The Apothecary Twilight found was darker than she would have liked. Twilight was already inside and pursing her lips to the side as she waited for the attendant to continue helping her. The store she was in had a dark, green glow around her, almost like Zecora’s hut when the fires were out. Many of the wooden furnishings had a gentle swirl about them, the countertop, however, was wooden above, while on it’s sides, it was clear glass that revealed several formulations available to buy. It was nearly soundless except for the squeaking of a wheel in the back, and the smell of willow pervaded the establishment.

“It’s a new formulation,” the dusty white mare said as she levitated the box over, gently placing it in front of Twilight atop of the counter and opening it. A pile of brown herbs, bark shavings, and dried leaves that smelled like wet grass lay in front of Twilight. “I’m actually quite proud of this, our first dry formulation. All you do is mix with water and boil it and the heat should make it ready within 20 minutes.”

Twilight wiggled her nose, then looked up at the white unicorn, “Side effects?”

“Not as bad as your standard thornback, but they’re still there,” the apothecary mare nodded. She swayed behind the counter, then raised her head high.

“How long does one dose last?”

“For this variation, most who have come in to get more have told me it lasts a whole day,” the unicorn nodded, then stopped and lowered her eyes at Twilight. “That said, you should know that it tastes awful.”

“How-”

“Lets just say that one mare described it as what she would imagine raw meat would taste like,” the white unicorn frowned.

“Oh,” Twilight said, then shrugged. “Anything I can take it with at least?”

“Well, you could always try chocolate, though I had customers tell me that pairing it with bourbon really helps take the kick out of it. Or you could always buy some phenol.”

Twilight raised an eye, “Phenol?”

“It’s a chemical discovered on the other side, an oral analgesic that would temporarily make everything in your mouth numb, including your taste buds. Just be careful not to bite down on your tongue of course,” the mare let out a tiny giggle.

“What about the side effects?” Twilight asked, both of her eyelids were lowered. “How bad are the chills?”

“If what you have said about your particular symptoms are true, you’re going to want to get close to a fire. So I’d recommend that unless you can put on some winter gear early. Also, the first few times that you do take this, you’re going to want to hurl. Don’t. Keep it down at all costs for at least an hour. A few other mares that take the blend also said that they occasionally get coughing fits and runny noses. But they happen in bursts of an hour or so at most.”

“Just,” Twilight looked around, then turned back. “Just out of curiosity, I don’t suppose there’s an exchanger for this?”

“Trumpet Lilly? It’s already part of the mix. That’s why scent isn’t a symptom when you use this. Also, I use a special blend in order to help curb the cramps; so all that is left in your particular case is just chills.”

“But I’ll still be able to think clearly?” Twilight turned to the Apothecary. “I need my wits.”

“Crystal, though, you’ll find your active hours to be a bit more subdued.” The apothecary paused, then shook her head, looking at Twilight. “I’m sorry, I just got to ask. Does your stallion really find you that disgusting?”

Twilight’s ears fluttered, as she caught the apothecary by the eye, and turned away.

“I apologize ma’am, but it’s obvious that you’re trying to avoid a lothario.”

“I…” Twilight turned away, “I can work with him. He refuses to work with me.”

The apothecary raised an eye, “He’s a stallion,” she blurted out indignantly. “He should always be ready to go, that’s why they all have a spark of the wild still in them.”

“He’s human,” Twilight teetered out.

The apothecary frowned, “That’s still no excuse. The mares I know who have taken on a stallion human still get taken care of. If you’re his lead, have you been properly courting him? Even if you’re not, does he understand how selfish it is for him to keep his spirit all to himself?”

“Look,” Twilight said with a frown. “I’ve broached the subject with him and he is adamant on keeping himself sequestered.”

The white mare raised an eye at Twilight, then said in a self-satisfied tone, “Sildenafil.”

“Sildenafil?”

“Another human drug. Sildenafil will make him think twice about being that selfish,” the apothecary raised an eye and grinned, then tapped the ground twice with her hoof. She levitated an orange container from behind the counter and placed it on the glass countertop.

“What does it do?” Twilight said, lowering her head to look at the bottle. She could see several diamond-like pills piled atop each other.

“It’s another human drug, it basically puts him into a state of pseudo-estrus for hours. If you give him some, he’ll be rock hard and begging for your help in less than half an hour. He’ll be in such an agitated state that you can teach him a lesson in not keeping to himself.”

Twilight took a step back, then looked up at the white unicorn before looking forward again and giving the apothecary a wild eye, “It will make him stiff?”

“For hours. Normally I hand it out to stallions who are need a little extra boost when two of their mare’s find themselves in estrus at the same time. Also, I hand it out to older stallions who need help.” The white unicorn gave a knowing smile to Twilight, “Once you give him some, he will be harder than a crystal,” the apothecary shot Twilight a sly smile, “and only you can help him. Though I should let you know, there are minor side effects, but trust me, after one dose and showing him what you can do, I promise you he’ll be more compliant, and,” she gave Twilight a knowing nod, “more empathetic with you in the future.”

Twilight stood still for a moment, images of the show in the library flashing in her mind, only for her to shake her head. “I… No. Just the dry thornback,” Twilight said, her ears flickering forward and back and turning away. Her eyes shifted once again to the orange bottle, then she shook her head and turned away.

“Suit yourself,” the white mare said as she levitated a white box from behind the counter. “Though if you ask me, any stallion not taking care of the mares that protect him should get a lesson in why we lead.” The apothecary put dry Thornback in the box, then pulled another box from behind the counter and placed it inside. “Anything else?”

“I’ll need painkillers,” Twilight mumbled, averting her eyes. “Something stronger than Willow Bark.”

“Oh, I can help with that,” the white mare said. She walked over to a cabinet and opened it, pulling out a large white jar next to the orange bottle she put out earlier.

“Most medicines from the other side are compatible with us, they call this one Ibuprofen. Depending on the pain, a low dose can at least take the edge off for four hours, though higher doses for stronger pains kinda work too. But be warned, large doses over a long time can damage your liver and kidneys. So only use this on pain that will go away on its own eventually,” the apothecary said.

“Anything for a more long-term use?” Twilight asked.

“Acetaminophen maybe, but I have had customers claim they can barely feel the effects, if any at all. On the customers it does work for, it’s cheaper than the Ibuprofen. That said, if I recall correctly, you need to make sure to drink plenty of water if you are using it long term as it can cause kidney problems, but frankly, as far as I can tell, the ponies that take it are doing just fine.”

“Let me get a little of each then. Along with some Willow Bark in case that’s sufficient for any future pain,” Twilight said, digging through her saddle bag and dropping bits on the countertop. “I’m going to need a receipt.”

“That’s not a problem,” the white mare said as she laid the giant white bottle on the countertop, then pulled another gray bottle.

Twilight looked around while the apothecary went to work. One shelf space had many classic cures. Marshmallow Root for coughing, Rosemary and Thyme combo for fever. Barberry, Burch, and Sond. Then her eye caught another shelf, imports from the human world behind glass. Dextromethorphan, Aspirin, Loperamide. Asprin had caught her eye, as it had an extensive list of what it was used to treat.

“Don’t let that fool you,” the white mare said from behind. She looked at Twilight as she put the sacks of medicine she prepared and the orange bottle into the linen bag. Twilight twisted to see that her bag was ready to go, and the apothecary was standing beside it. “Asprin right?”

Twilight nodded.

“It’s just refined and concentrated Willow Bark. That said, a good deal of their medicines are more effective than some of ours, with some exceptions,” the apothecary said. “That said, while their drugs are powerful, their real talent is in preventive medicine. Also, if the local doctor is right, their surgical techniques far outstrip our own, even with the aid of magic.”

“Oh?” Twilight said, turning to face the apothecary.

The apothecary left from behind the counter and walked to Twilight’s side, “My Stallion’s Mom is an Earth Pony that worked the fields nearly all her life. Her joints are worn. Could barely move.” The white mare then turned to Twilight, “But because I was in the business, we were able to get her to the other side where they injected something into her knees. Literally one day later, she was moving and walking like she was in her prime again.”

“Really?” Twilight said, raising her eye.

The apothecary nodded, “Their doctors were initially worried that they would need to retreat her every 4 months, but it’s been about a year now and she says there is only a little ache. That said, if worse comes to worse, they can replace the knees entirely.”

Twilight blinked three times before she blurted out, “You’re kidding me. An entire joint?”

“Not at all,” the apothecary replied. “I’ve heard of them even replacing hips. They’re good, really good at treating things without resorting to magic. And even if you could find a mare that might be able to cast bone restorative magic, it usually just starts to deteriorate soon after. From what I’ve heard, once they replace a joint or hip, you’re good until it’s time to go to the Elysian Fields.”

“How did you get these?” Xavier asked, as he examined the tent. He stood in a tight store with supplies galore. A wood brown and beige walls were intimate with the rustic theme. Fishing poles hung on the wall, with pictures of lazy Griffins and Dragons laying on chairs waiting for a catch.

“Imported them, of course,” the old grey Pegasus said. A nametag hung from her neck with the name Dapperet Gust. She wiggled her nose as her salt and pepper mane swished from the left to the right of her neck. “Bar none, your kind’s materials are magic in of themselves. Polyester Traffadel or Traffetara or something other strange name. We also have a few sleeping bags but,” she turned to the human and raised an eye. “They won’t be cheap.”

Xavier grumbled as he scratched his face, a bandana once again gracing his forehead, “How bad are the winters north of here?”

“Nasty,” Dapperet Gust said. “Once you get past Equineton, you will discover that being on this side of the Back Buck Mountains makes things cold and wet. If you go with some other ponies, of course, you all can huddle for warmth, but even with a roaring fire, without the right shelter, well…”

Xavier turned and asked, “How much for two of the light winter graded tents, one human sleeping bag and one pony sleeping bag, specifically for a unicorn?”

“You’ve got a unicorn with you? If she is any good at magic and is willing to spend a few weeks studying, she can learn to cast a few spells to keep you all warm. If she is really good, you can make do with gear for the Fall. Celestia’s pale white rump, she could also learn a spell to purify water. And what she can’t get out, boiling water will do in a jiff,” said Gust.

“Can’t rely on her,” Xavier said.

“Oh?”

“She is not in a right place right now,” Xavier turned to answer.

“I see, what’s her brand?” Gust asked.

“A st-,” Xavier stopped, then coughed. Looking left, he said, “She has jam. Good at making preservatives.”

“Ah,” Gust answered. “Just good at the ol’ grip magic, eh?”

“I guess,” Xavier answered.

“She’s your lead? Or married?” Gust asked.

“Nei- Wait, what do you mean, married?” Xavier turned to Gust.

Gust shrugged, “Ponies in the Union have started breaking the ancient taboo on marriage. No official here will do it, of course, they take a trip to Earth to do the deed and come back. Though if I recall, human males aim for herding up.”

Xavier shifted uncomfortably, “Honestly, seems kinda gross to me.”

“Well, your species is no paragon of beauty themselves,” Gust eyed Xavier up and down.

“Yeah, but isn’t it weird to you? The idea of having se-“ Xavier stopped himself.

“Spit it out, human,” Gust raised an eye.

Xavier turned to Gust, then turned back and looked down on the floor before beginning, “Having sex with one of us, doesn’t that seem weird or gross?”

“Hon,” the Mare, with a flap of her wings, jumped up on the countertop and looked Xavier’s green eyes with her pale blue ones. “When I was young, I went out and tasted what the world had to offer. I’ve had sex with Unicorns, been railed by Dragons, and, taking special care as not to get hurt, even enjoyed some intimate time with a Griffin before I settled down.” She then raised her left front hoof and lightly kicked it at Xavier, “With how rare stallions are, we don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing like you do. Thankfully, as long as you are adventurous enough, Equus, and now your world provides.”

Xavier let out an exhale, “Yeah, well, what about possible cross-species transmission of diseases?”

“Honestly, I have yet to hear about any sort of things between ponies and humans. And how do you think I was able to sleep with a Griffin? Special covering using the intestines of a sheep. It had several layers for his head so its barbs wouldn’t rip me to shreds, but a slight opening at the end to let him spill into me.”

Xavier eyes flickered and turned away from Gust.

“Poor guy said he couldn’t feel a thing, but at least we tried. Didn’t need it for the dragon, and my Stallion has only been shared with me and my herd mate,” she answered.

“That doesn’t stop an std though,” Xavier said. “If he’s infected-”

“You misunderstand me,” Gust said, lowering her head slightly, looking at Xavier straight on. “I was protecting him from anything I might be carrying.”

“But not yourself?”

“I don’t need it,” Gust said. “No mare on record has ever gotten sick from mating with a Diamond Dog or a Buffalo or even a human.”

“How do you not constantly get pregnant? From what I understand, you need his help a few days every month.” Xavier blurted out, his eyes shifting to his host and gulping. “Sorry, I-”

Gust interrupted and raised an eye, “Giving pony sex education to a human, huh? Tell you what, you buy the tents and sleeping bags and I’ll give you the lecture for free.”

“I’ll just get it from somewhere el-“

“No, you won’t,” Gust said, thrusting her hoof at Xavier. “I’ve met plenty of humans, when sex is brought up, half of them joke, and other half run off. I don’t know why, it’s just sex, but it’s obvious that a colt like you gets uncomfortable around the subject. But since we are already legs deep into it, I will answer your questions if you buy what I have here and now, otherwise I’m going to stop now because I could be cleaning out the back or counting the register, you know, stuff that helps run a business.”

Xavier narrowed his eyes, turned around, and ambled away. Passing the fishing poles and the postcards, he pushed open the door, and left. Gust stood, not moving. Her eyes narrowed until the door reopened and Xavier hurriedly returned to the spot he was standing just moments ago.

“How much?”

“828 bits.”

“828?!” Xavier nearly yelled. “Those tents can’t be worth that much, 350 bits.”

“700”

“400”

“600”

“450”

“575, and Ill throw in the condom the griffin used.”

“490 and ew.”

“525 and 10 minutes of your time, I need to borrow your hands for a task.”

“500 and what kind of task?”

“Fishing hooks occasionally get lost behind one of the displays atop a counter, hard for me to reach back there with hooves or a broom handle.”

“495, 5 bits as liability if I get poked by one of the hooks.”

“Deal,” Gust raised her left hoof as she stood on the countertop, and Xavier then tapped it with his closed left hand.

“Where?”

“Over there,” Gust said, waving her hoof at a display with a giant red dragon holding what seemed to be a tiny purple sea serpent in his right claws while holding a fishing pole with his left. Xavier whisked himself over, knelt down on the floor, and started reaching.

“Equucleum is what we take to avoid pregnancy,” Gust said aloud as Xavier started pulling hook after hook from behind the display. “They’re easy to grow, every herd typically grows their own in a garden either outside or atop a windowsill. Eating 5 or 6 of the heart-shaped schizocarps from them will guarantee pregnancy won’t occur for about a week. They taste awful, but swallowing them works just as well. Much better than Thornback.”

“Why?” Xavier said, as he pulled another hook out.

“What do you know about estrus?”

“Only that it happens to a mare once a month,”

“And?”

“While most mares are down to have sex whenever, during this period of time, their desire is amped up to the point that it sabotages higher orders of thought,” Xavier said, reaching. “If I recall, the longer the mare goes without intercourse with a stallion, the more she deteriorates until the end of the cycle. A mare that is getting action daily barely notices a thing, but one that has been without will start becoming aggressive and will actively look for partners.”

“You’re wrong about the Stallion. Dragons work just as fine. Griffins can too if you ensure the barbs are well covered, but the seed is still allowed to be expelled during intercourse,” Gust said. “Male Humans as well, from what my Herd Sister said.”

“So why not just toss in some semen and be done with it?” Xavier asked.

“Each part of the process is important, not just the acquisition of seed. A stallion could eat out his companion, but after reaching the high point, her relief is only slight. Just depositing one’s essence won’t work either. The act of raw intimacy, along with the spill of intercourse, is what takes care of the symptoms.”

“Then what about Thornback?” asked Xavier.

“Thornback tastes something awful. And depending on how strong one’s estrus is, you might be taking it 3 or 4 times a day just to keep level. Then there are the side effects…”

“Side effects?”

“Slight lethargy, loss of appetite. Also, you start to smell,” Gust answered. “That last one can be fixed by adding Trumpet Lily into the diet as well, but in exchange, you get cramps. Everywhere.”

“Why not just go find a donor to help?” Xavier asked.

“Finding a lothario? Of course, she could find one and pay. There is also the fact that a stallion whoring himself out like that is illegal and would get him arrested, and if she is caught, doubly so for her,” she answered.

“What about just borrowing one from a friend?”

“Borrowing one from a friend?” Gust laughed, “Okay, fine, I’ll play. Big no no, if you somehow accidentally get pregnant, you either need to be inducted into that herd quickly or face exile,” she answered. “And if he is already in a herd, well… and that’s ignoring getting caught in the act.”

“Exile?”

“Yes, and the stallion will be branded as well to let others know that he can’t be trusted to keep to himself within his herd.”

“On the cutie mark?”

“Of course.”

“That’s some fucking Scarlet Letter shit,” Xavier muttered as he pulled a tri-barbed hook from behind the case.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. How does a stallion keep balance in a herd?” Xavier asked.

“Every herd is different, sometimes the Stallion has a hard time balancing, and it ends up falling apart, usually one mare will feel she is being underserved and leave at that point. But there are other herds where the Stallion is just there to help with estrus.”

Xavier stopped, then turned to Gust, “You’re implying homosexual herds?”

“You say that like you weren’t expecting a mare to be into other mares?”

“I…” Xavier closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again, “I just didn’t even consider the possibility.”

“Well, don’t let those who are hardcore worshiping Celestia say delude you. Every herd will try to paint the image of the Canterlotian ideal, One Stallion, 3 or 4 mares who are strongly into their stallion, and many foals. But don’t let that fool you. Sometimes when a mare meets another mare, they couple and seek out another mare and stallion to herd with. This takes the pressure off the stallion, he only really needs to worry about keeping one mare happy while the other two will take care of themselves, excluding when they call on him for estrus or to help them have foals.”

“What about stallions?”

“A stallion coupling up with another stallion?”

“Symmetry,” Xavier grunted as he winced, forcing his arm deep into the back of the display, “demands it,” Xavier finished, pulling another hook out. “In more ways than one.”

“Well, herds have no size limit, but after two stallions and six mares, you get raised eyes unless you’re out in the far regions. Not to mention they still have their obligations to perform in order to help the mares.”

“So ponies with homosexual tendencies will form larger herds?”

“Indeed. The Stallions are coupled to each other while some combination of mares will couple with each other.”

“Hang on,” Xavier once again froze half way into digging behind the case. “If memory serves, and I recall correctly, some humans that aren’t hetrosexual find physical intimacy with the opposite sex personally disgusting,” Xavier said. “What’s the case here?”

“From what I’m told, they treat it like a chore,” Gust answered. “No different from hauling manure or cleaning the bathroom. They might find the work is disgusting, do not get me wrong, but the mare always has the choice to use Thornback. Yes, coupling with the opposite sex may disgust them, but it is what it is.”

“Oh god, sex as a chore,” grumbled Xavier.

“It can be for both parties,” Gust raised an eye. “You think I like coupling by the hips with my stallion every single time?” Gust walked towards Xavier as he was on the ground, catching his eye, “Sometimes he can be a downright broncho, but we still do it because if we don’t, I wouldn’t be working today and I would not be able to bring in the bits that helps my herd out human.”

Xavier turned away from her gaze as she studied him. He was on the ground, crumpled up, his arm slowly feeling around the back of the case, the occasional flinch as he pulled yet another lost hook.

Gust shook her head, “If you have a mare you’re working with, you really should think about talking to her about having you help her out.”

“I don’t find ponies arousing,” Xavier said. “Sorry, I look at you all and you’re just too close to the quadrupeds back home.”

“Well, you’re no gem yourself,” Gust raised an eye. “But if you can get over that hurdle, you will very likely be saving her a lot of trouble, even if you don’t like her personally.”

“Is thornback that bad?”

“In my case? Yes, but it depends on the mare. For me, I have only ever needed to take the stuff when I was much younger and when I just can’t deal with my stallion. That said, some mares can live with either the smell or the cramps or the chills. Others absolutely refuse to drink the stuff and will seek out either a lothario or an unherded stallion,” Gust answered.

“Unherded?” Xavier asked.

“Stallions without a herd are few and far between. But they happen for a variety of reasons. First, there are simply those who can’t do the herd thing, but they are effectively exiled to the peripherals of a community.”

“Exiled? I guess it’s to pressure them to herd up,” Xavier guessed.

“Not to mention, stallions who could not keep herd cohesion and theirs collapses. If the collapse is bad enough, they will refuse to try again because of the scars they incur. Same thing with a mare, but because of estrus, like I said, we have to take one of the two thorns.”

“Two thor- oh!” Xavier exclaimed. “Wait, if a herd collapses, where do the foals go?”

“Depends on the collapse. But most of the time they stay with the Stallion as they are expected to care and play with them,” Gust answered.

“What if one of the mares gets voted out?”

Gust raised an eye at Xavier, “So you do know some of the ways?”

“Only what I’ve been told,” he said.

“While the mother will be allowed to visit the foal at the stallion’s discretion, they stay in the herd with their herd-siblings. But the band is effectively broken.”

“Band?”

“A band are the members that are connected by shared blood in a herd. My band has me, my Stallion, and my two daughters. In my herd, there are 3 bands, mine and the other two. All the bands share a stallion, but not direct siblings,” Gust nodded. “One of the Stallions’ responsibilities is to ensure that every member of the herd gets an equal dole of his attention. Mares are going to want one-on-one time with him, especially if it’s just to bond. And each of his foals needs one-on-one time with him. More so with him than with the mother.”

“Where I come from, it’s the opposite. The general trend is that children need to be tended to by both parents, with the mother taking center stage as the child’s primary advocate,” Xavier said.

Gust shook her head, “When a mare foals, depending on the tribe, she will be exhausted and in pain. Other mares in the herd will tend to her needs, however, the Stallion tends to the newborn’s needs, starting by the Ceremony of Breath.”

“Ceremony of Breath?”

“When a mare gives birth, she is left alone. This is called the Ceremony of the Sun, and it’s traditional to try to aim for dawn of the day, though until recently, dusk has become a popular choice with Luna’s return,” Gust said, bobbing her head. “Now, while she is left alone, hospital staff will be outside doing what they can to monitor, but even I found it easier to give birth when it seemed no one was around.”

Xavier stopped reaching and tilted his head, “Carry over from earlier times?”

Gust shrugged, “Assuming the birth went as planned, once the mare foals, she calls for help. Even in a hospital setting, her herd-sisters will come in and assist along with hospital staff, making sure she drinks fluids, helping her by keeping the birthing area sanitary ect. But the Stallion and the foal must be the first to partake in the Ceremony of Breath where, when the foal takes their first breath, the Stallion is there to share their breath with them and vice versa. Then the mares, starting with the mother, share breath with the newborn as well. After treating the new mother, the Stallion and Mare are left with the new foal to bond.”

“I see, so they get him involved as early as they can,” Xavier said.

“Right. From that point onward, he is the last line of defense for that foal. For a while, the foal is raised by both parents, though the stallion may also be tending to another band with a newborn as well. However, when the foal says it’s first words, the stallion takes over. By then, the mother is well fully recovered and back to work, and total care will be handed over to the stallion.”

“But what about mother-foal bonding?”

“It happens, but a mare’s first duty is to the herd as a whole, then the individuals. This is in contrast to the stallion’s whose responsibilities are to the individuals first. He will raise them, play with them, and give a basic education until they go to primary school. That’s why if a mare leaves a herd, they leave the foal as well. It’s the stallion’s foal too and he will ensure they are well looked after,” Gust said.

“But there must be cases,”

“Of course there are cases, everything we talked about has exceptions where that’s not how it works out,” Gust rolled her eyes. “I’m giving you the idealized situations. Some stallions can’t keep balance and some foals find they are being ignored in favor of others. Other foals are just problematic. Then there are cross-tribe offspring.”

“Cross-Tribe?”

“So long as a single drop of a different tribe is in a foal, they possess the possibility of being born as a member of that tribe,” Gust nodded. “Imagine that a Unicorn and Earth Pony give birth to a foal that is an Earth Pony, then 25 generations pass, with that foal’s line only mating with pure Earth Pony lines and producing only Earth Ponies each generation. Then, surprise! The 26th generation produces a unicorn.”

“So if a herd of only Earth Ponies suddenly has a Unicorn show up…”

“That’s right. Offspring that are of a different tribe, then the parents can be a hassle. A Unicorn Stallion might find containing an Earth Pony in their crib impossible due to how quickly they get strong. Or an Earth Stallion having issues getting a Pegasus daughter down from a tree. Of course the answer is to get help, but until the foal grows up to understand language, it’s always exhausting on the Stallion’s part.” Gust then tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at Xavier’s bindings. “Are those…?”

“Baby Unicorn wrappings? Yes.” Xavier said, still pulling fishing hooks.

Gust laughed, “Okay, just why? Don’t tell me you’re growing horns on your limbs?”

“Hardley,” Xavier answered. “It’s not something I really want to talk about.”

Gust lightly tapped Xavier’s right arm with her hoof, “Yeah, okay. But still, that’s just so strange now that I can see the little cartoon characters. Did you get some kind of magical infliction or something?”

“No.”

“Well, keep your secrets if you’re going to be so quiet on them,” Gust said, shaking her head with another laugh. “But you do know what we use that for, right?”

“Suppressing a baby unicorn’s magic so that they’re more manageable,” Xavier said offhandedly. “As pointed out by you earlier, mostly used by Earth Ponies and Pegasai with an infant unicorn they need to manage.”

“Right, guess you are really strange for a human stallion,” Gust said.

Xavier turned, “You’ve met others?”

“Yeah, though most human stallions don’t wear what you wear on your arms. And they are a lot more open about sex with mares than you,” Gust glanced up for a brief moment before returning her gaze.

Xavier grunted, then returned back to pulling fishing hooks out.

“Most of the ones I met were, to put it in their terms, in ‘balls deep’ with a mare that was accompanying them,” Gust said, laughing under her breath and wiggling her ears.

Xavier froze, then shook his head, “You’ve only met members of humanity that are into that sort of thing by even being over here in the first place. I promise you, most of my kind are not into cross species mating.”

“Not from what I’ve seen,” Gust trailed off. “The few that I met were already looking to make a herd with their partner as lead.”

“Sounds like they just want a harem to me,” Xavier replied. “They probably have no clue what they’re signing up for.”

“Hmmm, they seemed happy enough,” Gust replied. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

Xavier once again, stopped, and looked at Gust, “I don’t think trying to balance the need of three sapient beings along with my own and having to constantly put out half a month to three-fourths a month is worth my sanity just to try it. And besides,” Xavier turned back to the task he was working on. “I’ve seen the damage done to beings that group up that should have never grouped up to begin with.”

Author's Note

Possible 2 month hiatus coming up to rewrite first draft material that I don't think is working. Will keep everyone updated if I can't salvage it.