Locksmith

by QuartzScale

25. Redheart and Sunshower

My face still hurt after the previous night. Note to self: never underestimate drugged up ex coltfriends because they are too tweaked to recognize pain. At least Vinyl and I got closer to each other that night. Spitfire and her seemed to be the most likely to throw down should anything get out of hoof. Also need to be more careful about taking hits. Unicorns like to cheat.

“I’m trotting the thin line between safe and reckless. Stop rocking the boat me.”

I looked out on my home and saw that the furniture I had ordered had finally come in. At that point the moving ponies had placed everything where it belonged though my bed would take another day to get to my home. Today was actually Redheart’s day off and I had made sure to find where she lived before the moving ponies had left. I was still worried about yesterday but I knew she needed some time to think.

I left that thought at that and decided it was time to decide what to do for the date today. From the trend of the last few dates I was conflicted about what to choose. My first date was an impromptu spar that ended with me pinning a potential marefriend. Second date was a normal if cliche trek out for coffee. Third date was unique in that it was all about working together on a project. Last date was basically clubbing. I had no idea what I should actually do for this one. I didn’t know what expectations she could have placed on me when I went to get her. It was probably not as bad as my paranoia possibly thought it up but she was the first pony around during my hospitalization to see how I reacted to wounds. That meant she saw a glimpse of the me I use to fight monsters with.

“This is gonna be a more traditional date. I can feel it in my bones. I really should have gotten something for the occasion… at the very least a tie.”

I knew at that moment I had to go meet a certain pony. I just didn’t expect the moment to come so soon. I was going to have to see Rarity… this was going to be a joy.

While I had nothing against the pony; she was also a gossiper whenever it came to romantic entanglements of any kind. I remembered what my memories showed me and she wasn’t the best pony to speak to when it came to societal norms and the like. Oh well… nothing ventured, nothing gained I supposed.

It was about to be nine in the morning and I trotted over to the Carousel Boutique which thankfully was opened. I knocked on the door and waited until I heard a cry.

“Come in~!”

I stepped inside and waited until said pony stepped out in a regal manner. I also briefly wondered where the sparkles materialized from because I was pretty sure she didn’t usually use glitter.

“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique. Where everything is chic and unique. How may I help- “

She abruptly cut herself off when she saw me. I almost didn’t catch it but she did scrutinize me for the briefest of seconds. Her smile returned though it felt like it was one worn by someone who was fishing for information instead of sales. Obviously she must have heard from me either by Dash or Fluttershy. I had to tread lightly.

“Sorry darling. Slight hiccup. Do forgive me. Now, how may I help you this fine morning.”

“I need something for a date…”

“Oh my a romantic rendezvous between two starcrossed lovers. Say no more I have just the ensemble for you.”

Before I could protest I was whisked away and fitted with a grey suit. It looked to be the same color as my coat. She tutted at it before switching it to something blue. It was too brightly colored. I gagged at the sight of it and she did as well though more exaggerated than mine.

“Couldn’t we just go with a fancy tie. Something casual but stylish enough to fool other ponies.”

“Just a tie? Just a tie! You must wow your date with more than a simple tie… then again with your coat it might just work… hmm… IDEA~!”

She got to work on a sewing machine as she readjusted some very fancy work glasses which somehow managed to stay on the bridge of her muzzle. I had so many questions about hooves and how glasses would fit on ponies which I had buried in order to not go insane. Now they were at the forefront of my mind. I was brusquely woken from my reverie by Rarity putting a very interesting looking silk tie around my neck. It was the same color as my coat and fit pretty nicely. She probably measured my neck while I was freaking out.

“Ta-da! A look that says I’m formal yet ready to dance the night away. By the way, what is your name, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Nebula Gray.”

“When did you get into town?”

“Last week… got a house built by the mayor… how much is this tie?”

“Oh darling the first garment is free. Just remember to think of me when you go for all your dressing needs, of course.

“I can do that.”

“Of course darling… now if you would take the moment to answer one more question for me.”

“Depends on the question… but ask away.”

“Who is the lucky mare?”

“Unfortunately that is one of those questions I won’t answer.”

“Oh horseapples…”

I managed to leave while Rarity was still scowling. I’m still worried about her questions since she managed to coax out my name. I didn’t exactly try very hard to conceal it but I was hoping only Pinkie Pie would be the only one to really know about me. The only ponies who don’t know about me are Applejack and Twilight. Hopefully that will stay that way until it is absolutely necessary.

“Now to find Redheart…”

I kept the tie on as I went in the direction I was told a while back. Ponyville was a strange town. There actually is a better off neighborhood somehow in Ponyville. It’s not that noticeable since the only reason that it looks better is because of the mansion that is situated in the area. It seemed that Redheart had an apartment in the area alongside one of the other nurses. I didn’t have to look long as I saw Redheart getting her mail from a strange pegasus with bubbles for a cutie mark. After she flew away I stepped up to her door and knocked. I had also placed the tie into my saddlebags before she came back to the door.

“Ditzy did you forget to give me some…”

“Hi there.”

She slammed the down into my muzzle. It stung but I didn’t bleed or feel too much pain. It seems that the strength boosts from leveling do, in fact, help mitigate pain. It took a few minutes for Redheart to come back out. She wasn’t wearing her nurse hat but she did seem more awake now.

“Oh Gray I see you’ve come today. Please come in I was expecting you.”

I looked her in the eye and noticed how much she was blushing and how much she knew I knew she was lying. I brought her in for a hug and she flinched like crazy before I whispered into her ear.

“Don’t worry so much. Still beautiful in the morning.”

She calmed down with a easygoing smile before inviting me in. The house was a bit cluttered but still navigable. We eventually found a cleared couch and sat down together. She fidgeted around a bit before speaking.

“I didn’t think you would come today. I mean I know I was next but I thought you would take some time to rest after all these dates. I mean I know what it’s like to deal with this many ponies one after the other.”

“You ok? You seem less eager for this than you did a few nights ago.”

Her eyes widened and she fidgeted around some more trying desperately not to look me in the eyes. She looked forlorn and a bit exasperated. I merely waited until she found her voice.

“Why are you agreeing to this? This herd. Accepting me?”

Her voice was quiet at the last part. I was really confused as well cause I’ve only dealt with this attitude from the outside. A buddy of mine from high school who was dating this girl with horrible self esteem. I don’t know what happened to them and my memory of that was limited to my senior year back then. I immediately put my hoof against her mouth before she could go on a tirade. I pulled her close and just held her. Unlike Vinyl who cried it out, Redheart managed to keep her emotions in check.

“I want to.”

“That’s it? That’s your reason.”

“So let me take you out?”

“W-what?”

“Let me take you out.”

“I-I don’t have much to wear… “

“I’ll get you something.”

“I don’t look presentable enough…”

“Beautiful to me.”

Her mouth tried to focus on some flaw but she just kept flapping her lips trying in vain to think of some excuse. Nothing else came out of her mouth. A melancholic smile appeared on her face.

“Fine… I can’t win against those ringing endorsements. I have a dress I’ve saved for a special occasion. It’s nothing too fancy mind you.”

“That’s fine. The only fancy thing I have is a silk tie. I kind of never had the need to wear fancy things back home.”

She smiled at that and went off to get her dress. That left me alone with my thoughts. Redheart certainly didn’t think highly of herself. I wondered to myself if I could actually fix that. Aside from being there for her I didn’t know what to really do to fix this. I wouldn’t give up but I needed to have a better plan.

“I have this little thing. I hope it’s not too much.”

Out she came with a very tight black cocktail dress that actually accentuated her frame. I wasn’t staring… honest. I shook my head noticing that she was blushing very heavily.

“Sorry… I just liked what I saw…”

“Thank you… I didn’t think you would like it…”

“Ok enough sadness, Where would you like to head out to? I can get us places before you know it. Though I can only make it to Canterlot or Baltimare. I haven’t explored other places just yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll show you when you decide that we’re ready to go.”

“Ok then. Let me grab my bag. I guess Baltimare would be good… ”

After she grabbed her bag I immediately picked her up in my arms startling her as she gripped tightly onto me. I dove into the closest shadow as we appeared near the train station. Another jump took us closer to the Badlands. The last jump wound up with us in Baltimare, my mortal enemy with the pun like name. I placed her back on her hooves while I put on my tie, She looked around flabbergasted and surprised.

“How… how did you do this?”

“I’m a thestral. I can use the shadows to get where I need to go. So for you I’m taking you out for a night on the town here.”

“F-for me?”

“For you.”

She shyly shifted her hooves around though they felt a bit forced. Though the smile on her face was immensely genuine. She took a few steps closer to me and rested her head on my shoulder. It was a definite change from what I saw earlier that day.

“Thank you for this. This means a lot to me. You have no idea.”

“No problem. I haven’t exactly been around this city much but I’m sure we can wing it from here… no pun intended.”

While she chuckled I really wished I had gone out of my way while I was in this city to find a high class restaurant. I do think luck was on my side as this restaurant nearby looked to be both fancy yet casual… Weirdest combination I have ever seen in my entire life.

“Would that be a good place to go.”

I made sure my tone was one of stating rather than questioning. I was still nervous about things because I didn’t know much about Redheart except for her nursing skills and ability to keep calm under pressure since she didn’t faint when I came in covered in blood. She smiled and nodded while we trotted over to the restaurant in question. It was called… Pastured Greens.

Her eyes seemed to sparkle which meant that it was probably something good. I’m guessing that this place is really good but not out of the way for normal ponies to enjoy.

“Are you sure? This place is a bit fancy…”

“Don’t worry about it.”

We trotted over to the maitre’d and luckily got seated within a couple of minutes. It was still the afternoon so lunch was going on at this point. We were seated on the second floor terrace facing a window. This was a bit of a cliche dating scenario in my mind… but I think the effort was worth it all. She was still smiling and it was genuine.

“So Redheart… please tell me more about yourself. I kind of never had the chance to talk with you much that day we met. Circumstance aside…”

“Oh… um… I’m just a nurse. I’ve seen a lot in my life but you have been one of the most serious cases I’ve ever seen in my life. Seriously how are you still alive… Most ponies couldn’t even handle their hooves being stubbed yet you managed to fly in half paralyzed and covered in blood and managed to get back to full strength within the day.”

“I’m just really tough. I’ve always been tough. Ever since I finished school I decided to be a cop. I learned to be tough and pass my limitations on pain. It wasn’t something easy or something I enjoyed but I did it to make sure to help others whenever I can. I was basically trained really well for pain tolerance.”

“How did you cope with such things?”

“I had a good brother… “

“‘Had’?”

“He’s gone now.”

She went quiet and a sympathetic frown crossed her muzzle. It seemed to be one she created from years of dealing with patients.

“I’m sorry for your loss.

“It happened a long time ago.”

“How do you deal with it?”

“Excuse me?

“How did you deal with the grief?”

“It happened a long time ago. I've come to terms with it.”

I hadn’t put much thought into my grief. I usually pushed it to the side because I had to take care of my niece. Which was probably a bad idea when I did lose her. The floodgates had opened and I lost to that repressed sadness.

“I didn’t at first. I ignored it because somepony needed me to look after them. When they were gone I didn’t have a way to stop it. So, from this point on, I endeavored to remember the good times instead of dwell on the loss.”

She seemed appeased by my answer though she seemed a bit confused. I did keep my answer vague so as to not give out names. It was not my best plan but something I’ve been subconsciously doing.

“Why didn’t you give them names?”

Crap… I can’t think up any excuses. I shouldn’t lie about it. I’ll say what I can then…

“I… I guess I’m just not fully coping with it. I partially don’t say names because I want to distance myself from it. It’s just until I think I can handle it.”

“Oh I’m sorry about this. I was just curious is all.”

“It’s not a problem. I’ll tell you all one day. I just need some time to get the words all sorted together. It takes me a while to figure out how to say these particular things.”

She nodded and went quiet at the waiter finally came back. We both ordered and chatted some more. Our conversation never went as intense as it did before the waiter came back but I did learn more about Redheart. She lived with her roommate and fellow nurse Tenderheart and had worked as a nurse since she turned eighteen. Seriously the more I learn about ponies age and already being professionals the more I feel like something really weird is going on here. It’s both that they are extreme experts and yet limited to their fields of expertise. I didn’t know whether that was good or not even my own mark never really said anything about my abilities.

“I wonder something Gray.”

“Yes?”

“What are you even against? You say you are fighting something but what could be so dangerous that not even the Princesses could deal with it.”

I’m glad she dropped her voice to a whisper. While the restaurant was still less crowded there were still ponies all around us and ponies had really good ears.

“Well… I can’t tell you much due to oaths I’ve made but I can say that they are darkness given form. Not evil but fully instinctual like beast and not animals. It’s my job to stop them.”

“Without anypony’s help? Maybe one of us should start going with you from now on. To make sure you don’t get hurt.”

“I appreciate it. I really do but I could never let anything happen to any of you because while I’m sure you can help, I don’t think any of you are trained for this outside of Spitfire and even I’m reluctant of her doing this.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s the leader of the Wonderbolts.”

“No what makes you think I can’t help out?”

“Nothing actually. What can you do Redheart?”

The moment I didn’t say anything that would be against mares fighting I think I pulled the steam out of her sails. She fidgeted a bit but wasn’t as forthcoming as she had been. I waited patiently for her to speak.

“Well… before I started my residency I did get trained as a guard but I eventually decided to work in medicine.”

“Really? What did you train in?”

“Mostly some hoof to hoof combat. I was good at it. Plus being an earth pony gives you a really good left hook.”

“Wow… Hm… I’ll think about it. That would be useful to have somepony watch my back. I’m not saying yes yet. I’m just thinking about it.”

She nodded with a stern look on her face which eventually settled into a smile. I felt a bit guided in that conversation. I wondered how many plans these mares had about me in general. Each had different demeanors and constantly kept me on my toes… if I had any. It also got me thinking about my idea of keeping it to only myself as a keyblade wielder. Perhaps my loneliness had taken its toll on me because I was motivated to give each of these ladies a keyblade. I quietly pushed that thought into the maybe category.

As we finished our meal we left for a walk around the town. I actually never really walked around the town before I left. It was nice to look at all the buildings around even if they seemed a bit overly ornate. Several of the buildings had grecian aesthetics but ancient grecian building techniques. All the arches and pillars were built similarly. My mind tried to make sense of it all but I eventually settled on Redheart again. She had gotten closer to me and I kept her under my wing. She didn’t seem to speak and merely nuzzled against my neck.

“Anything you’d like to do before we head back for Ponyville Redheart?”

“I don’t know. You’ve been really good to me. Much better than all the dates I’ve ever gone on.”

Crap… baggage… A lot of baggage. I’m really hoping that it’s not going to be another ex I am going to have to fight against. After the last few days I’ve had only Fresh Coat was single before she met me. Spitfire dumped her original for some reason I never found out about. Octavia kept close to me when that one stallion tried to use their perceptions to stop us from dating. While Vinyl had a lot of exes. Two of which I personally kick their flank. To be fair he only stopped the first one by sheer luck then flew off.

“It couldn’t be that bad right?”

She looked at me and I could see that it was that bad. Her eyes had already gotten teary. I’m really hoping it’s not abuse. I’ve dealt with enough cases to know that I could never truly make a difference.

“It’s just… I’m a working mare. I know you’ll probably need to see me more often but I want to put my career first. I don’t want to slow down. Most stallions I date can’t handle a working mare and don’t know how to go about with my sometimes busy schedule.”

I kind of got lost in a blinking fit. This reason was a bit stupid in my eyes though I did notice that the cultural norms seem to indicate that the mares are the heads of the relationship. It’s so weird to me but I decided to go along with it if for nothing more than to give her some peace of mind.

“Redheart you really don’t need to worry about that. I understand that you want to keep doing what you are doing. That’s very much what I’m going to be doing. Tell me whenever you have a day off and we’ll make some time together. I know what a busy schedule looks like. So it’s no big deal to me.”

It really wasn’t a big deal but from the tears streaming down her cheeks and the look in her eyes this was a big deal to her. Instantly I was on the ground with a very passionate mare snuggling aggressively against me. Her dress would be ruined at this rate… I wasn’t feeling up her sides while she did this. My hooves mystically found themselves wrapped around her just to keep her from snuggling too hard.

“I’m glad you’re happy Redheart but we need to head back for Ponyville.”

“I’m ready.”

Before I could leave she planted a kiss against my lips and then nuzzled into my neck. What is it with all these mares and nuzzling into my neck? I really need to check in a mirror to see what the hell these mares see in me. I still haven’t got a clue.

I dipped into the nearest shadow and went through the same three spots before appearing back near her home. She kept to her hooves and walked herself. I suppose she is the most independent out of all the mares here. As we got close to her door Tenderheart opened it and stared at me. She then fainted in shock leaving her sprawled form on the door frame. I picked her up and trotted in with Redheart. After she led me to Tenderheart’s room and I placed her in her bed I left the apartment after kissing Redheart back for her own surprise kiss. She fainted as well and I had to take her to her room.

From what I could tell she was very unused to being in control of a relationship. It’s weird to me but I pushed the thought aside for the moment. That list of archived thoughts was now getting really long and out of control. I needed to find anything on more intimate relationships, I needed to keep track of the Nightmares in the forest, and I needed to get ready to explore other worlds. At the same time I wanted to make something out of my life here and I wanted to make sure I didn’t drag any of these ponies into my problems. That second want was starting to look impossible if my feelings on the matter were any indication.

“I need to get back home…”

I leapt into a shadow and found myself back near my porch. I took my vigil and around ten that night the eyes appeared. They were all level with Nightmare Moon’s height. After the hour and a cruel sneer they disappeared back into darkness. I looked over my wayfinder and noted that the last petal was light blue which seemed to indicate Redheart.

“Five lights and five mares. The center still hasn’t shined just yet.”

I fell asleep afterwards trying to get enough rest until I could manage to figure out what I would have to deal with in the forest. This time there were only a few nightmare eyes…

When I woke up the next morning I immediately tried to get into my home since the bed finally came in. Before I could tell them where to put it a speeding pegasi flew straight at me sending me and the moving ponies sprawling across the floor. I magically ended up with a mare on top of me with the same eyes I saw that morning I woke up in the hospital the first time. She was looking at me expectantly as well.

“Hi Sunshower… We should really stop meeting like this. I don’t think my wings can take anymore strain on them.”

“Don’t worry silly. That’s why I made sure to aim for the bed.”

I didn’t know how to respond to that so I just grunted ambiguously to keep my surprise away from my face. She instead immediately went for the nuzzling to the snickers of the moving ponies.

“Sunshower, how bout we help these ponies move the bed already. They probably have a lot to do.”

“Oh right. Let’s.”

It took a few minutes to get the bed to the biggest room on the second floor. Most of the ponies were surprised I even bought such a large bed until Sunshower sprawled out on it and rolled around a bit. It made me have to send any of the stallions out the door before she could do anymore sprawling. The mares were just as hard to get rid of because they weren’t looking out of interest but of jealousy… and mostly at me.

She immediately got off the bed and got in front of me flaring her wings and getting this angry look in her eyes. The mares left with a sour look on their faces leaving me a bit dumbstruck. After a while most of the leering looks I got had finally gone away. This was going to be a pain if I have to walk around town without any of the mares I know at my side.

“So… what shall we do today? It is your day Sunshower.”

“Cuddle me.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I want you to cuddle me.”

Well at least she knew what she wanted. This is one of the most awkward things I’ve ever had to do. The other times were heat of the moment dealings. This was planned and just generally awkward since I wanted to eat something. Still I obliged mostly to see where she was going with this.

I laid on the bed and she laid next to me setting herself up as the small spoon and curling under my forehoof. I just watched over her and when she got comfortable I laid my wing over her. I knew this was gonna be a very long day. She didn’t snore or fall asleep but she did turn around and looked me in the eye.

“How are you enjoying Ponyville?”

“It’s fine. A little warm but I’m guessing that’s because it’s still summer.”

“How about the others?”

“Well… they’ve all been… affectionate with me. I have noticed that a lot of you made a promise of some sort. I’m curious about that.”

“Oh that? That’s more about not immediately staking a claim if you understand.”

“Right… Figured that’s what was meant. I’m guessing most relationships don’t go this way?”

“Usually most relationships go a bit faster but since this is a herd dynamic it’s moving at a reasonable pace.”

“It is?”

“Yeah. One on one relationships usually end up in the hay within two weeks or so. The ones that don’t are because the mares are too obnoxious or horrible to their partner or the stallions are pig headed and immediately try to jump into the sack with the mare. Oh… this doesn’t count of course since we aren’t doing that…”

The blush on her face made me entirely unconvinced. I just gave her a tight squeeze making her squeak out in shock and turn even redder. I snickered and let her go allowing her to relax still as a cuddle bug. This was the second one I had to watch out for.

“You’re not one of those stallions are you, Gray?”

“Nope. I’m far too passive but it seems more like you girls are trying to get me to bed much quicker. At least if this position we’re in is anything to speak of, of course.”

She got really quiet and immediately buried her head into my chest desperately trying not to look me in the eye. These ponies and their cute moments will probably be the death of me at this rate but I signed up for it I guess. I stroked my hoof against her back until she finally managed to look me in the eyes again.

“Sorry.”

“About what? I’m not complaining about this.”

“Oh… uh… I guess I’m just a bit overwhelmed that you’re taking this in stride.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I still find this a bit weird but over the last couple of days I’ve come around to the idea of this… herd. I’m just wondering if there are any rules. Also I’m pretty sure Vinyl wanted to try adding more ponies to the mix later. That was something… I guess.”

“Really? I do know a bit about these things.”

“Please explain it to me. Seriously I would really like to know.”

“Well herds are old fashioned ways of making families where we could feel safe and loved. The largest recorded herd was around sixteen ponies. That was one stallion and fifteen mares. At most a herd usually can grow up to ten mares to a stallion if they can handle it. There are even double herds where there are two stallions which take up the reins as the fathers of the group. Most of the time if a mare wants to join an existing herd she usually gives a gift to the alpha mare and that mare and the stallion which is you would go out on a date to see if they are compatible.”

“That… that is certainly a lot of things to consider. Which one of you is the Alpha then?”

“Uh… you have to decide that.”

“What?”

“Seeing as you’re the stallion and leader of the herd you have to decide who the Alpha is. We technically could figure out who it is but it would be better to involve you so nopony could say we took advantage of your naivety. Though based on what Vinyl said you know a lot more than you let on most of the time.”

Seems they already talked with Vinyl after I nipped at her neck. In hindsight, perhaps I should have slowed down on that. I merely gave off a smile… which I knew looked nervous as hell since I could feel sweat try to drip down my brow.

“So I need to ‘punish’ you for being so forward~”

“What?”

She bit at my neck giving me a hickie. Can ponies really do that? It’s not fully visible because of the fur but I can still feel it. This feels so weird… not bad but good weird. I shook my head after she had let go trying to let the shock drain off my face.

“Well… that was unexpected.”

“Too much?”

“Nah… I’m good. It’s just surprising is all.”

“Good. I think I’m good for now with the cuddling.”

“Great. Well we still have to get some food for later. I’m kind of in need of breakfast.’

“I’ll bet.”

She nuzzled into me before getting off the bed and letting me get up as well. It took a few minutes to get full feeling in one of my legs. She had laid upon it and that left it numb and ticklish. I think I need to get something to stop the constant numbness on my body otherwise I’m gonna be stuck on a bed being snuggled to death because I couldn’t move.

“So what do you have planned for me Gray?”

“I’m gonna keep that a secret until I feel it’s time to talk about it. Right now let’s get something to eat.”

She seemed really adamant about figuring out what we were going to do but I kept my lips sealed on the topic. Truthfully, I had no idea what to do and there was little I could think to do because I decided in my own stupidity to be original with each mare and have a date they would like. She led me to Sugarcube Corner which I immediately had several flags zoom up because Pinkie Pie had yet to throw me a party. Sunshower seemed to catch on that something was up.

“You ok?”

“Yeah… it’s just that Pinkie Pie hasn’t thrown me a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party and I’m realizing that the moment I step inside might be my reckoning.”

“It’s not that bad is it?”

“No but I was hoping to keep it as long as possible if only because she challenged me on it. Right now it’s a game of wits in a sense to see who could outwit who.”

“Against Pinkie Pie? But she’s so… out there. How do you plan on outwitting somepony who managed to get me a cake I liked when nopony had ever managed to get the taste quite right.”

“Sheer dumb luck.”

The flat look she gave me was more than I could take. She rolled her eyes and chuckled. I knew I was being a bit silly but I was not looking forward to meeting so many ponies all at once. Too many ponies means I’ll probably crack and speak something I don’t want to talk about. Also there might be probing questions either about my race or my dating status. In a town with several dozen mares and Twilight Sparkle, either could mean the end of my privacy.

“I’ll go in first then.”

She trotted in and came back out. She looked a bit smug at this point and dragged me in.

“She’s over by Fluttershy’s Cottage helping out Rainbow Dash for some reason.”

“Oh… Must be because of that griffon.”

“That explains why Merriweather was taking over as Weather Manager today.”

We quietly got into a booth after ordering some breakfast foods of various things. The owners were quite nice as Sunshower and I spoke about various things. It was the small talk I had mentioned to all the other mares and kept every detail spoken the same. It was something I was prepared to do since I hadn’t sit down with all of them before and talked about myself. I realized now that I never really spoke about myself during those first two nights I was around all the mares. I just quietly contemplated things while I ate and they mingled amongst each other to get a good sense of how the herd dynamic would work. For the most part they got along though Fresh Coat and Sunshower would rib on each other. Vinyl would sometimes glower at Spitfire for reasons beyond my understanding. Octavia and Redheart were the quietest with each other seemingly sizing one another up.

“Why do you always look so sad some of the times?”

“Huh?”

“Gray… Why do you look sad sometimes?”

“Memories have a way of keeping themselves known.”

“Bad ones?”

“For the most part yeah. There are good ones as well. So I wouldn’t say I’m sad. I would say I’m… contemplative. It’s not a look of sadness but one of rememberance.”

“What do you think about?”

“Family.”

“Would they proud of you?”

“They were proud of me. Before they left they were always proud of me. Though they did hate that it was my brother that gave them kids when I was the elder one. They thought it was my job to give them a grandchild to spoil.”

“You’re making a family now at the very least.”

“Yeah… Not ready to be a father quite yet though so hold off on those plans.”

“Huh? Wait… I wasn’t going in that direction!”

She was blushing and her wings were very erect which didn’t escape my notice. When I pointed it out she immediately brushed her wings down and threw me a glare which softened into a perverted smile.

“Ok… maybe a little for later on. My friend wanted a kid so badly she decided to adopt before hoof. I was surprised at her but I could understand the need. That little filly needed a mom and I was happy she got one.”

“Who?”

“Oh she’s my friend Ditzy Doo. She’s always so busy being a really good mailmare that she sometimes loses track of time.”

“That’s great. Ah for our date time we would have to wait till the sun sets tonight. Are you willing to wait a while longer before that happens?”

“Yup. You got me all excited now!”

I was nervous as hell. I had nothing planned and our little food run hadn’t taken too long. After the previous two dates I had actually spent another ninety two bits leaving me with eleven hundred and twelve bits. It had taken another twelve bits for this breakfast which left me with eleven hundred even. The extra bits had gone to getting some food for later. I did have a plan but it would require a big enough cloud to see if it would work.

We trotted back to my place where we relaxed for a while. I had taken the time to move my furniture around even though there wasn’t a lot. The bed took some effort and I nearly got squashed by it a few times much to my chagrin and Sunshower’s laughter. The fridge was placed in a better position while the couch was moved several times to find the best place.

“It should go here in the center Gray.”

“Then the sun would get in somepony’s eyes. It should be set in the corner so there’s more room in this room.”

“Put it against the wall maybe? Seriously it looks like it would fall over if you get startled.”

“Then I would have to move it to clean the wall. I’d rather just keep it away from the wall so mildew doesn’t pile up.”

“Wait… Place it here then the sun won’t hit anypony’s face and it probably won’t tip over.”

“I can see that I guess. Ok then. Let’s place it there.”

To say we weren’t interior decorators would be the kindest way to explain that we were kind of inept at making room for furniture. Or sheer laziness had taken over. I was still tired and I plopped down on the couch. Before I knew it Sunshower had plopped on top of me and curled up as well. I really didn’t care at the moment. I was tired and I needed a nap which she seemingly agreed to if her snoring was anything clear to read by. It was a short nap but I did feel better. Nothing out of place happened either and she was still sleeping… with a puddle of drool soaking my shoulder…

‘Another vision of loveliness. I wonder what kind of cameras there are in this world. This would definitely make a memorable souvenir… though I would probably be struck down for my callousness… I still want to do it.’

I gingerly woke her up allowing her to get off of me without stepping wantonly over me. She was blushing like a fire truck which made me wonder which hoof she was about to place inside her mouth.

“We… we didn’t sleep together… together, did we?”

“We kind of did…”

“No that’s not what I meant… I mean… Like this…”

She began to do weird movements with her hooves which was probably the same movements humans did when they wanted to indicate sex. It was kind of hilarious to watch since hooves made the meaning almost impossible to figure out.

“No we didn’t do that. You were the utmost lady-like and treated me with respect.”

“Very funny.”

The small pout she gave was cute and when we finally looked outside she noticed the sun was already setting. She gave a gasp before glomping on me, sending me onto the couch once again which did indeed flip over from the sudden shock. Groaning at the sudden turn I felt myself getting shook not stirred from my near fall.

“It’s time. It’s time. It’s time!”

“I know. Let’s get ready to go. I have some prep work I have to do before I get it ready.”

We left the house and I dove us into a shadow. She wasn’t ready for this and nearly freaked out gripping tightly onto me. When we emerged quite far out of Ponyville I placed her on the ground to get her bearings straight while I went out my way collecting wild clouds from the Everfree. I managed to grab eight clouds of varying sizes and summoned my knives. I then threw one into each of the eight clouds forcing them to stabilize enough not to disappear on me.

When I returned with the eight, Sunshower seemed a bit apprehensive. I sat in front of her and waited until she found her voice.

“Where did you get those clouds?”

“Everfree.

“How are they still sticking around here? Clouds from the Everfree are so random and keep moving without our intervention. Yet you managed to tame them…”

“When I was living in the Badlands we had to capture clouds from the Everfree sometimes. We learned how to manipulate them to a degree. They should remain stable for an hour or two.”

“What were you planning? I know you aren’t exactly gonna wow me with stunts. So what was the plan?”

“Well… Care to dance with me?”

“Dance?”

If I didn’t know any better she finally managed to make her voice crack and turned several shades of red deeper than ever before. I took her outstretched hoof and flew up into the clouds I arranged and began a simple waltz around the small cloud arena. I wasn’t a good dancer and the only thing I knew how to do was a waltz and if I pushed it the tango if the flailing of my limbs could even be considered doing the tango right.

It didn’t seem to matter to Sunshower though seeing as she was so lost in her bliss she nearly forgot to flap her own wings from time to time. For a whole hour we managed to dance with me only making a fool out of myself a few times. When our hour ended Sunshower flew back down to the ground to fan herself off while I de-summoned the knives in the cloud. On cue the clouds all floated back into the Everfree and I floated back down near Sunshower.

“Sorry bout that. Seems I could only get them for an hour or so.”

“Are you kidding me? That was really romantic. Are you sure you’re a stallion?”

“What do you mean?”

“Very few stallions go through these kind of efforts to impress a mare. You’re not even trying to impress me but show me a good time regardless of whatever happens. Why?”

“I felt like it? I don’t have any good reasons. I do what I do because it’s what I want to do.”

Sunshower stared at me with a measure of awe if her gaping mouth and tearing eyes were any indication. She didn’t speak but instead glomped into me and snuggled me into the ground. We actually left a groove in the ground from her snuggling. That terrified me on how strong these mares actually are. After we arrived back in Ponyville proper she hugged me and flew off for home leaving me to my thoughts.

I had managed somehow… whether through luck or skill to go on an individual date with six mares and not let it blow up in my face. I quickly flew back to my home and watched the forest once again from the same perch I’ve taken almost every night. The nightmare eyes are still alicorn sized but there are fewer now. They probably have a plan while the only thing I have to show for it is making a life for myself here. I wondered if it was a fair trade but I pushed that excuse out of mind. In the following day I had to go into the forest to figure out where it’s hiding and what I have to do to get rid of it. After an hour it disappeared allowing me to look at the wayfinder again. The center was glowing a bright green which probably meant that it was Sunshower’s color. Gold for Spitfire, purple for Octavia, orange for Fresh Coat, dark blue for Vinyl, light blue for Redheart, and green for Sunshower seemed to make the wayfinder whole.

“I’m still wondering what this means exactly. I don’t even know shotlock skills just yet. Should I ask them…? A question for another day I suppose. A question for when I’m willing to tell the entire truth and not the pieces I can accept.”

I sighed and looked out onto the forest. Tomorrow was another day and one I needed to use to my fullest. I needed more information about everything possible which meant waking up early and meeting a pony I have been avoiding for as long as possible. Tomorrow I had to go looking for Twilight Sparkle.

Author's Note:

Finally. Starting next chapter we get back into the adventure. Slice of Life is done for now.

Comments

[Fluffy-Boi]

Woot! Great date stuff!