Chapter Four: Sci-Twi's Research

I woke up first the next morning as usual still with Pinkie and Fluttershy in my arms. All of us had a great time loving each other last night. We also had a great time loving each other this morning with a shower as well. Both Pinkie and Fluttershy wanted me to wash them which I gladly did. They also agreed not to wear any undies today either. So, I joked that I was becoming a bad influence on them. They joked back that even if I was they didn't mind. Fluttershy picked out a turquoise one-piece short sleeve dress with light blue lace trim along the bottom. While Pinkie wore another Pink skirt with three balloons on it with a blue short sleeve top with the school's golden horseshoe on it for some school pride.

And speaking of school, my mind was on school this morning as we made our way to it. Fluttershy washed my pants, so I was able to wear them again today because they matched my wings. Plus I really liked them. But today was going to be the day that we would hopefully find out what specific type of research she was doing. And hopefully, find out why Adagio and Aria want to see this world's Twilight so badly. Until then, however, I needed to focus on helping mom with the band auditions today. After kissing Fluttershy and Pinkie a good morning at the front door of the school, we headed inside and I headed to mom's office. There was also something else on my mind as I knocked on her door.

"Come in," came her business-like voice from inside. "Ah, good morning, son," she greeted me happily and got up from her chair with a wide smile and open arms.

I hugged her while saying, "Good morning, mom," softly after she walked around her desk and up to me. It felt almost like forever now, as we hugged each other in front of her desk. But then her smile faded just a little when she pulled back and saw the contemplative look on my face. "There's something else that I want to talk to you about." I sat down on the sofa to my left, her right, after she motioned me to sit down. "You remember me telling you that human slavery has now been outlawed in Equestria?" I asked her after she sat down and turned to me. She nodded. "Well, since then we've set up education centers in all the cities and towns to help them and educate them for full integration as equals. However, many have expressed desires to leave and come to the human world after some heard that this world exists. Of course, at the time, the only thing I could tell them was that it was almost impossible due to the short time the portal remained open and the long time it remained closed between openings." With a wave of my hand, I floated the journal over to her desk and set it down. "However, thanks to Twilight and the journal, that's no longer an issue. So, there's something I want you to think about. And that's about helping some of the Equestrian humans that come here through the portal."

At first, she just looked at me as if I had just asked her to move the sun in the sky. "I don't know if we can do that. Legally or otherwise."

"As for education and starting money, Mother can help with that. We can set up a program that selects a small number of humans to be educated at the castle about the human world. Then given some coins at the end of the class before they cross over. That way it will minimize what you have to do here. So, theoretically, the only thing you would have to do is help with them getting in touch with the local government housing programs. And maybe further education." She sat back in thought. "I know there's a lot more to it than that with social security and everything, but it's just something to think about."

"I suppose it's possible to do it that way," she mused softly while tilting her head back and looking up at the ceiling in thought.

She went silent, so I shrugged, "Anyway, that's just something to think about for the future. Now that the portal can be opened and closed at will. I'm sure that Mother will start the education classes in Canterlot soon. We could start with just one family as a test. But setting that aside, what's the schedule for today? And have you heard from Cadence yet?"

"I haven't heard from Vice-Principal Cadence yet, no," she shook her head a little before continuing. "However, today's schedule is relatively simple. It's all about the battle of the bands auditions. So, Luna is getting some of the students to help set up in the Concert Hall."

"Ok, that's great," I said to her while leaning back on the sofa. "Do you know when my friend's band will audition? I ask simply because I'm the one in charge of it." I chuckled at the look on her face. "There was a little argument on who would be the leader of the band and who would pick out the songs. Needless to say, Rainbow wanted to do all that. The other girls didn't think that was right, so that's what started the argument. I ended that by saying I would be doing all of that. So, they're probably practicing their songs right now."

Mom sat back as well with a slight hum and a disappointed look on her face when she looked over at me. "That would mean that you can't be one of the judges."

"Nope, sorry," I said to her with a slight shake of my head apologetically. "I'll still be with you most of the time, so just think of me as security."

She smiled at me before leaning over and giving me a hug. "I'm glad you're here, son. And I think that the band your friends are in is scheduled for this afternoon."

"I am too, mom," I whispered while hugging her back. "And in that case, that means I've got some time to hear them play, so I can suggest what to play at the auditions. So, if you don't mind, I think I'll pay the girls a visit and see what they got so far?"

"As long as you are with me for most of the day," she looked at me with a motherly smile but with a look that would send guilt my way if I didn't.

Leaning over, I hugged her, "I promise."

^_^

I finally found the girls in one of the practice rooms, the main one that the choir used oddly enough. The right half of the room was a raised platform where the students would stand. The rest of the room was floor level. It was your basic schoolroom with no office and windows on the other side of the room from the door that looked out into the back of the school. All of them were in the room and currently setting up. Pinkie was setting up her drums, AJ and Rainbow were setting up the guitars and the small amps they both had, Fluttershy was basically just a singer with a tambourine, and Rarity had a keytar of all things. Rarity's choice was a little surprising as I had pictured her with an electronic keyboard. Sunset was simply standing by near the door, so I didn't see her at first after walking in. I gave her a simple nod in greeting which she returned with a small smile of her own and a nod of her head.

"Hey, girls," I greeted with a wave as I walked up to the raised portion of the floor in front of Rainbow and AJ. "How are you doing this morning." I was asking everyone, naturally, but Rarity, AJ, and Rainbow first because of who I slept with last night.

"Hey, sugarcube," AJ greeted while plugging her bass into the amp.

"Hey, stud," Rainbow greeted while plugging her guitar into her amp.

"Good morning, darling," Rarity greeted as she slung her keytar over her shoulder, "I think we are all well. Is there word from Vice-Principal Cadence?"

I shook my head, "Nope, not yet. We'll just have to see if that's good news or bad news." A pause was needed to change the subject, "After asking mom about when you would play, I found out that you are to play after lunch. This means that we have plenty of time for me to hear what songs you have right now. So, I would suggest going through each one that you have so far."

"Yeah, alright," the girls agreed one by one and started playing their first song. The first song was "Shake Your Tail" and while they were playing we all noticed something. Shortly after they started playing, each one of them started to glow before pony ears, tails, and even wings appeared. This was clearly the work of Equestrian magic. All their extra features were identical to their Equestrian counterparts. Not only did they not stop playing but the event even lifted their spirits as they played. The atmosphere was a happy one as they played and lifted all our spirits. Needless to say, they were all excited after they stopped.

"Check us out!" Rainbow looked around before looking herself over then flapped her wings. "Is this cool or what?!"

"Very," I said with a smirk while my eyes looked them over.

Rarity spotted me first and with a wink my way, she flicked her hair with a hand, "Like what you see, darling?"

"Alright, alright, stop undressing us with your eyes, surgarcube," AJ shook her head at me but she was wearing a nice blush and a smile along with it.

Rainbow pretended to be upset and put her hands on her hips while looking down at me with narrowed eyes. "Yeah, stop undressing us with your eyes." That upset look quickly turned to a grin and a wink, "Because hopefully, you'll do it with your hands later."

There was a short pause while I looked around to gauge their reactions. All but AJ were giving me knowing winks while AJ herself just blushed and tried not to look at me. "Why don't we just play our next song guys?" AJ suggested. And so they did if only to save AJ from any more embarrassment. The next song was something called "Better Than Ever" which sounded just as good as the first. As they played another song, their extra features still remained as did the atmosphere in the room. It was like I was standing with the Tree of Harmony on a perfect day. You felt simply wonderful as if nothing could go wrong. Then the atmosphere in the room dropped some with Rainbow's song "Awesome as I want to be." Needless to say, it didn't go over well. Mainly because Rainbow loves to show off and the last song was basically all about her and her alone. The song was basically one big solo just for her with the other girls being nothing but accompaniment.

"So, what do you think?" Rainbow asked right after the song ended. All during the song, she was bobbing her head and doing other jam moves like playing the guitar while kneeling on the floor. So, naturally, she was sweating now while waiting for my response at the edge of the raised floor.

After a patient sigh, I gave her a patient smile, "Rainbow, you do realize that a song isn't supposed to be about just you and your ability to play, right? You're jamming away while the rest of the girls were playing just a basic part. And because the song was played well, this wasn't the first time you all have played it before. So, what's the story behind it?"

The other girls were silent as if waiting for Rainbow to say something. Rainbow only said something after she took one look at the others. "Can't I have just one song?"

"We don't mind you having a song, Rainbow," AJ said to her while holding her bass guitar with a frown, "but consarnit at least give us better parts. I'm only playing three notes for crying out loud."

"Why don't you change it to 'Awesome as we want to be'?" Fluttershy suggested while sounding more like a referee. Felt the same way actually. "You can still have the lead."

"That's a good suggestion you two," throwing in my two bits at that, I gave Rainbow a 'Well?' look and waited. When she didn't say anything and just stood there looking disappointed, I looked up to her, "Think about it, alright?"

"Alright, I'll think about it," she said with a confirming nod and a small smile.

"Good, so are those three the only three you have?"

"So far, Freddie Weddie," Pinkie said while twirling her sticks.

"In that case, I have an idea," I grinned up at them with an idea as their extra features disappear. "Because your bodies change when you play, you can use that to your advantage. The first one you can play this afternoon will be 'Shake Your Tail.' That way you can actually shake your tails this afternoon."

"Oh, my," Fluttershy giggled a little, blushing cutely, and tilting her head so she can hide behind her hair.

"Darling Fred," Rarity cooed at me as she hugged her keytar against her just so that it lifted her breasts making them perk up, "are you trying to say something?"

I shrugged innocently, giving them a smile and a wink, "What can I say? I like tail."

"Yes, we know," Rarity cooed again while the other girls simply blushed and giggled. AJ, on the other hand, said nothing but was just blushing. Making me wonder what AJ had in mind for me tonight if anything.

"In the meantime, I think it would be good for me to return to mom," I told them before turning toward the door. "She wants me with her for most of the day, I'll see you girls at lunch."

^_^

By the time I got back to the Concert Hall, everything was set up and ready. Mom and Aunt Luna were sitting behind a small table in front of the stage. Some students were there to watch their competition while sitting about midway up the seats. One band was setting up, or I say it was a band because it was nothing but computer hardware. It was my friends from the computer tech department that had rolled out a bunch of old hardware. A computer on it was hooked up to all sorts of hard disk drives, three-point five-inch floppy drives, and two scanners were on the table. The computer was to the right of everything and the hard disk drives were all sitting in front of the stacked three and a half floppy drives. And the two scanners were to the left of all of that. And I had no clue what was going on.

"Hey, Mom, Aunt Luna," I greeted them while keeping my eyes on my tech friends plug in about five cords into the floor for power. "Alright, I give. What's going on. Is this a band? And what's with all the old tech?"

Mom simply shrugged, looking a little confused herself. "They are a band." She motioned toward them, "You can start whenever you are ready."

And when they did start, I was shocked. The whole thing came to life. The old hard disk drives were the percussion tapping out the rhythm. The floppy drives were the bass while the two scanners were scanning out the melody. And what came out was Michael Jackson's Beat It but sounded like the old eight-bit music from ages past. What really got my mind going was just how this was being done? I stood there looking at it with my mouth hanging open in shock. The floppy drives started with the bass before the disk drives came in with the clicking as if a drummer started the beat. Being a bit of a tech guy myself, my mind was busy trying to figure out what sort of program and controllers they had to use on everything to make it work. They even got the scanners to whine out the guitar, even the guitar solo sounded good being played by the larger scanner. It wasn't just the hardware either. One of them came out dressed as Michael Jackson and even started singing and dancing to it. He was better at it than I thought, too. Sang it decently, too. After the scanner solo, all of them stepped forward and finished the song with them dancing.

When they were done, Mom simply told them, "You qualify." While they high-fived each other, I was standing there with only one thought running through my head. How? As they shut off the laptop and unplugged all the cords, I had to walk up and ask at least one question.

"Ok, I gotta know fellas. Just how did you guys do it?"

The guy that walked up was one that I knew from the school's computer science classes. Short, tanned skin with glasses on he looked like the classic nerd. But a good guy though. He pushed his glasses up his nose before answering, "The hard disk drives were easy enough. With the appropriate amount of volts, we could get the arm to actuate in whatever rhythm we need. The same method was used on the floppy drives. The speed of the floppy's motor will produce tones at certain speeds while a disk might be necessary in order to get certain tones correctly."

"Clear the stage please," Mother said, so he said so long, nice wings, and left the stage after the others helping them push the table away. With that as my only answer, I walked back over and sat down behind Mom and Aunt Luna on the front row seats. The next band was Flash Sentry's band and naturally, they qualified as well. All while he played, my mind was thinking about what to say to him. He was a good guitar player and a good friend. After they were done playing, I walked up to the stage and talk to him while they picked up their equipment.

"Hey, Flash. Got some news regarding those three siren girls. Their power came from their gems which were destroyed back in Equestria, the other world. One of the girls, Sonata went back to Equestria now that she was literally powerless. The other two, I forced them to stay here because they were still hell-bent on restoring their power. Sonata wasn't which is why I let her return to Equestria. Twilight went back to Equestria with Sonata to help her acclimate to modern society." By the time I was done, he had his amp in one hand and his guitar slung around him with all the cords. He didn't say anything or look at me as he turned and walked off the stage. With a sigh, I went back to sit down feeling that mending this friendship was going to be harder than I thought. The rest of the morning as other bands played, I was lost in thought. On just how to repair my friendship with Flash before leaving for Equestria again.

I wasn't so lost in thought that I didn't bid my Mom and Aunt Luna a so long while I met up with the girls in the cafeteria. Before leaving, I asked if she's heard from Cadence. I didn't hear her cell phone ring and she said that she didn't receive a call either. Waiting was always hard for me. While walking toward the cafeteria, my mind went through many what-ifs on what was going on over at Crystal Prep.

"You look deep in thought, sugarcube," AJ said to me as I sat down at their table with my lunch between her and Sunset with the rest of the girls there. After setting the journal down in the middle of the table, I looked over at AJ.

"Yeah. Just hoping that I can mend what's left of the friendship between Flash and I before all this is done," I told her with a sigh. "His band was the second one this morning. I tried talking to him afterward but he didn't say anything. Not even after telling him that Twilight had already left back to Equestria."

"He'll come around," Sunset encouraged me with a small smile. "Remember that I used to date him. Although, I only did so to become more popular in order to get the crown." She paused with a sigh while fiddling with the edge of her sleeve. "I really was horrible wasn't I?" I watched as genuine regret appeared in her eyes as she looked down at her food.

"Oh but you have turned over a new leaf," Fluttershy smiled at her, encouraging her with a smile. "We've watched you change."

"Thank you, Fluttershy," Sunset said gratefully with a soft smile.

"Has Principal Celestia heard from Vice-Principal Cadence yet?" AJ asked before taking a bite out of an apple.

"Nope, not yet," I shook my head. "And that's what got me a little concerned. Why is she taking so long? Has she found anything? Adagio and Aria may not have magic, but if they've been in this world long enough then they know about this world's weapons and could still be dangerous that way. And if they do, then given what they've said last time, I wouldn't put it past them."

"I hate waiting," Rainbow pouted as she sat back in her chair across from me. Her arms over her chest as it was evident that she's finished her meal already.

"You and me both," I smirked at her while taking a bite out of my turkey sandwich.

"Well, until then, we'll just have to concentrate on our music," Rarity commented after putting down her fork and knife on the plate crossing over one another forming an "X". "And considering what we'll be singing, I can't wait until we get out ears and tails. That way we can quite literally shake our tails."

"Oh, yes, they are quite cute," Fluttershy said in her own soft excited way.

Rainbow perked up with a smirk, "Yeah, it is cool when we get those ears and tails. Especially when Fluttershy and I get wings." A smirk of my own worked its way onto my face when I heard that as I thought of doing something between her wings while eating my lunch. And I might have a chance to do it right after they're done playing. At least to Rainbow and Fluttershy at least. Too bad Rarity didn't get a horn, that would have been interesting.

"Yeah, it is," I looked between them all with a grin, "I like it when you grow ears and tails as well."

Fluttershy blushed with a slight embarrassed giggle, Pinkie just giggled, and AJ and Rainbow blushed with their attention returning to their lunch. On the other hand, Rarity leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms under her breasts, making them perk up under her light blue t-shirt. Which drew my eyes to them and her hard nipples trying to poke themselves out of her shirt when it was tightened around her breasts. She knew what she was doing too and it showed on her face. "So," she spoke with a teasing tone and a mile wide smirk, "you like chasing tail, then darling? Is that why you like to see our tales shake?"

That got AJ, Rainbow, and Pinkie giggling at Rarity's quip. Rising to the occasion, I looked her in the eye with a wide smirk of my own, "Only the ones in my herd, so is that an invitation to join? Or do you consider yourself already in the herd because you are Equestria Rarity's counterpart and enjoy having my eyes on your tail?"

"Perhaps I do," her eyes were locked onto mine with a predatory look in her eyes and a grin on her face that told me she was enjoying this banter. "Maybe I just enjoy being chased and wooed until I let you catch me."

The others were looking between us as if they were watching a tennis match.

"Oh, so that's what you let me do the other day?" Now, this was fun. I haven't bantered with her like this since I left and was really getting into it.

She giggled lightly before shaking her head with a slight wave of her hand as if dismissing what I had just said. "Oh no, darling. I didn't let you catch me." A slow predatory grin spread across her face, "I caught you. Like a spider catching a fly, you willfully walked into my trap."

"A trap, you say?" I asked rhetorically with an amused chuckle. "Well, it was an enjoyable trap."

"I'm hoping to weave my web for you again my darling fly,"

Pinkie bounced in her seat looking rather excited. "Oh, oh, oh that's a good idea. Perhaps I'll use chocolate syrup in my trap." She looked over at me with a smirk and wiggling eyebrows. "That way he can lick it off of me."

"What about you, AJ?" Rainbow asked curiously.

"I won't use anything," she said while blushing. "I'll just hogtie him."

The incredulous look I gave her was telling. "Tonight will definitely be interesting then." Right then, I felt two arms wrap themselves around my neck, tickling my chest, and then a head resting upon mine.

"It does sound interesting, man," I heard Vinyl's teasing voice in my ear. "But how about watching me throw down some sick beats instead? I'm first in line this afternoon."

"I wouldn't mind that at all because they're right after you," I told her then brought her head down to my lips for a gentle kiss.

"Cool! What are you going to play? What do you call the band?" Vinyl asked while she turned my head to the side, so it rested between her breasts. Because she was wearing her usual long-sleeved white shirt that zipped up that extended down to a short skirt. Skintight bright red pants completed her usual clothes. Right now, my cheek was resting against the zipper being pressed down upon it by her hand.

"The Rainbooms," Rainbow's voice held pride in it as she answered Vinyl's question.

"We're going to play a song that I wrote called, 'Shake Your Tale'," I heard Fluttershy tell her with a happy tone. She sounded happy that one of her songs was going to be played.

"It'll be neat because we grow ears, tails, and wings when we play," Pinkie giggled, bouncing in her seat on the other side of Applejack. "That way we can actually shake our tails."

"Wow! That I've got to watch!"

^_^

It was after lunch and I was standing between AJ and Rainbow backstage waiting for their turn while Vinyl played. In the midst of her music, I felt the journal vibrate while holding it in one arm. As Vinyl's deep bass echoed in my ears and threatened to vibrate my head, I opened the journal. It was from Twilight.

It's Twilight. How are things over there?

With a smile I wrote back, It's Fred, Twilight. Right now, the girls are fixing to try out for the battle of the bands competition. On the back burner, however, we are waiting for Cadence's counterpart to return to us with a word on what your counterpart is researching. Adagio and Aria went to Crystal Prep, another school here, for some reason and we think that it could be something that your counterpart is working on that might have something to do with magic. We aren't sure, so we asked Vice-Principal Cadence to look into it.

Of course I would have a human counterpart. I didn't even think about it. Now that I am thinking about it, it would be interesting to go back and meet myself.

I was amused at the thought of both of them interacting with one another. While that would be amusing to watch, do you think you could get away for a day or two? Besides, I'm still not comfortable opening the portal while not knowing what Adagio or Aria have planned. Meanwhile, how is Sonata? How is her integration back into Equestrian society going?

Slow going. As you know she was a siren here in Equestria but now that her powers are gone she's now an earth pony. Which is good, so now it's mostly just education on Equestrian history and social skills. So, your mother, Luna, and I have been taking her out to meet ponies and socialize.

While writing my reply, I heard Vinyl's music stop and Mom telling her that she qualified. Odd to think that a siren would need to develop social skills.

He he. It does sound a little odd, doesn't it?

"Alright! We're up," Rainbow threw up a fist in excitement.

"Have fun, girls," I said to them with a smile as Sunset and I stayed by the edge of the curtain.

How is Sunset doing?" Twilight asked me.

I'll let her tell you. After writing that, I turned to Sunset, that was standing nearby, and offered her the journal. "Twilight asked how you're doing. I thought you'd like to tell her."

She took the book with a small smile, "I would, thanks." While she wrote in the journal talking with Twilight, I watched the girls set up and began playing the song: "Shake Your Tail." Sunset's gentle scratching of her writing was overpowered by the song and singing of the girls. Almost immediately after they started, they sprouted their ears and tails with wings for Rainbow and Fluttershy. It was sad that I couldn't join them in any way. I couldn't hold a beat or a tune to save my life. That didn't stop me from enjoying the song. Or the little surprise I was going to give Fluttershy and Rainbow in about another minute. Through the music, I couldn't hear any chuckles or giggles from Sunset. However, there was a smile on her face while she wrote. A minute later their song started to end, so I gingerly made my way onto the stage. During the last few seconds of the song, I casually walked behind Pinkie on the drums, so I could walk up behind Fluttershy and Rainbow that were standing side by side. When the song ended, I was in place and standing behind Fluttershy and Rainbow.

"You qualified," Mom said to them with a happy smile on her face. All while I slowly raised my hands toward their backs getting close to the space between their wings.

"Yeah!" Rainbow cheered. "We did it."

"Yep, you certainly did," I grinned at Rainbow as they looked toward me. There was a split-second pause where they looked at me with curiosity before I pushed my hands between their wings with, "And here's your reward." Their wings came straight out of their shirts, as if by magic. Their reaction was immediate with wide eyes filled with wonder, shock, and immediate arousal as their wings rose and stiffened.

"Oh, oh, oh my," Fluttershy squeaked out as she almost dropped her tambourine.

"Oh, w-what?" was Rainbow's reaction, and would have dropped her guitar if it wasn't strapped around her. With her eyes locked onto mine, her body shook enough where she let go of the guitar letting it hang loose, swinging slightly. It was satisfying to feel their bodies shudder with quick sudden arousal.

Meanwhile, I noticed two people open the far door, at the other end from us, and walk in. They entered the double doors at the far end of the concert hall. It clicked who they were after raising my head to take a quick look. This world's Cadence and Twilight came walking in just as Fluttershy's and Rainbow's wings started to fade. Fluttershy was thankful for it with a huge blush and a sigh of relief. Rainbow wasn't so happy about it as she pouted, "Aww, damn it." While keeping my eyes on Cadence and Twilight as they started walking toward the stage, Rainbow turned to me with eyes brimming with curiosity. "Just what was that and how can I experience that again?"

"I'll tell you a little later," I said while motioning toward Cadence and Twilight with my head, as my hands were still resting on their backs. "Cadence and Twilight just walked in." Mom and Aunt Luna even turned their heads to look. Twilight was walking in front of Cadence with both of them in their school uniforms but AJ was first to notice something odd.

"What's the gadget Twilight's holding?" AJ asked as she put down her guitar.

"Looks like that ghost detector from the Ghost Busters movie," was my comment on it while Mom and Aunt Luna stood up when they got close. "Sounds like it too," I added when my ears picked up the sound of a warble coming from it with what looks like strobe light effects from the rabbit ear-looking things. The machine started getting louder as Twilight stepped up to the stage while Cadence stood by the table Mom and Aunt Luna were at. By the time she got close to the stage, the girls were now standing side by side at the edge listening to her mumble to herself while looking at her device.

"I knew there was something of interest here at this school," she mumbled while looking down at the gauge on the electronic instrument in her hands. "Pure observation alone showed strange anomalies happening at this school. Now that I have this, I was able to confirm the rare radiation properties of their statue. Thank you, Vice-Principal Cadence, for bringing me here. After examining the statue, I got a strong reading coming from...right...here." She finally looked up from her device to see us standing there. Then her eyes spotted me and my wings. And that's when she looked up to me with a shock and awe look about her.

"Hi, Twilight," I took a step forward and sat down on the edge of the stage in front of Fluttershy and Rainbow with my wings spread. Her eyes immediately latched onto my wings. "I've been expecting you."

She had an inquisitive look in her eyes as she stood there just blinking at me as if her brain was trying to catch up to what her eyes were seeing. When her brain did catch up, was when the questions started. "You did? How and why were you expecting me? Why were you expecting me? Wait...are those wings? They can't be real, can they?" She paused just long enough to reach out and grab one of my long feathers giving it a good pull. She didn't even apologize to me after I let out a loud "ouch" in response. She held up that device of hers close to me and it started warbling again. "How is this possible?" she asked rhetorically while turning to the side and walking toward the edge of the stage to my right, her left. "This shouldn't be possible," she muttered to herself as she stepped onto the stage. I stood up when she got on stage and started walking over to us.

"Uh...What shouldn't be possible?" Rainbow asked, now curious as was the rest of them.

"Wings!" she exclaimed while the girls parted for her when she got close. "A human with real wings! This shouldn't be possible. They only existed in myth and legends." The human Twilight walked up to me and held up her device. "Plus, he's got a massive amount of the rare thaumic radiation that I've detected at the statue. Although that statue only has a minuscule amount right now. This man has a massive amount. So much that it's almost off the scale."

I winked at Rainbow who was standing off to my right, then lifted my hand and activated my magic around the device. Not only did the device go nuts but I was using levitation magic on it. So, Twilight's eyes went wide when I gently lifted it out of her hands letting it float in front of her eyes. For a few seconds, she simply stood there in stunned silence with her eyes as wide as old Buick hubcaps. Then the questions started again. "How are you doing that? That shouldn't be possible. You have the same thaumic radiation as the statue but you are able to manipulate it?" It seems the girls were letting me lead this encounter because they were quiet as if waiting to see what I would say or do. I could see the gears turning in Twilight's head while Cadence talked quietly with Mom and Aunt Luna about what she found. "This type of radiation is extremely rare and usually only barely registerable on any instrument. This place has the most ever cataloged and you can manipulate it. A normal human isn't able to do that therefore the only logical conclusion is that you are not a normal human."

I levitated her device back into her hand and then lowered my hand. "Very good, Twilight." Then leaned closer to her and said softly, "Now you should be able to logically deduce the rest. If and or when you do, then we'll talk about why Cadence brought you here."

"Well..." she began slowly as the gears in her head spun up at a higher rate of speed, "You have wings and can manipulate rare thaumic radiation that is extremely rare." She paused to push her glasses up her nose. "You appear to be human but a normal human isn't capable of such feats. Thereby the only conclusion to draw is that you aren't entirely human, if you are human at all."

"Believe me, he's human enough," Rainbow quipped with a chuckle and a grin.

"Yes, take it from us. We've known Fred for quite a number of years and he is indeed human," Rarity said from my right.

"Just not entirely human," Pinkie finished with a giggle. "But the most wonderful guy you could ever meet."

"What is the holdup?" We suddenly heard a question from my left on the other side of the stage. My eyes spotted, Trixie walking toward us from the other side wearing some type of light blue witches costume with white stars in it. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has been waiting to show off her greatness and power."

"Power?" Twilight asked, turning to Trixie, and holding up her device. "Do you have the same thaumic radiation?"

"Radiation?" Trixie asked, looking clueless.

"Magic, Trixie," I interpreted for her with a quick wink to Fluttershy which put a hand to her mouth knowing what my plan was.

"As everyone knows, Trixie has an abundance of magic," she boasted with her head held high with her hands on her hips.

That prompted Twilight to shift herself closer to Trixie and held up her device close. Needless to say, it didn't go off but stayed completely silent. Twilight hummed as she looked down at the silent device, "I'm not registering any thaumic radiation."

"Huh?" Trixie asked.

"In other words, you don't have any magic, Trixie," I chuckled. "But I'll be happy to show you mine if you don't vacate the stage. The tryouts are being paused for a little bit while we talk with Vice-Principal Cadence and Twilight here."

"The great and powerful Trixie is not-" she began but stopped when I lifted my hand again and used my magic to lift her off the stage. Then float her across the stage to the other side of it where I then let her go. She stood there a second before stomping her foot against the stage floor. "Fine!" Then left.

"Definitely, not quite human," Twilight muttered softly then turned her head back to me. Then shifted herself back over to me. "But you look human."

"He is part human," Mom said with a proud smile.

"Part human and part something else that can manipulate thaumic radiation," she said while looking at me with a calculating eye. "The same radiation that I found in the statue. This begs the next logical question: Are you and the statue connected in some way?"

"That would be a definite yes," I told her with a smile then continued before she could speak next. "Let me fill in the gaps, Twilight. What would you say if I told you that the statue is a portal to another world where magic is real and where I was born?"

She shook her head a little in disbelief, "That isn't logical."

After a chuckle and a smirk, I lifted my hand and ignited it. "And a being that is half human and half something else that has magic and fire is logical?" She looked at my hand in shock as her brain tried wrapping itself around what she was watching.

"Good point," she said with a short nod after I put out my hand and lowered it again.

"I was raised here in this world, Twilight but I wasn't born here. Through that statue portal is another world called Equestria. A world filled with both humans and anthropomorphic beings as ponies, pegasi, unicorns, griffons, and many others."

"He's telling the truth, Twilight," Sunset said as she stepped up, stepped down from the stage, and stood beside Twilight. "I look human only in this world. I was born, raised, and lived in Equestria but this is my home now." Twilight was curious at that, so she lifted her device up to Sunset, which was still holding the journal, where it started warbling again.

"You and that book both have the same thaumic radiation," Twilight commented. "That lends credence to your statement."

"And I'm sure that you used that device on those two girls that visited you," I told her motioning to her device. "They also have this radiation of yours. That is because they also are from that other world. What you don't know is that those two girls are dangerous. They are sirens from Equestria that want nothing more than to regain their magic by any means necessary for the sole purpose of wreaking havoc and destruction upon Equestria and possibly this world as well."

"Adagio and Aria went to you for a reason, Twilight," Sunset added with a somber serious look. "Which means that they think you can help them in some way. Please tell us what those girls told you."

"You can tell them, Twilight," Cadence encouraged with a nod and a smile.

Twilight looked between us as if unsure of herself before straightening herself. "They knew about my research regarding thaumic radiation and my research could help them. That you kidnapped their sister and my research can somehow help them get their sister back."

"Is that right?" I chuckled with a shake of my head. "Their lying to you. What you call thaumic radiation we call magic. Sonata is their sister's name and she left on her own accord after giving up her power to return home and to encourage both Adagio and Aria to end their quest for power and destruction."

"Based upon what I've seen it is hard to tell which one is telling the truth," she responded almost immediately with a firm look in her eyes. Leaning back a little, I kept my eyes on hers. Then with a slight grunt and a nod, I looked at Sunset.

"Sunset? Tell Twilight to open the portal and have Sonata there as well." Twilight looked confused when I smirked at her. "Because she's about to meet her counterpart," I finished before getting down from the stage to stand in front of Twilight.

"I thought you said you didn't want to open it right now?" AJ asked.

"That's why you girls," I looked at them with a smile then looked over at Mom and Aunt Luna, "and you Mom and Aunt Luna are going to guard the portal during the short time I'm there to ensure those two don't come over. It shouldn't take long."

"Wait...I'm going to another world?"

"Yes, Twilight," I smiled down at her and put a hand on her shoulder, "you're going to go meet yourself. Then talk with Sonata their sister and she'll tell you that what I said was the truth."

"Oh...alright," Twilight said slowly while I urged them all from there to the statue portal.

^_^

"Alright, this shouldn't take long." Twilight and I were standing in front of the portal. Mother and Aunt Luna standing behind the girls with Sunset holding the journal. And Cadence holding Twilight's device. I looked at Mom, "Sorry for cutting the tryouts short."

Mom shook her head with a small smile, "Think nothing of it, son. This is important."

With a nod, I said to them, "In that case hold down the fort for us."

While I was talking with them, Twilight was sticking her hand into the activated portal then pulling it out again a few times. "I don't understand," she whispered while putting in and pulling out her hand from the portal. "How is this possi-AHH." I pushed her in then followed her through. Then came the familiar sensation of feeling like a wet dog being pulled through a small cat door for a couple of seconds before stepping through the other side.

After stepping through the other side, both Twilights were standing in front of each other looking exactly the same except for the clothes and the glasses. The Equestrian Twilight had a smile on her face as she took a couple of steps toward her counterpart. Meanwhile, I walked up to Sonata and shook her hand with a soft smile, "Sonata." Sonata was wearing a basic light blue sundress to match her light blue coat and dual-tone blue mane and tail. After she shook my hand with a small smile, that was mixed with worry, I turned to the human Twilight. Which was currently standing there in stunned silence with eyes wide enough that I thought they might pop out of her head.

"Hi Twilight Sparkle, I'm also Twilight Sparkle," Equestrian Twilight said through a light giggle. "It's a pleasure to meet me."

With a smirk, I leaned over to whisper to Sonata, "I think I'm a bad influence on her."

"I'm sure you have lots of questions," she began again as she stepped up to her counterpart and gently took her hand. "I assure you that this is real and not a dream, see?" The question was rhetorical to get her counterpart out of the stunned silence she was under. It worked, just not as she had hoped. When her counterpart looked down at her hand, which wasn't human anymore but was now four fingers and covered with fur she started to freak out.

"W-What?! What happened to me?!"

While Equestrian Twilight worked on calming down her counterpart to a more rational level, I filled Sonata in on why we were here. "So, after you left, Adagio and Aria left immediately to seek out the other world's Twilight because of the research she was doing. Turns out she's researching magic but she calls it thaumic radiation. And what is disturbing is that she's already built a device that can detect magical levels in people and objects." Sonata looked at me in surprise as I continued. "If human Twilight is able to do that then she might be able to construct a device to harness magic. I think it's that possibility is the reason why your sisters sought her out. They've told her that we basically kidnapped you to bring you here. So, I brought her here to hear the truth from you."

By the time I got done explaining everything to Sonata, Equestrian Twilight had successfully calmed down human Twilight from her freak out and was holding her hands. "It's ok, it's ok," Equestrian Twilight was saying softly to her counterpart, "take slow deep breaths. Remember what I said? You will turn back to normal when you go through the portal again." Human Twilight was now taking slow deep breaths, so she continued with a smile, "And welcome to Equestria."

Now that there was a calm in the storm between them, I looked over at Sonata to get her attention. Then motioned over to the human Twilight. After a slow understanding nod to me, she stepped over to the both of them with her two hooves clip-clopping on the stone floor of the empty room. "Twilight?" she asked the human Twilight to get her attention however...

"Yes?" both of them looked at her simultaneously.

"Um...the human Twilight with glasses," even Sonata giggled a little at their reaction. I chuckled with a wide smile while dirty thoughts of both of them at the same time ran through my head.

"Yes?" human Twilight looked over as Sonata stepped up.

"My name is Sonata Dusk. Adagio and Aria are my sisters. Fred has told me what my sisters said to you, so let me tell you what actually happened."

While those two talked, I stepped over to Equestrian Twilight, gently pulled her away, then held her from behind her while wrapping my wings around her. We stood close by so we listened in while at the same time wanting to leave them to talk freely without feeling like they were being spied on. "They needed to talk," I whispered to her while she interlocked her hands with mine. And because my wings covered up our hands she brought them up to her breasts. Encouraging me to gently squeeze them over her purple dress she also pressed her butt back against my waist. "Hopefully, Sonata will convince your counterpart to cease her research and experiments."

"I hope so too but if she is anything like me before I met you and my friends, then she might not," she whispered back before turning her head to the side giving me a light kiss. "To her, that research might be worth the risk in order to understand it. If that's the case then hopefully she'll understand the consequences at least." Humming softly, she leaned her head back against me and closed her eyes while enjoying the massage I was giving her breasts.

"Your breasts feel wonderful in my hands," I whispered almost under my breath while using my fingers to run along the underside of each breast. I didn't feel any bra under the dress, so it felt great to feel the smooth soft curves of her breasts in my hands.

"And I love the way your magical hands make me feel," she whispered back to me while I felt her tail wrap itself around one of my legs as if to keep me there.

"No, they didn't kidnap me," Sonata told her with a shake of her head. "All I ever wanted was to return to Equestria and have a life. That's why I gave my gem to Fred and told him everything about our powers." While she spoke my fingers circled around Twilight's hard nipples making her moan softly enough only for me to hear. I watched Sonata turn her head toward me and motioned in my direction, "Look at him, Twilight." Human Twilight looked over at me. "He's more powerful than my sisters and could defeat them without a problem. And he will if my sisters won't stop their quest for power. I don't want to see them killed for that. I've found a better way to live. To live here peacefully in Equestria. To have a life and family. And if I have to give up my powers for it then I'll do it. That's not what my sisters want. Please, Twilight don't help them. Because if you succeed in creating your device to control magic and release it into them, then he'll have no choice but to stop my sisters."

Without missing a beat human Twilight said what I feared she would. "To not invent something due to the fear of what might happen is backward thinking. The very nature of invention and research invites risk."

"It's not worth it," Equestrian Twilight told her with a pleading voice. "Not at the cost of lost lives and destruction. I used to be like you. Only about knowledge and research. I wanted to understand everything but I finally understood that some things just shouldn't be invented."

Human Twilight shook her head as if in disbelief with a slight wave of her hand. "Backwards thinking."

"Fred! Adagio and Aria are trying to get through!" Rainbow's voice suddenly came from the open portal.

"I'll be right there," I nearly yelled out to her then quickly let go of Equestrian Twilight. "Go!"

"Be careful," Equestrian Twilight quickly kissed me before letting me go. "I'll close it again after you go through."

"Sorry, Sonata but this meeting is over," I told her. "I'll keep my promise that I'll try my best to preserve their lives." With that said, and a last nod from Sonata, I lifted a hand toward human Twilight.

"Hey! I can walk! Put me down!" she yelled out her complaint while wriggling inside my magic as I moved her to the portal and walked into it with her. After another couple of seconds of squeezing portal travel, we arrived on the other side. To the sight of Mom and Aunt Luna holding back Adagio's arms to hold her back. Cadence, Rainbow, and Pinkie were holding Aria by her arms to hold her back as well.

"LET US GO!" Adagio screamed in protest while wriggling and fighting in their grasp. Even went so far as trying to bite them.

"YOU CAN'T STOP US," Aria screamed as well as she fought to get free of Cadence, Rainbow, and Pinkie. Just not as violently and didn't try to bite either.

AJ and Rarity were standing just in front of me, on guard as if those two got free. But I've had enough. After releasing Twilight from my magical grasp, I used my magic to grasp and hold both girls. "ENOUGH!" I yelled out using my own version of Mother's Canterlot Voice which froze all of them in shock. Especially Adagio and Aria. The girls parted for me at that letting me walk up to them as they floated just above the ground. "Enough! The portal is closed and there's no way for you to cross over and live. I won't let you destroy my family. Don't you get it?"

Adagio actually smirked at me. She smirked at me while she floated just inches from my face with that mad wild look in her eyes. "And don't you get it? I will never stop trying to gain power and return to Equestria to wreak havoc on it? I. Will. Never. Stop."

"Then tell me something," I lowered my voice and its tone to ice-cold serious. "What's stopping me from killing the both of you right here, right now?" To prove my point, I squeezed them tighter with my magic like a vice. Especially around the neck. I didn't completely cut off their air but I did make it feel like my fingers were squeezing around their neck. Both of them coughed and wheezed in response.

"I know you want to stop them, son," Mom said softly to me as she put a hand on my shoulder. "But you're not a killer."

I looked at her with a somber look in my eyes and a heavy heart beating in my chest. "You're right I'm not and they might be defenseless right now, but they won't be if they ever get their magic back. And you heard them yourself. They won't stop. So what would you suggest? Wait until they get powerful enough and risk the lives of those we love around us just so we can sleep better at night because they won't be defenseless then? Or kill them now and solve the whole problem but at the risk of becoming a killer?" No one said a thing as they thought upon those two questions. I saw the gears turning in Mom's mind as she stood there with her mouth hanging open and her eyes filled with uncertainty.

After another minute of silence, and while still looking at Mom, I called out to Twilight. "Twilight! Come here!"

"Now see here, You can't just command me to-" she stopped when I had her in my magic again, brought her to the other side of me, and let her go again. She groaned in frustration after I let her go again and remained silent. Although she looked up at me with a satisfying glare in her eyes.

"You heard the truth from their sister Sonata," I told her while looking down at her with a soft glare of my own. Mainly for her ignorance. "And you heard them say that they won't stop trying to gain power for the SOLE PURPOSE of causing as much pain and death as possible. And they will only get that with your research and devices. That will be the consequences of your actions. An accessory to murder."

Without hesitation, she answered with, "And you'll be committing murder if you kill them now."

"In order to save my family? I'll do it. Because my questions still apply. Kill them now and be a murderer or wait until they amass power, thanks to your research and devices, where it will be self-defense all day long but at the possible cost of my family and friends?" I glared back at her. "You may be willing to sacrifice lives, the lives of my family and friends, for research and knowledge. But. Not. Me. Remember that when you're building a device that can help these two gather and manipulate magic or thaumic radiation as you call it."

When she didn't answer, I looked over at Cadence. "Cadence? Will you please take Twilight here back to Crystal Prep? I'll deal with these two."

"Uh...Sugarcube?"

"Relax, I won't kill them," I told them, spread my wings, and then took flight. Naturally, they weren't exactly being quiet about it either

"Put us down!" Adagio yelled at me while wriggling in my magic as we flew high above the town.

"You've got no right!" Aria yelled into my other ear which gave me an idea.

I stopped in the air and floated them close in front of me with a wide amused grin on my face. "You want me to turn you loose?"

"Yes! Right now!" Adagio growled out her command at me. However, Aria looked down and was suddenly very hesitant.

"Uh...Adagio I don't think-"

"Shut up, Aria," Adagio snapped at Aria, growling fiercely. Then glared at me once more, "Now!"

I simply shrugged and de-activated my magic letting them drop with, "Ok." I'll admit that it was quite satisfying to see the sudden shocked look on Adagio's face before they both started falling to the ground. The look on Aria's face was that of pure terror which also showed up on Adagio's face right before she started to fall. I waited for only a second before folding my wings and diving for them. They weren't out of my control for long where it only took another second for me to arrest them within my magical grasp again. But it gave me an idea. I let them believe that they were still falling toward the ground. Aria was the only one screaming and yelling. And it was all at Adagio.

"YOU STUPID MOTHERFUCKER! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! YOU'VE KILLED US BOTH YOU STUPID BITCH! I WISH I LEFT WITH SONATA YOU STupid...What?" While Aria was yelling at Adagio, and while Adagio's attention was on Aria and their appending doom, I had slowed them down enough for us to lightly touch down on earth once again. It was also satisfying to see the look of surprise on Aria's face when she was still alive.

"Now then," my voice went cold as I floated them up to me once more. They were floating just an inch or two above the ground so it wouldn't be obvious to anyone watching that magic was in use. "I've had enough of the both of you and I've proven that I'll kill either one of you without a thought. The only reason why I don't kill you right now is the promise I made to Sonata." It finally looked like I had their attention, their full mortal attention. I held up a finger in front of their faces. "That promise goes out the window if either one of you takes any, and I mean any, act of aggression against either school, my Mom or Aunt Luna, the students, or my friends with, or without magic. Do I make myself mortally clear?"

"First it was getting banished to the human world by Starswirl," Aria growled at Adagio which thankfully remained silent with a shocked look on her face. "And now he'll kill us. This is one fight we can't win and all thanks to you Adagio. I can't believe I was dumb enough to follow you in the first place. Sonata was right, she was right all along but noooo. You had to convince us that power was everything. And look where it got us!" Adagio remained silent, still what that look of shock and horror on her face. "That's it I'm done. I'm out. Better to live here in this wretched human world than be dead."

Upon hearing that I released them from my magic and addressed Aria first with my wings spread wide. Luckily for us, I flew us far enough away from the residential area that nobody would pay us any mind. Not behind a couple of old warehouses on the edge of town. "Then go Aria and never return here but make a life for you in this world. Perhaps even a family. Because you will never be allowed to return to Equestria again."

"I suggest giving up Adagio," Aria suggested with an angry huff, "this isn't one we can win. And I for one rather like staying alive." When Adagio didn't answer but stood there now looking a little defeated, Aria shook her head and started walking off with a firm, "Have a nice life, Adagio. If you survive that is."

I watched, with some surprise, that Aria actually kept walking. And away from town. Away from the warehouse toward the forest in the distance and hopefully away from all of us for good. And when she was out of earshot and a good distance away, did I look at and address Adagio.

"Adagio? You will never see Equestria and Sonata again. But you have a chance at a life here in this world. A chance to see Aria again. Do not seek out Twilight and her research and just walk away. Live Adagio. Or else." I spread my wings and took to the sky again to return to school.

^_^

Even though it took only minutes to return to the school, Twilight and Cadence were gone by the time I got back. Mom, Aunt Luna, and the rest of the girls were waiting for me when I landed in front of them.

"Are they...?" Mom asked looking concerned.

"They're alive," I told them all. "I didn't kill them."

"What happened, nephew?"

I had to smirk when thinking about it which confused them a little. "Well as you know, I took off with them within my magic. And I'm sure you all heard them complain as I flew off with them."

"Yeah, they sure didn't like that," Fluttershy shook her head demurely.

"After a few minutes or so of flight, they were demanding that I turned them loose," I said with a smile wide grin on my face. I waited for a beat to see if they would catch on. A wicked grin spread across Rainbow's face as she was the first to catch on.

"Oh please tell me you did," she egged on after a quick laugh as Pinkie and Aunt Luna giggled at the thought. The others weren't so sure as they had mixed expressions on their faces.

"Well, Adagio told me to put her down. So, I let them loose while they were hundreds of feet in the air." Rainbow lost it. She was laughing so hard she leaned against Pinkie, while she too was giggling away at the imagery, just to keep standing. Aunt Luna was laughing some at it too. Sunset, Rarity, AJ, Mom, and Fluttershy not so much.

"Fred! That was not nice," Rarity commented with a disappointed look on her face while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Are you kidding, Rare?" Rainbow stopped laughing long enough to ask. "I wish I could have seen the look on their faces when they suddenly realized how high up they were. It must have been priceless."

"I had an idea that worked out for the better, though," I said to get their attention again which I got. "I let them fall until they almost reached the ground. And I did that to prove a point. As much as I don't want to kill, I will in order to save my friends and family. Unfortunately, I've already done that back in Equestria when I was forced to kill Twilight's brother and six of his followers. But I've already told you all that. My idea worked in that it was the last straw for Aria. It brought a satisfying smile to my face to hear Aria cursing Adagio to no end as they fell. Then to hear Aria say that she's had enough and was leaving for good. She did, too. She started walking toward the woods at the edge of town by the warehouse district. Then I left Adagio standing there with a shocked look on her face."

"It sounds like Aria won't' be back then." Mom commented with hope in her voice which I wholeheartedly agreed with.

"Hopefully, yes," I agreed with her with a curt nod, "but only time will tell. Hopefully, Cadence will convince Twilight not to continue her research regarding magic."

"As you say, nephew. We shall see."

When nobody said anything for a minute, Rainbow spoke up with a smirk on her face. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but now that there seems to be a break in all of this, I think it's time to have some fun."

Fluttershy gasped as if in shock with one hand on her chest and the other on her mouth. "Rainbow! So, bold!"

When Mom heard that she shook her head with a slight giggle then walked up to me bringing me into a hug. "I am very proud of you, son. And I hope you don't have to kill anyone else."

"I as well, nephew," Aunt Luna hugged me when Mom let me go.

"And I think it's time for us to leave, so you can have fun with your friends," Mom winked at me then started walking toward the front doors of the school.

"Mom," I groaned with a chuckle, "I'm sure that's not the fun, Rainbow had in mind."

"Want to bet, stud?" Rainbow's voice was suddenly beside me. Then a second later, she turned my head toward her and pulled my head down for a kiss. "I bet we could find a place to have some fun before it's your turn with AJ tonight."

"Rainbow!" AJ called out while not sounding too happy at the moment. Not to mention the huge blush on her face when I turned to look at her or the friendly chuckles, giggles, and laughs from the others. And, for a while at least, hopefully, there will be some peace and quiet around here, so I could spend more time with the girls.

^_^

(Later that night with AJ)

The sun was just beginning to set as AJ and I was laying on a blanket on the roof of her farmhouse. AJ wanted to watch the sunset with me and I couldn't think of a better place than here. It was a cool night out and because the shingles on the roof got warm to the touch thanks to the sun during the day, it provided the warmth we needed. The blanket was used as insulation against the warm shingles. The main reason that tonight was my night with AJ was that we had the house all to ourselves tonight. Granny was off seeing Goldie, her sister. Big Mac was away on an overnight delivery. And Apple Bloom was with her friends at a sleepover at Scootaloo's place. So, at the moment, we were laying on a blanket on the roof with AJ in my arms while we watched the sun start painting the sky with her dying light.

"It's going to be a beautiful sunset tonight, sugarcube," AJ commented softly while her head rested on my chest just under my chin. I had taken her ribbon out of her hair so it could blow freely in the soft breeze. "The different colors are already starting to come out." She was wearing a white cotton front button collared shirt with a denim skirt that ended just below her knees. And right now my hands were resting on her stomach just about an inch or two under her luscious plump breasts. Her hands were resting on mine as we watched the sunset with her fingers gently scratching against my hands.

"Yep. It'll definitely be a beautiful sunset tonight." Tilting my head, I kissed her head. "And I'm happy to be watching it with you."

I heard the smile in her voice when she replied, "I am too, Fred. Remember all the times we watched the sunset in the orchard through a row of apple trees?"

"Yep. We'd sit and watch the sun as it set between rows. But I like this better the different colors cover the tops of the trees," I whispered into her ear. She hummed an agreement while she rubbed my leg with a bare foot. A couple of minutes roll by without a word as we just enjoyed the moment and I enjoyed holding her in my arms.

"Fred?" I hummed for her to go on. "When you said that you've killed before. How did it make you feel? What was it like to have another person's, or pony's, blood on your hands? I don't ask to...make you feel bad or nothin' it's just..."

"You just want to know or something like that?"

"Yeah," she said as the sun dimmed as it started dipping below the horizon and the sky turned shades of red and orange.

I had to think for a minute but finally spoke softly with my voice holding the weight of death in it. "There's an ancient city in Equestria called 'The Crystal Empire.' That's where Equestria's Cadence rules. Her former husband and Twilight's brother was Shining Armor. He held a hatred for humans, and especially for me. He thought that when my father and mother fell in love and had me, Shining thought that my father tainted my mother. As if humans are filth that tainted my mother or something. So, he was always trying to get me into a fight to prove how bad I was. It all came to a head at the Crystal Empire when he kidnapped his own sister and was fixing to kill Fluttershy and our child." I felt her body stiffen in shock as she gasped when she heard that.

"That's horrible."

"Yes, it was. But he had a following, being the captain of the guards and all. So, they helped him escape. A short time later his troops surrounded the city. They were under siege. I didn't want to kill, so I encouraged as many as I could to walk away. To do that I showed them how fruitless it was by fighting one of their strongest. It worked enough to get all but seven to surrender." I sighed when I closed my eyes as my mind went back to that day. "I felt horrible for what I had to do but still knew I had to do it. I tried making it quick. Burning them alive quickly then giving them an honorable burial."

"I think I get it," she said softly. "That's what you did today then? Using that same tactic in order to get them to stop so you wouldn't have to kill them."

"Yes. Aria left but I'm afraid that Adagio just won't stop," I said sadly.

She squeezed my hand when she said, "Like Shining didn't stop and forced you to defend the city."

"Right," I felt her start guiding my hands slowly up her chest as I spoke. "It never should feel good to take a life. But in order to protect my friends and family. I'll do what I must."

"I get it," she said softly as she guided my hands to her breasts then let them rest there with her fingers still lightly rubbing my hands. I knew they were probably the largest of the girls but her breasts were larger than my hands. A "D" cup I'd say and I was anxious to feel those plump soft orbs bare skin to bare skin in my hands. "We still have Granny's old shotgun but we haven't used it in ages. Good town and all. But I know that Big Mac would use it and protect us without a second thought." There was a pause while feeling her breath quicken a little as my fingers gently squeezed her breasts. "Enough of that, though. Let's just enjoy our night together. And you can start by unbuttoning my shirt, unclasping my bra, and using those fingers on my breasts."

Her sudden shift caught me off guard. I didn't expect her to switch gears that quickly. However, she removed her hands from mine to let me start unbuttoning her shirt. Her hands lowered to rub against my outer thighs while I unbuttoned her shirt. It was only after I did that showed she was wearing a front clasp bra. She planned this and wanted this as much as I did. She moaned out a soft, "Yes," as I unclasped her bra to gently grasp and massage her bare breasts. Her nipples were already starting to harden under my hands as my fingers gently dug into her soft skin. "Tonight's going to be a long night. And our first round is right here on the roof under the full bright moon." She reached down to her denim skirt and lifted herself up just enough to start lifting it up. "This was one of my fantasies, Fred. Love me slowly and gently for the first time." She moaned as my fingers wrapped around her hard nipple giving it a gentle pull. "Later, I want to experience the stallion side of you. Right now, I want your human side."

She tilted her head to the side giving me enough access to her neck to kiss it before I whispered into her ear, "Then it's me you'll have under the moonlight as your loud moans fill the orchard."