Meanwhile, Lero was trying to sort out his own feelings.  What the… I had no idea she was interested in me like that!  Am I misinterpreting?  Kinda hard to misinterpret a kiss like that!  It’s a possibility… but I don’t think so. So… am I interested?  He saw her face fall and realized she was probably taking his hesitation as rejection.  Damn, gotta work this out fast!  So is it… wait, no, it’s not bestiality.  She’s at least as smart as I am, smarter than a lot of humans I’ve known.  Even thinking about it as bestiality is insulting her, and I respect her too much for that.  Not just respect her, let’s be honest here, I love her too much for that.  He knew Rainbow wasn’t actually a horse, though she superficially resembled one.  There were plenty of differences, though, besides her obvious sapience.  (And, well, the wings.  No vertebrate on Earth had a third limb girdle)  Her head and mouth were structured totally differently for one, with a shorter, narrower muzzle, larger eyes, stereoscopic vision, much larger brain cavity, and a more humanlike lip structure than any terrestrial equine.  Even her hooves were different; softer and more flexible than a terran horse’s, (as he could feel right now with her forehoof resting on his chest) and boasting a limited grasping capability that no horse had ever had.  So, she’s definitely not an animal, but she’s definitely not a human either.  So… it would be xenophilia, right?  Am I a xenophile?  He hadn’t thought so, but… Wait, I’m looking at this the wrong way.  I get along with her better than I’ve ever gotten along with anyone; if she was human, I’d totally be all over her right now.  Am I gonna turn her down because of the way she looks?  Put that way, hell no.  I hate guys who do that.  ‘Sides, she is kinda pretty, in her own way.