> Crossing Love > by Trillionaire Doge > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crossing Love Written by Trilandpk Edited/Proofread JustYourNotRegularBrony Chapter 1 What happens when you are completely down on your luck? When the person you thought loved you, denies your advances? Well for me, I like to walk when things become too much. Just the feeling of my feet hitting either hard or soft ground, the sound of either shoes clicking against cement or crunching underneath snow during winter, this seems to help sooth my languid soul. The crisp summer air that was neither to hot, or too cold, but just enough to warrant a thin jacket in order to keep away the uncommon breezes. Or it could be like tonight, with the cold winter breeze blowing against my skin, chilling me to the bone, if not for the heavy jacket I wore. Underneath all this winter clothing was a shell of a man, depression was something that he found himself lost in; like it was an ocean and he was drowning. Underneath his pulled up hood was a sandy blonde haired twenty-five year old, he had a nice body; nothing to brag about but he took care of himself. But he took care of his body because of the reason he is depressed at the moment. His eyes were a deep blue, like a clear sky on a sunny day; sometimes people thought his eyes were just like the sky, clouding up at moments and then completely clear the next; they shone in the moonlight like diamonds. My winter boots crunched against the snow, as I carried my depressed body through the forest located just beyond the city limits. My tears were slightly staining my cheeks as another resonating echo of my boot pierced the cold air, “Damnit, why does this happen to me?” I sobbed softly while passing a tree, but not before slapping my hand across it; receiving a few lingering wood chips on my palm. “This is the final time." I growled to myself, my sadness turning to depression. “I guess that I’m not worth anything to anyone anymore.” I began as my limbs started to lose the will to continue onwards. My steps began to shorten as I came into a small circular clearing. The reason I was so upset was probably due to how my girlfriend of seven months had dumped me this morning, she claimed it was because I’d changed compared to what I once was; when I’d changed small things because she’d asked me too. 'Oh, what’s that? You like playing video games on the weekend? Well, I’d prefer if you came over every weekend and stayed with me.' I will admit that wasn’t too bad, I actually enjoyed hanging out with her. Although the next thing wasn’t exactly what I liked. “I don’t like you hanging out with your friend, James because he’s says rude things to me.” This, albeit slightly true, was the first of many straws. James was my best friend and we’d been friends since kindergarten, it was hard to tell him that I couldn’t hang out; from then on we slowly drifted apart. Next was the obvious change to hairstyles and clothing, since apparently I didn’t wear the right clothing to be around her. I always liked wearing jeans and a hoodie when I went out, mostly because it was comfortable and was what I liked. So whenever I was around her next, I always had to wear extremely smart clothing, like a dress suit or blazer with nice jeans instead of my casual jeans. I tore myself away from the memories of how much she had changed me and started to recall when it started to go downhill. Stephanie decided she would go and get a new job which would tear her away from me due to it being a night job, and her having to work on weekends. That was three months ago, and we barely saw each other after that. I mean, we did see each other on occasion, but not as much as we each liked. I started to think around that time, I wouldn’t need to wear or dress how I was back when we saw each other almost every day, so over the months my hair started to grow back out to its normal length; where it was just visible in my eyes. I also started to dress in my casual slob clothing whenever I knew she was working, which was quite a lot. Then today came by and I already knew what was coming when she called me; during my and her break shift at work. “Hey darling!” I spoke while answering the phone. “Heyyyyyyy...” was the reply I got, causing my stomach to flip. “What is it?” I asked, hoping she was alright. “Weeeellll..." She seemed to be avoiding what she was trying to say. “Stephanie, are you alright?” “Listen Jackson..." She began, “We really need to talk.” I felt time slow down, “What… do you mean?” “This just isn’t working anymore." She spoke the words I hoped she would never utter. “What do you mean by that?” I finished my previous question and swallowed hard. “Jackson. I’m breaking up with you.” She ripped the band aide off but it still hurt like a bitch for both of us, me more so. “This just hasn’t been working for a while.” “But… why?” I asked in complete shock. “Because you’ve changed over the last three months, and I found someone else.” She almost whispered the last part; as if she was ashamed of herself before restating it, "I found someone who is what I want in a man." then she hung up. I felt my legs freeze in the spot they were and turn into jelly, collapsing onto my knees, fresh tears erupting from my eyes, not because of being dumped, but because I allowed myself to believe it was my fault. I just realized how horrible Stephanie had actually been to me, I’d always done whatever she wanted without question, leaving friends behind, sacrificing my weekends and losing my close connection to my parents. Slowly, a small smile spread across my lips when I realized even through my broken heart, that somehow I had actually been set free because of this. Although it hurt considerably, I felt this was for the best and someway or somehow my life would become better than before because of this. As I was processing these thoughts, a loud bang filled the air and I was blown back from my kneeling stance, flying through the air for a split second, colliding with a tree and passing out from the sheer force. ---->>> 2 Days Earlier <<<---- A pink coated alicorn pony was standing in her room, examining herself in the mirror, checking how she looked in her newest dress. She wanted to impress a certain stallion, her fiancé to be more precise, they were to be wed in the next two weeks and she was positively ecstatic about it. The dress she wore hugged her body tightly, showing off her curves almost perfectly, but what could she expect when it came from one of the best designers in Canterlot? It was a bright red dress that fell down to her knees, once it reached her waist however it stopped hugging so tightly and allowed more room for walking and movement. Her warm coloured mane was pulled back into a ponytail, aptly named because it resembled how her tail was in fact styled. She really wanted to see her fiancé, and couldn’t wait until she met up with him. She’d been in love with Shining Armour for around as long as she had been foal sitting Twilight, which was quite a long time, around twelve years in fact. Then, finally, last year he responded to her feelings, saying that he too felt the same way, although he was a bit more subtle with showing he was interested, and it wasn’t until he had almost killed himself with cologne one night that he had approached her and admitted his feelings. The Alicorn staring into the mirror had obviously accepted and returned the feelings, with enthusiasm that could only be matched by a certain party pony that lived in Ponyville. Stepping away from the mirror, she heard her voice being called by none other than her beloved. "Cadence, you there?” The familiar, masculine voice of the royal guard called to her. “Yes, darling!” Was Cadence’s only reply as she dashed over to the door, her wings rustling uncomfortably behind her in anticipation as she prepared to open the door. Cadence, however, didn’t get the chance to open the door as it flung open just as she was reaching her hand out. A loud gasp breached her lips when she saw Shining Armour standing there with a green glow filling his eyes, beside him was a mirror image of Cadence herself. “What's happening?” Cadence asked and was mirrored by the other Cadence. Immediately all three walked into the room seemingly on their own volition, although Cadence 1 was trying to call out someone’s name, only to be stopped by a hand clamping down on her mouth. “Can’t have you calling for the other princesses, can we?" The second Cadence spoke, her eyes flashing green as her form began to change from Cadence’s into a much larger humanoid with holes covering her body and a jagged horn, insect like wings were resting behind her. “That wouldn’t work well in my favour.” She crooned, while running her other hand along Shining’s face, causing Cadence’s face to erupt with rage as she tried to scream. Countless thoughts were rushing through Cadence’s mind as she watched the alicorn with holes all over her body stroke Cadence’s fiancé; in fact, most of the thoughts involved killing said alicorn in horrible ways. She opened her mouth quickly and bit down on the hand that had been covering her mouth, causing the alicorn to scream in pain. “Leave Shining alone, or I swear to Celestia-” Cadence shouted before being silenced yet again by another hand, this one much firmer than the previous one and shocked Cadence. The hand that was now gripping her muzzle was none other than her beloved; Shining Armour just stared at Cadence with no life in his eyes. “Shining, why?" Cadence mumbled out, but it came out more like “shming whay” due to the hand not allowing her mouth to move an inch, Celestia he was strong. “If you are asking why,” The alicorn began with a smile, showing off her pointed teeth in a malicious grin. “Well, it’s simply because my people and I are starving, and your Shining here is the key to a feast unlike we’ve ever had before, and I cannot have you interfering with my plans.” Shining opened his mouth and spoke in a slurred voice. “That is why we need to send you away.” Upon hearing her special somepony say this caused Cadence’s heart to break a little, she stopped squirming and stood there, staring into Shining’s eyes as a tear rolled down his and her’s. She was about to say goodbye when she felt an extreme shock envelope her body, extracting a scream from her now unblocked mouth, she felt her body start to disappear and soon found herself travelling through darkness; forced along by an unknown force. She screamed out as she was being pushed at breakneck speeds. “Shining Armour!" as if his name would allow her to travel back, she prayed to all that was mighty she could reunite with her one true love, although no one answered her call and she continued flying through blackness. Cadence couldn’t remember how long she had been travelling through the blackness, but she did know she had fallen asleep a few times at least she thinks she fell asleep; it was hard to tell in all the darkness. Something she did experience though was the feelings of an unknown creature, it was hard to describe but Cadence felt strange emotions flood her mind out of nowhere at times. These emotions ranged as time drew onwards, but they seemed to be going from extreme happiness to sorrow and loneliness, but now they were drawing to an extreme sorrow and she could’ve sworn she could hear crying. Cadence found this unnerving at best and continued to feel what this creature was feeling, that was until she felt his emotions change from sorrow to happiness, a loud white filling the area around Cadence while an explosion barraged her ears. Caught off surprise Cadence screamed in shock, both of the explosion and the sudden emotional change. Then she felt a cold breeze ruffling her mane and snaking its way through her coat, sending shivers down her body. Cadence instinctively hugged herself and went into a fetal position, her teeth starting to chatter, while her body tried to recover from its disuse and the sudden change of surrounding. After several long freezing minutes Cadence was able to open her eyes without recoiling at the light, regardless of how dim it was, the cold was also a factor which caused her to shift around every few seconds in hope of finding something warm. She however didn’t find anything of the sort and continued this set of movement, until the several minutes passed and she was able to move around without collapsing, open her eyes without being blinded and stand the cold a little better than before. Looking around her surroundings Cadence noticed a lot of snow and not much else, Trees littered the edge of the small clearing she had awoken inside, the moons shone down upon her but when she looked at it she realized it wasn’t the same moon she was used to seeing. It was then that Cadence noticed the crumpled figure in front of a tree, trying to stand up but failing every time, a black liquid dripped from its body every few seconds. “Hello,” Cadence called out, “Are you okay?” she continued to ask, receiving no response except for a loud groan of pain. ---->>> Jackson <<<---- I opened my eyes and felt an burst of pain force itself through my now frozen body, snow littered all through my jacket and hair, causing me to shiver, my head felt wet and a warm liquid covered my vision every few seconds; until I wiped it off. I lifted myself up with my arms but they went limp at the small exertion, I only managed to push myself over and away from the tree. I continued trying to force myself off of the freezing ground but each time I failed miserably, I was halfway through my fifth try when I thought I heard a voice call to me, ignoring the voice I tried again, the same liquid flowing from my head and onto the snow allowing me to see a deep red circle form wherever the liquid touched the snow, I was bleeding. Is it bad? I thought with a loud groan answering my question, as I placed a hand on my head. Probably a concussion at least I continued to think before falling into the snow face first again, what was that anyway? I thought to myself while the cold of the snow overtook the warm fuzzy feeling I had in my head. “Hey, are you okay?” There’s, that voice again I thought while my body desperately tried to turn itself over, in hopes of escaping the cold. “Helloooooo, can you answer me?” The voice called out, much closer now. That’s starting to drive me insane. I joked to myself, before managing to push myself over, leaving a large red circle in the area my head used to be resting. “What do you want?” I called out, wondering if the voice was real or just my mind playing tricks of me. “Are you okay?” the voice questioned me, it sounded feminine and warmed my battered heart. “Are you here to claim my body?” I spoke with hesitation, mostly because I didn’t want to die and another because this voice was really starting to make me question myself. “Claim your body? What?” The feminine voice asked. “Also where am I?” it continued to ask questions. I groaned loudly at the voice, running my hands through my hair roughly, causing me to gasp in pain when I felt the large bump starting to form on the back of my head. “You are in Salt Lake City, Utah.” I answered the stupid question, who the hell didn’t know where this place was I thought with anger, “Land of the Mormons.” I finished with a little joke for an unknown reason. “Where is Salt Lake City, Utah?” the voice asked, even closer now, I could hear the sound of footsteps crunching as the voice closed in, she might actually be real. Turning my head I saw the legs of an unknown figure, “Thank god that you are actually real." I spoke with gratitude before trying yet again to stand up. “Oh my!” she called in surprise, “You’re bleeding!” she gasped and leant down, lifting me into her arms, staring down at me with kind eyes. “Yeah, this kind of happens when you get thrown into a tree by an explosion.” I joked with a ghost of a smile, damn this girl felt nice, is that fur or something I can feel, those eyes were really something. “Oh, that’s shocking." She spoke softly and wondered if the explosion she felt was the same one this stallion was talking about, although he doesn’t have much fur and his face was a lot different compared to hers, he actually looked kind of cute; although Cadence would never admit it to herself. “Let me have a look at you." She spoke softly and I saw a small light fill the area around her face, she had much larger eyes than I had and a small snout like that of a horse, although it was much smaller and made her look more human than horse. I felt a warmth fill my body as the girl touched me with something on the top of her head, it looked a little like a unicorn horn but she moved so fast I could barely see it before it was touched to my head. As the warmth flooded my body and I closed my eyes as I felt the bump on the back of my head begin to disappear, bruises and a fractured bone mended without any pain, the blood covering my body remained though, and so did the horse girl who had saved my life. As my mind became less hazy I opened my eyes, noticing that the girl I’d been talking with moments before was mere inches away from my face and staring straight at me, a red tinge warmed my cheeks and I looked away from the horse, which was hard to do since there was almost no room to look away. My nose brushed against hers and I felt her recoil in shock, the warmth left me just as soon as it had arrived, I was also tossed away from the girl in surprise as I rolled back into the snow. Turning over I was now able to actually look at the girl in front of me, and I was sure that I’d died or the knock of my head had turned me insane. She was covered in a light pink coat that resembled a horse, her eyes were much larger than a human, she had a horn and a set of wings which were barely visible from the ground, her hair was a multitude of colours and she also had a tail. I’m obviously insane I ran the thought through my head as she looked away from me with a small red hue covering her pink face. “How dare you!" She asked, in an accusing matter. “Excuse me?” I asked in utter shock, lifting myself up from the snow and into a sitting position. “You just rubbed your muzzle against mine!” she said in accusation. I thought for a second before remembering when my nose brushed past her… muzzle, I guess it is. “Oh, that, no I’m sorry, I just wanted to avoid staring at your gorgeous eyes.” I coughed the last bit in embarrassment. Yeah, Definitely Dead. Cadence however had heard it clear as day and looked further away, almost doing a complete 180 to avoid looking at me, I could now see her wings and was debating whether or not to touch them and see if they were real. I decided to go for it and reached my hand out before touching her wings softly, they were as soft as they looked and I couldn’t help but smile, she also seemed to be moving into my hand for a second before turning around and slapping me, the sound echoing through the silent forest air. “How indecent must you be!" She almost screamed this time, she looked like she had been crying, her fur looked wet and matted. I had no idea why I was talking in such a kind manner to a horse person, guess it was the concussion I probably had. “Sorry...” I croaked out, “A-are you okay?” I continued on to ask. “No, I’m not." she sobbed softly before sniffling, “My fiancé is in trouble and there is nothing I can do to stop it from here!” she cried out, before collapsing onto me and gripping me tightly. I was surprised at this but didn’t stop her, I was completely unable to stop her from hugging and crying onto me, and so I just sat there as she latched onto me. “Hey, it’s alright, I’m sure there’s a way to get you back.” I tried to reassure her, “We can figure a way to get you back.” I had no idea why I was so accepting of this strange creature that just appeared in my world, I’m sure if it wasn’t for the fact of me probably being crazy I would’ve denied her the moment I saw her. But right now all I want to do is help her, not because it’s the right thing to do, but because she has someone she loves and wants to be with; and who am I to deny that. I mean of course I was denied the very same thing, but she looks like she and her fiancé still have hope, plus they are engaged which is a good sign. “We won’t be able to get back because I have no idea where I am!” Cadence sobbed loudly. I was at a loss for words and instead just ran my hand through her ponytailed hair, it was soft and unlike anything I’d ever felt before. After a few seconds the girl pulled back and stared at me, “I promise I will return you to the one you love.” I assured her with a smile. She looked confused for a moment before smiling just as wide as me, “Cadence.” she stated while tilting her head to the side cutely. “Jackson." I responded holding out my hand for a while without her taking it, Damnit Jackson don’t find this horse creature’s antics cute she’s spoken for I thought before lowering my hand. Cadence removed herself from my body and stood up with a small shiver, I also felt a tiny chill come on, it had been blocked out when we were close and hugging but now it had returned. I looked up at Cadence and found she was only wearing a very thin red dress, while I was wearing a large jacket and a thick shirt; my jeans were also very thick and good at keeping out the cold. I felt my masculine instincts kick in and removed my jacket, holding it out for Cadence to take “It’s cold out, you should wear this.” I spoke while looking away, hoping she didn’t take it as me flirting with her. “Thanks Jackson." Cadence replied with so much emotion in her voice, it was the single most fulfilled thank you I'd ever heard. I heard the jacket rustle as she pulled it on but I never heard it zip up. “Jackson, the jacket it… doesn’t fit” she finished and upon looking back I noticed her wings were pushing the jacket away from her body, I shook my head with a smile. I realized the next option and decided to go with it. “Sorry, Cadence." I spoke with a small smile before pulling my thick long sleeved shirt off and over my head, exposing my chest to the cool night air, causing me to shiver and Cadence to gasp. I held out the shirt. "Here, this should work, it’s a lot stretchier than the jacket." Looking away in embarrassment, I felt her take the shirt and give me back my jacket. “Thanks Jackson.” she repeated again and this time as I was pulling my jumper on I noticed her pull the long sleeved shirt onto her body, it was a snug fit but it looked more comfortable to wear than the dress she was wearing underneath. “Sorry I can’t do anything for your legs.” I voiced my apology and she just shook her head. “No, it’s perfectly fine, I’m surprised you offered me your clothing to keep me warm.” She really is nice and carefree I thought as she stared at me expectantly. Oh, right. “You can stay with me until we figure out how to get you back, so follow me." I spoke with a shrug and turned away from Cadence. “Okay Jackson.” She spoke and just as I began to walk I felt her grip the back of my jacket, almost as if I would leave her behind otherwise. Bit attached. ---->>>-----------------------<<<---- Arriving at my small flat I fumbled around in my pocket for a second before pulling my keys out, we’d been lucky so far and hadn’t run into anyone who might question me walking around with a giant pink humanoid pony Alicorn. I unlocked the door and quickly ushered Cadence into the small flat, inside all the lights were off so she didn’t go inside without looking afraid as to what was inside the building. Once she was inside I followed suit, hitting the lights on the way in, lighting up the small living room and scaring Cadence half to death in the process. “What was that?” she asked almost as if she suspected my motives to be ambiguous, turning around and staring at me with fear in her large purple eyes, I felt a smile tug at my lips due to her fear although I could understand it; even if only slightly. “That was just me turning on the lights,” I pointed out while motioning towards the light switch, turning it off and on a few more times; causing Cadence to squeal at least once during this time. Once I was finished with the demonstration Cadence let out a small yawn, God she really is cute I thought before slapping myself softly, causing Cadence to raise her brow once she had finished her yawn. “Tired?” I asked while moving past her and towards my bedroom, or as this predicament would say, ‘Her Bedroom.’ “Quite a bit actually” she spoke with a small shrug, allowing me to move past and following after me. “Well you can sleep in my bed if you want,” I turned the lights on in my room, eliminating the darkness and allowing Cadence to see my mess of a room. I blushed bright red when I noticed all the dirty clothes that lay strewn about the place, whenever Stephanie and I were together it was always at her place, so I stopped taking care of my bedroom and instead took care of hers Guess I never cleaned this place up. “Sorry about the mess." I moved around the room picking up as many discarded shirts and pairs of pants I could fit in my arms, once the area around the bed was clear of clothing I looked up to see Cadence trying to stifle a laugh. "What?” I asked stupidly. “You remind me of my fiancé. she spoke with a small giggle, obviously unable to hold back her laughter, “When he first invited me over he forgot to clean his room and did almost the exact thing you are doing now.” I let a smile pull itself onto my lips as well mostly because of her own smile, it was contagious and I’m not sure I’d ever felt this type of smile before, it was one of pure enjoyment; something that was foreign to me and felt a little nostalgic. “Well Milady, your bed awaits.” I spoke in a debonair tone, causing Cadence to laugh yet again, walking past Cadence I dumped my clothing in the laundry. “I’ll be in the Living Room if you need me” I called from the laundry room while pulling out a set of clothing from the dryer, she might find these comfortable I thought to myself before pulling out another pair of clothes that I would wear the next morning. I passed by the bedroom and found Cadence examining the bedside table lamps with curiosity, I tossed the clothing into the room and it landed on the bed, Cadence looked up at me wondering what they were for. “I don’t have any clothing for girls so…” I stopped speaking when she picked up the shirt. “Thanks, Jackson." There it is again, she always says it in such a nice manner I thought while continuing towards the living room and sitting down on the couch; which would be my bed for tonight and the nights to come. Strange enough while I sat there I eyed up my phone and debated whether I should call the authorities about Cadence, I mean they would have a way better chance of getting her home than me; although they might just get scared of her and do something horrible. Pushing the thought of calling someone to the back of my head I fell back on the couch and began to worm my way around, trying to find a comfy point where I could fall asleep, I soon found that nook and sleep enveloped my being. Cadence however was sitting in the bed, tears dropping from her face and onto the covers she had wrapped around her, she was sad about Shining and what had happened when she was forced into this world. “Shining... I will come back to you.” She vowed through small sniffles. Meanwhile Jackson was having quite a different last thought, “Wow this has been a very interesting dream, I wonder if I really am crazy or even dead, even so I don’t think I’d mind either of those possibilities at the moment” he almost laughed. > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crossing Love Written by Trilandpk Edited/Proofread JustYourNotRegularBrony 1 Week Later So it’s been one week since Cadence exploded into my life, literally, she sent me flying into a tree and broke a few bones. Anyway with that information I was sure she was just a figment of my imagination, not real, fake. Whatever you want to think of it as; the point is I didn’t think she was actually real. So imagine the shock I received once I had woken up the next morning to my blaring TV and a screaming Cadence, clinging to me, tears matting her fur and horn beginning to power up; she wasn’t the only one to scream their head off that morning. Once we had calmed down and I was able to coherently form sentences without tripping over myself, mostly about how implausible the situation we were currently in was, we were able to talk, without me thinking I was unconscious; although I still thought I was dead. I went over everything I remembered from my apparent ‘Dream’ and she assured me all of what happened was truthful, even the parts where I had… touched her. Since that day I spent the next week away from work, under the identity of extreme gastro and was unable to leave the bathroom for more than ten minutes; my boss was not impressed to say the least. I spent the last six days teaching Cadence about technology and how I usually went about my daily life, she inturn scorched and destroyed quite a lot of my belongings, angering me to quite the high extent; luckily I have an anger threshold that is a little more than a threshold and more like a ballroom, I quickly forgave her every time. There was one thing she seemed increasingly fascinated in, it was the history of humans, or as she said hoomans, the other piece of human engineering she became quickly fascinated in was the internet. When I first booted up my computer and showed her what it could do she was envious to say the least, it wasn’t long before I felt my laptop lift away from me and settle itself in her lap, coincidently to my immediate left. She banged around on that little piece of equipment for countless minutes, her eyes growing bigger by the second as she managed to open a browser, my laughter increasing with each growing second due to how confused she actually was; especially when she managed to launch a game from the desktop. Computers and Internet aside there wasn’t actually much more I taught her about, so she started to teach me, about her world and the ponies that inhabited it. I quickly found out her world wasn’t anything like my own, her world was peaceful, her world was full of love and kindness, and the most shocking thing was that her world was devoid of war and hatred. When I first heard this I was sure she was joking with me, but the look of utter truthfulness silenced this concern of mine. She however went on and on about two ponies in particular, one a stallion which was their equivalent to male, the other was a mare; their female equivalent. They were both related to each other and she seemed to brighten up my entire house whenever she was telling me about them, one went by the name Twilight Sparkle, the other was a name I was already familiar with, Shining Armour; her fiancé. Well that’s enough retelling the story and I’d better get back to the present, before I lose myself in the memories of how funny it was to find a screaming Cadence covered in shaving cream, I’d never laughed so hard before. I let out a loud yawn as my arms flung out above the felt headrest of the couch, my hands clenched into fists and my eyes closed, Cadence was sitting next to me and although she resisted the urge to yawn I was able to see her muzzle scrunch through my half blind state. “Come on” I whispered gently, my breath sending small waves of movement through her fur, causing her muzzle to scrunch up yet again. “Let it out” I continued, “You know you want to yawn.” I’d been purposely yawning the entire day just to annoy Cadence, she let it slip that when she yawned she looked much less than regal and it was embarrassing. I on the other hand found it incredibly funny when she yawned and most of the time was unable to contain my laughter from just being laughter, falling on the floor was no rare occurrence when Cadence reared her sleepy head. Cadence on the other hand was less than happy and every time I was unable to get her to yawn with my own, she was allowed to cast a semi harmless spell on me, although what she and I considered semi harmless was definitely abstracted. Just before she removed my mouth, in hopes of preventing my yawning escapade, almost suffocating me in the process, apparently she can breathe almost completely the same whether it’s her mouth or nose. Although human’s can breathe through their noses much like Cadence was able to, we however found it very hard to survive solely on air from our noses, she’d been apologizing for the last twenty minutes because of this. “Do you want me to remove your mouth again?” she stated ambiguously, a small smirk adorning her muzzle, I however was taken aback she would threaten me with that again, immediately moving away from her on the couch. “No sorry” I quickly replied while a squalid expression now covered my face. I felt my clothes lift me into the air, a light blue aura covering my body as I slowly moved back over to Cadence, who plucked me from the air and pulled me into an embrace. “Don’t worry Jackson” she penitently responded with a smile as wide as my previous smile, “I’d never do that again” she reassured me. “Oh” I stupidly stated, “Thanks then” I continued with a small blush as she pulled me into her chest, or rather her cleavage. She either didn’t notice or rather didn’t care and continued to hug me close before tossing me back across the couch, I hit the far armrest with a soft thud, somewhat cushioned by the padding on it. “That’s for trying to make me yaw-“ she stopped and scrunched her muzzle up yet again, but was unable to stop the yawn that was shooting through her system, her mouth opened to speak but instead a large yawn erupted from it. My fear was replaced by laughter in an instant and I fell from the couch with a louder thud and a small groan. “Every time it gets funnier and funnier” I almost cried out, my eyes were shut and I couldn’t see Cadence and the overwrought blush covering her muzzle. Once I’d managed to recover from my fit, I stood up from the carpeted ground, dusting myself off I looked over at Cadence who was pouting in mock anger. “Jackson can you stop laughing at me whenever I yawn” she pleaded, refusing to look over at me. I brought my hands up, weighing to decision I could make, “Fine I’ll try to not laugh next time you yawn” I conceded and made a motion as if a scale had been weighed in her favour. Before she could respond I continued “But you will allow me to sleep in my bed from now on.” Cadence glared daggers at me, “You want to sleep with me? Regardless of my marital status” she spoke with disdain. Oh crap that’s right, she’s the alicorn of Love I cursed myself in my own mind and stamped my foot in frustration. “Never mind then” I finished with a large sigh. I leant back on the balls of my feet while thinking, “How about you don’t disturb me every second when I’m using the computer?” I posed the request and Cadence immediately showed anger. “But that’s- How will I learn about your world?” she asked, trying to find a logical reason as to why she should be able to watch me posting status updates and emailing friends. Cadence’s wings rustled uneasily before she lowered her head and simply said “Fine.” That day I was able to finally message my parents about the breakup without Cadence interrupting me every three seconds, asking what I was doing and then trying to take over. The next day I was up at the crack of dawn, rolling off of the couch, slamming my elbow against the coffee table; just my normal morning routine at this point. Standing off the ground I began the trek to the bathroom, dragging my work clothes behind me as I trudged along down the hallway, the faint piquant scent of Cadence filling my nostrils as I passed my bedroom and went into the bathroom. I really need to ask her why I can smell something from her room every morning I thought to myself still half asleep, I opened the door to the bathroom and shambled inside with a small groan. I hit the shower handle and a wave of water came down upon me in a rush, immediately waking me up as if I’d been fully awake the entire time. I went about my normal business and washed my body in slight haste, I didn’t want to be late for my first day back at work, I wonder how Cadence will react when I’m not here the entire day. I continued to ponder these thoughts when my watch went off, signifying that I needed to leave in the next five minutes, engaging overdrive I immediately finished washing and leapt from the shower. I pulled my suit on and hurried to the kitchen, where the kettle was boiling and my phone vibrating to another alarm. I scrawled down a note and collected a small mug of coffee before leaving the house, locking the door behind me I allowed the cold air to hit me and send small shivers down my spine, my car chirped to life when I hit the small button on my key and I left my house behind for a hopefully bright day at work, though I had a feeling it would be quite the opposite. - - -- - - - -- - - - - - - - Waking up in the small room was not the happiest moment I usually had in my days ever since arriving in this world, I’d stayed up most of the night crying about Shining yet again, although not as much as before; I’m almost accepting my fate of being here. I picked myself up and sat in the bed Jackson had been so kind as to provide, while he slept out on the hard couch, he claimed it was almost as comfortable as the bed but after I had sat on it I knew he was lying, that couch is almost like cement; were it not for the padding it would be cement. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up with a small sway, my eyes began to scan the room, wondering why I hadn’t been woken by Jackson and why the flat was so quiet. Leaving the bedroom I began to inspect the entire flat from the front door to the garage, which was empty and I found this strange seeing as there was usually a large metal carriage located in the garage. “Did he leave me?” I let the words slip through my mouth without even thinking about the implications that the voiced words would have on my fragile mind. I was immediately overcome with worry and stress, running through the house, flinging doors open while yelling out Jackson’s name in a hurried voice. I explored the entire house and only had the kitchen and bedroom to look through, I’d run past it without looking, mainly because how could he hide in such a small kitchen and the bedroom because I was sleeping in there and why would he hide there. As I entered the kitchen my eye immediately caught a small piece of paper that sat on the edge of the countertop, picking it up I began to read through, a calmer expression working itself onto my face as my eyes read each consecutive line. Once I was finished with the note I scrunched it up and let it fall limply to the ground, “Well what am I supposed to do?” I spoke with frustration, he never left his computer on and it was ‘protected by password’ as he said so that wasn’t an option. I stamped my foot again before setting to find something to do, my vision went from the kitchen to the living room and then to the hallway where I could see the doorway to the bedroom. “Guess I might as well make the bed.” Once I’d finished making Jackson’s bed I surveyed the room before me, most of it was littered with clothes, my gaze stopped on the closet which Jackson never let me see the inside of, for reasons he refused to tell me; even he rarely wanted to open the door to the closet since my arrival. Without hesitation my hand reach out and felt the cool plastic handle of the closet, I barely had the chance to reconsider as my arm moved to the side, flinging the closet open and eliciting a gasp from myself. I bent over in the closet and took in what I was looking at. Still amazed as to what I was looking at I reached a hand out and pulled a small photograph, turning the frame over I almost dropped it, there was Jackson and another hooman with him; it was a girl. “Who’s this?” I asked myself, closely examining the photograph and the two figures that were inside it, my face became so close that my horn connected with the frame and immediately a bright light filled my vision. “His heart is weak and prone to break” A soft yet familiar voice crooned, “That woman did damage not even time could heal, that damage will destroy him.” Just like that I found myself sitting back on the ground, the photograph in my hands, a look of worry plastered on my face. “What happened with this woman?” I asked myself before tossing the photograph back into the closet, as if they were some disease ridden object that could infect me. “That was a horrid love” I spoke, almost growling the words “She was using his love against him, how foul” I continued to growl. - - -- - - - -- - - - - - - - I pulled up in the driveway later that day, just as the sun was setting over the distant mountains, my gaze was forlorn and my mind was tired from the strenuous work today, my time off did not go unpunished and I had to catch up everything today in one shift. As I pulled the keys out of the ignition the car died and so did my enthusiasm of working the rest of the week, luckily it was only tomorrow; then I had the weekend. I jumped from the car and made my way over to the front door, one of my hands clasping the keys while the other clasped the empty coffee thermos I’d taken this morning. I slid the keys into the front door and with a quick turn I was met with the reassuring sound of the lock releasing and granting access. Entering the flat I noticed that Cadence wasn’t situated on the couch like she usually was, I found this strange but otherwise ignored it and threw my keys onto the couch with a shrug. I left the thermos in the kitchen and made my way to the bathroom where I needed to wash my face and snap out of the small stupor I had found myself in, probably work and the breakup messing with me, plus Cadence appearing in my life. I was about to open the bathroom door but heard Cadence call from inside, “Jackson I’m taking a bath, Stop!” she yelled and I groaned in mock anger before trudging away from the bathroom and deciding to wash my face in the kitchen sink. Meanwhile inside the bathroom Cadence was in the bathroom weighing her options, “How can I help him with his broken heart? How can he recover from such a dirty form of Love,” Cadence began asking thin air in hopes the voice of Love she had heard before would answer her question. But unlike her world wishes didn’t come true on Earth, much like Jackson had already stated before; a forlorn look plastered on his face. > Chapter 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 days later Work was something that displeased Cadence greatly. She didn’t like me leaving her alone, although I wasn’t complaining since every time I returned she would greet me with a hug and smile, telling me about her lonely day. This explanation carried on for what seemed like an eternity, mostly because she would go into extensive detail about her day. How she remembered what she thought and felt when she woke up was beyond me, I usually just went through my normal routine; minus waking up next to Stephanie; now I just woke up to the morning cartoons with a bubbly pink pony princess in front of me. Her bubbly attitude faded however as I went through my morning routines her smile would fade slowly but surely until she was nothing more than a lonely husky waiting by the door for my return. Today however she was much more enthusiastic, mainly because I didn’t have work for the next two days, meaning she had me all to herself; kind of sexual when I say it but we aren’t like that. Although… no Jackson she is spoken for, and although she is extremely cute and I like everything about her. I must think about her marital status, but when I think about how we could work I always find myself fantasising, that is until I remember that she is engaged and although she doesn’t wear a ring I trust her to tell the truth. No matter how much it’s starting to pain me when I consider how she may just up and leave one day, returning to her world and leaving me behind. I don’t know what I’d do if that happened, since she came into my life I’ve felt infinitely better and all my wounds from Stephanie have all but disappeared; she barely entered my thoughts anymore, aside from when I woke up and didn’t see her next to me. Although Cadence sitting in front of me was a lot better considering what I’d been through. Today was just another usual weekend for me, although I wasn’t out begging for attention with my ex, I was beginning to hate everything about her every time I thought about us. Cadence had placed herself on a small stool in my kitchen and swung around on the swivel, a look of pure joy adorning her muzzle as I was scouting the fridge for something to eat. I didn’t find much “Cadence I think I need to go out and buy food” The moment the words left my lips I heard the chair stop moving and could feel the murderous glare facing me. “You told me you would stay home today and tomorrow” Cadence almost growled, forget her being pony, she was more like a territorial wolf and I was her territory. I moved out of the way of the fridge and motioned to Cadence, proving my point about how barren it was, but unfortunately this didn’t deter Cadence one bit. “You are not leaving this household” Cadence stated with absolution, her horn threatening to start glowing if I refused her. “What do we eat then-“I was cut off quickly by a wave of Cadence’s hand. “We order more food from that cellular telephone in your pocket” Cadence turned away from me and jumped from the seat, her wings fluttered against the air resistance as a stray feather flew out and landed on the countertop. “I can’t order food from my phone” I started to complain, “It costs quite a bit of money and I’m sorry to say I don’t exactly have much to spare.” I picked up the feather and began twiddling it between my fingers. “Why exactly do you not have much to spare?” Cadence questioned with a raised eyebrow. “Because Stephanie used to always have me buy her things,” I solemnly admitted without looking at Cadence. Cadence seemed immediately displeased the moment I mentioned Stephanie’s name, “Fine, go and buy some food, but return here immediately afterwards” she waved me away and retreated to my bedroom. What’s with her today? I asked myself and contemplated whether or not I should go and talk to her, pushing the idea away I picked my keys up and left the house, “I’ll be back soon” I called just before starting the car up and driving off down the driveway. Cadence POV Once the sounds of Jackson’s metal chariot disappeared down the road I returned back to the living room and collapsed onto the couch “How do I fix what that woman did?” my voice flowed through the empty house while ideas refused to even trickle. “What kind of woman could even do that? From what I’ve seen on the “TeeVee” all the women of this world seem kind and a lot of the time very humorous.” I brought my hands to my face and ran them up and through my mane, why was coming up with idea’s so difficult. Jackson somehow finds the time to develop ideas and take care of himself, me and the house all at the same time. “Shining I wish you were here…” laying down onto the couch I hit the remote and switched the TeeVee on, causing me to jump gently before setting eyes onto the screen. On the screen was a ‘show’ as Jackson called them which pertained to troubled adults, teens and even children according to the information. A strange male hooman made his way onto the screen and began speaking about a man and his problems with his wife, apparently the man had caught his wife cheating on him and had tried to commit suicide whatever that was eliciting a chorus of gasps from the crowd. I found myself sitting back up and staring intently at the screen as the man began to speak to the other man who lacked a mane about his problems, it seemed to cheer both of them up while the woman just shook her head. “Maybe this is what Jackson needs” I whispered, “If I can get him to sit down and talk like that it might help him.” On the screen the two men finished speaking and then the bald male turned to the woman beginning to talk to her about the same things, the woman however didn’t give much of an answer to the questions which annoyed the crowd, the host and Cadence herself. “This will definitely help Jackson” I happily giggle like a school filly, dashing from the living room I went straight to the bedroom, throwing the closet door open I removed all traces of that woman before taking them out to the living room. Clearing the table I began placing all the photos and other mementos onto the table before returning to the bedroom and looking for clothing that resembled the main male from the show. “Huzzah” I cheered while pulling a turtleneck sweater out and donning the rather large sweater and placing a yellow clip on tie underneath the neck. “Hopefully he likes this; I really want to help him like he’s helped me.” Returning to the living room I sat at the table and continued watching the TeeVee, learning what to say and what to look for; my magic wouldn’t be enough as I’d found out before. Jackson POV God that crazy Alicorn girl, she doesn’t seriously think that money grows on trees does she? I drove down the road and towards the shops, can’t get any meat to eat which sucks; first time she opened the fridge she saw a half-eaten burger inside and freaked out. She ended up threatening me with a broom in the corner, calling me a murderer. I let out a short laugh at the memory, I was so stressed out back then and now; I feel so calm and at ease. Pulling the car into an open lot I got out and began towards the market, “So no meat or anything that would upset her. Harsh!” I groaned as the doors slid open and I entered, the aircon hitting me immediately and making me thankful for the hoodie I threw on in the car. Passing by the meat and butchers sections I cried an invisible tear for my loss before turning down an aisle and looking through all the vegetables and breads. Picking up a bag of potatoes I began whispering “I guess I can survive on vegetables until she releases me and allows me to sneak away to a burger joint.” Carrying the potatoes to the cart I tossed them in and began picking through the vegetables and fruits that I thought Cadence would enjoy. “I guess it’s hard to pick food for a pony that you treat like a human,” Moving into the next isle I continued my food gathering. I wonder what she’d be like drunk? I wondered passing by the bottles of liquor and various other drinks. Probably be hilarious… oh what the hell I grabbed a few bottles of Absolut and a few packs of other beers before putting them into the cart. “Planning a party Jackson?” a familiar voice called from behind me, my body froze and I felt like I was being strangled. Turning around slowly I was face to face with James, my heart rate began to rise as he left his cart and started towards me. “What? Still the old silent type? Woulda thought Steph had bashed that out of you like she bashed me out of your life.” “Well actually we…” “You broke up!” he interrupted happily, pulling me into a tight hug and lifting me off the ground, “That’s great. Well not exactly great… oh you get what I mean.” “Yeah James I get what you mean, it’s actually really good to be free man” I began to loosen up with him and felt us slip into our old system. “And nah do I look like I’m having a party?” I motioned to all the vegetables in my cart. “Maybe you’re having a vegetarian party?” James answered jokingly “Never picked you for a vegetarian though.” “I’m not but the person staying with me is a vegetarian.” “Already back on the horse?” I hoped that was a coincidence and also hoped I didn’t cringe upon hearing that “No I’ve just taken up a roommate who needed some help.” “You always were a little too kind.” James slapped me on the back, “Didn’t know how you managed to tell me to, as you said ‘jog on.’” “Only way I could say it.” I answered while beginning to move my cart out of the way for another person, my expression a little anxious. “Okay man well it was nice seeing you again, you need to call me so we can hang out sometime.” James noticed that I looked a little rushed. “Yeah I will man, same number?” “Same number.” He answered, returning to his cart he set of down the aisle leaving me to my own devices. Nice to see him again I smiled before continuing on with my shopping I hope Cadence is alright without me Meanwhile Cadence POV “Why’s he taking so long?” I wondered out loud in annoyance, it’s been 3 hours and yet he hasn’t returned. “He said he wouldn’t be long. Yet he’s been way past long, he’s been ages.” Leaving my seated position I moved into the kitchen, “Why’d he leave anyway, I’m sure I can find something edible in here.” Beginning to rummage around I found that there truly was nothing that I or Jackson could classify as edible. I was about to give up when I found a large bottle, half full and containing a clear liquid. “What’s Vodka?” I wondered out loud and quickly set to opening the glass container. Placing my lips on the top I tipped it up and took a sip, recoiling immediately after I swallowed I almost dropped the bottle, clutching my mouth I began coughing loudly. “It burns!” I cried loudly while trying to swallow all that was left inside my mouth, I found however that although it felt like my throat was burning after a moment I also felt rather warm and good. “What kind of drink is this?” I asked taking sip after sip, the burning began to fade as I continued drinking. After a few minutes I found that the drink had blocked my magic ability, the entire world was spinning and my mind was clouded. “Whoiah Thish feelsh weird” I remarked while making my way back to the living room and collapsing onto the couch, hitting the remote as I sat down the TeeVee changed channels and instead of the bald man there was now another man yelling at a guy and girl. “Hey d-do-don’t yell at her…” I started but trailed off as another man got up and hit the first man, the crowd began cheering a name at it though and I strangely found myself cheering along. “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” I chanted continuously as more men ran onto the stage and separated the two fighting men. Jackson POV 3 hours ago “Come on man” James whined as I pushed my cart towards my car, “Just come back to my house for a few and we’ll catch up. Maybe have a drink or two, just relax together and talk about stuff.” “I really can’t man, I want to but I need to get home and make sure my roommate hasn’t set fire to the house.” I tried to wiggle out of the invitation but from the gleam in James eye, it wasn’t working. It didn’t. “Then I’ll just come back to your house and we’ll get crazy there, I don’t have work tomorrow and I can sleep on your couch.” I didn’t want to tell him that I was currently sleeping on the couch, but I also knew I couldn’t outright refuse him; not after renewing our friendship. “Alright one drink then I gotta get going.” I agreed and he began fist pumping. “The boys are back!” he cheered and began pushing me towards my car, “I’ll see you there. Don’t ditch me or I’ll be round your place.” “I won’t” I smiled and began packing my groceries into the boot of my car, Guess I can’t wriggle my way out of this one, hope you’ll be fine Cadence. Jumping into my car I took note of James’s car and followed him out of the parking lot and towards his house. “Okay dude let’s get crazy” James pushed me into his flat, a little larger than my own but lacking as many luxuries as I had. “I’ll grab the drinks, you settle in.” James dashed into the kitchen and threw the fridge door open, in the meantime I sat down on his couch and checked my watch for the time Cadence should be okay for another hour.I thought nervously as James threw me a bottle and I opened it. Sitting down James took a large gulp of his own bottle “So how’d you two split?” he asked quickly. “Seriously man!” I complained but just got his trademark look that told me ‘yes or I’ll find out another way.’ So I retold the story without much trouble, James listened intently as I continued and halfway through finishing and replacing my and his drink. After around fifteen minutes I finished my explanation and he sat back in his chair “Dude I’m so sorry for that.” “Don’t even worry man, I don’t even care that much anymore.” I happily responded, “Plus the fact she separated us two, I should’ve split with her sooner.” “Damn straight!” He shouted and we knocked our bottles together, taking another large gulp I looked back at my watch. “I still got time so anything cool happen with you while we weren’t talking?” “Nah man not much happened…” he trailed off, baiting me to speak, which I did. “And???” I asked. “I got motherfkin engaged” He stood up and I followed suit, slapping hands together I congratulated him. “Who’s the unlucky girl?” I asked once we’d settled down and gone back to drinking. “Nicole” He happily answered. “You still seeing her? Thought she was a bump and dump?” his reaction told me I stepped over the line “Nah I’m joking that’s amazing man” I patted him on the back, “You’ll have to come around with her some time and have dinner.” “I’ll try Jackson. Hey you want to stay for…” he looked at the clock “Another 45 minutes, she should be getting off work and be home by then.” “Nah sorry man, gotta get home soon. As I said don’t want my new roommate to burn the house down.” I declined after a few seconds of thought. “True.” He took a swig “You did say that you had to get home soon, you right to drive?” he asked. “Course.” I showed the finished bottle and the still half full one in my hand, “I’ll be fine.” “Then chug the rest so you can get back.” “Is that a challenge?” I asked while receiving a nod from James. “You’re on” I shouted before throwing my head back and beginning to gulp down the rest of the bottle. James just smiled mischievously as I continued chugging. When I arrived home it was already dark, I’d spent a little more time than I’d planned at James’s house. Namely due to the fact I was tricked into chugging more bottles than the law would allow me to safely drive. But hey I met Nicole and she was nice enough, I wish I could introduce Cadence but you know that whole Horn, Wing and fur thing might be a problem. “Damn James you sure remember how to show a guy a good time” I remarked to myself, stepping out of my car, luckily Nicole had driven me home so I got to talking with her; well more like drunkenly spurting out facts about James. “So here’s a fifty” I spoke as a taxi drove up to the curb, Nicole was refusing to take my money so I staggered over to the driver, “Take this for the trip to where she wants and keep the change. “Jackson you really don’t need to do that” Nicole pleaded, “I don’t like owing people anything.” “Don’t worry Nicole, you’re making my best buddy the happiest man in the world,” This is the least I can do. “You’re a sweet guy Jackson, I hope you find a girl that makes you happy” Nicole answered before stepping into the taxi. “Yeah I hope I do as well” my mood changed as she drove off, realizing that I lost someone who made me happy and may lose someone else at any time. Making my way to the door I unlocked it as quietly as I could before stepping inside. The entire house was silent, no noises could be heard from where I stood so I began to ferry the groceries into the fridge from the boot of my car. There weren’t that many bags but it still took a minute or two due to it just being me, once I’d finished packing the bags away and shut the fridge I made my way into the living room. Collapsing onto the couch I yelped in pain from sitting on something, pulling out a bottle from beneath me I read the label in the dim lighting. “Oh no” I whispered and began tearing my way through the house, straight towards the bedroom I cracked the door open and took in the sight before me. Cadence was sitting on the bed, all my closeted memorabilia of Stephanie strewn over the bed as a very flushed and drunken Cadence looked up before shouting “Take the test!” and falling backwards of the bed with a soft thud with “Owwwwieeeee” following. I smiled and left the room to quickly take stock of my other bottles to see just how much she drank, in the background I heard a door slam. Opening the cupboard I took note she’d only touched the one bottle, a few of the others had teeth marks in the caps and cork where she’d been unable to open them. Standing back up I walked back into the bedroom. It was empty, the bedroom was empty and I couldn’t see any evidence of Cadence. Turning to the bathroom I went to the door and knocked on it softly, a loud groan could be heard from the other side. “Go Away” I heard an exhausted Alicorn call from the other side. “This is kinda what you get for drinking something you found in my house.” I called. “This is what you get for being a butt.” Cadence groaned and I felt a weak magic push try to move me away. “Just relax Cadence, you need to go lay down. It’ll make you feel better.” “Nothing can take this awful feeling away.” She cried from behind the door, I sat against the other side of the door and breathed out a loud sigh. “I guess I’ll be waiting here until you feel better.” I pulled my phone out and texted James an insult along the lines of ‘You made my roommate get drunk and throw up all over the place’ except with much nastier words. “Why?” she asked as I felt her back hit the other side of the door. “Because I care about you.” I heard her gasp in shock before returning to silence, a silence which held for a lot longer than I had wished. “You okay in there?” “Y-Yeah I’m fine.” She called out shakily; from the sound of her voice I could piece together she wasn’t fine but far from it. “Alright well listen” I began, “What you’re experiencing is most likely a light case of alcohol poisoning, something common when you drink without remorse.” “But I’ve never had alcohol poisoning from drinking other things in this world. Why am I only getting it now?” “It’s because you drank my special party time drink.” I answered with a small smile. “Only for use of special occasions and sure as hell not all for one person.” “Have you ever had alcohol poisoning?” she asked after a few seconds. “Of course.” I laughed “When?” “The first time I tried alcohol.” I smiled at the fond memories. “Me too…” “Well I’ll tell you how my first time drinking and experiencing the horrors of alcohol poisoning if you let me inside the bathroom real quick.” “Why?” “I really need to use the toilet.” I admitted and was met with silence for an uncomfortable amount of time before a burst of laughter echoed through the flat; the lock on the door lifted and Cadence left the bathroom for me to use. Her mane was shaken up and her clothing was all over the place due to her probably laying on the ground. After releasing the torrent that had built over the day and recent drinking I returned to the living room couch. “Jackson quick, I must hear of your drunken escapades.” Cadence waved me over and I quickly obliged. Taking my spot on the couch next to her she scooted close to me and waited patiently for me to begin. “Okay so I guess the place to begin would be when I first turned 16” I began to tell Cadence of the first time I got drunk and experienced the hell of throwing everything inside me onto the ground. Her spirits were lifting but I suspected she was putting it on to make me happy. Regardless I continued with the story, “So at my birthday my dad walked up to me and shoved a bottle in my hands saying something along the lines of ‘you’re old enough now, have a bottle.’ So I took the bottle and had a good chug, the taste was something I couldn’t stand at the time… yet I finished it all, right then and there I drank it all just to prove I could.” I trailed off and felt Cadence nudge me gently. “Then what happened?” she asked, I felt as though it wasn’t an act anymore and I was legitimately lifting her spirits. “Well, he handed me another and told me to do it again… and again… and again.” I trailed off and blankly stared forward. “Jackson?” “But you know what he said in the morning… Welcome to manhood, you lightweight. Mind you I was face down in the toilet at the time and chucking my guts up.” I laughed softly at the memories. “Why would he do something like that?” Cadence asked in shock, wondering why I was laughing at such a dark tale. “Because he knew it would teach me a lesson” I smiled again, “A lesson I will never forget.” “And what was that?” Cadence asked; genuinely interested “Never try to drink dad under the table,” I genuinely laughed at how much he teased me after that night. “That doesn’t sound like much of a lesson Jackson” Cadence pouted. “Oh yeah and drink responsibly I guess.” I felt her lean on me more and more as I was speaking until she went limp and fell onto my lap; asleep. “You really know how to make a guy slave over you” I mocked as I lifted her and began to carry her towards the bedroom, I was still pretty drunk but knew how to handle myself physically due to late nights carrying James into his house. Laying Cadence down on the bed I placed towels under the head and placed a bucket next to the bed, I brought a seat into the room and sat down caressing her hair gently. She sighed contently in her half asleep state “Why are you helping me?” “Because you’re a lightweight” I smiled as she closed her eyes for the night and her breathing began to slow. As I continued caressing her hair I took a look at her muzzle, God she looks cute as she lay there. Then before I knew what I was doing I was right in front of her muzzle, her breathe gently hitting my face. What am I doing? I wondered before leaning forward and connecting my lips with her own, she didn’t put up any resistance instead she pushed into it; her tongue quickly prodding my lips. This luckily woke me up from my trance and I moved away from her muzzle and stood up leaving the room and moving to the bathroom. Taking a look in the mirror I didn’t see myself instead I saw a bastard of a man, “I fucked up.” Meanwhile in the bed Cadence lay content before mumbling “Come back Jackson…”