//------------------------------// // Time Off- Part II // Story: Humans Assemble! // by Mistershield //------------------------------// Chapter 31- Time Off- Part II Dan stood in front of the Crusaders, which had been lined up. The little fillies looked at each other, not sure what was going to happen to them. Scootaloo tried to look brave, staring at Dan’s face with as much defiance she could muster. Wasn't much though, even Rainbow Dash was scared of him! Sweetie Bell went over the moments before their death sentence over and over in her head. “Please, go easy on my sis. I need her for chores, so make sure she keeps at least on eye” Applejack said before she went off to meet Dovahkiin. “Sweetie Bell, remember, this is what happens when you try to take Nate from me” Rarity said, whispering into her little sister’s ears. Sweetie Bell gulped. “Man, I do not want to be you Scoots. You remember what Dan did to the table and the food? I can't imagine what he could do to ponies he actually hates” Rainbow Dash said. She left as well, joining Phoenix in Samus ship. “Danny wanny, please show some mercy! I’m sure they won’t do it again!” Pinkie Pie said. Princess Luna walked over to the fillies, looking down at them with pity. “I have seen nightmares. I have seen broken psyches, I have been witness to depravities only seen in the dark. But Dan is, by far, the worst thing I have ever seen in all my years alive,” Luna said to shake her head to the sides. “I only scanned him two seconds before I could take no more.” “Show them no mercy,” Fluttershy said, staring down the crusaders. She left them, leaving Soma to look behind her. He raised both hands up, putting them in a prayer position for them. “Nice knowing you,” the soul hunter said before walking away. “Oh, I agree with Luna by the way. Out of all of history's greatest monsters, this is the most evil one I have encountered.” “They are joking, right?” Scootaloo asked. “You know, I don't think they are at all,” Sweetie Bell said, feeling her knees buckle. “Good bye, my little ponies,” Twilight said. She took Otacon by his hand to lead him to the library. It seemed like she didn't care at all about the fate of the Crusaders. There was research to do! “Damn... and I thought Pyro was messed up. And that fellow set fires to the people he likes...” Blue Spy said. He waved to the girls, having Zecora lead him to a flower shop. Sephiroth turned to look at Dan a moment. He then looked at the little fillies. He turned to look back at Dan. “Destroy them.” He then walked away with Lyra. “Hey, I’m all for capital punishment actually,” Ralf said. “It builds the character.” He then smiled at Cherilee and followed her to the school. Snake raised his right arm up, saluting the Crusaders. Say what you can about their stupidity, but they had guts. “I will put flowers on your grave.” Trixie turned to look at them and then followed suit, saluting them with a smile. While the procession was going on, Travis said nothing and kept his arms crossed on his chest. He was sure that the whole Assassination Association thing was messed up, but he started to get second thoughts. So Dan was not fronting? Those pointy teeth were the signs of a real stone cold killer? “Look, I wasn't going to say anything, but I gotta say something. Dan, I think I like your style. Respect.” Travis said, nodding once. “Whatever you do, make sure you give em something extra from me.” “Oh man, I suddenly feel like I would rather face the whole fire nation again, and by myself...” Sokka said, eyes closed. “Why is everyone making such a big deal about-” Derpy stopped, turning to look at Dan. “The great muffin destroyer! Run!” Derpy said, turning to lead her child and Sokka away. That’s when Dan started to pace in front of them. “We are so hosed” Sweetie Bell said, moving to hug her friends closer. “You are all mine now,” Dan spoke in a low voice. “While I think about a proper punishment... How about you help PInkie Pie move from Sugarcube Corner? Its what nice ponies would do to try and make up for things,” Dan said to smile at the Crusaders. They all headed off to the Sugarcube to say goodbye to the Cakes and help Pinkie move. ______________________________________ Nate and Rarity walked quietly towards Carousel Boutique. It had been a long day, and Rarity had not been used to so much action in one action packed rollercoaster. Nate had, but he was still exhausted anyway. She was impressed by the actions of the least powerful of the humans. Humble, resourceful, witty, and although it was dry- There was a sense of humor. Least he tried. And then there was the moment when he could have very well saved the life of Phoenix. “Can you believe what happened there? I mean, shoving us away like that,” Rarity said, frowning a bit at Twilight’s actions. As soon as Princess Luna left with Travis, she had gotten Rainbow Dash to leave with Phoenix. “You don’t think she was still jealous that she had yet to spend time with her Champion, do you?” Nate asked, perking up an eyebrow. “I mean, as it stands, we just spent a night together, and we didn’t get to talk much either.” “You know, now that you mention it, that is true...” Rarity perked up her eyebrows. “We will have to remedy that in our date tonight. Just give me a moment to fix my mane.” “Really? I think your mane looks nice when its wet,” he said to look down at her. Her normally gravity defying hair was limp, hanging against her frame and spread apart to make her look like Twilight a bit. “Oh, you are just saying that. I bet my hair looks a mess,” Rarity said, moving her hoofs to try and get the water out of her mane. She even went so far as to lean back and sit, trying to wring the water out with both hooves. “I must ask though, why do you like my hair wet?” “Well, I like the color” Nate responded, giving a shrug. “Just the color? She asked, stopping her movements. And such lengths she had to wake up so early for and make sure her hair was just right! “Is something wrong with liking a color?” Nate asked. Aw crap. The instant he said those words he knew that he had put his foot in his mouth again. Of course there more things to than just like color to a tailor! She lowered her head a bit, looking sad. Rarity simply shook her head to the sides. F***! Think Nate, think! “No, I suppose not-” “Have you ever been to the jungles? To mountain tops? On a boat over the ocean?” Nate started to say, not sure where he was going with this. “They can be so boring and overrated. But sometimes, you get lucky, you know?” He said, turning to look at her. The treasure hunter had stepped over to look down at her face. “No, I haven’t. What do you mean with lucky?” Rarity asked, a bit confused as to why she had been interrupted. “You catch the view on a sunrise or sunset. There’s nothing like watch the sun rise on a boat that rocks back and forth on waves. Endless water that reflects the light of day. There is nothing like the sunset in a jungle- Its like it decides to come alive for the second time...” Nate said, lifting his head to close both eyes. He rarely got to see those sights, even in his adventures. “And even the sun at noon on a cold mountain top makes you feel glad to be alive. But...” “But what?” Rarity asked, lifting her head to look at his face. “But the colors are the same. Their colors will be the same yesterday, and tomorrow as well. Just because the sun rises and sets and changes how things look, doesn’t change the fact that the colors stays the same,” he said to open his eyes. “I was lucky enough to see your mane after rain. And even though your hair changed, its color stayed the same.” “Nate...” Rarity said, lowering her hooves to the ground. Where was he going with this? “What I am trying to say is, that you can change a scene with a sunset or sunrise. But if the color is not beautiful, the sun can only do so much.” “How do you do that?” She asked, closing her eyes a little. “Do what?” Nate asked. The words he was saying kinda was odd to him as well. This was the kind of stuff you save for a fifth date. “Make something so simple, so important?” “Aren’t simple things the basis of everything? If the simple things are not right, anything else you add on won’t be right either. Guess I am trying to say you don’t have to try so hard to impress me.” “Oh... you should be a poet,” Rarity said, moving to stand up and lead the way again. “None of that rhymed...” Nate said, raising his eyebrows. “Oh dear Nathan. You should know that to make a poem, you need the right words to start with.” ___________________________________ “And this is my home, where I live with Bon Bon,” Lyra said, stepping outside her home. It was a modest two story building, much like most of the houses in Ponyville. Sephiroth raised his head, inspecting the building. There was a slight hint of candy in the air. A gentle breeze made some wind chimes sway, giving a gentle pitch of a short melody. “Bon Bon is a confectionary artist, she works with chocolate. I’m sort of an archivist of sorts. I try to make sure the old songs are not forgotten, and that the traditions of old songs stay the same,” Lyra said as she stepped to open the door. Sephiroth followed behind, Having to bend at his waist and try to force himself through the door. It was certainly wide enough to let furniture in, but the height left much to desire. At least Sephiroth understood the reasoning for chimes and sweet scent. A strange duo by the sound of it, yet one that shouldn’t be all so surprising. Candy and music sometimes go so well together. Still, with the name Bon Bon- It was no wonder she would be a confectionary. “Lyra!” An earth mare with dual colored mane stepped down from the steps. “Bon Bon! You didn’t leave town during the mess?” Lyra asked, moving inside the building to look around. It seems that the home had been left alone. Same old yellow painted walls, and it appears that nothing was disturbed. “I am just glad you’re ok. I am not going to let anyone steal-” Bon Bon stopped, turning to look at the human angel as he stood straight up. At least he could stand inside. Bit cramped, but not like he cared. His wing stretched out a bit, much like a pegasus. His long hair stretched out behind his shoulders to and expose his face to Bon Bon. “Lyra, who is the super pegasus?” Bon Bon asked, having moved her front hooves to rest on the unicorn’s shoulders. “He’s my knight, a human!” Lyra said, frowning a bit. “Honest, he’s going to protect me and you!” Sephiroth picked up his head at this outburst, caught off guard. Why should he protect anyone at all? He frowned a bit, trying to think of a reason why think like that. The cetra tried to think why he wouldn’t. Was it because of the word experiment? A quick flash of a memory make him remember Hojo’s face. “What are you talking about?” Bon Bon asked. “This is a human? Now I know why you went on and on about them.” The chocolatier moved forward to walk around the human and smile. Nice flank. “Er.. Bon Bon, this is Sephiroth from SOLDIER. Sephy, this is Bon Bon,” Lyra said, moving to step away and let the two meet. Why was her friend acting this way? “Oh erm.. Hello Mr. Sephiroth. Please tell me Lyra didn’t do anything to embarrass herself?” The earth pony said. She had closed both if her eyes halfway, looking at his eyes. The earth pony moved her hoof up to make sure her mane looked presentable. Something about his long straight mane and eyes made Bon Bon feel like a piece of chocolate being stared at by a hungry pony. Thanks to Lyra, the other ponies thought she was off limits. “It seems that I am indeed her knight. I even vowed to win a tournament for the right of a kiss. I am afraid to ask, but what do you mean by embarrassing herself?” The cetra spoke, his voice deep. Bon Bon immediately frowned, looking up and down at this guy. A kiss from Lyra? Damn, she had competition... “Bonie, you ok? You look worse that when we had Princess Cadence's bridal bouquet throw,” Lyra said as she took a step forward. “Who do you think you are, you-” Bon Bon suddenly found herself quiet as a very pointy and sharp blade was brought to her chin in a flash. “I am Lyra’s knight. I suggest you do not sully her name by insulting me” Sephiroth said in a low voice. He had kneeled a bit, both of his arms moving to hold the hilt of his sword and frown at Bon Bon. “Oh Sephy, you don't have to fight each other! I love you both?” She asked, lifting her shoulders in a shrug. “What makes you think I wish to have a romantic relationship?” “Oh... You are just a knight protector? Not a romantic knight?” Bon Bon asked, turning to look back at him. Was there hope for her? “Most certainly not. I am a knight, but for me to even consider a relationship, she must meet Mother.” ________________________________ Mayor Mare released a sign. She had walked into the City Hall shortly after they all agreed to meet up tomorrow. It seems like she was going to get involved, thanks to Ash. Said human had walked in behind her, trying to look around at the damages. Thankfully, Sephiroth’s long sword had only cut through about half of the roof. With the clouds dispersed by Dovahkiin, not too much water fell in and ruin things. The communion room was shot, but her office was spared. The basement which held the town records, was also protected. “Man, what a mess,” Ash said, looking around. Some of the debris had fallen down, like beams and tiles to break the floor a bit. He stepped over to a beam and slid his steel hand along the edge. If the chainsaw had not been wet, he could have used it to cut it down into more manageable pieces. “This will take months to fix, and we used up the funds from last time to fix it. With the vouchers handed out, the treasury can’t fix this...” the Mayor said, walking to her new partner. He frowned, sharing her pain. He flexed his wrist, making the metal fingers wriggle a bit. He knew about replacing things. “Don't worry about it. No one got hurt, right? Ash said after a second. He turned to his now so called partner. With her mane partly pink and gray, she sort of looked like a hot mess. Those glasses she wore gave her a classy look. “I suppose you are right,” Mayor Mare said with a sigh. The earth pony walked over to look at the rest of the large room. It looks like a piano that was used as a decoration had been spared. The human ass kicker blinked and walked over the side. He sat down on the bench and moved both hands to lift the keyboard cover. “Hm.. been a while,” Ash said. He wondered if he could even play with his metal hand. “You can play the piano? My, you do have many talents,” Mayor Mare said, glad for the distraction. “Heh. I can even sing too.” “Really?” The mare raised both her eyebrows. She moved her left hoof out to motion for him to play something. The sales clerk picked himself to sit straight, resting both hands over the keyboards. “Now before I sing this song, I have to put it into perspective. Just so you can understand, where I'm coming from when I sing this,” Ash said to look at her. “Its that the female is, the hunted, the animal.” He then shut both his eyes a bit, looking down at his feet to position them over the floor pedals. “And when I catch her being the predator, the hunter- I'm gonna kill her!” Ash said, picking his head up with a smile. The Mayor immediately picked up her eyes. “Well maybe not kill her but you know, you know what I mean. You silly mare. Little bit of hot nookie, eh, little bit of, pinch and squeal?” Ash said, lifting his steel hand to rub his fingertips together. The mare blinked once, tilting her head to the side as she calmed down. “Whatever you know however it goes. We're all animals right!? We're outta control, we’re fierce...animals. Crazy grrr!” Ash said, putting his hand back down. “That's what I'm sayin. Let's do this song.” Darken the city, night is a wire Steam in the subway, earth is a fire Do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo Woman, you want me, give me a sign And catch my breathing even closer behind Do do do do do do do dodo dododo dodo In touch with the ground I'm on the hunt I'm after you Smell like a sound, I'm lost in a crowd And I'm hungry like the wolf The mayor raised herself to lean her front hooves on the piano. Her right hoof moved into let the side of her head rest on it and listen to her knight sing. Such a rich and sexy voice. Ash stopped singing, moving his lips to whistle the last bit. “Is that how it ends?” Mayor Mare asked, looking at him with her eyes closed halfway. Behind her glasses, it gave her an alluring and seductive look. “Well, no... The thing is- You know what? Just give me some Sugar baby,” Ash said with a smirk. She leaned her head in closer, feeling the breath from his lips over her own. He leaned in a bit, eyes closed a bit. With her mane wet, she really looked like a hot mess. “Mayor! Mayor! City Hall has...” One of the mayor’s assistants stepped in, turning to look at the two. “Oh my. This is a bad time... sooooo, pink mane, huh?” “Get out!” “You’re fired!” _________________________________ “Do you really think Dan will hurt your sister?” Dovahkiin asked, looking down at Applejack as they made it to the farm. Unlike the others, the dragonborn could care less about getting wet. He resisted Frost anyway. He did however, changed clothes to remain in the thieves guild set. It was easily becoming his standard choice of equipment here. It seemed that none of the other humans wore leather save for belts and shoes, and the Nightingale set was just too flashy. “Nah, Dan will make sure their punishment will fit the crime. Although, with Pinkie around, who knows if they can both come up with something. That Pinkie sure loves pranks...” Applejack said. She came to a stop at the front door, blinking once at the notes there. She tilted her head to the side, reading them both out loud. “Dear Granny and Sis, I won't be around for a while. Samus wished to take me along to do a “flyby” over the area to get a map into her files. Won't be long, and I think I deserve some time off. Signed, Big Mac.” “Dear Big Mac and Applelings, I had to leave town after the hoopla. I got a note from the Orange family and had to take leave. I trust things things in ya’ll care. I’m sure Applebloom is off crusadin or whatever. With Love, Granny Smith.” “Well that was off” Dovahkiin said, lifting his eyebrows. it almost sounded as if the family wanted to give the two of them time off. “Hold on, there’s more... PS Dovahkiin. Make an honest girl out of Applejack.” Dovahkiin raised his eyebrows at that. Applejack lowered the note from the door and begun to ball it up on the ground. “Never mind them! Mah family, hehehe, honestly,” she said as her cheeks turned red. He held the door open for his partner and then moved inside. “So. Home alone” Dovahkiin said, looking around. Even with the noise of cows and pigs outside, the inside of the house was oddly quiet. “Eeyup. But don’t you worry bout a thing. I’ll cook for us,” Applejack said, trying to fill the odd silence. “About this morning...” Dovahkiin said, moving to follow her into the kitchen. She froze in her tracks, lowering her head to sigh. Now would be the best time to get it out of the open. The Element of Honesty turned around in place, lifting her head to look up at the Nord. “Ya do deserve an explanation, don’t cha?” She asked, her eyes furrowed a bit. “It would be nice to clear things up, yes.” “Lets go to your room then. It would be easier to explain,” Applejack said to go upstairs. It seemed odd for the conversation to take place in the room, but Dovahkiin complied. If it made things easier, so be it. Once in the room, he turned to look around. There was the pony shaped indent made by Applejack when he shouted her off his form. He winced once, wondering how much that actually hurt. More than once he had sent his foes to slam against a tree. “Why are we in here?” Dovahkiin asked, walking over to sit down at the edge of the bed. “Do you remember why Ah had come into the room?” Applejack asked. She had moved herself to sit at the foot of the bed, looking down at the floor. She would have to make a note for the room and have it clean more often. “I think I was shouting in my sleep. You must forgive me, but I have no idea why I did that. My house Carls never complained about it before..” The dragonborn moved his left hand to rub his chin. Or had they simply never told him? “House Carls?” Applejack asked, lifting her eyebrows. “Um... In my homeland, I owned several properties. Because I was something of a political fellow- I was named Jarl for the cities. Jarl is kinda like a senator, I guess,” Dovahkiin said. Damn, he had wanted to keep that part quiet. People were more impressed when he said he was in the wizard college. “House Carls are formal bodyguards assigned to the Jarls to protect and watch over affairs.” “Ya mean like a butler?” She asked, lifting her head to look at her partner. Really? This man was part dragon, magical, political placeholder, college graduate, and handsome? She moved her left hoof to rub her right. No pressure on her part... Still, what could you expect like a man whose Resolve could change the world? “Oh, butler. I like the word, but a Carl is a bit more. But you were saying?” Dovahkiin asked. He noted how nervous she was getting. “Ah right...” Applejack said, moving to sit on her haunches. Her front hooves moved to tap against each other as she slowly raised her head to look at his face. “This isn’t easy, I mean I should just come out and say it...” “Just start with the morning. Easy to start at the beginning,” he said. Bard 102. “Right. We all woke up in the morning thanks to ya shout thing...” the orange mare lowered her hooves down to get it out of the way. “The whole house was in an uproar. Little Applebloom was actually frighten, and she don’t frighten easily.” “Sorry about that,” Dovahkiin said, lifting his hand to take off his hood. He really didn’t want to scare off the tiny earth pony. Her red bow was almost as adorable as Applejack’s hat. “Ah figured to rush in there, try and wake ya up. The weird thing ‘bout it? The second I rushed in, ya calmed down,” she said. She blinked once, moving to walk closer to him. “Really?” he said, raising his eyebrows. That was weird. Did that have anything to do with the Elemental pairing? “Eeyup. Ya looked like ya had been tossing and turning all night. The moment I showed up, ya went calm like a baby. I walked closer to look at yer face, see if there was a nightmare or something.” She stopped moving, and instead hopped to join him in the bed. “Oh! That explains why you were looking down at me.” He nodded, lowering his arm when she jumped up. “Well, not exactly. Aw dang it. I wanted to kiss ya! Looking down at you like that, you looked like an angel,” Applejack said, turning her head to look away from his face. “You looked so peaceful, and your lips looked inviting. I don’t know why, but I was tempted for a kiss. I never kissed a guy before, and something in me made me think “This is your chance girl.”” They both stayed quiet, unable to think what to say to one another. Dovahkiin, because an adorable and cute horse liked him. Applejack, because she had a decent guy in her life and she didn’t know how to approach him. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie made it look so easy. “Well, I did promise you, so-” “What the-” Applejack found herself being pulled down. Dovahkiin moved his left hand out to pull off her hat. His other hand moved to place her body on his lap. “Dovah?” “Lets start with this,” the dragonborn said to smile at her. His right hand moved to slide through her blond mane. His fingers pushed through the strands. Although she didn’t keep her hair like Rarity did, she did brush it to keep it clean and free of knots. The little farmer found her hair and head assaulted by the nicest sensation she had ever felt. She fought the urge to stretch out her back like a cat and demand more. “Hm, you have a really soft mane. If I knew it felt this nice, I would have done this long ago,” the Dovahkiin said. She closed both her eyes and relaxed. She understood why Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash made such a big deal about this. His “fingers” were so soft and warm. They moved slowly, brushing against the nerves on the back of her head and neck hidden by her mane. “Oh Dovah, this feels so good,” she said, her voice a whisper. She only had Granny Smith and lil Applebloom help her with her brushing. She was going to insist he do this more often. “And now the other part...” He said. She found her head being lifted up. Immediately she opened her eyes, lifting her face to look at his own. “Now?” She asked, finding herself wanting more of the petting. She frowned a bit, but then found her gaze looking at his lips. She gulped, feeling his warm breath on her coat. Damnit. She closed her eyes and leaned in for the kiss. She smelled pleasant, much like the farms back in Skyrim. In turn, he placed his lips on her forehead. “That’s it?” Applejack asked, lifting her eyebrows. “What, you meant the lips?” Dovahkiin asked, lowering her back down. Applejack growled, and then tackled the big guy down to the bed sheets. She pinned his shoulders down with her hooves. “Yes on the lips! I’ve been shouted to a wall, fought alongside a dragon with you, embarrassed in front of my family thanks to you, and and... Pucker up!” She lowered her head fast, almost touching his face. She stopped though, his nose almost touching hers. She leaned in slowly then, resting her lips on his own. Both of the Dovahkiin's eyebrows were raised up, somehow gotten himself pinned down by a tiny horse of all things. He stared at her eyes, for once seeing determination there that made him scared. When she closed her eyes and leaned down, he held his breath and shut both eyes. Her lips were warm and soft. He didn’t expect it to be so, nor had he expected how her lips would be able to move to not swallow his mouth. After a second, Applejack picked up her head. This felt... Wrong. She frowned a bit, moving to get off his shoulders. What had she done? “Dovah, I’m sorry, I shouldn't have-” Dovahkiin silenced her mouth. He sat up straight, moving his hands to hold her shoulders. The left hand slid along her coat, up to her neck and then to her cheek. He lowered his head to the right side of her face, his own eyes closed. His lips fell on her own, softly. Both of her eyes opened wide, having not expecting that. Before, the kiss felt forced and awkward She had never had a chance to kiss a guy, so she was just going by instinct. Now, it felt welcomed. Her eyes slowly closed, and she leaned into him as well. He opened and closed his mouth, lightly sucking on her lips. She moved in response, letting him lead on. She had wanted a simple kiss, but this felt much better. Her head felt dizzy, and holding her breath for so long was not helping. He finally pulled away, lifting an eyebrow at how she was still kissing empty air. “Uh.. Applejack?” He asked, lifting his eyebrows. He chuckled, seeing her open her eyes a bit and then stop. She blinked, opening her eyes to find no one was still there. Damn his smile! How dare he play around like that. “That... That was better,” She said, finding herself having to stop and clear her mouth. It was hard to talk after that moment. She blushed, lowering her head a bit to look up at his eyes. She had heard of fireworks, lighting hitting and also how shocks up the spine, but nothing was like that moment. It was simple, gentle, and right. “Better?” He asked, lifting an eyebrow at her. She moved her right hoof out to push him in the shoulder. “Don’t push it. I want more, yeah. But that was a kiss.” “Wait till tonight...” “What?!” She panicked, looking around. “More?” “Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.” Author’s Notes: You know what? I did write side chapters involving clop. But I suck at that, so I will never show them to the world. Chapter proofreaded by LyonAzakura.