Rainbolt took in a breath as he approached his boss’ office door. The wooden slab looked him in the eye fiercely. The unsettling swirls in the wood glared at him in disdain, encouraging him to go elsewhere.
Come on, Rainbolt….just do it…. She seemed like she was in a really good mood this morning, so it’s not like she’ll fire you or anything…. I mean, she might, but chances are she won’t. Yeah, there’ll be some yelling, but you’re awake now! You’ve had plenty of time to let the whole thing sink in, and you have your arguments ready! You’re just looking out for her… You’ve known her since you were sixteen, and she’s like family… I don’t want to see her hurt again. If this were Rainbow Dash, you’d do the exact same thing! Just... be brave…
Slowly, Rainbolt raised his hoof to his boss’ door. His heart beat soundly in his chest as a single droplet of sweat dripped off the edge of his muzzle. He drew back his hoof and wiped the perspiration away.
Come on, Rainbolt! Somepony’s heart’s on the line, and if you were her, you’d want somepony to step in for you, too! Okay, it may not be any of your business, but it’s still your responsibility! I don’t think she’ll be too eager to take Moonstruck out on a date when she finds out he was in an insane asylum for eight years... Or that he killed my goldfish. Okay, I don’t think she cares about your fish, but you could at least say he’s killed animals before! Just…do this, and warn her. Wait! Don’t tell her not to go on a date with him, just sprinkle in some information that would be… interesting, and I’m sure she’ll make her own decision based off common sense. There you go…You've got this all figured out!
Almost without thought, Rainbolt again lifted his hoof to his boss’ door and gave it three sturdy taps. His heart nearly skipped a beat when he realized his hasty actions.
“Come in!” he heard a cheerful, feminine voice sing from the inside. His insides swirled as he brought his hoof up to the doorknob. Slowly, he opened it and peeked his head through. Her office was surprisingly clean and organized. There wasn’t even a hint of shattered glass anywhere.
“Oh… Rainbolt…” The mare was sitting in her chair at her desk, looking rather unenthusiastic at her employee. “Is there a reason you’re visiting me beyond your working hours?”
“Oh, I umm… you know…” Gently, Rainbolt extended his hind leg and pushed the office door closed.
“No, I don’t know…” The mare placed her hooves on her desk and rose a few inches out of her chair. “But I am starting to think this has something to do with my date with Moonstruck…”
“Well, yeah, but-“
“Then you can just leave! I don’t want to hear anything about it!” The volume of her voice escalated along with her anger.
“Oh, no, no, no!” The stallion said quickly. “I came here to pick something up, and I just wanted to give you a bit of a…not warning, but Moonstruck is a bit sensitive about certain subjects that I think you should be aware of.”
Mrs. Skies raised an eyebrow to her employee, but did turn to face him. She kept her suspicions up, but did think it was then a good idea to maybe listen about.
“Sensitive topics?”
“Yeah…” The pegasus reached his hoof around to the back of his neck and rubbed it. “It’s just…different things…”
“Like what?” Mrs. Skies asked inquisitively, calming herself a bit.
“Well….” Alright, Rainbolt, you have her attention with a plausible excuse. If you can execute this just right, she may just cancel the date with your brother. Oh my gosh...why are you being so stupid? You seriously didn't know what your were doing... Just...play it smooth. “To start, he doesn’t really like talking about his past.”
Mrs. Skies gave her employee a confused look.
“What do you mean…?”
“Well, the main thing is he spent nearly eight years in a home for the criminally insane, and-“
“I knew it!” The mare screeched before Rainbolt had a chance to finish his sentence. The stallion’s ears flopped back and he took a couple steps backwards. Heat rose to the mare’s cheeks as her anger erupted. “You came here to make up crap so I wouldn’t go on a date with Moonstruck!”
“What?!” The stallion asked in shock. “I wasn’t lying I was just-“
“Just what?”
“Well…” Rainbolt took several steps back as perspiration dripped down his muzzle. His insides were clenching and he felt as if he was going to puke.
“You just don’t want me to be happy!” the mare roared in anger. “You want me to be sad and depressed and miserable like I was before!”
With closing eyes, the mare brought a hoof up to her forehead and tilted her head at an angle to block her face. Fresh tears bled from her eyes as she let out a whine. Quickly, Rainbolt flew up to the emotionally unstable mare and made an attempt to comfort her.
“D-don’t cry…please don’t cry…” The stallion held his hooves up in fear she’d lash out at any moment. “I was just trying to…” Don’t even think about it, Rainbolt! She doesn’t want to hear it! “I…I’m so sorry….”
“You should be!” Mrs. Skies uncovered her face to expose the rage plastered upon it.
“M-ma’am… Please just take in a few breaths…”
“Why?! So you don’t have to face the anger you so rightful deserve?!”
Rainbolt covered his face with his hooves as several droplets of saliva landed on his face.
“No m-ma’am… J-just do it for you…not for me…”
The mare opened her mouth, about to argue, and then suddenly, stopped. Her lower lip connected to her top lip as she took the stallion’s words into consideration. She took in a deep breath and sighed. As he heard it happening, Rainbolt unshielded his face. Finally, she was calming down. One by one, she took in deep, calming breaths and at long last spoke, in a stoic, yet slightly shaky tone.
“Rainbolt, listen…I-I’ve been through a lot lately a-and it’s hurt a lot… but for the first time in a really long time, I feel h-happy…” She sniffled. “P-please don’t take this little bit of happiness away from me…”
Rainbolt too made an attempt to speak calmly.
“Listen, ma’am… I’m just…worried about you… I don’t want to see you get more hurt than you were before…”
Mrs. Skies forced a smile and blushed lightly at the stallion.
“That means a lot..thanks… Rainbolt, listen… I’ve known you for…a long time, and I love and trust you like a distant cousin, and I can see what you’re doing for me, but…”
“I know, it’s hard…” He sighed. “I know what a really bad heartbreak feels like, and… I’m really sorry this all happened to you. I just…I want you to be cautious… And believe me when I say he actually did go to a home for the criminally insane…”
Mrs. Skies sighed and looked towards the wall to her right. White sunlight highlighted her face and reflected off her watery eyes.
“I-I believe you…I just don’t want to…” She sniffled. “I just want to let all my walls down and put my trust in somepony again…”
The stallion passed her a reassuring smile.
“I know what that feels like… It may not be the best feeling in the world, but it’ll build you…. Just… keep your guard up, okay?”
Mrs. Skies looked back at Rainbolt, and then smirked. The determination in her smile matched oddly with the sadness in her eyes.
“Ya know what, Bolty? No! I’m not going to keep my guard up!” The mare smiled, outstretched her wing and soared up into the higher levels of the office. “I’m going to give into fate, and completely let my guard down!” Her determined smile then turned a bit weak. “B-because it makes me happy, and I don’t want to be worried! I just want to be free of this awful emotion, and again know what it’s like to be in somepony’s heart and soul…” Mrs. Skies’ smile faded as she turned to Rainbolt. “And you know what else, Bolty?”
Hesitantly, Rainbolt shook his head, feeling oddly nervous in her presence.
“You’re not going to convince Moonstruck out of this date… If you do, I won’t fire you, but I will make your life so awful that you’ll want to quit!” Her anger grew as she pushed against the stallion’s nose with hers, yet, her smile never subsided. “Am I making myself clear?”
The stallion took a moment to clear his throat and absorb the threat his boss laid out.
“C-crystal, ma’am….”
Gosh…Look at you… Mrs. Skies admired her reflection with a grin. Her long, dark blue mane cascaded down her shoulders and ended in little curls. Her sparkling eyes flickered with excitement of the upcoming evening. She’d rid herself of her glasses in exchange for a nice pair of contacts. You look… fantastic! I can’t remember the last time I looked so good…
The gleeful mare stroked her hoof through her silky mane and giggled like a child.
You haven’t put this much effort into your appearance in well… a really long time! Wow… I just can’t wait for this evening!
The mare stared at her reflection with a semi-confident smile. All her pain seemed to vanish, and all of her happiness had been brought to her by one pony alone… It was amazing how significantly a stallion she’d known for a day could have such a significant influence on her feelings.
With a dazed look in her eyes and a goofy, smile, the mare held her mirror in her hooves and leaned back in her swivel chair.
Oh, Moonstruck…You’re so cute and so smart and so much fun to be around… So what you spent a few years in a mental home or something…? Rainbolt could have just been making stuff up…you know how he is… The mare giggled to herself and continued to slip into her day-dreamy thoughts. This date is going to be absolutely perfect… I hope Moonstruck and I have the best possible time we can… Just be sweet, caring, and not too talkative, and the evening should be a success…And whatever happens, try to be positive… Try not to think of all the things Rainbolt’s been telling you…
The mare took in a short breath before sitting up in her chair and setting down her mirror. With a smile still plastered on her face, she opened the bottom right drawer of her desk. Out of the drawer, she pulled a small folder with an arrangement of papers in the middle.
Speaking of Rainbolt, you’d better put his assignments on his desk before you forget. You may not be back once you leave. At least, I hope I won’t be.
The green-coated mare tucked the folder of work under her left wing and left her office with her mind focused on that evening. Although flying was impossible in her situation, she still had a little hop in her step as her heart filled with joy. As she wondered across the hall to her employee’s office, she noticed the factory was slowly becoming less active. There were very few ponies left, and the ones who were left were either checking out or powering down the machines.
Wow… I can’t believe I’m actually going on a date! It’s so… different! Mr. Skies never took me on dates… or took a moment to compliment me…or, you know… ask me what was wrong when I was down. I can’t believe I met somepony so contradicting to my ex…it’s just… amazing. He’s amazing… I know, I know, I’ve only known him for a day, but I honestly believe we could go somewhere if tonight’s a success! This could lead to my next marriage… This could lead to me having a kid, or falling deeply in love, or more dates, or a wedding, or-
The mare’s trail of thought was cut off by the chest of a familiar stallion. The mare fell back and dropped her folder, allowing all the papers to escape into the factory’s atmosphere. She let out a sharp yelp and rubbed her head, before looking up at a stallion. His blue eyes were widened in shock. He had a gray coat and an uncombed, black mane.
“Oh my gosh! Ma’am I am so, so sorry! I didn’t mean to knock you over, I promise! I was just heading towards the exit and I guess I didn’t see you and I…” the stallion trailed off. Fear was visible in his eyes and perspiration dripped down his muzzle. “P-please don’t be mad! I’ll get this all up!”
In a swift motion, the pegasus started cleaning in fear of possibly being fired. He scooped up the swarms of paper that had landed on the ground and handed them over to his boss as quickly as he could. Mrs. Skies did nothing but watch as the nervous stallion was sweating bullets.
“Alright…thanks…” With a sincere smile, she accepted the stack of papers. Quickly she put them all back into the folder with no consideration of organization. “You have a nice evening, alright?”
A bit taken back by the mare’s stoic response, the little, grey stallion nodded slowly and affirmatively.
“Umm…you too, ma’am… thanks…”
“No problem!” the mare chimed and started off towards her employee’s office. The stallion she left behind simply wondered off towards the exit of the factory, internally questioning why he was still alive.
Within less than a minute more of trotting, Mrs. Skies arrived at her employee’s office. She smiled and opened up his door to reveal an empty office with nothing but a filing cabinet, desk, chair, and rolled up sleeping bag in the corner of the room. The air was unusually thin smelt like rusting metal and dust. Her eyes met with the desk as she approached it. Without thinking to reorganize the chaotic folder, she opened up one of the drawers of Rainbolt’s desk and plopped the assignment right in. She smiled in satisfaction and used her right flank to close the door shut. Her eyes then wondered up to the clock in the office.
“Only 7:30…?” Mrs. Skies took a moment to think and looked back up at the clock. “Alright…you have enough time to go home and make something for the date… I’m sure he’ll appreciate it he’s not the only one who has to make something… And while it’s cooking, maybe you can spoof yourself up a bit more…”
The mare sighed and head off to leave the room. With her mind in the clouds, she almost forgot to stop herself at the door to the office. After stopping dead in her tracks, she quickly turned around and made her way back to the desk in the back of the room. She took some of the stallion’s scrap paper and set it down on the surface of the desk. She then grabbed one of the pencils from his utensil cup and started writing out a note with her mouth.
Rainbolt,
as you know, I’ll be going on a very important date this evening, so please remember to lock the factory once you enter. There will be a key on the windowsill of the window of my office. Unlock the factory, lock it, and return the key to the top right drawer of my desk (Oh, and there’ll be a few lollipops there for Dashie. Don’t worry, they’re sugar free!). At around six-thirty in the morning, unlock the factory and return my key to the same drawer. I will not be here, so if there’s an emergency, I’ll be at your brother’s house. If it’s sometime past ten or eleven, you should probably check my place first.
Mrs. Skies.
After signing her name at the bottom of the note, the mare reread it when the obvious dawned on her. In realization, she let out an annoyed grunt.
You idiot! How the hay is he supposed to read the damn thing if you leave it in his office with the factory locked! Just… maybe you could nail it to the door to the factory… You idiot! That’s worse than leaving it unlocked! Ugh… Well you just can’t leave the factory unlocked! Ugh! Why didn’t you discuss this with Rainbolt when he was here earlier! Again, she grunted in frustration. Oh my gosh! Just um… I don’t know…you might have to pay him a visit on your way home… I don’t really see any other way around this freaking mess…
The mare picked up the letter and grumpily flew out of the little office. She took in a deep breath as she flew all the way to her office and gathered her key and scarf. She left the office and stopped herself before she left. She heard nothing. No machines, no hoofsteps, no flapping of wings. Unfurling her wings, she flew as quietly as she could out of the factory. Before going, her she examined the employee check-out sheet. The employee would write the date, time they came into work, their signature, and the time they’d leave. She rarely ever referred to it, but that day, her eyes scanned the sheet several times to make sure absolutely every employee had checked-out that day. When the good news was confirmed, she smiled and nodded in satisfaction before flying off with eagerness in her heart. The moment she walked out of the factory’s doors, she turned to lock them, and then turned around to meet eyes with the clear, opened sky. It was then, she took in a deep breath.
Well…looks like I’m going to have to pay a certain employee a visit this evening…
“Rainbow Dash…” the periwinkle stallion said in a threatening tone. “Give it back…now!”
“No!” Rainbow smiled cockily and held the treasured object above her head.
Rainbolt took in a sigh and glared at his reluctant daughter.
“Rainbow, listen… I love you, but that medal is very important to me… please just give it back…”
“Then you give me back what belongs to me!”
It was then, the stallion and his daughter stared at each other in a bit of anger and stubbornness.
“Rainbow, listen… You’re a child. I’m not letting you have a can of pepper spray you found in school yard… It’s not safe, and I know how many ponies you’ll want to use it on…”
“But Dad! If Windy is-“
“Rainbow Dash! I said no! It’s way too dangerous and you’re way too reckless! Now… must I repeat myself?”
The little filly sighed and placed the little medal at her hooves. Getting grounded didn’t seem like the most pleasurable thing at the time. Even if he didn’t make the threat, Dash knew he was on the edge when he got the little flecks of fire in his eyes.
“Good…” Rainbow’s pink eyes darted away as she sighed in disappointment. “Now…” The stallion smiled a bit and flew over to his daughter nearly ten feet away and picked up his old medal with his hoof. He grinned at it with half-opened eyes. It’s glimmering, gold surface smiled right back at him. “You know… I should really tell you about how I earned this little thing…”
The cyan filly forced a smile and weakly looked up at her dad.
Oh no! He’s going to tell me one of his cheesy old stallion stories! Maybe you can think of some kind of excuse before he starts…
“You see, Rainbow Dash, when I was in flight school, I didn’t do much, and I would always get bored in the evenings because I didn’t really have anypony to hang out with or anything special to do….”
Damn it! Too late...
“So one day I had to stay after school to make up a test. The teacher felt kinda bad for me because I-“
Suddenly, the stallion was cut off by three loud bangs at his front door. His daughter’s unenthusiastic face lit up as the story was interrupted.
“I’ll get that!” she chimed brightly and flew out of the hall, straight through the kitchen and to the front door. Rainbolt hesitated to go after her at first. Who would be visiting at nearly eight in the evening? Surprise? She had a tendency of dropping uninvited. Dreamscape? Normally, his visits were planned and not so late at night. Unless it was an emergency…
A bit confused, Rainbolt started off after his little filly. His wings unfurled and he flew through the same obstacles she did, only to reach the door within ten seconds. At that point, Rainbow was simply staring at the wooden slate with wide eyes. The stallion stared at her for a moment. After around nearly seven seconds of staring at the door, Rainbow looked at her father with confusion.
“It’s Mrs. Skies…” she said bluntly.
“Oh…why didn’t you open it?”
“Because…she needs to know what it’s like to be shut out.”
Rainbolt sighed.
“Alright, Dashie, just…move and let me deal with it. Later I think we should have a talk about this whole thing, though…”
“Why? We have already…”
“I just want to tell you about the things I was going through when I was first left by your mother…Maybe it’ll help you understand a bit more…” Rainbow already knew it would be a discussion she wasn't looking forward to.
Without any more waiting, Rainbolt opened the door and met eyes with his boss. One thing that stuck out almost instantly was the bowl on her back, covered by a thick layer of tin foil. Ignoring the minor detail, he smiled at her and examined her let down mane and unshielded eyes.
“Wow…you look…really nice…”
“Thanks!” she chimed brightly. “I uh… hope I do…” Her mind wondered off, thinking about her date that night, and all that fateful evening promised.
“You do.” Rainbolt reassured her with a smile. “So…what brings you here?”
The mare smiled at her employee. She looked left and right swiftly before lowering her voice and discussing the plan to the pegasus.
“Listen here, Rainbolt… Do you know where my office is on the outside of the building?” He nodded affirmatively. “Well, on the windowsill of my office door, there’s the key to the factory. Get it, unlock the factory, re lock it, and unlock it again at around six in the morning. Got it?”
“Well…yeah, but…” The stallion lowered his voice to a whisper. “Why didn’t you just bring me the key instead?”
Mrs. Skies frowned.
“Because, you’d probably lose it in between here and the factory.”
Rainbolt simply shrugged at her accusation. Although it was extremely unlikely, he knew he’d probably manage to, anyway.
“Alright… I hope you have fun on your date. I have some pepper spray if you need any…”
The mare shot daggers at her employee through her glaring eyes.
“Rainbolt…” she started in a threatening tone.
The stallion just chuckled and blew off his joke.
“I was just…you know… kidding. I didn’t mean any of it.”He paused. “But I do actually have pepper spray…”
“Well, I’m not going to need it! Your brother’s a gentlecolt, and I cannot wait for this evening!” she giggled happily and felt her heart grow warm in anticipation. “I even made macaroni for it.” The mare blushed. “It’s not the… fanciest dish, but it’s the best thing I could make… I just didn’t want to come with nothing to offer.”
“Completely understandable! Just… have a nice evening, okay?”
“I will! Oh, and… I left some suckers for the kid in the top right drawer of my desk.” She leaned into the stallion and cautiously whispered, “Don’t worry! They’re sugar-free!”
“I heard that!” Rainbow shouted from behind the two adults. Both ponies shook their head with a smile. Mrs. Skies even rolled her eyes at the little filly.
“Thanks. Well…you should probably get going. Wouldn’t want to keep your date waiting or anything.”
“Alrighty! Have a nice evening, you two!”
With a smile and wave of the hoof, Rainbolt closed the door to his home and turned to his daughter. She was frowning.
“Oh, come on, Dashie! Did you see how happy she was?”
“Well, yeah… It just feels like she abandoned us when she was upset, but now that she’s all happy, we’re suddenly her friends again.”
He sighed. “Rainbow… She never stopped being our friend… She just had to take a long time to recover, and she was going through a lot. I’m sure the last pony on the earth she wanted to hurt was you…”
The little filly raised an eyebrow.
“Really…?”
“Positive, Sweetheart… I’d know from experience…”
That final statement made the little filly smile a bit, besides the circumstances.
“Yeah… I guess so. Thanks. I’m sure after a bit more recovery, she’ll be more… social again.”
“Yeah…” Rainbolt looked out the window near his door to see the little mare flying off into the distance. He sighed, and then his eyes went wide. “Uh oh…”
“What is it?” Rainbow asked, slightly concerned about the urgency in her father’s tone. Rainbolt turned his head and met eyes with his daughter.
“Nothing that affects us…” He smiled, and internally chuckled. “It’s just something Mrs. Skies is going to find out in a not-so-good way…”
Alright, Sunny… Think positive thoughts. You look good, you smell good… What’s the worst thing that could happen? I mean, he obviously likes you. Heat rose to her face at the simple thought of Moonstruck. He is such a gentlecolt… Just smile, be polite, cheerful, and everything should turn out okay. You even brought food… I mean… It doesn’t matter that much, but it’s still a plus. Ugh…just knock on the freaking door, you wimp! Everything will be okay! The mare sighed, and again brushed her hoof against the wooden planks below her. Don’t be stupid, Sunny… Don’t ruin this by being late. You don’t want to make a bad second impression…
Taking in a deep breath, the mare raised her hoof to the door before her. It was trembling in nervousness.
Just do it, just do it, just do it, just-
Mrs. Skies’ thoughts were cut off by the sound of a door swiftly opening before her. She flinched and nearly dropped the well-prepared dish on her back. Moonstruck giggled at her jumpiness.
“Oh, do come in, Sunny… I didn’t mean to frighten you. Please forgive me.”
Mrs. Skies caught herself off guard, simply staring at her date in confusion with an agape mouth.
“Come on, Dear. You’ll let insects nest in there if you keep it opened for too long.”
The mare blushed and instantly closed her mouth. She giggled sheepishly.
“Umm...thank you.”
Slowly, the mare made her way into the stallion’s recently cleaned home. The inside smelt like cleaning products and freshly cooked food. With a smile, the mare took in a deep whiff and exhaled.
“It smells really nice in here.”
“Thank you, Sunny…” With a little smile, he looked up at the clock right above the entrance to the kitchen. “Eight thirty-one, eh? Looks like somepony enjoys being fashionably late.”
“Umm… thank you.” She smiled to the stallion. “I guess I was just…you know…”
The white pegasus chuckled. “Come on, Sweetheart, there’s no need to take everything so seriously. Now, allow me to escort you to the kitchen so you can set your dish down.”
“Oh, thank you!” The mare blushed as her kind date trotted into the kitchen a few feet away. She trotted in after him at a rather slow pace, trying hard not to drop the opaque bowl on her back. She’d flown all the way from her house to the stallion’s place without having it plummet towards the ground, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen at the safest of moments.
Upon entering the kitchen, Mrs. Skies looked up at the table. Resting upon it was a steamy bowl of freshly made mashed potatoes, some rolls, and in the center, a large plate of vegetable stir-fry. Mrs. Skies smiled at the meal the stallion had prepared for them. He almost instantly cleared his throat, however.
“Sorry if I made a bit too much food… I didn’t want to make too little by accident.”
“Oh, it’s no problem at all! I only made a little something more for the same reason.” She smiled at Moonstruck. “Where can I set it?”
“Oh, of course!” He smiled and took the bowl from her back. It still felt warm against his hooves, yet the smell was hidden beneath a thick layer of shiny tin foil. Carefully, he set the bowl on the counter with the rest of the food. “What is it, exactly?” the stallion asked in curiosity.
With a light blush on her face, the mare walked over to her dish and peeled back the foil. Inside was a good amount of macaroni and cheese, with a thick layer of crumbs on the top and gooey, melted cheese beneath. Steam rose from the dish and spread the fumes throughout the room.
“It’s just a little something…I…” The mare stopped when she saw her date looking rather… uncomfortable with her the dish she’d prepared. “Something wrong?”
“I, umm…” Moonstruck hesitated. “I’m really sorry, I probably should have told you before, but… I’m extremely lactose intolerant. As much as I’d love to try it, I’d be in the hospital by the end of the night if I did…”
“Oh…I’m really sorry about that…I’ll just…” Slowly, the mare brought the foil back over her well-prepared addition to the dinner.
Wow, this is embarrassing…. Thanks a lot, Rainbolt…
“Oh, it’s not your fault, honest… I should have given you’re a fair warning ahead of time. It just kind of... you know, slipped my mind. My apologies…”
“It’s okay… it’s mostly Rainbolt’s fault, though. I went to his house to tell him about his job tonight. When I told him about the dish I made, he didn’t say anything about you being allergic to it.”
Moonstruck smiled to his date.
“Well, it’s over. Let’s forget about the whole ordeal and move on with our evening. Would you like to sample some of the food I’ve prepared? You must be awfully hungry after such a long day at work. It’s far past eight in the evening, after all.”
The mare smiled back, trying hard to blow off the first misfortune of that evening.
“Sure, I guess.” She then blushed. “I-I mean I’d absolutely love to!”
“Great. Go on, have a seat.”
Moonstruck encouraged his date, pointing towards the seat at the end. She gladly accepted it, placing herself in the hard, wooden chair. Even if it wasn’t the most comfortable chair, it still felt nice to sit down after a long flight. The owner of the home took the seat next to the mare. A light shade of pink was very noticeable through his pale, white cheeks.
“It’s an honor having you here tonight. Tell me, how was your trip up here?”
The stallion took a sip of water, while the mare answered his question.
“It was decent. Nothing special, but I guess it’s a pretty nice night out…”
“Good…”
Well, damn… Looks like somepony turned sweet over a matter of twelve hours… Her bitchy attitude has almost…vanished. Just… give her the evening for it to return… She’s just… like…not nearly as attractive as she was yesterday.
“So, what are some of your hobbies?” The mare asked, trying hard to brew up a conversation.
“Oh…I do enjoy a good story from time to time. I like writing poetry and contemplating my existence by the light of a single candle before the sun rises.”
“Oh…” Mrs. Skies said hesitantly. “Interesting… I would like to hear some of your poetry later on if you don’t mind…”
“I could recite some to you if we have time later this evening. Now, umm… what are your hobbies, Sunny?”
“I like cooking and working… And umm… I like stargazing.”
Moonstruck internally cringed at the thought of romantically stargazing with a mare at his side.
“Wow… that’s all quite fascinating…”
“Oh…” She blushed and twirled her mane around in her hoof. “It’s not that interesting or anything…”
You’re right about that…
“Don’t be so modest! You really are quite different than a lot of mares I’ve met.”
“Well, thank you… That’s really sweet.”
“It’s nothing, my dear.” The stallion grinned and took another sip of his water. “Are you waiting for me?”
“Huh?”
“To eat. You can serve yourself, you know?”
“Oh! Uhh…right!”
Sheepishly, the mare took the plate Moonstruck had already set out for her. She took a medium sized serving of stir-fry from the large dish in front of here. It was still steamy and had a wide variety of peppers, tomatoes, onion, and squash in it. The sweet steam rose to her nostrils and forced the mare to deeply inhale. She smiled, and then helped herself to a roll, and a small scoop of mashed potatoes. She did seem a bit nervous, and was afraid she was taking too much. It had been a long, exhausting day, and Mrs. Skies knew she needed a good meal. She hadn’t eaten in eight and a half hours, after all.
“Sorry… I don’t know if I took too much or…”
“Oh, no! That’s very much alright! I understand that a hard-working pony needs to fill up after a long day!”
“Thanks…” With that said, Moonstruck started serving himself, taking little bits of his own creations. “Speaking or work…What do you do for a living?”
The stallion was reaching across the table to scoop a chunk of mashed potatoes onto his plate.
“Me? Umm…” He placed his rump back into his seat and looked at the mare. “I don’t have much of a profession… I mostly just help in construction and stuff… Nothing special.”
“Oh. Well, what would you like to do?”
Moonstruck thought for a moment. It was never a question he even asked himself. How was he supposed to give a response when somepony else was asking the question?
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that. I honestly haven’t the slightest clue as to what I wish to be.”
“Maybe a poet?”
“Maybe…”
Ugh, how’d she get so encouraging and well-mannered since I last saw her? Stupid bitch.
Smiling towards her date, the mare picked up the roll and took a bite out of it, before making a twisted face and nearly spitting it back out. She powered through, though, and swallowed the chunk of the roll she’d taken off with as much will power as she could muster.
“Something the matter?” Moonstruck asked.
“Nothing! That’s just a rather…odd taste.”
“Well, yes. The recipe called for milk, so I replaced it with a non-lactose soy substitute. I didn’t think the flavor would be that noticeable.”
“Oh..it’s not…it’s just.”
“If you don’t like them, you can just spit it out and not eat it. I won’t be insulted.”
Mrs. Skies hesitantly pushed the odd-flavored roll to the opposite side of her plate.
Damn…she had the perfect opportunity to lash out at me and she didn’t… Why is she suddenly so damn polite…?
“Sorry…”
“No need to apologize. Just eat up.”
The mare looked at the stir-fry and sniffed it as the steam rose. She poked at it with her fork and glanced up at Moonstruck. He sighed in a slightly annoyed tone.
“There’s nothing weird in that, Sweetheart. Trust me.”
Smiling in acknowledgement, the mare took a bite of the stir-fry. The seasoning in it was a tad bit spicy, but still very good. The delectable arrangement of vegetables filled her mouth and made “Mmmm” as bliss swarmed over her taste buds. After thoroughly chewing it, she swallowed.
“Wow…that’s really good…”
“Thanks. I put my best efforts into it.”
“You know, I wish I could try some of your cooking one of these days. I’ll bet you’re a great chef.”
Mrs. Skies blushed and looked away.
“Awe, thanks… I mean, I may be able to make some lactose-free cookies or something sometime.”
“Well, I’d love to try anything you cook that wouldn’t potentially harm me in any way.”
Mrs. Skies giggled at his comment. Moonstruck did nothing but smile back.
Seriously…? What the heck was so funny about that comment? Nothing! Ugh! Why won’t your sexy, adorable, simply amazing bitchy side come out? That would be absolutely amazing! The stallion inhaled and took a bite of his dinner, keeping his eyes on his lovely date. Maybe she’s just hiding it to make a good impression… Or maybe in reality, she isn’t a bitch. Moonstruck felt an unsettling pit in his heart at the very thought of her not being the rude bitch he’d imagined her to be. In a situation like this, there’s only one real way to find out… I know I said I wouldn’t use it, but she’s been far too cheerful, and something needs to happen.
“Sunny, darling?”
“Yes?” the mare asked before taking another bite of her food.
“I was just thinking… It’s such a rare occasion for me to have guests over, that I thought I should go out of my way to get us a little something for this evening.”
Mrs. Skies’ ears perked up and she blushed.
“Really…? This evening meant that much to you…?”
“But of course! Spending an evening with you meant everything!”
The stallion smiled and made his way over to one of the higher cabinets of his house. Mrs. Skies simply stared in curiosity. Moonstruck took a few moments of rummaging through his cabinet before pulling out something that made the mare’s blue eyes widen in shock. It was a large, twenty-four ounce bottle of grape wine, nearly filled to the top with the alcoholic liquid. The mare simply gaped.
“W-Wine…? I haven’t drunk wine in…well, years!”
“Oh, don’t worry about this old stuff! It probably won’t do any more than buzz you at the most. It’s very good wine, too. Nearly thirty years old.”
“Whoa…” Mrs. Skies watched as the stallion came closer to the table. He used the counter to the left of him to pop off the bottle top. It came off with ease, and there was instantly the sound of hissing as it did. Before returning to the table, he grabbed a plastic cup and set it in front of the mare. Without her complete consent, he poured some into the cup. She looked up at him with a heavy blush as the purple waterfall glided into the cup. He pulled a cup up next to him and poured himself a tall glass as well.
“Are you…sure we should be drinking so much of this?” The weather pony asked unsurely.
“If I had my doubts, I wouldn’t be allowing you to have so much of it. Don’t worry, Darling. Enjoy your meal with this good wine, drop all your worries, and let us drink deep!”
Moonstruck lifted his weary head from his sweat-stained pillow. His red mane stuck to his forehead and was drenched in cool sweat. Crust had formed at the edges of his baggy eyes. On both sides of his face were long, crusted lines of drool. His throat felt dry and there was a dull ache in his head. He lifted a hoof up to his aching head and set up. He let out a grunt as pain jolted through his cranium.
“Uergh…. What in Celestia’s name happened last night?”
Looking to his right, he saw his digital clock displaying the time; 7:43. He blinked several times to shoo off a bit of the blurriness. When his vision became totally clear, he turned away from the clock and looked to the left. In his bed was a mare tucked into his large, grey blanket. Her dark blue mane was just as much of a wreck as his was. Frizzy locks stuck out in every which direction and a puddle of drool formed on the pillow beneath her. Her eyes were still shut tightly and little snores escaped her half-opened mouth.
Lovely… Moonstruck thought in a sarcastic tone. Just… What happened? There was that blasted date and the cheese and the wine… And…ooh! That hurts! The stallion rubbed the side of his aching skull. Dude, you are most definitely in the midst of a hangover… This is just lovely… Ugh…. I can’t remember a thing from last night… The stallion looked over at his date and sighed. Ugh… I think I lost my virginity…
Letting out a long exhale, the stallion put his hooves on his friend and shook her gently.
“Sunny… Sunny…wake up… I think you should be getting ready for work…”
The mare slowly opened her eyes and distastefully moaned when she realized she was awake. Almost instantly, she closed her eyes again.
“Five more minutes…” she muttered in her sleep.
“No… I think you should get- Ow!”
Mrs. Skies opened her eyes and lifted her weary head. She then lifted her hoof to her skull and rubbed it gently.
“My brain hurts…” she whimpered.
“Yeah… We got wasted…”
The mare moaned and sat up in her half-asleep state.
“What…what time is it…?”
Moonstruck turned his head and made contact with his clock. The dim, digital numbers burned his eyes, causing him to look away as soon as he could.
“It’s It’s seven forty-five.”
“Seven forty-five….” The mare mumbled under her breath. Slowly, the mare put her head back on her pillow. Her eyes closed and she felt the peacefulness of sleep start to consume her. Moonstruck mimicked her actions with no further thought.
Seven forty-five…that’s not bad… you don’t even have to be at work until seven….
It was then, in a sudden realization, her blue eyes shot wide opened.
“Oh shit! I’m going to be late! I am late!”
As quickly as she could, the mare hopped out of the bed, fully alert. Even as her stomach and head ached severely, she still knew her responsibilities were first.
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Moonstruck!”
Wearily, the stallion lifted his head and looked at the mare.
“I just want to thank you so, so much for the amazing night! Thanks for the food, the wine, your time, and everything!”
“Yeah, whatever, no problem…”
“And umm… I was just wondering. Do you think we could maybe do this again sometime…? We could meet at my house next time or a park or something…”
“Actually, Sunny…” The stallion sat up where he was and let out a short breath. “Listen, you’re a fantastic mare… You’re great, and I’m sure somepony will feel something for you some day, but it won’t be me.” It was at that moment Mrs. Skies almost felt her own heart shatter into two as the stallion confessed his feelings bluntly. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re great and everything, I just liked you better when you were a bitch. That’s all. You’re just too…sweet for me.”
For the longest moment, Sunny just stared at the stallion. Her temper was slowly brewing inside.
“So…you like me better as a bitch..?” Moonstruck nodded affirmatively. “Okay…”
With her last word said, she slowly backed out of the room, closing the door and going down the hall.
Thank heavens…Now I can sleep…
Moonstruck happily tucked his blanket up to his chin and stuffed his head into his pillow. He felt happiness swarm over him as the tranquility of sleep swept over him slowly. His eyes started to feel extremely comfortable closed and his body sunk into the wonderful mattress. He smiled to himself and yawned widely before wrapping his hooves around the pillow Mrs. Skies was previously sleeping on and brining it inward. As much as he hated to admit it, Moonstruck loved sleeping while cuddling something soft. It was a habit he couldn’t seem to break, and definitely one tried his best to keep hidden. Slowly, his mind drifted off into a deep, sweet rest.
“Is this bitch enough for you?”
The stallion awoke with a jolt as the voice of an angered mare penetrated his eardrums. He sat up only to find his ex date hovering above him with a dark green bowl in her hooves. Before he could even react, he was attacked by a large serving of cold macaroni and cheese. As soon as he realized his predicament, he guarded himself with his hooves and closed his mouth as tightly as he could. He felt the cold, gooey pasta roll down his body and make him gag. His heart rate rose and he felt almost squeamish as the last bits of it fell on him. The moment it stopped, the plastic bowl fell onto his head and the excess cheese dripped onto his muzzle, ears, and in between his eyes. All he heard after that was his bedroom door slam shut with a loud thud. There he was, left in the room, covered in his own enemy.
Damn….
That was hot….