WARNING
This chapter is somewhat more sexual in places that any of the previous ones. If you don’t want that kind of thing, I suggest avoiding the first paragraph.
“If you two want breakfast, you should - Oh! Oh my!”
Post Haste was forced from his dreamless sleep at the sound of the unpleasantly shrill voice of Tranquil Sky. It took a moment for his eyes to focus on the mare, who was wide-eyed and holding a hoof to her mouth in alarm. He followed her gaze and was horrified to discover that she was gazing upon one of the most unfortunate things that could afflict any warm-blooded male when they woke up. He turned a deep red. “Sweet merciful Luna, I-I’m so sorry!” he exclaimed, hurriedly pulling a blanket over his stallionhood.
“Oh no, not at all!” Tranquil said, giggling behind her hoof. “I knew you were handsome, but I had no idea you were such a stud!”
The presence of what sounded like admiration was more than a little disturbing. “Uhh... I’ll just wake up Rainbow now...” He leaned over and shook his fillyfriend with a free hoof.
“Urgh... Oh hey, mom.” Rainbow rubbed her eyes before getting onto all fours and stretching. “Postie?” she asked when she noticed what he was doing. “Why are you...” She turned to look at her mother, who was still grinning, before looking back to the positioning of the blanket. Then, things clicked. “Mom, what is wrong with you?” she asked in disgust.
“What? I’m not allowed to look?” she asked innocently. Ignoring the venomous glare from her daughter, she went on. “Anywhere, there are haycakes if you want them. You’d better hurry, your father has an appetite.” With that she left, a definite spring in her step.
Postie gawked at the space the older mare had just vacated. “I know I’m just repeating myself but... Your mother is a pervert.”
“I think she’s gotten worse,” Rainbow said quietly, as though that were something that simply wasn’t possible. “I’m gonna get breakfast.” She got to the door before turning around, noticing she hadn’t been followed. “You coming?”
Postie still sat awkwardly with the blanket covering a certain part of his anatomy. “You go ahead,” he said quietly, still blushing. “I’m, uh, gonna need some time.”
The mare rolled her eyes. “Fine. But don’t expect me to save you any food.”
“I’ve been living with you for months, Rainbow, I know that’s not happening.” As Rainbow left the room, he looked down at the blanket. More accurately, he looked down at what it was covering. “Why?” he asked angrily, not caring that there would be no response.
By the time Postie was able to leave the room while keeping his dignity intact, there was no sign of Rainbow Dash and Thunderhead. Tranquil Sky was still there, doing the dishes that had been left behind. “Where is everypony?” the mailpony asked, looking around.
“Rainbow went with Thunder. She said you wouldn’t mind,” Tranquil answered, not looking up from what she was doing.
“Okay.” He didn’t mind. Rainbow had said that it had been a while since she had last seen her parents, and did seem to get along with her father the best. Then he felt a little sad. It didn’t last long, but it was enough for his expression to change briefly. He thought that it had passed unnoticed, but when he turned to Tranquil again, the older mare was wearing a look of concern.
“Are you okay, dear?” she asked, drying her hooves on a small rag.
“Hm? Oh I’m fine, just a little hungry.” Postie hastily went over to a cupboard and began looking for something to eat, trying to keep his face hidden. He still wasn’t comfortable around the older mare, and what had happened earlier had only made things even more awkward than they had been.
“I can tell that something is troubling you, dear.” Tranquil was speaking with a tone of motherly concern. That alone was almost enough to break through the wall he had built over the past three years. “It can’t be good for you, keeping it bottled up.”
Postie found what he was looking for, a small box filled with cereal. A quick inspection of the box revealed it to be something called ‘Apple Crunch,’ not that he especially cared. Hunger did not make for a picky eater. “Where are the bowls?” he asked, ignoring what the mare had been saying.
That was the wrong decision. Tranquil Sky was used to getting the stubborn filly Rainbow Dash had been to talk. Bribery, extortion, trickery, coercion, no matter the method she had rarely failed. Though it had been many years, she knew she was more than capable of doing this. With a smile and narrowed eyes, she set about this task. “Second shelf from the top,” she answered calmly. The stallion found what he was looking for and pulled a bowl from the cupboard, rearing up to better reach it. Despite herself, Tranquil couldn’t help but take a quick look at his flank. She had to admit, her daughter had found a good one.
Postie put the bowl on the table and poured some cereal in, oblivious to Tranquil’s plans and thoughts. He stuck his muzzle in and swallowed a few mouthfuls before looking up. He started wishing he hadn’t, greeted by Tranquil sitting on the other side of the table with a calm expression. “Would you like some tea?” she asked.
“Uh, sure,” Postie answered uneasily. He wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted, but he couldn’t shake the impending sense of doom.
They sat there in silence for some time, Postie eating his breakfast and Tranquil waiting for the kettle to boil on the stove. After two bowls and what felt like an eternity, but in reality was closer to about three minutes, the kettle came to a boil, whistling loudly. Postie poured himself a third bowl of cereal as Tranquil prepared the tea.
“Rainbow didn’t tell us much about you, you know,” Tranquil said as she passed Postie a small cup. “Apart from you being a mailpony, anyway.”
“Not much to say. My mother was a mailmare herself in Trottingham,” he said as he swallowed his mouthful. The story he was giving Tranquil was one that he had rehearsed several times with Rainbow. There were several Trottinghams in Equestria, and being vague meant that there was no way anypony could trace him. “Didn’t have many friends, but I the ones I did were great. Got my cutie mark when mom took me to work one day and I started helping.” He let out a chuckle. “Didn’t even notice it until she took me home.” More lies, but he knew that they were convincing ones. Whether they were convincing enough was another matter.
As the young stallion took a sip of his tea, Tranquil Sky thought over what he had said. It certainly seemed sincere enough, but it had been so vague that she couldn’t be sure. He hadn’t said anything in detail about his mother, there was no mention at all of his father, his schooling or anything else he should have gone through. “What’s your mother like?” she asked, unaware of just how painful this topic would be.
Postie made a show of swallowing his tea. “She... she was great,” he said hesitantly. “Always there for me, patched me up when I fell... A bit over-protective, but I was all she had. Can’t say I blame her.”
“All she...” Tranquil blinked. The use of past tense was not something she had missed. “Did something happen between you two?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“It really can’t be healthy, bottling it - ”
“I said I don’t want to talk about this,” he repeated, the harshness in his voice intensifying. The rather sudden change in his demeanour was surprising to Tranquil. His sudden aggressiveness was disconcerting, and she leaned back slightly.
“I - I’m sorry.”
Author’s Notes:
No I do not know how the hell Tranquil Sky poured the tea. I just write this.
The end of this chapter is so open-ended because I both have no idea how to end it and where to go next. I also had a punchline of sorts involving Rainbow Dash and Thunderhead, but that’ll have to wait...
And again, your stupid American spelling.