Cracking A Herd

There were many places that caused Crashing Thunder at least a little bit of anxiety, seeing as he was already a bit of a nervous stallion, but the gym had never been one of them. He didn’t like public places with too many creatures around if he was alone, and he certainly didn’t enjoy a place where he might stand out due to his size being so much bigger than the average pony. The gym though had always been a place where he felt free to let his guard down and focus on himself. Even before he had become a royal guard he liked to come to the gym and simply let his thoughts drift into nothingness as he focused solely on his routine.

Today, however, the gym was terrifying. Gilda was at the gym.

Crash let out a long sigh as he sat in the locker room clutching his bag at his side. He stared down at his hooves as he sat on the bench. He was beginning to regret letting Lost Way drag him all the way out here.

“You’re gonna see her tomorrow night anyway,” Lost Way said as he finished stuffing his own items into their shared locker. “What’s it matter if you see her now?”

Crash let out a long sigh. He had been dating Lost Way for such a lengthy period of time now that he had truly forgotten what it meant to have a legitimate crush on anypony else. They had gone so long with just the two of them that up until Lost Way had announced he was ready to finally open themselves up to the possibility of others Crash had almost let the idea of a herd slip away from his mind. He was happy with Lost Way. He was safe with Lost Way. He didn’t have to worry about anxiety or fear that he’d screw up on a date with Lost Way.

“I don’t know,” Crash said in a pitiful admittance. “I don’t wanna embarrass myself or anything in front of her.”

“How would you embarrass yourself?” Lost Way asked with a playful chuckle as he turned around and sat down on the bench beside Crash. “We’ve talked to her loads of times here. She’s kinda abrasive but she’s never been mean to either of us, right?”

“Mmm,” Crash made a noise of acknowledgement under his breath as he squeezed his bag in his forelegs tight against his chest. “I just want her to like me, Lost… Like us, I mean.”

“Hey, we don’t have to strike gold the first time we look for another creature to join us,” Lost said before grabbing Crash by the hoof and giving it a gentle squeeze. “We’re just feeling the waters right now, okay?”

“I’m just having really bad flashbacks to all those awful blind dates,” Crash said under his breath with a frustrated sigh. “Always feeling awkward and like I was saying the wrong thing.”

Lost Way leaned over and surprised Crash with a light kiss against his cheek. The stallion felt his heart thump a little as he looked over and saw the zebra smiling up at him.

“It’s not like those blind dates though,” Lost Way said. “You’ll still have me even if the date goes bad, right?”

Crash felt himself relax the tiniest bit.

“Lost…” Crash said softly.

“I’ll still love you at the end of the day tomorrow,” Lost Way said. “And the next day, and the next day.”

“Okay, now you’re just being gushy,” Crash said.

“Pfft, like you hate it when I get gushy,” Lost Way said before rolling his eyes and standing up. “I won’t force you to go out there with me if you wanna just go home, but I really don’t wanna walk back alone in the cold without my favorite pegasus’ wings draped over my to keep me warm.”

“Guilt-tripping now?” Crash asked with a raise of his brow. “That’s mean.”

“I’m not guilt-tripping you,” Lost Way said. “I’m just saying if they find my body frozen on the side of the road covered in snow you’ll never forgive yourself. No guilt!”

Crash rolled his eyes and let out a long-winded sigh before standing up and shoving his own bag into their shared locker.

“Fine, fine,” Crash said with a groan. “I’ll stay for a little while… you’re making dinner, though.”

————————————————————--

The inside of the gym wasn’t quite as busy as usual. It was both Crash and Lost’s afternoon off from work when most ponies might still be doing their day jobs. There were a few scattered faces here and there working on weights or machines designed for cardio, but most of the gym itself was freed up.

“What’s up, nerds?”

That voice alone was enough to make Crash feel his heart skip a beat. He had just barely made it over to his usual spot where he liked to train weights before he heard the raspy and deep voice of Gilda sneak up from behind him. He just managed to keep himself from yelping as he whipped around to see the gryphon standing there with a towel around her neck and a water bottle in her hand.

“G-Gilda!” Crash stuttered.

“Heh, made you jump,” Gilda said in a mocking yet friendly tone. “You two are here early. Day off from the guards or something?”

“Something like that,” Lost Way said. “I had to practically drag Crash out here, though. I think he’s nervous about tomorrow night.”

“L-Lost!” Crash snapped before looking over at Lost Way, who could only offer back a playful smirk.

“Aww, I’m not that scary are I?” Gilda asked. “Then again I can totally bench more than you, Crash. So maybe you should be a little worried about me.”

Gilda let out a laugh that both made Crash excited and nervous all at once. He suddenly realized just what he was getting into with this relentless teasing from both his lover and the gryphon he intended to go on a date with. Why did he always have to pick creatures who made him blush so easily?

“Relaxxxx,” Gilda said in a lazy sort of way before walking by Crash and placing one of her taloned hands on his shoulder. “We’re just getting drinks. No whoop.”

She was so casual about it, too. Perhaps that was why Crash had become so enamored with her over the past few months. Her confidence. She carried herself like no other, and didn’t let anypony get to her. He admired that more than he could put into words. Perhaps in equal parts envy and adoration.

“I’m gonna go stretch,” Lost Way said. “My limbs feel like stone.”

“L-Lost,” Crash tried to call out to his boyfriend begging him not to leave him alone with Gilda. Lost Way of course only responded by looking over his shoulder and giving a brief wink as he went over to a large mat in front of a mirror several feet away from the two and got down close to the ground.

“Jerk,” Crash muttered under his breath.

“Y’know, I was kinda surprised when Lost Way explained the whole thing to me,” Gilda said, seemingly not noticing just how nervous Crash had gotten without Lost Way by his side.

“Y-Yeah?” Crash asked as he stared at Lost in the distance. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Gilda without blushing. The zebra was wearing yoga pants and a headband and was looking a bit like a workout instructor. “Why’s that?”

“I dunno,” Gilda said with a shrug. “You two are really clingy. I didn’t think you’d really be the kinda guys to open up to others or anything.”

“Are we?” Crash asked. He was a little surprised and intrigued by Gilda’s comment enough to momentarily distract him enough to turn to the gryphon without embarrassment.

“Well, I hardly see you two without each other,” Gilda said. “You live together too, right? Same job and everything.”

“It’s not like we work in the same department,” Crash said. “Lost Way’s just my best friend. He’s been there for me ever since we were colts.”

“Hey, I’m not knocking,” Gilda said with a shrug of her shoulders as she stared over at Lost Way. “Must be nice to have a ride or die kinda guy with you all the time. The whole herd thing though was kinda surprising. Don’t you worry you’ll get… jealous? Like, what if you start spending less time together?”

Normally Gilda carried herself with confidence and a nonchalant attitude, but there seemed to be genuine worry behind those words. She was frowning as she looked over to Lost Way.

“It wasn’t really until a few days ago that Lost Way said he was ready to start a herd,” Crash said. “I always wanted one. Being part of a big group that all loves each other has always just sounded… nice.”

“How long have you been together, again?” Gilda asked.

“Over a year,” Crash said.

“That’s a pretty long time for your boyfriend to only just get comfortable with something you wanted,” Gilda said.

“My partner's comfort is always going to be more important to me than what I want,” Crash said with confidence. “I always told myself that, even before I realized how much I liked Lost. I’d rather stay alone with him forever if it meant not making him upset by rushing into something he wasn’t ready for.”

“Heh, look at you Mr. Selfless,” Gilda said with a chuckle.

“I don’t think I’m selfless,” Crash said and felt himself get a bit embarrassed. “I just think that’s how ponies who love each other should act. The fact that he’s willing to try opening up our relationship proves he cares about me back, doesn’t it? Ideally, I’d try to make anypony else who comes in feel the same… or any creature.”

Crash added that last part and felt himself instantly blush a little bit.

Gilda thought about that for a moment. She was silent as she looked down to the floor and frowned. Crash wondered if that’s just how she looked when she was thinking, or if she was actually upset.

“Honestly I kinda thought you guys were just looking for a quick threesome or something,” Gilda said.

“H-Huh?” Crash asked.

“Not anymore, bird brain,” Gilda snapped before reaching out her talon and flicking one of Crash’s ears a bit roughly. Crash flinched and rubbed the spot where it stung as Gilda let out a long sigh. “But that’s how it sounded when Lost came up to me at first. But you’re looking for all that mushy stuff, huh?”

“You’re sounding a bit like Lost now,” Crash said.

“Heh, makes sense,” Gilda replied. “He’s a lot less of a big nerd than you.”

Even Gilda’s teasing was starting to remind Crash of Lost. She smirked at him, and for a moment Crash felt himself tense up.

“You really wanna try going on a date with me, though?” Gilda asked. “As your first option? That’s kind of a lot of pressure.”

“It wasn’t my idea,” Crash said quickly. “I-I mean, not that you aren’t a great pick, just… Lost just said he noticed how much I enjoyed hanging out with you when we were at this gym. He likes you too, just…”

“He’s not one to stare at my ass when he thinks I’m not looking?”

Crash felt his heart skip a beat. He suddenly wanted to melt into the floor and disappear.

“I-I’m so sorry…” Crash said softly.

“Heh heh,” Gilda chuckled as she moved forward. “Don’t worry. You don’t come off as some kinda perv when you do it. You’re too much of a dork for me to see you like that.”

Gilda lifted up her tail and flicked it over Crash’s muzzle. It hit down like a whip and caused Crash to stumble back a step. By the time he adjusted himself Gilda was already walking away, though seemed to noticeably keep her tail lifted as she walked away and glanced over her shoulder to see if Crash was staring.

She was heading straight over to Lost Way… Oh, Celestia…

Crash stood there still as stone as he helplessly watched Gilda say something to Lost Way. The two laughed, and instantly both glanced back at the pegasus. Crash felt his cheeks turn scarlet. They had to be talking about him but he couldn’t hear them. He didn’t want to get closer either, as that would likely only lead to another bout of teasing that he wasn’t sure he could handle right now.

Suddenly Lost Way bent over. Crash couldn’t help but notice the tight yoga pants he was wearing were gripping firmly to his butt and showing him off very noticeably. Crash might have thought it was an accidental exposure if not for the fact that a moment later Gilda did so as well as she bent down in a long stretch with her paws extended as a cat would. Her bottom lifted up and revealed her own butt.

Were they… taunting him?

Both Lost Way and Gilda were chatting and giggling to each other. If they really were taunting him he knew he was only feeding more into their desires by being unable to move. A tiny voice in the back of his mind told him that he should ignore them and go find some workout equipment to get started on his own routines. That voice was very weak compared to his desire to stand here and stare at his boyfriend and potential crush…

“Dammit,” Crash muttered under his breath as he struggled to break his eyes away.

Both zebra and gryphon continued to do yoga in increasingly provocative poses. The fact that Gilda looked like she had no idea what she was doing, and now that Crash thought about it he had never once seen her doing yoga, only told the pegasus that the two were indeed trying to get to him. He really was getting himself into a mess by inviting another teaser like Lost into the herd, wasn’t he?”

“Mmm,” Crash whined to himself as he shifted from side to side. He couldn’t get the image of his boyfriend’s butt out of his mind even when he did finally manage to look away. Dammit, he really needed to go somewhere private before he caused a scene.

Crash quickly scurried off and cursed both his boyfriend and his own dirty mind for subjecting him to such thoughts in public.

—————————————————

“Hahaha, oh man, did you see him?” Gilda asked in an amused tone as she rolled over onto her back on the mat and let out a loud guffaw of laughter. “He freaking SPRINTED!”

“Heh, told you that’d get to him,” Lost Way said with a satisfied expression. “Once you know how to push Crash’s buttons it’s like taking candy from a foal.”

“Good to know,” Gilda said with a smirk. “Any buttons of yours I should know how to press?”

“Heh, good luck with that,” Lost Way said before giving himself one final stretch and finally standing up. “Unless I get reaaaaalllly drunk I doubt anything you do is gonna work on me.”

“Aw, c’mon,” Gilda said before rolling her eyes and rolling back over to stand up. “Something the ladies do is gotta get you worked up.”

“Fraid not,” Lost Way said with a shrug. “Not unless you’re about to tell me you’re coming out as a guy or something.”

“Huh?” Gilda asked, and raised her brow.

“I’m gay, Gilda,” Lost Way said with a light chuckle. “Crash is the one who likes both.”

“Waitwaitwait,” Gilda said when Lost Way began to walk away. She quickly walked up and grabbed Lost by one of his forelegs to stop him in his tracks. “You don’t like chicks? Like, at all?”

“Not really?” Lost Way said before lightly pulling his hoof out of her talon’s grasp. “Is that a problem?”

“I mean… I guess not?” Gilda asked. She was sounding more confused by the second now. “But if you’re inviting me into your… threesome thrupple whatever you call it…”

“Herd,” Lost corrected.

“Yeah, whatever,” Gilda said before shaking her head. “Shouldn’t you look for a guy or something to bring in?”

Lost Way shrugged his shoulders. Truth be told he didn’t understand why it was such a big deal.

“If Crash is happy with you that’s all I really care about,” Lost Way said. “I might not get turned on by girls but I can still care for one if they’re gonna be joining us. Love isn’t just a sex thing all the time. At least, as long as I’m satisfied it’s not I guess.”

“That’s… Honestly, that sounds like a lot more trouble than it’s worth,” Gilda said. She seemed more confused than ever as she shook her head. “You two are freaking weird, Lost.”

Lost Way frowned. He didn’t expect Gilda to get it, in fact, he hardly got it himself, but her outright bewilderment was starting to make Lost Way feel a bit self-conscious.

“Is it gonna be a problem?” Lost Way put flatly.

“Huh?”

“Is me being gay gonna be a problem with our date tomorrow?” Lost Way asked. “You can still call it off, y’know.”

“Hey, hey, who said anything about calling it off?” Gilda asked with a light glare. Her confusion was turning to frustration. “I’m just trying to get it is all. This whole thing new to me too, now. Going on a date with a guy and his gay boyfriend and all.”

Lost Way let out a long sigh.

“I guess it is a little weird when you put it like that,” Lost Way admitted a bit sheepishly before giving a slight shake of his head. “Look, I don’t expect you to get it, Gilda. I barely get it. But Crash makes me the happiest I’ve ever been… I think that’ll make him happy. I’m not the type to get jealous easily. He gives me what I want and need, and if a mare or a dragoness or even a gryphon like you wants to join us someday I can love them my own way. I think that’s what a herd is supposed to be like.”

“You think?” Gilda asked.

“I’m… Not exactly an expert at all of this,” Lost Way said before letting out a sigh. “Look, I think you’re cool. I’m just trying to do my best at this whole lead stallion thing to make every creature happy in this situation. I think that’s my whole job in all of this.”

Gilda frowned, but it didn’t look like she was upset. It looked more like she was simply pondering over all of what Lost Way had said.

“I’m not gonna pretend to get it or anything yet,” Gilda said. “But… You seem cool too, for a dweeb. Plus your boyfriend’s kinda cute.”

“Heh,” Lost let out a chuckle.

“Look, the date’s still on,” Gilda said. “Obviously. But uh… Try not to freak out if I don’t mesh well or anything, okay? I’ve never been good at being a third… anything.”

Gilda rubbed behind her head with her talon as she looked away.

“No pressure,” Lost Way said. “This is new to all of us.”

“It’s not gonna be weird between us if things don’t work out, right?” Gilda questioned before glancing at Lost Way. “You guys are cool. I don’t wanna lose some buddies just cause it’ll be awkward.”

“Heh, heck no,” Lost Way said with a shake of his head. “I’m not gonna let us change gyms or anything if it doesn’t work out. I picked you cause I liked you as a friend, Gilda.”

“That’s good to know,” Gilda said with a light sigh. “Well, I guess I’ll see you two nerds tomorrow night. I gotta get back to my sets before I gotta head back to the nest.”

“Alright,” Lost Way said as he said goodbye to the gryphon. “See ya tomorrow!”

———————————————————

Crashing Thunder hadn’t felt like he had been able to do that much at the gym today. Thanks to Lost Way and Gilda’s team effort in distracting him he had struggled to put much focus into his usual routine. It didn’t help that his head was also swimming with thoughts of both worry and excitement for the upcoming date. As he tred home with Lost Way at his side the sound of hooves crunching into the thick snow was the only sound that entered his ears for quite some time.

“You okay, big guy?” Lost Way eventually asked when they were at least halfway home and neither creature had said a word. “I didn’t tease you too much with Gilda back there, did I?”

Crash looked over to Lost, who was giving him light and playful smiles.

“No,” Crash said with a slight shake of his head. “Just… my head feels kinda full. I’m thinking about a lot.”

“Mmm,” Lost Way made a sound of slight worry as he gazed at his partner. “What about?”

As they walked he took a step toward Crash and bumped their bodies lightly together. Crash couldn’t help but let out a light smile at that as he looked back to the Zebra.

“I guess just about what Gilda and I talked about,” Crash said. “Bunch of stuff about jealousy and the herd and whatnot. It kinda made me think that I have no idea what it’s like to even feel jealous. At least, not like that.”

“Oh, come on,” Lost Way said before rolling his eyes. “You’ve been jealous before.”

“Well, obviously,” Crash said before shaking his head. “But it was always about stuff like when we were colts and you had a cool toy or when I was looking for a partner and saw a bunch of ponies happy and in love. It’s never been jealous like seeing somepony I love with somepony else. I’ve never seriously liked anypony but you.”

“Are you worried you might?” Lost Way asked.

“Aren’t you?” Crash asked back.

Lost Way seemed to think about it for a moment. The two walked side by side in silence before eventually Lost Way shrugged his shoulders.

“I’ve never really been the type, I guess. I mean back when I had a lot of one-night stands I used to see stallions I just slept with on dates with somepony new a week later and they always got all awkward. I never saw any of them as serious relationships, though.”

“So how do you think you’d feel?” Crash asked. “If you saw me and Gilda… or anypony together.”

Lost Way only gave another shrug of his shoulders.

“If you were happy… I don’t think I would care,” Lost Way said. “I know you love me, and I know I love you. We both have a lot of love to give and it doesn’t have to be just between us forever, y’know?”

That was a mature way to put it. Crash was a little surprised, and also a bit ashamed that he had never considered Lost Way to see their herd in such a serious way before. It was clear the zebra had put plenty of thought into how things would work out before committing to opening themselves up.

“You’re taking this lead stallion thing pretty seriously,” Crash said.

“Well, yeah,” Lost Way said with a bit of a chuckle. Despite his laugh, the zebra turned his eyes away, and Crash could see a hint of a blush form on the zebra’s cheeks. “You trusted me with it, didn’t you? I’d be dumb to not.”

Crashing Thunder couldn’t help but give a little bit of a grin. Silently he extended out his wing above Lost Way’s body and lowered it down until he was gripping the zebra in a feathery embrace. Lost let out a slight gasp as he was tugged a bit closer to Crash, but soon enough settled and rested his cheek up against Crash’s side.

“I think you make a better lead stallion than I woulda been,” Crash said.

“Oh, shut up,” Lost Way said. “Though I doubt you coulda score a date with some creature like Gilda without me.”

Crash let out a little chuckle. Despite the clear intent of teasing in Lost Way’s voice Crash knew he was probably right. If it wasn’t for him finally opening his eyes and seeing Lost Way in such a new light a year prior he probably would have still been desperately searching for even one pony to love. He felt a warmth in his chest that grew the more Lost Way snuggled up tight to him.

“Let’s have a nice night together,” Crashing Thunder said. “I’ll make us some dinner and start up a fire.”

“Heh, what’s the special occasion?” Lost Way asked. “You normally hate cooking after a workout.”

“Well, it might be our last night together as just a duo,” Crash said. “I want you to know I’ll always love you.”

Lost Way noticeably tensed up at the overly mushy words Crash poured out.

“Jeez,” Lost Way muttered softly. “I love you too, birdbrain.”

The two walked back to their home the rest of the way in silence, with enough warmth shared between their bodies to ignore the cold entirely.