Early evening fell over the city. CharmingRhythm’s hooves drug him to his apartment. He attempted to open the door, but the knob was stuck, locked. He realized he had no key with him. He cursed himself for not having one just in case. Instead, he knocked.
A few moments later, the door opened. Heartfelt’s brown eyes met him. “Rhythm.” The mint green mare was a bit surprised. She spoke softly “I’m glad to see you.”
“Yeah?” Rhythm said, feeling unexpectedly welcomed. He stepped inside.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you,” Heartfelt told him.
“I have something to tell you too. But, you go first,” Rhythm politely insisted.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry about how I acted before you left. I thought about it for a bit, and I’ve felt horrible since you’ve been gone,” Heartfelt expressed.
Her words fell over Rhythm like silk, soft and inviting.
“I shouldn’t have taken it so personally,” Heartfelt continued. “I know your missions are important to you.”
Relief flooded Rhythm’s veins. A smile broke across his face as he spoke. “You’re important to me. I completely understand why you felt the way you did. I really should have asked you your opinion before taking on the mission.” Rhythm’s mood quickly spiraled downward. “I’m beginning to regret taking on this mission.”
“What? Why?” Heartfelt wondered.
Rhythm told his wife what happened to HyperBlitz and where he was now. Shocked, Heartfelt attempted to process the new information.
“That’s horrible,” Heartfelt frowned. “I know how important flying is to Hyper. This must be crushing.”
Rhythm knew what she said was true. This brought a new revelation to Rhythm. Now he felt more remorse than before. Would his friend ever be able to fly as well as he once had?
Rhythm slanted his eyes downward and sighed. “I don’t know what to do.”
“All you can do now is wait,” Heartfelt said as she placed a hoof on Rhythm’s shoulder. “Will you stay the night?”
Rhythm perked up a bit. “Yeah. Of course. I’d love to spend some time with you, and I’m glad we could make up.”
“I didn’t think we’d make up this soon. I expected you to be gone longer,” Heartfelt admitted. “I just wish I hadn’t acted like that to begin with.”
“Hey, you had every right to feel the way you did, believe me,” Rhythm reiterated. He did not want her feelings to be invalidated. “Besides, one good thing came out of that argument.” Heartfelt shot him a perplexed face that urged him to explain. “I wrote a song.”
“Seriously? Of course you would,” Heartfelt smirked as she shook her head. “Could I read it, if it’s not too touchy?”
“Sure, but some other time. I don’t have it with me,” Rhythm replied.
Heartfelt nodded, allowing that answer.
Rhythm leaned forward and gave her a kiss. Heartfelt accepted the gesture and pressed her muzzle into his.
“I missed you,” Rhythm said as he began to pull away.
“I missed you too,” Heartfelt replied as their eyes met again.“If we miss each other so much for two weeks, how are we going to handle several months?”
“I don’t know, but it will make the reunion all the more sweet,” Rhythm smiled.
Heartfelt let out a huff of amusement and nodded her head.
Rhythm suddenly realized how hungry he was. He had not eaten since the morning before he left for the city. “Can we make dinner? I’m starving,” He asked.
“Sure,” Heartfelt said with a smirk.
A bit after dinner, Rhythm found himself snuggling in bed next to Heartfelt. His belly was comfortably full and the bed was snug. Heartfelt nuzzled her soft chin against his shoulder. Rhythm raised his right hoof to stroke her cheek. Her eyes flew open at the unnatural touch.
“So when are we going to finally get a sock for your leg?” Heartfelt asked, slightly amused.
“I dunno.” Rhythm knew a soft sock over his prosthetic leg would make cuddling a lot more comfortable. It would be a false sense of normalcy.
“Maybe I could make one while you’re away,” Heartfelt trailed off. Rhythm could tell she was thinking about the months to come without him by her side.
“You doing alright financially?” Rhythm wondered.
“Yeah, for now. I should be fine for a while, but maybe a few months down the road I’ll have to move in with someone,” Heartfelt thought. “I’ll have to move our stuff somewhere though. Maybe separate it between your parents house and my parents… and maybe at SweetHooves’ place if I do decide to live there.”
“I’m sure my family would be more than willing to help,” Rhythm assured.
“I know,” Heartfelt murmured.
Rhythm gave her a kiss on the forehead. Heartfelt pulled herself closer to the stallion and sighed. Rhythm placed his chin on her head and wrapped his natural leg under her. They didn’t talk much more. Instead they relished each others’ touch.
This was exactly what CharmingRhythm needed. His heart had been emotionally drained but his wife could fill it. He was thankful for the cool night, so he could enjoy Hearfelt’s warmth even more. Rhythm savored the moment, knowing he may not be able to experience another like it for months to come.
Morning came and Rhythm realized he had slept longer than he had intended. The apartment’s bed was much more welcoming than his bed at the base. He had slept soundly, with no nightmares or anxiety disturbing him. Heartfelt next to him had made it all the more pleasant. Rhythm felt more refreshed than he had felt for the past two weeks. Even with struggles behind and ahead of him, he felt ready to tackle the rest of his mission.
“I got some things to do,” Rhythm told Heartfelt as he headed for the door. “I promise I’ll be back.” He gave her a quick kiss and was on his way.
Rhythm watched the towers pass by as he scouted the streets. Passing by HyperBlitz’s apartment, he thought of checking up on him. He decided that he would.
SweetHooves let him inside and Rhythm found his friend sitting in despair. Rhythm had not recalled Hyper ever looking this somber. The same energy clung to SweetHooves. Rhythm felt bad, for he knew how much SweetHooves wished she could heal her husband.
“I’m going to be going back to camp soon,” Rhythm told the Pegasus. “Would you like to come back while you wait for your wing to be made?”
Hyper shook his head. “I don’t think I’ll be very useful at base. Besides, I’m going to need some more measurements taken. I’d like to stay here with SweetHooves for a bit.”
“That’s totally fine,” Rhythm reassured him. “But I’m not going to know when to pick you up…”
“I’ll fly back to camp once I have my new wing,” Hyper affirmed.
“Are you sure?” Rhythm asked skeptically. He remembered how he had to readjust to his new leg when he first got it. “You need to get used to a new wing first.”
“I’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll come as soon as I’m ready. I don’t want to let you guys down,” Hyper finished, his eyes now burning with determination.
Rhythm accepted that and said goodbye.
He returned on his trek to the main Resistance building. Inside he found that one of the elevators was out of order, and grew impatient waiting for the other. Rhythm finally got to the president’s floor. He explained to the guards that he wanted to see her, but had to wait first for permission to come inside. His fur itched from all of the waiting.
Once inside, Rhythm explained to the council what had happened to HyperBlitz. The president didn’t even seem phased when he told her the news.
“Would you like to replace his position on your team? We can assign you another recruit,” Clarity told him.
“What?” Rhythm replied, holding back his outrage. “I’d never replace Hyper. We’re just going to wait for him to come back.”
“Very well. How has progress been going in the camp?” She pressed.
“It’s good, slow though. We’re going to need some more supplies; food and medicine, and a computer,” Rhythm listed.
“That we can get for you. I will assign some ponies to gather those supplies for you,” The lavender mare addressed as she placed her hooves together.
“But, progress is really slow,” Rhythm restated. “It would be nice if we had some more recruits to help us. Especially ones that know how to build.”
“Do you have any houses with preferred living conditions?” Clarity asked.
“Well… no, not yet,” Rhythm admitted. They would need clean beds for that. He suddenly felt a bit frustrated, knowing that the Resistance had supplies they badly needed, but the president wasn’t offering any of them.
“Then I can’t assign you any more recruits. Report back to us when you do have proper housing, then we will seek out assistance for you,” Clarity finished.
“What? So just because I don’t have finished houses means I can’t get any more help?” Rhythm replied, shocked. “How many times have recruits slept on the floor on their missions?”
“I’m sorry CharmingRhythm, that is the rule.”
Irritated, Rhythm tried to calm down. He noticed a pink Pegasus eyeing him from the left. Rhythm couldn’t make out what expression they were making, but it made him uneasy. Was it because he was making a fuss? No, the Pegasus’s eyes expressed more interest than displeasure.
“Alright,” He let out. “I’ll let you know when we have finished homes.”
CharmingRhythm was sent back out of the meeting room. He felt infuriated, but he kept his emotions inside. He needed to pick up the supplies that were offered to him, but his discontent kept him away from the public for the moment.Feeling the need to vent he retraced his steps back to his apartment.
“She didn’t even seem concerned that Hyper lost a wing!” Rhythm spilled out to Heartfelt, who sat next to him.
“I’m sure she was just trying to be professional,” Heartfelt hypothesised. She placed her hoof on his back and listened intently.
“She could have at least shown a little concern. I mean, she asked me if I wanted to replace him, for Celestia’s sake!” Rhythm exclaimed with outstretched forelegs. “I’m not replacing Hyper, he’s one of my best friends!”
“Clarity doesn’t seem like a pony who acts on emotion. It’s all business to her,” Heartfelt considered.
“A good leader should show some sympathy is all,” Rhythm sighed.
“Like you?” Heartfelt leaned on his shoulder.
“I’m not…” Rhythm tried to protest but stopped in his tracks. “I just wished she would help me a bit more, y’know? She didn’t even want to give me more recruits when I asked for them.”
“Perhaps you can find some for yourself? Interview some,” Heartfelt suggested.
“I don’t really have the time right now. Anyway, I need to go and pick up supplies and head back to camp.” Rhythm leapt off of the couch.
Heartfelt reached for him and touched his tail with her lime hoof. “Please stay another night,” She begged.
Rhythm swirled around and looked into her loving eyes. He couldn’t say no. “Okay. But just one more night. I’ve got to go in the morning.” He bowed his head to place his horn next to Heartfelt’s horn. He kissed her lips before standing up straight. “Alright, I better go out. I’ll see you later.”
“See you later,” Heartfelt replied as he slipped out of the door.
CharmingRhythm was glad he stopped back at the apartment. Although he was frustrated, Heartfelt had a natural way of easing his tension. It’s probably best I stayed another night, he thought. Even if he was sure he could get his errands done before late afternoon, he wanted to spend more time with his wife. Who knows how long it would be till they saw each other again. Rhythm could use every bit of love he could get from Heartfelt to keep his morale up.