Tales of the Oppressed

by Terran34

87. Start of Something New

My phone's alarm wakes me by blaring music in my ears. Ugh, is it really going off now? I thought I had at least another few hours before I really had to get up.

Checking the phone clock tells me it's already eleven...which means I really did sleep in extremely late....and I don't feel so good. Why did I eat so much cake? I should have stopped after the mild stomachache I got after eating the fifth piece, but no, I got all caught up the moment and ate even more. I guess I brought this on myself.

Hopping out of bed, I smack myself awake and make my way to the shower, deciding that I certainly need one after the fiasco of last night. I still smell pony all over me thanks to the crowded dance floor.

Turning on the water, I reflect on last night's party. This time the party had been particularly wild, second only to the royal reception party in overall craziness. There were so many dancing mares there it made me realize that I literally have no stallions to which I talk to on a regular basis. But whatever.

Considering the party had been all about Rainbow and I, several ponies (namely, Cloud Chaser and Carrot Top) kept trying to get the two of us to kiss at least once. As one could imagine, both Rainbow and I staunchly refused, much to their disappointment. Of course, it didn't stop them from trying. This ended up with the two of them trying to orchestrate slow dances to try and “create the mood,” so to speak.

That worked once, and that was it. Rainbow and I usually used the slower songs as an excuse to leave the dance floor and gorge ourselves on party food. However, one time we gave in, because it was playing the same song that we slow danced to back at the royal reception. Come to think of it...I think I had already fallen for Rainbow at that point, and just didn't know it yet.

Anyway, Cloud Chaser and Carrot Top ultimately ended up disappointed, because Rainbow and I never kissed. There was no way I was going to kiss her in a crowded party environment. In fact, I'm still awkward about kissing her in the first place. Kissing a pony...sheesh, it's almost comical how I've gotten to this point.

Once I'm finished with my shower, I walk into the sitting room just across the hall, figuring I'd spend the first couple hours before work relaxing. Applejack said last night that she wants me to come in later today, which is fine. Maybe I'll get a fire going up here and try out my piano.

I certainly don't expect my sitting room to already be occupied. Rainbow is resting on the couch, reading a book. Upon hearing the door open, she cranes her head backwards so that she's staring at me upside down over the top of the couch. “Morning! You slept in late,” Rainbow comments, orienting her body so that she can look at me normally.

“Yeah, well, that's what happens when you stay up until...what are you doing?” I cut off my own response when I see Rainbow's gaze drop from my eyes. Her eyes follow my body downwards, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

“You uh...seem to be forgetting something,” Rainbow informs me with a grin, jabbing her hoof at me. Nonplussed, I look down...and then realize that I'm not dressed in anything other than a set of flimsy boxers. My face turns red in less than a second, and I immediately withdraw from the sitting room. I quickly run into my bedroom, shutting the door as I go, with Rainbow's laughter trailing behind me. When I return, I'm fully dressed in a decent set of work clothes, looking anywhere but at Rainbow. “You never forget your clothes. I almost never get to see those muscles.”

“Well, excuse me, I thought you went home last night. I thought I had the house to myself,” I snap back, still feeling mortified. I know I technically shouldn't feel like this, considering she is my girlfriend...but I'm not even going to go there. Yeesh. “Besides, why would you want to see my muscles anyway?”

“Because I helped develop them, dummy. Applejack and I toughened you up pretty good, if I say so myself,” Rainbow responds without missing a beat, hopping off of the couch and poking at my abs. “I'm pretty proud of myself for making you almost as awesome as me.”

“You forgot to bolster my ego. It's still only about a tenth as massive as yours,” I retort with a half grin. Rainbow swats at me, but I dodge it easily, chuckling. I get serious after that, remembering the promise that I made Rainbow. “Anyway, are you sticking around? I believe I owe you an explanation.”

“Wha? An explanation for what?” Rainbow questions, blinking in bewilderment. Really? Just as I'm about to lay into her for forgetting, it hits her. “Oh yeah! You still gotta tell me why you don't accept favors. You're home for good now, right?”

“Yeah. Unless something with Chrysalis comes up, I'm not going anywhere. Thank god too, I'm done with battle,” I reply. A familiar feeling washes over me after saying that. It makes my skin feel cold, and my body tremble. Every time I face the prospect of reliving the past, it unsettles me. I think there's some kind of psychological term for that...but I don't remember what it's called. “So do you want to do this now?”

“Agh, I really want to, but I've got to go to work soon. I don't want you to rush the story, so do you want to do it tonight?” Rainbow suggests, looking frustrated. That clams me down slightly, causing me to sigh in relief. Okay, so I can have a little more time to think this over. “Darn Board won't let me have any more off time for a while.”

“Yeah, I think I need more time to sort it all out in my head, anyway. Tonight will work. When do you get off?” I ask.

“Probably around the same time you do. You're working with AJ today, right?” Rainbow estimates. When I confirm with a nod, Rainbow grins. “Yeah, then we'll do it then. And then the day after...”

Rainbow pauses, blushing a little. That gets me to raise an eyebrow. “What?” I press.

“Uh...I was thinking we could...you know...” Rainbow attempts to force out, but it's not working. She finally releases a groan and gives me a glare. “Isn't it the stallion that usually has to do this?”

“Do what?”

“Uh...set up a...you know...a date,” Rainbow manages to say, blushing further. I pause, and look down at the ground, feeling a little embarrassed myself now that she brought it up. Couples go on dates. Right, I should have remembered that. Except there's one slight problem with that.

“I guess, except I have no idea what the hell you do at a date,” I admit ruefully. God, that's a really fucking embarrassing thing to admit. Rainbow's face falls at that.

“You don't? Then what do we do? I dunno what you do at a date either!” Rainbow exclaims in frustration, throwing her hooves up in the air. “They don't exactly have a handy rulebook for this kind of thing.”

“Well, I know the stereotype, but that's just because it's in fiction a lot,” I offer, earning a hopeful look from Rainbow. “It's...well, according to what I've read, you usually go to dinner...and there are candles involved.”

“What? Is that really what a date is?” Rainbow inquires, looking disappointed. “That sounds really lame...but I guess if that's it, we have to do it.”

“Yeah. Fuck it, tomorrow night it is then. We'll figure something out,” I respond, agreeing with her. Candlelit dinners sound fucking lame, but I guess if that's a date that couples do, we should try it. Why did I never ask Amaryllis what she did at her dates? Even though her relationships usually ended with her inflicting bodily harm on her dates (which always satisfied me for some reason. I guess I was really jealous), it would have been better than going in blind. Oh right, because if I asked her, she'd have laughed until she peed herself.

“All right, it's a date!” Rainbow says with a grin. Then, a strange expression crosses her face. “Whoa, I just had the weirdest feeling. I feel like I've said that to you before.”

“That's because you did, like forever ago,” I remind her. It had been right before visiting Canterlot for the first time, when I'd asked her to go with me. Only then...I'd told her that it most certainly wasn't. “Except this time I'll say...yeah, it's a date.”

Rainbow's smile returns, and she she hops off of her hooves and flies up to me. Before I realize what's happening, she wraps her front hooves around my neck and leans in for a kiss, pressing her lips against mine. I feel the heat rushing into my cheeks, causing them to burn with a pleasant feeling as I kiss her back. I don't think I'll ever get used to this.

When she draws back, Rainbow looks at my face and snickers at what she sees. “That's just great. You're blushing like a mare right now!” she teases me. My immediate reaction is to shove her away from me.

“Oh, go fuck yourself with a brick. Stupid Rainbow,” I retort, pressing one of my hands to my cheek as if that would make my blush go away. My fingers feel cold against the skin, much to my embarrassment.

“Don't sweat it. It makes you look adorable,” Rainbow teases me further, reaching up and pinching my other cheek, much to my annoyance. When I swipe at her, she backs away and chuckles. “All right, I'm done. You are so much fun to tease.”

“Fucking hell,” I grumble. Rainbow looks so smug right now; it makes me want to wipe that smirk off her face and make her feel just as embarrassed as I am right now. “You know what? Come here.”

Doing something spontaneous, I grab Rainbow and drag her through the air toward me. Then, I surprise Rainbow by planting my lips on hers, earning a muffled squeak from her. She struggles a bit at first, but then she relaxes, releasing a satisfied sigh and practically melting in my arms.

“Yeah. Not so smug now, huh?” I remark after breaking off the kiss. Rainbow's smug grin is gone, to be replaced by a small smile. Now she's the one blushing, making me feel triumphant.

“Heh...wow. That's the first time you've kissed me, as opposed to the other way around,” Rainbow notes, panting slightly. “You should do that more often.”

“Maybe. I was just trying to make you shut up,” I say awkwardly, realizing that kissing her was probably a bad way of getting revenge. She seems to have enjoyed that way too much for it to have been an effective deterrent to teasing me. I guess I should have just tickled her.

“Well, you might have to try a little harder next time,” Rainbow responds coyly, gazing at me through half-lidded eyes. Seeing her look at me like that sends a thrill through my body, though I don't really understand why. “Anyway, I'd love to stay and chill some more, but I really got to go to work. I'll catch you tonight, okay?”

“Yeah, sure. I think I'm going to try out this piano of mine,” I say, waving at Rainbow as she heads for the stairs. “Just meet me at the farm when you're done.”

“Got it! See ya!” Rainbow calls back up the stairs, and then I hear the front door open and close, leaving me alone in my house again. Good, now I have some time to myself that doesn't involve running for my life from crazy undead pony wannabes. First things first, I'd like to get warm.

Soon, I've got a fire going in the fireplace in the sitting room, filling the room with flickering orange light and the sound of crackling wood. With how cold it is outside, the warmth comes as an extreme relief.

“Okay, let's try you out,” I say, moving to the piano and sitting at the bench there. The polyester seat cover sinks slightly beneath my weight, conforming to my shape. Heh, this is really nice.

I lift the cover of the grand piano and unfold the stand, such that the sound won't be muted. Next, I perform my usual set of stretches to warm up my hands and prevent me from getting cramps there later. Playing for a long period of time tends to be hell on the hands and arms, but stretching before and after helps alleviate that pain.

Pressing the key that corresponds to middle C causes a clear and dulcet tone to play. I shudder in delight. Holy hell, that's an incredible sound. I can't believe I have one of these just for myself.

With that, I start to play my warm up piece once more, which comes easily to my mind. I might have to write to Octavia again. I haven't spoken to her much since the royal wedding, but now I'm remembering the past two times we've played together. I think I'd like having somepony to play with again.

After playing for a little bit longer, I decide to act on that idea, before I forget it. Leaving the piano, I fetch myself a scroll and some ink and get settled on the couch. Once I'm relaxed, I start writing up a letter to Octavia. There's nothing much of substance on there, mostly just me asking when she has time to come down here. Who knows when her next concert is?

I finish writing up the letter with my typical smart ass closing, and then I roll up the parchment and fasten it with some twine. Unfortunately, since I'm not sending this letter to Twilight or the princesses, I have to use the normal method for sending letters.

When I walk back into my house, the letter has been stashed in the mailbox and the flag was risen. Now I guess I'll just have to wait for her to get it. I don't really know how post works around here, but last time it took Octavia about a week to respond.

Just as I'm sitting down at the piano again, there's a knock at my door. I curse under my breath and get back to my feet. What the fuck does this bitch want? Rainbow's at work, and I don't go to work myself for at least another hour.

I open the door to reveal a smiling Lyra, her lyre hanging in the air next to her head, swathed in a mint green glow. “Hey! I was hoping to catch you before you went to work today,” Lyra greets me, dipping her head and walking inside as if I'd invited her.

“Oh, just push your way inside, why don't you?” I grumble rather than greet her in return. What can I say? She's wasting the time that I wanted to use for my piano.

“Well, since you insist...” Lyra trills teasingly, bounding up the stairs to the upper hallway. “Oh! What a lovely piano!”

“What the.,..would you come back here?” I demand, following her into the sitting room, where she's marveling over my piano. Yeah, I guess she hasn't seen it yet. Nor can I blame her for liking it. It's a work of art in and of itself. “What are you even doing here?”

“I wanted to see you! I don't really have a reason,” Lyra remarks, and then she throws herself onto the couch, sprawling her limbs in every which direction. “Mmm...comfy.”

“Well, I'm glad you find my furniture to your liking, your royal highness,” I comment sarcastically, sitting down in an armchair across from her. Lyra giggles and wiggles around on the couch. She sets her lyre down on the table and faces me.

It's then I notice that something seems off about her. At first, I don't realize what it is, but after a short silence falls between us, I realize that her smile doesn't seem to reach her eyes. That's odd...usually Lyra is always hyper and happy. So what the hell?

“Sooo...” Lyra begins, her tone and body language becoming increasingly uncomfortable. “I guess you're off the market now, huh?”

“Off the...oh, is that what this is about?” I question, groaning a little once the true meaning of her words strikes me. Lyra nods hesitantly, and I sigh. I fucking knew that being so understanding to her back at the royal wedding was going to bite me in the ass at some point. I guess that point is now. “Yeah, I guess I am. I don't really know what you want me to say about it.”

“Whoa, don't worry. I'm not here to cause trouble. You and Rainbow are adorable together, don't get me wrong,” Lyra hastily assures me, raising her front hooves in a placating manner.

“Then what?” I demand impatiently. Lyra's first response is to sigh.

“It's just...you told me a long time ago that you just weren't attracted to ponies,” Lyra recalls, looking at me with a pensive expression. Shit, I do remember telling her that. That was a while ago. Like, only a few days after getting to Equestria. And now I think I understand what her issue is. Shit. “You turned me down cold. So...I want to know: what changed?”

I think I get it. Yeah...I bet she's feeling pretty slighted now, and I don't blame her. I essentially told her to fuck off the first time she flirted with me, and then later told her that I flat out wasn't interested. Then I later proceed to get together with Rainbow several months later.

I sit up straight in the chair, figuring that I should probably be serious for this. “I did...and I'm not. I may be with Rainbow, but I'm still not at all into the idea of fucking a tiny horse,” I tell her bluntly, deciding not to sugarcoat things in the slightest. Lyra flinches at my straightforward approach. “I look at her, and I see a pony. That's just not going to change.”

“Okay, and I get that, but I meant you came off like you weren't interested in romance at all!” Lyra clarifies. “It's just a little confusing, hearing you say something like that, and now I just came from a party celebrating your relationship.”

“I still fail to see your problem with this. Is this really about me getting together with Rainbow?” I ask. That's half true. I think I know what her problem is, but I'd like to hear her say it.

“Sort of. It's just that I...I don't know. I was hoping that maybe if I gave you enough time, I could...” Lyra tries to say, though now she's blushing and averting her eyes. “I mean, we could...”

“I get it,” I interrupt, the magnitude of her problem dawning on me. Yep. I guess she did still have a crush on me for a while. Saving and then comforting her at the royal wedding no doubt made it much worse. “But why didn't you say anything earlier? I'm pretty sure half the town saw that Rainbow was interested in me. Not sure how I didn't, but there it is.”

“I wanted to...I almost did say something a little while after we got back from Canterlot, but you left on that expedition before I could,” Lyra admits. Yeah, I guess we did leave for the expedition not long after getting back. I think it was a week or two. Of course, at the time, I didn't expect to end up in a fight for my life there. “And when you came back, it was already too late. I just don't understand.”

“What don't you understand?” I inquire, frustrated. When Lyra turns her gaze back to me, she looks pretty terrible, as if the events of yesterday hit her pretty hard.

“What's wrong with me? Was I not what you were looking for?” Lyra asks sadly. I do my best not to groan, but I do rub my forehead. You know, I probably should have put a stop to this before leaving for the expedition. In the week I had before leaving, Lyra did show up an awful lot to see me. But, knowing me, I decided to be an ass and ignore the problem. And now she feels worse for it. Go me.

“Okay, stop that shit right now,” I tell her firmly, making her blink in surprise. “Say what you want about me, but I can't stand it when people or ponies start thinking less of themselves because of a decision I've made. It's not fair.”

“But...there had to be some reason you fell in love with Rainbow, and not me!” Lyra insists.

“Yeah, and it's not your goddamn fault! That mare has done more for me than my entire race combined!” I snap back at her. “Look, Lyra. I realize that it looks pretty bad for me to seemingly hook up with some random mare after turning you down, but it has nothing to do with you.”

I get up from the table and move next to Lyra, my next words coming to me easily. So much shit has happened since dealing with Lyra in the past, and while I thought in the past that I was being to harsh to her, this is the first time I'm actually regretting it.

“Look, you have to understand that I'm with Rainbow now, not because you weren't good enough for me, but because I just don't feel the same way towards you that I do towards her,” I explain. She dips her head, looking like she's accepting my words. I guess she really just needed to hear me say it. I can't help but feel a little bad though. “Besides, it's not like you're out of options.”

“Wait, what?” Lyra asks, her head jerking back up in surprise. I raise an eyebrow, wondering if she really doesn't know what I mean.

“You're kidding me, right? I'm saying that if you want romance, you can get it pretty easily,” I reiterate. When Lyra still looks confused, I sigh. “Bon Bon. You know she's totally into you, right?”

“Wha...really!? Bon Bon?” is Lyra's surprised response. I can't help it. I have to groan and rest my face in my hands. I wonder if this is how it felt for the other townsponies when they looked at Rainbow and I. “But...she's into stallions!”

“Bullshit she is. I noticed it forever ago, and it hasn't exactly changed,” I return confidently. Yeah, there's no way I'm wrong. I know the way Bon Bon blushed when I brought it up the first time. “You'd have to be blind not to notice it.”

“But she's my best friend. I don't think I could....” Lyra replies hesitantly. I can't help but chuckle at the irony in her words. “What? What's so funny?”

“Nothing. You're just reminding me a bit of myself right now,” I tell her, remembering how I'd thought basically the same thing when it came to Rainbow. “I think that's how it's supposed to be. A romance, I mean. Well, I'm not really one to talk, though.”

“I don't know...” Lyra muses uncertainly.

“Look, I'm just saying, that's all. But the point that I'm trying to make here is that there's nothing wrong with you. It's a miracle I even got with Rainbow in the first place, because I hate romance...or I did,” I reveal to her, bringing the conversation back on track.”I'm still figuring things out.”

“Okay. I guess I really just needed to hear you say it,” Lyra says, confirming my earlier thoughts. “It just seemed weird how you turned me down so harshly, and then got right together with Rainbow like it wasn't a big deal.”

“Right. Except a lot of shit happened that you weren't present for. It certainly was a hell of a big deal. Do you know how many times I had to almost die before realizing how I felt?!” My last question is posed in a comically high pitch, making Lyra snort and giggle. I then lean into closer to her. “But between you and me...there's a lot I've learned since coming back from the expedition. I'm...I'm going to try starting over.”

“What do you mean?” Lyra asks, her eyes wide with curiosity. I sigh, rubbing my forehead again. This is hard. I don't know why I thought changing was going to be so easy. But I still want to do it, because like I promised Rainbow, I'm going to live for all of the humans that didn't get to. As it stands, I think making up with the ponies I've been an ass to for no real reason is a pretty good start.

“I haven't exactly treated you well since getting to Equestria, and I'm sorry about that. It's never really been your fault,” I explain, barely realizing that I just apologized to her for the first time ever. Lyra definitely notices, because her eyes widen noticeably.

“Did...did you just apologize to me?” Lyra asks, looking as if she's in shock. “When have you ever apologized to me? That's just not a thing you do!”

“Yeah, well, don't get used to it,” I remark wryly, noticing not for the first time how just the act of me apologizing tends to shock ponies.

“What exactly happened on the expedition? You're like...I don't know how to describe it...different,” Lyra questions seriously, leaning her muzzle in close. Too close. She snuffles as I push her face gently away from me. “Hey!”

“I guess I am,” I admit, recognizing the truth in her words. Then again, why wouldn't I be different? There's no way anybody would be able to go through what I did down there and not come out different. “But let me just say, you don't want to know what happened down there. You just don't. It was bad...like, worse than anything the changelings could do.”

“What? Really? Worse than...the changelings? You're right, I guess I don't want to know. Yikes.” Lyra squeaks out, remembering her own traumatic time with Chrysalis. When I nod, she shudders.“But, I appreciate the apology. I think I like this new you.”

“Oh trust me, I'm still an ass,” I retort, poking her muzzle in an attempt to irritate her. Lyra snuffles again and nips at my finger, much to my amusement. “Just not a complete ass.”

“Hehe, that's good. You'd be boring if you didn't have at least a little snark left in you,” Lyra teases, rubbing her head up against my hand like a cat. Of course, being the ass that I am, I pinch her ear. “Yowch! What did you do that for?”

“Duh, I'm an ass, remember?” I remind her, earning a mock groan from her. Then, without any warning, Lyra lunges at me, bowling me over the back of the couch and onto the floor. “Wait, what the fuck!?”

“Let's see how you like it”! Lyra cries out in glee, and then she fucking nips at my ear, pinching it between her teeth. Chuckling, I shove her off and roll over, tickling her belly. “Agh! That's even worse! Stoppit! Yee!!”

I eventually let her stand up, after a vicious tickling session. “God, you're like a little sister I can torment,” I remark. Lyra giggles, and then she looks at me in surprise.

“You really did change. You'd never have said something like that to me before,” Lyra observes. “I kinda like it though.”

“Well good. It means I'm doing something right,” I reply, standing up myself and moving over to the piano. “Now then, I have to go to work soon, and I'd like to have some time to practice before hand.”

“Oh? Playing the piano? I wanna see! I've never seen you play!” Lyra exclaims, completely ignoring the rather obvious dismissal in my tone. She trots by my side, a big fucking grin on her face.

“Ugh, I don't play with audiences though,” I complain, even though I'm already sitting down at the piano. Lyra's face falls for a moment...but then it brightens up a second later, and she zooms towards the couch. She soon returns with her lyre, gazing at me hopefully.

“So I won't be an audience then. Have you looked at the piece I gave you for Hearth's Warming? We could play it together!” Lyra expresses. Her horn lights up, and the strings on the lyre appear to strum themselves, playing a lovely sounding arpeggio. Right...with how ridiculous she usually acts, I forget that she's capable of producing music that beautiful.

“I've looked at it once or twice, but I haven't gotten around to practicing it yet,” I admit. Lyra doesn't seem perturbed by that though.

“That means I can help you! I know the song by heart, so I'd love to teach you! The rhythms are pretty difficult if you're trying to learn them for the first time,” Lyra exults. She then starts flipping through the pages of sheet music I've put on the stand, causing me to look at her in irritation. “Ooh, this one looks fancy!”

“Would you quit rifling through my shit? Hooves off,” I complain, grabbing her hooves and extricating her from my music. Of course, that doesn't stop her from escaping with the cover sheet of the song I played with Octavia. “Give that back!”

“Hehe, it's mine now. Who gave you this? Did Tavi give you this?” Lyra asks, giggling and clutching her paper conquest in her magic.

“Yes, she did. Now would you put it back? My sheet music is all unsorted now,” I grumble. Lyra doesn't listen to me, instead poring over the music stubbornly. “Fine, I'll play with you. You're so annoying sometimes.”

“I prefer the terms: willful and incredible cute,” Lyra corrects me with a smirk, but she lifts her lyre, playing the first few notes of the song. “All right, let's get started.”

“Okay. Just let me get the music,” I say in a resigned fashion. This shouldn't be too bad. I've played with Octavia before, and she was always patient.

---

The song turns out to be a lot harder than I expected. Unlike the song Octavia had me learn, there's no arpeggios. Instead, both hands are moving and playing melodies of their own, and the rhythms are killer.

Lyra...is not as good a teacher as Octavia. I say that because every time I mess up, she'll pull a face and stare over my shoulder to find out what I did wrong. Or worse, she'll giggle and press the keys on the piano herself.

“Excuse me, I know how to sightread,” I tell her at one point, indignant that she's touching my piano. I don't even care that it's only just her magic. “I just don't have any of this in muscle memory yet. And the rhythms are pretty difficult.”

“Of course they are. It wouldn't be such a satisfying song to play if it wasn't a little difficult,” Lyra responds gleefully, playing the part that's giving me trouble on her lyre...and consequently making it look easy. “Listen to those chords. It's beautiful!”

Well, I agree, but at this point, Lyra's enthusiasm outweighs her ability and willingness to teach. She's like me, where she plays solely for fun. I don't think she's even tried to teach a song to somepony before.

However, the experience isn't all bad. When I actually manage to get the first part done, playing with her is actually rather nice. Neither of us have to talk, instead speaking through our music, our parts interleaving with one another to form a fuller and richer sound.

It's easier going from there, because the song reuses the same rhythms over and other to create e beautiful tapestry of sound that soothes me just by listening to it. I'm not perfect by any means, but by the time I have to get ready for work, Lyra and I manage to get through the song at least once.

“Needs work,” Lyra notes, wrinkling her nose once we finish. “But it's starting to sound good! You're a fast learner, Sethie!”

“Quit fucking calling me that,” I grunt, causing her to giggle. I sigh and get up from my chair. I'm already dressed in work clothes because of that mishap with Rainbow, so all I need to do is grab my hairband and get going. “But yeah, it's a gorgeous piece.”

“Isn't it? I feel in love with it the moment I heard it. I had to have the music,” Lyra agrees gleefully, lowing her harp. When she sees me moving around, she follows me. “Where are you going?”

“Were you not listening? I have to go to work at the farm today for a few hours,” I remind her in annoyance. I did tell her before we started playing that I had someplace to be, but I guess she was in her own little world. Like always. Before leaving, I make sure to extinguish the fire.

“Not fair. I finally got you to sit down and spend time with me for the first time in...well, forever, and you're already leaving?” Lyra complains, following me down the stairs with a pout on her face.

“Chill out, I'm not a quitter. I'm going to perfect this song with you...provided you don't annoy me to death before I can,” I assure her with an uncaring wave of my hand. She's right that I haven't spent any real time with her, but it's not like I'm going anywhere.

“Okay good, because it was starting to sound really good. Plus, I'll get to spend some more time with my darling Sethie!” Lyra teases me, poking me in the back just before I reach my front door.

“Okay, no. Sethie was bad enough. The fuck is this darling Sethie bullshit?” I demand, crossing my arms. “You're not still trying to flirt with me, are you?”

“No, of course not. I'm just being silly. You made it pretty clear to me what the score is,” Lyra assures me, her smile falling from her face. “Though now I'm starting to wonder whether or not Bon Bon actually does like me, as you said.”

“Yeah, knock yourself out on that one,” I tell her, accompanying her out the door. “Anyway, I'm off. I guess I'll see you later.”

“Sounds good! I'll drop by when you're least expecting it again!” Lyra promises me with a cheeky smile. I scoff, and with that, I take off from the ground.

Now, let's see what Applejack has for me.

Author's Note:

And once again, college decides to make everything due all at the same time, so that's why this one took so long. Well...that and watching Supernatural (which I recently discovered), but I didn't want to sound like I was procrastinating.

And now the slice of life begins! Like you all have been wanting, I'm taking some time to develop Seth and Rainbow's new relationship.

As for the song that Lyra and Seth played together, it's the same one that he first heard her play, only this time I pulled some video editing mumbo jumbo to put together both a piano and a harp instrumental of the song in one video, because one of those just didn't exist. Not to mention I'm not a fan of the singer's voice. But, on the flip side, it's finally happened. I've gotten so tired with not finding what I want on youtube, that I'm just uploading the darn things myself.

Thanks again to the Wolf of Triage for editing my work for me. Anyway, leave your comments and let me know what you think!

Comments

[GoldenCyclone4]

Random question since I just finished watching it: are you or Seth a fan of SAO?

[Terran34]

5619188

Ah, SAO. Well, I guess you wouldn't know the answer to that, considering you don't use the music I link in.

So far, I've used March Down, The First Town, We Have to Defeat It, Confront Battle, and one other whose name I can't remember. So yes, I love me some SAO. Though since I watched it after I began the story, I'm going to say that Seth hasn't seen it.

[Omega Delta]

!

[Neonwarrior]

It's good.

[The ScapeGoat]

....that was funny, nice chapter though.
5619276
I appear to have confused you with another terran, terran117....oops... I'm sorry.

[Brave-Hooves]

Rainbow teases me further, reaching up and pinching my other cheek, much to my annoyance.

and pain i would imagine...unless smoosh face /)(\

earning a muffled squeak from her. She struggles a bit at first, but then she relaxes, releasing a satisfied sigh and practically melting in my arms.

oooo get em tiger

and a lovely musical chapter. time to chill out with seth and his awkwardness in dating.

also whats this recently bullst you dissapeared for three weeks when you started watching that!!

[GoldenCyclone4]

5619276 Sorry, dude. I mainly use my tablet for internet surfing, so I can't pull it off. Just curious, what's your favorite opening? Mine is Courage.

[Terran34]

5619973

Ignite, strange enough, from SAO II. Though maybe it had something to do with how the villain is extremely cool. Anyway, if you want to talk about SAO more, feel free to PM me.

[Kenny]

Man, I am so behind on Supernatural... But hey. One day I will catch up, probably...

Refreshing to finally return to the Slice-of-Life format! I love reading stories that are more than just varied retellings of "defeat, power up, victory" and actually include development.

[Pontiac56]

Ooh, this was a good one.

Just a quiet chapter without a large assortment of characters to interact with, but it was certainly a nice fun way to start off the new arc. First off we have a cute little moment with Seth and Rainbow both realising they have absolutely no idea what the hell they are doing date wise. Neither have much interest in a classic date structure (well a classic Disney princess level date. I mean how often do candles actually get used anymore. Still he did say his knowledge was limited to stereotypes) but they both want to at least attempt it. I can see this going rather badly. They'll probably sit there awkwardly for a few minutes attempting to find a topic to talk about before they both just say 'fuck it' and go for a race or something. They also lock in his talk with her about Janna (though you have a habit of postponing this particular talk so I can see potential obstacles getting in the way) and agree to meet after work. There was a also a brief moment in which Rainbow acted a little sultry after Seth took the initiative and kissed her. It gave him a little bit of concern. He made his feelings about sexual contact with ponies clear to Celestia, but the most the rest of the ponies (Rainbow included) know is that he had issues simply being in a romantic relationship with another species pony or otherwise, but never seemed to question how far that went. Now that he's crossed that boundary with Rainbow, I can see them assuming he'd have no objections to a sexual encounter with Rainbow. Perhaps some time from now outside the time frame of the story (or maybe just within it depending on the timeframe of the story's conclusion) he might be able to push passed the mental blocks that have built up over a lifetime of human cultural acceptability's, but I don't think it will happen anytime soon (it took getting almost killed, Rainbow being in danger and Vinyl kicking his stubborn ass into gear to actually accept that he had fallen in love with her. Sex is likely going to take a while). Hopefully this doesn't become an issue for the two of them in the immediate future or at least not to a dangerous degree (Rainbow is a lot more sensitive then she lets on... also very easy to anger and she hits god damn hard).

Anyway, after Rainbow and Seth finish making their plans and enjoy a brief boyfriend and girlfriend moment, Rainbow splits for work and Seth prepares a letter for Octavia. It's good to see he hasn't forgotten about her, and with his new outlook on life, he may even find a closer connection with her than before. Octavia isn't as central to the story as our main cast, but she always has some good scenes and her personality meshes well with Seth, with her playing straight man and him playing snark.

Anyway, after this he receives a visit from Lyra who, as expected, was a little upset about his decision to hook up with Rainbow after his utter rejection of her advances. Lyra may have made her jokes, but it was obvious she still had some feelings for him, so seeing him hook up with Rainbow after constantly denying he would have any sort of relationship with a pony must have really hurt. Still, with Seth's new outlook, he doesn't just shut her down like he would have at the start of the story. Instead he explains that he had no interest in her and Rainbow became an exception to his 'no pony dating' rule due to some very intense emotional development brought on through some very bad situations. She takes it rather well and, despite still being a little glum, accepts that won't be a couple. Still, Seth's revelation that Bon Bon likes her could lead to some interesting situations. She seems a little hesitant to take the leap, and Bon Bon has clearly shown she won't do it herself, so they may end up circling each other for a bit. Hopefully Lyra has some tact and doesn't just blurt out to Bon Bon that Seth told her about the earth ponies crush, else she is going to get really pissed at the resident human. Hmm, it has been awhile since Seth was at odds with a pony in a non fight context. I see a potential prank war starting, and with Rainbow (and likely Pinkie) on his side, this could get messy.

Overall a very nice relaxed start tot he arc with a promise of some fun times with drama, humour and just good old slice of life fun. Excellent work.

[Macekill]

5619985 I love you Terran! :DDD This chapter was just amazin'. Keep up the good work, meh friend.

[KukriRyuTsukino]

Was thinking of Lyra and found one that I feel really would describe her in a relaxed mood — Here

[QCosmic Derp]

Hope to see some bets around Bon Bon and Lyra happening. And Vinyl and Octavia at some point? With this trend it looks like a maybe.

Feel good chapter. It was nice.