> Heart of the Herd
>  by Storm butt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lost Way couldn’t help but stare out the window into the dark, black void of night. Neither the moon nor the stars were visible due to the thick overlay of clouds that rained down a heavy snow. The sight of large and puffy flakes hitting up against the glass were enough to make Lost want to shiver. It was a cold winter’s night, which made the small statured zebra thankful to be where he was; curled up on the couch in front of a roaring fireplace that caused orange light to dance and flicker over the otherwise unlit room.

“Mmmnngh,” A grunt spilled into Lost Way’s ear that caused him to giggle. He of course wasn’t thankful for just the fire to keep him warm, but also the large stallion that was currently nuzzling his muzzle up against his ear.

“You falling asleep on me?” Lost Way asked as he ran his hind leg up between the bigger stallion’s pair at the far end of the couch.

“Mmmno,” Crashing Thunder responded with a very half-hearted and unconvincing answer. “Just resting my eyes.

Lost giggled playfully before squirming to turn so that he was no longer being spooned by Crashing Thunder, but instead facing the large stallion with the two of them muzzle to muzzle. The large stallion’s eyes were shut, which gave Lost the perfect opportunity to lean his head forward and plant a kiss right on the stallion’s nose. Crash cracked open his eyes, and let a small smile split his face.

“You look like you’re about to start snoring,” Lost Way teased.

“Shaddup,” Crashing Thunder said before rolling his eyes and grabbing Lost Way in his forelegs. He pulled the stallion close and squeezed him so hard that it reminded the zebra just how dramatically different their strength was. He didn’t mind.

“You’re crushing me, Crash,” Lost Way whined with a feigned urgency as he began squirming. “You’re Crushing Thunder!”

Crash chuckled. It was a warm and hearty sort of laugh that made Lost Way feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It was the kind of laugh that Lost had learned to recognize as his home. Whenever he heard it he couldn’t help but smile, and think how lucky he was to call Crashing Thunder his own.

“What’re you smiling for?” Crashing Thunder asked.

“No reason,” Lost Way said as he planted his hoof firmly on Crashing Thunder’s chest, and began to rub in slow and steady circles. “This is just really nice. Being here with you, I mean.”

“Hmph,” Crashing Thunder responded. “You’re sappy tonight.”

“I know,” Lost Way admitted. He found no shame in such a thing. He was joyful, and he didn’t mind being a little sappy to express it. Sappy meant that there was a reason to feel this happy. He leaned up his head and kissed Crash on one of his cheeks, only to get a kiss of his own planted right back on his lips.

“What’re you thinking about?” Crashing Thunder asked. “Now that you’ve woken me up.”

“So you WERE sleeping?”

“Mmm, starting to reconsider that crushing thing,” Crash responded, and teasingly tightened his hug around Lost’s body once again.

“Okay, okay,” Lost Way giggled as he shook his head. “I was just thinking about us I guess.”

Lost glanced up at Crashing Thunder. His face was so familiar. He knew every pattern and shade of this stallion’s fur. He had watched the stallion grow up, as Crash had done for him. Yet it was so recent that he had begun to look at the stallion differently. Friendship had so quickly transformed. It had broken what they once shared, but also transformed it into something entirely new.

“What about us?” Crashing Thunder asked, and tilted his head in question.

“I guess just how far we’ve come?” Lost said before smiling. He felt a little bit silly all of a sudden. “You’re right. I am sappy.”

Crashing Thunder raised his forelegs and embraced Lost Way’s head. He pulled the zebra close and planted a kiss on his forehead before nuzzling gently. Lost slowly closed his eyes, and let himself get lost in that embrace. The scent of his best friend and lover filled his lungs. He wanted to melt into that couch and never leave Crashing Thunder’s embrace.

“I love you,” Crash said softly. “Even if you are gushy.”

Lost Way smiled.

“I love you too, big guy.”

The winter winds outside blew up against the house, but Lost and Crash might as well have been a million miles away from that harshness. It had been just a little over a year ago when their friendship began to change, and from then on it had never been the same.
> Before The Date
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crashing Thunder stared at his own reflection in the mirror, and couldn’t help but realize just how exhausted he looked. His eyes had bags under them, and the frown on his face was making him look far more gothic than he would care to admit. He had tried to comb his messy blonde mane, but he found himself disliking just about every way he could possibly style it. The longer he stared at his own reflection, the more sour he became. It was getting to the point where even the bright blue bowtie around his neck was looking tackier by the second. He had to resist the urge to tear it off.

“I hate this,” Crashing Thunder grumbled under his breath as he tore his eyes away from his own reflection. He let out a loud and audible groan as he laid his head on the bathroom sink, and felt the weight of his worries crash down on his back. Who knows how long he might have stayed like that were it not for the sound of a knocking hoof upon the door to his left.

“Crrrraaaassssh?” A voice on the other side of the door called out. “You done in there yet? You better not have wasted all the warm water!”

Crashing Thunder rolled his eyes before reaching for the doorknob. A familiar zebra stood on the other side already smiling. Two of the stripes against his cheeks were pink, and matched the color of his glimmering eyes.

“Did you even wash your mane?” Lost Way asked with a humorous tone of voice before reaching out his hoof and playfully touching Crash atop his head. “It’s not even damp!”

“Course I did,” Crashing Thunder said before brushing off Lost’s hoof with his own. “I’ve just been standing here awhile.”

“I’ll say,” Lost Way said with a roll of his eyes. “I’ve been waiting like twenty minutes. If I’m late for my date because of you I’m gonna kick your butt.”

“Sorry,” Crashing Thunder said sheepishly before backing up. He shook his head slowly. “I’ll get outta your mane.”

As Crashing Thunder exited the bathroom he let out yet another weary sigh. He made his way to the living room where he promptly crashed on the couch. The springs whined with protest under his weight as the pegasus grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it tightly to his chest. There was a pit in his belly that wouldn’t quite go away.

Crash laid there for some time and listened to the sound of running water. He could faintly make out that Lost Way was singing some tune that was too drowned out by the pipes to hear clearly. The fact that his roommate was so perky only soured his already downtrodden mood. He grumbled to himself as he rolled over and buried his face into the throw pillow. He wondered to himself if he should even bother going out tonight.

Crash must have been laying there for some time allowing his gloomy thoughts to swirl around his head, because before he knew it the sound of the shower vanished and Lost Way’s singing became much more audible as the door to the bathroom swung open. Crash looked over his shoulder to see the zebra running a towel over his mane. Lost eventually looked up to see Crashing Thunder on the couch and gave him a quizzical look.

“You okay?” Lost Way asked.

Crashing Thunder frowned. He didn’t like to think that his mood was so obvious that his roommate could read it so easily.

“Fine,” Crash muttered without the desire to put much conviction in his words. “Just not looking forward to tonight.”

“Aww, why not?” Lost Way asked as he came up to the couch and sat himself down. He was just barely able to squeeze himself at the furthest end due to Crash’s massive size. Crash eventually pulled his hooves in and sat up to give the zebra more room. Sitting up caused the couch to whine more under his weight.

“This is date fifty,” Crash said with a tone of annoyance in his tone. “I guess I’m just tired of doing this whole song and dance.”

“Mmm, that’s understandable,” Lost Way said as he lowered the towel from his mane and let it slide to around his shoulders. “I dunno how many dates I’ve been on at this place. Fortyish? I dunno, I don’t keep track.”

Crash bit the inside of his cheek. This dating service the two were well versed in was something set up by both Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. Being the princess of love, Cadance wanted her subjects to find happiness when it came to the more romantic aspects of their lives. Crashing Thunder had heard countless stories of couples who had managed to find each other via the service, and when he had first started he remembered brimming with optimism that perhaps he’d finally find the mare who might be the one for him. That was several months ago, and so far nothing had changed other than his dwindling self esteem.

“I wish I could be like that,” Crashing Thunder admitted with a sheepish tone of voice. “I dunno how you don’t care about it.”

“It’s not that I don’t care about it,” Lost Way said. “I dunno. A lot of the stallions who I end up with just end up wanting to have a quick screw. When it’s like that I just kind of go with it and try to have fun.”

“Most of the ponies I get matched with just tell me the same line again and again,” Crashing Thunder said, and felt himself become deflated just by speaking these words aloud. “It’s me, not you’.”

“Oof, I’ve had that one a few times,” Lost Way said.

“I just… It’s so hard to open up to a stranger,” Crashing Thunder said before shaking his head. “And when I DO start to talk I feel like they just get bored of me.”

“Hey,” Lost Way said before reaching out his hoof and putting it on Crash’s own. “You talk to me just fine, and I don’t get bored of you.”

“You’ve known me since we were colts,” Crash said dismissively. “That’s different.”

“Well, I’m still not bored of you,” Lost Way said. “And if anypony should be it’d probably be me, right?”

Crash couldn’t help but crack a small smile at that. He looked to Lost Way, who always looked bright and cheerful no matter the situation.

“I guess most mares aren’t interested in starting a herd together,” Crashing Thunder said.

“That’s your problem right there,” Lost said as he squeezed Crash’s hoof. “You probably scare them off with that kinda talk on the first date, y’know.”

“It’s important to me,” Crash said defensively before tugging his hoof away. “I don’t wanna get invested in some mare only to find out it’s not gonna work cause of something like that.”

“I’m not saying to NOT bring it up until you’re married or something,” Lost Way said as he rolled his eyes. “Just bury the lead a little bit. Let her get to know you before you start talking about serious stuff like that. You may look big and tough but I know you’re a total sweetheart once somepony gets to know you.”

Crashing Thunder couldn’t help but feel a bit taken aback by Lost’s words. He had never been one to consider himself a ‘sweetheart’ or anything of the sort. However to hear Lost Way say it like that made his chest feel tight. 

“Maybe mares don’t want a sweetheart out of me,” Crash said, unable to stop himself from speaking his negative thoughts aloud. “I feel like a lot of them expect me to be one way when they see me then I’m just… not…”

“What way is that?” Lost Way questioned, and tilted his head.

“I dunno,” Crash said. He shrugged his shoulders and glanced away. “Big and stoic, I guess?”

“That’s silly,” Lost Way said. He scooted closer on the couch to Crash and reached up to wrap both his front hooves around his left foreleg and give it a tug. “Any mare would be lucky to snag a stud like you! You’re big and strong and have a huge heart! It’s their loss if they want some boring emotionless stallion who never shows his feelings.”

“You think so?” Crashing Thunder asked. He knew his tone sounded unconvinced.

“I don’t THINK so, I know so!” Lost Way said before hopping off of the couch and standing directly in front of Crash. “Look, pretend I’m a mare and we’re on a blind date.”

“Excuse me?” Crash asked.

“C’mooon, just do it!” Lost Way whined. “It’s practice for tonight!”

“Um… alright, I guess,” Crashing Thunder said. He looked up and down his best friend. To picture Lost Way as a mare felt all wrong. He frowned as he tried to think of what to say, but before he could even open his mouth Lost Way was miles ahead of him.

“Well golly gee, ain’t you just the most handsome stallion in this place?” Lost Way said in a forced high-pitched tone and bad southern twang.

“Why does the mare I’m going on a date with sound like a cowgirl?” Crash asked.

“Just go with it!” Lost Way hissed.

Crash’s mind was drawing a blank. He was overly focused on just how in-character Lost Way was getting into this role. The zebra waved his hips dramatically and ran a hoof daintily through his mane.

“Er… Hey there,” Crash said. He averted his eyes from Lost Way as he tried to wrack his brain for what to say. “My name’s Crashing Thunder. You can call me Crash if you like, though.”

“Oooh, Crash!” Lost Way said in a delighted tone. “I love that name! It’s so stroooong! Just like those big and sexy muscles of yours!”

“N-No mare has ever said my muscles were sexy right when she met me,” Crashing Thunder stammered out. He was suddenly overwhelmed with the fact that his best friend had just indirectly called him sexy, and he had no idea how to feel about that.

“Oooh, and just how many mares have you met?” Lost Way asked. The zebra seemingly refused to break character. “I’m a pretty lucky gal that none of them have snatched you up before me! So tell me, what do you do, Crash?”

“I-I’m a royal guard,” Crash said, trying his best to move the conversation along so this pure torment might end faster. “Cargo delivery, mostly. I uhh…”

“Say something nice about her!” Lost Way whispered with a hiss.

“Huh?”

“Ponies love to talk about themselves!” Lost Way said. “Say something nice and ask her about herself!”

“Right,” Crash said, and nodded his head. His heart was picking up speed. This was starting to feel more anxiety-inducing than any of the real dates he had been on. “Um… I like your mane?”

“Oh, thank you sugar!” Lost Way said before running both hooves along his mohawk in a rather seductive way. “I just got it done special for tonight! I’m so glad you noticed! Go on, feel it! It’s sooooo soft!”

“Uh…” Crash felt his mind draw a blank again as Lost Way reached out his hoof and snatched up Crash’s own. He forced it up against his mane and ran it slowly. Crash was a bit surprised at just how soft it felt, considering how it stood straight up and looked so stiff. His hoof was forced down to Lost Way’s cheek, which was equally as soft. For a moment Lost Way fluttered his eyelids once more, and Crash stared into those bright pink eyes. He found himself getting a bit lost in them.

“Your eyes are really pretty,” Crash said. A thought he had meant to keep private somehow had slipped out, and near instantly he felt blood rush up to his face.

“Oh, you’re too sweet!” Lost Way said. He didn’t seem to realize that Crash had said that line entirely out of the context of their pretend date. Crash pulled his hoof away, and hoped that his fur was dark enough to cover his newly flushed cheeks.

“I-I don’t think this is helping me all that much,” Crashing Thunder said in a vain attempt to distance himself from their little roleplay. “No mare talks like that. Ever.”

“Oh come on,” Lost Way whined. “Half of the stallions that MY dates are with are trying to slip a hoof between my legs before the waiter even takes our orders!”

“Over half?” Crashing Thunder asked. “That’s… Wow.”

“Well, okay, that might be an exaggeration,” Lost Way said. “But I really think you shouldn’t take this thing so seriously tonight. Maybe try to take a break from trying to find some soulmate to start a herd with and just try to have some easy fun with a mare you’re never gonna see again?”

“You mean have a one night stand?” Crash asked. “I’ve never really done that before.”

“Seriously?” Lost Way asked. “NEVER?”

“Well… no,” Crash said. He felt embarrassed again. “I-It’s not like I judge ponies for doing it! I just never was all that interested in sleeping with somepony I hardly know!”

“Crash,” Lost Way said. He sounded more serious than he had that entire night. “I say this not only as your friend, but your BEST friend. You really, really, need to sleep with somepony. When’s the last time you even had sex?”

“I mean… A-Awhile…” Crashing Thunder admitted.

“I’m not saying you need to take her in the back alley of the restaurant and rail her against the brick wall,” Lost Way said in the most vulgar way he possibly could. “But just try to have fun! If she’s nice offer to buy her a drink after and see where it goes from there! You’re putting way too much pressure on yourself here.”

“Is that what you do?” Crashing Thunder asked.

“I mean, sort of?” Lost Way said. “If I meet a nice stallion who wants to be my boyfriend I’m not gonna run away from that. At the same time if they just wanna have some fun and never talk again that’s okay too.”

Crashing Thunder looked down to the floor. He had to admit that there was some sense in what Lost Way was saying. He had been taking these blind dates seriously. After each failure each date filled him with more and more dread, and every time it went poorly with no follow up he felt himself sink deeper into the negative thoughts he had spent most of his life fighting. Maybe he deserved to spend at least one of these nights going in with no expectations.

“I don’t know how you do it,” Crash said with a fatigued tone of voice. “I get so tired from all these dates. You’ve gone on so many without a second one and you’re still singing in the shower all excited and happy…”

“Hey, big guy,” Lost Way said as he moved forward and put a hoof under Crashing Thunder’s chin. He lifted the pegasi’s head and looked him in the eyes once more. “Don’t beat yourself up, okay? I’m just trying to make sure you’re happy. If you wanna skip out on tonight’s date and just stay home eating junk I’ll totally do that with you.”

“Really?” Crashing Thunder asked.

“Really,” Lost Way said. “I mean I WAS looking forward to another stallion who got way too wasted trying to get a hard on with whiskey dick, but I guess I can pass that up and spend a night in with my best friend.”

Crashing Thunder chuckled at that. The way Lost Way smiled at that made the pegasi start to feel better already. The zebra’s smile always made Crash feel safe, and like the two of them were going to be okay as long as they stuck together.

“No, I wouldn’t wanna do that to our dates,” Crash said. “I’d be totally crushed if I got stood up by some pony I didn’t even know.”

“Always the sweetheart,” Lost Way said before rolling his eyes and pulling away. “That mare’s lucky.”

“Thanks, though,” Crash said. “I really appreciate the offer, Lost.”

Lost Way looked over his shoulder with a smile.

“Here, come with me!”

“Huh?”

“Just shut up and come on!” Lost Way said with a groan before nodding his head toward the hallway.

Crash stood up from the couch and followed his roommate slowly as they went into the zebra’s room. Lost opened his bedside drawer and began rifling through a bunch of stuff before eventually pulling out a small bottle.

“Aha!” Lost Way said as he held the bottle up in victory. “There you are!”

“What’s that?” Crash asked.

“This,” Lost Way began as he unscrewed the cap of the bottle and dabbed a little bit of it onto his hoof.  Even from a distance the scent hit Crash’s nose instantly. “Is some pretty pricey cologne. I usually try to save it for at least the second date since most of the guys at that place really aren’t worth it…”

“C-C’mon,” Crash said before taking a hesitant step backward back into the hallway. “If it’s really that pricey don’t waste it on me!”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Lost Way said as he approached Crash. “It’s already in my hoof, I can’t get it back in the bottle! Just come here!”

Crash frowned as he gingerly stepped forward. Lost Way extended his hoof and gently dabbed it against Crash’s neck, and around his ears. He spilled a few more drops from the bottle onto his hoof, which made Crash’s stomach turn.

“Don’t use more of it,” Crash whined.

“Quit being a baby,” Lost said. “This stuff’ll make the mares purr, I guarantee it. Citrus, rosemary, and just a little hint of rose.”

Crash had to admit that the smell of the stuff was pleasing to his nose. It wasn’t like him to put anything fancy like this on his body before a date. He wouldn’t have considered himself sloppy, but also had never overly concerned himself with looking nor smelling overly fancy. As soon as Lost Way put the cap back on the bottle he went to work adjusting Crash’s bowtie.

“One more thing,” Lost Way said before turning around, and pulling one last thing out of the bedside table. It was a tiny red flower inside of a small glass box. “This here’s a carnation. Totally fancy.”

Crash opened his mouth to protest once more, but before he could Lost raised his hoof and planted it right up against his lips.

“Ah ah ah! If you don’t wear it I’m going to throw it right into the garbage, you hear me?”

Crash frowned.

“You’re stubborn,” Crash said.

“Aww, thanks,” Lost Way said in an overly cheerful tone as he attacked the flower to the strap of the bowtie around Crash’s neck. “It looks super good on you. Goes with your coat really well!”

“You think so?” Crash said as he looked down at the flower. “It’s not too much?”

“Naw, most mares like when guys dress up,” Lost Way said. “Y’know, if you don’t bed yourself a good mare tonight I’m gonna let you have it. You’re basically halfway there with this stuff.”

“Gee, thanks,” Crash said. “No pressure.”

Lost Way giggled as he stepped away and looked Crashing Thunder up and down.

“There! You look like a perfect gentlecolt! Smell like one too!”

It was strange, but Crash didn’t feel that same looming sense of dread that he had twenty minutes prior. Lost Way’s words had an effect on him that he didn’t expect. He shut his eyes, and took a slow and steady breath inward.

“Alright,” Crashing Thunder said. “I think I’m ready for tonight… thanks to you.”

“Hey, don’t give me all the credit, Sugar” Lost Way said as he slipped back into his hokey southern accent from before. “Those big and sexy muscles of yours are gonna get you some sugar tonight, yes sir!”

Crashing Thunder was unable to keep from laughing at that. He was feeling better about tonight already.

——————————

The chill in the Canterlot air felt a bit nippier than usual tonight. The leaves on the trees were all but plucked by the winds, and those that remained no longer held their bright orange and yellow glow that autumn had brought upon them. They were mostly brown and dead now, with nary a sign of life in them. Though it had yet to snow just yet in Canterlot, it seemed that any day now the capital was due for the first snowfall of the season. With the setting sun beating on his back, Crashing Thunder let out a long sigh that released a breathy cloud of air from his lips that quickly dissipated into the air.

“Still nervous?” Lost Way questioned. His smaller friend was walking beside him, and as usual was managing to keep up quite well despite his much shorter legs.

The zebra was sporting a pink and white patterned scarf along with a hat to match. His fur was much less thick than Crash’s, given that the pegasus was built to live up high with much harsher climates.

“A little bit,” Crash admitted as he started up at the moon which was just now starting to become visible in the late twilight sky. “I’m not dreading it anymore, though. That’s good, right?”

“Course it is, silly,” Lost Way said with a giggle before he bumped his body up against Crash’s own. “Just try to have fun tonight with whoever you end up meeting. Who knows, you might end up getting lucky.”

“We’ll see about that,” Crashing Thunder said with a lingering humor in his tone. “I haven’t even met her yet, y’know. She might not even want to.”

“Please, I’ve seen how ponies stare at you,” Lost Way said with a roll of his eyes. “You’re some big strong mysterious stranger who they’d love to have on top of them in bed.”

“Sh-Shut up,” Crashing Thunder said with a light blush crossing his cheeks. “Ponies don’t stare at me like that.”

“Whatever you say, big guy,” Lost Way said. “Any idea what this place for the date night even is?”

“Dunno,” Crash said. “I think it was called… Le Papillon?”

“Ain’t that a dog breed or something?” Lost Way asked. “Eh, who cares. As long as they have good cider I can get through even the most boring date.”

Crash rolled his eyes before glancing back up toward the sky. Clear skies, with a sight of heavier clouds rolling in from the distance. He tried vaguely to remember if Cloudsdale had planned any sort of weather for this night, but found his mind drawing a blank.

“So, what kind of mare are you wanting to meet?” Lost Way asked, breaking Crash’s train of thought.

“Er… what kind?” Crash responded. He suddenly found his mind drawing a bit of a blank. “I dunno.”

“What?” Lost Way asked. “C’mon, you gotta have SOMETHING in mind! Serious? Sporty? The kind willing to reach their hoof under the tablecloth and let you know they wanna go back to your place?”

“If she’s nice and likes me does it really matter all that much?” Crash asked. “What’s the point in fantasizing about them? That sounds like it’ll only make me disappointed when they’re not what I expected.”

“Ugh, you’re so boring sometimes,” Lost Way said with a weary sigh. “C’mon, humor me a little!”

“Mmm,” Crashing Thunder stared down at his hooves as he continued to walk. “I dunno. Maybe one who's easy to talk to? One who’ll just let me feel like myself and not like I’m just trying to impress somepony?”

“Hmm, that’s more like it,” Lost Way said. “Though still a little generic. I’ll let it slide.”

“Hmph, so what are you hoping for?” Crashing Thunder asked. “A stallion right off the front cover of a playcolt magazine?”

“Well, ideally they’d be the kind they can’t show ON the cover,” Lost Way said before smirking at Crashing Thunder’s direction. This only made the pegasus roll his eyes, but also unwillingly crack a small smile at his friend’s joke. 

“Well, I guess just a nice stallion?” Lost Way said.  “It’d be nice to have a real conversation that’s not just meaningless filler before they ask if I wanna get railed back at their place. I mean, I like a one night stand and all but sometimes it feels like these guys would rather I’d just zip my lips and bend over.”

“Or just wear a big red ball gag in your mouth,” Crash added.

“Well, I wasn’t gonna be THAT lewd about it,” Lost Way said. “But now that you mention it, there was that one date where a stallion suggested it…”

The two friends laughed together as they walked side by side through the street. It didn’t take them much longer before they eventually came up upon the destination for their dates. The restaurant itself looked fancy, though not such to the point where either stallion felt underdressed for the occasion.

“Alright, we’re here,” Lost Way said. “Sure you don’t wanna high tail it back home and play board games or something back home?”

“I think I’m good,” Crashing Thunder said. “Let’s get inside. My ears are starting to feel numb.”

“Ditto,” Lost said.

The two entered the restaurant, with Crashing Thunder courteously holding the door open for his smaller friend as the two walked out of the chill and back into the warm air.

“Smells good in here,” Lost Way said as he stepped forward. He shut his eyes and took a big breath in. “Mmm, the prince and princess have good taste.”

Crash had to agree with Lost Way’s statement. The place certainly had a pleasant aroma of smells wafting from the kitchen. Several unicorns in waitstaff uniforms were wandering around from table to table with big and expensive looking bottles of wine and dishes that looked a bit more like art pieces than food.

“Table for two?” A voice asked, which caused Crash to turn his attention away from the restaurant and towards a well built stallion in a necktie and a finely combed slicked back mane. “I’m afraid it’s going to be a bit of a wait.”

“Actually, we’re both here for Princess Cadance and Shining Armor’s event,” Lost Way said as he stepped forward and pulled his knit hat down from his ears and held it in his hoof. “Is this the right place?”

“Oh, yes yes the blind date!” The waiter said with a newly lively look in his eyes. He quickly reached behind a stand which he pulled out a clipboard. “Names, please? I have everypony assigned to this restaurant right here. We’re VERY proud to be hosting the Princess’ of Love’s event.”

“Lost Way,” The zebra said.

“Crashing Thunder.”

“Lost Way, Crashing Thunder…” The waiter mumbled under his breath as his eyes scanned the page. After a moment his eyes widened with what looked to Crash like surprise. “Oh my!”

“What’s wrong?” Crash asked.

“Nothing, nothing!” The waiter quickly said. “It’s just that you two are listed as VIP’s.”

“We’re what?” Lost Way asked with a tone of confusion very in line with the sort Crash was suddenly feeling.

“VIP’s are ponies who Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor have personally selected partners for the evening,” The waiter explained. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the fact that most of the dates are random, but occasionally the princess and prince will use their best judgement to fit two ponies together who they think might make a perfect match.”

“Perfect match?” Crash asked out loud. “That’s… wow. I didn’t know they did that.”

“Me neither,” Lost Way said. “It’s kinda cool, though. I’m sure the Princess of Love herself knows what she’s doing.”

All of a sudden Crashing Thunder felt his belly twist into knots. The pressure and worry that had been subsided earlier that evening was starting to creep back into him. Suddenly this date felt very different from all those that had come before it.

“Here, take these,” The waiter said before pulling two small laminated square bits of paper out from behind the stand he had pulled the clipboard. “We’ll call on your number when we’re ready to seat you. Just sit tight for a moment, alright?”

Crash was suddenly given one of the papers, and looked down to see the number eight written on it. He looked over to the one Lost Way had received to see the number seven.

“Huh,” Lost Way said. “I know this whole thing was set up by those two but I didn’t think they’d get this involved.”

“Does this mean we’re that hopeless with blind luck or something?” Crash asked.

Before either of them could ponder that question very long the waiter tapped his hoof down on the paper, which caused Lost Way to look up.

“You’re actually up next to be seated,” The waiter said. “You two arrived just on time.”

“Oh, awesome,” Lost Way said with a bright smile that looked far more cheery and excited than Crashing Way felt. His friend looked to him and gave a brief wink. “Wish me luck.”

“G-Good luck,” Crash said as the waiter drug his best friend off, and left Crash all alone. He stood there and stared down at his number with the pit in his belly growing.

“Alright,” Crash muttered under his breath. “Nothing’s changed… you can totally do this. You can still have fun tonight.”

Without Lost Way by his side, the words didn’t seem to come out nearly as confidently. Now he had gotten way into his own head and was starting to wonder just who on earth the prince and princess hoof selected for him. A mare who wanted to start a herd? Somepony who was shy like him? Somepony who didn’t judge. All of a sudden Crash’s mind was racing, and he felt himself get sucked deeper and deeper into these thoughts until eventually he was ripped out of them by a familiar voice.

“Sir?”

“Ah!” Crash gasped as his head snapped up to see an entirely new waiter standing in front of him.

“Sorry, sorry,” The waiter said. “It’s just that it’s your turn to be seated now. Are you ready?”

Crash bit hard on the inside of his cheek. He thought hard of the pep talk Lost Way had given him, and tried to gain hold once more of that confidence he had right before the two of them walked into the restaurant.

“I-I am,” Crashing Thunder said with a nod. “Lead the way.”

Crashing Thunder was taken away from the main section of the restaurant to a much more secluded location.

“All our special dates have their own privacy for tonight,” The waiter said. “Your pony is already waiting for you.”

The room itself had several curtains hoisted up in makeshift walls, likely to separate the dates from each other. He heard several of the couples who had probably arrived before already chattering and getting to know one another, but as Crash was led to the end of the row the noise grew quiet. Before him there was a curtained door.

“Just behind here?” Crash asked.

“Yes, sir,” The waiter said. “Ready?”

Crash closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He nodded his head, and tried his best to calm himself. He heard the sound of the curtain slide open, and with his eyes still shut he stood there likely in full view of his date.

Before Crashing Thunder even had the chance to open his eyes, the first thing he heard was a gasp.

His belly instantly twisted, and he couldn’t help but assume the worst.
> Unexpected
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The very first thing Lost Way did when the curtain opened was let out a loud and easily heard gasp. It was almost like the gasp itself was against his will, and was ripped from his mouth before his brain even had time to properly process the sight before his eyes. 

Lost Way had only just begun to truly settle into his table a moment before. Unlike his roommate the idea of his own date being hand-picked by the princess of love had made him morbidly curious and excited for the night ahead. He never dreamed that a zebra like him would get the attention of royalty, even if he was a royal guard himself. He couldn’t help but wonder just what sort of stallion had been hoof-picked for him. When asked to describe his own type he had some difficulty putting it into words. Most of his encounters with stallions ended before any meaningful connection could be made that went beyond the physical kind. Truth be told he had been looking forward to the idea of a stallion who somepony else thought to be the perfect fit for him.

What he hadn’t been expecting was for that stallion to be one he recognized. Crashing Thunder was standing before him with his eyes shut, and an overly nervous look on his face. As soon as Lost Way let out his gasp he saw his best friend wince. There was a brief moment in time before Crashing Thunder cracked open his eyes where Lost was able to take in the situation. He briefly considered bolting, or hiding underneath the table. However his body seemed to be frozen, much like time. It couldn’t have been more than a few moments, but for Lost Way the seconds that he spent staring at his friend before Crash opened his eyes felt like an eternity.

Eventually time unfroze, and Crash cracked open his eyelids. The large pegasus looked up. Lost Way could see the cogs turn inside of the pegasi’s head. His mouth opened and hung ajar like that for several moments.

“There’s gotta be a mistake,” Was the very first thing that Crashing Thunder said. “This has gotta be the wrong table.”

Lost Way wasn’t sure why, but the panic in his best friend’s voice caused a tightness to form inside of his chest. Though Lost Way had been shocked by the sight of his best friend, his reaction hadn’t been so instantly against it as Crash’s tone of voice seemed to suggest. He was so caught up in the whirlwind of sudden emotion that he was forced to put that tightness in his chest aside and pray that it didn’t fester.

“What’s going on here?” Lost Way asked as he stood up from his cushion.

The waiter who had led Crashing Thunder back to this table looked between the two with a puzzled expression.

“I… I don’t believe there’s a mistake,” The Waiter said. “I was specifically requested to pair Crashing Thunder and Lost Way together at a table. That IS the two of you, correct?”

“It is, but…!” Crashing Thunder started, but his words got choked up in his throat. He looked to Lost Way with a panic in his eyes. “I’ve never… all my dates have been with mares… Lost Way, he’s…”

A million thoughts must have been running through Crashing Thunder’s head as he rambled, and seemed unable to finish a single thought. He was so busy wrapped up in his own confusion that Lost Way had to buck up and take the reins of the conversation.

“Will you go and double check?” Lost Way asked as he approached Crash and laid a hoof on his friend’s shoulder. He looked into the waiter’s eyes and forced himself to be the one in control of their emotions. “Please?”

“Y-Yes, of course,” The waiter said. The poor pony looked frazzled as he turned tail and made his way back towards the entrance. As soon as he was gone Crashing Thunder planted a hoof on his head and let out a whining sound that Lost recognized all too well as the big guy’s anxiety getting the best of him.

“C’mon, sit down,” Lost Way said as he tugged on Crash’s arm and directed him over to the table. “Take a breath, big guy.”

“Th-This is insane,” Crashing Thunder said under his breath as he followed Lost Way’s direction with all the movement of a shuffling zombie. He sat down on his cushion, or more so let his entire weight come crashing down on top of it. Instantly all the work Crash had put into his look seemed to be coming apart as he couldn’t help but constantly run a hoof through his combed mane.

“I’m sure it’s just a little mistake,” Lost Way said. “We both got hand picked by Cadance and Shining. Maybe there was just a little mixup between others who also did?”

Even as Lost Way said that he couldn’t help but hear how little he believed that in his own tone of voice. Of all the dates the two had been on, there had never been a mistake like this. The organization set up by the princess was very meticulous in how it handled business to avoid things exactly like this. Crashing Thunder was refusing to look at him directly, and instead opted to keep his eyes glued to the slightly ajar curtain in sight of the waiter who Lost was starting to doubt would really save either of them from his awkward situation.

That tightness from before lingered in Lost Way’s chest. He was struggling to play the comforter to Crash while also failing to deal with his own emotions. He bit the inside of his cheek and stared down at his hooves when he realized his words didn’t seem to be reaching the already anxious and upset pegasus.

The waiter returned, and judging by the worried expression on his face he didn’t seem to be bringing good news. Regardless, Crash stood up instantly.

“Is it wrong?” Crashing Thunder asked.

“I’m afraid it isn’t,” The waiter said. “All documents we received from the prince and princess all seem to indicate you two were matched together.”

There was a dead silence that hung over the room. 

“But…!” Crashing Thunder started.

It was Lost Way who realized this was going to go around in circles unless somepony said something. He stood up.

“Thank you for checking,” Lost Way said as steadily as he could manage. “We’re sorry for the trouble. Can we have a minute before we order anything?”

Crashing Thunder looked back at Lost Way with fear in his eyes which Lost realized he had no idea how to comfort. The waiter hesitated, but seemed to want out of this situation just as badly as the two stallions. He simply nodded his head and pulled the curtain back, which left both Lost and Crash standing there in silence.

“Why’d you do that?” Crashing Thunder asked. His tone almost sounded hurt.

“It’s clearly not a mistake, Crash,” Lost Way said wearily as he sat himself back down. He put both hooves up against his face and let out a long winded groan. “Will you just sit and calm down?”

Crash clearly looked like he wanted to fight Lost Way on that, but relented when seeing just how exasperated the zebra seemed. The large pegasus sat down much softer than before before staring down at the table cloth. There was a ghastly expression in his eyes that only made Lost Way feel worse. The zebra was forced to look away from his friend to avoid his own emotions spiraling.

Calm down. That’s what Lost Way kept telling himself. He knew how badly Crashing Thunder handed situations as awkward as this. If he wasn’t the one in control of his feelings here then nopony would be.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Crash said out loud.

“Well… Maybe try to look at it from the prince and princess’ perspective?” Lost Way asked as he tried in vain to find some way to comfort his anxious friend. “We’re both royal guards, and we both had a bunch of dates here without much luck.”

“But why YOU?” Crashing Thunder asked.

Those words felt like a knife slipping directly into Lost Way’s chest. He felt like he had just been slapped or spit on.

“I-I don’t know,” Lost Way said, and found himself growing sheepish as the conversation lingered. “Maybe what we said we liked in ponies fit each other somehow?”

“But I’ve never been on a date with a stallion here,” Crash said wearily.

“Did you ever say you ruled out stallions entirely?” Lost Way asked. “I said that about mares.”

“I… I guess not,” Crashing Thunder said. “I said I maybe liked stallions but… ugh…”

Crashing Thunder placed his face in both of his hooves as he leaned onto the table and caused it to creak. Lost Way couldn’t bear to look at his distressed friend, and found himself wishing to also bury himself away so he couldn’t see. Tonight was so far the worst of the dates he had ever been on. He had never felt so unwanted, and for it to come from somepony he cared about as much as Crash only caused his chest to continue to ache.

“We… We don’t have to fight this so hard y’know,” Lost Way said.

“What do you mean?” Crash asked.

“Well… we’re here,” Lost Way said. “We don’t have to leave just cause of this little thing.”

“You seriously wanna continue this?” Crashing Thunder asked.

“Why not?” Lost Way said, and resisted the urge to snap back at his friend.  “The restaurant’s paid for and we’re all dressed up. I don’t know why we can’t just try to enjoy our time here.”

Crash looked away as he frowned. Lost Way could see his friend was thinking, but knew he couldn’t find much of a reason to argue that wasn’t just how uncomfortable he felt.

Seeming to force the two to make a decision, the waiter finally returned. He peaked his head behind the curtain gingerly and looked at the two with squinted eyes as if judging to see if the situation had smoothed over at all.

“Do… Do you two gentlecolts need more time?” The waiter questioned.

“Wine!” Lost Way said loudly. “I could REALLY use some good red wine.”

Crash looked back at the waiter, and then lost. He eventually let out a weary sigh.

“Same for me,” Crash said. “Just bring a bottle, please.”

The waiter who seemed to not want to be there a moment longer simply nodded his head before darting off. After a moment Crash looked back to Lost, and the two locked eyes.

“You really wanna stay?” Crash asked.

“What, and go back to our place where it’ll be just as awkward without free food?” Lost Way asked. “I’ll take the free food, thanks.”

This seemed to finally get through to Crash. The pegasus nodded his head, and finally saw a little bit of logic in Lost’s reasoning to stay. He settled down onto the cushion and for once that evening didn’t look like he wanted to instantly bolt away.

It didn’t take long for the waiter to reappear with wine glasses and a bottle in hoof. As he poured the drinks he looked from Lost Way to Crashing Thunder suspiciously, but didn’t dare ask a question on how their evening was going as a waiter normally would. Lost couldn’t help but wonder if the tension in the air was truly that bad.

“I’ll give you a bit to look over the menu’s,” The waiter said quickly before quickly exiting. He seemed to want to be there even less than Crash. 

As soon as he was gone Crash put the glass up to his lips and downed half of it. He let out a large gasp as he pulled the glass from his lips.

“Don’t down it all in one go,” Lost Way muttered under his breath before picking up his own glass and allowing the dry red liquid to coat his tongue. He knew it wasn’t the best idea to try and mask his anxieties in drunkenness, but right now he was a bit too worn from the past twenty minutes to care.

“I really should have taken you up on your offer to ditch, I guess,” Crash said as he looked longingly at the curtain where the waiter had just left. “Could have avoided this whole awkward mess.”

“It’s not THAT bad, is it?” Lost Way asked. “Free food, free wine, and no having to ask a bunch of boring questions we don’t really care about.”

“I guess not,” Crashing Thunder said, and then trailed off. He seemed dead set on making sure the conversation would never pick up. It had never been so much like pulling teeth for Lost Way to talk to his best friend.

“You said you didn’t pick only mares when you signed up for what you like, right?” Lost Way asked as he tried his best to brush past the subject.

“Yeah…” Crashing Thunder said. He already sounded a little bit uncomfortable.

“You never told me that,” Lost Way said. “That you… might not be interested in only mares.”

“Well it’s not like I put it down as yes I love stallions,” Crashing Thunder said. “I’ve never had a real marefriend or coltfriend. It didn’t feel right to just rule out stallions entirely… But I said I preferred mares, I dunno.”

“You dunno?” Lost Way asked. “You could have talked to me about that, you know.”

“I didn’t think about it, okay?” Crash said. “I don’t see why you care so much.”

“I’m your best friend, Crash!” Lost Way said. “You didn’t have to, but… I thought we didn’t hide secrets.”

“It wasn’t a secret,” Crashing Thunder said. “I started coming to these things so I could start a herd,” Crashing Thunder said. “This just makes me feel like I’m wasting my time here with a stallion.”

“You don’t think a stallion would want to start a herd with you?” Lost Way asked. He didn’t know why, but that insuitation offended him a little bit.

“No, not a stallion, but…” Crashing Thunder started his train of thought, but then trailed off. He gave one quick glance to Lost Way and then darted his eyes away. “Nevermind. It’s never crossed my mind to try to start it with a stallion, no.” 

That was like a dagger piercing itself right through Lost Way’s heart. It was clear that Crash already knew he had said too much by how he refused to look Lost Way in the eye. Right now the Zebra could feel his mind racing. Just what did his friend think of him? Lost suddenly felt like he was being judged by the one pony who had never made him felt that way, and it hurt more than any wound he had ever experienced.

“We’re already here,” Lost Way said as he struggled to keep himself calm. “The date hasn’t even really started, so why can’t we just…”

“It’s NOT a date,” Crashing Thunder said.

Lost Way felt himself visibly wince as he looked up to Crashing Thunder.

“Well, why the heck not?” Lost Way spat right back. “Fancy restaurant, fancy wine, fancy bowties? Looks like a date to me!”

“Why are you so hung up on all of this?” Crashing Thunder asked. “I thought you’d be just as eager to forget this entire thing!”

“I don’t know why you do!” Lost Way could feel his voice getting louder as his emotions started to seep through. “Princess Cadance matched us together herself! She knows more about love than any pony. it’s kind of her job!”

“For all we know she could have just looked at two stallions who hadn’t managed to find a steady partner in half a hundred dates and just stuck them together hoping for the best,” Crash said right back. “It doesn’t MEAN anything. No stars aligned and no fate is happening here.”

“Do you really think she wouldn’t put ANY thought into this?” Lost Way said. “You’re the one who was so passionate about this thinking you’d find somepony BECAUSE it was the Princess of Love who set everything up!”

“So what, suddenly you’re in love with me because we’re on a blind date together?” Crash asked.

“When did I say that?” Lost way snapped. He could feel himself growing frantic, and in frustration he hit his hoof down on top of the table hard enough to cause the wine in both of their glasses to vibrate. “I’ve never thought of you like that before, Crash! It never crossed my mind, but…”

Lost Way trailed off. He realized he was practically shouting now. His body was starting to tremble. The emotions he had strung up so tightly trying to keep under wraps were beginning to unbind themselves and leave him just as much of an emotional wreck as his best friend.

“But what?” Crashing Thunder asked.

“Forget it,” Lost Way said.

“Lost…” Crash started.

“I just… Seeing you when the curtain got pulled back,” Lost Way started. “I was shocked, yeah. But I wasn’t… I wasn’t whatever you’ve been like this whole time.”

“I’m not being like anything, Lost,” Crashing Thunder defended himself.

“Are you KIDDING ME?” Lost Way nearly shouted again. “You’re acting like you can barely look at me! You’ve been so wrapped up in thinking this is some horrible mistake and whining about how I’m not some stranger! You keep going on and on about how bad this is for you but have you even thought for a second how this whole thing is making ME feel?”

That was it. The moment the dam inside of Lost Way’s heart burst. He finally lost control of his emotions.

“I’m some mistake, I’m not somepony you’ll ever start a herd with, I’m NOT your date. You aren’t even stopping for a second to think about it, you just saw me and freaked out! Like I’m… I’m the worst thing that could have possibly been behind that curtain!”

Lost Way could feel the tears welling up in his eyes now. He so, so desperately didn’t want to cry. Not here, and not now. He hated himself for getting so worked up, and for taking everything Crash had done this evening so personally.

“Lost,” Crash said. For the first time that night Crash’s voice didn’t feel wrapped up in his own anxieties. “I didn’t think you would want to settle down to start a herd. I thought you only came to this place for fun.”

“Is that really how you see me?” Lost Way asked. “Just some stallion who only cares about whose gonna fuck him next and move on? I’m out of the question the second you saw it was me?”

“No!” Crash said, with his eyes widening in a panic. “Of course not!”

“W-Well you’ve done an a-awful job of acting like that’s not i-it,” Lost Way said. A few tears slipped out and he instantly put his hooves up to his face and let out a groan of frustration. His shoulders started to tremble. He was losing control, and fast. “Dammit… Dammit dammit!”

Lost Way wanted to be swallowed up by the earth. He wanted to disappear and never be found again. He was starting to wish this night had never happened. He couldn’t remember the last time him and Crash had fought, and certainly it had never made him feel quite so much like his heart was being ripped out on his chest.

Lost was so overwhelmed by his emotions that he didn’t hear Crashing Thunder get up. What he did feel was the weight of the enormous stallion practically crashing on top of him and startle him badly enough for him to let out a gasp. His eyes were so blurred by his own tears that he couldn’t see anything, but he certainly felt the strong arms of his friend wrap around him.

“I’m sorry,” Crashing Thunder said. By the sound of it, he too had emotion in his voice that he was struggling to not let unearth. “Please stop crying.”

“I-It’s a little late f-for that!” Lost Way said. Truth be told he had meant for that to be more of a joke, but he was already so overwhelmed by his own emotions that he was positive he only sounded more upset.

“I’m sorry,” Crash repeated and strengthened his hug around Lost Way’s body. “I’m here, okay? I would never think any of that stuff about you, ever.”

Lost had lost control of his breathing to the point each breath came and went shakily. It started to feel like Crash’s forelegs were the only thing holding him together. He leaned into his friend, and buried his teary eyed and snotty nosed face into Crashing Thunder’s chest.

“I don’t think we can ever come back to this restaurant,” Crash said. “The waitstaff’ll be telling stories about us for months.”

Despite his crying, Lost Way couldn’t stop himself from letting out a half-sob half-laugh at that. Even doing that caused his entire body to shake, and Crash squeezed him tighter as a result.

“D-Don’t make me l-laugh, you jerk,” Lost Way said.

“I’m glad you CAN laugh,” Crashing Thunder said.

Lost Way sniffled. Though he still felt awful he had to admit having his friend comfort him alleviated a bit of the stress that had been building up all night. He closed his eyes. Even minutes later when the tears finally stopped he struggled to breathe steadily without trembling.

“H-Hey,” Lost Way said once he finally felt confident enough to speak without devolving into his emotions. “Do you remember when we were really young? Back when we got bullied a lot?”

“I try not to,” Crash said. “But yeah, I do.”

“I remember when we finally became friends, we did everything together,” Lost Way said. “Nopony else would even talk to us for the longest time. We sat and ate lunch alone together, and played together. It got to the point you couldn’t separate us. The other stallions started to tease us all the time asking if we were boyfriends or something.”

“Mmm, I think I remember that,” Crash said. “I got so fed up with it once that I yelled at them that I’d be lucky to have you be my boyfriend.”

“You remember,” Lost Way said, and couldn’t help himself from smiling. “I just thought of that all of a sudden. Any other stallion that age would have acted grossed out if you even joked about that kind of thing. You didn’t, though. You acted like you’d be proud to be with me. Even before I knew I liked stallions that made me feel really good.”

“They all laughed at me for saying that,” Crash said. “But I said it every time they tried to make fun of us like that. Eventually they got bored of that and moved on to other stuff to mess with us.”

Crashing Thunder let out a long winded sigh. His arms loosened around Lost Way, but didn’t fully release. He put his chin on top of the zebra’s head and began to gently rub his back. Lost Way felt his cheeks grow warm. He had never been embraced so softly before.

“I’m sorry about tonight, Lost,” Crash said. “I was right back then. I’d be lucky to have you even consider being my partner.”

“Th-That’s not why I brought it up, you doof,” Lost Way said. “I just thought of it because of the blind date and all.”

“It’s true, though,” Crash said as he pushed away from Lost and held him at foreleg’s length. The two met eyes, and for the first time that evening Crashing Thunder had a stern conviction. “I should have been acting like that colt I was when I was a little kid and not thought only about how I felt. I’m no better than those stallions who used to treat us like garbage.”

“C’mon, Crash,” Lost Way said. “Don’t say that.”

“No, don’t let me off the hook,” Crashing Thunder said. “I’ve been a jerk and an ass and I don’t deserve you at all, but please just let me try this date again.” 

Lost Way felt his eyes widen.

“Date?” The zebra asked.

“Look, maybe you were right,” Crashing Thunder said. “Maybe Cadance did see something when she hoof picked the two of us for tonight. Maybe we just didn’t see it cause we were so caught up in just seeing each other as friends.”

Lost Way could feel his chest tighten up. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Crash have such confidence and boldness in his eyes. It was a far cry from the panicked mess he had been this entire evening. For the first time Lost Way allowed himself to seriously consider the possibility of himself with Crash.

“So… what do we do now?” Lost Way asked.

“Well,” Crash said. “I guess the first thing would probably be to order some food.”

—————————————————————-

Crashing Thunder felt the cold water from the tap splash up to hit his face. With both hooves pressed against his face he allowed himself to let his shoulders loosen up. The way he was feeling right now was almost indescribable. So many emotions had hit him at once over the course of this evening that right now all he felt was the looming cloud of exhaustion hang over his head. Part of him wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up in his bed and sleep until day had gone by all the way into the following night. The other part was brimming with nerves and curiosity about what the rest of the night might hold if he didn’t.

Crash raised his eyes from his hoof and stared at his own reflection. The bathroom of this restaurant was dim, which only accented the dark circles under his eyes. He looked more of a mess than Lost Way, which was saying a lot considering the zebra’s eyes were probably still red and puffy from his crying.

Crash felt his guts twist at the memory of that. He had heard Lost Way cry before, but it had never been because of him. The hurt in his best friend’s voice still made Crash tense up. He felt his own eyes briefly begin to sting.

“Stop it,” Crash muttered under his breath as he tore eyes away from his reflection. “You can fix this… you HAVE to fix this.”

Crash knew he had made mistakes tonight. Seeing Lost break down after trying so hard to salvage this mess of a dinner was the biggest wake up call the pegasi could have asked for. He only wished he hadn’t been so self absorbed in his own feelings to have seen it before the breaking point.

Now wasn’t the time for Crash to pity himself. He had screwed up in just about every possible way but he knew there was still a chance to salvage the broken pieces of the date he had carelessly tried to smash with all his might. He looked himself in the mirror once again, and forced himself to look determined.

“I WILL fix this,” Crash said.

Crashing Thunder exited the bathroom with a sigh. The busy restaurant seemed so much more lively than the curtained off chambers which he and Lost had had their individual breakdowns. It only served to remind him of the scene they had caused, and made him wonder just how much the other patrons of this restaurant had heard in the process of all their shouting.

Crash returned to where Lost was, and opened the curtain to see him already stuffing a forkful of greens into his mouth.

“Foods here,” The zebra said with said food still in his mouth.

“I see that,” Crashing Thunder said as he returned to the table and sat himself down. “Did the waiter look like he was ready to bolt when he brought it?”

“Well, it’s been a good fifteen minutes since we yelled at each other,” Lost Way said after swallowing his food. “So I think they’re letting their guard down. I think we need to yell about something soon or they’ll act like we’re normal by the time we leave.”

“That’d be a real shame,” Crash said with a sigh as he stared down at his own plate of food. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn’t even bothered to look at the menu, and had just ordered the same meal that Lost Way had. Daisy salad with cider drizzled dressing.

“So, uh, Lost…” Crashing Thunder began.

“Yeah?”

Crash had tried to look up to meet Lost’s pink eyes, but found that his cheeks grew warm in doing so. He looked back down to his food and shifted awkwardly back and forth on his cushion.

“About us,” Crash said. “Have you ever thought about it?”

“You mean dating?” Lost Way asked. “No, not really. I kind of thought you were straight as a board until tonight.”

“Y-Yeah,” Crashing Thunder said. “I’m sorry. You were right, I could have told you about those feelings. I just didn’t think it was ever right.”

“No, that wasn’t for me to butt my head into,” Lost Way said. “You need to deal with that in your own way…. But how about you?”

“How about me?”

“Have you thought about it?” Lost Way asked. “The two of us?”

Crash frowned, and after a moment of consideration slowly shook his head.

“Not really,” Crash said. “I was never actively against the idea either, though. It was just something that didn’t seem like I should think about it too hard.”

“Ditto,” Lost Way said. “But how about right now? Have you thought about it at all?”

“W-Well,” Crash said, and found himself getting flustered faster than he expected. “A little. It’s only been for these past fifteen minutes though, so I’m not sure if I’m really qualified to give an opinion.”

“Qualified?” Lost Way snorted.

“You know what I mean,” Crash said while resisting the urge to groan. “You’re my best friend, Lost. Thinking of you as different is…”

“Bad?” Lost way asked.

“No, no,” Crash said quickly and shook his head. “It’s scary. If something goes wrong and one of us gets hurt I don’t wanna lose you.”

“Crash…” Lost Way said gently. Crashing Thunder looked up to see Lost Way’s eyes were staring right at him. The zebra reached his hoof across the table and took the pegasi by his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You will never, ever, not be my best friend. Even if you broke my heart I’d find a way to forgive you. I don’t want a life without you in it, romantically or as a friend.”

Crashing Thunder felt his chest tense up a bit, but for once it wasn’t because of anxiety. His eyes stung a little, and he had to tell himself not to let his emotions get the best of him. He nodded his head gently.

“Thank you,” Crash said. “That’s pretty comforting to hear, actually.”

“You wouldn’t abandon me, right?” Lost way asked.

“Never.”

Crash said it without a hint of hesitation. He didn’t even need to think about it for even a second. In a way the fact that he didn’t have to ponder the question gave him a bit of relief. He knew deep down that regardless of what came from tonight Lost Way would always be a part of his life. The way his friend smiled made him feel safe.

“This might sound weird but you’re kind of what I’ve always wanted in a mare,” Crash said.

“That’s…” Lost Way began, and sounded a bit skeptical as he did so.

“Not physically,” Crash said quickly. “Just that you’re easy to talk to. You don’t make me feel like an alien in my own skin when I’m around you. I feel like I can already tell you anything and not be afraid you’ll laugh at me.”

“Well… I don’t feel like we’re just gonna have sex and you’ll never talk to me again,” Lost Way said. “Sometimes I feel like they only want me because I look exotic or something and they just wanna try it with me. It’s been really hard to have a genuine connection with anypony lately.”

Crash felt his belly twist at that word. The idea of anypony only seeing his friend as that filled him with mixed feelings of frustration and sadness all at once.

“I thought you didn’t care about that stuff,” Crash said.

“I thought I didn’t,” Lost Way said. “But after it happens so many times in a row you just start to feel tired. Lately I’ve been wondering what it’d be like to find a stallion who wants to get to know me and doesn’t just make me feel like I’m something on a list to cross off.”

Lost Way picked up his glass of wine and stared at it with a melancholy expression as he swirled it around.

“If we do try this,” Crashing Thunder said. “I mean, really give it a shot… I don’t think I want our first date to end here.”

“What do you mean?” Lost Way asked as he looked up.

“I mean, this restaurant sucks,” Crash said with a half-hearted laugh. “We spent most of our time here screaming or crying. I feel like it’s my fault for that.”

“Crash…”

“No, it is,” Crashing Thunder said. “Look, you deserve to be treated right for a change. I say we just leave this place and try to start over this date someplace else.”

“You just wanna ditch?” Lost Way asked. “Before eating?”

“Lost,” Crash said. “I’ve seen you literally lick a plate clean because it had cheese sauce on it. I don’t think we need to act like we’re prim and proper to impress each other like we’d normally do at this place.”

“I will admit,” Lost said before sighing as he mindlessly stabbed his greens with a fork. “This salad isn’t nearly greasy enough to count as comfort food after crying. I feel like I could eat five hay burgers.”

“With hay bacon?”

“Yes, with hay bacon,” Lost Way said. “Are you insane?”

Both Crash and Lost chuckled at that. It was then that Crash reached up and began to undo the bowtie that had been constricting his neck for the entire night. He ran his hoof through his perfectly combed hair until it was just as messy as usual.

“That feels better,” Crash said. “This place makes me feel like I fit in more with the staff than the patrons.”

“Ditto,” Lost Way said. “You think if I walk around eventually some uppity mare’ll snap at me to get her more wine?”

“Within minutes,” Crash said. “So, how about it? Wanna ditch and I’ll buy us some burgers at that little diner you like?”

“Heh, you really do know the way to get to my heart,” Lost Way said with a giggly smile before grabbing his glass of wine and downing the rest of it in one go. He let out a loud sigh and slammed it onto the table as if it were a shot. “Let’s get the heck out of here.”

Crash smiled as well as he stood up. Once he and Lost Way were standing side by side he gently bumped his rump against Lost Way’s own.

“Ready for a date that doesn’t blow?” Crash asked.

“I could make a really, really bad joke about your wording if I wanted,” Lost Way responded.

Crash let out a chuckle, and reached up his hoof to briefly tuck his arm over Lost’s shoulders and pull him in close. After a brief moment of hesitation he pressed his lips down against his friend’s cheek. It was softer than he had expected. 

“H-Hey!” Lost said in a high pitched surprised tone, and pulled away slightly.

“Sorry!” Crash said. “Was that too much.”

“N-No,” Lost Way said, and touched his cheek where he had just been pecked. “Just didn’t expect that is all… Give me some warning next time, jeez.”

“Next time?” Crash asked, and raised his eyebrows. Now it was Lost Way’s turn to blush as the pink stripes on his cheeks began to blend in with the rest of his face.

“Shut up,” Lost Way said. “You’re buying me large fries too, now.”

“Yes, Sir,” Crash said as Lost Way pushed forward in front of the pegasus. Crash followed close behind with a smile on his face.

This was probably the first time he had been leaving a date not feeling the dread of the world on his shoulders. Truth be told, he was actually a little excited. 
> A Real Date
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The dim light and rowdy conversation of the bar was a far cry from the tablecloths and fancy wine of the restaurant that Lost Way and Crashing Thunder had just left. For Canterlot this sort of establishment was a rarity, as most of the richer and hoity-toity esque ponies would never be caught dead in an establishment like this. Still, it clearly managed to find a way to survive despite being a far cry away from the busiest sections of town. It seemed that many ponies were willing to make the trek just as Lost Way and Crashing Thunder had just to have a chance to let their manes down and relax.

“I can’t remember the last time I ate at a place like this,” Crashing Thunder said with a half-chuckle and half sigh as he let his weight sink into the thinly cushioned booth tucked in the back end of the bar.

“I dunno, when’s the last time you and I both had a night off where we didn’t go on one of those blind dates?” Lost Way asked.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Crash said with a groan before closing his eyes. “I think if I see another fancy salad or waiter with a finely groomed mustache I might puke.”

Their time at the restaurant had mostly been a disaster, but that was the sort of thing Crash expected after so many failed first dates. Looking back on it, despite it being an emotional roller coaster for both him and his best friend it had still ended better than any other date he had through the service. He looked up to Lost Way, who was staring out into the crowd of the bar. Crash reminded himself yet again that this was really happening, and that he was really on a proper date with his best friend.

Lost Way looked back, and for the brief moment their eyes met Crash suddenly felt like the zebra was able to read his mind. He looked away and felt himself grow sheepish.

“Something wrong?” Lost asked.

“N-Nothing,” Crashing Thunder said. “Just… This is really weird.”

Crashing Thunder felt a twinge of shame build up in his belly. He felt himself panic, and his mind began to scramble for a way to reword his thoughts.

“W-Wait, I didn’t mean…”

“It’s okay,” Lost Way said before reaching out his hooves and grabbing Crash’s own. “I get what you mean.”

Crash looked up and saw the comfort and understanding in Lost Way’s eyes. It was the sort of look he had never gotten from any mares on a date before.

“Sorry,” Crash said sheepishly. “I know you so well already. I’m not really sure what we’re even supposed to talk about right now.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lost Way said with a chuckle as he gave Crash’s hooves a reassuring squeeze. “I’m in the same boat. There’s no pressure for the rest of the night, alright? Let’s just see how this goes.”

Crash let out a little chuckle and gave a shake of his head.

“How do you always do that?” Crash asked.

“Do what?”

“Help pull me outta my own head,” Crash said before looking up to stare in Lost Way’s bright pink eyes. “You’re the only one whose ever been able to do that.”

“Guess I must be special,” Lost Way said with a teasing giggle.

It was right at that moment that the unicorn who had taken their order some thirty-minutes before had come back holding a massive tray with her magic. She was so different from the uppity waiters at the restaurant from before, and looked way more down to earth with her cheap but fashionable eyeshadow and red glasses.

“Heres your food, hons,” She said in a sweet voice as she set down several plates one by one. Burgers and fries and sides of hay bacon. “Just call me if you need anything!”

Both Crash and Lost thanked the mare, and as she left they stared down at the massive amount of food.

“I think we went overboard,” Crashing Thunder said.

“The hell we did,” Lost Way said before picking up a hoof full of fries and shoving them in his mouth. His eyes rolled back in his head before he let out a cry of pleasure and sunk down into his hoof. “Mmmm… soooo goooood.”

Crashing Thunder felt a smile begin to split on his face as he stared at his friend. Nothing in the world felt better than to see Lost Way look so happy and relaxed after the mess Crash had caused at the restaurant. He was already back to his usual carefree and relaxed self. Crash hadn’t realized just how badly he treasured that in Lost Way until it had been him who ruined it.

After Lost Way swallowed his stuffed mouth full of fries he blinked and looked at Crash.

“What’s wrong?” Lost Way asked before running the back of his foreleg across his mouth. “Something on my face?”

“No,” Crash said with a chuckle. “It’s nothing.”

“Well, dig in, dummy!” Lost Way said. “I’m hungry enough to eat both our plates if you aren’t careful.”

Crashing Thunder took Lost Way’s advice and picked up his massive burger with both hooves. As soon as the food hit his tongue and he instantly understood why Lost had sounded so pleased upon his own first bite. It was messy, greasy, and dripping with sauces. It was the sort of food Crash would never eat on a first date due to knowing he looked like such a slob eating it. As he pulled the burger from his lips he could already tell his mouth was drenched in ketchup and mustard.

“Heh, I didn’t mean eat that fast,” Lost Way said before handing Crash a set of napkins.

Crash couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he took the napkins and cleaned himself up.

“Remember that restaurant we used to go to when we were teens?” Crash asked. “What was it… the uh, Salty Stallion?”

“Ooooh my gosh,” Lost Way said before rolling his eyes and letting out a lustful moan at the memory. “They had the best freaking fries. We used to just order a giant basket after school and eat that till we felt sick.”

“Remember when my parents got really mad that one time cause we were so stuffed from it that we couldn’t even touch their dinner?” Crash asked.

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Lost Way said. “Your mom looked like she wanted to kill me when she found out it was my idea. It sucked, cause her cooking was great. I would have eaten it if I didn’t think I was gonna explode.”

“She knew you were always the one to talk me into doing stuff like that,” Crash said before chuckling. “She used to say you were the best and worst thing to ever happen to me.”

“Seriously?” Lost Way said.

“She said you helped give me a bit of a backbone,” Crash said. “I didn’t let anypony just walk all over me while you were around. But I also did a lot more stupid stuff cause you talked me into it.”

“Hey, I resent that,” Lost Way said. “Don’t tell me you didn’t have fun skipping school and spending all day at the arcade.”

“I was too much of a nervous wreck to even have fun that day,” Crash said before shaking his head. “You always knew how to have fun when you were causing trouble.”

“Hey, I wasn’t a troublemaker!” Lost said. “Your parents LOVED me!”

“Yeah, they did,” Crash said with a chuckle, and then found himself trailing off. A thought crossed his mind that forced him to frown, and suddenly a pit in his belly began to form. He set down his burger and stared at it, suddenly not feeling as hungry as he had a moment before.

“What’s wrong?” Lost Way asked.

“Nothing,” Crash said before shaking his head.

“Crash,” Lost Way began.

“I don’t wanna ruin the mood,” Crash said. “We were just having fun.”

“Oh c’mon,” Lost said before rolling his eyes. “I think I’m used to whatever kind of roller coaster tonight is to handle it.”

Crash sighed loudly.

“I was just thinking about my folks,” Crash said. “How they’d feel about this right here. Me being on a date with a stallion.”

It wasn’t a pleasant thought to consider. This entire night had been such a topsy turvy experience of emotion that he hadn’t even stopped to consider how this might affect his life outside of Lost Way’s friendship.

“The other guards, too,” Crash added. “Just… everypony in general. They all think I only like mares.”

“I thought you only liked mares until earlier tonight,” Lost Way said.

“Mmm…” Crash looked down.

“Look,” Lost Way said in his usual encouraging voice. “Your folks were great when I came out. None of the guards give me a hard time either. If anything they’ll be a bit confused for a week or two and then everypony will just accept it.”

“I guess so,” Crash said, knowing he didn’t sound very convinced. “This is all just a lot to take in tonight, I guess. A lot is changing really fast.”

“In a bad way?” Lost Way questioned.

Crash looked up. The look in Lost Way’s eyes was nervous, but still trying his best to be supportive. It was clear to Crash that his own feelings weren’t the only ones on the line tonight. For once he had to get out of his head and think about how his best friend felt.

“No,” Crash said. “I want to try this. I want to try… us…”

Crash raised one of his hooves and ran it through his mane as he glanced away. He could feel himself blush, and was suddenly glad for the dim lighting of the bar.

“The more I think about you and I being together the more… real it feels,” Crash said. “I’m so comfortable sitting here with you in a way I’ve never felt with a mare. It’s like… It’s like it’s everything that I’ve been looking for but I was too thick to notice it was standing right in front of me all my life.”

Crash shut his eyes. He felt unbelievably sappy right now.

“I-I don’t know what I’m saying,” Crash said. “Ignore me, please.”

“No way,” Lost Way piped up in a sudden voice. He leaned forward and grabbed one of Crash’s hooves. “That was… That was really sweet, Crash.”

Crash dared to crack open his eyes and look up. He felt his heart practically skip a beat when he saw Lost Way’s eyes. They were so tender and warm, and instantly any nerves Crash felt began to wash away.

“I… I never realized how pretty you were for a stallion,” Crash said without really thinking.

Lost Way’s eyes widened, and soon enough his cheeks matched the pink stripes on his face.

“W-Wait, I mean… handsome? Er… I-I dunno…”

“I didn’t realize you could be such a charmer,” Lost Way said. “Here you had me convinced you were a walking trainwreck on dates.”

“Sh-Shut up,” Crash said before looking down. “Shouldn’t you be laughing at me? I just said something so sappy a romance novel would laugh at it.”

Lost Way giggled, and then much to Crash’s surprise the zebra slipped out from his side of the booth. Crash stared wide eyed as Lost Way came over to him, and slid into his booth. The large pegasus felt frozen as he was suddenly pinned by the zebra’s body, and felt arms wrap around him.

“I like sappy,” Lost Way said as he planted his chin against Crash’s chest and stared upward. “Since we’re going there, though. Pretty much as soon as you hit puberty I thought you were beyond attractive.”

“C-C’mon,” Crashing Thunder whined as he glanced away. He had never felt so directly flirted with before. He wasn’t sure if it was the booze or the entire night itself which had prompted the two to get so close so fast, but he was beginning to realize there would soon be no turning back.

“I mean it,” Lost Way said. “I mean, I never thought about it seriously cause you were my best friend. But I’d be lying if I didn’t catch myself staring once or twice when my hormones were nuts as a kid.”

“You’re tryin’ to make me blush,” Crash complained.

“Hehe, maybe,” Lost Way said. “Do you want me to stop?”

Crash felt his chest tighten. Dammit. Lost had gotten him trapped in a corner now.

“N-No…” Crash muttered.

“Heh, I never realized just how adorable you got when you’re all flustered like this,” Lost Way said as he put his hoof right at the center of Crash’s chest. “It’s nice, though. Normally the stallions who I hook up with are way too proud to show a side like that.”

“I never thought of my anxiety as adorable,” Crash said under his breath.

“It’s not that, silly,” Lost Way giggled. “Just… You’re clearly not used to being flirted with. It’s like you’re begging me to tease you.”

“Are you like this with all your dates?” Crash said.

“Why, am I being too much?” Lost Way asked.

“No,” Crash said, softly but with assurance. “Just… It’s a side of you I’ve only heard about. Not really seen.”

“Well, I can’t remember the last time you acted so shy around ME of all ponies,” Lost Way said. “If I’m coming on too strong you’ll tell me though, right? The last thing I want is to go too fast.”

“I-I will,” Crash said, though knew his shaky voice only gave away his nerves. For a moment he shut his eyes, and when he opened them he forced his forelegs to make the move to wrap around Lost Way’s body and bring him close. Lost Way let out a quiet gasp, clearly surprised by the forwardness of his friend.

“Oh, wow,” Lost Way said.

Crash glanced down, and noticed it was Lost Way blushing now.

“Heh, I thought I was the easy one to tease?” Crash said.

“I-I was just surprised, is all,” Lost Way said as he gingerly laid his head down against Crashing Thunder’s chest. “I didn’t take you as the type to make a move like that.”

“I’m feeling a bit braver than normal tonight, believe it or not,” Crash said. “It helps that you showed… interest.”

“Interest?” Lost Way said with a snort. “Is that what we’re gonna call flirting?”

“You know what I mean,” Crash said before giving Lost Way’s body a light squeeze. “I just… I know I’m not the best when it comes to dates. With you it’s easier but… I-I still feel like I gotta push myself to make sure I get the message across.”

“Oh?” Lost Way asked. “And what message is that?”

Crash glanced away, and felt Lost raise his head from his chest to stare up at him.

“That I’m having a really good time,” Crash said. “And… And I wanna see where the rest of tonight goes.”

Lost Way giggled, and instantly Crashing Thunder felt his face get warmer.

“D-Don’t laugh…” Crash muttered softly.

“No, no, it’s not at you,” Lost Way promised as he pushed himself up off of Crashing Thunder’s chest. “Just… I can’t remember the last time a stallion treated me like this. You’re sweet and kind and clearly don’t only care about bringing me to bed.”

Lost Way glanced up, and briefly the two stallion’s eyes met. For a moment Crash felt his chest tighten, and he realized again just how lost he was able to get in this zebra’s gaze.

What took him out of the gaze however was when Lost Way began to move in. The zebra shut his eyes and perked out his lips. For a brief moment, Crash felt himself panic. Instinctively he raised up his hooves and pulled his head away.

“Nnngh!” Crash let out a noise before he could even think, and felt his head hit the back of the booth in his attempt to yank himself away.

“S-Sorry, sorry!” Lost Way said quickly. He backed away from Crashing Thunder quick, and moved himself to the edge of the booth seat until he was practically ready to fall over. “That was too sudden. I shouldn’t have done that.”

To hear Lost Way stammer in the same tone of panic that Crashing Thunder felt inside of him instantly made the pegasi snap to his senses.

“No, Lost, I-I didn’t… I don’t know why I did that!”

Crash felt his chest tighten. He panicked, and instantly memories of date after date ending in disappointment and disaster flashed through his eyes. His body had reacted before his mind had a chance to process what was happening. He looked up, and felt all the comfort and joy the date had brought up until this point wash away.

“I’m sorry,” Crash said, trying desperately to keep his voice steady.

“No, no, it’s fine,” Lost Way said. The zebra looked like he was fighting to regain his composure, though it was clear to Crash by the look in his friends eyes that he had been hurt.

“I didn’t not want it,” Crash said. “I just… I panicked.”

“It’s okay, Crash,” Lost Way said. “Too sudden. I got it.”

“I didn’t ruin the date, did I?” Crash asked. He wished he could hide the fear in his voice.

“No way,” Lost Way said. “I wouldn’t want to do anything to make you uncomfortable.”

Crash gave a nod of his head. He wished he was better at keeping his emotions under control, but even with Lost’s words of reassurance there was a tiny voice in his head berating him for doing something so stupid.

“Ugh,” Crash groaned as he planted his face in his hooves. “Why do I do this every time?”

Lost Way scooted forward silently, so silent in fact that Crash jumped when a hoof placed itself on top of his own and pulled it down from his face. He looked up to see Lost smiling.

“Tell you what,” Lost way said. “You can make it up to me later. When you’re ready, I mean.” 

Crash felt his chest tighten. He looked down at the hoof Lost had gripped and took it as an opportunity to squeeze it himself. He frowned, but knew that deep down Lost Way wasn’t upset with him. The only one upset at Crash was himself. He gave a slight nod of his head.

“Good,” Lost said with a giggle before leaning forward and planting a light kiss right on Crash’s cheek. This time Crash didn’t recoil, but instead sat there feeling his heart begin to pick up speed. It thumped against his ribs to the point he was almost sure Lost Way would hear it.

“Okay, I think I’ve done enough overwhelming you with my AMAZING flirting ability for now,” Lost Way said with a feigned weary sigh as he pulled back and slipped out of the side of the booth only to return to his own seat at the opposite end of the table. “I don’t want to short circuit your brain or anything.”

“Wow, so modest,” Crash said with a roll of his eyes as he reached up his hoof and touched the spot where Lost had just kissed. He could feel his nerves calm down already, and the relaxed atmosphere of the date was resuming. “I’d call your flirting more cheesy than amazing.”

“I’m offended,” Lost Way said with a shocked expression. “After I basically THREW myself at you!”

“Sorry, I meant trashy,” Crash corrected himself.

“If this were a glass of wine,” Lost said as he picked up his mug of cider. “I’d have half a mind to throw it at you for that.”

“What, is cider not dramatic enough?”

“It’s not CLASSY enough to throw,” Lost Way said. “I’ll just look like a drunkard trying to start a bar fight if I do it here.”

“Oh, like you’re the height of class,” Crash said.

“Pfft, you’re one to talk.”

Both stallions halted their fake bickering to take a moment to giggle. There was almost no memory of the panic Crash had just felt left inside of him.

“C’mon,” Lost Way said. “The only thing worse than that hoity-toity restaurant crap is amazing greasy food that you let get cold. Let’s eat.”

———————————————————————————————

As soon as Lost Way stepped out of the bar he felt a chilling gust of wind hit his body like a knife. Even the alcohol coursing through his veins which had made him feel awfully warm in the well heated bar wasn’t enough to change the fact that his zebra fur just wasn’t made for colder climates. His scarf whipped behind him and tugged against his neck in an attempt to free itself. As the wind passed and Lost was able to crack open his eyes, he found himself staring wide eyed at the streets.

“Wow,” Lost Way said. “Did it snow that much?”

The streets which were only damp by the time they arrived at the restaurant were now beginning to look awfully white with a thin layer of powdery snow clinging to the ground. The grass was beginning to look frosty and crystalized while the dirt was beginning to be hidden entirely by a thin sheet.

“Guess so,” Crashing Thunder said as he took a step forward next to Lost Way. He let out a sigh, and with it came a cloudy breath which quickly dissipated. “We were in there for a long time.”

Lost Way had to agree. Even after the two stallions had finished their food they had continued to sit and talk for what felt like hours. It reminded Lost Way far too much of when they were still teenagers and spent their hours after school goofing around avoiding homework just so they could hang out. Only now, the only thing the two were avoiding was the eventuality of having to go back to their little home.

“Hey, are you feeling all that tired?” Lost Way asked before glancing over to Crash.

“No, why?”

“Cause I don’t really wanna go home yet,” Lost Way said. “I kind of want this date to go on a bit more.”

Crash looked momentarily surprised by Lost Way’s forwardness, but soon cracked a sheepish smile before glancing away. Lost Way couldn’t help but giggle at just how bad Crash was at hiding his enjoyment.

“A-Alright,” Crash said. “What do you wanna do?”

“Hmm, I dunno,” Lost Way said. “Let’s just walk around some, okay? It hasn’t snowed like this all year. Let’s just enjoy it.”

That seemed like a good enough plan for Crash to nod his head in agreement. Lost Way playfully bumped his body against Crash’s side before moving forward and giving a nod of his head for Crash to follow. Soon enough the two were walking side by side down the snowy streets. They didn’t need to talk for it to not feel awkward, as the comfort of each other’s company was more than enough.

Lost Way glanced up to the sky. He couldn’t see many of the stars with it being so cloudy, but Luna’s moon was trying its best to poke itself out from behind the clouds and shine its light down onto them. It was late enough where most of the shops and businesses lining the streets had already turned their lights off and flipped their open signs to closed. The only light the two had aside from the moon was the occasional streetlight which illuminated their path.

“Are you… having fun?” Crashing Thunder asked eventually.

“Heh, what kinda question is that?” Lost Way asked.

“I-I dunno,” Crash said. “I just wanna make sure. I’m not… a boring date, am I?”

“You worry too much,” Lost Way said playfully. “I’m having a great time, Crash. How about you?”

“That’s good…” Crash said with a nod. “I am too. A really great time, actually.”

“You sound surprised.”

“Well, I guess I kinda am,” Crash said. “This whole night has been surprising. Feels like my whole world’s being spun around, y’know?”

“I get what you mean,” Lost Way said as he glanced down to the snow-covered pathway. “I know I’m the one who pushed for us to make this a real date and all, but I seriously never considered the idea until I saw that curtain open back at the restaurant.”

Lost Way could feel Crashing Thunder’s eyes bore into him with a long stare. It was Lost Way’s turn to feel a little sheepish. He bit the inside of his cheek as he considered his next words carefully.

“Hey, Crash?” Lost Way asked. “You said you never considered starting a herd with a stallion, right?”

“I did,” Crash said with a wary tone of voice, as if he too was suddenly nervous about the direction Lost was going to take this topic.

“Is that because you’d never do it with a stallion?” Lost Way asked.

“Lost…”

“N-Nevermind,” Lost Way spat out. “That’s way too serious to think about right now… we’re just having fun.”

Lost Way unconsciously began to pick up his pace until he was well in front of Crash. His face was burning, and he began to wonder to himself as to why he had asked such a silly question out of the blue. It wasn’t until he felt a hoof grab at his foreleg that he stopped and looked back.

“Look,” Crashing Thunder said in as serious and honest of a tone as he could muster. “Whatever I thought before tonight doesn’t matter anymore. Clearly things don’t always go the way we want them to. That doesn’t mean what ends up happening is gonna be worse. It could be way, way better and we just don’t realize it.”

Lost Way could feel Crash’s hoof squeeze his own. The look in the pegasi’s big blue eyes was genuine in a way Lost recognized all too well. He knew his best friend enough to know when he was lying, or trying to force himself to feel some way. This was neither of those things.

It wasn’t until Lost actually looked up and away from Crash that he realized they had left the outskirts of Canterlot entirely. His eyes widened as he looked around.

“When did we come to the park?” Lost asked out loud.

Lost looked back to the street. What little nightlife remained was in the distant, and the two were standing under a dimly lit lamppost in what in comparison felt like the wilderness.

Crash began to chuckle.

“You just now realized?” Crash asked. “How deep in thought were you?”

Lost pulled away from Crash’s grip and looked out at the trees and hills of the park. He couldn’t remember the last time he had come to this park, but he did remember it well enough for it to suddenly bring up a wave of nostalgia that washed over him.

“We used to sled down that hill in the winter,” Lost Way said as he looked over towards a particularly tall hill. “Remember?”

“Course I remember,” Crash said. “I was TERRIFIED.”

“You were a baby,” Lost poked fun back.

“I weighed twice your size and you ALWAYS wanted to ride together,” Crash said back with a half-serious glare at his friend as he walked up beside him. “We might as well have been going faster than the Wonderbolts down that hill.”

“Even though you always whined it was me who ended up breaking my hoof when we had that accident,” Lost Way said before a grin split across his face. “Even though I was the one hurt you started bawling.”

“H-Hey,” Crash said in a defensive tone. “I was just a colt! My best friend was hurt what was I supposed to do?”

“Not let your recently handicapped best friend comfort you instead of running for help, for starters,” Lost Way said before looking back at Crash with a playful grin. “You big crybaby.”

“Mmm,” Crash looked embarrassed as he glanced away. “I was a really big crybaby back then…”

“Oh, come on,” Lost Way giggled. “You were strong where it mattered. I for one LIKE a guy who is in touch with his feelings.”

“I don’t cry that much anymore,” Crash said in a vain attempt to defend himself. His eyes were turned away from Lost now, and it was clear even without seeing his cheeks that he was fighting the urge to blush.

“Heh, you’ll always be my crybaby hero,” Lost Way said as he approached Crash and tapped his hoof right on the end of the pegasi’s nose. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on those bullies faces when we were kids and you were sobbing and screaming at them cause they pushed me down and I brushed up my legs.”

“Y-You still remember that?” Crash asked. “I hardly remember what I said… I just remember being angry and upset.”

“I don’t think they’ve ever seen a crying stallion look so angry before or since,” Lost way giggled in reply. “Of course I remember it.”

“Is all you remember about us as kids embarrassing?” Crash asked sheepishly as he drug his hoof through the freshly powdered snow.

“Hmmm, not really,” Lost Way said. “I just like making you get all flustered by bringing up that sort of stuff.”

“Jeez, you’re mean,” Crash said.

“Hey, don’t look so cute when I make you all flustered then maybe I’ll stop,” Lost Way said with a giggle before turning away.

In the heat of the moment, Lost way made a flirtatious move. As soon as he turned away he flicked his tail up and brushed it against the underside of Crash’s chin. He could see Crash’s eyes widen as his body tensed up. Lost giggled to himself as he walked forward, making sure to sway his hips and keep his tail lifted so his behind was visible. It was a move he had done countless times on other stallions to flirt with them. He smiled to himself, and resisted the urge to look over his shoulder as he could only imagine the sort of look Crash had on his face.

That satisfaction and flirtation didn’t last very long, as Lost Way was reminded very quickly that he wasn’t dealing with the usual stallion on his dates but instead his best friend. Suddenly something soft yet freezing planted itself right on his exposed butt, and he let out a yelp of fear as he jumped forward. The sound he made was so high-pitched he was surprised his voice could even force it out. He looked behind, and noticed bits of snow sticking to his flank. He looked up to see Crash grinning with a mischievous look.

“Did… Did you just throw a snowball at my ASS?” Lost Way asked.

“What?” Crash said. “Don’t look so cute when I do it then maybe I wouldn’t have!”

“Oh you piece of…” Lost Way started before turning around. He was suddenly filled with a swell of energy as he raked his hoof through the ground and picked up a large clump of loose snow. Crash’s eyes widened, and the cocky look on his face soon was replaced with panic as Lost Way reddied his own snowball.

“Hey, wait a…!”

Lost Way lobbed the snowball with all his might. Crash could only wince and try in vain to lift up his wing to block the attack. The snow splattered against his feathers, and exploded in a satisfying burst of white powder.

“No fair!” Lost snapped. “You STILL cheat using your wings as shields! You haven’t changed at all since we were kids!”

“It ain’t cheating!” Crash said as he uncovered his face, but quickly looked panicked as Lost readied up another ball of snow. The large pegasus let out a yelp of panic before skittering back.

“Hey, hey, Lost! We can talk about this!”

“Not until I lob this one right at your big fat face!” Lost Way shouted back as he began to chase Crash. “Get back here!”

Suddenly the freezing air nor the chilly winds seemed to matter all that much to Lost Way. He felt a burst of energy much like when he was still a colt. He couldn’t remember the last time him and Crash had done something so childish yet so fun. He threw the snowball as hard as he could and watched as Crash was unable to react in time. This snowball landed right against his neck. Crash gasped as the cool icy snow soaked into his fur. He looked to Lost with a vengeance in his eyes.

“Alright, you asked for it!” Crash shouted.

“Eee!” Lost couldn’t help but let out a shree cry of both delight and fear as he watched Crashing Thunder begin to gather up more snow of his own and form it into a ball. He sprinted away to bide his time and jumped over the back of a bench for a quick form of cover before hastily trying to get his own weapons made. One of Crash’s snowballs hit the wooden beams of the back of the bench, and debris of snow splattered and hit Lost in the face.

“Whose using shields now?” Crash shouted.

“This is cover, dummy!” Lost Way said. “You should get some, or else…!”

Lost Way stood up with a snowball in hoof and lobbed it in Crash’s direction. Much to his surprise Crash managed to not only jump out of the way, but performed an over dramatic tactical roll right through the snow. It was one of the means in which Royal Guards were taught to defend themselves from bursts of magical attacks from enemies.

“Did you just roll through the snow to avoid more snow?” Lost Way asked while holding back his laughter.

What Lost Way hadn’t expected was for Crashing Thunder to have a snowball stealthily concealed in one of his wings. He gracefully flicked his left wing right at Lost. The last thing Lost saw was a blur of white before his face was assaulted by the ball of snow. He let out a gasp, and stumbled backward. He was momentarily blinded, and tried in vain to wipe the watery wetness from his eyes. He heard the sound of violent thumping approaching, and just when he had managed to clear a bit of snow from his eyes he caught a glimpse of Crash charging straight at him.

Lost Way only had the opportunity to let out a shriek of feigned fear before he was tackled, and forced onto the frozen ground with all the weight of Crashing Thunder pushing him down. Suddenly the Zebra was on his back lying in the snow with Crashing Thunder laying on top of him, pinning him down.

“I win,” Crash said with a cocky expression before sticking out his tongue.

“I don’t think you win a snowball fight by tackling your enemy, dummy,” Lost Way said back.

Both stallions started giggling. Lost Way realized he was actually pretty winded, and was struggling to catch his breath with Crash on top of him. The mix of freezing ice on his back and the warm, soft comfort of Crash’s body on his front was such a strange combination that he both hated and didn’t want to end. He looked up into Crashing Thunder’s eyes, and realized that the pegasi has stopped giggling and was instead staring intently at him.

“Cras—?”

Before Lost Way could even finish saying his friends name he was interrupted by Crash forcing his face forward. Lost felt his eyes shoot wide open as his best friend’s lips pressed against his own. It was a sudden and forceful kiss, the kind that Lost could tell that Crash made with the fear that if he didn’t act on his impulses that very moment he would chicken out. Crash seemed so tense and nervous at first, moreso pressing his face against Lost’s. It wasn’t until Lost Way shut his own eyes and lifted up his hooves to plant them on Crash’s cheeks that the pegasi began to relax. Lost Way took control of the kiss, and pressed more firmly into his best friend. He lifted his forelegs until he was able to wrap them all the way around Crash’s head. The more Crash relaxed the more satisfying and sensual the kiss became. Lost Way found himself feeling light headed by the time they finally parted.

For a moment the two laid there without speaking, just staring into each other’s eyes. Eventually it was Crash who broke the silence. 

“Was that… Was that good?” Crash asked.

Lost Way couldn’t stop himself from cracking up. The earnestness in Crashing Thunder’s voice when he asked that was just so adorable. His belly felt like butterflies were soaring inside, and his head was still light. The fact that he had just kissed his best friend weighed on his mind, but the fact that he had enjoyed it so much made him feel elated.

“What’s so funny?” Crash asked, and began to blush.

“You’re really cute, Crash,” Lost Way said before grabbing Crash’s face once more and pulling him into another kiss.

Crash seemed surprised by this sudden move, but didn’t fight it as he had done back at the bar. Instead he allowed Lost to take control. This kiss wasn’t as forceful nor as nervous, partially because Crash was allowing it to happen to himself. When they parted this time it was him who was giggling.

“So… That’s a yes on it being good?” Crash asked.

“Big yes,” Lost Way said. “But, uh… This is really sweet and all but do you mind getting up? I’m really freaking cold.”

“O-Oh, right!” Crash said before scrambling to get up off of Lost Way’s body. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Lost Way said with a giggle, and then looked to see Crash was extending a hoof to help him up. Lost Way took it, but let out a gasp when he was suddenly yanked upward and pulled right into Crashing Thunder’s arms. Suddenly big and fluffy pegasus wings wrapped themselves around his body, holding him tight against Crash’s body like a tight blanket. Lost suddenly didn’t feel that cold anymore, especially on his face.

“Better?” Crash asked.

“Y-Yeah…” Lost Way said. “Wow, you’re smoother than I gave you credit for.”

“Huh?” Crash asked. “I was just trying to warm you up…”

Lost snorted at that. It was so earnest and accidentally romantic that it seemed so much like Crash. He was already on the high from their kisses, and now he was being held in a warm and fluffy embrace. He giggled as he hugged Crash back.

“Wanna go home?” Crash asked. “You’re awfully cold.”

“Mmm, a little longer,” Lost Way said, not wanting this wonderful date to end. “Can we just sit a bit and talk? Then we can go home.”

“You really wanna freeze to death,” Crash said before looking over at the bench which Lost had just been taking shelter behind. He momentarily left Lost and wiped off what little snow had stuck to the wooden seating and back with his wings before nodding for Lost to come forward.

Lost giggled as he approached. Crash was the first to sit down on the bench, and he extended his arms and his wings. He seemed to care more about Lost Way’s warmth and comfort more than the idea of cuddling him, which was adorable to the chilled zebra. Lost Way didn’t argue, and sat on the bench and rested his body up against Crashing Thunder’s own. The wings wrapped around him again. It felt even better than before.

“Warming up?” Crash asked.

“Yeeessss,” Lost Way groaned with comfort as he nuzzled up closer to Crash. “You’re like my own personal heater.”

“How romantic,” Crash said, and then giggled. His breath ran down Lost Way’s ear and made a shiver run up his spine.

“Y’know, most guys on the first date when I let them get this close to me have alternate schemes in mind as to why,” Lost Way teased. “You wouldn’t happen to be trying to seduce me, would you, Crash?”

“I figured I did a pretty good job of that already when you leapt into my arms when I offered,” Crash said, starting to get an edge on teasing Lost Way back.

“Smooth,” Lost said before rolling his eyes. 

Lost Way smiled to himself as he settled his head against Crashing Thunder’s chest. He shut his eyes, and for a moment just listened to the sound of his best friend’s heart. It seemed a bit faster paced than usual, which told Lost that despite Crash managing to keep composure he was certainly excited to be cuddling up with the zebra.

“Hey… Crash?” Lost Way asked after a long period of silence. He cracked open his eyes, and stared out into the wintery night before them.

“Yeah?” Crash replied.

“What do you think’s gonna happen with us?” Lost asked. “After tonight, I mean.”

That question momentarily made Crash tense up. However it didn’t seem to be out of panic, as he relaxed again rather quickly. Crash rested his chin on top of Lost Way’s forehead, and began to run one of his hooves up and down Lost Way’s back.

“I dunno,” Crash said. “That’s a bit of a weighted question, don’t you think?”

“Sorry,” Lost Way said. “I didn’t mean to get so serious.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Crash said, and tightened his hug on Lost Way. “I’ve been wondering that too.”

“You know I love you,” Lost Way said as he pushed himself up a bit off of Crash’s chest so that he could sit up and look the pegasi eye to eye. “But… I’m not in love with you I think. Not yet, at least.”

“N-Not yet?” Crash asked.

“I just mean… I had so much fun tonight,” Lost said with a giggle. “I can’t remember the last time me and a date had a snowball fight and ate greasy bar food, that’s for sure. Plus with you I feel way more comfortable than I’ve ever felt with a stallion I don’t know. I’m not sure if that’s just because you’re my best friend, or…”

Lost Way trailed off.

“I feel the same,” Crash said, and took one of Lost Way’s hooves and held it up close to his chest right over his beating heart. “It doesn’t matter what comes from tonight, you know I’ll always love you regardless.”

“Agreed,” Lost Way said with a nod of his head.

“But I still really want to see where this goes, I think,” Crash said. “That kiss we just had was something else. I didn’t think kissing you would ever feel so natural, Lost. As soon as I went for it it was like everything just clicked and I wasn’t scared of the idea anymore.”

Crash averted his eyes briefly out of embarrassment.

“I’m still new to all of this,” Crash continued. “Having a great first date, kissing a stallion… It’s scary but exciting. I kind of feel like I’m plunging into the deep end of a pool or something.”

Lost Way pulled his hoof away from Crash’s own, and lifted it up to touch the pegasus on his cheek. Crash looked to him with wide eyes.

“I don’t want things to end after tonight,” Lost Way said. “I don’t know where things are gonna go, or if we’ll work out long term, but I really want to give it a real try. There’s just…”

“Just…?” Crash asked. A glimmer of worry was in his eyes.

“I know how much you want a herd,” Lost Way said, and let his hoof fall from Crashing Thunder’s cheek. “I don’t know if I’m ready to jump into all of that so suddenly. I-I don’t even know if what I feel for you is just infatuation or something bigger. If I end up ruining that for you because things don’t work out between us I couldn’t forgive myself. Even if you could forgive me, I know how much you want that.”

Lost Way glanced away. It had been a concern that had been weighing on his mind the entire night, but it wasn’t until Lost Way realized just how amazing that kiss had been that it had come to the forefront of his mind.

“Hurting you like that… I couldn’t live with myself if I did that,” Lost Way said.

Crash’s eyes lingered on Lost Way. It began to feel like drills boring into the zebra. He felt uncomfortable more than the chilly wind could ever make him feel. His chest ached, and he had to resist the urge to bite down on his tongue.

“Lost,” Crash began, and placed both of his hooves on either one of Lost Way’s shoulders. “I would never force you into all of that if you weren’t ready. I’ve always wanted a herd someday, yeah, but right now the only one I care about is you.”

“I don’t want that for you, though,” Lost Way said. “What if I’m never ready? I can’t steal something like that.”

“Look at me,” Crash said, and squeezed Lost Way’s shoulders.

The zebra looked up. Crash looked serious, more than he had the entire night. His eyes were shimmering blue and despite all his worries Lost Way couldn’t help but realize just how beautiful they were.

“If we’re going to try and take this seriously after tonight,” Crash said. “Then I want to give everything I have to this. I don’t want to not see where this’ll lead us because you’re scared you’ll dash some dreams of mine. I… I have a bit of an offer.”

“An offer?” Lost Way asked. “What do you mean?”

“I want you to be my lead stallion,” Crash said. “The lead stallion of OUR herd.”

Lost Way felt his eyes widen.

“Crash… That’s what you’ve always wanted.”

Crashing Thunder shook his head.

“No, it isn’t,” Crash said. “What I’ve always wanted is a big herd where every creature loves each other equally. If somepony in my herd isn’t able to do that, then it’s not fair to them. If you’re the lead then it’ll be up to you to decide if and when you’re ready for more ponies or gryphons or dragons or whatever will join us.”

“But… But I don’t know how long it’ll be before I’m ready…” Lost said. He felt his chest tighten more.

“I don’t care,” Crash said. “We can take as long as you need before you decide. If you’re never ready and just want to stay exclusive until we’re old and wrinkly then I don’t care either. If you’re my lead, then you decide. I’ll be happy with whatever you choose… Assuming this works out between us.”

Lost Way felt his eyes sting. He felt like Crash was trying so, so hard to make him happy. He had never had a stallion, or anypony, care so selflessly for him in the past.

“Then… if I accept,” Lost Way said. “Can we wait until I know for sure this thing we’re doing is real? Until I can say I love you and I mean it in THAT way? Same for you?”

“Of course,” Crash said with a nod and a comforting smile. “Until we know for certain this is real between us. Even if that happens I promise I won’t be angry if you don’t want to add more to the herd.”

“I… I don’t know what to say,” Lost Way said, and felt his eyes sting worse. He lifted a hoof and wiped at the unspilled tears that were brimming.

“You could say yes,” Crash said. “I-If you want, I mean.”

Lost Way gave a chuckle behind his brimming tears. He sniffled, and nodded his head.

“O-Okay,” Lost said. “Then yes. I-I’ll be the lead stallion.”

The embrace that Crashing Thunder forced upon the zebra was more tight and more warm than any of the hugs the two had ever shared in the past. It was full of the love they had always had for one another, but this time there was the lingering possibility of something more. Already their love was beginning to go through a metamorphosis, and it was clear that regardless of how they ended up when all was said and done that it would change after tonight. Lost shut his eyes, and fought back tears of happiness at the trust that Crash was giving him.

“You’re so sappy,” Lost said, all muffled with his face deeply buried in the fluffy fur on Crash’s chest.

“I know,” Crash said.

“Maybe that’s why I like you so damn much,” Lost continued. “Your big dumb sappy heart.”

“Y’know, this is the second time I made you cry tonight,” Crashing Thunder said. “Maybe you shouldn’t date a stallion who makes you cry so easily.”

“Hehe, I think it’s worth it,” Lost Way said as he pulled away from Crash and wiped at his eyes one last time. “So… Does this mean we’re making this official? You and I are gonna be dating?”

“I-I guess so,” Crash said, looking sheepish.

“Man, it’s gonna be so weird to call you my boyfriend,” Lost Way said before shaking his head.

“How do you think I feel?” Crash asked. “Before tonight I never even THOUGHT about having a boyfriend!”

“Fair enough,” Lost Way giggled before looking up into Crash’s eyes. He touched the pegasi’s cheek and smiled. “But right now I really couldn’t think of somepony else I’d want to call my boyfriend.”

Lost Way took in a breath before moving forward, and planted his lips up against Crashing Thunder’s own. This time Crash didn’t pull away, but instead moved his head forward to meet Lost Way’s halfway. As their lips met Lost Way couldn’t stop himself from grinning. He raised his hooves and placed them on Crash’s neck, pulling himself closer until the two were embracing once more.

Once they parted, Crash’s forelegs were wrapped around Lost Way once more.

“I could get used to that,” Crash said. “I-I hope I’m not a bad kisser or anything.”

“For what it’s worth, you’re not half bad for a guy who's never kissed a stallion before,” Lost Way said. “But you could use some work…”

“Really?” Crash asked, sounding just a hint nervous.

“Don’t worry,” Lost Way teased. “I’ll make sure you get plenty of practice soon enough.”

Crash rolled his eyes.

“I shoulda known you were gonna head that way,” Crash said.

Lost smiled, and moved his head forward to lightly bump their noses together and nuzzle quickly. Once they pulled away the two looked in each other’s eyes for some time just admiring one another. The longer Lost Way stared, the more it began to feel real that the stallion sitting in front of him was his boyfriend. His best friend was his boyfriend.

“Okay,” Lost Way said with a long sigh. “I think I’m finally done freezing. I feel like my nuts are gonna fall off if I stay out here much longer.”

“Gross,” Crash said before smiling back at the zebra. “But yeah, I can’t keep cuddling you in my wings forever y’know.”

“Aww, and they’re so comfy,” Lost Way said with a feigned tone of disappointment. “Meanie.”

Once the two stallions had pulled themselves off the bench Lost Way gave a good stretch to his legs. Another gust of wind came, and he shuddered once more. He was prepared to endure the cool breeze without complaint as it had been him who insisted on staying out. However, he was surprised when he felt Crash’s body press up against his side. One of the pegasi’s wings draped over his body and tucked against him, embracing him in a blanket of feathers that shielded just enough from the breeze to keep the zebra from shivering.

“Y-You don’t have to do that,” Lost Way said, surprised by just how embarrassed he felt at having Crash be so close to him.

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you walk home all cold?” Crash asked. “Just cause we didn’t eat at a fancy restaurant for our first date doesn’t mean I’m not a little bit chivalrous.”

“A little bit,” Lost Way said, and allowed himself to lean up against Crashing Thunder’s warm body. He shut his eyes and let out a long sigh. “You’re such a dork about it, though.”

“I know,” Crash said before leaning down and nuzzling his muzzle against one of Lost Way’s ears. “Better get used to it.”

“I think I’ve had a lifetime of getting used to your dorkiness,” Lost Way said. “I know what I’m getting into.”

Crash chuckled, and his warm breath tickled Lost Way’s ear.

“Ready to go home?” Crash asked.

Lost Way took a moment to savor the moment. The cool air, the warmth of his best friend, and the fact that they had just taken the first step into something serious. It was something that would change not only their relationship, but their whole lives. He took just one moment to savor it, as he felt that this moment would be something he would cherish for years to come.

“Yeah,” Lost Way said. “Let’s go home.”
> Later That Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trip home for both Crashing Thunder and Lost Way was a quiet one. The two had said most of what needed to be said back when they were in the park. They were free to simply walk the path home together side by side with Crash’s wing still draping over Lost Way’s body. It was late into the night by the time they reached the front door of their home once again. Crash’s breath made a visible cloud in the air as he paused to unlock the front door.

“Home sweet home,” Crash said.

So much had happened since they had left earlier that evening. The pegasus felt like an entirely different stallion. He gazed back at Lost Way as he unlocked the door, and the word that had been going through his head their entire walk home rang once more.

Boyfriend. Lost Way was his boyfriend.

“I dunno about you,” Lost Way said. “But I’m freezing my nuts off here.”

Crash chuckled, and pushed open the door. Lost Way was quick to come inside and let out a groan as he shook his body. As soon as the door was shut Crash didn’t waste time in going to the couch and grabbing a throw blanket from the back of it. He went back over to Lost Way, and tossed the blanket over the zebra’s back.

“Thanks,” Lost Way said, and snuggled up to the blanket as he pulled it tighter around his body. “Ugh, that feels good.”

“Why don’t you go sit on the couch and warm up?” Crash asked. “I’ll make us something warm to drink.”

“Heh, I think I like the perks of dating you already,” Lost Way said with a giggle. He didn’t argue as he went over to the couch and curled up at the end of it. Crash gazed at him briefly, and smiled to himself before he turned to head into the kitchen.

Hot chocolate seemed like a fitting drink for the chilly winter evening. It didn’t take the pegasus long to get everything in order, and by the time he had returned from the kitchen Lost Way had already settled down to sprawling on the couch wrapped up in the blanket tightly like a burrito.

“Mmm, that smells good,” Lost Way said as Crash set down the mugs on the coffee table in front of the couch. “Is that cocoa?”

“Mmmhmm,” Crash said with a nod of his head. Lost Way scooted himself up to give Crash plenty of room, which the pegasus took gratefully. Lost Way was already bringing the warm steaming mug to his lips by the time Crash had settled down.

“This is really nostalgic,” Lost Way said with a smile as he pulled the mug from his lips and wiped away the milky chocolatey mustache from his upper lip. “Your mom used to make us cocoa after we played in the snow back when we were colts.”

“Oh yeah,” Crash said. “She did, didn’t she?”

“Though our snowball fights back then usually didn’t end up with me getting kissed by a handsome pegasus,” Lost Way teased as he threw Crash a side eye and a smirk.

“Truly we have matured,” Crash said.

“What? I think we have had WONDERFUL character development over the years,” Lost Way said with a smile before he set down his mug of cocoa. He pulled the blanket down from around his head and lowered it to his shoulders before looking over to Crash with a warm smile.

Soon enough the zebra was scooting himself over to Crash’s side of the couch, and leaned up against the pegasus. Crash tensed up at first, but then forced himself to relax.

This was all still so alien to him… but just because it was unfamiliar didn’t mean it was unpleasant in the slightest. Crash shut his eyes, and wrapped one of his legs around Lost’s back. He tugged the zebra closer, and buried his muzzle on the top of Lost Way’s head.

“I really hope I made it up to you tonight,” Crash said softly. “That awful dinner… I don’t know why I was acting so stupid back there.”

“It’s okay,” Lost Way said. “You really did make it up to me, Crash. To be honest tonight was probably the best date I’ve ever had.”

Crash felt his heart skip a beat at that. For the pegasus who thought himself notoriously bad at dates a compliment like that felt like it meant the world.

“Warm now?” Crash asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing to hide his flustered feelings.

“Yeah, it’s a bit better,” Lost Way said. “Though there are a couple more ways I could think to warm ourselves up than cuddling like this.”

Lost Way took his hoof and ran it over Crash’s chest. He looked up to the pegasus with a smile, though it quickly faltered.  Crash realized his face must have looked quite surprised.

“I-I… I mean,” Crash started before it felt like his brain short circuited.

 Lost quickly pulled away his hoof and sat up so he was no longer leaning on Crash as well.

“S-Sorry,” Lost Way said. “I didn’t mean to be so forward… bad joke.”

Crash bit the inside of his cheek, which he knew must be a scarlet red under his fur.

“It’s not like I said no,” Crash said, mumbling under his breath to hide just how sheepish saying those words felt. He looked away, but could tell Lost’s eyes fell upon him once more. “You just surprised me.”

“I um…” It was Lost Way’s turn to be awkward now as the two sat at their opposing sides of the couch too nervous to look one another in the eye. “You aren’t just saying that to make me happy, are you? Cause if you weren’t ready to try something with a stallion I would totally understand.”

“Trying it with you is way different than just trying it with some stallion,” Crash said before forcing himself to look directly at Lost. “I trust you, Lost. You know I do.”

Lost Way’s eyes briefly widened. It was the most flustered the zebra had looked all night.

“Wow, nopony’s ever said something like that to me,” Lost Way said.

“Was that too much?” Crash asked.

“N-No,” Lost said quickly. “No way. I just keep forgetting you can really be romantic when you want to be.”

Crash chuckled, and both of the stallions loosened up their tension after that. For a moment the two sat there in silence, seemingly waiting for the other to make the first move. Eventually it was Lost Way who swallowed his pride and made a move.

“Um… so… Are we really gonna try something?” Lost Way asked. “Cause I know you’re a… y’know.”

“Virgin?” Crash asked.

“Yeah,” Lost Way said, looking relieved that he hadn’t been the one to say it out loud. “At least, I assume you would have told me if you weren’t. You really trust me to take that from you, huh?”

“Lost,” Crash said before reaching out his hoof and giving the zebra a firm squeeze on his shoulder. “You’re my best friend. Of course I trust you.”

Lost Way glanced away. He looked like he was blushing, but in the dim light it was a bit hard to tell. Still, judging by the way he was involuntarily squirming on his side of the couch it seemed like a fair guess to make.

“Okay,” Lost Way said before letting out a long sigh to try and steady his nerves. The Zebra stood up from the couch and took Crash’s hoof in his own before giving it a steady tug. “Then… Let’s do this right, okay? Follow me?”

Crash stood up as well. It was actually pretty cute to see Lost Way look nervous for once. He could tell the zebra was trying his best to make Crash feel comfortable, which helped dampen whatever nerves Crash was feeling at the reality of what he was about to plunge himself into. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a tightness in his chest at the fact that he was really about to go through with this.

Lost Way led Crash to the hallway before pausing at the pegasus’s door. He cracked it open.

“My room?” Crash asked.

“You do have the bigger bed,” Lost Way said. “Last thing I want is to make your first time uncomfy being so cramped.”

Crash had to admit that was a fair point. Still, when he pictured the day he would finally bring a pony into this room to do the deed he thought he might have a bit more of a chance to clean up beforehoof. The sheets were messy and there were still bowties and combs from his preparation earlier strewn out on the floor.

“Before we do anything,” Lost Way said as he sat down on the bed. Crash followed, and sat down next to the Zebra. His weight caused the portion of the bed to creak and sink far more than Lost’s half. “Promise me a few things.”

“Promise?” Crash asked.

“Promise that you’ll be honest with me if you get nervous or aren’t ready to do something,” Lost Way said, looking Crash in the eyes with a serious expression. “If I end up pushing too hard and don’t know it I’ll feel even worse than if you just put up with it to make me happy, okay?”

“I can do that,” Crash said with a nod.

“Good,” Lost said before putting on a reassuring smile. “Um… Would you feel better if you felt it out for yourself, or do you want me to take the lead? Whatever makes you feel more comfy.”

That was a question Crash had to think about. This was already strange enough discussing how he was about to go about losing his virginity with his best friend. Truth be told he had always assumed that when the time came he’d just have to fake it till he made it. However with Lost Way it was an entirely different ball park.

“I… I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” Crash said sheepishly as he felt his ears lower. “S-Sorry… can you take the lead?”

Lost Way gave a little giggle. It was the sort of laugh that made Crash feel comforted rather than mocked. The zebra scooted closer to Crash, and raised up his hoof to place it against the pegasus’s cheek.

“Alright,” Lost Way agreed. “Just relax. This is supposed to be fun, remember?”

Crash nodded his head again, and then closed his eyes in an attempt to relax as he was told. He took a deep breath in, and then let it out. He opened his eyes and looked over to Lost, who was quick to slowly guide the pegasus’s head so the two were facing eye to eye. He was reminded yet again how beautiful the zebra’s eyes were.

“What now?” Crash asked.

“Remember back in the snow?” Lost Way asked. “I wanna do that again.”

Lost Way took the lead, and grabbed Crash’s face with his other hoof. He craned his neck up and pressed his lips firmly against Crash’s own. It was much more forward and stronger than the kisses they had shared back in the snow. Crash felt a weight lean up against him, and instinctively he lifted his hooves and grabbed Lost Way’s sides to hold the zebra who seemed ready to crawl up onto his lap.

“Nnngh,” Crash made a noise as the two momentarily parted.

“Something wrong?” Lost asked, still close to Crash’s face.

“N-Nothing,” Crash said. “You’re just… You’re a really good kisser, Lost.”

Lost Way’s worry faded, and turned to a look of mischievousness instead.

“Well then shut up and let me kiss you, dummy,” Lost Way said.

With that Lost Way attacked. He quite literally pounced, and ran his body into Crash’s own. It was enough force that Crash fell on his back against the bed, and Lost’s weight came crashing down on top of him. The dominant side of Lost was coming out in full force, and it was overwhelming Crash in a way he found himself enjoying. As alien as it was to be in his own bed kissing another stallion part of it also felt so, so right. 

“Lost…” Crash moaned between their brief parting for air. He lifted up his hooves and hugged Lost as tightly as he could before their lips connected once more. He found himself wanting to absorb Lost into him so they could be one. Their bodies moved and pressed together in a rhythm the two were able to silently speak with actions alone. Lost Way’s hooves traveled down Crashing Thunder’s chest and up his neck. Crash’s hooves explored Lost’s body as well. The two were feeling out each other, trying to just get a feel for the sensation of their new lovers.

It wasn’t until Lost Way scooted back a few inches and broke his lips from Crash’s own that the pegasus realized he was beginning to feel light headed from lack of air. He was forced to suck in a quick breath when Lost Way shot his head down and planted his lips against the nape of Crash’s neck. Crash tensed up, and then relaxed, and then tensed again. Lost Way nibbled gently as he kissed and drug his lip up Crash’s thick neck. It tingled, and made the pegasus’s entire body shudder.

“Oh gosh,” Crash whined.

“Mmm, you’re a dirty colt, you know that?” Lost Way asked teasingly as he lifted his head up. “Getting hard already?”

“Wha…?”

Lost Way surprised Crash by jamming one of his hooves down to the area between them where Lost Way’s body was lying. Suddenly Crash felt a hoof grip around his sheath, and squeezed what little bit of his cock head was beginning to emerge out of it. Such a forward and sudden move caused the stallion to let out a loud gasp and bite down on his lip. He could hardly believe Lost had done something so bold in just grabbing him like that. He had been so distracted by their make out session that he hadn’t even realized he had begun to get hard.

“Nnngh… L-Lost,” Crash whined as he felt Lost Way’s hoof squeeze and tug gently on his emerging member. “Holy Celestia…”

“For somepony who's never done anything with a stallion you sure react pretty strongly to one,” Lost Way said before locking his eyes with Crash’s own. “Just a little bit of making out and you’re already getting hard? What are you, a teenager?”

There was something powerful behind Lost Way’s teasing that made Crash want to blush and squirm.

“I can’t help it,” Crash said softly. “You’re really good at kissing.”

“That’s not all I’m good at, big boy,” Lost Way said.

The Zebra was now starting to become more comfortable taking control of the situation. He sat up from where he had been lying on Crash’s body and scooted himself back. Crash stayed on his back and looked down. His legs were spread, and his sheath was indeed beginning to grow harder with the sight of an emerging cock. What was visible was the head of a near black cock with a few specks of white for color.

It amazed Crash just how confidently Lost Way moved forward. He didn’t hesitate at all as he grabbed the base of Crash’s sheath and gave it a firm pump. He lowered his other hoof and scooped up Crash’s massive balls in them. Lost Way gave Crash a quick wink before fully lowering his head closer to Crash’s cock and balls.

“O-Oh gosh,” Crash whined.

Lost Way wasn’t shy at all. He was very quick to let out his tongue and run it the full length up Crash’s sheath and what was visible of his shaft. After he reached the head he proceeded to bury his face right at the base of the sheath against Crash’s large balls, and breathed in heavily.

“Mmm, so that’s the smell of my stallion,” Lost Way said as he pulled his face back a few inches. “Not bad.”

Crash felt his chest tighten. The way Lost Way called him ‘my stallion’ made his heart skip a beat. He had never considered his own scent anything special, but the way Lost talked about it made the zebra sound like a hungry beast who had just found its favorite and most delectable prey.

“You like that?” Crash asked, more curious than anything.

“Hell yeah,” Lost Way said with a grin as he looked up. “You smell so MANLY. In fact…”

Lost Way took Crash by surprise once more and quickly moved his head down. He buried his muzzle and nose directly under Crashing Thunder’s balls, and let them drape over his nose. The next sensation Crash felt was a wet tongue graze against the underside of his balls. The sensation was so unique and like nothing Crash had ever felt before that he couldn’t stop himself from involuntarily squeezing his thighs. He ended up gripping Lost Way’s head for a brief moment before gasping and pulling his legs apart.

“S-Sorry!” Crash said quickly, though knew he hadn’t actually squeezed all that hard.

“No, I like that,” Lost Way said as he pulled away. “That’s kinda hot, actually.”

“Seriously?” Crash asked.

“Who the heck wouldn’t want their head smashed between massive thighs when they’re muzzle deep in their boyfriend’s balls?” Lost Way asked with a giggle. “Plus that sound you just made when I licked was really damn cute.”

Crash continued to blush. He felt nervous, and awkward in his actions. Still, Lost Way was patient with him. All he could ask for right now was patience.

Lost reached up and took both sides of Crash’s sheath in his hooves. He propped the cock up so the head was pointed directly at him, and then licked his lips as if he were gazing upon a delicious looking appetizer. Crash had never thought of that part of his body as the sort of thing that deserved to be looked at with such lust. He was getting harder by the second the longer Lost Way stared.

“Oooh, you’re so easy to make excited,” Lost Way teased. “I wonder what’ll happen if I just…”

Without further warning Lost Way opened his mouth and took the head of Crash’s growing cock in his mouth. Crash couldn’t keep himself from letting out a loud gasp and arching his back. He hadn’t expected Lost Way to attack his cock with such a lustful hunger. He could feel the tongue of the zebra glide along the underside of his quickly hardening cock. As he grew harder and harder Lost Way’s head moved deeper down. It was around the point where Crash was approaching full length that he couldn’t help but marvel at just how deep Lost Way seemed to be able to push his head down without any signs of discomfort.

“Holy Celestia,” Crash said.

Lost Way took his mouth off of Crash’s cock and looked up quizzically.

“What’s wrong?” The zebra asked.

“N-Nothing,” Crash said quickly before looking away sheepishly. “Just… Y-You’re able to take a lot of it.”

“Heh, lots of practice,” Lost said with a smirk before looking down and examining the results of his work. He ran his hooves up and down the full length of Crash’s cock now and giggled softly. “But wow, you’re really big. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Is it really that big?” Crash asked.

“Well I guess on your body it looks pretty normal,” Lost Way said with a chuckle. “But yeah, it’s like a freaking log compared to mine.”

Crash honestly had no idea how to respond to that. All he could do was blush and squirm. He felt overwhelmed in just about every sense of the word. It was the first time another pony had touched him so sensually. The verbal teasing being shot at him was also making him feel awfully funny. A mix of butterflies in his belly and a tight nervousness in his chest. It was just about all the stallion could do to keep himself under control in spite of it all.

“Now, where was I?” Lost Way asked. “Oh right! I was making you whine like a puppy.”

Lost wasted no time in going right back for the cock with his mouth. Once again Crash let out a strange noise unlike anything he had ever made before. It felt so, so much different from jerking himself off. It was warm and wet and pleasant in a way he had never expected. Lost managed to bob his head up and down a considerable length, though had to keep his jaw open awfully wide in order to do so given Crash’s girth.

It was an incredibly embarrassing thing to admit, but Crash could tell he was already close. Maybe it was the teasing or the new sensations that brought it upon him so quickly, but it wasn’t long until he began to let out loud cries of moaning pleasure.

“Nnngh! Ahhh!~ Oooh! L-Lost! Ah!”

Lost Way didn’t slow down despite Crash’s cries. In fact, the noises the pegasus was making only seemed to encourage Lost. He began suckling and using his hooves to rub up and down the bottom end of length he couldn’t quite reach with his mouth alone. Crash began to writhe his upper body back and forth and made the bed he was laying on creak and cry with protest from the springs.

“Mmm, you smell so good,” Lost Way would comment between licks. “I think I could get off just by burying my face down here alone.”

“Nnngh!” Crash cried out, and arched his back. It was getting harder and harder to resist the growing pleasure that was building inside of his cock. It was so much more powerful than the sensations that came from merely jerking himself off.

“L-Lost, slow down,” Crash whined. He could tell he was approaching the point of no return, and quickly. Lost Way didn’t seem like he could hear Crash behind his intent focus on blowing him. Alarm bells began to go off in Crash’s head as he got closer and closer. Eventually he had to reach down his hooves and grab Lost by the head right when he bobbed his head up and yanked his head off the cock.

“Nnnngh!” Crash cried. His cock was throbbing, and spurting pre. His face was an intense deep shade of crimson by now. 

“Oh, wow,” Lost Way said as he stared down. “Did not expect that to happen that fast.”

“I’m sorry,” Crash nearly whimpered. He couldn’t shake the feeling like he had just seriously screwed up in some way.

Crash covered his face with his hooves and whined softly.

“Hey, what are you hiding your face for?” Lost Way asked as he crawled up onto the bed and grabbed at one of Crash’s forelegs and yanked until Crash pulled them down.

“I-I didn’t wanna cum so fast,” Crash said. “I didn’t grab you too hard, did I?”

“Heh, no way,” Lost Way said. “You didn’t need to stop me though, y’know. It’s kind of cute that it was that easy to make you cum.”

Crash continued to feel embarrassed. Lost had a way of teasing him and making him feel good at the same time.

“But since you did stop me,” Lost Way said with a grin of his own. “I guess that just means that you’re dying to move onto the good stuff.”

“The good stuff?” Crash asked.

“Hold on a sec, I’ll be right back,” Lost Way said before crawling off of the bed and making his way to the door. He threw a wink at the pegasus before leaving. On the other side of the wall Crash could hear faint rustling around inside of Lost Way’s bedroom. Within moments the zebra had returned, and was holding a bottle in his hoof.

“Is that…?”

“Yep,” Lost Way said. “Lube. What, you trying to kill me with raw dogging?”

Crash felt a little bit silly for not realizing the two of them would need that. Though he had never exactly felt the need to think very long about how two stallions would mate, he still knew enough to know lube was very much a necessity.

“So uh… how do we…?” Crash began, but trailed off as he felt too embarrassed to expose just how little he knew about this to continue.

“Just let me do the work, big boy,” Lost Way said before he climbed back up onto the bed. “How about you put that tongue to some good use while I get you ready?”

Crash felt his eyes widen as without warning Lost Way swung one of his hind legs directly over Crash’s face. He stared up, and was met with the sight of Lost Way’s taint and butt hanging over his face.

“Okay,” Crash said softly, a bit mesmerized by what was hanging so close to him to really bother denying he was curious.

Lost Way giggled. The zebra didn’t need any more convincing before he plopped his butt right down atop Crashing Thunder’s muzzle. At first Crash let out a muffled whine. He didn’t expect to be practically suffocated by zebra ass so suddenly. However he swallowed hard and eventually opened his mouth to let out his tongue. He was a bit nervous, but the moment he worked up the courage to extend his tongue and graze it against Lost Way’s hole those nerves faded.

“Ooo, wow,” Lost Way said. “E-Eager, aren’t we?”

Did Lost just stutter? It was the first time since they had gotten into the room that Crash had actually been able to do something to make his new lover react so strongly. He found himself hungering for that reaction again, and lifted up his forelegs to grab at Lost Way’s plush thighs. He extended his tongue further, and began to drag it over Lost Way’s hole.

“Mmmm, y-you sure you ain’t done this before, big guy?” Lost Way asked in a bit of a joking manner, though it was clear the zebra was struggling to keep his own voice steady. “Y-You’re hungrier than some of the stallions I hook up with after my dates!”

Crash felt an unexpected swell of pride in his chest at that. He didn’t expect that anything he’d be able to do that night would draw such wonderful reactions out of Lost Way. Truthfully, he didn’t realize just how much those noises from his new lover would excite him so much. Lost Way began to squirm very slightly as Crash’s tongue ran against his hole again and again. Crash began to swirl it around and tried to find the best way to make his boyfriend moan.

Crashing Thunder ran his hooves back until he was able to firmly grab both of Lost Way’s cheeks. He dug his hooves in. He didn’t expect them to be so… plump. He pulled apart those plump cheeks so he could better dig his muzzle deep against Lost Way’s needy hole, and licked and licked.

“C-Celestia… Nnngh! Mmm!” Lost Way groaned.

Crash kept going and going, licking with more ferocity than a hungry dog. He probably would have kept up this ravenous behavior for quite some time had it not been for Lost Way leaning forward and grabbing at Crash’s still hard cock. This made the pegasus pause briefly, and let out a gasp of hot air directly against Lost Way’s bottom.

“Heh, calm down,” Lost Way said. “I’m just lubing you up.”

Crash could hear the click of a bottle. The very next thing he felt was a cool gel-like sensation touching his shaft. Lost Way’s hooves began to drag up and down as he began rubbing the lube against Crash’s lengthy and girthy cock. Crash tried his best to keep up the same pace at rimming as he had done before, but admittedly it was rather distracting with Lost manhandling his cock.

“Heh, you’re seriously massive,” Lost Way teased. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen you fully hard, actually.”

Crash couldn’t help but feel there was something behind the usual teasing in Lost Way’s voice. Almost like… nerves? It was so subtle that the pegasus wondered if he had just imagined it.

Eventually Lost Way let out a gasp as he raised his bottom up from Crashing Thunder’s muzzle. Crash was mid lick, and as such his tongue was still fully extended. He looked down, and realized that the effects of his rimming had caused Lost Way’s own cock and sheath to begin growing. Though he wasn’t fully hard like Crash was, the pegasus saw spots of dull pink upon what was visible on his ebony shaft.

“What now?” Crash asked.

“Now,” Lost Way began. The zebra turned himself around and sat himself down right on top of Crashing Thunder’s chest. The two were able to look each other in the eyes now. Lost Way scooted himself back until Crash could feel the zebra’s tail graze up against his freshly lubed cock. “The fun part starts.”

Crash felt his heartbeat quicken. It was beginning to quickly feel like the point of no return, especially when Lost Way began to teasingly grind his buttcheeks up and down Crash’s cock. The zebra looked over his shoulder, and for just a moment Crash thought he saw a look of hesitation in those eyes.

“Is something wrong?” Crash asked.

“N-No, nothing,” Lost Way said, though wouldn’t meet Crash’s eyes as he spoke.

Maybe Crash was a bit too wrapped up in his own nerves to really read into Lost Way’s hesitation. The pegasus swallowed a lump in his throat, and decided to try his hoof at doing something other than complete and utter submission.

“You gonna ride me, stud?” Crash asked.

“Ohoho, stud?” Lost Way asked, regaining his playful expression. “Alright, since you’re so eager…”

Lost Way positioned himself properly, and lifted his behind up so that it was much closer to the tip of Crash’s cockhead. After a moment Lost managed to press the head of the cock up to his hole. There was another slight moment of hesitation on his face.

“Wow that’s big,” Lost Way said.

“Everything okay?” Crash asked.

“Y-Yeah, of course,” Lost Way said. “Let me just…”

Lost Way pushed his body down on top of the cockhead. The head went in, and instantly Lost Way froze. The Zebra shut his eyes, and for a moment he made no sound at all.

“Mmmm…” Lost Way eventually made a noise, and it was one of clear discomfort.

“Are you okay?” Crash asked, beginning to worry.

“F-Fine… I’m… ahhh…”

Something wasn’t right. Even as an inexperienced virgin Crash could tell something was wrong by the look of discomfort and borderline pain on his boyfriends face.

“Just gimmie a… s-sec…” Lost Way said softly. After a few moments Lost Way tried to push down another inch or two, and instantly he let out a loud cry of pain.

Crash could feel his chest begin to tighten. Suddenly none of this was fun at all. He knew it was supposed to hurt a bit at first but this looked like genuine pain that wasn’t fading at all. His heart began to race with anxiety, and without thinking he blurted out his thoughts.

“Pull out, Lost,” Crash said. “I don’t wanna hurt you, please.”

Lost Way didn’t need much more convincing to do as he was told. He lifted himself up, and soon enough the cockhead was out of his ass. He let out a loud gasp and a groan, followed by a little whine that made Crashing Thunder’s heart ache. Instantly Crash felt his eyes become blurred with the stinging threat of tears, and the only thing he could think to do was lift up his forelegs and grab Lost Way and pull him into a tight hug.

“I’m sorry,” Crash said softly. “Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine, Crash,” Lost Way said.

Crash began to tremble slightly. The look of his best friend in pain as a result of Crash was almost too much to think about. He had to shut his eyes to keep tears from spilling over.

“I’m sorry,” Crash said again, softer this time as he buried his muzzle against Lost Way’s neck.

“Hey, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Lost Way said quickly. The zebra pushed himself up from the hug and grabbed Crash by his face. The pegasus cracked open his eyes, and looked up with blurred vision at his boyfriend. “It was my fault, okay? I should have taken one look at that thing and realized it was too big for me to take without some training.”

“But I…” Crash began.

Lost Way leaned down, and pressed his lips firmly against Crashing Thunder’s own. It was a quick, and comforting kiss. When Lost pulled away Crash had to resist the urge to sniffle.

“You told me to take control, right?” Lost Way said. “Only I’m allowed to blame somepony and I blame myself. It’s not your fault you have a massive schlong.”

Despite all the emotions welling up inside of Crash he couldn’t stop himself from bursting out in a small chuckle at that comment. Lost Way smiled down at him.

“You wanna keep trying stuff?” Lost Way asked. “Let’s skip the bottoming for now. Maybe I could get you off just going down on you?”

“Actually,” Crash said, and then turned his head to avoid embarrassment. “Could I try going down on you, maybe? I wanna make you feel good after… that.”

Lost Way giggled, which only made Crash’s cheeks burn.

“I think I’m making a pretty good slut out of you after all,” Lost Way said before leaning down to peck at Crash’s cheek. “Gimme all you got, big guy.”

Lost Way rolled off of Crash’s chest and onto the large bed. He wasted no time in lying on his back and spreading his hind legs as far apart as they could go. His cock had softened to the point where it had gone back into his body, so only his sheath and balls were still visible. Crash adjusted himself until he was hanging his head over Lost Way’s lower half and stared down.

“Um… sorry, this is a dumb question,” Crash said. “What do I do, exactly?”

“Hehe, well,” Lost Way said. “You could start by giving the sheath a few licks. The balls too, if you’re up for it. You gotta wake up the beast~”

Crash nodded his head. He stared down between Lost Way’s legs. The smell of the zebra was strong, but not unpleasant. A thought crossed his mind that this was the scent of HIS lead stallion. That only made his heart beat quicken.

Crash gingerly lowered his face and extended his tongue. He placed it against the zebra’s sheath, and drug upward. He was conservative at first, using only the tip of his tongue. His second stroke up he used the entire flat of his tongue. That got a much more positive reaction out of Lost Way in the way of a delighted hum.

It only took a few long and drawn out licks up the sheath for the head of Lost Way’s cock to begin peaking once more. Crash felt his eyes widen.

“Doing good, big guy,” Lost Way said.

Crash looked down at Lost Way’s balls. He suddenly remembered something that Lost Way had done to him, and a burning curiosity began to stir up inside of him. He swallowed a lump in his throat and decided to just go for it, and jammed his muzzle directly underneath the balls until they were draping over his nose and mouth.

“O-Oh my!” Lost Way squeaked. The zebra was clearly surprised by Crash’s burst of courage.

It was a near overpowering smell. What had simply been wafting up before was now all of what Crashing Thunder experienced. The smell of his stallion enticed him in a way he thought it never would. He shut his eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to memorize just how delightfully perverse he felt in the moment. He stuck out his tongue, and tried to drag it against Lost Way’s taint as the zebra had done to him before.

“Ohohoho gosh,” Lost Way half-giggled and half squeaked.

Crash had to admit he was starting to get the appeal of his stallion’s scent. He felt a sudden ownership over it, like it was something only he was allowed to indulge in for the time being. He decided to be a bit more adventurous and opened his mouth to take in one of the zebra’s balls. He was gentle, but the taste was enough to make him moan. He found himself growing hornier by the second, and grinded his lower body into his bedsheets helplessly.

Crash glanced up and saw that Lost Way was half hard. He released the ball he had been suckling from his mouth and looked up at the beacon before his eyes in awe.

“Heh, are you gonna stare or are you gonna lick it?” Lost Way asked.

Crash realized that he had been staring like a colt through a candy store window and promptly glanced down. Though truth be told, the fact that glancing down only made it so he was staring right at Lost Way’s balls didn’t help his embarrassment much.

“I just… lick it?” Crash asked.

“Well, ideally you suck it too,” Lost Way said.

“Alright,” Crash said softly before lifting up one of his hooves and grabbing the shaft. He pulled it closer to his face until it was pressing up against his nose and just about to drape over his forehead. The cock was less girthy than Crash’s own, though that was to be expected. The smell was even stronger now that Lost Way was freed from his sheath.

Crash stuck out his tongue and set it against the base of the cock right where it was poking out from the sheath. He closed his eyes and drug himself upward all the way until he reached the head. When he got to the top he hesitated for only a moment before gingerly opening his mouth and wrapping his lips around the head.

“Nnngh,” Lost Way let out a noise instantly, and shifted in place. “You don’t waste any time, big guy.”

Crash took that as a compliment. He paused, and realized he really didn’t know what to do now.

“Just try sucking a bit,” Lost Way said. “And move your head up and down. Don’t use your teeth, obviously.”

Crash took the advice and did as he was told. He pushed the cockhead further into his mouth and felt the top of the shaft slide down his tongue. He was only able to take a few inches before being forced to stop and pull back. He let out a gasp.

“Don’t take too much,” Lost Way said. “You might gag. It takes practice to give blowjobs like I can.”

Despite Crash’s intense focus on the cock in his mouth he could tell Lost Way was smirking. Crash rolled his eyes and continued the task at hoof. He put the cock back in his mouth and went down a few inches before bobbing his head back up. Lost Way let out a long and drawn out sigh of pleasure. Suddenly a hoof was on top of Crash’s head lightly ruffling his mane.

“Good boy,” Lost Way said with a pleased tone of voice.

Crash blushed. He didn’t think that being called ‘good boy’ of all things would have an affect on him. He tried to ignore it, but in a weird way his heart seemed to momentarily skip. He started to move his head faster as he got into the rhythm of what he was doing. He tried sucking as he bobbed his head.

“Heh, you’re a fast learner,” Lost Way teased as he continued to run his hoof over Crashing Thunder’s mane. “I might make a slut out of you yet.”

Crash’s face only grew hotter. He wasn’t sure why but being talked to in such a degrading yet loving way excited him. There was clear affection pouring out of Lost Way’s voice despite his teasing words. It made Crash only want to do better, and push himself further. He bravely started to bob his head an inch or two further than before as far as he could push it without the risk of gagging.

It was an alien sensation to feel Lost Way’s cock harden in his mouth. In the time Crash had been sucking the zebra had gone from aroused to fully erect. His jaw had to open wider to accommodate the zebra’s full size, but it had yet to become uncomfortable aside from a small ache in his jaw. Crash looked up, and saw Lost Way was biting his lip and looking like he was in great pleasure. Crash suddenly felt like a dog pleased that his master was happy by his actions. That thought only made him flustered.

Eventually Crash had to pull his mouth free from Lost Way’s cock. He pulled his head up with a gasp, and realized just how badly he needed to breathe only after he was forced to suck in air.

“You okay?” Lost Way asked.

“Y-Yeah,” Crash said with a nod. “Did I… Did I do good?”

Lost Way smirked, and then giggled. The zebra pulled himself forward and practically tackled into Crash, sending the two of them tumbling down onto the bed. Before they even landed Lost had made sure the two were locking lips. There was something exciting about the control Lost Way had tonight that made Crash’s heart thud inside his chest. He could feel one of Lost Way’s hind legs grind up and down the inside of his thighs, feeling the cock that had become erect once again as he sucked off the zebra.

“Somepony’s excited,” Lost Way said teasingly. “Get that hard just from sucking a cock? Yeah, you’re definitely not straight.”

“Shut up,” Crash said, rolling his eyes. “It’s just because… cause it’s you.”

“Oooh, you’re such a charmer,” Lost Way said before smiling.

Crash looked away. The more Lost ran his hind leg up and down his cock the more naughty his thoughts became. He squirmed a little. A thought crossed his mind that had been lingering ever since they found out the zebra wasn’t quite ready to take his cock. He had been too embarrassed and unsure to say it in the moment, but right now felt like the best chance he had before his nerves got the best of him.

“Hey, Lost?” Crash asked.

“Mmm?”

“Do you… Do you wanna try going all the way again?” The pegasus asked. “But maybe switch roles?”

Lost’s eyes widened.

“You wanna bottom?” Lost Way asked.

“W-Well the other option didn’t work,” Crash said quickly before biting the inside of his cheek.

“You sure?” Lost asked before sitting up. He suddenly looked a lot more serious. “It’s a big thing to try for some guys. I don’t want you forcing yourself just cause you feel guilty it didn’t work before or something silly.”

“I’m not forcing myself,” Crash said as he sat up as well. He took Lost Way’s hoof in his own and smiled at him. “If you’re gonna be my lead stallion I wanna make it official in some way. It can’t hurt to try at least?”

Lost looked a bit hesitant as he glanced over to the bottle of lube that had been forgotten at the edge of the bed.

“You’ll tell me if it hurts too much?” Lost Way asked. “You promise?”

Crash nodded his head. After a moment’s consideration Lost Way let out a long sigh.

“Okay, I guess we can try,” Lost Way said. “How do you wanna do this? Get on your belly and I’ll try it doggy style or…?”

“Um…” Crash paused, and then realized how sappy his thought sounded. Though he had already made it this far, so he figured it didn’t make sense to stop now. “Can we do it so we’re face to face? I kinda wanna look at you my first time.”

Lost Way’s eyes widened briefly as if he was taken aback by that. It was the zebra’s turn to put on a light blush before cracking up in a series of giggles.

“You dork,” Lost Way said. “Okay, we’ll do it like an old married couple. Lay on your back, okay?”

Crash did as he was told. He laid down and spread his legs apart. His heart started to pick up speed as he watched Lost Way pick up the bottle of lube. All he felt was a mixture of nerves and excitement as Lost Way approached. The zebra squirted out a bit of lube into his hoof and then moved it down between Crash’s legs. There was a cool gel sensation against his cheeks that caused him to gasp. His cheeks were soon spread, and suddenly there was a hoof pressing up to his hole.

“You okay?” Lost Way asked.

“Yeah,” Crash said, though it came out fast and nervous. “That’s just… a new feeling.”

“Heh, well I gotta make sure you’re a little loose before I jam it in,” Lost said.

Crash bit his lip as he felt the hoof press up to his hole. Not only was Lost making sure that it was properly lubed up, but he also worked to massage and press his hoof down to try and relax Crash’s nerves.

“Now it’s pretty normal for it to hurt for a little your first time,” Lost Way said. “It should pass, though. It shouldn’t be unbearable pain, either, got it?”

“G-Got it,” Crash said as he fought off the urge to gasp as the hoof ran against his sensitive hole. “Nnngh.”

“I’m gonna go real slow until you’re used to it,” Lost Way said. “The important thing is not to tense up. That’ll just make it harder for both of us.”

“Mmmm okay,” Crash said as he nodded his head.

Finally Lost Way pulled his hoof away from Crash’s hole. The pegasus squirmed in place as he watched the zebra squirt out some more lube and run it up and down his own cock. He had plenty of time to sit there with his thoughts and grow more nervous, but what kept him going was the idea of it being Lost Way who was going to do this to him. He trusted the zebra with his life, much less something as normal as sex.

“You ready?” Lost Way asked before grabbing Crash’s hind legs and positioning his cock up against the pegasus’s hole. “I’m gonna try to push in now. Just relax.”

Crash could only nod his head, as he feared a verbal response would cause him to stutter with nerves.

The feeling of a cockhead pushing up to his hole certainly was something Crash had never felt before. He stared up at the ceiling at first, and tried his best to relax despite his body naturally wanting to do otherwise. Lost Way moved almost painfully slow as he pushed in.

“Ah!” Crash let out a loud gasp as soon as the head was inside of him. Lost Way wasn’t lying. It did hurt.

“You alright?” Lost Way asked fearfully, and froze in place.

“Y-Yeah,” Crash said. “Just gimmie a… nngh… sec.”

Crash could feel his lower legs tremble. His hole was quite literally being stretched now that Lost Way was properly in him. The zebra wasn’t lying about the pain, but he also hadn’t been lying about it not being unbearable. After a few moments it began to wane, and Crash let out a loud gasp that he didn’t realize he had been holding in.

“Want me to pull out?” Lost asked.

“No, I think I’m fine,” Crash said, and was surprised that he felt confident in saying so. He looked up to Lost Way and managed to put on a playful smirk. “What, think I can’t handle it, stud?”

“Heh, if you’re good enough to tease me then I guess you’re fine,” Lost Way said. “I’m gonna push in a little now. Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Crash said.

Lost Way smiled. The zebra was slow enough to the point Crash might call it tedious were he not experiencing the sensation of a cock inside of him. A few times the pegasus would open his mouth to let out a gasp, and then be forced to quickly bite his lip. There was pain, but it was momentary and faded quickly as his body became used to the cock. Lost Way was very correct in that he was forced to relax. Any time he tried to tense up it only became harder for both of them.

It wasn’t until Lost Way had pushed himself all the way in did Crash let out a small whine. The cock was pushing against… something inside of him. His cock began to feel funny.

“Balls deep now,” Lost Way said with a smirk. “Feeling good?”

“I-I think so,” Crash said hesitantly before nodding his head.

“I’m gonna try moving in and out a little, okay?” Lost Way said. “Let me know if I should stop.”

Crash nodded again. He was feeling a little overwhelmed in a way he didn’t exactly hate. Lost kept true to his word and grabbed him by the hind legs for leverage. The zebra pulled out a few inches, and then pushed back in again. Once more the cockhead hit up against something that made Crash feel very strange. His cock had started to soften during this entire process, but right now it was very quickly rehardening.

This almost felt… good…

“Mmm!” Crash let out a light gasp as Lost Way pushed back in. It was a proper thrust with enough force to cause the zebra’s balls to slap against the underside of Crash’s tail.

“How’s it feel?” Lost Way asked.

“I-I dunno,” Crash said. “I feel… full?”

“Heh, that’s normal,” Lost Way said. “Y’know, you make some pretty damn cute sounds when you bottom. I could get used to this.”

Even during this situation Lost Way still found a way to make Crash feel flustered. There wasn’t much he could do to hide his embarrassment, especially with each thrust threatening to bring out more moans and stifled gasps out of the pegasus. All the while Crash couldn’t stop thinking about how surprised he was that it felt so good. The more Lost Way pushed in the more the head of his cock would hit up to that spot which was beginning to feel better and better. The pleasure was very quickly outweighing whatever discomfort remained.

Crash looked up into Lost Way’s eyes. The zebra was staring down, and huffing out with each thrust he made. He seemed to be focused on his task, but kept running one of his hooves up and down Crash’s belly next to where his cock laid.

“You’re a real natural, big guy,” Lost Way said with a chuckle. “Maybe you were meant to be a bottom slut after all.”

The dirty talk was coming back in full force. Crash blushed, but once again found he didn’t dislike it.

“Nnngh! Ahh!” Crash could only really communicate with gasps of pleasure by this point. His cock had gotten fully hard again.

“Heh, you sound like a little filly,” Lost Way teased. “Does my cock feel that good? Even I don’t moan as much as you are when I take it~”

Crash had to shut his eyes momentarily to fight the glowing blush on his face. He actually liked when Lost Way teased him like this. His lead stallion was taking complete and utter control, and it felt amazingly good.

“Lost,” Crash said behind a whining cry. “Y-You feel so good… Ngh… You’re such a stud.”

“That’s right, I’m your stud,” Lost Way said back. “How’s this stud’s cock feel, big guy? Good?”

“A-Amazing!” Crash cried out. “Nnngh! Please don’t stop! Ahhh!”

Each thrust was bringing out a hunger inside of Crash that he was struggling to control. He was quickly becoming addicted to the pleasurable feeling of his prostate being hit again and again. By now his cock laid on his chest fully erect and was dribbling out pre-cum at an alarming rate. It was then that Lost Way reached down his hoof and grabbed the cock. He began to stroke, and was squeezing pure pleasure up and down the shaft.

“Nnngh! Ahh! Ahh!”

Crash had never considered himself noisy before. When he jerked off alone he was practically silent. Now he couldn’t seem to keep himself from crying out louder and louder as his pleasure grew. Every time Lost Way thrusted into him it felt like the final stroke before a powerful orgasm where the pleasure was at its peak.

“You want me to pull out when I cum?” Lost asked. “Or do you wanna be filled up like a cute little bottom slut?”

“Nnngh! Cum in me!” Crash whined. He blushed at saying such a lewd thing out loud. Before tonight the thought of having a stallion cum in him had hardly crossed his mind, but right this second it was the hottest idea in the world.

“Heh, thought you’d say that,” Lost Way teased behind his grunts from thrusting. “You look like you’re about to blow yourself, big guy.”

It probably was an easy guess for Lost Way to make considering just how noisy Crash had gotten at every touch. Crash felt himself practically blinded by pleasure as he looked up into Lost Way’s beautiful pink eyes. His stallion was staring back at him. His lead stallion. There was something unquestionably erotic about feeling like Lost Way held all the power not only in that moment, but their relationship going forward. He was making Lost Way this excited and happy just by giving away his body so completely.

Crash allowed himself to become absorbed by the pleasure and numb to everything else in the world except for him and Lost Way. Each thrust was like a bell dinging inside of Crash again and again, hitting that spot of pleasure with increasing force. It was no wonder stallions enjoyed this so much. Crash had been so worried about the pain he hadn’t even considered the intense pleasure until it smacked him just as hard as Lost Way’s balls smacked against the base of his tail.

Judging by the way Lost Way was grunting and moaning with every little movement he made it seemed clear that he too was approaching climax.

“Get ready for it,” Lost Way said. “Cause I’m gonna blow.”

Lost Way wasn’t exaggerating. It took no more than ten thrusts before Lost Way pushed in one last time and let out a loud cry of pleasure. The zebra threw his head back, and instantly Crash felt his insides become flooded with cum. It was such a strange and unknown feeling. The sticky seed coated his walls. It got to the point where there was so much cum that it began to leak out his already plugged hole.

All the while Lost Way didn’t stop stroking Crashing Thunder’s cock. The way he had pushed in that final time had hit right against Crash’s prostate. That combined with the non stop stroking after so much pleasure was enough to push Crash right over the edge. He didn’t even have time to warn his lover before his own orgasm came. It was more intense than any he had ever felt, and the sounds Crash let out were enough to make it seem like the walls were shaking. Crash arched his back and cried out as his cock exploded onto his chest. A flood of seed coated his chest as he shot not once, not twice, but three times with thick and sticky seed. His whole body tingled and it was like electricity was shooting through his veins. His eyes rolled back and he had to bite his lip once he ran out of air in his lungs to keep moaning.

When the pleasure finally began to subside it was like all of his senses had been dulled. It took a moment for Crash to be able to see properly, and even longer for him to hear the way Lost Way was chuckling at him.

“Wow, I didn’t realize you were THAT close,” Lost Way said. “Look at the mess you made.”

“Mmm,” Crash whined. Words still seemed too difficult to form as he looked down at his cum covered chest. There was so much that it was rolling down his ribs onto his wings and the bedsheets.

“If I’d have known you were so close I would have put that thing in my mouth,” Lost Way said with a chuckle.

“S-Sorry,” Crash said softly. Now that he was able to think a bit more clearly he was aware enough to blush. “I didn’t realize you’d want that.”

“Heh, well you owe me a big load next time,” Lost Way said with a giggle before playfully licking his lips. “Hold on, I’m gonna pull out. You might feel… weird.”

Having Lost Way pull his member out of Crash’s hole did indeed feel weird. He felt strangely empty once the cock was freed, and his hole that had never been used for such means before felt stretched and agape. He could feel sticky seed dribble out. He was covered in both his own and the zebra’s cum.

“I must look like a pony on one of those magazines,” Crash said.

“Naw,” Lost Way said before winking. “You look way hotter.”

Crash didn’t even have time to get properly embarrassed at such a compliment before Lost Way rushed himself out of the room. The pegasus rolled over, and watched as Lost Way returned swiftly with a couple of towels in hoof. He jumped up onto the bed and tossed one to Crash.

“Sorry, I really should have gotten these out earlier,” Lost Way said. “Your bed’s a mess cause of me.”

“I think I’m a mess cause of you more than my bed,” Crash said with a faint smile.

Lost Way giggled as he got closer to Crash and helped the drained pegasus wipe away the mess. He reached up one of his hooves and grazed it against Crash’s cheek.

“Sorry if I said something that might have made you feel weird,” Lost Way said. “I kinda got lost in the moment. I shoulda asked if you were fine being called a… a…”

“A bottom slut?” Crash asked.

“Yeah, that one,” Lost Way said before blushing and glancing away. “Was that too far? I-I should probably have been a bit sweeter for your first time.”

Crash smiled softly, and reached up one of his hooves to grab Lost Way’s foreleg. He tugged the zebra until Lost Way gasped and was forced to fall into his chest. The two were separated by only the towel blanketing Crash now.

“It was loads of fun,” Crash said. “Plus I think I kinda liked the dirty talk. Is that how you are with all stallions?”

“Only the ones I like,” Lost Way said. “So no, not often.”

Crash chuckled before wrapping both of his forelegs properly around Lost Way’s body. He wanted to hold the zebra close.

“We should probably really shower,” Lost Way said. “Trust me, you don’t wanna wake up with day old cum on your coat.”

“In a little,” Crash said softly before burying his face against the top of Lost Way’s head. He gave the zebra a light kiss before nuzzling. “I wanna remember right now. I wanna remember how it felt right after when I had my first time with my boyfriend.”

“Jeez, you’re being sappy again,” Lost Way said softly. Despite his words the zebra stopped squirming and relaxed before lifting up his own hooves and hugging Crash back. “So… We’re really doing this, huh? Boyfriends?”

Crash felt his heart skip a beat. Before tonight he had never considered Lost Way anything but his best friend. It was amazing how a few hours and a change of perspective could make everything so different. Tonight was the first step for the rest of a long journey, and Crash couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of warmth build up within.

“Yeah,” Crash said. “Boyfriends.”
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crashing Thunder gripped Lost Way between his forelegs. The roaring fire in front of them crackled and burned with enough heat where they didn’t need to snuggle so close for warmth, but of course Crash would insist on doing so. He let out a long sigh as the memories of the past year flowed through him. He buried his muzzle into Lost’s neck and gave the zebra a light kiss.

“A lot’s happened, huh?” Crash asked as the memory wistfully danced in the corners of his mind. It was hard to believe the two of them were coming up on almost a year being together. It felt so recent, yet still their love had grown and matured so drastically since that winter’s night.

“Heh, yeah,” Lost Way said softly. “I love you, Crash.”

‘I love you.’ It was such a simple sentence, and one that Crash and Lost had exchanged so many times this past year that it was impossible to keep track. It was hard for Crash to remember exactly when it was that his love for Lost had turned into the sort of love one had for a partner, but as soon as it did it felt right. He said it every night before bed now, and every time the two parted ways if only for a little while.

“I love you too,” Crash said softly and nuzzled his muzzle against Lost’s cheek.

It felt so good to love. Crash felt warm and happy with Lost Way. The sort of warmth he used to dream of when he envisioned his life with a herd. He learned very quickly that the love of one creature as special as Lost was more than enough for him. He could always have more, but he hadn’t been fooling himself when he said he was alright if Lost Way was never ready for a herd. Just the two of them wasn’t the life Crash thought he wanted… but right now, it would be one he would be satisfied with.

Though… the moment that thought crossed his mind it seemed that fate had another plan in store for him. Lost Way squirmed to turn around so he could face Crash and then sat up slowly. He lowered one hoof down and stroked it against Crash’s cheek. There was a warm smile on the Zebra’s face that only looked more comforting with the gentle flickering light of the fire casting over him.

“Hey,” Lost Way said. “All this reminiscing has me thinking…”

“Yeah?” Crash asked. He hated that his first instinct was to feel a bit nervous. Lost must have sensed this, because he instantly let out a chuckle and brushed back Crash’s mane.

“It’s nothing serious,” Lost Way said. “Well, it kind of is. But nothing to freak out over, okay?”

Lost had gotten even better at reading Crash in the year they’d been romantic. The same could be said vise versa, because Crash instantly felt whatever anxiety he had subside the moment Lost reassured him.

“What’s up, then?” Crash asked as he sat up and placed a hoof on Lost Way’s shoulder.

“It’s just that this past year has been…” Lost Way started, but then glanced away. Crash noticed that the pink on his cheeks became a bit more noticeable. “Honestly it’s been one of the best in my life so far I think. Being with you. Falling in love.”

Crash couldn’t help but smile. He stroked Lost’s cheek, and Lost responded by lifting his hoof and pressing Crash’s down harder against his face.

“Early on I was really scared,” Lost Way said. “That after the initial honeymoon phase maybe everything would just pop and I wouldn’t feel the same. But even after I felt like I didn’t have to spend every waking second with you my feelings only got stronger. I think a while ago I realized that this thing between us might really work.”

Crash watched as Lost Way worked up the nerve to meet eyes once more. It was very sudden that the zebra lunged himself forward and wrapped his forelegs around Crash’s neck. They kissed, and Crash felt his eyes widen as Lost closed his own. After a moment Crash hugged Lost back. It was one of the more intense kisses they had in a long time. There was a lot of emotion behind it that made Crash only want to squeeze Lost tighter. When they parted Lost instantly buried his face into Crash’s chest.

“I think I’m finally ready, Crash,” Lost Way said with muffled words into Crash’s chest.

“Ready?” Crash asked. “Ready for what?”

Lost Way took in a deep breath and snuggled up closer to Crash.

“To be a proper lead stallion. To finally start that herd you always wanted.”

Crash widened his eyes, and then blinked. For a moment there was only silence. A mixture of emotions went through Crash. There was excitement, worry, joy, anxiety, fear, and a whole mess of sensations that all intermingled. In the end the very first thing he did was ask Lost a simple question.

“Are you sure?” Crash asked. “I’m still willing to wait forever just the two of us. Promise.”

“Heh,” Lost Way chuckled before pulling back. He looked at Crash in the eye and smiled. “I’m sure. I think no matter what happens my feelings for you aren’t gonna change. Maybe loving somepony or some other creature as well will make me realize why it’s so special to love you specifically. There’s only one Crashing Thunder, after all.”

Crash took a moment to process this. This was everything he thought he wanted for most of his life being handed to him. There was no hint of a lie behind Lost Way’s eyes that he was forcing himself for the sake of Crash to be happy.

“Okay,” Crash said. “If you’re ready, I am too.”

“Good,” Lost said. “Cause I already have someone in mind.”

Crash felt his heart skip a beat instantly.

“A-Already?” Crash said. “Who in Equestria have you…”

“Well, I’ve caught you staring whenever we go to the gym,” Lost Way said. “There’s this gryphon there. You’re lucky she’s so focused on her own workout or you might have seriously weirded her out with how often you stare.”

Crash instantly blushed.

“I-I didn’t mean to stare…” Crash said softly. “Was I that obvious?”

Instantly Crash knew who Lost Way was talking about. Gilda. They had only interacted at the gym a few times. Crash was one of the only ponies there who was strong enough to spot her whenever she lifted weights, and vise versa. They had chatted a few times, but Crash knew he was cagey as usual around her. One time she had called him cute when he asked if she was okay after straining to take on a bit heavier of a set than usual, and Crash had thought about it all day. Past that he knew very little about her other than he admired her strength and the way she came off.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lost Way said with a chuckle. “I’m glad she caught your eye. I had a little chat with her last time you hit the showers. She’s a little brash but I feel like she means well.”

“A chat?” Crash asked. “What did you tell her?”

“Oh, not much,” Lost Way said with a playful roll of his eyes. “I told her that me and my big hunky boyfriend were looking for a third to spice up our dying relationship and wondered if she could fuck you while I watched and jacked off in the corner.” 

“L-Lost!”

“I’m kidding,” Lost Way said with a laugh. “I just told her we were interested in going on a little date with her. I explained our situation and she was a little confused but she seemed interested. She said something about wondering if we were good enough to take on a gryphon… whatever that means.”

“You asked her out already?” Crash asked.

“Yeah,” Lost Way said. “She actually told me she was wondering if you were gonna grow a pair and ask her out sometime.”

Crash’s blush got way worse.

“The date’s on friday,” Lost Way said with a devious smile. “I let her know you’re very excited to meet her.”

“L-Lost!” Crash whined. “That’s… really sudden! I-I… what if I don’t make a good impression or she doesn’t like us or…”

“Shhh,” Lost Way said as he took one of Crash’s hooves and squeezed it with his own. “Calm down, big guy. Things’ll go fine. I’m not messing around with this lead stallion thing, okay? I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think we weren’t ready.”

Despite his thumping and anxiety-riddled heart Crash forced himself to let out a long winded and shaky sigh. He nodded his head and pulled Lost’s hoof up to his chest to hug it gently.

“Okay,” Crash said. “You’re right. You’re the lead. I… I trust you, Lost.”

Lost Way smiled, and it was the sort of smile that made Crash feel like everything was going to be okay.

“Thank you,” Lost Way said. “Now let’s get us a gryphon.”