Sunday morning finds both Rhino and Gel still in bed, both are actually awake, but neither want to get up yet. The two of them content themselves to simply lazing about right now, enjoying each other's company.
Rhino smiles happily as he plants another light kiss on the neck of the nymph in his embrace. "Now, this is definitely a way to spend the early morning."
She coos softly, nuzzling the top of his head. "I couldn't agree more." She teasingly nibbles the tip of his ear before whispering into it. "Too bad you're still injured...I wanted to test the soundproofing..."
He chuckles as he blows a bit of air onto her neck. "I'm sure I'll be well enough by next weekend or so if I keep up at this rate. Though I do need to get more medicine from Flick since everytime I mention it he just applies it instead of giving me a supply to use myself." He voice goes a bit quieter as he continues. "Though... there was an... incident during the soundproofing I do need to tell you about."
She stops her actions, pulling back to give him a concerned look. "...what is it, love?"
"Well..." He stops and looks at her seriously. "First off, promise you won't leave the room until I tell you the whole story. I don't want you running off with only half the information."
She tenses a bit but nods, albeit hesitantly. "...you have my word, Rhino."
He hesitates before speaking. "Ok... so... it turns out Luster... has or maybe had is the better word, I'm not sure how she feels at the moment, a crush on me. I found this out... when she acted on it... and kissed me." He quickly holds up his hooves. "Now, I pushed her away quickly, so nothing happened, but I thought you deserved to know. We talked afterward, and I helped her realize that just because I'm the only pony she's been comfortable with in many years, doesn't mean she loves me. When I brought the possibility of her getting comfortable with more ponies, she backed off and said maybe I was right. Now, I just want to make sure you know, she never told me to leave you, she only ever wanted you to be happy. She was glad we talked and she was fine with the plan we went with where I think of her as a close friend, and she can occasionally skim off a bit of my love for you if she needs it." He goes quiet and waits for her reaction so far.
She blinks, trying to register all of this. After a few moments she giggles, shaking her head. "That certainly sounds like her." She rolls a hoof as she begins to explain. "When we were younger, there was this nymph she had a crush on. The day after she told me, after she figured this out, she marched up to her and kissed her. Turns out the nymph wasn't interested, but she didn't hold a grudge." She shrugs. "The only time I've seen her upset is when Flick teases her or someone interrupts her music. Anyways, I suppose she's as direct now as she was back then. Nothing to be upset about."
Rhino quirks an eyebrow. "Ok... you are taking this far better than I thought you would..."
"She's an old friend, and it was in the past. If I held things against others, I wouldn't have any friends." She smiles, tapping him on the nose. "I don't forget things. I choose to overlook minor mistakes."
Deciding to tease her, Rhino looks up with a thoughtful hoof tapping on his chin. "Hmm... maybe I should have taken her up on that 'herding' offer..."
She squeaks, eyes widening and a blush flaring up on her cheeks. "H-her-eek!" She falls backwards off the bed in her shock, trying to back up to see him.
He neatly lifts her up and sets her back down with her back to his chest with magic. He embraces her from behind as he comments. "Something wrong? I did say she wanted you to be happy, and that was the plan she proposed so that both of you would be."
"...w-well...it's a nice thought, but..." She sighs, shaking her head. "...I don't know...the idea seems taboo to me..."
He chuckles. "Relax, love, only teasing. She did actually suggest that, but the main point point still stands. I'm sure she'll find someone who'll make her happy, and as her friends, we'll support her." He runs his hoof lightly over her proposal necklace she's wearing. "In the meantime, we'll be happy too." He nibbles lightly on her neck.
She shyly giggles, pushing her back against his belly. "I'll say we will."
He playfully growls as he hugs her tighter to him. "Careful now, I might just decide to take some pain meds and test the soundproofing anyway."
She squeaks, giving him a smoldering look over her shoulder. "I say..." She brings his forehoof up to her lips and starts nibbling on it. "...we find Flick...and see if he'll finally give you a vial of that medicine..."
He sighs. "Fine... but I am going to get you good once I'm better."
***
Later that day, the couple are making their way to the backyard. Gel looks up at him, her eyes shining with excitement. "It took me a while, yesterday, but I made the backyard much more exciting for the pets!" She opens the door, still looking up at him. "Keep in mind, it's not finished, but..." Her voice trails off as she finally takes a look at the scene before them.
The yard has multiple pieces of playground equipment set up in sensible locations around the yard, each modified slightly to allow the smaller pets to access them easily.
That's not what has her stunned, though - that would be a certain goldenrod changeling standing in the middle of it all, painting away on a large, fluffy white cloud. He doesn't seem to notice the two of them.
Rhino looks on, impressed. "Wow... I didn't know one could paint clouds... I always thought they had to use light or liquid rainbow if they wanted any color that wasn't fluffy white or storm gray."
"That is where you're wrong, Doc!" He turns and grins at them, gesturing them closer. "I found a way to do it without either of those! The answer?" He points to a paint set next to him. "Watercolor!"
The stallion facehoofs at the simplicity of it. "Genius."
"Yep! Just look at the one I did earlier!" He points straight up.
Gel follows the direction of his hoof, confused at seeing an empty sky. "...I don't get it."
Rhino looks up to before guessing what they're looking at when Ditzy flies overhead and disappears for a moment. "You didn't happen to paint one to blend in with the sky did you?"
"Precisely!" He laughs jovially, shaking his head. "I love optical illusions! Hiding something in plain sight, changing one's perceptions from reality - it's just so much fun!" He steps to the side, showing the cloud he was working on. "See for yourself!"
The fluffy white material seems normal, at first glance, but, on closer inspection, it appears as though there's a tree in the middle of it. It has the same appearance from every angle, despite the fact that there isn't a tree growing out the top, like it appears.
"Wow..." Rhino says, awed. "That's amazing! You could really turn some heads with that talent."
He chuckles, patting the side of his easel. "That's a plus when working with clouds. I can paint the center of it and just put the rest back when I'm done!" He blinks, Rhino's words finally reaching him. For the first time, he becomes hesitant. "I could, I suppose. It might be better to wait for ponies to be more accepting of our kind, first." He forces out a laugh. "I don't think they'd appreciate knowing that a changeling likes to work with illusory art."
Rhino rubs his chin as he thinks out loud. "Hmm... note to self: order custom clouds for wedding to promote friend's new business."
Hearing this causes Flick to grin, wrapping a hoof around Gel and hugging her. "Congrats! I know I didn't get to say that, before, but come on!" He gestures to the unicorn. "You have the perfect stallion for you - one who'd put himself in harm's way to make sure you're safe! Who wouldn't be impressed?" He lets her go and grabs his cloud, turning into his pegasus disguise. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I've got a pony to prank."
Gel watches as he flies after a mare with a chromatic mane before turning to Rhino. "...he has no idea what he's getting into, does he?"
His tail wraps around hers as he responds. "I sense either serious retribution or a prank war on the horizon. Let's hope either way she holds off until we get the stuff from him."
"Agreed." She winces as Rainbow crashes into the cloud, making Flick immediately freak out at his art being ruined. "...I guess he didn't count on that, huh?"
The stallion tilts his head to one side. "Frankly, I'm not sure what he expected to happen. She looked like she was either going somewhere or training, so she was either going to go around it or through it."
"Maybe he wanted her to get startled and swerve out of the-" She grimaces as the mare lands a solid left hook on the brown stallion's eye. "That has to hurt..."
Rhino winces. "Ouch, yeah... I think he'll need of bit of medicine himself now. Should make broaching the subject easier though."
"Maybe..."
The stallion wobbles his way back down to the ground. He looks at Rhino, sheepishly smiling. "Got an ice pack I could borrow?" He gestures to the right side of his face. "Because I need to stop the swelling before it gets too bad."
Rhino motions to follow him. "Come on, I'll trade you some ice inside for enough of that medicine of yours to last me a week." He turns to Gel. "Oh, and by the way, love what you did with the yard. I can't wait to see how the little ones like it."
She giggles, waving to them as they go back inside. She turns to a few unopened boxes off to the side, smirking slightly. "Time to get back to work."
Flick follows him inside and to the kitchen, a bottle in his magic. "I suppose it's a fair trade. Especially if you want to make love to your fiancee sooner." He holds up a hoof to stop Rhino, a playful smile on his lips. "Lucky guess, before you ask."
The stallions lightly frowns. "It's not just that you know. I also don't like walking around town looking like I got into a fight with a manticore. It tends to draw attention... something I've never been fond of anyway." He rubs his side ruefully. "Plus, you know, throbbing pain when you least expect it after the stuff wears off."
"Yeah, puncture wounds tend to do that, Doc." He glances at the unicorn's side. "You're actually quite lucky. None of your organs got damaged...unless you count that zap to the head." He places the bottle on the table. "There should be enough in there to speed your recovery right up. I'd say you'll be back to normal in about a week, given how deep the wounds were."
Rhino nods. "Thanks for the estimate. Doctor or not, it's hard to give a diagnosis when you can't get a good look at the wounds on yourself." He brings out some ice from the freezer, pops it into a plastic bag, then wraps that in a thin towel. "Here you go, you can take the towel off if you want, it's mostly for cushion."
"The towel's fine." He gingerly holds it to his eye, chuckling a bit. "And glad to be of service." He turns his one good eye to the half-eaten pie in the fridge. "I could've sworn you ate that whole thing, Doc."
The stallion raises an eyebrow. "I'm a larger-than-average fluffy pony, not a pig. I always offer guests food as well, changelings just don't ever seem to want to eat much."
"We eat love after we reach pony size." He shakes his head and sits down. "Pony food's not exactly needed, after that."
Rhino picks up the bottle and peruses it to see if there are instructions. "Gel seems to like pony food, I figured it must do at least something."
"Well, I suppose that has to do with taste." He taps his chin, thinking a bit. "Maybe with her element, in part. Possibly as fuel for her fire?"
He shrugs. "I certainly don't know. She might not either, but I suppose I won't know until I ask." He sets the bottle down. "Speaking of asking, I'm curious how you and Gel know each other. I mean, I know you were in the same military, but I mean was there anything other than that?"
He blinks, caught off-guard by this. "How I know Gel?" He rubs the back of his neck, trying to think. "...well...she and sis were friends before they were drafted into the army...and she was assigned to my platoon." He smiles a bit, shaking his head. "She was easily the best of the bunch, yet never resorted to killing. Believe it or not, we actually found her after the Canterlot fiasco in the Everfree Forest, crying over a manticore she thought she killed. As it turns out, it was only unconscious. Apparently, their heartbeat slows down to save energy or something like that." He pauses, embarrassed. "Sorry, got off-track, there."
Rhino waves him off. "It's fine. It does help sort of the timeline a bit, thankfully. Besides, the survival evolutions of some species are always fascinating, manticores being one of the more subtle ones once you get past looks."
He stares blankly before realization dawns. "Oh, right, you're an animal doctor." He clears his throat and continues. "Anyways, our platoon was sent out on a training exercise." His smile falters momentarily. "...it would be the last one for our little group."
The unicorn goes quiet as he folds his hooves in an attentive posture.
Flick focuses on the floor, appearing depressed. "...the exercise ran into the night...we made campfires to keep warm and light up the area around our flag..." He groans, covering his face with his hooves. "...somehow...the forest caught on fire...I was certain it was the work of the other platoon, fighting dirty, trying to distract us...I ordered everyone to stand their ground, to protect the flag..." He coughs, the memory actually starting to hurt him. "...G-Gel pulled me away...and I saw the flag slowly burn up before I passed out..." He looks up at the stallion, remorseful. "...I was too focused on victory...too narrow-minded to realize the severity of the situation...if it wasn't for her, I'd..." He chokes on the lump of emotion in his throat, finding it hard to continue.
Rhino twiddles his hooves before commenting. "There's not really anything I can say to that. It was a horrible experience, and many were lost. You have my sympathies, but I feel after all this time those would be a moot point, seeing as you've likely heard that statement countless times by now... Do you want some time alone?"
"No." He swallows, chuckling softly. "It may be a painful memory, but I've grown used to it." He shakes his head. "Ever since, I've made a point not to be too serious, or ignore possible solutions in front of me." He clears his throat. "Shortly after, we went our separate ways. I was elated that she became so high a rank, but I feel as though she could've been more, if it wasn't for her memory issue."
The stallion nods. "I was impressed she got as high as she did even with that. I'm just glad we got it cured."
He blinks, surprised by this. "Cured? When did that happen?"
"Right after we started dating." Rhino says all this casually. "Over the course of a week, she would slowly remember more and more of each previous day until she could remember everything and all that she had forgotten came rushing back. Somehow we broke the curse, not sure how, but we're thankful we did."
He nods, blankly staring at him. "...well, then...congrats on healing your fiancee." He grins, bumping the stallion's shoulder.
"Heh, thanks." He looks at a clock. "Huh, been longer than I thought. I should go check on her." He gets up from the table. "Feel free to get more ice if you need it."
"Will do. One last question, though." He smirks coyly at him. "How loud is she?" He chuckles at this.
Rhino blushes even though he's turned away. "We had to soundproof the room..."
"Ah, a screamer!" Flick can't help but to laugh at this. "I certainly didn't expect that from her!"
The stallion simply quickly exits the room without a word, Flick still laughing. He goes to the back door and opens it to check on his fiance.
He finds her tangled up in a half-assembled swing set. She stops struggling to get free as soon as she sees him, a bright blush. "...h-hey..."
He shakes his head as he walks over and starts walking around her, trying to find the easiest way to get her free. "Just can't leave you alone, can I? How long have you been stuck like this?"
She hangs her head, ashamed. "...fifteen minutes...I don't know why this one's giving me trouble..."
He smirks as he moves behind her and quietly leans forward as he responds. "No big deal, love." He quickly nips her neck a few times.
She whimpers, looking over her shoulder at him. "...I-I know my tail being pinned to my back looks nice, love... b-but I'm not a fan of bondage..." She squirms a little more, trying to escape the constricting chains.
"I can honestly say I wasn't looking there, and don't worry," he pulls on a few links before sliding the chain off her once it comes loose, "I'm not into bondage either. I just wanted to see you react to that when you weren't expecting it."
She sighs in relief, turning around and tenderly nuzzling him. "...thank you, love..." She pulls away, giggling softly. "It's nice to feel your fluffiness coming back..."
He smiles as he nuzzles back. "Now you've got me curious to how you would react if I let my beard grow out."
She blinks, tilting her head to the side. "...what's a beard?"
Rhino openly stares at her before he slowly facehoofs. When he pulls the hoof away though, he is chuckling. "You know, as amazed as I am everytime you say something like that, I never get tired of it. It's fun getting to teach you new things." He thinks a moment. "Ok... so you saw my dad's mustache right? Think of something like a cross between that and a mane, and it covers the jaw and chin." He rubs his face to show emphasis. "Mine can actually go up until it merges with my mane and is very thick. Haven't you ever wondered why I use a hair trimmer on my face every morning but the fur on it is never less fluffy?"
She nervously laughs, averting her eyes. "I always thought it was to keep yourself from looking like that one pink pony in town..."
His eyes narrow. "No... I've been doing that since long before that... newcomer moved into the library after the towers got set up."
"...oh..." She rubs the back of her neck. "...are you sure you haven't met her, before?"
He nods as he organizes the pieces to the swingset a little more, his eyes still narrowed. "I'm certain. I've been able to grow a mustache since a little before my first year of high school. So I've been trimming since then."
She moves up next to him, confused. "Then why is the thought of her making you act odd, love?"
His face is serious. "Because she is a threat to my fluffy status. She redefines the word with her poofiness, and there is no way I can compete with that." His face softens as he scrapes a hoof on the ground. "I like being able to be called fluffy..."
She rolls her eyes as she laughs, hugging him softly. "...a pony once literally got lost in her fur. She's too fluffy. You?" She kisses him. "You're perfectly fluffy. Okay?"
"Okay..." He holds up the instructions to putting the swing set together. "Shall we see if we can tackle this?"
She nods, holding up a few pieces. "Ready when you are."
The two get to work on putting the equipment together, snapping pieces together in a wonderful showing of teamwork. As they get the basic frame up and standing, something occurs to Rhino that makes him chuckle. "You know... this sort of reminds me of that old swingset my dad put together for me when I was a little colt. I guess it's a good thing we're getting practice before the little ones come along, right?"
She nods, trying to untangle the chain from around her hoof. "...not again...um...y-yes, practice makes perfect..."
He stops her and gets her free, again. "Somehow, I feel that you won't be getting into knitting as a hobby."
"No, and I don't mind that. I hate needles." She quickly attaches the links to the proper hook, nodding quietly. "What else did you do as a colt?"
He shrugs. "Oh, the usual things. Went to school, read books, was socially awkward, and according to Mom, cheeking her before I knew more than a hoofful of words."
Gel giggles, playfully bumping his side. "Hey, sounds better than my youth."
He smiles at this. "You know... You never have told me about your younger years, and I actually have questions about pupae from that time you became one."
She blushes, waving a hoof at him. "Sure, I'll answer your questions about pupae. What did you want to know?"
He notices her evasion, but doesn't mention it. "Well... why don't they need love?"
"They're too young to go out looking for it." She shrugs. "They take whatever food they're given and completely break it down. No need for diapers, and a good thing, considering how many pupae are generally born at a time..."
He pauses in hanging another chain to look at her. "Erm... how many are we talking... and how many come from each mother?"
"Anywhere from fifty to one hundred." She assembles a seat, pushing it gently to test it. "The queen normally gives most of those births, though. A breeding nymph would birth five to eight nymphs at a time and then regular nymphs..." She puts a hoof to her chin, thinking a bit. "...there's only been one incident like that recorded...about nineteen years ago...two of the Generals back then had a pupa outside of a royal decree - the only reason a soldier or worker would be allowed to do so..." She holds up a hoof. "Just one."
Rhino still looks slightly concerned. "And... what defines a 'breeding nymph'?"
She rubs the back of her neck. "...well...after we finish going to primary school...we're tested on our intelligence..." She pushes on the next swing, frowning when one side comes loose. "...the smartest are drafted into the military...the ones of average intellect become workers..." She sighs, finishing the middle seat. "...and the ones who are deemed unintelligent become breeders...drone and nymph alike..." She looks at him, giving a half frown. "Guess who got the short end of the stick in that caste?"
He frowns. "I can plainly see the answer to that, but it wasn't quite what I was asking." His expression goes back to curious. "You said breeders give birth to about half a dozen pupae at a time... If that's not actually a specific genetic trait and is instead regulated by social norms... should I be expecting six little ones to come out of you at once when the time comes instead of just one?"
"Oh, no!" She waves her hooves frantically. "See, they give them this special substance that causes that. They don't really give it to other changelings."
The stallion wipes his brow with a hoof. "Phew, that's a relief... I was sort of hoping to start with just one you know, six was a bit much..."
"I can see that." She giggles, shaking her head. "One sounds good to me, too...at least, at the beginning..." She leans down to inspect a leg of the set to her left, much further than needed. She teasingly brushes her tail under his chin, trying to hold in her laughter.
He shivers at her tail's touch. "Yeah... I have a feeling by the time I get better, we'll both be more than ready..."
"Oh, that's definitely true, but until then..." Gel gives him a lidded gaze over her shoulder, wiggling her flank at him. "...I'll just enjoy teasing you like this."
"You know I can tease you almost as much." He smirks as he leans down and grips her tail in his teeth, giving it a light tug.
She quickly clamps a hoof over her mouth, muffling her squeal of delight. R-Rhino! W-what if they hear?!
He chuckles as he nuzzles her before going back to putting the last few pieces on the swing. Then I'll just tell them I tickled you. He winks. Sorry love, your just so beautiful that sometimes I just can't keep my hooves off you.
She frowns for a moment before a sly smile forms on her lips. And I can't keep mine off you. Right after he puts the last piece in place she uses her magic to flip him over on the soft grass, sitting down on his stomach. Or any other part of me, for that matter. She leans down and kisses him passionately, her hindlegs keeping her weight off his torso as their kiss deepens.
He eagerly kisses back, wrapping his hooves around her but resisting the urge to squeeze her closer to him. Their tails twine together even as his tongue licks her lips to see if hers is willing to mimic the other appendages' dance.
She breaks the kiss, a coy look on her face. The beauty of teasing...is stopping to see your love's reaction...so that's what I'm going to do. She giggles, tenderly pecking along his jaw.
His eyes roll back slightly as he lets out a deep whine when she breaks the contact. Seeing as it's all he can work with at the moment, his hooves starting massaging up and down her back.
Don't worry love... She grabs his hoof and moves it to her flank, gently nipping his neck. You'll be able to play with this again, soon...you'd like that, wouldn't you?
He licks his lips. Who says I can't play now?
She quirks an eyebrow at him, curious. Oh? And what did you have in mind?
I have no idea. He slams a determined hoof into the ground. But darn it, we're going to drive each crazy this way. Even if it's just intense cuddling, there's got to be something.
She sits quietly for a moment, pondering what to do. ...love making in our dreams, tonight?
He nods. Definitely. Still looking forward to the actual physical version though.
There will be time for that when you're healed. She sits up, curious. ...how long will that take, by the way?
He lightly caresses her flank as he responds. Flick thinks I should be good by this weekend.
She narrows her eyes, a playful smile on her lips. It's a date.