The girls around me cheered and among the crowd of students, I managed to spot Wallflower, smiling. I gave her a wink, causing her face to flush, but she still nodded back at me.

I was walking through the hallway with the girls when Fluttershy told us her powers got absorbed when she was trying to cheer up Twilight, which caused her dog to be able to speak.

"Well, that isn't too dangerous," Sunset commented, "Though, it shows her absorption can cause magic to affect things when it happens."

"What are we going to do?" Applejack asked.

"I don't know," Sunset sighed in frustration, "The pony, person, or Princess, that could help me is completely unreachable now. I guess I just hope nothing too dangerous happens.

"For now, let's just focus on beating the Shadowbolts. And as long as this event puts me in a playing field, I don't think we've got anything to worry about." Rainbow told us.

"Really Dashie? What's with the one-eighty?" I asked her.

"Huh?" She asked.

"When I suggested that you all wait until after the games to confront Twilight, you were against it and now you want to focus on the games."

"Oh," She began sheepishly, "Well, I always get into the competition and the plan is all we have."

"She's always been one to react without thinking," Applejack told me, "When she learned what Twilight was doing, she wanted nothing but to deal with it head on, but now after thinking about it, she decided to agree with the plan. Also, she is focused on beating Crystal Prep head on."

"Yeah," Rainbow agreed before realizing what Applejack said, "Hey!"

The girls and I laughed at her expense.

"Am I the only one who thinks this is overkill?" Sunset asked us.

I shook my head and added, "Don't they need to ask parents' permission before having us do something like this?"

We were looking at the field, set up for the second event. It was set up with ramps and areas of dirt for a motocross event and even targets for archery. Seriously, this kind of thing for a high school competition between rival schools? No wonder it only happens every four years. It's doubtful it would fly if it happened more often.

"Lighten up," Rainbow told us looking excited, "I'm sure they have taken care of all that. Besides, this is going to be fun."

"I don't suppose you made any motocross outfits, Rarity?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, don't be silly," Rarity began looking offended for a brief moment before smiling, "Of course I did!" She exclaimed, holding out a couple outfits, before giving me a sad look, "Sorry, Marcus, darling. I only have some for the others. I am so used to making female clothing, I didn't keep in mind to make anything for you."

"That's ok."

It's still impressively stunning how she has outfits like these on standby for her and the other girls.

"Welcome everyone to the Friendship games Tri cross relay!" was announced to the crowd's excitement, "In this event, our qualifying competitors will face off in archery, speed skating, and finally, motocross."

I was sitting on my motorbike with Rainbow next to me, where I had the perfect view of the rest of the event. To be honest I am a little nervous about being with her. She hasn't shown it, but since she was annoyed with me more than usual, I wonder if she is still a little upset with me. I know it's likely not a big deal and it's something she got over, but I am a little confused. Despite Applejack's answer making sense, it's still a little weird how she quickly went through a one-eighty on focusing on the competition, instead of Twilight.

"So, if the competitors are ready," A air horn was blown, "Each competitor must hit a bullseye before their teammates can start the next leg of the relay."

Well, that's interesting. If just one person on one team is unskilled and can't catch a break, that's a victory for the other team. Two of the girls for the archery section, that consisted of Fluttershy, took off and maneuvered past the obstacles along the way. When the girls managed to make it to the targets, the Crystal Prep student missed her first two shots, before getting a bullseye. Applejack and Twilight took off and Twilight had trouble getting past the obstacles, while Fluttershy seemed too nervous to handle getting a bullseye. Her first shot didn't even come close to the target, but in the end, she managed to get a bullseye. Twilight slipped and fell, causing her teammate to get annoyed with her. Both her and Applejack finally arrived at the targets and Applejack managed to get a bullseye on the first try, while Twilight missed completely.

"Awesome job Applejack!" I couldn't help but cheer out, to my slight shock.

She looked at me with a nervous blush before smiling and winking at me. Twilight continued to miss, making her teammate more and more annoyed.

"If CPA can't hit another bullseye soon, they'll be out of the race."

"You're really bad at this," The Crystal Prep student with white hair in pigtails called out.

Geez, it's one thing to be annoyed with her, but to hammer in the point like that, when it's obvious.

Applejack seemed to have become annoyed with this and seemed to be trying to help Twilight. I can actually respect that, and it shows how much of a good person she is. The other Crystal Prep student seemed to be mocking the help, but Twilight listened and managed to get a bullseye. Twilight then hugged Applejack and she began glowing orange. Oh. God. No. Her magic was absorbed, and Twilight was knocked back.

"Canterlot only has two laps to go! But it looks like Crystal Prep is making up for lost time!"

On the skate track, despite the head start the Crystal Prep skating students managed to catch up and get ahead of Rarity and Pinkie. I swear I could see Twilight's device get knocked past the track and my suspicion was confirmed, when Twilight rushed past to try and get it. Desperate to catch up and win, Rarity managed to swing Pinkie forward, with enough speed to pass the Crystal Prep students and cross the checkered line, giving us the lead.

"Ready to win this dude?" Rainbow asked me.

"You know it," I responded.

"You two are cocky when your school hasn't won this competition before," The pigtailed girl commented.

"At least then, we will be cocky for something we actually personally won, instead of riding on the coattails of those before us," I responded back.

"Well said dude," Rainbow told me holding out her fist that I bumped.

"Yeah, I..." The pigtailed girl was silent.

"Please," The other girl began, "You guys got lucky during the first competition, but we will win this and the last one, then everyone will know we are better than you."

"Until then don't act like you're all that," I said as I got ready to go.

"Come on dude," Rainbow began getting ready, "Let's show these girls that CHS is a better school."

We all took off and I managed to calm down my nerves. I can do this. Just have to find the right balance of speed and control and I should be good. Suddenly, to my horror a giant vine, belonging to a giant plant creature appeared and I managed to get out of the way, but before I could get far another grabbed onto my motorbike and I quickly jumped off, landing somewhat roughly. I panted, trying to catch my breath and calm myself. I noticed the others trying to dodge the creature. It was too late for me to get out of the way when I noticed the motorbike coming straight at me.

I've awoken with the feeling of soft lips on my own and when my vision came to me, I noticed Rarity looming over me with her lips still on mine.

"Marcus, Darling!" Rarity exclaimed happily, "Thank god you're alright and still alive."

"Alive?" I asked dumbly.

"Darling, it was terrible!" She exclaimed, "You didn't have a pulse and despite not knowing CPR, I just had to try before paramedics were called."

The other girls walked up to me and they, with Rarity, gently helped me up. I was feeling too weak to move anyway. I noticed the other CHS students looking at me in sympathy and relief, that I was alright.

"How are you feeling Marky?" Pinkie asked.

"Just too weak to move. Can we find someplace to sit down?" I asked, feeling all lightheaded.

"Of course."

The girls took me to a spot at the bleachers to sit down.

"What happened?" I asked.

The girls looked at each other before Sunset sighed.

"Apparently, human Twilight's amulet summoned that creature from Equestria. You were the only one hurt and if it wasn't for Rainbow's quick actions, you wouldn't be around."

"I managed to carry you onto my motorbike and even ponied up again, helping bring you to safety and even take down that creature. Sadly, since I was too busy fighting and you were unconscious, that allowed Crystal Prep to win." Rainbow explained.

"Pinkie and I watched over your body, and we were worried, when we couldn't feel your pulse. Panicking, I tried my best to give you CPR and I'm happy to see it managed to work after trying a bit," Rarity added.

Tears formed in Pinkie's eyes as she seemed to recall that horrible moment, "It was really scary Marky. Cinch was too focused on the magic and how the games weren't fair, instead of the fact you were injured. She kept Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna from noticing and calling an ambulance. That awful woman. We are just lucky the bike wasn't sent fast and hard enough to break your bones." Pinkie ranted before she embraced me.

"Twilight," Sunset began before pausing and taking a deep breath, "While they were keeping an eye on you. Twilight ended up absorbing Rainbow's magic and she tried to apologize for everything. In a fit of rage, I called her out for messing with forces she doesn't understand and how she endangered your life. I didn't mean to. I was just stressed out that magic is running out of control and that you could have died, it just happened."

"Sunset, you had every right to call her out on messing with magic. Sure, you could have been gentler, when you did it, but you are still right about that. Besides, after what happened I can't blame you for getting angry. I think anyone would, if they were in your shoes."

"Thank you," was all she said.

Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna appeared, giving me concerned looks.

"Are you ok?"

"Just feeling too weak to move. Nothing seems to be broken at least."

"At any rate we are sorry we didn't focus on you and your state of being, but a certain someone kept us occupied, thinking that a competition not being fair trumps a student getting injured." Celestia told me bitterly, "I will be sure to report this to the school board. At any rate you are excused from the friendship games. Do you think you will be ok to stay out here and watch?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Since the score's tied, the final event will determine the winner of the Friendship Games."

"Somewhere on campus, a pennant from each school has been hidden. The first team to find their school's flag and bring it back wins." Luna finished.

As I'm sitting here, resting and slowly regaining my strength back, I'm beginning to feel bad. Bad that I ended up getting knocked out during the last competition and almost dying. I just can't believe it. I came close to kissing my life here goodbye. If Rarity and Rainbow hadn't acted when they did, who knows what would have happened to me. I owe them my life and everything, though they wouldn't treat it like that. Well, maybe not Rarity, but Rainbow just might.

I was taken out of my thoughts, when I noticed Twilight holding her amulet and a burst of purple magic pulsed out and she was slowly submerged into a void of what seemed like pure magic, before she transformed into a darker purple girl with dark purple wings and light blue magic in the shape of a horn and a flaming mask around her eyes. She was wearing a dark purple, light purple, and pink dress with sparkles of those colors as designs and even a purple necklace with a pink sparkle. I managed to move farther away on the bleachers from her and I'm glad I did.

"You were right! I didn't understand magic before, but I do now!" She taunted to Sunset before destroying the school statue

She then created portals to what I assumed are different places in Equestria. The other students were running and avoiding the rifts.

"Twilight, you can't do this," Sunset argued.

"Why not?! There's a whole other world right there, and it's just filled with magic!"

"But you're destroying this world to get it!"

"So what? There's more magic there, and I want to understand it all!"

Twilight then formed a giant rift onto the ground. I panicked as I watched the others help each other up and away from the giant rift and in the process the girls managed to get their magic back, as they began to glow. I noticed Sunset holding the amulet.

"This isn't the way! I know you feel powerful right now, like you can have everything you want! I've been where you are, I've made the same mistake you're making! I put on a crown and, just like you, I was overwhelmed by the magic it contained! I thought it could get me everything I wanted!" Sunset continued.

"Oh, you're wrong. Unlike you, I can have everything I want!"

"No, you can't. Even with all that magic and power, you'll still be alone! True magic comes from honesty! Loyalty! Laughter! Generosity! Kindness! I understand you, Twilight, and I want to show you the most important magic of all..." Sunset argued as she absorbed the magic from the girls and transformed herself.

What is this? Some kind of anime? Sunset's transformation gave her the appearance of a fiery angel, with her golden glowing large wings and long glowing white horn. She was wearing a white and pink dress, with a flaming necklace and flaming accessories on her arms.

"...the Magic of Friendship!" Sunset finished.

Twilight seemed fearful while the other girls seemed happy about this development. Sunset closed all of the rifts, except for the large one. This pissed off Twilight and the two engaged in a beam struggle. Kind of reminds me of Dragon ball. Sunset seemed to be having trouble, but somehow in the end managed to overcome her. All I could tell was a blue magic field surrounding the two before everything turned back to normal.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen" Twilight apologized.

"I know and going by my own experience they will forgive you," Sunset assured her.

In fact.

"Twilight," I called out.

Twilight turned towards me and cringed in guilt, "Oh. It's you who was injured because of me."

"I can't speak for everyone else, but I forgive you."

"You do?" She asked hopefully, walking closer and giving me a cute look.

"Yeah, I know you didn't mean it and since you learned not to mess with forces outside of your control, I can forgive you and give you another chance."

"Oh, thank you," she told me before embracing me in a hug.

"No problem," I responded, hugging her back, since I regained enough strength to move them without any issues.

To my anger Cinch decided to show herself and had the nerve to be angry at what just happened.

"Principal Celestia, on behalf of Crystal Prep, I demand that you forfeit the Friendship Games! Clearly, CHS has had an unfair advantage for quite some time! And it's certainly obvious that your students have been using magic for their own benefit!" She began her tirade, "I plan on taking all of this up with the school board."

"Good. I am sure they would like to hear about you caring more about the other school cheating, when a student was injured and from what I heard could have died, since you had insisted on keeping the staff available occupied," Principal Celestia responded bitterly, "If it wasn't for Rarity, Rainbow Dash and sheer luck, a student would have perished today and yet that didn't matter to you."

That caused Cinch to pale and stutter in defeat.

Celestia turned away from the horrible woman and addressed the rest of us, "I know the friendship games haven't been what any of us expected, but after what just happened, I think it's fair to declare us all winners." She told us, making all of us raise our hand into the air and cheer.

Pinkie was holding onto me and leading me with the girls. I was grateful that they haven't forgotten me and thankfully, it won't be long before I am back to full strength. We arrived back at the statue.

"Still no word from Princess Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"No, but I think I figured out how magic seems to work here. We pony up when we show our truest selves. I was so focused on someone else giving me the answers, I didn't really try my hardest to figure them out for myself. I'm sure there will be more problems in the future, but like Applejack and Marcus told me. She will be busy with her own issues, and I am smart enough to figure it out for myself." Sunset answered.

"Maybe I can help?" Twilight asked, appearing with Principal Celestia.

"It seems we have a new Wondecolt joining us." Celestia told us.

"I'm not sure how much help I can be, but I would like to try, if you would give me the chance," Twilight told us.

"I'm sure I can trust you girls and boy to help her feel at home."

"You sure can," Sunset answered.

I then ended up in the middle of a hug with the other girls and it was actually quite nice. I guess it being a group thing makes it less awkward, if that is how it works. Either way, it looks like human Twilight will be joining the Rainbooms.

The girls and I were having a small picnic at the still broken statue. Thankfully, I managed to regain enough strength to actually move around on my own. Pinkie seemed disappointed by this but respected my wishes to move on my own. I was sipping on my juice box when Rarity spoke up.

"Marcus, darling."

"Yes, Rarity?"

"I didn't ask this since it wasn't appropriate at the time, but did you enjoy the kiss?" She asked, giving me a wink.

I blushed and before I could even think of a response, the mirror glowed and out came, Princess Twilight.

"I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner! I didn't get your messages until just now because I was caught in this time travel loop and, honestly, it was the strangest thing that's ever happened to me!" She explained before noticing her counterpart, "Make that second strangest."

"Right, Princess Twilight, meet your human counterpart," Sunset told her.

"Right," Princess Twilight said awkwardly as the two Twilights got closer together.

"Hi," the two greeted each other awkwardly.

"Well, this is awkward," Princess Twilight commented, "Anyway, I see you managed to handle the problem?"

Sunset sighed, "Yeah, it was a wild one, but in the end, I managed to set things right and learned to have confidence in myself to try and work on my own issues. I will still ask for help, but I know I can't always have it."

"That's good." Princess Twilight told her before noticing me, finishing my sandwich.

To my shock, she lightly blushed a little but shook it off.

"I haven't seen you before. Are you another friend of these girls?" She asked me.

"Yeah, you could say that." I told her, thinking about how I got closer to some of them, "I'm Marcus." I said, holding out my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Marcus. Like I'm sure you heard I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle," She told me while shaking my hand, "Normally, I am against being addressed by my title, but since it's the only way to tell me from my human counterpart, I will allow it."

"Since you're here. Want to relax a bit and catch up before returning?" Sunset offered.

"Sure, after the adventure I had, I need it."

After a nice picnic, Princess Twilight returned and the rest of us decided to go back home. Well, the Friendship Games have come to an end and despite getting injured, I did well. I mean I did manage to get the victory in the first event. Sunset learned a little lesson in having confidence in oneself, a lesson I struggle with myself and am trying to master. Along the way I noticed Rainbow walking. I took a deep breath and decided to call out to her.

"Rainbow, wait up!"

She stopped and I caught up to her.

"What's up dude?" She asked me.

"I just wanted to thank you for saving my life. I owe you big time."

Rainbow put an arm around me, "No problem, dude. That's what friends are for. There's no way I would let anyone bite the dust, when I could save them. Especially someone cool. Don't worry about it. Just live your life, the coolest you can be, and I will consider us even."

"Even after being annoyed with me?"

She blinked, "Dude. Don't worry about that. That was just me acting in the moment, " She sighed, "Despite getting annoyed, I actually somewhat respect you, standing up for Sunset. Seeing someone being loyal and looking out for her, even if it's against what I'm doing, was something I actually liked seeing. As for your plan. All that was on my mind at that moment was stopping Twilight. Once I calmed down, I began to view it differently. I only wanted to win against them. I'm not mad at you, so calm down."

"Ok."

"Now, enough of this sappy talk. Let's go home and just continue being friends, ok?" She suggested.

"Ok."

I finally arrived home and learned the hard way that the school called my dad. He rightfully threw a fit and insisted on getting me checked up on. Since I knew it was futile, I didn't fight against it. Well, that was the friendship games. What a wild ride and hopefully another one isn't coming soon.

Author's Note

The longest chapter yet. I tried to add and change a few things, but didn't want to not make too wild changes, like human Twilight not transforming. Hope you enjoyed.

Next chapter: Marcus helps human Twilight adjust to her new school, where she actually has friends.

16 nightmare and Twilight's first day with apologies

I stood next to Rainbow Dash with my motorbike in hand. This is it! I just have to win this competition and CHS wins the games.

"Ready dude?" Rainbow asked me.

"You know it."

I got on and once prepared, took off, as fast as I could. I quickly sped past and managed to take the lead, but before I could get too far, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a vine, coming straight at me. I managed to move out of the way, but another grabbed onto my motorbike, and I jumped out of it. I looked around and saw the others trying to avoid danger. It was too late for me to move, when I noticed my motorbike coming straight at me. I was knocked back from the force and to my surprise, I began to float. I looked down at my unconscious body and gasped when I realized I've become a spirit. I saw Rainbow quickly pick up my unconscious body and place me on her motorbike. She then managed to pony up and took me to Rarity and Pinkie, before rushing towards the creature and taking it down. I floated towards Pinkie and Rarity, who were panicking with tears in their eyes.

"Pinkie, he has no pulse," Rarity told the girl.

"Do something!" Pinkie told her.

"What? He needs medical attention."

"Just try Rarity!" Pinkie insisted, "The meanie Cinch is keeping them from doing anything," She continued pointing at an angry Cinch, calling out CHS for cheating.

Rarity hesitated before trying her best at CPR. After minutes of pointless trying, she stopped and turned towards Pinkie with tears in her eyes.

"Pinkie, I tried," She stuttered the words out before taking a deep breath, "I'm afraid we are going have to accept that he's gone,"

"No! I refuse!" Pinkie shouted while sobbing.

Rarity embraced her in a hug, "I know darling, but we have to face facts. We lost..." She couldn't continue, as she began to sob too.

Suddenly, I woke up and nervously inspected my body. Upon noticing I wasn't a spirit; I took a relaxing breath. I noticed my dog cuddled right at me and gently hugged him. It was just a nightmare. Everything worked out fine, so no worries. I'm sure they will pass soon. At least I hope they do.

I nervously entered the school, feeling fearful, entering the place where I almost died. I noticed everyone looked at me and gave me concerned looks. Was I showing how nervous I truly am, or are they simply concerned for me? It wasn't long before I was embraced in a tight hug, by guess who.

"Marky!" Pinkie exclaimed, tightening the embrace, "Thank goodness you're still alive."

"Of course, I am."

"Well, I'm happy with that fact."

"Are you ok Pinkie?" I asked.

"Of course, I am silly," She giggled, "You are still alive, and I have nothing to worry about."

So, I'm not the only one who's been affected by the events of the friendship games. Before I could respond to Pinkie the rest of the girls appeared and like Pinkie seemed relieved to see me.

"Marcus, darling. It's great to see you among us," Rarity greeted me.

"Yeah, dude. What a close call, huh?" Rainbow asked, before getting punched in the shoulder from Applejack, "Ow. What gives AJ?"

"Rainbow, you really need to learn to watch what you say," Was the cowgirl's response.

"No, kidding," Rarity added, giving Rainbow a dirty look, "Honestly, Rainbow you need to learn to be more tactful."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just happy he's still alive, you know."

Applejack and Rarity both shook their heads.

"Excuse me."

I turned towards Twilight who was sheepishly rubbing her arms.

"I'm sorry for..."

"Didn't I already forgive you?" I interrupted.

"Yeah, but..."

"Twilight, I've already forgiven you," I insisted, "Look, it's going to take some time to move past this. I won't lie about that, but I don't hold any hard feelings against you alright. Let's just start over and we can move on from here."

"Right, thanks," she said sheepishly.

"We should apologize too," Sunset told me, before the rest of the girls other than Twilight and Rainbow nodded.

"Why should we?" Rainbow asked, confused.

"Because we decided to leave Twilight with the device, until after the games, instead of taking it and preventing all of that from happening, Rainbow," Sunset answered.

"Well, it was his idea, remember," Rainbow responded, earning a harder punch from Applejack and glares from the rest of the girls, including Twilight, "Ow! What?!"

"Rainbow, we all went along with the plan. Sure, I hold more of the blame than the rest of you, other than Twilight," She began, glaring at Rainbow, before giving Twilight an apologetic look, which received a simple shameful nod, "I agreed to it, but you all had the opportunity to argue and change my mind, or even take it on your own!"

"Which I did."

"Yes, you did! But you still ended up reluctantly agreeing to it, before deciding it was the best choice of action and even if you didn't, it still happened because of your negligence. The same with us."

"Well... I... Ok I'm sorry," Rainbow tried to argue before apologizing in defeat.

"We all are," Sunset told me before the rest of the girls nodded and apologized in turn.

"Thank you, girls."

I entered my math class and was slightly surprised to find Twilight sitting next to my seat, with the teacher talking to her. When she noticed me, she gave me a nervous smile, which I returned. The teacher turned and called me over.

"Mr. Anderson since Ms. Sparkle is new and you are the head of my class, I figured you two would be the ideal partners together, since we are doing group projects. Since you and Ms. Sparkle are about even in this subject you might be the best person to match her with," He began explaining to me before turning towards Twilight, "I could see your skills clearly during the games, Ms. Sparkle, but If you need help adjusting, he's here."

"I understand." Twilight responded.

"Very good."

After class started and we got settled into our groups. Twilight and I looked over the worksheet and quickly got to work.

"You know during the first round I was both envious and impressed," She admitted talking quietly enough, so only we can hear.

"How so?" I asked.

Twilight sighed quietly, "Well, I have always been a loner at Crystal Prep and only managed to get by, by being the smartest one there. The only thing I was really great at was academics. Seeing someone who was just as good as me as what I'm best at was incredible but seeing him be popular for it was just terrible to see at the time."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," I began giving her a kind smile, causing the girl to lightly blush, "Hopefully, you'll see things are better here."

"Oh. It already is. It will just take some time to get used to it."

Geez, what kind of school was Crystal Prep, where having friends or just people being friendly is something completely foreign. Goes to show what happens when you leave someone like Cinch in charge of anything. So many young people are corrupted into something terrible.

"It really is nice to work with someone smart for once," Twilight admitted as we got further into the problems, "The ones I got paired up were frustrating when they didn't understand me and those were the ones smart enough to work with me, instead of making me do all the work," She then sighed again, "It's just amazing despite after what I've done, I have been treated much better here, than there."

I see that she is talking all of her feelings out, so she can finally move on into a much better future.

"It's ok Twilight. You don't have to deal with that anymore."

"I know. I'm just happy for a fresh new start."

Twilight and I continued to work out the different problems, while she quietly vented out her horrible past at Crystal Prep. When the bell rang, she faced me with a smile.

"Thank you for listening. It feels great to get all of that out you know."

"No problem. Glad you are feeling better."

Great, first Sunset and now Twilight. Am I going to play amateur therapist for the rest of the girls?

I arrived at the usual spot, Wallflower, and I have lunch, to find the fellow introvert holding a flower, with a depressed look on her face. Before I could question her, she took a deep breath and tears formed in her eyes.

"I heard what happened to you," She stuttered while crying, before wiping her tears, "I... I'm sorry"

"You're sorry?"

"I was watching in the distance and when I saw the sign of danger from the creature, I got out of there. It was only through words of others, I learned snippets of what happened and almost all of them were what happened to you. I'm sorry for not being there and fleeing. I'm just a coward," She stuttered and admitted before sobbing.

"Hey," I said gently, approaching her, "It's ok."

"No, no it's not," She insisted before sniffing.

"Wallflower," I began before lightly embracing her, "Look, I don't blame you for looking out for your own wellbeing, alright," I responded, receiving only mumbles from her, "Please look at me," She hesitated for a brief moment before I saw her moist eyes and gently wiped them, "I'm not mad nor blame you for disappearing, alright."

"I just feel so awful you know," She insisted, "You're the only one to reach out to me and the only friend I have. Without you I don't know what I'd do."

"I'm here, don't worry and I promise I will try my hardest to make it stay that way, alright?"

She sniffed before giving me a small smile, "Ok."

"Now, let's enjoy our lunchtime together."

I left the school, happy for the end of the day, even more than usual. Hopefully, dealing with the aftermath of the games won't last too long and things can get back to normal, completely. From the nightmares to the girls apologizing, to Twilight venting out some frustrations, from her time at Crystal Prep, to Wallflower emotionally breaking down, today was a serious one to get through. I look forward to the days of normality.

"Hey Marky. Wait up," Pinkie greeted me, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Yes, Pinkie?" I asked.

"To welcome Twilight, we decided to throw a slumber party at Sunset's apartment and guess what?" Pinkie responded.

"I don't know. Am I invited?" I asked to play along.

"Yes, how did you know? Are you psychic?" Pinkie asked, giving me a once over.

"Common sense Pinkie. Since you asked, that was a likely reason why."

"Oh. You're good," She complimented, "Anyway, what do you say?"

A slumber party with girls at a girl's place, where she lives alone, due to her unique circumstances. This was a fantasy of many teenage boys, and I don't quite know how to react to it.

"I... don't..."

"Please, it will be fun. The others are willing to have you join," She insisted, giving me a cute look, "Some more than others," She finished in a neutral tone with a blank look, before returning to the former look.

"Ok... But I don't exactly have a sleeping bag," I told her.

"Oh," She began with a smile, that seemed to be a scheming one, instead of her usual cheery one, "That's ok. I'm providing ones for everyone. I have enough for all of us."

I think we all know where this is going, and it looks like I am going to have to deal with it. I don't really mind whatever she has planned. I'm hoping Rarity doesn't pull anything like this. Just one person trying it is bad enough. On the bright side, it might be fun to spend time with others. I do wonder what dear dad is going to say about this. At any rate tonight will be more interesting than usual.

Author's Note

The games may be over but they will still have quite an impact for quite a while.

Next chapter: Many male teen's dream. Taking part in a slumber party with seven attractive girls.

17 slumber party

Well, as expected Dad was not only excited about me having friends to spend the night with. Them all being girls made him much more so. Naturally, he congratulated me for attracting a group of girls and told me to have fun. Thankfully, the hidden message in that will most likely not happen. I left my house with a backpack filled with everything I needed and had. I pulled out my phone and checked the text Pinkie sent me showing Sunset's address. Well, here I am going on a sleepover with a group of attractive girls. Some that have shown to be at least somewhat attracted to me and a couple more than others. Let's do this. I nervously walked up to what I hoped was Sunset's apartment door and knocked on it. I took a relaxing breath, before the door opened, revealing Sunset, wearing purple pajamas, with a symbol of a red and yellow sun and purple slippers. To my relief, instead of being annoyed, she seemed happy and excited to see me. Maybe too excited.

"Nice to see you decided to show up," She greeted me with a smile, "Come on in. The others are already here and are changing into their pajamas," She finished, leading me inside.

Her apartment was big enough for us to have fun and looked incredibly nice. Not only did she have a nice T.V., but she also had an expensive computer with two monitors. It was already surprising enough she was able to afford an apartment, but also all of this furniture.

"Like the place?" She asked me.

"Yeah, how did you afford all of this?" I asked.

"Things were tough when I first arrived in this world and had to find a way to scrape by. Once I found out gems were more valuable here, I waited for the opportunity to return to Equestria, where said gems are more plentiful. Once I had enough to relax, I got this place and a part time job, which I used to save up some extra money on the side. The revenue from my gaming streams also helps give me a little extra spending money."

"Gaming streams?" I questioned as I noticed her collection of games and gaming systems.

"Yeah, I usually live stream showing off my skills. You should look me up. I was thinking of getting Fluttershy to join me one day to try and get her into it." She told me.

Before I could respond, the rest of the girls emerged from the bathroom, wearing their pajamas and slippers. In coming hug in three two one.

"Marky!" Pinkie exclaimed before rushing towards me and tackling me into a hug, "You came!"

"Yes, you invited me."

"I know!" She exclaimed, tightening her embrace, "I'm just so happy to see you."

"Settle down Pinkie," Rarity told the energetic girl, while walking right up to us.

Pinkie stuck her tongue out but got off of me. Rarity held out her hand and helped me up, before lightly embracing me.

"Like Pinkie said, it's wonderful to see you here."

"Right."

Rarity let go of me and the rest of the girls walked right up to us.

"Sup dude. Couldn't resist spending time with hot girls your age all alone," Rainbow teased me with a wink and she even adjusted her shirt making her assets more apparent from underneath.

"Of course not. Why? Are you offering Dashie?" I responded, making her lightly blush a little for a brief moment.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Was her teasing remark, "You want it? You gotta earn it."

"Settle down Rainbow. I know you are getting turned on, but try to control yourself," Applejack told her with a teasing grin.

"Turn on? Why would I be turned on?" Rainbow denied while looking away with an embarrassed blush.

"I thought you said whenever he does this you get turned on," Applejack responded with a larger grin.

"No! When did I say that?" Rainbow asked sheepishly.

"During your little speech before the friendship games. You should have listened to him and mumbled away from the microphone." Applejack told her before chuckling.

The other girls and I joined along, while Rainbow groaned and covered her face. After a moment, she calmed down.

"Well, I wasn't being serious. I was just joking around."

"Sure, you were," Applejack responded in disbelief before turning towards me, "Now that we are done having a little fun at Rainbow's expense. Why don't we get started?"

Sunset nodded, "The pizza should be here soon. Until then why don't we relax and maybe play some games."

"Oh." Rainbow began before giving me a predatory stare, "Why don't we play truth and dare? Now that we have a boy here, I am sure it will be much more fun."

"Figures you would want a chance at payback Rainbow," Applejack deadpanned.

"Come on! I know you can't resist the fun we all could have."

"Yeah, I'll give you that one." Applejack admitted.

"I have no objections," Sunset announced before the rest of the girls agreed to it.

Great, I have to survive a game of truth or dare with a girl out to get payback for embarrassing her. Bring it on Dashie! I will be sure to dish it out as much as I can take it.

The girls and I were sitting in a circle on the floor. I was currently in my pajamas and despite Rainbow's insistence I changed quickly, I took my sweet time just to annoy her a little more. I know it will only make her go harder on me with her dares, but I welcome it. I actually enjoy this little game of ours where we try to embarrass each other. I was sitting between Sunset and Twilight. The latter was wearing her hair in a ponytail with a purple star scrunchy. Her new style really suits her better than her bun.

"Why don't we have our male guest pick first?" Rainbow suggested.

"I have no problem with that, as long as Rainbow isn't the one to decide my question or dare," I responded.

The other girls nodded at both of our suggestions, annoying the rainbow haired girl.

"Seriously, girls. I figured you all would be on my side. Us girls should stick together." Rainbow complained.

"Tough luck Dashie. You have to wait for your opportunity." I told her with a grin.

"Are you sure you want to mess with him, Rainbow?" Applejack asked, "In my experience he always finds a way to turn it back on you."

"Please, he just keeps getting lucky."

"And it turns you on," Applejack teased with a grin.

Rainbow only groaned and rubbed her face in defeat.

"May I give him his options?" Rarity asked.

The other girls, including Rainbow nodded.

"Alright Marcus darling truth or dare?"

"I guess to help you girls learn more about me, truth."

"Which one of us do you think is the most attractive?"

Getting there already? Figures, Rarity would ask that kind of question. After pondering a few seconds, I came up with the perfect answer.

"Dashie, of course!" I began making said girl look at me, "With her perfect rainbow hair. I have always loved looking at rainbows as a kid and seeing a girl with one is a dream come truth. How unbelievably awesome she is and her fun playful personality. The thing that sealed the deal was her saving my life," I finished making Rainbow smirk with a light blush while the other girls looked stunned, with Pinkie, Rarity and to a lesser extent Sunset looking a little sad.

"Well, figures you couldn't resist me," Rainbow bragged, sounding pleased.

"Seriously though."

"What?" Rainbow asked, annoyed and a little heartbroken, "You were just kidding with what you said?"

I shook my head, "No, Dashie. Not entirely. All of the compliments are true. It's just I can't actually pick between all of you. You're all equally attractive to me in different ways."

This calmed Pinkie, Rarity, Sunset, and Rainbow down while the rest of the girls were flattered and even happy in some cases.

"Alright then. Well, when you decide, you better pick me," Rainbow told me.

"So, you're interested?" I asked.

"Like I said don't get ahead of yourself," Rainbow responded before looking away with an embarrassed blush.

"Alright then. Rainbow truth or dare?" I asked.

"Dare. Bring it on," she told me with a challenging grin.

After pondering for a few seconds, I came up with the perfect dare.

"I dare you to place one finger deep in your ear and one in your mouth. After thirty seconds you switch the positions of the fingers."

Rainbow's grin fell after she heard my dare, while Applejack, Pinkie and Sunset chuckled. Rarity seemed disgusted, while the rest of the girls only blinked in surprise.

"Must you make such a disgusting dare Marcus darling?"

"Rainbow wanted a challenge and she got it," I answered before turning towards Rainbow, "What's wrong Dashie? Too much for you?"

Rainbow groaned before she gave me a determined look, "Bring it on. This is nothing," she told me determined, before sticking her fingers in her ear and mouth.

After thirty seconds, she switched them and groaned at the terrible taste.

"How qone do a havw tw qeep em n?" Rainbow asked.

"You can take them out now," Was my answer.

Rainbow removed them and gave me a smirk, "Impressive first dare. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't have done it, but as you can see, I can handle anything you dare me to."

"In your own words Dashie, don't get ahead of yourself," I responded making her lightly blush, "I assume you are picking me."

"Of course. Whichever one you pick, I have the perfect response," she told me with a cheeky grin.

"Since I'm nice enough not to rip away a chance for you to dare me a second time, dare."

"Ok. I dare you to kiss Pinkie on the lips for a full ten seconds," she told me with a larger grin.

I felt my face heat up, as her dare brought back memories of Pinkie kissing me after that fancy party. I did want to feel her soft lips again and this was the opportunity.

"Yippie!" Pinkie cheered before she rushed right up to me with the biggest grin on her face, "Thank you Dashie! You are the best!" She exclaimed before pulling out lip balm from her hair and quickly applied it, "Come on! Pucker up Marky!"

I took a relaxing breath, as we got closer and closer to each other and when our lips connected, I felt a spark. Her lips felt even better than I remembered and due to the ten second timer, I could enjoy it for a longer period. A few seconds into it, I felt her tongue on my lips, before it entered my mouth and gently wrapped around my own, making me moan. I don't quite know what came over me, but I began to playfully tongue wrestle with her. I began to enjoy the taste of her mouth. It was like every sweet known to man combined together. Pinkie moaned as I pinned her tongue down and explored her mouth.

"Alright you two," Rainbow began amused, "Ten seconds have passed quite a bit ago. While I didn't say use tongue, I didn't say you couldn't."

Rainbow's words snapped us back into reality and we separated from each other. Rainbow had an amused grin on her face, along with Twilight, Fluttershy and Applejack. Rarity and to a lesser extent Sunset seemed to be jealous.

"You seem to be a good kisser dude, huh Pinkie?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah," Pinkie simply said in a daze.

"You put her in a daze," Rainbow commented with a chuckle, "Not bad stud. I have to admit I'm a little jealous. Anyway, your turn."

"To prevent us from going back and forth without bringing the others into the game, I am not picking you this time." I commented.

"That's fine. We can switch on which turn we give the other a break," Rainbow nodded.

Before I could pick which girl I wanted to choose, there was a knock on the door.

"The Pizza is finally here," Sunset told us before getting up," I'll be right back."

"Let's take a break and eat, then we can get back to it," Rainbow suggested.

We all agreed to it and waited for Sunset to appear with dinner.

I tried my best to hold still, as Rarity blew on my freshly painted nails.

"How was your manicure?" Rainbow asked me.

"How was it giving a generic boring dare?" I asked with a cheeky grin.

"He's got you there, Rainbow," Applejack commented with a chuckle.

"Yeah, well the next one will be more exciting to you," Rainbow responded annoyed, before she adjusted the fancy dress, I dared her to wear and rubbed the make-up Rarity added just for fun, "Besides, the dress wasn't?"

"Your screaming and begging to change it said otherwise," Was my response, making her blush dark red in embarrassment.

"I'm afraid Marcus has you beat Rainbow," Rarity commented, as she instructed me to switch hands, "He can dish it almost as well as you and he can take it much more than you can."

"Who asked you?" Rainbow asked bitterly.

"Just pointing out the obvious darling. I mean it was funny seeing the proud Rainbow Dash beg me for mercy, especially after I decided to add all the make-up in addition to the dress."

"Yeah, well on my next break from him, I am after you Rarity,"

"Noted," Rarity simply responded.

"Well, Rainbow, you were right. Having him here is making the game more fun," Applejack commented with a chuckle and smile, "More fun in seeing you get taken down a peg."

"Oh, shut up. I will change it with a big one soon."

Rarity finally finished doing my nails and she did a great job with the color wheel design.

"Took you long enough Rarity," Rainbow grumbled.

"Like I told you before, perfection can't be rushed, and he asked me for a design that required me to take it slow."

"We have been playing for a couple hours already," Sunset told us while checking her phone, "Why don't we have him end it and we can play another game."

The girls and I agreed, while Rainbow groaned, but reluctantly agreed.

"Fine. Since it's the last one, feel free to get back at me. Just make it good," Rainbow challenged me.

I simply gave her a smirk that actually made her flinch, "You asked for it."

"Whatever it is. I can handle it. After the dress and make-up nothing can phase me," She bragged, raising a fist in the air, "Go ahead and dare me."

"Fine. I dare you to kiss me for ten seconds like Pinkie."

Rainbow's eyes widened and her entire face turned bright red, "What?"

"You heard me. You have been teasing me earlier and you said you can handle anything. Now put your money where your mouth is and do it."

"Besides, it turns you on when he does this," Applejack added chuckling.

"I... It...." Rainbow stuttered before taking a relaxing breath, "Fine. Just don't expect me to use my tongue. You have to work for that."

"So, you admit that could happen in the future."

"I... Uh... You know what I mean," She groaned as she got closer to me.

She quickly placed her lips on mine and while they weren't as soft as Pinkie's, they were still fairly so. In the middle of the session, I felt her rub her tongue on my lips, but she didn't enter my mouth, making me moan in annoyance and I could have sworn she smirked in response. In retaliation, I rubbed my tongue on her lips and to my amusement and slight shock, she moaned. I could have sworn her mouth opened for a brief moment, before she closed it shut. We finally separated and she raised her fist in the air.

"I told you I can handle any dare you send my way," She bragged.

I playfully rolled my eyes in response.

"How was the kiss Rainbow?" Applejack asked with a teasing grin.

"Oh. It was alright I guess," Rainbow answered dismissively.

"We all could see you teasing him with your tongue and moaning when he returned the favor Rainbow." Applejack told her with a chuckle.

"Yeah, well. Fine, it was actually nice," Rainbow admitted before turning towards me, "Hope you enjoyed it. Don't expect it to happen again anytime soon."

I don't know whether to be annoyed Rainbow is playing hard to get, or happy she isn't as upfront with her liking me, like Pinkie and Rarity are.

After that fun game, Sunset offered to let us play one of her fighting games, which most of us gladly agreed to. For the next hour or so, I enjoyed constantly beating Rainbow.

"Again," Rainbow challenged me after her one hundredth loss.

"Fine after I get back from the bathroom, but this is the last time," I responded getting up.

"Fine. Just hurry up."

After my quick bathroom break, I noticed Rainbow speaking with the other girls with a devilish grin on her face. When I got closer the rest of the girls nodded at her, though most of them seemed reluctant.

"During your bathroom break, I got the idea to make this more interesting," Rainbow told me.

"How so?" I asked.

"Well, since it's the weekend, tomorrow we are going to be hanging out together and I figured why not have you join us."

"What does this have to do with your final match?"

"I was getting to that. If you manage to beat all of us at one match, I'll wear that dress you had me wear, make-up and all and if one of us wins, you do." Rainbow told me with a grin, "What do you say?"

"Do you think I'm dumb?" I asked.

"No?"

"Why would you think I would agree to that? I'm outnumbered seven to one, meaning you girls have seven chances to win compared to my one. What kind of fool would agree to that?"

"Well... Maybe we can spice things up for you?" Rainbow suggested.

Rarity slowly walked right up to me and gently rubbed my chin, "You make a great point darling. Intelligence is one thing I like in a boy," She told me flirtishly, "I know you can do it, despite the odds darling and if you do, I am more than happy to reward you," She finished, licking her lips.

I was too stunned to say anything and my whole face was red. I found myself drawn to her lips and despite only feeling them for a brief period and being more concerned about what happened after regaining consciousness, I recall enjoying the contact. After regaining my composure, I nervously nodded.

"Figures, it takes a flirty girl to get any boy to agree to something stupid," Rainbow said with a chuckle.

"Don't act like you've won Dashie," I responded before grabbing the controller, "Now get ready to lose again."

"We'll see," Rainbow told me with a smirk, "Like you said we have seven chances."

With what felt like a montage, I fought against the girls. I easily defeated Rainbow again, to her annoyance yet stubborn insistence it didn't matter. Rarity was also not a challenge and despite her words, I'm sure it was more due to her not playing video games at all. Applejack was more of a challenge, and she was clear that despite wanting me to win, she wasn't going to let me, which I respected. Fluttershy was surprisingly competent, but her clear lack of experience was her downfall. Even Sunset was impressed and looked forward to showing her more. Pinkie was, well being Pinkie, she kept being random, making it hard to adjust to her, but in the end, she went down when I decided to fight fire with fire, or randomness with randomness. Twilight was also an easy victory, though she also seemed interested in learning more about how to play.

"You may have won so far, stud, but we have our secret weapon. In case you didn't know Sunset has almost never lost, so enjoy your dress," Rainbow taunted me.

"Most of us don't agree with this and we won't force you to wear it, though Rainbow will hold it against you," Sunset assured me.

"Thank you, though you are acting like you've already won."

"Well, she was right about one thing. Just know whatever happens we won't make you do it. You just have to put up with Rainbow complaining."

"Hey! Why aren't you girls ever on my side against him?" Rainbow asked, annoyed.

"Because you are being petty in getting a win against him, instead of accepting he's your match, maybe even better than you," Applejack answered.

"Whatever."

"Shall we do this?" Sunset asked me.

"Yeah, I want my third kiss tonight."

"You aren't the only one who wants it darling," Rarity said, applying lipstick.

"Well, she seems confident in your ability," Sunset commented, grabbing the control, "Let's see if you can prove her right."

Sunset and I ended up having to do multiple rounds as we kept on getting ties. Somehow, we each end up knocking each other out with our attacks. The other girl's jaws were on the floor.

"How? Not just someone holding their own against Sunset, but the fact you can get a tie in a fighting game," Rainbow commented, causing everyone except Sunset and I to nod in agreement.

Finally, on our latest match I adjusted to her style. I managed to dodge a few powerful strikes of hers and retaliated in turn, getting an advantage. I heard her groan in anger.

"Oh. Is that how you want to play it? Fine, I'll get rougher," She growled out in frustration.

So, this is her infamous short temper. I don't really find it scary, as much as it's amusing and actually kind of hot.

I noticed her picking up the pace and becoming more deadly. I felt my heart pounding as I continued to dodge and counterattack her in turn. She did get a few lucky strikes, bringing our HP so close to zero for comfort. When she began to attack, I reacted as best as I could, and managed to dodge.

"Oh, come on! How'd you dodge that one? I got you!" She ranted before placing the controller down and raging into her hands.

Taking the opportunity, I attacked her, winning the match. I panted and calmed my beeping heart down, while she seemed to calm down enough to remove her hands. When she saw I won, she glanced from the T.V. to me a few times, while in a daze.

"Sunset?" I asked.

"Marry me," She mumbled.

"What?"

"Oh!" She began sheepishly while blushing darkly, "I mean that was amazing! Despite my little brief fit, I am actually glad to lose for once, especially against someone skilled."

"I wouldn't say that. I mean I do play quite a bit in my spare time."

"Modest too. That only adds to it."

"Yeah, yeah," Rainbow interrupted in annoyance, "Great, now I have to wear a dress tomorrow."

"Well, it was your fault Rainbow for being petty and not letting this go," Applejack told her.

"Whatever."

Rarity walked right up to me, "Great job darling. I knew you could do it," She then puckered her now bright red lips, "Now kiss me darling."

I took a relaxing breath before our lips connected. She didn't put her tongue in my mouth, but I didn't mind, as I found myself enjoying the feeling of her lips more than I did Pinkie's. We stayed like this for about ten seconds before letting go. Who would have thought tonight I would have kissed three attractive girls?

After a few more hours of fun, we finally decided to hit the hay. Pinkie grabbed sleeping bags from seemingly nowhere and handed them out. Everyone, except Sunset and I got one.

"Oops," Pinkie began innocently, "Looks like I forgot one. No worries, Marky. We can share," She finished with a smile.

Most of the girls and I gave Pinkie an unamused look, while Rainbow chuckled.

"Who would have thought Pinkie would pull something like this?"

"My bed has enough room for two," Sunset told us.

"So, one of us can sleep with you and give Marcus our sleeping bag," Applejack told us with a nod.

"Oh? Oh. Yeah, sure," Sunset responded sheepishly.

"Wait, you were thinking about having him join you?" Rainbow asked before chuckling, "Dude, you are a chick magnet."

Sunset and I both blush in embarrassment.

"You can always share with me, Marcus darling," Rarity told me with a wink, making my blush darken.

"I know how we can settle this," Pinkie told us, getting three straws from her hair.

"Ok. I will hold them, so Pinkie doesn't cheat," Applejack suggested, making said girl frown.

Should I be annoyed that they are making the decision without asking me? I guess not, since I won't be able to decide anyway. Though, Applejack's suggestion is tempting, just to mess with them a little and maybe tease them a bit. God, what's gotten into me? I have never been like this before. Applejack grabbed the straws and held them up, before each girl grabbed one. One by one they revealed the size, before Pinkie was shown to have the shortest one.

"Yippie!" Pinkie cheered, "Come on Marky. Let's get cozy."

I took a relaxing breath. I can't believe I am about to share a sleeping bag with an adorable girl. Just have to stay calm and enjoy it.

The sleeping bag was actually large enough that I didn't feel cramped with Pinkie, who seemed to relax into me while snoring away. This is actually really nice. Being snuggled next to her makes me feel warm and cozy. I closed my eyes, ready to fall asleep, when I heard movement. I opened my eyes and saw someone moving to the large window. Being too curious about this, I carefully got out, to prevent waking Pinkie up and walked to the window. To my slight surprise it was Rainbow, looking out at the night sky. She turned around and gave me a small smile.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked me.

"I was about to, until I heard you. What are you doing?"

"Just thinking about tonight," She sighed.

"If this is about the dress, you don't..."

"I'm a girl of my word," She interrupted me before looking back out the window, "Not just that. It's just our relationship."

"What do you mean?"

"Our banter with one another. I have never met someone who could match me. Yes, I admit it, but don't tell the others I said it. Despite knowing you for a short time, I have gotten to like you and I have never felt that way before."

"You're confused and don't quite know how to deal with it."

"Yeah, and I wanted to tell you for quite a bit but didn't want to in front of the others. Look, Fluttershy has a brother named Zephyr and he has an obsessive crush on me. That's one reason I am against romance and hesitant to have anything to do with it."

"I figured you had a liking for me with your teasing and behavior, but to hear it like this..."

"That's my way of doing things. I have been one to confront things head on and I figured telling you and doing it that way to figure it out together would be my best bet, but I couldn't shame myself in front of the others. I was going to try and clear my head, but luck seemed to have given me this opportunity."

"What do you have in mind?" I asked.

"Look I am still against romance and am hesitant, so I don't really know."

"How about this? We just take it nice and slow and continue our usual behavior around the others, while having some time alone, where you can feel comfortable interacting with me however you want. We don't even have to officially be together. We can just be friends with benefits, if you want."

"You would be willing to do that?" Rainbow asked before smirking, "Oh who am I kidding. Who wouldn't with me," she bragged before embracing me, "Alright then. Just know like I said before, you have to work your way up to tongue. My parents are usually out on Thursday nights, so we can hang out in my room alone. You know since a few of others feel the same way, feel free to do the same with them."

"You don't mind?"

"Not like we are officially together. Besides, I know Pinkie and Rarity aren't ever going to give you up," Rainbow answered before pausing to look at the stars for a brief moment, "Not to mention, you are likely the only boy to ever get me to feel this way, so yeah, I am willing to share, if I have to, once we get there."

"I guess I can respect you trying to confront and solve this issue, instead of cowering behind it."

"Like I said that has always been who I am," Rainbow told me, "Now, what do you say we go back to sleep."

"Alright. Goodnight Dashie."

"Goodnight lover boy."

I blushed as I walked back to the shared sleeping bag, while pondering the conversation I had with Rainbow. I saw a different, more vulnerable side to her and yet also a courageous one as well. It must have been hard for her to admit what she did to me and yet she did it to help her get past a personal issue she has with relationships. The fact she had this one on her mind for quite a bit and was waiting for the chance to speak to me about it, was actually kind of scary. I have come to like her and enjoy our banter with one another. Not to mention how attractive she looks, so I am more than willing to help her out. Not just her. I do think all of these girls are attractive and despite only getting to know most of them a bit more, I am willing to eventually become more than friends with all of them. Geez, what's with me? Is that really the solution to my problem with attracting all of these girls? Form a harem? I mean I know I joked about it, but to actually do it. God, I need to think about it. Could I actually be falling for these girls? I mean I enjoyed the kisses I got today and... Yeah, I am going to stop thinking tonight and just get some sleep. I will figure this out later. I hope so.

Author's Note

Fun chapter featuring Rainbow and Marcus doing their little banter, with Marcus ending up on top and receiving three kisses to boot. Rainbow even admits something off her chest in a rare out of character moment of vulnerability for her.

next chapter: Weekend of fun with the girls. The girls take Marcus to the mall.

18 Saturday with the girls

I've awoken feeling warm and completely cozy. I yawned and noticed Pinkie was cuddling me with her arms wrapped around me and she even nuzzled my face with her own while sleeping. I lightly blush, as I realized I also had my arms wrapped around her and was touching her long poofy hair. I was a little taken aback from how soft it felt and gently rubbed my hands through it. Well, looks like I'm stuck here until she wakes up. After a while I heard her make an adorable yawn, before she looked at me with a huge smile on her face.

"Good morning, Marky!" She exclaimed excitedly, "Did you sleep well, because I sure did!" She then tightened her embrace and gave me a kiss on the cheek, "Sleeping with you was so relaxing and cozy. Was it for you too? Oh, I hope we get to do this more often."

Before I could try to respond to the excited girl on me, Pinkie let go of me and got out of the sleeping bag.

"Come on, I think the others are waking up too."

I simply nodded, before getting out of the sleeping bag myself and saw the others getting up and yawning. Sunset in particular, stumbled out of bed, still half awake, before somehow carefully walking down. Must be used to navigating down from her bed, without any clear focus.

"Good morning girls and my future husband," Sunset greeted, without thinking, before yawning.

"What was that last part, Sunset?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh!" She exclaimed in realization, "I meant guy. Yeah, guy," She finished sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head.

Great, not only is one of them interested in me, but is also thinking that far ahead to marriage. Geez, we haven't even had one date yet.

"Geez, Sunset. At least go on one date with the guy, before even thinking about marriage with him," Rainbow teased, causing said girl to blush heavily in embarrassment.

"You should also not get your hopes up Sunset, darling. For all we know he could end up marrying someone else," Rarity added, giving Sunset a dirty look, which was returned.

God, it's too early to deal with girls bickering and fighting over me. If I'm going to deal with it, I want to get some breakfast.first

"Settle down girls," Applejack told the bickering girls, before addressing all of us, "Why don't we get some breakfast and continue the rest of the day on a good note?"

"Yes, since this is a special occasion, why don't we eat out for breakfast? It's on me. Let's all take a quick shower, and we can get today started." Sunset suggested.

"Why don't you take one first, stud?" Rainbow suggested, before giving me a teasing grin, "I just hope you don't peak when we take ours."

"Rainbow!" Most of the girls scolded, while the girls and I blushed in embarrassment.

"As long as you girls don't do it to me," Was my response before grabbing some clothes from my backpack.

"That's going to be a hard deal to agree to. Harder for some than others," Rainbow chuckled, causing Pinkie, Rarity, and Sunset to blush heavily.

"Speaking personally Dashie?" I asked with a teasing grin.

"No, don't get ahead of yourself," She denied, looking away while blushing.

I simply chuckled before entering the bathroom. Seriously, though, I hope none of them actually try to get a peak.

I was waiting with the girls, except Rarity and Rainbow, outside Sunset's apartment for said girls. Rarity insisted on helping Rainbow get ready, due to our bet from last night. Finally, after what seemed like hours, they both left the apartment.

"May I present the new and improved Rainbow Dash," Rarity announced.

"Must you do that Rarity?" Rainbow asked, annoyed, before slowly moving into view.

"Of course. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I wanted to take advantage of it," Rarity responded with a grin.

"Let's just get this over with. The sooner the day is over the sooner I can get back to normal."

"Hopefully, you learned you can't win against him," Applejack added with a smirk.

"Oh, shut up! He just keeps getting lucky," Rainbow snapped, annoyed, before sighing, "How was I supposed to know he was skilled and would get lucky against Sunset?"

"Getting beaten over one hundred times in that one game alone wasn't enough to tip you off?" I asked with a smirk, "Not to mention all those times I beat you at Daring Doo."

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow tried to respond, blushing lightly, before looking away.

"He didn't get lucky, Rainbow," Sunset told her, looking serious.

"What are you talking about?" Rainbow asked with a raised eyebrow, "You two were on par with one another and I still don't know how you get a tie in a fighting game, but he got lucky and dodged your final attack. If it wasn't for that you would have won."

Sunset shook her head, "No, it wasn't luck that allowed him to do that. It was pure skill. I could be wrong, but I developed the instinct to tell the difference."

The other girls simply looked stunned at her statement, before eventually shaking their heads.

We entered the mall, and everyone seemed to stare at Rainbow in shock and awe. Rainbow groaned while Applejack chuckled at the attention she was getting.

"Figures, they would react that way to you being more girly, Rainbow," Applejack teased.

"Oh, shut up!" Rainbow snapped.

"Oh! Rainbows!" We all heard in the distance.

Rainbow became more annoyed and even groaned into her hands, before the hobo looking guy, I saw a while back, walked right up to us.

"Zephyr," Rainbow groaned in complete annoyance.

So, that's Fluttershy's brother, Rainbow told me about.

"I was just here chilling with the guys," Zephyr began, trying too hard to be cool, "Then I saw you and the girls arriving. Usually that's an awesome thing, but when I noticed what you were wearing it was even more so."

"Uh yeah," Rainbow responded both awkwardly and in annoyance, most likely hoping for the conversation with Zephyr to end as soon as possible.

"I have to say I am surprised Rainbows," Zephyr began with a cheeky grin, "Hoping to impress a certain someone?" Zephyr asked, pointing at himself.

I could hear Applejack chuckle and a few seconds later most of the other girls joined in, while Fluttershy simply groaned into her hands and Twilight looked confused.

"Well... I..." Rainbow stammered trying to find the right words

"I just want to say mission accomplished! You manage to look more awesome than usual," He complimented with a smirk, before he licked his lips, making Rainbow groan in disgust, but he didn't seem to notice, "Is this your work Rarity? Nicely done, I have to say."

"Oh. Thank you, Zephyr... uh darling," Rarity responded awkwardly before mumbling, "If I can call you that."

"How are you, Flutter Butter and the rest of these lovely ladies?" Zephyr asked, rubbing his hair, trying to be flirty, "I see you have a new girl with you. I assume she's the Twilight you told me about flutters."

Most of the girls seemed annoyed and disgusted, while Twilight looked confused and Fluttershy groaned harder and facepalmed.

"Uh yeah that's me," Twilight answered awkwardly.

When Zephyr seemed like he was about to respond, he suddenly noticed me and he raised an eyebrow, "You have a boy with you, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm..."

"Why is he with you all? Wouldn't you rather spend time with me?" Zephyr asked, rubbing his messy hair.

Most of the girls shook their heads, while Fluttershy groaned for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past few minutes.

"Hell No!" Rainbow exclaimed in complete disgust and to my surprise put an arm around me, "I am much more willing to spend time with him than you. Even though he's the one responsible for me having to wear this in the first place."

"His fault?" Applejack asked with a chuckle, "You didn't have to challenge him, you know."

Rainbow gave her a dirty look before giving Zephyr a serious one, "Go away Zephyr we don't want to spend time with you."

"Playing hard to get as usual Rainbows," Zephyr simply responded with a smirk, "You so love to play that way. I suppose I should be grateful he got you to wear this. Just stay away from my Rainbows and don't bother trying with the other girls. I doubt you would win them over."

I can think of four that beg to differ. Before I could tell him so both Pinkie and Rarity embraced me and gave him a dirty look.

"I'd rather have him as a boyfriend than you," Rarity told him before kissing my cheek.

"Yeah, I already kissed him on the lips twice and even slept with him and I can't wait for more." Pinkie added kissing me on my other cheek

I began to heavily blush from the affection, while Zephyr's eyes widened and he stammered, "Well, I... better get back to my friends. See you later Rainbows," he told us before blowing Rainbow a kiss and walking away.

Rainbow groaned into her hands in complete frustration, "Of all the people to run into today, it had to be him,"

As we got deeper and deeper into the mall, the girls and I encountered someone else that made most of the girls groan in annoyance.

"Rain-brooms, what brings you here?" Trixie greeted the girls with a cocky look.

"It's a public mall, Lulamoon," Rarity responded somewhat bitterly.

"What are you up to Trixie?" Rainbow asked glaring at the girl, "Planning on doing something terrible again?"

"Still bitter over me trapping you I see," Trixie simply responded, yawning, "The great and powerful Trixie is simply advertising her magic shows" She finished dramatically, holding up a flier that seemed to be even more poorly drawn than the last one I saw.

"With a flier like this," Rainbow teased, chuckling, "Who's the five-year-old, you got to draw it?"

"No, I have seen five-year-olds who have drawn much better art," Applejack added with a smirk.

Trixie gritted her teeth and her face flushed red in anger, "Trixie is great at many things and drawing is one of the very few she isn't good at. I am looking for an expert artist to do it, but none has met Trixie's standards."

"Even though yours doesn't meet the standards of most four-year-olds," Rainbow quipped.

Trixie groaned in anger, before calming down when she noticed me, and she quickly walked right up to me.

"Oh Marcus, right?" She began sounding nicer than when she was addressing the girls, "I was impressed with your actions during the friendship games and am glad to see you managed to survive you know what."

The rest of the girls were stunned at her statement and their jaws hit the floor.

"Oh thanks," I responded back.

"Am I the only one wondering why Trixie is suddenly talking like a normal person?" I heard Rainbow mumble to Applejack, who nodded in agreement.

"Not counting our experiences with magic, it's the strangest thing I have ever seen," She mumbled back.

Trixie either didn't hear them, or ignored them and she gently rubbed my cheek, "I'm sure if that hadn't happened you would have won it for us, and I find that impressive."

"Oh, I don't know about that."

"Modest too. Trixie loves that character trait the most!"

"Well, Lulamoon it was... well we saw you again and we must get going," Rarity interrupted, giving Trixie a dirty look.

"Very well," Trixie scoffed before giving me a smirk, "Feel free to see Trixie any time. She is much better company than these rain-glooms."

This caused the girls except Twilight to glare at her, before they led me away.

"Damn stud you really are a chick magnet," Rainbow commented, "First Pinkie, Rarity, Sunset and now Trixie. When will it end?"

"You forgot yourself on your list, Dashie."

"Don't flatter yourself," She responded, lightly blushing.

"How dare she even think about talking like that to my... I mean you, Marcus, darling," Rarity snapped annoyed, "I warn you to be careful around her. We don't exactly have the best relationship with her."

"Thanks for downplaying it, Rarity," Rainbow responded annoyed, "She's always full of herself and considers herself the best. God she's annoying."

"You're one to talk Dashie."

"As much as I hate playing devil's advocate for Trixie of all people, he got you there Rainbow," Applejack commented with a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah. At least I am really the best you know," She responded with a cocky grin on her face.

"Why don't we all forget about her and have fun here," Sunset suggested.

The girls and I nodded in agreement.

"So, what should we do?" Sunset asked.

"Pet shop."

"Party shop"

"Book store."

"Sports store."

"Why don't we all split up and enjoy ourselves for a while, then meet back here," Sunset suggested.

We all nodded in agreement before most of them went on their way. Rainbow walked right up to me.

"Come on study, let's go see what kind of sports equipment you should get for our training."

"Ok?"

Rainbow and I entered the sports store, where she got looks due to her dress. She groaned and tried her best to ignore the stares, as she led me down various aisles.

"Ok stud we should get you some basic equipment to start out with," She began, grabbing my hand, "That should be easy enough for you to practice, then we can go from there."

"Sounds good."

She continued leading me and picking out different balls for me to practice at home with. Once she was done, she took me to the cashier.

"Rainbow is that you in that... outfit?" The cashier asked.

"Yeah, I lost a bet," She simply responded annoyed.

"I see. Is this your boyfriend?"

"No," She denied, blushing, "What makes you think that?"

"The fact you are holding his hand."

"Oh," Rainbow stuttered, completely embarrassed, "No, I'm showing this newbie the ropes. That's all," She then let go.

After that whole thing, we left, and I placed my new items into my backpack.

"Alright, Stud. Feel free to do whatever. I am going to talk with some peers."

"Are you sure?" I asked before smirking, "I want to see their reaction to you wearing your dress."

"Just go!" She snapped annoyed, blushing heavily.

Messing with her never gets old.

I wandered around the mall, looking for something to help pass the time, when I noticed Twilight in a bookstore deep in a book. Being curious about it, I entered and walked right up to her. She noticed me and blinked in surprise.

"Oh, hi Marcus," She greeted me, "I'm just reading through a book that shares my name."

"Oh, that series," I simply said.

"Yeah, I heard good things about it, but it's not really for me so far. A shame."

"Yeah, you're better off reading something like Harry Potter or Hunger games."

"Oh?" She asked me with a raised eyebrow, "I have never heard of those books before."

"Seriously?" I asked annoyedly, "Yet you heard of Twilight. Geez, I know crap spreads quickly, but this is just unbelievable."

"Calm down. It's not like those are popular series or anything," Twilight responded.

I only laughed in response, making her even more confused.

"Everywhere else in the world they are. It's weird. Ever since I moved here this city seems to be somewhat isolated from the rest of the world."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean this place is unique in many ways. Everywhere else everyone's skin tones were much more limited in color for starters. I never thought I would meet colorful people. Many popular songs and sources of media seem to be unknown here, with a few exceptions," I explained, giving the first Twilight book a dirty look, "You also have your own unique sources of media that I never heard of as well."

"Oh. That's interesting," Twilight mumbled in astonishment.

"Yeah, if you're interested in those two books, you might have to look them up online. I doubt they would be here or available anywhere around here, due to that fact, but you never know."

"I will keep that in mind."

After that interesting conversation with Twilight, I stumbled upon a pet center and saw Fluttershy playing with adorable little bunnies. I quietly walked up to her, and a few stray bunnies noticed me, before walking right up to me. Taken aback by the cuteness, I gently lowered down and gently petted them. They nuzzled my hand and more even arrived, surrounding me. They then gently jumped on me and covered me, nuzzling my entire body.

"Oh my," A gentle voice began, making me move my eyes to discover it was Fluttershy looking astonished, "I have never seen them act that friendly to anyone else before. Are you usually this good with animals?"

"I'm not sure. I have never interacted with animals like this before, but it seems like I am." I chuckled and gently pet a few of the bunnies."

"Oh, that's great," She began, looking stunned with a light blush on her face.

"You know this feels great actually and I don't mind spending more time with animals."

"You do?" She asked, sounding excited, "I can help with that. I have all kinds of animal friends for you to meet."

"Sounds good to me."

After spending some time playing with the bunnies with Fluttershy, I decided to move on and find something else to do. I eventually stumbled upon Applejack arm-wrestling with a random dude with a small crowd watching. She had a cocky smile on her face while her opponent was sweating and tried harder to put her down, only for his hand to slowly move and slam onto the table. The crowd cheered while Applejack's opponent frowned.

"Maybe now you will consider girls can and are stronger than boys," Applejack teased, making the crowd chuckle.

Applejack then noticed me and smiled, "Howdy Marcus. Did you see this?"

"Yeah, what's going on?"

"Oh, some jerk was just being rude and insisting that because I'm a girl, that means I'm weaker than any boy. I just got done proving that isn't the case."

"Good for you," I responded genuinely.

As far as I know, while there are differences in the way females and males' bodies are that give males an advantage in certain fields, that isn't absolute and there are exceptions.

"Speaking of which I noticed you keep in shape and since you are Big Mac's gym buddy, I was curious on how strong you are. I was hoping for the chance to see for myself." Applejack told me.

I managed to resist the urge to flinch, when she mentioned her brother and slowly nodded.

"So, you want us to have a match?" I asked.

She nodded, "Just so you know. The only ones who have ever beaten me were Big Mac and Bulk Biceps, though I won against the latter more times than he beat me," She explained before chuckling, "Oh and you didn't hear from me, but Rainbow has gotten close, though still hasn't won once against me."

"That's fine," I simply responded, approaching the table.

We grabbed each other's hands and placed our elbows on the table. To my slight shock she was slightly blushing.

"Is something wrong?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh. No. Your hand is quite warm, and you have a strong grip," she told me awkwardly.

"Just try to focus on the match. I don't want to win due to you being distracted."

"Right," She responded, regaining her composure, "Ready? Go."

We both began to try and move the other's hand onto the table. I was a little impressed by her strength. She doesn't look like it, but she is really strong. Almost as much as Big Mac, during our matches. After a few moments of a stalemate, I noticed Applejack sweating a little.

"You really are strong," She told me with a small grin, "You might be as strong as my brother, but I'm not done yet."

She then tried harder and managed to move my hand about half an inch, if I had to guess, but I quickly moved it back and even moved hers a little onto the table. I noticed her looking impressed and she even seemed to be blushing a little.

"No, I ain't going down yet," she said determinedly, closing her eyes.

She then began to muster every strength she had, and it became harder to hold her in place. I took a relaxing breath, as I felt sweat form on the top of my head, before pushing harder and slowly began to move her hand further down.

"No, not yet" She cried out, as her hand was a few inches away from touching the table.

She then panted, sounding exhausted. She shouldn't have done that and tired herself out. With one final strong push, I moved her hand onto the table, winning the match. The crowd went wild after a few moments. They must have been stunned to see her lose. She opened her eyes and stared at her hand, pinned on the table, in awe for a few seconds, before looking at me with a blush on her face.

"Applejack, are you..."

"Date me."

"What?"

"Oh. I mean you really are strong. I'm impressed," She explained nervously, "Looks like I have someone else to look forward to beating one day and I will."

"Good luck. Even your brother only won against me about half the time," I responded with a smirk.

"That makes it even more worth it when I finally beat you both."

Applejack and I were walking back to our meeting spot, since she received a text from Sunset saying it was about time to meet up and decide what to do from there.

"A shame she had to send that text so soon. We could have found something else to do," she told me and to my slight surprise she gently rubbed my hands.

"Yeah, right."

We arrived at the meeting spot, where the others were waiting patiently for us.

"Hey, you two were together?" Sunset asked.

"Not for long," Applejack responded somewhat bitterly, "Though, I guess we will have another opportunity later."

"Well, I think we should cut this short. I remembered I have another game stream later today and I want to relax before then," Sunset told us.

"You forgot about that?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I kind of had something else on my mind," She explained sheepishly with a light blush.

"I think we all can guess what," Rainbow teased, making her blush harder.

"That's ok Sunset. We still have Sunday to spend all day together," Rarity assured her.

The rest of us all nodded in agreement.

I entered my room feeling curious, I looked up Sunset's channel, which was easier to find than I feared, and looked at her stream. The game she was playing reminded me a little of Fallout, as her character was walking through an open world wasteland and encountering weird creatures. I was a little stunned that she had tens of thousands of views and hundreds of supporting comments in the chat with a few being paid ones. I was taken out of my thoughts, when she read a certain paid comment.

"Hey Sunset. A long-time viewer and first-time contributor. I'm curious if you have a crush on anyone," She began, before blushing and stuttering, "Oh. Yeah, I do. I won't say who he is, and I hope he's watching me, since I told him yesterday, I stream. It's kind of weird because it formed very quickly, but I couldn't help it! He's just so awesome, you know. He's smart, a talented artist, and he's even better than me at video games. The latter is what really sealed the deal you know," She explained before her blush darkened, "Oh. I think I said too much. Thank you for the donation and the question, even if I feel a little embarrassed."

I felt my face heat up, when she managed to move on and continue playing the game, as I read the comments encouraging and congratulating her. Well, if her marriage declaration wasn't enough of a clue, this right here is a clear answer. Seriously, how am I getting these girls to fall for me? I shook my head and cleared my thoughts. You know her live streams are doing well, and it seems to be a good thing for her. Maybe it will be a good thing for me to try. It just might help me become more social. Everyone else seems to be impressed with my art, maybe I could show it off and become the Bob Ross of my generation. Seriously, though, no one could replace that wonderful man. Though the general idea might be a good one to try.

Author's Note

A simple chapter where important things are introduced. First of all, since Marcus has spent time with Rainbow, Sunset, Pinkie, and Rarity, it's time to focus more on Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy and develop their friendship and relationship a bit more. Another thing I hint at is here in this fic the real world and the Equestria girls world are one in the same. I like the idea of a main character who is from our world, but wanted to do a different spin on it, instead of it being a different universe entirely. Whether or not you like it, I wanted to give it a try. Also if any of you are a fan of the Twilight series sorry if I offended you. Those books just don't appeal to me and if you like them, that's perfectly find by me. I just couldn't resist making a few harmless jabs.

Next chapter: The girls invite Marcus to spend Sunday with them and he ends up having to deal with certain ones fighting for him.

19 sunday

I've awoken, still tired, from another nightmare of the Friendship games and groaned. Hopefully, they don't last long, and I manage to get more sleep soon. I pulled out my phone and saw I had a text from Pinkie. Underneath a picture of a cake with an adorable smile, was a new message.

Good morning, Marky. I couldn't get much sleep last night and not even cuddling with Gummy could do the trick, which sucks because he has never failed before. Cuddling with you the night before was even better than him. That threw me off, I guess. I hope we get to sleep together again soon. Anyway, feel free to meet us at Sugar Cube Corner at ten for us to spend the day together.

I lightly blushed, as I read her message. Why did Pinkie have to be the clingy type? Might as well get ready for the day and meet with the girls.

I entered Sugar Cube Corner and quickly spotted the girls at a table. When I got closer, they noticed me and gave me a smile.

"Marky! You're here!" Pinkie called out.

"Yeah," I simply responded, taking a seat.

I was between both Applejack and Rarity, and they both seemed really happy about that.

"Good morning, Darling. It's always great to see you," Rarity greeted me with a charming smile.

"Yeah, same here, sugar cube," Applejack added and to my slight surprise, I felt her gently rubbing my hand.

Oh god, another one! I know I sound like a broken record at this point about this, but why and how? Before I could continue to ponder this, Rainbow spoke up.

"Sup dude. Ready for today?"

"Yeah, where's your dress?" I responded with a smirk.

"I only had to wear it yesterday, remember?"

"Shame. You looked so beautiful in it."

"Yeah, well too bad. I'm not wearing it," She told me before looking away with an embarrassed blush on her face, "If I could, I wouldn't wear one ever again, so don't bother teasing me like this stud."

"Who said I was teasing you?" I asked in mock confusion.

"You... I... Whatever."

"Marcus, darling I think that's enough teasing Rainbow," Rarity told me.

I turned and noticed her and most of the girls seemed to be jealous.

"Ok," I simply responded.

I don't know what I'm going to do about all of these girls liking me and being jealous when another makes a move. Goes to show being a chick magnet is overrated. Most fantasize about it without thinking about the cons with the whole thing. Having to deal with them being jealous of the others and making time to keep all of them happy are two that come to mind. I know I have plenty of free time, but would I be able to keep them satisfied? I was snapped out of my thoughts, when I noticed various pastries being placed at the table.

"Here you are Pinkie. For you and your friends."

"Thanks Mr. Cake," Pinkie responded with a huge smile.

"These sweets are the best part of our weekend hangouts," Rainbow commented with a smile, before grabbing a doughnut.

Sweets for breakfast? Sure, why not. The rest of the girls and I grabbed some and began to enjoy them.

"So, what's the plan for today?" I asked before taking a bite.

"Band practice as usual," Rainbow responded with a grin, "As the best band in the school, we have to practice, to keep our spot, though no one can beat our awesomeness."

"If it wasn't the fact, you all managed to beat magical sirens with songs of enchantments, I wouldn't tolerate your bragging."

"Please. That's only one small part of what we can do," Rainbow scoffed with a chuckle, "You should consider yourself lucky. You get to be our first groupie."

"And may I say I can't think of anyone else, I would want to be one for us, darling," Rarity told me, before lightly embracing me and giving me a flirty wink.

"Yeah, thanks."

I was sitting on Rainbow's bed watching the girls, including Twilight, holding their instruments or microphones. I gave Rainbow's tortoise, Tank, who was sitting next to me, a quick look and noticed he seemed to be smiling and looking excited for the girls' performance.

"Consider yourself lucky, stud. You get a personal front row seat to a private show," Rainbow announced with a cocky smile, "Usually the honor only goes to Tank and everyone else's pets."

To my slight surprise, Tank seemed to be clapping in response to Rainbow's words. That's another surprising thing with this city, the animals seem to be more self-aware.

"Ok," I began before looking at Twilight with a questioning look, "Twilight is a part of the band now. How did that happen so quickly?"

"We just figured since Princess Twilight had talent and helped us out, her human counterpart might be too," Rainbow explained.

"Yeah... I don't know how well I would do, but since they seem to think I can, I'll give it a try," Twilight added nervously and awkwardly.

"Don't worry Twilight, darling. You will do just fine," Rarity assured her.

"Now that's out of the way, get ready to be blown away," Rainbow told me with a cocky smile.

"As long as you girls don't destroy the room with your pony ups."

"Please, we have done this before during practice," Rainbow dismissed.

The girls prepared their instruments and during their song most of them ponied up, making me feel like I was watching a movie by Disney. For all of Rainbow's bragging their music was alright. Definitely not a favorite of mine. Tank seemed to be into it though, as he was cheering for his owner. I noticed Rainbow's smile and she gave him a wink. During the song, I felt my phone vibrate and I quickly took it out. It turned out to be a text message from Wallflower.

Hey I'm free and bored. Want to hang out later?

I quickly texted a response.

I'm currently with the rainbooms, but I'd like to. I will let you know.

The song ended and Rainbow gave Tank and I another cocky smile, "So, how was that stud?"

"You're no Queen, but you girls seem to be talented enough."

"Whatever," Rainbow scoffed, "Just keep listening and you will see we are the best."

Finally, after playing a few more songs the girls decided to take a break and we decided to enjoy a quick snack. The girls quickly took a seat at the table and before I could take one myself.

"Come sit by me, darling," Rarity suggested, giving me another flirty wink.

"No, me Marky," Pinkie argued, "It won't be as comfy, as when we slept together, but still."

"You could always sit by me," Sunset suggested.

"I don't mind you sitting next to me, sugar cube." Applejack assured me with a smile.

"Damn stud! How are you feeling about being a chick magnet?" Rainbow asked me.

"I don't know. How does it feel about being one of the girls I caught?"

"Well... Don't get ahead of yourself," She responded, looking away while blushing.

I took a relaxing breath, as the girls and I left Rainbow's house. Having to deal with clingy girls, subtly fighting over me is very overwhelming and I'm glad for the break from it. I took out my phone, ready to let Wallflower know I'm free to do whatever.

"What are you doing Marky?" Pinkie asked.

"Texting another friend, I'm free."

"Wait, you have a friend other than us?" Rainbow asked.

"Is that really surprising?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, "I may be a bit of an introvert, but I'm not incapable of talking and befriending people."

"No," Rainbow began sheepishly, "That didn't come out right. I mean you were able to make me think you are cool enough to befriend, so you can do it to anyone."

Typical of her to phrase praising someone else in a way that makes her still look like the best.

"Not to mention you have been more active outside," Pinkie added with a grin.

Yeah, being invited by both Mac and Pinkie has sent me down this path to be more social and to be honest I wouldn't want it any other way.

"Are you going to introduce us, Marky?" Pinkie asked me.

I sighed, "She's even more of an introvert than me, in an interesting way. I will offer and see if I can get her to agree."

"Wait, her?" Sunset, Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack exclaimed at the same time.

"Damn stud. There is no end to your chick magnet nature, is there?"

"You tell me since you are attracted to me like them," I responded.

"I... whatever," She scoffed while blushing in embarrassment.

"I mean how nice of you to befriend someone else on your own. As soon as she's comfortable with the idea, we should meet her and throw a small party to celebrate," Pinkie suggested with a grin, which became more sinister, "I can't wait to talk to her about different things."

Great, not only do I have to deal with them being jealous of each other, but now Wallflower, when and if they all meet.

"You're not the only one Pinkie. I'm sure we both can have a nice mature discussion."

"Way to disguise you confronting her not to steal your crush from you in a sugarcoated way Rarity," Rainbow teased with a chuckle.

"Rainbow!" Rarity complained before taking a relaxing breath.

"Well, if there isn't anything else. I must get going," I began before putting my phone away, "I will let her know and we'll see about you all meeting her. Oh, and Rainbow?"

"What stud?"

"While I can appreciate you not being jealous, I think you should be honest about your feelings. You all are close friends and if you can't be honest about yourself to them, then that's a problem. Especially, since they are smart enough to know." I answered with a smirk.

"I... well..." Was all she could stutter with an embarrassed blush on her face.

I don't know what went over me. I just couldn't resist messing with her, before leaving. I know she will likely pay me back later and give me hell for it, when we are alone, but I don't care. Hopefully, it will help push her to be more honest about her liking me. Even though I am glad she isn't acting like the others, she needs to be more honest and upfront about it.

Author's Note

Another chapter where it was hard to get the words down. Hopefully the next chapters will be easier for me.

Next chapter: Marcus prepares for his first life stream. How will it go and what will it lead to.

20 live stream

I am currently watching another of Sunset's game streams. Ever since she revealed she had a crush, there have been nosey people trying to figure it out, but thankfully she ignored them. The last thing I want, or need is everyone figuring it out it was me and I get a popularity boost from being the crush of one of the most popular girls at school. Speaking of which, it's strange that I have befriended the Rainbooms and gotten most of them to fall for me. God, if everyone else at school finds out about this... Yeah, I don't even want to think about it. I was taken out of my thoughts when Sunset read out another paid contribution, from a certain rainbow haired girl.

"Hey Sunny. Did you have a good dream where you married your crush? Also, are you going to keep on calling him your future husband? Have you decided on what to call your kids yet?" Sunset read out, sounding more annoyed, when she got to the last question, before she groaned into her hands for a few seconds, "Seriously, Rainbow! You had to pull this live on stream, in front of everyone. No, that was an honest mistake and it's no one's business, so don't bring it up again!"

Sunset took a relaxing deep breath and managed to continue playing. Geez, Rainbow seemed to have no standards for how she will tease anyone. I think I will enjoy teasing her more in the future.

I was walking through the hallway at school and was being a little cautious of Pinkie, giving me some affection. Not that I think it's a bad thing. I am beginning to really enjoy it, but I still don't want to be taken off guard.

"Marcus, darling!"

I shook a little before relaxing when I noticed it was Rarity. Talk about irony. Here I am keeping my guard up for Pinkie, when I get surprised by someone else.

"Yes, Rarity?" I asked.

"I am here to give you your fair share of our profits," She answered.

"Oh. You sold them already?"

"Indeed, I have. They are selling out quickly and I just keep on getting plenty of new clients," She walked right up to me and gently rubbed my cheek, "It's all thanks to you. My little precious money maker," She then gave me quick kisses on both cheeks, "Maybe, I should give you something else as payment," She finished with a flirty wink.

"I..." I stuttered with a completely red face.

Before Rarity could respond and likely make a comment of my nervousness, someone else called out my name.

"Marky!"

Suddenly, you know who appeared and upon noticing Rarity close to me, she became annoyed.

"Oh. I see you two are having fun."

"We were before you interrupted Pinkie, darling," Rarity responded with a dirty look.

"Well, we can all have fun together, Rarity. That way someone doesn't miss out."

I am not in the mood to deal with bickering jealous girls in the morning. At least the rest of the group aren't here to make it worse.

"Sup everyone," Rainbow greeted, appearing with the rest of the Rainbooms, "What's going on here."

"Oh. Nothing much," Rarity answered with a charming smile, "Just rewarding my business partner for doing a great job," Rarity embraced me and gently rubbed my face with hers, causing most of the girls to give her dirty looks.

"Don't you think you are being too affectionate with him?" Applejack asked bitterly.

"Oh, don't be silly! If anything, I haven't been affectionate enough!" Rarity responded.

"You too Applejack?" Rainbow asked, "Damn stud. Keep this up and you will get every girl in town to fall for you."

I only groaned at Rainbow's teasing. For my sake I hope not. Having six, if I am counting correctly, girls liking me is already crazy enough.

"Well, I guess I am beginning to understand why the rest of you have taken a liking to him," Was all the cowgirl answered.

"At any rate," Sunset began getting all of our attention, "He already spent plenty of time with you Rarity. Why not give the rest of us an opportunity?"

"Considering he is still single, he's fair game," Was Rarity's response, "Besides, Pinkie is the one you need to say that to."

"Hey!" Pinkie exclaimed annoyedly, "Excuse me for giving a good friend some affection."

"Friends Pinkie? Do only friends plot to get the other to sleep with them and even French kiss them after a dare?" Rainbow teased with a chuckle.

"Well..."

Before anyone else could say anything, the school bell rang. Thank goodness I was getting tired of dealing with this today, but I know I am going to have to straighten out the girls sooner than later.

I arrived back home with everything I needed to start my live stream. My payment form Rarity helped me afford everything I needed. Glad to know helping the girls is starting to pay off. At least in that way. Anyway, I placed an empty canvas on an easel on top of a large blank tarp. Then I grabbed a large paint holder with all the paint I needed on it, and a small container filled with water, with a few different size brushes. With the laptop next to me and the stream ready for me to start at any moment, it was finally time for the moment of truth. This was only a test run to see if it goes well and if I enjoy doing such a thing. I took a deep breath before starting the stream and to my slight surprise I noticed a handful of people watching and even noticed a few commenting.

It's nice to see someone attempting to stream something other than video games

I do enjoy seeing awesome art. Here's hoping it's exciting to see someone do it live

I'm only here to wait for another of Sunset's streams. I Hope it will be interesting enough.

Well, looks like I have more of a reason to make sure this goes well. Well, here goes.

"Hello everyone! Seeing Sunset's own live streams are doing well for her, I decided to start my own, but instead of doing what everyone else is doing and playing video games, I decided to do something more original. One important aspect of making art is creativity. Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with following a trend and doing something different doesn't mean it's inherently better, there should always be more variety. Hence here I am making new art live for all of you to hopefully enjoy. This is a test run to see if it does well and I enjoy doing it." I announced before holding out the paint holder and grabbing a brush, "Now without a further ado, let's get started. Here is our currently empty canvas. What will it become you might be asking? That's the fun part about art. It could be anything you want. There's no limit, as long as you have the patience and creativity. Now let's start with the basics and do the background," I dipped the brush into the blue paint and splattered a nice chunk on an empty spot and grabbed some white paint, mixing the two colors, until it became light enough as the color of the sky, "Let's start by adding a basic sky. For this first painting, let's start with a simple day one. We can always do a night one and even a nicer sunset later," I evenly painted the first half of the canvas with the light blue paint, "Now to make our sky look more like a real thing let's add a few things that's necessary like clouds." I dipped the brush into the water and quickly wiped it dry, then I dipped it into the white paint, "The best thing about clouds is they come in all shapes and sizes, so don't make them all the same. Go crazy and make each one different," I made a few clouds of different shapes and sizes, before looking at the comments.

"Here we are. Not bad for our first time. I will be showing and doing other forms of art, but for now I think we will keep things simple," I spoke as I looked at the finished painting of a grassy field with flowers.

I took a relaxing breath, as I ended the live stream and decided to call it a day. This wasn't that bad. Maybe this could be a nice little thing to spend some of my free time on. We'll see. In the meantime, what am I going to do about the girls fighting over me? If only the answer was simple. I'll figure something out, or at least I hope I do.

Author's Note

An annoying chapter to write. I hate writing long scenes of only one character speaking for long. I prefer to keep paragraphs shorter to make it easier on the eyes, but hopefully it wasn't too bad. A potential future one where he does one with Sunset, should be better to write.

Next chapter: A skittles haired moron makes a tactless mistake.

21 tactless skittle moron

Doing live streams have been a welcome addition to my life. At the very least it helps pass the time and calms me down. Which is more than needed. I still don't quite know how I am going to deal with having six girls being attracted to me, with one apparently wanting to marry me. I still don't know how and why this is happening. Hopefully, more don't follow suit. I doubt anything good could come out of this, like me actually getting a harem and them being ok with it. I know one shouldn't tempt fate, but like that would happen. I entered the school and before I could begin to be on my guard for Pinkie, she appeared with the rest of the girls.

"Good morning, Marky," Pinkie greeted me.

"Morning."

Before anything else could be said, we all noticed Principal Celestia, leading a light gray skinned woman, wearing black glasses. She also had brown hair, in a bun, and was holding a clipboard in one of her hands. We all stared at the two in confusion and wonder.

"Who's that with Celestia?" Rainbow asked.

"I understand the need for you to check up on things, Ms. Inkwell," Celestia began with a gentle smile, "Though, I wished the school board had sent someone sooner."

"Indeed. Sadly, it all takes a little bit of time to officially get things done and it has only been four days. The school board has decided long and hard what to do after that unfortunate incident. May I say everything you and Dean Cinch have told us have been... Interesting I suppose. Well, mostly Cinch."

"I see. May I ask the fate of the quadrennial Friendship Games?"

"Canceled until further notice, though since it's every four years, there's still a good chance this blows over before the next one."

"I understand. So how is this inspection going to go?" Celestia asked before signing.

"I am just going to make sure you are competent to do your job in providing a safe and educational environment for all of your students. You are actually lucky the school board is only doing this. You could have gotten fired too."

Inspection? Figures, the incident at the Friendship Games would cause this to happen. The girls and I could only watch in silence as the two women walked past us while chatting. When they were out of sight, we all stared at each other in silence.

"What was that all about?" Rainbow asked.

"It was clearly about what happened at the games, Rainbow," Applejack answered.

"After what almost happened to..." Sunset tries to continue before stopping to take a deep breath, "It's natural for the school board to take action and they are inspecting the school, in case."

"I guess. Damn stud, look at what you caused," Rainbow teased.

I simply glared at the tactless skittles haired moron, before punching her hard in the shoulder.

"Ow! What did I do?" Skittles asked like the imbecile she was, while rubbing her sore shoulder, "Damn stud you hit harder than Applejack. You are stronger than you look," She then noticed that the rest of the girls and I gave her dirty looks, "What?"

"Rainbow, you really need to learn to be more tactful!" Rarity scolded.

"No kidding. You are lucky I don't hit you in the shoulder. He did a much nicer job than I could." Applejack added before pounding her fists together.

"Rainbow, we have been friends since early childhood and I know you have a teasing personality, but I like to think you know when you should be more serious and this is one of those times, if you don't mind, I mean," Was Fluttershy's response.

"Fluttershy's right. You usually know when to be serious. Yet with him you seem to have no standards. Should I bring up a certain paid chat you pulled?" Sunset told her, while lightly blushing.

I found myself blushing as I recalled that moment. So, Rainbow apparently isn't usually this tactless towards something serious.

"Well, I... What's the problem?" Skittles asked, completely cornered by all of us to my joy.

"It sounded to me like you were blaming my near-death experience on me," I answered, making everyone else cringed, Skittles, even more than the others.

"What? No! I didn't mean it like that!" She begged me.

"How did you mean it then?" I asked harshly.

"I... Well...."

Before she could even think of an answer, the bell rang, and I was more than happy to leave Skittles and cool off a bit.

"See you later girls," I began before glaring at Skittles, making her cringed, "Skittles," I signed before going to first period.

"Wait! I'm sorry! I can explain!" She called out.

I ignored her and continued on my way.

I was sitting on my bed, still angry and to my dismay she sent out a long text. I was so angry I didn't bother to actually read it. The others sent out texts of support and encouragement.

Marcus Darling sorry again about Rainbow. She has never been the most tactful, but usually she has more sense than today. It's weird how she seems to be more teasing towards you. She seems to really have taken a liking to you, but that is no excuse for her behavior. She felt horrible after you left and not that I am asking you to, while the wounds are fresh, but would you be willing to forgive her later?

Nice to get confirmation that she wasn't always this tactless. I signed as I pondered her final question. Maybe later, but not now and she has to make up for it.

Marcus, sorry about Rainbow. She is usually one to speak without thinking, but today was just horrible. I wanted nothing more than to beat some sense into her myself, though you did a much better job than I could have. It was amusing after you left. She was stunned that you hit harder than me and was stunned by your strength. Then when I told them how you beat me in arm wrestling her jaw dropped. She did try to play it off by asking if it was a close match, but when I told her how I couldn't even stand a chance when giving it my absolute all, she and the other girls almost fainted in shock. Of course, Rarity gushed about it and the others seemed impressed about it. Anyway, Rainbow is sad about her actions, but I don't blame you for wanting to stay away from her and us.

I found myself lightly chuckling at her recollection of what happened. Thanks for making me chuckle while upset Applejack!

Marky, I am so so sorry Dashie said those words to you. She usually isn't a major meanie pants and she feels bad for it. Please forgive her and we all can continue to be the bestest of friends. Then I can throw a party to celebrate.

Figures, Pinkie would talk about it like a child. I swear spending time with her is a lot like babysitting a hyperactive happy child. Anyway, I am not in the mood to see her again for at least a little bit. First, I had my falling out with Big Mac and now when I end up in the middle of a friendship group this happens. Then again, it's Rainbow I am angry at and not the others, but they might not be willing to exclude her on my behalf. Why must something like this happen when things are going well?

Author's Note

Well, this is a direction I didn't plan to take this, but I think this will be a good place to lead into Rainbow and Marcus' eventual relationship. With his harem I was thinking of having it just have all the girls be friends with benefits. Rainbow has really been teasing him and playing hard to get and she seemed not to have any standards about teasing him being a chick magnet, so why not have her make this slip up and have her make up for her slip up and face an internal conflict, which sadly will be hinted in the background due to this story being in Marcus's POV, but hoping I can pull something like it off. I know in the last chapter's author notes I hinted at him meeting with one of the crystal prep girls, but since it has been weeks and this chapter was hard to start I will move that to the next one hopefully. Poor Marcus is feeling all alone, but now it's time for him to get involved a little more with other girls. I am planning something with Trixie soon, so look out for that when I get to it.

Next chapter: Feeling on his own Marcus ends up interacting with a crystal prep student.

23 Helping Trixie

As I am walking through the halls of CHS, there is one thing I never thought I would ever think, I am feeling very lonely. Normally, I would meet up with Pinkie and the girls, usually getting tackled by the energetic pink girl in a hug, but recently nothing. It seems despite my words with Applejack I am still being left alone. It's weird. Somehow, despite not trying or intending to, I ended up as part of the Rainbooms. In hindsight me being their first groupie should have been a hint with the force of an atomic bomb. Anyway, despite that though, I am feeling kind of isolated, and I don't really feel that angry anymore. I quickly pulled out my phone and finally after so many days, checked Rainbow's texts. After scrolling through all the sad emojis, I thought only Pinkie was bad at that, I finally reached an actual message.

Please, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to phrase it like that. Please just talk to me.

I feel so horrible please I'm sorry 😭😭

😢😭😢😭crying😢😭😢😭myself😢😭😢😭to😢😭😢😭sleep😢😭😢😭

I sighed as I scrolled through several more messages like that before exiting out of her texts. I guess it has been long enough since then and I am ready to give her another chance. I would rather do it face to face though, so I guess I will show up to her house on our previous agreed date.

It was after school, and I was on my way back home, only to be interrupted by a certain stage magician.

"Marcus!" Trixie exclaimed, before she to my complete surprise wrapped her arms around me in a hug.

"Trixie," Was all I could awkwardly say.

"I was wondering if you are free to help me out."

"Sure, I have plenty of free time."

"Glad to hear! Lately those pesky Rain-brooms haven't been near you and since I don't have anything else planned, why not now?" Trixie told me with a huge smile on her face, before she grabbed my hand, "Come on follow me," She finished before leading me.

"Trixie do you have your 'special artist'," A voice called out from nearby.

"Trixie doesn't appreciate the attitude Fuchsia blush, but yes Trixie does have her special artist," Trixie responded to the voice.

Trixie and I turned around to find two girls walking right up to us. One of the girls had light purple skin with darker purple hair, while the other was a light gray with gold colored hair. When the girls noticed me, I could have sworn they were lightly blushing.

"I stand corrected Trixie. You didn't say your special artist was him." Fuchsia corrected.

"Yeah, how did you get him to agree to this?" The blonde one added.

"A great magician is full of surprises," Trixie answered dramatically, an act that I actually find kind of cute, "Never underestimate the power of the great and powerful Trixie!"

"Yeah, being your only friends, we know all about that," Fuchsia said.

"What can Trixie say? Only a select few are good enough by Trixie's standards."

"I still can't believe you got the one who would have finally allowed us to win the friendship games, had none of that happened, to help us!" The blonde girl exclaimed.

"Of course! Only the best for Trixie and the illusionists."

The girls and I arrived at Trixie's house, and said girl gave the rest of us a cocky look.

"Trixie's parents are out doing errands, so that's another reason today is an ideal one to do this."

"Your parents are ok with us coming over Trixie," Lavender lace pointed out.

"Yeah, but they might not be as accepting with a boy here."

The other girls and I shrugged, as Trixie led us inside and we followed her to her room. The room was filled with all kinds of magician props. From large boxes with chains to ones where you sliced your assistant in half. Trixie walked to her closet and grabbed her magician outfit.

"Trixie will get changed and then we can get to it," Trixie told all of us, before rushing to the bathroom.

I took off my backpack and took out a notebook and a couple pencils. Thankfully, I keep a few art supplies with me at all times, so I can sketch out what the girls look like in their outfits and come up with an appealing way to present them all.

"So, what is Trixie like?" I asked the two, as an attempt at conversation.

"She's actually nice enough, if you can get past her ego and superior attitude," Fuchsia answered before smirking, "For instance she wouldn't accept anyone else to do the art, since they weren't good enough, despite her artwork making theirs look like the Mona Lisa."

"Her artwork makes a one-year old's scribblings look like a masterpiece," Lavender added with a chuckle.

"We are her only friends, due to both her high standards and us being more than willing to put up with her behavior. Don't get me wrong she has talent and potential but acting like she already is a well-known and accomplished magician is one of her issues," Fuchisa told me.

"Not to mention the fact magic actually exists and that the Rainbooms have access to it. I think she's envious of that and is serious, well more serious about kick starting her career as one." Lavender added.

"She spends countless hours at the mall trying to get people to show up and despite her 'artwork' she still manages to get a decent crowd and she has actually worked very hard to improve her tricks and make them more interesting. It actually makes tolerating her ego less of an annoyance, since we can tell she is actually trying and working hard to prove herself," Fuchsia praised.

"You should have seen her when she told us she finally found the perfect artist. Of course, since we didn't know it was you yet, we thought she was acting strange," Lavender told me with a smirk.

"Weird how?" I asked.

"The thing about Trixie is she is so full of herself, she rarely if ever praises someone else, especially in the way she praised you. I could have sworn she was like a little girl on hearts warming day." Fuchsia explained with a smirk of her own.

"We thought it was weird, but since she was acting like that, then it must really be someone special. When we learned it was you that answered our question."

"How so?" I asked.

This caused the two girls to blink and stare at each other for a brief moment.

"Dude you actually helped us beat Crystal Prep at academics and had the situation with magic not occurred you or Rainbow, would have most likely won it for us. The Rainbooms appeared to have befriended you and until recently you were a part of the group. That combined with your good looks has made you a sought-after boy by many, including Trixie," Fuchsia.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if you become this year's most eligible bachelor at CHS. In such a short time, you have already made such a presence. You really are something special. Though, it's good you seem to be humble about it." Lavender added.

"Yeah, it makes you more fetching. It's nice to see someone not let that go to their head. It would be nice for Trixie not to be like that." Fuchsia agreed.

Before I could respond Trixie finally arrived back in the room and not only was she wearing the magician outfit, but she also was wearing make-up. Her eyes had black eye shadow and her lips were a bright red.

"Finally, you came back, Trixie," Fuchsia commented.

"It even takes Trixie time to get ready for this kind of thing. Trixie must be perfectly ready for this kind of thing."

"More like you want to impress our guest here."

"Of course, Fuchsia! He is the one that will help Trixie's dream come true even more than they have already."

"Are we going to take part in this at all?" Lavender asked.

"Of course! Two back up magicians in the background should make a decent flier, but to save time Trixie will pose for him and he can just give you matching outfits," Trixie answered.

"More like you want to pose for him alone without us getting in the way," Both girls scoffed.

"Now, shall we get to it?" Trixie asked.

I simply nodded before opening the notebook and held a pencil in my hand.

For the next hour Trixie did several different poses as we all debated on the ideal one to use. The other girls seemed to be bitter about not taking part in the poses and asked several times to have a turn.

"For the last time it's not necessary," Trixie argued.

"And us coming here is," Fuchsia argued.

"Again, he must know what you two look like. You are lucky you still get to be a part of the advertisement," Trixie responded.

"All I'm saying is you could wear something else, let us wear the outfit, and have all three of us do a pose together," Fuchsia insisted.

"Wear something else? That's actually not a bad idea," Trixie responded with a devilish smirk, "Wait here Marcus sweetie. I will be back with a better outfit and pose, just for you," She added as she walked right up to me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, "I am sure you are going to love it."

I rubbed the spot she kissed, as she rushed to her closet and took a type of clothing that I was unable to clearly see, as she rushed into the bathroom again. Wait, I think I know where this is going.

"Girls, be honest, is this going where I think it's going?" I asked.

"Nice to see you aren't dense to this kind of thing. Yes, I'm afraid so," Fuchsia answered bitterly.

"You really shouldn't have given her the idea," Lavender added just as bitterly.

"Oh! How was I supposed to know she would use my idea like this?"

Before any more words could be said Trixie appeared with a dark blue crop top, with light blue stars, that showed a bit of her light blue breasts. Enough that I could tell she was actually well off in that department. I found myself lightly blushing as she walked right up to my face with a smirk on her face.

"Like what you see?" She teased, as she gently rubbed my right cheek, "You know if this isn't enough for you, I could take this off and give you a better look."

"Trixie that's enough," Fuchsia told her bitterly.

"What!? He doesn't mind. Who wouldn't mind Trixie doing this to them?" Trixie scoffed before giving me a flirty wink, "You don't mind, do you?"

I could only nod slowly, as I was too hesitant to speak up.

"Sadly, with them here we must cut this short," Trixie told me with a sigh, "If only we were alone. Perhaps, this could be your payment. No, I will do you even better. This will be your bonus, for the great and powerful work I know you will do."

"Thank you again for your help. Next time I will make sure we are alone to prevent others from interfering," Trixie told me with a smirk, while the other girls scowl at her.

"Right." I simply said going on my way.

I sighed when I was far enough from her house to not be noticed. Well, today I learned I managed to have made more of an impact on the student body than I thought, without trying. In hindsight I should have realized it, but I guess I was too focused on my life and the current situation with the girls. Apparently, not only are the six I suspected have crushes on me, but a lot more at school does. Even to the point where two think I will get voted most eligible bachelor. I didn't even know or suspected that was a title one could earn, but ok. Seriously, how did this happen? The one time I decided to try and socialize a bit more and somehow, I ended up in this mess. No use in crying over spilled milk. This whole thing isn't bad and I quite enjoy it. I just need to get used to it more and I might as well, since there is nothing I can do to change it. Now I should focus on making up with a certain rainbow girl.

Author's Note

Finally managed to sit down and actually write another chapter. Marcus helps Trixie and meets her two friends. No, I have no plans to add them to the harem. Just wanted to show off Marcus being a chick magnet and expand the world beyond his eyes. His actions have not only earned the interest of most of the girls he interacted with, but many he haven't. Since the story is told from his POV you wouldn't know that, since he doesn't spend time outside of a handful of girls. I also pull off something that might push the teen rating. No, there will not be anything sexual. Well, on screen at least, but I do have a few things that might push the current rating, but I don't really want to move to a mature one. I will try to be careful on that end.

Next chapter: Marcus makes up with Rainbow which may lead to a new start to their relationship

24 Making up with the rainbow. Taste the rainbow

Today is a day I am so nervous about. Today I am finally going to meet up with Rainbow and hopefully put this whole thing behind us. To be honest I am beginning to think I overreacted, but in my defense who wouldn't after going through a near death experience. Despite my nervousness, another part of me wants to do this as soon as possible. I am beginning to miss the girls and while a part of me can understand leaving me alone, I want that to end and everything to go back to normal. I have never felt that way before. It seems without intending to, I have become a part of the Rainbooms, exactly like Trixie's friends have told me.

"Are you ok?" Wallflower asked me.

"I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind."

Wallflower and I were in our usual spot for lunch, though lately my lunch would end up only half eaten, due to my thoughts on the recent events with Rainbow. I noticed Wallflower noticing and becoming increasingly worried, but she didn't comment on it, at least until now.

"Ok." She responded awkwardly, before giving me a knowing look, "Well, you have seemed a bit distant lately and while just having someone's company is good enough for me, I am beginning to be concerned," She gently grabbed my hands with her own soft ones, "I won't pry, but if there's something wrong feel free to tell me."

I couldn't resist the adorable look on her face.

"God damn it. Why are you too adorable?"

After a second, I realized what I said and removed my hands from her grip to cover my mouth. She started blushing heavily in embarrassment and even stuttered.

"A-a-adorable?"

Why do I associate with girls too cute for me to handle? I sighed and took a moment to regain my composure.

"Well, if you must know," I began before I quickly explained what happened between the Rainbooms, mainly Rainbow, and I.

"I'm sorry to say I think you and most of the girls overreacted a little bit, though considering the circumstances I can understand why."

"Exactly. I was planning on making-up today and I'm just a little nervous at how it will go," I added.

"Considering her texts, I am sure she will be overwhelmed with joy."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Relax, you have nothing to worry about," She assured me before she sighed nervously, "Speaking of the Rainbooms. I've thought about what you said during the welcoming party and you asked me to consider meeting the Rainbooms. You're right, if I want to be remembered more, I have to make the effort, so yes, I will meet them. I don't have much to lose, if it doesn't go well and I will still have you."

"Well, said. After I make things right with them, I will set things up."

I arrived at Rainbow's house, completely anxious at how things would go down. Alright I can do this. Just knock on the door and... Yeah, just knock and get this over with. I raised my hand and moved it close to the door. Come on. Knock on the door. You can do this. I took a deep breath and managed to knock on the door. A part of me regretted it, but there was no turning back now. After what seemed like a few minutes later the door was opened.

"Whoever you are, go away. I'm not in a god damned mood for anything!"

I froze at the sorry state Rainbow was in. Her rainbow hair was unkempt, but in a loose ponytail, as a lazy attempt to keep it neat. Her eyes were red from crying too much. I gasped as I took in her appearance and guilt was the only thing I could feel, for letting this go for so long. I should have read her texts and reached out on day one.

"You..." She gasped stunned, "You showed up anyway?"

"May I come in?" Was all I could awkwardly ask.

She simply nodded, too stunned to speak and moved out of the way, granting me entrance. I haven't been here since band practice and sadly it's not for something fun.

"I guess follow me to my room?" She asked, sounding unsure of herself.

This is bad. If she has been negatively affected so much that she is acting nowhere near her usually cocky and sure self, this is more serious than I initially thought.

"Sounds good."

She awkwardly and nervously led me to her room. The room seemed to be in even more of a mess than the previous two times I have been here. I noticed Tank in a slightly unclean habitat, giving Rainbow a concerned look, before he seemed to give me a dirty one. Great. I always feared overprotective fathers or brothers when it comes to girls, but I never would have thought I would have to deal with an overprotective pet.

"Well..."

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that. I just... I don't know," She interrupted me, as tears formed in her eyes, "I just reacted without thinking. I always do that, but for once it ended up hurting someone special to me. Someone that managed to do what I thought no one could be good enough to do," She sobbed as she rubbed her eyes, "I really messed up and now you're here to tell me you don't want to be friends anymore. That there is no hope for..."

I interrupted the crying girl with a hug to even my own surprise. I just couldn't stand to see the poor girl like this, especially since this isn't how she usually acts. It just hammers in how much this has affected her and how pigheaded I was to let this go on for the past several days. I can't believe I have come to care about her and the rest of the girls, to this extent and in such a short time. I do enjoy my time with them, and I especially enjoy my banter with Rainbow, but I barely noticed myself becoming friends with them. That has never happened to me before. Is this how true friendship works?

"No, I'm not. Rainbow, you aren't the only one who should apologize."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, before sniffing, "I am the one who made that insensitive comment. I'm the one who ruined any chance of us staying friends and maybe even more," She continued before nervously covering her mouth for a couple seconds, "I mean I don't deserve your friendship," She finished awkwardly, after a moment.

"Don't you ever say that! While your statement may have been insensitive, it wasn't anything worse than our usual banter. I reacted so strongly to it and now I see I overreacted."

"No, you didn't! After your near-death experience, it's understandable you did so. I just said it without thinking as usual."

"Look at what that did to you. Dashie..." I was momentarily distracted when she was completely stunned at me calling her by her nickname, most likely believing she no longer deserves me referring to her by such, "Dashie, you aren't and shouldn't be like this. Have you even been taking care of yourself?"

"No, I don't deserve..."

"Dashie, don't even finish that sentence!" I shouted, making her flinch, "Don't ever think or say you deserve this. This isn't the Dashie I know and love."

"Love?"

"Come on! You really think I am going to let one insensitive comment ruin our relationship, especially with our usual banter?"

"I guess?" She questioned.

This is more serious than I thought. It pained me even more than hearing the comment that started this whole mess, to see her like this. Looks like it's going to be harder and take longer than I thought.

"Seriously, Dashie, have you been taking care of your basic needs at least?"

"Well," She responded nervously with an awkward chuckle, before flinching at the serious look I gave her, "Ok. I have been barely eating, I can't sleep for long, and I don't feel like bathing. Happy now?"

"No, why would I be happy about that?"

Rainbow only gave me a weak smile at my rhetorical question. I have my work cut out for me and I feel I am going to stay for the rest of the day. First things first, make it clear I forgive her, then make sure she starts taking care of herself again.

"Dashie, regardless of how you feel I forgive you."

"You do? Why? I..."

"Don't finish that sentence! You're one of my closest friends alright. I enjoy our game with one another and days of being without you have made me feel so lonely and isolated and as an introvert that is new to me. I don't want this to end. Please, accept and try to go back to the Dashie I know and love. Now you are going to take a shower and I am going to cook something for you to eat."

"But..."

"Please Dashie. You have suffered enough and as your friend, I want to help you end it and for things to go back to normal."

"Ok." She simply said with a tearful smile.

I looked through the fridge and pantry as I pondered what to make for her. Normally, I would feel bad for going through someone else's fridge, but right now I don't care. There must be something simple I could make that should also be easy for someone to eat. As I noticed plenty of potatoes, carrots, and chicken, I got the idea to make some soup. My mother would make some for me all the time and when I got old enough, I even helped, so I should be able to make it decently on my own. I grabbed all the ingredients I needed and got started.

Right in the middle of the soup cooking on the stove, Dashie entered the kitchen, and I couldn't help, but gasped at her appearance. Her hair was noticeably less unkempt and in a longer ponytail and instead of a shirt, she was only wearing a rainbow bra. Her bust was slightly smaller than Trixie's but was still sizable enough to enjoy.

"Dashie, why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"I'm not in the mood to. Lucky you. You are the first boy to get to see my girls like this," She teased me, while touching the bra and moving them up and down a little.

Glad to know she is starting to get back to her normal teasing self.

"So, what are we having?"

"Soup. It should be easier for you to eat, assuming you don't have much of an appetite."

"Yeah, I just haven't been feeling like it, recently," She admitted nervously, before she took a deep breath, "So, since you showed up to our agreed meeting anyway, I guess I better..."

"Finally admit your feelings for me."

"Well," She began while blushing heavily, "Come on. Don't make it harder for me. I never had to deal with this before."

"But Dashie, it's fun to mess with you."

She only groaned in response, before she took another deep breath.

"I just have never met anyone who made me feel this way before. Someone who could challenge and rival me, but instead of making me annoyed they turn me on. I was against it due to my dislike of anything too girly like romance, so I tried my best to deny and ignore it, but I hated being a coward and running from it, so I decided to tackle it head on, but it was still in a cowardly way. I wanted to accept it in a more private setting and keep it a secret. After my insensitive words, I realized how important you have become to me, and I don't want to lose that," She managed to explain.

"So, you want us to become boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Not exactly. Most of the others..."

"Have a thing for me too. I know Dashie. I'm not dense and they made it completely obvious. Even you despite your best efforts to deny it."

"Right," She simply responded with a nervous blush, at being called out, "During the separation, we all talked, and the others confronted each other about it. After a bitter argument that lasted for days, they... No, we, including myself, decided that the best bet would be to share you."

"You mean in a friend with benefits kind of way, like you told me you wanted during the slumber party?"

"Exactly, but it's ultimately up to you to do what you want, though that won't stop us from flirting with you," She teased, before shaking her breasts again.

"Dashie, you just dropped the biggest bombshell in my entire life and told me something most teenage boys can only dream of."

"Lucky you. You have the option to make it a reality," She chuckled, "If only you could have seen it. Rarity and Pinkie got into a bitter argument over who gets to explain this to you and try to make the first move. Eventually the others got them to stop by agreeing that they won't reach out to you and that the first one you happen to see or meet up with, gets to. Lucky me I got to. Take your time and let me know," She explained before giving me a wink.

I don't even know what's going on anymore. I knew I kept attracting these hot girls and I have thought about us forming a harem, but it actually being a reality now, is just unbelievable. I mean I do enjoy the time I have spent with them so far and they are all attractive in their own way. This does seem like the ideal solution, since I doubt I would be able to pick one. Not to mention any other girls I end up attracting in the future. I did enjoy the kisses from the ones I got so far. Maybe I should consider this. Of course, the only problem is spending time with and keeping them all happy and knowing some of them could be clingy will make this difficult, but I am sure with careful time management and making sure everyone has equal opportunity, will make it work, more or less.

"After pondering it, I want to give it a try," I decided, making Dashie smirk.

"Great choice stud."

"So, shall we tell the others?"

"No, not yet" She shook her head, "We can tell them tomorrow during school and we can work out everything there. For now, let me have a head start."

I simply shook my head in amusement. Typical Dashie.

"Now what do you say, we make it official," Dashie told me, while walking closer to me.

I nervously nodded and took a quick breath, before I found the courage to place my hands on her cheeks. She chuckled, before she puckered her lips and connected them to mine. She then wrapped her hands around my waist and pulled me closer. After a few seconds, I found myself being bold enough to lick her lips with my tongue and to my surprise, she actually granted me entrance. Have to work for it my ass. We ended up tongue wrestling, where she desperately tries to pin mine down, but she was no match for me. I heard her moan loudly as I quickly pinned hers down and I eagerly explored her mouth. After a few more moments, we both separated from each other, panting heavily.

"Oh yeah, stud. Now I can see why Pinkie enjoyed her kiss," She moaned.

"Regret playing hard to get and refusing tongue back then?" I teased.

"Oh yes!" She moaned with a goofy smile on her face.

I simply chuckled in response to her. I wasn't completely sure about forming a harem with the girls, but I think I am going to enjoy it, if this is a good indication of what it's like. Dashie is really adorable like this, and I can't wait to experience more of this side of her.

After eating and making sure she ate plenty of soup, Dashie and I spent some time playing Daring Doo. Instead of competing with the other, we decided to take turns progressing the single player campaign. Right when I finished my current tomb, I noticed it was getting late.

"I better get home," I said getting up.

"Do you have to?" Dashie asked me, frowning.

"Yeah, my dad will be worried sick about me."

"Can you please stay?" She begged.

"Dashie?"

"I'd rather have you stay the night. I know we have made up, but I just don't want you to leave me unless you have to. Can you ask your dad to stay the night? My parents usually arrive home after I leave for school, so it should be fine." She begged, giving me a cute look.

"For a tomboy you know how to be too cute for one to say no to."

"What can I say? I am that awesome. Besides, with our new upgraded relationship you have to keep my happiness in mind even more now."

"That doesn't mean you get to be lazy and make me put all the work in the relationship."

"Yeah, yeah I will put in my fair share."

I sighed, "To answer your begging, fine. Knowing my dad, he will actually congratulate me for spending the night with a girl."

"Really? Your dad sounds cool actually."

"Yeah, he is very laid back and supportive."

After a few more hours of Daring Doo, Rainbow and I decided to hit the hay.

"See you tomorrow," I told Rainbow, before getting up and walking to her door.

"Where are you going? You're sleeping with me, stud," Rainbow told me with a raised eyebrow.

I simply stared at her bed for a brief moment.

"I don't know, it looks too small for two people."

She shook her head.

"That's no problem. I will simply lie on top of you."

"Fine. I guess that will work," I sighed.

"I see you still need to adjust to our new relationship. Relax and go with the flow. We will find a way to make it work. Now get on the bed, I want to sleep. I know with you; I will actually get some decent sleep."

I simply nodded before getting in her bed and she followed suit. I was right and there was barely any room for her, so most of her body ended up on top of mine. She covered us with her blankets and moved her head next to mine on the pillow.

"See this isn't too bad, stud. In fact, it's actually kind of cozy."

"Right. Goodnight Dashie."

"Goodnight stud." She responded before giving me a quick kiss and wrapping an arm around me.

When I decided to finally make up with her, I didn't expect to agree to be in a friend with benefits relationship with not just her, but with most of the most popular girls in the damn school. This is something boys can only achieve in their wildest dreams and for me it's a reality. I have to admit my life is good right now.

Author's Note

I really feel I am pushing the teen rating here. I am actually considering changing the rating to m, as I want to do more extreme stuff. That means no sex, well on screen, but I will do things I fear is too much for the teen rating, if I actually haven't already. I feel like I am toeing the line, but not going too far to get me in trouble. Wallflower also returns. I didn't mean to ignore her, I just don't have much to do with her, so why not push her finally meeting the girls, just to have something for her. I realized I have forgotten her, which is bad, since that goes against the idea of Marcus befriending her. Also, the harem is officially starting. since 5 of the girls, Rainbow, Sunset, Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack have fallen hard and the other two haven't quite yet but have still shown small attraction to him. I figured it's time to start it and introduce the way I am handling the harem. Just him being Friend with benefits with the girls. Not to worry Marcus will have time with Fluttershy and Sci-Twi and they will fall for him. Hope you manage to enjoy.

Next chapter: The harem officially begins

25 harem begins

I awoke feeling surprisingly cozy. I yawned and upon remembering what happened last night, looked at Dashie, who had her arms wrapped around me. I lightly blushed, as I noticed and recalled she never put a shirt on, allowing me to look a little at her decent sized breasts. Thank goodness I have a shirt on myself, or the only thing keeping my bare chest from touching her assets would be her bra. Then again it would actually be thanked goodness if that happens, even more if both our torsos were bare naked. Whoa! What am I thinking?! We may have gotten into a relationship, but that is too soon. I was taken out of my thoughts, when Dashie made an admittedly adorable yawn.

"Tank, I had a dream that Marcus came over and we made up and even made the first steps to form a harem with the others," Rainbow mumbled, before she awkwardly turned her head and noticed me, "Oh! It wasn't a dream. Awesome."

"I take it you had a good dream, Dashie?"

"Oh, yes, stud. For once not only was I able to get some sleep, but it wasn't a nightmare."

"That's good Now, what time is it?"

"What's the rush stud?"

"I should head home, so I have time to get ready for school."

"Ah! Come on, stud!" Dashie complained, as she tightened her embrace and even rubbed her face on mine, "Do you really have to leave? We could shower together," She finished with a wink.

"Now that we are in a relationship, I don't know if you are joking or actually being serious."

"I guess I am just playing around, though I don't mind if you want," She responded before chuckling.

"I don't think we are ready for that and besides I need to get new clothes."

"Fine, just let me get changed and I will come with you. Hell, maybe if you want, we can shower there together," She suggested with a small grin.

"I never thought you would be the clingy type."

"Please, I am sure any girl would be like that with you stud," She scoffed.

Well, after a couple incidents of Dashie offering to change in front of me and even offering to shower with me once again, right after arriving at my house, we finally entered the school. I felt Dashie rubbing my hands and looked at me hopefully. I sighed and grabbed her hand. Since this act of affection is minor, I didn't really mind. Looks like I better get used to doing acts of affection, especially out in public. I noticed everyone staring at us and some seemed stunned that we were holding hands. Rainbow seemed to have noticed too and gave everyone an annoyed look.

"What? Haven't seen a boy and girl hold hands before?!" She snapped annoyed, causing most of the other students to awkwardly look away.

"Well, Dashie looks like your anti-girly and anti-romance reputation is legendary,"

"Yeah yeah," She mumbled before giving me a cheeky look, "What can I say? No one has been good enough for the Dash until you, stud. Now come on, let's go find the others."

After a few minutes of walking, we stumbled upon the rest of the rainbooms. When they noticed us their eyes all lit up and gasped in surprise. Sunset was the first one to nervously approach us.

"I take it you two have made up," She asked sheepishly in a hopeful tone.

"Yes, we have, and I think we have more to discuss," I responded.

Sunset simply nodded, as the others approached. Rarity and Pinkie then noticed Dashie and me holding hands, making them frown.

"Why are you two holding hands?" Rarity asked bitterly, "Are you two..."

"Relax Rarity! We will explain everything in a more private spot. Just know it's going to make all of you very happy," Rainbow assured her.

"I don't quite see how..." Rarity paused, before she blushed bright red in realization.

She wasn't the only one either, as the rest of the girls, except Rainbow gasped in realization, with blushes on their faces as well.

"Right, well. Let's find an empty classroom and talk there," Sunset managed to suggest.

We all nodded at her suggestion.

"Who would have thought you would be the one to make the first move, Rainbow?" Rarity asked somewhat bitterly.

"What can I say? Everything just happened to work out that way. Though I'm glad it did, besides what does it matter who's first we're all... well, most of us are getting with him, anyway," Rainbow answered, staring at the other four she knew felt that way, making them all blush.

"Yes, well, that is one good thing about this," Rarity admitted, "So how exactly should this all work?"

"Great question," Sunset began, before looking at the rest of us, "God knows some of us can be clingy and hesitant to share properly," She commented, as we all stared at Pinkie.

"What?!" She asked bitterly, "That was before we came to this agreement. As long as I get to be with him too, I can handle sharing."

"Anyway, how exactly are we going to handle this? Giving everyone free rein to do as we please, isn't a good way to do this," Applejack added.

"I think it's best if we take turns. We all get a day, and it repeats in an endless cycle," Sunset suggested, making us all nod in agreement, "Now you can still give him affection when it isn't your day, but don't go overboard and when it's your day you have full free rein to do whatever," Sunset finished, as we all looked at Pinkie again.

"Fine, I'll be good. Besides, I am not the only one like this," Pinkie responded bitterly, before looking at Rarity.

"I wasn't as bad as you were," Rarity rolled her eyes.

"We're all in agreement?" Sunset asked, before we all nodded.

"Congrats Stud. You are now in a friend with benefits relationship with most of the most popular group here at CHS," Rainbow told me with a wink, "In fact it shouldn't be long before you get the last two," She added looking at Fluttershy and Twilight, "So, what do you two think?" She asked, making said girls blush in embarrassment.

Surprisingly Fluttershy was the first one to speak.

"Well, he is handsome... and nice. He seems good with animals too, maybe after I spend more time with him."

"Yeah, not to mention smart. No one has managed to beat me overall at academics before, but I have only known him for days and didn't really spend much time with him, but I guess I am open." Twilight added.

"Due to the open nature of this kind of relationship, feel free to join in later, when you decide to," Sunset told them, making them nod in agreement, "In fact if others and I'm sure there already are, feel free to add who ever interests you," She finished looking at me.

"So, you're giving me full control of whoever joins?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course."

"Huh? I figured you girls would want a say."

"Well, like I said this kind of thing is more open and we all trust you. Even if you happen to pick someone we won't necessarily like, it's up to you and them." Sunset answered, as she and the rest of the girls nodded.

"Trixie," I managed to hear Rainbow mumble.

"We also all agreed on giving you full rein to whatever form of affection you want, within reason of course."

"Is that why you were teasing me earlier?" I asked rainbow.

"Somewhat. I just love our banter, and this allows me to add that kind of teasing to it."

"Now why don't you decide on the order we all take turns?" Sunset suggested.

This whole thing is turning to be somewhat complicated, but at least there is some order to it, and I no longer have to worry too much about all the girls I attracted and will attract in the future.

"Since Dashie was the one that told me all this, she's first and gets today," I began before deciding on the rest of the order.

Right after I finished deciding the bell rang and we all got up. It was then I realized there was something missing. Something that should have happened but didn't

"See you later Marky," Pinkie told me, as we left the classroom.

Of course!

"Not so fast!"

"Huh?" Pinkie asked, before I embraced her in a tight hug, to her surprise.

"I haven't seen you for days and therefore haven't had one of these. You completely forgot to give me one while we were meeting up again, though I can't blame you." I told her, stroking her soft poofy hair, "You don't know how much I missed you and these," I continued before finding the courage to give her a kiss on the cheek, making her blush, "That's better. Now see you later my... precious party balloon," I finished, finding the courage to give her a cheesy affectionate nickname, before letting go and continuing on my way.

"I... It's.... What happened?" Was all I heard Pinkie mumbled.

"Wow, talk about role reversal," Rainbow chuckled, before the rest of the girls joined in.

"Good morning class. Today should be the day we all finish act one and you can spend the weekend working on the summary."

During the middle of finishing the first act, I could feel Applejack reach out and try to grab my hand. I managed to hide a small smile, before reaching out myself and managing to reach her halfway. Figures, at the first opportunity, they would try to sneak an act of affection during class, no matter how small it might be. On the plus side it's nice to see things are getting back to normal between the girls and me. Well, normal in the sense that we are spending time with each other again. This whole friend with benefits harem we started is going to be a strange new experience for us, but I'm sure in a good way.

Author's Note

The harem has begun. Happy late Christmas to everyone and I hope it was enjoyable for all of you. I for one got a new, much needed laptop. Much more powerful and can handle more than my old one.

Next chapter: Marcus and Applejack work on their english project, while things get more affectionate and he makes up with Big Mac.

26 Introducing Wallflower and loving apple

It was during lunch that I was approached by Wallflower, and she seemed to be more nervous than usual.

"I trust things went well?" She questioned, trying to sound sure, but still phrased it as a question.

"That's one way to put it," I responded with a chuckle.

"Ok?" She questioned, before shrugging, "Anyway, is now a good time to introduce myself?"

"It should be. I trust you can keep your distaste for Sunset in check?" I responded.

"Yes, I'll be good," Was all she said, as I led her to the group.

After a few moments of silence, she spoke up.

"So, what did you mean by that?" She finally decided to ask, making me sigh.

"Well, not only did we manage to make-up, but we also..."

"Yes?"

"Fine. I will just be blunt and say it. We ended up forming a harem with most of the other Rainbooms."

"What?"

"Yeah, exactly like I said. Somehow, I managed to make most... Well, all of them like me. Two of them just need more time."

"Not surprising," I heard her mumble.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," She responded nervously with a heavy blush.

"Ok," I simply said

"So, you're all together in a relationship?"

"Yeah, we agreed to have a friend with benefits type of relationship."

"Are there open spots?"

"Yeah, they gave me full control over who joins."

"Great!"

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh. Well..." She stuttered nervously with a dark blush.

"Wallflower, do you have feelings for me?"

"Maybe a little. Ok maybe more than that," She managed to admit, "Though, I'm not quite sure I am ready for something like that."

"Yeah, it's a little... No, very strange and will take a while for me to get used to it myself."

We finally arrived at the cafeteria and quickly spotted the Rainbooms sitting at their table. I noticed Wallflower sighed nervously, so I gently grabbed her hand in assurance. She quickly calmed down and we even shared a small smile, as I led her to their table. The girls noticed me and gave me a huge smile. Seriously, they haven't noticed the person I happen to still be holding hands with?! I quickly let go of her hand, as Rainbow decided to greet me in her usual way.

"Stud there you are. We were beginning to think you would never decide to take your rightful place at our table," Rainbow greeted me with a teasing wink, "Honestly, as our groupie you had an honorary spot, but now as our lover even more so. I thought I had to finally hunt you down and bring you here."

"Nice to see you are just as clingy in public, as you are when we're alone."

"Yeah, yeah. You're the only one I would ever act like this way towards. Lucky you."

"Who is that with you, darling?" Rarity asked me.

"This is the one I was telling you about. We usually eat outside together, but since you girls insist, I joined your table and she finally agreed to meet with you, this meeting is happening now."

"Yippie!" Pinkie called out, as she jumped out of her seat and rushed right up to Wallflower, "Hi! I'm Pinkie pie, though I'm sure you already know that. Nice to..." Pinkie was interrupted when she shook and gasped in realization, "It's you. You're the student I missed. I thought I met and befriended everyone in this entire damn school and that my Pinkie sense was wrong, but it wasn't. I of all people should have known better than to doubt my senses, but I just couldn't handle myself actually missing someone to befriend. This has never happened before. Oh well. I shouldn't dwell on the past and I get to befriend you now. Better late than never." Pinkie blurted out at a rapid pace.

"Huh?" Wallflower could only ask, confused and weirded out by the hyper girl's nonsense rant.

"Anyway, nice to meet you. Well, it actually completely is since Marky started a harem with the girls and me, so I am no longer a clingy jealous girl. Well, actually I am still clingy, but I am no longer jealous, or at least I can keep it in check. I no longer have any reason to have any beef with you, or any potential girl that Marky attracts."

"Yeah," Was all Wallflower could say in response.

"Why don't you two grab a seat and we can get to know your other friend?" Sunset suggested.

Wallflower took a relaxing breath, before nodding. As I took a seat, I noticed her take off her backpack, before she seemingly gave it a pondering look for a brief moment. She then gently placed it on the floor, before taking another relaxing breath. That was kind of weird, but it's probably nothing?

"Next time be sure to hurry it up stud, I don't want to lose out on my day," Rainbow teased me.

"We still have all of after school, my little Rainbow," I teased back, before gently rubbing her head.

"Hey! I'm not little!" She pouted cutely.

"Whatever you say my awesome Rainbow."

"That's better."

Messing with Rainbow while we are in a relationship is much better than when we were single. Through the lunch period, I noticed Wallflower managed to relax a little and successfully met and talked with the others. I could tell and figured it would take more time to get her out of her shell. It did take me a while too after all to get to the point where I am at socializing, but she is getting there. It may be slow, but she is making progress.

I awoke to the sound of my phone alarm and groaned, before gently rubbing my eyes. I pulled it out and saw I had a rather surprising text from Applejack.

Howdy Marcus... lover boy 😍. I would like you to meet me at my house, so we can get this project done. More than one if you know what I mean. Oh, and Big Mac told me he wants to talk to you. Not sure what's going on between you two, but hopefully it won't last long, so we can enjoy the day together. See you soon Don't keep me waiting 😘

Huh? Didn't expect her to send a text like this. Is she trying too hard to be playful like Rainbow? No matter. Now's time to get used to this whole harem thing.

I finally arrived, ready to get this whole thing done. Another thing is Big Mac. I haven't spoken to him for weeks and now all of the sudden he wants to talk. I still don't even know what his issue was. Hopefully, he wants to make up. To be honest I will be happy to be friends again, but it might take a bit for me to completely get over this. I will see what he wants and decide there. I walked right up the door and knocked on it. After a brief moment it opened, revealing Applejack.

"Glad you could make it... uh sugar cube," She greeted me as she led me in, before she gently grabbed my hand.

"As much as I want to take you straight to my room, so we can get right to it, if you know what I mean, Big Mac insisted on talking to you," She began before sighing in frustration, "It better not take too long, and he better not be overprotective. I can take care of myself."

"Really sis? That's funny because last I heard he beat you effortlessly at arm wrestling."

Applejack and I turned around to find Big Mac standing, with his arms on his hips and a teasing smile on his face. Applejack groaned with an angry embarrassed blush on her face.

"Well, he beat me a lot faster than you did. How do you like that?"

"Sis you are aware I hold back against you, right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I figured after my match with him," She sighed, "All this time I thought I was close to your strength only to meet someone else much stronger that made me realize I still have a long way to go, but I'll get there soon. I know it."

"I know you will. Now, may I speak with him, before you two work on your English project?"

"Just make it quick."

"No worries sis he will be with you soon and in one piece," He assured her.

Applejack reluctantly let go of my hand, before giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, to my slight surprise.

"I'll be in my room. Meet me there and try not to take too long," she told me, before going on her way.

"Come on. This has been a long time coming," Big Mac told me with a blank expression on his face.

I quickly followed him to the living room.

"So, how have you been?" He asked me rather bluntly, making me raise an eyebrow.

"You broke off our friendship for some reason I still don't even know and now after weeks now you have the nerve to start out with that?" I asked in disbelief.

"E..."

"If you finish that word, I'm leaving."

"Look, I'm not good at this. In fact, just our brief interaction today is already my weekly word quota," He began sighing, "I realized weeks ago how pigheaded I have been and wanted to reach out, but I was scared at how you would react. I have never had a friend before, and I was too much of a coward to face you. After your accident at the games, I tried to find the courage to approach you, but I still couldn't. It was to the point I stopped caring that AJ was gushing about you, about how you crush her at arm wrestling and that she finally found her dream guy. I am too overprotective of her, I admit that. To the point I ended a great friendship, just for giving her a good compliment and feared you winning her over," He explained before taking a deep breath, "Though I ended up being right, I was still paranoid at the time. I realized the only one I can handle being in a relationship with AJ, even in a harem is you. I understand if you are still annoyed or even angry, but I hope we can start over."

"Despite this I have no beef with you and am willing to start over, though you understand things have changed. Not only have I befriended the Rainbooms, but a couple other girls as well," I answered him with a sigh.

"Of course. I suppose I should give you props for achieving what many of us can only dream of, especially with the most popular group in school," He praised me with a grin and held out a fist.

"Thank you," was all I said, before giving him a fist bump.

After spending a couple minutes catching up a bit, I finally made my way to Applejack's room. Unlike Rainbow's it was fairly clean, and Applejack was currently sitting on the bed.

"About time you showed up," She commented, "Come on, let's get this done and maybe we can move on to something better."

I simply nodded, before I joined her, and we each took our textbook out. After about an hour into working and making great progress, Applejack panted and took her hat off to fan herself.

"Is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?"

Is she doing what I think she's doing?

"I hope you don't mind if I take off my shirt," She teased me with a wink, as she slowly took off her shirt.

She is! Well, this is out of left field, but I'm not complaining. In fact, I found myself mesmerized by her action and even gawking a little at her impressive muscular abs. It was actually nice to see that she does have visible muscle somewhere on her body and I found the impulse to touch and rub them.

"Like the show, sugar cube?" She teased me with a flirty wink, making me blush a little at getting caught, "No worries, I don't mind. In fact, go ahead and touch me. I know you want to."

I found myself quickly touching and rubbing her muscles and loved the feeling of them. After a few moments, I noticed a smirk form on her face.

"While this is all well and good. I am feeling a little left out," She told me, before she grabbed my shirt and gently pulled it up a little, "I see I'm not the only one with impressive muscles. Not surprising," She continued, before she began to feel my muscles up, "What do you say we take a break?"

I simply nodded, wanting nothing more than to continue this. Oh, I am beginning to enjoy this harem thing more and more. Applejack quickly grabbed our work and placed it on her desk, before rushing back to me.

"Now, let's remove this completely," she told me, before pulling my shirt off completely and we continued feeling each other's muscles.

After a few moments of this, I got a bold idea.

"As great as this is. I think we should do something to add to it," I suggested moving my face closer to hers.

"Oh? What Sugar-" I interrupted her by gently pressing my lips against hers.

She quickly melted into the kiss and feeling extra bold, I gently grabbed her butt cheeks and gave them a light squeeze. I heard her groan in pleasure, as I gently rubbed my tongue on the entrance of her mouth, before she quickly let me in. We quickly ended up tongue wrestling, and the match lasted a bit longer than the one I had with Rainbow, but in the end, I pinned hers down, making her moan loudly, before I explored the rest of her mouth. After a few moments we separated, panting for breath.

"Wow, sugar cube for an introvert you can be rather bold," She teased me with a smirk, "Always the quiet ones. Had it been anyone else, they would have gotten a kick in the behind, but you are the only exception."

"Yeah," Was all I said with an embarrassed blush.

"No need to be embarrassed. I really love it and I hope to see more of that side of you, when you get more comfortable," She assured me with a smile, "Feel free to do anything and touch me anywhere you want," She added before pointing at her large breasts, in an apple theme bra, "And I do mean anywhere."

"Right. This is going to take some getting used to, but I love it already," I stated with a smile.

"Same here sugar cube," She agreed, returning the smile.

After a moment of smiling, we slowly moved together into another intense kiss. This whole harem thing is turning out to be better than I thought, and I actually can't wait to do this kind of thing with the other girls.

Author's Note

Another one sooner than usual. First chapter of the new year. Hard to believe it has been almost 11 months since I started this. Things get heated with Applejack and Marcus and he introduces Wallflower to the gang. he even makes up with Big Mac and despite wanting to start over he makes it clear things are different and he has other friends and girls he's actually more than friends with, including his sister, though he seemed to realize what an ass he has been and to not stand in the way of his relationship with his sister.

Next chapter: Rarity finally gets her opportunity to spend time with Marcus romantically.

27 Fancy teasing Rarity

Once again, I have awoken to the sound of my phone. Lightly groaning, I took it out of my pocket and noticed I had a text from Rarity. Since it's her turn, let's see her romantic text.

Marcus my precious darling 😍 It's finally my turn and what luck it's on a Sunday so we have more freedom to have fun, if you know what I mean 😉😘I can finally give you your nice bonus, my precious little money maker. Come as soon as you can, and we can get right to it.

Figures, she would be flirty, especially after forming a harem. Might as well get ready for the day and see her.

I walked right to her front door and gently knocked on it. Knowing Rarity, she's going to go all out, but I'm sure I'm ready for whatever she has planned. The door opened and sure enough, Rarity was wearing a fancy blue dress, with surprisingly enough blue lipstick. There was even a pin, in the shape of three diamonds, in her hair, and she even wore matching high heels, with the same diamond symbols.

"Marcus, Darling," She purred with emphasis, "There you are. Don't you know it's rude to keep a lady waiting?" She teased me with a smirk and flirty wink, as she led me inside, "No matter you're here now. Don't you know how long I have waited for my turn?" She gave me quick kisses on both of my cheeks.

"You're not the only one. So, what are we doing today?"

"After spending some time continuing our business, we can properly pleasure ourselves," She simply responded with a wink.

She ended up leading me to her room, where we spent about an hour or so, working on designs, before Rarity panted dramatically.

"Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?" She shrieked with impressive acting, "I knew we should have checked the heater to keep it regulated. Marcus, darling, I hope you don't mind if I lift my dress a little," She teased me with a wink, before lifting her dress up a little.

I found myself mesmerized by her bare skin and was disappointed, when she stopped, before exposing at least one iota of her certain assets. What? I mean, admittedly, I enjoyed some of the others giving me a little taste of their breasts and actually would like to see more. Oh, God, do I have a boob fetish? Calm down. There's nothing wrong with having a fetish, as long as you keep yourself under control. My disappointment must have been clearly on my face, since Rarity decided to comment about it and she even moved so close to me, our lips were only a few inches apart and her bare bottom torso was touching my shirt.

"Disappointed, darling?" She teased with a wink, making me heavily blush in embarrassment, "That isn't proper behavior, treating a lady like a piece of meat, you know," She continued, playfully fake scolding me, as she gently rubbed my right cheek, "Unless she does it too, of course," She finished teasing, before she gently pulled my shirt up a little, making our bare skins touch.

I found myself liking the feeling of her soft skin, as she gently rubbed my muscular abs. She continued this for a few moments.

"When Applejack told us how strong you are, many fantasies ran through my mind. Many extreme ones of you as my shining knight in armor, or a handsome prince, or even a combination of both. Despite how extreme they were, I have to admit reality doesn't disappoint," She told me with another flirty wink, before she slowly pulled her shirt up further, "There you go, what you wanted. I just wanted to tease you a little and to get some enjoyment from your shirtless form as well," She explained, as she took her shirt completely off, revealing her lovely sizable breasts, in a white bra with symbols of blue diamonds.

She continued to gently rub my muscles for a few moments, and I managed to regain my composure.

"Rarity, this is so great, but do you know what will make it more so?" I found myself asking.

"What, darl..."

I interrupted her, by gently pressing my lips onto hers. She shook a little in surprise but managed to fairly quickly return the kiss. It felt so good to feel her soft lips again, but this time I wanted something more out of it. I gently rubbed my tongue on the entrance of her lips and to my extreme happiness, was given entrance. Due to the kind of girl Rarity is, I gently caressed my tongue with hers. She moaned loudly in pure pleasure, before I gently pinned her tongue down and eagerly explored her mouth. After a few more moments, we separated, panting heavily.

"Darling, that was... Wow!" She couldn't speak for a few more moments, "I wasn't expecting that bold move. Usually I am against them, but with you I think I actually prefer them."

"Did you really think I would let you get away with constantly teasing me without me acting myself?"

"Well, I have before in the past, but this makes things more interesting."

"What do you want to do now?" I asked.

"Since we did things a little improper, how about something more proper for once today," She suggested, "Since it's about lunch time and I know a great restaurant we can go on our first date."

"Sounds good."

"Just know it's fancy, so we have to dress up for it, though luckily for you I prepared an outfit for you."

"Great."

"I'm not one to brag, Marcus, darling. That's usually Rainbow's and Applejack's job, but you should consider yourself lucky to attract someone with high class and standards like me."

"You could say that again."

Rarity and I were currently sitting at a fancy table, at the fanciest restaurant I have ever seen. I was currently wearing a fancy suit and dress pants, while resisting the urge to rip them off, they were that uncomfortable. Rarity certainly wasn't kidding about being a girl of high class.

"Because of all your help, I am able to afford this place and it has been so long, since I've been here," Rarity told me, as she gently rubbed my hands, from under the table, "What could be better, than the fact I get to come back here, on my first date, with my dream boy?" She asked, before giving me a flirty wink, "In fact, consider this a bonus and that's not all, as I will make it extra special later," She finished, purring the final sentence, before playfully blowing me a kiss.

I simply nodded at first, with a heavy blush, as I realized how lucky I am to not only attract a beautiful girl like Rarity, but plenty of others to the point they agreed to share me. I listened to various gossip about how many guys would kill, just for one iota of a chance with Rarity and the others, yet here I am living that dream.

"Oh, you're not the only one who's going to make it special, my precious little diamond. You really think I am going to let you do all the work?" I asked, before I gently rubbed her hands.

"Of course, not darling! It's always more special when the couple works together. It takes two to tangle after all," was her response, before she gently grabbed my hand, "You know you are the first guy to make me feel like this. I've had plenty of crushes, but they were small and didn't go anywhere."

"Why?"

"Why do I feel that way?" She asked.

I simply nodded in response.

"I guess it was partly love at first sight. You were so handsome, when I saw you in that suit, back at my fancy party, and was a little envious Pinkie had you as a date," She began, before she tightened the grip of her hand, "It was small, though, like all of my previous crushes and would have stayed that way, if you hadn't continued to impress me darling."

"Impress you?"

"Yes, learning you were able to match Sunset as the one with the highest GPA, was a great start. Despite what many believe and how I come across, I value more than just looks with guys. Like I teased you before at the slumber party, intelligence is one aspect I really like in guys, though it seems rare for an attractive guy to be as smart as that. You were turning out to be quite a catch, from just that alone, then you dropped the big guns that really made me fall for you."

"I did?"

"Yes, you may not have done it intentionally, but you did, nevertheless," She explained with a smile, "Remember back when Pinkie shared with us your notebook, filled with your awe-inspiring designs?" She asked.

I simply nodded in response.

"The second I saw them, I saw my gold mind, or I thought the notebook was it at the time, until you showed up and revealed you were the artist. In hindsight, I should have believed you and again I'm sorry for that."

"I forgave you long ago."

"You are too kind. Another smaller reason, I am into you," She teased, while giving my hand a gentle rub, "It was at that moment, I actually struck both my gold mind of outfit ideas and my dream boy. Someone smart, handsome and with incredible artistic skills. It was then, I had to win you over, so I started flirting with you, in hopes that will happen, and despite things not working out exactly how I planned, I can't complain, since I still get what I want. Since then, plenty of little things have also added to it."

"Wow, I had no idea."

"You're more special than you think, darling. If you could win someone with a huge ego like Rainbow and even Trixie," She paused, to regain her composure, after cringing, when saying Trixie's name, "Or someone with high standards like me, then get ready to start dating every female teenager in town," She teased me with a giggle.

"The funny part is, despite exaggerating, you likely aren't too far off," I responded with a chuckle.

She joined me with a chuckle, before the waiter arrived with our food.

"Two roast beef, covered in gravy, with a side of mash potatoes. Enjoy young gentleman and lady."

"Have you ever eaten like this before?" Rarity asked me.

"No, one reason I am actually excited about this."

"Thought so. This is quite expensive and I'm sure you will pay me back for it," She teased me with a wink.

"Yes, I have a special way of playing."

"I'm sure you do, and I will be sure to collect."

"Well, darling, I have to conclude that our first date went well," Rarity told me, before nuzzling my face with her own.

We were currently lying together on the couch and cuddling with each other. Despite my only experience with this before, was with Pinkie, this feels really nice and relaxing.

"Same here. I was worried about this whole harem thing, but I like it so far."

"Same here darling. It's going to be hard to wait for my day again, but as long as I can still do this every day," She told me, before kissing both of my cheeks, "Since we still have time, let's do one I won't be able again, after today, for 5 more days," She suggested, before we intensely kissed again.

Today, I got a little insight into how I attracted Rarity and it was interesting and insightful. I am still a little stunned at how I attracted her, since I wasn't trying to, but I guess that helped make all the difference. At any rate, this harem is still working out well, and I can't wait for Sunset's turn.

Author's Note

You could call January the month of updates, as I planned to release two more chapter, with a special one early February. Here, we get a little insight into the perspectives of Rarity and how she fell for Marcus.

Next chapter: Sunset's turn. Two gamers bond with support from the stream audience.

28 Gamer Sunny

I awoke about half an hour sooner than usual and found myself reflecting on the past few days. To think I have ended up in a harem, with a group of popular girls, that I have somehow attracted. Before fairly recently, I not only never would have thought this would actually happen to me, but I would agree and like it so much. I am looking forward to spending time with Sunny and maybe some affection from the others between classes. I found myself getting ready faster than usual. I joined my dad at the kitchen table for a quick breakfast.

"You seem happier than usual lately."

"Yeah, I kind of am."

"Well, with your birthday coming up in a few days, it's good to see that, since you have managed to make some great friends. Most of which are girls your age," My dad began, before affectionately rubbing my head, "My son is a lady killer, I am so proud. For once, we can have a good party, since... You know."

Oh, yeah, my birthday. With everything that happened, I kind of lost track of the date and didn't realize that. Of course, I should invite the girls, Big Mac and maybe even Trixie. Since helping her, we have been sending texts to each other, and I want to get to know her a little more. Pinkie should already be planning on preparing for it and maybe even told the others.

"Yeah," was all I said.

"We can invite all the girls; you have befriended and maybe even have them spend the night here," He suggested with a smirk.

I found myself lightly blushing at the thought of that happening. More specifically, Pinkie, or even all of them getting into bed with me.

"This is great, you know. Lately, you really seem to have come out of your shell. Now, I don't have to worry much and can rest easy."

Only because my life ended up in a domino-like effect, where after spending time with someone, something happened to make me have to do something else and even events I have to repeatedly do. Though looking back, I can't complain, as this was my main goal, I am just surprised it ended up working like that. I figured it would be slower and more of a struggle, but I prefer it this way.

I entered the school and before I could even comprehend the inside of the building, my vision was filled with soft poofy pink hair.

"Marky! You don't know how hard it was to get through the weekend before I could do this again, while thinking about what Applejack and Rarity did with you. Tomorrow can't get here soon enough. At least I have your birthday to look forward to and my gift will be amazing, but it's a secret and I am not telling," Pinkie blurted out quickly, before she gave me a quick peck on the lips.

"You're toeing the line, Pinkie!"

"Calm down Sunset. I can show restraint and it's your day!" Pinkie argued back, before letting go of me and crossing her arms.

"I swear you need to learn patience is a virtue," Sunset simply told her with a sigh, causing Pinkie to blow her a raspberry, before turning towards me, "So, it's my day."

"Yes, Sunny. What do you want to do?"

"We can play games on stream and go from there."

"Sounds great, my future wife," I teased with a smirk, causing her to blush heavily.

"Please, don't say that! Or at least not so loud and in public," She began nervously, while looking across the halls and sighed in relief, when she didn't see anyone, "I never meant to say that and don't want it to be known to anyone else."

"It's too late for that, Sunny. Rainbow revealed you doing that, live on stream, remember, and when they find out about us, if they haven't already, they will put two and two together."

"Your future husband has you there, Juliet."

Sunset groaned and turned pale, as she turned around and saw the cocky smile on Rainbow and amused ones on the rest of the group.

"How long have you all been here?"

"We were close, when he called you his future wife," Rainbow explained, before addressing me, "Stud, to be clear, the only way you are marrying is, if we figure out how to do polygamy," She made clear, earning nods from four of the others, "If you are going to look for people listening, you might want to look behind you as well," She teased, making Sunset blush heavily in embarrassment.

"I am never going to live this down."

"Not for a long time at least," Rainbow answered, before turning towards and walking right up to me, "Anyway, after a weekend of withdrawal, I want... no need for some affection from you."

"You aren't the only one who wants it, my little rainbow," I responded, gently rubbing her hair.

"I'm not little," She gave me a cute pout.

"Fine, my awesome rainbow."

"That's better," She told me, before she gave me a quick pec, "Not as awesome as the ones before, but it should hold me over for now."

"Rainbow, you need to learn to enjoy and savor the small acts of affection," Rarity told her, as she walked right up to me, "Don't worry darling, at least I will enjoy any and all acts of affection, no matter how small."

Rainbow playfully rolled her eyes, before Rarity gave me a quick pec.

"I can't wait for our next fancy meal. I am more than happy to treat you to one of those, every time it's my turn."

"Sounds great," I told her, as Applejack walked right up to me.

"It's a bit of a shame we had a school project, but we still managed to get some enjoyment from each other," She told me, before she gave me a quick pec, "Next time we will be completely free to do anything and I will make sure it's much better, sugar cube."

"Glad to hear it."

"Alright, you girls had your share of affection for today," Sunset addressed the four, as she walked closer to me and placed her hands on my shoulders, "I am the only one that is allowed to do this, today" She finished, before pressing her lips on mine.

Since I realized what she was doing, I instantly returned the kiss and even gently began stroking her hair. She even opened her mouth, giving me access, without me having to tell her and we quickly wrapped our tongues around each other. I quickly pinned hers down, making her loudly moan, and eagerly explored her mouth. We separated from each other, panting heavily with grins on our faces. Figures, Sunny would pull this after their less intense kisses. We both chuckled at the annoyed and frustrated looks of most of the others.

"Calm down. You can do this when it's your turn," Sunset quipped with a smug smile.

"Low blow Sunset. You did that on purpose to make ours pale in comparison," Rainbow complained.

"And you did one by never letting me live down calling him my future husband, so we're even girls."

"Whatever."

"Rainbow, we agreed to these rules for this very reason. We have to try not to get annoyed or frustrated at another doing things with him and getting his attention. There is only one of him after all."

"I know, but to rub it in our faces."

"I only did it to get back at your teasing."

"Alright," Rainbow sighed, "Wednesday can't get here soon enough."

Sunset and I were walking to her apartment while holding hands. Today has been more interesting than usual. The girls would sneak in acts of affection from, holding hands under our desks during class, to quick hugs between periods, to even blowing me a kiss when I had to go. Sunset in particular sat near me during lunch and wrapped one of her arms around me. Throughout the period, she would nuzzle my face with hers and she even gave me another quick kiss when lunch ended. The other girls managed to take it in stride, though I could tell they were all waiting for their turn.

"Finally, school is over, and we can get to the fun stuff," she told me with a grin.

"Yeah."

"Ever since we started this harem, I have been waiting for this opportunity and I know my stream audience have been so painstakingly curious about my crush," she told me, as she gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

We finally reached her apartment and she led me inside.

"Go ahead and sit on the couch. I'll get us a couple water bottles and set everything up," she told me, before letting go of my hand.

I quickly took a seat on her couch and waited patiently, as she got everything ready. She handed me a water bottle and set up her laptop.

"Ok, I will start the pre-stream and make my announcement. Once I'm finished you can make yourself known."

"Sounds good."

She started her stream, and, on her laptop, the stream so far consisted of fan art of her with a confident smirk playing what seemed to be their version of call of duty, which turned into one of her raging at something that reminded me of dark souls.

"Good evening, everyone! I know what you are all thinking. I don't usually stream today, so there must be something special today, right? I am happy to confirm that yes there is," Sunset began with a smile, as she and only her appeared on the stream, "Ever since I answered a certain question, many of you have been curious who my crush is and one of my close friends even took it upon herself to ask lovely questions about it," She continued sarcastically, causing many to comment laughing emojis or 'lol' and any other variation, "I am happy to announce, I not only got with him, though in an unusual way, which I might get to later, but he is here with me today."

"Hello, everyone," I began, as I appeared on stream, "Like Sunset told you all I am her crush, apparently, and we got together in a strange, but welcome way," I continued, as I saw comments showing people were stunned and others showing they thought so, and others saying they aren't surprised, "Why a wonderful girl like Sunny, ended up liking me, I don't understand," I stated, as I gently wrapped an arm around her in a light hug, "I mean let's get real, She's beautiful, talented and so nice."

"Oh, thank you," She responded nervously with a light blush.

"Adorable too. Isn't she just wonderful everyone?"

Comments came pouring in waves of support and agreement. Sunset seemed flattered and even nervous seeing all of them.

You are adorable Sunset.

He's the luckiest boy on earth. I would do anything to be in his place.

Sunset, only you could end up with such a catch like him.

Sunny you ended up with such a charmer, but he speaks the truth.

"Ok, thank you, now let's get to the games."

"Sure, I have been curious about the kind of games that are in this town."

Sunset and I were in the middle of an intense fighting game match. Our health was both low and we both kept dodging and blocking hits.

"Alright, I am going to win this time and reclaim my position as the best gamer in the group."

"You are taking this seriously."

We both stopped moving our characters and looked at each other.

"Of course. I take all my accomplishments seriously."

"Calm down Sunny. You're still completely awesome," I assured her, giving her a quick kiss on her head, making her lightly blush.

"Isn't that right, everyone?" I asked rhetorically.

Another wave of comments in support, quickly rushed in, making her smile.

"Let's just finish the match and move on to another game."

We both nodded in agreement and continued the match.

We continued the stream for a few more hours, where we managed to sneak in small acts of affection from hugs to quick kisses on the cheeks and head, before she stopped, and it was time for me to go.

"Today was great. Can't wait for my turn again."

"Same here my awesome shimmering sun."

"One for cheesy pet names, huh. Well, at least it's better than Pinkie's party balloon one."

I simply chuckled with a cheeky grin.

"Before you go," She simply said, before we kissed intensely again.

I finally arrived home, more than ready to relax, before calling it a night. After about an hour, I heard a knock on the door, but shrugged it off and let my dad deal with it.

"Son, one of your female friends is here and ready to spend the night."

Wait, what? I quickly rushed to the living room to find Pinkie, wearing a backpack, holding a stuffed alligator in her hand and chatting with my father. The two seemed to be getting along and chuckling with one another. Pinkie noticed me and almost immediately, after her eyes lit up, she embraced me in a tight hug.

"Marky, this is so awesome. I am finally spending the night here and sleeping with you again."

"Pinkie, why are you here?"

"Since tomorrow is my turn, I figured spending the night is a must, so I can spend as much of tomorrow with you as possible," She simply answered with a grin.

"It's still Sunset's Day."

"I called ahead and got her permission and even then, she's done with you and what she doesn't know won't piss her off and make her rage against me, besides, I could have arrived at midnight, but even I don't want to do that, though I could."

"Alright, alright. If Sunset approves you can stay the night."

"Yippie!" She exclaimed, tightening her embrace.

"Marcus," Dad began, "Pinkie here was telling me about you and the others and your unique relationship."

"Ever since you know what, I have been worried about you not interacting with others and I am glad to see you not only made some great friends, but even attracted what seems to be a great group of girls, if Pinkie is a good indication. I can't wait to meet them all on your birthday."

"I'm sure they feel the same way sir," Pinkie agreed with a cute giggle, "I already told them, and they are excited for that day."

"Great. You know just knowing about you is enough to relieve my worries, Pinkie. Thank you for looking out for him and helping him socialize and get out there."

"Of course. I don't understand how anyone could be like that, but we all need a great friend to help us out with our problems."

"Son, you really seemed to have lucked out just with Pinkie alone. I know having a loving relationship with more than one girl is unusual and surprising, especially with someone like you, but it's great to see you have one.

"Your dad seems great! This is amazing, I finally get to see your room. Gummy can finally meet his daddy."

"That's great Pinkie."

We entered my room and Pinkie took a good look around.

"I figured it would be an artist's paradise. You can barely see it on your streams," She began, before she gasped, when she noticed Chopper, my pup, lying on the bed and rushed to him, "I knew Fluttershy mentioned your dog once, but to see him. He's so adorable," She gently lifted him up, "Hi I'm, Pinkie Pie, one of your new mommies." She cooed as Chopper licked her face, making her giggle.

I found myself smiling at the scene. In hindsight I should have figured Pinkie would do something like this, but at least she asked for permission and even knew arriving at midnight is crossing the line. This whole thing with the girls is going to take more time to get used to, but I am getting there and despite some taking quicker and questionable steps and actions, I am sure I can handle it and enjoy it.

Author's Note

Sunny's turn with her future husband. Also, Marcu's birthday is coming up which is actually my way to coincide with this fic's one-year anniversary.

Next chapter: Pinkie's turn.

29 Excited Pinkie

In hindsight, I perhaps should have expected Pinkie to pull this stunt. This is the same girl that purposely didn't bring one sleeping bag, to make it so I would have to share with her, after all. At least she got Sunset's permission and knew that arriving at midnight is inappropriate.

"Oh, Marky. This is amazing. I have been waiting too long, before we could sleep together again, and I even brought Gummy to help me get extra cozy," Pinkie told me, while embracing me and nuzzling my face with hers.

"That's great Pinkie," I simply responded, as I found the impulse to embrace her back and even gently rubbed her soft, long, poofy, pink hair.

For some reason, I've been drawn to her hair and that feeling has only increased, since I touched it after waking, back at the sleepover with the girls.

"Like my hair I see," She teased me with a giggle.

Despite blushing red in embarrassment at her teasing, I didn't let go and continued to gently stroke her wonderful, poofy, pink hair. She continued to giggle, before she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.

"That tickles. Oh, I can't wait for tomorrow. We are going to have our own little personal party," she told me with a huge grin.

"Sounds great."

We finally let go of each other and she quickly took off her boots and socks, with drawings of different colored party balloons, before gently wiggling her pink toes.

"That's better. Now I can relax and rest for the day," She said before gently jumping on my bed, "Come on and join me Marky."

I simply nodded before taking off my shoes and joining her.

I awoke feeling completely warm and cozy. I yawned and noticed Pinkie cuddling me, with one arm wrapped around me and the other wrapped around Gummy. Chopper was snuggled between the two of us too and even rolled over in bed. One of my hands was resting on her hair and like before, I found the urge to stroke it. I don't quite know why I am drawn to her hair, but I don't care. It wasn't long before I heard her make an adorable yawn.

"Good morning, Marky!" She exclaimed, "Oh, it's past midnight, so we can finally do this." She gently pressed her lips against mine and I gently kissed her back, "Our first good morning kiss and it's only going to get better from here," She gently nuzzled my face with hers.

We stayed like this for a few minutes, before I managed to sit up.

"Come on Pinkie, time to get ready."

"Please, just five more minutes," She begged me with puppy dog eyes.

"If we are going to make it to school on time, we need to get up now," I sighed, as I tried to ignore her cute pleading look.

"But aren't we going to get ready together?"

I froze and blushing hotly, I shook my head.

"Fine, but you owe me a kiss when we're finished," She pouted, before getting up and out of bed.

I sighed, before following suit. I swear Pinkie is a lot like an overgrown child. Now to get ready and spend the rest of the day with my hyperactive party balloon.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Pinkie asked me, while we left my house.

"We both managed to get ready in time and enjoyed a good breakfast," I answered, before scratching my chin, "What could I possibly be forgetting?" I moved my face closer to hers, "Something important. That I know, but I can't seem to remember," I gently stroked her hair, "Maybe you should jog my memory."

"Fine, be that way," She giggled, before our lips connected and I gently caressed her tongue, while she loudly moaned.

We separated seconds later with a goofy smile on both of our faces. Pinkie giggled again, before wrapping an arm around me and snuggled me close.

"My way of showing you are mine today," she told me

I simply sighed and shook my head. Figures, she would still be clingy and possessive. We finally entered the school, and everyone stared at Pinkie and I for a brief moment, before looking away. I sighed as Pinkie, and I continued walking through the halls. It seems everyone is now putting together that I am with multiple girls now and It's quite embarrassing to be under their eyes about it, but I will try to get used to it. It wasn't long until we stumbled upon the others.

"Good morning girls,' Pinkie greeted.

"Morning, Pinkie. Already all over him I see," Rainbow teased.

"Yeah, I slept with him last night again and it was a blast." Pinkie answered with a smile on her face.

"You what?" Rarity fumed in anger.

"Yeah, since I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, I decided to spend the night," Pinkie answered with a devious grin, that only made rarity angrier and she wasn't the only one, as Applejack and even Rainbow seemed peeved as well, "I called Sunset and got permission so blame her as well."

Sunset sighed and shook her head, as the others turned towards her and raised her hands.

"Hey, your little subtle threat of showing up at midnight, despite knowing it's wrong, made it easy for me to agree."

Pinkie only smiled back at Sunset while the rest of the girls shook their heads at Pinkie's behavior.

"Be that as it may, we can't exactly let you get away with this. It's only fair if we get to do this as well," Rarity pointed out, causing three others in my harem to nod their heads in agreement.

"Fine, we'll work it out," Pinkie agreed.

"Well, stud, looks like your girls are going to start sleeping with you at your house, isn't that great?" Rainbow teased me with a smirk.

"And I suppose you are, since you're next."

"Oh, yeah. This is going to be fun."

I simply sighed. Not only did Pinkie end up pulling a bold move, but it even led to the others, wanting to do the same thing, turning it into another trend of my harem. No matter. I can and will get used to this too. Now to get through school and spend the rest of the day satisfying Pinkie.

After hours of Pinkie getting in acts of affection between class and complaining about having to separate during class, The two of us left and she happily led me to Sugar Cube Corner to enjoy ourselves, as much as we can. We entered the building and she happily led me to a table.

"Just sit tight, Marky. I will bake us something delicious and we can enjoy ourselves," She told me, before rushing into the kitchen and after a few moments of loud noises, she rushed out with a large platter of sweets, and she gently placed it on top of the table, "Here we go. Now, we can enjoy ourselves and relax for the day," She took a seat and grabbed a handful of sweets, before quickly gulping them down.

"Do you eat sweets like this, all the time?" I asked.

"Almost every day. I love them so much," She answered, between a few handfuls.

I simply shook my head. She may be a weird, big sugar eater, but she's my weird big sugar eater and I wouldn't have her any other way. I grabbed my own handful of sweets and began eating them with her. This whole harem thing is going to take a lot of getting used to, especially with someone like her, pulling stunts, that led to new things to be added to it, but I suppose that is what makes it fun. I still can't believe one of the girls I am with now is a complete extrovert, but to be honest I am glad of that, because despite her antics she makes my life more interesting and actually more of a joy to go through.

Author's Note

Finally, after a few days struggle, I managed to finish this. The next chapter is the party chapter to celebrate this fic's one year anniversary, so you won't be seeing it until the 2nd of next month, Though I have something else planned, that will have a new chapter every day from the 26th onwards to lead up to that.

30 (special) Marcus' birthday

It has been more than a week since this harem has started, and the girls and I are still getting more and more used to it. Today is a day I have been waiting for, my birthday, and it happened to fall on a Saturday this year. Due to all of us spending time and even spending the night together, the girls and I have agreed to treat this as a free day. I took a quick breath, as I entered the living room which contained streamers, banners, and even a few balloons.

"Excited son? Your friends should be here soon. I'm going to get started on the barbeque. I trust you can greet them and keep each other company. I will be sure to greet all of them when I get the chance," Dad greeted me.

I simply nodded with a smile, before he left to the backyard. I felt my phone vibrate and after pulling it out, saw a text from the girls letting me know they were on their way. This is my first time in a good while, actually having others here for my birthday and it happened to be a bunch of girls, some that I happen to be in a harem with by the way. I noticed Chopper walk and jump onto the living room couch, before lying on top of it. I walked right up to him and gently pet him, while waiting for the girls to arrive. Minutes later, I heard a knock on the door, which I quickly answered, revealing Pinkie and the rest of the Rainbooms, holding presents.

"Marky, it's finally your special day and we get to celebrate it as more than friends. My gift is a special surprise and I know it will be better than everyone else's," Pinkie greeted me, while embracing me with one hand and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

"Keep telling yourself that, Pinkie. My gift is the best. Now move over so I can give him some too. I am going to take advantage of this free day," Rainbow responded.

Pinkie stuck her tongue out, but moved out of the way, allowing Rainbow and the others to enter the house.

"Like I said, my gift is the best, stud, and I know we both are going to enjoy today," Rainbow told me with a cocky smile, before she kissed me, slightly longer than Pinkie.

"Forgetting about us, Rainbow?" Applejack scoffed bitterly.

"I mean, I suppose you girls are here too," Rainbow shrugged.

"I never thought you would be clingy with a boy, Ms. No boy is good enough for the Dash," Applejack teased.

"That's before I met him. What about you? I could have said the same," Rainbow responded, lightly blushing in embarrassment.

"Hold on! I wasn't against the idea like you were. I just never met a boy that both seemed interested in me and appealed to me, before him," She answered, blushing hotly.

"Settle down girls," I found myself speaking up, "We agreed to have this be a free day for all for a reason. Calm down and let's try to enjoy it." I told them, before gently stroking their hair.

Both girls blushed at the action and nodded in agreement.

"Alright stud, but just know I am your best girl," Rainbow agreed with a cocky smile.

"Keep telling yourself that," Applejack responded, before sighing, "Alright sugar cube, as long as you give me a certain something, I will try to stop myself from arguing with Rainbow."

I chuckled, before moving my face closer to hers and gently connected my lips with hers. She eagerly returned the kiss and to my slight surprise wrapped her tongue around mine. We engaged in a quick, but fierce wrestling match, before I pinned her tongue down and explored her mouth. When we separated, panting, I noticed Dashie and the others looking a little jealous.

"Since Big Mac is coming and I don't want to risk him becoming overprotective, I wanted something more intense," Applejack explained sheepishly, before turning towards the others, "You girls will be able to do the same and you all don't have to worry about overprotective siblings."

The other four in my harem nodded in agreement, before Rarity walked right up to me and gently began rubbing my cheek.

"Happy birthday, darling and like I said before, I am not one to brag like Rainbow and Applejack, but I am sure you will enjoy my gift," Rarity told me, before gently pressing her lips onto mine.

I gently returned the kiss and while it wasn't as intense as the one Applejack gave me, it was still very enjoyable.

"There will be more where that comes from and even some as intense as Applejack's" Rarity assured me with a wink, making me lightly blush.

"How ironic. Me the first girl, in your harem, that you met, is the last one to greet you today," Sunset commented, as she walked right up to me, "No matter. Save the best for last."

"What are Fluttershy and I? Chopped liver?" Twilight deadpanned.

"I meant the last one that he is in a relationship with," Sunset responded sheepishly, "Anyway, like the others said, I am sure you will enjoy my gift. Here's a hint. It will help you understand more about our town's media," she told me, before gently pressing her lips onto mine.

Like most of the others the kiss was quick and gentle, but no less enjoyable. Fluttershy was surprisingly the next person to approach me.

"Happy birthday. I hope you don't mind that my gift is actually a few things for your pet," Fluttershy greeted me, softly.

"That's great. He could use some toys. Right, Chopper," I responded, getting a cheerful bark in return.

"Glad to hear it," She giggled, before turning towards him, "Hope you enjoy them," She kneeled down and gave him a few gentle pets, getting an affectionate lick in the face in response.

She giggled and gently lifted him up in her arms. I found myself smiling at the sight. I have only recently, through Rarity and a couple commissions, have been able to afford things, other than food for him. It was nice of her to pitch in and get a few things for him.

"Thank you," I told her, before I gave her a gentle hug, without thinking, making her squeak softly.

I quickly let go and the two of us stared at the other, blushing hotly. Why did I do that? I have never been one to do something like this out of the blue. Has this harem made me bolder and more used to showing affection? I guess I am more comfortable around this group that I find myself doing this, even to girls I am not in a relationship with.

"Sorry, I don't know what went over me."

"No, it's ok. That actually felt nice."

"Making your move on your sixth Rainboom to add to your harem, stud?" Rainbow teased me with a chuckle.

The others joined in, while Fluttershy and I only blushed harder in embarrassment.

"I guess I am just comfortable around all of you to do acts of affection like that, is all."

"Uh huh," Rainbow simply responded, "Whatever you say stud."

"Anyway, as the truly last one," Twilight began, making Sunset blush a little, "Happy birthday. This is my first time at someone else's birthday, and I am curious to experience it."

"No worries I am sure all of us will have fun," Sunset assured her, "Who else is coming?"

"Let's see. Big Mac, Wallflower, and Trixie," I answered, making most of the girls cringe and groan at the mention of the stage magician.

"Of course," Rainbow responded bitterly.

"I trust you girls won't tear each other apart?" I asked.

"No promises, stud," Rainbow responded.

I simply shook my head, as a few of the others agreed with Rainbow.

"Let me make it clear. I want no fighting. If you can't handle that, there's the door," I told them sternly.

"Stud, you..."

"I can and am! Do I make myself clear?"

Rainbow and the others nodded.

"Now, that is out of the way, place your presents on the clear table and feel free to sit down, until the others arrive."

"Five bucks it's Trixie and she decided to be fashionably late, getting ready," Rainbow quipped.

"Rainbow, you are toeing the line," I scolded.

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it?" Rainbow asked with a wink, "I am a naughty girl. Are you going to punish me?"

"I will deal with you and your teasing after this," I simply responded, while walking to the front door.

I opened the door, revealing Wallflower, holding a vase of flowers and looking nervous.

"H-hi sorry I'm late and I can't afford anything, so I picked a few flowers," She greeted me, blushing lightly.

I chuckled at the adorable, sheepish girl in front of me and gently embraced her, to her shock and happiness.

"That's ok. I'm just glad you're here," I found myself bold enough to give her a gentle kiss on her forehead, making her blush harder, "Come in and place those on a free table."

She simply nodded, nervously, with a smile, before I led her inside with the others.

"Oh good. It's the other girl, I don't want to pound into oblivion."

"Rainbow, now you are kicking the line!"

"Like I said, punish me stud," She quipped with a cocky smile.

Before I could respond there was another knock, making Rainbow groan.

"Now I am sure it's her."

"If it is, you better save your lip," I responded before leaving to answer it.

"Yeah, yeah."

I opened the door and was actually greeted by the sight of Big Mac, holding a large gift.

"Howdy."

"Howdy, the others are inside. Go ahead and set your gift with the others and join them."

He simply nodded before we returned to the others. Applejack sighed when she noticed her brother and Rainbow simply shook her head.

"Of course, Trixie is last," Rainbow commented.

"What took you so long to get here?" Applejack asked her brother.

"My way to give you time to give him some affection."

"That's nice of you," She responded simply.

"Eeyup."

After a few minutes, there was the final knock at the door.

"About time," Rainbow stated.

"Dashie, you realized that means being on your best behavior?" I asked.

"I just want to get it over with and you still haven't punished me." She quipped with a cocky smile.

"Me not doing what you want is your punishment," I responded, before walking to the door.

"What? Hey! No fair. Give me a real punishment," I heard her complain, while most of the others laughed.

I opened the door, revealing the stage magician in all of her glory, with a present and cocky smile on her face.

"Marcus, it's nice to see you again," She began with a smile, "It sucks that the Rain-brooms have decided to spend time with you again and knowing them, they don't want to share you."

"I think you will be happy to know they actually gave me full rein over that."

"Really? That is surprisingly kind of them," She commented, slightly stunned, before giving me another smile, "I actually have two gifts for you. One I wanted to give for a while now and what better time than now," she told me before she gently pressed her lips on mine.

I found myself quickly and just as eagerly returning the kiss. I gently licked her lips and quickly got in. I gently wrapped my tongue around her, and we began wrestling. I gently pinned her tongue down and explored her mouth, making her moan loudly. We separated, panting heavily and she gave me a goofy smile.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting that, but I loved it. That is what I call a great and powerful kiss and I am hoping for more," she told me.

"That can be arranged, if you don't mind sharing."

"Yes, I heard about the harem you formed with most of the rain-brooms," Trixie sighed, "I suppose, I don't mind sharing, since they gave you full rein."

"Glad to hear it. Go ahead and set your other gift with the others and please try not to be hostile with the others."

"If the rain-brooms can be good, then Trixie certainly can!" She shouted out to the others.

"Great, now we can get this party started."

"So, Trixie? What have you been up to lately?" Sunset managed to ask with a sheepish smile.

"Trixie has been rebranding herself as a stage magician. Since Trixie's band didn't work out and you Rainbooms," She paused for a brief moment, after cringing not to call them by the wrong group name, "Managed to become a success, Trixie and her friends decided to try a different route."

"That's great. I'm sure you will be a success."

"Of course! Trixie is the greatest magician," Trixie answered, posing dramatically, "Trixie meant one without any real magic and you girls aren't really magicians, since you have limited control and usage of it," She added when Sunset was about to speak.

"Point taken," Sunset nodded.

"You manage an entire garden at school on your own?" Fluttershy asked softly, while petting chopper.

"Yeah, well before Marcus came along to help," Wallflower responded sheepishly.

"That's still impressive. I would like to check it out. Maybe with a few of my animal friends.

"Sure, feel free. I would like for there to be adorable animals there."

Fluttershy simply nodded with a gentle smile, that Wallflower returned.

"Rainbow, what was that earlier," Applejack asked.

"What?"

"You know what I mean."

"Ok. Just me teasing Marcus," Rainbow simply said with a shrug.

"It seemed like you were antagonizing him."

"What? No, I was just playing a naughty girl, hoping he would punish me, you know."

"What has gotten into you? Before this whole harem thing, you were quick, too quick to deny any interest in him and now you are playing naughty just to get some."

"My mistake made me realize how important he was to me," She simply said, unaware of me listening in.

Applejack could only nod at the basic, yet compelling answer.

"How's your first birthday, Twilight?" Pinkie asked.

"It seems nice. It's great to be able to talk and chill with friends."

"We're glad we get to experience your first time with you," Rarity told her, before turning towards Pinkie, "I have to say I am surprised, you aren't hogging Marcus, Pinkie."

"Come on Rarity, I want to spend time with you girls too. Besides, I can and will hog him from you all later."

"Nice to know you have some limits, darling," Rarity commented, before rolling her eyes.

"Not interacting with the others, huh?"

I turned around and saw Big Mac interrupted me from listening in on snippets of the others' conversations.

"I could say the same about you."

"Eeyup."

Before I could respond my dad entered the room, carrying a large tray, filled with steak and hotdogs and gently placed them on an empty spot on the table.

"Hello everyone. I am Marcus' father. Don't mind me, feel free to eat while continuing to chat," He gave everyone, more specifically the girls a good look, "That's my boy. I see you managed to attract a bunch of attractive girls your age."

"Dad," I groaned, while most of the girls giggled.

"Alright, enjoy. I will get more so feel free to pig out. Feel free to open presents whenever. Don't wait on me. Have fun everyone," he said before returning to the back yard.

"Stud, I like your dad. He seems fun," Rainbow told me with a chuckle.

"Marky! Open mine first! It will be the best," Pinkie exclaimed, holding her present in front of my face.

"Calm down Pinkie," I simply said, before taking the present and began opening it.

To my surprise it was a new iPod.

"I already downloaded all of our songs and plenty of other goodies."

"Thank you, Pinkie."

"No problem, Marky," She responded, before embracing me and giving me a quick passionate kiss.

"Alright, move over, Pinkie. It's my turn now," Rainbow told her, causing the party girl to blow her a raspberry, "My gift is the true best one. Just to make that clear."

"Whatever you say, Dashie," I responded, before opening her gift.

To my complete surprise it was a pair of panties. A pair of Rainbow panties with drawings of clouds on the bottom. I'm completely speechless and don't know what to say.

"Rainbow..."

"See, I knew you would enjoy my special gift," Rainbow told me with a grin, "Enjoy, you're the only boy I would give a pair of my panties to."

"Rainbow, this is completely inappropriate!" Rarity scolded her.

"Upset none of you have decided to do the same?" Rainbow teased the group of girls, glaring at her.

"Rainbow, this is something I expected Pinkie to do," Sunset told her while rubbing her face in aggravation.

"Hey! At least I have standards, while she doesn't seem to have any limit," Pinkie argued, while crossing her arms.

"Yeah, thinking about it, I suppose you have a point, actually," Sunset admitted.

Pinkie grunted and looked away, angrily.

"I told you all, my gift is the best!" Rainbow exclaimed with a cocky smile, "Enjoy stud! As soon as you are ready, you will get the real thing."

"Rainbow!" Most of the girls scolded.

I managed to regain my composure and gently placed Rainbow's surprising gift into my pocket. Rarity was next and she gave me an apologetic look.

"Sorry about Rainbow, darling. I assure you my gift is more appropriate for the occasion," She assured me.

Rainbow rolled her eyes but gave me a wink, making me lightly blush. Ever since we made up, her antics have taken a different and somehow hot turn. What am I thinking? Rarity's gift ended up being a nice watch and she even gave me a passionate kiss to go with it. Applejack's gift was a large bottle of her family's apple cider and a passionate kiss too. She even stuck her tongue out at Big Mac, who simply shook his head. Fluttershy's gift was as expected toys for Chopper, who eagerly began chewing on them. Sunset's gift was various video games, that I assume are well known only in this one town and she happily gave me an intense kiss like the others. Twilight's gift was different books that again I assume are well known here. Big Mac's gift turned out to be cologne and he even gave me a fist bump. Trixie's gift was a bunch of artistic supplies, colored Pencils, notebooks, and even a few sketch books. There was also a deluxe backstage pass for her shows.

"My way to help my talented and special artist. Feel free to come and see me backstage before and after the show anytime. Bulk is nice, but he is a good guard. I let him know about you ahead of time, but this should help remind him," Trixie told me, before giving me a passionate kiss on the lips, causing most of the girls to give her dirty looks, but they didn't say anything.

"So, I guess Trixie is joining the harem now?" Rainbow asked somewhat bitterly.

After hours of socializing, it was now time for bed. Everyone was currently in their pajamas and in my room, which was big enough for all of us, after moving things into my closet.

"Figures, it would be an artist paradise, stud," Rainbow commented.

"Trixie is pleased that not only did she finally find an artist worthy of her, but he turned out to be her dream guy and is now dating him," Trixie announced.

"Hold up! He's with five of us. You haven't officially joined," Rainbow snapped.

Trixie gave her a dirty look and was about to respond, when I walked right up to her.

"You know she does have a bit of a point," I simply said.

"I do?" Rainbow asked.

"She does?" Trixie asked.

"Yeah, we may have kissed, but that was alone," I began with a devious smile, "What do you say, we make it official?"

Trixie, catching on, returned the grin and nodded.

"Yes, let's do it."

Like before we connected our lips into an intense kiss and even had a quick, but fierce tongue wrestling match. We separated panting heavily.

"I say it's official, right Dashie?"

"Well..."

"The rest of us are fine with it. Like I said it's up to you and them," Sunset told us, while the other three nodded.

"Fine, it's official," Rainbow agreed, crossing her arms.

"Now that's over with. Who is going to sleep with him in his bed?" Applejack asked.

Pinkie hummed as she looked at my bed and she smiled brightly.

"It looks big enough for three. So, two of us can get lucky."

"I guess, I don't mind sharing with most of you," Rainbow stated, giving Trixie a dirty look.

"Trixie can say the same about the rest of you rain-brooms, but Trixie can do it if Trixie must," Trixie responded, returning the look.

"Calm down girls!" I exclaimed with a sigh, "Now, how are we deciding?"

Pinkie pulled out a group of straws from her hair.

"Same as the slumber party? Give one to everyone in the harem, except for Dashie," I told her.

"What?! Why not me?" Dashie asked, annoyed.

"Your punishment for you toeing and kicking the line earlier. Plus, your words here have hurt your case."

"What?! Come on!"

"I thought you wanted a real punishment, Dashie? Be careful what you wish for."

"Yeah, well..."

"Aw, I was just joking Dashie," I responded with a chuckle, after a few moments.

"What? You ass!" She pouted, while angrily crossing her arms.

"Sorry, Dashie," I began, before walking closer to her and gently rubbing her hair, "What can I do to make up for it."

"Just one thing," She responded.

I simply smiled, before we intensely kissed and even had a quick tongue wrestling match. We separated after a few moments, panting heavily.

"Alright, enough fun and games, messing with my adorable little rainbow. Hand them out," I said, earning a mock pout from Dashie and a laugh from the others.

"Trixie is happy to see someone mess with Rainbow and fluster her so much."

"Get ready, Trixie. You will get the same treatment, my awesome and adorable magician."

"Why do you call her awesome right off the bat and me little?" Dashie complained with another pout.

"Because it's funny seeing your reaction to it."

"Whatever," Dashie scoffed.

After the straws were handed out and personally inspecting the lengths of them, I was stunned to find Wallflower was not only involved, but she also won alongside Rarity.

"Really, you're a part of this? I know you are interested, but since you are hesitant to get involved with the others..."

"My way to get used to and more comfortable with the idea," she told me.

I simply nodded in response.

"Marcus, darling, we finally get to sleep together and even if I must share with another girl, I won't let that stop me from enjoying it."

"Good for you, Rarity."

With that said and done, Pinkie handed out sleeping bags to the others.

"Good night pal. Seeing you interact with the girls has been entertaining," Big Mac told me, before getting in his bag in a corner.

"Good night. Glad I could provide quality entertainment to you."

"Marcus, is it ok if I sleep with Chopper?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"If he's willing, go ahead."

Chopper barked happily and licked Flutershy's face, before she carried him with her, into her bag, with an adorable giggle.

"Come on, Marcus, darling. I want to start cuddling next to you, now," Rarity told me with a wink.

I simply nodded as the three of us got into bed. Today has been a fun day and I am really enjoying this whole harem thing and even expanding it, starting with Trixie and maybe soon with Wallflower. Hell, like Rainbow keeps teasing, I might get with the last two Rainbooms too.

After a while I am still awake. I could feel Rarity cuddling me and even her moving a little in her sleep. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my thoughts on more recent events.

"Marcus, are you awake?" Wallflower asked softly.

"Yes, and I see I am not the only one," I whispered, "Having trouble sleeping?"

"A little?"

"Same here. So, what's up."

"I just wanted to thank you for everything."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you were the only one to remember me and actually reach out to me. Others just ignored me, and I felt so alone. Unlike with others, I don't feel embarrassed to socialize with you. It's great to actually have a friend. You have done so much for me, that I ended up falling for you," She explained, blushing hotly, before taking a relaxing breath, "You even helped encourage me to start reaching out to others, despite my fear too. I am still a little uncomfortable with the others, but I know with you everything will be fine."

"Glad to hear it, my adorable little flower."

"I..."

"You don't have to say any more," I assured her and gently embraced her.

She returned the embrace and we stared at each other with gentle smiles for a few moments, before moving closer into a gentle kiss.

"I still don't think I am quite ready for this whole harem."

"Don't worry, my little flower. Take as long as you need," I assured her, giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Thank you," She simply responded, smiling brightly.

"Now, let's try to get some sleep."

She simply nodded, before we closed our eyes, still embracing the other. No matter how long it takes her to join, I will eagerly wait for my precious little flower. Today has been fun with the others and I hope for more days like these in the future.

Author's Note

It has been at least a year since this fic started. Not only is this the longest story I have ever worked on, but it's the longest lasting one, with continuous updates. I hope you all continue to enjoy, and I work on even more updates for this fic's second year of life.

Next chapter: A visit from everyone's favorite pony princess.

31 Getting to know a Princess

It has been a few weeks since my birthday and the girls and I have gotten more used to this whole harem thing. During that time the girls have gotten fairly used to and have managed to tolerate Trixie more, when she insisted on sitting with me on her days. Speaking of Trixie after weeks of working and agreeing on different designs for her fliers and other forms of advertising for her magic shows, we finally agreed on a final design, which will be publicly revealed on her next show. The girls and I were currently eating lunch and Rarity were sitting really close to me. She even grabbed one of my hands and even nuzzled my face with hers.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit much, Rarity?” Pinkie asked somewhat bitterly.

“It’s my turn, Pinkie,” Rarity scoffed before rolling her eyes, “Besides, you’re one to talk, Ms. sit on his lap and try to feed him like a child.”

“What? That’s romantic.”

“You can be quite a child, Pinkie, darling,” Rarity shook her head.

“I am not! Right, guys?”

“You kind of are Pinkie. I love sweets as much as the next girl, but they are almost everything you eat all the time,” Rainbow answered, as the others, including me nodded.

“I am simply young at heart,” She pouted cutely.

The girls and I simply chuckled, before Sunset pulled out her journal, which was glowing.

“A message from Twilight? What could it be?” Sunset asked, before opening the journal, “Hopefully, it’s not her asking for help this time.”

“I don’t mind skipping school, if it is. I kind of want to enter the other world,” Rainbow responded with a grin, “Apparently, I will turn into a pegasus. Awesome. I am going to enjoy flying.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble pegasus girl, but Twilight is only visiting for fun. Thank goodness. After the whole Friendship games fiasco, I am more than happy this break from disasters continues,” Sunset answered with a smile.

“That’s great. It would be nice to see Twilight without having to worry about a threat!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Same here we all can catch up and she has the opportunity to get to know Marcus a little bit more. Oh, and meet you Wallflower, darling. I almost forgot about you,” Rarity added sheepishly.

“That’s fine,” She began with a sigh, “Still better than being completely forgotten by everyone.”

“That’s one of the reasons she’s visiting,” Sunset began sheepishly, “I may have told her about our harem, and she wants to know the guy that managed to win the hearts of most of us.”

“All of us actually,” Rainbow corrected with a grin, “Three just need more time.”

Fluttershy, Twilight, and Wallflower blushed heavily, but didn’t deny Rainbow’s words.

“Anyway, she finally managed to find free time from her Princess duties and friends. She will come after school, so we are definitely not ditching.”

“Fine,” Rainbow grumbled.

After school all of us were waiting patiently at the still destroyed statue. I noticed Twilight had a guilty look on her face, as she seemed to recall her actions at the games. I gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, it’s just that seeing this brings back terrible memories.”

“Still feeling guilty?”

She simply nodded.

“Twilight it’s not your fault.”

“But I was the one who let my curiosity led me to mess with dangerous forces beyond my control and understanding and ended up causing so much danger and destruction!”

“Twilight from what you told us; Cinch used her authority over you to corner you to do that. Don’t completely blame yourself.”

“But I still absorbed magic and was too obsessed to figure out what was going on!” She argued, as a few tears leaked from her eyes.

“Not intentionally. You made a mistake, as we all do. Sure, it was more disastrous than most, but at the end of the day it was still a mistake, and you are and will make up for it,” I assured her, before gently wiping her tears.

She smiled sadly at me for a brief moment, before she lightly embraced me.

“Thank you. You know you really are a great guy,” She began, lightly blushing, “Handsome, smart, and so nice and comforting. The others are lucky,” Then, she, to my surprise, gave me a kiss on the cheek.

I lightly blushed from the act, before hearing chuckles from the others.

“Making your move on our Twilight, stud?” Rainbow teased me with a wink.

Twilight quickly separated from me, looking sheepish.

“Sorry. I don’t quite know what went over me.”

“It’s ok. I’m just glad you are feeling better.”

Twilight simply nodded, before out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something, or should I say someone, appeared out of the broken statue. I turned around and saw Princess Twilight getting up with help from Sunset.

“Since it has been weeks since I’ve been here, I have gotten rusty arriving without any issues,” Princess Twilight stated, before gently rubbing her head.

“As long as you can walk like a normal person, you are good,” Sunset assured her with a smile.

“Right. You know I envy you for having an easier time.”

“I’ve been here for years, remember? If I return to Equestria, I will experience the same thing.”

“It’s great to see you again girls,” Princess Twilight greeted most of the others, before turning towards me, “And boy. Oh, and I see there’s another one with you. I am happy to see you expanding your friendship to others.”

“Well, Marcus here is kind of responsible for that actually,” Sunset admitted sheepishly.

“It doesn’t matter who is the one that sets the ball rolling. You girls are still having her take part in the group,” Twilight responded with a small smile.

“Right.”

“It feels nice to be here for once without having to worry about a threat and I can have fun with you all.”

“Hey Princess. While it’s nice to be able to have fun with you for once without having to stop a threat, next time can we come visit you to Equestria?” Rainbow asked with a cocky smile, “I want to see what your world is like.”

“She also wants to become a pegasus and fly,” Sunset added.

“I see,” Princess Twilight chuckled, “I don’t see any issue, though you are going to have to get used to seeing your pony counterparts.”

“Two rainbows? The universes won’t be able to handle all that ego in one spot,” I quipped, earning a chuckle from most of the others and a pout from Rainbow.

“More like being unable to handle that much awesomeness,” Rainbow responded.

“Thank you for proving my point, Dashie,” I told her with a smirk, before gently stroking her hair.

“Yeah, well…” She couldn’t finish, while she lightly blushed.

“I think I am already beginning to see why you all like him. Anyone that can keep a Rainbow Dash in check is worthy of respect and admiration,” Princess Twilight said with a smile.

“You are only seeing the beginning of it,” Sunset told her.

We entered Sugarcube Corner ready to enjoy a nice treat before heading to Sunset’s apartment to enjoy the rest of the day with Princess Twilight.

“So, what has been going on since my brief visit?” Princess Twilight asked.

“Not much threat wise and we had to deal a little with the aftermath of the games. Let’s just say Principal Celestia and the school were put under inspection, since they had to give a report of what happened to a certain someone,” Sunset answered, before sheepishly looking at me, “Of course they didn’t report the magical events, just that there was danger.”

“I see.”

“What about you and Equestria?”

“I have a student now. Her name is Starlight Glimmer and she’s a talented unicorn with impressive potential with magic, but sadly she had a horrible experience with friendship.”

“Was she the one responsible for you having to travel through time?”

“Yes,” Princess Twilight sighed, “She had a horrible experience with Cutie Marks, which led to her forming a cult, where everypony has the same one. After my friends and I managed to stop her, she became obsessive and traveled back in time to stop the girls and I from becoming friends.”

“And from what you told me your friendship is responsible for saving Equestria countless times,” Sunset nodded, earning a nod from the human princess.

“I had to go through different timelines, where a different villain won. I tried to stop her, but like I said she’s talented and was able to hold her own against me.”

“Despite being an alicorn?” Sunset asked.

“Of course, I was holding back and keep in mind it will take a while for me to grow fully into my greater potential. Still as the element of magic it’s still impressive of her. One reason I took her on as a student.”

“How is she holding up?”

“She is still adjusting.”

“Yeah, I was the same way after the fall formal. The overwhelming guilt and desperately wanting to make amends, but not knowing quite how to do it. It didn’t help that only five girls didn’t treat me with hostility, though I was sure it was only because of orders from you.”

“Sunset, that’s not true,” Rarity assured her

“Would all of you, or even just one, reach out and be my friend if Princess Twilight didn’t ask you to?”

Rarity and the rest of the Rainbooms, minus human Twilight, had guilty looks on their faces.

“That’s what I thought.”

“Sunset, we are really friends. Honest!” Pinkie tried to assure her.

“I know we are, and I am not arguing against that, Pinkie. I am just saying it didn’t start out that way. At the time I figured the best hope for me would be for there to be a new student. One that didn’t have to put up with old me. One I would have a great first impression with,” Sunset explained.

“Is that why?”

“Not exactly. Things were rocky and I thought I screwed everything up, but he ended up helping me in a different way than I first hoped. He helped me relax and not dwell on it too much, which will make my behavior more natural and help me out in the long run.”

“I see. Nice to see someone managed to help her out, even though I left that in the hands of you girls.”

“Hey, we stuck by her and comforted her from the hostility. We didn’t think anything wrong and supported her being determined to change her ways, which is what you want,” Rainbow argued.

“Being a good friend is noticing when something is actually wrong. Sometimes you have to read between the lines and notice when a friend has an issue, whether or not they admit it or are even aware of it.”

“Sorry Twi, but we just didn’t notice,” Pinkie answered sheepishly.

“Considering, I had to personally get the five of you to make up over minor things, despite being close friends for years, perhaps, while you still looked out for her, you all actually weren’t the best ones for the job.”

“Hold on they weren’t minor!” Applejack argued bitterly, while the other four involved nodded.

“Ok they clearly meant more to all of you, fair enough. However, you all have been close friends for years and not once did you think to talk it out. Seriously, just one mistake, even if it was major to all of you, is enough to destroy it with no hope of making up. Even if it was important to you at the time, you would think after a few days at most you would all get over it and make up on your own.”

This caused the five to look completely guilty. Princess Twilight sighed before shaking her head.

“In hindsight I should have called you all out on this earlier, but I was too focused on getting my crown back.”

“Sorry for the long wait, girls. We are very busy today, as you can tell,” Mr. Cake announced before placing our ordered treats on the table.

What am I chopped liver?

After finishing our treats, we all headed to Sunset’s apartment. Once we all got inside Pinkie squealed.

“Oh idea! Why don’t we have another sleepover with Princess Twilight?” Pinkie suggested with a huge smile on her face.

Most of the others gave her unsure looks, while I shrugged. I don’t mind if it ends up happening. I don’t even really need to get anything, as I am sure Pinkie has sleeping bags and I don’t mind not having pajamas.

“I don’t know Pinkie,” Sunset began, pausing for a brief moment, after receiving a pout from the energetic party girl, “Yes, it’s the weekend, but I am sure Twilight will be too busy.”

“Actually, I am sure I can stay an extra day if you girls want. My friends told me they will handle everything, and they don’t mind working an extra day.”

“Ok, if you say so,” Sunset nodded with a small smile.

“Yippie. A sleepover with Marky and two new girls and I don’t have to be jealous too!”

“Jealous?” Princess Twilight asked, confused.

“Before we formed this harem, let's say some of us were clingy and jealous towards stud here... Some more than others,” Rainbow answered with a chuckle.

“A lot has happened in my absence. I mean I expected that, but not something interesting like this.”

“From what we hear, you had your fair share of interesting events, Ms. too busy restoring the timeline to help us,” Sunset teased, making the pony princess turned human blush sheepishly.

“Right.”

Sometime later most of the girls left to get their pajamas, while Sunset decided to change into hers. Princess Twilight decided to spend the time talking with me.

“So, how did you meet the girls?”

“That’s a bit of a story, since I didn’t exactly meet them all at once. I met Sunset when she gave me the school tour. She seemed nice at the time, though her behavior didn’t seem natural and was a little weird.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You already know how she was desperate to meet someone new and make a great first impression as the new Sunset. Let’s just say things were rocky at first, when she made a little rude comment about how weird my name is. It wasn’t that big of a deal, though she seemed to think it was to my confusion at the time. We managed to get past that, and throughout the tour she seemed nice. Too nice.”

“Too nice?”

“Yeah, it seemed a little forced. I know she really has changed, but she was pushing it too hard.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Which is better in the long run for you? To act naturally good without thinking about it or to focus so much at it and push yourself to go further than you normally do. Can you imagine the stress she felt at the time? The fact that one minor rude comment made her beg for forgiveness. She’s going to make mistakes and it’s better if she is calmer and more relaxed about it then overreacting.”

“You have a point. I am beginning to regret just leaving her. I know the others are great friends, but they really weren’t suited for this kind of thing.”

“Don’t be hard on yourself. From what the others told me you couldn’t stay without having to wait another thirty moons.”

“I know,” She sighed, “But I still feel guilty.”

“What are you two talking about?” Sunset interrupted us.

“Just telling her about how I met all of you,” I simply responded, calmly.

Twilight nodded sheepishly, due to almost getting caught talking about Sunset.

“Sounds great. While we wait for the others to come back with their pajamas, which I actually agree with you that they aren’t necessary, Let’s just relax on the couch. Maybe I can introduce the princess to one of our human forms of entertainment.”

“What kind?” She asked curious and in excitement.

“I guess the best way to describe it to you would be, think of a book, but you get to actually see and control the character on the adventure.”

“Really? That sounds exciting!” She exclaimed, sounding excited and more curious, “Please show me.”

I chuckled at how cute she looked, gushing over something new for her to learn and experience. Normally, I would keep that thought to myself, but recently I have gotten bolder at saying things unprompted

“You know you are really adorable getting excited at learning about something new,” I told her, before I gently rubbed her hair.

“Adorable?” She squeaked, blushing hotly, “You think I’m adorable?”

“Yes, it’s really cute how curious you are at learning,” I answered with a grin.

She simply nodded, still blushing hotly, while Sunset chuckled at the scene.

“Getting more forward lately?” Sunset asked with a wink.

“What can I say? Somehow spending time with you girls helped gave me a final push to get out of my shell.”

“Glad to hear it. You are better and more charming when you are more forward with us,” She told me, before turning towards Twilight, “What do you think Twi? I know you only really just started to get to know him, but isn’t he charming?”

“Very. I never had a boy compliment me like that before,” She answered, nodding sheepishly.

“Even as a princess?” I questioned, before shaking my head, when she shook her own, “That’s just wrong. From what Sunset and the others told me about your adventures, you really are an amazing girl, and I can’t wait to get to know you more.”

“I feel the same way about you.”

“Now, then how about we show Princess Twilight the joy of video games?” Sunset suggested.

I simply nodded, before the three of us headed to the couch. Princess Twilight might be a princess from another world, but she seems like a cute curious nerd about new things, like her counterpart. I think I am going to enjoy getting her flustered even more than when I do it to Dashie.

Author's Note

Welcome to the first of a trilogy where Princess Twilight finally returns and actually gets to know Marcus a bit more.

Next chapter: Sleepover with a princess.

32 sleepover with a princess

“This is unbelievably amazing! My friends from Equestria would enjoy this!” Twilight exclaimed, before the game over screen appeared.

Sunset and I looked at each other completely amused at the excited pony princess turned human, gushing at losing at a video game.

“Never thought I would see someone be so excited, despite losing embarrassingly,” I commented with a chuckle.

“It’s so infectious that I am not even annoyed at her wasting all of my lives, I spent weeks accumulating,” Sunset added with a small smile.

“I think I am beginning to get the hang of it,” Twilight announced with a smile, before taking a power attack from an enemy, getting killed again, “Dang it. I will beat you eventually.”

“She hasn’t given up after thirty minutes on the first boss. She doesn’t quit no matter how long and how many times she fails, I will give her that,” Sunset said with a smile.

I simply nodded in agreement. Suddenly, right when Twilight managed to end up in a lucky steak of finally dodging the boss’ attacks, there was a knock on the door.

“Must be the others,” Sunset mumbled, before rushing to the door.

“Did I finally do it?” Twilight asked innocently and looking adorable, as the boss finally died, “Yes, in your face. No villain is a match for Twilight Sparkle!”

“Even though it took you over a hundred tries?” I quipped with a small smirk.

“Oh. I wasn’t the only one keeping track, I see,” Princess Twilight began with a sheepish smile and light blush on her face, “One hundred and thirty-six times by my count.”

“Teaching princess egghead how to play video games, I see,” Rainbow quipped with a smile on her face.

“Yep, it’s almost as fun as beating you at your favorite game Dashie,” I responded with a grin.

“Enjoy it, stud, I will end your streak one day.”

The girls and I were currently sitting down in a circle on the floor, playing at Dashie’s insistence, truth and dare again.

“Nice to see sleepovers aren’t that much different here,” Princess Twilight commented with a smile.

“Alright stud I have been waiting a while to get another crack at you again and this time I am going to end up on top.”

“Keep dreaming my delusional, adorable, little rainbow,” I simply responded before gently stroking her hair and giving her a quick kiss on her forehead, making her blush sheepishly.

“I… How do you affect me like this?” Rainbow shook her head, “Nevermind! I won’t let this get in my way of finally beating you!”

That’s my dashie. Isn’t she adorable and entertaining everyone?

“Just don’t get too trigger happy with him you forget us, Rainbow,” Applejack teased with a chuckle.

“Don’t worry. I have ideas for all of you,” Rainbow scoffed with a devilish grin, as she looked at all of us, “Oh and Princess I am not going easy on you.”

“I’m friends with your pony counterpart. I am no stranger to playing a rough game of truth and dare.”

“Good. Let’s get started.”

“As our guest of honor, why don’t we have the princess spin first?” Sunset suggested, getting nods from everyone else.

Twilight smiled nervously, as she spun the bottle, before it landed right at Fluttershy.

“Ok Fluttershy. Truth or dare?”

“T-truth.”

“Alright since I am here to learn more about a certain someone,” Princess Twilight began, giving me a quick look, “All you have to do is tell me what you think about him.”

“O-oh,” She squeaked nervously, before taking a relaxing breath, while blushing hotly, “Well he is handsome and nice. He seems to like animals and… and…” She paused to take a deep breath, “When he hugged me during his birthday, I felt so warm and safe.” She managed to finish, before realizing what she admitted and stammered, “Oh. I didn’t mean to say the last part.”

“Even though you struggled to, Fluttershy,” Rainbow quipped with a chuckle, making the shy girl hide behind her long hair, “It’s clear you have a crush on him like the rest of us,”

“O-ok maybe a little, but I don’t think I am ready to handle this whole harem thing yet.”

“Take your time Fluttershy. The offer will always be open,” Sunset assured her.

“Want to bet, the second they are alone, she gives into her urges and joins right then and there?” Rainbow asked with a chuckle, making the shy girl blush nervously.

“Alright enough teasing Shy,” Applejack told Rainbow, “It’s your turn Shy. When you are ready.”

Fluttershy simply nodded. After a couple minutes she finally spun the bottle and it landed on Rainbow.

“Your chance for payback, Shy,” Applejack noted.

“Please, I doubt she would and even if she does it would be anything good,” Rainbow scoffed.

“You know Dashie I figured after all the times I messed with you, you would have learned beware the quiet ones,” I quipped with a smirk, causing Rainbow to pout and the others to chuckle.

“He got you there, Rainbow, as usual,” Applejack teased with a smirk.

“Rainbow, truth or dare?” Fluttershy asked, after we all calmed down.

“You know me Flutters. Dare.”

“Since you enjoy my, as you call it, being sappy by revealing my thoughts on him, I want you to do the same and don’t leave anything out.”

“What! Come on Fluttershy!” Rainbow complained, cringing at the thought of doing that, especially in front of the others.

“I told you,” I teased, before I and the others laughed, while Rainbow again pouted.

“You were never this devious in all my years of knowing you,” Rainbow complained.

“That makes it a double edge sword. I know you enough to know your weakness,” Fluttershy simply responded with an innocent smile, “Besides, Twilight wants to know, and you should learn not to be ashamed of your feelings.”

“Fine!” Rainbow began, before taking a deep breath, “I guess it started when I first met him as my tutor. I did find him handsome, I admit,” she admitted before taking a quick breath.

“I never would have thought with you it was attraction at first sight, Rainbow, darling,” Rarity teased with a grin.

“Oh, shut up! Just because I was against romance, didn’t mean I couldn’t find guys hot.” She responded bitterly, before deciding to continue, “I didn’t know or think he was egghead material, like the Twilights here.”

“Hey!” Both Twilights exclaimed, offended, at the same time, before looking at each other sheepishly.

“Anyway, he still showed himself as one, but as a cool one” She continued, before getting a tight hug from me.

“Glad to hear that, Dashie, my awesome moronic, yet cool adorable rainbow,” I told her,

“Yeah,” She simply began, blushing hotly from my words and hug, before taking a deep breath, “Despite that since I was against romance I denied my true feelings for him, until a certain incident that forced me to realize how important he was to me. Now I am more honest about them, and I am much happier about it,” She finished, while returning the embrace.

“I see,” Twilight began with a smile, “Your counterpart is the same way and it’s nice to see one of you open your mind to this kind of thing.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now, let’s move on now,” Rainbow responded somewhat bitterly.

“Alright stud, after hearing from Applejack how strong you are, I want to see it for myself,” Rainbow told me, before placing her right arm on the table, “I bet she was exaggerating.”

“Considering, she told me you have never won against her I don’t see how you could think that,” I quipped, getting a chuckle from said country girl.

“He got you there, Rainbow.”

“I almost do beat her,” Rainbow pouted.

I and the rest of the girls simply chuckled, before I placed my left arm on the table. Rainbow grabbed my hand with hers and tried to give it a tight squeeze, only for me to return the favor.

“Ow. Lighten up a bit, stud,” Rainbow complained with a pout.

“It’s not too late to get out of this Rainbow,”” Applejack teased with a chuckle.

“Please, I never back down from a challenge,” Rainbow scoffed.

“Right. Sugar cube, if you instantly pin her arm to the table, I’ll give you a reward.”

“It better be a good one, my small apple,” I simply responded, making her blush at my nickname for her.

“Apple? That has to be the worst nickname you have given to one of us, Stud,” Rainbow teased with a grin, making Applejack groan in anger and annoyance.

“I will now make the reward an even better one, sugar cube.”

“Like you would be able to do that anyway, stud,” Rainbow teased me with a chuckle, “On the count of three we both go all out. One. two. Three. Go!”

She tried to pin my hand with everything she had, only for her hand to almost instantly get pushed onto the table. She looked at her pinned hand in pure shock, before she blushed hotly.

“That doesn’t count! I wasn’t ready,” She freaked out, while the others chuckled and smirked at the scene.

“Sure, my little weak rainbow,” I teased with a smirk, making her blush darkened.

“I am not little or weak. Again.”

We connected our hands again and she gave me a determined look.

“Now, I am ready. Go!”

She tried again to push my hand to the table only it wasn’t budging.

“Oh, I got you now, stud,” she told me cockily despite struggling to even keep the stalemate going.

I sighed, before slowly moving her hand onto the table again.

“No!” Rainbow grunted and tried desperately to move my hand.

Finally with a strong final push, I pinned her hand onto the table again. She simply looked at her pinned hand in defeat, before she sighed dreamily.

“You were saying Rainbow,” Applejack teased.

“Oh, shut up! Ok I can see how he beat you now, but I don’t like it,” Rainbow responded bitterly.

“Really? I heard you sighed dreamily. I see I am not the only one that gets turned on when getting dominated.”

“I am not turned on!” Dashie snapped bitterly.

“It’s ok, my adorable rainbow. I like it when you play tough,” I assured her, before gently stroking her hair, making her lightly blush, before she sighed.

“Ok. Maybe I do get turned on by that, but only when he does it,” She admitted sheepishly, “I can’t explain it. He’s just different and the only boy to make me feel this way.”

“Rainbow, I have been waiting God knows how long for you to catch the love bug and now that it happened. Oh, I don’t know what to say.”

“Do you have to be like this Rarity?” Rainbow asked somewhat bitterly.

“Considering, we are sharing him in a harem, I think I am more justified to be so.”

“Fine, I guess. Whatever.”

“You should start being more honest about your feelings, Rainbow. Like I am.”

“Speaking of feelings. Mind sharing yours about him, Applejack?” Princess Twilight asked.

“Sure, it all started when Big Mac finally decided to introduce me to him,” She recalled somewhat bitterly, before managing to move on, “I admit I thought he was handsome at first, but unlike Rarity, looks aren’t too important to me.”

“I will have you all know; I care for things more than just looks. Like his intelligence and artistic skills,” Rarity interrupted with a scowl.

“Good to know,” Applejack simply said with a small grin, before continuing, “For an introvert he can be charismatic and has a way with words. I remember how he complimented me, making me feel as beautiful as Rarity. Looking back, I think then I developed such a small crush I barely noticed it.”

“Oh my! How delightful!” Rarity exclaimed gushing, “Although, I am a little disappointed that you never did that to me, darling,” Rarity teased me with a smirk.

I found myself blushing lightly at Applejack’s reveal and Rarity’s teasing. At least Applejack decided not to go into explicated detail about that whole thing. That was one of my moments where I acted without thinking and while I don’t regret doing it, I rather not recall that embarrassing thing.

“I mean it should go without saying for you, though I suppose I will squeeze a moment in or more in the future.”

“Nice save and I will hold you to that, darling,” Rarity responded with a giggle.

“Anyway, as we spent more time together, I began to enjoy his company, especially him knocking Rainbow down a peg,” Applejack continued with a chuckle, before most of us joined, while Rainbow pouted.

“What is it? Shame Rainbow Day?” She asked bitterly.

“Don’t worry Dashie. I still love my awesome rainbow,” I assured her, before giving her a tight hug.

“You better.”

“On the Saturday after the last sleepover is when I both realized my bottled-up feelings for him and they became stronger and erupted out of the surface,” Applejack began before taking a relaxing breath, “I have a thing for strong guys, but sadly the ones that could give me a challenge, or even beat me, other than my brother aren’t my type. Until he came along. When I lost to him, it opened my eyes to my feelings for him and the rest is history.”

Later that night we all finally decided to hit the hay and Pinkie provided sleeping bags for all of us, except me and Sunset.

“Since tomorrow is my turn, you get to sleep in our bed this time,” Sunset told me with a huge smile on her face.

“Just don’t be too loud you two," Rainbow teased with a chuckle, making the two of us blush heavily.

“Must you be dirty minded, Rainbow?” Sunset asked bitterly.

“I mean we’re all teenagers with urges and hormones,” Rainbow shrugged with a smirk.

Sunset and I shook our heads and made our way to our bed. I quickly got to the right side, before she gently cuddled right next to me and pulled the covers over us. She then wrapped her arms around me.

“Pinkie, if I catch you trying to steal him from me, your ass is kicked out of here! I don’t care if it’s in the middle of the night!” Sunset shouted.

“Come on! I would never think… Ok I have thought of it, but I wouldn’t do it. Rainbow might though.”

“What!? All I do is tease you all. I would never do that!” Rainbow exclaimed before mumbling something.

“What was that?!” Pinkie asked.

“Nothing!”

“You all have an interesting dynamic with him,” Princess Twilight noted, “This has all been interesting and I am curious to learn more.”

“Great, now we have two eggheads… Well two and a half since stud is too cool to be a full egghead.”

“Thank you, my sweet rainbow. You are smarter than a full moron.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Finally, after that fun interaction we all decided to hit the hay for the night. Today was interesting with Princess Twilight and myself learning more about how some of the girls feel about me and I know more are going to spill their guts later.

33 Starting to share things between worlds.

I awoke to find Sunny clinging onto me like her life depended on it. I could hear her mumble in her sleep.

“Daydream, young man, what have I told you about messing with your father’s paintings?”

Is she dreaming about having a son?

“I know you want to be an artist like your father, but you should focus on your own notebooks we got you. I swear you are more of a handful than I was for Princess Celestia. Oh, he is finally home. Good evening, Marcus. You don’t know how much I miss you. Yes, he was a handful today as usual.”

Great, not only did she think ahead to marriage with me, but she even dreams about us having a son together. In what seemed like minutes she finally woke up yawning deeply.

“Oh, good morning.”

“Good morning,” I responded with a smile, “Sleep well?”

“Yeah, much better than usual.”

“Yeah, I could tell.”

Before she could respond we heard the others yawning and saw them leaving their sleeping bags.

“Come on. Let's start the day,” I began, before we got out of bed and started heading down, “Oh and by the way, Daydream is a nice name for a son, don’t you think?”

“Oh, yeah I guess so,” She responded nervously, blushing heavily.

I simply chuckled as we made our way to the others.

“Why are you blushing, Sunny?” Rainbow teased upon noticing Sunset’s blush, “Did you two have fun last night?”

“No! I… Stop talking!” Sunset managed to exclaim before crossing her arms.

“Well, last night was fun and I learned a lot about your world and your relationship with him. Maybe I will see if we can replicate video games using magic.”

“Be sure to let me know of that kind of progress and the kind of games pony kind comes up with,” Sunset responded with a smile.

Wallflower yawned before walking right up to me and whispering in my ear.

“This is normal for you, huh? Hearing a pony turned human speak about magic and another world.”

“Sort of. I understand it’s a new experience some are still getting used to, despite the three magical threats the school faced. You don’t interact with a source of magic on a consistent basis,” I whispered back with a shrug.

To my surprise she paled a little and chuckled nervously for a few moments, before giving me a sheepish smile.

“Yeah, I don’t, and I hope to get used to it more and the rest of the group. Fluttershy seems nice and I relate a bit with her.”

That was strange and suspicious. Before I could question her behavior, Pinkie tackled me from behind in a hug.

“Oh Marky, it was hard sleeping when Sunny decided to hog you for the night, and she had to call me out.”

“It was my turn to sleep with him and again it’s my day today, so watch your boundaries,” Sunset groaned, before rubbing her head.

“Fine, just know I am comfier to sleep with than you,” Pinkie responded, before blowing a raspberry.

Sunset only groaned in response to Pinkie’s childish behavior.

“See Pinkie, darling? This is why we consider you childish,” Rarity told her, causing the party girl to pout and the rest of us to laugh.

“I am simply young at heart.”

“What do you all want to do today?” Princess Twilight asked with a smile, “I can spend a few more hours with you all, before heading back home.”

“I guess we can show you around town,” Sunset suggested, “How about breakfast on me?”

“Here you are girls,” Mr Cake told us while placing a large tray on our booth.

Again, am I chopped liver? Sunset cuddled close to me and grabbed a doughnut.

“I still don’t know how you talked me into getting sweets for breakfast, Pinkie.”

“We all should eat sweets for breakfast, silly Sunny,” Pinkie responded, before stuffing three whole doughnuts into her mouth.

The rest of us shook our heads at Pinkie being Pinkie.

“I see Pinkie is exactly like her pony counterpart. Now that there’s no threat to focus on, I should spend some time studying why and how there are two worlds here where everyone has a counterpart,” Princess Twilight commented.

“It is weird. I mean I don’t want to go into detail how I was when I first arrived here, but when I wasn’t being a devious b- jerk. Let’s just say jerk,” She began nervously at almost saying a certain word in front of young children sitting at other booths, “I have thought about why there is a parallel mirror world, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth looking into and instead plotted to find a way to rule both worlds as the ultimate alicorn princess.”

“Only to turn into a demon and get a rainbow to the face by the true alicorn princess turned human and we all lived happily ever after. A fairy tale come to life,” Pinkie continued with a grin.

“Yes, Pinkie. Like a fairy tale come to life, except the villain gets a chance to redeem herself and get a happy ending,” Sunset responded somewhat bitterly.

“Then we all ended up with our own prince and decided to share him,” Pinkie added, getting looks from all of us, “Not literally of course, but Marky is like our prince.”

“You are actually talking sense for once, Pinkie, darling,” Rarity commented, getting nods from the rest of my harem members.

“I always talk sense,” Pinkie pouted cutely.

“It’s ok, my little party balloon,” I told her, before reaching out to stroke her hair, making her lightly blush.

“Why can’t it be my day?” Pinkie asked bitterly.

The girls and I entered the mall with Rarity eagerly leading Princess Twilight inside.

“Oh, Darling without a threat I can show you how we human girls have a good time,” Rarity gushed with an excited look on her face.

“Speak for yourself, Rarity,” Rainbow scoffed.

As we got deeper and deeper into the mall, we encountered a certain stage magician that made most of the girls groan. Trixie’s eyes lit up when she saw me and quickly rushed right to me in a hug.

“Marcus, I am happy to see you!” Trixie exclaimed with a grin on her face, “Even if you are with the rain-glooms.”

“It’s just as great to see you, Trixie,” Rainbow scoffed while crossing her arms.

“Of course, it’s always the best part of everyone’s day to see the great and powerful Trixie!” Trixie exclaimed, making a cute pose and looking adorable, before gasping when she noticed the two Twilights, “Is this a new thing with your real magic?” She asked, putting emphasis on the word real.

“Princess Twilight decided to visit us, and you know our world’s Twilight has been attending school for a few weeks now, Trixie,” Sunset simply explained.

“Right, silly Trixie. She should have just assumed a visit from a girl from another world and there being a counterpart of her in this world.”

“We all have counterparts in the other world Trixie,” Princess Twilight explained, “To be honest you are actually better company than your counterpart, despite not knowing you as long.”

“Figures, Trixie is the greatest to the point that not even another her from another world can compare to her!” Trixie bragged, before doing another cute pose.

“Are you serious, Twilight?” Rainbow asked, stunned.

“Has your Trixie used a magical artifact to cause mayhem around here?”

Rainbow was stunned into silence, before shaking her head.

“Huh? I guess she can be worse after all,” Rainbow admitted.

“I am happy to tell you, so far the new fliers you made for me seem to be getting more people interested in attending” Trixie told me with a smile.

“That’s great, Trixie.”

“Yes, and Trixie would like you to be at her next show so she can show off her special artist.”

“Sure, I’ll be there,” I answered, despite the slightly annoyed looks the rest of my harem members gave her.

“Great, I can't wait.”

We finally left the mall many hours later, with Applejack carrying a large bag for Rarity. Princess Twilight herself was carrying her own smaller bag with an excited look on her face.

“Must you get a lot, Rarity?” Applejack asked somewhat bitterly.

“Of course. Going to the mall with Princess Twilight is such a rare opportunity that I had to enjoy. Besides, half of the stuff are things for her when she decides to visit again. Her clothing is very lacking, though the magic mirror does seem to give her nice looking attire.”

Applejack simply grunted in response and shook her head. Twilight eagerly pulled out the portable game system she bought.

“You guys even have a way to play games on the fly?” Princess Twilight asked excitedly, “Oh this will make it easier to study this and try to replicate our own, back home.”

“Glad we were able to help,” Sunset responded with a smile.

“I will see if I can rework this to work solely on magic, then use it as a demonstration to the princess to help support making our own. It will take a long time. Years even, but I think it will be worth working on.”

We arrived at the statue and Princess Twilight gave us all a smile.

“This has been fun without stressing on how to stop a foe and it was great to freely see and learn more about your world. I will be sure to do this more often, when I get some free time between princess duties, mentorship, or even adventures with your counterparts.”

“Same here, Princess. Though I hope one of these days we get to go to the other world,” Rainbow responded with a pleading look.

“That shouldn’t be a problem and you all get to experience meeting your counterparts like I did,” Princess Twilight chuckled.

“You all will then understand how I feel about this,” human Twilight added.

Princess Twilight simply nodded at her counterpart, before slowly entering the statue and disappearing. Well, this has been fun spending time with another Twilight from another world and it’s only the start. Now to get back to living a fairly mundane life. Well, as much as possible for someone with a harem of girls, where most of the members have access to magic in a limited way, anyway.

Author's Note

Finally managed to write something for this. Between working on my first one-shot here and only having a vague idea for this chapter here. Without a threat to worry about Princess Twilight can focus on learning more about the human world and being who she is will no doubt try to replicate it for use in her world. In turned the two worlds will discreetly start sharing a few things in the long term.

35 Helping Fluttershy

Being in a harem with the girls has been the most interesting thing in my life. While I am getting more used to it and it has led to me being bolder and more outspoken, the girls are also changing in certain ways. Dashie in particular is much dirtier minded in what she wants to do and even seems to be encouraging the rest of the girls to join. Today we both are helping Fluttershy out at the animal shelter, much to Dashie's dismay. I personally don't mind and am actually kind of looking forward to this. At the very least it's just only a couple hours of feeding animals and nowhere as bad as Dashie thinks it will be

“I would like to thank you both for helping me out today,” Fluttershy told us with an adorable smile on her face.

“I’m only here due to losing our bet, shy,” Rainbow grumbled while crossing her arms.

“Oh,” Fluttershy simply responded, disappointed with a frown on her face.

“Come on, Dashie, this could be fun,” I tried to assure her, “Could you try to enjoy yourself on your day?” I asked her.

“Stud, I didn’t want to spend it doing this. I want to do something more awesome!”

“What could be more awesome than helping to take care of cute little animals until they get adopted into a good home?” Fluttershy asked with a beaming smile on her face.

“Goody for you, shy, but I am into other things.”

Fluttershy simply looked down on the ground in disappointment and sadness. I frowned and sighed, before walking closer to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Instead of freaking out she only nervously stared at me.

“Please don’t let her words get to you. I am more than willing to enjoy helping you,” I began making her nod with a small smile, “Now why don’t you get inside. I will see if I can convince her to be more willing.”

To my surprise she gave me a quick gentle hug.

“Thank you. I will get prepared. Try not to take too long, if that’s ok with you two,” She told me before slowly letting go and entering the animal shelter.

Alright now to get Dashie to be more willing to help. Knowing her there is only one way to do so. I walked right up to her, and she gave me a scowl.

“Save it, stud. I know I have to do it, but there is nothing you can say that will change my attitude about it.” She told me bitterly, while crossing her arms.

I simply smirked, before whispering in her ear. Her eyes lit up and a blush formed on her face from what I told her.

“Really? You’ll do that?” Rainbow asked with a hopeful grin.

“Exactly how you like it,” I responded.

“Stud, you are the best lover ever. It has been a bit since the last time we did that.”

“And all you have to do is apologize to Fluttershy for your attitude and go through this without complaint,” I added while gently rubbing her hair.

Rainbow simply nodded with the same hopeful smile on her face.

“No problem. No challenge is too much for me.”

“I am happy to see you are more positive about the whole thing now, Rainbow,” Fluttershy told her with a small smile on her face, as she led us to the kennels.

“Yeah, sorry about that Flutters,” Rainbow apologized again.

“Oh, Rainbow, I already forgive you and I am sure you will see how fun and nice this is,” Fluttershy responded, before all the animals made sounds of excitement at the sight of the timid animal lover, “Hello again everyone. Today I have a couple of helpers and I trust you all will treat them with respect like you do me.”

The animals simply made noises of agreement. I am still a little stunned at how the animals here seem more self-aware than everywhere else, but I suppose it’s pretty cool.

“Rainbow I trust you will keep them company while Marcus and I get their food for the day,” Fluttershy told her.

“Is that a challenge?” Rainbow asked with a grin, “Leave it to me,” She then gave Fluttershy a cheeky grin, “Though why are you having him help you? Hoping for some alone time with stud here?”

“No, it’s usually too heavy and I could use some help to lessen the amount of trips,” Fluttershy responded sheepishly with a heavy blush on her face.

“Right, well have fun you two,” Rainbow simply responded with a wink.

“Feel free to take them out of the cages if you want to get more affectionate, but try not to let them get away,” Fluttershy simply responded, before she began leading me to the storage room.

“No worries, Shy. I can handle a few animals.”

Fluttershy led me inside the supply closet that to be frank looked worse for wear. The walls had cracks and holes in it and there was noticeable rust on and dust on various crates, containing old supplies of cheap looking animal feed. The only thing that looked new and fresh was different supplies of fresh-looking animal food stacked high in various almost destroyed crates.

“This is one of the few rooms no one bothers to clean up after the years,” Fluttershy told me with a frown, “Sadly, it’s also the only place I am allowed to store food I buy with my own money. Before me these poor things had to rely on cheap food that supposedly lasts long,” She continued bitterly and somewhat distractedly, slamming the old door with small cracks and rusty knobs shut.

I simply nodded, before helping her carry a handful of the fresh food. Fluttershy gave me a grateful smile, before managing to grab the door knob.

“Thanks again. With your help we will get these little guys fed and…” Fluttershy stopped and gasped when the door refused to open, “Oh no!”

“What?”

“The door is stuck,’ She admitted sheepishly, “They warned me not to close this old door and now I know why,” She then gave me an apologetic look, “I’m sorry. I let my temper get to me and looked at what I did.”

I simply raised an eyebrow. If she considers that, losing her temper, then she is truly too innocent for and nice for this world.

“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. You didn’t know this would happen.”

“But… I was warned not to do this,”

“You made an honest mistake most would make. Relax, I will simply text Dashie to come rescue us and then we can continue,” I assured her, before gently rubbing her hair.

“Thank you,” She responded softly with a small smile and blush.

“Anytime, my little butterfly,” I responded with a smile, without thinking, before covering my mouth.

“Butterfly?”

“I… Sorry it kind of slipped out.”

“No… I like it. Feel free to call me that if you want,” She assured me softly with the same adorable smile.

“God, why are all you girls so adorable?” I questioned.

“Adorable?” She asked, blushing hotly.

“I think you are actually the worst one about that to be honest,” I continued with a sigh, “I swear you are too sweet and innocent for this whole world. Maybe even the universe.”

“Oh, thank you I think,” She responded with a huge smile, “You are wonderful too.”

“I am?”

“Yes, may I say most of the others are lucky to be in a relationship with you,” She nodded, blushing hotly, “Not only are you so handsome but so kind as well. You have helped us all out and made us feel special. I…”

She paused to stare at me for a brief moment. I found myself blushing as I stared into her wonderful blue eyes that reflected nervousness, but also determination.

“You are the first person that seems to be good with animals like me and you didn’t shame me for my ways of caring for them here. You even managed to get Rainbow to try and be more understanding about it.,” She began finding the courage to speak again, “It’s no secret I feel the same way as the others.”

I simply nodded, not wanting to be rude and respond in any other way that was less polite.

“You know I said I don’t think I am ready, but now I want to give it a try,” She finished with a hopeful smile, “If you don’t mind of course.”

I simply nodded my head, showing I would like that, making her beam in happiness. I smiled back, before we moved our faces closer into a gentle kiss.

“Now, let me text Dashie and we can tell her and finish our work here,” I suggested when we stopped.

My little butterfly simply nodded with a smile on her face, before I pulled out my phone and sent Dashie the text.

It was barely a minute later when the door was knocked down, by Dashie and a small army of dogs and cats. The animals stormed into the room and rushed right to Fluttershy.

“I’m ok everyone,” Fluttershy assured them, as she gave them all pets, “Sorry for the delay and thank you for the help. Now follow us and we will get you all fed.”

“You know. When I said have fun, I didn’t think this would happen,” Dashie commented, “You guys are lucky stud and I have our phones and that these animals love you so much to help me Flutters.”

“Well, you will be happy to know that what you intended us to do did happen.” I responded with a smile.

“So, Flutters is in the harem now?”

My simple nod and Fluttershy’s blush were the only answer Dashie received to her question and with a cocky grin she chuckled.

“About time. Now you just need our Twily, and you will have all of the Rainbooms for yourself, stud.”

“The way I see it, I already do and it’s just not official,” I scoffed playfully.

“Touche,” Rainbow chuckled, “Now let’s get these animals back and feed them, so I can get my reward afterwards.”

After returning the animals and feeding them Fluttershy gave us a thankful smile and gave me a thankful kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks again. With your help despite that minor setback we got done quicker than usual and it even led to something great,” Fluttershy told us.

“I have to admit caring for these animals wasn't bad and they seem cool if they can work together to knock a door down,” Rainbow admitted.

“Glad to hear it! If you don’t mind, I would appreciate more help from you two in the future.”

“Anything for my little butterfly,” I responded with a smile, making her lightly blush.

“I guess when I am free, I could do this again,” Rainbow told us with a shrug.

Fluttershy and I simply nodded.

“Well, I better get home and feed Angel,” Fluttershy told us, before leaving.

Once Fluttershy was gone, Dashie gave me a seductive grin and wrapped an arm around me.

“Ok, stud. I was a good girl and did what I promised. Now I want my reward.”

“Of course. I am a man of my word. Your place or mine?”

“No, I want it now!” Dashie demanded like a child.

“Wait, you want to do it here?” I asked, taken slightly aback.

“Yes, there’s a little old supply closet with no door we could use,” Dashie suggested while rubbing my cheek, before she gave me a flirty wink, “I am feeling a little naughty, and this sounds perfect."

“I…” I took a deep breath, before nodding, “If that’s what you want then that’s what we will do.”

“Thanks, Stud! You are the best!” Rainbow exclaimed in excitement, before she led me to the storage closet.

Author's Note

Flutters is in the harem now, and I am pushing the teen rating by being vague on what they are up to. If you want to see what Marcus and Rainbow got up to in the supply closet click here

37 Mall date with Sugarcoat.

I was sitting at home and currently working on a quick sketch, as all of the girls were busy, leaving me once again with complete free time on my hands. This gives me a bit of a weird feeling to be honest. Before befriending and getting closer to the girls, this was pretty much my life and now it just feels weird how this was ever normal to me. Oh well. Not like one day alone is going to kill me or anything. I was suddenly interrupted from my thoughts, when I felt my phone vibrate and I quickly pulled it out, to find a text from Sugarcoat.

Hey, I have some free time and was wondering if you wanted to spend some time together?

Every once in a while, I would have random text conversations with the crystal prep girls I met. Mostly, Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest. Sadly, since I would spend time with my harem members, I didn’t have the opportunity to spend more time with them in real life.

You mean like a date?

Y-Yes, you can call it that I suppose. It has been a while since we saw each other face to face and my friends are busy. What do you say?

To be honest, It is very amusing that her nervousness is very clear, despite us contacting each other with text only and that it’s from someone usually blunt.

Sure, my friends are busy too and I was just chilling alone.

Great, let’s meet up in the middle of the mall in about 30 minutes and we can go from there.

Sounds like a plan.

Looks like once again, I lucked out and is going to spend some time with another beautiful girl, who I suspect has a thing for me, if her blushing is any indication. Considering, other girls have been the same way, that likely is the case.

I wiped sweat from my forehead, as I approached the mall. The weather has gotten a lot warmer lately, as Summer seems to be approaching. The girls in particular have been excited about being able to go to the beach again and I won’t lie and say I haven’t thought about them in their swimsuits. Anyway, it's still hard to believe how my life ended up changing after moving to this school. How I went from an introvert that would only spend time with Big Mac to spending more time with the girls, until I ended up in a growing harem with them. Who would have thought something like that would end up happening?

I entered the mall and was relieved to feel the cool air conditioning. I quickly made my way to the center in hopes she’s already there, or it won’t be too long of a wait. Sure enough, only after a minute, or two of waiting, she approached me, wearing a different outfit than the other times I saw her.

She was wearing a simple gray and white blouse and skirt with matching flat shoes. Instead of her usual triple pigtails, her hair was currently done in a long ponytail with a simple gray scrunchy. She was even wearing bright red lipstick and white eyeshadow. I found myself lightly blushing at her appearance.

“H-Hi it’s great to finally meet up again face to face,” She greeted me nervously, blushing lightly as she seemed to have taken in my appearance.

Like her I decided to dress up a little bit, by wearing a nice teal collar shirt with matching slacks and my hair was neatly combed back. I even decided to use a little extra cologne, which Rarity seemed to really like, to help spice things up.

“I see I’m not the only one who decided to dress up a little,” I teased with a smile, that caused her blush to darken a little and her to stutter a little.

“Y-Yes, s-since it has been a while, I wanted to dress a little more nicely than usual.”

“You know what they say, great minds think alike,” I simply responded, making her nod sheepishly in agreement, “So, what do you want to do?”

“Since it’s almost noon, we could get some lunch then maybe head to the arcade,” She suggested, once she managed to shake off her blush.

“Sounds good to me. Let’s go.”

We both took our seats at one of the various tables in the food court and around us were plenty of other friends, or couples sitting together at their own tables. Sugarcoat took a deep breath and gave me a nervous smile.

“I have to admit this is a bit of a first for me,” She admitted sheepishly, as she nervously rubbed one of her shoulders.

“I have only been on a few myself.”

“Yeah, I figured since you are very close to the rainbooms and a few other girls,” She managed to bluntly say in a nervous tone, “To the point you developed a harem with them, living out a dream countless teenage boys would kill just for a chance at.”

“And here you are asking me out on a date, despite knowing such,” I teased with a smirk, making her blush hotly and even shake a little nervously, “What does that say about you?”

“I… Well…” She could only stutter nervously.

I simply smiled back. To be honest she is very cute, all flustered and speechless like this. It felt very amusing that I managed to make a girl known for being very blunt to act like this. It’s even more fun than riling up Dashie and to think earlier I thought the day would be a typical boring day without the girls to spend time with. I was taken out of my thoughts by the sudden appearance of the pizza and sodas we ordered.

“Here you all go. That will be twenty dollars.”

I simply nodded as I glanced down and reached for my wallet. Once I took it out, I noticed Sugarcoat had taken off her shoes and was gently rubbing her bare feet together. I took out a twenty dollar bill and quickly handed it to our server.

“Thank you. Enjoy.”

Once the server was gone, I took a slice of pizza and took a bite. Sugarcoat took a relaxing deep breath and finally managed to regain the composure to continue to speak.

“Seriously, I… I have never been on a date with a boy before,” Sugarcoat admitted, as she took a slice of pizza, “No boy has managed to get my interest before.”

“Yeah, it was kind of obvious,” I responded, as I took a sip from my soda bottle.

“That’s what I am talking about,” She spoke up, after she took a quick bite, “No boy has ever been blunt like that before towards me. None of them could handle it when I did so.”

“So, to meet one that not only could be so, but to the point that they were able to get you flustered was like a fantasy come true,” I finished with a knowing grin.

She could only nervously nod, while blushing hotly once again. She shook nervously and looking down, I noticed her once again rubbing her bare feet.

“You know if you are interested, you are always welcome to join my harem,” I finally told her, once she shook off her blush.

“You mean you…”

“You are a beautiful girl and I do like your bluntness,” I began with a smile, that caused her to once again blush hotly, but this time she had a nervous smile on her face, “You are also adorable when you get all flustered like this,” I added changing my smile to a smirk.

Like I expected, my final words caused her to nervously stutter. Compliments are a great start, but actions do speak louder, though what could I do out here in public that wouldn’t be too forward? I hummed for a few seconds, before glancing down at the table and upon seeing her still bare feet got an idea. I quickly removed one of my shoes and gently moved my socked foot to one of her own. She gasped when I gently rubbed her big toe with my own.

“Are…”

“It’s up to you,” I assured her with a gentle smile, as I continued to gently rub her big toe.

She nodded with a nervous smile, as she gently rubbed my big toe back. I gasped when I managed to feel how soft it was through my sock. It wasn’t long until she began more comfortable with our display of affection, that she gently began rubbing my entire foot and I quickly learned hers are almost as big as mine, to my complete surprise. We continued to play footsie with one another as we finished our food.

“As much as I hate to cut this short, I have to go to the restroom.”

“Fine, but you better be back in only a couple minutes and you owe me a little something, once we are somewhere more private,” She told me both bluntly and sternly.

I simply nodded, feeling conflicted that she was no longer as nervous towards me as before. On one hand I am happy she is more comfortable and it seems like she is going to be joining my harem, but on the other hand she was just so adorable when she was flustered and nervous. Then again I could still get her to be like that, maybe.

Once I quickly left the restroom, I made my way back to our table, ready to continue spending time with Sugarcoat. Things seem to be going well and I seem to have managed to get her to relax and be more like her normal self, for better or worse. I can’t wait to see what else we are going to do. I was snapped out of my pleasant thoughts, when I noticed something, or rather someone who managed to immediately sour my pleasant mood, Zephyr Breeze. He was wearing his usual outfit, but with strap on sandals instead. I fumed as I watched him approach Sugarcoat with a cocky grin on his face and I quickly picked up the pace. Once I got close enough, I could hear the conversation between them.

“No, I am with someone. Someone much more appealing than you could ever hope to be!”

“Hey! Don’t be like that! You don’t have to lie about being with someone. I understand and am willing to spend time with you, even if you said something hurtful,” He responded with a smile, showing his yellow teeth.

“Being hurtful was the point and you need to brush your teeth. Actually scratch that. You need to groom yourself better and more regularly. Your rotten cheap cologne is doing a poor job disguising your rotten body odor. You should go home and shower immediately.”

“Please, you just don’t understand the Zephyr Breeze style. I will have you know, I have plenty of girls lining up to spend time with me and I am such a nice guy, that I am willing to spend time with you, despite your attitude,” Zephyr managed to shrug off her blunt, yet needed criticism and even took a seat at the table.

Sugarcoat groaned in complete annoyance and shook her head. Most likely at someone managing to shrug off and handwave her blunt words. Figures, the one person doing so without being able to counter or out do her would be Zephyr.

“Come on! Zephyr won’t bite.”

“Yeah, but I will if you don’t leave me alone!”

“I swear you are just as bad as Rainbows at playing hard to get,” Zephyr scoffed, before rubbing his messy hair with a devious smirk, “But I will get my own harem and finally win her heart. Then I will live happily ever after as the ultimate chick magnet stud.”

“Good for you. If only you could achieve living in reality with the rest of us.”

“Fine, if words won’t convince you. Maybe actions will,” Zephyr simply responded with a flirty wink that made Sugarcoat cringe.

Actions? What is he talking about? I was watching in the distance, since she has managed to handle herself against him with her blunt insults, but now I better act to keep it that way.

“What are you…” Sugarcoat was interrupted by Zephyr gently trying to rub her big toe with his own, slightly bigger one.

Sugarcoat panicked and managed to move her feet away from his, only for him to quickly follow hers and continued to try and play footsie with her.

“Stop playing hard to get! Your feet are soft and almost as big as mine. That means more area for me to massage.”

“Stop! Just leave me alone!” She shouted, once I got there.

“You have gone far and beyond your usual standards, Zephyr!” I growled out.

“You again!” Zephyr snarled, as he left his seat, walked right up to me, and tried to be threatening.

Key word tried, as I only sighed in frustration at having to deal with him once again.

“It’s bad enough you don’t take no for an answer and manage to ignore someone pointing out your issues, but to start physically harassing girls? You have managed to hit a new low!”

“What’s it to you?!” He snarled, “I was warming her up to dating a stud like me, so I am one step closer to getting Rainbows back from you!”

“I am not in the mood for your delusional crap! Just get the hell out of here, so I can continue my good day!”

“What are you going to do to make me, huh?” He asked, like a complete moron and thinking he was some tough guy.

“May I remind you, that you couldn’t beat Fluttershy, your smaller sister, using two hands in armwrestling,” I simply responded, while crossing my arms.

His tough look suddenly faded into one of complete embarrassment, as he blushed hotly and even glared at me.

“Hey! Don’t say that in public!”

“Then leave!”

“You win this round, but I will win the war!” He snarled at me, before finally leaving us alone, in defeat.

I swear I am going to have to keep putting up with him for the rest of my life. At least he’s gone for now. I returned to my seat at the table, where Sugarcoat had a curious and relieved look on her face.

“May I ask what that is about?” She finally decided to ask.

“Simply put, you had to deal with the most delusional egotist on the freaking planet,” I scoffed bitterly, while crossing my arms.

She only raised an eyebrow, as I sighed in frustration, before telling her everything about Zephyr.

“Wow, I am sorry for you, Rainbow, and Fluttershy,” She told me, wide eyed, as I finished explaining.

“Yeah, and I am sorry to say you ended up on the receiving end of the worst of his behavior.”

“Well, thank goodness you arrived when you did,” Sugarcoat responded with a grin, “You really saved me,” She then closed her eyes, as she gently placed her feet on my lap.

“What are you?”

“Oh, I feel like relaxing a little after that ordeal. I hope you don’t mind,” She interrupted me with a flirty smile.

“No, not at all,” I responded somewhat sheepishly, as she moved her large and soft feet closer to a certain spot.

So big and soft. She’s even gently wiggling her toes and barely touching a certain spot. How could she do this out in public? I mean I guess it’s not as noticeable, but it doesn’t help ease my… Soft wiggling toes getting closer to making contact, as I feel a certain part getting…

“I have to admit it was very amusing making you flustered for once, today,” Sugarcoat teased me with a chuckle.

“Yeah, I will give you that,” I admitted, returning the chuckle, “So, it was just getting a little payback for getting you flustered a few times earlier?”

“Part of it. You can also consider it a reward for getting Zephyr off my back. It was the only thing I could think of that would do both effectively and it’s nice to know you enjoy my feet so much.”

“I guess another fetish I am into,” I simply responded.

“Good to know as it will help me figure out what I will have you do for taking a restroom break.”

“I am a man of my word and would have kept it, but since you have to put up with him, feel free to go crazy,” I told her with a nod.

“Yeah, I will,” She agreed with a devious smile, as we finally left the mall, “Despite him, I say today has been very fun.”

“Indeed it has,” I agreed with a smile, “There is only one thing left, before we go home.”

“What?”

Sugarcoat got her answer, when I gently cupped her cheeks and gave her a smile. She nervously nodded, before we slowly moved our lips together into a gentle kiss that lasted for a few seconds. Once we separated, we gave each other a smile and went on our way. To think what started out as a boring day, would end up with me spending time with and getting another girl into my harem.

Author's Note

One of the crystal prep girls returns and joins the harem. Another encounter with Zephyr who keeps on getting worse and worse. It's really fun to write a normally blunt character getting flustered, but here I managed to keep her usual nature at least somewhat persistent and dominant as she adapts to Marcus's ways of making her sheepish and she even get the last laugh.

38 Summer break approaching

I groaned when I saw the overwhelming bright sunlight come through my bedroom window. The days becoming longer is perhaps the most annoying thing about Summer approaching, though there is the upcoming two and a half months of Summer break to enjoy. I yawned as I pondered if I should try to get back to sleep, or start the day, before getting ready for school. I mean what reason do I have to stay in bed, if I am not going to go back to sleep?

My question was quickly answered, when I turned around and my vision was filled with soft, long, and colorful rainbow hair. I gently pushed it back and was greeted with the still sleeping face of my adorable little rainbow. I heard her make an adorable groan, before she tightened her arms around my torso. I simply smiled as I gently rubbed the back of her head, earning an adorable giggle. Looks like I am staying in bed for a little while longer.

“Shut up, Rarity!” Rainbow groaned out, sounding annoyed, after a few minutes of silence, “Just because I am not girly doesn’t mean I never considered marriage, especially with Stud!”

Wow, like with Sunset she is dreaming about us getting or being married.

“Now, are you almost done? What? Makeup!? Ok, I guess Stud deserves it, but only for him. He better appreciate it and our kids better be the coolest!”

With a grin on my face, I gently stroked her hair and even placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Who would have thought Rainbow could be so adorable?

“Yes, we both do! It should go without saying!” I heard her call out, as she simply relaxed into me and she even gently placed her small and soft feet on top of mine.

“Come on, Stud! Just because I am late in my pregnancy doesn’t mean we can’t have fun! I… Yeah, you're right! It is almost time for the baby and…” She paused as she gently began rubbing her feet on top of mine, “Stud, what are you? Yes, mommy likes it when you play with her breasts like that. Enjoy them now before the baby steals them from you! This more than makes up for it!”

Figures, even in her dreams she enjoys me playing with her titties.

“Rainbow Blitz, I swear you are like me and your father combined. Don’t sass your awesome mother! You think you are hot… I will show you I still got it!”

I mentally facepalmed. Figures, she would be competitive towards her own kid. It’s amusing to see Sunny isn’t the only one dreaming of having a kid with me. Looks like getting up earlier has allowed me to learn something that will help me tease Dashie more in the future. I was interrupted from my thoughts by Rainbow making an adorable yawn.

“Best dream ever! I showed my future son not to mess with his mother. Even age can’t stop my awesomeness,” Rainbow mumbled, as she even absentmindedly gently rubbed my feet with her own.

“It also can’t stop your adorableness, my little Rainbow!” I exclaimed with a grin, as I gently stroked her hair.

“Stud!? You’re awake!?”

“Yes, my little, adorable, and sleep talking Rainbow. I heard everything and didn’t think you had it in you to be so adorable,” I teased, making her blush hotly in embarrassment.

“I… I’m not little!” She pouted.

“You are adorable though,” I simply responded, before gently pressing my lips onto hers and even decided to gently rub her small and soft big toe with my own.

She eagerly melted into and returned the kiss, as she even started playing footsie with me. I lightly chuckled, as she gently rubbed and tickled one of my soles with her own smaller one, while I gently massaged her other foot with my own. I could feel her smirk, as she began rubbing my soles at a faster pace, making me giggle uncontrollably.

“Who would have thought you are ticklish, Stud?” Rainbow teased, as she gently moved her sole up and began rubbing my big toe with her much smaller and softer one.

“Who would have thought your feet would be so soft?” I teased back with a chuckle, “I figured you being into sports and a tomboy in general means they would be a bit more rough.”

“Like I said, I am that awesome. Good thing too, as it’s another way I can pleasure you,” She told me smugly with a grin, as she moved and placed both of her soles onto one of my own, on top of each other, “You have monster feet, Stud. Even with both of mine on top of each other, I can barely reach the top of your big toe.”

“More like you have toddler feet, my little rainbow,” I teased back.

“I am not little!” She pouted cutely, as she gave me a glare, “Seriously, they really are and I thought Applejack had monster feet.”

“You are adorable though,” I simply responded with a grin, “Hearing you talk in your sleep was the most adorable thing I have ever seen you do,” I added, as I gently stroked her hair.

“I… Ok, but only you get to call me that and it better not be in public!” She stuttered, as she blushed hotly and even gave me another cute pout.

“Of course, my awesome adorable rainbow,” I assured her, as I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, “I can see you being an awesome mother one day.”

“Of course! We will be the best parents ever and I will show them not to underestimate their awesome mother!”

We were both interrupted when we heard my alarm clock. I groaned as I reached out to stop the alarm.

“Great, we have to get ready for school,” Rainbow complained with a pout that wasn’t cute one iota.

“You know we can get ready together, if you want,” I suggested with a smile.

Her eyes suddenly lit up as she pondered my suggestion.

“You mean?” She asked with a hopeful grin, getting a simple nod from me, “Yes! You are the best, stud!”

I could only smile in response. Like I have said before, Rainbow is very adorable when she gets like this. I just know despite today most likely being a normal day of school, this morning will still be fun. I was taken out of my brief thoughts, when I heard Rainbow moving a few items in the compartment in the front of my bed.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Just seeing if a certain something is…” She stopped when she pulled out the pair of panties from a large book and gave me the smuggest grin on her face, “Ha! I knew you would keep these and keep them close!” She teased, making me blush hotly, “I wonder what you do with them, on days you don’t sleep with me stud. Do the others know?”

“Just put them back!” Was all I could respond with.

“No worries, stud! I won’t tell anyone! I just wanted confirmation that I am your best girl and you are enjoying my special gift.” She assured me with a smile, as she placed them back, “Now for the best shower in both of our lives.”

No comment! Just… Move on to something else!

We both entered the school, with Rainbow having a pleased smile on her face. Rainbow had a different style than her usual. She was wearing a simple short sleeve rainbow styled T-shirt with drawings of clouds on the bottom and matching short shorts. Instead of her usual boots, she was wearing cyan flip-flops with a symbol of a rainbow lightning bolt on a cloud on the straps. Her new clothing wasn’t the only new thing about her look, as after the shower, she wasn’t just content with just me washing her hair, but was ok with me grooming it. I brushed it thoroughly, with only minor complaints and painful groans from her. Then with careful placing of hair gel I gave her a few sharp rainbow bumps in the front and managed to create a spiky rainbow ponytail held back with a rainbow scrunchie. It was tough combing and arranging her hair to get the color combinations correctly as I mentally pictured them, but in the end it was perfection.

“Have I told you how you are the best, Stud?” She asked for the one thousandth time.

“Yes, constantly while on the way.”

“Well, it’s true!”

“And should go without saying.”

“Right, but you really are Stud and I am lucky to be with you. Never thought anyone could make my awesome hair twenty… No, two hundred percent more awesome,” She praised me with a grin, as she gently rubbed her ponytail, “Have I said sorry about complaining while you were doing a great job?”

“Constantly as well.”

“I still want to make up for it!” She told me, as she gently embraced me and gave me a quick kiss on the lips, “What better way to end this school year with a bang than with an awesome new hair style my awesome lover did for me!?”

“Stop right there, Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow and I turned around to find Rarity rushing right up to us, Rainbow specifically, with a stunned, yet interested look on her face. She was wearing a short sleeve purple t-shirt with symbols of blue diamond with matching short shorts. Instead of her usual boots, she was wearing purple flip-flops with a symbol of a bright blue diamond on the straps. When she was close enough, I noticed her feet were slightly bigger than Rainbow’s.

“What’s going on, Rarity?”

“Rainbow, you must tell me how you did this design!” Rarity demanded, as she circled around Rainbow, “It’s so unbelievable, especially for someone not interested in fashion like yourself.”

“Thanks a lot, Rarity,” Rainbow responded bitterly, with her arms crossed.

“Oh, sorry, darling. I didn’t mean it like that,” Rarity apologized, as she gently stroked her ponytail, “Impressive use of hair gel and impressive combing of your hair to get this pattern of colors. I’m not fond of using hair gel at all, but somehow it just works here,” Rarity beamed with stars in her eyes.

“Glad you like my new awesome look! Now stop touching it, so it can shine. Only stud and I are allowed to touch it.”

“I assure you, Rainbow, darling, I would never think of ruining such a lovely hair style. I completely understand and anyone who dares touch my hair will….”

“Yeah, well… Ask stud. He was the one who did it for me after all.”

“What?!”

Rainbow and I both cringed from Rarity’s screech, before my vision was filled with her beautiful blue eyes staring at me in complete awe. I felt butterflies formed in my stomach, as I caught a whiff of her perfume.

“Is it true that you did that wonderful design on Rainbow’s hair?”

I could only nod in response.

“Not only are you a great artist, but you are wonderful at giving someone a new wonderful look, which they desperately needed!” Rarity praised, as her eyes seemed to have turned into hearts.

“Hey!”

“You keep turning out to be more and more wonderful, Marcus darling… No, my precious Marky Wikey!” Rarity continued on, ignoring Rainbow’s outburst.

Marky Wikey!? I could only blush hotly at my new nickname, as I found myself staring at her bright blue lips. Her kissable lips.

“Alright, Rarity. It’s my day, remember?” Rainbow told her bitterly.

“I am well aware, Rainbow!” Rarity scoffed, “Sorry my precious Marky Wikey. Rainbow insists on me waiting for my day, but until then,” She gave me a big kiss on the cheek, leaving a big kiss mark, “We are so going to go over different hair style designs!”

Before I could respond we were greeted by the sight of an annoyed Pinkie rushing straight for Rarity.

“Rarity! How dare you!”

“Pinkie, darling, what’s wrong?”

“You! You… No one calls Marky that but me!” She managed to snarl, as her poofy hair suddenly straightened and she gave Rarity a death glare.

“Well, I never! He’s my precious Marky Wikey and I am going to keep calling him that!”

“I called dibs on it!”

“Since when?”

“Since, I first called him that! Those are the rules!” Pinkie answered bitterly, while crossing her arms.

“Too bad! I am calling him that and there’s nothing you can do about it!” Rarity responded while glaring back defiantly.

“Fine, but this isn’t over!”

“Like I said before, you are incredibly childish, Pinkie!”

“I am simply young at heart!” Pinkie pouted cutely.

It was so cute, I found myself rushing towards her and embracing her in a hug.

“It’s ok, my precious party balloon! I still love you!” I assured her, before giving her a quick kiss on her forehead, making her lightly blush, “Now cheer up! I hate it when you are upset. It’s just not right!”

I gently rubbed her hair, as it suddenly went back to being all poofy. She even began giggling cutely.

“Feeling better?” I asked her.

“Uh-huh!” Pinkie simply began, as she returned the embrace and even gently rubbed her face on mine, “I am thanks to you my super duper Marky Wikey!” She added, before giving me a kiss on the cheek, making Rarity scoff.

“Adding ‘super duper’ to it just to one up me, Pinkie!? You are childish!”

Pinkie quickly stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry, before she resumed nuzzling my face, in pure happiness.

“Cut it short, Pinkie. It’s my day, remember?” Rainbow called out.

“Fine! Party pooper!” Pinkie responded bitterly, before reluctantly letting go of me.

When Pinkie separated from me, I finally noticed her different attire. She was wearing a simple pink t-shirt with drawings of different colored party balloons and matching short shorts. She wore blue flip-flops with a symbol of one yellow and two blue party balloons on the straps.

“What’s going on here?”

I turned around to find Sunset, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight approaching us. Sunset was wearing a simple orange t-shirt with a symbol of a red and yellow sun and matching short shorts. She also wore orange flip-flops with the same symbol, on her shirt, on the straps. Fluttershy was wearing a simple pink t-shirt with drawings of blue and green butterflies and matching short shorts. She also wore matching pink flip-flops with the same styled butterfly on the straps. Twilight was wearing a simple lavender colored t-shirt with a symbol of a pink star with five smaller white stars around it and matching short shorts. She wore lavender colored flip-flops with a symbol of a pink star on the straps. Applejack was wearing a simple green t-shirt with symbols of apples and matching short shorts. She wore red flip-flops with a symbol of an apple on the straps, revealing sure enough massive feet that could rival mine in size.

“Just seeing my super duper Marky Wikey!” Pinkie exclaimed with the biggest smile on her face.

Rarity glared daggers at her, while the newly arrived girls simply stared at her weirdly. Rainbow grabbed her stomach, as she laughed uncontrollably.

“Uh… Ok, anyway,” Sunset began awkwardly, as she gave Pinkie an uneasy look, “Are you guys excited for Summer break!?”

“Of course silly Sunny! More time to spend with Marky,” Pinkie agreed with a smile, before she mumbled, “And hogging him from all of you!”

The other girls either didn’t hear her or didn’t care, since they were used to her attitude.

“Indeed I am, Sunset, darling. More free time to give to my business with my precious Marky WIkey,” Rarity exclaimed, as she embraced me in a hug, earning a glare from Pinkie, which she responded to by blowing a raspberry, “Also, we can go and enjoy ourselves at the beach!”

“Marky Wikey?” Applejack asked confused and dumbfounded.

“Of course! After seeing what he has done with Rainbow’s hair, he more than deserves the best affectionate nickname!”

Let no good deed go unpunished. The other girls finally seemed to have noticed Rainbow’s new hairstyle and their eyes widened slightly.

“Dashie, your hair is even more awesome than usual!” Pinkie exclaimed as she tried to touch it, only for Rainbow to grab her hand.

“I am happy you like it, Pinkie, but hands off. I can’t have you ruining it!”

“Fine, party pooper!”

“I have to admit it looks great, Rainbow, but only because he was the one to do it,” Applejack admitted.

“Hardy har har,” Rainbow scoffed bitterly with her arms crossed, “I can rock any look, I will have you know, A.J.”

“It is impressive,” Sunset added with a smile, before turning towards me, “Is there anything you can’t do?”

Before I could respond, vice principal Luna walked right up to us and I found myself shaking nervously. She was wearing a simple dark blue t-shirt with a symbol of a crescent shaped moon and matching shorts. She wore large blue flip-flops with the same symbol, on her shirt, on the straps, revealing the second largest feet I have ever seen.

“Good morning girls and boy,” Luna greeted.

I nervously nodded at her for not leaving me out.

“I trust you all are looking forward for Summer break,” She added, getting nods from all of us, “Well, this morning we all have a bit of a surprise for all of you.”

That shocked the girls and I and we were curious about what it could be, but before we could ask, principal Celestia made an announcement.

“Attention students as soon as the bell rings…” She was interrupted by said bell ringing, “Speak of the devil,” She groaned, annoyed, “Instead of going to your first period, go directly to the gym for a surprise announcement.”

The girls and I gave each other a nod, before going on our way to the gym.

The girls and I were seated together at the bleachers and waiting patiently for the surprise announcement.

“What do you think it could be?” Sunset asked.

“Maybe Principal Celestia's long lost twin sister has come for a family reunion after being kidnapped by an evil cult run by Sunny’s human counterpart.”

The other girls looked at Pinkie strangely, while I laughed my ass off at her statement.

“You have the best imagination, my precious party balloon,” I managed to say between laughs, as I stroked her hair, making her lightly blush, as the others gave her jealous looks.

“Attention students,” Principal Celestia announced once she entered the room with a microphone in hand.

She was wearing a white t-shirt with a symbol of a bright sun and matching shorts, with large white flip-flops with the same symbol on the straps, revealing the largest feet I have ever seen.

“Summer break is fast approaching and to celebrate it, we decided to start doing something different. A school trip to Camp Everfree!”

This caused cheers and applause to ring out throughout the entire gym. Most of the girls around me had stunned and excited looks on their faces. Celestia smiled and chuckled, as she waited for everyone to calm down.

“I am happy to know you are excited, since it means you might allow it to happen,” She continued, getting confused looks from all of us, “In order for it to happen, we must raise a set goal of twenty thousand dollars total. Since all of you want it to happen so badly, I know all of you working together will make it happen!”

Naturally, this disappointed people quite a bit, but since they were still excited for a potential trip they still cheered once again.

“If you would like to donate to the fund, go to the front office to do it there. Every morning I will announce the total. I trust you all will get it done as soon as possible!”

Once the announcement was over, the girls and I were on our way to class.

“Interesting announcement,” Sunset commented.

“No kidding! Ending the school year with a potential camping trip,” Applejack added with a smile.

“Yippie! There are so many fun things to do! We are going to be camping buddies!” Pinkie exclaimed, before embracing me in a hug, “And camping lovers,” she whispered in my ear, before kissing the back of my head, making me blush hotly.

“It sucks we have to donate to make it happen, though,” Rainbow scoffed.

“I know, but I guess the school budget is tight and they are hoping us wanting something fun will make us help contribute,” Sunset responded.

“Typical! Adults making us having to work hard for fun and trying to play it off as a reward.”

“Dashie, you don’t have to use your money if you don’t want to and can just hope others doing so is enough,” I pointed out.

“I know, stud, but it’s the principle of the whole thing.”

“Well, that’s just life, Rainbow. It sucks, but we all have to learn to live with it!”

“I guess,” She conceded, while crossing her arms, “Well, it better happen, so I can have fun showing off!”

We all shook our heads at Dashie’s behavior, before going on our way to class. Looks like the end of the school year has gotten more exciting and I can’t wait to see what happens.

Author's Note

More fluff with Rainbow and for those wondering, The events of the fourth film is approaching, but done my way, as Summer break is coming soon, which will bring in some more original fun.

39 Planning on making that money

I yawned, as my vision was filled with soft, poofy, and pink hair. Pinkie was cuddling on top of me with her arms gently wrapped around my chest and with gummy in her grasp. She grunted cutely as she gently nuzzled my face and even gently rubbed her soft bare feet on my own.

“Rocky Road, young man! What have I told you about trying to get your birthday presents early!” I heard her mumble, “Every year I throw you the best birthday in the world and opening your gifts is the best part, the least you can do is not ruin that by opening them early! Wait, until your father gets home you little party pooper!”

Of course Pinkie would dream about us having a son and she would treat his birthday as serious business. It was only minutes later, she made an adorable yawn and gently rubbed her eyes.

“Good morning, Marky!” She greeted me with a grin on her face, “I had a wonderful dream last night!” She exclaimed, as she continued to rub my feet with hers.

“I could tell,” I simply responded.

“I suppose we better get ready now,” She said somewhat bitterly and in complete annoyance.

“No, we should have time to relax a little bit.”

“But getting ready separately will… Oh!? Yay! Getting ready together will make this morning even better,” She responded in her normal cheerful tone, “Can you do my hair like Dashie?” She asked with adorable puppy dog eyes.

“Anything for my adorable party balloon,” I simply responded with.

“Yippie! Now this is really the best morning ever!”

“Attention students we are sorry to say only a generous few have donated and to help give you an incentive to help fund this hopefully upcoming fieldtrip, between every class we will play annoying carnival music.”

Suddenly without warning the most annoying carnival music started playing for a few brief moments. Pinkie did a brief joyful dance, only to suddenly stop in stunned annoyance when it was over.

“That was just a little sample. Hopefully this will help motivate you to donate.”

“Hey! I was enjoying that!” She complained with an adorable pout.

This caused the rest of the students in the hallway to give her strange looks, before they shrugged it off when they seem to recall it’s Pinkie.

“It’s ok my adorable party balloon,” I began, as I gave her a light embrace and gently nuzzled her face, “You are going to hear that through out the day,” I gave her a kiss on the forehead.

“I better or Celestia is going to regret it!”

Sure enough the song continued to play much to the annoyance of ninety nine point ninety nine percent of the students. It played throughout the break between class, and I noticed Pinkie a few times breaking out in a joyful dance.

Finally after school, Pinkie decided to have us spend some time with the girls at Sugarcube Corner, since they wanted to discuss recent events.

“They have hit a new low,” Rainbow complained bitterly, “It’s bad enough they are making us pay for a “gift for all of us”, but now annoying us into doing it.”

“The song is awesome, Dashie, to sing and dance to!” Pinkie exclaimed with a beaming smile, “I wonder if Celestia wouldn’t mind giving me a copy.”

The other girls only looked at her strangely while I chuckled and gently stroked her hair.

“I would love to see the look on her face when you do so, my precious party balloon.”

Pinkie beamed in happiness and even gently nuzzled my face.

“Glad to see you are at least happy for me, my super duper Marky Wikey!”

“You are keeping that as a pet name I see,” Rarity responded bitterly, as she placed a hand on the table.

“Yep and it’s better than yours!” Pinkie struck her tongue out and blew a raspberry, before she gave me a quick kiss on the lips.

“I… See…” Rarity grunted as she applied so much pressure onto the table that we could actually feel it.

“Anyway,” Sunset began, playing peacekeeper and trying to keep us on topic, “Since most of us think the music is annoying, we should come up with an ideal way to help raise enough for the goal.”

“So, just admit defeat and let them win,” Rainbow argued bitterly.

“You want this to stop?” Sunset simply asked, stunning Rainbow into silence, “At least this way it won’t be our regular source of cash and we can kiss that music goodbye.”

Rainbow grumbled, but ultimately nodded in agreement. The others quickly voiced their agreement, happy to kiss that annoying music goodbye.

“I better ask for a copy soon so I can play it at my future parties!” Pinkie interrupted with an excited smile on her face, “I can’t wait!”

This caused the rest of the girls to groan in complete annoyance, as they gave Pinkie glares, which she ignored while she continued her excited smile.

“So, what are we going to do to raise enough money for this, so we can say goodbye to the music…” Rainbow began, before groaning in defeat, “For right now.”

“We need something simple yet well paying enough to help us make plenty of cash fast,” Sunset responded, with her hand on her chin in thought.

“It’s almost Summer, so we should keep that in mind,” Twilight added, also in thought.

“Yeah, I don’t want to overwork myself in this kind of heat,” Rainbow added.

“You need to learn a little thing called work ethic,” Applejack teased with a smile.

“Oh, shut up! Excuse me for not wanting to damage my health!”

“So, something simple, yet a great money maker that we can do with Summer coming to make money for a field trip to a camp…” Twilight summarized, before she started mumbling, “Summer… busy…. trips…. cars… anyone… clean…”

“Any ideas egghead?” Rainbow asked with a mocking smile.

“First of all, don’t call me an egghead and second, yes I think I have an idea and it will take time to set up.”

Why do I get the feeling things are about to get a little hot and steamy for me?

“So, why am I here instead of the other girls?” I asked Twilight.

“We need your artistic skills to help make ideal advertising and besides we don’t want to leave you out of this completely. You have to work a little before we give you some enjoyment.”

“Considering you aren’t in my harem, that makes that bonus worth it.”

Twilight could only blush hotly in response to that, while Spike began laughing hysterically. It’s finally the weekend and seeing the opportunity to actually start our plan, Twilight led me to her house, while Rarity works with the others. Thankfully, her parents were currently at work and her older brother was currently at college. I didn’t want to deal with that right now.

“The first boy you brought home and he’s funny, Twilight. I like him!” Spike spoke up with a grin.

“Quiet you!”

“Fine, I have birds to chase around anyway,” Spike responded back, before walking out of the room.

“I swear ever since he could talk he has been more of a pain. I can’t tell you how many close calls I had with him speaking up in front of my parents and Shiny.”

“I can only imagine.”

“Now, shall we get started.”

“Of course! It’s always fun to work with an adorable girl,” I responded, causing her to blush hotly once again.

“You think I am adorable?” She questioned looking like the epitome of an adorable girl.

“No, I know you are,” I simply responded with a smile.

“Oh… Thank you…” She beamed with a smile, before she shook her head, “Now I will come up with a catchy slogan and you can do the design.”

I simply nodded, before I took a seat near her on her bed. After an hour of bouncing ideas off of each other and making decent progress, she gently took off her flip-flops and wiggled her toes.

“I think we are getting somewhere,” She began while gently rubbing her soft sizeable feet on top of each other, “You can take off your shoes and relax a little.”

“Relax? Who are you and what have you done with Twilight?” I teased a little, as I quickly took off my shoes and gently placed them on the floor.

“I am not that bad!” She pouted cutely, before giving me a playful punch on the shoulder, “Ok maybe I was too strict on school work and learning new things, but having friends has helped me relax a little.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“It was all thanks to you, you know?”

“Huh?”

“You were the main reason I decided to join CHS in the first place,” She finally admitted, after a few moments of awkward silence, “I had no friends and everyone just seemed to make fun of me. The only friend I had was Spike and it was before he could even speak,” She held her head and sighed in frustration, “Yet, I didn’t care since being the top student academically and my research was all I needed. Of course that led to my study of the supernatural at CHS and the events of the games!”

A few drops of tears formed in her eyes and I gently placed a comforting hand onto her shoulder, only for her to lightly embrace me into a hug. Being more comfortable receiving affection and since this was serious to her, I gave her a few comforting pats on her back.

“I know you have forgiven me for it, despite everything, I still want to say I am truly sorry my actions almost led to your…” She paused to sob for a few moments, before managing to continue, “Seeing someone who I almost killed just forgive me and give me another chance made me realize how much I have been missing out on. I then decided to give CHS a chance and I don’t regret it! You and the girls have been wonderful.”

“Twilight…”

“That’s not all,” Twilight interrupted me, as she took off her glasses and gently rubbed her wet eyes, “I am sure you know, but I have a crush on you like the others.”

“You and Fluttershy made it obvious.”

“Yes,” She began nervously, blushing hotly, “Well, I couldn’t help it! So smart, nice and completely understanding. If you weren’t so forgiven I don’t know where I would have ended up.”

“Hey don’t focus on that, my sparkling star. Focus on the here and now. You have friends now and a much better life. Enjoy it.”

“Sparkling star?”

“Yeah, don’t you like it?”

“No, I do! I was just surprised is all,” She denied, blushing lightly with a smile, “You’re right I should enjoy this lucky break I managed to get,” She then suddenly frown a little, “Even though I don’t really deserve it.”

No! This can not stand!

“Never say that, my sparling star! Ever again!” I began, as I gently rubbed her hair, “You do deserve this! What you didn’t deserve was a sad and lonely life at Crystal Prep.”

“You mean it?”

“Yes, you are a beautiful intelligent girl and anyone would be lucky to be your friend,” He answered with a smile, “In fact many would be lucky to have you as a girlfriend,” I added with a wink, making her blush again.

“You think so?”

“I know so,” I simply answered, making her give me an adorable smile, “You know since you worked up the courage to directly confess, you can join the others if you want.”

This caused her to blush hotly, yet beam in happiness, as she nervously nodded in agreement. I chuckled before gently pressing my lips against hers into a gentle kiss.

“Feeling better?” I asked once we separated.

“Uh huh,” She answered in complete bliss, “Can we take a break for a day on our money making plan. I want to catch up with the others and learn what it’s like to be in this kind of relationship.”

“Anything for my sparkling star,” I gave her a quick and gentle kiss on the forehead.

Author's Note

Fun fact the annoying carnival music was loosely based on something my high school did during freshman year. They would play onto the daily goal was met and it was usually met before second hour.

Anyway, human Twily is added to the harem. Hope you enjoyed.

40 Making money and shaming Zephyr at once

It was finally the weekend, but for once in a good while I had to get up pretty early to meet with the girls to finally put our plan into action. since they all wanted to prepared for the event they opted not to sleep with me, which was admittedly torture for me, since I have gotten used to sleeping with a different member each day. I am not too angry about it, since thankfully they promised to make up for it later and they better.

I quickly yawned and took a quick sip from the cup of coffee I bought along the way and stumbled upon the empty parking lot we managed to work out to be able to use. Only Applejack and Sunset were there before me and were wearing bikini tops and bottoms. Sunset had a matching red and yellow flame theme while Applejack’s had a green and red apple theme. Near them was a decent sized pool filled with water and large sponges. There were even a few large bottles of soap in front of the pool.

“Good morning, sugarcube!” Applejack began with a flirty smile, as she rushed over to me, “Not a morning person, huh?” She teased as she glanced at my still half-full cup of coffee.

I simply nodded, as I took another quick sip. It was then I noticed she had ditched her usual low ponytail and her long, soft, and glorious blonde hair was flowing freely past her back. Sunset quickly made her way to us, before she yawned deeply.

“Good morning, sweetie,” She managed to say in a tired tone, as she glanced eagerly at my cup of coffee, “May I have some? I wanted to get some on the way, but Applejack didn’t allow it.”

“I told you that we should set everything up as soon as possible!”

“What’s five minutes to get some quick caffeine,” Sunset argued bitterly with crossed arms, while Applejack rolled her eyes.

“No one else in our group has trouble getting up a few hours earlier,” Applejack pointed out.

“That’s a lie and you know it. Never thought honest AJ would tell a blatant one,” Sunset countered, “You expect me to believe lazy Rainbow who is known for napping all the time is an early riser?”

“Point taken,” Applejack conceded with a chuckle.

“The only thing more laughable would be her also knowing yoga somehow and using it to help me be more awake and relaxed, when I am somehow the only one not an early riser for some forced reason,” Sunset added with her own chuckle, “Anyway, can I have some, sweetie?”

“Of course, my sweet Sunny. Anything for my adorable shimmering sun,” I answered with a smile, while gently stroking her hair, making her lightly blush, before I handed her the cup, which she quickly downed.

“Perhaps, I should have let you get some,” Applejack admitted somewhat amused, as she watched Sunset crush the cup, causing a few drops to fall on her tongue.

“Glad you learned your lesson,” Sunset teased back, before she licked the cup clean, “I hope you don’t mind me drinking the rest, sweetie.”

“It’s fine. You needed it more than I did.”

“Thank you, but perhaps I should still pay you back,” She told me with a flirty smile and wink, “I did drink half of it after all.”

I simply smiled with my own smile, before we engaged in a brief yet intense kiss. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed Applejack fuming, as we engaged in a quick tongue wrestling match. We finally separated, panting lightly with a silvia trial leaking from both of our mouths, which we quickly wiped.

“That should suffice for now, sweetie,” Sunset began with a charming and teasing smirk, “I will be sure to truly pay you back later,” She added with a flirty wink.

“Now that you two are done…”

“Oh, don’t be so bitter, my little apple,” I interrupted, as I walked closer to her and gently stroked her hair, “If you want some too. Just… No, you don’t even have to ask,” I assured her.

“I…” Was all she could utter, before I gently pressed my lips onto hers.

She gently moaned and quickly melted into the kiss, as I continued to stroke her hair. She pressed her chest onto mine, allowing me to feel her soft assets through my thin short sleeve shirt, as we engaged in an intense tongue wrestling match.

It wasn’t long until the others finally arrived and they too were wearing similar attire. Rainbow was wearing a simple rainbow style one and her hair was in a long ponytail. Rarity was wearing a speaking blue one and she even had sunglasses on her face. When she got close enough she lowered her shades a little and gave me a wink, before she blew me a kiss. Pinkie was wearing a light blue one with drawings of party balloons on them. The most interesting thing was her hair appeared to be completely soaked already, but it was still completely poofy. Fluttershy was wearing a pink one with drawings of butterflies and as expected seemed nervous to be wearing such attire in public. Finally, Twilight was wearing a dark purple one with drawings of pink stars.

“Stud, I don’t normally like waking up early, especially in something like this, but for you I can make an exception,” Rainbow began as she rushed to me and embraced me in a hug.

“Well, I didn’t like waking up without one of you sleeping with me, so we both have to suffer a little today,” I responded, as I returned the embrace, enjoying the feeling of her assets being pressed onto me, before I gently pressed my lips onto hers.

She quickly melted and returned the kiss, as we engaged in a brief, yet intense tongue wrestling match.

“More than eager to give us some affection today, huh stud?”

“Like I said I had to go without sleeping with one of you last night.” I responded, before we separated.

“It’s ok, Marky. Today we will make up for that,” Pinkie assured me as she embraced me with a tight hug.

“You better my adorable, party balloon,” I responded, as I returned the hug and gently rubbed her wet, yet poofy hair, “May I ask how your hair is just as poofy when it’s completely wet?”

“It doesn’t usually do that, but I am just so happy to spend time with you…” She placed her mouth on my ear, “And other things we will get to. That it’s staying like this. I figured it’s best to get it completely wet for what we are doing today.”

“Good to know. Anyway, I am ready to make up for the lack of you know,” I responded, as I gently pressed my lips against hers for a few moments, before we separated.

“Marcus, darling it’s nice to show off my beauty and to help us make enough cash for a wonderful school trip before Summer starts,” Rarity began, as she lightly embraced me, “I trust that you know despite all the boys, I attract you are my one and only.”

“I know and will make sure it stays that way.”

“I trust you will only have to go that far to a certain one,” She responded with a wink, before she gently pressed her lips onto mine.

We separated from our brief gentle kiss after a few moments, before Fluttershy approached me with a nervous and gentle smile.

“I have to admit I am nervous about doing this, but I think I can do it for you,” She began, as she gently embraced me.

“It’s ok, my precious butterfly. We all will be here to support you,” I assured her, as the rest of the girls nodded in agreement, getting a nod from the timid girl.

“I… Could you do something to… you know give me good luck, if you don’t mind.”

“Anything, for my little butterfly. Just name it,” I responded, giving her an assuring smile.

“I… Could we have a good luck kiss. Just a quick one is fine.” She managed to ask with a sheepish and adorable smile.

I simply nodded, as I gently stroked her hair, making her giggle, before I gently pressed my lips onto hers. She lightly moaned and melted into the kiss. We separated after a few moments.

“Feeling more confident?” I asked her.

“Uh huh,” She simply responded with her usual adorable smile, “Can we do more later and maybe one that’s more intense?” She asked hopefully.

“Like I said, anything for my precious little butterfly,” I responded with a smile, as I once again stroked her hair.

She simply smiled with an eager smile on her face. Finally, Twilight approached me with a sheepish, yet excited smile.

“So…” She began awkwardly, before she lightly embraced me, “Here we are…”

“Yes, here we are, my adorable sparkling star.”

“Sorry,” She began, blushing lightly, “I am completely new to this dating thing and this being a harem makes it even more…”

“It’s ok, Twily,” I assured her, as I gently stroked her hair, “I will help guide you and we will take it one step at a time.”

“Ok,” She simply responded.

I gave her an encouraging smile, as I gently cupped her cheeks. She took a relaxing breath, as we both moved our lips closer and closer, until they connected. She lightly moaned and completely melted into the kiss. We separated after a few moments, with Twilight having an adorable goofy smile on her face.

“That was amazing,” She gushed.

“Glad you like it. I am more than happy to give you more intense ones later when you are ready.”

Twilight simply nodded with an eager and goofy smile. Not that my special greetings with my harem members are done for today, we can get to business.

“Now that I have greeted each and everyone of you, we can get started setting things up,” I told them, getting nods.

“Today is usually the busiest time of year for traveling, so there should be plenty of people who need their cars washed,” Twilight told us.

“Or fellow students more than willing to give us spare change to stop that annoying music,” Rainbow added with a grin.

“Yes, that…” Twilight responded somewhat bitterly, while shaking her head in disbelief.

“Whatever helps us earn enough or get close to the goal,” Sunset told all of us, before we got started setting things up.

Sure enough, business was booming, as it wasn’t long until plenty of adults and even our fellow peers arrived with their cars for us to wash. As expected the girls appealed to the males who were more than happy to watch attractive girls do so and I appealed to the females who couldn’t look away as I watched the vehicles, completely shirtless. I did have some small talk with a few males who were actually pretty chilled about me getting stared at with their lady friends since they were doing the same to mine, or perhaps they were intimidated by my body. Either way as long as they don’t cause trouble for something outside of my control, I won’t be that way at them enjoying the view of my girls, as long as they don’t take it too far.

Sadly, the peace wouldn’t last long, as the last person the girls and I would like to see appeared like a sunburn after a hot day at the beach.

“Rainbows, I am happy to finally see you in a bikini!”

Rainbow and I both dropped our sponges at those words, before we both sighed in frustration, as we glared at the smugly smiling Zephyr Breeze. He, like me, was shirtless. revealing a large, yet weak looking body, and was wearing blue swim trunks with large black flip-flops.

“Zephyr, what are you doing here?” Rainbow groaned in complete disgust.

“Well, Rainbows, when I heard you girls were raising money for the upcoming school trip, I figured I would stop by and enjoy the show.”

“Well, you can’t! Now get out of here!”

“Rainbows, when will you stop playing hard to get and join me instead of this loser, so I can start my harem and be the ultimate stud?”

“Twilight you are smart, right?” Rainbow asked, only getting an ‘are you serious’ look from the book worm, “Right, stupid question. Well, is it possible for something to be less likely to happen than never?”

“No, Rainbow,” Twilight simply responded, before groaning as Zephyr gave her a flirty wink, “Though, like you I wish it was.”

“Typical Rainbows and her insulting humor,” Zephyr scoffed, as he rubbed his messy hair, “You might still be stubborn, but I will win you over today and if I somehow fail…”

“You mean like usual,” Rainbow teased with a chuckle.

“I will still enjoy the view of my future harem members,” He finished, ignoring Rainbow’s interruption with a perverted grin, as he glanced at most of the girls.

I turned my hands into knuckles, as most of the girls simply gave him grossed out looks, while Fluttershy simply groaned into her hands.

“The girls clearly don’t want you here and you are interrupting our business, so we are asking you to leave,” I told him, bitterly, while trying to hold back most of my anger.

“Please, you don’t speak for them. The girls don’t…”

“Yes, we do! Leave!” Most of them shouted in unison.

“I… but…. Please….” Zephyr could only stutter in complete disbelief and defeat, “Come on, I can help you get some more business!”

“What can you do other than annoy or gross out our future customers?” Rainbow teased, “Alright, stud. Show him out!”

“With pleasure,” I simply said as I cracked my knuckles and approached him, “You have annoyed and grossed out my girls long enough! Now beat it!”

“Please, what can you do to me? Ever since my growth spurt I have been big and strong. You can’t make me leave if I don’t want to!”

I could only shake my head in disbelief. Has he forgotten how easily Fluttershy of all people overpowered him? More like his ego is making him ignore it to the point he would say that lie to someone who knows better. Fine, if he won’t leave I will teach him the hard way. Wait… It just hit me. As fun as it would be to finally give him the physical boot, I know a way to shame him even more and it just might actually help us make extra cash.

“You know, maybe you can help us get some extra cash,” I told him, much to his and the girls’ surprise.

“Really, you do?” He asked dumbly, before shaking his head, “I mean, finally you see some sense. Hopefully, you will understand I am better than you and will get your harem.”

“Stud, are you…”

“Stay right here, while I work things out with the girls,” I told him, as I made my way back to them.

“So do we all agree to this?” I asked the girls, getting nods from all of them.

“Stud, I was worried you became almost as delusional as him, but your idea is awesome!” Rainbow praised with a grin, “I am really loving having an awesome egghead as a lover! Sorry for not trusting you were onto something awesome.”

“It’s ok, my awesome rainbow,” I responded, as I gently stroked her hair, “Fluttershy are you sure you are ok with this.”

“Yes, he has only gotten worse and hopefully this will be the wake up call he needs,” Fluttershy nodded with a small, but noticeable grin on her face, “Besides, I will enjoy dominating him again.”

“You aren’t the only one who will enjoy putting him in his place, shy,” Rainbow agreed with a smile.

“Normally, I am against doing a show of force, but against him I can make an exception. Though I am dreading touching him,” Rarity made her thoughts known.

“Speak for yourself, Rarity. I for one will enjoy showing him not to mess with me again,” Applejack scoffed.

“Just know you will be last. We don’t want to break his arm, before the others have a turn,” I responded with a grin, getting chuckles from most of the others.

“I have more self control than that, sugarcube,” Applejack teased with a chuckle, as she playfully rolled her eyes.

“I am on board. This should help increase our profits and will hopefully get a creep off our backs,” Sunset added with an eager smile.

“This should be fun and it will help us pay for our up and coming fun field trip!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“I have never done much physical activity. Are you sure I can beat him?” Twilight asked sheepishly.

Fluttershy walked closer to her and gave her an assuring smile, before gently placing her hands around her.

“On the count of three I am going to push you and when I do, I want you to try and stop me.”

Twilight simply nodded, before on the count of three was gently pushed a couple inches, before she quickly and effortlessly stopped Fluttershy and even pushed her back a little.

“Sorry. Did I…”

“No, great job. You should more than be able to handle him,” Fluttershy responded with a giggle.

“Now that we are in agreement, I will let him know.”

“Stud, normally I would kick your ass for suggesting such a deal, but since our victory is guaranteed and I am going to enjoy shaming him, I am letting it slide.”

“That is the only reason I decided to do it, my little Rainbow,” I responded with a chuckle, “Why only kick him out when we can shame him where it hurts the most, before I do it?”

“Let me get this straight?” Zephyr asked me, “You and the girls agreed to give me an easy victory to take most of them from you, if I can beat at least one of them in different contests of strength?”

“Yes, since you claim to be the strongest the girls want you to prove it before you claim most of them as lovers and to make a show of it to boost our sales,” I answered with a smile.

“Glad to see you and the girls finally see sense,” He began with a grin, as he rubbed his hair and even blew a kiss at most of the girls, who gave him clearly fake smiles, which he didn’t caught on to, before they cringed and gagged when he looked back at me, “You have a deal. I will help earn more than enough money to fund the trip, before I finally take what’s mine. You are lucky you no longer dating Flutter Butter isn't part of the deal, but I am sure she will eventually leave you for someone actually worthy of her.”

“Yeah,” I gritted my teeth, as the only thing preventing me from pounding this freak to oblivion was the embarrassment that was about to happen to him, “Now you better get started and get your prize.”

Zephyr only gave me a cocky grin, I was going to enjoy getting wiped off his face, as he approached the girls. I took a deep breath, before I made my announcement.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Not only are we going to be washing your cars, we have a special show for you all!” I began getting curious and excited looks from the crowd, “How would you all like to watch these seven beautiful girls, wearing nothing but bikinis dominate this Hercules wannabe?” I questioned getting shouts of excitement from the crowd, “Good! I hope you all enjoy it and who knows maybe our special guest will surprise us all and actually beat at least one of these ladies in a contest of strength.”

Zephyr gave me a dirty look, as the crowd went wild in excitement. I simply gave him a cheeky grin and waved at him. After all, who couldn’t resist watching beautiful girls dominate a weak man, especially in this type of clothing.

First up was Rainbow, as expected. Zephyr and Rainbow both placed an arm on the hood of a car, we finished drying.

“Well, Rainbows, since you won’t quit playing hard to get, I am going to win you now.”

“The only thing you are winning is the bath you desperately needed,” Rainbow simply responded, as the two grabbed each other’s hands.

“The first time we are holding hands and it’s a shame it’s during an armwrestlng match, instead of during our first date, though this moment will still be special, as it’s the moment I finally get you!”

“And it’s the moment I get mold or even rabies.”

I and everyone else chuckled, as Rainbow simply groaned in disgust and Zephyr groaned in annoyance, before I placed a hand on theirs.

“Ready. Set. Go.” I announced before releasing my hand.

Zephyr groaned as he tried his hardest to move her hand, only for it to not move one iota. Rainbow giggled, as she instantly pinned his arm onto the hood.

“Fluttershy was right. You are weak,” She teased.

“I… I let you win,” He argued bitterly.

“I thought you wanted to win me?”

“No, I… I wasn’t ready.”

“No, you were. Ready to lose at any rate,” Rainbow responded with a cheeky grin, as she quickly removed her hand and stared at it in disgust, “Well, I am done and I am going to clean my hand before it gets infected,” She rushed right to our pool of water, quickly soaked her arm and washed it off with soap and a sponge, “You know, Rarity, for once I agree with you about being clean.”

“I am happy you finally see things my way, darling,” Rarity playfully rolled her eyes with a smile, “Though, I am both dreading and looking forward to my turn like you were.”

Next was Pinkie, who wanted to do a fun game of mercy, which should be fun to watch.

“Ready for our turn of fun, Zephyr?” Pinkie asked in excitement.

“Yes, and I am ready to win you as a harem member.”

“Sorry, silly. I will make sure I stay with Marky. My heart will always be with him, but we will still have fun.”

“Fine, I will just win you,” Zephyr scoffed bitterly, as the two grabbed each other’s hands.

“Sorry, silly, but Pinkie never loses a game she really wants to win,” She told him with a giggle, that sounded serious.

Zephyr noticeably gulped in fear of what’s about to happen, but ultimately shrugged it off.

“Ready. Set. Go.”

Zephyr tried his hardest to push against Pinkie, only for her to effortlessly push him backwards a couple feet, before she gave him a strong one, knocking him off balance. By the time he managed to get his footing, Pinkie grabbed his arms and despite his best efforts moved it roughly behind his back.

“Now, say it.”

“No, I can’t!”

“Say it!” Pinkie insisted with a giggle, as she increased the pleasure, making him groaned in pain, “Say it, so I can win.”

“Fine. Mercy!”

“Yay!” Pinkie cheered, as she let him go and raised her hands in the hair, as the crowd cheered her victory.

Zephyr groaned, as he rubbed his sore arm.

“Do you want to take a break before your next chance?” I asked him with a grin and chuckle.

He only scowled at me, before it turned into a determined look.

“This is just the beginning,” He snarled bitterly, “I will beat one of these girls and finally get what I want!”

Don’t count on it chief!

“You know darling I never understood the appeal to a game of strength like this, but I have to admit it isn’t so bad,” Rarity admitted, as she continued to slowly lower Zephyr’s hand onto the hood of the car, despite his best efforts to prevent that, “Aside from touching your gross and possibly disease-ridden hand, this is actually fun, especially since I am winning.”

“You know I warned you not to use much more than you can handle,’ Applejack teased, as she effortlessly lifted the dumbbell, Zephyr found himself being crushed under, “Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if a single pound weight was too much for you.”

“Say it!”

“Please, no!” Zephyr begged, as he gasped in pain.

“Say it.”

“Fine, mercy!”

“You know since you were annoyingly stubborn that word isn’t good enough. I did warn you about that and want you to say the other thing.”

“What! Come on!”

“Now, before my patience once again runs out and we call this whole thing off. We can just have him just throw your ass out!”

“No, please have mercy wise and powerful queen Sunset!”

“That’s better,” Sunset told him with a cheeky grin, as she let go, “You know it was kind of fun going back to the old me a little bit, especially to put you in your place.”

“Good for you,” Zephyr groaned, as he rubbed his sore arms.

Zephyr groaned as he tried to stay within the circle with one final strong, by his standards anyway, push, only for Twilight to easily force and knocked him on his ass outside of it.

“You were right! I could easily handle him!” Twilight exclaimed with an adorable smile on her face.

“I swear these girls are taking steroids,” Zephyr groaned, as he slowly got up and rubbed his sore ass.

“More like you are just completely weak,” I simply responded while shaking my head.

“Just so you all know, I let you all win,” Zephyr began with a cocky smile, as he placed his hand onto the hood of the car, “What would be better than to win it all on the last chance?”

“If only you were actually skilled,” Rainbow quipped, as we all chuckled at his expense, while he simply pouted.

“I let you win last time just to date him, as the nice brother I am Flutter Butter, but now I am here to win and finally get what I want,” He told her with a determined look, only to groan when she and the rest of us simply laughed at him.

“Don’t bother going easy on him this time. Just get an instant victory like Rainbow and we can end this,” I whispered in her ear, getting a nod and giggle, before the two connected their hands.

“Ready. Set. Go.”

Zephyr as usual tried his hardest, but her hand, as expected, didn't move one iota. Zephyr gritted his teeth and groaned, while Fluttershy only gave him her usual adorable smile.

“Alright, Flutter Butter. No more holding back.”

“Yes, I think I should stop doing so, unlike last time,” She responded with a giggle.

“Wait, you were going easy on me last time?” He asked, completely stunned with a look of pure horror and disbelief.

We all chuckled and smiled, as his mask was finally completely destroyed, at least for now.

“Yes, and I think I should stop holding back and maybe this time you will learn,” She told him, before she instantly pinned his hand onto the hood, despite his best efforts to prevent it.

“No! No, I lost. I failed to get most of you as part of my harem,” Zephyr groaned in pure defeat.

“On the bright side you did help us make twice as much money as Twilight predicted,” I responded with a smile, as I held up our money bucket.

Zephyr said nothing and simply stared out into space in defeat.

“Well, since you lost I get to finally give you the boot.” I told him, as I cracked my knuckles.

“The boot?” He asked.

“Everyone, I hope you enjoyed our show and you all will get an encore, as I will give our special guest a nice bath he desperately needs,” I announced, before lifting Zephyr up.

“Hey! What’s the big idea!” He exclaimed angrily, as he tried to escape from my grasp to no avail.

I simply smiled, as I tossed him into our pool of water, before the crowd went wild. Zephyr quickly emerged from the pool and blew water out of his mouth, before he gagged and rubbed his tongue.

“Seriously?! You got soap in my mouth!”

“Please, that bath of yours has been a long time coming.” I responded, while rolling my eyes, “Besides, we are doing you a favor. If you groom yourself right, you might have a better chance to actually get a girl.”

Zephyr simply glared at me, before he got out and left in complete embarrassment and defeat. I simply shook my head.

“Well, we managed to turn a dreadful visit from him into a way to make some extra cash and there is still time left in the day,” I commented with a grin.

“One of your best ideas, stud!” Rainbow agreed, getting nods from the rest of the girls.

“Now, shall we continue and get even closer to the goal?” Sunset suggested, getting nods from all of us.

Well, like they say, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and when life gives you annoying Zephyr, make the best way to embarrassed him, while making money doing it.

Author's Note

This chapter was hard to write as I couldn't resist crossing the line between rating T and M and even then I feel I toed the line. There is actually more to the Sunset, Marcus and Applejack scene, but I think I will wait until I am in the mood to write another scene after wards of him getting more involved with the girls as their victory over Zephyr. It will be the long awaited second chapter in the 2nd clop collection. Watch out for that next. Oh just remembered. Thank you SunFlare Knight for the chapter idea. As soon as you left that comment the mentioning a car wash I knew I had to do it in someway shape and form.

41: Relaxing with the girls, playing footsie

I awoke feeling completely warm and cozy, despite the feeling of being cramped. I yawned deeply, as I noticed almost my entire harem was somehow in the bed with me. Fluttershy was gently cuddling my right arm, with Chopper snuggling into her other. Applejack was cuddling my other arm with a tight grip. Rainbow and Rarity both had their arms wrapped around my torso and somehow were snuggled on top of Applejack and Fluttershy respectively. Twilight and Sunset each held onto one of my legs. Last but not least, Pinkie was on top of me. Looks like to make up for me having to go without sleeping with one of the girls, they decided to do so together. Memories of the previous night filled my mind, as I somehow managed to get out of bed without disturbing the girls. Since they made last night better for me than the one before, I should pay them back.

I entered the kitchen and quickly grabbed the large box of bacon and a couple cartons of eggs from the fridge. Right when I was in the middle of cooking eggs and bacon on the stove, I was immediately in a light embrace by none other than Pinkie. She was still in her pajamas and I could feel her soft features through her thin pajama top.

“Marky! Why did you leave?! I was so cozy lying on top of you and it was terrible waking up to find you were gone! You better have a good reason mister or I… Oh breakfast! Can I help?”

“Yes, my precious party balloon,” I simply responded, not even phased by her hyper speech.

“Yippie! But don’t think you are off the hook mister!”

“Whatever you say, my adorable party balloon,” I simply told her, while stroking her hair and even gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“I…. You make it impossible to stay annoyed with you! No fair!” She pouted cutely.

“All is fair in love and war. Now shall we start cooking the others' breakfast?”

Pinkie simply nodded.

By the time we finished cooking, the others arrived into the kitchen, yawning, while still in their pajamas, and in Fluttershy’s case holding Chopper in her arms.

“Good morning, sweetie. Decided to leave bed before us and…” Sunset began, before suddenly stopping when she and the others noticed the small buffet of breakfast on the counter, “You made us breakfast?”

“Yes, I figured after our hard work yesterday we all can chill and relax before school tomorrow,” I answered with a smile.

“And I woke up feeling disturbed when he decided to be a party pooper and leave us early, so I followed him and when I saw what he was doing decided to let it slide for now and help!” Pinkie added with a huge grin.

“Yes, thank you, my adorable party balloon. Now sit down while I serve you and the others.”

“Before that, why don’t we all show you our gratitude, right girls?” Sunset suggested with a flirty smile and wink.

The others nodded with flirty smiles of their own, while Sunset approached me and gently rubbed my cheek.

“You know, we all were annoyed waking up to find you were gone, like Pinkie before us,” Sunset began, getting nods from the girls, “But seeing you cook breakfast for all of us, so we can relax after yesterday makes up for it,” She added, getting nods again, “You really are a great lover,” She purred, before giving me a quick, yet passionate kiss, that I returned, “That is only the beginning, sweetie and not just from me.”

Next was Dashie who practically rushed right up to me.

“Alright, stud, you know I hate being all sappy, so why don’t we skip that and go…”

Before she could continue or kiss me for that matter, I placed a hand on her lips and gently pushed her back.

“Sorry, Dashie, but since you don’t like being all sappy, that means you don’t want your morning kiss either,” I said with a cocky smirk, before letting go.

“What!? Yes, I do!” She demanded with a pout, while blushing hotly, “Fine, I will say it! Stud, you are the best thing to ever happen to me. For years I had to deal with Zephyr trying to woo me to the point I hated anything to do with romance, but now with you I only wished I wasn’t so closed minded because of him.”

“While that is sweet of you, Dashie, my adorable little rainbow, you also didn’t really have to say that. I was just joking around.”

“What!?” She squealed, completely stunned, before pouting even more bitterly than before, “Damn it stud! Did you really have to do that?”

“Like I said, Dashie, it’s fun to rile you up a little,” I began with a smirk, while gently stroking her hair, “You’re so adorable when you get all flustered.”

“Stud! Not in front of the others,” Rainbow groaned bitterly, as the others watched, completely amused.

I only chuckled in response, before gently pressing my lips against hers, making her lightly moan, as she returned the short, yet passionate kiss.

The morning kisses with the rest happened without anything major to note and the girls took a seat, waiting for me to serve them.

“I will think of your punishment for leaving, later, Marky,” Pinkie called out, as I approached the table.

“I think your special breakfast plate will change your mind.”

“Please, nothing will...” She gasped when she noticed her plate, which contained two hard-boiled eggs, resembling eyes, with a large curved piece of bacon, creating a smiley face, “Breakfast exactly how I like it! How did you know?”

“I had a hunch,” I simply responded with a smile.

“You’re off the hook!” She told me, before picking up her fork and digging in.

“I know we teased you about being a child sometimes, Pinkie, but times like this show you really are,” Rarity commented with a cheeky smile.

Pinkie only stuck out her tongue and blew Rarity a raspberry in response.

After breakfast the girls and I were relaxing on the couch, with our bare feet sitting on the soft cushioned table. Pinkie was holding the remote and kept excitedly switching channels, happily seeing what is on the channels she and the rest of the girls don’t usually watch.

“Is there going to be another episode of that sponge and starfish show? Them trying to sell chocolate bars was the funniest thing I have ever seen!” Pinkie asked cheerfully.

“Yes, it was Pinkie,” Rainbow agreed, chuckling a bit.

“Glad you girls are having fun,” I told them.

“Yes, but I think it’s time for you to start having fun, stud,” Rainbow told me with a cheeky smile.

“What…”

“She’s right you might have gotten Pinkie to forget about your punishment for leaving us, and despite how much we appreciate you cooking breakfast for us…”

“Actually, I changed my mind, when you girls talked about it, during his bathroom break,” Pinkie piped up.

What? So, they talked and planned something about punishing me for earlier, huh? For some reason I like the sound of that. I wonder what it is.

“Right, thank you, Pinkie,” Sunset responded, somewhat bitterly, at being interrupted, before looking at me with a cheeky smile, “Anyway, since you did something for us to enjoy, we will do the same for you.”

“What…”

“And ruin the surprise,” Sunset teased me with a smirk, making me pout, as she and the others got up.

“Enjoy stud! You are going to love your little punishment session,” Dashie told me with a smirk, before she gently placed one of her small feet on mine and gently rubbed my big toe with her own much smaller one.

I squirm a little and let out a soft moan, only to pout in disappointment when she removed it.

“Sorry, stud, but a little payback for earlier. No one embarrasses me in front of others. Well, except you, but I will play back,” Rainbow told me with a cheeky grin, before trying to place her foot back on mine, only for it to be blocked by Applejack’s larger one.

“Hold on, Rainbow. You are getting ahead of yourself. We agreed I am going first,” Applejack reminded her.

“Why?” Dashie pouted.

“We agreed we go in order from largest to smallest.”

“But! That means I am last!”

“Tough. You are going to have to deal with being last for once, even though you broke that by teasing him.”

“Fine,” Dashie stomped her foot onto the floor, angrily.

“Alright, sugarcube,” She began, turning towards me with a flirty smile, “Since Rainbow told us you are ticklish, especially in a certain area, we each will have a turn at playing footsie with you.

“Footsie?” I asked.

“Yes, now sit up at the end of the couch, so we can get started.”

I could only nod, as I did what she said and she quickly joined me, by sitting up at the other side of the couch. She raised her large, yet feminine looking feet, up and gently wiggled her toes, before resting them on my slightly larger ones. While they were nowhere as soft as Dashie’s, they were still fairly so. When she gently rubbed both of my big toes with her own equally large ones, I let out a soft moan and squirm a little.

“Impressive, sugarcube. You are the first boy, or anyone for that matter with bigger feet than my own. How are you liking this?”

“I usually hate the feeling, but I still enjoy it so far,” I admitted.

“That’s the point, sugarcube. It wouldn’t be punishment at all if you completely enjoy it, but we aren’t going to torture you completely, especially for your selfless act of cooking us breakfast,” Applejack responded with a giggle, as she continued to rub her toes and feet on us, making me giggle and squirm a little.

She did this for about ten minutes, before stopping and giving the next person in line their turn. This continued from Sunset, to Pinkie, to Twilight, to Rarity, to Fluttershy, before finally Dashie had her turn. None of the other girls could compare with how soft Dashie's feet are. Fluttershy was close but no cigar. Which is why when she placed both of her soles on mine, I squirmed so much, I almost fell off the couch.

“Too much for you to handle, stud?” Dashie teased me with a smirk.

“Are you really bragging about having the softest feet of the group?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, “The athlete of the group has softer feet than Fluttershy.”

“Whatever I am the best at, doesn’t matter to me,” She responded with a grin.

“Girls, could one of you grab on and hold me down, so I don’t fall?” I asked.

“Gotcha, sugarcube,” Applejack responded, amused with a chuckle, as she gently grabbed my shoulders.

“The others were warmups, stud. Your real punishment starts now. You are going to regret embarrassing me earlier! Oh and waking up and leaving our bed too, I guess.”

“Way to be petty, my annoyingly adorable rainbow,” I quipped.

“You asked for it, stud!” She fired back.

Let this be a lesson to all. Never taunt your girl, or one of them, if they are in a position to cause you discomfort. If you somehow do, then hope it’s a situation that you will actually enjoy, despite the small amount of discomfort.

Especially, when your group of lovers decide to do an encore round where they all do the same. I couldn’t help but smile, while trying to resist giggling as all of the girls switched from gently rubbing my feet with theirs to trying to fight each other off.

“I play a lot of games, Marky, but footsie with you is one of my favorites, especially when switching to push the others away and hog you for myself.”

“Which is easier said than done, Pinkie, darling. Despite your best efforts, I am avoiding having to deal with you and the others from interfering with me doing this with my Marky Wikey,” Rarity responded, as she continued to gently rub her soft toes on mine.

“As someone new to romance, I never thought doing this could be so enjoyable,” Twilight spoke up.

“Same here. I never thought I would enjoy being affectionate to another human, instead of animals. Not that I am comparing you…”

“Relax, my precious butterfly, it's fine,” I assured her, between newly released giggles, getting a nod from her.

“I am happy to say today is shaping up to be a nice relaxing one, before going back to school tomorrow,” Applejack spoke up, getting nods from all of us.

I have to say having a day with most of my harem of girls turned out to be fun, despite the small amount of tickle torture. Makes me sad on most days, I can only focus on one at a time, but that is for the best, as I doubt I can handle getting overwhelmed like this on a daily basis.

“Alright, stud I held back long enough to give you a break and I am going back in,” Rainbow told me with a cheeky smile.

Thank you for proving my point, Dashie. I will be sure to embarrass you even more in the future, perhaps in front of other people, instead of just the other girls.

Author's Note

Just a fun short filler comedic chapter before more serious things happen.

43 The truth of having to donate

It has been a couple weeks since we turned in the money and I am happy to note that our major contribution helped us reach the goal in that time. Everyone is happy to no longer have to suffer through the music, except Pinkie, but since she has a copy she can deal with it. The girls and I were walking through the halls, more than ready for the trip and for Summer to finally arrive.

“Attention students. I am happy to report we have managed to reach our goal and the school trip to camp Everfree is going to happen. Right on time too.”

Her announcement caused all of us to cheer in excitement.

“And we no longer have to play that annoying music!”

The cheers only increased, but I could hear Pinkie groan in disappointment.

“But I was enjoying it!”

“Cheer up, my precious party balloon,” I assure her, stroking her hair, “You still have your copy.”

“I know, but I liked listening to it, while dancing to my next class!” She pouted cutely.

“I know, but cheer up. We are going on the trip and going to have a wonderful Summer,” I responded, before giving her a kiss on the forehead.

“That does make me feel a little better,” She began with a cheeky grin, “Want to know what would make me feel a lot better?” She teased me with a flirty wink, before slowly moving her face closer to mine.

“May I remind you, Pinkie, that today is my day!” Rarity exclaimed, glaring at her.

Pinkie froze and groaned bitterly.

“Fish paste!”

Rarity rolled her eyes, while I and most of the other girls chuckled.

We entered the gymnasium, and we took a seat at the bottom of the bleachers, as we eagerly waited to see what was going on.

“What do you think is going to happen?” Fluttershy asked.

“Something fun. We finished taking our finals of the year and with only less than a week left, it’s only natural they are celebrating the end of the year,” Sunset spoke up.

“Finally, Summer has arrived! More free time to have fun!” Rainbow exclaimed with a smile.

“And less pouting from you about wanting to stay in our bed for an hour or two longer, my little Rainbow,” I teased with a smirk.

“Stud! Not in front of the others!” Rainbow groaned with a pout, while blushing hotly.

I and the others chuckled.

“Welcome, everyone to the final assembly of the year,” Principal Celestia began speaking, getting our attention, “I am sure I am correct in saying this school year has been more impactful and interesting than any other.”

“Yeah, with a unicorn from another world having been in this world for a few years now, stealing a magical crown to try and take over, only for a pony princess to come over to stop her. Then having to fight against magical sirens and having to deal with another Twilight stealing magic.” Pinkie summarized with a smile.

“Yes, Pinkie, thanks to Sunny here this year has been more interesting and intense than usual,” Rarity responded while shaking her head.

“I am also happy to see that thanks to your efforts we have made enough money to fund the trip and it only took a little bit of inspiration,” Celestia joked with a teasing grin, only to receive glares and blank stares, “Oh… Anyway, as the final assembly of the year, we are going to hand out various rewards to students that managed to accomplish different things,” She added awkwardly, after no one was amused at her little joke.

The crowd actually got a little excited at her announcement and she smiled, as she looked at her notes.

“Now without a further do, we shall start…”

“Not so fast, sister!”

Celestia froze and blinked, as she watched vice principal Luna approach her with a glare on her face.

“Lulu…”

“Quiet, Tia!” Luna interrupted bitterly, while crossing her arms, “As much as I hate to interrupt this assembly and keep our hard working students from their well earned rewards, this can’t wait and it must be said here in public.”

“Lulu, what are you…”

“Oh, I think you know, or can likely guess at any rate, Tia!” Luna interrupted her again, as she pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket, “Weeks ago you told me that our budget wasn’t enough for the school trip to camp Everfree.”

“Yes, and we had to rely on donations to fund it. Thanks to our…”

“Even now you lie to me, Tia,” Luna interrupted with a disappointed tone, “Unfortunately for you, I stumbled upon a copy of the budget and found we should have had more than enough to fund the trip.”

“I see,” Celestia could only respond nervously, while sheepishly rubbing the back of her head, as sweat formed on her forehead.

“That’s all!? That’s all you have to say!?” Luna asked, glaring darkly, “Where did the extra money go, Tia?”

“Now, Lulu. You don’t have to…”

“Yes, since you made the students pay for this trip when they didn’t have to, it’s only fair they learn the truth. Now, Tia, answer me. Where did all the extra money go?”

“....”

“Fine, if you won’t answer than I will,” Luna responded bitterly, before pulling out another sheet of paper, “I knew you had a cake addiction, Tia, but to use a sizeable portion of the budget to help fund a constant supply of it is a new low, especially when you make our students have to donate to fund the trip, so you could get away with it!”

“Fine! I can never have enough chocolate cake! It’s the best thing in the world. No, universe and I don’t regret lying about the budget just to have more of it!”

“I mean she has a point about cake,” Pinkie mumbled, with a smile, only for it to instantly deflate at our stern frowns.

“Pinkie, we all love sweets as much as the next person, but that doesn’t justify what she did,” Rainbow told her, while shaking her head.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Pinkie admitted with a sigh.

“I think I heard enough!”

We were stunned by the stern and frustrated male voice, that was also full of authority. I noticed Principal Celestia paled in shock and slight fear and I could understand why. Approaching her was an incredibly tall man, that was even a head taller than her, with dark black skin and short matching hair. The look on his face was one of harsh authority, as he glared at her with his scary red eyes.

“I… Even me at my worst would be scared straight not to do anything if he was around,” Sunset told us.

“Perhaps, because he looks like the type that would be able to notice and do something about it,” Rainbow added, getting a nod from Sunset.

“Superintendent Sombra, what a…”

“Save you pointless butt kissing for when you aren’t in huge trouble, Celestia!” Sombra snarled, “I have to admit I am disappointed in you. The school board and I were impressed to see your school’s standardized test scores rise well above their norm. Despite the rumors and the incident at the friendship games, we were willing to look away, but to learn you greedily took some of the budget all for yourself and made your students have to fund a field trip, we can no longer do that!”

“Sir, you don’t…”

“Oh, I think we should keep a closer eye on you and this school. Like you said earlier this year has been more interesting and you earned this through your actions.”

“I… I understand,” Celestia could only say, before sighing in defeat.

“Good. Now for your punishment. You are to refund all the money you received back to the students and fund the trip yourself.”

“But… Yes, sir,” She accepted her punishment, “Thank god I decided to only spend a little of it each week on my cakes.”

“Miss Celestia before I make my leave, you have a problem and you better shape up and not do something like this again, or you can kiss your job goodbye.”

“Yes, sir!” Celestia only responded nervously and in fear, as she watched him leave.

The only thing we all could do was sit in silence over what occurred, as it all set in. Celestia took a relaxing deep breath, before glaring at Luna.

“Did you really have to do this, Lulu! Get me in trouble with Mr. Sombra!”

“Yes, like you apparently had to take some of our budget for your cake addiction,” Luna responded, returning the glare, “Now, it’s time for you to face the music.”

Celestia could only groan in anger, as Luna left the gym, before she gave us all a sheepish smile.

“Anyway, students, care to actually hear the rewards now?”

The girls and I could only shake our heads in pure disbelief. Who would have thought this whole donation was a scam from Celestia just to fuel her cake addiction? While this isn’t as bad as the magical events, it’s still really messed up. Oh well. It’s the end of the year, so I think I will just focus on the fun the girls and I are going to have, especially since we are getting our money back!

Author's Note

Well, Celly got busted. I had this twist in mind shortly after she first introduced the trip idea, though couldn't picture how to reveal it. Originally I wanted Marcus to stumbled upon it and actually wanted Luna to be involved, but scrapped it since I wanted her to actually get punished and needed a way to have that happen, so I had Luna discover it and set up an ambush with human Sombra, who's the superintendent, because why not. He just seemed like the perfect fit and it's nice to imagine someone actually larger and more in charge than good ole Celly!

1 introduction and Pinkie Pie

Today has been a normal relaxing day and for once that was more than needed. I have always prided myself on being a reasonable skeptic, but after recent events I found myself having to accept things of fantasy and magic as real. I still don't quite know how to completely deal with and accept that. I'm hoping I figure it out soon. I entered the school cafeteria, hungry and eager for the half an hour-long break from classes. I noticed everyone else sitting together and happily chatting away with one another. This school certainly seems friendlier and more united than my previous schools. It's surreal to see different kinds of teens, from different cliques, interacting with one another. It appears anyone can be friends here, regardless of personality or status. After leaving the lunch line with my tray in hand, I began to make my way to my table. Along the way I received a few waves and nods, which I sheepishly returned. The friendly nature here is nice, but I am still getting used to it. I finally reached the table and found Big Mac sitting there, eating a sub.

"Howdy," He greeted me.

A simple greeting for most, but for him it's usually what he only says. It's rare for him to speak complete sentences, unless you are close to him like I am.

"Hey, having a good day?" I asked, before taking a seat.

"Eeyup."

Well, you have to not ask him yes or no questions for that, at any rate. Plus, he has been known to troll people by doing it anyway.

"Hey, are you busy this weekend?" He asked me.

It was a stupid question to ask admittedly, considering since other than school, I usually only with him for workouts at the gym.

"No, as always I have a lot of free time. Why do you ask?" I responded, before taking a bite from my own sub.

"Well, every year we have a country style party," He simply said.

"And you want me to come?" I asked despite knowing the answer.

He simply nodded.

"Why?"

He didn't respond, making me sighed in frustration. While he talks to me more than most people, he still has his moments. I swear he is the ultimate troll sometimes.

"Fine, I guess I can go."

I better not regret this. I swear his antisocial behavior is perhaps the most annoying thing I have to deal with. I swear he enjoys doing this kind of thing.

"Anyway, how have you been holding up since?" He began, before awkwardly pausing for a brief moment, "Well... You know."

He was without a doubt referring to the battle of the bands fiasco. That whole event will forever be a crucial moment in my life. When I first arrived, I heard the rumors of the fall formal and didn't believe in any of that, but now let's just say my entire skeptical side seems to have been destroyed completely.

"I'm fine. Well, as much as possible after you learned magic is actually real." I finally answered.

He nodded, before taking another bite of his sub, "Yep, we were all the same after the fall formal. Just give it time and you'll get used to it."

"I'll take your word for it," was all I could say in response to that.

I went back to eating my sub and tried to get my mind off that event. I found myself staring at the other side of the cafeteria, to where the newly dubbed Rainbooms are sitting. They are currently the most popular group in the entire school. Not only did they manage to save all of us from the sirens, but they have a popular band that continues to impress the student body. The interesting thing about their group, at least to me, is the fact that the group is diverse. I found myself staring at the one that I knew the most, Pinkie Pie. She is my opposite when it comes to social interactions. A part of me is actually slightly envious that she can easily express herself without worry at how it would make her look to others. How she can easily make friends with everyone. She is an exaggerated example of the kind of person I would like to be one day. Ever since we met, she has gone out of the way to befriend me and always finds a way to interact with me. It actually feels nice to have someone reach out to me, and I am glad to have met her. I moved on from Pinkie to the one other of the group I have met, Sunset Shimmer, former bully queen, as I have been told. I find it personally hard to believe that she was a cruel bully. Looks can be deceiving, I guess. I began to recall when I first met her.

I was currently sitting in the principal's office, waiting for her to finish my schedule. The worst part about going to a new school, at least for me, was always having to make new friends. Despite being able to talk fine one on one, I still have trouble shaking the feeling that I might embarrass myself. At least everyone seems friendly here so far.

"Here's your schedule," Principal Celestia told me, breaking me from my thoughts, "Sorry about the wait. The computers are slow today."

"That's fine," I assured her, "Am I free to go?"

"Not so fast. You will be given a school tour," She answered me, before making an announcement.

I considered arguing against it, but decided it was not worth it. Despite being more than capable of figuring where everything is on my own, it won't hurt just to get this over with. Besides, depending on how long the tour is, I might miss some class time.

"Alright," I shrugged my shoulders, "If you insist."

"She will meet you outside."

I simply nodded, before leaving the office. I wonder what my tour guide will be like. Hopefully, she will be friendly. After a few minutes, a light orange skinned girl, around my age, with red and yellow striped hair appeared. Wow, she looks hot. I quickly shook my head and hopefully managed to regain my composure, before she noticed. To my slight shock, when I looked at her again, she seemed to be lightly blushing.

"Oh, Hi. I'm Sunset Shimmer." She greeted me, before the blush disappeared, "Are you the one I am showing around today?"

"Yeah. I'm Marcus."

"That's a strange name," She commented, with a perplexed look on her face.

"That's kind of rude, don't you think?" I responded, before crossing my arms, "I mean I find your name a little weird, but I wasn't going to comment on it, until you did."

Seriously, since I moved here, I have been baffled at the variety of skin colors everyone else has. Thankfully, I noticed a few people with what I consider normal enough colored skin. God, I sound racist, but I'm sure you know what I mean. Never mind. Everyone's names here are also completely weird. What kind of place did I move to? To my slight surprise, Sunset seemed completely hurt and upset. What's up with her?

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to," she told me.

I sighed, as she continued to apologize and talk about how she would do anything to make things up with me. Why is she taking a small insult so seriously?

"Calm down," I finally told her, causing her to stop, "Look, it's no big deal. It was just a small comment. I know you didn't mean it and I'm not that upset about it."

"Right," She responded, nervously, with an embarrassed blush, "I just want this to go well."

She actually looks really adorable like this. If other girls are as attractive as her, I hope to find a way to socialize better and hopefully make a few good friends.

"It still can. Now let's move on and get to the tour," I suggested.

"Right. Let's," She simply said, before she regained her composure and began leading me through the school.

Little did I know that day she was desperate to turn a new leaf and make a new friend with someone, who didn't have to deal with her old behavior. Thankfully, she has come a long way and has managed to completely overturn her horrible reputation.

Since then, I have made little progress myself to improve my social skills and become more like the person I want to be. Sure, I have Big Mac and Pinkie, but I hope I am still struggling. Hopefully, I will find a way soon. Well, at least this school is much more friendly than my previous ones.

"Marky!"

Sometimes, it seems too friendly. Well, one student in particular can be at times. I couldn't even blink, before Pinkie embraced me. I could smell her perfume, which smelled like fresh baked pastries. It smells quite nice actually. For some reason I still don't understand, a part of me likes it when she does this. I think I can get used to this.

"Pinkie."

"I'm so happy to see you," she told me, before tightening the embrace to the point where her face was touching mine.

"Yeah, and everyone else in the whole school," I couldn't help, but quip.

"Yeah, but you are a special one," She responded cheerfully, before doing something I didn't expect, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

I felt my face heat up and I was completely stunned. I have never been kissed by a girl before. She was always affectionate but never like this.

"I know we haven't known each other long, but I consider you on the same level as the rest of the girls."

"I..."

"Oh. I almost forgot," She told me, giving me a huge smile, "I am throwing a huge party this weekend and would like for you to be there."

"I..." she placed a finger on my lips.

"I know you don't usually like going out, for whatever reason, but I would really like for you to be there," she told me, giving me a smile that made it impossible to say no, even if I wanted to.

This party could be my best chance to overcome my hesitation in becoming more social and maybe make some friends, or at least make a good first step towards doing it.

"Ok. Sure, I'll go," I answered.

"Really?" Pinkie asked with an adorable smile on her face.

"Yeah. How can I say no to an adorable girl like you?" I responded, before mentally facepalming.

I didn't mean to say that out loud. I hope it doesn't make things awkward between us.

"You think I'm adorable?" Pinkie asked me.

"Y-Yes Pinkie I do," I answered, hoping things will turn out well.

"Oh. thank you!" She exclaimed happily, before tightening her embrace.

Right, it's pinkie. I should have known her taking it the wrong way is practically impossible. Well, at least I wasn't embarrassed too badly.

"Hey! You two love birds might want to get in your seats, before class starts."

Pinkie and I both blushed in embarrassment, before separating from each other. I noticed a cute pout form on her face, before she moved to her desk. I sighed, as I made my way to mine. I spoke too soon. Well, at least Pinkie seemed to like my compliment. I began to recall when I first met her.

Throughout the tour Sunset would make small talk and we ended up making conversation. At first it felt awkward, but thankfully we found a topic we could talk a lot about.

"You seriously have never heard of Borderlands?" I asked in disbelief.

"No," She shook her head in confusion, "Is it any good? The way you ask makes it seem like something I should know about."

I took a relaxing breath, "Ok, I am going to name a few video games and tell me if you have heard of them."

"Ok."

"Elder scrolls."

"No."

"Fallout."

"Nope."

"Halo."

"Sorry."

"Call of duty."

"Is that about fighting war? I might check that out."

I sighed, before shaking my head, "At least look each of them up and see if they interest you."

"Oh, I will. It's kind of interesting to learn about a few franchises I have never heard about before."

Seriously, what is with this place? Not only are there humans with more skin color variety than I thought possible, with the weirdest of names, but now popular forms of media, apparently haven't been heard of here. Is this entire city separated from the rest of the world?

"Yeah, I guess it goes both ways. I mean there must be interesting franchises around here I never heard of as well."

We reached the gym and I found myself impressed with the size of the room. Seems like a nice place to play in. In the middle of the room, was another girl with light pink skin and darker pink poofy hair, that seemed to resemble cotton candy. When she noticed me, her eyes lit up in pure happiness.

"Is that a new student!" She exclaimed, before making her way to me in hardly any time at all.

"Uh, hi."

"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie. What's your name? Do you like ice-cream? Do you like parties? W..." She was interrupted by Sunset placing a hand on her mouth.

Sunset sighed, as Pinkie continued to talk. After a moment she finally stopped, and Sunset removed her hand.

"Sorry about her. She's just always excited when a new student arrives."

"Of course, I am! I am friends with everyone in the entire school," She exclaimed, before shaking awkwardly.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Sorry. That happens every time I make that statement. It's telling me I am mistaken, but I am so sure I'm not."

"Well, you haven't exactly befriended him yet," Sunset pointed out.

Pinkie simply nodded, while I shook my head.

"No, that can't be it."

"What do you mean?" They both asked.

"Well, assuming what you are telling me is true, it happened before I arrived, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then I am not the problem. Or at least the only one responsible for the problem."

"No, I am so sure I befriended everyone." Pinkie argued, before shaking again.

I shook my head in disbelief, "There are hundreds of students. You easily could have missed at least one."

"Well, I suppose."

"Anyway, to answer your questions in order. My name is Marcus. Who doesn't like ice cream and Parties are a good time to have fun, I guess?"

"Wait, you actually understood her?" Sunset asked, stunned.

"Uh. Yeah," I answered confusedly, "She only asked three questions. It wasn't that hard."

"It's nice to meet you! I think we are going to be the bestest of friends. I really enjoyed your answer to my second question. Most people just say "yeah", but you are actually the first one to point out how stupid the question actually is. I can't wait to hang out more," Pinkie told me so quickly, I had to focus hard to understand what she was telling me.

"It was nice talking with you Pinkie, but I must finish the tour before the first class starts."

"Okie dokie lokie." Pinkie told her before Sunset and I made our way out of the gym, "See you later Marcus!"

To my surprise, not only does she not get on my nerves that much, but she has become one of my friends here. Goes to show how good she is at making friends, if she can do it with someone like me. I am really grateful for it. Even if I have no luck making more friends, at least I will still have her and Big Mac.

Author's Note

I have seen plenty of Equestria girls stories and decided to start my own. Some involving Ocs either have them be complete jerks or have the girls fail to understand you aren't entitled to friendship and forcing it on the character. I decided to do my own without those two issues.

Next chapter Marcus ends up tutoring a certain rainbow hair girl and might find himself enjoying it more than he thought he would.

5 Trying to have a relaxing day at school.

I entered CHS completely relaxed and ready for a regular day. Those events have exhausted me, and I looked forward to some time alone. That somewhat faded when I noticed everyone staring right at me. Is there something wrong with me? I managed to walk through the hallway, despite the slight discomfort I felt.

"Hey, that's the kid that played those awesome songs at Pinkie's party."

"Yeah, He managed to that party more memorable."

I smiled awkwardly, as I continued to walk through the hallway. Well, it seems like I'm somewhat famous now. I don't quite know how to feel about that. I just hope I get used to these stares soon.

"Hey Rainbows!"

Up ahead I saw Rainbow being approached by someone and she seemed completely annoyed. The guy approaching him had unkempt blonde hair in a bun and he was wearing a sweater vest. I am not an expert on fashion, and I don't care for the topic, but even so I think he should wear something else. At the very least he should brush his hair.

"Zephyr," I heard Rainbow groan in complete annoyance.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight."

Is he seriously asking a girl out, looking like that? A part of me admires his confidence, despite going about it completely the wrong way.

"Well, I..." Rainbow began, "I have to join the girls," she finally answered after an awkward moment of silence before dashing off to God knows where.

I watched him watch rainbow leave with a perplexed expression for a second, before continuing on my way. Can't blame him for asking Rainbow out. She and her friends are the most popular group after all and all of them from what I have seen so far are incredibly attractive. They both seem to have history with each other and not in a good way. Oh well it's none of my business.

After a few moments of walking, I noticed a shadow near a trash bin. Curious, I walked closer to it and stumbled upon Rainbow sitting behind it. She sighed in frustration.

"Zephyr, I..." She paused and sighed in relief when she noticed it was me, "Oh it's you," she greeted in a much happier tone.

As much as I would like it for her to be happy to see me, I am sure the tone is just due to me not being this Zephyr guy.

"How have you been?" Rainbow asked me.

"I have been pretty good. You?"

"Oh. I'm fine," She began nervously, "I bet you are wondering why I am sitting here."

Oh, I know, but I don't want to make things more awkward for you.

"Not really," I shrugged, "Where you decide to sit before school doesn't matter to me."

"Yeah. Of course." She answered, trying to sound more relaxed, "Anyway, thanks for sharing those songs with me. I never thought there were gems like that I haven't been aware of."

"No problem. Glad I could introduce you to them."

"You aren't going to chicken out on our practice in a few days, are you?"

"No."

"Good. Can't wait to kick your butt," She responded with a smile.

"Still upset over the victory streak I have on you?" I asked with a smirk.

"No," She denied with an embarrassed blush before looking away, "Besides, it will end soon. I have gotten much better and even managed to beat the boss I was stuck on."

"We'll see."

I left the lunch line with my tray in hand, ready to enjoy another regular lunch period. When I reached the table, Big Mac gave me a frown.

"Are you still upset?" I asked with a sigh.

"Eeyup."

"What's your problem?"

After a few awkward moments of silence and intense staring he finally answered.

"Did you really have to flirt with her?"

Wait. What? What is he talking about?

"Flirting?" I simply asked stunned, "Look she was talking down on herself, so I gave her a simple compliment to raise her spirits. That's all."

"Uh huh," He said unconvinced, "She didn't take it that way."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's just say those words had more of an impact on her than you think."

"You were the one to invite me anyway and you set everything up." I pointed out.

"I didn't expect it to end up like that."

"Even if I was flirting, which I still don't admit to, but just for the sake of argument, what's the big deal about it?"

He didn't respond and after a few moments I sighed in defeat.

"Are we going to put this past us or do I have to leave?"

"I think the latter will be best right now," He simply said.

I groaned in frustration before pondering where to go. A part of me wants to try going to Pinkie and her friends and while I am confident, they will accept me, another part feels it will make things worse, if I tell Applejack her brother is being like this. I sighed before deciding to sit outside and out of view.

I took a sniff as I left the school and felt the soothing warm air. The weather seemed perfect today and I found myself wondering why no one seems to enjoy lunch out here. Is it bad I am beginning to enjoy being out here all alone without any company?

Once you get out of your shell a little you make good company

Those words from Applejack. I couldn't get them out of my mind, as I walked around and stumbled upon a lovely field of flowers. The setting was really peaceful, and I found myself relaxing a little. Was going out here really the best decision? Maybe I should have tried my luck with Pinkie and the others. The things I did with her and a few of her other friends were fun and we seemed to have had a nice time. I managed to get out of my shell a little, but now here I am making a decision to be alone. A part of me feels I am making good progress while another feels I am not making enough. Guess I just can't help but be an introvert at heart.

I shook my head and decided to eat my lunch before I waste the period thinking. A part of me swears tomorrow I will join Pinkie and the others, but another fears I will chicken out. Why can't things just be simple? Why can't I make decent progress in becoming more social and just be happy about it?

"What are you doing here?"

I froze thinking it was a teacher or another adult and that eating out here was actually frowned upon, but when I turned around, I was relieved to find it was another student. It was a green skinned girl with long darker green hair.

"I am the only one who eats out here," The girl continued.

Now that I got a good look at the girl, I remember seeing her in a couple of my classes. Strangely, for someone I share classes with, I seem to only remember seeing her a few times. I can remember seeing my other classmates much more than that.

"So, I ask again why you are here," The girl asked me.

"Well, since the weather is nice and all," I began awkwardly, "It seemed like a great idea to eat out here."

"Uh huh." She said unconvinced, "You look familiar. Have we met?"

"No, not officially, but I remember you from a couple of my classes."

After my statement her eyes lit up and she moved closer to me.

"You... Remember me?" She asked, stunned.

"Uh yeah," I answered, confused at her behavior, "Despite not officially meeting before, I still remember my fellow classmates."

"I'm Wallflower Blush," She introduced herself with a smile.

"I'm Marcus."

I reentered the school, feeling a little bit better. Wallflower explained to me that she is easily forgettable for some reason, and I found myself pondering how and why. It just doesn't make sense to me. Even if she isn't really social, there should still be those that manage to remember her. Since such a thing seems to be possible, it makes me glad it doesn't happen to me. I swear on my own life I won't forget about her.

Now to get through the rest of the school day and I can finally get home and relax a little. It's just a little overwhelming how my social life is changing quite a bit recently. I just have to bear through it and hope things work out. I hope they work out.

I entered my last class of the day and prepared as best as I can for my daily Pinkie affection.

"Uh Marky?" Pinkie asked.

To my amazement instead of hugging or tackling me, Pinkie was greeting me normally.

"Yes, Pinkie?" I managed to ask, stunned.

"Rarity is hosting a fancy party to show off her latest creations and she invited us to support her, and she said we can bring a guest each."

Is she asking me to be her date and for a fancy party too? I don't know. A fancy party doesn't seem like something I would ever want to go to, but I couldn't say no to her.

"When is it?" I asked.

"A week from now," Pinkie answered before giving me a smile, "It's nothing like one of my parties and you have to dress nicely, but I think we will have a nice time together."

"Ok. A week should be long enough to prepare," I answer with a sigh.

"Oh, thank you Marky," Pinkie answered in excitement before rushing towards me in a hug.

Oh Pinkie. You may help me become more social by getting me to go to these events, but I swear you might be the death of me one day.

Author's Note

What started as a nice relaxing chapter turned to one that will start and set up many events and relationships.

Next chapter. Marcus bonds with Rainbow a little more.

22 Getting involved with Trixie and Crystal Prep girls.

I awoke with a groan and took a relaxing breath. Another nightmare! I have been getting them quite a bit recently. This should pass soon, or at least I hope they do, as I don't quite know what to do. I took my phone out and noticed I woke up about half an hour before my usual time. I sighed in frustration, when I noticed I got more texts from Rainbow. Thankfully, the only part of the message I could see on the notification was a crying emoji. I really don't want to deal with her right now, though school will be the perfect spot for her to corner me.

Surprisingly, that actually wasn't the case. The girls and Rainbow seemed to have decided to leave me alone. Fine by me, since I can spend a few days calming down and maybe finally give Rainbow a chance. I entered third period English, a class I happened to share with Applejack. Speaking of her, I noticed she had a nervous look, before she awkwardly looked away from me. Looks like things are going to be awkward between the girls and me. I quickly took my seat and waited for class to start. The sooner the day is over the sooner I can relax.

"Morning class," Ms. Cheerilee announced, "Today we are going to do something different than usual. We are going to start reading and analyzing Hamlet. You all will be assigned a partner and will read through it together. Once we get through each act you will work together on writing an analysis on what you both read." She added, making many Students raise their hands, but instead of picking one, she continued, "No, you can't pick. I will be picking for you. Also, to save time you all will have to meet up outside school to get it done."

This caused everyone's hand to lower. Then one by one she announced everyone's partner and I felt dread as she continued without calling mine. There's a chance I could get paired up with Applejack. A part of me was dreading it, but another was telling me that I shouldn't be since my beef is with Rainbow.

"Applejack your partner will be..."

My nervousness was so great that it felt like time was slowing down. The tension was so great, I could cut it with a knife.

"Marcus."

Of course! I am not even surprised. I can't get a break at all. Here's hoping that what happened with Rainbow doesn't actually make things awkward with us, though considering her behavior earlier, I am hoping for the impossible.

Once she finished assigning everyone else their partners, we all began to join our partners. I took a relaxing breath, as Applejack nervously walked closer to me and took a seat near me.

"Oh... Hi," She greeted me awkwardly.

"Hi."

She took her seat right, when Cheerilee placed a book on both of our desks and walked up to the front of the room.

"Now that you have your partner and your book, please get started and keep your voices to a low volume, so you don't distract everyone else."

Applejack and I quickly turned to the page, and I noticed she wanted to say something, but couldn't find the courage to.

"So?" She finally began awkwardly and nervously.

"Yes?" I asked, despite knowing what she likely was trying to say.

"I know... You are angry with Rainbow, and I don't blame you, but... Are you angry with the rest of us?" She managed to finally ask.

"No, what possibly made you think that?"

"It's just that you haven't responded to any of our texts, and I guess paranoia made all of us worried."

Despite expecting this to be the reason, it was still kind of surprising to learn they were all fearing that, when I was fearing the same thing from them. Talk about irony. Looks like I was worried about nothing. Better assure her.

"Well, I'm not. I just needed some time alone with my thoughts," I responded, before looking at the page, "If there isn't anything else, shall we get to this."

She simply nodded, before we got started on this easy to get through class period.

It was after school and apart from English, it was just a normal day. The only thing worth noting was the woman the school board sent inspecting and interviewing with the staff. This makes me wonder what's happening at Crystal Prep after this whole thing. I'm sure if anything happened, I would find out sooner or later. Normally, I would head home to relax for the rest of the day, but I have to get dog food. That should just be a quick visit, but given my track record recently, it likely won't be.

I entered the mall and right in the middle of it was once again Trixie, handing out her flyers. When I got closer her eyes lit up and she appeared to give me a flirty look. It kind of freaked me out a little, but mostly I am happy to receive such a look. Wait, what am I thinking?

"Marcus," She began happily, as she walked right up to me, "I was hoping to see you again and you are alone this time," She began gently rubbing my cheek.

"Yeah."

"I was hoping to run into you again, but without those Rain-brooms. They always seem to be near you at school."

"You were?"

"I have. I have been looking for a skilled artist to do a flier that would do my magic show justice and despite my best efforts haven't found any that could please me. At least until recently."

I can tell where she is going with this, and I don't know if I like the sound of it.

"I see."

"After catching one of your live streams, I was happy to learn you have the skills I have been looking for," She smirked, before giving my cheek another gentle rub, "That made me even more impressed with you and I didn't think that was possible. What do you say? Want to help me out? I am more than happy to make it worth your while," She finished in a flirty tone before giving me a wink, making me blush heavily.

God, I didn't think anyone other than Rarity would flirt with me like this. I barely even had more than a few conversations with her. Not to mention I haven't known the other girls for long. How am I getting all of them to fall for me? I took a relaxing breath.

"Sure, I don't mind helping out."

Though the Rainbooms definitely will but what I do is none of their business.

"I knew I could count on you," she giggled, before giving me a kiss on the cheek, to my slight surprise, "We are going to have a wonderful partnership that will benefit both of us."

I left the pet shop with the dog food in my backpack. Thankfully after that conversation with Trixie, nothing else happened that distracted me. Now I should be able to get back home without anything else distracting me. Along the way, I began to hear some people arguing. Despite wanting to get home, my curiosity became too much to ignore, so I began to follow the sound. I quickly made my way to the arcade and could hear the voices clearly.

"Sorry Lemon Zest, but since Sour Sweet couldn't make it, and you don't have someone else, you must forfeit."

"Come on Indigo! How was I supposed to know she would skip out on this?"

"You should have made sure she was coming or found a backup."

"Well said Sugarcoat."

Those sound like those Crystal Prep girls from the games. Becoming even more curious, I entered the arcade and sure enough, there were three of the Crystal Prep girls the girls and I faced, during the games. One of them with red skin and hair in various shades of green, was glaring at the other two.

"Well, unless you want to forfeit, you must find another player right now. Though it's pointless, since I never lose at this game." One of the two, who had peace skin, could almost pass as normal, and hair in various shades of blue.

"It's doubtful you will find a replacement since we are the only ones here." The third girl, with gray skin and white hair, with blue streaks done in pigtails pointed out.

This made Lemon Zest groan in anger, before she looked around and noticed me. She blinked in surprise for a brief moment, before turning towards the others with a smirk.

"Oh really? Well, look again."

The other two looked, and like Lemon Zest blinked in surprise and in the case of Sugarcoat began to lightly blush.

"You!" Indigo Zap exclaimed before all three of the girls walked right up to me, "You're the boy we faced at the friendship games. The one that almost died."

"It was a relief to see you managed to survive," Lemon Zest added.

"You were the only one in the final twelve that was worth considering as a rival. It's a shame you aren't a student at Crystal Prep." Sugarcoat stated bluntly.

" Yeah, anyone who could not only beat Twilight at academics, but also seem kind of cool, deserves a spot there with us." Indigo Zap added with a smirk.

"What brings you here?" Lemon Zest asked me.

"I heard you three arguing and being curious I decided to check it out."

This caused the three girls to lightly blush.

"We were that loud?" Indigo asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, I'm kind of surprised I am the only one to check it out."

"It seems others are either busy or don't care. As it should be," Sugarcoat said bluntly.

"Perhaps, but normally when something like this happens it usually attracts a crowd, so consider you girls lucky I am the only one." I responded.

"Right," Sugarcoat simply said with a darker blush.

"Never thought I would see anyone actually be able to respond and even out do Sugarcoat in pointing out how it is." Lemon Zest said, smirking at the still flustered girl, making her look away, "Well, you are right about us being lucky, or me at any rate."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, we were arguing because another friend of ours, Sour Sweet, agreed to be my partner against these two at Ship Wars and for some reason, she skipped out on me. You can only play with four players, so unless I find someone else, I have to forfeit, but then you showed up." Lemon Zest answered before smiling at me.

"I suppose I have time for one quick match," I answered with a sigh.

"Great!" Lemon Zest exclaimed before giving the other girls a cocky look, "Ready you two, because I have a feeling you are going to lose for once."

"Please, you may have lucked out with him showing up, but there's no way I am losing," Indigo scoffed before giving me a cocky look, "I hope you are a graceful loser, and are man enough to accept defeat."

"If your cockiness and ego are indications you aren't either of those."

My statement caused Indigo to grit her teeth in anger.

"Yeah, I'll show you!" She exclaimed before turning towards Sugarcoat, "He might be better and more annoying at that than you are," she told her, making Sugarcoat nod in agreement.

I carefully moved my ship away from Indigo's onslaught, making said girl groan in frustration and anger. We were both the only ones left and to indigo's frustration, her health was much lower than mine.

"I don't know how, but you are cheating!"

"Oh, for God's sake, Indigo! Just accept he's better than you," Lemon Zest scolded.

"Never. No one is better than me and I will prove it!" She exclaimed before rushing for another strike.

I sighed before carefully dodging and counter attacking.

"No!" She exclaimed when her health reached the critical point and tried to get away.

Unfortunately, for her, it was futile, and her ship was destroyed. She looked at the game over screen and the rest of us in pure shock, before she raged in anger.

"No! Again!" She cried out while hitting the arcade machine.

Jesus! Not even Rainbow reacts like this when she loses.

"Indigo! You lost fair and square. Stop acting like a child and accept your defeat, like you told him," Sugarcoat told her.

"But he cheated!"

"He didn't cheat! There was no possible way he could have affected the game itself and he didn't distract you or anything. You lost and he was better than you. Plain and simple." Sugarcoat blurted out in an exaggerated blunt tone.

The extra emphasis on the blunt tone seemed to have registered to her, as she simply nodded.

"Fine. I guess he didn't, but I still want to do another round," She admitted with her arms crossed.

"As much as I enjoyed seeing you get your butt handed to you for once, I think we all took up enough of his time." Lemon argued.

"I guess." Indigo conceded before turning to me, "I guess you are a worthy rival. Just know next time victory is mine. No one ever beats me and gets away with it."

"Yeah, for someone from CHS you are actually great to spend time with," Sugarcoat added in her blunt way, though the tone had a hint of happiness.

I finally returned home and after that whole thing with the Crystal Prep girls I ended up getting their numbers, in case they want to do this kind of thing again. I have to say outside of the friendship games they don't seem as bad. Sure, Indigo acted like a brat, but the other two kept her in check. I definitely wasn't expecting to not only form an agreement with Trixie, but to meet up and I guess befriend more girls, from a rival school, of all things. Ever since the split with Big Mac, I have been befriending girls, with a few even falling for me. What the heck is going on with my life? I guess I will ponder all of this and deal with it later.

Author's Note

This one was a bit of a struggle to get through and write. I debated whether the other girls being weary around him would be understandable, ultimately went along with it to give him the opportunity to interact with others. More specifically those they will be against him seeing. This chapter also sets up or will some upcoming events, so get ready for that.

Next chapter: Marcus helps Trixie with her artist problem.

34 Zephyr being a nuisance and getting more used to being a chick magnet

Today was the day for me to join Trixie on her latest magic show. The day Trixie and I decided on naturally would be on one of her days. The Rainbooms and I were walking to the theater room she happened to be renting out to do said show.

“Did you girls really have to walk with me?” I asked.

“Of course, we do, stud!” Rainbow exclaimed bitterly, “We still don’t trust her!”

“Speak for yourself, Rainbow,” Applejack responded with a sigh, “She was influenced by the Dazzlings when she did that and while she can be a jerk, I have learned to tolerate her.”

“Come on AJ!” Rainbow scoffed, “Knowing her, she likely would have done it anyway. Besides, we all shouldn’t…”

“What? Befriend her? Even though you befriended both Sunny and Twily here, despite them doing much worse?” I asked while crossing my arms.

My questions caused both Sunset and Twilight to blush nervously, while they even stared at the ground in complete guilt.

“Well… I…. Yeah, well I still don’t trust her,” Rainbow responded stubbornly, after stammering a bit.

I simply shook my head at my stubborn, yet adorable little rainbow. After a few moments, we finally arrived at the entrance of the room, to find Zephyr rubbing his hair, with a cocky smile on his face as he talked to Trixie and her friends.

“Have you ever thought that the great and powerful Trixie needs an even greater and more powerful boyfriend?” Zephyr asked her with a flirty wink and even attempted to gently rub her hair, only for his hand to get caught.

“Trixie already has one. Even though it’s actually a friend with benefits in a harem type relationship,” Trixie simply responded in a bored tone, as she looked at Zephyr like he was grime she stepped in, before she applied pressure to his hand.

“What?” Zephyr asked bitterly, as he gasped in pain, “Who could you possibly want to be with over me?”

“Trixie would rather be with Rainbow Dash than you!” Trixie exclaimed, before she increased the pressure.

“Huh? To be honest I would rather date Trixie than Zephyr any day,” Rainbow told us, making most of us chuckle, while Fluttershy simply shook her head at her brother’s behavior, “Looks like after seeing I am no longer available, he is trying to get with anybody else.”

I simply shook my head, as I recalled that event.

It was after school, and I quickly left the building to meet up with Dashie for our day of fun. Being in a harem with most of the girls has been hectic, but I was getting more and more used to it. I stopped in my tracks, when I noticed Zephyr standing in front of her with a cocky grin and he even rubbed his messy hair. I have been so focused on the harem, that other obstacles didn’t come to mind. Now I have to deal with someone who has an obsessive crush on my Dashie. I sighed, before making my way to the two.

“Come on Rainbows! I have been very patient. When are you going to stop playing hard to get and admit your feelings for me?” Zephyr asked her.

“Zephyr, for the last time, I don’t like you in that way, or at all because of your creepy behavior. When will you get it through your head, I am with someone now and even if I wasn’t the answer would still be no!” Rainbow exclaimed, completely annoyed and disgusted.

I felt rage at seeing my little Rainbow getting annoyed and creeped out by this punk.

“Still going with that lie? Where is your boyfriend then, huh?” Zephyr asked with a cocky smile, I was going to enjoy wiping off his face.

“He’s right here and wants to know why you are annoying his adorable rainbow?”

The two of them turned towards me with different expressions on their faces. Rainbow’s shock turned into relief and she even smiled, while Zephyr was confused and even a little annoyed.

“Stud, you’re here.”

“You again? What are you doing here?” Zephyr asked bitterly.

I ignored the hobo looking moron and walked right up to my Dashie.

“Is he giving you trouble, Dashie?”

“Nothing I can’t handle, Stud, though now you are here I can prove I am really taken.”

“Wait?! You two are….” He asked wide eyed, stuttering in disbelief, before glaring at me, once he composed himself, “No, you must be lying! Why would Rainbows want to be with you over me?”

“If I was Twilight I would be happy to pull out that endless list or even be here all day explaining it, though knowing you it will go in one ear and out the other,” Rainbow responded, shaking her head.

“Even now you are playing hard to get!” Zephyr scoffed, crossing his arms.

“Shall we prove it to him, Dashie?” I asked, while gently rubbing her hair.

“It’s probably the only thing that will get through to him, though even then it’s a stretch,” Rainbow answered with a grin.

“What are you two…”

Zephyr didn’t finish his question as Dashie and I embraced each other in an intense kiss. When we finally separated, panting heavily with even a small silvia trail that we quickly wiped off, Zephyr simply stared at us in pure shock.

“Stud, I think we broke him,” Rainbow told me with a chuckle.

“I just hope we didn’t blow up his brain. I don’t want to have to explain that to Fluttershy,” I quipped, before we continued to chuckle.

“You ignored my warning and took Rainbows from me!” Zephyr snarled, once he recovered.

“I was and never will be yours!” Rainbow shouted, “Oh and for your information I am not the only one he is with. I am sharing him with most of the group!”

“What!?” Zephyr asked, completely stunned, “You can’t be serious!”

“I am!” Rainbow responded with a grin, “Now, if you excuse us, it’s my day with him and I am going to enjoy it without a certain annoying someone to ruin it!”

“Sorry buddy. Maybe try combing your hair, wearing something decent, and maybe you might find someone,” I told him, as Dashie and I left him to his mental breakdown.

“Wait! Rainbows! Come back and tell me this is just a sick prank you like to play and you really love me!”

Rainbow and I simply ignored him as he continued his delusional ramblings.

“Speaking of Rainbows, I actually wouldn’t mind being in a harem with her and all three of you. I just need to attract you three and she will see how much of a stud I am and leave that punk!” Zephyr grunted from the pressure Trixie was giving him.

“Not happening!” Rainbow shouted, getting attention from Zephyr and the three girls.

“Rainbows! What a lovely surprise!” Zephyr exclaimed with a cocky smile, before trying to break free from Trixie’s grip, only to struggle.

Trixie sighed and let go, after seeing he was going to leave her alone for the time being.

“Rainbows! What a nice surprise to see you here and with most of your friends,” Zephyr greeted with a grin as she stared at the girls, before glaring at me, “Though, most of your taste in men is questionable.

“I am going to check on Trixie. I trust you six will be able to… talk with him,” I told the girls.

Before I could leave the five in my harem quickly embraced me in a hug, while glaring at Zephyr and gave me quick kisses all over my face. I found myself lightly blushing at the act, while Zephyr’s glare became even more hate filled.

“Have fun Marky and know we will always be with you,” Pinkie told me with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Marcus, darling, we are more than capable at handling Zephyr,” Rarity assured me.

“If he dares to try anything, I will give him a good right hook,” Applejack threatened the boy with a glare that made him flinch.

“You are the first boy I genuinely like and no way in hell am I going to leave you for someone that can’t even groom themselves properly,” Sunset quipped, making Zephyr frown, before he rubbed his hair and sighed in frustration.

“You made that more than clear, his future wife,” Rainbow quipped, making Sunset blush, before turning towards me, “Fine, stud, but I still don’t trust her and after I am done giving Zephyr the boot, I am joining you.”

I simply nodded, before walking away from the group and the offended and stunned Zephyr. He growled at me in annoyance, before taking a deep breath and walking closer to the girls. What’s his problem? Rainbow made it clear she isn’t interested and now he is trying to get with Trixie and the others in a delusional attempt to get her to change her mind. God, he really needs to let it go and move on. Rainbow told me he was doing such a thing during our special time together, but to see it for myself.

“Trixie, Bulk is finally on his way and will dispose of him then,” Fuchsia told her with a grin, while looking at her phone.

“He can’t get here sooner enough, though Trixie has proved she is more than capable at doing so herself.”

“Better someone stronger to show him his place,”

“Indeed,” Trixie agreed with a frown, before it turned into an excited grin when she noticed me, “Marcus, you are here!” She rushed to me and embraced me in a tight hug.

“Trixie, how have you been?” I asked.

“Aside from someone annoying trying to get with Trixie and her friends, despite her being taken and not interested, I have been busy, but feeling much better now you are here,” Trixie told me.

I simply nodded, as I watched Zephyr try to flirt with my harem members, I managed to resist the urge to confront him, as I tell myself the girls can and will handle him.

“Glad to hear it.”

“Trixie isn’t the only one happy to see you, you know,” Fuchsia announced with a wink.

“We all were waiting patiently when he showed up trying to… charm us, despite looking like a homeless person,” Lavender Lace added, cringing for a brief moment before saying charm.

Before I could respond I heard a girl crying and fearing the worst, turned around to see which one was crying, only to find Zephyr on the ground, holding his right eye. Applejack was glaring right at him with a fist out, before she shook her hand.

“Looks like he messed with the wrong girl,” Trixie commented with a smile, “For once I am happy to see one of the Rain-glooms do something. Trixie might consider hiring her as extra security.”

Speaking of security, Bulk finally showed up, wearing a security outfit and when he was near the Rainbooms. he simply looked at Zephyr, who still whining, with a confused look. Trixie quickly made her way to him, as I and her friends followed.

“Bulk, about time you showed up,” Trixie said simply.

“Sorry Ms. Trixie. These hours are terrible.”

“Perhaps, only having one person doing security was a mistake, but Trixie can’t exactly afford more, and others are too envious of her to do it for free, unlike you,” Trixie nodded, before pointing at Zephyr, “He has been a nuisance to girls and even more importantly Trixie herself, so please escort him out.”

“Yes, Ms. Trixie,” Bulk responded, before lifting Zephyr up and began carrying him away.

Upon being lifted in the air, Zephyr removed his hand, revealing a black eye and tried to pry himself from Bulk, but considering Trixie was able to overpower him, it was a fruitless endeavor to say the least.

“Hey! No! Stop! Come on, I was trying to get my own harem, so Rainbows will realize I am the one for her,” Zephyr cried out as he was being carried away to our pleasure.

Fluttershy sighed as she watched her brother being carried away.

“Trixie, sorry about my brother being a bother.”

“Of course, one of you Rainbrooms is related to him,” Trixie scoffed, making Fluttershy look at the ground in guilt, “Well, as long as you all don’t cause trouble, though even you all can’t possibly be at his level.”

“Good because we still don’t completely trust you,” Rainbow told her while crossing her arms.

“Don’t test me Rainbow Dash or you are getting tossed out!” Trixie threatened.

“Whatever!” Rainbow scoffed.

“Settle down! We aren’t here to cause trouble,” Applejack told the two bickering girls.

“No, Trixie supposes not, since you helped stop the trouble,” Trixie acknowledged, making Applejack lightly blush.

“Right, he was being an extra pain and tried putting his hands where they don’t belong multiple times, despite us making it clear,” Applejack responded, before looking at Fluttershy, “I hope you aren’t mad I did that…”

“Oh no. I understand and can’t blame you. I don’t know what I am going to do with him,” Fluttershy assured her.

“Trixie is even considering hiring you as extra help. I guess you can consider it a way to get even more used to one another,” Trixie told Applejack.

“I guess I will think about it. Bulk looks like he needs the help.”

“For reasons beyond even Trixie, he was the only one willing to help out for free, since Trixie can barely make enough profit to stay afloat and continue to rent out the place, but with Trixie’s talented and artistic lover, that will quickly change,” Trixie told us with a grin on her face.

Bulk finally returned and saluted Trixie.

“He has been removed and I am reporting for duty, Ms. Trixie.”

“With Bulk here and the biggest nuisance Trixie has dealt with gone, we can finally get on with it,” Trixie responded with a grin, before giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, “I will be backstage preparing. Feel free to join me. I will be sure to give you a pass to make it official when I get more security, but for now my words here will suffice.”

“Yes, Ms. Trixie,” Bulk acknowledged.

“Keep up this respectful attitude and Trixie will be sure to pay you extra once Trixie gets increased income,” Trixie told him, before leading her friends inside to prepare.

“Well, today has been annoying so far and surprisingly it wasn’t because of Trixie,” Rainbow commented.

This caused the other girls to nod their heads while Bulk gave the girls a look of sympathy.

“Sorry girls. If I was here sooner, I could have prevented you from even seeing him, though you did a fine job on your own,” Bulk told them.

“It’s alright. We understand how tough it is being the only guard here, though I question being willing to help out Trixie,” Applejack told him.

“Despite her attitude, Trixie can be quite nice.”

“I bet,” Rainbow scoffed before turning towards me, “Alright stud. If you are going, I am going with you.”

“I’m pretty sure she meant only me can go backstage,’ I told her, despite knowing it won’t stop Dashie.

“Like I care!”

I sighed before approaching her and gently placing my hands on her cheeks.

“Trust me Dashie. Everything will be fine. You can still watch over me by watching the show.”

“But…”

She was interrupted when I gently pressed my lips onto hers. She gasped in shock, before managing to return the kiss. When I separated from her, she was in a daze.

“If this harem is going to work well, You are going to have to learn to trust Trixie,” I told her.

Dashie simply nodded, still too dazed from the kiss.

“Isn’t it Trixie’s day?” Applejack asked.

“I mean when explaining the rules, Sunset was talking solely about you girls and you gave me free rein anyway,” I shrugged my shoulders.

“He’s right. Perhaps, in hindsight we should have placed limits on him,” Sunset grumbled.

“Relax Sunny, I haven’t and won’t abuse this too much,” I assured her, “You all will always be my girls, as long as you all want to.”

Before the girls could respond I quickly began to make my way backstage to meet up with Trixie.

“Trixie has been waiting for this show for a long time,” Trixie told me with a grin.

“And she wasn’t the only one,” Fuchsia added with a smile, while Lavender simply nodded in agreement, “She told us you have a harem now.”

“Yes, Fuchsia, and thankfully for Trixie the Rainbooms have decided to give him free rein,” Trixie responded with a smile.

“Good to know,” Both of them simply said with grins.

“Figures, the only perfect boy for Trixie is a major chick magnet. Well, if the Rainbooms are open minded to give you free rein with other girls, I can be that way too.”

“Ms. Trixie, it's almost time.”

“Yes, about time!” Trixie exclaimed, before she and the rest of the girls got ready and walked right up to me, “Alright, we will put on a few tricks and when it’s time for your major reveal, Bulk will let you know. Just follow my lead,” Trixie told me before giving me a quick kiss on the lips and going on her way.

“Here we go. Hope you enjoy the show,” Fuchsia told me, before giving me a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah, we will make it extra special for you,” Lavender added before giving me a kiss on the cheek too.

One of the things I swear I will never understand is how I keep on attracting girls, though I am starting to get used to it. This whole harem, despite getting some used to, is going pretty well. What is adding more girls to it?

36 Spending time with the shy ones with more Zephyr bashing.

“This is a nice surprise,” Wallflower could only tell me.

“What? Did you really think I would forget about my adorable little flower?” I teased her, making her blush hotly in both embarrassment and happiness.

“No! No, of course not,” She denied quickly while nervously rubbing her green ponytail, “It just the whole harem took up so much of your time and…”

“Yeah, good thing the others have things they need to do and were supportive of us spending the day together,” I responded with a nod.

Wallflower and I were currently sitting at a fancy restaurant, due to Rarity’s insistence and Wallflower wanting to do something special for this small break from the harem. I was wearing the suit Rarity made for me with my hair neatly combed back. Wallflower was wearing a simple white dress with drawings of different flowers on it and her hair was in a long ponytail with a scrunchy that was in the shape of a sunflower.

“It has been a while since it has been just the two of us,” Wallflower commented looking quite pleased, “Without anyone else to take your attention,” I heard her mumble afterwards.

“So, how are you getting to know the others?” I asked, deciding to ignore her mumbling.

“Oh?” She asked slightly taken aback at my question, “Well, it’s still going to take some getting used to. I seem to bond better with Fluttershy and I hope to get more used to it.”

“Right.”

“This is a first for me in quite a while,” Wallflower mumbled with a sigh, as she shook her head and looked at the table.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“Oh!?” She shook nervously in slight fright and embarrassment, “You heard that?” She asked, blushing hotly.

I simply nodded, as I waited for her to calm and hopefully explain herself. Once she stopped blushing and managed to control her breathing to a more normal level, she smiled at me nervously.

“Well…”

“Your meals good sir and lady,” The waiter interrupted her, as he quickly placed our orders on the table in front of us. Wallflower only gave me an innocent smile, as she dug in. I simply sighed and decided to let it go.

“It really is great to finally have some free time with you since this whole harem thing started,” Wallflower finally spoke up.

Feeling extra bold I reached out under our table and gently grabbed her hand. She lightly blushed and gasped in surprise at my gesture.

“You know my offer is still open, my little flower,” I teased with a wink.

“I…” She couldn’t speak as she blushed hotly for a few moments, “Like I said I don’t know if I am ready for such a thing, but this feels nice,”

I simply smirked as I gently massaged her hand. It seems my little flower still has a long way to go before she’s completely comfortable in being more social and joining the harem, but I can wait.

Days later it was finally Fluttershy’s day and we decided to make it special, by having a fancy dinner at Rarity’s recommendation. Despite already doing the same with Wallflower beforehand, I was more than looking forward to it. I was on my way to her house now, wearing the suit Rarity made me, with my hair combed back, with a little hair gel. It’s still hard to believe I am currently in a growing harem of seven girls so far. Who would have thought I would be such a chick magnet? When I finally made it to her front door, I gently knocked on it. Hopefully, it’s her that answers the door, instead of a certain hobo looking jerk.

“You must be the one Flutters is going on a dat-”

Never tempt fate. Also keep in mind Murphy's law since you never know how things could end up going.

“You!” Zephyr cried out in shock and anger, “What are you doing here!?”

“You see Zephyr when a mommy and daddy love each other they tend to have children,” I answered with a smirk, “I would go into detail, but that should wait when you are older.”

“Don’t mock me! I am only a year younger than Flutter Butter,” Zephyr snarled bitterly, before an evil grin formed on his face, as somehow a thought formed in his weak little mind, despite the impossibility of such a thing, “Besides, what would you know about that kind of thing? Not like you had any kind of action or anything.”

Despite wanting to wipe that look on his face by revealing I have and with his so-called “Rainbows”, I decided to show a little bit of mercy and instead tackled this from a different angle.

“Oh and you have?”

The smug look suddenly faded into pure shock for a brief moment, before his face turned bright red. Somehow it was a brighter red than blood itself and he gave me the most vicious hate filled glare I have ever seen, though it didn’t phase me one iota. If anything I was more amused with his reaction to my simple comeback.

“Oh, I will once I get my harem and Rainbows finally sees I am the one for her.”

“I know we all should dream big, but it should be realistic.”

“Whatever!” He scoffed bitterly, “I don’t have time for your crap. Flutter Butter is almost done getting ready for a date. Surprised she managed to get the courage to do such a thing, but as her half-brother I am going to make sure the guy is right for her.”

“Well, you are looking at him.”

“What!?”

Before Zephyr could regain his composure and deny my statement, Fluttershy finally made her presence known.

“Zephyr, what are you doing at the door?”

“Don’t worry, Flutter Butter. Just some fool that thinks he’s your date. Leave it to me to handle him,” Zephyr answered, while giving me a disbelieving glare.

“Huh? Let me see.”

“No need, Flutters. Like I said I will-”

“Zephyr, let me see,” Fluttershy insisted, more harshly than usual, to my slight shock.

Looks like she can be more aggressive towards him. I suppose it makes sense. Even shy people tend to be more comfortable around family, those you live with after all. It’s nice to see she isn’t a total pushover towards him.

“Fine Flutters, but just say the word and I will gladly dispose of him. I should anyway, for stealing Rainbows from me.”

“Now I know it really is the one I am going on a… date with,” Fluttershy responded, sounding her usual nervous self when saying the final two words.

“What!?”

Taking advantage of his shock Fluttershy gently pushed him away from the doorway. A more generous part of me wants to believe the timid girl being able to do so to her larger brother, is due to him being too stunned to fight against it, but after seeing him being unable to get out of Trixie’s grasp, I was sure she would be able to do so regardless. My thought was soon proven right, when Zephyr to his credit quickly recovered and tried fighting against being pushed, to no avail.

“Flutters? What?” Zephyr cried out, as he desperately tried to push back against Fluttershy and move back to the doorway, only for him to still get pushed back effortlessly by his smaller sister, “How are you so strong?”

“I work with larger animals too, like bears,” Fluttershy teased with a smirk, “Harry can be a handful and sometimes, I must teach him to behave,” She finished, before chuckling at the look of horror and shock on his face, as she simply pushed him closer to the couch, “Oh, I am just messing with you. Harry is almost never a brat, though I do give him massages, but it’s mostly due to him trusting me so much.”

“You are still ridiculously strong though and so was Trixie now that I think about it,” Zephyr responded, after recovering, as he was pushed down onto the couch.

“More like you are ridiculously weak,” Fluttershy responded while shaking her head, “I mean I do keep in shape with Rainbow and I guess being busy tending to animals helps a little, while you hardly do that and only rely on a bigger body.”

“Of course, since I am bigger than you, I should be stronger,” He responded somewhat bitterly, as he tried to get up only for Fluttershy to effortlessly hold him down, with just one hand.

“Zephyr, bigger doesn’t automatically mean stronger. What good is a bigger body if you don’t train it and develop strong muscles? You neglected what could be a strong body from puberty with your laziness at getting and keeping it in shape.”

“What do you know?” Zephyr asked as he tried harder to get up from the couch, before giving up to try and remove her hand from his head.

“This is your issue Zephyr, despite clear evidence in front of you, You stubbornly cling to your delusional beliefs,” Fluttershy shook her head, as Zephyr struggled to move her hand one iota.

Wow, never thought I would see a larger brother get out muscled by his smaller sister and the fact it’s someone timid like Fluttershy only stings that much harder. Then again it is Zephyr and despite only knowing him for a short time, I know that actually makes it more believable, though it doesn’t make it any less pathetic.

“Now, you are going to sit there, while I finally greet my patient, date,” Fluttershy finished, before finally removing her hand from his head, “Get up and I will gladly put you back down there.”

Zephyr froze as his butt was barely an inch off the couch, as he seemed to remember I was still there. He simply looked at me, face bright red in embarrassment, as I continued to watch the two from outside through the still open door. Fluttershy gently pushed him back down with a surprisingly devious smile, before walking closer to me.

With Zephyr taken care of, I finally noticed her wearing different attire. Her pink hair was in a long ponytail with a scrunchy in the style of a blue monarch butterfly. She was wearing a beautiful blue and yellow dress with symbols of blue monarchs on the bottom and she was wearing blue flip flops with the straps being in the shape of a monarch butterfly. When she got closer I could smell lovely perfume. Exactly what I usually smell from Rarity. Must have borrowed it before or the two share a love of the same perfume brands.

“Sorry about him,” She apologized with a gentle smile, “Ever since I told him and my parents I have a date, he decided to go all protective brother,” She continued, before giving Zephyr a devious smirk, “But as you saw, since I easily overpowered him I don’t need his help.”

“I guess his sister being the one to do it instead of the ‘bad date’ made it all the more embarrassing, or you doing it dressed like you are,” I quipped.

“More like me doing it in front of you, the so-called ‘bad date’,” She actually quipped back, making Zephyr groan into his hands, “Come on in,” She told me, before I entered the house and she closed the door, “My parents want to meet you and unlike him they won’t try to bite only to fail.”

I followed Fluttershy as we walked past Zephyr who, despite his bravado before, couldn’t stand to look either me or Fluttershy in the eye. If it wasn’t for his creepy behavior and stubborn insistence at trying to get my little Rainbow for himself, I would be feeling bad for him.

To her word, Fluttershy’s parents were a breath of fresh air compared to Zephyr. They actually seemed less assertive than Fluttershy herself, which explains some things. Fluttershy had to become assertive towards Zephyr to make up for her parents' lack of being so. Though to be fair, I wouldn’t want to handle having to raise and deal with a son like Zephyr, so I can’t be too hard on them. Some things are just impossible to do and people shouldn’t be treated too harshly for trying to do them.

“It’s really nice to meet you,” Mrs. Shy greeted me, as Fluttershy and I took a seat at the kitchen table, “It’s really nice to see our precious little angel finally on a date with someone.”

“Yeah, despite being more outspoken than us we were afraid she would be too nervous to be on one,” Mr. Shy agreed, as he took a sip from a drink.

“Mom and Dad, I can be brave when I need to,” Fluttershy told them.

“Of course, dear. You were the one who helped us discipline, or try to with Zephyr.” Mrs. Shy acknowledged.

“I don’t know why you let him get away with so much.”

“Dear we are the same with you,” Mrs. Shy explained, “The difference is you were more well behaved so it didn’t seem like it, but if you were the same well…”

“I suppose so,” Fluttershy simply said in thought.

“Angel, the thing you have to understand is. After your mom and I got together after a bitter divorce with our last spouses, we both were so happy to be part of a family again. We ended up treating both you and Zephyr quite differently than how we would if you two shared both parents,” Mr. Shy added, before taking a long sip.

“Should we be discussing this with my date here?” Fluttershy asked, blushing lightly in embarrassment.

“Relax dear. Not like we are going over embarrassing stories of you,’ Mrs. Shy teased, making her blush harder.

“Anyway, nice to finally see our little angel getting her wings. I hope Zephyr wasn’t too much for you.”

“No, Fluttershy was actually too much for him,” I responded, making Fluttershy smirk and the two adults nod, as they seemed to understand what happened.

“It really is a shame. Puberty seemed to hit him hard and yet instead of taking advantage to help build up his impressive figure, he let it go to waste and made it all for show,” Mr. Shy said while shaking his head, “I take it you actually take care of your body.”

“Going to the gym used to be all I did, until I befriended and got closer to Flutters and the rest of her group.”

“Yes, we know all about that,” He responded back.

“I see,” I nodded, “She told you about the harem,” I paused as I heard Zephyr groaned in annoyance at me mentioning the harem, “And you are still willing to have me date your daughter.” I didn’t phrase it as a question.

“We love our little angel and we are completely unassertive parents. Being single parents that formed a family together caused us to be like that plus our usual shy personalities,” Mr. Shy began, before taking another sip, “She seems smitten with you and we want her to be happy, but if anything happens than I am sure we will actually become much more assertive.”

“Gotcha.”

Mr. Shy simply nodded, as he continued drinking.

“If only Zephyr could get one too,” Mrs. Shy brought up with a frustrated sigh, “I figured with Rainbow finally clearly out of the picture he would move on and try to find someone else.”

“Someone who actually wants to date him,” I added.

“Yes, thank you. I hoped he would start grooming himself properly and mingle with others, but sadly he doesn’t seem to be doing so,” Mrs. Shy added.

“I am concerned about him too, mom,” Fluttershy agreed, “Despite how clear we make it, he stubbornly refuses to learn.”

“I am sure we will find a way and he finally learns,” Mrs. Shy assured her, in an unsure tone.

I don’t know who she was trying to convince more. Fluttershy or herself.

“Anyway, we don’t want to keep you kids too long from your date.” Mr. Shy told us, “It was nice meeting you Marcus. Just remember to keep my daughter happy. We may be unassertive but we all have our limits.”

“As we all should,” I nodded.

“Indeed.”

Before anyone else could say anything, or before Fluttershy and I could leave on our date, Zephyr stormed into the kitchen with a determined look on his face, as he slowly pushed up the sleeves of his shirt revealing his large, yet flabby looking arms.

“Not so fast!” Zephyr exclaimed, as he glared right at me and stood in front of Fluttershy and I, “There’s one test you have to pass, before I let you date Flutter Butter.”

Seems he managed to bounce back from his embarrassment earlier and is more determined than ever. Fluttershy sighed and shook her head, while I simply gave him an unamused look. Mr. and Mrs. Shy simply stared blankly at him in silence.

“What kind of test?” I asked just out of morbid curiosity.

“Oh, something simple,” He sneered as he took a seat at the table and placed an arm on top of the table, “A simple test of strength. Beat me at armwrestling.”

Flutteshy and I shared a look for a few moments, as if we both had the same thought. Did getting overpowered by her earlier not taught him he clearly lacks strength, despite the size of his body? If he couldn’t fight against his smaller sister, then how could he possibly beat someone who easily beat both Rainbow and Applejack at his offered challenge. Fluttershy simply gave me a devious grin and pointed at her smaller arms. I simply smirked back and gave her a nod.

“That’s a nice challenge Zephyr,” Fluttershy told him sweetly and shyly.

“Glad you think so Flutters. Sorry that you aren’t going out today, but you deserve only the best,” Zephyr responded with a smirk as he quickly flexed his muscles, which didn’t seem to make them more profound, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Oh, I am and I am going to be the one to beat you,” Fluttershy snapped back, surprising him for a brief moment.

“You?”

“Yes, if you don’t mind. I mean mind losing to your smaller sister,” She answered with a smirk, as she flexed her own smaller arms and the effect was more profound than his could hope to be, but again he didn’t seem to notice.

Zephyr blinked and finally snapped out his shock, before giving me a cocky look.

“Just going to let her fight your battles for you,” He teased.

“No, just giving you more of a sporting chance,” I responded, before briefly pulling up my own sleeves, showing a much more muscular arm and gave it a quick flex, actually making him eye me in envy for a brief moment, before he hid it with a glare, “Besides, she should be able to fight for her chance to date.”

“Whatever. Flutters I love you, but I am not going easy on you like I did earlier,” Zephyr responded with a cocky smile, which was quickly wiped off his face when Flutershy giggled.

“Oh, Zephyr, you can be quite funny sometimes.”

“I am being serious!” He snapped bitterly, “Let me prove it.”

Fluttershy simply gave him a cute smile as she finally placed her arm onto the table and grabbed his larger hand with her own. The size difference was like comparing a little girl to a parent. Despite this, Fluttershy wasn’t nervous one iota and despite his bravado a part of Zephyr seemed nervous, as he tried to show superiority, by giving her hand a few squeezes, but it didn’t seem to affect her. Fluttershy simply gave him a firm squeeze back and his face showed a reaction for a brief moment, before he hid it with the same brave look.

“Last chance Flutter Butter. Look at the difference. There is no way you can win,” Zephyr tried to convince her with a cocky look and gave her one last squeeze to try and terrify her.

“Which will only make it more embarrassing when I easily take you down,” Fluttershy giggled, not scared one iota.

“Fine, on the count of three,” Zephyr groaned.

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

Zephyr quickly ended up groaning and struggling, as he tried to move her arm down onto the table, only for it to remain in place.

“Come on!” He grunted for a few moments, as despite his best efforts, her hand still remained in place, “You have to be cheating just so you can date him,” Zephyr complained, as he panted.

“I don’t see how I can be,” Fluttershy simply told him with a sweet smile, “Are you ok? You seem to be overworking yourself and losing steam fast. Want to use two hands?” She giggled, making him groan in anger.

“No, I don’t need to,” He snarled back bitterly, as he desperately put more effort into it, only for the same result.

Fluttershy simply smiled back, as his arms became more and more strained, and he began panting heavily. He finally stopped to take a deep breath. I noticed both parents watching the whole thing, a little stunned and amused at the sight of Zephyr struggling against the smaller arm of their little girl, who was toying with him.

“Want to admit defeat or take me up on my offer of using two hands?” Fluttershy teased in her usual sweet voice.

Never thought that sweet voice could ever be used for trolling, but it was fitting in this case. In response to it, Zephyr with a defeated groan simply grabbed her arm with his other hand.

“You shouldn’t have offered this Flutter Butter. Now I will easily crush you and…”

“Go ahead, but now I will stop holding back and slowly pin both of your hands onto the table,” She interrupted with the same teasing sweet tone and smile.

“We’ll see,” He simply responded bitterly, before using both hands against her.

To his credit he actually managed to move her hand one iota, to his pure happiness as he simply gave her a cocky grin, which was quickly wiped away, when she easily moved it back and to her word slowly started moving his hands closer to the table.

“No! No,” He complained as he pushed harder and struggled, trying desperately to move her hand back, only for it to not move a dent, “Impossible! Look how much bigger mine are to yours.”

“Zephyr, you never learn. Like I said, being bigger doesn’t mean much when you don’t work to improve it. Look at you. I only keep in shape due to being one of Rainbow’s closest friends and had to adapt, but since it helps me have energy to take care of animals, I keep at it to this day. while you barely do anything physical.” Fluttershy simply scolded him, as his hand almost touched the table.

“No! This can’t be happening!” He cried out as he mustered all of his strength only for it to be futile.

“It is and despite this you most likely will shrug this off and continue your ways without learning a thing,” Fluttershy sighed in frustration.

Zephyr panted heavily, as his arms were completely strained and his bravado was completely destroyed. He only had a look of pure defeat, as his struggling slowly stopped, before Fluttershy with one last push pinned his hands onto the table. Zephyr simply sighed and looked at the floor in defeat, as he quickly rushed out of the kitchen. Fluttershy sighed as we shared a look.

“What are we going to do with him?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know dear. All we can do is hope harsh reality manages to finally get through to him,” Mrs. Shy finally responded after a brief moment of silence.

“You two better get on your date before it’s too late,” Mr. Shy spoke up.

Fluttershy and I simply nodded as we shared one final look. As much as he’s a prick Zephyr seems like a sad individual that a part of me pities, but his behavior really makes that hard and even impossible.

“Hey are you going to be ok?” I finally asked her, as we took our seats at the table and looked at the fancy menus.

“Oh,” She began with a sigh, “Yeah, it’s just I didn’t expect him to be like that. I figured he would be overprotective, but to that extent.”

“Yeah, do you think we went too far?” I asked, only to receive a head shake to my surprise.

“No, while what I did might have been harsh, especially for me,” She began with a sigh, “As someone who has lived with him the way he is, even me have reached her limits. Even as someone who has only known him for a short time you have already reached yours, huh?”

I simply nodded.

“Well, my parents and I do care for him and want what’s best and due to their unassertiveness, I have to show him the tough love he needs. Sometimes to be kind you must be a bit cruel and in order to help someone you need to be a bit harsh. I have no problem trolling and messing with him if it might help him learn one iota to improve himself.” She explained with a serious look on her face, “Even if it seems impossible, but I hope it isn’t.”

“Sometimes all we can do is hope,” I added.

“Yeah.”

Author's Note

Couldn't resist the Zephyr bashing and to make it worse it's Fluttershy who shames him not once but twice. This chapter has been the biggest pain to finally figure out. After days of writer's block inspiration hit me and figures it's one chapter where it's mostly shaming Zephyr. Also, should I remove the Wallflower section, as it's a remain of the original chapter idea, only her and Marcus, but Wallflower actually gives me nothing to work with on her own. That segment is the only section of the original chapter I liked enough to keep, and I really don't want to discard it, but what do you all think? Figures of the shy girls Fluttershy gives me story ideas, though it's mainly due to the Zephyr plot line I am planning.

42 Turing in the money and more Zephyr humiliation

I lightly groaned as I heard my alarm blaring and was once again greeted by the feeling of something, or the girls cuddling me. I recalled us agreeing to just have them sleep with me once again together, before going back to our regular days system. I quickly reached out and shut it off, as I heard the girls yawned.

“Good morning, Marky!” Pinkie greeted as she snuggled on my chest, “Do we have to get up now?”

“We better not, Pinkie! I want to spend some time cuddling before school!”

“Surprising to hear you say that, Rainbow,” Applejack teased with a chuckle.

“Yeah… Well, not like you disagree.”

“Touche.”

“What do you girls want to do?” I asked, before lightly gasping when Rainbow gently placed a big toe on my bare sole.

“What do you think, stud?” She teased, “Let’s put it to a vote girls. Who wants to relax with stud for a little while, before having to get ready for school?” She asked, before she began gently rubbing her big toe on my foot.

“Count me in, Dashie!” Pinkie exclaimed, as she placed a big toe underneath where Rainbow’s was.

“Me two!” Applejack agreed, before doing the same.

Most of the others agreed and followed suit, leaving only Fluttershy left.

“Come on Shy!” Rainbow encouraged, “You are missing out on the fun.”

Fluttershy nodded with a small smile, before slowly joining the others in playing footsie with me.

“This is fun, but it would be better doing it all alone,” Pinkie commented with a cheery grin.

“Too bad, Pinkie, for tomorrow is my turn with my Marky Wikey!”

“Tartar sauce!”

“That show has rubbed off on you, Pinkie.”

“What can I say, Rarity. It’s awesome and it’s a crime, that I just learned about it yesterday.”

“Wait until I show you Ed Edd N Eddy, my precious party balloon.” I commented with a chuckle.

I was carrying the large box of money, as Sunset knocked on the door to Celestia’s office. This should help us get close to the goal, or at the very least have them not play that music for at least today.

“Come in.”

We all entered the room to find both Celestia and Luna sitting down and they both smiled at us.

“Hello girls and guy. What brings you here?”

“We are here to drop a large donation,” I simply answered, before setting the box down in front of them.

“Ah. So, that is what your car wash from yesterday was for,” Celestia commented, as she grabbed a wad of bills from it and scrolled through them rapidly.

“You know about that?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Let’s just say a video involving the girls and Mr. Breeze has become, what is the term, viral online,” Luna explained with an amused smile, “It probably isn’t my place as his school vice principal, but I did enjoy watching it.”

“As long as that fact doesn’t become public knowledge, Lulu, you should be fine. It will take some time to count this amount, before knowing how much we still need, but you more than earned a break from that annoying music.”

“One of your better ideas, Tia,” Luna told her with a smile.

“Speaking of that song, can I have a copy?” Pinkie pleaded with a begging look.

“You?... You want a copy of this song, that I specifically picked to be so annoying to force you all to donate?”

“It’s not annoying! It’s fun to listen and dance to, but yes! So, can I have a copy?”

Both Celestia and Luna looked from pinkie to each other rapidly for a few seconds, before fainting anime style.

“Seeing it in action was more amusing than imagining it, my precious party balloon,” I chuckled, before gently stroking her hair.

“Glad to make you happy, Marky. Now let’s wake them up. I am not leaving without that copy!”

With that business done, we were walking through the hallway and decided to find somewhere to sit before school started. Along the way, we heard laughing and angry grunts. Looking ahead, we saw a crowd of students surrounding Zephyr with their phones out and Zephyr glaring at them all. As we approached, we noticed that someone had indeed recorded Zephyr and the girls competing against each other.

“Shut up! I let them all win! I didn’t want to take their offer as that will make it too easy! Zephyr likes a good challenge and he will win them all and every girl in school! You hear me!”

The girls and I looked at each other and shook our heads. Goes to show nothing can get through the unbreakable wall that is Zephyr Breeze.

“I… I let you win.”

“I thought you wanted to win me?”

“No, I… I wasn’t ready.”

“No, you were. Ready to lose at any rate.”

“I just said that to make her feel better!” Zephyr argued, blushing hotly in embarrassment, after instantly being proven wrong by the video.

Everyone else only laughed as they continued to watch the video, while Zephyr groaned in defeat, before perking up when he noticed us, more specifically the girls.

“Girls, how wonderful to see you all again! Please tell these punks, I let you win and most of you are going to ditch that loser,” He began, before snarling and pointing at me with a glare, “In order to finally be with me, the ultimate harem stud.”

The girls and I only sighed and looked at each other, before we all facepalmed.

“Could someone skip ahead to when he faced Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked, getting nods from the crowd.

Someone did so and managed to play the perfect response to Zephyr.

“Just so you all know, I let you all win. What would be better than to win it all on the last chance?”

“If only you were actually skilled.”

Zephyr could only pout in complete defeat, before slowly walking away.

“Alright, Flutter Butter. No more holding back.”

“Yes, I think I should stop doing so, unlike last time.”

“Wait, you were going easy on me last time?”

Zephyr groaned in pure anger, as we all chuckled at his expense. Hopefully, he learns to actually improve himself, but I know that is wishful thinking. It's terrible that people could be so stubborn and set in their ways that they refused to self-reflect and improve themselves to the point that not even several instances of "learning the hard way" could make them learn better. It would be so sad if he wasn't such a cocky jerk about it.

Author's Note

A short chapter to kick off longer ones as the gang get ready for camp Everfree, this fic big conclusion, then I will take a break to reflect on what is the biggest story I have ever worked on to decide what to do next for the sequel. For now though I think I will focus on this fic until then and then go back to my other ones.