"I think you should charge a hundred bits for five minutes," the milkmare offered as she wistfully recalled my touch. "There's nothing for me that has ever felt like that!"
"Mike, you'd better be careful," Nanaimo cautioned. "Your touch is very addictive, like, it feels like, ummmm, uhh, it feels sooooo gooooood!" she moaned, losing control of herself for a moment or two. I took mental notes of their statements, coming to the conclusion that the touch of a human to the ear of a pony is the most addictive of narcotics, moreso than even caffeine or nicotine. I was torn between wanting to make lots of money but also not wanting to upset my love.
"I think it would be a good idea to think about this before making any further decisions," I announced, taking a seat on one of the benches. The hard wood of the bench seemed to implant the very physical nature of this afterlife I was in, letting me know that this place was every bit as real as the world I had previously inhabited. Myriad more thoughts raced very quickly through my mind, my previous life seeming to flash before my eyes. My gaze seemed to go completely vacant, which spooked the other ponies, one of whom neighed, which focused my attention on that sound. I met the gaze of that particular pony, but the fact I had no idea who he was caused me to look away from him. He snorted in derision but I paid it no mind. I turned my attention to Nanaimo, who also seemed spooked by my introspection.
"Sorry about that, my mind got lost in a cloud," I chuckled softly, just barely grazing a finger behind her left ear. She involuntarily squee'd as I did this, causing me to remove my hand from behind her head and mentally chastising myself for having succumbed to the temptation to scratch her behind her ears again. You'd better be careful about doing that, I thought to myself. Nanaimo flashed me a hurt look.
"Maybe when we get some alone time we can do that," I chuckled. "Right now is probably not a good time for that." Brann cleared his throat, catching my attention.
"Um, how about doing that for me?" he asked, blushing hard and grinning broadly at me. Cookie chimed in as well, also expressing a curiosity about how good the sensation was. I simply shook my head at them. They both expressed disappointment at that, then they sauntered off towards another passenger car on the train.
"How long is this ride supposed to last?" I asked, my question not directly addressed to any particular pony.
"I don't remember, it's been awhile since I left town for school," Nanaimo replied.
"The trip from Trottingham to Vanhoover took about three days," Milky Way stated matter-of-factly. "We'll be making stops along the way and taking occasional breaks during the trip. So, Mike, have you made a decision about what you plan on doing?" she asked, flashing me a hopeful look.
"When we get to Trottingham, it looks like I'm going to have to find employment there -- and if previous experience holds true to form, I'll have to start my own business -- and hopefully that won't entail scratching ponies behind their ears, but if I can't make money any other way, I guess I'll have no choice," I replied glumly, taking note of Nanaimo's expression. "What about you, Nanaimo? What do you plan on doing when we get to Trottingham?"
She sighed in exasperation. "I think I'll be joining you on your job search, the last thing I want to do is go back to school," she answered, frowning at the possibility of having to resume her studies from her previous stay in Trottingham. I silently wondered what the university there would be like, and considered the prospect of working for that university in some capacity or other.
"What about you, Milky Way?" I asked, noticing how the milkmare was laying on her belly on one of the benches. It looked like that position was the most comfortable one for ponies, as I had remembered seeing quite a few ponies laying like that, relaxing as the train gently rocked on the rails. She glanced up at me before resting her head.
"I have a shop I run in town, I sell milk," she replied.
"Could I work for you in your shop? I tried looking all over Vanhoover trying to find a job," I averred. Her beauty was entrancing and I forced myself to look away from her, only to see Nanaimo frowning at me in disapproval.
"Not unless you hire me, too, Milky Way -- and Mike, don't even think of trying anything funny with her!"
"You want me to scratch you behind your ears again?" I asked the brown mare facetiously. Her anger melted away swiftly and she smiled broadly at me again. She nodded her head vigorously, her grin becoming even wider. "I could probably make a lot of money doing that for other ponies," I mused.
"Duh, that's what I told you, silly!" she chided mirthfully, but paying close attention to one of my hands, the touching it with one of her hooves. I grasped it with my fingers which shocked her, but as I squeezed it lightly, she cooed softly.
"You're my love, I'll never do anything to intentionally hurt you," I said softly, now gazing into her eyes.
"Nice qualifier there," the milkmare chortled, her eyes twinkling at me before she returned to resting her head on her forehooves.
"Hey, I'm only human," I protested, causing the milkmare to giggle. "We all make mistakes, you know that," I added almost petulantly. I don't know why my voice sounded like I was whining, nor did I understand why my register seemed an octave higher than normal. Nanaimo grinned at me before losing control of herself and erupted into full belly laughs. "What's so funny?" I asked, my confidence shaken by my weak voice. I groaned in disgust. "I'll scratch you behind your ears, too," I noted stridently, directing my attention to the milkmare. "And I'll scratch you behind your ears, too, Nanaimo," I added a bit mirthfully, playfully dancing my fingers on the back of her neck.
"Ooooh, Mike," the brown pony cooed softly. I removed my hand from behind her. "What'd ya stop for?" she asked in a hurt tone.
"Girl, I had no idea you ponies were that sensitive to my touch," I replied. I gently put my hand on her back to gauge her reaction to this. She was laying on a bench across from the milkmare so I was kneeling on the floor of the carriage we were riding in. I slowly guided my hand down her back, then returned to the back of her neck and brushed her down her back with my hand. She fell asleep quickly as a result of this. Milky Way had paid attention to this, as she was now smiling at me.
"So, you put her to sleep, huh? Hmmm!" she observed brightly, grinning broadly at me. "So that means you can scratch me behind my ears!" she giggled playfully.