Iron Will vs. The Penile Code

Early morning light filtered slowly across Iron Will's face, making his mouth and brows twitch slightly and drawing a deep, rumbling low from his mouth. His eyes wanted to open but the light falling across his features, even reduced by his curtains, was too much to face at that time of the morning. He shuffled slightly to the side but found himself blocked by a comparatively small, curled lump. He slowly lifted the covers and smiled.

Fluttershy lay by his side. She had started out the night, following a glorious session of lovemaking, sprawled out against him, hugging his muscular body. During the night, as she usually tended to, she had curled up into a tight, yellow-and-pink ball. I was absolutely adorable. She looked like a huge, multi-colored loukoumades, just as soft, sweet and delicious. She even made her own honey. The hearty chuckle he gave made one large, pretty teal eye open to regard him, a smile crossing her face. “Morning, angel...”

“That's my line,” Iron Will said, leaning his horned head down to plant a soft kiss on Fluttershy's cheek. He gave her a light smile and nuzzle along her chin. “Want me to make breakfast today?”

“Would you?” Fluttershy asked, pulling in tighter. “Um, I don't mean to impose but... I don't know your kitchen very well, and I'm still not sure what you might like. Plus, um, there's...”

“Souvlaki in the fridge,” Iron will finished, throwing his arms up and giving a tremendous stretch while yawning. He rolled his broad shoulders and gave Fluttershy's head a soft pat. “Just rest, honey. I'll make you something. Want me to serve it in here?”

“Oh no, that would be a terrible imposition,” Fluttershy said, snuggling into the sheets.

“You know I don't mind. I could join you. Breakfast in bed is better with a partner...” Iron Will mused. He jumped out of the bed and lumbered his way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. “A lot of things are better with a partner.”

His apartment was not that big but it was a step up from what he had been enduring before his job at Bare Mare. He was a bit jealous, because Fluttershy's place was bigger than his, but she had been a big star longer than he had been attached to her fame. But still, he was always comparing. Beside the single, large-ish bedroom and attached bathroom there was only a hallway that led to the living room and his cramped but functional kitchen.

His place was well stocked with photographs, from the hall to the walls and on shelves in the living room. The frames were filled with smiling, cheerful minotaurs, all in various tones and body patterns. A lot of cows, with a few bulls scattered throughout. And, of course, Iron Will was central in many of those photos, usually being fussed over by some group of cows or another. He had to laugh every time he saw that collection. The longer he spent in Equestria the more the realized that his huge family wasn't very ordinary in that nation.

He went around the kitchen as best he could, setting out pans, utensils and his collection of bottles with oil and spices that resembled Hellenic vases, a little, cute touch that Fluttershy had bought for their six month anniversary. He also got the big container of egg whites out of the refrigerator, along with the vegetables. He considered maybe pulling one of his skewers of meat out but he only liked to eat his souvlaki when he was on his own, as it bothered Fluttershy a great deal.

He was not a fancy or elaborate cook, though his numerous aunts and female cousins had been happy to teach him how to keep himself fed. He laughed a little at his memories as he set the olive oil to heating in two pans and whisked up a good portion of the egg whites. It wasn't traditional but he didn't need the cholesterol.

One pan was generously filled with pureed tomatoes and seasoned with several of the herbs from the little vases, while the other was left wholly alone. After the tomato sauce had thickened he threw the beaten egg whites into both pans. The tomato and egg mixture was scrambled up carelessly, while the plain egg whites had slivers of courgette, aubergine and bell pepper laid in it, eventually taking shape as an omelette. Before the cut the fire on both he threw cubes of feta into the tomato and egg scramble, getting the cheese thoroughly melted, while he dashed plenty of paprika on the omelette.

He plated both dishes and set them on a tray along with some glasses of fresh goat milk and utensils. The tray was another anniversary gift, a wooden replica of a Hellenic shield, bearing the traditional standard of his own home City-State. He took the food back into bed, where he found Fluttershy out of her curled position, resting against the headboard and waiting for him. “It smells delicious. You didn't have to go to all the trouble...”

“For you, it's never trouble,” Iron Will said gallantly, settling carefully into bed with the tray on his lap. He slowly turned it around to present the omelette to Fluttershy. “For you, egg-white omelette with sliced vegetables and paprika. For me, my usual strapatsada with feta. And fresh goat milk. I'm fairly sure Cassiopeia was saying 'Hello' when I picked up the bottles. Aristophanes is still upset I had to fire him. Couldn't be helped.”

Fluttershy paused her fork in mid-cut, looking slightly to the side at the glass of milk. “Oh, that's right... when you came to work at the studio you had to fire all those nice goats that worked for you. Did they... take it badly?”

“They ate an old loin cloth and all of my old posters. I was going to save those,” Iron Will said with a mix of sadness and mirth. “I didn't want to fire them. But it was becoming increasingly difficult to afford them. I think they wouldn't have minded if we had all been in the same boat.”

“And that's why you convinced the studio to buy their feta and milk?” Fluttershy asked.

“It's the least I can do to share the wealth. It's not like the studio needs goats for anything,” Iron Will said, poking at his food that made the silence stretch on for a moment.

Fluttershy ate her omelette in small, dainty bites, smiling as she did so. “It's so delicious. You're a wonderful cook.”

“Thank all the cows in my family. They were relentless. 'Goulielmakis, remember, bachelorhood is no excuse for eating nothing but gyros and kalamaki! And when you find a nice girl you teach her how to make all this or we will!'” Iron Will affected a high, scolding tone when doing his quote, ending with a huge, powerful laugh that almost toppled the milk glasses.

Fluttershy giggled politely behind a hoof. “You never told me about that. I did like to hear about all the pictures but you kind of left out the details.”

Iron Will consumed several large mouthfuls of his breakfast and chased them with a slug of milk. “I guess... well, a lot of that is personal, nostalgic family stuff. I guess I was just saving it. For a moment like this.” Iron Will carefully drew Fluttershy in closer, trying not to jostle their meals.

Fluttershy blushed deeply, eating silently for a while longer before she practically whispered out, “So... are you going to teach me how to cook your family recipes or are they?”

Iron Will didn't say anything for a while, his chewing becoming slow and somewhat mechanical. He gave a slow swallow and grinned aside at the yellow mare. “No need to bother them all the way back home. If you really want, I'll teach you that. I'll have you making baklava and moussaka in no time. My methods get results, satisfaction guaranteed.” He gave her a wink and a thumbs up.

Fluttershy hid another smile behind a hoof and lightly patted Iron Will's side. “I'm almost sorry... Oh! I mean no offense, but... I think it would be nice to meet your aunts and cousins. You always say how important family is; how much they mean to you.”

Iron Will finished off his strapatsada and milk, leaning back in the bed with a pleasant low and a nod. “Yea, they're great. I love them all. I miss them now and then, wonder how it's going out there in Hellas. I get letters, but letters don't really tell me much. And the time zones make phone calls difficult, not to mention finding a good long-distance plan...”

Fluttershy slowly nodded her head, drinking little sips of her milk and licking away the milk mustache before saying, “It sounds like you need your family to be closer. Maybe some of them could move out here. Or maybe we could start a family over here...”

Iron Will twitched at the suggestion, the motion sufficiently strong and sudden enough to jostle the tray and spill the milk, mostly on the tray, though some spilled out onto the sheets. “What?”

“Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be so sudden,” Fluttershy said contritely, quickly flying out of the bed and gathering the sheets around the spill that had not landed on the tray. “I'll put these in the hamper. I'm so sorry.”

“I-it's okay. That was my fault,” Iron Will said, carefully taking the tray and dishes back to the kitchen, washing off the milk and setting everything in the sink. “I should have been more careful about how I moved.”

“No, no, it was me. I... I should have been more discreet. But... Rarity's baby shower wasn't long ago. And it was so nice. All the presents, the cake, the jokes that made me blush. Sapphire even sang a song. And Rarity... Rarity talked over and over about how wonderful it was being pregnant and how much she wanted to hold her puppy, to love and care for the life inside her. She made it sound nice. I had been thinking a lot about it before. And you said you had been thinking. You needed time. There's been lots of time...”

Iron Will toweled off the rinsed tray and set it down on the stove, letting it clatter a bit too loudly. “I know there's been time. But it's... it's about how things are supposed to go. There's more to it than that, but the important thing is... marriage...”

“But, I can't get married,” Fluttershy said quickly, “Marriage means taking a vow of fidelity. I couldn't promise that unless I... gave up my career. And you did too...”

Iron Will let the comment slide, not having intended it. “I just... I wish you wouldn't treat me like the other costars.”

“But I don't. You're the only one I want to have a baby with,” Fluttershy said.

“I know what you're saying,” Iron Will said. He let the comment stand as an implication, though nothing came of it. He finally said, “It's like there's some part of you that isn't mine, exclusively mine.”

“Not all of your parts are mine alone either,” Fluttershy said, a blush crossing her features, “We have lots and lots of partners. It's the nature of our jobs. A baby would let us connect on a new level. We could bring a new life into the world. Then we'd have that connection without having to give up our jobs.”

Iron Will shook his head. It was clear Fluttershy didn't understand his point, and was adding on to what marriage meant to him. He made his way into the bathroom with a stoic look. “I'll shower and get ready for work. We can walk there together, the picket line is still there.” The door closed solidly, though without violence. Fluttershy looked at the door and finished stuffing the sheets into the hamper. She couldn't help but think that she was a loudmouth.

Iron Will leaped into the shower and cranked the water on. He didn't care about the temperature, not when it started out freezing not when it leaped out to as hot as he could bear. He just needed it flowing over him and an excuse to scrub a bar of soap over his body. The motion let him burn off the energy born of both anger and nervousness.

He didn't mean to hurt her. That was the last thing he ever intended. She had helped him transition into his job, a job that paid his bills and provided him with a unique group of friends. She had cared about him and made him comfortable when he tried something he thought was impossible. She had done everything for him. But still...

There was a certain distance between them. Even when they were settled up close together, even when he was inside of her in a moment of off-camera intimacy, there was a gulf. He couldn't even be sure what it was, if it was what she did or said, or what he thought of it all.

She cared, she cared a great deal. She loved to have him over to her place, to make little snacks from him (she never meant that but portions ended up that way) and to generally treat him well. But she also cared about all things in general. She was just as likely to go to the park and spread seeds for the birds, or give root vegetables to rabbits in the thicket. She would volunteer at the animal hospital at the drop of a hat, and the soup kitchen, or the orphanage. She loved to help.

She was sweet and kind to him, as if kindness was just what she was inside. But she was also kind to the animals at the pet shop, their waiters at restaurants and everypony she happened to meet. That was not bad at all. Nor was it all that unusual. After all, the other folks he knew were rather pleasant as well. But there was something special about the open and giving friendliness of Fluttershy. She gave that warm friendliness to everyone.

That was it. It was special, but special for all, which made it... nothing. She made love to him on camera and it was delicious. But she gave as much passion and care for every other stunt cock they put with her. She was still doing her virginal violation porn, even as she did her positive porn with him. She had to keep the audience happy. The bottom line mattered to Photo Finish and Hoity Toity. They were kind about it, they never forced her, but she understood what worked and she was only too happy to do it.

She had said he was special, that he was handsome, strong, wonderful. But never said she loved him. He said it to her, but she could never say it back. That was why he put off her implications. She was getting less and less patient and he was going to have to say it. It was frustrating but he didn't want to think of it in that way. She really was a wonderful mare. She was exactly the sort of lady his family would want for him... if she had been a cow.

His soapy hand drifted down to stroke along the flaccid pole of flesh that waved between his muscular thighs. He remembered back to his first foray into the porn world. He had been told to get hard and the pony porn wouldn't cut it. He had thought of his perfect woman, a cow of prodigious pulchritude, chest and abdomen. His length twitched and rose. But even with steady stroking it didn't quite get there. The cow, the beach, the squirting of milk and the movement of mammary flesh.

Then he thought of his charming and humble co-star. She was the epitome of restrained sexuality, a smoldering ember inside that retiring figure. She loved sex, but she loved being close even more. It was how she maintained the image of perpetual virginity. His cock grew harder as he squeezed and stroked it to the image of Fluttershy hiding behind her hair, peeking out with a blush and tiny smile. A deep groan tumbled from his lips as he pictured her turning to show off her smooth flanks and the deep divide, her sex on display. She was not wanton, she showed only peeks, revealing the glistening of dew on the sweet, ever-tight lips. That was her way.

His breath huffed out more raggedly, his huge chest heaving her his stroking quickened. The steam that surrounded him remind him of those humid days shooting, taking her in every manner possible then cleaning up and having lunch. He had just retracted a giant pole of meat form some orifice on her but she casually walked along, sometimes with a lift of her hind end if she was a little tender, and made nothing of it. She was so casual, but that was so sexy. Such innocence even after a major sex scene. She was a perfect lover.

He was oozing precum, the liquid lost in the hot water pounding off of him, while he thought that last part over. She was a perfect lover who never used the word 'love.' He said it. Why wouldn't she? Her caring was wonderful and her kindness sublime but that didn't add up to saying she loved him. He couldn't go that final distance. He never wanted her to know why but if she couldn't love him, how could she ever be a good mother for their child? He imagined her in that state, still looking pure, sweet and beautiful, but on her haunches, again looking through the curtain of her hair, a blush on her face as her hooves slowly stroked at the swell of her belly...

The orgasm gripped him with a shocking suddenness, his bellow throaty and strangled, eyes snapping open in shock. He shot long, ropey strands of calf-batter on the far wall of the shower, the heavy load splattering on the tile and slid down, the glue-thick wad loosened by the humidity and slight spray of water off of Iron Will's body. He planted his free hand on the wall, panting, groaning, shaking his head as he rode out wave after waved of self-induced euphoria.

It had been beautiful. So beautiful he had just released without a second thought. He wanted her like that, pregnant with his calf, blushing but proud. She would love the calf like she loved everything. But without any real commitment, or any real love he just couldn't see it. Even as much as he loved the idea, his body couldn't dictate his action. He had to follow his heart.

Iron Will and Fluttershy walked to the studio in relative silence. Both of them, as did most of the employees, lived within walking distance, which was a great convenience. Normally the trip was short enough to let them get to work in a decent time but long enough to allow for spirited conversation. The few comments came from Fluttershy, who occasionally tried to initiate benign conversation with less and less volume each time, until she ended up mumbling her failed attempt.

Iron Will finally sighed. He was hurting her again. “Look... I can't... I know what I need to say but I don't know if I can. You deserve an answer, no question. Just give me... a little more time.”

Fluttershy nodded her head slowly. “I... understand. I know that I can't answer some things very directly. I have to wait and think about it a lot. I don't have the kind of nerve that somepony like Miss Finish or Mister Toity or Rarity or... someone like you...”

Iron Will grunted softly looked aside a bit. It was true. He had been pushing a motivational technique about being bold and facing life head on and he couldn't even confront his own marefriend... mare friend with benefits... marefriend. It was no wonder he had failed. He wasn't selling anything useful. If he had been he would have never been in the state he was. “I want to, but I know that if I just do it it'll hurt you. That's not what I want. I used to tell folks to say anything even if it bothered others. Now I know that's wrong. Especially when it's you.”

Fluttershy blushed softly and hid behind her hair some more, occasionally peeking aside at Iron Will and tucking her head back down with a temporary deepening of the blush. “Th-thank you...”

Iron Will smiled, finally feeling a little relieved. The smile faded when they reached the street in front of the studio. The picket line was still there, and still just as annoyingly vocal, including the same occasional cries of, “Won't somepony please think of the children?”

“Let's just get through this without any trouble,” Iron Will said across to Fluttershy, who nodded to him.

The two of them strolled slowly through the picket line, most of the ponies glaring at them while subtly moving away. Applejack strolled right up to them, still with the sign strapped to her back. She nodded to them. “Ma'am. Critter.”

Iron Will was unsurprised by the greeting. Over the time of the picket they had grown at least decently tolerant of one anothers' existence. “Hillbilly.”

“Let's... let's just go in...” Fluttershy lightly pulled on Iron Will's arm, looking rather fearfully between the two. She knew they could get intense.

“Don't worry none, ah ain't gonna fuss,” Applejack said with a shrug. “Ain't no need. No cameras here today. Them buzzards found a fresher carcass ta pick at.”

Iron Will chuckled softly. “Good way of putting it. Don't worry, honey. She's harmless. So am I.”

“Seen ya comin' by a lot. Figured ya was knockin' horseshoes, but ah never thought ya was up ta th' 'honey-sugar-sweetie-pie' stage,” Applejack said. “Didn't think y'all folks had it in ya ta be courtin' an' romancin'.”

“Oh, um... I don't mean to say you're wrong but... you're wrong. I know you think you know about us but we're very different from your perception,” Fluttershy said, timidly approaching Applejack. “We're really, really nice folks. You've talked to Rarity before. She's a really good friend of mine.”

Applejack heaved a sigh after trying to work up some indignation to throw at Fluttershy. “Ma'am, ah can't tell a lie. Much as ah think it ain't right ta be doin' the sorta thing she's does in her state... ah'll be danged if she ain't a right cheery lady. And ah do like me a lady happy ta carry a child, no matter what it might be. Ah got me a cousin, gonna have herself a foal soon, an' she's a buffalo. Ah know y'all folk may be nice but... it ain't right what yer doin', and yer hurtin' families. It's like ya really don't care 'bout how yer sinful lives affect others.”

Fluttershy started to comment, but Iron Will cut her off. “Go on inside,” He said, giving Fluttershy a smile, “I want to talk to her a while longer. I promise I'll be nice as possible.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy said warily, before giving a cautiously optimistic nod to both Applejack and Iron Will.

Applejack moved her hat down and up to Fluttershy. “Ma'am, have yerself a nice day... but not too nice, if ya got plans fer anythin' untoward in there.” After Fluttershy had moved away she looked up to Iron Will. “So, critter. Ya got me here with no cameras. Whatcha got buzzin' in yer head?”

“Seems more like you have the bee in your bonnet... err, ten-gallon hat,” Iron Will said with a smug grin. He felt good about that joke. “This feels awfully personal, especially with all the talk about family.”

Applejack grumbled and pulled her hat down to hide her face. “Don't got a clue what yer getting' at, critter.”

Iron Will shook his head slightly and thumped his chest solidly. “I've got twelve blood-related aunts and eight blood-related uncles across my two parents, their spouses and more cousins than I can really remember. I know when there's a family matter. You're not the only one who knows what that's about.”

Applejack snorted and glanced to the side, tapping a hoof on the ground. “Ya got a lotta guff, critter, ah'll give ya that. Ya ain't quite what ah expected. It's... ah gotta be out here. Ah gotta be against this kinda place. Ain't nothin' 'gainst you 'r yer sugar-pie there. Jes gotta be done.”

“And why is that?” Iron Will queried. “Come on, you can tell me. I know you don't like me but I'm not a bad bull. I'm guessing you want to tell someone. Maybe I'll even understand your desire to put me out of a job.”

Applejack gave a wry laugh. “It ain't jes you, it ain't even 'bout what kinda males they got in there...” She gave a soft groan and a shake of her head. “It's... mah brother...”

“Hmm, the plot thickens...” Iron Will said, lightly tapping his cheek. “What about your brother?”

“Mah brother was a happy, normal country fella,” Applejack said with a wistful look. “He did a good job helpin' out on the farm. He used ta go inta town ta sell product an' buy supplies an' he met himself th' local schoolteacher. She was a real sweet lady, loved mah brother lots. They courted fer a bit and got hitched. That's when it happened...”

“So... did she hit him or something because she saw it in a porn? I know that can be a little uncomfortable,” Iron Will said, reflexively reaching down for his loincloth but restraining himself before he appeared to be making a lewd gesture at the country mare.

Applejack tilted her head curiously at Iron Will. “Ah guess accidents can happen, an' they don't get taken outta th' movie. Nah, weren't that. Mah brother he... he got hisself hooked on the porn. He watched it all the time, jes a-sittin' and a-slappin', like randy stallions do. His nice, sweet schoolteacher wife done got plain fed up, and ah don't blame her. She left him when she felt like she had ta compete with her husband's latest porn queen. Then he jes got worse. He would jes mope around, do his job an' head home to jes slap his troubles away, watchin' the porn all night.”

“I'm not the one there making him, uh, slap it out. I'm just doing a job. I get out of bed, make breakfast, shower and come down to work. It beats failing to bring in an audience at cheap motels trying to be a motivational speaker, or hawking cheap junk on late-night television commercials. I feel bad about what happened to your brother but... do you really think someone like this Twilight Sparkle really wants to help you?” Iron Will asked, looking seriously down on Applejack

“What's that there, critter?” Applejack ask, head tilting slightly. “Twilight Sparkle..? Think ah heard that name on the news talkin' 'bout this here law that'll put condoms on all y'all.”

Iron Will gave Applejack an incredulous look. “You really don't know her? Word around the studio is she put this whole picket line together with a lot of trickery and calling folks.”

“What? Naw, that ain't how it went,” Applejack said, reaching under her hat to pull out a pamphlet. “There here's why ah'm here. It's a group all about morals, an' such. PAP. Ponies Against Porn.”

Iron Will flipped through the pamphlet. It was slickly made, full of lurid descriptions of pornographic studios, liberally sprinkled with questionable facts, alleged testimonials from ex-porn stars and soapbox moralizing. It looked nothing like the creation of a simple organization. Rather than say that outright, Iron Will only said, “Haven't you noticed that dragon hanging around? That's Twilight Sparkle's assistant. He tours the place when she doesn't want to be seen. They've been keeping up the pressure until the Penile Code can go into effect.”

“Well... he's just a... concerned citizen. Dragons hate porn too...” Applejack shook her head and cleared her throat. “That don't matter none. She wants ta help stop porn, and that makes her aces in mah book. Don't matter what she's doin' it fer.”

“Does it matter why she's doing it?” Iron Will Asked. “She's not concerned with your morals. She wants power and control. This isn't the first thing she did. I looked. She was behind, 'Don't Smoke Joke...'”

“Hey! Ah know that! Mah sister-in-law had them posters up in her classroom!” Applejack said cheerfully. “Now if she was all fer that ah'm findin' ah likes her more 'n' more.”

“Yea, yea, I know, that was good. But I don't think she did it to be good. I think she just wanted to take things away,” Iron Will said, tapping his chin, “Because I found out what she did next. She tried to keep her name out of it but she was the one that started prohibition.” He looked down at the orange mare with an accusatory glare. “Did your family happen to make any money during that time?”

Applejack's mouth quirked and she glanced to the sides. “We did what we did, like we always did. Granny told me there weren't no no shame in getting' what we could, so long as nopony got hurt. But that ain't the point! There ain't no prohibition no more. Ah guess she thought it was a good thing at the time. Everypony is allowed ta be wrong every once in a while. That don't change the fact that she was right about Poison Joke and she's right about this porn thing here. It's bad business an' it turns good folk like mah brother inta pre-verts!”

Iron Will was prepared to let Applejack have it again but he looked on her and sort of... understood her. She was a moralizing pest, sure. But she was also a family mare with a brother who was hurt. She needed a target for her anger and she picked on the easiest one. He knew about family. “It's a business... look, I've gotta go in. I'm... I'm really sorry about your brother. I know you don't believe me but I am.”

Applejack clicked her tongue and looked away. “Thank ya, critter... sir. We can't see eye-ta-eye, but ah can tell ya know from family. Good day to ya an' ah hope yer honey-pie treats ya right.”

Iron Will wasn't even sure what to say about that. Not given what he had been thinking of that morning. “I hope so too...” Was all he muttered before making his way into the building.

Inside the studio Iron Will didn't even have to open his mouth. Opal opened a door and smiled brightly to him. “Rehearsal, studio twelve. She said she wanted you there.”

“Thanks, Opal,” Iron Will said with a half-hearted smile. He made his way down the halls, occasionally looking at the posters on the wall. Feature covers and nature scenes above his sayings. He had dreamed of selling his sayings to office buildings one day, as a side-business to his speaking career. Technically he was still doing that. He was selling to one office, but only sort of, as a sideline to his real career of making a pegasus gape.

He looked at his reflection in one of the pieces of glass and gave a thumbs up, smiling as he used to during his lectures. He looked much better, without the crushing weight of debt, better muscled and properly fed. It was a good look, and added strength to the saying behind the glass, 'Maybes are for babies!' He heaved a sigh and moved along. He was sure having his share of maybes.

He reached the door of the studio and braced himself for the attack of squeaking before he opened the door. But when he opened the door he was not greeted by the obnoxious squeal of rubber on rubber. He heard only the restrained whimper and gentle moan of Fluttershy, buried deep beneath the heavy, loud grunts and cries of a stallion.

The room was mostly empty, as it was a rehearsal rather than an active filming. There were really no technical personnel inside, just Hoity observing Fluttershy and a green unicorn stallion. The two were on the set, which was bare save for a single, large pillow. The stallion was on his back, legs spread out wide to display his modestly-sized genitals, cock wrapped in a condom, balls lightly swaying with any motion of his body, though his motions were kept to a minimum. Fluttershy was the one doing the moving, ass wrapped snugly around the rubber-clad pole, her vacant sex filled with a fem-dom despite being unused. She was performing her most famous motion, the Anal Butterfly, letting gravity pull her slowly down to the very base of that dick, then flapping her wings to pull her back to the tip.

Iron Will walked up to Hoity and motioned to the scene. “Another loophole?”

Hoity nodded without looking to the side. “They must wear the prophylactics, but there is no anal requirement. It is, as yet, mercifully quiet, though simply seeing her own protection in is quite unusual.”

Iron Will turned to watch Fluttershy and the stallion. Her breath was puffing out in cute, squeaky little pants, eyes closed, mouth slightly agape while her tongue peeked out. She rested at the end of each downward slide and then reluctantly began flapping to drag herself slowly up the lightly-throbbing organ. She appeared to struggle with the flight, seemingly running out of energy right at the crest, letting loose a gentle while as she slid back down again, wing spread out wide but slowly drooping back to her sides.

The cycle continued for a good while, Fluttershy making each fatigued slide down look natural and every desperate wing-beat seem sincere. One upward move broke the pattern, her wings not stopping as she got to the crown of the stallion's dick. She continued to flap, head shaking, teeth grinding lightly. She pulled off the broad head with a soft 'pop' and a tiny squeak of relief. She remained fluttering over the lightly-twitching cock while she eagerly rubbed and softly flicked at her clit under the fem-dom's rubber covering.

“O-oh my...” Fluttershy whimpered, working her button a little faster before she settled her anus against the covered organ. She let out a little shout as the broad head spread her anal ring again, her wings ceasing to flap. She slowly slid down the length once more, working at her nub until she hit bottom again. “It's so big! Oh my, it's... it's almost too much.”

“Because of the sensation loss from the condom use I had to implement extensions to such scenes to keep them from growing stale,” Hoity said aside to Iron Will. “And, of course, she must work herself with a bit more vigor than is seemly for a supposed virginal mare but she also must fight the loss of sensation.”

Iron Will nodded his head slowly, only really half-hearing Hoity's explanation. He just watched her perform, her face determined, rather than pleasured. He knew that look. She got it when she took on the challenge of his rod. She did love it, and said so often. But the look was the same. “Looks like it's all good. Tell her I'm heading home if you don't need me for anything. I need to prepare for the trial.”

“Of course. Mental preparation is important,” Hoity said. “I will convey your message to Miss Fluttershy. Please do try to calm yourself. We need to remain united, and have our wits about us.”

“Right, right... rest...” Iron Will said, taking one last look at Fluttershy before walking out of the studio.

Back at his apartment Iron Will fried up a few of his souvlaki on a griddle, despite the fact that it sometimes got complaints from his pony neighbors if they happened to be around. Ponies were rather bad about accepting that some folks were omnivorous. He pan-fried some zucchini in olive oil to go along with his meaty meal, and finished it all off with a big, proper glass of cold ouzo, out of a bottle his mother had sent him.

He fell down heavily on the low couch in his living room with his food and drink. He could have watched some television but he did not feel like risking seeing any news while flipping around. He flicked on the nearby record player and put on a record from home. The familiar sound of the strumming bouzoukia, plinking lyres, resounding accordions and thumping tympanum soothed Iron Will's mind and made him smile as he sedately ate the meat off the skewers and picked the zucchini with his fingers, taking generous pulls at the ouzo glass between mouthfuls.

He leaned backed in a more comfortable posture after he had eaten his meal, drumming his fingers on his stomach in time to the music. The cheerful tunes had ended and slower, more thoughtful and ponderous music had begun. The combination of the small buzz from the alcohol, the peacefully-sated feeling in his belly and the heavy music got him reminiscing.

Way back, when he had first started working there Hoity had tried something more avant garde than usual. The details escaped him, as he had not been directly involved but more casually interested. He knew that music had been involved, and two temporary workers had been brought in to add a touch of exoticism. He recalled a Neapolitan earth pony who often wore a conical hat decorated with colorful poms, as well as a very swarthy donkey with a thin mustache and a heavy Iberian-esque accent.

The two had not exactly been standoffish but they did not freely socialize with the others. At first Iron Will had thought it had been a language barrier but they spoke the local tongue well enough. He had made an effort to get to know them and was eventually rewarded with a friendly relationship. They did not really 'talk shop' but did enjoy expounding on various social and personal matters.

“Life can be a comedy if we let it be,” The stallion was fond of saying, usually with a smile. “We make what we will of what becomes of us. We choose to end or begin the comedy. It amazes me when I see those that would just toss it aside.”

“It is so,” The donkey would often concur. “But it is truer that some things we do to ourselves because we cannot stop ourselves. They are natural. We could want to do one thing but our nature would always be in the other direction. The simplest thing to mention is jealousy. We may not want to be jealous but it will always fester there, especially if there is no trust. Jealousy will drive you mad.”

The trial was not that far away. They were bound for Canterlot the next day to prepare for it. They were supposed to be relaxing and remaining strong and united in the face of the opposition. But all Iron will could do was remember a few odd guys that left after their job was complete. He remembered because they were spot-on about life. About jealousy.

He didn't want to mistrust Fluttershy. He loved her; he had always loved her. It showed every time he made love to her. No pony had ever aroused him until he met her. She was still the only one that could make him rock hard and ready to go. He enjoyed her company, he loved her jokes, her gentle manner, her adorable laugh, her whole bearing and aura of sweetness.

She enjoyed him, he knew that. But she also enjoyed random stallions plugging her rear end. She never said that she loved those other males she appeared with, but she never told him she loved him. It was going around and around in his head. He was echoing himself. Just like in the shower that morning he was just torturing himself.

He was going to have to tell her. He wanted to chicken out and just keep putting her off, to wonder. She would never push the issue. That was her way. But that would just be manipulation on his part, taking undue advantage of her timidity and reticence. If he loved her so much he couldn't just hurt her like that or force her to live in uncertainty, wondering what she had done wrong when it was him. It was all him and only him.

Iron Will sighed when he finally realized the record had ended. He flicked off the player and looked out at his kitchen, remembering that morning, and remembering the look on Fluttershy's face as she did her anal scene with that stallion. He was falling into the trap. He couldn't make his mind obey his will. Jealousy wasn't driving him mad. It was making him aware of the real problem. He lacked love, and lacked trust. No love and no trust was making him crazy.

Fluttershy asked about Iron Will after her rehearsal, having saw him out of a partially-open eye during her practice she. She had smiled at him but wasn't sure if he had seen. Hoity's telling her that he had gone back home to rest and recuperate before the trial had made her sad, but she had understood. It was very sensible, and he was good about being practical. That had been his living.

She considered going to visit him, but knew it would be better to leave him be to rest. They all needed to rest and prepare. She did want to rest and be close together with him, but after the events of the morning and his not staying around she had to consider the idea that he needed more time to himself. She just went back home and tried to relax.

Her own apartment was very modest, though clean and nice. She could afford a more opulent space, but in all aspects of her life she was modest. All she cared about was space enough for her own comfort and a building that allowed animals. Though she preferred wild animals she kept some domesticated pets in cages. She made sure, at least, they were beautiful cages, and always very clean.

She had been puttering around the apartment, feeding her animals and cleaning up what little mess there was. Her attention more often than not drifted to the telephone, and her mind ran over Iron Will's phone number. She finally went over to it to give him a friendly call when she saw the blinking light on her answering machine. Hoping beyond hope she hit the button and heard his voice.

”Hey babe it, uh, it's me. I'm sitting here on the couch, I just ate a bachelor's brunch of fried zucchini and souvlaki... probably shouldn't have mentioned that. I also drank a lot of ouzo. No more than usual but...yea, probably more than usual. Not just the taverna glass I bought. Two of those. And a little more. I guess I'm a little drunk. I don't know, never been drunk drunk before.

“I'm calling because I have to. It's only right. It's probably the ouzo making me brave. You think I'm so brave and was a good speaker. You're wrong. If I had really been any good at that I would have made money. I was just lucky you took pity on me and got me a job I'm actually good at. Brave... I can't even tell you what's wrong.

“I used to think I'd never have to tell you. I thought if I just put it off you would forget, or I'd get out of my responsibility by you never bringing it up anymore. Yea. I'm so brave... I realized I was hurting you like this. I was also disrespecting you. I'm just figuring out I'm... kind of a dick. And not the kind that makes me a living. The kind that treats mares like you like dirt. I don't deserve you. But the problem is... I don't even know if I have you.

“That's what I've always been afraid of. I never told you because I hoped it would just go on like it always would. It would be okay because we always had later to talk about it. That trial is coming. We don't really have much 'later' left if this thing happens. I know you want a kid. I'll be honest... I do too. But I need you to understand why I keep putting it off...

“I come from a big family. You know that much. You've seen the pictures. We're also a pretty well-off family. My mother is one of the distant offshoots of the royal family, and my father made a ton of money in shipping. Both families were not happy with me coming to Equestria to be a speaker and thespian. But I told them I knew what I was doing. Eventually they knew they couldn't stop me. My mother told me I could come home any time I wanted. She also told me, she hope I could find somecow to love me. I realize now that I don't want somecow. I want somepony. A special somepony.

“There's more to it, though. My family believes that love should go along with having calves. And I don't know if you do. You care about me. You treat me nicely. But you never said you love me. You like what I can do but I hear the same 'nice' out of you that you tell you every worker you act with. You look the same with them as you do with me. I don't feel like... you even feel the same for me that I do for you. And if you don't love me... I just can't see having a baby with you.

“Family matters to me. A lot. I want a calf. I want you to be mother to my calf. I want your love. I don't know if I have it. That's... that's why. Just... so you know. I... probably should have tried this sober. I'm probably going to regret this. But, um... that's what I had to say. I hope you're alright.” The machine clicked as the message ended.

Fluttershy had been cheered at the start of the call, even laughing over the talk about being drunk. She knew it was out of character for him, and he was far more put-together than the other drunk folks she had seen before. It still sounded like him, but far less restrained than he had been lately, which was refreshing.

She became more interested as the rambling talk led into his feeling of not being brave, of being mean to her. She had never even suspected. She had been considering dropping the matter. She had been making him uncomfortable, and that had been unfair. It was almost refreshing to know the discomfort went both ways.

The last part, however... it was like a punch in the stomach. She was simultaneously angry and sorrowful. She couldn't believe he would say that she didn't treat him differently. She always talked to him, ate lunch with him, went out with him. She never did that with any of the other guys. They barely thought of her, and she had no reason to think much of them.

He was right, however. In all the time they had been in some sort of a relationship... she had never said those words. She had thought that saying she wanted a baby said it. But he had been raised differently. The child wasn't a sign. That came after the love had come about. He had gone with her, enjoyed her company, and told her he loved her. He loved her. She did care about him. She did want to be with him. But after so much porn she wasn't sure what it meant to care like that.