//------------------------------// // Coming to the U.S.A. [pt 2] // Story: Across the Divide // by Sparkle Fire //------------------------------// 7 August James and Rainbow Dash were still sleeping together, Dash’s head on James’s chest, as they’ve been accustomed to since the young mare arrived in America last week. The early-morning sun, just beginning to crest over the horizon, peeked through the window and illuminated the computer desk. Elvis, the family’s black-and-white cat, wandered upstairs and hopped on the bed. From the way he was pawing James’s face and meowing, one could tell that he wanted fed. The cat rubbed himself around James’s face, played with his hair, and sat on him in an attempt to wake him from his slumber. “Hey there Elvis, you want fed?” Elvis meowed sweetly in response. James, in turn, roused Dash from her sleep. The first thing they noticed was the irresistible aroma of pancakes being cooked. She was salivating in an instant. Both of them rushed downstairs and into the kitchen. Kath and Chris were both making small stacks of fluffy, golden, delicious pancakes on an electric griddle while maple syrup was being heated up on the stove. “Oh cock,” James said, “the pancakes aren’t quite done yet. Want some coffee?” “I’d kill for some coffee right now,” the mare told him, “that’s as rich and bold and vibrant and sweet as you are.” James stopped in his tracks. Chris looked over his shoulder in surprise. “Rainbow Dash! You’re not trying to seduce my dearest son, are you?” “It ain’t my fault he’s so handsome,” she retorted, making him chuckle. James made his way towards the sink, where he washed his mug. He popped off the top lid of the Keurig to pour in his water before reaching over towards the cupboard and retrieving a portion of coffee and some Splenda. After a few minutes, his coffee was brewed. From the fridge, he took out a bottle of milk (he hated coffee creamer) and splashed some into the coffee, then stirred it all together. Dash did almost the exact same, but with a mug that Chris and Kath gave her as an impromptu welcome present after she’d accidentally used Chris’s favorite mug. The mug had an American flag painted on one side, with a mini-portrait of the Royal Sisters on the other side, and she adored everything about it. Soon enough, breakfast was ready; James and Rainbow Dash were ready to eat. Both of them had a stack of pancakes with maple syrup ladled all over, with coffee at the ready. It only took about fifteen minutes for them to finish their pancakes and gulp down their coffee in the midst of all the somewhat restrained anticipation of what was to come. Today was the day that the Van Driessens would be leaving for Washington, D.C., the United States’ capital city, for the official Equestrian Friendship Exchange orientation. It was incredibly different from other orientations they’d been to. Usually, the exchange kid would go to a camp somewhere for their orientation before meeting them or their host family; for this program, the exchange kid and their host family went to orientation together. James thought, at one point, if it was because of the sheer difference between ponykind and humankind, or maybe because of ideological or political differences. All the uncertainty was overshadowed, however, by all the excitement for the trip. James, at Kath’s request, packed a small bag with a few changes of clothes, his sandals, his sneakers, his Ray-Bans, his fedora, his pajamas, his tablet and phone, including the chargers for them, and a plastic baggie for toiletries. Rainbow Dash packed a similar-sized bag, the big difference being that she packed most of her Wonderbolts fan-gear, not leaving much room for her other belongings. Both of them were loaded in the back of the car. When their parents’ suitcases were loaded into the boot, there was just enough room left for the rear door to fully close. James then went through the house, turning off all the air conditioning, lights, appliances, and electronics; he locked every door and window in the house, leaving the back door unlocked so when Jeremy arrived to watch Elvis and Priscilla, they would be taken especially good care of. When he emerged out the back door, Chris, Kath, and Rainbow Dash were raring to get moving. James hopped in the backseat, next to the mare. He plugged his earbuds in, offered her one of them, and turned on a playlist of James’s favourites, including some older stuff that his parents were into. Over the course of the four-hour drive, it was almost serene; the four of them drove over the mountains on the winding country roads, past the majestic scenery and all the trees. She perked up with excitement when she saw a windfarm out the window. “They have those back home, James,” she beamed. “Do they make electricity like ours do?” James asked. “Thank our neighbours for that.” He chuckled, settled down, and put on some Genesis for the time being. As they passed through two little towns in the mountains, he was barely able to notice the other earbud (the one he’d offered to Rainbow Dash) fall out of her other ear Soon, the road straightened out. James knew all too well what that meant. Chris looked up at the rear-view mirror and shot a look at James, saying, “Ya ready?” “Hell yeah, bruv!” James shouted back, changing over to heavy metal to fit the occasion. As soon as he said that, Chris shoved down on the gas pedal. A delightful noise erupted from the engine as the car picked up speed. When they reached a particularly sharp curve, Chris squeezed the power through it, giving the car just a dab of the handbrake to keep it under control. Rainbow Dash, clearly liking the experience, was egging Chris on to go faster. “I’m already going ninety miles an hour,” Chris said. “Given how fast we’re going now, it looks like we’ll have to stop for fuel.” He slowed down when they reached a big coal-fired power plant; that landmark, plus the dam that held back its cooling water, was the sign that they were about to enter the small town of Liberty. “James…” “Yes?”   “I’m gonna stop for gas. Do you want anything? Does Rainbow want anything?” James panned over to her host sister, who was now having a midday snooze. “Hmm, Dashie’s napping.” “I was sure she’d get over her jet lag by now,” Chris said, a nonplussed look on his face. “But I am quite thirsty. I’ll buy myself something while I’m here, I guess.” With that, Chris pulled into the petrol station. James took out his earbuds, turned off his phone, and headed inside while his dad was refueling. He took out his wallet for some money, bought a bottle of sweet tea, and was out the door fairly quickly.   He opened the car door and was surprised to see her awake. “Oh hey there, I didn’t expect to see you awake.” “Where are we?” the mare asked, not knowing where she was. “We’re at a petrol station,” he explained, “and we’re still in the mountains. When we get onto the highway, we’ll be in Virginia in roughly an hour.” “Sweet.” “Keep looking out the windows, though. This part of the state is still very beautiful.” At that point, Chris had come back from the petrol station and was ready to roll again. He found his way to the surprisingly uncongested motorway. To their convenience, there was a scenic area right nearby, just beneath the commandeering stature of the windmill-topped Allegheny Front; that was exactly where he stopped the car. Kath, ever the opportunist, had an idea. When they first picked up Rainbow Dash from the Pittsburgh airport, she originally wanted to take a picture of her and James at the state line going into West Virginia; however, that was thwarted when they’d fallen asleep in the back seat on the initial trip back. She whipped out her camera. Channeling her inner director, she had James and Dash stand beside each other, with the rolling hills in the background. “Say cheese!” She took a few more with Chris in the picture, and after that, she handed the camera off to her partner so she could get in them as well. Once that was over, James and his rainbow-maned mare friend (two words, mind) put the earbuds back in, and put on some Hootie and the Blowfish. That was how it was -- Chris and Kath chatting between themselves, James and Rainbow listening to music -- until they reached the interstate highway leading towards Washington itself. The traffic began to slow to a crawl, packing the road, much to Rainbow’s dismay; it was precisely the exact opposite of the gracefully winding four-lane from earlier. “What’s going on?!” the mare demanded to know. “This is rush-hour traffic,” James explained. “It gets jammed like this when people commute to and from work. An everyday occurrence, yes?” “Well, how long is this gonna last?” “Same thing happened in Pittsburgh when you first got here. It’s nothing to worry about,” Chris interjected. Rainbow, still quite tense and impatient, tried to cope with the fact that it was going to be very slow for the rest of the way to the hotel they’d be staying at for the orientation. Luckily for her, she had James as her host brother and companion. She moved over to his side, nuzzling her head into his chest. This had a relaxing effect on him. “Mmm, that feels nice,” he moaned softly. He was feeling incredibly comfortable despite the traffic outside the car windows. He scratched the mare’s ear, eliciting a gasp. He then ran his fingers gently through her mane, separating the individual colours and straightening out unruly strands. “You’re doing great,” Rainbow whispered. Just then, an idea came to James’s mind. He pulled the lever that adjusts the seat and leaned back, allowing her better access to him. She cuddled close to James again, and James let her have it… He ran his fingers slowly and lightly up and down her back, occasionally stopping to admire her wings and how soft they felt. “That’s awesome,” Rainbow whispered, almost soundlessly. In response, James gave her a quick but loving peck on the cheek. She sighed whilst in her bliss, and fell asleep with him continuing to stroke her back; traffic was still moving at a snail’s pace on the seemingly vast expanse of suburban highway. • • • • • The Van Driessens managed, somehow, to reach the Washington Hilton with time to spare. A bell boy was already at the front door, ready to carry luggage. The lobby was already stuffed full of guests. Besides the throng of families and splotches of businessmen in suits and ties scattered throughout, the remainder of the ponies from the Equestrian Friendship Exchange (as well as their host families) were preparing to check in for the orientation. Since Kath made the wise decision to book their room in advance over the Internet, their room was already being prepared. Rainbow Dash looked at the schedule that Maria gave her the day before, and decided, given the fact that she and James were already there, to introduce her host brother to a few of her friends. She beckoned him along to where a pink pegasus mare was sitting amongst her luggage. Rainbow reached out a hoof and shouted, “Hey, Firefly!” “Hey Rainbow, what’s up?” “Not much,” she said. “Just got here, and getting checked in. I’m just introducing James here to some friends of mine.” James waved meekly at Firefly, giving the most awkward grin of his life. “Firefly, this is James, my host brother.” “Nice to meet you,” she said, shaking his hand as James continued to smile. “She’s one of my closest friends from the Cloudsdale Flight Academy. We’re on the hoofball team together!” she declared with a measure of vivacity. While she was gushing over her glory days at the Academy, James dithered over their official schedule. Rainbow Dash was scheduled to receive more cultural awareness training from 11:00 until 2:00 in the afternoon along with the first round of Equestrian exchange students that came to America as well as other exchange students from other programs; in the meantime, the other half of the group were free to explore the city at their leisure. “Hey, James,” Firefly nudged him. “What’s up?” “I really want to get to know you better. While Rainbow here’s getting orientated… whatever that is…” James giggled. His host sister wasn't amused. “Maybe we can go see some stuff?” He pondered for a moment. “The Natural History Museum has some pretty interesting stuff. I went there once on an overnight class trip in the eighth grade.” “How was it?” “I remember it well… partially because we had Jean-Pierre that year and I translated some things into French for him because he didn't speak English as well as I could.” “At least you helped out.” “I'd love to go there. But I need to go take care of a few things first.” “Alrighty!” Firefly beamed. “Go do that.” With that, it was set. But first things first: the luggage was hauled up the elevators to the seventh floor, down a long hallway, and to their room, which was at the end of said hallway and part of a block of rooms set aside for the Equestrian exchange students and their families. James nearly collapsed under the weight of the stuff he was carrying when Chris opened the door to the room. Walking inside, they feasted their eyes upon the glamour of the inside; the cozy, sophisticated atmosphere was augmented with a giant chocolate-colored couch, a swanky kitchenette-type area, a flat-screen TV, and a pair of warm beds to snuggle on. The windows offered an excellent view of the pool and the Kalorama area, not to mention the not-too-far-off Dupont Circle. James unloaded his chargers -- one for his phone, the other for his tablet -- and plugged them into the outlet next to the nightstand; his tablet would be on the charge for the time being. He grabbed his phone, making sure it was fully charged before placing it in his pocket, before he walked Rainbow Dash to her orientation. He dropped her off at a conference room where the orientation was being held, and said hello to Firefly again as she joined the group of students that came over on the first flight. James looked back through the schedule to gain a sense as to the time they’d be out. “Let’s see… Dash and first group have their orientation until 2:00. Dash wants to meet us at the McDonald’s on 17th Street for lunch, then you’ve got your orientation at 3:30, which should be done by 6:00. After that, Maria wants to take us lot to see all the monuments all lit up at night.” “Mmm, that’ll be cool,” Firefly said. The two made their way out the front door, through the line for valet parking, and onto Connecticut Avenue. “My parents told me that they’d be going to the Gallery of Art, so they left us some money for admission and lunch... y’know, things like that... while we’re in town,” James declared proudly. “Sweet,” Firefly told him, appreciating their generosity. “Hop on my back.” At first, James raised an eyebrow at her, not knowing what to think, mouth agape. “I’m serious, dude.” Apprehensively, he mounted the pegasus mare, seating himself on her flanks, silently scared out of his mind. She spread her wings to ready herself for takeoff. “Okay, now reach up and hold onto my neck with your hands… I dunno if this’ll affect my balance, but it’s worth a try. Here we go!” James audibly swallowed a lump in his throat, and he shuddered. Firefly carefully flapped her wings until the two were airborne, then flew over Dupont Circle. “This isn’t half bad,” he shouted as they were flying over the avenue. “I’m actually starting to like it!” “See, all it took was that first step,” she said. “Now where’s that museum?” “Keep going straight, but don’t get too close to the White House...” Their flight path took them directly over the North Lawn. He tugged on her mane to try and redirect her away from that area. “...or else the Secret Service won’t be very happy. Now back this way...” Firefly went down 15th Street, as directed. “...make a left here, and it’ll be the second big building on your right. You can land right on the sidewalk -- no, actually, go round it, the entrance is on the other side.” She landed on the staircase like a bird approaching her nest. He dismounted and scratched her ear, earning a few odd looks from passersby, before they walked towards the entrance together. • • • • • About an hour and a half later, James and Firefly came out of the Natural History Museum having thoroughly enjoyed the experience. James hopped back onto the mare’s back and she took off again, this time towards the Capitol, being incredibly careful to not drop him. “There’s where most of our hot air comes from,” James said, referring to the tense nature of American politics. He also pointed out where both the House of Representatives and Senate chambers were. “What do you mean by ‘hot air’?” “If there’s one thing you need to know about America, it’s the fact that we often like to put stupid people in charge,” he said jokingly. “and their natural habitat is here in Washington.” Firefly laughed as they turned about the Capitol dome, which was undergoing renovation. “Do they have stupid people in Charleston?” “Our state capital? Sure, we have our fair share of ‘em, but they’ve taken over the place as of late.” “Right…” she dismissed. “What time is it?” James pulled out his phone to check that it was going on 2:25. “We’d better be going if we’re going to meet RD in time!” She picked up her speed immediately after his impromptu time check, messing up both of their hairdos in transit.   It was about 2:30 when everypony arrived at McDonalds. James ordered his usual, a double cheeseburger with large fries. Rainbow Dash and Firefly ordered salads, since they were naturally averse to meat. “So how was orientation?” James asked when he arrived at their table. “Not half bad,” Dash told him whilst digging into her salad. “I've sat through worse.” James was sipping his Diet Coke when Firefly asked, “How is school like?” “Well, it’s pretty cool,” he began. “Unlike some of the teachers there.”   Rainbow peeked her head up from the salad bowl. “Don’t worry about it. He’s on the Student Council, so he knows most of the teachers by name.” James’s eyes bulged open and his smile widened from ear to ear, happy with that bit of praise. He was the student body president, after all. Firefly then asked, seemingly out of the blue, “Soooo… James and I had an interesting conversation on the way up here.” “We were talking about…” he said, just before he stopped mid-sentence to avoid what could have been one of the most awkward discussion topics in the history of mankind. “...y’know what, never mind.” He returned to indulging in his double cheeseburger and fries. Soon enough, they were finished with their meals. Firefly retired to the hotel for her orientation, so he and Dash had the perfect opportunity for quality time… and Dash had the perfect idea for that. “C’m’ere,” she told him, escorting him outside to the walk. “I want you to hold on tight, okay?” The mare directed him to grab onto her front legs while she carried him under her. It felt strange, though, to be hanging in the air as he was, considering that his very first experience with flying came earlier that day; consequently, he was in for quite the surprise. She flapped her wings to thrust them both into the air before staying there for a few minutes to let him become accustomed. “This is gonna be so awesome… you’ll love it,” she said, raring to go. James gulped audibly. She started off at an incredible speed, rising slightly and to the right towards the Lincoln Memorial before descending a bit, veering to the left around the Washington Monument. That turn spat them out towards the Capitol, where she performed a tight helix round the iconic dome. James was close to fighting motion sickness at this point, but there was more… She approached the Botanic Garden for some airtime, then peeled back towards the mall, increasing her speed. After that, she pulled her wings up and shot skyward -- hard and unforgivingly -- for about a half-mile, causing James to scream in terror. “WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING UP HERE?!” He still clung steadfastly to Rainbow’s body, afraid of falling to the ground. She then oriented herself in midair so that he was facing the sky. The sun was about to begin its daily disappearing act that gives way to night... “Turn around.” He flipped himself around as he was directed, albeit still shaking from what he’d just experienced, to see his host sister’s eyes looking right through him. In an instant, he shifted into the perfect position to deliver a soul-fulfilling kiss on the lips, which deepened as their tongues danced and teased one another. He felt the curve of her face while Dash ran a hoof up and down his back. Breaking the kiss to catch his breath, James asked, “Is this why you brought me up here?” “Pretty much, yeah,” was her simple response. “Alright…” James dismissed the thought, and the couple continued their excursion on cloud nine, literally. • • • • • The sky became a Bob Ross painting as the sun set over the National Mall. The impeccable group gathered under the Washington Monument, where Maria did a quick headcount before discussing the game plan. First, they would be visiting the World War II Memorial and walking along the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial. After pictures, stops were planned at both the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Following that, they intended to backtrack through the Constitutional Gardens to the Washington Monument and head towards the Jefferson Memorial.     Simple enough, James thought to himself. With that, they were off. Crossing the street wasn’t an easy matter; the pegasi could fly across, and the unicorns could teleport themselves. To protect the handful of earth ponies, some of the parents stood guard at the nearby crosswalk while they negotiated the crossing. The first landmark, the World War II Memorial, consisted of an elliptical water feature with a fountain on either side, flanked on its ends by two granite arch towers, representing the Atlantic and Pacific Campaigns, respectively. Twenty-five granite pillars ringed the memorial in two semicircles, each equally divided down the middle by the arch towers; the pillars represented the 48 states (at the time of the war), D.C., as well as overseas collectivities. Snapshots from the war adorned the memorial on all sides, reminding all who visited about the human cost of not only WWII, but war in general. The lights began to turn on around the memorial when Rainbow and Firefly finally finished taking photos with James and his family under West Virginia’s pillar. James rode on Rainbow’s back during the walk down the reflecting pool towards the Lincoln Memorial. Because he’d fully conquered his unease with riding his pony friends, James was yammering on about a similar experience in D.C. during a class excursion. “...and I remember that well, mainly because Jeremy had to use the bathroom the whole damn time and Richard was snogging her latest girlfriend…” She was beyond annoyed with James’s seemingly endless locution, so once they reached the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, she let him go. He took a few selfies and photos with Firefly, Lyra, Bonbon, and the group of athletic colts from earlier. Maria insisted on a group photo of all the exchange ponies, so James went off to the top of the steps of the Memorial to take photos of the beautiful night skyline; he could hear the roar of a 747 overhead, preparing to land at the nearby airport, as he experimented with the camera in his phone. Maria’s camera, unbelievably, was still going. Rainbow, clearly growing impatient, demanded that he caress her hair on their way to the Vietnam Memorial. This monument was engraved with all the names of the young men who fought and died in the Vietnam War. At various points, roses were left by the names of fallen servicemen, possibly those of sons, fathers, uncles, nephews, cousins, and friends. “I don’t know if we told you this,” James began, “but I had an uncle who fought in Vietnam.” “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “Did he die in the war?” “Not really. He’s still around.” “Okay.” The group walked along the length of the wall stoically out of respect for the dead. “While we’re on the topic of my family, my great-granddad fought in World War Two.” “Really! Where did he go?” Dash asked curiously. “He fought…” James searched the recesses of his memory for the answers he needed. “in… the south of France, I think… or was it Normandy?” “Normandy,” Kath corrected him. “He was also in Italy for a while.” “Cool! I didn't know that!” Dash exclaimed. Combined with the fact that, from a genealogical standpoint, she could possibly be related to Commander Hurricane, one of the original founders of Equestria, this made it all the more interesting. When they reached the Korean War Memorial, James had another interesting fact to share. “Y’know… my granddad was in the Air Force.” “You mean your granddad?” “The one on my Mom’s side,” he clarified. “He didn't actually fight in Korea, but he was stationed.” “Really? Where?” “In Turkey, I believe. Maybe spent some time in Morocco, though I’m not sure about that.” James reflected on that as he and the rest of the group walked amongst the lifelike statues that made up the memorial. From there, it was a short walk back towards the obelisk. Rainbow and her host brother exchanged kisses, nuzzles, and touches the whole way. When the exchange kids were reunited at the Ellipse, Maria conducted a meticulous headcount to ensure that all were present and accounted for. By then, everypony was exhausted; all the parents and family members that had come out for the orientation were feeling the same. James was drifting in and out of consciousness; thankfully, Rainbow Dash was there to carry him on her back for the long march back to the hotel. But he didn’t fall asleep. The state of limbo that he encountered at that particular moment was a result of the eventful day he shared with not only her host sister, but a group of ponies that had already grown to befriend him.   The streetlights illuminated the nation’s capital city in light when as whole group returned to the hotel and crossed the threshold into the lobby. The short trip back to the hotel room, thankfully, was the last leg of the journey. Rainbow Dash entered the room first, and promptly plopped herself onto the bed that she and James would be sharing, absolutely exhausted. James was right behind her, putting his phone on the charge. As his parents hobbled in, he went to the mini-fridge to grab a soda. “Ya want anything, Dashie?” he yelled in the mare’s direction. “No thank you,” she replied weakly. He walked back over, cracking open the soda and taking a tentative sip. He drank some more of it before sitting the aluminum can on the TV stand (next to Dash’s phone, which she wasn’t allowed to have during the orientation for some reason) and sat down next to her on the bed. Once he situated himself, he retrieved his tablet and put on Netflix. Dash’s eyes, ears, and wings perked up, and she leaned in right next to her host brother, making him slightly uncomfortable. “What’cha gonna watch?” Dash said, with a hint of curiosity in her voice. “Old episodes of Innocence Hill,” he said. “I’ve been re-watching on and off since school ended last year… especially after Heidi left. You remember me telling you about Heidi, right?” The mare nodded. “I’m on the episode where Kevin and Brandon get into a fight over who fathered Renée’s baby… and, get this -- Renée was cheating on Kevin with Brandon while he was stationed in Pelican Bay!” “No way!” Dash said, surprised. Even though he’d watched the entire series, all nine seasons, front to back, six times, this episode in particular gave him chills every time he would watch it, and this time around was no exception. He tapped the screen to start the video. Barely able to contain his excitement, he shook around in the bed. The mare wrapped her front legs around his broad shoulders and squeezed him tightly to calm him down. Whilst Kevin and Brandon were commencing their shouting match on screen, Dash rubbed her head around the crevice of his neck, snuggling into him further. After fifteen minutes, when it reached the point where the big fight broke out, she reached a hoof to his head, and turned it to where he was directly facing her. Dash nuzzled him sweetly on the nose before giving him a tender kiss on the lips. James was drawn in closer, reaching a hand around her athletic body to stroke her back while she intensified the kiss. At that point, neither party was concerned about Innocence Hill… nor did they even notice Chris turning on the TV to watch sports highlights. The tablet itself was set aside on the edge of the bed. The only thing that mattered to them was the moment that they shared -- together. They broke the kiss, heavy breathing and raging hormones between them. James then moved his head up to one of her ears and nibbled ever so gently on the lobe, causing Dash to let out a gasp of pleasure. “That felt nice,” she told him, surprised. “Where’d you learn that from?” “Firefly told me about that,” James said when he released her ear from his grasp. “We were having a chat on our way to meet you at Macca’s about each of the pony races and what makes them feel good.” Dash chuckled. “Bet that was enlightening.” “It was,” he told her. “I was very surprised to learn just how sensitive you guys are.” “We’re a ‘physical’ species, after all. We’re built to be touched and loved and all that other mushy stuff.” James bit his lip gently. “For example, apparently pegasi like it if you play with their wings… unicorns like it if you fiddle around with their horns, and earth ponies have to rely on their hooves, their manes, their tails, their ears, or whatever.” “Now, you do realise that the hooves and mane thing applies to all three species, right?” “Yessssss,” he said exasperatedly. “I am aware of that.” “And you can stroke their bodies pretty much anywhere and it’d feel nice?” Meanwhile, on the tablet, Kevin was locked and barricaded in Renée’s apartment bathroom while she made out with Brandon in her bed, being mindful of her baby bump. Dash and James could barely discern the sounds of the passion being played out on screen while he softly touched Dash’s neck with a hand. “Could you take your shirt off, James? I love feeling your chest,” she told her host brother sweetly. “I gotchu fam,” he responded in kind. He pulled off his Mountaineers t-shirt, tossing it onto a nearby chair. He swigged some more of the soda while he was at it. When he picked up the tablet again, Brandon was fast asleep following their on-screen romantic tryst, his head nestled between her bosoms and his hand on her belly, feeling Renée’s unborn daughter (of disputed paternity) move for the first time. Towards the end of the episode, neither of them had the energy nor the strength to fight off sleep for a second longer. They both conked out, Dash’s head on James’s chest as usual. • • • • • A few minutes past six in the morning, James suddenly jolted awake. Nothing seemed close to being right -- he was still in his street clothes, his tablet was almost out of battery power, and, upon further investigation, still on Netflix. “Did we fall asleep and not know it?” James quietly said to himself. The TV was off, the parents were still asleep, and Rainbow was still snoozing on his chest, which was awfully cute. Nevertheless, he gingerly moved her body off of his, shimmied to one side, and crawled out of bed, placing his tablet back on the charge. The first thing he did was head for the small kitchenette, where the Keurig had been set up, and turned on a small overhead light. He brewed his favourite morning coffee as usual. He then noticed a slight rustling from the other side of the room… “James… James… where are you, buddy?” he could hear Rainbow saying in her sleep, tossing about and worrying herself to death. He ran back to her side and picked her up, cradling her to him. “I’m right here,” he said, soothing the mare; he ran his fingers up and down her back to reinforce his feelings. “You’re so warm… and so handsome, you know that?” she whispered. James moaned sweetly in response, kissing her on the forehead as he comforted her; when he heard the coffee finally being squeezed out of the machine, he let go of her. “That’s my coffee…” He went towards the Keurig and grabbed his mug to make further preparations. “You can have some, if you want.” The young mare declined his offer, opting to cling to him for warmth while he stirred in a splash of milk into his mug, enjoying the stillness of the early morning. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, not sufficient enough to illuminate the room yet. The pair decided to sit down on the couch and bask in the security of their shared warmth. James sipped his coffee with Rainbow Dash snuggling against him and nuzzling his side from time to time. About thirty-five minutes later, Kath rose from the other bed and roused Chris from his slumber. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she explained the plan for that morning. “We need to get these bags packed,” she said groggily. “Right this second?” interjected Dash in the same sleepy, half-awake manner. “We have to be checked out by eight because Chris wants to beat the morning traffic.” She nodded in agreement, and James finished his coffee to go help Kath with the luggage. Everyone’s clothes and toiletries were jammed back into their respective bags. James made sure to gather the chargers for his phone and his tablet; he also grabbed the charger for Dash’s phone since she had a tendency to forget about things of that nature. With that settled, the fridge was emptied, the Keurig was packed, and they made their way to the lobby. While Kath was going through the motions of checking out, Chris and James loaded the car that had been driven to the front by a valet. They went back inside so that Dash would be able to say goodbye to some of her friends, at least until school started, while Chris went to the doughnut shop on the other side of T Street to get coffee. “Take care!” “You too!” “Don’t worry, I will!” Short and sweet conversations along these lines helped to pass the time while Chris was at the doughnut shop. With those little pleasantries out of the way, James and Rainbow opted to stand outside the door, underneath the canopy, waiting for Chris to arrive… Which he did, after about five minutes, with a cup of piping hot coffee in his right hand. “Shall we be off, then?” “I’ll get Kath.” • • • • • On the drive back home to West Virginia, James mostly listened to music on his iPhone while Rainbow Dash was more than happy to lay her head on his lap. The heart-warming scene was enough for Kath to sneak a picture.