//------------------------------// // Chapter 12: Dinner With a Friend // Story: Finding Your Place With the Outcasts // by TikiBat //------------------------------// It had been a day since Sine Wave had finished hooking up her cabinets, and it wouldn’t be long until the arcade was fully ready for its soft opening. Even in the unfinished space, Sine could still imagine what the final product would be like, and the thought of being a part of something like this made her want to squee in delight. This wasn’t her first physical arcade-like space; she had set up the soon-to-be-obsolete rec center game room after all. That endeavor paled in comparison to what this would be like, however. After all, this arcade would be nearly ten times the size of that little room, even if it was only the size of a tiny school gymnasium at most. That was still a lot of space to work with, though, and much of Sine’s work so far had been determining how to utilize it the best. Thankfully for her, each of the arcade cabinets had been fitted with lockable castors that made moving them around infinitely easier. As she locked down the last wheel on the machine she was adjusting; she took a moment to fly up into the air and gaze down at her hard work. A few neat rows of arcade games were broken up by the air hockey tables that she had previously kept in the rec center. On the outskirts of the room sat a few couches and chairs, and taking up a large portion of one of the side walls was a gated-off annex that had served as the warehouse’s general office space. Presently Zipper was only using one of the loft office spaces which overlooked the entire arcade, leaving the general space empty and without a purpose. If it weren’t for the fact that Sine was using the other loft space as her office, then the floor-level space would have served that use. It didn’t need to, though, and without a ton of extra staffers, that empty space almost wasn’t worth the effort of cleaning up and reworking. In time it would likely become a snack bar or some kind of private room, though truthfully she didn’t quite know what to do with it or whether it’d even factor into her final layout. Perhaps if they hired on more work it might find a second life, but for now it was destined to stay locked up with the most clearly defined lounge area set up in front of it. The lights were dim and as far as Sine was aware, she was the only soul in the building presently. All of that would change in an hour or so when Zipper and Blue Spring showed up to do their nightly prep work, but Sine would be long gone by the time that happened. Loud beeps and boops filled the room, and while this might have normally been an overwhelming cacophony of sounds to others… to Sine? It was perfect. “Don’t worry my beauties, soon enough you’ll all get the love you deserve.” The machines didn’t reply of course, but Sine didn’t mind. As much as she liked the companionship of her close friends, sometimes it was nice to just be alone with your hobby for a while. Dusting herself off, Sine stood up and made for the door. There was still work left to be done, but she could finish that up tomorrow. “Alright, I think it’s time to call it quits for today. Now promise to be good for bird brain, okay?” The machines still didn’t reply, and while others might have worried about looking dumb or goofy, Sine simply didn’t care. Perhaps indifferently ignoring any criticism and calls for conformity was a bad idea, but Sine a free spirit that liked to branch out and do her own thing, even if it meant that she was an outcast to others. As she gathered up her few belongings and made for the door, she took a moment to look back inside one last time. This wouldn’t just be frivolous wish fulfilment for her. No, she fully intended for this to be the first step in her ultimate goal of following her dreams. Would it be easy to sell games to ponies? Definitely. Arcades were old and outdated after all, but just from her small scale tests at the rec center, she could see a budding potential that perhaps others did not. It would always be a struggle, she surmised, but what was the fun in just immediately succeeding at something? Not wanting to dwell on her future goals lest she jinx them, Sine closed and locked the door and started to trot back towards her humble abode. The walk wasn’t too far, and truthfully she could have simply flown back home in a fraction of the time, but sometimes it was nice to just take a relaxing stroll after a hard day’s work. “Hey bestie!” Came a cheerful voice from afar. Scanning towards the direction of the greeting, Sine was pleasantly surprised to see Ink Rose flying towards her. The other mare swooped up into an arcing barrel roll before gently coming to a landing with a soft thud. “Afternoon Ink,” Sine greeted her. “Fancy meeting you here, eh?” “This the big thing your bird brain friend was inviting you to be a part of?” She asked, gesturing to the future arcade. “I’m sorry for dropping by out of nowhere, I just finished up a session a lot sooner than I thought and figured I’d stop by and see how things were going.” “It actually is,” Sine grinned. “I’d offer to let you inside, but I already locked up for the afternoon, and there’s still some stuff I wanted to finish up before the soft opening.” “It’s all good. Can’t spoil the surprise, right?” Ink replied. Sine expected her to be disappointed, and a part of her was almost regretting replying as she had. But much to her surprise, Ink Rose didn’t seem distraught at all. Was she genuinely interested in seeing the arcade, or was there more to her meeting? Curious at her demeanor, Sine decided to test the waters and prod a little further. “That’s a good way to look at it, Inky. I’m sorry for kind of dashing your plans here, if you really want to see the arcade I’d be more than happy to show you.” “It’s really okay,” She shook her head. “I know how much you like this kind of stuff and how important it probably is to you,” She paused for a moment. “Truth be told? I honestly just wanted to hang out. It sounds so depressing to say, but you’re my only real friend here, and it’s just nice spending time with someone who shares interests, you know?” Sine knew this feeling all too well, and Ink’s response painted a way clearer picture of what she was actually wanting. “I do,” Sine smiled. “Tell you what,” She hesitated before coming up with the perfect idea. “I was gonna go get a bite to eat before bed. Would you want to tag along? It’s gonna be boring, but hey, we could be boring together if you want.” Sine was no expert on body language— being a solitary creature most of the time tended to make one miss out on some more common social cues, but by the way that Ink seemed to relax and carry herself, Sine knew she was more than happy at the thought of that idea. “You wouldn’t mind?” Ink asked though the question was more a formality than anything else. “You’re really gonna ask me that?” Sine replied with a stern shake of her head. “Look, I know I’m this big scary solitary grump most of the time, but I’ve always got time for my best friend. So how about it? We could do dinner at my place or at the usual, I’ll let it be your choice.” Ink Rose thought about this for a few moments before smiling. “How about your place then? It would be a nice change of pace for once.” “My place is it,” Sine smiled. “Wanna go the scenic route or just soar over?” “We’re doing things differently today, so why not cut right to the chase. Gives us more time to chat.” Sine grinned. “I like your style, I ever tell you that?” “If your excited squeeing over my art is anything to go by, then I would say so,” Ink laughed. “Let’s get going, if you throw a few more compliments my way then maybe I’ll help with dinner.” “Maybe? I’m gonna need an awesome assistant chef to keep me company while I work so I really hope it’ll be more than just a maybe.” Ink grinned again. “That’s a start. Why don’t we get going and see where things go?” Sine Wave was about as far from being a chef as she could possibly be, though cooking with a friend made her skill (or lack thereof) negligible. “I’m glad you said you were in the mood for pizza,” Sine laughed. “Because that’s all I’m good at making on short notice.” “I’m glad you like pizza,” Ink replied. “Because that’s my favorite.” “Seems like we’re both winners then, eh?” “Of course,” Ink nodded as she started to stretch the dough for the pizza. “So how have things been going lately? Get everything sorted out with bird brain?” “Better than expected. Bird brain got everything wrapped up here and now we’re just getting the arcade all set up. Like I said earlier, I really need to bring you in some time. Bird brain’s been getting super excited over everything and it’s honestly kind of cute to see.” “Really seems like he had a total change in personality,” Ink Rose reached for the pizza sauce, but was stopped by Sine. “I got this,” Sine smiled. “And yeah, he did. It’s like he’s a different pony, and I swear I got to see the real him for at least a little while.” “Oh yeah?” Ink watched as Sine started spreading the sauce onto the dough. “So who is the real Zipper then?” “A surprisingly kind and shy pony. I’m so used to seeing him put on this awkward macho persona and it almost gave me whiplash when he asked me out and got all embarrassed and shy. But in a good way, you know?” Ink Rose smirked but seemed to zone out as if there was something more on her mind. “So he’s a romantic then eh? So should I start planning the wedding or…” “If you’re asking if we’re a thing, we’re not,” Sine clarified. Something about the way that Ink’s demeanor changed as she joked around seemed to hint at something deeper, and Sine couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. “I was flattered by it but I felt like I was just barely getting to know the real him.” The more Sine sat and thought about everything, the more she started to put the pieces together. She was traditionally terrible at reading ponies, but it was obvious that Ink Rose was something closer than just a casual friend, at least that was the vibe that Sine got from how Ink had responded to certain things lately. What Ink’s feelings truly were was hard to place, and honestly none of Sine’s business. If Ink saw her as just a friend or harbored deeper feelings then she would come forward when she was ready— if that was even the case. “That’s understandable,” Ink replied, seemingly more upbeat. “It’s kind of hard to bond with someone if you don’t really know the real them…” “Exactly,” Sine smirked. She reached for the bag of cheese and started to spread some over the pizza before continuing. “I didn’t want to discourage him or make him feel bad or stupid for asking me out, so I suggested we spend more time doing things as friends before we go anywhere else.” “Oh? What kind of stuff?” Ink opened up the oven and with Sine’s help carefully slid the pizza in. “I was thinking a computer club maybe?” Sine replied. “It’s dumb and geeky but it might be fun… and hey, you can even join with us too.” Ink Rose smiled. “That would be fun…” She trailed off again and paused. “Do you think that’s something that would lead to… you know, the two of you getting closer?” Sine shrugged. “To be honest, I don’t know. I’m open to dating a day pony but I guess it might get lonely at night, especially if our time is split so much. I’ve never been a die-hard romantic, but I like making that emotional connection and bonding a bit more, and realistically only having a third of the day to spend with someone seems daunting.” “I feel you there. I dated a pegasus for a little while and it just didn’t work out because we both wanted different things in the relationship. She wanted someone she could spend every moment of the day with and I just couldn’t do that as much as she needed me to.” Sine slowly nodded. “That kind of stuff’s hard. The last guy I dated was a similar case I guess? He was nice enough but I didn’t have that kind of emotional connection that I felt I needed and we both just agreed that things weren’t working out. Ended on a good enough note at least, but it hit harder than I thought it would.” Ink frowned. “We really did draw the short straw when it came to stuff like this, didn’t we?” Sine chuckled. “I guess you could say that. Life kinda sucks but hey, at least things seem brighter now, eh?” Ink Rose met her gaze and smiled. “I’d say so.” There it was again. Sine didn’t quite know what it was, but Ink’s smile and demeanor seemed to hint at something deeper. “Inky, can I ask you something?” “Mhmm, what’s up?” Sine didn’t exactly know how to word her question, so she did what she did best; blurt it out and hope things didn’t come off too awkward. “What are we?” Ink Rose was taken aback and almost seemed a little flustered. “I uhh… I dunno if I’ll be honest. I like to think we’re best friends but… this is gonna sound weird, but sometimes I feel something a little more.” Before she could recoil, Sine pulled her into a hug. “It’s not weird. We’ve both opened up a lot to each other and that makes our relationship a lot more personal. I’m not good at reading ponies, and I just wanted to make sure we could be honest with each other.” Ink loosened up and nodded. “Would that even be on the table?” “Us dating?” Sine asked. “I uhh… maybe?” Ink was clearly flustered again. “Sorry if it’s kind of pushing any boundaries or something.” “Don’t worry, it isn’t pushing anything,” Sine reassured her. “Truth be told, I like you, but I look at this like how I look at Zipper asking me. Obviously, I know you pretty well but I don’t want to rush anything either and I still feel bad about getting you to tattoo my wings when it was obviously a touchy subject. I guess what I mean is that I don’t want to make anything awkward or weird and I don’t want to cross any more lines.” “What about Zipper? Would you be worried about hurting his feelings or anything?” “Of course, I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings but he’s also an adult and this is a part of adult life. I guess I didn’t think I’d have an emotional talk tonight, but I’m really glad we did.” “Me too,” Ink smiled. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it sometimes, but I think you’re right. Maybe we just keep doing what we’re doing and see where things go?” “I’d like that,” Sine hugged her again. “If you ever just need to chat about anything I’m always here.” “Thanks Sine, you’re the best.” “You too,” Sine smiled. Before the pair could get any more emotional the oven’s timer dinged letting them know that their hoof-made dinner was ready. Her ears perking up at the sound, Sine broke the hug and trotted towards the oven. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving and I can’t wait to see how we did.” “Me too!” Ink cheered. While Sine Wave didn’t quite know where she and Ink Rose would go, she was happy that the two had talked, and she was curious to see where things would lead. Whether they were lovers, friends, or even something else, none of it changed the fact that Ink was one of the closest ponies in her life, and she’d treasure every moment spent with her no matter what they were spending it as.