Dash was humming along with the song on the radio, finally settled into life on earth. She had a place to stay, clothes on her back, and a friend. As she and Alex drove along the interstate, taking the easy way around the crowded city streets, they talked about life in Equestria. Dash went on about all of her friends, and the wonder bolts, and her dreams about joining the stunt flyer team, which Alex assumed were like the famous Blue Angels, stunt jet pilots who performed sometimes at the local airshow. Judging by what Rainbow had told him, Alex guessed she might enjoy seeing the angels perform, if she were around long enough.
They then realized that they hadn’t given much thought to supper, but elected to have leftovers since the salads from lunch were probably still fresh-ish. Since that was solved, they decided to cruise around a bit, so Alex could show Dash what kind of things there were to do here in town. Obviously, being a young girl (or mare), Dash needed to have some sort of social life. Alex inquired about her hobbies and such from Equestria. She like playing pranks, flying, and competition. There wasn’t much of that nature to do around here, so Alex decided to take Dash to a dance club, and see if he could get her up and moving. But that would have to wait for another time. Alex was more focused on eating.
When they got home, Alex helped Dash carry in her clothes and get them situated into her dresser. After this was done, they sat down to eat. Dinner went by pretty quickly, with conversation about the day filling most of the time between bites. They went to watch some TV, which Dash found amazingly enjoyable. TV’s were few and far between in Equestria. Alex then introduced her to the computer and internet, which absorbed most of Dash’s attention. She watched several videos of stunt flying squadrons, taking mental notes. She would definitely impress the wonder bolts now, with the new arsenal of tricks she intended to practice when she got back home. She felt herself getting tired, and settled on the couch next to Alex. She fell asleep laying on top of Alex, and he felt a blush creeping across his face. Scooting away, he settled her head on the couch arm, and covered her with a throw blanket. Alex then slunk off to bed, glad that he had the next day off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex woke up about noon. That was strange for him, he thought to himself, as he wandered blearily into the kitchen. He heard dash snoring softly in the next room over, so he decided to go for a walk while she slept. It had been a while since he saw or even talked to any of his neighbors or friends, so today felt like a good time to do so.
After Alex made his rounds he trudged back into the house, finding nothing of particular interest to talk about amongst his neighbors. Dash was already awake and watching TV when he returned. She greeted him warmly with a hug and asked him what he planned to do all day. In all truth, Alex had no clue. He decided to go work on another project he started months ago that was sitting in his garage. Dash elected to follow him and watch him work.
Although she was often recruited for demolition work back home, she enjoyed seeing things come together more than being busted apart. In the garage, what Alex had called a “project” was a beautiful red oak dresser. The structure had been completed, but it had yet to be stained and varnished. Opening the garage door, Alex unsealed a can of light-colored stain, which would make the grain of the oak stand out nicely. Using slow, deliberate strokes with his brush, Alex focused his utmost concentration into every fiber of the brush, becoming quiet. Dash watched him with the same amount of silence. She was amazed and how much concentration he possessed, especially when he was usually so carefree and aloof. Dash watched as the top of the dresser slowly began to gloss over, and then Alex moved down to the drawers, legs, and sides. That process took the better part of the afternoon, and before Alex knew it, the sun was beginning to set.
As Alex showered up, he got to thinking if Dash really was old enough to attend a dance club, and then he realized she did not have a valid ID. This nearly immediately crushed any ideas he may have had of showing Dash a good time. Drinking at home was one thing, but at a club was a totally different story. Then he realized he knew one club he could always attend, regardless if he had ID or no, or any of his friends. A DJ friend owned the place and would definitely let him and Dash in.
Dash was quite excited since the moment they left the house. Alex told her they were going to go see some friends of his, and she was eager to meet more humans. She noticed that Alex appeared a bit dressier than his usual blue jeans and grey or white t-shirt. He was wearing all black, looking as sleek as a well-flown Pegasus. He also smelled really nice. When they arrived at the club, Dash heard some familiar music coming through the door. It sounded a lot like what DJ Pon-3 would play at the clubs she frequented in Equestria. Even somepony like Dash needed to take time away from her training. She realized what this place was, and could barely contain her glee. She followed Alex through the door, sticking close to him so as not to get lost (and smell him of course).
Alex approached a room above the dance floor and bar, surrounded by mirror glass. On the Ebony wood door, a sign saying “Owner’s Booth” glared at them, bright red. Alex knocked three times, and he was greeted by a tall, lanky human taller than himself. The other human introduced himself as John, and shook hands with Alex and Dash. Alex explained the situation, but was stopped mid-sentence.
“Say no more, Alex, you know your money is never good here.” John chuckled, smiling warmly. “Neither is your lady friend’s, so don’t even think about it, missy.” John said, departing through the door in which they entered. Dash surmised that a lot of Alex’s friends were, well, friendly. She made herself comfortable on the worn-in couch that overlooked the DJ booth, While Alex looked around for something to drink. He found a pair of bottles labeled “Amaretto”, and mixed up Dash and himself something from the open bottle.
Settling in next to Dash, he realized the Owner’s booth was situated strategically, providing a full view of the dance floor, bar, DJ booth, and tables. The room had a nearly 360 degree view, and was both unsettling and amazing. It was like floating above a bustling anthill, except the ants were decorated with glow sticks and blacklight-reactive paint.
As they drank and talked, Dash got antsy. She was tired of acting reserved and cautious and wanted to let loose for a while. While she was still feeling sure of her feet, she literally dragged Alex down to the dance floor. Alex never really danced before, he just came here to relax. But how could he resist, with such a pretty young woman egging him on, in an almost challenging way. Just then, a bass-heavy tune started playing, and Alex couldn’t help himself. He got up and started raving, which he hadn’t done in almost two years, since the week after he graduated high school. This goaded several other young patrons, barely eighteen, to join him. Keeping a close eye on Dash, who was next to him, they eventually had the whole club out on the floor. The dance floor was a stormy sea of glowing bodies, every one getting nudged or bumped here or there. Once his burst of energy was spent, Alex seated himself at the bar, ordering a tall cold glass of Ice water. As long as he drank water, he could stay sober enough to drive home.
Dash was thoroughly into the dance club now, dancing and bouncing with the rest of the young crowd, who couldn’t have been much younger than herself. She was feeling a little dizzy, but that made the thrill of dancing and music even more prevalent. She was approached by a young man, who asked her if she wanted a drink. She decided to oblige him. He escorted her to the bar, whispering something to the bartender. Shortly after, a small glass was produced, and Dash could smell the liquor from her seat. She took a tentative sip, and it went down smoothly. Confident that the drink was harmless, she finished the rest of it in a few swallows, and instantly felt lightheaded. She was wondering if she had made a mistake, but pushed it to the back of her mind. All the humans she’d met so far were nice to her, so why not this one?
What Dash didn’t see was the malicious glint in the young man’s eyes as Dash stood up and teetered back to the dance floor. Confident that he had bagged his prize for the night, the malicious young man followed Dash, who eventually found her way outside.
Alex had seen all of these events transpire, and was filled with the most unholy rage he’d ever felt. Stalking the skinny punk that had just given Dash the equivalent of an alcoholic nuke, Alex pushed his way between bodies, easily blending into the throng. Alex slunk out of the same door Dash had went through, tailed by the skinny punk. He knew that kid was bad news. He could feel it. Now, that kid was about to feel pure, unbridled rage.
Alex followed his prey, closing the distance with long, silent strides. Years of playing paintball and airsoft had turned the big man quite stealthy. While Dash was distracted by a pair of passing girls, Alex crept up and growled in the young man’s ear “You got 10 seconds to run before I break you.” The young creep was feeling cocky and decided to swing at Alex. Alex easily ducked the blow and followed up with a powerful left hook, flooring the young creep with one hit. The creep saw stars and felt pavement, the last thing he remembered was seeing a huge black figure with startling blue eyes, looking over him with pity, almost remorse.
Shaking his hand out, Alex wiggled his fingers, trying to recover feeling in them. He’d hit the kid pretty damn hard, much harder than he intended, and floored him. He stole one last glance and the floored punk, then Rushed over to Dash before she stumbled into the street. Alex grabbed her firmly, but gently, steering her back towards the truck.
Dash was startled by Alex grabbing her. She turned to face him.
“Hey Alex,” she said, slurring her words slightly. “How’d I get outside? And why are you outside?”
Alex’s rough voice responded to her, gruff but kind, as usual. “Well, you had a bit too much to drink and decided to take a walk. I followed you to make sure you were safe.” Alex agreed to himself to not tell her she’d almost been attacked sexually. “I think it’s time we bid John goodnight, Dash” Alex said, smiling at her.
“Oh, well that was real gentlecoltly of you.” Dash said, laughing, finding that she used an equestrian word on earth quite funny. “I think I wanna go home anyway. I haven’t felt this dizzy since Mare’s Night out back home.” She said, laughing again.
Alex was happy he knew something about horses and equines in general, otherwise he may have thought Dash had gone bonkers. Steering her into the passenger side of the truck, Alex left the windows open for her, in case she felt the sudden urge to puke, which more often than not accompanied heavy drinking. As they drove home, Dash dozed off, face slightly red, her head leaning against the doorframe. Alex couldn’t help but laugh. She looked so much like his little sister; he’d imagined he’d be doing the same thing in a few years, when she turned 21.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex was also thoroughly pleased that Dash was a small girl, otherwise he would have had a fun time explaining why he was carrying a hammered, drunk girl into his house. He doubted many of his neighbors had seen Dash yet, but you could never be too cautious, especially in a small neighborhood like his.
After hazarding a glance around the cul-de-sac he called home, Alex carried an oblivious
Rainbow Dash into the house, and gently laid her on the couch. After locking his truck up tight, Alex went back inside, locking the door behind himself. Somehow, Dash had roused and was trying to walk to her room. Alex escorted her gently, and Dash tried to get his attention before he departed.
“Alex, thank you.” Dash said, half asleep now.
“For what?” Alex inquired quizzically.
“For everything.” Dash said, repositioning herself more comfortably. “for the clothes, the home, everything. I was so scared…” She trailed off, nodding off slightly.
“You’re welcome, Dash.” Alex said sleepily, noticing that she had finally fallen back asleep. Closing her door behind him, Alex went to his fridge and pulled out what was left of the special cider.
Alex sat now, deep in thought. It had been years since he had hit anybody. Why had he reacted so severely at the club, He wondered to himself. The last time he’d had a reaction even close to that was when some punk decided to put holes in his sisters’ display cases at their shop. The punk had broken in, and Alex happened to be working in a building next door when he heard the alarms go off. He’d chased the punk down into an alleyway behind Clothing Row, and proceeded to beat the shit out of him and left him there. But since then Alex had kept his anger in check. Why he snapped after so long deeply troubled him. Searching the bottom of his cider bottle for an answer, but not finding one, he drained the last of the golden drink, and with a satisfying belch, settled into the living room to watch some late night TV. That would probably ease his mind and allow him to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex was sleeping in front of the TV, when a gentle voice had awoken him. Looking around him, trying to see past his splitting headache, he realized it was Dash
“Hrnnnggg...what is it Rainbow?” Alex asked, grimacing. Clasping a hand over his forehead and right eye, Alex sat up slowly.
“You fell asleep in the living room. Looked awfully uncomfortable. I wanted to wake you up so you could go to your bed.”Dash said in a small voice, flipping her hair out of her eyes.
Alex laughed in spite of himself. Being caught like a drunken teenager by someone younger than you didn’t happen every day. He couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed.
“OK, you win, Dashie.” Alex said, sitting up and stumble-walking to his room. Dash grew quite silent. Only Pinkie ever called her ‘Dashie’ and that was usually at intimate moments. She began wondering to herself if Alex was starting to feel a certain way about her. She pushed these thoughts out of her head and watched Alex get into his room. After that was said and done, she went back to her own room and went back to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex dragged his disheveled self out of bed at 5 in the morning, regretting he had drank half a bottle of special cider on his lonesome. He had to work today too, which made him despair even further. Preparing an especially strong pot of coffee, Alex showered while it was brewing. Toweling himself off, he wandered downstairs in his boxers, not expecting a certain houseguest to be awake at his hour. Regrettably, he found out she was indeed awake.
Dash blushed deep scarlet when she was confronted with the view of a lifetime. Quickly hiding himself behind his soaked towel, Alex ducked behind the kitchen doorway, a blush also spreading across his face. “Eh hehh, Dash, I didn’t expect you to be awake this early.” Alex chuckled nervously, realizing just exactly what Dash probably saw.
“I’m a weather pony back home. I’m always up early.” Dash said, playing with a bit of her hair. She’d seen Alex in all his glory. And she kind of enjoyed it, though it produced a rather awkward silence.
“I smelled the coffee…that’s what woke me up, too.” Dash finished.
“Oh, I see..” Alex said, scooting closer to the doorway in order to conceal himself. “I’m gonna go get ready for work..” Alex departed, feeling the heat in his face subside somewhat. This was bound to make the next couple days awkward as hell.
Going back to the kitchen, Alex was now fully clothed, and Dash was still there, sipping at her cup of coffee. Alex felt a blush coming on once again, and quickly buried his face behind a newspaper. He could feel Dash’s eyes trying to burn through his newspaper, and he surrendered to her probing glance.
“What you just saw, is natural for human males, especially early in the morning.” Alex started, wanted to get past this as quick as possible. “It had nothing to do with seeing you, though that isn’t to say you’re not attractive.” Alex finished flatly, unsure of where to go next.
“Yeah, I figured as much. You realize I’m the same age as you and have been around the block a few times.” Dash said coyly.
Alex blinked. She was quite forward wasn’t she? “OK, understood. Just don’t tell anybody please? That’s the last thing I need my sisters finding out about. You should have heard them when they found out about my first time getting laid.”
At this, they both laughed, and the awkwardness had passed. Alex set off for work, passing Dash a key to the house. “Feel free to do what you want, just make sure you remember how to get home. I can’t leave the job site until the foreman does, so you’re screwed if you get lost.” Alex warned Dash as he pulled out of the driveway. “Dinner’s at six. See you then.” Alex waved and pulled off. Dash really didn’t know what she wanted to do, so she stood there and watched the truck till it turned at the end of the block.