Perchance to Dream

by David Silver

16 - Lunch

A knock made me look towards the door just as Kevin opened it a crack. "I'm about to go get something to eat, wanna come with?"

I didn't normally do a lot of lunches with company, but we did have things to discuss, and I bet he knew it. "Alright." I logged out of the computer and rose smoothly. "You suggested the last place, this time's on me."

He didn't argue, and soon we were walking out of the building. Almost the instant we were outside, he relaxed a little. "They did it... You did it! Did you ask for this? You're the absolute best!" He had turned to face me and his expression was one of immense relief. "I'll be a good roomie, promise! God damn! A house in the Silicon Valley? That couldn't have been cheap."

I had seen the numbers. Nothing like a seven figure bonus... "It wasn't," I agreed. "I'll be sure to earn every penny."

He laughed at that. "Anyone else, I'd think they were talking big, but I know you. You'll get the branch up and keep it running smooth in no time at all. Jesus... It's hard to even take in." He was rubbing behind his head as he walked alongside me towards my car. "You do know, there's no way the boss plans on you hiding behind a desk."

"What?"

He rolled a hand at me. "He wouldn't move you out there to fill out the same forms you could fill out here just as easily. He wants a face, and he obviously thinks yours is worth buying a house for. You're going to be rubbing elbows with people, directly, or he's a total idiot, and I don't think he is."

That made too much sense. There wasn't a single legal hoop I couldn't jump right where I was that would suddenly get easier by me being in California. The, uh, old me, would have been scared, at least a little, but I felt a heat in my chest. It was a challenge, and one I felt almost eager to meet. I wanted to see who he wanted me to work with. Someone important? One would think so. "This means we must have a dramatically important client lined up."

"Apple?" asks Kevin as he held my own door open for me in a silly display of deference. "Google?"

"Could be Adobe, AMD?" I sank into my chair and waited for him to get in before resuming. "Maybe even Lockheed? We can't say, but if he's willing to uproot this office for that one, it has to be big." I slipped in my key and got the car moving smoothly. "No point trying to guess now. I'm sure we'll be told when we get there, or soon after. It may be buried under a pile of non-disclosure agreements."

We rode in companionable silence until we arrived at the sandwich shop I preferred. It was close to work and not too pricey. I could afford a little pricey, but I'd never gotten into the habit of wasting money.

After ordering and finding a seat, Kevin looked across the table at me. "Change of subject, if you don't mind?"

I didn't. "Go on." Not like I wanted to do heavy business talk over lunch, really.

He nodded. "So... who's best pony?"

I almost coughed up my food as I burst into laughter. "Seriously?"

"Everyone has their pick." He smiled as he took a bite out of his own food. "Go on."

Well, I had only met a few of them... "I like Celestia's motherly attitude toward all the other ponies. I like the way Twilight geeks out about almost everything."

He nodded a little. "Huh, not a lot of folks immediately go for Celestia, but she's cool, yeah. Shame they never tell us much about her."

They didn't? "What do they show?"

"Almost nothing." He shrugged. "She's more of an ornament than anything else in most episodes. She does have a playful side with practical jokes when she can get away with it. She enjoys cake and a good party."

Parties?! "Party?"

"It was only one episode, but she seemed very eager to join in the dancing at the second Grand Gala." He sat up a bit. "How do you like her so much if you never saw the episodes that had her in it?"

"Oh, uh, she made a strong impact on me, from what little I saw. Maybe it's all just me romanticizing things." I picked up the tea I had ordered with it and sipped lightly. "So, who's your favorite then?"

"Turnabout is fair play," he admitted. "Of the Mane Six, I'd go with Rarity."

I realized a critical error just then. I still had no idea who most of them were. "What about them do you like?" That seemed a safe question.

"Well, she's a creator, and a public figure. I can relate to that." He smiled as he ate. "She feels like the one that'd understand the struggles of marketing, even if she would rather be making a physical thing, in the end."

That was a hint... "So, you're going to be my tenant." He tensed. "We should set some ground rules." I pulled out my phone and pulled up some pictures of the house. "It's one story, have you seen it?" He hadn't, so I flipped the phone over to he could see them. "It looks like a nice place," I continued. "I want to keep it that way. I don't know your personal habits, so..."

He put up his hands defensively. "Hey, I make my messes at other people's houses for them to clean up." He had a joking air as he said it. "Seriously though, I'll clean up after myself. This place looks big for one person."

I huffed faintly. "Good thing there will be two at least, right?" I tucked the phone away. "Rent is due on the first of the month. We're both professionals, and I know how we get paid, so let's just have that done and not even be part of our lives. Check preferred. Utilities, I'll cover Garbage, Water, and half of electricity."

He seemed taken aback slightly, but quickly recovered. "That seems fair. I assume you're also covering upkeep, assuming I don't break anything wantonly?"

I nodded at that. "Something breaks on its own, it's on me. You break it, we have words to share." I sipped the tea. "Now, the trickier affair..."

He sucked in a breath. "You want to call it off?"

Really, no, I didn't. I'd have liked for things to work out like a fairy tale, perfect and wonderful, ending with us dying happy and old together, holding hands. Alas, that was the real world, and not a fairy tale... "It could make things very complicated..." I didn't like it. From his expression, however much he tried to hide it, he didn't either. We'd be close together, and yet an infinite distance apart. "It's the mature thing to do."

"Yeah..." He knew it was true. It didn't make him like it any more than I did. "I should... get going."

"I'm almost done, I'll--"

He held up a hand. "It's alright, Linda. It's not far. I could use the walk. Thank you, again. This means so much." He made his departure, walking off back towards work.

He didn't like it. Neither did I. Being an adult sucked sometimes. I chewed thoughtfully on my lunch as I mused over it.

---

I awoke to the cool, almost comforting, embrace of stone pressing on me from all directions. I didn't hear anything, so I broke free to find I was in a new place. The walls were a purple-kind of crystal. There were rows of books, and I was alone on a little wooden platform. "Twilight?" I guessed, but it felt a safe one. "Twilight?!" I called out for her, stepping down from the little platform and moving towards the door I could see.

With a sudden crackle-pop, a unicorn appeared. It wasn't Twilight at all. The mare went just a little pink. "She was not joking about you." She put a hoof over her mouth. "Oh, sorry. I'm Starlight Glimmer, and you are True Shot, right?"

If this many mares gaped at me, it seemed a forgone conclusion that I was a steaming hot slice of stallion. I wasn't precisely sure how to take it, but I decided to smile at the new mare. "Nice to meet you, Starlight. Are you a friend of Twilight's?"

Starlight bobbed her head as she approached. "I'm her student."

She has a student?! "What are you learning, magic?"

"Actually, yes, but no..." She tilted her head. "Have you heard the idea that 'friendship is magic'?"

I had, only recently. "Sure?"

"Well she's teaching me both, friendship, and magic." Starlight sat in front of me. "One lesson of which was to greet you and show you around. So, True, welcome to Twilight's Castle! I hear you'll be rooming with us for a little while?"

I nodded at that. "She moves quickly. I barely gave her permission this afternoon and here we are."

Starlight smirked at that. "When Twilight decides she's doing something, she can be very efficient. This way." she trotted past me towards that door I was aiming for before. With a twinkle of her horn, it opened. "Do you know much magic? Your cutie mark implies your talent has more to do with that bow on your barrel."

I moved to follow her quickly, trotting to match her pace. "I haven't learned any magic besides grabbing things and moving them around."

Starlight suddenly stopped and I almost crashed into her. "You don't even know how to glow?"

"Glow?"

She pointed a hoof up at her horn as it began to glow gently, then brighter and brighter by the moment. "Most unicorns learn this trick while they were still a foal."

I looked up awkwardly at my own horn, not glowing at all. I imagined it glowing, and nothing happened. I made a few funny noises as I tried to make it happen, but it seemed to not be as easy as grabbing things was. "How?"

Starlight smiled gently. "Looks like I've gained a student of my own." She sounded just a bit too eager at the sound of it. "I'll have you using that horn of yours better than ever, don't worry. For now, let's finish our tour." She turned away and got to trotting, pointing out each room as we went past them. We seemed to be working our way downstairs as she went, until we arrived at a large open room. "And this," She swept a hoof towards a large table. "Is the Cutie Map! It can detect friendship problems all over Equestria and send the proper ponies to fix it."

"It looks like a table..."

Starlight pointed at the chairs. "It only activates when they all sit in the proper chair, or when it detects a problem. I hope you get to see it, it really is quite a sight."

Author's Note:

This chapter, man. Should I mark it mature? It has some deep adult situations. I don't wanna get in trouble.

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Comments

[Booster Spice]

Im suprised Discord hasnt dropped off a large Grandfather clock, where instead of numbers, the time is displayed by certain herbs.

Pinkie didnt pick up a new statue coming to town? After all, it was dragging a temporally displaaced active new pony in town.?

[David Silver]

7886227 What Thyme is it?

[Booster Spice]

7886234

Stoned Tyme.

[Daremo]

gotten in the habit - gotten into the habit

obviously think yours - obviously thinks yours

Grand Galla - Grand Gala

Oh the Mane Six - Of the Mane Six

I'd like - I'd have liked

anymore than I did - any more than I did

down stairs - downstairs

---

It's true, being responsible does often suck. Still there's plenty of ways that Linda and Kevin might still make things work, if they're meant for one another in that aspect.

[Daremo]

7886268

...

I suddenly get it.

[tsaukpaetra]

Well, the Friend Zone doesn't have to be permanent. It's not like they don't want it to work, just, not yet time. Let them become strong friends first, then magic might come forth!
Let's go and meet the mane six!
Keep going! ;)

[David Silver]

7887043 Typos repaired before Twilight could notice them!

[Sylica telca]

Forgot to mention before damn that's a big house.

[Autumn Maize]

Rating it Mature for taxes, rent and bills seems legit.

[Luckyfanisaac]

He nodded. "So... who's best pony?"

Out of who mane 6 or the princesses?
Pinkie Pie and Cadence for me.

"Turnabout is fair play," he admitted. "Of the Mane Six, I'd go with Rarity."

Turn a bug?