//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven: Feelings // Story: Equestria; UNDEAD // by runningtoastgirl77 //------------------------------// It took me a minute to fully comprehend what my stripped companion just said. Of course I had ‘feelings for her’, as she put it. I had been harboring my infatuation with the beautiful zebra for nearly four days now. Getting to know her… but know that she was asking. “Yes.” I said quickly. I waited and expected her to do… something. But surprisingly, she was quiet for a moment, then smirked. “Of course I already knew that… you weren’t hiding it very well. I just wanted to hear you say it.” Then she just laid down in the bed and threw her throw blanket over her. “I think that I’ll go into the market tomorrow and trade some stuff that I found in the library. Maybe we could go see the local flavor, too.” I glanced around the room. “I… I think I’m going to go out actually. Relax, you know.” I paused. “Can… is it okay if I borrow a few bits?” “Take them all, my purse is next to the collapsible spear. The brown one. I can earn those bits back tomorrow anyway…” she yawned and seemed to fall asleep pretty quickly. I trotted over to the saddlebag and debated going out that night. Did I really want to go ‘drown my sorrows’ like… Mech? I frowned, trying to find out what to do. I mean… I didn’t to get drunk. Why did I even consider it? That was silly…? I was just going to go out and relax. I opened the saddle bag and found a small purse made with a burlap material with a beaded zig-zag orange and blue pattern and a long strap. I put the strap over my shoulder and left, making sure to lock the door with my spare key before leaving Zian alone. As I stepped onto the walkway, I noticed that the settlement of Stone Whooves was much more lively, ponies and other various species littered the streets below, probably bustling to the local pubs or something of that sort. I wondered if I could even have the chance to get a meal or a drink with the current crowd. I decided to screw it and just go. After I traveled into the food district I found a small bar I had expected to be as packed as peanuts, was strangely bleak. It was a simple, stone wall bar with booths lining one wall and a counter with a green bat pony bartender manning it. In the corner booth were a few ponies playing some kind of card game while sharing some kind of bar food I couldn’t identify. My eyes went back to the counter where a new mare had appeared, no doubt just coming in from the bathroom, and I just stared at her. The young unicorn was tall and lean, a white coat with a red and pink mane. “Tea Rose?” I said, approaching her. She sighed, and glanced over to me, then smiled in surprise. “Autumn?!” She hugged me all of a sudden. “It… it’s you! I thought you were dead!” “I thought YOU were dead!” I said. She let go of me and smiled brighter. “I… I’m so glad you're okay! What happened?!” “I’m more interested in what happened to you, missy.” I said, sitting at the counter next to her. “Ahem.” Said the bar mare. “You girls want anything?” She glanced to Tea Rose. “Rosie, you want the usual?” “Um… no… I think I’ll just take a simple apple wine for now, if that’s okay. I think I wanna keep of my wits about me, after all.” She smiled. The Bar Mare looked to me, “And you, hon?” “Um… strawberry lemonade?” “Just a strawberry lemonade?” “A… hard strawberry lemonade?” “You want the special with that?” “I… um…” “I think you want the special with that.” You know what? Buck it. “Sure.” “I’ll be right back.” As the bar mare went to the bar to retrieve our order, Tea Rose smiled over to me. “So, you wanna know what happened to me? Well, it’s pretty boring, but okay.” she sighed, “a little after you left for the bathroom I had to go run an errand, my boss came in and said that there was a order that was running late, and one of my co-workers were running late… she was desperate. So, I made a quick flower run. But… when I came back... all I saw was the blood. I panicked and ran away to here. I knew some ponies here, old friends of my fathers. They explained what was going on, and...well, the rest is history. I’m staying here with Clover, and helped that… mayor ‘fix the place up’ for the refs.” she sighed. “That’s about it, really. See? Boring.” The bat pony I assumed was Clover came back with the drinks and food. “Here ya’ are, sweeties. That’ll be 10 bits for Rosie, and 40 for the young mare here.” She smirked. “Surprisingly, we have a big food supply here, considering most of the farms around here have been abandoned by their… owners.” She patiently waited. I plopped out the bits and stared hungrily at my food, this ‘bar special’. It was a simple toasted lettuce and dandelion sandwich with some kind of dressing, but it was so delicious looking. Not that the lovely Zian’s food hasn’t been appetizing, if not better than that food, but it was familiar. It reminded me of when Tea Rose and the other girls would take me with them to lunch. I smiled, and devoured the sandwich in blind abandon. I then paused as a flash of deja vu wiped over me. I was about to say something when Tea rose floated out a handkerchief and wiped my muzzle of it’s crumbs and dressing. “Oh, Autumn, you never change,” she laughed then paused setting the cloth down. “Sorry again. For what happened. If I… sounded like a… well, a high horse racist. That’s not me, that’s just how I was raised.” I never was one to hold a grudge… might as well not start now. “It’s okay.” “No…, “she frowned, “It isn’t.” she took a drink of her apple wine. “Why don’t you tell me how you got here?” “Well, I came out of the bathroom after the massacre… I kind of just ran into the forest. Not really that smart now that I think about it. Then I passed out and this gorgeous Zebra found me…” I paused. “... well, long story short my group is traveling to Canterlot.” “Group?” “Yeah, some ponies. And a Zebra… and a griffon.” “A griffon? Wow!” “I know, right?” Tea rose laughed, and raised her hoof out . “Crumb Cake!” I glared at her, and she blushed. “N-no, I was just ordering us dessert!”