The peace of the morning is a sacred time for mares and stallions alike. Never in the time since Celestia and Luna’s reign has this holy time been disturbed. A time where one can awaken with a flutter of eyelids and a small smile, the sleep would vanish from their vision and they would be greeted by the early bird song. However within the household of Octavia and Vinyl scratch…an odd awakening roused them from their rooms. An odd sound echoed through the halls like in the times of old. The walls carried the words through the air as both mares looked around.
“With a breath of frost and a soul of steel, he rides.”
Octavia and Vinyl trotted softly from their rooms and looked at each other in confusion. However, a venture down a staircase revealed the culprit. Sitting in front of the open window gazing at the rising sun was Baen. His gaze was distant and ached of a time long past.
“Know his howl, know the cold of his steel. Beware, beware, Tieg comes.”
Baen turned his head and stared at the two mares for a moment, “Oh…sorry. Did I wake you?”
Octavia raised an eyebrow, “What was that song?”
“It wasn’t a song,” Baen turned, “It was a prayer.”
Vinyl nodded, “Something you dudes said every now and then?”
Baen gave a slow nod, “It was something my father used to speak to me before I slept.”
Octavia looked to the side for a moment and chose her words, “Well I must say it was,” she waved her hoof slightly, “unique.”
Baen gave a small smile at the mare, “Thank you…dude.”
Vinyl snorted slightly to contain her amusement at how he stated the usual slang. The way the barbarian had said it was akin to how a foal would say a new word for the first time. Ever since that night no more than a day ago, Baen had warmed slightly to both Octavia and Vinyl. Baen saw the two as sisters, mares he could look on with an equal stare. Vinyl and Octavia were even touched by the sentiment of him making them breakfast the following morning….even though he practicably destroyed the cutting board.
Baen currently, after his prayer, was munching on a bagel and something known as a ‘cup-cake’. He had to say, the confectionary was delicious. The only thing he had eaten in terms of a pastry had been the sweet rolls his mother sometimes made on the off day. Hell there had been an instant when another Clanspony made off with one…Baen made sure he didn’t get to far.
“That was delicious,” Baen stood and was preparing to leave for a day of training when Vinyl stopped him.
“Yo B. Rarity dropped by the other day when you left for training,” the DJ leaned back slightly, “she asked if you could meet her at the train station today.”
Baen sighed, “Is there a reason?”
Octavia shook her head, “Unfortunately she didn’t say, though she seemed giddy.”
Vinyl gave a mock shiver, “That’s never a good sign.”
Baen shook his head as he attached his axe, “Pray for my soul.”
“Already done dude,” Vinyl smirked.
*
Baen trotted briskly away from the six mares and the baby dragon that pursued him, “No.”
Rarity surprisingly fell in pace with him, “PLEASE BAEN! You must come with us! I need a stallion of your build to model for the suits of my line.”
“Warriors don’t model,” his gaze was stoic, “That’s for mares.”
Rarity paused for a brief instance but then scowled as he kept trotting away, “Now see here! I went through the trouble of getting these train tickets-“
“Without seeing if I wanted to go.”
Twilight then teleported in front of Baen, “Please Baen. This would mean a lot to Rarity. Besides, as her friends we need to be there to support her.”
Baen laughed as he stared into her eyes, “We,” he gestured to Twilight then to the rest of the girls, “Are not friends. Frankly, I’m surprised none of you have picked that up yet.”
The girls stood firm as the barbarian continued his pace. But what he wasn’t prepared for was Rarity’s ultimate attack. The white unicorn zipped in front of him and stared into the stallion’s eyes. Her own became lidded as she gave a sultry smile.
“Oh please Baen,” she circled a hoof on his chest plate, “surely a strapping warrior such as you wouldn’t deny a mare such as me this simple request?”
Baen blushed slightly but shook his head in defeat. There was no saying no to them.
“When do we depart…”
*
Baen glared a hole into the floor at his hooves as the train rumbled down the tracks. When he had boarded the train more than several hours ago he had been squeezed into an outfit that practically hurt his eyes. He wouldn’t have minded as much but Rarity INSISTED she take still shots, the amount of curses he could say would burn down a holy house. Since then he occasionally stared at the photo she had given him as a memento. But after a while he decided to glare at the floor, his pride having been tarnished.
Soon the train conductor informed the ponies and dragon that they had arrived at Manehattan. Baen stepped off the platform and gazed around at the massive metropolis in shock and awe. The Six and Spike took notice of his look of wonder as Twilight giggled slightly.
“I forgot,” she trotted up to him, “This is your first time outside of Ponyville since you were unfrozen.”
Baen blinked, “This is…how could you ponies make something this massive?”
Rainbow Dash smirked, “Awesome skills and work.”
“Hm,” Baen started to trot off, “Well that’s answers that see you later.”
Applejack trotted over to him quickly, “Were do ya think yer goin?”
Baen shrugged, “Around. I’ll find the Ho-tel, you mares,” he waved his hoof slightly, “go do…your fashion thing.”
Rarity pulled out her extra ticket to Hinny of The Hills, “But what about your ticket?”
“Sell it to somepony else,” he glanced over his shoulder as he almost vanished, “I don’t know what a musical is, but it sounds disappointing and boring.”
All six mares gawked at him as he vanished into the throngs of city ponies.
*
Baen glanced around at the various throngs of stores and ponies. He looked into one and saw a tin soldier which he raised an eyebrow at. He got several stares from onlookers and once or twice was asked to take photos with some tourists, much to his confusion. Many hours passed him by as he took in everything around him. However, a small lapse in his vision resulted in him smacking into a mare carrying roles of fabrics.
“Oh Celestia I’m so sorry sir!”
Baen raised an eyebrow as the mare started to gather her supplies. The mare’s coat was a light amberish gray and her cutie mark was some form of feathered cap. Her light cyan eyes gazed up at Baen as she moved her two tone mane into a more proper appearance.
Baen gestured to the gathering rolls, “Um….do you require my assistance miss?”
The mare shook her head, “N-no, it was my fault. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
Baen sighed, “Just let me help.”
“A-alright,” the mare glanced at him as he worked and blushed slightly, “Um…my name is Coco Pommel.”
“Baen,” he placed the rolls on his back and inwardly gagged at having fashion touch him again, “Where are you going in such a hurry anyway?”
Coco looked from side to side, “My boss wants a last minute line change right away.”
Baen rolled his eyes, “Yeesh, fashion week?”
Coco nodded with a small smile.
Both ponies started walking toward the plaza where the show was supposed to take place. Baen found out much about the mare known as Coco. Apparently she worked for another designer and had been doing so for quite some time. As they trotted, both ponies made small talk and started to even make each other smile. Though Baen was new to this whole ‘friendship is magic’ thing, he seemed to just meld well with some ponies.
“So you’re her underling?”
Coco looked at him with a raised eyebrow, “That’s an odd way to say assistant.”
Baen smirked, “Just call me old fashioned.”
Coco laughed, “I don’t know why, but that’s pretty funny.”
“Yeah.”
“Coco! Where have you been? Did you get my fabrics?”
Baen then beheld the mare known as Suri, Coco’s boss.
Coco nodded, “Y-yes Suri…”
“Well I don’t pay you to talk with ponies,” she pointed inside, “I pay you to stitch and get coffee. Now get to work M’kay?”
Baen glared at the mare as Coco turned to him, “It was nice meeting you Baen. I hope we can chat some other time.”
Baen gave a nod, “I wouldn’t mind that.”
Suri approached Baen, “Just a word to the wise Conan, don’t distract my assistant. Alright?”
Baen snorted, “Get out of my face, your perfume stings my nostrils.”
Suri harrumphed and trotted inside.
Baen shook his head as he went to something called a taxi, “Mares.”
*
After a chat with the bellhop an hour after his arrival he discovered his room number. As he exited the chamber known as an ‘Elevator’, he approached the room door and opened it. The wails and crying hit him full force as he saw Rarity sobbing on her bed. The girls noticed his entrance even though he tried to back out of the room.
“Baen! Something terrible has happened!”
Baen feigned interest, “And that is?”
Rarity grabbed him, “SURI POLOMARE STOLE MY DESIGNS!!!”
Baen blinked, “You mean that witch of a mare that I had the displeasure of speaking with?”
“You met her?!”
Baen looked to the ceiling, “For an instant. I met her assistant, nice gal.”
Rarity narrowed her eyes, “Well I’m so happy that you had a nice day on the town while I SUFFERED AN INJUSTICE!!”
Baen gently pushed her off, “Can’t you come up with something else?”
Twilight nodded, “Yes! Come on Rarity, you’ve done it before!”
Rarity glanced around the hotel room and her eyes sparkled, “I HAVE IT! This new line is going to be marvelous! Perhaps even better than the last! It's daring, it's bold! Perhaps I still have a chance after all!”
Baen nodded as he slowly inched toward the door, “That’s great, now I’m going to go and-“
Rarity finished her statement, “And you’re all going to help me!”
The five other mares nodded in agreement as Baen groaned in anguish.
*
Rarity gazed around the room of ponies hard at work at their sewing machines, “Twilight! Sew these pieces together according to that pattern there!”
Baen glanced over and noted a hungry Twilight, “You said if we skipped dinner at the Far-Afield Tavern, you'd order a meal for us while we keep working.”
Rarity smiled, “Don't fret. It'll be here in an hour. That's not going to be a problem, is it?
Baen narrowed his eyes as Rarity continued to look around at the girls.
Rainbow glanced at her friend, “Well, we're supposed to be watching Hinny of the Hills by then...”
Rarity nodded quickly as her agitation came to the surface in full force, “Oh! I see! I go out of my way to get you tickets for a show, and this is how you repay me? By abandoning me in my hour of need? Oh, oh, oh! Fine! Go and see Hinny of the Hills tonight! And then tomorrow morning when you come to see my fashion show without any fashion to show, you can have more entertainment! "Oh, why look, there's our friend Rarity going down in flames! Isn't friendship magic?!”
A loud crash and sputter caused all mares to turn their shocked expressions to look at Baen. The barbarian was a glow with his Wrath aura. The table and machine were in shambles and he cast a glare at Rarity who recoiled slightly.
“You sicken me.”
Rarity was taken aback by the statement, “Excuse me?”
Baen crossed the room in a flash as the other mares rose from their stools, “For close to a full two hours this night. I have sat and allowed YOU to call the shots and the whole time I merely swallowed my pride and allowed it,” he jabbed an armored hoof into her chest, “But no more. You are being a selfish and manipulative BITCH!”
Rarity was horrified by the curse, “How dare you!”
Baen placed his snout against hers as his glowing red eyes burned through hers, “I dare. What are you going to do about it little filly? If you give me one more order, I swear on Tieg’s name,” he punched the wall beside her head, “I will break one of my vows.”
He stormed away from her and opened the door, “When you decide to see sense and be rational, then you can speak with me. Until then, do NOT bother looking for me.”
The door slammed shut behind him as Rarity stormed across the room and spoke in a level voice, “Get back to work.”
*
Baen sat in the rain at a bench glaring into the sky. The heavens themselves seem to tremble under the stallion’s righteous anger. He didn’t know how long he sat there, he lost track of time. Eventually it subsided and he looked at the ground, maybe he overdid it just a tad. He glanced into the dark streets and perked up slightly as he heard the sounds of hooves approach him.
“Looks like somepony needs a friend.”
Baen glanced over to a smiling Coco who was holding an umbrella, “Coco.”
“Hey,” she sat down and Baen noticed a coffee cup beside her.
Baen nodded at it, “Your boss?”
Coco nodded, “Yeah.”
Baen shook his head, “Why do you let her push you around like that?”
Coco glanced at the sky, “Well I don’t have a choice. I work for her and she’s my boss. I thought that if I worked for her that I could get some good connections with her and maybe even start my own line. So far it’s going good.”
Baen then said something that made Coco stare at him with surprise, “But are you happy?”
Coco thought hard on the statement, “Well….no.”
Baen nodded with finality, “Then tell her off, quit!”
Coco shook her head, “I can’t! Baen,” she glanced at the barbarian, “you look like a brave stallion…but me…I’m just a mare who’s an underling.”
Baen looked at the building across the street, “It takes a mare to make a life, but it takes a huntress to TAKE life.”
Coco stared at him with confusion, “What?”
“It’s an old saying from where I hail from,” Baen explained, “It means that a mare can make any life for herself out of life itself. But if you’re a huntress, you can TAKE life and MAKE it your own!”
Coco was surprised by this, “That’s actually quite profound.”
“So Coco, the question is, are you a mare,” he pointed to the coffee cup but then placed it on her chest, “Or a huntress?”
Coco narrowed her eyes.
*
Suri Polomare glared at the door as Coco walked in with her coffee and the stallion she had been with before, “Just where the hay have you been? I asked for that coffee an hour ago! Now I want you to go and get me another one and this tim-“
Coco stormed up to her, “Hey Suri, go soak your head,” she dumped the cold coffee on the shocked Suri as Coco grabbed the first place trophy, “I quit.”
Baen leaned over to Suri, “You just got burned, also Miss Hemline,” the mare in question stared at Baen who handed her a photo of himself modeling, “Thought you might want this.”
Hemline stared at the photo then glared at Suri who shrunk under the glare.
*
Baen and Coco were soon out front of the Hinny of The Hills Theater and Baen steeled himself. Coco opened the door and soon they were met by the faces of the six mares. Coco revealed that Suri lied to Rarity and gave her the reward proper, Baen turned to leave only to be stopped by Rarity.
“Baen…”
He shook his head, “It’s alright. I understand why you lost your head and I might have lost my temper a little too much.”
Rainbow nodded, “Clearly.”
Twilight approached the barbarian, “Sounds like you and Rarity might have to write an entry.”
Baen gave her an even glance, “Don’t push it.”
The others laughed and decided to spend the night together as friends. Baen reluctantly joined.
*
Baen stared at Coco as the girls waited for him on the boarding platform, “You know, it was nice meeting you Baen. Do you maybe wanna be pen pals? So we can keep in contact?”
Baen blinked, “We have to befriend writing intruments?”
Coco giggled slightly, “No silly, we just write each other letters. Although, if you ever find yourself here in Manehattan or if I’m ever in Ponyville….”
Baen nodded, “I’ll keep an eye out.”
Coco glanced at Rarity and gave them a wave before turning to Baen, “And thank you Baen, thank you and Rarity both,” she then gave him a kiss on the cheek before running off into the city streets.
Baen stood stupefied as a blush appeared and the girls giggled behind him.
“Mares.”