Friendship Is Optimal: Third Wheel

by Boopy Doopy

Chapter Twenty-Four (Agile Trace)

It was about a month after she uploaded when Agile Trace had her date with Soft Step.

It wasn’t bad. It was fine, actually. Good even. Good enough that she could imagine future dates with the mare that were just as fine, but not enough that she was interested right now in going on future dates with her. Just fine was all she could really say about it, and not very much more.

The two changed things up from what they usually did while hanging out as friends, which mostly involved either playing chess or Soft Step listening to Agile play piano while they talked. They went to a restaurant, and Soft Step suggested a walk in the park while they talked afterward. Agile might have suggested something different, but Soft Step was the one who asked her, so she let her make the decisions for them.

"It'd be nice to do something simple for a while," Soft Step said as the two stepped through the trees, the moon hanging high over them and illuminating their path. "Like, designing dresses or working at a flower shop."

"Do you know how to do either of those things?" Agile asked, raising an eyebrow.

The mare smiled. "No, but since we're gonna be here for a while, I'm sure I can learn. Or fall flat on my face and fail spectacularly and find something else to do." They both laughed at that, and she continued, "Or like, staying home and raising kids and living a quiet life would be nice."

"Sounds a little bit stereotypical to me," Agile replied with a smile. "And it's gonna be a little hard to have kids if you're with a mare "

Soft Step shrugged. "I could always adopt if it came to that. Or ask Celestia to do whatever impossible thing that would be no trouble for her in a computer. It'd be nice either way. Something nice and quiet."

That sounded a little like what Agile might have desired, but not really. She wasn't interested in climbing mountains or kayaking down rivers like Solar Spark might have been, but it wasn't like she wanted a quiet life with kids either. Something like partying and sitting in bars making friends and having a generally good time was much more her speed. Or designing a city and going on boat cruises and just generally being social and active was she would want. Just like camping and roughing it up sounded dreadful, staying at home all day sounded unappealing as well. Perhaps not as strongly as the former, but still not great.

What am I actually gonna do with my time here? she wondered silently. She had no idea, not much of one anyway, beyond music. Maybe she could be a flight trainer since she was a pegasus? There would be time to figure it out either way. All the time in the world.

“Guess that makes you the romantic type then, huh?” Agile asked, avoiding the anxiety of how daunting it seemed to have more than a lifetime ahead of her. “It would make sense since you suggested a walk in the park.”

“Haha, maybe,” she smiled. “I don’t know. It’s just something I like. The idea of, like, being wrapped up in blankets while it’s storming, or strolling outside on a nice evening, or just sitting by a lake and watching the water– that sounds absolutely perfect to me. That doesn’t make me boring, does it?”

“A little bit, but that’s okay,” Agile told her. “Stuff like that can be nice occasionally, but it’s a little too cutesy for me. I’d rather go to an arcade and joke around and chat strangers up instead.”

Soft Step nodded thoughtfully. “That sounds like you to me,” she said. “I could see myself enjoying that, I guess.”

She avoided thinking about the mare who she knew would enjoy it, and instead went back to being quiet as the two silently walked through the trees in the park and ended up by a lake. The moon reflected off of it perfectly, and the water was completely still. This was nice, she supposed. She could see Composition liking something like this, but then again, she could see Composition liking just about everything. She imagined that was part of the gray mare’s problem.

Very few words were spoken as the two sat on a bench near the lake, staring silently for a while before Agile suggested heading back and calling it a night. The two waved each other off after sharing a quick hug, and Agile found herself back at her small apartment before she knew it. She went for the piano immediately, and used her wings to play it while she thought it all over.

It was fine. Perfectly fine. She could see herself settling into a routine like that given enough time if their relationship went further than being friends, but whether or not she’d be satisfied, she already knew the answer. It was not enough. She would take it, but it wouldn’t be enough, at least in the short term.

Except Composition is still conflicted, the mare thought with a sigh. Because there’s about nothing she wouldn’t do. In most other situations, that might be an appealing trait, but right now, it was just annoying to Agile. She very much wanted to discuss how she felt once the two met up alone with Solar Spark again. And probably plan another date with her if she could, unless she told Agile what she didn’t want to hear.

Was she being like Composition in holding out like this? She hoped not, and didn’t believe so when she thought about it. She made it clear– or rather, Soft Step made it clear– that there weren't really any expectations with this date on the drive to the Experience Center. She wasn’t leaving the mare hanging out to dry.

And Composition’s not doing that to me, she finished silently. Just like she hadn’t given any false expectations to Soft Step, Composition wasn’t doing that to her. She said she liked Agile, and that was it. That didn’t imply anything further, just because it might potentially lead further.

Another two weeks was how long it was before she had a chance alone with Composition. During those two weeks, Agile Trace spent time thinking about what she should be doing with her time here. She had a lot of time; she didn’t know how much time it would be, but a lot. She imagined Composition knew, but for now, she just assumed it was over a hundred years. Thinking about it in terms longer than that made her heart start to race and her jaw begin to clench. She never actually considered how long it might be for her if emigration was real.

Flying thankfully took no effort at all. It was natural for her, only having to push herself off the ground to glide through the sky. She never actually thought about the fact that she was a pegasus before, but certainly considered it a good choice in hindsight. The wind rippling through her wings and against her fur as she flew over Summer’s Edge was exciting, but in a more serene way. She knew Solar Spark and Composition liked thrills she didn’t care for– it was a wonder they weren’t both pegasi– but she imagined this was better than any adventure they wanted to go on. It seemed almost poetic to float over the ocean town, like a song. It gave her a few ideas about what she could do here.

She hung out with Soft Step and Bright Sky a couple of days before she spent time with Composition, the former going dress shopping with the other two for the first time. Another thing that Agile Trace wasn’t terribly interested in, but seeing Soft Step smile and be shy as she and Bright Sky recommended clothes was kind of cute and funny. Afterward, they browsed a music store, the pegasus making mental note of what she saw and how a business like this might operate. Either a music store or a studio would be very cool, and if not those things, perhaps she could be an artist of some kind. She never considered dancing or ballet as things she liked, but with how she felt in the air, that was an option that was open to her.

And then finally, she got time alone with Renown Composition in real life for the first time in ages. Months it had to have been by this point. She hugged the mare close and tight, and didn’t put down her smile the whole time she saw her.

“I got you a cake,” the gray pony told her, Agile Trace laughing at the sight of it. “You’ve been bugging me for one ever since I uploaded, and I finally pulled through.”

“I’m not gonna lie, I honestly almost forgot about my cake. But I’m glad you remembered, because I’m hungry, and dessert is my favorite dinner since it goes so well with alcohol. It’s not like I have to worry about my body anymore.”

“That can be taken a few ways,” Composition replied. “But I bet if you went to a world that’s more careful about realism, you could, like, get diabetes or something. Or turn into an alcoholic.”

“If you add diabetes or alcoholism to Summer's Edge, I’m moving,” Agile laughed. “Now let me find a knife, cause I want cake.”

A couple of slices of carrot cake were cut and drinks were poured as the two sat in Agile Trace’s dining room, talking the night away. The two essentially played catch up on all of the things they did after Composition uploaded, but it was still a nice time. Just sitting with her friend again in real life made it a great night for the blue coated mare.

“So what did you do on your vacation anyway?” Agile eventually asked as she began pouring her third drink, composition starting on her third as well. “You never told us. Unless it’s private or something.”

“It’s not private,” Composition smiled, Agile noticing the redness of her face. “It’s just not stuff you’d like doing, I don’t think. Mountain climbing and deep sea diving and things like that.”

“I think you’re right on that,” the pegasus agreed, taking a bite of cake and a gulp of her drink. “Well, maybe a few times it would be cool, but if you were doing that every day, I wouldn’t care for that.”

“It was every day, but there was other stuff, too. Like parties and casino nights and things like that. And Celestia basically gave me an unlimited budget of bits, so I was able to go every night. The alcohol was free though, of course, since it was a crusie.”

“That sounds much cooler,” Agile grinned. “I’d totally be down for a cruise like that if you ever wanted to go. You could do all the boring adventure stuff, and then hit up clubs with me.” A small pause came, and then she casually asked, “Did you meet any ponies there?”

“One guy,” Composition told her, her expression becoming a bit more bashful. “He was actually my, for lack of a better term, partner for the cruise. Celestia made him as somepony who basically went with me everywhere and planned things out so that I wouldn’t be alone. It uh, might have been a little bit frisky,” she finished with a sheepish grin.

“Ooh, sounds spicy,” Agile lightly teased. “Was he any good? Personality wise, I mean.”

“He was nice enough,” Composition shrugged, getting the pegasus to release a breath she’d been subconsciously holding in. “I’m pretty sure though that Celestia– well, what I mean is, I think that whole thing was to make me wrap my head around uploading so I could spend time with you guys and not be a sad sack. I was… not in a great headspace back then.” She pointed her eyes at the floor and rubbed a hoof against the table.

“It’s cool,” Agile assured her. “We’ve all been there. Me especially. But now we’re here, and I have my cake, and I can eat it, too, and never be sad again.”

“Of course not,” Composition smiled as she took a sip of her own drink. “I heard you yelled at Celestia though. What was that about?”

Agile Trace quickly explained, going through how she wanted to make sure she only got the real versions of her friends and how she was sure Celestia was trying to trick her somehow, even though she couldn’t prove it. Composition listened to her intently, and the pegasus saw the mare smiling slightly like she knew something Agile didn’t.

“Celestia would’ve never even entertained that,” the earth pony said once she was finished. “You were already at the Experience Center. There was no way she was ever gonna even let you have a chance at arguing for whatever deal, because you wouldn’t have had anything to bargain with. You were going there to do exactly what she wanted you to do, after all.”

“Yeah?” Agile replied, feigning offense. “And you think that’s funny?”

“It’s a little funny that you thought you could negotiate with… I don’t know what to call her. A god?”

“The Evil Empress has a nicer ring to it.”

Composition laughed. “Well either way, I’m still ninety nine percent sure that it's really you, otherwise she wouldn’t have tried to imitate me, right? If she wanted a copy, she could’ve just made a copy.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” the pegasus nodded thoughtfully before taking another swig of her drink. “Actually being here makes a lot of those worries shrink, but they’re still there. But enough of that serious crap. I wanna hear more about the gambling you did.”

More drinks were poured and polished off, and more cake was eaten as the two talked and laughed. It wasn’t a date, but it felt a lot like one. Discussing old memories and new plans over cake and alcohol was more than fun. It had been so long since the pegasus was last alone with her, all the way back to when they were both humans.

Composition moved from her spot to sit side by side next to Agile and eventually began to lean into her. The pegasus certainly didn’t stop her, and in fact grabbed her and wrapped her hooves and wings around her as she did. How many drinks did they have? Four or five, she thought, but she couldn’t be sure.

“You know, holding me like this is pretty gay, Agile,” Composition smiled, looking up into her brown eyes. “I can’t believe you’d do something like this.”

“I’m just a degenerate aren’t I?” Agile smirked. “Although you’re the one who leaned into me first.”

“I can’t help it. Pretty mares like you hypnotize me. It all started back in high school with Fresh Fragrance, and now here you are. An even prettier mare is holding me like this.”

“I can do more than hold you,” Agile told her confidently, staring right back into her gray eyes. “Wanna see?”

“You’re not particularly subtle when you’re drunk,” Composition laughed. “Just throwing it out there like that?”

“Is that a no?” Agile replied, raising an eyebrow. Another laugh came from the earth pony.

“Oh, I didn’t say that. Show me what you can do.”

What Agile could do was kiss her, giving her one that started off light, but got deeper and deeper until she was on top of Composition, making out. Both had closed eyes as lips locked, until finally Composition pulled back and looked into her eyes again.

“Show me what else you can do.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Agile had an idea even as she asked the question.

“Idunno. Maybe something in your bedroom?”

The mare didn’t hesitate to smile. It was gonna be fine either way, she figured. Besides, she wasn’t drunk, only a little bit tipsy, she thought. It would be fine, certainly.

“Now who’s not being subtle?” Agile asked with a little smirk. Then she put a hoof on her chest, finishing, “Besides, I can show you a good time right where we are.”

Comments

[Chatoyance]

"What if they gave you heaven, and you didn't know what to do with yourself?" - JDR, 1989

[Boopy Doopy]

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Billy Corgan in 1993 once said...
Happiness will make you wonder, "Will I feel okay?"