//------------------------------//
// Part 4 - Protective 
// Story: Lone Wolf: A Halfling Side Story 
// by Dee Pad 
//------------------------------//

The light of the morning sun shone warmly in the room, chasing away the cold left by the night.  It was a familiar feeling, yet this morning, it felt somehow different.  Being woken up by the sunlight was a regular occurrence; it acted as the signal that it was time to get up and ready for the day ahead.  But it was hard to discern what exactly about this morning differed from all the rest.

Guise finally opened his eyes, and once his senses had reconstituted enough to realize he was awake, the reason became evident.

Guise lay on his back, but the ceiling above him was not the dark, jagged stone of a cavern he was used to.  It was still stone, but it was perfectly even, white marble.  He was used to the sunlight shining in through the wide, open entrance of his cave hovel, but today it shone through a glass pane built into the wall, the slightly transparent, blue curtains dampening, but not mitigating the light, making it at least inoffensive to his tired eyes.

Furthermore, what Guise felt at this particular moment was a feeling he'd not experienced in a long, long time: comfort.  He didn't lay upon a bed of dead grass and leaves on a cold, rocky floor.  Instead, he lay in an actual bed, with a cozy mattress and plush pillow underneath him, and warm, cotton sheets on top of him.  Guise began to second guess whether or not he was actually awake.  The last time he'd slept in a real bed was two years ago, but he could scarcely remember what that felt like.  He didn't recall it being this comfortable, though.  He wasn't sure if it could also be attributed to the fact that he was still disguised as a pony; that was a weird feeling, waking up with a coat of fur instead of his stiffer chitin.

But what was perhaps the most irregular thing about this morning was not the room, not the bed, not his pony body, but the other person in the bed with him.

A mint green foreleg lay draped over Guise's crimson chest.  He turned to his left, his gaze met by the peacefully sleeping face of Sweetmint Scoop.  It wasn't as though he'd never shared a bed with anypony before; he spent a few days pretending to be Shade, so he slept together with his girlfriend, but only to keep up appearances.  But as he lay there with Sweetmint, he found himself with no desire to get up.  He was cozy for once in his life.  It was a rare sensation and he wanted to enjoy it a little.

A rare sensation...

Guise's thought reminded him of something: the reason he had gone through all this trouble.  As he continued to stare at the slumbering mare next to him, a strong desire overcame him.  His cravings hadn't been this intense in a long time, and now he had the opportunity to finally sate them, after all this time.

Sweetmint stirred in her sleep.  She rolled over onto her opposite side, turning her back to Guise, but did not wake up.  Guise took advantage of their altered position to slowly and cautiously prop himself up, trying not to to wake her up.  He hovered over her, leaning his head down close to her and opening his mouth with a breathy hiss, like a predator preparing to sink its fangs into its prey.  Guise sat there, motionless, for several seconds.  Eventually, he closed his mouth with a disgruntled grimace.

Nothing.  After all the strides he'd made in his relationship with Sweetmint, even now with the two of them sharing a bed, he could get nothing from her.  She still hadn't fallen in love with him yet.

Guise flopped his head back down onto his pillow with a disappointed groan.  He really thought he'd get to taste it again after all this time, but apparently he still had some work to do.  Maybe he was expecting too much.  He'd only been courting her for a few weeks.  But then again, Shade had only been with that pegasus girl for a month and she fell for him in that time.  He'd been duping her just as Guise was with Sweetmint, so what was he doing wrong?  It was possible that Sweetmint just wasn't as easily manipulated as Shade's girlfriend, or perhaps her own living situation and emotional issues just made love an afterthought for this mare.  Either way, Guise wasn't out of the woods yet.  Now he just had to figure a way to make this final push to the finish line.  But at least for now he could enjoy the comfort that Sweetmint's bed was offering him.

The door to the bedroom, already slightly ajar, creaked open a little further, but Guise could see nopony enter.  He received a bit of a start when something suddenly hopped up onto the foot of the bed.  Sweetmint's orange tabby cat was now seated by their back hooves, just staring at Guise.  The changeling didn't budge, hoping that Persimmon would lose interest in whatever it was he was looking for and let him get back to sleep.

Persimmon's gaze remained fixed on the stallion laying with his owner, his tail swaying slowly.  Guise recognized the look in the cat's eyes.  Whenever he saw Persimmon, the cat always seemed like it was giving him the stink eye.  He wasn't exactly sure what he'd done to earn the feline's ire, if anything.  He wasn't even sure if a cat had a high enough level of intelligence to be judgmental.  Either way, Guise's patience with the cat had already run thin in the time he'd been dating Sweetmint.

Persimmon started walking up Sweetmint's side of the bed, nuzzling into his owner's mane.  The mare stirred in her sleep, a quiet moan escaping her throat.  She opened her eyes, her sleepy gaze met by a softly purring tabby cat.

"Morning, Persy," Sweetmint cooed, giving the cat a light scratch under the chin.  She rolled over onto her back, patting her chest.  Persimmon followed the gesture and climbed on top of her as she pet him rigorously, his purring growing louder and lifting his tail in approval.

Guise observed the odd display of affection from both of them, Sweetmint and Persimmon nuzzling one another's noses.  "This one of your morning rituals or something?"

Sweetmint's eyes widened slightly, turning her head to Guise.  "Oh, good morning, Crimson," she said with noticeably less zeal than she'd given the cat.  She chuckled with embarrassment.  "Sorry, kinda forgot you were here."

Guise grimaced a little.  Given that greeting, maybe he shouldn't be surprised that he couldn't get any love from her yet.  The cat was getting more love than he was.

"Okay, Persy.  Down."

Persimmon followed the order, jumping off the bed and out the door.  Sweetmint briefly rolled over to Guise to plant a quick kiss on his lips.  "As much as I'd like to stay here a little longer, I've gotta get ready for work."  She threw off the covers and made for the living room.

Guise lay there for a minute longer, if only to get a little more comfort time from his new bed.  But he eventually decided to get up as well to join Sweetmint for breakfast.

Sweetmint had already popped a few slices of bread in the toaster for both of them and turned on the coffee pot.  So, Guise simply took a seat on the couch.  Sweetmint eventually brought over their buttered toast and coffee cups, sitting with him to enjoy their breakfast together.

"So," she started as she crunched into a crispy slice of toast.  "You working today, too?"

"Nope.  Apparently they're doing some renovations, so they've got the place shut down for a little while," Guise answered with a quiet groan.

As much as he despised his work there, he wasn't terribly keen about having his cash flow cut off for the time being.  But now that he was thinking about it, money had suddenly become much less important.  His original intention was to buy a house of his own.  He hadn't considered the notion of moving into Sweetmint's apartment.  If anything, living in an apartment instead of a house would likely be significantly cheaper—especially since he was splitting the rent.  Guise was likely going to have a sizable amount of disposable income from here on, though it was likely Sweetmint was going to expect him to pitch in with groceries and whatnot.  He may have to actually start planning out a budget for himself.

"Lucky you," Sweetmint commented with an envious nudge.  "I wish I could get time off like that occasionally.  Rocky's Road is pretty bland looking.  Not exactly a memorable place, but I guess most of the customers are too busy staring at Tapioca to care."

A needy mewl from the floor grabbed Sweetmint's attention.  Persimmon was staring up at her expectantly.

"Mm, shorry, Pershy," she said to the cat as she stuffed more toast in her mouth.  Sweetmint got up again, bringing her coffee with her as Persimmon followed her to the kitchen.  She opened the refrigerator and retrieved a resealed can of cat food.  "Momma's got company now, so I've gotta divide my attention between you boys."

As she filled Persimmon's dish, Guise couldn't help but notice the cat glance back at him with what he could only assume was a scowl.

Sweetmint finished off her toast and coffee, and made for the bathroom to clean up.  Listening to the sound of running water, Guise began to think about some things he may have overlooked.  While he had had no issues with hygiene so far, Sweetmint was sure to eventually question the fact that Guise didn't have so much as a toothbrush.  But she was going to be at work all day, so today would probably be a good day to plug any holes in his facade.

Guise was jarred from his thoughts when Persimmon suddenly jumped up onto the coffee table.  The cat stared haughtily at him, turned its gaze onto Guise's coffee cup sitting on the table, then looked back at Guise.

"What?" Guise said with an annoyed glower.  He was getting tired of this cat's attitude.

Without much hesitation, Persimmon extended his paw, staring Guise dead in the eye as he swat the cup off the table.  While the cup didn't break, its contents spilled onto the floor and started soaking into the carpet.  Guise just stared back, vexed by the feline and its actions.  But Persimmon immediately jumped down and scurried back to the kitchen.

Drawn by the sound of the cup hitting the floor, Sweetmint came out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth.  She stared incredulously at the overturned mug and dark brown stain spreading through her carpet.  "What the hell, Crimson?"

"Huh?"  Guise was caught quite off guard by her accusation.  "That wasn't me, it was your cat."

Sweetmint narrowed her eyes at him.  "Seriously, blaming the cat?  How old are you?"

"What, you don't believe me?  You think I'd just toss a cup of coffee on the floor?"

"I think the chance of you being a butterhooves is higher than Persimmon knocking it over.  He's a good boy, he'd never do anything like that.  Now, get some soapy water and clean that up before it stains too much.  Mr. Hide'll be livid if he sees that.  Dish soap's under the sink," she ordered before returning to the bathroom.

Guise stood up, sneering towards the bathroom, then turning his ire onto the orange tabby staring triumphantly from the kitchen.  Had that little mongrel done that on purpose?  Guise decided to keep his anger pushed down for Sweetmint's sake.  She obviously cared about that cat a lot, but based on what he'd seen so far, Guise had no idea why.  So, he kept his mouth shut and just did as he was told, filling the sink with soapy water and getting a rag to clean the mess Persimmon had framed him for.

Once Sweetmint had finished up in the bathroom and come back out, Guise decided he would finally voice a question that had been on his mind for some time.  "Why do you have a cat?" he asked as he scrubbed the carpet.

Sweetmint raised an eyebrow as though the question sounded absurd to her.  "What?"

"Isn't taking care of a cat just a lot of needless work and wasted money?"

Despite the question effectively insulting Persimmon, Sweetmint didn't jump to his defense.  Instead, she grinned knowingly.  "You've never had a pet before, have you, Crimson?"

Guise stayed silent.  He could have made a snarky remark about "love bugs" being like pets, but that would obviously be a bad idea.  Besides, "victim" may have been a more apt term in that case.

Sweetmint could read his expression.  "Then you just don't get it."  Persimmon wandered over again, rubbing against his owner's leg.  She picked him up and cradled the feline against her shoulder as she gently stroked his back and he nuzzled into her mane.  "A pet is no different than a family member.  You love them and care for them as though they were a sibling, or even your own child.  Persy's one of the most important things in the world to me."

Guise had pretty much figured that out already, though he couldn't say he completely understood.  "I guess I just figured, what with how much you've complained about money issues, taking care of a cat would upset your budget."

Sweetmint frowned slightly in response, even clinging a little more tightly to Persimmon.  "Actually, believe it or not, Percy isn't one of those 'wants' we talked about yesterday.  I need him."

Guise quirked a curious eyebrow.  "How's that?"

"He's my emotional support animal."

The changeling's eyebrow only lifted further.  "Your what?"

"Emotional support animal.  Some people keep pets as a way to help deal with emotional distress.  Usually its for social anxiety or depression, but Percy helps me with my anger issues."

That wasn't quite the answer Guise had been expecting.  One of the things Guise decided to do himself in an effort to help win this mare over was help her keep her anger under control.  Little did he know that he was essentially filling the exact same role as her cat.  It was an odd notion to think about, not to mention a little humiliating now that he was aware of the comparison.

"Actually, that's the only reason I'm even allowed to keep him," Sweetmint continued.  "Normally they don't allow the tenants here to keep pets, but I've got special permission.  Really, you don't understand just how important Persimmon is to me.  If I didn't have him here to help me wind down after a hard day, I'd've probably been thrown in jail or something by now."  She then cast Guise a scornful glare, though there was still a hint of playfulness in her eyes.  "Bet you feel like a jerk for blaming him for that mess now, don't you?"

Of course, he didn't, but there was no point in arguing over it; she clearly wasn't going to believe that her precious kitty cat could be a troublemaker.  So, he just begrudgingly continued to scrub up the spilled coffee, all the while receiving a haughty look from the cat nestled against Sweetmint's shoulder.

There was suddenly a knock on the door, and Sweetmint went to answer it.  Standing outside was a portly, older unicorn mare with a light orange coat and a curly, forest green mane.  Her facial expression reminded Guise of the first time he'd seen Mr. Hide: terse and grouchy.  Was everypony living at this complex a complete grump?

"Sweetmint, your—gyah!"

The mare reeled back in shock, her eyes locked onto the cat still held in the green unicorn's embrace.

"There a problem, Bran?" Sweetmint asked.

Guise noted her challenging tone when she spoke, implying that Sweetmint likely didn't get along well with this mare.

The mare—apparently named Bran—covered her mouth and nose with her hoof.  "Could you put that dander-ridden fur ball down please?  You know I'm allergic."

"Then why are you here?" Sweetmint questioned with narrowed eyes.

Bran paused, clearly waiting for Sweetmint to heed her request. But Sweetmint never so much as budged, even seeming to hold Persimmon tighter.  Bran rolled her eyes and took a step back, still keeping her muzzle covered.  She produced a few sealed envelopes with her magic, holding them out to Sweetmint.  "Your mail got mixed in with mine."

Sweetmint used her own magic to snatch them from her rather aggressively, then gave her a disingenuous, "Thank you."

It was only now that Bran managed to wrench her disgusted grimace away from the cat and look past Sweetmint to the stallion scrubbing her floor.  "Who is that?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but that's my boyfriend Crimson.  He's living here now, too."  Sweetmint leaned in with an instigating glare.  "There a problem with that?"

Bran lifted her nose slightly.  "Oh, yes, Tanner mentioned that he's allowing rooms to be shared now."  A disapproving scowl curled her muzzle as she stared at Sweetmint.  "Don't tell me he did that for you."

"I just mentioned it to him and he liked the idea, that's all.  What of it?"

Bran scoffed.  "Tch.  Why is he doing you so many favors?  First that flea-ridden animal, and now him."  She punctuated her displeasure with an exaggerated and obviously forced sneeze.  "You young mares think you can just get anything you want because you're pretty."

Guise could practically hear Sweetmint's teeth grinding behind her lips.

"First of all," Sweetmint started through clenched teeth, "Persimmon does not have fleas.  Second of all, do not talk to me about using 'feminine wiles' to get what I want.  I would never resort to shit like that."

Bran simply responded with a haughty and doubtful, "Hmph."

"Goodbye, Bran," Sweetmint said in a low tone before slamming the door in the mare's face.

Guise just watched as Sweetmint let Persimmon down and stomped back toward the bathroom.  It appeared that there were a lot of people that she didn't get along with.  Considering just about everypony in Sweetmint's life seemed to be entirely intolerable, he was beginning to wonder if maybe she was the common denominator here.  Then again, he'd noticed through his own experience that everypony in Canterlot seemed to be all high and mighty and full of themselves, even before meeting Sweetmint.  She was more likely just like himself; one of the only sensible people in a circus of assholes.

"Who was that?" Guise asked as he finished cleaning the coffee out of the carpet.

Sweetmint returned from the bathroom, having attempted to cool herself off with a splash of water to the face.  She let out a loud groan.  "Bran Sourdough, one of my neighbors."

"I take it you two don't get along."

"Like baking soda and vinegar," she deadpanned.  "I don't really interact with my neighbors at all, but Bran has kind of made it a point to get on my case whenever she can."

"What did you do to her?"

Sweetmint shot him a harsh glower.  "What, you assume it's my fault?"

Guise didn't flinch.  "Alright, then what did she do?"

"She's been on my ass ever since I moved in here, and it's because of Persimmon."

"She doesn't like cats?"  While Guise made sure his tone was inquisitive, he couldn't say he blamed Bran.

"You heard her, right?  She's allergic to cats.  She's been trying to get Mr. Hide to make me get rid of him since I got here, but considering Persimmon never leaves my apartment, and the fact that she lives on the other side of the  building means she doesn't really have anything to worry about.  But, of course, she finds excuses to come over here and trigger her allergies on purpose, then complains to Mr. Hide about it.  Thankfully, he seems to have enough sense to recognize that she's just being a whiny bitch."

Sweetmint grabbed her satchel and made for the door.  "Alright, I gotta get going to work."  She straightened her bangs with a sigh.  "Looks like I'm going into work hot today.  Hopefully Tapioca and Chips can manage to stay out of my hair."  She glanced back to Guise, who was sitting back down on the couch, and Persimmon, who had wandered over to snuggle her leg as she left.  "Oh, think you can feed Persy at dinnertime?"

Guise looked up, a little caught off guard by the request.  "Huh?"

"I normally fill his dish before I leave, but he usually wolfs it down in minutes, so he has to wait for me to come home to feed him again.  But now you can feed him."

Guise glanced at Persimmon.  He could have sworn the cat was smirking at him.  "Uh, sure..." he agreed, though reluctantly.

"Great.  Just keep his dry food and water topped up, and give him a big spoonful of wet food at dinner time.  The food's in the cupboard by the fridge."  She leaned down to nuzzle her nose against Persimmon's, speaking sweetly to him.  "And you take good care of Crimson while I'm gone, okay, Persy."  She received an affirmative meow.  "Alright, have fun, you two."  And with that, she left the apartment to head to work, leaving Guise alone with the cat.

Guise threw a sour look at Persimmon, who was giving him a very similar look.  Whatever this cat's problem was, Guise didn't really care.  It was just a dumb cat.  He couldn't let something like that get under his chitin.  So, he opted to simply ignore the feline's combative attitude and just go about his day.

The changeling let out a yawn, which made him realize that he hadn't actually had a chance to drink his coffee that morning, thanks to a particular furry nuisance.  So, Guise turned on the coffee pot again.  While he wasn't entirely accustomed to all of this pony technology, working in a restaurant had helped him learn to use various kitchen appliances through observation.  And with the pot brewing, he went to sit on the couch while he waited.

All things considered, this was likely to be a rather boring day.  There wasn't really anything he could do in this time to improve his relationship with Sweetmint, unless he wanted to go pay her a visit.  Not exactly something he wanted to do since it meant also being in the vicinity of her incessant coworkers.  But there were other things he could focus his time on.  He knew he'd have to do a bit of shopping, though he was reluctant to do so.  He'd never actually done any shopping since living in Canterlot, so he was a little wary about doing so by himself.  He was confident he could manage it, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to it.

But that was something for later.  Right now, Guise didn't feel like heading out until he'd at least had his coffee, and maybe something to eat that wasn't bland toast.  But it wasn't like there weren't other things he could do in the meantime.  Guise had other things he needed to work on to make living amongst the ponies more seamless.  One of those skills was reading.  He was making some strides in that department, but there was only so much he could learn without proper aid.  And Sweetmint didn't exactly have much in the way of reading material lying around.  Just some newspapers and those manga things she enjoyed so much.

There was a moment of hesitation as Guise stared across from the couch at the shelf on the other side of the living room.  There was a stack of manga sitting right there.  Guise had already had a peek at their contents and had been admittedly intrigued by what he saw.  Maybe it wasn't actually a bad idea.  With his neon green magic, he levitated one issue over to himself, flipping it open and seeing what he could glean from it.  And even if he didn't learn anything, at least the imagery of this guy cleaving monsters in half was entertaining.

But something was off.  Guise didn't know what, but something in the air was bothering him, distracting him from his attempt to pass the time.  He lowered the manga hanging in front of his face to find an orange tabby cat sitting on the coffee table and staring straight at him.  This situation looked familiar, except this time the cat didn't have a full cup of coffee to knock to the floor.

Speaking of which, Guise's coffee was probably ready by now.  So, ignoring the aggravating glare of the cat, he got up to prepare his drink.  He poured up the black brew, but then paused.  He was only now realizing that Sweetmint was always the one who had prepared the coffee whenever he came over, and he hadn't really paid attention to where she kept the sugar.  He was probably just going to have to look around and hope to find it before his coffee went cold.

However, he didn't have to look for long, as he noticed upon glancing toward the sink that there was a glass bowl upset on the counter, a pile of white granules scattered all over the place.  Guise raised an eyebrow.  Surely Sweetmint hadn't spilled it, otherwise she'd have cleaned it up.

Guise knit his brow in annoyance, casting an aggravated glower at the cat seated nonchalantly on the coffee table.  Guise grit his teeth, stomping over to the smug feline.  "Alright, you and me have got a problem."

Persimmon didn't flinch.  He only continued to stare casually back at Guise, his tail swaying gently.

"I don't know what your problem is with me, but just to let you know, I'm not gonna be a doormat for you to walk all over like you do with her," Guise told the smug feline.

Persimmon just started idly grooming himself, unfazed by Guise's irate tone and expression.

"Hey!  Don't you ignore me when I'm talking at you!"

The cat simply looked up with exasperation at the stallion's continued indignant tirade.

"You might think you rule the roost around here, with Sweetmint waiting on you hoof and horn, but let me tell you something."  He leaned in close to the cat menacingly.  "You're not in charge here anymore, so you'd best show some respect."

Persimmon just stared, clearly bemused and unimpressed by Guise's assertions.

Guise glared down at the cat, a small smirk creasing his lips.  "Oh?  Not intimidated, huh?  I guess you don't really know what you're up against, do you?  You think just because your a predator that you get to waltz around like you own the place?  Well, I've got news for you, fur ball: you're not the only predator here!"

Guise feinted toward the cat, shedding his pony body in a flash of green magic and aggressively gnashing his pointed fangs.  Persimmon screeched in fright and shock at the terrifying creature now standing before him, leaping off the coffee table, vaulting over the back of the couch, and sprinting down the hall and into the bedroom to hide.

"That's right!  Who's the king of the jungle now, fuzz face?!" Guise taunted with a victorious cackle.  "Guess you'll think twice before you decide to mess with me from now on, huh?"

With his adversary sufficiently subdued, Guise breathed a refreshing sigh.  It was unlikely that Persimmon would have the balls to challenge him now, so he finally felt like he could relax.  In fact, it felt good to be able to discard his disguise.  He knew he wasn't going to get many chances to walk around in his natural body anymore now that he shared a home with somepony else, so Guise figured he'd make the most of any time he got to himself.  Of course, it was a little risky; if somepony were to walk in without knocking, or even just pass by the window, he'd be in a tight spot.  But those issues were easily resolved, and Guise simply locked the door and drew the curtains on the window over the kitchen sink.  And now that he had complete privacy, he could lounge in peace.

Guise returned to the kitchen, remembering that he still hadn't had his coffee.  He grimaced at the mess that Persimmon had made of the sugar, but quickly scooped it all up with his magic and dumped it back into the sugar bowl.  He prepared his coffee and went back to the couch, intent on continuing to peruse Sweetmint's manga to pass the time and maybe improve his reading skills while he was at it.

The apartment remained in complete silence for the next couple of hours, much to Guise's relief.  He could lounge around au naturel, nopony incessantly nattering in his ear, and no impudent felines to grind his gears.  He'd managed to get through three different issues of Sweetmint's manga, though didn't understand much of it due to the use of a lot of bizarre words.  Still, he was enjoying it well enough, though he wasn't sure if that was something he wanted to admit to Sweetmint.

Eventually, Guise was distracted from his "reading" by a rumble in his belly.  He glanced up at the clock sitting on the shelf.  It was almost noon by now.  He never used to associate meals with specific times of the day, just searching out food whenever he was hungry, but living in pony society has started to form habits, mostly due to his regulated breaks at work.  Noon was lunch time, and his stomach was reminding him of that.

Under normal circumstances, Guise would have simply gone out to do some hunting to satiate his appetite.  But he had other things he wanted to do today and didn't want to spend an hour or so tracking down prey.  With a labored groan, Guise lazily rose from the couch and headed for the kitchen.  However, he stopped when he spied something from the corner of his eye.

Down the hall, he spotted the furry face of an orange cat peering out of the bedroom, the feline's pupils wide and wary as he eyed the changeling in the living room, and his body low to the ground, ready to scamper off at a moment's notice if the ebony creature decided to make a move.

Guise grimaced.  He was only now remembering that Sweetmint was expecting him to take care of her cat.  He probably should have thought of that before threatening it so aggressively.  She probably wasn't going to be happy if she came home to find Persimmon frightened and traumatized.  And there was really only one person she could blame for that.  Guise knew just how important Persimmon was to her now as well.  As much as he hated to admit it, he was going to have to at least attempt to get along with the cat in order to avoid ticking Sweetmint off.  This was an unexpected hitch in his plans.  Guise knew he was going to have to put in work to earn the trust of a potential love bug, but now he also had to earn this cat's trust, too.  That thought was both annoying and a little humiliating.

With that in mind, he figured he may as well feed the cat while he was getting his own lunch.  Guise simply threw a cup of instant noodles into the microwave, then set to locating Persimmon's food.  Sweetmint had said it was in the cupboard by the fridge, and when he opened it, he spotted a stack of small, tin cans.  Guise grabbed a couple and looked them over.  While he couldn't actually read the labels well enough to identify them, there were a least pictures of cats on them, so that was a good indication.

The question now was: how was one supposed to open these things?  He didn't see a tab like he'd seen on soda cans.  There was no way he was going to be able to just force it open.  There had to be some sort of implement he could use to open it.  Guise was sure he remembered seeing something to that effect when he was at work.

He started to look around for something, but was interrupted when he noticed Persimmon poking his head out from the hall.  Suddenly, an idea came to Guise.  While Sweetmint hadn't actually told him where the tool he was searching for actually was, Persimmon was always around when she was preparing to feed him.  The only question now was whether or not Guise would be able to get a clue from the cat.  No harm in trying, he figured.

Guise cautiously approached the feline.  Persimmon's eyes widened, taking a few steps back and preparing to bolt at the first sign of danger from this monstrous-looking creature in his home.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Guise said quietly in an effort to placate the cat's fear.  "I just need your help for something."

Persimmon simply took another step back.  Guise knew he wasn't going to convince him to cooperate with just words, and he wasn't willing to play the nice guy card any more than he needed to.  Instead, he just grabbed Persimmon with his magic, instilling panic in the cat as it flailed and growled in his magical grasp in an attempt to escape from his captor.

"Look, just calm down.  If you want to eat, you're going to have to let me do this, alright?" Guise told the cat tersely.

Persimmon didn't cease his struggling, so Guise had to get a little forceful.  He tightened his magic around the cat, preventing it from moving too much, and stared Persimmon straight in the eyes.  A low growl escaped the cat's throat as they exchanged glares.  But Guise's blood red eyes began to glow green, Persimmon's eyes did the same, and his struggling became weaker.  Guise continued to stare for several moments, going on a full minute, before he reluctantly let up with a groan.  Persimmon looked a tad groggy after that, but once his senses came back, he hissed and growled again, so Guise let the cat go and he scurried off toward the bedroom again.

"So much for that," Guise said with a disappointed shake of his head as he went back to the kitchen to hopefully find a can opener.  "I know Glory said it took her years to learn to do that, but that doesn't make it any less aggravating," he aired to himself as he searched cupboards and drawers.  "Or maybe cats are just too stupid for it to work on..."

Guise did eventually find what he was looking for in one of the kitchen drawers, so he turned his attention back to the two cans of cat food he'd taken out.  He now noticed that the labels had other animals on them as well; one with a fish, the other with a chicken.

Must be the flavors, he thought.

Guise wasn't sure if it really mattered which one he used, but figured he'd just go with the fish since that was Persimmon's favorite.  He readied the can opener to peel the tin open, but paused, an astounded look of disbelief on his face.

Wait, how do I know that?

Guise had never been aware that Persimmon's food had different flavors until now, so how had he determined which was the cat's favorite so decisively?  He glanced toward the hall again, though Persimmon hadn't returned.  There was only one explanation.  The spell had worked, he just didn't realize it.  He may not have seen anything directly, but his subconscious must have still picked up the information.  A self-satisfied smirk creased his lips.  So what if it took Glory years to learn it?  He wasn't Glory.  Maybe he was just a natural at this.

With newfound vigor, Guise cracked the can of fish-flavored cat food open and scooped a spoonful of the gooey substance into Persimmon's dish, refilling the water and dry food dishes while he was at it.  Persimmon hadn't come back yet, but Guise had done what he was instructed to do, so he didn't care much beyond that.

He retrieved a plastic cap that he'd seen Sweetmint use to reseal the cans so that he could put it away in the fridge, but he paused for a minute with the can in his grip.  He stared at the goopy food in the can, raising an eyebrow in thought.  This stuff was apparently fish-flavored, and the other can he'd looked at was chicken-flavored.

"Right, cats are carnivores, aren't they?  Does that mean this stuff... is actually meat?"

He continued to stare at the mush in his grip, questioning the fact that he was actually considering this.  But what harm could it do?  Guise scooped an teeny, tiny bit of cat food with a spoon, holding it in front of his face and hesitating.  If this stuff was meat, it was perhaps the most unappetizing meat he'd ever laid eyes on.  It looked more like something that would come up one's esophagus rather than go down.  At this point, Guise's curiosity was too strong.  Whether or not this stuff looked good, he had already made his decision to try it.

Guise just decided to get it over with, clamping down on the spoon quickly.  He let the gruel sit on his tongue for a moment.  His eyes widened in mild surprise.

"Hey, that's not half-bad."

Maybe the texture was a little off putting, and it still didn't compare to fresh meat off the bone, but given that he wasn't going to get as many chances to enjoy the taste of meat from here on out, this stuff might make for a suitable substitute.  Although he'd have to be careful that Sweetmint didn't catch him, and she might get suspicious if some cans of the stuff went missing.  But he was planning on doing some shopping today anyway; why not add it to his grocery list?

Now Guise was curious about the other flavors, but restrained himself.  He'd get to try them in due time.  But for now, he figured he'd have just a few more bites of the fish-flavored stuff.

However, as he was about to bite down, he spotted movement from the corner of his eye.  Persimmon had reemerged from the hall, apparently trying to stealthily make his way to his dish.  But the moment the cat noticed the changeling staring down at him, he stopped cold.  But instead of a fearful look in his eyes, Persimmon seemed befuddled by the sight of the creature eating his food.

"What?  Don't look at me like that," Guise said defensively.  "We're both carnivores here.  Go about your business."

Persimmon only continued to stare, clearly confused by what he was seeing.

Guise rolled his eyes and placed the plastic cap on the can to reseal it.  "Fine.  I was gonna get my own anyway."  He put the can in the fridge, but still ate the spoonful of cat food he had taken out.  He then opened the microwave to retrieve his actual lunch, taking his noodles over to the couch.

Persimmon backed off a little as the changeling passed, but once Guise had sat down and started eating, the cat took the opportunity to approach his dish and have his own meal.

Guise watched from the corner of his eye as the cat ate.  It was an odd situation he'd found himself in.  Befriending a cat was not something he ever expected to have to do.  Even now, "befriend" might be a strong word.  At the very least, he should probably undo the damage he'd done when he frightened the cat.  The best way to do that for now was to simply give Persimmon space and not be confrontational.  At least he could be confident that the cat wasn't likely to try and mess with him anymore.

Persimmon finished his meal and started back to the living room.  He stopped again when his eyes locked with the changeling.  Guise waited to see what he'd do, but Persimmon just scampered off to the bedroom again, though not nearly as hastily as before.

Guise finished off the last of his noodles and his coffee and got up from the couch.  He glanced at the clock.  It wasn't even one o' clock yet, so Sweetmint wouldn't be home for a few hours still.  But he had errands to run, and wanted to make sure he got them done before she finished work.  He grabbed a set of Sweetmint's saddlebags and a sack of bits and started for the door.  He paused for a moment, though.  He had almost walked outside without a disguise.  That would've been bad.  He quickly shapeshifted to his Crimson Neon persona before being on his way.

However, he didn't make it far before he caught sight of a familiar face coming his way.  Sauntering along the second floor walkway was the disagreeable mare that Sweetmint had spoken with that morning: Bran Sourdough, if he was recalling correctly.  He would have simply ignored her, but she seemed to hesitate upon seeing him exit the apartment, almost as though she were surprised to see him.

She straightened up, continuing to traipse toward him with her nose held high.  "Good afternoon," she greeted, though it sounded more terse than a greeting ought to be.

"Hey," Guise returned halfheartedly.

"You're Sweetmint's boyfriend, right?  Crimson, was it?"

Guise eyed her suspiciously.  Based on the very brief interaction he'd observed with this mare, she didn't exactly strike him as the sort to randomly engage in idle small talk, especially considering the fact that she clearly didn't get along well with Sweetmint.  So why would she be interested in chewing the fat with her boyfriend?

"Yeeeah..."

Bran glanced to the apartment door, then back to Guise.  "Is Sweetmint home?"

"No, she's at work."

She looked at the pair of saddlebags seated upon Guise's back.  "And where are you off to?"

Guise narrowed his eyes at her.  "What does it matter?"

Bran curled her muzzle at his rude response, which Guise found rather hypocritical.  "I'm simply asking a question."

"So am I.  Why do you care where I'm going?"

Bran rolled her eyes.  She obviously hadn't anticipated Guise being difficult.  "If I must be honest, I don't.  I was just trying to start a friendly conversation."

Guise didn't believe that for a minute.  This mare clearly wanted nothing to do with Sweetmint, so why would she wander across the building for no reason?  But maybe he could discern her intentions if he played along.  He groaned quietly with an eye roll of his own.  "Fine.  I was just about to go do some shopping.  Does that answer your question?"

"Why are you not at work?  Do you not have a job yourself?"

Guise grit his teeth behind his lips.  What was this mare's problem?  For somepony who claimed to want to have a "friendly" conversation, she was sounding quite judgmental.  Besides, considering she was still around at the same time of day, he could very well ask her the same question.  "I have a job, but the place is closed for renovations.  What are you up to?"

Bran glanced around, her posture suddenly becoming defensive.  "'Up to'?  I'm not 'up to' anything.  I was simply out for a stroll and saw the opportunity to properly introduce myself to a new tenant."

She extended her hoof to him.  Guise briefly contemplated ignoring the gesture, but this exchange was going to end up being a battle to determine which of them could be the bigger pony, so he reluctantly accepted and shook her hoof.

"Bran Sourdough.  Nice to meet you," she greeted again, though her still-haughty tone negated all semblance of affability.

"Crimson Neon," Guise responded with a lack of enthusiasm.

"So, how long have you known Sweetmint?"

Guise was both curious and suspicious as to what this mare was hoping to learn from this conversation.  "Just a few weeks.  Why?"

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.  "Really?  Moving rather quickly, aren't we?"

Guise scowled slightly.  "I really don't think that's any of your business.  Besides, it was more about helping each other financially than anything else."

"I see.  That's quite pragmatic of you.  Honestly, Sweetmint never struck me as the proactive type.  It's hard to believe that she could convince Tanner to change the boarding situation."

Guise chose to bite his tongue on the fact that it was actually his meddling that resulted in that.  "Well, it's not like you can complain.  It helps everypony here, right?"

Bran scoffed.  "It doesn't help me.  I'm still single."

"What a shocker," Guise mumbled sarcastically.

"If anything, it makes things more frustrating for me," Bran grumbled.  "More tenants means more noise.  Pretty soon, the peacefulness around here his going to be nonexistent.  And it'll only be worse if Tanner allows any more pets in here."

Guise noticed her casting a disdainful sneer toward his and Sweetmint's apartment.

"Are you a cat person, Crimson?" she asked with a judgmental tone.

From what Guise could understand, this was the crux of the issue when it came to Bran and Sweetmint's mutual dislike of one another.  He was admittedly curious as to where this train of thought would lead.  "Not particularly.  Honestly, he's a little irritating."

"Have you discussed that with her?"

Guise raised an eyebrow.  Sweetmint had mentioned that Bran wanted her to get rid of Persimmon.  He had to wonder if she knew exactly why Sweetmint had him in the first place, and if she even cared if she did know.  But he decided to not mention it and let the conversation play out.  "I only just moved in, so I just haven't gotten used to it yet."

"Hmph.  She shouldn't even be allowed to keep it if somepony in the building has allergies."  Bran punctuated that with a blatantly forced sniff.

"Wouldn't really be an issue if you just stayed on your side of the building."

She scoffed again, becoming increasingly indignant toward Guise's attitude.  "You're just like her.  I can see why you two were drawn to each other."

Guise rolled his eyes at the comment.  He really didn't want this conversation to drag on much more than it had.  "Whatever.  Anyway, I have stuff to do, so if you'll excuse me..." he said brusquely as he turned his back on the mare.

Bran didn't so much as offer a farewell, not that Guise was surprised, nor did he care.  But as he started toward the street to make his way to the supermarket, he happened to glance over his shoulder.  Bran was still standing where she was, next to their apartment, watching him walk away from her elevated vantage point.  For somepony who claimed to be out for a stroll, she didn't seem too eager to move.  But Guise simply shrugged.  Why should he care?  If anything, the fact that he and Sweetmint had a mutual dislike of this mare only gave them more fuel for conversations where they berate the insufferable people around them.  So that was something fun to look forward to.


*****     *****     *****


Guise sauntered lazily back up the steps of the apartment complex, an exasperated groan escaping his lungs.  His little shopping trip took longer than expected, and he didn't even come back with much.  His unfamiliarity with the process of shopping made the seemingly-simple experience more of a chore than he'd expected.  At the very least, he'd acquired what he'd set out to get.  He now had his own toothbrush, as well as a few cans of cat food for his own personal enjoyment.  He figured he'd also pick up a few other bathroom sundries while he was out, like shampoo, but it still must have looked like an odd combination of items to the clerks and other customers.

Guise entered the apartment and tossed his bags on the kitchen table, removing his purchases and delivering his bathroom amenities to their proper place.  But the cat food was a little questionable.  It had occurred to him while he was out that, if he wanted to keep a stash of it for himself, he'd need to hide them from Sweetmint since it would be obvious that Persimmon wasn't eating that much.  So, instead, he didn't bother buying much and just put them with the rest in the cupboard.  It wasn't like he was going to eat the stuff everyday anyway; only when he was alone and didn't have the opportunity to go hunting.  He'd likely just have a spoonful or two when or if he had to feed the cat, so he could just claim he bought a few extra cans for Persimmon while he was out.

Speaking of which, he figured he should probably find the little mongrel and see if he was still cowering somewhere.  Maybe he'd even give him an extra serving of food to try and calm him down for when Sweetmint got home.  He even opted to keep his disguise on to hopefully avoid spooking him—Sweetmint was going to be home pretty soon anyway, so it'd be pretty bad if she came home to find a changeling lounging in her apartment.

Persimmon didn't appear to be anywhere in the living room, so the only place Guise could think that he'd be was the bedroom.  However, when he went to check, the cat wasn't asleep on the bed.  Guise peered underneath the bed to see if he was hiding himself away, but there was nothing there except a few small boxes.  Guise scratched his head in confusion.  Those were the most likely places, and it wasn't like the apartment was very big.

He began to search the place up and down for the cat, even checking the bathtub and the kitchen cupboards, but there was no sign of Persimmon anywhere.  He couldn't have gotten out of the apartment; Guise was certain he'd closed the door when he left, and he highly doubted that the cat could open it himself.

"Okay, either the cat knows magic, or something happened here," Guise said to himself as he pondered the situation.

This wasn't exactly a scenario he wanted to find himself in.  The first time Sweetmint leaves him to take care of Persimmon—a pet that she loves very deeply—he goes missing.  She probably wasn't going to take that very well.  He had to find that cat.  The only thing he could think to do was go outside and search for him, but given that Guise had been gone for a few hours, Persimmon could have been anywhere by now.  But it wasn't like he had any other options.

Guise hurried to the door, but the instant he opened it, he nearly ran smack into his exhausted girlfriend on the other side.  "Oh, shit—I-I mean, hey, Mint.  Home already?" he greeted with a big, forced smile.

Sweetmint gave him a very bemused stared.  "Shut up.  I'm not in any mood to tolerate your optimism right now."  She brushed past him, tossing her satchel carelessly to the floor.

That wasn't good.  Of all the days for Sweetmint to come home with a sour disposition, today was not ideal.

"Uh, tough day?" Guise asked cautiously.

She shot a glower over her shoulder.  "What was your first clue?"

Guise raised a hoof defensively.  "Alright, calm down."

"Ugh!  Tapioca's a complete dunderhead!  Of course, the only time she decides to try and use the soft serve machine is when I'm on break, and I have to come back and clean up a big mess of melted ice cream off the floor while she washes her 'delicate' hooves because she just got a hooficure yesterday," Sweetmint complained in a mocking tone.  "And was Chips any help?  Of course not, because watching Tapioca wipe off her dainty hooves is far more important."  She flopped down onto the couch, burying her face in the throw pillows.  "Persy!  C'mere, sweetie!  Momma needs you!"

Guise stood there quietly with an uncomfortable grimace as the seconds ticked by.

Sweetmint eventually lifted her head from the pillow, looking around in confusion when Persimmon didn't show up.  "Persy?  Where are you, baby?"  She peered over the back of the couch as though she expected to find the cat sauntering slowly down the hall.  It was then that she turned her attention to Guise, eliciting a nervous gulp from the changeling.  "Crimson, where's Persimmon?"

Guise inhaled a sharp breath.  "Yeeeah, see, here's the thing..."

Sweetmint prepared a venomous glare for what sounded like bad news.

"I went out shopping for a few hours, and when I came back, he was... gone."

Guise expected Sweetmint to be furious with him, exacerbating her already foul mood.  But instead, her face was overcome with worry, hopping off the couch in a slight panic.  "Gone?!  Wh-Where?!  What happened?!"

"How am I supposed to know?" Guise responded to defend himself.  "Like I said, he was gone when I got back.  I looked everywhere in the apartment, but couldn't find him."

"Did you leave the door open?"

"No," he answered resolutely.  "I know with one hundred percent certainty that I closed the door when I left."

"Well, however it happened, we have to find him!  Let's go!"  Sweetmint hurried to the door and rushed outside without even waiting for Guise.

Guise threw his head back with a groan.  "Great.  As if that cat hasn't been enough of a headache.  Now I've gotta spend the rest of the day searching the city for him."

He followed Sweetmint outside in time to see her bolt down the stairs and gallop toward the street, shouting the cat's name desperately.  Guise had no idea where he was even supposed to start.  Canterlot was huge; Persimmon could be anywhere by now.  But it wasn't like Sweetmint was going to let him not help, and it was in his best interest to have the cat around for her sake, even if he was a royal nuisance.

Guise was about to chase after Sweetmint to catch up, but he happened to glance across to the other side of the building.  A certain mare was poking her head out of her door, but the moment Guise locked eyes with her she retreated back inside.  Guise narrowed his eyes, his ire building as he put the pieces together.  It didn't take a genius to figure out what must have happened.  He was disappointed in himself that he didn't think of it sooner.  Who seemed to be the one person besides himself who hated that cat?

He made his way over to the opposite side of the complex, intent on getting some answers.  He aggressively knocked on the door he'd seen her peering out off and waited.  Of course, no response.  "I know you're in there.  I'm not blind," Guise called through the door.

After several moments of dead silence, the door slowly creaked open, Bran Sourdough's judgmental eyes gazing through the narrow crack.  "What do you want?"

"Cut the crap, Bran, I know you let the cat out.  Where is he?" Guise demanded.

Bran lifted her nose at his attitude.  "Why, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Bullshit.  Who else would've done it?"

"How should I know?  Perhaps Tanner changed his mind and 'evicted' the animal.  He would have spare keys for all the apartments."

"Except I don't have a key, so I left it unlocked.  Anypony could've waltzed in and done it."

"Precisely.  Anypony could have done it, yet you blame me.  The nerve," Bran huffed, insulted by Guise's accusation.

"Not only do I think you did it, but I bet that's exactly what you were about to do when we bumped into each other earlier.  You just weren't expecting me to still be home."

Bran glared, becoming increasingly indignant, but also more visibly flustered as beads of sweat started to form on her forehead.  "I never!  I don't have to stand here and subject myself to this slander!  I have half a mind to report this mistreatment to Tanner and have him turn around his decision to let you stay here."

As belligerent as she was being, a crack in her defense showed itself in the form of a barely stifled sneeze.  Guise raised an eyebrow at her, to which she responded with even greater defensiveness.

"What?  I have a cold."

"You seemed fine earlier."

"It came on quickly."

Guise had had enough of her transparent lies.  He flung the door open, catching the mare off guard.  Now that she wasn't partially obscured, he took immediate notice of the several adhesive bandages affixed to her fetlocks that weren't there earlier.  "I suppose next you're going to tell me you fell down some stairs."

"You have no evidence of anything, and quite frankly, I'm tempted to take my complaints to the royal guard for this unwarranted attack on my character."

"Unwarranted, my ass.  Anypony with half a brain could figure out you're the most likely suspect," Guise snapped, though admittedly feeling a little bad to imply that about Sweetmint as well.

"Yet all you have to prove it are a coincidental sneeze and a few tiny scratches.  Hardly decisive, I would say," she stated confidently.

Guise sneered at her.  She had a point, but proving she had done it wasn't the issue here.  His objective was to figure out what happened to Persimmon.  Bran knew.  She had to know.  The problem was dragging the information out of her.

But that's when Guise got an idea.  She didn't have to tell him.  Guise had the capability to acquire the information himself, though he was a little doubtful that it would work.  Still, it was a better alternative to continuing this asinine argument.

Guise forcefully grabbed Bran by the horn, pulling her head near his and staring her intensely in the eyes.

Bran resisted, startled and frightened by his sudden aggression.  "Wh-What are you doing?!"

"Shut up, it's just a spell, it won't hurt.  Now, sit still," Guise commanded.

Bran tried to wrench her horn free from Guise's grip, but he made sure to keep her eyes facing him.  His own eyes began to glow an eerie green, and once Bran's eyes started to do the same, her struggling weakened.  Her expression shifted as though she were on the verge of sleep, but still looked rather uncomfortable, like she had gotten a sudden headache.

Guise knew what she was experiencing; he'd been on the receiving end of this spell before.  It wasn't pleasant.  It felt like something was inside your skull, crawling over your brain.  But her reaction alone was an indication of progress.  He'd had nothing to practice on since leaving the Changeling Kingdom except animals, and he had to imagine that their lower intelligence made rummaging through their memories a bit more tedious.  Guise hadn't even been able to get a glimpse of anything from any of them yet, but his experience with Persimmon earlier that day gave him some confidence.

And as he held Bran in his grip, somewhat pacified by the effects of the spell, he finally saw something.  In his mind's eye, Guise saw flashes of somepony's point of view.  He even briefly saw himself in his disguise.  These were Bran's memories of their meeting earlier that day.  Unfortunately, Guise didn't know how to manually sift through the memories like Glory could.  He could only assume these specific thoughts were coalescing because they were fresh in Bran's mind and relevant to their conversation.

Guise concentrated as hard as he could, trying to take note of all the still images appearing in his head.  They were a little fuzzy and dark, like poorly shot photographs, but discernible enough.  Bran talking to him; Bran entering their apartment; Bran finding Persimmon; Bran forcibly bringing Persimmon to her apartment.  That last one should have been all he needed to see, but he had managed to get a bit more.  She struggled to keep the cat under control, which was evidently how she got scratched up, and the last images he saw were Persimmon bolting out the door and Bran chasing after him.  However, she obviously couldn't keep up with the agile feline, and Persimmon vanished around the street corner to the right from the building.

Guise finally let go of Bran's horn.  He knew the feeling of dizziness and discomfort was something the victim experienced upon being released from the spell, but he hadn't expected to feel that as the caster.  It was a tad disorienting to have so many images flashing in his mind and out of his control, so it took a few seconds for his own thoughts to take over again and his vision to refocus.

Bran was in much the same boat, blinking rapidly and shaking her head.  "Wha...?  What did you just do to me?"

"Like I said, it's just a spell I've been working on.  Don't worry about it.  More importantly..."  Guise glowered harshly at her.  "The hell is wrong with you?!"

Bran was taken aback by his sudden anger.

"Are you really so far up your own ass that you'd steal somepony's pet just because you don't like it?!"

She balked in disgust at not just his attitude, but his language.  "I beg your pardon!"

"Don't bother with your little charade anymore, you're not fooling anypony.  I've met some shitty people in my life, and I'll admit that I've done some bad stuff in the past, but I was under the impression that people around here were supposed to be friendly and hospitable!  Mint was right about you: you're just a bitch!"

"Excuse m—"

"Shut it!  Do you even know why Sweetmint has that cat?  Have you ever bothered to stop thinking about yourself long enough to ask?!"

Bran hesitated to respond, likely believing she would only get cut off again.  But Guise waited until she said something, scowling furiously all the while.  "O-Of course I do.  But why should she get special treatment just because she has a tendency to throw temper tantrums?  Would you reward a child for behaving that way?"

Guise ground his teeth at this insufferable and selfish mare.  He couldn't believe that somepony like this actually existed.  It was becoming increasingly plain to see that all that "friendship" stuff he'd heard about didn't come as naturally to these ponies as he'd initially been lead to believe.  He wasn't ignorant to the hypocrisy of his words, but given who and what he was, that was to be expected of him.  What was her excuse?  What was anypony else's excuse?  He couldn't fully understand why, but her ignorance and selfishness enraged him.

"You don't know her," Guise scolded.  "She has to put up with an endless amount of bullshit everyday because everypony in this damn city is either selfish, moronic, or both!  And you want to take away the one privilege she has!  The one thing that actually brings a little happiness into her life!"

"I-It's not like I was going to kill it or anything," she argued, though it was obvious that her resolve had weakened significantly; she wasn't even bothering to lie about it anymore.  "I was just going to bring it down to the pet shelter."

Guise prodded a hoof firmly against her chest.  "I don't give a shit what you were 'planning' to do.  The fact of the matter is, you slighted her, and by extension, me.  And let me share a little tidbit about myself."  He leaned in close, a menacing look in his golden eyes.  "I know how to hold a grudge.  So, if you know what's good for you, you'll keep your nose out of our business from now on.  Got it?!"

Bran just nodded fearfully, cowering away from him.

Guise backed off, but maintained his authoritative air.  "Good.  Let's keep it that way.  I'd rather not have to have this conversation again.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a cat to find."

And with that, Guise casually sauntered off to search for Persimmon, leaving a shaken Bran behind to shut herself in, locking the door behind her.  Based on what he'd seen in Bran's memories, Sweetmint had actually gone off in the wrong direction to find the cat, so it fell to Guise to find him.

Honestly, Guise wasn't really even thinking about Persimmon right now.  In fact, he was experiencing an odd mixture of emotions, what felt like both anger and satisfaction.  It had been a long time since he'd been able really lay into somepony like that.  As furious as he was with Bran, he had to admit it was cathartic given that he had to reign his emotions in in order to more effectively blend into pony society.  It was him that had once told Sweetmint not to keep her emotions bottled up, but obviously there was a time and place for everything, and now was that time for him.

The odd thing was, he wasn't expecting to have been so passionate about this.  He was being a complete hypocrite and he knew it, but nothing about what he said was actually disingenuous.  He really didn't care about that cat, but his argument with Bran was predicated on Persimmon's importance to Sweetmint.  He was eager to jump to her defense, but a part of him wasn't sure if that was a result of his own desire to vent his frustration towards all the deplorable ponies he'd met recently, or if it was genuinely for Sweetmint's sake.  She was important to him, but he was starting to wonder if his initial goals weren't the only reason for that.

Guise continued down one of Canterlot's streets, absentmindedly glancing around to see if he could spot Persimmon anywhere.  He passed by an alleyway between two buildings, where some movement caught his eye.  There were only a couple of garbage cans in the dark alley, but he had definitely seen something, and he could still hear something moving around.  It was worth a look.  He wandered into the alley and looked behind the trash cans.

Sure enough, there was an orange tabby cat cowering in the darkness, clearly frightened and confused.  However, Persimmon's eyes widened in what Guise could only interpret as cautious optimism the moment the cat saw him.

"There you are," Guise said with an air of annoyance and indifference.  "Come on, Mint's worried about you."

A little surprisingly, the cat actually listened to him, following him closely as they left the alley and returned on their way home.  Persimmon was actually sticking oddly close, keeping low to the ground and shifting his eyes back and forth, wary of every stranger that passed by.  Sweetmint had mentioned that Persimmon never leaves the apartment, so he must have been pretty shaken up to suddenly find himself wandering the unfamiliar streets, even if they weren't actually very far from home.

Guise guided the cat back to The Ivory Horseshoe, and as it happened, Sweetmint was just coming back as well with a rather disheartened expression, hanging her head low and practically looking to be on the verge of tears.  But, not surprisingly, her mood lifted the instant she laid eyes on her boyfriend walking toward her with her lost kitty.  Guise even smiled himself when he saw the elated grin on her face.

"Persy!"  She galloped toward the cat, Persimmon meeting her halfway and leaping into her grateful embrace.  "Oh, Momma was so worried about you, baby.  Don't scare me like that again."

"He actually didn't make it far," Guise told her, trying to sound indifferent.  "He probably could've found his way back eventually."

He was suddenly caught off guard by a thankful and surprisingly aggressive kiss from Sweetmint.  "I'm so sorry I blamed this on you at first.  I still don't know how he ended up getting out."

Guise could have told her it was Bran, but for some reason he decided against it.  Sweetmint probably wouldn't have been surprised to hear that, but she was happy now.  Why spoil her mood?  So, Guise just shrugged.  "Doesn't really matter now, right?"

The three of them headed back to their apartment.  Persimmon seemed elated to be back in a familiar space, immediately rubbing against the corner of the couch and purring rather loudly.  Sweetmint immediately grabbed a cold beer out of the fridge, eager to put this stressful day behind her.  Guise simply planted himself on the couch lazily.

"I guess I should get started on supper," Sweetmint said with a long sigh, the day's events clearly having taken their toll on her.

"Don't put yourself out," Guise suggested.  "Just throw in some noodles or something."

"Done and done," she agreed, doing just that.  "But I think I'm gonna take a quick shower first."

Guise just leaned back against the couch as Sweetmint entered the bathroom.  However, he was startled when Persimmon hopped up onto the arm of the couch right next to him.  Guise stared the cat in the eye skeptically, wondering what nonsense the feline intended to aggravate him with this time.  But, in contrast to his expectations, Persimmon actually nuzzled against Guise's cheek.  The changeling pulled away with a groan, his red cheeks suddenly becoming redder.  The cat just purred affectionately.

"Don't get the wrong idea," Guise told Persimmon.  "I only helped you because of her.  That doesn't make us friends."

Persimmon only mewled gratefully, no vindictiveness in his eyes whatsoever.

Guise just sat there quietly.  It was still a little weird to think about the fact that he was filling a similar role as this cat: helping Sweetmint stay happy.  He didn't know what to think about that, but it was the reason he wanted to find Persimmon, and keeping Sweetmint happy was one of his goals.  The smile on her face when she saw her cat again was almost as satisfying as tearing into Bran was.  Even though he had told her she should be allowed to vent her anger when she needed to, he was beginning to think that maybe seeing her happy was just a little more important, if only for his own satisfaction.  Was that selfish?  Guise honestly couldn't tell.

Sweetmint returned from the bathroom with a towel around her head.  The microwave had stopped a few minutes ago, but the noodles were likely still warm anyway.  But, instead of tending to her own supper, she opened the cupboard where Persimmon's food was kept.  The cat, recognizing the action, immediately hurried over to the kitchen in anticipation.  "Suppertime for Persy, too, right?" she said cutely.

Guise glanced to the can she took down.  "There's one open in the fridge."

"Oh, right.  Guess I'm not used to having somepony else to feed him."  Sweetmint looked at the can in her magical grasp.  "Unless he wants chicken.  Want chicken, Persy?"

"Tuna's his favorite."

Sweetmint blinked.  "What?  How do you know that?"

Guise lifted his head.  He'd said that without thinking.  Why would he bother?  It wasn't even like he cared.  Right?  He just shrugged, not even bothering to explain himself in the hopes of appearing apathetic once more.

Sweetmint cast a sly smirk from the kitchen.  "Did you two bond while I was gone?"

Guise just grumbled, hoping that she couldn't pick out the blush on his crimson cheeks.  "Shut up."