Chapter 5
“No,” the stern and frustrated voice of a thestral responded.
“I’m sorry Devin, but you don’t have a choice in the matter. It’s the princess’s orders,” the slightly annoyed voice of Skylight reiterated. She had been having this conversation with the thestral for the past five minutes, and yet he continued to argue with her on the matter.
“I said it multiple times and I will say it again. Fuck no and fuck off. I’m not going to see some fucking shrink because you and your little princess pal think i’m some sort of suicidal case. And even if I was, it’s none of your fucking business. So like I said before the answer is no. Now kindly fuck off Skylight!” Devin yelled, storming away upstairs into the master bedroom. The green coated unicorn let out another frustrated groan as she tried to figure out a way to convey the importance of visiting a psychologist.
“Damn that stallion, he isn’t making my job any easier,” the mare thought. It was true that the stallion had fought her tooth and nail every step of the way, and she logically assumed the attitude would continue. And despite her opposition to forcing the stallion into anything against his will, she knew it would do him good, at least in the long run.
“Maybe you should give him a little bit of space Major. Devin is a good stallion. He will come around, but you can’t force him into these sorts of things. If he wants help he will seek it out, but until then, the best thing we can do for him is to just be there for him and to be his friend.” With a reluctant nod, Skylight took this time to look towards her subordinate. Her words spoke volumes of her observational skills, a useful trait for any guard to have. It was one of the reasons Skylight trusted the pegasus, along with her immaculate service record.
“I know Streamline, I know. If I were in his situation, I would probably be reacting the same way. What happened to him isn’t fair, and I empathize with him. But the princess thinks what’s best is for him to be in therapy,” Skylight countered.
“And what exactly do you think is the best course of action for Devin?” Streamline retorted back. Her question held no sense of disrespect, but an abundance of curiosity. The pegasus knew what she would do in this sort of situation, though without an officer’s rank backing her up, her solution would likely go unheard.
Skylight took a few moments to think over the question. If it were up to her, she would sit down with the thestral and explain the situation to him. No lies, no half-truths, just the honest truth. She would explain how important he was to the survival of the Equestrian race and would make every accommodation she could to help ease the stallion’s transition into their society. Though like anyone else in the military, she had orders from higher up. Granted, her orders came directly from the highest power there was, so she assumed there could be some wiggle room for negotiations. And seeing how Princess Luna is also the mare’s friend.
With a determined nod the mare looked towards the sergeant with her answer.
“Thank you Streamline. I think I've been approaching this situation wrong from the start.” Looking towards the watch on her wrist, the mare noted that it was getting close to evening. With any luck, the Princess would be done with most of her obligations for the day and could make some time to see her.
“Hold down the fort Sergeant, I will be back late this evening. There’s somepony I need to see tonight.” For a brief moment, the mare’s body shimmered in the faint glow of a dark green aura. Long range teleportation was a difficult spell to master, seeing as how any little mistake could send a pony six feet under. Luckily, with the years of practice to and from Canterlot castle, the spell was a cinch for the experienced unicorn. A few more seconds later and the mare vanished from in front of Streamline. To this day it still amazed the pegasus at how fast a talented unicorn could make their way to Canterlot castle. Being of the avian variety, it would take the mare at least a good twenty minutes of flying to reach the same destination as Skylight reached in an instant.
Ruffling the wings on her back, Streamline couldn’t help but shrug. Despite the efficiency of being able to instantaneously transport a pony from point A to point B, the mare still preferred her wings. There was just a calming nature to soaring through the skies without a care in the world. The more the mare thought about her wings, the more she realized a great opportunity arising. Seeing as how her new charge was also capable of flight, she could teach him how to fly. It would be a great experience for the both of them, even allowing the two to bond more. And perhaps if the mare played her cards right, something a little more could come of it. A few lecherous thoughts popped into the mare’s head, mostly involving the mare and stallion having a rather good time on one of the many clouds above Canterlot. It took most of her control, though Streamline was able to withhold her wings from springing out to the side in an obvious display of arousal. Shaking her head free of those thoughts, the mare grabbed her bag from the previous outing before making her way upstairs.
“Foal steps Streamline, foal steps,” the pegasus mumbled, though she couldn’t hide the slight wag of her tail to and fro.
“It was turning out to be such a good day, then this stupid shit happens,” Devin angrily thought. He was rather enjoying his time with Streamline, despite all of the teasing and awkward stares he had received at the mall. He was very grateful for the pegasus friend he had made, though his mood couldn’t help but sour at the thought of the other mare.
“Why the hell can’t she see I don’t need their help? I’m perfectly fine the way I am.” The thestral continued his line of thoughts as he stared up at the ceiling from the comfort of his bed. After the little back and forth with Major Skylight, Devin lost all motivation to do anything else for the day. It had been two hours or so since the altercation, and the stallion still refused to move from his spot. It wasn’t until a few knocks on the door pulled the thestral from his thoughts.
“Devin, it’s Streamline. Can I come in?” the soft and caring voice of the pegasus rang from the other side of the door. Despite the fact that he didn’t really feel in the mood for company, Devin reluctantly sighed before responding.
“Yeah, it’s open.” Although he tried his best effort to conceal his emotions, the tone in his voice did little to convince the mare walking into his room that everything was alright.
“Hey Devin, I just wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing? I know it’s a little late and you haven’t really eaten dinner, so if you’re hungry I can go get you something.” And just like that, the stallion felt even worse than before. Just the caring tone of voice the mare was using was enough for the stallion to sit up in bed against the headboard, taking in the sight in front of him. There was no doubt it was his pegasus friend, though her attire had drastically changed from earlier in the day. A pair of short-black gym shorts rested firmly against the mare’s lower body, defining her shapely toned flank and thighs. A grey, slim fitting shirt accompanied the mare’s top half, accenting her assets and exposing her belly button. Suffice to say, Devin was mesmerized by the appearance of the mare, taking in her athletic beauty as she made her way to the side of his bed.
“T-Thank you Streamline, but i’m fine. I’m actually not really that hungry,” the thestral managed to state. His tone had yet to change and still worried the mare. She knew he had a lot on his mind, and as a good friend, it was her job to be there for him when he wanted to open up. Without wasting another moment, Streamline climbed into the bed with the thestral before resting against the headboard of the bed with a soft sigh.
“Devin, what’s wrong?” the voice was so gentle, Devin almost couldn’t hear it. Luckily with his new and improved sense of hearing, he was able to deduce the question as soon as he heard it.
“You’re not going to let this go if I tell you i’m fine, are you?” he questioned. One look from the mare was all he needed. He wasn’t going to get away with any half-assed answers. And she knew that he wouldn’t lie to her and instead would just prefer to remain silent. And that is exactly what he did.
Minutes rolled by for the pair of ponies with the thestral somehow silently coaxed into a new position. He didn’t really plan for it to happen, though when he went to lie back down in a more comfortable position, he had somehow found his head gently resting in the mare’s lap. For her part, Streamline was more than happy to oblige her friend with a soothing repetition of running her hands gently through his mane. The act was more than enough to comfort the stallion and after about ten minutes, the first question arose.
“Streamline… do you think that i’m broken?” gone was the depressed tone from earlier, replaced by a tone mixed with curiosity and albeit, fear.
“No Devin, I do not think you are broken. You are a good stallion that got the raw end of a deal you had no choice in,” Streamline calmly replied. Devin could only silently nod at the answer, using the next few minutes of silence to sort out his own feelings.
“Do you think I need therapy?” Streamline hesitated for a moment, though decided she should give her two cents.
“Devin, what you experienced is not something that just anyone can relate to. I think therapy could be a very helpful way to sort out your feelings on the whole situation, though I will not force you to go. You are capable of making your own decisions just like I am.” A small laugh soon escaped the thestrals throat, causing the mare to stop her stroking.
“Thank you for that Streamline. That’s all I ever wanted. A choice that I could decide for myself and not be bound by the orders of some Princess.” Devin was quick to sit up from his position before turning around and throwing his arms around the mare. Startled by the sudden affection from the stallion, the mare took a moment before reciprocating the action.
“Think nothing of it Devin. I know you will ask for help when you truly need it.” Streamline replied while still in the grasp of her friend. The hug continued for another minute or so before the thestral’s breath caught in his throat.
“S-Streamline, your hands.” the stallion deadpanned, feeling the mare unslide one of her hands from near the stallion’s cutie mark. Sheepishly pulling away the mare quickly got up from the bed before making her way out of the room with a sway to her hips.
“I don’t know what you are talking about, though you can thank me later,” the mare teased as she made her way out of the room. Despite what had just transpired, Devin couldn’t help but laugh at the sheer audacity and bravado of the mare. The way she always seemed to make him smile was a gift that he would always cherish. It was just then that a jolt of pain struck through the stallion’s abdomen, reminding him of his previously forgotten meal. Shaking his head with another chuckle, the stallion rose from the bed before making his way out of his room and towards the kitchen, where hopefully he could convince Streamline to let him take her up on that offer of food. All-in-all, still a pretty good day.