Return to Equestria

by David Silver

47 - Play Me

"Still, sounds fun." David had ended up between the two, Joy no longer serving as a buffer. He hand a hand on either's back. It was good that ponies seemed to enjoy a good little petting with a bonus if scritches were involved from a creature they were alright with. "If you two like playing, I can run a game."

Gerome angled an ear, which was invitation for it to be brushed. "But you're still learning the game."

"Best way to learn." David shrugged. "I've been running, not playing, for most of my life. Nobody runs it the way I want to, usually. Call it picky."

Gerome flinched at that. "You're not going to join the other game then?"

Joy swatted him from across David. "Stop putting words in his mouth. Poor thing only has room for a few at a time." She pointed at her snout, clearly with room for more words.

David shook his head. "I said I'm joining, so I am. I was just explaining my usual habits. So, yeah, let's play some games."

"Which one?" gushed out Gerome. "For starters, I say Foals in Darkness is pretty great. Less rules, get right to the story."

David plinked up one finger. "Well, guess I'm grabbing a book then."

Joy slid to the ground. "Just like that? From nothing to running it. You are something else." She turned in place. "Well, you got your answer. Are you heading home, or do you want to watch me play a game? I'm not cancelling today's chapter." She went over and got the console warming up. "We're at a good part."

"We are." David returned his hands to himself, resting idly in his lap area. "And I'm watching. You can hang out, or not. You're an adult, so choose."

Gerome inclined his head left. "Hum." He tilted it to the right the other way. "Alright..." He flopped down on his belly and soon his head was softly pinning David's hands. "I'll stay."

David colored faintly with a pony head pinning his hands to his lap. That wasn't the original goal. Still, raising a fuss wasn't what he wanted to do, and it was harmless, right? He sat back and just tried to relax as the game started under Joy's skilled hooves taking them on the further adventures. "We were just on a boss."

"Who I will crush. I know their weakness." Joypad exploited that weakness without mercy, putting quick work to the 'boss' and moving on with the story without much delay. "Shoulda seen me the first time I ran into that. Wow, I spent like a full day bashing against it. That was something."

Gerome nodded from his comfy human pillow. "I can imagine."

"There's that word again." She turned her head sharply to scowl, which turned into a surprised yelp. "Hey! You... know where your head is, right?"

"Huh?" Gerome sat up though. "What? I've... Uh, sat against a pony before." But ponies did not have laps. "Did I hurt you?! Sorry!"

David raised his freed hands defensively. "No, no. I'm not hurt. Now, I admit, I tend to only do media once. So going back over a boss I figured out isn't something I run into often."

Joy snorted at that. "Half the fun." She turned around, things seeming to be under control. "You're going home when we're done."

"Huh?"

"Did I stutter?" She didn't turn. "This is your first visit. Don't push your luck. He'll still be here tomorrow."

"Oh, alright." Gerome chuckled softly. "You have a fierce little defender there. Youngest of us, but not to be crossed."

"I can hear you." Not that this stopped her from pressing on in the game. "Age only means so much when everypony involved is an adult, with a... Hey, what is your job, Gerome?" Joy's job was hardly a secret, them sitting on the roof of her store.

"That's a fair question." He curled on himself and drew out a slim book. It was not an imagining book, instead showing a living room. "I use my talents. I'm a decorator. Since I can, uh, see what things would look like, I can get a good... view... to see what works and what doesn't."

David whistled. "Interior decorator? Neat. I'm a photo model, and a writer. I'd rather do more of the latter, if I'm being asked."

"Which you are." Gerome slid to his hooves. "I've pushed my luck plenty. I'll be back." He dug out his phone as he put his book away. "Share?" They touched phones to be sure their contact info was swapped. "You too." He trotted up to Joy on three hooves, one still holding his phone.

Joy paused the game and swiveled towards Gerome. "Heading out?" She dug out her phone to tap against his. "You're leaving on a good note. Better than I've managed."

Gerome took a step away before the words reached him. "Something bad happened?"

Joy waved it off. "One reason of many I'm here playing watcher for a friendly alien. Shoo." She made the dismissive little waves of her hooves. "See you tomorrow, or whenever you stop by. It's a store, we're open basically every day. Hours on the door!"

"Right." He wandered towards the exit, which meant passing David. "You get your persona done?"

"All done." David fired a thumbs up. "It was easy enough once I got into it."

"Oh, good. See you later then." He waved and headed down the stairs.

David hopped up to his own feet. "I'll make sure the door's locked."

"Good call." She left the game paused, watching as David vanished down the steps.

He found the door closed, but not locked. It wasn't like Gerome had a key to do anything about that. David twisted the knob with a satisfying thunk, securing the property. "Not like a lot of ponies are looking to make trouble." It was a good little society with good little ponies, by and by. Probably why Gerome didn't even think about it, he guessed.

What he didn't expect was the sudden sharp thump when he started back for the stairs. Wheeling around, a pony was recovering from crashing into the door. Her beret was a giveaway. "Gloomy?" He went to pop open the door. "What brings you around so late?"

"Hi there." Onyx slipped inside, her magic closing the door behind her. "I forgot to talk to you!"

Hoofsteps came from the stairs. "Who's that?" Joy poked her snout free to see it. "Oh, Onyx. Hey there."

"Hey." Onyx waved with a little smile. "I just remembered I came here for a reason, to talk..."

"What about?" Joy took up the position next to David. "We're here."

"Sure, what's on your mind?" added David with a handroll.

"I can't remember!" Onyx stomped the ground with a hoof. "I know it was important, but I can't remember... I must sound so dumb..."

Joy blinked softly. "Well, you are a friend, forgetting or not. Want to join us for videogames?"

Onyx was still a moment, but a shaking nod emerged. "Y-yeah, that sounds pretty great actually."

"Where's your doll?" David pointed to where a doll once perched with Onyx's beret. "Gruff voice? Hard to miss."

Onyx's eyes went wide as saucers. "That's one thing I forgot.... Thank... you for reminding me. I don't know where he is. I hope he's alright." Still, she went with them back upstairs towards the game.

"You two were so attached." Not that David could remember it all that well either... "Weren't you doing something?"

"He was... I was... I'm safe now." She nodded with certainty at that, looking around Joy's home. "Oh! Did I ever see this before? You have a nice place." She threw herself bodily on the couch, flopping upon it. "Love it."

Joy grinned at the antics. "Glad you like it. You like game?" She pointed to her paused game. "I'm about to get back into mine."

Onyx curled a hoof to her chin. "Got any rhythm ones? I could do with one or two of those. I'll spin beats that'll make your head spin. You may not lose, but I'll definitely win."

David snapped his fingers. "There's the rhyme. You must be feeling better."

"I really am." She sat up, giving room for David to crash next to her. "Thank you both for being friends. You're welcome at my place again sometime. With less... sick episodes, I hope. You feel better, David?"

"Way better." The reminder made him rub his back, but there wasn't a pain there anymore, but he had been reminded of it, and was grateful it was gone. "No brain fog either... I wonder if I'm cured, or if it's in remission. No way to check."

Joy and Onyx shrugged in shared cluelessness. Onyx raised a hoof. "If you feel better now, good. Just don't feel bad mentioning if that changes."

"Hear hear," rooted Joy. "You're our favorite old guy. We want to hear if you're feeling down."

Onyx inclined her head. "How old is he?"

"Low to mid 40s?" offered David with a shrug. "Not sure if human years line up with pony years."

Onyx shrugged at that idea. "No idea. Going by your mane..." She waved over David's fluffy hair. "You're not young. Still, you're not ancient either, way too few wrinkles. You're a distinguished adult."

Joy nodded at that as she got the game going. "I can go with that. Pony or not. Stupid question, since it's not a thing any of us can do, but if you could be a pony, would you want to be?"

"If you could be a human, would you want to be?" countered David with a raised brow and folded arms.

"I had that coming." Joy pressed on in the game. "I don't think I'd like that, even if your fingers look like an edge if you got good at them. I like this-Joy. Me-Joy makes me happy." She smiled at that, starting a cutscene and leaning back to let it play at an easily read pace. "Does you-David make you happy?"

Both ponies noticed that it took too long for an answer. Onyx poked him first. "Does it not?"

"Tricky question!" He folded an arm up. "It's what I got, and there aren't a lot of options, so, being a pragmatist, I work with what I have." He curled several fingers around Onyx's snout, capturing her. "I do like being able to do this." He brought in his other hand to tickle at the underside of her snout. "And this." He had her at his mercy, making her giggle and struggle weakly at his tickles. "Worth the price."

Joy smirked, but didn't turn to face the shenanigans. "Don't torture her. You and your hoof fetish. You know, a pony's frog isn't just heart shaped, they're literal little hearts. Every step." She tapped a hoof against her controller. "Every step helps blood get back up our long legs back into the rest of us. Hoof to heart? That saying has a lot of meanings."

David released Onyx to consider that line of philosophy. "That's really nice... A human hand or foot doesn't have that connection, but both are sensitive." He wriggled his fingers at Onyx. "Hey, since it came up, what do you do for a living?"

Onyx pointed at herself. "Me? I'm a musician." With a glowing horn, she drew out a saxophone and played a few notes with a big grin. "Stop on by and I'll play a few songs for you."

Joy thrust up a hoof, still facing away from them. "No musical joining unless you know the songs to the game." She pointed to her TV. "On the other hoof, if you do know those songs, I wanna hear!"

"I don't... But I'll look up the sheet music." With her glowing horn, she put her saxophone aside. "There'll be music somewhere online, right?"

"I bet." David reached then for a horn. "I'll vote with Joy in looking forward to hearing that."

They were all ready to hear live-performed game music.

Author's Note:

Did you think Onyx was come and gone? Nah. She's cool.

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Comments

[Booster Spice]

If you gonna play sax, yo gotta ask Pinkie. She will show you right to Baker street.