One Of A Kind

by UniqueSKD

Chapter Four - Your form was strange, but your heart was kind, and soon did you cast the doubts clouding my mind...

Maia opened the bathroom door and peeked into the room before her. As the stallion had said, it was indeed what you would normally expect of a typical motel - just a large room with a large bed, a small closet and dresser, and a little wooden stand with a television on it. Lying next to the television was a remote, and on top of it, a small box of tissues. Maia cringed at the appalling thought of their 'other use' other than for blowing one's nose.

With a slight shudder, Maia stepped out of the bathroom, cautiously, and into what would seem to be the bedroom. The bat-pony immediately felt a wave of pleasant warm wash over her body, the coziness of the room caressing her lovely form with the radiating heat. Maia noticed a small little alcove in the side of the wall, something she didn't see before from the bathroom door. There was a small wooden counter that separated the little room on the other side from the main one.

The pegasus from earlier was in there, and he seemed to be preparing some sort of meal, mixing various herbs together with green salads and lettuces in a bowl. He looked up from his culinary task upon noticing Maia, and the same kind warm smile appeared on his face. "Ah, you're finished, I see," he said as he splashed a little dressing oil into his mixture. He placed the oil down and picked up the plates of vegetation in his hooves, as he walked out from behind the counter, and into the main living area. Maia remained where she was, a part of her still unsure whether to actually put any measure of trust towards this stranger.

He set the plates down on a small table and turned to Maia, that same warm smile on his face. His smile changed to a frown as he took notice of the bat pony's uneasiness. "Ma'am, I told you before. I understand that after what happened earlier this night, there's no reason for you to trust me, and I'm not going to ask you to. But I do ask that you at least try." He gestured to the plates he had set down. "Here. I made you something to eat. You look like you haven't had a bite to eat in a good while."

Maia looked over at the food, and she suddenly felt her stomach contort in hunger. He was right - she hadn't actually ate a single thing all day. When you lived in a city filled with restaurants that were mostly owned by bat pony-hating snobs, it wasn't easy getting a meal every day, or even getting food at all for that matter. The nobility of Canterlot made sure that things were hard for the poor Thestral.

Slowly, Maia walked over to the table, flinching slightly as she passed the pegasus, as if expecting him to suddenly throw aside his deceptive disguise and assault her, but he made no such move. She sat herself at the opposite end of the table to the stallion, wanting to keep distance between herself and him. He gave her a sad smile, complimented by a look that reflected his gratitude that she was at least giving him the benefit of the doubt, and sat himself down at his end, resting his...'arms'...on the table, as he watched Maia stare at her food.

She looked at her food with suspicion. While it did look invitingly appetizing for so simple a dish, Maia kept on her guard, prodding at the vegetation on her plate, and even lowering her head to sniff at her lettuce in case the pegasus had perhaps added something more than dressing oil to her share. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she tore off a piece of lettuce and chewed it. Tasting nothing unusual, she began to tuck into her food with more enthusiasm.

When she had finished her meal, in no less than a minute, she looked up at the pegasus, who gave her another warm smile. Her eyes drifted down to the other plate of lettuce and vegetation hungrily, her first feed not having quite sated her hunger. The pegasus took notice of this, and chuckling lightheartedly, pushed the other plate of food towards Maia. When she looked back up at him, he simply bowed his head. "Both plates were meant for you, miss," he explained to the bat pony. "Please, eat up by all means, and perhaps we can talk when you are finished."

Maia pulled the other plate closer to herself, and began to dine upon her second helping. The pegasus waited patiently for the bat pony to finish, and when she had done, he took her plate away and stacked it on top of the other, pushing them aside as he turned his attention to Maia.

He gave her a moment to swallow her mouthful, before clearing his throat, causing her to look up at him with curiosity in her eyes. "Now then," the pegasus began, shuffling a little in his seat, "perhaps you'd like to tell me your name now, miss?"

Maia looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you want to know my name?"

Replied the pegasus, rubbing the back of his head, "Well, I can't keep calling you 'miss', can I? And besides, I already gave you my name earlier, so I figure I deserve to know yours at least, right?"

Maia brought a hoof up to her chin in thought. He had a point. And besides, he was only asking her for her name. "Well...then, my name is...Maia. Maia Baterra," she answered a while later. "Forgive me for my ignorance, but...I'm afraid I missed your name earlier, mister...?"

The pegasus chuckled. "My name is Unique, and it is nice to meet you, Maia," he said, as he reached out to Maia with his hoof, offering her a hoofshake. She looked at his hoof for a few seconds, before slowly taking it with her own.

"It's...nice to meet you too...Unique," Maia said as she released Unique's hoof. He beamed as he heard his name uttered by his guest.

"So, Maia, if you don't mind me asking, what happened in that alleyway?", Unique queried. Maia flinched, shuddering as she thought back to that moment in the alleyway, that event which she had assumed would have been her last in this world.

Unique's eyes widened in sudden realization upon seeing her reaction to his question, and he quickly raised his hooves up. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to frighten you with that question! I was just curious about what had led up to that moment, that's all!". He got up from his seat and rushed over to Maia's side, putting his hooves on her shoulder and her back. "Please, calm down. I'm sorry for worrying you like that, Maia. I only wanted to help, honest!"

The touch of Unique's hooves felt gentle and warm, an odd and rather new, if not rare, feeling for Maia. And his voice had a sincere politeness and concern to it for her well-being. It was something Maia had not known in a long time while living in the city of Canterlot. It was a very welcoming change from the coldness and despise that she normally received from the nobility.

Quickly, Maia's shaking subsided, and she found herself looking up at the pegasus standing by her side, with a look of concern and worry in his expression. She blinked a couple of times, before turning her head away from his gaze. "I...I'm sorry, Unique. That was silly of me..."

Unique knelt down beside the distressed mare and wrapped a wing around her back. "No, no, not at all, Maia," he said to her quietly, his voice soft and comforting. "I shouldn't have brought up what must have been a terrifying ordeal in front of you. The blame is my own, and I am sorry for that. I just wanted to know what in Equestria happened this night. Did you know the two stallions?"

Maia shook her head. "No."

Unique nodded. "I see. Well, have you ever seen them before?"

Again, Maia shook her head. "No."

Unique sighed, but nodded. "Very well. You were lucky I was around when it happened. I was taking a nightly stroll when I heard all the commotion in that alleyway. When I went to investigate, I saw those two brutes holding you down and," - he paused for a moment to pick his next words carefully so as to not upset the bat-pony - "'checking' you over. I did the first thing that came to mind and, well, you can fill in the rest of the gaps, I hope."

Maia looked at Unique again, and for the first time prior to waking up in a bathtub some moments ago, she managed to give him a weak but genuine smile. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Unique gave her another warm smile. "You are welcome, Maia. I was just doing what any decent stallion would have done."

Maia suddenly chose that moment to let out a loud yawn. A quick glance at the clock hanging on the wall showed it was nearly an hour-and-a-half past the point of midnight. Taking notice of her weariness, Unique gestured to the bed, which Maia then only noticed had been made ready for sleeping in, covers pulled back and all. "You must be exhausted after everything you've gone through, Maia. Please, get some rest, and we'll discuss these matters in the morning."

Maia shifted a hesitant glance between the inviting bed and Unique, before the stallion spoke up again. "Don't worry, Maia. If it makes you feel feel more at ease, I can sleep elsewhere away from you." He walked over to the side of the bed, where he pulled out a pillow and a blanket out from underneath. "If it makes you less uncomfortable being around a stranger, I don't mind sleeping outside. On the plus side of things, I can keep an ear and eye out for those stallions if they should by chance come here." He opened the door, and stepped outside into the night.

"Hey, wait!", Maia called out as she rose from her seat. Unique stopped and turned around, the bat-pony having gained his attention. "Yes? What's the matter?", he asked.

Maia took a few steps towards him, a quizzical look on her face. "Why are you doing all of this for me? You don't know me at all, and I don't know you," she asked.

Unique looked thoughtful for a moment as he pondered over how to answer her question. He then turned around while looking over his shoulder back at Maia. "Because," he replied with a small smirk, "why not?"

He closed the door behind himself, and all Maia heard from the other side from him was a quiet, "Goodnight, Maia."

Maia stood there for a short while, alone in this warm room, before her focus turned towards the bed, her weariness taking over her mind and trail of thought. Climbing into the bed, which she noted was much more comfortable than the mattress she slept on at home, and draping the covers over herself, Maia laid her head upon the pillows and curled her body up, as her eyes slowly closed and her mind dragging her to sleep.