Getting to Shelby Park was easy and spotting the pony group was even easier. A pegasus hopped up on a low-lying cloud, waving her forehooves emphatically.
Grinning to each other, Jess and I spilled air until our cloud was along the one with the waving pegasus. She looked like a pegasus version of Bon Bon, though her cutie mark was different and her mane and tail style were more flowing. Familiarity crossed through me and I realized Blossomforth recognized her.
“Blossom! Cloud!” said the pegasus excitedly.
“Voyage!” Blossom said.
And I knew her. Bon Voyage. She was a volunteer for weather crew and had pitched in during tornado duty.
“Heya Bon,” Cloud said.
Our ponies all got in close, shaking hooves and smiling and then I saw the flicker as Bon Voyage’s human came back to the front.
“Oh. Uh, hey!” she said her grin becoming nervous.
“It’s okay, we’re getting used to it too,” I replied, taking my own body back. “I’m January and this is Jessica, what’s your name?”
“I’m Krista,” the pegasus answered. “They had me sit up here for the first shift to flag down any pegasi that came in close. I didn’t think you two would make an appearance though!”
Jess shrugged. “We were in the area,” she said.
“Well, it’s down there. Maybe I’ll get a minute...” She glanced over Jess. “To talk?”
Krista blinked and shuddered and tried to recover with a weak smile.
Jess blinked in return at the only somewhat covert looking-over.
“Um, sure,” Jess said.
Ooookay. That was weird.
We parked Suzy out of the way and winged down to the park where humans mingled with sixteen or so unicorns, earth ponies and pegasi. Jess had a very furrowed brow as we came in for a landing.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Something’s bugging me. Like with Krista- I mean, Bon Voyage, I mean... That pegasus back there. Cloud’s not talking though.”
“Don’t let her give you any guff,” I replied.
I would pay to see that work out, Blossom snorted.
As we landed, a few ponies came up, as did a few humans, to welcome us. We smiled and shook hooves and hands, doing brief introductions. A tall, wiry-looking, black guy in a gray t-shirt with Applejack winking in the corner like Han Solo, introduced himself as Carlisle and indicated the Day Guard pin on his chest.
“I’m the one who invited you guys,” he said to me. Jess had gotten minorly mobbed and was busy being chatted up by the ponies so we stepped to the side to talk.
“Thanks, man. Pleasure,” I said, shaking his hand with my hoof.
He nodded. “Drinks are over there, mostly punch, Coke and stuff. We got chips, some potato salad and the guys are grilling.”
I observed the spread and saw a few men were over by a small park grill, but I didn’t catch a whiff of beef, instead smelling grilled eggplant.
“Went all pony friendly didn’t ya?” I said.
He nodded, pride sliding into his demeanor.
“We tried. I did want to touch base with you though.”
“Oh?” I asked. I pushed a foreleg through the crowd to touch Jess and let her know I was getting something to drink. She asked for water and I walked with Carlisle over to the refreshment table where an olive-skinned, chubby girl with a pink t-shirt and blue backpack was talking to a unicorn neither Blossom, nor I recognized.
“Yeah,” he said. “I read your page. You really flying cross-country?”
“We are. Mostly to see if anypony needs help. It looks like y’all have this well in hand here.”
“We’re trying,” he said, pouring a Coke.
I got fruit punch that I watered down and just water for Jess.
“You’re succeeding,” I replied. “Looks like everypony here feels safe and I don’t see a PAPA in sight.”
“We had a few close calls. Some house on chicken legs tore through a neighborhood a few days ago. Some people said they saw a purple pony, but that’s long gone, so we can’t confirm it.”
He then pointed to an earth pony with a gray coat, deep, purple mane and a boot-shaped cutie mark. “Then there’s Zack in Welly over there. He got trapped at an abandoned Pizza Hut outside of town when some of those anti-pony assholes ran him off the sidewalk. I texted with him the whole time we were getting police there. Diana was the one who saved him though.”
“Diana?” I asked.
He jerked his thumb and I raised an eyebrow at the woman he indicated. She could have been Diana of Themyscira. Tall, clearly muscular and with raven-black hair past her shoulders, I kept any comments of a superhero coming to a pony’s rescue to myself. Diana laughed at something the pegasus she was speaking to said. It was a good laugh.
“She’s on Night Guard. Came on the place and arrested two of the PAPAs while getting Zack out.” The tone in Carlisle’s voice was either a man with respect or a boy with a bit of a crush. He smirked as if caught. “She’s pretty amazing and we’re glad to have her.”
“Bet you are,” I said, sipping my drink.
He looked down at me.
“I’m not judging,” I said. “She’s hot. I’d say more, but I’m taken.”
“Oh?”
I gestured at Jess who was in an animated discussion with a chocolate unicorn stallion.
“Wooooow,” Carlisle said. “You just launched a thousand ships right there.”
I laughed. “Tell me about it. Blossom and Cloud are really buddies, so it’s a little weird for them, but not bad. Besides, I love my girl and I’m not giving her up just because I’m suddenly a pony.”
He laughed and it was a full sound that encouraged others to join in just to enjoy it with him. the sound made me think he was the Pinkie Pie in his circle of friends.
“Good call,” he said. “Look, I’m gonna let you mingle, but hit me up before you leave. Wanna make sure you have all the necessary contacts if you’re going through with this thing. And talk about some... Other stuff.”
“Kay,” I said and flapped over to Jess, cups in hoof.
“Hey babe,” I said, offering the cup.
Jess took it absently and whereas from a distance she looked okay, up close I could see her eyes were a little wide and her smile a little tight.
“Thanks,” she said.
“You okay?” I asked.
She drank from her Solo cup filled with water and licked her lips.
“I realized what was bugging me about Bon Voyage,” Jess said.
“What’s that?” I asked, taking a sip of my own beverage.
“Cloud has slept with her and nearly every pony here.”
Cue spit take.
I thought you said she wasn’t that loose! I yelled.
I didn’t think she was! Blossom countered. I thought half of it was just talk!
Well clearly, I’m not the only one who has to work on her trust issues!
“Both of us, actually.” I coughed. “Seriously though? Nearly...?”
Jess nodded.
“Since Cloud’s being... Distant, I’m just seeing what comes up when I ask certain questions in my head. After all the familiarity when all those ponies said hello, I asked myself why and next thing I know I have a head full of ponies. In very... Educational positions.”
We both stood in silence as the party flowed around us.
Jess had some water and sighed. “You know, a few months ago, this would be interesting. Right now, it’s just trying.”
“Why’s that?” I asked, trying to sooth my throat with a careful swig of my own drink.
“Because I’m with you,” she said with a smile. “When I’m in a relationship, that’s it. Nopony else. I mean, nobody else.”
I nuzzled her. “Thanks love.”
Shy, I then traced my hoof around the edge of my cup. “So all those times I said you could totally go with whoever and I’d be fine...”
“Never considered it,” she said. “Well, except the big exceptions.”
“Celebrity clause is always in effect,” I said in an official voice. “Just remember to get a snapshot with them before you dash out the hotel.”
She giggled.
“Lady, do I love you,” she said, leaning against me.
“Love you back,” I replied.
We nuzzled quietly for a bit.
“What about you?” she asked.
“What about me?”
“Have you ever considered...?” She rolled her hoof in the air.
I snorted. “Stars, no! Being in one relationship is enough. Juggling multiple partners? Not worth the effort. I know other people can do it, but you’re all the girl I need.” I rubbed against her. “I just gave you that out because you seemed so much more physical than me and I didn’t want you always waiting on me to get comfortable.”
She pecked me on the cheek.
“I will always wait for you to get comfortable.”
An embarrassed smile blossomed on my face. “Wow, I’m that good?” I mutter, looking at the ground.
“You’re that worth it.”
I blushed. Fiercely.
“C’mon,” Jess said, indicating a knot of ponies and humans lounging around a table. “I know half these ponies are ready to treat me like the pony Captain Jack Harkness, but I’m sure I can politely rebuff them with the built-in girlfriend repellant by my side.”
“I love being repellant,” I said perking up. “Shall I drape upon you like Fleur dis Lee?”
“Who?” Jess asked.
“The model pony when Rarity went all Canterlot social. She draped all over the Most Interesting Pony guy...?” I prompted.
She laughed. “I don’t think you need to go that far, but I won’t object to you being cuddly.”
I grinned, trotting alongside her. “Yay.”
~
Though we had intended to only stay an hour, we ended up going all the way to the end of the meetup with the sun starting to dip behind the trees.
Ponies hopped into waiting cars or flew off as their wont. Goodbyes were said, numbers exchanged, a few promised Facebook friendings were confirmed. The Day Guard was cleaning up. Carlisle and Diana asked Jess and I over to a table to talk privately before we left.
“So,” I asked when we were all gathered. “What’s up?”
The two humans glanced at each other and I realized I was starting to actually think of them that way. Humans. Something I was not. Weird.
“We have a favor to ask,” Diana said. Her eyes were an intense shade of blue. Almost as intense as mine. I don’t know why that made me feel more comfortable with her, but it did.
“What’s that?” I said.
“Can you add a stop to your trip?”
Jess and I shared a look. Jess spoke first.
“It depends,” she said. “We’re not really on a schedule, but we don’t want to move too slowly either.”
“What’s the favor?” I asked.
Diana looked to Carlisle, who had folded his arms and remained quiet. He raised his head and I realized he’d been debating to ask us for the whole of the afternoon.
“I’m missing a friend,” he said.
“Okay,” I said. “I don’t see how we...”
He raised his hand and pulled out his Android. After a few flicks and taps, he turned the phone around and showed us a picture of a young, soft-faced girl in a baggy hoodie with Princess Luna’s cutie mark on the shoulder. She had little twin afro puffs on top of her head and a grin that suggested the picture had been caught after a joke.
“This is Rhea. We met at Comic-con in St. Louis. We had a bit in common, so we kept in touch. Facebook, e-mail, texts. Y’know. Stuff.”
Some Sherlockian part of me went, Irrelevant. Where’s the real data?
Who was that? Blossom asked, blinking in surprise.
A side of myself I use, but am not terribly proud of social skills wise. Shh. I’m trying to listen.
Sorry.
“I’m saving up to move out where she is, in Tulsa. Get a new job because here sucks. No offense.” He directed the last to Diana, who smirked in response.
“None taken.”
“We were talking about all this pony stuff and how wild it was. I joined the Day Guard and she was thinking about joining Luna.”
“Who is best pony,” Diana muttered with a smile.
Carlisle returned it, looking up at the taller woman.
“Then, nothing, quiet. I tried reaching out to some of her friends and her brother, but they haven’t seen her.”
“So what do you think?” I asked.
He shrugged, deflating and put the Android away. He rubbed at the back of his neck.
“I mean, I’m hoping she’s just busy. Like, hasn’t called me in two days busy, but... But it’s not looking good. I reached out to the Guard over there and they said they’ll check with the cops, but that was a day ago and with everything happening- they are busy busy.”
“Help me Obi-wan Kenobi...” I said with a sad smile.
He blushed. “It’s asking a lot, I know, but it’d help me out. Maybe she went pony. Maybe she got caught up in some crazy. I dunno. I only know you two have wings and the earliest any of us are getting there is...” He looked to Diana.
“Five days,” she flatly.
I raised an eyebrow at her.
“I’m trying to call in time off, but with the days getting all messed up, city planning is having fits. I only got here because I told them I was doing civilian surveillance.”
“Civilian...?”
She moved back the corner of her jacket and a badge appeared at her hip. So did a gun. I scolded myself internally for not noticing them earlier.
“Ah,” Jess said.
“You totally have a Wonder Woman cosplay at home, don’t you?” I asked.
Diana grinned wolfishly at me. “I do conventions with a vengeance,” she said. “Wander around with other Wonder Women and glare at any asshole who wants to make a comment.”
“How very... Scary of you.”
“I play to my strengths.”
I chuffed a laugh and my hoof came to my chin as I considered things. Could be easy. Just get to her place and find an earth pony or pegasus who couldn’t work her computer yet. Or a girl with a flu so bad she’s not answering her calls. Could be worse.The amount of worse it could get went exponential. Especially since I knew there were cartoon villains appearing left and right on top of racist hate groups.
“This is what I said we’d do,” I told Jess, glancing over to her.
Her eyes went down in thought, but it wasn’t very long. She nodded, smiling at me.
I looked to Carlisle. “Gimme her contact info. We’re not making any promises, but we’ll drop by her place, do what we can.”
A weight seemed to slide off the man and he smiled without reservation.
“Thanks. Thank you so much!”
“Whoa!”
I was swept up in a firm brony embrace, the first of this trip, which I reciprocated. When I felt like I was having difficulty breathing, I tapped his back and asked for release.
“Sorry,” he said, his blush standing out impressively on his dark cheeks as he let me go.
“‘Sokay,” I replied, a bit unsteadily. “I get it. Ponies are very huggable.”