They decided to head back to Earth come the morning. In the meantime, sleep called for them. Twilight pointed to her library of a home. "I can put up the humans for the night."

Applejack huffed and nudged against Miguel. "Ya don't need both of 'em. Come on, Miguel." She led him off towards the orchard without further argument.

Brad watched them go with amusement. "Now I'm not sure I want to know where he's sleeping tonight."

"Maybe you will know in the morning." Twilight chuckled softly. "Either way, I have an entire floor of bookshelves just for sleeping."

Spike held up two fingers close together. "It's not as large as she's making it sound, but it's alright." With a shrug, he headed inside. "C'mon! Uh, Bella should probably stay downstairs though or it'll get cramped really quickly."

Twilight gave Bella a hug. "You be good and find somewhere nice to sleep, okay?" She flicked her ears, and Bella grunted an affirmative. "Great! So, let's get the two of you settled in for the night."

Even if Bella was comfortable finding a spot outside, Brad wasn't, drawing Bella into the library. "Ain't havin' my horse roaming around while I sleep. That sounds like a recipe for trouble." He stroked along Bella's neck and side as they went inside.

RC didn't hesitate to climb up onto the first free bookshelf she saw. "Goodnight, guys. I'm tired and need my beauty sleep."

Twilight hiked a brow up at RC. "I didn't invite her." She huffed softly, but that was about all the fight she had in her. "Brad, follow me, kindly." She trotted into the depths of her home, taking them both up to a place where the library turned into a tower. There was a single bed on a raised platform. "You'll be able to sleep here comfortably."

Brad thought for a moment he'd have the bed to himself, until Twilight went over and flopped onto it. "Oh, uh." He hesitated. "Together?"

"Mm?" She pointed to the smaller little bed that Spike was already curling up on. "You can't be thinking of sharing that one."

He looked at Spike, who chuckled softly. "Sorry Brad. It's too small for you, and not in a fun way." He made a little circular gesture with his claw. "Like, no fun at all."

"Right." Well, when in Rome, as they said. He went to join Twilight, sliding in next to her as he kicked off his shoes to not dirty the bed with. "If you're okay with it, I won't keep fighting it." He stretched out a bit, getting comfortable, or at least trying to.

Twilight just moved a little closer to him, sharing her heat with him. "Just sleep." She was there to help keep him warm in the cold of the night.

He was beside a fuzzy pony, so temptation grew rapidly, and he didn't fight it very hard. He gently scratched along her, hugging and petting her gently. She wriggled at first, but it soon turned into pleased sighs. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly enjoying each motion of his hands. He could sense it.

Brad paused when Spike laughed at them, and when he looked, he saw RC's head poking up from the hole in the floor that led downstairs. She had a huge grin on her face. "So much for sleep." He gestured for them to leave, and they did, but not before RC gave him an exaggerated wink.

He got settled again, wrapping his arms around Twilight. He stroked and patted at her neck much as he would have for Bella, and she gave pleased little whickers in response.

She pressed against him in turn, sharing her heat, and helping to warm him. "Are you enjoying this?" She purred with a smile, cuddling closer. "If you just ask, I'd gladly do this every night."

Brad felt his cheeks warm, and it wasn't Twilight's shared heat he was feeling. "Just one night," he assured. He stroked down her spine, feeling her twitch gently under his fingers as he worked down towards her tail.

Twilight seemed happy enough to melt against him, purring in pure contentment as she rested her head on his chest. "I understand the appeal of those pets now. Mmm, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Trying to bring Miguel's horse, remember? You'll be there."

"Ah yes." She yawned widely, curling her forehooves up under her. "Tomorrow. But that's not tonight. We have all night for this, and I want to make the most of it." She rolled over on top of him. She was surprisingly light, especially for an equine, normally very dense creatures. "Pleeeease?"

Brad thought about arguing, but then a hoof lightly nudged against him. "Well, since you're asking so nicely." He reached back around, scratching under her chin as he leaned in and kissed her nose.

She giggled softly, shuffling about atop him as she tried to get comfortable, nuzzling up to him in return. Sleep was minimal that night, but both seemed to enjoy the experience.

The same couldn't be said for Spike, who glared at both come the morning. "Beds are for sleeping, guys." He stormed off towards the kitchen. "And so's the night!"

Brad and Twilight shared a brief look of shame before giggling softly. He shifted out from under her, careful not to disturb her much. "That's about enough of that, Twilight."

Twilight yawned as she stretched out. "Well, I understand the appeal now." She hopped to the floor and shook herself out. "I hope we didn't bother Spike too much. I didn't think we were that loud."

Brad held up his hands in defense. "Not my fault." He found his shoes and slipped them on before he headed downstairs to find his friends. "Any luck with finding a spot to sleep?"

Bella came trotting up to him and thumped her nose into his side in way of greeting. He knew she was saying hello, though he felt he'd have known that even without strange Equestria magic involved. "Sleep well?" She nipped carefully at him. He felt sure she had. "Good to hear. Now where's RC hiding?"

RC popped up from behind Bella with a grin. "I slept great. Don't worry about me." She tilted her head a little. "No pony is allowed to sleep as badly as Spike did."

"It isn't a competition," groaned out Spike, though the scents of preparing food were wafting out. "I'll have something for you all in a little bit."

Twilight went to RC with a smile. "I now understand why you, and everypony else, enjoys his attention. Human fingers are a thing of magic, though that discounts their palms, which seems to be integral to the holistic experience."

"Yeah, I can tell you like it." RC nuzzled her with a smirk. "But I'm gonna kick you out if you want him again tonight."

Twilight flustered a moment. "You can't kick me out of my own house." She huffed and rolled her eyes as she trotted past towards the kitchen. "What are you working up, Spike?"

"Pancakes! I made enough for all of us, and then some." He passed Twilight a pancake with his tail. "Help me take them out."

Twilight huffed as she levitated the pancake from his tail. In a short time, they had the table filled with the delicious treats along with a variety of toppings to choose from. "Breakfast is served."

Brad set to digging in, piling up the pancakes with maple syrup. It tasted a little different from what he was used to, but it was still really good. Bella helped herself to her own meal on the ground nearby, snuffling and munching through her hay and grain.

That confused Brad a bit. "Where'd she get that? Not complaining, good food for a horse."

Twilight looked at him oddly. "Brad. We are also equines." She pointed to herself, then RC. "Hay is a perfectly acceptable staple of our diets. Admittedly, normally we prepare them a little more intensively. The modern pony is quite spoiled with the assumption that our hay will be cooked before we eat it, but having hay around to cook can be useful."

"Not as useful as it is to keep them from kicking off about not having their meal when they want it." Spike dunked a pancake into his bowl of mixed berries and cream. "She seems content enough, but if she hadn't gotten a proper meal, I doubt she'd be waiting patiently for us, so I offered her some raw hay and she got really happy."

Bella gave a whicker of agreement that she was enjoying her breakfast.

Brad felt a fuzzy face nudging his hand. RC had nuzzled up against it. He stroked over the top of her head and over her ears. "Mornin'."

"Mornin'." She looked far too pleased with herself as she munched at a pancake. "We all need to go soon, if we're going to get Miguel's horse."

Brad nodded and finished off his meal, checking in on Bella and offering her some pats while guiding her up to her hooves and towards the door. "Let's get moving then, as nice as wasting the day with good company is, we have things to do."

Bella gave him an eye roll that was unmistakable. She didn't see what the hurry was. If they wanted to waste time eating and petting, she was fine with it. She saw no reason to rush to anywhere in particular.

Fortunately, she was, largely, a good mare and she followed along as Brad led her outside. Soon they were all outside, minus Spike. Spike waved at them from the door. "Have fun." He closed the door to the library.

Brad led them over to where he knew Miguel had slept, and found him curled up in the blankets, sound asleep, and with Applejack sleeping beside him, her body covering his. Her tail flicked gently. Why they were sleeping outside, Brad wasn't sure, but they looked comfortable there in the apple trees. He went up and shook Miguel lightly.

It was at that moment he remembered why a horse might have a red ribbon on their tail. Applejack kicked him, sending him to the ground with a pained wheeze. He didn't have much time to recover before she was atop him, keeping him pinned. "Bella!"

Bella was over in an instant, giving AJ a headbutt right in the chest that sent her back off of Brad, allowing him to scramble back from her.

Applejack shook her head quickly, starting to actually wake up. "What? Oh. Sorry, pardner." She hopped to her hooves. "Ya surprised me!"

Brad stumbled back to his feet, backing away a few steps from her. "I forgot why we put ribbons on horses' tails." He cleared his throat and shook his head a moment. "I didn't know if you two had gotten married, so I came to get Miguel, but then she kicked me."

Miguel laughed as he sat up, still in the pile of blankets. "Amigo, we aren't married. You're going too fast." He started to rouse properly himself with some stretches. "What time is it?"

"Past time for us to go. We should find that rainbow bridge." Brad looked to Bella. "She's ready, and RC's eager."

Miguel turned to AJ with a smile. "And you are fine?" He hugged her close, patting at her back. "I'll see you again soon, si?"

"Si, er, yup!" Applejack laughed, swatting at Miguel with her hat. "Yer funny words. Go on, quicker you go, quicker ya get back!" She bucked the air in encouragement. "Shoo!"

Miguel kissed her cheek. "Don't worry, I will come back to you as soon as possible."

AJ gave a wave to that.

Brad led Miguel away with Bella, RC, and Twilight trailing behind. "Buddy, no judgement." Well, okay, there was some judgement there. "But are you falling for her?"

Miguel paused in place. "Falling for her? We have good talks. She's funny and kind. It's different than the women I meet in town. We get along well. She's strong and I like that." He shrugged a little. "She understands what I say, which is nice. She can speak too, but we mostly talk like this."

That confused Brad anew. "She speaks Spanish?"

"Crazy, right?" Miguel shrugged thinking of it. "She doesn't seem to know why either. Then again, why do they all speak English, hombre? They're ponies, not humans. Not much reason they should be speaking any of our tongues, but there they are."

Brad couldn't argue that point. "I just figured this was something they all knew somehow." He continued leading them to the center of town.

Miguel smirked softly. "So, you slept well last night?"

Brad was ready to argue he hadn't been making a girlfriend, but he remembered the snuggling that had lasted most of the night. "It was good. Alright, I need to get up on Bella." Which he did, easily swinging up on the mare and gently patting her. "And we have to do a jump to get that bridge. With all of us here, we should be able to walk over it." He wagged a finger at Bella. "No running this time, at least once the bridge is there."

She chuffed back that she would, as long as they were moving quickly.

Miguel nodded firmly. "Now's as good a time as any." He walked over to Bella's side, not bothering with anything more than a small hop to get up on her. It was a little cramped, but Bella could hold the two of them. "RC's nice, but a little small for me."

Bella whinnied her readiness and charged in a wide circle, building speed a moment before she jumped, coming down on a freshly created rainbow. She slowed and turned to look at Twilight and RC.

Twilight shook herself. "That remains remarkable." She trotted up onto the rainbow beside them, slipping and sliding a little on the way. "Mmm, smooth, but still difficult to walk on."

RC laughed as she trotted alongside Twilight. "When we get to the top, you can slide the rest, if you'd rather." She flapped her wings with a chuckle. "I love this thing! Alright, Earth, here we come!"

They climbed that rainbow road in a relative silence. They were close enough together that no pony felt they had to fill the air with pointless chatter. All of them could feel the comfort that came with being near each other. The closer they got to the top, the more relaxed and comfortable they all were.

At the top, it seemed Bella had heard them, as she slid down the other side instead of walking or trotting. Her poor human riders had to cling to her as she accelerated down the other side with a shrill equine cry of excitement.

Miguel yelled in Spanish the whole way down, digging his fingers into Bella's mane, trying to stay atop her. Brad hung on tighter than ever before, knowing the last time they'd done this he'd rolled off the back of Bella, but now he was clenching onto her with all he had. He let out a relieved huff when they reached the ground on the other side and nobody seemed harmed.

Twilight and RC thumped next to them, both on their haunches, having joined the sliding almost freefall.

Brad felt he should chide Bella for the risk she'd taken, but he just petted her neck. "Now we're back home." He laughed softly as he looked at her properly. "That's interesting." The colorful parts Bella had gained in Equestria were gone, minus her cutiemark. "At least I can explain that." He'd get some odd looks for putting a stencil on his horse, but that wasn't reality defying.

Miguel dismounted from Bella with a wheeze. "Let's never do that again. I prefer real roads." He groaned as he walked stiffly. "One way to get over a rainbow."

Twilight was looking around curiously. "So, this is Earth?" She sniffed at the air. "That seems normal. More humans, less ponies, right? I've been to one such world before." She raised each hoof one by one. "Last time, going there left me with a more human shape though. I suppose the rainbow works differently than portal mirrors."

RC poked at Twilight with a hoof. "Don't tell me you want to explore this world next."

Twilight grinned, showing her teeth in that adorable way only a pony could manage. "A good scholar wants to see all things they can!"

Brad felt a warmth coming from Twilight that made him smile. It wasn't a literal heat, but a pure innocent enthusiasm. "Alright, ground rules, no talking unless you're sure there are no humans around besides Miguel and me, okay? You're just oddly-colored horses. Just act like Bella."

Bella let out a huff. She knew she was one of a kind. Still, no human words issued from her.

Twilight gave him a nod. "Got it. Lead the way."

"I'll show you Roswell!" Miguel pointed them off to his home. "That way! No talking, unless I do first." He grinned as he started off towards his home. "This is great!" He eagerly led them to what wasn't exactly his home, seeing as it was shared. "This is where I sleep, but just a bit past it—" He walked right past at a brisk pace, leading them all to the stable.

"Brad!" Sarah was storming towards them with a frown. "Where have you been hiding?!" She glared at Miguel. "Have you been helping?!" She forgot him almost immediately. "You said we would go out." She thumped a finger against Brad's chest. "Seriously, I thought you were nicer than that."

He coughed a little and shifted in place. "Well, um, how about tonight? We could do something?"

Miguel was waylaid by a beautiful horse as she approached him. Roswell gave him a soft nicker, rubbing her nose against him. "Hey, there you are." He ruffled Roswell's cheeks, eagerly greeting his loyal horse.

Sarah's eyes narrowed on Miguel and his horse. "He didn't bring that here, did he? How did they get in the yard?!"

Brad waved it off with a sigh. "No, it's okay." He imagined Bella and her ability to get where she wanted. "About us, I'm really sorry. I wasn't trying to lose you."

"Is she your mate?"

Sarah gaped down at Twilight, who didn't even have the tact to look embarrassed, just watching Sarah as one would a fascinating animal. "You can talk!"

"Um, of course?" She cleared her throat and looked up at Brad. "Sorry, but the cat's out of the bag. Hi there! My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I come from the magical land of Equestria."

Sarah took an unsteady step backwards from the strange little talking horse. "Is... this why you missed our date?"

Brad rubbed awkwardly behind his head. "Yeah, actually... yeah." He put his hands up to try and stop her as she turned to go. "Wait! Don't just leave!"

Sarah spun back to him with fire in her eyes. "How could you?! You find magical talking horses and you don't come running to me?"

Twilight pinned an ear back. "My apologies if I've upset you."

"You have not." She reached out and when Twilight didn't nip at the hand, she gently pet Twilight. "You are an innocent little magical horse. It's Brad that decided the first thing he should do is keep you all to himself."

Twilight grinned up at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you. What was your name again?"

"Sarah. I work here on the farm." She petted Twilight more firmly. "So, what can you do? Can you teleport or anything?"

Twilight gave a startled laugh at that. "Actually, yes. How did you guess that?"

RC flapped her wings. "I can fly, but, unlike certain unicorns, I know how to keep a secret!" She smiled and shook her head at Brad. "Told you this would happen."

Sarah laughed at that. "Wow! Flying and teleportation! Wait until I tell people about you two." She glanced around.

Brad held up his hands. "Please, let's not do that. We don't want our new friends to get taken away to some lab somewhere."

"Ah, they would be locked away forever, never again to see the light of day. All the joyous things that make life worthwhile, removed from their grasp for the sake of human greed." Sarah put a balled hand against one of her hips. "No, that sounds awful." She dropped into a crouch, nearly eye to eye with Twilight. "I won't let any mean men drag you away, you sweet little thing."

Twilight rubbed up against Sarah in what seemed like a return nuzzle. "You're really nice." She gave a happy sigh. "Brad, you haven't answered if you two are mates or not."

Brad flustered. "Mates?" He shook his head a moment. "Twilight, please stop asking me questions."

Sarah chuckled. "You two are adorable together." She laughed more openly. She rose to full height, dusting herself off. "But, to answer your question, we are not mates. We are friends. If he wants more than that, he has to get his act together and stop standing me up when I ask him on a date."

"This was a one time thing!" Brad rubbed his temples. "And it wasn't my fault. I don't have an excuse." He leaned over towards Twilight. "I'll explain later, alright?"

Sarah hiked a brow at that. "Explain what? It seems pretty clear now. You ran into some magical horses and got distracted. Points off for not thinking I'd want to see the magic horses too!"

RC snickered softly. "I like her, she has a good attitude."

Author's Note

What happened during the night? You can find out here:

[Adult story embed hidden]

Part of me is worried, so many characters in this story. :D

Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own here at atreon!

Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could

Join my discord to chat!