A somewhat restful night had followed me. A short nap rejuvenated me. Unfortunately what awoke me wasn’t one of the mares I had met but a short earth pony stallion by the name of List Taker who woke me up. I blinked in surprise but I decided it was probably important if he was coming out here.
“You Nebula Gray?”
“Yes… What can I help you with?”
“I’ve been looking all over for you for a few hours now. You’re home has been finished. We need you to give it a once over. You’ll have to get your own furniture unfortunately. We need you to come over to check it out.”
“Yes of course… Give me a moment to confer something with somepony before I go.”
He harrumphed at me and trotted a short distance away. Thanks be to whomever for loyal civil servants… I felt my eyes roll and knocked on the front door. Surprisingly it was Fresh Coat who answered the door. I had to wonder if narrative causality was under my control at this point… then I remembered that I’m not Pinkie.
“Yes Gray?”
“My home is finished. Since today is our day Fresh would you accompany me today. Afterwards we’ll hang out for the rest of the day.”
She seemed a bit chipper about that and got her hat before trotting out the door with me. Her vibrant magenta eyes pierced into mine and I seemed to get intimidated by them. I noticed that almost all the mares I knew at this point had very warm colored eyes which meant they were all red hues. Raindrops was the only exception. Her eyes were cyan and the only cool color… I’m pretty sure that at this point only Fresh Coat would understand color talk.
We both followed after List Taker walking through Ponyville Center. Strangely nopony was there yet and I figured out why when I looked up at the clock tower. It was six in the morning. Surprisingly, only an orange pony in a stetson hat was out and about working on a cart laden with apples. I kept my eyes away from her and focused on the path we were taking. Fresh Coat trotted besides me humming to herself a tune without a care in the world. List, on the other hoof or hand…, focused on getting us to the newly built home before he seemingly lost his mind to the humming.
“Here you two are. A reliable two story home out on the outskirts of Ponyville. Far from the hustle and bustle of the town square. Rent is due every month on the twentieth and it’s one hundred bits. First month is on us since you paid for the entire construction so promptly. Enjoy. Any remodeling must be done through City Hall. If you have any questions please come to City Hall to discuss them. Have a nice day.”
After he faked a smile he handed me a key to the front door and left us to look over the newly crafted building. It was quite nice though the walls were all a cream color and seemed almost the same as the other buildings… something I didn’t like. I didn’t know if it was the influence of my friend but I didn’t like the color. Fresh was also examining the building for some reason. The thatch roof seemed strong enough but eventually I wanted to place ceramic tiles if only to keep rain off better. They also last longer. I wondered if the reason that all the roofs were made of thatch was because of Rainbow Dash. I didn’t place much thought in it because I remember seeing her get chased all day by Pinkie Pie. Also the griffin that was still in town was getting a party later at Sugarcube Corner if the invitation I found on the porch was real.
I wandered around the building with a very eager unicorn trailing behind me taking in all the aspects of the building for some reason. For the most part I examined all the doors. There were three entrances into the building. The front door, the back door, and the cellar door all situated exactly where they were meant to be. It seemed the front door was made to be facing all of Ponyville while the back door and cellar were situated to face the Everfree. I opened the cellar first and trotted down. I had to stop and brace myself when I heard Fresh Coat squeak.
“Whoa!”
She had tripped down the steps and I instantly placed myself in the way of her fall. She landed on my back and I barely kept myself from tripping down the stairs. Like Octavia she was also built with curves. Those curves were now on my back nearly throwing me off balance. She gripped around my neck choking me slightly and I quickly cantered down the steps into the basement. When I finally found my footing she was still holding on to me.
“I don’t mind if you want to keep riding the pony but you should probably keep your eyes open.”
“I-i-i-i...Mmph...I’ll stay here,”
She was blushing heavily and I noticed her muzzle accidentally buried into my neck. I didn’t mind the mare curled on top of me but it was startling enough to see that the mare who merely stared at me was being so affectionate. I didn’t actually know how to react so I merely trotted around the house while she made herself comfortable on my back.
“Mind telling me about yourself Fresh Coat?”
“Oh yeah… Sorry I haven’t actually spoken much have I? The thing is is that I’m just a painter who works out of Canterlot. There’s not much I can say about myself. Is there anything in particular you want to know?”
“Nothing specific just anything about you that would help me get to know you.”
“Well… I was once like all those foals looking for a purpose in life. One day when my parents Steady Palette and Water Color were working on a project for a family friend when I stumbled upon a open paint can. At the time I was still working on my magic and something just clicked for me. I scooped up the paint and used my weak magic to put paint on all the walls. I forgot to set the tarps up though… Big whoops of course.”
I chuckled and stopped my trot around the basement finding that there was an extra door that led up to the main floor. I had remembered to close the basement door and waited for her to continue her tale.
“After I had placed paint on all the walls I noticed that my flank started to glow and suddenly I had this on my flank. It was a wonderful day and when my parents noticed they weren’t even angry with me. The clients were also happy for me. It truly was wonderful… Are you staring at my flank?”
“I am looking at your mark you know?”
She blushed and shyly rolled the tip of her hoof on my back. I’m pretty sure that she was nervous or self conscious and my sight wasn’t helping but like the other mares I made sure to remember their marks so I would always find them whenever we were apart. Spitfire had a phoenix on her flank, Octavia had a treble clef on her flank… that may explain why that stallion Treble Clef was trying to steal her from me… and Fresh Coat had an opened paint bucket on her flank.
“Staring too much right? Sorry…”
She was a bit red still but I did avert my eyes never betraying that I was in fact ogling her… just a bit. It was hard to concentrate when she keeps shifting on my back and I can feel all those curves. Plus for some reason she keeps stroking my wings… which felt really weird and nice at the same time. This was still one of the most awkward dates I’ve ever had though that is a modest number in retrospect. Only five in my adult life… I actually did better in school. Though three of those were very much use each other just to not feel lonely. Jeez I had a messed up love life.
“It’s alright… We are getting to know each other. What about you? What’s your story on your mark?”
“I saw a meteorite falling from the sky and snuck out into the badlands to track where it was. I found out what it was made of and got this as my mark. Basically I unlocked the secrets of the stars I suppose. A little cheesy but it fits well I think.”
I started up the stairs for the main floor of the house and used me wings to keep Fresh Coat on my back. She clung a bit tighter around my neck but I powered through until we reached the next floor. She loosened her grip letting me have my air back as she finally got back onto her own feet.
The walls of the house were all white. There were no colors visible which kind of made me grimace at the lack of creativity. I had thought ponies would be into colors and all that but this house was consistently bare bones. I would have to go out of the way to find furniture. It did have a stove strangely enough though that brought up a lot of problems in how this was actually functioning.
“I like the house but perhaps we should head out on our date. Fresh…? Fresh Coat?”
“I can’t believe that this whole place looks so barren. You’d think they would know that a house needs to have some personality behind it. Look at these walls… They’re disgraceful.”
“Y-yeah but…”
“We should totally paint this place just you and me.”
“We would need supplies…”
“I have a small supplier here and we could do the work quickly.”
“I usually like dark colors…”
“So do I. I sometimes do brighter colors because most ponies like them but the contrast usually brings their true character to light. You ready to go?”
“If this is how you want to spend our date as long as it is with you it’s fine.”
She flinched and blushed at the statement and immediately jumped on top of me. She buried her face into my neck though she was really red since her ears had changed as well. I managed to twist my wing enough to rub the top of her head which calmed her down enough to look me in the eye again.
“We need to see the second floor as well. We might have to get a lot of paint for this place.”
She merely nodded as I climbed upstairs with her still on my back. She seemed to figure out a better way to hold on since this particular time I wasn’t being choked. The upstairs was just as spacious surprisingly. There were only six rooms but most of them could be bedrooms if necessary. I doubted that anyone would move into my home if they already had their own. I didn’t place the idea out of my head though. There was always the chance that narrative causality would destroy my perceptions and make what I said come true in an instant.
“We’ll need at least four cans of a dark color… I’m thinking a shade of blue.”
“That I can do. For the inside only right?”
“Yeah the outside will get washed out in a few days plus it should at least externally look like all the houses so as to not stand out. You do seem like the type of pony to hide in the shadows ya know.”
“Right… So want to pick the shade then?”
“I feel like your wing color would be the best shade. Or something lighter. Maybe an Aegean blue would work for you… Hm… Yes we’ll go with that shade. It fits you perfectly.”
“Does it?”
“No wait… Slate Blue fits you better,”
“I suppose so. Lead the way and we’ll get some paint and some food before we start.”
She chuckled as I felt her stomach rumble against my back, We had been examining the house for an hour already and the constant climbing was getting me hungry. We left through the front door and I made sure the door was locked. It was something I had planned for just in case for when I leave. Also the key was pointless when I had the keyblade. When we walked outside I noticed that Pinkie was throwing a party over in Sugarcube Corner. I also saw that griffon from earlier walking towards the building with Rainbow Dash. Not that important I think but I made a note of it in case I needed to make a quick escape especially from Pinkie Pie should she get free. I placed Fresh Coat back on her feet if only to have her walk beside me rather than lay on me.
“I think there’s a restaurant over there. Let’s get something quick and we’ll be good. Besides looks like the local bakery is reserved today.”
“That’s fine by me. I need something more filling today.”
We found the local restaurant manned by this very french sounding pony. He wasn’t insufferable but I did find the accent annoying. I don’t know why either. I was probably being irrational. The menu also did not have anything about fish… which was disheartening but I made due with a salad ignoring that sense of sadness in not having meat for what was most likely two weeks at the most. Surprisingly Fresh didn’t speak at all while eating focusing on her meal though I did notice her eyes always settled on me and stared into my eyes. It was actually intimidating but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why. It felt as though she was digging her way into my soul.
I talked about myself a bit telling her exactly what I told both Spitfire and Octavia making sure to keep the information short so as to get her to speak. She remained quiet though answering with a polite nod or sympathetic look. That all changed when she finished eating.
“Sorry for not speaking… I usually like to focus on one thing when I eat. Makes time go faster so I have more time for other things.”
“No problem. I told you most about me that the other girls have heard about. I would like to know why you wanted to join in this impromptu herd. I’m a bit curious since we hardly know each other and you’re giving me this chance for some reason out of my range of thoughts. It’s not bad mind you… I’ve already enjoyed our together time.”
“I don’t really know why. When I first heard about you, the dangerous things I’ve heard you went through, well I guess I got excited. When I met you, you were very calm and collected unlike how I imagined you would be. My reason for my chance is that I want to know more about you. The pony who keeps making sure to keep quiet about their more dangerous activities.”
This one is too perceptive… I thought she was only supposed to be a painter… then again she would have to pay attention to details. I need to say something I guess… This is not going how I pictured it. I also thought that Spitfire would be the action junkie not Fresh Coat. Appearance truly can be deceiving. I looked around noticing that the waiter had trudged back inside and there were less ponies around. We had been seated outside and for some reason the only other full table was across the seating area.
“This is not the best place to speak about it… When we start painting I’ll give you some more details.”
“I’ll hold you to it.”
I called the waiter over and paid the check before we left for the hardware store. Twelve bits went towards the meal. While at the store we got the color we needed pretty quickly as Fresh coat zoomed around getting all we would need. I carried the paint cans on my back while Fresh Coat lifted the rollers, brushes, and tarps in her magic. I think both of them, Fresh Coat and the Owner of the store, were surprised when I kept a brisk canter even with four large cans of paint on my back.
“You’re pretty strong…”
“I suppose so… I’m just very solidly built I guess…”
For some reason I noticed that whenever I leveled up my abilities would go up. After the instance of fighting Nightmare Moon I found I could actually break stone with my bare hooves. When I came back from training with Yen Sid I could crush those same stones with a mere tap. I was much stronger than I was then and training actually made it possible. Though I wasn’t doing much fighting at this point. Heartless found it almost detrimental to strike Equestria when there were no outside influences supplementing their power. That, in the long run, may be detrimental but I didn’t know exactly how.
“Gray?”
“Hm…?”
“You ok? You got real quiet and got this serious look on your face.”
“Sorry… Lost in my thoughts for the moment. It’s something I’ve found I’ve been doing too much of.”
“What are you thinking of?”
“Parts of my job and mysteries behind it.”
“Care to share?”
“When we get back to the house I’ll talk a bit about some things.”
She grinned and also let out a squee. As we were walking past Sugarcube Corner we saw a really pissed off griffon leave while Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie watched. The two of us quietly walked past them. While Dash was too lost in her own regret Pinkie managed to glare at me. I knew she wanted to force a party soon but with one of her friends now sad she would be distracted. I smirked in her general direction and she knew grimacing for a second before turning back to a smile. Fresh Coat didn’t seem to notice since she was still smiling.
When we got back to the house we immediately set up everything to start painting in the second floor. There wasn’t any furniture so it would make this one of the easier projects. At first I wanted to split up to paint a separate room but Fresh immediately denied that since we were doing this to get to know each other and working together would make the painting go faster. It was still barely noon from what I could see.
“So what in particular are you doing here in Ponyville?”
“Making a new life for myself in a sense. I’ve been a bit… lost I guess you could say. I lost my purpose in life and I needed to find some reason.”
“This place doesn’t seem to be the place to find meaning… at least for a pony like you.”
We started to paint through the master bedroom. I handled the roller and Fresh handled the detail painting to not allow the paint to drop on the molding of the walls. I didn’t really understand what Fresh Coat was saying.
“What kind of pony do you see me as?”
“From what I can tell you seem more like a guard. A hard boiled detective type. You have these weird mannerisms from time to time. You sometimes zone out and lose yourself in a place none of us can get you sometimes. Other times you make sure we are well taken care of in a way I’ve never really seen from many stallions. You actually aren’t ogling us like pieces of meat… most of the time.”
“I was looking at your mark to be fair regardless of where my eyes may have stayed.”
“Don’t worry about that. If I was showing you then I wanted you to look. That’s not what’s important here though. You don’t act like a lot of the stallions I’ve met. You haven’t tried to even try to brush up against me on purpose. You let me set the pace of our closeness throughout the entire morning as well. You’re really passive about this.”
“I guess… I guess I’m taking this passively because I’ve not exactly had such a decent love life you could say. Any relationships I used to have made it very clear that I wasn’t exactly what they wanted and I was there for… a convenience. Somepony to keep their beds warm. I’ve been taking a wait and see approach in this situation.”
“Oh I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
She instantly trotted over to me and hugged me tightly. While I didn’t mind, I was getting paint on my coat… which would be a pain to get out. Still I let it happen and stroked her back as she did. She seemed to be empathic as well to a higher degree than Octavia. She also was the most inquisitive of the bunch.
“It’s fine. It doesn’t bother me much anymore. I’ve made my peace with it. As much as you six are giving me a chance I’m giving a chance to all of you as well. I’m not… emotional like many others you would meet but I would do my best to tell you what I can. There are some things which must be secret… at least for now.”
“So you’ll tell us one day? The whole truth?”
“Yeah… So long as you all want to hear it. I don’t mind saying it. But it would have to be later after I trust you all even if you don’t trust me yet.”
“You saying that I’m not cute enough to tell right away?”
She winked at me and instead of backing up like I normally did I decided to be forward and kissed her on the cheek. She instantly went red and I’m sure a few sparks went off from her horn. Probably my imagination but she did seem happier at this point. It’s funny when they think I’m gonna be shy about being flirted with. So far only Spitfire has managed to make me surprised and that was more due to the forwardness she displayed… also what she did with her tail but the less thought about that the better for now.
We buckled down and painted each room as efficiently as we could. Thanks in no small part to Fresh Coat we managed not to leave any patches and left each room with an even coat.
"So will you tell me about what you used to do before you came here."
"I was a detective working under my... teacher I guess you could say. He was an old drunk but he was one of the more honorable ponies in the precinct. We would have multiple conversations about morality and what it meant to society as a whole."
"Sounds a bit deep. Did you learn anything from him at all?"
"I learned that not everyone wants the truth... sometimes they would be happier with a lie because the truth brings no closure or causes them to fester in either guilt or anger. At the time I thought cynicism had gotten to him. After an incident in where he lost his life I came around to his way of thinking."
"That's horrible. Wouldn't your colleagues do something about his death?"
"There were no witnesses. I was made Lead Detective later that day and I quit by the end of the year."
She looked mortified but I held my hoof out to stop what possibly could have been tears. I couldn't tell her that it was one of those same colleagues who did him in nor that the reason I quit was because if I didn't play along I was set to go on the chopping block as well.
"I have no regrets about what I chose. I couldn't do anything else for them and I was still in grief about these things. So I left that life to do something else. Now here I am."
"I see... That reminds me... How old are you?"
"...twenty six..."
I lied about my age taking off two years if nothing else to appear not so young yet not too old. Her eyes widened and I was instantly worried I picked too high a number.
"I'm the youngest here at twenty two then... Wow."
"How old are the others?"
"Well... Spitfire and Redheart are the oldest at twenty four. Vinyl, Octavia and Sunshower are actually twenty three."
"Huh? Strange... Well this is good to know. Is this good enough to know a bit more about me for now Fresh?"
"Yes. Thank you for sharing about these things. Let's get back to work."
It took us the better part of the day to finish every single room. Most of my praise went towards Fresh because her magic made this go much faster than it should have.
“I think we’re done. We’ve done a good job and this house fits you like a horseshoe. Though you won’t be able to sleep inside this house for today.”
“I figured as much. I’m in no rush. I still need to get furniture for this place before it becomes an actual homebase.”
“Will this ever be an actual home?”
“When all of us can sit together at a table and eat together is when this place will be a home.”
“That actually sounds like you want this herd to be bigger.”
“I’m neither saying yes or no to that. I’ll let you girls decide should somepony else join. Otherwise I’m content where I am.”
“Let’s get dinner and get you back to their house. This home isn’t quite ready just yet.”
“Oh wait before I forget.”
Her horn lit up as the paint on our bodies immediately flaked off and returned back to the buckets in a liquid form. I was surprised for the most part while our coats were now clean once again. I suppose I should have been ready for anything but that was still amazing.
We went out to eat at the same place before it closed which we luckily didn’t run into Pinkie Pie again. There must have been a party going on somewhere else. Then I walked her back to the Octavia’s and Vinyl’s home. I bid her a good night and flew back to my home. I was tired but I now had a new place to view the forest from.
When I got back I opened all the windows so that the rooms would circulate air better. There was nothing inside so I didn’t have to worry about thieves… especially in Ponyville at least at this point. I watched from the backyard porch as the eyes reassembled at the edge of the forest. They were still at pony level but that wasn’t much of a problem to me at the very least. The eyes disappeared after an hour. Before I fell asleep I looked at the wayfinder. The gold from Spitfire, the purple from Octavia, and now orange for Fresh Coat. It was maddening and I fell asleep watching the forest once again. My ears were fully listening for any movement. I once again messed up my sleep schedule like an idiot and mentally berated myself throughout my dreams.
The next morning came and I once again found myself waking up to the sun. Another six in the morning day for me to look forward to. That also meant another mare to go on a date with. I would need to go back to their house again since I still hadn’t learned where either Sunshower or Redheart lived. I probably could find them without too much trouble but I needed to get furniture as well.
“So… what first…?”
I trotted inside the house closing all the windows and admiring the paint job. There were even coats of this slate blue all over the entire home. I don’t know why it resonated with me but it did… though that might in part be because most of me was a shade of blue. Once all the windows were closed and the doors were locked I immediately flew into town. When I looked at the clock tower it had turned out to be eight in the morning. That was surprising and entirely unsettling. I lost so much time when I wasn’t paying attention.
I looked around and found the furniture store. I would have tried the Sofas and Quills shop but their inventory was limited. I did purchase a very large couch which would fit in the building but the delivery would take a day. As this point I realized I had spent twenty five bits on the meals yesterday and another hundred on a sofa. I didn’t have all the bits in the world even if I could always get more later. Now I was at seventeen hundred and four bits. I didn’t need that much but I should probably go to another world at this point and find more enemies to fight. It wasn’t going to last forever.
The furniture I bought was a bit more limited. I bought a bed but had to custom order a larger size just because I felt the beds I saw were too small for my own tastes. I was never the tallest person but I still liked the comfort of an oversized bed, Another two hundred bits went into that. The dresser and cabinets cost fifty bits each. Surprisingly they did have refrigerators powered by a magically inclined gem. Another two hundred and fifty gems was spent.
‘Seriously I spent over five hundred bits for furniture. I really do need to farm more gems to sell to that jeweler.’
I had twelve hundred and four bits left so I decided not to spend much more unless I absolutely needed to. Most likely I would have to when I went out with the girls. After getting those particular items I immediately went out to their house since today was apparently Vinyl’s day as I was told by Fresh Coat. They had worked it out together though Sunshower was glowering a lot lately. I made my way to the door knocking on it and getting only Octavia at the door.
“Hi Octavia. I think today is Vinyl’s day. She awake?”
It was around eleven at this point and I was actually awake, I really needed to fix my sleep schedule at this point because this was getting ridiculous. Octavia led me down to a room and left me to it.
“You should probably wake her up. She had been up working on some mixes so it’s up to you to wake her.”
“This seems like a bad idea.”
“Maybe but I’m not waking her so it’s ok.”
Octavia left me to head into the room without even batting an eye. Sighing, I knocked on the door only to receive no answer. Octavia reappeared and opened the door pushing me into a very clean room with a lone mare sleeping on a bed. I fumbled on the floor and was knocked to the ground. Octavia closed the door and trotted away while I tried to regain my footing.
I looked on the sleeping pony and noticed just how much drool she was leaving on her pillow. Yup, she was truly a picture of loveliness. I took a few steps towards her and called out to her.
“Vinyl? It’s time to get up.”
She shifted in her bed and turned around to face me but her eyes were still closed. She looked to be comfortable. I really needed to get her out of bed so we could go out for our date but I didn’t know if I should wake her. This may get me slapped but I would probably tell Vinyl that Octavia made me.
I took a few steps forward and immediately tapped her shoulder with my hoof. As I was retracting my hoof away she immediately grabbed me in both her hooves and magic and dragged me into bed with her. Immediately, she made herself comfortable by lying against me as the little spoon. As it turned out she was shorter than me by a few inches which allowed her to find a perfect spot to curl up against me. Then she woke up and looked up to greet my muzzle.
“Mind if I have my body back now?”
There was a lot of fumbling as we fell onto the floor with me on my back and her on my stomach. The she fumbled more and I had to grab her just to stop her from hitting my sides. She swiveled her head around and calmed down enough to finally look me in the eye. They were quite red and not blurry. It was very vibrant but it made her very nervous. I don’t know what came over me but when she tried to turn away I put my hoof against her cheek and pushed her sight back to mine.
“I like them. They are very vibrant. I’d like to see them more often.”
She looked completely overwhelmed and finally managed to regain her composure. She just smiled and held her ears down. Luckily, she didn’t want to hit me but she, instead, laid her head on me and sighed.
“You’d be one of a few who likes them. Don’t wanna talk about them. So what were you planning to do with me today anyways?”
“I hadn’t planned anything I was hoping to hear an idea from you because it is still morning and I doubt any clubs would be open. I also didn’t want to assume you wanted to go clubbing.”
“Maybe later but for now I know what I want to do.”
She immediately laid down on me and started snoring. I was left in a blinking fit and Octavia walked in. She looked amusedly at me and waved.
“Help?”
“Nah… This was part of the agreement. It’s what she wanted for her date day.”
“I see. Can you save us lunch then?”
“Sure. Fresh is going to your house to check the painting you two apparently did yesterday. Sunshower will be joining her. Mind handing me your key?”
I reached into my pack with my wing and tossed the key out to her which she calmly caught with her teeth. She spat it out into her hoof and handed it off into Fresh Coat’s telekinetic field. Then I was left there without any other pony but Vinyl. I just went through mental exercises for the next two hours while Vinyl snored away. Every couple of minutes I shifted a bit to relieve the tension on my wings since while I was able to keep my saddlebags from being completely under me they were still around me. That made my wings twitch in frustration from the pressure upon them, I did my best to ignore them and waited until Vinyl decided that it was time to wake up.
‘Note to self: Always make sure to take off saddlebags whenever trying to wake up any marefriend I apparently have. Especially if they are a unicorn and are very much a cuddlebug when they sleep.’
She eventually woke up with a cute yawn and nuzzled into me. She seemed much happier than when she woke up originally. I think it had been two hours since I came in which meant it was probably two in the afternoon… probably. Honestly, at that point, I lost complete track of time and only had the very quiet rhythmic beating of her heart to keep track of time. I couldn’t see out the window and my wings were in constant discomfort. If I didn’t actually like the feeling of a mare against me I probably would have already gotten up before the discomfort could have gotten to me.
“Hey there handsome. Come all this way just to see me.”
“No… I just enjoy being everypony’s pillow.”
I rolled my eyes and kissed her forehead which was dangerously close to her horn. Immediately, she shot up with a completely crimson coat.
“I have to shower. Be right back!”
She ran off towards the bathroom knocking Octavia over surprisingly while I had a hoofprint on my chest. Let no one say I never showed complete forgiveness for being used as a throw rug.
“You good down there?”
“Octavia… I can’t feel my everything.”
“Wait are you broken!?”
“No… just everything feels like pins and needles… Tickles so badly. Avenge me.”
“What?”
“AVENGE ME!!”
I fell back to the floor as the numbness raced over me and Octavia chuckled at my melodramatic acting. Finally Vinyl trotted back in seeing the scene before her and bursting out into laughter. A part of me wanted to pull off this gag so long ago but when the years started to get bleaker while I was human I pushed this back to mere fantasy. Now that there was someone besides me who could genuinely laugh I had to make up for so much time lost. I was never a jokester since being a cop meant having a slightly serious demeanor. Especially with what I had seen during my investigations. Seeing genuine smiles, real happiness, it had made me feel… better.
“Ok then Gray if possible it’s time for lunch. Vinyl please help him back to his hooves. Seems you’re cuddling was wholly to blame. I’ll get the table ready.”
“Got it Tavi. He won’t know what hit him.”
“Right…”
I’m pretty sure I heard the flat stare even if it was just a subtle shift of the eyes. I still felt the prickling of my body to even notice what was going on. When Octavia left Vinyl managed to flip me over with her magic and take off my saddlebags. Then she cuddled back into me.
“I’ve been wanting you for myself a few days now. Glad you’re ok with this herd situation.”
“Couldn’t deny that it’s an interesting concept. Most of my family had gone monogamous so I thought it would be the same for me. Guess I was wrong apparently.”
“You got that right. Personally I think you’re one lucky stallion for this many mares to actually want a piece of ya. Or would you say we’re lucky that we found somepony open to this situation.”
“Either, or. Maybe both. Right now I’m just kind of hungry and while I like this I still need to eat.”
She carefully traced a hoof across my chest and coyly looked up at me. I could say for the record that I wasn’t always a shy individual when it came to affection. I was bold when someone actually earned it. This was one of the rare opportunities where boldness was actually encouraged by somepony quite not ready for it.
“Well handsome I’m around ain’t I. Why not eat me?”
While I might be used to the aesthetics of ponies now that was one of the most forward statements any of them had made. Even Spitfire had been subtle… subtle enough at least. I merely smiled and slid closer to her neck. Before she could realize what was going on I nipped at her which elicited a sudden whinny from her. It was low and very quick but she immediately went red and got back up.
“Jeez, you aren’t a shy one are you?”
“Not really. I’m a little bold when somepony is giving me the shot to be.”
I’m pretty sure I heard her mumbling about keeping the promise but I only had an inkling of what the promise actually was. If what Spitfire was saying was true they were waiting to go full force on me. From what I could guess they all agreed to wait until a certain point which I had no idea when that could be. While I was generally good now with pony aesthetics I still needed a frame of reference before I did anything… substantial. The biggest thing on the list was look over any books about relationships especially the most explicit ones because I didn’t want to be so woefully inept in these regards. Most techniques from being human still worked but without fingers certain others would never be possible… though my wings do seem to have small digits that act like fingers and grasp things… Pushing that thought to the side for now.
We trotted downstairs and sat at the table while the three of us ate. Octavia didn’t say a word but I saw her chuckle at how red Vinyl still was. She eventually left to go talk with a pony she knew named Lyra. I had no clue why but it was probably to keep up with friends which left the two of us alone.
“So whatcha want to do then Vinyl? We got a whole day for just the two of us… and no we can’t just go back to bed.”
“R-r-right. Well then for tonight we’re heading up to another club I know over in Canterlot. This one is bigger and better than the last. We’re gonna tear it up… though I am a bit worried.”
“Worried? What for?”
“Nothing bad just some ponies I don’t want to meet. You got my back right?”
“I’m pretty sure the fact that we slept together already implies I have your back.”
The shade of red she turned was adorable. She instantly put her shades on while I laughed. I wasn’t one to use crude humor but she made it a bit easy to use it. Plus regardless of how mortified she seemed she enjoyed it all the same if the smile on her face was some kind of sign.
“Shut it you. You barely sat down at the table. You ain’t ready for this bass.”
“I suppose. I’ll be waiting to ride the waves then.”
I made her flinch and blush again. She really wasn’t going to win this flirting contest if that was what it was. I really should figure out just how many innuendos ponies actually use on a regular basis. It may serve useful for one on one moments with Vinyl and maybe Spitfire. At the very least to keep up because so far rolling in the hay is probably the only one I know to be universal.
We chatted for an appreciable amount of time before it started to get late. I found out enough about Vinyl to know that she never speaks about her parents for very long. The only clues I got out of it was that her father was not around anymore while her mother was living with her grandfather somewhere in Canterlot. They were also nobles… lesser nobles really and more down to earth than every other noble in Canterlot. I wouldn’t judge until I actually spoke with them but my own tentative time with nobles during my other outings didn’t paint my experiences very well.
She managed to only get the same info I told the other girls out of me which strangely she nodded to and I think rehearsing some tears when I mentioned the ones I lost already. At that point I realized that I hadn’t exactly gone with my cover story and had decided to tell them as much of the truth as possible. By six that night we started to head up for Canterlot for said club she wanted to go to, I cheated right then and there and picked her up and jumped into the shadows. She was expecting it and was very much prepared to whoop and holler the entire way through the shadows. I set her back on her hooves and waited for her to calm down.
“Lead the way then. I’ll follow you.”
“Right then. It’s a bit of a trot there.”
Unlike the club from the previous night this new one was further out in the more common born area of the city. A few of the more dangerous looking ponies eyed me a couple of times. I glared back and they instantly turned their heads. I knew I didn’t intimidate them but I did make sure they knew I wasn’t going to sit back and let them get to me. Vinyl, on the other hand, was waving and saying hi to all these ponies. They immediately waved back and were cordial and polite with her. I merely followed her lead until we got inside this club by the name of the Rotten Trough. I realized because of my upset stomach that it was both a pun and horrible play on words for what they considered themselves. Whoever thought it was clever needed to be bucked in the face… or stomped into paste to never make more puns ever again.
“So… Gray. When we get in there stick by me. I’ve noticed you haven’t exactly been looked at favorably.”
“Not at all. They all love me already. I could just feel it.”
“Right. Well, make sure not to get the attention of a pony by the name of Neon Lights, got it?”
“How bad am I dealing with?”
She shuffled a bit trying to make herself smaller when I asked. I was dealing with an ex at this point. I kind of figured that Vinyl would have a much more sociable life.
“He’s an ex… tried to use his fame to bed me. Kicked him in the junk and left him crying in a DJ booth. I’m pretty sure he’s in Manehattan right now but just in case keep close to me.”
“I’m gonna buck him in the face if he goes after you. Laying those cards on the table now.”
“Hey! I’m first. Then you can kick his flank if he does so. Actually you probably shouldn’t unless he throws the first swing.”
I merely nodded and continued following her. The inside of the club was pumping with music as the ponies swayed and bounce to the beat. It seemed a female DJ was at the booth tonight which alleviated some of the concerns I was having the moment we walked in. A lot of the ponies here were more wary of me rather than judging me on sight. That left me in a precarious situation as I danced the night away with Vinyl. A lot of those eyes were very very jealous and I was the target they saw as the threat. I doubt Vinyl actually noticed the threat level since all these ponies liked her so much and she had made her choice. So long as none of them imbibed in something dangerous I was probably going to be fine. The moment she curled up against me I’m pretty sure I felt the heat of the club go up and it wasn’t just because she was close. If I’m thinking correctly all the ponies that I’m going to be meeting soon when around these girls can be categorized in two lists. One is full of friends which won’t act crazy while the other is full of exes who hate that they were thrown to the curb. My fears were realized when the music stopped and this unicorn with blue sunglasses and black overshirt came out of the crowd towards us.
“Well well well… look who decided to show up here again. Ready to reconsider.”
The smugness of the voice already made me want to hit them. This pony probably wasn’t bad but they were sounded very much like a douche. I kept quiet. As much as I would like to immediately burst in and defend a lady I didn’t know the score between the two of them yet. Not all stories were black and white and I very much needed the context.
“Who would want to come back to a poser like you Neon.”
“Hey! I’m more legit than every DJ combined, doll. You just couldn’t see that.”
“I also couldn’t see a sign of your dick so you obviously must legit be a mare then.”
There were a few chuckles while Neon looked around kind of steamed. I actually decided to get ready to charge forward if need be.
“I’m more of a stallion than you could ever handle babe. And what’s this over here… new meat. What? Gonna use another stallion to make yourself feel special?”
I wonder if it’s gonna be one of those she uses guys sort of set up. I’ve heard it before during the domestic abuse cases I’ve been on. While most of the offenders were male there were a few females that actually guilt trip their lover into that sort of situation. I merely listened to what was going on and also observed Neon as well. I’m pretty sure there were white flakes around his mouth… doesn’t look like cocaine. Do ponies even have hard drugs around here?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never used anybody.”
“Sure, sure like we all haven’t heard that story before. You find an interesting stallion and talk him into a relationship just to get out if it ever gets serious.”
Hm… I will need to talk to her later if I was too forward. Does mean I’m gonna have to be more passive whenever we head out somewhere. It’s not that big a deal for me.
“I’ve never done that!”
“You did it to me!”
“No I didn’t you were too pushy!”
“Says the flirty mare who can’t handle a little affection!”
“That wasn’t affection!”
I think he had enough as he took a few steps forward and Vinyl took some back. I immediately stepped in front of his path making him stop. He seemed a bit flabbergasted but he also seemed like he was fully on drugs but I wasn’t sure at all. Still I stood in front of him because this looked to be getting out of hand… hoof. I really should figure out where I stand on that eventually.
“Look Bat stallion just step out of the way. The two of us have a lot of discussing to do.”
“I’m good where I am.”
When he tried to move past me I stepped in front of him matching him step for step. He was pissed and I was grumpy at that point. I was supposed to get to know Vinyl more and instead I was dealing with some asshole instead.
“She’s just using you to make herself special. Can’t you see that?”
“If she is then she can tell me to my face. If it’s true I won’t be angry about it. I’ll just go ok and we’ll part as amicably as I can be. Not because I don’t care but because I care enough about her being happy to not hold it against her. Besides I’m pretty cool from time to time so I can’t fault her for having me around.”
“Arrogant prick!”
“Yeah I’m looking at this tiny one right in front of me.”
I don’t think triangle buttons work all the time. He managed to sucker punch me with a hoof which felt really weird. First thing going through my mind was that it was actually painful enough to make me grit my teeth. Second thing was that how the hell was it a punch when he used a hoof. Third was when my own hoof shot forward and sent him sprawling on the ground.
“Motherbucker! I’ll kick your worthless flank from here to Manehattan!”
Instead of waiting for him to get up I trotted over to him and stomped him really hard in the face knocking him out. The pain in my head stopped finally and his horn stopped glowing. The glow around his hooves I didn’t notice until after I knocked him down. He magically enhanced his strike which was impressive but left me with an impressive headache to match. Vinyl trotted up to me looking extremely sad while she lead me out of the club. When we got outside I immediately got us somewhere private and jumped into a shadow back to Ponyville. She looked mortified when I didn’t let go of her. I flew us to a bench far away from where any pony could see us and sat her down across from me. While I really wanted to use a cure spell I pushed that away and focused on Vinyl.
“You ok?”
“What the buck are you talking about? You should be asking yourself that. He magically charged that swing to knock your bucking flank out.”
“So? I’m asking you first.”
“I...What the buck is wrong with you?”
The glare in her eyes as she forced me down on the bench and smacked into my chest were very light. I’m guessing she hasn’t had a good love life.
“You treat me so damn nicely and look out for me when I don’t treat this relationship with as much reverence as you do. Why? Why!? WHY!?”
“Because I want to.”
She buried her head into my shoulder and cried. I really don’t think she thought I would actually go out of my way for her. I’m guessing this is a common occurrence.
“You’d be better off without me…”
“Too bad I’m deciding on keepin ya.”
“You’ll be attacked by other stallions…”
“They still don’t have the balls to match me.”
“I’m just a flirt that can’t take the plunge for something more.”
“I’ll wait till you think you’re ready. I’m in no rush and kind of old fashioned about dating before going around the world if you catch my drift.”
“You’re a fool… ”
“Always wanted a useful career.”
“You dork…”
“I’m your dork.”
“Along with the rest of this herd.”
“You decided on that. I’m going along with it so long as you are happy.”
She rested her head back on my shoulder until her crying finally subsided. Had I not decided to cut this short I’m pretty sure we would be there the entire night. While she seemed sad to leave I think she knew she needed a bed. Instead she laid on my back and held on tight.
“Vinyl. Do you still want to do this herd idea?”
She seemed a bit surprised that I was giving her a choice. I still need to read on herd dynamics here before this got more serious but I didn’t have much time. She buried her muzzle into my neck and I could hear her grunting and groaning in contemplation. She finally looked me in the eye when she answered.
“Yes. No matter what yes. I’m not losing you to any other pony unless I’m allowing them into this herd. You’re too nice for your own good. I need to make sure you have a good sense of cynicism to balance you out.”
I nodded and lifted her off my back onto her porch. She seemed a bit unsure of things and before I could leave she decided to be forward this time, I was kissed once again out of nowhere and I still didn’t mind.
“I’m taking this seriously from now on Gray. Better expect me acting on things a lot more often.”
“I won’t say I don’t like it.”
After that kiss she trotted inside and I flew back off for my home. I had to stay up once again and keep track of the forest. The shadows of the nightmare were still only at pony level but there were still more problems I could see in the future. I still didn’t know when they would decide to keep moving on with their plan. We were at a stalemate and I was getting worried of my keyblade skills growing rusty. I cast a quick cure spell and felt the pain in my head disappear. I pulled out the wayfinder and saw that the next petal had turned on and shined. It was a dark blue color and glowed just as bright as the other petals.
“This is a complicated world I live in isn’t it?”
I looked over the forest as the shadows disappeared once again which still worried me.