“Mmmff…” Sheets rustled around on a large wooden framed bed almost immediately as light began to shine on them. The accursed light was coming from the window that was set into the adjacent wall.
“I don’t remember leaving those shades open...” Jackie tugged the sheets off of her head, clearly annoyed by that which was interrupting her precious sleep. As a last ditch attempt, she covered her face with her pillow, but was now too awake to even think about sleep. “I gotta get up anyway.”
Halfway cursing a certain princess in the process, she crawled out of bed and stood, visibly stiff. Jackie was finally up and ready for the day. Well… not really. She appeared exhausted, her mane and tail were messy, and the look on her face would’ve kept a rabid dog at bay. Let’s just say she was up and… alive.
Still somewhat annoyed, the mare rubbed her eyes with a heavy hoof and stretched, multiple joints popping loudly. She was never good at waking up. The worst at it, actually. She always felt that waking up is a bad thing and should be taught as such in schools. Or at least make nap time mandatory, for no other reason than it was nice to take a nap. She could be such a lazy pony. Licking her dry lips, she tromped over to the end table next to her bed and felt around for her glasses. "Did they fall down again?" Jackie pulled the table a few inches away from the wall and felt behind it. It only took a moment until she felt her hoof bumping into her missing specs.
As a little experiment that she had no clear motive for, she picked up the glasses with her teeth and tossed them straight up into the air. She wanted to try to catch them on her face, for some strange reason. The framed lens reached their peak and came back down, only to bounce off of her muzzle and onto the bed. No surprise there. Balancing them on her muzzle, this time with her hooves instead of tricky, unreliable precision, Jackie blinked a few times, allowing her eyes to focus.
Her nice, cozy room... It always seemed warm, no matter the weather outside. The window let a large amount of light in, both a good and a bad thing; Good, because she could see, and bad because she could see that a particular object was missing, a piece of clothing to be exact. In fact, there wasn't a day that went by that didn't have the large mare crawling around for some lost item, scatterbrained as she was.
She was almost late for work, so she didn't have time to gripe about it. She never used the closet, so she knew it wasn't in there. It wasn't hanging from the bed post, the desk or on the floor. It could have fallen under the bed. Crouching down, Jackie peered underneath and found a dark mass of something. "There you are." She can't imagine how it got down there, though. Alas, knocking it out from underneath the bed only revealed the dark mass as Ursy and not her vest.
In a fit of frustration, she tossed him at the pillow and watched him bounce around a bit before coming to rest on his stomach. He was still quite durable, despite being almost as old as she was. It wasn't until she plopped herself onto the bed that she noticed it felt strangely lumpy. Throwing the blanket aside, she found her confounded vest lying there in a slight wad. The mare must've kicked around a bit more than usual while she slept. Jackie whipped it around to straighten it out a bit and threw it on, the rough yet comfortable fabric easily conforming to her body shape, thanks to years of wear.
Now that her search was over with, Jackie hurriedly exited her room. Thatcher was the type of pony to begin working before help arrived and the last thing Jackie needed was to get lectured for her being late again. She didn't sleep in on purpose. It just happened, no matter how hard she tried to wake up. Even with the urgency of the clock, her stomach objected and drove her to the kitchen instead. As it was, hunger was a priority in the morning and with the weather growing hotter, she would need a full stomach just to get her through the day.
Heading to her cabinet full of delicious goodies, the pudgy mare pulled out a few wheat buns and a jar of peanut butter. Just to get her started, she opened the jar and dipped a bun inside, hastily devouring it. She would save the other two for later. Just in case, she grabbed a couple of energy bars and two bottles of apple juice, as one could never be too careful during a heat wave. She found her saddlebags sitting on a stool next to the front door and dropped them in, wanting to get a move on. Jackie found it a little weird that Timid and Landscape weren't around, but knew she would see them later. She almost had a hoof on the door knob but froze when a voice called out to her.
"What, no morning greeting? Shame on you, Jackie Trade." Relieved to hear at least one familiar voice this morning, Jackie spun around to find her best friend already trotting towards her with a smile. She wasted no time in giving her a small hug when she was near. The hug was gladly returned.
"Morning, Timid. Sorry, I woke up a little late." It had been two months since these two mares met and they had grown very close to each other in a short amount of time. It always surprised her how comfortable Timid was around her, especially since the shy little mare once was unable to look her in the eye. But now, the two were almost inseparable. As a result, unless she was at work, the two were usually within eyesight of each other, more often within reach. They would walk around town, go to the fair, take naps under the apple trees or pretty much anything they felt like doing.
In fact, it got to the point where Timid felt comfortable enough to take Jackie to the old trails her and her brother used to walk. From what she said, the siblings used to look for buried items along them. Whenever Jackie walked these old paths with her, she would spot a sad smile from time to time. She felt that her own words were a little improper, so she wouldn't say a thing and stayed there next to her, while Timid would talk about the kinds of things they had found, what the siblings did together and, with a certain amount of reluctance, the nightmares she would have. That explained the mysterious unmentioned stallion in the pictures. Jackie figured her was her friend's brother, but that still didn't explain where he was or why he was never mentioned.
"So, off to work? It’s very hot outside, so please be careful. I'm worried about you two."
"Don't worry, we'll be fine. We know what we're doing. Buuut I do need to get going. I'm late as it is."
"Oh, sorry about that. Here, I'll let you out." As the door opened, the heat wave snuck through the door and caused both of the mares to recoil slightly. Just thinking about it made it her cringe. "Are you sure you'll be alright, Jackie?"
"O-of course I will. Don't worry so much." She was caught off-guard when Timid suddenly leaned forward and nuzzled her neck. This gesture was somewhat uncommon between the two, but Jackie always felt a little awkward afterwards, since it never failed to make her blush. Timid seemed unfazed and didn't notice her discomfort.
"Wow, it really is too hot. You're flushed from the heat." Her incorrect assumption only furthered the embarrassment.
"Yeah. Heat. Let's go with that..." She stumbled slightly over her farewell and strode out the door as casually as possible. As soon as the she heard the door shut behind her, she heaved a visible sigh. A small gesture like that, while innocent, was actually quite painful.
Jackie wasn't the type to deny her attraction to the fairer gender. This was part of the reason why she was nervous about meeting the daughter in the first place. From the moment she saw her, she found Timid and her overly long scarf to be very cute. However, she left it at that, since she was the boss' daughter and she didn't want to jeopardize her new employment opportunity. But the more she knew about her and the closer they became, the more her feelings grew and the more it scared her.
She had no idea how Timid felt about her. They became really good friends unbelievably fast, but was that all she was to her? Maybe there were feelings being hidden from her, too. Or maybe she only thought of Jackie as a sister or something. "Maybe... She racked her brain for a different possibility and received none. The chubby mare wanted her feelings to be known so badly. With every hug, nuzzle, or even the slightest bit of physical contact, Jackie simply wanted to wrap her forelimbs around her and hold her tightly. Crushes are unknowingly cruel.
To add to the pain, Timid's introverted attitude completely turned around. Whenever she was around, it was almost as if she was a different pony. She would be talkative and a little animated, with the slightest bit of reservation in her actions. Sometimes when Timid would start talking, it would look as if she had trouble stopping. Jackie found her at her cutest here, since she didn't realize what faces she was making during their one-sided conversations. Some of her most genuine smiles would appear while she was rambling and she couldn't help but felt lucky when she saw them. Timid's smile was warm and could light up a room.
The obvious was holding her back: if Timid didn't feel the same way, then she risked losing her as a friend. If Landscape or Thatcher found out, she risked losing her job and never being able to see her again. Both of those options would kill her and out of respect and almost sheer will, she stayed quiet.
The heat forced to her pause to wipe her brow. It was unnaturally hot out. She really regretted not losing that weight like she promised to herself, stabbing herself with mental daggers for breaking her own promise. But this heat was oppressive, as if willing her to lie down and give up, maybe go home and quit soaking up all the heat. It seemed like a good idea, but on she trudged, her heavy hooves getting heavier with every step. She had a job to do. There was a pony waiting on her to do her part and she wasn't going to let him down.
Despite the somewhat short distance to the job site, the heat made it take forever. In the distance, somewhat distorted by the heat, she could see a tool bag on the ground next the house and a ladder peeking at her over the corner. Thatcher was nowhere to be seen.
"Crap, I hope he's okay." Rounding the corner of the building, she was relieved to find him sitting down and leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. His coat was matted in spots from sweat and an open bottle of apple juice sat next to him. Jackie took shelter under the shade as well, since the sun had heated her own coat and was starting to burn the skin underneath.
"Thatcher? You doin' alright?" She watched his eyes slowly slide open and regard her with exhaustion.
"Oh good, you're here. This heat's draining me. Help me up real quick."
The mare bent down, allowing him to lay a forelimb around her and slowly stood up. He carefully balanced himself, waiting until he is head was clear before letting go.
"Dear Celestia, it's hot... I'm telling you now, we are not staying out here all day."
"I had a feeling you'd say that."
"What tipped you off? The killer heat or my bright shiny smile?"
"A little of both." It wasn't hard to see the damage from where they stood. The tree that had fallen over had already been cleared, leaving an incredibly mangled roof for them to fix. Luckily the wall was still standing, the only real damage being on the top of the structure.
"Well..." She wiped her brow again, the sweat accumulating faster than ever. They might as well have been sitting in the largest outdoor sauna ever created. "...let's get started."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
They didn't last four hours before they had to stop. It was noon and the sun was at it peak, beaming its entire wrath upon them. More than once, Jackie almost fainted and fell of the roof, but Thatcher balanced her with his magic. He tried to help out as much as he could, but he became somewhat disoriented, they officially called it a day. Both sat under the tree, barely able to move.
"W-why is it so h... hot?" Thatcher's breathing sounded labored, as if it took a good deal of effort just to drag air into his lungs. He had resumed leaning against the tree, while Jackie was laid herself flat on the ground, a warm bottle of juice in front of her.
"I wonder... who ticked off... the weather team? There's no reason for this heat."
"Maybe we'll get a... a doozy of a storm tomorrow or... something. Ugh. That's it, we're done. No more torture."
His surrender was like music to the mare's ears. At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep in the fridge. But she had almost no strength left in her legs, so figuring out how to get there would be the first hurdle. Yet a small beacon of hope shined on them when out of nowhere, an unexpected guest showed up.
"Oh my goodness! A-are you two alright!?"
Jackie slowly turned her head to find Timid standing there with a pair of full saddle bags, looking quite concerned and even a little afraid. Her mane was a little frizzy from the heat and she seemed to be sweating a little as well, but was otherwise unfazed. Pegasi seemed to handle the weather changes much better than unicorns and earth ponies.
"Just a bit of heat exhaustion, that's all." Thatcher attempted to sit up a little straighter but gave up halfway through the motion.
"Please tell me you're done for the day. I don't want you to end up getting hurt."
"We're... good, Timid. Trying to catch our breath and all, but we are done for today." She watched as Timid dug into her bags and pulled out two somewhat fresh bottles of juice. Just what they needed, since their own supply dried up almost an hour ago. Jackie chugged hers, letting the refreshing liquid quench her terrible thirst.
"What are you doing out here? Grocery trip?"
"Yeah, just needed a couple of things. Also wanted to check on you two. It was a good thing I did." She unfurled her wings and slowly waved them back and forth, trying to cool them off. It only pushed hot air at the two tired ponies, but feeling it move around instead of just hanging there was somewhat nice. Thatcher capped his bottle and stretched.
"Alright, Jackie, let's get out of here. Gather the tools but leave them by the tree."
With an enormous amount of effort, Jackie lifted her heavy body and walked around, her limbs shaking slightly. Bending down to pick up each tool made her head pound, but knowing that they were about to be heading home kept her going. Timid had busied herself with helping her father stand up, using a wing to keep him balanced. She dropped the tool bag into a nook between the roots and stood next to Timid, waiting for Thatcher’s confirmation.
"What are you waiting around for? I'll be right behind you. Get going."
"Are you sure, Father?"
"Go. Jackie worked much harder than I did today. She needs your help more than I do."
While she didn't 'work harder' than Thatcher, she did exert herself more in the physical sense. Still, magic can be draining, but he seemed okay and Jackie wasn't in the mood to argue. She felt Timid's wing extend across her back and hold her steady, causing poor Jackie to blush again. A simple helpful gesture, but it felt different to her as she was held near the smaller mare's body for support. Her exhaustion kicked back in, pushing the embarrassment out, but she forced herself to walk, thankful for the pony next to her.
"You can make it, Jackie. It's not that far." She smiled warmly, even though her eyes looked slightly worried. With keeping her standing, she had no doubt that she could easily walk the distance. Timid tried to take her mind off the pain by chatting a little, but talking made Jackie's head pound a little harder, so they walked in silence. In no time, they were home, that welcome abode providing shelter from sweltering weather.
Timid left her side briefly to open the door and led her into the house. The cool air on her sweaty coat made it seem colder than it was, but it felt wonderful. Gently collapsing on the floor allowed the smaller mare a chance to help her father out, but he was already halfway to the couch. She shut the door behind them, the outside heat no longer seeping in. Thatcher flopped onto the couch and both ponies breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"I'll get you two some water."
Jackie watched her hurry towards the kitchen and noticed Landscape descending the stairs.
"You two look exhausted. Were you able to finish?"
Jackie shook her head and made a low grunting noise. She heard Landscape tell her to lift her head and did just that, feeling a small cushion slide beneath her chin. Her head fell back down onto what had to be the most comfortable cushion in Equestria, she was sure of it.
"On the other hoof, you, my dear husband, have made a huge mistake."
"What's that?"
"You're sweaty. You're on my nice, clean couch. That's the mistake."
She heard a groan and then hooves on the floor as Thatcher slid off the couch and onto the floor, lying down in the same fashion as Jackie, though without a comfortable cushion.
"Here you go, Jackie."
Looking up, she saw Timid holding a cup in her mouth and watched her set it down in front of her. Her eyes focused on the spot where Timid's mouth had been. Jackie scolded her after a moment for being silly. It felt extremely cliché and it's like her mind was attempting to make her see all of these little things to embarrass her. Casting it away, she took the cup and slowly drank the entirety of its contents. Landscape called to her when she was finished.
"Jackie, no offense, but when you're able to move, I need you to take a shower. I know you worked hard, it's just a little unbearable."
"Mother, th-that's kind of rude..."
"It's the truth. Same for you, Thatcher, but you can wait."
A grunt of acknowledgement from him. Jackie gave herself a few more moments before forcing herself to stand up. At full stance, she became a little dizzy and lowered her head slightly, trying not to let the blood flow so quickly.
"Take your time, Jackie. There's no rush."
Nodding, she carefully made her way up the stairs and into the shower, shedding her vest and glasses. She turned the knob to 'cool' and gave herself a minute before she immersed herself, letting it rinse away the sweat and dirt from her pores. After a few minutes, her felt a little clearer and she decided that a little hot water would be nice. That was a somewhat bad choice since the warmth was quite pleasant and almost made her fall asleep then and there. She kept herself awake by shaking herself every few seconds and finished up, somewhat enjoying the drowsy feeling.
Grabbing her vest and glasses, she had one thing on her mind: her bed. Not to take a nap, but to simply lie on it and not take it for granted. Tossing her vest into the corner of her room near the desk, she fell muzzle first onto her bed, which turned out to be more amazing than she ever remembered. Jackie felt herself sink into its plush frame, but didn't feel herself sink into a nap. The lights went out before she even knew what was happening.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A loud knocking noise jarred her awake from her dreamless nap. Poor Jackie felt more tired than ever; her muscles were sore, her back ached and her eyes refused to fully open.
Another round of knocking, followed by the slow creak of the door opening. She looked over to see Timid poking her head through the crack. Timid must not have noticed her eyes were open and quietly snuck over to the bed. Out of a strange instinct, Jackie closed her eyes again before she reached her. The hoof steps stopped and she had to imagine that the mare was sitting only a foot away from her.
"Um... Jackie?" Her voice sounded so tiny. Was she really nervous from just being in her room? She somehow felt the mare as she got closer to her and whispered in her ear.
"J-Jackie? Wake up..."
"Mmmff..." That was a horrible attempt at sounding asleep. Without warning, she felt Timid's hoof press against her muzzle and her eyes shot open. Jackie wasn't expecting direct contact and her sudden awakening seemed to have made her jump a little.
"Ah! I... I'm sorry! I just wanted to see if you were okay, because you didn't come down after you were done and... and um..." Timid looked troubled at the thought that she might've disturbed her. That wouldn't do at all. The larger mare covered her mouth and yawned, stretching out her neck and popping a joint or two in the process.
"Don't worry, it's cool. I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep. How long was I out?"
"A half hour or so. Not very long. I already took a shower."
Jackie could tell. Her mane had been brushed back into its perfect flowing form, and her coat looked a little fluffy. She wasn't wearing her scarf, however. Must've needed a washing. Her mane tie was still in place, keeping it from drifting in every direction.
"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to fall asleep." Jackie sat up and briefly remembered she wasn't wearing her vest. Her face became rather flushed and she was sure that it was her mind messing with her again, but she felt a little odd, for some reason. She wanted to cover up, even though there wasn't anything to see.
"No, don't be sorry! I shouldn't have barged in here like that. I just wanted to check on you..."
Jackie just smiled at her. Timid was so cute and thoughtful, that she wanted to squeeze her. It hurt to not speak her mind, but as always, she stopped herself. Her desires didn't warrant possibly hurting her best friend's feelings. She let one forelimb move forward and pressed lightly on the mare's muzzle.
"Boop."
The simple action, while it was one she did not minutes ago, halted her apology.
"Um..."
"Timid, you're good. You're not bothering me, alright?" When the mare nodded, Jackie smile and laid back down, facing the ceiling. Timid watched her without saying a word. "Something to talk about, something to talk about..."
"So, how is it that pegasi aren't as affected by the weather as the others? I've always wondered that."
"Well, I'm not exactly sure. Never really had an older pegasus to relate to, so I figured it was something how earth ponies are naturally good with growing or building things, kind of like you."
"Well, maybe you could convince them to bring a little rain. This heat is killer."
"They'd chase me off. Or maybe they wouldn't even look twice at me."
"You know I'd go with you, just in case. They'd think twice about being mean to you."
"I'm sure they would. After all, you... um, you're tough and I'm sure that many ponies don't mess with you, even back in Manehattan, right? Y-you might even be able to convince them to change the weather." Instead of rambling, she was getting compliments.
"I'm not that tough. I was jumped by a thug once. Knocked me in the head pretty well."
"Still, you're... you're pretty tough, Jackie." Glancing over, the mare was smiling at her, but her gaze kept darting back and forth between her and the bed sheet. She could never tell how Timid felt when she acted like this. Since she was pretty shy to begin with a simple compliment could be just a simple compliment. That's probably all it was. Still managed to make her blush, though. Timid noticed as well, her face turning almost the same shade of red. Then Jackie spoke, against her better judgment.
"Yeah, well... I'd rather be cute than tough."
"Hmph. You don't mean that."
"Actually, I do. Being cute is much better." A heavy silence dropped between the two. Jackie kept mentally hitting herself, trying to cut off the line of thinking that said 'flirting with your friend is okay'. She had no choice; her mouth was making its own decisions. As if to heighten the tension, she subconsciously scooted closer to the smaller mare while her heart was trying to force its way out of her chest.
"Well... I don't think I am."
"You shouldn't think that. I'm surprised you aren't out there trying to bag yourself a stallion. You know they'd be lining up." This was also spoken against her better judgment.
"Oh, no, I couldn't! I haven't even thought about that part of my life yet. I... I don't think that's for me..."
"What do you mean 'not for you'?" Even if it wasn't a true topic change, Jackie was grateful for the small distraction.
Timid furrowed her brow, trying to find the best way to explain it. Jackie kept quiet, quite interested to see what she would say.
"I guess I'm happy the way I am. I think."
"...I'm not really catching on."
"Oh, sorry. Let me put it this way: I have my mother, my father and you. You're my best friend and that's all I need." Her blush seemed to have lightened up a bit and she smiled. Jackie almost melted. She was so sweet that it nearly killed her. Now her brain was fighting with herself and the war was brutal. One half told her to confess her feelings. The other said it would grab her by the tail and toss her out the window if she even got close to doing that. Then the words 'best friend' echoed amongst her thoughts and the chubby mare cried a little on the inside. She decided not to say anything. She was Timid's friend. Her best friend. And she wasn't going to ruin that for any reason.
_________________________________________________________
Timid sat there by the edge of the bed, watching her friend Jackie lie there, looking a little flustered. She didn't quite understand why. They tossed a few little innocent compliments back and forth, but each one seemed to further the mare's inner tension. It was true though. Jackie was a tough pony, like her brother, and she admired her for that. But it was a little different. Her brother loved her very much. He was always protective of his sister and made sure she was comfortable, but didn't coddle her. He acted just like a good brother should.
She was getting a different vibe from Jackie. Despite the fact they were really good friends, the large mare had no obligation towards her or her well-being, and yet she was always right next to her, making sure she was comfortable. Of course, maybe she was just being friendly, but she felt there was a little more to it than that.
Timid wasn't lying when she said that a love interest never really crossed her mind. Her friend was more than enough and she wouldn't want some other pony getting in the way of what they had. They could be friends for life and Timid wouldn't regret a single minute of it. Since Jackie brought it up, naturally she thought on what she might be looking for in a stallion. She didn't even know where to start, but didn't feel like exploring this right now. They were having a nice conversation.
"Does that make sense?"
Jackie nodded, her smile seeming slightly fake. She did seem happy, but there was a little... She didn't know what to call it, but there was something else in that smile. "Maybe she wanted to hear a different answer? What kind of answer could she be expecting?" Jackie stretched, her joints popping loudly. Timid saw her soft-looking belly vulnerable and unprotected and decided to poke it; her friend curled up in an instant, trying to protect her weakness.
"Noooo, I'm really ticklish right now!"
"You shouldn't have told me that." Timid put on her best eerie smile and unfurled her wings, ready to use them as instruments of torture in case her hooves were blocked. Advancing further made Jackie freak out a little, already sending her into a small laughing fit. She covered herself up as best as she could, but Timid had the advantage. Sure, enough, her hooves were pushed away, but the tips of her wings snaked through and began to tickle the mare's stomach. No matter what, Jackie could not do a single thing to stop her, except beg for mercy between her bouts of laughter.
"Mercy, mercy! I'll do whatever you want, just show mercy!" Tears were streaming from her eyes and Timid finally relented, pondering this opportunity as Jackie tried to catch her breath.
"Whatever I want?"
"Y-yes." She was still laughing, as if the memory of being tickled was affecting her.
"I'll think about it and get back to you."
"Oh great... I'm gonna have to do something weird."
"No you won't. But I am going make sure it's worth it." Timid had no idea what she would have her do. Probably something simple, honestly. Maybe. She'd figure something out.
Jackie turned over onto her stomach, as if to guard it from further attacks, and tucked her hind legs underneath her. Her mane was a little messier than usual, so Timid reached out and swiped at it a bit.
"Your mane is such a mess, Jackie."
"That's the way I like it. Builds character."
"No, it doesn't, that's weird!" Timid gently pushed on the mare's shoulder, who in turn sat up on her haunches, waving her hooves around.
"I have to warn you: I'm pretty good at tickling, myself. And there won't be any mercy." She let out a low evil laugh and, with her guard down, took this chance to poke her in the belly once more.
"Noooo, how did this happen twiiiice!?" Jackie very slowly and very dramatically fell off the bed and landed in a heap on the floor. All four of her legs were suspended in the air as she pretended to be dead.
"Jaaaackie?"
"..."
Timid quickly dusted off her hooves and climbed onto the bed. Peering over the edge, she saw the mare with her tongue sticking out of her mouth in a very cliché fashion.
"That's very convincing, you know."
"Meeehhhh..."
"What, are you a zombie, now?"
"Yes. I mean meehhhh!" She slowly rose from the floor, her eyes unfocused and her movements lethargic. Timid sat up and watched her shamble in place, trying not to laugh too hard.
"Meehhhh..."
Timid loved that about her. She acted like a filly sometimes, but she always knew how to make her smile. Still, 'filly' wasn't the best word. 'Playful' fit the way she acted much better. Now the mare was standing next to the bed, towering over her and still wearing that blank look.
"You're so weird!"
At that, Jackie simply lurched forward and collapsed onto her belly, pinning her to the bed. Timid tried to push her off, but the mare's weight proved to be just a little too much for her to budge. After a bit of thrashing about, her friend laid there in silence, not moving a muscle.
"Jackie?"
No movement, no sounds, no reaction at all.
"I'm going to tickle you again."
Still no reaction. Instead of tickling, Timid slowly reached for the mare's only good ear. Poking it caused the appendage to twitch, eliciting a giggle. She continued relentlessly, thinking that Jackie would eventually do something to get her to stop. Her prediction came true, but in a way she didn't expect.
"Meeehhhh!" Jackie quickly brought her head up and clamped down on her forelimb. Timid squeaked in alarm and tried to draw back her hoof by instinct, but it wouldn't budge. Jackie had a harmless yet firm grip on her as she stared ahead blankly.
"B-but... I don't w-wanna be eaten alive!" Putting on her best sad pony face, Timid leaned in closer, trying to get her friend to let go on her own accord. She knew her own cuteness was a weakness of hers, which would explain why the mare shut her eyes, as if trying to block it out. She intensified the 'pitiful' vibe, causing Jackie to whine and eventually loosen her grip. She muttered something about 'going hungry'. Using her newly freed limb, Timid grabbed the pillow to her side and bopped her friend on the head.
"That's what you get for trying to make me your lunch. Now get up. We need to make an appearance. Don't need my parents think we're doing something indecent." It was a little joke of course, which she giggled at, but when she felt the mare tense up, she wondered if she took it as a joke.
"Jackie? Are you okay?" Lifting the pillow, she could see the mare's muzzle tinged with red and that she was purposefully avoiding eye contact. Timid was confused as to why a joke like that would make her freak out.
"Jackie?"
"I'm... f-fine. Yeah." She sat up quickly, the pillow falling off of her onto the floor. A nervous smile held itself on her friend's face, but it was obvious that she wasn't fine. No longer the hostage of a fake zombie, Timid sat up as well and wiggled closer to the mare. Jackie twitched when they made slight physical contact but stayed put, as if afraid to move at all. She could feel tiny vibrations in the mattress and realized her friend was shaking a little.
"I'm fine, I swear."
Timid wasn't stupid. Every time her friend freaked out, it was something similar to this. Jackie was obviously afraid of much physical contact with her, yet for her to suddenly throw herself onto the mare and act like a zombie didn't make sense. The mere mention of intimacy, even as a joke, got her blushing and nervous. Frankly, she didn't know what to do, so she pulled the mare close and gave her a tight hug. She could feel Jackie's muscles tense up and her heartbeat quicken its pace.
"Jackie, please. Tell me what's going on. I want to help."
"I... I don't really know what's going on. I've been trying to figure it out for a little while."
"You're my best friend. If you're hurting, I'm hurting." Timid felt a shaky hoof rest on her back then retreat, as if her friend thought twice about the action. She wrapped her wings around the mare, which actually seemed to work, to her surprise. Jackie's breathing slowed, as well as her heartbeat. She relaxed in the embrace but seemed to have kept a wall of some sort up, like she was shying away from her. This hug didn't feel the same. It felt a little impersonal and held none of the usual warmth.
“Don’t worry about it. Trust me. Once I figure it out, you’ll be the first to know, okay?”
“Promise me.”
“I promise.” Jackie leaned away from the hug and Timid let go, despite wanting to hold on just a bit longer. A sad smile had replaced the nervous one from earlier.
She watched the mare climb off the bed, suddenly feeling for the poor mare. Jackie still looked quite exhausted, having dark circles under her eyes and moved around sluggishly. The work from earlier had taken its toll and this little encounter didn’t help much with her nerves.
"Come on. I'm dying for a snack." She stood by the door and bowed in an exaggerated fashion.
"At least she recovers quickly from her little moments. Unless..." Timid couldn't help but wonder if she acted silly to try and distract herself from her issues. She wanted to know what was going on inside that pony's head, but pushing her was not a good idea since Jackie had never broken a promise to her.
Jackie closed the door behind them as Timid glided down the stairs and into the living room. She noticed her parents weren't present and figured that her father desperately needed a rest like Jackie did. Touching down on the couch, Timid wiggled a bit and got comfortable, watching Jackie dig through a cabinet in the kitchen. She knew exactly what she was going to grab. The mare would go into her cabinet knowing exactly what she wanted and be there for five minutes making sure she was right. If she had to guess, it would be a wheat bun this time.
"Wun dis un?" Sure enough, the mare had the corner of a plastic wrapped wheat bun in her mouth, waving it at her. She shook her head but the mare brought a jar of peanut butter into view, trying to coax the mare into eating. Timid just rolled her eyes and nodded. The other mare did a little victory dance and trotted into the living room, jar on her head and a two wrapped buns in her mouth. Jackie loved it when she was able to get somebody to eat. She had the perfect attitude to be a baker or a cook, but her skills were rather... lacking, to say the least. Still, she wouldn't have it any other way. Jackie being 'Jackie' gave the mares the chance to meet and become friends.
Timid waited for Jackie to drop the snack into her grasp and watched her carefully as she slid the jar off of her head onto the coffee table. As the mare sat down, Timid held the jar in place with her wings and opened it with her hooves. Such a terrible container was not meant for hooves. It took a bit of work but she was eventually successful. Peanut butter was a favorite of hers, but Jackie had once claimed it her favorite food, even more so than the infamous honey bun. Strangely enough, she had never combined the two, even though it would make the ultimate snack, at least in Jackie's opinion.
Using her teeth, Timid ripped open the wheat bun package and dipped the bread into the tasty spread, waiting to take a bite until Jackie had done the same. It was an interesting little habit the two developed between each other out of the blue, but it felt like their own thing. She took a small bite from the side covered in peanut butter and watched as her friend took a large bite instead, devouring a nice sized chunk.
Watching Jackie eat was interesting. The mare was kind, sensitive and loved being around Timid, but the fastest way to her heart was food. She also showed some of her strangest quirks, like how she had she had a particular way to eat each kind of food. There was also the way she acted while she ate, or even the face she made one time when she bit into a spoiled honey bun. Poor mare might as well have been slapped in the face, seeing how sad she was.
Even now, Jackie was proving her point. She would take a big bite out of the middle, like her first, then work her way around, eating the rest of the plain side until only the covered corners from her first bite were left. The larger mare popped those into her mouth and went about making sure there wasn't any peanut butter left on her muzzle.
"You missed a spot."
"Oh, whoops." Jackie felt around but her hoof kept missing the spot by a hair.
"No, right there."
"Here?"
"No to your left. Your other left. Now up a little."
"You're messing with me. There's nothing there, is there?"
"No, there is! Here, let me get it." Timid reached out and swiped the small dollop resting on the mare's lower lip. Without giving it much thought, she licked it off her hoof and took another bite from her own snack. It took her a moment to realize that her friend had a bit of a shocked look on her face.
"What are you making that face for? Oh!" It immediately dawned on her that her previous action might have been the cause. She held her free hood to her mouth out of embarrassment.
"Sorrysorrysorry! I wasn't thinking! I..."
"N-no, it's fine. Just surprised me, that's all." Her nervous smile said otherwise. Timid would give anything for the mare to open up and tell her exactly what was going on, but it would still be a slim chance. As tough as it was, waiting it out would be the best course of action.
"Okay, weirdo." She stuck out her tongue, showing that she wasn't satisfied with that response. She noticed her friend's coat was just barely damp in certain spots. Seems like they can't be safe from the heat even under a roof. It must have been hard for Jackie to handle, even though she made it look like she was fine.
"Are you doing okay, Jackie? With the heat, I mean."
"Hm? Oh yeah, I'm good. Just a little sweaty again."
"Want something to drink?"
"Nah, there's no need to trouble yourself. I'll get it in a bit."
They sat there looking at each other a bit awkwardly. Usually the two had some kind of conversation going, but right now, neither one could muster any kind of interesting topic to discuss. Jackie would look away every few moments, as if the extended gaze was bothering her. Timid was reaching desperately for a conversation of any kind.
"So um... did you enjoy your nap?"
Jackie only shrugged, stating that is was too short to get anything good out of it.
"Not to mention this heat is killing me. I bet I could fall asleep in two minutes if I wanted to."
"Why don't you go take another nap?"
"Nah, I'm good. I'd feel bad about leaving you out here all by yourself." Jackie recoiled ever so slightly for no reason that was apparent to Timid. Another sideways glance, but no blush.
"Oh, you're so thoughtful." The sarcasm was misplaced on purpose, hoping to draw the mare out of the awkward exchange. The tone caused her friend to scoff in an exaggerated fashion.
"Here I was, trying to be nice, and you blow off my attempts! I do believe I'm quite insulted." Jackie even went as far as to raise her muzzle, trying to create an air of sophistication. It didn't quite work with that scruffy mane of hers.
"And to think I spared your limb from being heartily devoured by. I shan’t be doing that again..." Now she adopted a poorly done accent to level out the appearance. Timid was happy to keep her from being moody and went along with it.
"Y-you'd let a zombie eat little old me? B-but..."
"Most definitely! I'd even serve up the rest of you to him, just to make sure he has enough to last him a week!"
One moment, Jackie could barely look at her for more than two seconds, the next moment she was threatening to eat her limbs. It baffled her how quickly her mood could be... changed or manipulated? Timid figured 'change' sounded good, but 'manipulated' seemed more accurate, even though it was generally a negative term. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if Jackie doing it on purpose. She needed to test out her theory somehow and hoped her next response would coax the mare into the right direction.
"M-maybe there's something I could do to change your mind? Being eaten by a, a zombie would be terribly traumatic..."
Well... I suppose I could convince her to feast on someone else. Not too hard, I imagine. But I'll need something in return." Jackie's face held no assumption or realization of what she just led herself into. Sure, there was a little glimmer of sick enjoyment from what was about to happen but it was dwarfed by Timid's embarrassment at the mere thought of the words. It would be difficult to say, but would hopefully throw the mare completely off guard.
"Oh my..." Timid rubbed her elbow and looked away, halfway forcing a blush to appear.
"Hm?"
Now to test her theory. She had a bit of a whopper that was gonna knock Jackie off her hooves. Still blushing, Timid did her best to give off a nervous vibe and sat away the mare and faced her. She cast a quick glance towards her friend before returning her view to the couch cushion beneath her.
"Um... W-what do I have to... do?" Timid no longer needed to force a blush. Those words, despite their somewhat ambiguous meaning, were made clearer when she brought a hoof to cover her chest, as if she was hiding something. This time, she really did have trouble looking at the mare; It wasn't just an act. But the result was what she expected and quickly snapped her out of her uncertainty.
"Noooo, nonono! I didn't mean that at all, I'm sorry!"
"Oh, good. For a second there, I thought you were..."
"I didn't mean to come across like that! I, I just... Ugh!" Jackie fell onto her side and curled into a ball, hiding her face. Timid began to feel quite bad. Because of a little test, her best friend was now too afraid to look at her.
"Am I doing the right thing? Sure, the urge to know what was going on with her friend was not necessarily bad, but to make her react like this as a test? Good intentions or not, this was not a way to treat your best friend. The next part of the test would help her calm down. Hopefully. She already regretted doing this, but it was either continue on and get her out of this funk or leave her be.
Making the decision quickly, Timid leaned forward and clamped down on Jackie's forelimb with her mouth, emitting a soft growl. She snapped her head around and look at her with confused eyes, making her doubt this course of action. She didn't stop and lightly chewed on the limb a bit more.
"Wha? I'm zombeh now."
That uncertain feeling kept growing until she noticed a small smile sprouting on Jackie's muzzle. After a couple of moments, she snorted and used to her free hoof to cover her mouth. It didn't really work out and she finally let a couple of laughs escape. Feeling much better about the situation, Timid released her friend, smiling warmly.
"Trying to snap me out if it, huh?"
"Well, you're supposed to be a zombie and this is quite unzombie-ish. I might have to cite dereliction of duties, you know." Timid even went as far as to cross her limbs in front of her and give the larger mare a disappointed look.
"Wow, a little harsh. Very serious charges. Evidence?"
"My limbs are intact.” She waved her limbs around to further prove the point. “Defense?"
"None. I plead guilty and throw myself upon your mercy. I humbly request to continue my zombie ways." Jackie bowed her head, trying to look ashamed of herself.
"Request granted. Now get snacking."
All it took was an exaggerated salute to send both mares into a small laughing fit. Yet, despite just having a very strange conversation, one that always brought the two together, Jackie still wouldn't look at her for longer than a moment. There had to be someway to get her mind off of this. "I sure did make a mess of things. I shouldn't have done that..."
Jackie sat up and stretched, accidentally bumping into her. She seemed to have gotten over the situation, but Timid still felt a small amount of restraint from her.
"It's finally cooling down a bit. Thank Luna for the night. Felt like I was gonna melt."
The sun was halfway through its slow decent where it would eventually dip below the horizon, bringing with it relief from the terrible heat. Timid unfurled her wings and began pushing air towards her friend, this time actually feeling a refreshing breeze instead of opening an oven and sticking her head inside. Jackie yawned as the moving air tickled her ears a little and fell on her coat.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to sleep?"
"And leave you here by yourself? I'm fine. I'd rather hang out anyway."
Still, they needed something to do. Something to fully distract her friend, to get her comfortable again.
"Wait right here. I'll be right back." Leaving the puzzled pony on the couch, Timid raced up to her room to grab the one thing she had that might distract her: a book. She knew Jackie liked reading but the mare never really had the time to submerge herself in one for too long due to work or exhaustion. The rest of her time was spent around her and they usually were off doing something else.
It took a bit to find it. It was found hiding under a couple of other book in a desk drawer. Timid pulled it out and let her eyes sweep across the cover. The store clerk had given the mare a very nice summary without actually giving anything away. This book had a very deceiving title. 'Hoof-in-Hoof' was not a romance but rather a story about how often politics and war both clash and embrace. It also focused on the workings and theory behind the two topics, instead of the practice. It was more imagery oriented than story telling, yet the story was very noteworthy. Hints of romance were to be found throughout the chapters.
Gliding down the stairs, she caught Jackie in the middle of a rather large yawn. Caught red-hoofed, she did her best to stifle it, but it was far too late for that.
"Hmph. I go to get a book for us to read and here you are trying to fall asleep. I think I'm hurt, Jackie."
Jackie tried to protest but she landed next to her and poked her nose with the tip of her wing. Her friend rolled her eyes, claimed that she was stretching her jaw. Then she called her own excuse 'lame' and asked what the book was about. Timid simply giggled and placed the book in her grasp.
Jackie flipped the booked over and examined the back cover, trailing a hoof along the spine. She returned to the front cover and traced a few of the letters with the same hoof, and opened to the title page. After a few moments, she used both of her hooves to pinch the pages together and quickly flipped through them. Timid was a little confused until she watched Jackie lean forward and breath in the air pushed from the moving pages.
"Oh, she's smelling them. I didn't know she did that." After a moment, the mare sat up straight, looking a little satisfied. She pushed the book over until it rested between the two and opened it back up to the title page. They both silently read, waiting for a go-ahead from the other to turn the page. Timid took the chance to glance at her friend while she was engrossed in the book. Her eyes would scoot back and forth, absorbing the information before her. The look on her face wasn't blank, but otherwise held no active emotion. Just a passive interest.
They steadily read for at least two hours, barely a word spoken between the two. Jackie would occasionally get a snack for the both of them, and more than once, Timid would bump the mare very slightly when she began dozing off, just to keep her awake. She was caught by a very gripping page in the first intense part of the book, and almost didn't realize the mare next to was snoozing away, her head hanging limp. Somehow she managed to fall asleep without fully falling over; The very sight of Jackie caused her to yawn. "I think it's finally time to go to sleep." She closed the book and lightly set it on the coffee table, attempting to nudge Jackie awake.
"Jackie. It's time to go to sleep."
As expected, there was no reaction. After a day of hard toil, it's not surprising that the mare would be out cold. Another nudge didn't change anything.
"Jackie. Wake up. You need to go to bed." Timid placed a hoof on the mare's back and gently shook her, causing the other to whine a bit. She was getting somewhere, so she decided to shake her a bit harder. However, it caused Jackie to do something Timid didn't expect.
"Mmm... wha? I'm s-sleeping... C'mere, Timid." Jackie suddenly pushed Timid over and laid her head on her chest, nuzzling it in her sleep. She even went as far as to wrap a limb loosely around her and began to cuddle. Timid squeaked as a reaction and was blushing furiously, not sure what to do; Their muzzles were barely inches apart. They had only ever nuzzled necks and that had only been every once in a while. This was a bit too much for her to handle. She hurriedly freed herself from the sleeping pony's grasp and stood to the side, a little shaky.
"She was trying to cuddle me! But she was asleep... Does that prove anything? Does that mean... no. Crazy things happen when you're asleep. But still..." Jackie's expression was peaceful, completely unaware of what she just did. Despite what just happened, she still needed to get Jackie into bed. She stayed at limb's length away from the couch, poking the mare's back a little roughly, trying to wake her up. This time it worked. She lifted her head up and looked around through half-lidded eyes.
"J-Jackie, it's time to get you into bed."
She nodded and slowly stood up, a little unsteady since she was barely awake. Timid would have to help her up the stairs. She draped a wing over her friend, leading her up the stairs and into her room. Jackie bumped her muzzle on the door frame on the way in, but didn't wake up, allowing Timid to confirm that she slept way too hard. At that point, the sleepy pony seemed to know that she was in her room and stumbled out from under her friend's wing, falling onto her bed. She only crawled halfway under the covers before coming to rest, her hindquarters pretty much being the only thin left uncovered.
Timid shook her head and stood by the bedside. The mare nearly bent her glasses, so she grabbed them with her teeth and set them spectacles on the end table. They'd probably end up behind it once again. She'll never figure out how it happens, other than it just happens.
She noticed Jackie's hooves moving like they were grabbing for something. After the mare's dramatic decent onto the bed, it was no wonder that she must've knocked Ursy off again. Timid found the bear wedged between the bed and the wall, almost within her reach. Keeping an eye on Jackie, she leaned over, almost farther than she had the ability to, and grabbed the bear's ear with her teeth. This crazy night would finally be over and she could gather her thoughts, like how Jackie started cuddling with her on the couch.
"Timid...?" A soft voice called out and Timid turned to see a very tired Jackie with a puzzled expression. Jackie was watching her almost practically climb on the bed, holding Ursy in her mouth. "What are you...?"
"Oh um... Ursy almost fell off the bed and I... figured you would want him while you slept so... here you go!" She quickly set him near her head and tried to calm herself down. Her heart started pounding almost painfully when she heard her name and to be caught in a somewhat strange situation while her friend was asleep didn't help.
Jackie simply stared at her and fell backwards, out cold. Did she even wake up to begin with? When her breathing became regular, Timid figured it was safe to leave the room. She sighed quietly as she shut the door to her friend's room and went downstairs to make sure everything was off and locked before heading to her own room. She traveled up her own flight of stairs later and collapsed onto her own bed, staring at the ceiling. This day had been... interesting, even though it still didn't fully answer her questions.
Jackie most likely had a crush on her. Ponyfeathers, it was obvious. The way she would act around her, the sudden mood changes... The playing around was somewhat the same but it was more frequent, like Jackie tried to distract herself from her embarrassment. The small glances, the awkward body language, the sleepy cuddling; it was all pointing to a now plain fact. But she didn't know how to handle it. She never even knew that Jackie was into mares to begin with, much less her own friend.
Like she had mentioned to the mare earlier, Timid never really thought about it. An intimate relationship seemed like something for somebody else. She had her parents and she had... Jackie. They were friends. Best friends. She knew the saying: "You can't help who you fall in love with". Jackie had fallen victim to that little fact and had her eyes set on her, but was obviously afraid of doing anything about it.
What was Jackie dreaming about when she called out her name? Were they hanging out? She doubted it. Nuzzling? Maybe. Were they... She was sure the heat emanating from her face could warm up a room. "Were we... kissing?" She didn't know what to do. She loved Jackie, as a friend. She never thought they would be anything more, because frankly she didn't think she needed more. But for the first time, she was thinking about relationships and the one pony who did her best to hide her feelings was doing a terrible job of it, only making the situation harder. Now, Jackie was the only thing on her mind.
"What do I do? I don't even know what I like! I like Jackie. But do I like her like that? Do I even like mares?" Frustrated, she grabbed her pillow and stuffed her face in it. Her heart was still racing. Split second images of her friend crossed her mind. They did have a lot in common and they rarely ever left each others side, but that doesn't imply a relationship... does it?
With everything going on, Timid didn't end up getting to sleep until the wee hours of the morning. One thing she was somewhat thankful for was the lack of nightmares, but that was only due to the current issue on her mind. She hoped tomorrow would bring further clarity.