"And... brake."
The van jerked forward as Gilda rammed the accelerator, shaking everything in it like a maraca. Harold frowned, grabbing the handbreak. "No, the other pedal!"
Thankfully we managed to coast to a stop in the driveway. It took Cadance a few minutes to fumble open the door, but she managed to flop out of the van and onto the ground, unmoving.
Gilda slipped out and raised an eyebrow, flapping her wings in a quick hop over the car. "Eh. Wasn't that bad, was it now?"
Shining chuckled. "I've had worse." He shut the car door behind him.
"Excuse me, this is my first time consciously in a car," Cadance grumbled, standing and shaking her head. Is it always like that?
Not nearly, I reassured her.
That was... something I was still getting used to. Letting her have control. I'd grown to be very zealous when it came to how my life was run; if I wasn't in control I got a little.... tetchy. She promised to let me have the body back after trick or treating, though; apparently my little fit with Gilda earned me a time out.
Speaking of the griffon, she was leaning against the van dismissively. "Still would be faster to fly."
"You did very well, Princess." Harold stepped out of the car, shooting Gilda an annoyed look. "Despite certain... problems."
Cadance sighed, her eyes momentarily glancing to where Ian's car was just driving up and parking. "Right. Okay. Shining, Fluttershy's car is modified so ponies can drive it, right?"
"Can we blow this joint yet?" Gilda grumbled. "I got things to punch, people to maul, things to grind."
"Yes it is," Shining confirmed, tactfully ignoring Gilda. "We could ride together, spend some time seeing this world. Though you need to give Linda some time in charge, let her feel comfortable. We don't want her to feel trapped."
"Right," the griffon quipped. "She might freak out and try to kill me again or something."
Honestly, I do that one time--!
"And there's the fact you promised her a date," Cadance gently reminded her husband.. "She's... a lot more delicate then she acts." I gave a little mental snort at that. "I expect you to be very gentle with her."
Ginny walked up to us, eyebrow raised. "Is anybody else weirded out by the horse giving her husband tips on how to date her mind mate?" She held her hands up defensively at Harold's look. "Hey, Linda's not here, somebody had to say it."
"My dear, you are fragile as well, but I understand," Shining Armor replied. "I'm hoping it can be enjoyable for both of you."
He's totally thinking of a threesome--
Linda. Relax.
"...Murderous psychotic sociopathic sadistic masochistic bunch of dweebs..." Gilda muttered.
"Takes one to know one," Ginny quipped, cheerfully mussing up Gilda's feathers.
"Meh."
Pinkie trotted up at this point, giving us a curious look. "Right, so as I understand it the plan is you and... you?"
Cadance shook our head. "No, Linda's not back yet."
"Right, well. Those two will go on a date while the rest of us set up a sleepover and hash out tomorrow with the old lady." The party pony glanced around. "Am I wrong?"
Ginny gave her a strange look. "No.... I thought that we all knew the plan?"
Pinkie shrugged. "I like confirming things." Ian rolled his eyes at that.
Shining chuckled briefly, shaking his head. Then he waved an arm toward the adjusted car, silently inviting... me? Us? Whatever, toward the date. Cadance smiled and walked off with him.
"Are you sure you are okay?" He asked, opening the passenger door for us. "I mean, we just get settled down a little and then we are cast off into the relative unknown." He bit his lip. "Also... are you considering letting yourself merge with Linda?"
"Well it's not like I have a choice in any of this," Cadance grumbled as she slid into the seat. "I mean, bad enough to be thrown into a world with all this strange technology and another voice in my head, but then you go ahead and merge." Her horn glowed, buckling us in while she considered her next words. "I mean... I can't just see you as Shining anymore, you're that other guy too now and that... that's going to make our relationship a bit weird."
There was an awkward moment where neither of them actually said anything. For me, it was incredibly uncomfortable, since... since I couldn't do anything.
Eventually, she let out a sigh. "I'm going to try to bring Linda back now."
And with that our world went black. I don't know how Pinkie and Reid did it, but for us... switching in and out was like taking off a deep sea diving suit and then letting the other one put it one. It took a while and generally we had to help each other in and out... although Cadance had shown enough control to rip the helmet off, so to speak, after my little blow up with Gilda.
Erugh.
Anyway, I woke up soon enough... and found that Shining Armor was holding my hoof.
I... honestly didn't know how to respond to that.
"...you know, the weird thing is I was actually... aware during the whole trick or treating thing?"
Shining cringed, pulling his hoof away. "Listen, I'm sorry for treating you like this. It's not your fault, or Cadance's fault that I merged so quickly, but... now I worry that I'm not treating either of you as you deserve." He sighed, trotting around to the driver's side.
"This whole situation is weird," I admitted with a groan. "Look, let's just... put the weirdness aside for now. We're two individuals on a date, and... we'll see how that goes."
"Yes, a date." Shining started up the car. "...How would you like to see a movie before dinner?"
I shrugged helplessly. "Sure. What kind of movie?"
"Do you like animate..." Shining cut himself off as we pulled out. After a moment he cleared his throat. "How about frankenweenie? Something lighthearted and funny?"
"I... hmm." I considered the option. "Yeah, lighthearted will probably do, I need a break from all this seriousness."
We drove on in silence for a bit.
"Why don't we get to know each other a little better?" he finally suggested. "Any questions for me?"
"Ah, um... I dunno..." I shrugged again, trying to figure out a good starter. "What's your favorite color?" My eyes narrowed. "And don't say pink."
Shining laughed. "You sure I'm not allowed? No, its not pink. Interestingly enough, we had the same favorite even before merging, azure blue." His eyes darted toward me. "How about you?"
I had to seriously consider that for a moment. Most people don't just have a favorite color, you know, it was just a thing that was there. After a few moment, I had my answer. "...yellow. Definitely yellow."
"A calming color, that's nice." We pulled into a parking lot--apparently the nearby movie theater was... nearby. "Do you have a favorite food, or maybe one we could still eat?" he asked with a grin, opening his door and unbuckling.
"I was a total carnivore," I admitted, preempting his attempt at chivalry by hopping out myself. "Now, I... guess maybe I like cookies? Wow, this is harder then I thought." We walked up to the ticket booth--
"OH MY GOSH IT'S CADANCE!"
--and I flinched.. "Oh, uh... hello?" How exactly was I supposed to deal with that?
Shining turned to the ticket vendor with a frown. "We are trying to have a nice date," he explained with a tone just barely on this side of politeness. "Please keep your shouting to a minimum."
The ticket guy rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward smile. "Right. Sorry. Fanboy moment there. Sorry." To his credit, he regained his professional air quickly. "Ahem. Um. Tickets?"
Was this how Pinkie felt around us when we first met her?
Shining nodded, looking up at the movie listing. "Two for Frankenweinie at six thirty."
"Alright... then, here you go." The ticket boy handed over the tickets, as he was being paid to, and the economy ran smoothly. "That'll be twelve bucks."
Shining gave him the manufactured papers that represented value trade. Then he led me into the theater, heading for the concession stands and getting us popcorn and drinks.
I took the proffered snacks in my magical grip. Heh. Still getting used to that. My eyes drifted down to my hoof. My hand was gone, my fingerprints were gone.... it was all gone. How would I legally identify myself, if it came down to it? I mean, testimony only went so far--
Linda. Cadance's voice was firm. Just relax.
"Alright, alright, fine! Fine..."
Shining smiled at me nervously. "You okay? I can get more if that isn't enough, I just figured we could share to leave room for dinner."
"No, it's nothing, I just..." I shook my head. "It's nothing." Best to just get through this with minimal weirdness.