A taste of Coconut
A Taste of Coconut
lilinuyasha
You stare out the bus window, watching trees and rocks and various other scenery fly by. The lull of it was putting you to sleep, but any time you would try to drift off, the bus would hit a pothole. You would never be allowed to sleep, it seems.
“Manehattan, 30 miles” you hear the microphone say. You sigh, looking back out at the scenery. Just yesterday, your parents received some terrible news, rendering them to leave in a hurry. You, meanwhile, couldn’t go with them, for whatever reason. Instead, you were being sent over to Manehattan to stay a few days with a distant friend of your parents, who, strangely, was around your age. You knew little about her. All you knew is that she was some aspiring fashion designer, something that was definitely not your thing. Yet, you had to be helpful. You were her guest, after all.
The wheels on the bus slowly grind to a halt outside of the Manehattan bus station. You quickly hop off, gathering your things. You didn’t even know what this pony looked like. How did they expect you to find her? Almost as if answering your question, you see a white pony with a teal mane awkwardly holding up a sign with your name on it. You trot over to her, luggage in tow.
“Hello!” you say, trying to be friendly. She gives you a somewhat cautious smile back, dropping the sign to extend a hoof to shake. You promptly shake it back.
“Hello. My name is Coconut Pommel. I guess you’re the stallion I’m supposed to find, huh?”
“Well, I’d hope so.” you say, getting a better look at her. She was cute. Adorable, even. “I mean, you don’t want to take the wrong pony home, do you?”
“No, of course not. I guess...um...this way.” she said, turning around, trotting off towards the street. She hailed a taxi, promptly hopping inside. You throw your bags in the back, taking a seat on the opposite side of her. She gives an address to the driver, who takes off.
“So...” you start, looking to initiate a friendly conversation. “What brings you around here?” you say, awkwardly, before realizing the level of stupidity of your statement.
“You. I had to come pick you up, silly.” she said, giving a small smile.
“Yeah, I knew that. I meant Manehattan in general.” you reply, trying to save yourself. Smooth. Real smooth.
“Oh, silly me! I’m a fashion designer. I just design and sell clothes. it’s kind of boring, really. Nothing too exciting.”
“Well, if you enjoy it, then it’s exciting, right?”
“I enjoy it. It just might seem boring to you. What is it YOU do?”
“Oh, nothing big. I mostly just help out around town. I’m a general handyman. No specific talent, but I’m good at a lot of things that require fixing.”
“Oh. I guess that means if something breaks, I can call you up, huh?” she says, giving another small smile, trying to warm up the atmosphere.
“I suppose so. But I just got here, so at least give me a little time to know where I am!” you say, to which she giggles a bit, a faint shade of red across her nose. The carriage grinds to a halt outside of a small neighborhood with some rather quaint, modern-style houses. You hop outside as she pays the taxicolt. You grab your bags as he drives away.
“Over here. Would you like me to get that for you?” she asks.
“Oh, I got it. Thank you, though.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”
“Yeah, I got it. Thanks, though.” You say, as she turns around and trots off towards a house closeby. She gets her key out of her saddlebag, and pushes open the door, trotting inside.
“I’m sorry for the mess.” she starts, flipping on some lights, revealing a nearly immaculate living space. Far nicer than what you were accustomed to having your room in, anyway. “I know it’s not much. It’s just a little hole in the wall.”
“It’s a lot nicer than my place.” you say, giving her a friendly smile.
“Well, I hope it’ll be good enough for the next few days. How long ARE you staying, anyway?”
“Just a week at max, unless you get sick of me early.” you joke.
“Oh, no, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” she says, giving you a small grin. “Are you hungry? It’s almost dinner time.”
“Yes, actually. What do you have in mind?”
“Nothing fancy. Just a salad. Unless you’d rather try some of the restaurants around here?”
“I’ve never had any authentic Manehattan cuisine. I’ve also never had your cooking. I’m sure they’re both fantastic.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that...” she says, a small blush across her face as she looks away. “My cooking’s not that great.”
“Well, I’m sure it will definitely hit the spot.”
“Well...thank you.” she says shyly, looking back up at you. “How about we try the deli across the street? It’s a local favorite.”
“That sounds lovely. Which room is mine?”
“Oh, yes, I totally forgot! Silly me! Right this way” she says, leading you down a small hall. She opens a door, revealing a rather extravagant guest room. “It’s not much, I know, but I’m sure it’ll do for the next week or so.”
“This is a really nice place. I don’t understand why you think this isn’t much.”
“It really isn’t! Everypony else has much nicer houses. I just prefer the small, quaint, homey feel. Nothing too opulent.”
“Well it certainly suits you.” you say, setting your stuff down. “Now...shall we eat?”
She giggles a bit, saying “Yes” with a smile. You return her smile with one of your own and you both trot out towards the local deli.
“I know you haven’t been here long, but I hope you’re enjoying Manehattan so far.” she says as you trot along.
“Oh, it’s definitely something new and exciting. There’s lots of really pretty things to see!” you say, suddenly realizing you were looking straight at her upon saying that.
“Oh, you haven’t even seen downtown! Downtown is so much more metropolitan! There’s so much art and statues and musicals...it’s a very pretty part of town.”
“I don’t doubt that. But I do enjoy the quaint homey feel as well, so I feel comfortable over here on this side of town with you.”
She smiles a little bit at you as you near the restaurant. You hold the door open for her, allowing her to go inside before following her up to the register. Coco, already ready to order, looks over at you as you contemplate the menu.
“You know, the alfalfa salad is the popular choice. Personally, I prefer the Hay burger.”
“I guess we’ll try the hay burger. Mustard, no mayonnaise.”
“Coming right up, sugar.” says the cashier, sending the order ticket to the kitchen. You and Coco both take a seat at an empty booth near the window, watching the nightlife of Manehattan pass by.
“It’s always so pretty seeing the lights out there.” she says, still gazing up at the nearest skyscraper, its frame interspersed with the lights of the occasional room.
“I guess. I much prefer the stars, myself.”
“The lights are always so bright here, I can never see the stars.” she says, almost ashamed.
“Well, we’ll have to fix that then. A starry night is one of life’s little joys. Definitely something you do with a special...” you say, stopping before you dare make mention of special someponies.
“Special somepony?” she asks, staring right at you attentively, seemingly devoid of any emotion.
“Er...yeah. But anypony can enjoy it, really. You don’t have to be dating.”
“Oh. I guess it doesn’t really matter to me, anyway.” she says, looking away.
“Why not?”
“Well...” she starts, before the waiter interrupts, bringing your plates of food.
“You two enjoy!” he says, scuttling off to deliver other orders.
“Go ahead, try it!” she says, taking a bite of her own burger. You take a quick bite, the delicious, savory flavors suddenly becoming all that you can concentrate on.
“Oh, Sweet Celestia...” you manage to say. “That is delicious!”
“I thought you’d like it. Much better than whatever salad I was going to make, anyway.”
“That remains to be seen.”
“Perhaps tomorrow night.” she giggles. “So...why not tell me more about yourself? I’d like to get to know the pony I’m going to be housing for the next week.”
“There’s not all that much to tell, really. What is it you want to know?”
“Just hobbies, favorite color, just stuff like that.”
“Well...I really like playing frisbee. My favorite color is red. I’m definitely a dog person. I’ve lived in a small town pretty much all of my life, and this is my first time to Manehattan.”
“I really like playing frisbee, too! I haven’t had an off day in so long, I can’t remember the last time I played it...my favorite color is teal. I’m more of a cat person. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. It’s not like I brought a dog with me.”
“Oh, no, of course not. “She giggles. “But I do have a cat. I hope that’s no problem.”
“I hope so, too.” you say, taking another bite.
“So...” she starts, seemingly afraid to ask the next question.
“So...?”
“Well...um...what’s life like back at home? In a small town?”
“It’s definitely not as eventful as Manehattan, that’s for sure. There may not be all these musicals and downtown sights to go to, but it’s still a lot of fun. A lot of work, sure, but we have lots of social events that get the entire town together, and we also have a lot of fun. After I’m done for the day though, I just like to go outside and stargaze for a while.”
“Alone?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Oh, that sounds awful!”
“It’s really not that bad.”
“But...you said stargazing was something multiple ponies do!”
“Perhaps, but I don’t have anypony to stargaze with. My parents are usually too tuckered to, and my sister moved from home a long time ago.”
“Oh, you poor thing.”
“Eh. I’ve gotten used to it. What about you? Do you have a special somepony?”
“Um...no...” she says, looking down at her hooves, an embarrassed blush coming across her cheeks.
“There’s no shame in waiting for the right one, you know.”
“I know. I just get so frustrated because I never have any time! Even if I wanted to meet somepony, I couldn’t. I just keep hoping they’ll land in my lap or cross my path, I guess.”
“I know that feeling, actually. Living in a small town, there’s nobody new to meet.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Life goes on.” you say, pausing to take one last bite of your burger. You motion towards the waiter nearby to bring the check.
“I guess so.” she says, finishing up her own burger. The waiter plops the bill down on the table. You hurriedly throw down bits and some change to pay before Coco can even object. She sighs heavily, closing her coin purse. “You didn’t have to do that. You’re my guest, after all.”
“I know. I wanted to. It was no trouble at all, dear.”
“Dear?” she blushes.
“Yeah. Dear. Like, you know, a term of endearment.”
“Oh.”
“Is that not something you commonly say up here?”
“No...that’s a term meant for couples, really.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry. Where I’m from, it basically equivalates to female friend.”
“I don’t mind.” she says, giving a small smile, a faint blush across her cheeks.
“Well then. It’s getting pretty late.” you say, looking at your watch. “Shall we head back home?”
“Sure.” she says, as you both leave your booth, trotting out the door back towards her home. You engage in essentially meaningless small talk all the way to the door, as she undoes the latches and steps inside. You hear a small jingling bell, and not too long after, a huge, puffy cat shows up at your legs, rubbing against you, purring.
“Fluffy seems to like you!” says Coco, smiling. “He’s very friendly, don’t worry.”
“Oh, I’m not.” you say, petting him with one hoof. He rubs himself against you again, purring even louder. You rub behind his ears as he plops down on the floor beneath you.
“Don’t worry, I’ll have him out of your way soon.” she says, heading off to the kitchen. You hear the shaking of a can of cat treats, and he’s off the ground below you, nearly shedding his entire fur coat dashing away. Coco mutters some typical pet words, as you trot into the kitchen to meet with her. She yawns heavily, nuzzling up against Fluffy one last time before turning towards you.
“You seem tired.” you say, before yawning a little yourself. “I guess I am too.”
“Yeah. It’s been a long day.” she giggles. “I do have to work tomorrow, so the house is going to be empty for a little bit. You know where the nearby restaurants are, but there’s some stuff in the fridge. Make yourself at home. You’re here for a week, you might as well.” she smiles.
“Yeah. Thanks again for letting me stay with you. I don’t know how much of a choice you had in the matter, but I thank you for sacrificing your time and home for me.”
“Oh, it’s nothing, don’t worry.” she says, stepping closer to you. “I haven’t had company in a long time. I’m glad to have someone visit! Now, the bathroom and showers are to the left of your bedroom. I’ll leave a housekey on the table. If you need anything, my room is across the hall from yours. I hope the room is tidy enough.” she says, as if going through a laundry list of things to tell you. “Sleep well.” she says, giving you a small, quick hug. nothing too long, nothing too big, but just enough to catch how nice she smelled. She breaks the hug, giving you a gentle smile before trotting down the hall towards her bedroom. “Good night.” she says, closing it behind her.
“Good night.” you say, trotting off towards your own room. You don’t bother unpacking. You slip right into bed, under the covers. You stare up at the ceiling for a little bit, contemplating the day’s events, being thankful for Coco’s hospitality. You gently close your eyes, the last thing you hear being that of Coco’s hooves clopping against the hardwood hall, as she drew some bath water.
***
You looked down the long hallway. A door was open, casting a long trail of light down, stopping just short of your hooves. A shadowy figure appears in the doorway, beckoning you near with its hooves. Almost instinctively, you gallop towards it, but no matter how fast or far you run, the door stays the same distance away. Suddenly, something catches your hind leg and you sprawl forward, smashing your head on the ground. You look up towards the door just in time to see it slam, plunging you into the darkness.
You snap awake, sitting up straight in bed, panting. You bring a hoof up to your jaw where you can still feel the sting from the nonexistant injury. You take a deep inhale, sighing as you throw back the covers, opening the nearby blinds to see the sun shining bright, blinding you as you fall back on the bed, groaning.
Eventually, you roll off the bed onto your hooves, opening the door, seeing a hoof-written note directly in front of you on Coco’s door. You take it down and read it.
I hope you slept well. You were certainly sound asleep when I checked on you earlier! I had to go in to work. I left some breakfast and lunch stuff for you, as well as some bits in case you wanted to go back to the deli. I should be back around 5:30 and we can have dinner then.
-Coco
You smile a bit as you read the note. Though short, it was certainly sweet, a small notion of appreciation. You stick the note back on the door, accidentally pushing it open, making the door creak. Fluffy runs from a corner of the room, meowing, zooming past you towards the living room. You look back towards Coco’s room, seeing a bed not quite made, floral prints everywhere, and a scratching post in the corner. You feel bad about it, but curiosity gets the best of you and you step inside, smelling fresh clean linens. A set of drawers catches your eye, and you begin looking through them. There’s nothing to find outside of shirts, socks, leggings, sweaters, etc. In the bottom drawer, however, you find a small cardboard box that shows dishware on the outside. You take it out, opening it up carefully. Inside, you see a small leatherbound journal. Curious, you pick it up and take a peek. After reading a few pages, you can tell...it’s a diary. You subconsciously took side to side, checking for Coco, before realizing just how stupid that looks. You go across the hall to your bathroom, drawing some bathwater, sitting down to read a few pages.
***
Today was the first day of my job in Manehattan. I finally managed to make my dream come true. I’ll be working as an assistant to some aspiring designer. She seems alright so far. I haven’t been able to do much other than get her coffee. I guess time will tell. In other news, I’ll be moving out of the house into my own place by next week. It seems exciting to be starting this new chapter in my life, but I know I’m going to miss it when I’m gone.
---
It’s been a week since I’ve moved into the house and it’s been pretty lonely. All I have time to do is work, eat, sleep, and repeat. I never have time to meet other ponies or be sociable. Yet, my mentor has all the time in the world. Something tells me she’s not very appreciative of my efforts. Hopefully something will change soon.
---
Well, this has been an interesting week. My mentor recently entered in some fashion competition. Long story short, she wound up stealing one of the other contestant’s fabrics after taking advantage of her generosity. Then she tried to prevent her from winning when she got upstaged at the show. I couldn’t stand for that, and reported her to the event organizer. I wound up seeing her at a private performance of Hinny of the Hills later and handed her the trophy myself. I was jobless until she surprised me by letting me take her spot as costume designer of his next musical. It was a great day. It baffles me how somepony can be as generous and nice as her. I guess I should try and act the same.
---
It’s been a while. I’ve gotten settled into my new job. It’s paying pretty well and I can actually afford to live where I do now. I can actually buy groceries and eat and live. It feels wonderful. He’s an amazing boss to have because he’s nice about deadlines and makes me feel like a valuable equine. I still have the small plight of time. I’ve never had time to meet anypony else. At this rate, I’ll be lucky if I have a special somepony by 30.
---
I came home today to find a stray cat on my porch. One of those big, fluffy white cats that just looks like it came out of the washing machine. As I came up, he meowed at me, rubbing my legs. I dunno where he came from, but I’ve decided to adopt him as my own. My house feels a lot less lonely with someone there wanting me. He really likes the attention, too. I guess we’re both a little deprived, perhaps. I’ll make sure to get some cat food tomorrow.
---
I got a strange call late last night. Apparently some friends of my parents need to hurriedly rush out for some emergency and their son needs a place to stay for a week. Naturally, they put the responsibility on me. I’ll be picking him up at the train station day after tomorrow, so I’ll have to request part of the day off. This seems like it could be a nice change of pace from my normal routine. I’ll spend some time getting things ready for his visit tomorrow. Fluffy has made the place a mess!
---
I picked this mysterious pony up this afternoon. Turns out, it’s a very nice stallion! He’s also pretty cute, so I’m not complaining about having him here for the week. Hopefully I can show him lots of fun things that Manehattan has to offer. I hear he’s from a small town. He had a lot of interesting conversations at the diner tonight. I think he’ll be a fun pony to talk to.
***
You feel some scalding water on your back and scream in agony as you suddenly realize you forgot to stop the water. You hurriedly shut it off, galloping back to Coco’s room to put everything back in its place. You close her door, putting some towels down on the floor, mopping up the water. You sigh. You’ll have to wait a bit before you can drain that. You should’ve tested it first. Oh well, you say to yourself. In the meantime, you head to the kitchen to get something to eat.
***
“I’m home!” you hear Coco shout, as the front door slams behind her. You hear Fluffy’s bell jingle as you trot out of your room towards her.
“Hey!” you say, giving her a friendly greeting.
“I’m glad you haven’t disappeared yet!” she says, setting her saddlebags down at the door.
“Why would I?”
“Oh. I dunno. It was a joke, I guess.” she frowns, reflecting upon her failed attempt at comedy.
“Oh. Well, I’m still here, don’t worry.”
“I won’t. Are you hungry?”
“Yes, actually. Would you like any help with dinner?”
“Oh, I can get it, it’s fine.”
“But you’ve had a long day. Why not let me help?”
“Oh. If you insist.” she says, giving you a smile. “It’s really easy.”
“I’m not worth the more complicated stuff. Are we having that salad you talked about last night?”
“That’s what I was planning. Is that alright with you?”
“Certainly. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Um...good point. Let’s get started shall we?” she looks down towards her hooves in slight embarrassment, shuffling over to the kitchen. It didn’t take you two long to get dinner fixed, and you both sat down at the table opposite each other, happily munching away, making short small talk as the evening progresses. You make each other laugh, genuinely enjoying the pleasure of each other’s company until you can’t eat any more.
“I’m stuffed. That was delicious.” you say, getting up from the table, taking Coco’s plate over to the sink.
“Oh, no! You don’t have to do that!” she hurries after you. No sooner than she had reached you, the lights in the entire house shut off, plunging the both of you into darkness. You dropped the plates into the sink in fear while she, however, yelped and clung onto you tight.
“Looks like a power outage.” you say, looking out the window, no longer seeing the lights of skyscrapers and apartments.
“Oh.” you hear her mutter, as she releases from you. “Sorry. I got scared.”
“Don’t worry. Looks like the entire city’s out. Which means...” you say, looking out towards the night sky.
“Which means...?”
“Come on.” you say, trotting to her backyard. You lay down on the grass, looking up towards the sky as she takes a spot beside you.
“What are we doing out here?”
“You’ll see.” No sooner than you finish saying, the night sky slowly starts showing bright white spots. You hear Coco gasp and look over to see a bright, wonderful smile across her face, shining almost as bright as the night sky itself.
“Wow! Are these...is this...are we stargazing?”
“Are we gazing up at the stars?” you say slyly.
“I haven’t seen stars in years! I’ve forgotten what they look like! Oh, it’s so much more beautiful than I could imagine!” she starts. You look back up towards the sky as she continues expressing her amazement, like a small foal exploring the big city. Or, perhaps, a small country bumpkin such as yourself seeing Manehattan for the first time. “Oh my gosh, this is so amazing! I can’t believe I’m seeing stars for the first time in a long time!”
“Sometimes it’s fun to just look up at them and think.”
“About what?”
“Anything. Life, death, love, money, anything that suits your fancy.”
“Oh.” she says, staring up into the sky. The two of you lay there in silence for a little bit, enjoying the show.
“You know...” you start, putting your hoof away from your chest onto the ground beside you. You immediately feel it rub against Coco’s, the soft fur fringe around her hooves gently tickling your own. “Sorry!” you say, as you both immediately jerk your arms back to whence they came. Out of the corner of your eye, you see her turn her head towards you. You roll yours over to see her smiling at you, laying her hoof out again. You return her smile with one of your own, grabbing her hoof with yours as you both stare back up at the night sky, enjoying the pretty lights, holding hooves like nopony’s business.
***
You gallop down the hall again, chasing that light from the open door. A shadowy figure still stands there, but you can make out a shape this time. you gallop down the hallway, the door nearly in reach. You remember what happened last time and jump over whatever obstacle tripped you last time, only to slip under what feels like vegetable oil. You faceplant, seeing the door in front of you close, plunging you in darkness once again.
***
I held his hoof last night. At first it was an accident...the power went out and we wound up looking at the stars for a while. They were so beautiful...my heart was racing. I hadn’t seen them in years, and in the awe of seeing them, I accidentally touched his hoof with mine. We both moved away, but afterwards, I had to look at him. I put my own hoof back out because I wanted to hold him again. I don’t know why. Maybe it was because it was all so new. I looked over at him and gave him one of my smiles, trying to mask just how nervous I was. Then, just as I hoped, he took my hoof again. I was glad it was dark, because I’m sure my face was scarlet. For the rest of the night, I couldn’t tell whether it was him or the stars that was making my heart rush.
***
You close Coco’s diary, slipping it back in the box where it belonged. You felt horrible snooping through these entries, but it’s not like there was anything else to do. Besides, it was making you smile. You trotted back out into the main hallway, flopping down in the living room, planning out the rest of your day. Perhaps you would read some of the books she had laying around. Perhaps you’d clean the dishes for her. Something to help out, anyway. With nothing at all to do, there was too much time to do it.
***
“I’m home!” you hear Coco yell. She wasn’t supposed to be home yet...you trot out to the living room to greet her.
“You’re out early.”
“Yeah, I get out early on Fridays. It’s about the most of a break I get.”
“Well, you deserve it.” you say, coming up with an incredibly cheesy line out of sheer lack of knowledge of what else to say.
“Um...thanks.” she blushes. “What did you want to do for dinner?”
“It matters little to me. The Diner is fine, your cooking is fantastic.”
“Oh. Thank you. Nopony’s ever said that before.” she says again, blushing.
“How many ponies have you had over for dinner?”
“Well, none really.”
“Exactly. Say, we still have about an hour or two before dinner. Why not waste some time playing those games over there?” you say, pointing to a shelf near her TV hosting a plethora of various board games. You’d never had time to play them growing up, yet, having all the time you do now, they seemed like a good idea, and a great time to learn.
“Oh. Sure! Which one?”
“It doesn’t matter to me. I haven’t played any of them before.”
“Ever?” she says in shock.
“Ever.”
“Oh my goodness! You simply HAVE to play Hay or Stay! Oh, it’s one of my favorites! Let me put my stuff away and I’ll teach you!” she says excitedly, trotting off to her bedroom to take off her saddlebags.
“I HAVE to!” you mutter to yourself, snickering a bit.
“Ok, ok ok ok ok!” starts Coco, barely able to contain herself. She manages to get all the pieces out somehow, then hurriedly tells you the rules.
***
“...and I place my Hay bale at E3 for the win! Play again?”
“You’ve beaten me 16 times in a row.”
“But you were really close that time!”
“Yeah...let’s do something I might actually win.”
“Oh, alright.”
“Better yet, it’s almost dinner time. Why don’t I help you prepare something?”
“Oh, That would be lovely!” she says, trotting off to the kitchen. You follow suit, the happy helper. It didn’t take long before you finished, and you both took your seats at the table, across from each other.
“Say...” starts Coco, cutting through the normal small talk you were making.
“Yes?”
“Have you ever seen Neighborhood Neighsayer?”
“What is that?”
“It’s a movie.”
“Oh. No. I never really watched any movies.”
“Oh, it’s an hilarious film! You have to see it!”
“Is that how we’re spending the rest of the night?”
“Of course!” she starts, smiling. “No complaints, Buster!”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Good!” she starts, getting up to clean her dishes. “I’ll go ahead and pop it in.”
“Perfect.” you add, cleaning your own dishes. She hurries off to the living room, and you soon hear the opening advertisements as you set your plate in the dishwasher, trotting off to join her. You take a seat on the couch, on the edge so that she has enough space to avoid being too close to you. That seemed to matter little, though, as she plopped down right beside you. Close enough that you could feel her body warmth radiate against your side, but far enough away that she had enough space to wiggle around without touching you.
“Oh!” she yelps, hopping off the couch. “I forgot to turn off the lights!” She flips the switch, taking her spot back on the couch next to you, seemingly a little closer, though it could have been the lack of light playing tricks on you. The opening credits begin to roll, and you hear her yawn a small amount. “Excuse me!” she adds, showing that politeness. You smile at her and turn your attention to the screen, where our opening scene begins in the very town of Manehattan itself. Not even an hour into the film, you feel Coco slump up against you, sleeping through her favorite movie. You smile a little bit. It’s been years since the last time anything like this had happened, and even though she wasn’t aware she was doing it, feeling the rhythmic motion of her breaths against you, a small action you found so adorable, against you made you feel happy. You had little time to reflect on it, though, as a scene in the movie made a loud, sudden noise. Coco jerked awake, pushing herself away from you as soon as she realized she was slumped against you.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to fall asleep against you!” she frantically states, refusing to even look at you. “It was an accident, I swear! I’m so sorry...I’m just going to go...” she starts, trying to get off the couch. On a sheer, unadulterated impulse, you grab her hoof before she can trot away. She looks at your hoof, gently holding hers, then up to you, a faint shade of red on her cheeks, still visible even in the blinding darkness. You give her a small smile, pulling her back towards the couch, closer to you. She breathes a small sigh of relief and takes her spot next to you once again, cuddling up next to you again. You take your arm and pull her towards you, in a side hug that seems to say “It’s ok.” She buries the side of her face into your neck, and you lay your head on top of hers. It was in that moment that you could have sworn you felt her smile stretch across your entire neck. For as big as your own smile was, you didn’t mind.
***
You start off closer to the door. You once again gallop towards it at full speed. You can vaguely make out the shape out the pony in the light. It was a mare. The only other thing you managed to glean was the white coat. After that, you fell again, ending your dream abruptly.
***
Coco didn’t have work the next day, being a weekend, so you didn’t have any time to check her diary. Or any privacy, for that matter. She fell asleep on you once again last night, making you ecstatic. After the movie ended, however, (a terrible movie, you thought) you quietly snuck away, leaving her to sleep on the couch after throwing a nearby quilt on her. This morning, you woke up to the smell of hay bacon wafting about the house. After combing down your bedhead a bit, you trotted to the kitchen, seeing a smiling, happy Coco.
“Good morning!” you say enthusiastically.
“Good morning! Sorry for falling asleep on you again. I guess I just got comfortable.”
“Don’t apologize. I haven’t done that in years.”
“...years?”
“Years.”
“Oh my goodness!”
“Yeah. Sad life, but what can you do?”
“Nothing, I guess. I hope you’re hungry. I made a little more than I thought I would.”
“Don’t worry. I am.” you smile at her. She returns one of her own and returns to cooking. You offer your assistance where you can, and sit at the table shortly thereafter, munching away.
“How’d you sleep?” you ask, trying to make casual conversation.
“Clearly I slept really well. Did you throw a blanket on me last night?”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Oh.” she says, blushing a little. “You would have been more than enough, you know.”
“Uh...” you start, unsure of how to respond. “I’ll remember that for next time.” Coco looks down at her food, beaming.
“I hope that wasn’t too much.”
“Of course not. Don’t get upset. I wanted it, too.” you say, making her blush even more.
“Good. I’d hate to be overstepping the line. I mean, I don’t even really know you. You’re just a family friend. Yet, I feel comfortable with you. I feel like I’ve known you for a long time.”
“I get that a lot, actually. I guess it’s just my demeanor.”
“I think so.” she says, getting quiet, taking another bite. “I hope you don’t mind if I say this, but...”
“But...?”
“I...I really like you. You’re a lot nicer than any other stallion I’ve met in town.”
“Well, thank you. I’ve come to grow quite fond of you myself.”
She blushes again. “Thank you...so what did you think of the movie?”
“I thought it was pretty good.” you lie, not wanting to offend her.
“Good. I have plenty of others that are a lot better. Comedy, romance, romantic comedy...Actually, I have the perfect one.”
“I guess that’s what we’re doing this afternoon?”
“Do you want to?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“The Princess of Saddle Arabia. It’s a romantic comedy. You might like it.”
“I’m sure I will.” you say, preparing for another really bad movie. She smiles, taking her empty plate over to the sink. You look down, realizing you had barely even started on yours. You hurriedly shove it in your mouth, throw your dishes in the sink, and make your way to the living room. She starts the movie, snuggles up tight, and sighs.
“I promise I’ll stay awake this time.” she giggles. You chuckle a bit, putting your arm around her again, pulling her close and rubbing her gently.
“Oh, my favorite part’s coming up!” she says after an hour or so.
“Sunshine...” says the stallion on screen. “I’ve just been so crazy about you. I have no reason to love you, but God Dammit, I do.”
“Oh, Stormy...”
“Sunshine, it’s been tearing me up inside.” he said, scooting closer to her.
“Stormy...I’ve no reason to love you either but...I do. You just make me so happy.”
“Sunny, I want to do more than make you happy. I want to be yours.” he said, making a tear roll down her cheek in happiness.
“Then just shut up and kiss me.” Stormy wasted to time, nearly thrusting his lips into hers, a passionate liplock from an emotional storm brewing for a long time.
Coco squealed a little bit.
“You alright?” you ask, unsure of what exactly that noise was.
“Yes. It’s just so adorable! It’s so romantic...I’ve always wanted something like that...”
“Me too...” you say, sighing a little bit as the credits roll.
“Hey...” starts Coco, pulling away a little bit, looking you deep in the eyes. “I...”
“Shh.” you say, putting your hoof to her mouth, smiling as some deep-kindled fire started to roar between the two of you. Butterflies roam free in your stomach as you continued locking eyes. Her face shows a slight trace of red across her cheeks, but she didn’t smile. You take your hoof off her lips and stroke her cheek, moving her hair aside. She looks down, almost embarrassed. You move your hoof under her chin, lifting her head up to face you, seeing a small smile, a smirk, really, across her face as that blush line turned scarlet. Then...then the butterflies push you forward ever so slowly, leaning your face into hers until the tips of your noses touch, a small tingle of moisture before your lips touch, a warm, magical sensation sweeping your body. She leans forward into you, pushing your faces closer together as you fall back, making Coco lay on top of you. You don’t break the kiss, however. Instead, it grows more passionate as she tried to push herself further into you, her lips mashing into yours as her body forces its way into yours. You rub her back with one hoof as she slowly backs her face away, looking down at you, a small look of concern coming across her face.
“Don’t even apologize.” you say. She beams, letting out a small giggle.
“That movie always puts me in the mood.”
“The mood? This is just a mood?”
“Well..” she says, kissing the tip of your nose. “I guess not.”
You smile again, taking your other hoof behind her head and pulling her back into you as the amazing sensation of your muzzles nuzzling sends shivers down your spine. You give her slower, more gentle kisses, the soft smack of your lips a joyful noise. She slowly pulls away, and you open your eyes to see her staring down at you.
“I...this may seem an odd question, but...do you...want to...um...” she starts, looking for the words to say.
“Do I want to what, honey?” you say, calling her a sweet little name. She blushes and smiles.
“Come...to bed with me tonight?”
You stare at her for a little bit, unsure of how to respond.
“What does that entail?”
“Just cuddling, I guess...” she says, looking away.
“Sure.” you smile back at her. Your stomach growls at you. “But first, let’s eat some dinner.” she giggles at you, giving you one last kiss on the nose before slowly sliding off to the kitchen.
***
Coco yawns heavily against you as you watch the credits roll on yet another movie.
“Bedtime already?” you ask. She gives a gentle nod and trots over to her bedroom, looking back at you to make sure you were following. “I’ll be right there.” you say, heading to the bathroom. You close the door and look at yourself in the mirror, breathing heavily. It was just cuddling, you tell yourself. Nothing more. Things had certainly escalated between you two for whatever strange reason. You certainly enjoyed it, but cuddling up next to another pony in their bed was something you’d never done. What was the proper etiquette? How would you keep yourself from getting excited? And the bigger question...was this all that would happen between you two? Some part of you wanted more...you sigh, opening the door and heading off to her bedroom. You see her in bed already, her eyes closed. She opens them when she hears you, giving you a gentle smile, patting the mattress space next to her. You slip underneath the covers, laying a few feet from her in your uncomfortability. You feel her scoot back into you, creating a spoon of warmth as her flank touches your inner thighs. You nearly panic, afraid that was too close. Only her tail separated the two of you. You take your arms and put them around her, hoping it was the right thing to do. She gives a warm, gentle sigh and scoots even further back into you.
“You’re warm.” she says, giving a moan of being tired.
“So are you. Hopefully you don’t get too hot.”
“Oh...I don’t think so.” she says, patting your arm with her closest hoof.
“Well...good.” you blab, unsure of what exactly to say. You gently close your eyes and fall asleep with her in your arms.
***
The light, shining ever so brightly, seems just a few yards away...the shadowy figure gains color, and as you somehow manage to make your way into the doorway without falling, you stare right into the face of an old, old friend you recognize, but could never remember the name of. She waves her short cyan hair behind her ear and gives you a gentle kiss. You smile as you fall backwards, suddenly plummeting through a dark sky with her in your arms. Yet, you don’t feel afraid...you feel loved...and secure...something you hadn’t felt in a long time.
***
You snap awake, slowly opening your eyes to see Coco facing you, still soundly asleep. You give her a gentle kiss on the nose before heading off to the restroom. Even through the splashing of your urine on the water, you hear her snap awake and yawn. She makes some small noises of confusion, wondering where you went. You hear her go to her own restroom, and you wash your hooves and hop back in the bed. When she walks out, she gives you a warm smile, slipping back in with you, cuddling up against you, facing you.
“How’d you sleep?”
“Oh, pretty good.” she giggles, her breath with a hint of toothpaste.
“That’s good.”
“What about you?”
“Really well. Especially with you by my side!”
Coco giggles again. “You’re so cheesy...but I love it.”
“Cheesy?”
“Yes, cheesy. But I love it!”
“Well, that’s always good, right?”
“Of course.” she says, thrusting herself into you, kissing you madly. You stroke one side of her face as she rubs your chest. After about a minute, she pulls away.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing...I just...Oh, dear.”
“You just what?”
“I just...I...” she stutters, looking away, afraid to say anything. You bring her chin to your direction, making her look at you.
“You what?”
“I...want you.”
“You...want me?”
“Yes...I want...you...”
“What do you mean?”
“I...oh...” she moans, unsure of what to do. “I...want you...” Tears start rolling down her eyes. “I’m sorry...I shouldn’t have said anything...” she finishes, trying to leave the bed. You catch her and forcefully pull her back towards you, yanking her on top of you, your chests rubbing against each other, your noses touching.
“Coco Pommel...” you smile, stroking one side of her face. “I want you, too.” Her frown disappears and her tears turn to those of joy as she delicately thrusts herself into you, starting off with slow, passionate kisses before she starts slipping a little bit of tongue inside your mouth. You swirl your own tongue inside of her as well, rubbing her back, trailing your hooves farther and farther down her sides, eventually gingerly rubbing her cutie mark, making that area flinch in unconscious pleasure. Her legs squeeze together in ecstasy, causing them to fully lay inside of your thighs. You hear her gasp a little with you as you suddenly realize what she had come to lay on. She looks down at you, staring deep into your eyes with a small smile on her face. She gently rolls off of you to one side, rubs your face, and gently trails her hoof down your chest. The point of no return had finally come, and you realized the full extent of this as soon as she gently put her hoof between your legs, gives you a gentle kiss, and begins feeling your body, what was but a day ago a seemingly forbidden wonderland. It was then you come to realize you weren’t doing anything yourself, so you hurriedly place your own hoof on her belly, gently trailing down past her teats until you feel a small muscular lump, seemingly moist from anticipation. She shudders a little when you touch it, gripping your member in surprise. Yet, she never breaks the kiss. So...neither do you. She slowly pulls away, letting your lips linger as she opens her eyes. You make eye contact for several minutes, fondling each other before you eventually say something.
“Coco...are you sure?” you ask. She gently nods and kisses you again, gently trailing her kisses down your neck, through your stomach, until she finally reaches it. She gently kisses the tip, looking up at you, making eye contact. She gives a gentle smile before sticking the tip in her mouth. Her tongue starts waving over it, making small circles that make you arch your back in pleasure. You get short of breath and subconsciously reach one hoof out to her head and push down further. The heat and moisture makes a wonderful combination as she slowly starts working an up and down motion, sending pleasure shudders along your body. Some saliva gets free, gently dribbling down your shaft, lightly crossing along your balls, creating an itch you can’t scratch at the moment. You bring your hooves to your head, pressing on both sides of it as you let out a small, involuntary moan. She exhales quickly, as if smiling at one of your cheesy lines, and slowly works her way up, gently popping you out of her mouth with a small sound. She kisses the tip and hurriedly thrusts herself back up on you, kissing you with an unmatched ferocity. You continue kissing her as you put your hooves behind her back and roll over, putting her on the bottom.
“Your turn.” you say, kissing the tip of her nose, trailing your kisses down her belly, meeting her legs, which were closed. You look back up at her, and she gently nods. You smile to yourself as you pry them open, trailing kisses down her inner thighs until you reach the intersection. You gently kiss it, making her tremor before you gently lap at it with your tongue. She arches her back, pushing herself further into your muzzle as you start licking with more pressure. You lap faster, placing her deeper and deeper on your tongue to make longer strokes. You feel her hooves on the back of your head. You take this as a signal and go for the plunge, sticking your tongue inside of her. She gasps loudly, letting out a moan of pure, unbridled sexual ecstasy. She was warm inside. Oh so very warm. You gently insert and retract your tongue several times as she buries your face further inside her, squirming about as if trying to get away from it all. You refuse to let her as you wrap your arms around her legs, squeezing them tight, nearly sandwiching your head with enough pressure to explode. She squirms faster, making larger movements as you continue licking inside her, making generous swirls before pulling out to lick the outside. you hurriedly trail your kisses back up until you stare down at her, your fully erect love muscle ready to go inside. You maintain eye contact with each other for what seemed like hours. Finally, Coco kisses the tip of your nose, and looks into you once again, before giving you a gentle smile. She nods at you, wrapping her arms around your neck and pulling you down to her for a wild kiss of passion. With the confirmation you needed...you take the final plunge and thrust yourself forward, immediately feeling the moist, warm cocoon of her canal. She gasps, letting out a loud shriek, unable to concentrate on kissing you, letting her lips just linger there. You sit there for a few seconds, not moving, simply enjoying her kiss. She moves her hooves to your flank, pushing them forward, making you insert yourself further inside her. You start moving back and forth, pulling your head back, balancing on your arms as you look down into her eyes, swaying up and down with every gentle heave you make. Her lips, slightly parted, push hot air onto the bottom of your neck in short, small bursts synchronized with your pushes. She puts her hooves on your cheeks, slowly pulling you down to her until your lips touch again, in a slow, sensual fashion.
After several minutes, she suddenly, and without warning, pushes against the side of your head, rolling you over onto your back. Having slipped out, she reaches behind her and puts you back inside her, giving you a gentle, yet somewhat naughty, smile. She bends back over to kiss you as she starts bobbing her waist up and down, riding you along the full length of your love muscle. This position made her tighter, and though she was slick, you couldn’t focus on anything but the amazing sensation, and stopped kissing her, simply letting your lips lay lax upon hers, the only movement of yours being that of your hooves gently rolling up and down her sides. You exhale your own short, sweet breaths on her as she bends down and kisses your neck, that highly sensitive zone that drives you wild. Your neck squirms, tickled by her tender kisses as she leaves small wet patches of saliva, cooling from the room’s temperature to create an even more pleasurable sensation. Her juices run down your shaft, trickling over your sacks in another itch you can’t scratch. Yet, you don’t want to.
You manage to bring yourself to roll over, pulling yourself out of her. You flip her on her stomach, pulling her flank up as you position yourself behind her. She looks back over at you, that same gentle smile upon her face as you gently penetrate her, sliding in with absolute ease. You push and pound, her flank making a satisfying slapping sound as you make contact with it. She lets out small, gentle, high pitched squeaks and moans perfectly in time with your groans of ecstasy. Your pounding slows as you feel yourself weaken, her walls contracting and squeezing you as she has her first orgasm. You stop for a second, skipping a beat as you shudder in pleasure.
“Don’t stop...” she whispers, seemingly unable to find her voice. You smile to yourself and pick her up, throwing the both of you down on your sides as you continue pushing inside her, taking slower, but more powerful heaves. You pull yourself as close as you can against her, giving her a gentle nibble on her ears as she lets out even louder, involuntary squeaks and moans. She contracts again, her canal closing against your love muscle, making it even tighter as you continue to push in more powerful heaves. The headboard bangs against the wall as you get faster. “There...right there...” she mutters, exhaling intensely. You feel yourself weakening, coming to the precipice of your own ecstasy, a bond you had come to lovingly share with this mare.
“Coco..I’m...” you start, gently biting your neck, unable to finish your sentence as she contracts a third and final time, sending you over the edge. She squeaks loudly, letting out more involuntary moans that resound about her house as you groan into her neck. Everything, every idea, every moment of the week, all the time you’d spent with her, rushes into your head. You push yourself as far into her as you can shortly before you come down, losing those thoughts instantaneously, pulsing intensely inside of her as the both of you pant heavily. You lay there like that for several minutes, inside her, cuddling and caressing her with gentle neck kisses until you fall out of your own accord. She flips over to face you, staring into you with an intenseness you hadn’t seen yet, She smiles the warmest smile you’ve seen yet. She strokes your mane back behind your ear as you gently give her a nuzzle, following up with a kiss. She giggles. You chuckle. You stare back into her, lost in the abyss of her eyes as she rolls on top of you, kissing you as your seed oozes out of her onto your inner thigh. She yawns heavily, making you yawn also as she bends her neck down, rubbing against yours. You gently rub her back up and down as you close your eyes.
“I...” you hear her start. “Can I say something?”
“Anything, Coco.” you say, as she rolls off of you onto her side.
“I...think I love you.” she says, looking away, almost embarrassed. Why she would be embarrassed to say that after what just transpired is beyond you. You smirk to yourself and give her a slow, gentle, tender kiss, backing away slowly as you look into her eyes, brushing her short mane behind her ear.
“I love you too, Coco.” She grins from ear to ear before gently pushing herself back into you, giving you one last final kiss before burying her head in your chest. You pull her as close to you as you can, closing your eyes, attempting to drift off into sleep. The slow, gentle exhales from her nose get slower and slower as you notice her fall asleep before you. You give her one last kiss on the forehead before taking a deep inhale, giving a happy sigh, dozing off. You wake up in that same position the next morning, living the moment and kissing her nose. She snaps awake, staring deep into you, happier than ever. She buries her lips into yours, as the morning was spent exactly like the night before.