Estrus among us

The workers on Alex's house must have taken Applejack's warning to heart, for they finished the project in record time, a few days before the celebration of Nightmare Night. Alex and Applejack found themselves in the living room discussing the subject the evening the house was completed.

"It's a good thing yer house is ready. No offense, but Ah think you've been enough influence on Apple Bloom."

Alex took a sip of his tea before answering. "What do you mean?"

Applejack smiled. "You know she's been follerin' you around since the moment you got here, and imitatin' you every chance she's got. Here lately, she's takin' it to a new extreme."

Alex frowned with concern. "What's she been doing?"

Applejack smiled again. "Ah think it's mostly harmless, but all day she's been..." She paused and pricked her ears. "Never mind. Here she comes. See fer yerself."

Alex listened to her hoofsteps. Instead of the 'clippety-clop," he heard a "clop, clop, clop..." He watched as the little filly turned the corner on two legs, her forelegs folded up against her chest and under her chin for balance. She hadn't quite lost all her baby fat yet, so her little belly was sticking out as she struggled to walk. It was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. She caught sight of him and waved a forehoof. "Hi, fellow Human!"

He tried to suppress a smile. "Apple Bloom, sweetheart, what are you doing?"

She walked up to him, lost her balance for a moment then quickly recovered and hopped up on the couch next to him. "Ah'm a Human! This is how Humans walk!"

Alex winked at Applejack, then said, "Yes, of course. That is indeed how we Humans walk!" He sat back and smiled, just as there was a knock at the front door.

"Now who could that be...?" said Applejack as she got up to answer it. When she opened the door, there stood three mares. She recognized them as regular customers at her apple stand, but she didn't remember their names. "Can Ah help you?" The three looked at each other before answering.

"We...want to talk to the Human."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What fer?" As she was speaking, Alex appeared behind her, followed by Apple Bloom, who was still trying to walk on two legs. The three gave a quizzical look at the little filly, then gazed up and up at Alex.

"He's taller than I remember," one whispered to the others.

"And bigger," said another.

"Ladies. Can I help you?" asked Alex.

One of them stepped forward. "We...we're all single...and we heard about your unique..."ability," and we all wanted to experie---"

Alex held up a hand to stop any further unsavory discussion, looked down at Apple Bloom, and said, "This isn't appropriate right now, I'm afraid." Though he was trying to be polite, Applejack, however, was livid. Her eyes narrowed, her brow furrowed and her teeth clenched so hard she nearly chipped a tooth.

She snorted steam into the chill night air as she lowered her head, pawed at the ground, and growled, "How dare you hussies bring that up in front o' mah little sister! Git outta here afore Ah whup yer nasty hides raw!!"

They cowered before her rage. "B...but..."

"No 'buts!' Git!!" Applejack took a menacing step forward and they all fled. She watched them go, her chest heaving. She turned back inside, only to find her sister back down on all four hooves and staring up at her with wide eyes.

"A...Applejack? Are you okay?"

Applejack closed her eyes and took a deep breath to compose herself, then she opened them and smiled. "Ah'm okay, sugarcube. Go on up to bed; Ah'll be up to read you a story inna minute. Ah gotta talk to Alex."

Apple Bloom looked from her to the Human. "You ain't mad at him, are you?"

She shook her head. "No, honey, Ah ain't mad. We just got some grown-up stuff we need to talk about." Contrary to her usual manner, Apple Bloom went without protest, only stopping to give her sister and Alex a hug before going up the stairs to her room. Applejack sighed, then went back into the living room, as Alex followed her. They both took their seats and she stared into the fire for some moments without speaking. Alex waited, and took a sip from his tea, but grimaced as it had gone cold. Finally, she looked at him and began.

"Alex, Ah really appreciate all the work you've done fer us. We wouldn't have gotten our harvest in as fast as we did without you. But Ah cain't have mares showin' up askin' fer you to make 'em cum in front of Apple Bloom. That just ain't gonna happen."

Alex nodded. "I agree, Miss Applejack. I'm not happy about it either. I'll check with Twilight tomorrow to see when my furniture will be delivered, or at least to see if they can just get my bed in quickly. That's all I really need."

She smiled at him. "Ah appreciate that. And thank you fer understandin'."

As it turned out, neither Alex nor Applejack needed to have worried about the bed. For reasons of her own, Twilight had special ordered it to be custom made and rush delivered from Davenport, as Alex found out when he went to talk to her the next day. "Oh! Alex! Please come in, I was just about to serve lunch. Won't you join me?" she smiled brightly as she stepped aside for him to enter.

"Thanks," he said as he followed her into the kitchen, where she'd laid out several sandwiches and what looked like iced tea. He looked around. "Where's your dragon friend?"

She took a bite and wiped her mouth before answering. "Spike? I sent him to Canterlot to visit our parents."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "'Our' parents? Don't you mean "your" parents?"

She shook her head and smiled. "No, he is my little brother. After I suck your cock, I'll tell you all about it, for it's a fascinating story! It involves the first time I met Princess Celestia, my first magical surge, my getting my cutie mark, my getting accepting into the Princess' School, my becoming her private student, I could go on!" But Alex had stopped listening after she'd casually mentioned giving him a blowjob. He stared at her, who was seemingly unaware she'd said anything out of the ordinary. Her eyes twinkled up at him and she smiled as she took another bite of her sandwich. He began to perspire.

"Umm, the reason I came over was to ask you about my furniture. I kinda need a rush on my bed, if that's possible."

Twilight waved a hoof. "Oh, that's not a problem. I told Davenport I needed it right away, and he said it was no problem." She looked up at the clock. "So it should be here in about...two hours." Then her eyes turned inward and she giggled.

Alex smiled with her. "What's so funny?"

She shook herself and looked up at him. "It's probably nothing, but when I told Davenport I needed a custom order, he smirked at me and asked if I wanted to keep it "just between us." When I told him 'no,' he made the most curious face!"

"Was he angry?"

She shrugged. "I don't think so. But he was definitely expecting something from me. Maybe a bigger tip? I don't know." She stood up from the table. "I've had enough. I'm going to go brush my teeth, but you keep eating if you want. I'll be back in a minute." She licked her lips and whispered, "Don't want to get crumbs on your dick..."

He froze as he watched her walk away, her tail swishing from side to side and her librarian's ass jiggling. So I didn't imagine it! Just before she went up the stairs, he heard a >click< as the front door was locked, then the sound of her hooves ascending to the upper floor. He wasn't really hungry, so he took one last bite and washed it down with some iced tea. Then he waited. He heard her singing to herself as she brushed her teeth, which made the song come out all distorted, then the sound of her spitting and washing her mouth out. She took a few more minutes doing something else he couldn't quite make out, then she called down to him.

"Oh, Alex~!" Could you come up here, please?"

He was already hard as he climbed the stairs, his cock forming a tent in his black sweats. It didn't take long to find her, as her bedroom was at the top of the stairs. She was laying across the bed, and she'd put on striped socks over her back legs, that accented her ass. She stopped him as he came up to the side of the bed, got up, and placed her hooves on either side of his hips. She slid his sweats all the way down, then took his underwear and did the same. His dick popped up and was throbbing before her, and she went "Ahhh..." when she saw it. She lay back down and patted the mattress next to her. "Make yourself comfortable..." He stepped out of his sneakers and clothes and lay down beside her. Once he did, she caressed his thighs and gave him a sultry gaze. "Your cock looks even tastier than the last time I saw you," she whispered as she ran a hoof lightly across his member. It twitched and made him gasp. "Oh, you like that? Interesting..." She scooted herself down to his crotch until her mouth was breathing over it. She placed her snout over it and gave it a hearty inhale. "You smell so nice...do you mind if I taste it?" Without waiting for an answer she began kissing his cock, planting sweet, wet kisses all over it and his balls. He spread his legs as she tongued his testicles, getting them wet and sopping, before moving up to the main course. "I love your Human dick," she whispered, just before taking it fully into her mouth. "Ohmm...mmm...mmm...mmm..." she moaned as she sucked up and down. She took it out of her mouth and ran her tongue all around the head, going "Ahhh..." as she did so. She turned her head and stared up at him to gauge his reaction as she planted more kisses along the shaft. His eyes were half-closed as he looked down at her, and his breathing was sharp. "Would you like me to keep sucking?" she whispered. He could only nod. She smiled. "Alright..." as she took him into her mouth once more. She closed her eyes and quickened her pace, sucking faster and bobbing her head as their moans increased. He began to buck his hips and grabbed her head to hold her steady. She felt the warmth from his contact flood through her as her soft lips wrapped firmly around his cock, determined not to spill a drop.

They both orgasmed at the same time as he cried out and unleashed his cum into her waiting, hot mouth. She swallowed it all, savoring every last morsel, before he relaxed with a sigh and fell limp to the bed. But still, she suckled him, then licked his balls clean. She gently lay her head against his cock and smiled up at him, then patted her belly. "Always happy to give your cum a good home."

At these words he began to stiffen again, so he sat up and grabbed her. "What...what are you doing?" she whispered. Without answering, he picked her up and threw her on her stomach, then spread her legs and raised her tail. He took a moment to admire her shapely ass and swollen pussy, as she turned her head over her shoulder to see what he was doing. Then he slapped her on one cheek, leaving a red mark and causing her ass to jiggle. She threw back her head and cried out, "AHHH! I've never been spanked before!!" He did it again, this time even harder. Then he spoke.

"Do you like that?!" He struck her again.

She arched her back and spread her legs even further. "Goddess, yes! More!!"

He picked her up under her hips, lined his cock up to her hot, wet, slick pussy, and slid inside. He grunted as he thrust over and over while spanking her, and she yelped each time he did. "Ah! Ah! Ah! What are you DOING to me?!"

"Fucking you..." he growled as he pounded her senseless. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her tongue lolled out as she endured her sexual punishment and reached new heights of pleasure. Her entire body was rocked forward with each thrust so that he had to grab her hips to hold her steady, or she soon would have been fucked off the bed.

Then he pulled out and placed her on her back, being careful not to damage her wings as she gazed up at him in confusion. He spread her legs again, lined his meat up to her cunt, and proceeded to fuck her from the front as he grabbed both her front hooves and held her down. Being an alicorn, she was magically sensitive in her wings, hooves, and horn, so when her hooves were gripped she closed her eyes and screamed as she came in torrents. She shook her head from side to side as her pussy convulsed again and again, both from the contact to her hooves and from the pounding of his cock. He let her hooves go and wrapped his arms around her as he continued to thrust in and out. She wrapped her forelegs around his neck and fastened her mouth to his as they furiously kissed, their tongues doing battle with each other. Her back legs flailed helplessly as she was being bounced up and down into the mattress, but still, he pounded her without mercy. She threw her head back and moaned "So good! So good!" with each thrust. She then latched onto his mouth with hers again.

After a few minutes of steady fucking, during which he alternated biting her neck and kissing her, he released her mouth and yelled, "I'm cumming!" When she heard that, she tightened her back legs around his hips.

"Cum inside me!" she screamed. "Please!" She held on for dear life as he roared and coated her insides white, causing her to also cum once more as her screams matched his. His dick pumped semen into her over and over, and she felt each and every pulse. It became too much for her, and with a last sigh, she passed completely out. Alex pumped her limp body a few more times, getting all of his spunk out of his dick and into her tight pussy, then supported himself on his arms and gazed down at her. She was lying with a smile on her face and all her legs spread out. He leaned down and kissed her on one cheek, then slowly pulled out of her, releasing a flood of cum. He got up, quietly got dressed, and covered her with a blanket. I guess I don't get to hear that story after all. Then he left.

About an hour later, Alex went out to his house to check on the arrival of his bed. With him went Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac. While they waited, Apple Bloom had an announcement. "Ah checked with mah teacher if'n it was alright, but we'd love to have you as a guest at mah school if'n you'd like to come! Please say yes!"

Alex smiled. "When is this?"

"Tommower, okay?" She gazed up at him.

How could he resist such a look? "Sure, I'd love to come. What time?"

"Around ten is when we're expectin' you," she replied.

Alex smiled again. "I'll be there with bells on!"

All the ponies exchanged puzzled looks at this last, but then they all shrugged and dismissed it as some sort of "human" thing. Just then they all looked up and saw a cart approaching, being pulled by two Earth pony stallions. When they got in front of the house, they unhitched themselves, and one took out a clipboard. He looked down at it as he said in a bored drawl, "Which one o' youse is Alex the Human?"

Alex and the Apples all looked at each other, then Applejack said, "Cain't you tell?"

The stallion exchanged a smirk with his companion and said, "Look miss, we don't get paid to think, we get paid to just move stuff from one place to another. Now, which o' youse is the customer?"

Alex raised his hand. "That would be me." The stallion gave him the clipboard and a pen.

"Sign here." Alex signed it and handed it back. "Now, where do you want this set up?"

Wow. "In the bedroom would be nice," he replied, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"Cool." They both turned to the cart and began unloading it, revealing a huge bed frame and mattress. As they were pulling the whole affair towards the house, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and a freshly-showered but still somewhat woozy Twilight appeared. She was wearing saddlebags, and her gait was decidedly bow-legged. She put on a sappy grin when she saw the big Human. Apple Bloom turned and stared at the way she was acting, then looked up at her sister.

Applejack took one look at Twilight, frowned, then covered Apple Bloom's eyes. She quickly turned to Alex and said, "Congratulations on the new house, Alex! We'll be seein' you!" Then she hurried Apple Bloom off as Big Mac followed.

But not without a question from the curious filly. "AJ, why is Princess Twilight walkin' like that?"

Applejack pushed her along faster. "No reason, sugarcube! Let's go!"

Apple Bloom got in one last wave before they all disappeared down the road. "Goodbye, Alex! See you tomorrow!" Applejack gave Twilight a dirty look over her shoulder, then they were gone. Rainbow Dash smirked as she looked at the purple alicorn.

"I see somepony had some fun recently!"

Twilight had the grace to blush, then changed the subject. "I forgot to give you this earlier, Alex." She took out of her bags another bag of bits and gave it to him. "These are for expenses, provided by the Crown, for your new house."

He took it and smiled down at her. "Thanks, Twilight. I was running a bit low." He looked up at the others. "What say we all have pizza at my new house?" He jiggled the bag. " I'm buyin'!"

"Why don't you first invite us all in, so we can see your new place?" asked Rarity. She then struck a heroic pose, standing on her hind legs with one hoof on her hip and the other in the air. "And after that, the Oral Sex™!"

Rainbow Dash laughed and clapped her hooves as she hovered in place. "Great idea, Rares! Let's go see if that bed is ready yet!"

Alex gave a dumbfounded look at Twilight while the pegasus and the unicorn disappeared into the house. "You mares are crazy, you do know that, right?" Twilight just shrugged.

"I...think I'll be going home now. You gave me quite the workout earlier. I'm not sure I can take much more so soon." Alex dropped to one knee and kissed her, then she turned and hobbled away for a few steps, then took wing. He watched her go, then turned toward the house just as the two workers were coming out.

"You're all set up, buddy. Make sure you tell all your friends about our service!" said one. Then they waited while staring up at him. The moment got awkward, then one cleared his throat and stuck out his hoof. The light dawned in Alex's eyes and he reached into his bits' bag and took out a handful and gave it to him. The stallion smiled at the amount and tipped his hat. "Thanks again, dude! You're a great customer!" They both hitched themselves up to their wagon and left.

Alex sighed, then opened his front door and looked around. The carpet had been installed, but other than that there wasn't a stitch of furniture. Off to his right was the kitchen, with the sink, island, and enchanted refrigerator. Further in was the living room with the fireplace. To the far left there was a door leading to what must be the downstairs bathroom, and to the right of that, there were the stairs leading to the upper floor. He went to the stairs and called out, "Rainbow? Rarity?"

"Up here!" called Rarity.

"Yeah, get your butt up here, pal!" added Rainbow.

Alex slowly climbed the stairs, walked down the hallway, then opened the bedroom door. There, sprawled across his huge mattress, were the two ponies. They looked at each other and giggled, then both beckoned to him. "Come lie down, handsome! Plenty of room for us all on this big bed!" said Rarity. Alex took a few steps closer, but Rainbow held up a hoof.

"First, take off those clothes! Don't want anything to slow this party down!" Alex quickly disrobed then lay down between them, his arms behind his head. "Aww, yeah!" said Dash as she and Rarity began kissing him. "Here we go!" They started on either side of his face, then took turns driving their tongues inside his mouth. They licked his neck, then nibbled their way down his chest as his breathing became labored. When they saw his cock erect and throbbing, Dash called out, "Dibs!" and began lovingly sucking it. She closed her eyes and moaned, bobbing her head up and down and leaving a shining trail of saliva all along the shaft, her wet lips clasped firmly around it. She stopped only long enough to whisper, "Mmmm...time to suck all the cum out of this cock..." then resumed slurping.

Rarity pouted and said, "There's plenty for us both. Move over..." as she also licked the shaft, then moved down to his balls. Both their asses were pointed towards his face, so he took his hands and started massaging their pussies, which made them both gasp. Soon, their juices covered his fingers and they started to quiver, as their sucking and licking became more frantic. Their eyes met over the cock as their tongues danced and swirled and teased the head. Their open mouths were so close they could feel each others' breath as they continued to lick and slurp all over the cock. Their tongues touched each other as they lapped up the precum that was flowing from the dick, and both their eyes grew wide. Then they kissed, keeping his cock between their mouths as they tongue-wrestled and moaned.

Alex watched them through a haze of pleasure. "That is so hot..." Then he drew a sharp breath, arched his back, and released a fountain of cum, which fell on the delighted faces of the two mares. Rarity quickly grabbed Rainbow by either side of her head, placed her mouth-first over the cock, and began forcing her head up and down.

"Suck. That. Dick. Slut!" she whispered. Dash had no choice but to have her mouth filled to the brim with cum as she was being roughly violated. Finally, after Alex stopped bucking his hips, Rarity released her and she sat up with cheeks bulging. Rainbow raised an eyebrow and smirked at her, then without warning she grabbed her, planted her mouth over hers, and pushed the cum into her mouth. Now it was Rarity's turn for her eyes to widen as she was forced to swallow load after creamy load of hot semen, moaning as she did so.

Finally, they broke the kiss, a trail of cum still connecting their wet lips. They looked at each other through half-closed eyes. "You have cum on your face," Dash said.

"So do you," replied Rarity. Without another word, they began licking it off each other, until they'd gotten every drop. Then they both turned their attention to Alex, and made sure they hadn't missed any on his cock or his balls.

When he was clean, Dash wiped her mouth and smiled at Alex. "How was that?"

He could barely speak. "That...was...amazing...!"

"Good. Then my debt is paid." She started to get off the bed but stopped when he growled and sat up.

Both stared at him, then looked at each other. "What...what are you going to do?" asked Dash.

Alex went to his knees and grabbed her by her hips. "You're gonna be first..." as he lined himself up and plunged inside her. She yelped as her eyes grew wide and her wings extended.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" she cried out with each thrust. "He's...fuck...ing...me, Rarity! I...wasn't...ex...pec...ting...this!!" But Rarity just caressed her mane and spoke soothingly to her.

"Just enjoy it, darling. I know I will..."

Alex buried his hands in her ass and increased his pace, causing her to arch her back and cry out all the more. Rarity put her lips to her ear and whispered, "Do you like it...?" But Dash just lolled her tongue out as her eyes rolled up in her head. Rarity licked her ear and repeated herself. "I said, do you like it?"

"Oh! Oh! Oh! YES! Yes, I love it!!" screamed Dash. Then Alex grabbed her wings and she lost all control as her pussy convulsed and spasmed and squirted. He released her and she pitched forward onto the bed, completely exhausted. He slowly pulled out of her and turned his attention to Rarity.

"You're next..."

The next day Alex got up early and went to Barnyard Bargains to buy some essentials: towels, washcloths, a toothbrush, soap, linens, and some kitchen things. When he got to the checkout line, most of the ponies moved out of the way but some remained, staring unashamedly up at him. He smiled at them, kept his thoughts to himself, and waited his turn. He could hear whispering all around him, which he did his best to ignore.

When his turn came at the register, he placed all his purchases on the counter and waited. The young clerk just stared up at him, frozen. He tried smiling at her, which proved to be a big mistake. When he did, she focused on his sharp canines and her eyes grew even wider. In his most soothing voice, he said, "Something wrong, miss?"

"Are...are you going to...eat me?" she shuddered.

In an effort to make her laugh, he said, "What's today?"

She looked confused. "Thur...Thursday? Why?"

"Well, there you have it! I never eat young ponies on Thursdays! It's against my religion!" She just blankly looked at him. "It's a joke." He tapped an imaginary microphone. "Is this thing on?" She kept staring for a moment, then her shoulders slumped and she visibly relaxed.

"You're weird like my Dad."

Alex shrugged. "I've been called worse. Now, can we finish here?"

He finally got a small smile out of her as she began to ring up his items. "Okay." Once she'd finished and bagged everything up for him, she added, "Your jokes are terrible."

He gave her a wink as he picked everything up and turned to go. "I'll work on them."

Before he made it to the door, she called out, "What's your name?"

He looked back over his shoulder. "Alex." Then he was gone.

He had about an hour to get showered and make it to the school on time, so he hurried home.

So he didn't see Roseluck following him, watching his every move.

Apple Bloom quickly realized she couldn't "walk like a Human" over great distances, so she saved it for whenever she'd reached her destinations. That's why her friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at her funny when they all got to school and she perched up on her hind legs and started walking.

"Apple Bloom...what do you think you're doing?" asked Scootaloo.

"This is how Humans walk. Ah wanna be just like him!" she answered. Sweetie Belle glanced around and saw all the other fillies and colts beginning to look their way.

"Apple Bloom, you're making a scene. Cut it out," she whispered. But it was too late. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon spotted them and smirked as they came over.

"What are you blank-flanks up to now?" laughed Diamond.

Silver stared at her standing the way she was, then her eyes grew bright as realization dawned on her. "She's imitating that freak she had in her house!"

Apple Bloom turned on them. "He's not a freak! He's mah friend, and you'll see when he gits here!"

Scootaloo came to Apple Bloom's defense. "Princess Celestia said we have to treat him with respect, so Apple Bloom's right! He's not a freak!"

Diamond Tiara turned away laughing, followed by Silver Spoon. "Whatever!" said Diamond over her shoulder. "You're all still losers!" Once they'd gone, Apple Bloom's friends spoke to her quietly.

"We're on your side, AB, but can you please stop drawing attention to us like that?" said Scootaloo.

"We know you like the Human, but save it for when he's here, okay?" added Sweetie. Apple Bloom sighed and dropped down to all four hooves.

"Ah'm sorry guys. Ah didn't mean to embarrass ya'll." Just then their teacher called them all in to class.

"Come take your seats, everypony! We're about to begin!" cried Cheerilee. All the kids filed in and took their seats. Cheerilee stood at the front and said, "Now as you all know, we're going to have a special guest joining us today! You may have seen him around town these past few weeks, but today you'll all get the opportunity to ask him questions." One filly raised her hoof. "Yes, Twist?"

"Ith he dangeroth?"

Cheerilee smiled. "No, dear. I've been reassured by both Applejack and Princess Twilight Herself he's no danger to us."

A colt raised his hoof. "Yes, Pip?"

"Where does he come from?"

"You'll get the chance to ask him that yourselves." She turned to the blackboard. "In the meantime, take out your math books and turn to chapter twelve." She wrote some equations on the board. "Who can solve these?"

For the next two hours, they covered math and history. Apple Bloom was hardly able to concentrate as she kept looking both at the clock and glancing back at the door. Finally, a few minutes before ten, there was a heavy knock on the door and she almost leapt out of her seat. "That must be our guest! Come in, please!" called the teacher.

The door opened, and Alex bowed his head to get through it. All the fillies and colts went "ooooo" when they saw him. He waved and smiled, then took a spot at the front near the teacher. "Hi, kids. It's good to be here." He waved at Apple Bloom. "Hi, sweetheart." Apple Bloom blushed and waved back.

Cheerilee, despite her reassurances, couldn't help but feel a bit nervous as she stared up and up at him. She'd only ever seen him from a distance, and that had only been once. She wasn't prepared for his sheer size and presence, so it made her slightly tongue-tied. "Wel...welcome to our sch...school, Alex. Umm...why...why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"

Alex placed his hands behind his back and took a deep breath. "Well, there's not a lot to tell. I come from a planet called Earth, though I'm not sure how I got here. I was just as surprised as you all were to find out I could speak the same language, which has been a big help. The Apple family really helped me out when I first came here, giving me work and a place to stay, and later became my friends. That's pretty much it."

"And that was very interesting, wasn't it, class?" said Cheerilee. "Does anypony have any questions?" Several kids raised their hooves. "Okay, one at a time. Alex, you decide."

Alex looked around, then pointed at a filly wearing a tiara. "You, cutie. What's your question?"

Diamond smirked at her friend Silver before saying, "You look like a big, hairless ape! How strong are you?"

Before he could answer, Apple Bloom rounded on her. "He ain't no ape! An' he's plenty strong! In fact, he's even stronger than mah brother, an that's sayin' somethin'!"

Diamond Tiara glared back at her. "Prove it!"

Apple Bloom looked around, then pointed. "Ah bet he can lift Miss Cheerilee with ONE hand!"

Alex inhaled sharply. "Ooo, I...don't think that's a good idea."

Diamond's smirk grew even bigger. "Why not? You can't do it, can you?"

Alex cast a worried look at the teacher. "It's not that, it's..." he bent down to whisper in her ear. She turned bright red and quickly addressed the class.

"No, he won't be lifting me, and that's final! Think of something else!"

Diamond looked out the windows, then got a wicked grin. "How about that boulder on the far side of the playground? Bet you can't lift that!" All the class got up to look out the window, including Alex. Apple Bloom looked up at him.

"You can do it, Alex. Ah know you can!"

Alex stared at it. It was easily half his height, and about his length. On Earth, he knew he wouldn't have a prayer of even budging something that large, but here, he might have a shot. Besides, the way the little filly was staring up at him? How could he say no? Alex cracked his knuckles. "For you, Apple Bloom? I'll try." He led the way outside, as the entire class and the teacher followed him. Apple Bloom followed on two hooves in a gesture of solidarity, while Diamond and Silver snickered behind her. Several ponies who were trotting past the school stopped to watch when they saw the strange being come outside surrounded by all the children, wondering what was going on. He walked up to the big rock, then removed his jacket, revealing his white t-shirt. Without further hesitation, he bent down, got a good grip on either side of it, and heaved.

Nothing happened.

"Hah! I knew he couldn't---" began Diamond, but the insult died in her throat as the air was filled with a sudden ripping sound. As they all stared with mouths open, his muscles tore through his shirt, and the boulder began to rise. Slowly, inexorably, it was pulled free from the earth as Alex roared and lifted it above his head, his shirt in tatters. All the children broke out in cheers, but none were louder than Apple Bloom.

She was jumping up and down and screaming, "Ah knew he could do it!! Ah knew it!!"

Alex held it in place for a few more moments, slowly set it back, then looked down at the remains of his shirt. "Rarity is going to kill me..." He was suddenly assaulted by a little filly running into him and hugging his leg as hard as she could. He bent down and picked her up, and she wrapped her hooves around his neck as far as she could reach. Miss Cheerilee was flushed as she fanned herself, unable to take her eyes off him.

"Oh my! That was...impressive..." One or two of the spectators fainted, while the others had the same reaction as the teacher. Maybe that Human was worth getting to know after all!

Alex picked up his jacket, carried Apple Bloom back into the classroom and set her down, then turned to leave. Before he made it to the door, Cheerilee stopped him and gave him a piece of paper.

It was her address.

Later that night, Spoiled Rich was trotting past her daughter's room, when she stopped and did a double-take. "Diamond! Why are you walking like that?!"

Diamond dropped down on all four hooves and blushed. "No reason, Mama."

"Well, stop it! It's indecent!"

Diamond pouted. "Yes, Mama."

But little did the adult ponies know, it was the start of a trend.