Tonight was the big night—the big night—and Holly was almost beside herself. The old house was warm and full of life. Clayborne and Gusty were staying there as guests, and Holly was glad to see Knock Knock and Toot Toot behave more like themselves away from work. It was going to be time to go soon. Clayborne and Gusty were getting dressed in their room upstairs, and Alfredo would be getting dressed at the show. Holly was just dying to see what Alfredo would look like as Doctor Wienerschnitzel.
Holly sat in a chair, unable to sit still, sipping on a gin and tonic made by Alfredo. The drink was delightful, and the wedge of lime made it perfect. The day had almost been perfect; a big lunch made by Alfredo, pasta with a carbonara sauce, bread, salad, and appetisers of little balls made out of eggplant, mushrooms, and some kind of soft, gooey white cheese, dipped in egg, rolled in breadcrumbs, and then deep fried in hot peanut oil. The afternoon was filled with a few cocktails, time shared together, and then came the preparation for the evening.
It was going to be cold tonight, bone chilling, record low temperatures. It was going to be a frigid trip to the theatre. Holly sipped her drink, thoughtful, reflective, grateful to have friends. She had a house to have guests in. She had the means to provide for others.
Was this what growing up was? Is this what it felt like? Was the hallmark of growing up the ability to provide for others? Holly didn’t know. Her whole life had been turned upside down. She was born to roller skate, something she had been doing very little of lately. For whatever reason, her cutie mark now felt wasted, maybe even neglected. She had moved on, gone on to other things, she was making headway in a new life for herself.
Sure, she could still skate… on clear days, she could go out and clear her head, and come spring, the conditions for skating would be ideal. But skating was now a hobby… a means to pass the time, a bit of exercise, a way to stay in peak physical shape.
But skating wasn’t her life. Not anymore. Holly had realised quite some time ago, she was a ‘lifer.’ She would either die in service of the M.F.D. or would be forced into retirement when her body could no longer take the abuse. Or forced into administration and investigation, which didn’t seem so bad. Holly rather liked the investigative side of things, she was good at what she did and was already up for a performance review, which might mean a promotion. Alfredo had told her that she was making more than enough to cover the bills, live in relative comfort, and even tuck away some bits for a rainy day. She also had money coming in from endorsement deals.
Holly had never been one for managing her finances very well. As a roller derby star, she had an agent that dealt with her finances. Now, Alfredo looked after her bits. She trusted him implicitly. She and Alfredo had an ideal living arrangement.
But Holly wasn’t entirely happy. There was the keen sense that something was missing. Something was off. She thought of her Aunt Cara Cara, and her Uncle, Sumac Heartwood. They had been young, in love, and they had made this house a home. They had filled it with life.
Sipping her drink, Holly felt a new ache of longing. She thought of Alfredo, and it wasn’t in the usual way that she had been thinking about him. He could help her fill this house with life. Something in the back of her mind suggested that Alfredo could be more than a fling, that somehow, this could be more than hitting on the help. Alfredo was a skilled domestic. He liked looking after the house and being a homebody. Holly took another sip. Sumac had worked in a furniture factory and Cara had worked two jobs to keep up with the house payments.
There would be no need for that now, the house was paid for. In the clear. Owned. Holly could make a fair bit of money. She realised that she might be able to support a family. The ice in her drink clinked against the glass as she held it in one trembling fetlock. That was the reason that Cara had given her the house… Cara had to have known that Holly would grow up sooner or later. Holly set her glass down on the small wooden table beside her chair, placing it upon a magazine.
In that moment, Holly grew as a pony, but she was unaware of her growth. She only had a hazy awareness that she was about to begin the next phase of her life, and she wanted to take those first few brave steps with Alfredo. Settling back in her chair, Holly entertained new fantasies, and they were quite unlike the pervy, fevered fantasies that she’d been having. Quiet, but lively dinners together. Coming home after a hard day’s work and being greeted, maybe even kissed. Coming home to a loved one… no, a family. Having a foal might slow down her career a bit, but that wouldn’t be so bad. There was also adoption. Sitting in her chair, wide eyed, Holly nodded. This house was large enough for a few free roaming foals. She began to wonder if Alfredo would enjoy such a thing. Would he be happy as a stay at home father? Would he be comfortable about her being the breadwinner? Some stallions got persnickety about that sort of thing. This was a complete role reversal.
Holly grabbed her own fetlock and then squeezed them both together. This didn’t have to be about scratching the itch, or a one night stand, or hitting on the help, oh no… this could be something more. Alfredo was a domestic sort… it wasn’t such a leap for him to be a stay at home dad. This didn’t have to be a fling.
“Holly?”
Blinking, Holly snapped to attention, almost startled. She turned her head and looked at Alfredo, her cheeks blazing with an inner fire, and her heart fluttered in her chest. He had showered, was now dried off, and his mane was slicked back on his head. He was immaculate, perfect, and handsome.
“Holly, it is almost time to go,” Alfredo said in a low voice, “are you going to be ready?”
Nodding in reply, Holly blinked a few times, trying to clear her head. “Just need to put on a jacket. I don’t know what to wear, I don’t really have anything so I’m going as is.”
“Holly… you are perfect just as you are.”
In her barrel, Holly’s heart began smashing against her ribs, like a fire axe or a halligan bar against an uncooperative door. Holly had a knack for opening doors—she was The Homewrecker. In that moment though, Holly wanted to be a homemaker though, or at least a contributor. She realised that Alfredo had called her by name. Her mouth went dry and she was unable to speak. She wanted to ask if Alfredo really thought she was perfect, but she couldn’t get the words to come out.
The only thing she had done to get ready was spritz herself with fancy perfume. She didn’t even know if it was good perfume. She usually wore the cheap stuff, the stuff that kept a sweaty mare from smelling a bit too much like a sweaty mare, and she sprayed herself down in all the right places for her own peace of mind. But not tonight. She had purchased something expensive and fancy. The mare behind the counter had given her an odd look. Holly was not the coat hanger mare of exquisite beauty.
“Holly?”
With a startled snort, Holly snapped back to reality.
“You seem a little distracted, are you okay?” Alfredo asked.
Holly shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head, and unable to make up her mind, she nodded and shrugged at the same time. “It’s the big night, Alfredo. I’m nervous. I don’t know what to expect.”
“I’m a little nervous too,” Alfredo admitted to Holly in a low voice. “I thought this would be easier with friends watching me, but now I’m scared to death of disappointing you and them.”
“Alfredo,” Holly said, sounding just a little breathless, “uh, I don’t think I could ever be disappointed in you… you… I… Alfredo, I… I think… you… me… I, uh, I think I—”
“Yes?” Alfredo’s eyebrow raised as Holly’s stammering trailed off into silence.
“I’m very happy that I asked you to come and live with me,” Holly said after a painful moment of utter and absolute silence. She cringed right away after saying it, regretting it. It sounded lame, the words were not what she had wanted to say. She felt hot and flustered.
“Holly, is there something you would like to say?” Alfredo asked.
Staring, Holly realised that there was a lot she would like say. Hey, Alfredo, how would you feel about being a stay at home dad? or, Hey, Alfredo, how would you feel if the pony employing you started hitting on you? or maybe even, Hey, Alfredo, how about a little pony ride? But she couldn’t say those things. She let out a flustered sigh and stared at the object of her desire.
Turning away, Holly lifted up her drink from the table beside her chair. Had she been paying attention, she would have seen that the magazine she had set her drink on was titled, ‘Pony Parenthood’ and had a picture of a smiling earth pony mare on the front standing next to a crib. She gulped down the rest of her gin and tonic as her whole body trembled.
“Madam, it is very, very cold out. Remember to bring your scarf.”
Clayborne and Gusty were covered in heavy overcoats and winter weather cloaks, so Holly didn’t know what they were wearing. She knew that something was up though, because both of them wouldn’t stop giggling together as they walked.
For being such a cold night, there were a surprising number of ponies out and about. No doubt, the subways were going to be crowded. There was something in the air tonight—several of Manehattan’s prominent theatres had a show that opened tonight, no doubt there was fierce competition.
“Ready to give what is sure to be a performance of a lifetime?” Gusty the pegasus asked as he followed along beside Alfredo. Toot Toot was a pretty pegasus tonight, wearing purple mascara, false eyelashes, and some kind of dark plum lipstick.
Holly thought he looked a little gothy, but she liked it.
“It is a small theatre trotting out a tired old show that refuses to die,” Alfredo replied.
Clayborne, wearing dark blue mascara, false eyelashes, and black lipstick let out a whinny. “Tired old show? This show was made for us. It is almost a religion… it is an institution. It gives ponies like Tooty and I a reason to get dolled up, go out, and have fun. Sure, I could go out and see ‘Mane’ or ‘Die Flamingos of Rammanboch,’ but I couldn’t go out dressed up like this.”
Alfredo smiled, but still somehow looked a little melancholy.
“This is gonna be the greatest night ever,” Gusty said, looking at Clayborne. “And when we get home… mmm…” The pegasus fell silent, leaving everything he might have said to the imagination.
Ice crunched underhoof as the group headed for the subway. The sidewalks were slippery and the wind was downright cruel. The cold, sharp as a razor, blew in from off the ocean and everything in the city was glazed over with ice.
“Holly, thanks again for having us as guests. It isn’t often that we get to do this,” Clayborne said to Holly as he walked.
“Yeah, it isn’t often that we get to dress up, be ourselves, or even have some private alone time.” Gusty snorted, sending a spray of snowflakes and ice crystals flying from his snoot. “Um, uh, are you sure you don’t mind if Clay and I, uh, have a nice time?”
Giggling, distracted, Holly looked over at her friend and fellow firefighter. “You need your hose unrolled.”
“I sure do,” Gusty replied, “I sure do.”
Clayborne eyed his longtime companion, then eyed Holly and Alfredo. He nosed his pegasus mate, cleared his throat, and fell back a bit. Gusty, understanding what Clayborne was getting at, fell back with the love of his life and leaned up against Clayborne’s side as they walked together. By doing this, they left Holly and Alfredo walking together side by side. Clayborne gave his pegasus companion a wink, followed by a swift kiss upon the cheek.
“Hey… hey… don’t get fresh with me… you’ll smear my makeup… do you know how hard I worked to look pretty for you?” Gusty narrowed his eyes at the mustached unicorn wearing lipstick beside him.
Clayborne began to chuckle and he watched as Holly moved a little closer to Alfredo. “Oh, I plan to do more than smear your lipstick later, my lovely little pegasus…”