//------------------------------//
// Morning 
// Story: Racer And The Geek 
// by kalash93 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 6: Morning
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The rest of the week passed in a kind of haze for Sunny Breeze. The only memorable highlight was seeing Faraday on Wednesday evening and making a date for the park on Wednesday afternoon. He had also tried to locate Zecora’s house in the Everfree Forest without success. All that had resulted in was muddy boots and the odd monster getting shot.

Sunny was taking a shower on Friday night to relax after work , as well as to freshen up in preparation for his mother’s visit the next day, in lieu of his normal battery of alcohol. He’d spent the afternoon cleaning up his place, knowing what she’d do if he left it untidy. He took special pains to hide away all the signs of his drinking. It was just for a day and then some, then he could go back. How hard could it be to keep sober for that little time? The stallion scrubbed his body diligently, trying to remove all dirt and sweat from his body. His hooves ran across a number of thin, hard lines in his fur. These lines- these scars were yet another sign upon his body of who he really was and why he was unworthy. The life of an armed guard was not an easy one. The evidence was literally carved into his flesh.

When he got out of the shower, he did his usual routine of standing in front of the mirror while he dried himself off. For some peculiar reason, his eyes were drawn to a particularly ugly, visible scar around his collarbone, and to one in the middle of his left foreleg. Most of his scars weren’t too quickly and easily visible at a glance, but this one and a few others on his body were. Each one told a story, all of them ones he’d rather forget. They were what he always hid underneath his clothes. Whatever happened, they could not ever be revealed to anypony else. The risks were just too great. Any mare would reject a damaged creature like him.

Sunny lay in his bed and tried to sleep. Without his usual dose of alcohol, he found that it did not come easily. Instead, he lay wide awake with his mind in overdrive. Terrible images kept flashing through it. Flashbacks to the past played in his head. He did everything he could to shut them out and find peace, but they would just hammer harder inside his brain. Why did the anniversary of Hill 20 have to be coming up soon? That always made it worse. Why couldn’t he just sleep and live like a normal pony? 

Suddenly, afirecracker exploded! His leg broke out into tremors and he nearly went mad with panic. For a few seconds, he wasn’t in Ponyville. Instead, he was back in Afghneighnistan.

The hot, dusty, ground crunched under his hooves and he looked out over the sandbag perimeter. All clear. Wait- what was that? Did that thing just move? Never mind, it was just him being paranoid. He turned to his friend. “Yo, Traube. Hast du das ges-” BANG!

Sunny snapped back into reality, perspiring heavily and wild-eyed. He scanned thoroughly for any sign of a threat. His mind was on fire, going haywire with terror. The stallion clung to the sheets for a long time. Gradually, the terror subsided. He felt exhausted, but still couldn’t make himself sleep. He just didn’t feel safe. He comforted himself by going into his closet. He searched around the interior for his FAL. Instead, he stepped on something hard and wooden, based on the sound it made. He picked it up and make out the shape of his AK-74. It suddenly brought more unwanted memories to his mind.

This rifle itself was monument to his sin. Just seeing it was reminder that he had done terrible things and deserved everything he got. He’d rather that it lie altogether forgotten in a toxic place long lost to ponies, but he needed something to hold onto. This assault rifle, even though he had used it to perpetrate crimes, had always been there for him. It had gotten him through Grazny. It had gotten him through Hill 20. Any other, lesser, weapon would have gotten him killed. It had been with him in Zebricy and in Afghneighnistan. It had preserved his life, yes, but at the cost of many others while guys all around him breathed their last. He held it in his hooves and walked back to the bed. The magazine was still in it. He knew that it was loaded with thirty cartridges of 5.45x39, but that he had left the chamber empty and the safety on. Doubtlessly, it would still work. The bayonet was still attached to its mount, but had been sheathed. It had been that way when he arrived at Klopdahar all those years ago. They had needed to physically peel him off his gun before he would let it go. When he had left the company, he hadn’t given it up. Losing it would have been like losing another comrade; a blow he couldn’t take.

Holding the AK-74 made Sunny feel safe and calm. He tucked himself under the sheets and willed his body to sleep. His mind remained ablaze. The soft mattress and linens of the bed felt hot and stifling to him. He worked himself free and sat up on the floor with his back leaning against the bed and the rifle cradled in his arms. Funny how after all these years, this was still sometimes the only way he could get to sleep. It took a long time, but Sunny finally relaxed enough to drift off into a light, dreamy, sleep.

A group of eight equine stallions armed with various rifles sat atop an Armored Personnel Carrier. They watched out diligently for any threats as they rolled down the road, the third in a column of four, and each of them had a griffon or two atop them. A zebra wearing a black cap, with the letters “VZS” embroidered on it, turned to a helmeted pony in his mid-adolescence. “Hey, Sonnig – Sunny!”

The pony didn’t turn, but answered nevertheless, “What?”

“You think we’re finally going to see some action?”

“Most likely we shall.” He said this dryly, staring out into the deserted suburban neighborhood. Snow had fallen all around, coating everything in a layer of sugary white. The only nearby high ground was a clock tower that had been decapitated by artillery fire prior to the assault. His AK-74 was at a low ready position. “They did tell us that this was the big push. We’re going to storm Grazny. Our job is to sweep these outer neighborhoods and get around their defenses.

Another zebra, this one wearing a cerulean beret, cut in. “More like adopt since nobody seems to be here.

Sonnig replied, “Oh, there are guys here. They’re just hiding if they have any sense.” The conversation stopped. The column continued to roll along past block after block of deserted suburbia. Houses, streets, and all the other trappings of civilian life lay eerily abandoned, as if some invisible hand in the sky had suddenly snatched them all away. Not all was pristine, however, as many of the buildings had been shattered by artillery barrages. It was strange to see one building in ruins while all its neighbors were perfectly fine.

The four APC column soon reached a narrow bridge over Grazny’s river that forced the vehicles to drive in single file. These things always made everyone nervous. However, they had been told that reconnaissance and intelligence indicated a minimal enemy presence in this part of the city, due to them being distracted by the main assault on the north side, and the fact that much of this district had been bombarded pretty badly. Flight was forbidden as they could not risk being detected on their way to link up with elements of the Federal 19th Light Armored and attack from behind.

They were all glad to have griffon allies with them, whose superior senses of sight and hearing would not go amiss in the dark shadows and narrow hides of urban warfare. Separatisten- Separatists, weren’t fools. They pressed on, driving somewhat more quickly than normal.

All was silent but the deep water of the river engorged by the spring melt, and the engines. The stallions and griffons looked around anxiously and clutched at their weapons. Seconds felt like minutes to the mercenaries and foreign volunteers. The other side of the river appeared to have a large office block that was deserted but otherwise not ruined. It was fringed with a meadow and several shady spruce trees.

The lead APC was nearing the edge of the span. The griffons suddenly twitched and looked to the office building, and then to each other, wings poised as if about to take flight. Everybody exchanged glances and scanned feverishly for threats.

Something plummeted out of the air onto the first APC! A mighty blast lifted the multiton armored vehicle off the ground and shredded it like cabbage. The squad riding on top didn’t even have time to scream as they were blown into chunks and pieces. “PRIGAI!” shouted one of the griffons, leaping into the air and taking cover behind the iron trusses to return fire. But not all of them made it. A couple fell from the sky as they flew into rounds intentionally sent high. Everyone leapt from the vehicles and threw themselves at the ground, as if that would protect them from the torrents of lead raining down upon them.

The voice of the platoon sergeant shouted over the fracas, “AMBUSH! Targets! Left side- left side! SUPPRESSIVE FIRE!” The gunners in the APC’s answered back with a vengeance as their fifty and thirty caliber machine guns roared to life. They fired at whatever the griffons were aiming at; they were seldom wrong. Rockets hurtled at the column, some flying high, some crashing into the river, and some exploding against the bridge.

Sonnig and his squad mates flattened themselves against the deck and fired back at their attackers. His weapon had been in semiautomatic mode since the moment he'd gotten on the APC. He saw guys go down, struck by bullets or blown apart by explosions. Presently, the welcome roar of the squad's RPD sounded in his ear. Sonnig saw a stallion moving in the bushes some hundred meters away. He was a unicorn with a yellow brown coat and a very shaggy brown mane. Sonnig aimed his AK-74, tugged the trigger, and fired repeatedly. The first bullet hit a leg and tripped him up. The second bullet missed. He was trying to stand up when the third bullet impacted his shoulder. The fourth bullet struck the chest, finally stopping him for good. Suddenly, the comforting roar of the RPD ceased to sound in Sonnig's ear. Then something wet and sticky tapped him on the shoulder.

He looked to his right. A bloody hoof had brushed his shoulder. Attached to it was the pugnacious zebra from earlier, lying in a pool of red. The bloody zebra looked him in the eyes. “Sonnig- Sunny… they got me.” The zebra died. Not good. Sunny grabbed the fallen mercenary's RPD and took up laying down fire.

The belt ran dry. Sunny reached into the dead zebra's gear to find more ammo, and in looking to see what he was doing, he realized that he was now all alone in the middle of an ambush; his comrades were on the other side of the APC’s! The rear vehicle had been blown up, trapping them in a shooting gallery!  He couldn't control his hooves. The shaking was too much; he couldn't make the fine motions needed to reload the RPD. Terrified, Sunny picked back up his 74, magicked the lever up into fully automatic mode as he had been taught to do, and returned fire with short, controlled, bursts, slaying a handful of fighters. The tracers started to draw near to him. He was frantically pleading, desperately trying to flatten his body even more against the bridge deck, but he couldn't!

He heard the voice of his squad leader shout out to him, "Get back here! We'll cover you!" He felt the blood and steadiness flow back into his limbs. He had orders- no time to worry about himself. He grabbed everything he could and reloaded the RPD. "GO!" Sunny shot up to his feet and sprinted for the safety of the APC's. If he could just reach the other side, just three meters -- eighty miles away, then he'd be safe. He'd never moved so fast in his life.

The stallion panted and calmed his tremors enough to reload the RPD. Then he placed it on top of the APC and opened fire. Suddenly, feathers brushed against him. He recognized the thickly accented voice calling enemy positions as belonging to one of the griffons, Berkut. "Meedl vindow -- saykind storrey!" He let of a burst. "One lowerr, durrrak!" He readjusted and fired again. "Otlichna! Fourth floor, far leyft! Proschaite, suki!" The griffon scanned for targets. "We are vinning! They could make it after all. Just a bit more and they'd be through...

But that was not to be. A talon suddenly clamped onto his shoulder. "Mortar team! On tam! Strilyai!" Sunny fired at the tiny moving specks, but it was too late. "Take cover!" Sunny ignored Berkut, so focused was he on killing his foe. He laughed raucously as he watched them stumble and sink. Claws seized his neck from behind and slammed him into the concrete. Before Sunny could comprehend what was happening, something smashed into the top of the APC and exploded!

The world fell. The blast blew him into the air. He felt many things pelt against his helmet and armored vest before he painfully slammed into the pavement and felt his teeth give way. He tasted blood and felt these horrible searing sensations in his forelegs. Sunny opened his eyes, looked down, and screamed.

Sunny awoke with a start, panting heavily and shivering. He was covered in a cold sweat. He touched his shoulder. He could still feel the bloody hoof brushing it, even after all these years. The urge to drink was huge. A drink, yes, that’s what he wanted, no, needed. One to calm him down. One for the flavor. One for the high. One for the pain. Then he remembered what he’d promised himself he’d do that day. Fitfully, he tried to fall asleep just as dawn was breaking. He succeeded, but only got a few hours. And so he contented himself to lie in bed and read, keeping the comforting Kalashnikov hugged to his chest.

The book contained the poems of James Thomas Clopham. These always comforted him, even though many of the words were archaic and he used a strange dialect. He lost track of time and the sun rose higher into the sky. He finally managed to calm down and even enjoy himself a little bit. Rustic scenes about northern equestrian moors and shires soothed the stallion’s frayed nerves. Then came a huge crash from the front door, followed quickly by the sound of somepony soundly bruised and bemused.

In a flash, Sunny grabbed the Kalashnikov and readied it, his body tensed like a spring. His hood was planted firmly in the trigger plate located in the stock, and squeezed. Even though he was a unicorn, he preferred to always handle arms with his hooves because it provided the best control.

He knew from experience exactly how much pressure he’d need to fire. Sunny tracked the hoofsteps in the hall as they gradually came closer. Their owner was being careless, showing no regard for stealth. If some moron was happy to practically beg to be shot, then he was overjoyed to oblige. Then the steps stopped. “Hey, Sunny, you home?” That was Rainbow Dash’s voice – and she was close! He didn’t reply. She knocked on his door. The knob wasn’t locked. Sunny looked around. He had to hide his gun and scars! She couldn’t find out! The knob started to turn. The stallion hurriedly stashed the assault rifle in his bed, hid his body under the covers, and magicked the book back in front of his face not even a second before the mare opened the door. “Ah! There you are,” she said.

“Morning,” greeted Sunny robotically with a slight growl. He kept firmly focused on his book in hopes of getting her to buzz off.

This didn’t seem to faze Rainbow Dash, who continued on blithely, all the while making her way over to his bed, shaking her hips slightly. “Soo, it’s just us here and we’ve got hours until we have to go.” She sat down on the side of the bed. He lowered the book and shifted his body over, putting his legs between Rainbow Dash and his gun.

“Would you please get out of here?”

“Why?” She got on all fours and started crawling towards him. His discomfort visibly increased as she approached.
“I’m not decent.”

She laughed, “We don’t normally wear clothes anyway.”

“And we don’t normally break into ponies’ places either,” he shot back.

“So? You told me to come whenever I felt like it, so I’m here. It’s not like it’s hurting anypony. Let’s have some fun.” Rainbow sat over Sunny’s legs. Her mouth twisted into a wolfish, predatory grin.

Oh not again- not now! Rainbow was very quickly going from sexy to scary. He could see her looking just like all those wolf soldiers he wished would stop haunting him. The stallion did his best to maintain his composure. “As nice as that sounds, Rainbow, I’ve got stuff to do.”

“That can wait, but this pony can’t. There’s no way that whatever boring stuff you’re talking about beats being with a Wonderbolt.”

Sunny’s face formed into a pale, emotionless mask. “I’m serious. Stop! I’ll do it, but not right now.” It was no use. The ravenous wolf fully manifested in his mind; he no longer saw Rainbow Dash. The scar on his 
right shoulder twinged with remembered pain.

“I’m going to enjoy this…” The wolf darted down right for his throat, jaws opened wide! The world froze for a terrible second in the stallion’s mind. Then, he lost control and his training took over.

Sunny dodged his neck right, out of danger. He punched upwards with his hoof! “NEIN!” Impact. The illusion shattered.

“OWW!” Sunny saw Rainbow Dash go sprawling off of him, holding her head. Oh no! He had just lost control and hurt somepony, again. His heart sank like a stone. Without thinking, he bolted out of the covers and flew to the mare’s side. The mare had taken a tumble over the edge and was clutching at the left side of her face.

“Rainbow Dash, I’m so sorry. I-I-”

The mare opened an eye and seethed at him, “Fine, you’re not in the mood. Sorry I asked.”

“Did I hurt you?” His voice was thick with worry. She scanned his surprisingly trim upper body. The pegasus smirked, even as she hissed and stroked at her face.

“A little. You hit pretty good for a little guy, but I’m tough.” She winced subconsciously.
“I’m sorry,” pleaded Sunny. She grimaced.

“Don’t I look a little lonely?” Pouted Rainbow.

Sunny almost facehoofed. “Okay, I’ll hold you if that’s what you want. Just please, don’t hate me.” The mare seemed amused by this.

“That’s cool,” she replied, making her way over to him. Sunny twisted his body away from her to hide the scars. With luck, she hadn’t even seen them in the dark room. Pegasi tended to have bad night vision. She approached him somewhat more cautiously than earlier and then turned around to press her back into his front. He stiffened slightly. Rainbow Dash ordered, “Put your hooves around me.” Sunny wordlessly complied, eliciting a happier sound from Rainbow Dash, “Aww yeah, that’s the spot.” Sunny looked down at his limbs, suddenly understanding why Rainbow Dash seemed to be enjoying it so much.

One of his legs was wrapped around her chest. His other limb had snaked around her hips. She nestled her neck onto his unscarred left shoulder. He was blushing furiously. She giggled. He prayed that she didn’t feel his scars through her fur. If she did, then she gave no indication. He wasn’t having half as much fun as she was. As badly as Sunny needed the physical contact, he also shied shielded away from it, for it felt hot, uncomfortable and stifling. He did not trust this mare very much. Regardless, in that moment, he was relieved that she hadn’t gone ballistic at him.

And so they lay together for a long while, body to body. Over time, Sunny did relax and even started to enjoy Rainbow Dash’s body and company a little bit. She was soft, she was warm, and she smelled good. He grinned slightly as he realized just how much he was enjoying this. She put her hooves over his and breathed deeply in the morning warmth. Perhaps Rainbow Dash wasn’t the lecherous madmare he’d heard about on the radio. Sure, she was more a physical being than he was, but that didn’t make her a maniac. Perhaps he could come to trust her after all.

He looked down at her body. She was indeed quite sexy, with toned muscles everywhere, curves where they belonged, and all that poetic stuff. Her chest rose and sank regularly as she inhaled and exhaled. In that moment, Sunny realized that he was not alone. He felt at peace. Well, a certain part of him seemed determine to rebel. He hoped that Dash didn’t notice. “You’re not too bad at this, Sunny,” remarked Rainbow.

He startled. “Huh? Not too bad at what?”

“Cuddling.”

The stallion didn’t know how to take the compliment. He awkwardly replied, “Gee, thanks, I guess…”

“You’re welcome. Say, do you know what time it is?”

Sunny looked at the clock. “It’s just past eleven.”

“Time for breakfast,” remarked Rainbow. Sunny looked at her. “What?” She said defensively. “You’re not going to show your guest some hospitality?”

He yawned. “If you insist.” Dash opened her mouth to reply, but before she could utter a sound, they overheard many different hoofsteps and voices enter the apartment. “You gotta be kidding me,” groaned Sunny. “My refrigerator must emit a pulse of ultrasound that attracts all hungry ponies within a three mile radius of the epicenter.” Rainbow got out of bed wordlessly and went to investigate. He didn’t feel like bothering anymore. Instead, he took the opportunity to secret his rifle back in the closet.

He had just finished putting the gun away and was about to get dressed when suddenly, “HIYA! Howya doin’?” He jumped a foot in the air.

“P-Pinkie Pie! Don’t do that!” He frowned. “What’re you doing here anyway?” He turned to get dressed, hoping that she’d be too hyper to notice his scars.

“Ooh, I saw a new pony in town! I know she was a new pony in town because I know everypony in Ponyville, so I asked where she where she was going! And she said that that she was looking for a certain address, which just so happened to be your address, Sunny! So now we’re going to throw her a welcome party! She’ll be here any minute now, so get ready!” While she was doing this, Sunny perused his closet. He hadn’t done his laundry, so he didn’t have anything left over besides uniforms. He picked one he thought would look at least somewhat polished. It was a charcoal grey uniform of the mabuta design, distinct thanks to the pockets on the front of the thighs. He put it on with the usual telnyashka underneath the jacket. He really needed to get more clothes. Sunny braced himself and then stepped out into the hall. It was all for naught.

Gathered together in his hall were five mares! He immediately recognized Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Faraday. There were two he did not recognize. One was a yellow and pink pegasus whom he could swear to have seen before, who held her left wing strangely, as if she had almost been pinioned somehow. The other was a zebra. Perhaps she was the elusive Zecora? That was his one guess, although she did admittedly interest him the most. Everypony turned and stared as he entered the room. 

He looked at Pinkie Pie. “Who are they?” He asked, pointing at the pegasus and the zebra. Cold, but it got the point across.

“That’s Fluttershy!” Chirped Pinkie, suddenly grabbing Sunny and the pegasus in her forelegs and mashing them together. “You two are going to be best friends! Sunny, meet Fluttershy. Fluttershy, meet Sunny.” Fluttershy seemed to dislike the excessive handling even more than Sunny. He tried to move and ended up accidentally touching her injured wing. He felt… scar tissue, of all things. And the scarring was more widespread on one side than on the other. There was also a discoloured patch on her left leg. They reminded the stallion uncomfortably of healed bullet wounds, which was something that he would definitely investigate later.

Once Pinkie Pie released Sunny Breeze and Fluttershy from her clutches, she tried to wrangle Zecora, but somehow found herself foiled in her attempts to do so. Dejected, Pinkie backed off. The zebra spoke first. “Good morning to you. My name is Zecora. May I have yours too?”

“Sunny Breeze. Freut mich, Zecora. Pleased to meet you.” She heard the language and looked down at his chest. She seemed to consider him strangely for just a fraction of a second before brushing it aside and retuning his greeting.

“It pleases me much to make a new friend.” Her voice suddenly turned serious. “But there are wounds in your heart you must mend.” Before Sunny could ask her what she meant, however, the door opened.
An older unicorn mare bigger than most stallions stepped into the vestibule. She had a bright green coat and an electric yellow mane. She gave Sunny Breeze a hard, critical, look in the eye. It felt as if she were analyzing the very contents of his soul, frowning at every little speck of imperfection and dust.

“Mom,” he said, unsure. He really hadn’t been lying when he had said that he was the runt of the family, for his mother looked as if she had a lot of shire draft horse blood in her. She opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off when a party literally materialized right in front of her with a bang.

“Surprise!” everypony shouted. Sunny’s mother didn’t flinch, although she still was dragged along helplessly by Pinkie Pie, who insisted that she meet everypony. Sunny watched the proceedings with a grin etched onto his face as the stout, stalwart, matriarch was dragged around in a most undignified manner by a cartoonish pink pony who was clearly maybe only half her size on a good day.

Faraday was the first one to be introduced. “Hello, missus Breeze,” she said, shaking his mother’s hoof.

His mother laughed at the cute mare, “There’s no need to be so stiff. Just call me Ginny.” Faraday smiled and nodded. She opened her mouth to speak, but Ginny had already been effectively thrown at Zecora. The mare didn’t skip a beat. “Hi, Zecora.”

“I am indeed pleased to meet the mother of the stallion, Breeze.” Ginny smiled genuinely.

“Zecora, it is sublime how skillfully you rhyme.” Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me, did you meet him in-“ Sunny tensed.

But just before all Tartarus broke loose, Pinkie Pie cheered and wrangled Fluttershy. “She’s Fluttershy,” blabbed the oblivious pink pony. Ginny glared at her disapprovingly before turning a kinder gaze towards Fluttershy.

“Are you okay, Fluttershy?” The pegasus didn’t answer with anything audible.

Lastly, Pinkie Pie introduced herself. “And I’m Pinkie Pie!” She glomped Sunny’s mother, who let out an exasperated sigh. The group chattered for a while, and Sunny allowed them to do it. He couldn’t tell too much, although it seemed as if his mother was making her trademark quick work of sizing up all the mares. She didn’t scowl or yell, which was good. Ginny finally broke free several minutes later and approached Sunny with a hard look on her face.

He stood stock still, not daring to breathe. Everypony watched silently. They could easily read Sunny Breeze. His expressions were plain as day. They saw every bit of adoration, fear, love, uncertainty, fondness, and resentment written all over his face. She, on the other hoof, was much harder to read. Goiny stopped her deliberate approach just feet away from Sunny. They stared into each other’s eyes. Everypony leaned forwards. Pinkie Pie leaned too far forward and fell on her face with a comical shout. Silence. An emotional electrical storm was brewing in the small room housing the kitchen, dining area, and living space. The tension built to a breaking point. Neither pony broke a sweat. They circle strafed around each other. Fluttershy hid her face and squeaked. Zecora regarded the scene with studied interest. Faraday was thoroughly confused. Rainbow Dash seemed to understand exactly what was going on. She gave an encouraging wink and a nod to Sunny. He blinked deliberately and then stepped forwards.

Clop. The hoof hit the tile. In the blink of an eye, the two reared up lunged at each other! Fluttershy squeaked! They threw their arms around each other and embraced tightly. “Sunny! I’ve missed you.” Her musical, strident, contralto rang out.

“I’ve missed you too, mom,” he replied as tears of joy began to leak from her eyes. He patted the mare on the back, offering her comfort. Needless to say, she took it and rocked back and forth in her son’s arms.

She gave him a squeeze and asked, “When did you get this lovely harem? I’m impressed.”

He blushed. “Mamochka, not here.” He paused for a moment as he comprehended what she had just said. “They’re not my harem.”

“Not yet, but just you wait." She took note of his rigid demeanor. She thoughtfully paused for a moment before stating much more loudly than necessary. "You need to get laid."

Sunny groaned. "Did you have to say that, and in front of them, too?" Everypony, even Zecora, was starting fixedly at the pair. Their expressions ranged from barely restrained lust to wide-eyed surprise.

Ginny chucked. "I'm just letting you know what I think you should do. You've got plenty of choices and chances right here." Her voice suddenly dropped low again. "Also, I’m going to be staying in town for about a week or more.” His ears flattened.

“A week?” She nodded. He wanted to scream and find the nearest bar.

They broke apart. She whispered to him, “I’ll explain over brunch. By the way, congratulations on not being drunk, although it would be nice if you don’t wear your mercenary uniform.” A bad feeling formed in the pit of his stomach as she turned away to address the others, who were still reeling. “So, where can you get good grub in this town?”

“Ooh!” Pealed Pinkie Pie, hopping up and down. “I know just the place.” They were seated seconds later. Little did Sunny know it at the time, but it was at this moment that life changed course. Something big was stirring in the machinations of fate.