I cover my ears as Rarity squees loudly. It was the day after I asked Penny out and I knew I would need a new outfit for it. Sure my usual attire could be seen as at least semi-formal, but I didn’t want this to be over the top or completely casual. It was just two friends, trying to see about going past that stage.
I uncover my ears as I see Rarity blushing as she finally noticed the state I was in. I swear, sometimes these enhanced senses are more trouble then they’re worth.
“Um, apologies darling, but I am so excited now! I get to make you a suit for your first ever date!” She say with a squee.
“Woah, woah, backpedal there Rarity. I don’t want a suit, I want a new outfit. Nothing too fancy or flashy, just something nicer than my combat attire.” I tell her firmly, the mare pouting but nodding anyways.
“Well then, perhaps we should remeasure you, I noticed a couple of your clothes have been getting a little tighter since the last time I made them.” She says, levitating a bunch of measure tapes, sketchbooks and notebooks over. I just sigh and nod, striping down so she could get this done. I managed to keep my stoic visage on my face as Rarity went over every inch with her measuring tapes, taking a little longer than I think necessary when going over my chest and abs.
Before I could comment, Rarity finished recording everything, motioning for me to get dressed again. The whole ordeal was only about ten minutes long, but it always seems to take forever when you have a female looking over you so closely. Especially one like Rarity who enjoys memorizing all the details.
“Well, I can think of plenty of designs for you and Penny each, but I would like some input at the very least. Colour combination?” She inquires.
“Red, silver and black as usual.” I reply simply, putting my bracelets on. Rarity nods and begins to draw on multiple sketch pads while simultaneously looking over some materials on her shelves.
“Right right. Well, I should be finished with your outfit well before your date tomorrow night, so I’ll leave you to setting everything else up.” She says, barely passing me a glance as I nod and head out of the boutique. It was my turn for patrols this morning so I decided to pop by beforehand so I wouldn’t make Rarity rush.
After leaving the store, I just wander around the perimeter of the town, keeping a close eye on the forest line and areas around the town where the Grimm could congregate. At the same time I go through what I was going to actually do for Penny on our date.
Of course the actual dinner would hopefully be good for us, considering Penny has only had so many different foods since becoming human, but then there was what we would be doing afterwards. I knew I didn’t want it to just be dinner and that’s it, that is way lame. No, I wanted this to be a great night for Penny, something she wouldn’t forget anytime soon.
It was as I was trying to think about what I could do, when I saw something blue shimmering in the darkness of the forest. Curiosity overruled caution, so I temporarily left my patrol and headed into the forest, trying to find the source of the shimmering. For all I knew it could be a stealthy Grimm lying in wait for the perfect moment to attack the town.
It was still rather early in the morning, so the forest was still very dark with the lack of the sun being in its higher positioning. So I was forced to focus on not just my natural senses, but my new ‘Shadow Sense’, being able to use my Shadow Magic to ‘feel the shadows’ around me, giving me a larger range of awareness in the darkness around me.
I must have been wandering around the inside forest edge for about ten minutes before seeing the blue shimmer again, this time a little brighter. Following it, I could hear some water flowing, which I guess would merge with the stream going past Fluttershy’s house. Before too much time passes I find where the shimmering was coming from, and a gasp catches in my throat.
What I found was a small lake, the water being filtered in through a small waterfall and filtering out through a stream, looking to be some of the most pure natural water I have ever seen. I walked closer to the lakeside, and it was like a perfect mirror. I could see myself in the reflection of the water, yet also see somewhat through it to the bottom of the rather shallow lake. My guess it was only two to four feet deep.
I just stood there, looking over the natural scenery in awe for a minute before smiling and leaving the area, going back to my patrol. As I was walking, I figured out what I was going to do for Penny.
‘Here’s hoping...nope, not even going to finish that thought and risk Murphy showing up.’
Penny POV
The Next Day
‘Oh man, I can’t believe I am doing this.’ I think to myself as I head towards Rarity’s store. Tonight was going to be my first ever date, and if Ruby is to be believed, it is also Adam’s first ever date as well. I knew him, and I knew Adam would be doing all he can to make tonight great for me, so I wanted to try and look my best for him.
We agreed to meet up in the park around five before heading to the restaurant, so I had a few hours to get ready, and I knew this would be rather tough. I have no idea what I should do when it comes to dating. I was only programmed with a rather basic understanding of human courtship and displayed of affection back in Remnant, so I didn’t really know what I was going to do.
Though, I wonder why father even added that information to begin with. I know he wanted me to blend in and learn about being a huntress from other humans and faunus, but why would I need to understand courtship before coming here? I honestly doubt anyone back on Remnant would have taken a liking to me like Adam has.
I am still curious about that. Why is it that I have....what’s the phrase? ‘Caught his eye?’ Yeah, that sounds right. How is it I have caught the eye of such an amazing man? I mean, I understand he is naturally caring and protective, so him being nice and teaching me isn’t that odd, but when did it change? When did he start to see me as more than just a friend and partner?
....when did I?
I knew I liked him since I met him all those months back, but when did I start to see him as more than a friend and a leader? I knew things really became obvious to me when I shared that dance with him in his sisters world, but when did it actually start?
All these questions and thoughts filled my mind to the brim as I made my way through town and to Rarity’s store. I knew that it would take a while, but I agreed to let Rarity and Pyrrha help me with my outfit and makeup for the night. I just hope they don’t go overboard with my look. The last thing I want is to be unrecognizable because of some makeup.
Entering the store, I look around for a second, taking in all the beautiful dresses and accessories displayed around the store. I knew many of these dresses would be sold before then end of the week, that being a testament to their quality and Rarity’s popularity.
“One moment darling! Pyrrha could you be a dear and see who it is?” I hear Rarity in the back of the store, likely working on an outfit or something.
“Sure thing Rarity.” I hear Pyrrha say before hearing her boots against the floor as she comes around the back to the see me looking at some of the accessories. “Oh, Penny! Perfect timing. Rarity is nearly done with your dress.”
“Great!” I reply with a smile, following my friend into the back and up the stairs. Entering what I think Rarity referred to as her ‘inspiration room’, we see the white unicorn in question with her red glasses on going over a dress that I couldn’t see that well since Rarity is in the way.
“Ah Penny! Perfect timing darling, I am just about done here.” The unicorn says, adding a couple stitches to the dress and stepping back a bit before nodding. She turns to Pyrrha and I and steps aside with a bow, revealing my dress.
It was a strapless deep forest green dress with a black buckle, it actually looked a lot like the dress I wore at the dance at Beacon. Over the top of it was a black jacket with the collar and cuffs being a shining silver with a few small red markings a lot like Adam’s mask along the sleeves. On the floor next to the dress were a pair of black and silver heels that I guess were sized to fit me.
While it was a little simple compared to the others designs I have seen Rarity make, in my eyes this dress was beautiful. I am sure she also had some accessories to go with it, and I now couldn’t wait to see Adam’s expression. I guess the girls could read my mind or something as they both smiled at me, Rarity checking her watch quickly.
“Well, it appears you have a couple hours before your date dear, so how about we start with your makeover.” Rarity says with an, admittedly creepy, yet excited smile. While Pyrrha wasn’t creepy, she did look extremely excited as well. I suppose she never really had the chance to help anyone with their looks aside from maybe her teammate Nora.
“Well...alright I guess. But please don’t go overboard. I don’t want to be unrecognizable because of some makeup.” I say, taking a seat in front of Rarity’s vanity table. The duo giggle and Rarity summons a bunch of makeup items.
‘Oh boy here we go.’
Ponyville Central Park
4:53 pm
Walking to the park from the boutique easily had to be one of the most nerve wracking thing I have had to do since becoming a human. The sun was just beginning to set in the sky, so the blues of the sky were slowly beginning to change as I made my way through the closing market. I noticed I got quite a few glances from both mares and stallions alike. Probably because of my new look.
Before long I arrive at the edge of the park and look around for a second before I spot Adam and my breath catches in my throat.
Adam was leaning against one of the trees with his eyes closed, clearly trying to relax. He was wearing a pair of black dress pants with silver lines along the sides of his legs, with a red and silver belt and a pair of black dress shoes. His regular red t-shirt was replaced with a silver dress shirt with a red collar, the first couple of buttons undone, showing the very corner of his scar from his duel with Luna, all covered by a black vest with red and silver designs like his mask along the holes. Around his neck was his philosophers stone pendant, and on his side was a small pouch that I guess was full of bits.
I am not sure how long I was just standing there, staring, when Adam seemed to sense me and opened his eyes, instantly locking onto me. I saw his eyes widen as he looked me over, a blush creeping onto both our faces as I slowly walked towards him. Once I was about two feet away I stopped and locked up to his eyes as silence descended on us.
“Um, hey.” I say simply, Adam shaking his head and rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
“Hey.” He replies with a weak smile. Before long he clears his throat and seems to get more confidence as he smiles down to me and holds out his hand. “Well then, shall we be off Ms. Polendina?”
I giggle a little at his attempt at formality, and take hold of his hand as he leads me out of the park. No matter how hard I would try, I couldn’t help but feel a little giddy as we walked towards the restaurant.
Adam POV
‘Holy crap Penny looks so cute.’ I think to myself as I lead the former android out of the park, taking a small moment to really look her over. I knew Rarity made her dress and jacket to contrast my outfit, but I have a sneaking suspicion it was Pyrrha that helped her straighten her normally curly hair and put it into a small ponytail with her bow. Around her wrist were a couple of silver bracelets with small gems around them, giving them more sparkles in the light.
She had some very light silver eyeshadow on her eyes, giving them an almost glowing quality, and I could swear she was giving more swing into her steps as she held onto my arm as we made our way to the restaurant. All in all, she is easily one of the prettiest girls I have seen, period.
I could only imagine how my sisters would be reacting to this. Maria would be trying to take picture for her scrapbook while Sarah would just be teasing me endlessly like its her job or something. A small chuckle escapes me as I imagine their reactions to what I am doing what now.
“What’s funny?” Penny questions as we see the lineup to the restaurant. I just sigh slightly as we get in line before smiling.
“Just thinking about how my sisters would react to us being on a date. You know, I think they would like you.” I reply, seeing Penny become confused.
“What do you mean? I already met Natali and Alexandria before, during the Hearth’s Warming party.” She says, causing me to chuckle a little sheepishly.
“I mean my blood sisters. Their names are Maria and Sarah Winger. That was actually my last name before appearing here, Winger.” I reply, Penny looking surprised before nodding.
“You know, you never really talked about your family from Earth. What are they like?” She questions as we enter the restaurant. I raise my hand to her, telling her to wait as the two of us are lead to a small booth near one of the windows.
“Well my actual family is a little odd. Like I mentioned back in Canterlot a while ago, my dad, Cameron Winger, was a marine for nearly a decade before coming back home and becoming a reservist and the recruitment officer for my hometown. My mom, Samantha Fleur, was just a normal homegrown girl, with my grandparents raising her while they ran their own pawn shop. My eldest sister, Sarah, is a bit like Yang when I think about it. She is pretty hotheaded and an adrenaline junkie, but she does recognize when she has to be serious and calm. Maria is a very sentimental and emotional woman, she can easily be turned into a sobbing mess when presented with the right scenario, but she uses her emotions to connect with others. She was actually studying to become a therapist. Then there’s Tai, my little brother. He is still a kid, so he hasn’t really developed into his own true personality. When I left he was hyperactive, excitable, may have had mild ADHD, but overall, he’s a sweet kid.”
Penny was listening intently to everything that came out of my mouth, trying to picture each of my family members in her mind. She giggles as I described Maria and Tai, before falling silent while looking over her menu.
“Wow. Your family sounds amazing. I....I wish I had that back in Remnant. Before I came here the only one who I think really cared about me as more than a machine or a weapon was my father.” She says, her mood beginning to nosedive. I frown a little and lay my hand over hers, causing her to look up to me.
“Well, that isn’t the case anymore. You’ve got Ruby, Pyrrha, Oscar, and Qrow as your friends. And....you got me.” I say the last part a little quietly, blushing a bit. Penny smiles and nods, squeezing my hand for a second before returning to her menu. Before long a waiter comes by and takes our orders, Penny getting a chicken fettuccine and I some apple smoked salmon on rice.
The two of us just enjoyed some casual conversation while we waited for our food, Penny telling me about her time at Beacon, me telling her about some of my more favourite moments back on Earth. Of course she was still a little confused about how her being a fictional character back on Earth, but she actually managed to accept it, even if she didn’t understand completely.
“So, the woman who voices Yang, it pretty much just Yang minus her Semblance?” Penny says with a laugh.
“Pretty much, Barbara makes terrible puns from what I know, and she has apparently gotten pretty mad at some of her coworkers. Man, I can only imagine if those two ended up meeting, it would be an endless loop of puns.” The two of us share a good laugh at that idea, missing the small mare stealthily entering the building.
“Hehe, oh man. So, you said that the create of our show, that is weird to say, passed away right before the airing of ‘Volume Three’ which is when the tournament started?” She questions.
“Yeah, it was a pretty big thing. Monty was more than just the creator of your guys show, he was also the voice of Ren. After he died his brother took over.” I mention, taking a sip of my soda, seeing Penny blink a few times before placing a hand on her chin.
“You know, I did notice that Li Ren’s voice sounded a little different before the tournament started, but he just said that he was probably just catching a cold or something. Now that I know he wears voiced by two different yet similar people, how does that work exactly?” She wonders. I go to answer, only to pause and really think about it.
“I...am not really sure. By all rights Ren should have sounded the same in your world, but if his voice changed....Gah this is confusing.” I mutter in begrudging defeat. Penny nods, rubbing her head, before the both of us smile as our food arrives. The two of us enjoy our omnivorous meals in silence, minus the odd moan of satisfaction from us as we ate. Before too long both of us finished our foods and leaned back in our chairs, smiling.
“Wow. I really gotta see if I can convince the chef to give me the recipes here.” I state with a laugh, Penny giggling in response. Before too long the waiter came back with the bill, which was actually a lot less than I thought it would be, and we left the establishment.
“We are for sure going to have to bring the others here some time. I am sure Blake would love the selection of seafood it has.” Penny says with a giggle. I laugh a little as well, before falling silent as I thought about that faunus. I am still not sure about what I am going to do when Blake and just as importantly Yang show up here. I know those two are going to want to beat the everliving crap out of me, and I am not sure if I will be able to stop them. Penny seemed to understand my silence as we passed the park.
“Thinking about Blake and Yang?” She questions, earning a nod from me. She nods and looks down, trying to think about it herself.
“I am just not sure what to do when they show up.” I state, earning her attention. “I mean, they have all the rights to be pissed at Adam, and considering who I am, that just doesn’t help. I can’t let Ruby defend me either since I don’t want her to fight her team. They’re like me and my Displaced siblings, they’re more than friends, they’re family. And I do not want to see a family fight just because of me.”
“Well, maybe we could come up with some kind of plan for when they show up. I mean, I have little doubt you and I could hold them off and probably beat them in a fight, especially with our magic, but I can understand that fighting would do little good.” Penny says, placing a hand on her chin in thought. I just sigh a little before looking down to her with a smile.
“For now, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now isn’t the time for worrying about when they show up.” I say with a smile, Penny smiling up to me and now noticing the surroundings.
“Hey where are we going?” She question, seeing we are nearing the edge of the Everfree, the moon beginning to shine brightly in the sky. I just smirk and gently take her hand, leading her along a small path, Penny looking around with slight worry. “Adam?”
“Don’t worry. We aren’t going very far in. Earlier, I found a very cool spot, and I thought you would want to see it.” I reply cryptically. I could tell Penny was still nervous, so I slow down and put my arm around her shoulders, keeping her close as we make our way through the forest. I could feel her beginning to relax against me as she was reassured I wasn’t going to let anything hurt her.
The two of us walked in silence, carefully paying attention to the sounds of the forest, before I spotted our destination and smiled. Carefully I raised my arms and covered Penny’s eyes with my hands, the human tilting her head in confusion.
“I take it you want this to be a surprise?” She asks with a grin. I just laugh a little and lead her forwards, moving small bushes out of the way with my magic before we arrive.
“Alright. Get ready for a sight.” I say as I remove my hands from her eyes. Penny blinks a couple of times before gasping with a small smile.
The small lake I found was in the perfect spot for the moonlight from above us to break through the canopy, giving the reflective water a shine brighter than any jewel. Above and around the water many fireflies flew around, giving the area an almost mystical feel. I smile as Penny slowly makes her way to the water, looking over the area in awe as she seats herself on the edge of the lake. With a smirk I quietly walk over to a hollowed out tree trunk and take out my guitar case I had hidden earlier. Penny didn’t seem to notice me as she was just looking over the lake with an awed smile. I chuckle slightly as I make my way over and sit next to her, taking out my guitar.
Penny looked over and saw me with my instrument, and got was I was going to do. I smile to her as I take out my instrument, tuning it for a second and going through a few notes. I didn’t really have anything in mind to play, I was just going to follow my instincts.
https://m.(Stop at 2:17)
The tune was coming together, and while it was slow compared to some songs I could play, that didn’t make it any less fun to play. I glanced over to Penny while I was playing the song, the human just smiling and listening to my tune while watching the fireflies hover about.
I could see Penny relax more and more as I played my song, the human eventually beginning to struggle to keep her eyes open. Makes sense, considering what this song is called in the first place. Before long my song comes to an end, Penny smiling warmly to me.
“Wow. That was amazing. What song was that?” She questions, scooting closer to lean on me.
“It’s called Zelda’s Lullaby. It’s from one of my favourite game series from back home, The Legend of Zelda. I always prefer listening to the music games have to show more than the gameplay itself, so I learned to play a bunch of songs from games.” I answer, laying my arm around Penny’s shoulders. She smiles and lets herself relax against me, the two of us just enjoying each other’s company and the ambiance of the dark forest.
Before too long the two of us get up and leave the forest, luckily not running into anything, and made our way along the tree line to the house. The silence between us was not actually awkward, but companionable. Once we made it to the house I checked my scroll and saw it was nearing nine at night.
“Wow, we stayed out longer than I thought. I guess we should get to bed.” I say, kicking off my shoes. Penny nods and takes her own shoes off before the two of us make our way upstairs, stopping at our doors across the hall from one another. “Well, this was fun. I’ll see you in the morning.” As I was turning the knob of my door, I felt Penny grab onto my free hand.
“Um, Adam?” I turn to look at her with a raised brow. “Um, now that we’ve been on a date...what does that make us? I mean, are we still just friends, or are we together? Like together, together.”
I stay silent for a moment, processing her question, before smiling down to her.
“In my opinion, we’re friends first, and if you want to move to the next level, I won’t have any complaints. I do like you Penny, but I won’t pressure you into anything. Personally, your opinion and wants come first.” I reply with a smile. Penny seemed stunned for a second before smiling, leaning up and giving me a kiss on the cheek again.
“Despite how things may turn out if a portal to Remnant is opened, or if some of the others from Remnant arrive, I wouldn’t mind it if I was your girlfriend.” She says, leaving me slightly stunned myself. Penny giggles before turning and going to her room. “Goodnight, Adam Winger.”
I just stand there in the hallway for a second, just trying to process what she just said, before smiling to myself and going into my room. A quick change of clothes later I am resting on my bed, the night happily replaying in my head, before glancing over to the side wall where I have a photo of Penny, Pyrrha and myself infront of the house after it was finished. With that final happy image, I allow myself to enter Luna’s domain, letting my body rest for the rest of the night.
??? POV
I managed to follow that man to the house on the edge of the village, and watched from my spot on a hill as the last light in the house went out. I was confused. That man, he hated humans before, all but wanted to commit genocide, but when I find him in this weird world, he is on a date with a girl I know was killed.
It didn’t make any sense. Who is that faunus really, and why is he so buddy-buddy with humans? I needed more information. Leaving my spot, I headed back into the village to the hotel I was staying at. I was really lucky that I was able to pick pocket enough of those gold coins to afford a room. I could have just squatted as some abandoned house, but that would only work for so long.
How do you hide a tree? Put it in a forest. With that question, I managed to make my way to the hotel and stood on the side of the doors, where an ashtray was just calling to be used. With a sigh, I reach in my pocket and take out one of my few cigars from home. Who knew these things were so hard to come by nowadays in this world. Taking out his lighter, I take a few puffs of the killing gas, the toxins relaxing me somewhat.
I allow myself to drift back to everything I have learned so far. I knew that man was not the same as before. Either something happened to his head, or he isn’t really Adam Taurus. If I could just get close to him, I could get more info. Maybe....maybe he could tell me what happened to him.
I could also see if I could get closer to her. She would know what happened, considering its her fault anyways. With a sigh, I take off his hat, looking at the scratched and tears forlornly. I remember when he let me wear it, like when we first met and he took me out for some frozen yogurt. I can’t help a tear or two from leaking from my eyes before putting our my cigar and heading back to my room.
‘A beast, an android, and Little Red. Those three should have what I need.’