Waking up in a warm embrace, Cole realized that he hadn’t slept that well in literally years. Slowly opening his eyes, his vision was bombarded by the bright, fiery colors of the mare that held him close.

And if she’d been human, he would’ve been held to her chest, her fuzzy ribcage instead tickling his nose.

“Well that was a great sleep, and I’m still a pony, so it isn’t a dream.”

Cole’s disappointed muttering was a bit loud, and greeted by Summer’s voice.

“Mmph... so warm... and fuzzy...”

Summer mumbles her words, then suddenly tenses up. From his position near her chest, he can actually hear her heart skip a beat, and her breathing stop for a moment.

“Hello!”

Cole was feeling energetic for some unknown reason that morning, maybe it was the fact he actually got some decent sleep. Summer doesn’t respond, except to slowly begin looking down at him, her bright red eyes wide.

“What?”

“I- I’m so sorry!”

Her exclamation startled Cole a bit, it wasn’t the reaction he was expecting. Summer had begun trembling slightly, and her eyes were welling up with tears.

“Sorry for what? You didn’t do anything but pass out last night.”

Summer lets out what can only be a sigh of relief.

“Oh, thank goodness... I was so... I just- I thought I...”

Instead of finishing her sentences, she simply holds Cole close to her, a soft, fuzzy, plush hug.

“What’d you think happened? I’ll happen to let you know I’m a classy lady.”

Cole pouts mockingly. However, the joke seems to go over her head as she simply holds him close and nuzzles him on the top of his head, ruffling his mane.

“But why the sudden reaction? And why were you apologizing?”

“I- thought I’d... I’d... that I’d... t-t-taken a-advantage of you.”

Looking up from his location up against her furry chest, Cole saw that Summer looked absolutely serious.

“Huh, in my world this situation would be completely reversed.”

Sounding like she was reciting something she’d learned from rote, Summer Solace responded.

“ ‘Mares will always be the buffer between the stallion and the world. There is nothing more tragic than the loss of a male.’ My mothers taught me that. We’ve always been a traditionalist family... I- I don’t know what to say, beyond that.”

“Wait, what is the female to male ratio in this world? In my world is is a one to one ratio.”

“One to one? That’d never work... There wouldn’t be enough mares to raise the family. B-but, it varies based on specific race. I’m not sure about nightwings, but Unicorns have one of the lowest ratios, only about 5:1, while Earth Ponies are about 11:1, and Pegasi are around 20:1.”

“No, I don’t mean nightwings, I mean my species, humans. And it did work, quite nicely in most cases”

“Doesn’t matter what race. Without two to four mares to raise the foals and protect the stallion, there’s no way any of the sentient races, other than the dragons, could have survived.”

“Well my mom did a good job raising me on her own, as did other couples in our world.”

“Well, I have read about some monogamists that didn’t completely fail in the end, I suppose if there’s enough time to set precedents and the like, it could work-”

“Sorry to interrupt, but we’re really close, I think I breathed in some hair.”

Cole coughed, yup, he inhaled a few hairs, their gold and orange colors giving away their owner. Summer shuffles quickly away, looking away and blushing, looking kind of depressed, her ears back and fore legs tucked up against her chest.

“What’s wrong Summer?”

“I- I just didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I mean... I know it’s supposed to be the mares that are outgoing, but I didn’t mean to be so clingy. Y-you’re just so warm...”

“Nothing wrong with hugs.”

Cole shifted up and wrapped his forelegs around her.

“See? The only thing that made me uncomfortable was breathing in hair, gets stuck to the back of your throat, sends you into a coughing fit. Nothing good about it, but snuggles are alright.”

Cole emphasized this by snuggling up next to her. In response, Summer put a hoof around his shoulder, pulling him closer.

“Well, if you’re alright with it... Oh! I forgot something! I need to go get the staff to make some breakfast! I know you’re probably a little sleepy, ‘cuz of the nocturnal thing, but I know they have some fruits and stuff!”

“Actually do you have any meat? I need some protein, and staff? Are you guys rich?”

“Oh... I thought only pegasi, dragon-ponies, maredragoras and stuff ate meat. And, uhm, yeah, we’re moderately wealthy... I guess.”

“Well I’m a huge meat eater, sorry if that’s a problem, also that’s a nice change of pace to hear that you’re wealthy.”

“Well, yeah... did you think just anypony can afford to have marble columns in their guest rooms, and at least two homes in different locations in the country? I mean, I know I mentioned that two of my mothers are in the capital, staying at the estate there, and I mentioned that this is just a villa...”

“Ah, well that’s a lot better than what I had. Want me to help with anything or do you just want to cuddle all day?”

She shifted slightly, blushing furiously at Cole’s comment. She seemed to think for a minute, obviously debating her answer.

“W-well, as much a-as I like b-being here, with you... I, uhm, would actually like to ask a favor, if that’s alright?”

“What kind of favor?”

“Uhm... my mother, Dawn Light, said th-that I can’t leave on my own, to go explore the world, until... well... until I’m part of a herd.”

“And?”

“And... well... would you at least pretend we’re a herd? I already have somepony else to fill in, as the third member, so we’d have our minimum and all... P-please? I don’t get to talk with many bucks, and you seem really nice, and I really want to be able to leave but I understand if you don’t want to, I under-”

“I don’t mind if we form a herd, but what all does that entail? I’m from a monogamous society so this terminology is unknown to me.”

“Oh, right... Well, basically, we’d be, uh... what’s the term?”

Summer’s eyes shut in concentration, the most adorable scrunchy face gracing her features as she tried to find the word.

“Oh, uh, right! It’d be like we’re a couple! I hadn’t quite understood the context until now. But there’d, of course, be one more member in the group, and I already have a friend ready.”

“So polygamy? Alright, would I have to do anything else?”

“Mostly just let us nuzzle you and stuff, as if we were dating and stuff.”

“I am okay with that, I like the cute stuff, also why not let some of the staff see this, they tell your parents, and the charade goes on from there perfectly?”

Summer simply hugged him in response, a faint ‘squee’ noise emanating from her as her plush body impacted his face. She nuzzled the top of his head again.

“Thank you! Oh thank you so much! And I don’t need to just tell the staff, they already know my plan. We’ll just need to stick together for a while. C’mon, let’s get to the nearer dining room, and I’ll ask the chefs to make us some brunch.”

“Okay, got any steak honey?”

She blushes.

“I-I- uhm, no, I don’t think we have any meat on the grounds, if only because we don’t employ any staff that eat it.”

“Eh, I guess I’ll just eat some fruit then, maybe have a food fight in the dining room, you know, the usual.”

Cole poked her stomach, making her giggle. Then, he remembered: I don’t know how to walk.

“Oh yeah, can you get up and let me watch your legs?”

“Uhh- uhm, sure!”

Summer hops up off the bed, eagerly strutting back and forth. Cole carefully studies her as she struts, not looking at the parts she’d hoped. After a few minutes, Summer looked back, beaming brightly at him, though it falters slightly at his serious expression, a hoof under his chin as he strokes his beard, which he’d realized is also deep purple and silver.

After another few minutes he raised a hoof signaling her to stop. She did so, and looked like she was awaiting a grade.

“Thank you, now to try and walk.”

“Oh... right, sorry. Was a little... uh... caught up in the moment.”

She seemed a little disappointed, her ears a little further down.

“Huh? I just needed to see someone walk so I could mimic their foot movement.”

“R-right... Do you need any help with anything else?”

“If I fall down and hurt myself medical attention would be appreciated.”

Cole said, shakily standing up on the bed, he hopped down, nearly falling, but catching himself.

“I- I could help support you at first, you’re not very heavy, at least until you can walk again... if, uhm, you want me to.”

“Let me try it on my own first, then you can cuddle up to me if the offer still stands.”

Cole took a few slow steps, mimicking her movement, tripping at first, but again managing to not faceplant. After a minute or so he seemed to have gotten it down, slow and steadily he manages to walk toward Summer.

“See, I got it, kind of.”

Cole looks down to his hooves, hoping they would listen to him. Slowly following Summer through the halls, extremely, indeed almost painfully, bright light streaming in through the windows, whitewashing his vision, and forcing him to squint his eyes.

Summer, noticing Cole’s discomfort, whispered something to a passing pony in some dark suit; Cole couldn’t tell what color it was or what color the pony was, the sunlight was too bright. The light suddenly fades, and Cole looked up to see that large, heavy drapes had been pulled across the huge, two-story windows, the lengths of fabric being set into place by a small team of unicorns even as he watched.

“Thanks, the light was never kind to me.”

“I’m sorry for not noticing, or thinking of it before, I could’ve asked the staff-”

“No, no, it’s okay Summer, really, you couldn’t have known.”

“I- Should’ve figured, it’s mentioned over and over again that Nightwings see by a fairly advanced organic light enhancer in the preorbital lens.”

“Ah, well thanks for closing the blinds though, and could you slow down a little bit?”

She slowed with a gasp, her own horn lighting up. Cole felt himself lighten, his steps becoming easier as he felt his weight seem to decrease.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to lift you a bit, to make it easier for you to walk.”

“Or I could just ride you.”

Summer stumbled in mid-stride, her magic faltering and dropping Cole back to his feet.

“Ah- uhm- ah...”

Her eyes went wide, as she looked over her shoulder at his smirking face.

“So no piggy back ride then?”

“I- uhm- w-what?!”

“I was asking if you’d carry me so we could move around the house faster, but this is very entertaining, please explain what you thought I was asking.”

“O-oh! Not... right, sorry. I- I shouldn’t have assumed- I mean, I wasn’t- uhm... I’m so sorry, I’m a horrible pony!”

“Why are you a horrible pony exactly?”

“I- I, uhm, thought you were offering to... well... ah, I- I don’t really know the euphemisms for this...”

“Something sexual I assume?

“Y-yeah... sorry...”

Her ears were flat back against her head, and her blush was visible from behind as her flanks lit up like a lightning bug’s.

“Oh you dirty dirty mare you! For shame on you for thinking such horrible thoughts! Why I outta- nah, I’m just messing with you, simple misunderstanding, lets move on shall we?”

Summer just continues walking slowly, her horn alight again as she helped carry Cole.

“Thanks you sweetie.”

Cole stuck out his tongue at her and winked. A few more minutes of walking later, the two ponies made it to the dining room, a massive room lit by candles. Massive white stone columns, presumably marble, were spaced around the room, a huge set of drapes, covering one of the three-story-high walls, was being attached into place by a small army of unicorns in butler uniforms.

“Holy shit...”

Tapestries run the length of the of the room, near the roof, along with one opposite the new drapes, that spans the entire height of that wall, a massive tree in gold thread twisting across the deep maroon fabric, names attached to the branches by colored pieces of fabric. And if this world was even at the level of sophistication of the show...

Hell, it’d be expensive by Earth standards, that maroon stuff looked like crushed velvet.

“Summer, h-how much do you guys have?”

“Well... uhm... a lot. I-I mean, Silver Sunset, my biological mom, is the headmistress of the Bureau of Information, so she makes at least a small percentage on all books printed, and she’s paid based on her work with the department of schooling, and then Golden Dawn is an artist, and she’s pretty good...”

Cole fell over. In utter shock from the money overload, he found himself simply staring at the massive sheet of velvet. Summer ran over, checking on him, but he found he wasn’t hearing anything. Slowly, the world fades back in, Summer peering over him with a concerned look on her face.

“What happened?”

Cole rubbed the side of his head where he’d hit it falling down.

“Well, you passed out when I told you about my family’s financial situation... I thought you might’ve had a heart attack, but thankfully, I caught you before you hit your head too hard. A- are you going to be alright?”

“Oh yeah, just kinda shocked me for a minute, all I had was a room half the size of the one I woke up in.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize things were that bad in the outlands. Uhm... if you’re alright, would you like some food?”

“Don’t be sorry, nothing can change the past, and food would be nice right about now, sorry for overreacting.”

“It-it’s alright. Uhm, we’ve got some fruit here, and some vegetables, too. One of the chefs even made their specialty hayshakes.”

“I’ll try a shake.”

Summer helped him to his hooves, and the two of them made their way to the table, which was already laden with trays. It seemed that Summer had invited several of the staff to sit in and eat with them, as they were sitting as well, and a few foals had been set up at the table.

Some hushed whispers passed around the table, and Cole felt his ears twitch, which only seemed to prompt another round of whispering. Every pair of eyes were locked on his every movement.

“I trust you know what you’re doing here, madame Solace...”

Cole barely caught the comment, and it was obvious that Summer, whom it had been directed to and whom was barely a few inches from the whisperer had barely heard it, too.

“Excuse me?”

Cole stared at the stallion. Summer looked over at Cole, her eyebrow quirked up. The stallion that had whispered to Summer had nervously placed a platter on the table and retreated with a bow.

“That is one of the few things that annoys me to no end.”

Cole shifted in his chair, something was up with his back.

Summer looked at him unsurely.

“Uhm, what does? And what’s wrong?”

“I heard what your friend said, what exactly is wrong with me that he would warn you?”

Summer shifted awkwardly in her seat, and the almost oppressive silence hung over the table as the servants watched Cole like a group of scared rabbits.

“W-well... Nightwings don’t exactly have... well... the best of reputations since most of them declared their allegiance to Lady Rubeum. Probably because she uses them as shock troops, and they’re very good at it.”

“Well, I have no idea who that is and what have I done to deserve this from you all? And stop staring at me.”

The group of servants was suddenly looking anywhere but at Cole, except with sidelong glances and surreptitious looks.

“Fine, if I bother you all so much I’ll eat somewhere else...”

Cole got up and began walking out of the room.

“W-wait, Cole! P-please don’t go! I- I didn’t...”

Summer’s voice called out from behind him, sounding almost infinitely sad as she calls for him.

“I never said you couldn’t come, I just hate being stared at by everyone in the room, you’re an exception.”

Cole hears the shuffling of hooves, and the sound of dozens of sets of hooves moving in another direction.

“Th-there, I’ve sent them away! Please come back, I just wanted to sit down for a meal together... I- I usually sit with the staff, and I didn’t think about how they’d react, I’m so sorry!”

Cole sighs and went back to his seat.

“It isn’t your fault, and it just bothers me that they know nothing about me, yet judge me at a glance. You didn’t, what gives them the right to? Plus do I sound like a soldier?”

“W-well, you look like one... sort of. You- you move like an officer, and you’re pretty large, and kind of imposing, and none of them can see you too well, because of the lighting and all... I just didn’t think at all.”

“Well you didn’t judge me at a glance and I appreciate that, most people from where I’m from would’ve just left me there, I don’t think I’ve said it yet so, thank you, very much Summer.”

Summer blushed in the flickering candlelight.

“I- I just did what anypony should... After all, soldier or not, you’re still a person, right?”

“A nerdy one at that, and what we should do and what people would do are often very different.”

Summer sniffled, then smiled as Cole fidgeted in his seat again.

“Th-thank you, that means a lot to me. A-and are you sure you’re alright? I know pegasi sometimes have issues sitting in chairs with their wings, but, that’s usually because of the feathers.

“Wings?”

“Yeah... You didn’t notice you have wings, did you?”

“For a man of science you think I would be more observant of myself more than anything wouldn’t you?”

Cole laughed at this, and Summer joined in, her laughter full and bright. The two sat next to each other, and looked at the tray and platter ahead of them, a dizzying array of silver domes

“Mind if I sit next to you? Or would you prefer that I sit across from you?”

“Next to me is fine. What would you like?”

Summer uses her magic to lift three of the lids at once, setting them to the side and revealing small stacks of fruits and leafy greens. Something about the tiny oranges on one of the platters just calls to Cole, and he tries reaching for the tiny, unpeeled fruits.

Summer lifts a quartet of them, and Cole, on a whim, sticks an entire one in his mouth, using both of his forehooves to pick up the little fruit.

While normally the peel would taste bitter and gross... something about this one was delicious, and he began rolling it with his tongue, sliding across teeth he hadn’t really thought about before.

Taking a moment to pull out the miniature orange, Cole looked down at it, and realized he’d peeled it perfectly, and was chewing the peel. It was kind of like chewing a piece of gum, but he really didn’t have a flavor to compare it to, except something like very fresh blackberry and and a strawberry.

“Eh loo a dis!”

Cole was holding the peeled fruit on his tongue.

Summer looks over, then blushes, giggles, and tries not to snort up some food.

“Wha tho funny?”

Summer just finished chewing, swallowed and pointed, at him.

“It just looks so... cute.”

She grinned at him, before levitating a few more of the oranges onto his plate.

“Ow ith thith coot?”

“Idunno, but it is.”

She began to reach for another batch of food, this one a pile of green, leafy vegetables and a pile of roses and other flowers.

“Or just jealous ou don ave thith tongue.”

“Not at all. What would I need a tongue like that for? I’m a grazing herbivore, I don’t need to be able to grab my food with a prehensile tongue to eat it.”

“Iunno, I fink oo could find thum yuth fo it.”

Cole retracted his tongue as it was drying out, happily chewing the orange. Summer just snorted, the grin not leaving her face she continued to eat.

“Why’re you so happy?”

“You’re adorable when you eat, that’s what.”

“No I’m not.”

Cole pouted, sticking his tongue out at her, flicking it, hissing at her. She just giggled and restated that her assertion was correct. After breakfast, Summer asked him to follow her. Leading him towards another room near where the room he had woken in was.

The door was bright red, and had a circle in black, with a black six-pointed star inscribed on it, runes inside a double-circle bordering the entire thing.

“Huh, I think I’ve seen something like this somewhere, kinda like the pentagram on my wallet turned bag.”

“Indeed? Do you recognize what this is?”

“I think I should, but at the moment my brain seems to be failing me.”

“Well, let’s go inside, and I’ll show you.”

Her golden aura of magic opens the door, and it swings with a slight groan, a room that was dark even to Cole’s enhanced vision beyond the threshold. Striding in confidently, the fiery-colored mare’s horn sparks, and candles in dark purple light all around the room.

“Alright, now stand over here with me, so that I can summon our other partner.”

Author's Note

Part two of my traditional 2-part first update.
I hope you like the story so far.