Bad Company

by Symphony

Ch. 18 - Calm Before the Storm

Author's Note:

Shorter chapter, things are picking up now boys...

”So Jay, go on. Tell me what's on your mind whilst I do some work.” Rarity walked into her work room, glancing around. “Forgive the mess, sometimes when I get caught up in work cleanliness escapes me...”

Jay crouched down a little as he followed the unicorn to the room, barely avoiding to bump his head in the doorway. Rolls of fabrics were laid in piles around the room, sorted in color. Small scraps of different fabrics laid scattered on the floor. He walked over to a couch on the far side room, sitting down and sinking back as far as he could.

“Where do I even begin?” He stared up at the ceiling.

Rarity giggled. “The start, perhaps?”

“Har hardy har...” Jay droned then bit his lip. “Right... So, yesterday after I came back with Twilight from Canterlot and walked home, Rainbow was there-”

“It happened with Rainbow Dash?! Scandalous!” Rarity stopped her work and stared at him. Jay frowned.

“No! Rainbow came over to make up over the fight where my arm got messed up, honest...” He picked up a scrap of fabric from the floor and started moving it around between his fingers. “After she left, I heard a warning from the security system and she was there...”

“Who was it?” Rarity asked, putting on a red pair of work glasses and levitated over a ponykin. “Sorry if it's intrusing but knowing who it is can be easier in terms of personalities.”

Jay chewed on his lower lip for a few seconds and ran his fingers across the fabric in his hands. “It's uh... The town hall receptionist, Strawberry.”

Rarity gasped. “Oh! I'm afraid I haven't been around her much but I have talked to her a few times. She's from Manehattan, isn't she?”

“Yup. Moved here a couple of weeks before I got stuck here...”

“How do you know her?” Rarity asked, grabbing a measurement tape with her magic.

“I met her at town hall when I went there to settle my debts to the town. Got to know her there.” Jay rolled up the fabric on one of his fingers, then released and let it unravel. “After that, I met her across town a few times here and there. She tried to talk to me after I beat up Rainbow but I blew her off.”

“From what I know of her, she doesn't really have the best self esteem and is rather clumsy. The dear does try her best though.” Rarity hummed and wrote down some measurements on a paper.

“That's the thing, though...” Jay dropped the fabric to the floor and sighed. “She came over late at the evening and I let her through the gate. I'll admit I had a few drinks with Dash after we made up but I wasn't terribly drunk.”

“And that's when you two...” Rarity's ears lowered slightly and a small blush appeared on her face.

“I don't know, really. All I remember is closing the door behind me and then it's all a blur...” He scratched his chin. “Then I woke up in my bed with her next to me and she was acting all weird and was blushing her face off.” He shrugged and leaned forward resting his elbows on his legs and his chin on his balled fists. “She was late to work so she stumbled out the bed and down the stairs. I followed down and she kissed me before she took off.”

Rarity stopped in her tracks. “So... You weren't aware what happened. Are you sure it happened at all..?”

“I was naked in bed and I smelled like sweat and strawberry jam. I also had to burn the sheets.”

Rarity's ears fell flat to her head and her blush came back in force. “W-well then...” She rubbed the back of her head with a foreleg. “But since you blacked out, wouldn't this count as non-consensual?” A frown grew on her face. “That little... Taking advantage of somepo-one like this!”

Jay shrugged and swung his legs up on the couch, lying down with his legs hanging off the edge. He blew a strand of hair out of his face. “Take it easy Rarity...” He stretched his arms over his head. The unicorn turned to him. “Sure, I wasn't all there but what happened, happened.”

“Then why did you rush over to Twilight like that earlier as if the world was ending?”

Jay was silent, staring up at the roof. Eventually he spoke up. “The princesses told me that there was a very slim chance that I would be able to go home again and that they'd let me know if it was possible.”

He rolled over on the couch, meeting her royal blue eyes with his hazel. “If I can't go home, that will suck and will probably sting for a long time. But if I can...” His gaze averted from her. “Sure, I've made some friends here but I don't want to get too attached if I can help it.”

He held up his right arm toward her, holding his thumb to the side and the pointer up as if framing her. “I keep everyone at an arm's length. If I do it like that, going home will be easy. Write off my house to one of you guys and giving the bits I have left to Spike.” He relaxed and ran his right hand through his hair. “Sure, it may seem cold but then I can just up and leave, no strings attached. But...”

“If you start a relationship and grow feelings, you may not want to go home at all?” Rarity said with a small smile.

“Nailed it.” Jay replied with a smile of his own.

“So you have planned ahead already?”

“Wouldn't exactly call it that but I'm only preparing myself.”

“And what if it will take years for you to go home?” Rarity levitated away a roll of fabric and fetched another. “Will you be on your own in that big house and avoid forming bonds?” She hummed. “If you go on and be strong for yourself for too long, you forget about the ones around you.”

“You'd have a roof over your head of course but you wouldn't have anyone that would understand you.” Rarity raised a hoof and tapped her chin. “You would hold in all your thoughts and that can lead to some awful things...”

Jay contemplated her words. 'Shit, guess she's making sense...' “Then... What should I do..?”

“Listen to yourself. Deep down, you know what you want to do.” Rarity glanced at him and winked.

“Hm.” Jay stood up from the couch and brushed himself off, walking over to Rarity. “Thanks for the help. I gotta get going. I have to catch up to Strawberry cause I don't know where she lives...”

“She lives in the other side of town, opposite side from your house. Follow the street right outside down and then left.” Rarity said, without missing a beat.

“...Oookay?” He stared at her.

“Oh don't act like that, everypony here knows when someone new moves in.” Rarity shuddered. “Especially if you're friends with Pinkie...”

In a move that shocked both, Jay crouched down and gave her a one-armed hug, then jogged off to the door, waving his goodbyes. “Later!” Rarity shook her head.

“That brute...” She said with a smile.

---

“-And eleven months later, a baby pony comes.” Fluttershy stammered out, staring at her friend who was looking shellshocked.

“W-wh-wha-what?” Twilight's face was beet red and she was holding her tail, her ears pinned down to her head. “J-Jay did all that to somepony..?”

“Based on how he described it, yes...” Flutttershy squeaked and hid in her mane, not daring to meet her friends gaze.

Twilight's mind shut down and restarted with a violent jerk of her head. “Why would he do all that with somepony all of a sudden?” She said, her voice a much higher pitch than usual.

“W-well... S-someponies do it cause they think it f-feels nice...”

“Do you?”

“N-no!” Fluttershy twiddled her hooves. “But there was that one time with Thunderlane...” Realizing what she just said, Fluttershy clamped her hooves over her mouth.

“Anyway, we have to find out who it was...” Twilight bit her lip, deep in thought. Fluttershy let out a relieved sigh as she noticed that Twilight hadn't heard her comment.

“Isn't that Jay walking past right there?” Fluttershy pointed a hoof. Outside, they saw the human trudge along slowly, hands in his pockets as if deep in thought. Twilight's eyes narrowed.

Faster than what Fluttershy expected, Twilight shot up from her seat and ran toward the door and slammed the door open with her magic forcefully.

Jay turned to Twilight wide-eyed and gave her a sheepish wave. Fluttershy thought Twilight would approach this calmly and with reason and logic like the bookish unicorn usually did.

“EUGENE JAMES ANDERSEN!” Twilight yelled at the top of her lungs, making the human flinch.

Well, like she usually did most of the time.

Comments

[Desti]

Aw shit, she done said the full name. She's pissed

[Miles Skywalker]

... I'm betting that Twiggles wanted to be first. Am I reading into this too much?

[D48]

Heh, go Rarity. I really like what you did with her in this chapter and am very curious to see how this conversation affects Jay in the future.

8883453
Considering she just learned about it, that seems highly unlikely. That said, she is obviously functioning on far too little information and understanding which always leads to shenanigans so the next chapter should be all kinds of funny. Especially if Jay decides to fuck with her head with a line like yours.

[Marmo]

As i scroll down chuckling and wiping my eyes dry from a happy laugh I noticed that the "next charpter" button is missing.
With a twitching eye i stare at the screen and realise the tragedy.

I demand more. I need more. Especially when life is hard nice sories like this can brighten up many days.

Cheers.

[Blackshadow of Abys]

Nooooo I binged now its over!!!!

[AJFox]

You realise if he was that drunk, and she wasn't at all...and they had sex...he was raped, right?

[No0one]

Please continue

[Symphony]

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8888416
It's going through edits right now, it will be up by tomorrow.