Today is the Day that I Love You
Where is she?
Jim Brody sat on the Manehattan Central Park Bench, consulting his watch like a warlock consulting a familiar. “C’mon, c’mon.”
The anxious bookkeeper smoothed back his prematurely greying hair, trying to cover up the bullseye of a bald spot on his head.
Two o’ clock. She said that she’d meet me here at two o’ clock.
Ok, Jimmy, calm down. Just calm down. He twiddled his thumbs nervously. Take a deep breath, count to four, then exhale. Some of the tension left his body, like steam being vented from a boiler.
It’s all right. She’’s just a little late, that’s all. She’d only returned to Equestria a few days ago so she was probably was working off a huge backlog of orders.
Jim folded his hands behind his head, balancing the picnic basket on his lap. So just relax. He took another deep breath. Relax and enjoy the scenery.
Thankfully, there was nothing quite as relaxing as a day in Central Park. The weather team had actually managed to get their act together this time; there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The sun, despite being a massive ball of white-hot hydrogen, seemed to be shining cheerfully, as if it had just come back from a successful first date.
Jim wasn’t the only one enjoying the nice weather. The park was packed with people and ponies. Over by the playground, he could see a human toddler attempt to give a pony ride to a pegasus filly. Over by a park bench, he could see two elderly griffons staring over a chess table, planning their next moves as intensely as if they were fighting an actual war.
Jim leaned back and relaxed, basking in the happy feeling. This was perfect. No war, little pollution, little crime…
Crime. Jim’s eyes shot open. Major crimes were extremely rare in Manehattan, there was still a chance, albeit small, that something serious could have happened to her.
The masochistic part of Jim’s imagination seized the opportunity.
Coco is tied up in some filthy warehouse by the water front. Disheveled, dirty, and bloody, she is blindfolded, bound, and gagged with a filthy rag. Behind her is an ominous-looking pony carrying a modified shotgun...
“Mister Brody?”
Jim jumped as if he’d kissed a lightning bolt, nearly upsetting his picnic basket.
“Are you alright, Mister Brody?”
Jim looked down to see a chocolate-brown Earth pony mare looking at him.
“Uh, yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Jim rubbed his neck sheepishly. Maybe his coworkers were right. Maybe he did have some stress issues. “Can I... help you?”
The mare brushed a lock of blonde mane out of her face. “Oh, sorry, where are my manners?” She composed herself. “My name is Fudge Ripple. I own the local ice cream shop.”
Jim stifled a snicker. He’d lived with ponies for over two years and their names still gave him the giggles sometimes.
“Uh, yeah, pleased to meet you, Missus Ripple.”
“Mister Brody,” the little pony all but exploded, “I just really, really, really, really wanted to thank you for finding my son.” She sniffed. “My little Chip means everything to me!”
Jim gave a small smile. “Uh, it was nothing, really. I just, walked him back to your place and-”
Something like a warm, furry vice wrapped around Jim’s midsection. He looked down to see the overexcited mare hugging him with the enthusiasm of a friendly anaconda. To an observer, she would have looked less like a pony and more like a bizarrely proportioned dog. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“It-was nothing-really-“ Jim gasped. How could something so cute be so ridiculously strong?
As if sensing that she was about to break him in half, Fudge released her death grip. “Sorry, sorry.” She dropped back on all fours “ I guess I got a little carried away there.” She blushed.
“It’s alright, it’s alright. I understand.” Jim rubbed his bruised abdomen. That was going to leave a mark.
“Well, I won’t be keeping you any longer!” With that, the overly-grateful mare jumped off him and started down the path. “Feel free to stop by the shop any time!”
“I will.” Jim brushed a bit of loose fur from his tweed jacket and readjusted his horn-rimmed glasses. He knew that ponies were an affectionate race, but that was ridiculous.
“Jim!”
Jim turned around to see a light tan Earth pony waving a hoof at him. He smiled and waved back, his worry evaporating like a bad dream.
Coco Pomel had that effect on him.
“Hello, Coco.“ Jim walked over to the Earth pony and gave her powder blue mane a friendly ruffle.
“Sorry I’m late.” Coco tugged at the sailor collar around her neck. “The needle on my sewing machine broke just as I was about to finish my last order.” She groaned. “You can imagine how fun it was to replace it.“
“Oohh…” Jim winced in sympathy. He was suddenly very grateful for being born with opposable thumbs.
“Yeah.” Coco sighed. “Sometimes, I feel that machine has a grudge against me.” She laughed softly. “Oh well, that’s life, I guess.”
Coco’s eyes fell on the straw basket in Jim’s hands. ”You brought a picnic lunch? Jim, you shouldn’t have.”
“I know. ” Jim smiled.
Coco smiled and motioned with her head. “C’mon, I know the perfect spot.” She started off towards the park’s central pond, Jim dutifully tagged behind like an older brother following his sister.
As the two walked together, Jim’s eyes found kept drifting towards Coco’s hindquarters like compass needles towards magnetic north. They were perfect. Plump enough to be soft and squishy, but not enough to be considered fat. Part of Jim wondered what it would be like to fondle those furry cheeks…
No! Jim slapped the side of his head. Bad thought! Very bad thought! He did not find Coco Pommel sexy. Not at all. They were good friends, nothing more.
A slick, fast-talking tone popped into Jim’s head. Don’t lie to yourself, Jimmy boy. You know you want her.
No, I don’t.
C’mon, Jimmy. She’s sweet, she’s charming, and she’s gotta flank that just won’t quit! What’s holdin’ ya’ back?
Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s because she’s a sapient pony?
So? Interspecies relationships are perfectly legal here. Supreme Court’s ok with it. Equestrian High Court’s ok with it. Hell, your cousin married a pegasus a few months ago and your family took it pretty well.
That’s different…
Oh, really? Care tah tell me how?
It… it just is! Now shut up!
The voice wasn’t convinced. Face it, Jimmy, you love her.
I do not!
Oh, really, then what’s that funny ‘coked-up butterflies in your stomach’ feeling you get when you see her? And why were you fretting so much about her just a few minutes ago?
Jim couldn’t answer.
Face it, pal. You love her. And she needs to know.
No! Jim stomped his foot. For the last time, he was not in love with Coco! She was a sweet mare, and a good friend, but he was not in love with her!
Jim slumped. Besides, even if he did love her -which he did not- there was no way she’d feel the same.
The voice paused for a second. Fine, spend the rest of your life in denial. See if I care.
With that, the voice melted back into mental white noise.
“Jim? Jim, we’re here.”
Jim shook his head. They were standing by the shore of Central Park’s small lake.
Coco trotted over to an old, gnarled oak tree and spread a blanket on the ground, unrolling it like a cloth tortilla.
“So, what’d you pack?”
“Oh, nothing much.” Jim set the basket on the blanket and started pulling stuff out of it. “Just a few cucumber sandwiches, a few carrot sticks, some cookies. And,” he pulled out a thermos, “a little homemade lemonade.”
“My favorite!” Coco smiled. She poured herself a cup of lemonade and took a delicate little sip, as if she were having afternoon tea with Celestia. Her eyes closed in contentment “Ahhh… it’s perfect.” She licked her lips. “Are you sure that this isn’t your real special talent?”
“Pretty sure.” Part of Jim wondered if there were ponies out there with lemonade-making cutie marks.
With that, Coco set down her saddlebag and fished out a small package wrapped in waxed paper. “Here. I got this for you during my last trip to Earth.” She smiled. “It’s not much, but I thought you might like it.”
“Thanks, Coco.” Jim held the package to his nose and sniffed. Could it..? He tore off the paper. “A roast beef sandwich!”
Jim just sat there, admiring the sandwich. This was incredible! Meat was hard to come by in Equestria. The only way to obtain it was to either have it imported from the Griffon Empire, or to have it imported all the way from Earth. Both of which were very, very expensive.
“Coco, how did you...”
Coco smiled. “I bought it during my trip to Earth. Thought you might like it.”
Jim turned the sandwich around in his hands, examining it like a jeweler examining a newly-found gem. “It must have cost you a fortune to get it through customs!“
Coco shrugged. “It wasn’t that much. Besides, after all that work you did helping me with my tax returns, it’s the least I could do.”
Coco noticed him staring at the sandwich. “Well, go ahead.” She motioned towards the sandwich. “Eat!”
Jim’s trance broke, and he tore into the sandwich like a lion into a freshly-killed zebra carcass.
The second the juicy meat hit his tongue, a star of pure flavor exploded in a supernova of deliciousness. By God and the Queen was it good. That rich taste, that pleasantly squishy texture, that rich juice that splashed onto his tongue with every bite.
It had been too long. Far too long.
“Thank you, Coco. Thank you.” Jim said dreamily. He stared up at the sky in contentment. He’d never had a better sandwich.
Coco tittered. “It was the least I could do.” With that, the little pony picked up a cucumber sandwich and daintily bit off a corner, then dabbed her mouth with a napkin. Needless to say, Jim’s heart melted like a crayon on a radiator. He swore, that mare could drive a monster truck through a horde of zombies and it’d be adorable.
Jim looked down at his crumb-covered shirt. Yet one more reason...
Jim stuffed the thoughts back into the recesses of his mind. Best not to think about them now. It’d just make things worse. “So, Coco, how was your business trip?”
“Great!” Coco said through a mouthful of sandwich. Her eyes shone like caged stars. “Earth’s such a fascinating place. Whenever I go there, it all feels so… deep. Everything just feels so rich, so complex.”
That seemed to be the impression a lot of ponies had of Earth.
“What about the meeting? Did it go ok?”
Coco’s face lit up, “Did it ever!” She held her hooves out. “Get this: Victoria’s Secret wants to feature some of my dresses in their ‘Best of Both Worlds’ fashion show.” Her tail swished back and forward excitedly.
“That’s great!” Jim gave Coco a congratulatory hoofbump. “I knew you could do it!”
It was incredible just how much Coco had changed over the past two years. When they’d first met at the Manehattan Performance Hall, she’d been a shy, insecure mare, starting out on her own for the first time. Now she was a confident, if still somewhat shy, mare, finally making a name for herself.
Coco jumped up and gave Jim his second pony hug of the day. Unlike Fudge Ripples’ bone-crushing bear hug, hers was strong, but not unbearably so. Jim got a whiff of Coco’s scent; the scent of rose oil from her perfume mixed with the animal musk he’d come to associate with ponies.
The scent seemed to seep into Jim’s system. His pulse quickened. His heart beat as if someone were holding it at knifepoint. Tiny bolts of lightning seemed to shoot through his body.
Not attracted to her, huh?
Jim frowned and cracked down on the rebellious feelings like a tyrant suppressing a riot. Each and every aberrant thought was beaten, packed away, and crammed into the recesses of his mind.
“Jim? Are you ok? You look a little flushed.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a little warm.” Jim stripped off his tweed jacket and set it beside the picnic basket.
Coco finished her sandwich and started nibbling on a carrot. For a second, Jim imagined her saying “What’s up, doc?” with a thick brooklyn accent.
“So, what about yourself?” She took another nibble of carrot. “Are you still working at the studio?”
“Yep. Still working for them.” Jim took a bite of carrot, enjoying the sweet, sharp taste.
“What are you working on right now?”
“Nothing much.” Jim sighed. “Just some general bookkeeping for the Hall. Nothing too interesting.”
“Well, I’d like to hear more.”
Jim waved it aside. “Trust me, Coco, it’s really boring stuff.” He snorted. “I’d probably put you to sleep in minutes.”
Coco rolled her eyes. “Jim, I once listened to a two hour lecture on the history of the spool. If I can handle that, I can handle whatever it is you do.”
And so, Jim tried his best to explain what it was that he did. From the look on Coco’s face, he could tell that she didn’t understand half of what he was talking about. Yet, she looked as though she was listening intently.
As the conversation carried on, it began to mutate. From personal matters, it moved to business. From business, it drifted to a debate over whether hands were superior to hooves. And from there, it inevitably turned to politics.
“So, if I’m hearing you correctly, your country’s Princess only rules for eight years at a time?!”
Jim held up a finger. “Firstly, my country has a president, not a Princess. And yes, they can only hold office for a maximum of eight years.”
Coco held her hooves to her forehead, as if the conversation threatened to make her head split. “And your ‘President’ can only pass a law if other people say so?”
Jim nodded.
“I’m sorry, but this… it just sounds so chaotic. All those different voices trying to shout over each other, nopony agreeing to anything unless somepony else approves of it. How does your government get anything done?”
Jim groaned. “It doesn’t.” That was yet another one of the reasons he’d immigrated to Equestria.
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s a hell of a lot better than some of the other systems back home.“ Jim looked around for a convenient segue away from politics. He found it in the form of some smooth stones by the side of the pond.
“Hey, Coco.” Jim walked over to the shore and picked up one of the saucer-shaped stones, bouncing it around on his palm. “You ever skip stones?”
“Sure.” Coco picked herself up. “My Dad and I used to skip them all the time.” She plunged a hoof into the water and fished out her own stone, holding onto it despite her lack of fingers.
Jim scratched his head. How does she do that? That had been one of the main things that bugged him about this world. The scientists said something about “Van Der Waal’s Force” and “Thaumic adhesion”, but really, they were as clueless as he was. It was yet another mystery in a universe glutted with mysteries.
Pushing the thought into the back of his mind, Jim tossed the little stone into the air and caught it with his other hand. “Bet you I can skip this one farther than you.”
Coco grinned. “You’re on!”
With that, Jim drew his arm back.
Pressure, Jim squinted and stuck out his tongue. Angle ok… Fire!
Jim flicked his wrist and flung the little rock like a stone frisbee. The little oblate spheroid ricocheted off the glassy surface once, twice, thrice, four times before sinking with a “kerplunk!”
Jim gave a satisfied grin. I’ve still got it. “Your turn, Coco.”
“Right.”
Coco reared back on her hindlegs and drew back her right foreleg. For a second, Jim could see the outline of thick, corded muscle under her coat, temporarily dispelling her “shy mare” image. She took a deep breath, flicked her fetlock, and sent the little stone skipping across the water as if Nightmare Moon herself was chasing it.
Jim’s jaw dropped. The little stone all but danced across the water, leaving a trail of splashes like ring-shaped hoofprints. Its journey only ended when it tried to skip off a unicorn’s head… on the other side of the pond.
“Sorry!” Coco gave a nervous smile, her cheeks redder than tomatoes. “Didn’t mean to hit you!”
The eggshell-colored unicorn gave Coco the evil eye and trotted off, nursing its bruised forehead. A young girl tagged close behind.
“Jim? Jim, are you alright?”
Jim snapped out of his skipping-induced stupor. “How… how did…?”
Coco smiled. “My Dad taught me.” She flexed a foreleg. “ Four-time Manehattan stone skipping champion.”
“They have contests for stone skipping?”
“Yeah, of course they do.”
Jim shook his head. Like many things in Equestria, it was best not to think too hard about it. It’d just give him a headache.
“So, Jim, now what?”
“Well, I’d like to know how you did that.”
“Well, it’s not that hard once you know how…”
From a lesson on expert stone skipping, the conversation then turned to a discussion over the relative merits of magic versus technology - the general agreement was that magic was more flexible, but technology was more reliable. From there, the conversation turned to the topic of the Princesses’ love lives, namely, whether they had any at all.
At first, Jim was pretty involved. Adding his own little anecdotes to the conversation. As the afternoon wore on, however, the conversation became increasingly one-sided. Coco did most of the talking while Jim contributed the occasional “uhm hum”.
He wasn’t interested in the conversation anymore. He was much more interested in the mare giving it.
The late afternoon sun made Coco’s impeccably-groomed coat shine like glazed pottery. As she lay on her side, her figure became more pronounced. Her round cheeks, her perfectly sculpted frame, dainty, yet powerful at the same time.
Coco wasn't beautiful. She was radiant.
And look at me. Jim looked down, short, dumpy, and nearsighted. A living stereotype of a nerd. He didn’t stand a chance.
Still, he could dream. As he stared at his equine companion, Jim wondered what it would be like to run his hand across that gleaming coat. His vivid imagination got to work. Yes, he could feel it beneath his fingers. It was so smooth and soft. Like running his fingers through warm, liquid silk…
“Mmmmm…”
Jim snapped out of his stupor to find himself running his hand along Coco’s back.
“Whoah!” Jim retracted his hand as if she’d suddenly become radioactive.
“What’s wrong?” Coco padded herself. “Is there something on me?”
“I’m sorry, Coco, I shouldn’t have-”
Coco pressed a hoof to Jim’s mouth. “Well, if you don’t mind, could you do it again?” Coco took Jim’s right hand and guided it to her backside. “That felt really, really good.”
“Uh, Ok…” Jim resumed petting the pastel pony.
“Ohhh…” Coco closed her eyes and groaned. “That feels so… very… good…” She pushed her head up against Jim’s hand. “If it’s not too much, could you also scratch me behind the ears? I’ve heard it feels really good.”
“Ok…” Jim dug two fingers behind Coco’s deer-like ears and started scratching.
“Oh… that… that’s incredible…” Coco sighed in bliss, nuzzling Jim’s hand like an affectionate, mutant cat.
The voice reconstituted itself from the mental background noise.
Now’s your chance, Jimmy. Say “I love you”.
No.
Say it.
No!
Say it, say it, say it, say it!
“Alright, alright, I’ll say it!”
“Uh, Jim?” Coco nudged the side of Jim’s face. “Jim, are you ok?”
The anxious accountant removed his hand from Coco’s head. “Coco… there’s...” He took another breath. The words didn’t want to go out into the big bad world. They wanted to stay in his nice, warm throat.
“Coco, there’s something I need… something I need to tell you.”
Another deep breath. This was it. The point of no return. “Coco Pommel… I love you.”
Coco’s eyes somehow grew even larger. Her pupils shrank to pinpricks.
“You… love… me?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
Jim nodded. For a second, pony and human just lay there, not moving, barely breathing. It was as if the entire universe had come to a screeching halt.
Finally, Coco broke the silence. “How long…?”
Jim shrugged. “I dunno. Months. A Year. Long enough.”
“Why?”
Jim raised an eyebrow. “Why not? You’re beautiful, kind, generous, and talented. You’re always willing to go out of your way to help others, no matter how much it inconveniences you.” Jim slumped. “And that's why I don’t stand a chance with you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Look at yourself, Coco. You’re one of the most talented fashionistas on both worlds, second only to Rarity. You’ve made costumes for some of the biggest productions out there. And me, well, I’m just a beancounter, working behind the scenes, calculating tax returns and crunching numbers. You deserve much better than me.”
Coco put a hoof on Jim’s shoulder. “Jim.”
Jim brushed the hoof off. “Coco, look, I know that we’ll never be a couple-”
“Jim!”
“But I’d still like to be-”
“I LOVE YOU, TOO, JIM!”
Every circuit in Jim’s head blew like a transformer in an electrical storm. His emotional gears seized with a grinding squeal.
“You… you…” He stuttered. His tongue felt like it was coated in lead.
Before Jim’s brain could reboot, Coco wrapped her silky-soft forelegs around his neck and pressed her soft pony lips against his. Jim convulsed. It felt as though someone had jammed a live power cable against his lips. He could feel her, smell her, taste her.
After a brief eternity, Coco released Jim, her cheeks as red as tomatoes. “Oh, I’m sorry, I-I couldn’t help myself It’s just that you-”
Jim held a hand against Coco’s mouth. The gears in his brain slowly started to turn again.
“Why me?”
Coco smiled. “Why not?”
“Coco, I’m a bookkeeper. I spend my days doing things that would bore most ponies to tears.” He looked down at his rather unattractive frame. “And I’ve got a body to match.”
A hoof brushed against Jim’s cheek. “Maybe, but you’re also one of the sweetest, kindest stallions I’ve ever met.”
“No, I’m not.” Jim slumped. If he was the kindest person she’d ever met, he’d hate to meet the meanest.
“Really?” Coco raised an eyebrow. ”Then who was the person who helped with my taxes last week during his day off?”
“It wasn’t that much. You just needed-”
“And who was it that helped that little lost colt you helped a day ago? The one Fudge Ripple won’t stop talking about?”
“So? The little guy was lost. I couldn’t just leave him there.”
“You walked with him for almost half an hour, in the rain. You were almost an hour late to work because of him”
“Yes, but-”
Now it was Coco’s turn to silence Jim. “And who never likes taking credit for anything?”
Coco wrapped her forelegs around Jim’s neck again.
“Jim Brody.” Coco hesitated for a second, as if she was savoring the moment. “Will you be my coltfriend?”
The resistance in Jim’s brain evaporated like dew. He pulled Coco close and kissed her like he’d never kissed before. Her taste was unforgettable, like roses and violets mixed with the warm, animal musk he’d come to associate with ponies.
In that moment, the rest of the world dissolved. The park, the city, Equestria turned to vapor and faded away. All that was left was Jim and the mare of his dreams.
After a much too short eternity, the two lovers separated.
“Wow…” Jim adjusted his glasses. His heart felt like an hyperactive jackhammer. “That was incredible…”
Coco gave him a friendly nuzzle. “I’m glad... you liked it.” She said in between breaths. She crawled onto Jim’s lap and rested her head on Jim’s chest.
“Uh, Coco?”
“Yes, Jim?”
“Everyone’s looking at us.”
Indeed. Quite a few park residents were looking at the pair. Some of them were smiling, some were frowning.
Coco just nuzzled her new coltfriend and smiled. “Let them stare.”
With that, they curled up against the old oak tree, basking in each others presence.
The voice popped up for the last time. You did good, Jimmy. You did good.just realized this is foreshadowing, nice
It was?
well, isn't the trip to the park technically now their first date?