> Love is Harsh
>  by MaxBeezy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Harsh and Hooves Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ms. Harshwhinny. The head of the Equestria Games. She helps to make sure that everything runs smoothly, from the lighting of the torch, to the safety of the events. If she’s not working on the Equestria Games, she’s working on next year’s Equestria Games. Everything has to be perfect in the mind of Ms. Harshwinny. She is the living, breathing, physical embodiment of the word professionalism.

She’s also my boss. 

I’ve been working in her office for the last few years, now. What started as an intern position in the Human Career Distribution act, has now elevated me to be her assistant. I have to do almost everything to make sure she is well taken care of. I have to get her coffee, I have to get her food, I have to pick up her dry cleaning, I have to transcript her calls and meetings, I have to read proposals aloud to her, all in unique voices to let her know that I’m acting like the one who wrote the letter. I’ve had as many breaks as she has, which is nearly zip. 

Our conversations are next to nothing. Aside from the usual “Good morning,” “Good night,” and the frequent requests, we haven’t had much in the way of personal chat, despite being in the same vicinity as one another for the past year since I got this position. The last time we had an actual conversation, was when she interviewed me for the position. I was so nervous, I thought I bungled it. Her professionalistic (is that even a word?) attitude disarmed me in the worst way, and I was “um” and “ahh”-ing my responses. Surprisingly, after we talked, she told me I had the job, so I guess she saw something that I didn’t.

Getting an assistant job as a human male in a world that is populated by anthropomorphic horses with the major positions of power given to females, it’s safe to say that possible accusations of discrimination or sexism are mostly absent. Despite a good thirty percent of the population being humans who have transferred over to Equestria, I still get a couple of dirty looks from the ponies, but not as much recently. As much as those in the office like to say that Ms. Harshwhinny’s attitude lives up to her name, she’s never looked at me as inferior. That, or she’s really, really good at hiding it.

I guess you can say, in that regard, she’s treated me rather nice, all things considered. It’s only fair that I do something nice for her. I don’t know her birthday, no one in the office does. Luckily, a holiday has come by, but I can’t help but be nervous about her reaction to me wanting to celebrate it with her.

Hearts and Hooves Day. 

It’s pretty much Equestria’s version of Valentine’s day. It’s interesting that hooves is in the title, as they only have hooves instead of feet. They certainly have hands and other human like appendages. If my world adopted this title, it’d be Hearts and Feet Day.

I haven’t seen her with anyone, so I don’t know if she’s in a relationship. After all, she’s called Ms. Harshwhinny, and not Mrs. Harshwhinny, but even then that doesn’t tell me much. I think a break could be good for her. Plus, I wouldn’t mind spending some time with her in a non-formal setting.

Being the holiday, we only have a half day of work. Once noon hit, the others start packing their things, and heading out. Ms. Harshwhinny however, is staying, and so am I. I can hear her shuffling papers in the office, and typing on her keyboard. She’s behaving as if there isn’t a holiday. 

I, on the other hand, am sitting at my desk, holding my Hearts and Hooves card in my hand. It’s a fairly generic card, all things considered. It’s a red card, with a “Happy Hearts and Hooves Day!” message inside. The store had this, or one of those cards that play a tune when you open it, and I wasn’t sure if she would appreciate that. That’s not to say that that’s all I have for her. I also have a reservation to the Italian restaurant Villapiano’s in Manehattan, and the Manehattan Pier is hosting a Hearts and Hooves Day event, with games and a ferris wheel ride. 

Oh, I should really just suck it up and go see her. 

Screw it, I’m doing it. I stand up out of my chair, and walk into her office. I see her typing away at her computer with one hand, and taking notes on her notepad with the other. In the corner of her peripheral vision, she sees me. She continues to work, not stopping to look at me.

“What are you doing here?” she asks in a cold manner, “You have a half day; you should be going home.”

“I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time, Ms. Harshwinny.” I say, acting as professional as possible.

“I’m a little busy, but I’ll hear what you have to say. I don’t want to keep your missus waiting.”

“Missus?” I ask.

“It’s Hearts and Hooves Day, is it not? I figured you’d have a date.”

“N-No…I…don’t have a date for Hearts and Hooves Day.” Yet, anyway.

“Oh. Well, then. What is it you want to speak to me about?”

“I…um….it would probably be best if…” I don’t finish my thought, as I hand out my card to her. This makes her stop typing and writing, looking at my card with confusion. Slowly, she reaches out and takes it, opening it up. She reads it at a glacial pace, despite having only five words inside. 

“What is this?” she asks.

“It’s…a Hearts and Hooves Day card…for you.”

“For me? Why have you given me a Hearts and Hooves Day card?”

“I…I was wondering…if…” I shuffle my feet, gulping down my fears at what I have to say next. “If…you’d like to be…my…special somepony…” God, it’s so weird to say that, but from what I’m to understand, it’s customary to ask this when asking someone out for Hearts and Hooves.

Ms. Harshwhinny’s face turns to stunned surprise, and a streak of crimson goes across her expression. She’s…blushing? Hey eyes alternate to me, and then to the card, opening it up to read again, and then back to me. Her face transforms from surprise into her signature serious face.

“You want to spend Hearts and Hooves Day with me?” she asks.

“Yeah…if you want to.”

“But, I’m your boss.”

“I’m sorry, is this a violation of something?” My mind goes blank. “Maybe I should check the rulebook. Hold on.” I turn to go back to my desk, when…

“No fraternizing with staff.” she says in a stern tone, causing me to turn back. “It’s the twentieth rule in the employee handbook. I figured, with you being my assistant, that you would be aware of the rules I have set for my employees.”

“I-I’m sorry.” Crap, I messed up big time. “I completely forgot. It’s just that…well…you’ve been so busy lately, and I realize that I haven’t done anything to show my gratitude for you giving me this position, and I wanted to give you a break from…all this.” I gesture around her office. “Just a bit of relaxation before going back to work.”

“And you thought that asking me out on a date was the appropriate response?”

“Y-yes-No!” I try to correct myself, “Not a date. A…uh…” Think fast, Man! “Rendezvous. Yeah, that.”

Ms. Harshwhinny puts the card down on the desk, tapping her fingers against it in a small beat. Her eyes stare at me, as if piercing me with her gaze. I can see the cogs in her head turning. Is she going to reprimand me? Worse, is she going to fire me?

“Let’s say I entertain the idea of going out with you…” she cuts through the silence with her authoritative voice, “…what is it that you have planned?”

“Well…I…” I have to remember my plans. Ah, I got it. “I booked us a reservation at Villapiano’s in Manehattan, and I wanted to take you to the Pier and spend some time there. Maybe play some games, ride the Ferris wheel?”

“And…what were your intentions afterwards?” she glares in an almost accusatory manner. Come on, now, you should know me better than that. Still, I can’t blame her.

“I would take you home, wish you goodnight, and see you tomorrow? Or, go back to the office and work?” I’m honest with her, despite answering in the form of a question. “It’s your choice.”

Her fingers continue to tap on the desk. It’s such a threatening noise. Ms. Harshwinny always has that stature about her that suggests power and authority, almost like she’s royalty. She may not be a Princess or a Queen, but she sure carries herself like one. The tapping stops. Her palm lays flat on the desk, but her eyes continue to stare at me. Suddenly, she stands up, straightening her purple jacket to better showcase her tight figure.

“Very well.” she says, “I could use the break. But, this is not a date, understand?”

“I understand.”

“This is just a Boss spending some free time with her Assistant.”

“Absolutely.”

“There will be no ingestion of alcohol, no hand holding, no touching of any kind, except for a handshake at the end of the night. After that, we won’t ever speak of this again. Do I make myself clear?”

“One hundred percent crystal.”

“Good. Since you are the mastermind of this evening, I invite you to take the lead and bring me to your destinations.”

“Great.” I smile. I’m not fired, so this date…I mean…hangout…is going fantastic already. I open the door for Ms. Harshwhinny, allowing her to go through before me. It’s time to head out. I certainly hope I don’t screw this up.


	
The two of us walk along the sidewalk of Manehattan, saying nothing to one another, but looking ahead to our destination. All around us, I can see various couples happy and in love with one another, holding hands, hugging, kissing…and then there’s me and Ms. Harshwhinny, with none of that going on. I’m good with not attempting to join the cool crowd and reaching to hold her hand. She’s such a powerhouse of a personality, that I’m sure her physical prowess is just as herculean, and rip my hand off.

Then again, I did hold her hand once. During an inspection at the last Equestria Games, she slipped on the grass and nearly fell into a puddle, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her towards me before she hit the water, potentially ruining her nice suit. She had a strong grip, but when it lessened after I pulled her up, I noticed that her hands were unusually soft, too. That day was also the first time she ever said ‘thank you’ to me, too. A good day.

We make it to Villapiano’s and I continue with my chivalrous gesture of holding the door open to her. This isn’t really anything new for me; I always hold the door open for her, but there’s a tension in the air now, even though this is not a date. Or…that’s what she’s telling me.

The waiter in the front leads us to our reserved table. Center of the restaurant. I know she’ll like that. Whenever she’s having a business meeting at a restaurant, she always likes to reserve the dead center spot.

“Thank you.” I tell the Waiter, as he hands me the menu.

“You’re welcome, sir.” The Waiter smiles, then turning to Ms. Harshwhinny, “And welcome back, Madame Harshwhinny.” Hey! She’s been here, already?! Since when?! “Would you like some of our fine wine, this evening?”

“No, thank you.” Ms. Harshwhinny shakes her head. “No alcohol for me, tonight. An iced tea with lemon will do.”

“And for your date?”

“This is not a date.” she shuts that down fast, “This is a celebration for the wonderful job he’s been doing the past year.”

“My apologies.” he nods, looking to me, “For you, sir?”

“Same. Iced tea with lemon.”

“Very good.” he takes his leave. 

Ms. Harshwhinny immediately looks to the menu the moment the waiter leaves. I’m still stunned that she’s been here before, and she never told me. Well, she doesn’t tell me a lot of things, so I really shouldn’t be all that surprised, honestly. I’m staring at her for too long, I really should be…oh, she noticed.

“What?” she asks.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that you’ve been here before.”

“Don’t apologize for things that aren’t your fault. I never told you, so how could have you known?” her voice is stern, appropriately so. She’s caught me apologizing for things before, and she always tells me to stop it. Guess I haven’t grown out of it, yet. “In any case, this is my favorite restaurant. I’ve never tried Italian before, and I thought it was rather good. I misjudged the talents of humans when it came to food.” she sounds almost proud while saying that. “If I may, I recommend the fettuccine alfredo with mushrooms.”

“Oh…thanks.” I’m surprised at her tone. It’s…nice.

“I meant what I said, back there.”

“What?”

“That you are doing a wonderful job.” I believe her, but her tone has gone back to her serious tone. Maybe she caught herself in the nice mood and had to dial back. “I’m aware that humans have a wanting to know how they are doing, and I never told you that. So far, I am pleased with your work ethic.”

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to tell me. Me still working for you told me that I was doing at least a fine job.”

“Fine wouldn’t cut it for me. Fine is for second place. You are doing fantastic work, and it is due for me to commend you. I’ve never had an assistant last this long.”

“Can’t imagine why.”

“Excuse me?” she sounds offended. “I compliment you, and you joke?”

“N-No!” I clear things up “Not at all! I’m saying that with all the travel to great places, and comfortable work environment, I couldn’t see why your previous assistants didn’t stick around.”

“Oh…” she cringes slightly, probably at her outburst. “It wasn’t the locations that were the problem. Not many ponies could keep up with me. I’m pleased that you…a human…have managed to follow me close in every step, since I hired you to be my assistant.”

“I aim to please.” I smile. She doesn’t smile back, but she does nod. As much as she can be pleasant company, she doesn’t smile much. I’ve caught her a couple times in a grin or a smirk, but never a full on smile.

Moments pass, and the waiter returns with the teas and asks for our orders. I follow Ms. Harshwhinny’s advice, and order the fettuccine alfredo with mushrooms, while she orders the spaghetti bolognese with vegetarian rolls. The waiter takes our menus and walks away to place the orders. Ms. Harshwhinny looks at me, her head resting on top of her knuckles, staring at me in a way that seems confused, but also curious at the same time. 

“So, tell me.” she says, “Why did you ask me on this…rendezvous?”

“I thought it would be fun to spend some time together in an…informal setting. Not as Assistant and Boss…but as…”

“Lovers?” she raises her eyebrow. That’s a bit extreme.

“Friends.” I correct her. 

“I see.” she nods, but her tone seems to indicate that she doesn’t believe me. “You could have asked me for a cup of coffee. You didn’t have to wait for Hearts and Hooves day.”

“I thought you said no fraternizing with employees. I think if it were any other day, you would reprimand me.”

“I guess I would.” she shrugs her shoulders. “You make a fine point.”

“Besides, you said this wasn’t a date.”

“I said it wasn’t a date, but when you approached me, you obviously wanted it to be. And don’t try to deny it. What was it you said? Special somepony? Nopony and no one would ask their friends to be a special somepony.”

“Yeah…” I blush, rubbing the back of my head.

“I suppose the most obvious question is…why me, and not any other mare or woman in Equestria?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. You’re smart, not a dense bone in your body.” she says her compliments in such a condescending tone. It’s interesting. “There are plenty of more attractive, and younger females here. Why would you settle for an old somepony such as myself?”

“First off, you’re thirty five, hardly old. You’re only a few years older than I am, so the age difference isn’t that large.”

“But there is a difference.”

“So what?”

“I’m sure there’s plenty of other females that would be interested in you.”

“You’d be surprised at how incorrect of an assumption that is. Why don’t you have a cavalcade of stallions or guys around your corner?”

“I-I…” she stammers, taken aback at my question. Her cheeks again show a shade of crimson. “I don’t concern myself with the wants of males. I’ve had some interested parties, but I refused them, thinking it to be a waste of time.”

“Then, why did you say yes to me?”

“I-I…” she stammers again, “I…um…well…we’ve known each other for a while, and I thought it would be amusing to see what you had in store for me. And, like I said, I could use the break. I’ve had a lot on my plate. So to speak.”

“Oh, is there any trouble? Can I help?”

“No, no, no…” she waves it off “It’s fine, just the normal stresses of planning for the games. The safety in the venue in the Crystal Empire for the skating rink isn’t up to snuff, and the arena where the triathlon and hundred yard dash is to be held is far from ready, despite giving them a monthly head start. Now, I have to move around schedules to accommodate visits to the Crystal Empire to tell them what needs to be done.”

“You don’t have to move around schedules yourself, you know. That’s why you have me.”

“You have enough work as it is.”

“Ms. Harshwhinny, the whole point of having an assistant is to make me do all the rearranging and phone calling. Working me to the bone is part of the job description.”

“But you already do all of my daily chores, the transcriptions, the proposal readings, the latter of which I must thank you for, for reading them in the accent of the writers, it helps tremendously. You get me coffee, the dry cleaning, and I also made you go to the jewelry store to pick up my cousin's necklace for her birthday, and that took you nearly three hours.”

“To be fair, the last one was less torturous, and more boring, since I had to wait for them to make the thing in her size. There’s no need to take any work away from me. I’m ready for anything you dish out.”

“Anything?” her eyebrow raises. Just as quickly as it arrives, the eyebrow goes back down, and she shakes her head. I wonder what that’s about. 

I want to ask her what went through her mind just now, but she almost looks like she has retreated from the conversation. What is that look on her face? Nervousness? Embarrassment? What’s there to be embarrassed about? I open my mouth to speak, but then the food arrives. Wow, it smells good.

Ms. Harshwhinny was right to recommend the pasta, it’s absolutely delicious. It’s like I never left Earth for Equestria, it’s that good. Ms. Harshwhinny is enjoying her spaghetti. That worrisome look on her face from a couple minutes before has been replaced by a pleased smirk. She eats her pasta, and bites into the buttered bread with a degree of professionalism; acting as if she’s a food critic, and not a customer. There’s an undeniable charm to it, because though she puts on this persona of a prim and proper mare, I can tell that she’s forcing herself not to go nuts and engulf the food in a single go.

We don’t talk much while we eat, other than commenting about how good the food is. We get too full for desert, and decide to pay the bill and head out. We split the check, despite my insistence that I pay for the whole thing. Again, she mentions that it’s not a date, and won that argument fairly quickly because of it.


	
We take a cab over to the Manehattan Pier, where the Hearts and Hooves day carnival is in high swing. Games galore, a dance floor set to moody romantic music, and a massive ferris wheel adorns the wooden pier. It’s amazing that it’s able to hold all this weight. Then again, there’s a similar pier in my world that rarely had any accidents pertaining to weight. Ms. Harswhinny looks around the area, seeming displeased at being there. I can tell that she’s not used to this kind of environment, and if she desires to leave, then I’ll acquiesce to her request. She’s not, however, so I walk in, and she follows.

“It’s lively, tonight.” I comment on the crowd. “Stay close to me, okay?”

“It’s unlikely that I would stray too far from you. I do not know many ponies around here. I…” she trails off, looking at something at a distance.

“What’s up?”

She does not respond, moving away from me. I see her heading towards a shooting gallery game, but her eyes aren’t on the game, but on a stuffed animal instead. I follow her, and catch up in a matter of moments. I look up to see a very cute pink and fluffy stuffed pony; the four legged kind, not the anthropomorphic kind. Ms. Harshwhinny is strangely drawn to the animal, and she looks to the man hosting the game.

“How much is that?” she asks in her authoritative voice. “I want it.”

“I don’t sell this stuff, Miss. If you want it, you’ll have to play.” the man responds with a smile. A sort of skeezy smile, but it’s a smile. He holds up the rifle, to which Ms. Harshwhinny backs away from with a harumph.

“I won’t sully my hands with such barbarism.”

“Hold on.” I say, holding out a couple bits to play. “I’ll give it a shot.”

“Thank you, sir.” he nods, taking my bits and handing me the BB rifle. “Good luck.” The man presses a button behind the counter, and a series of fast moving targets going in different directions pop up. About ten targets to be exact. The target move quickly, almost too quickly for someone with no experience. “You have thirty seconds to hit the targets.”

Thirty seconds? I only need ten.

I immediately raise the BB rifle up, and start shooting. I’m precise with my aim. Each target goes down. I shoot. Cock the rifle. Shoot. Cock the rifle. Repeat. Within ten seconds, all the targets are down, and low volume celebration music plays. The man stares at me with an agape expression. This kind of occurrence must be pretty rare.

I put the rifle down, and point at the pink fluffy pony. He takes it off the rack, and give it to me. I turn, and give it to Ms. Harshwhinny, who is staring at me with a wide eyed expression. Still, she takes the stuffed animal, and holds it to her chest.

“H-How…did you do that?” she asks.

“I’ve been to the gun range in my world. Got pretty handy with a rifle. Don’t worry, it was just targets like the game. Nothing living.”

“I-I wasn’t thinking that.” her eyes glance down at the stuffed animal. “Th-Thank you.”

“It’s not a problem, really.” I look over at the ferris wheel. “Would you like to ride the ferris wheel? I hear the view is nice.”

“Sure.” she nods. 

We get in line for the ferris wheel. The line moves at a fine speed, there’s a lot of free seats. Ms. Harshwhinny remains quiet, holding on to that stuffed animal. I don’t ask her why she wanted it, but from how she’s holding it, she seems very happy to have it, as much as her still serious face tries to say otherwise. After a few minutes, we get our seat. The last one. The ride operator makes sure we are properly seated, and goes to the controls.

Now, I don’t have much of a problem with roller coasters. Ferris wheels are a bit of a different story. I’m terrified of these things. Ever since I saw an accident video years and years ago of a girl who was rocking her seat too much, and it flipped over, causing her to fall out. She didn’t die, but it still scared the crap out of me. 

Hold on, if I’m so scared of ferris wheels, why am I on one right now?

Too late to reconsider, as we start moving up. I latch my hands on the safety bar, as we get higher and higher. I hope Ms. Harshwhinny doesn’t…

“Not a fan of heights?” Damn, she noticed.

“No. Not really.”

“Then, why did you want to get on?”

“I’m asking myself the same question.”

The ferris wheel stops. We are at the maximum height. Damn, we are high up. I think I can see my apartment from here. I’m not joking. I definitely see it. I’d say that’s impressive, but my stupid hands are rattling the safety bar. I’m embarrassing myself in front of Ms. Harshwinny.

Then, I feel warmth on my hand. I look down, and see Ms. Harshwhiny’s left hand on my right. Her soft touch calms me, but I’m also very confused.

“What happened to no holding hands?” I ask her. It’s not like her to not follow the rules, especially her own.

“It’s to get you to stop shaking.” she tells me. Something is interesting about her tone. It’s not stern or authoritative, but it’s rather…calm. Nice. Tender. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

I feel her thumb brushing my hand in a soft caress. I like it, but…again…it’s Ms. Harshwinny doing it. I continue to look into her eyes, and she stares back. The whole reason why we came up here was to look at the view, but now, we’re looking at each other. Her once serious expression has all but disappeared, and I see her cheeks becoming red. Ever so slightly, she leans forward at a gradual pace. Is she…? I can’t help myself, I start to lean forward, too.

This is insane, what in the hell is going on?

Ms. Harshwhinny’s eyes close as she gets closer, and so do mine. I prepare myself for the inevitable. Please be good at this, man. Please be good at this.

Suddenly, we are interrupted by the ferris wheel moving. We’re heading back down. Slowly, but we are. Got to have the others get their nice sight. I look at Ms. Harshwhinny, and she has let go of my hand, looking down at her stuffed animal.

“I would like to go home now.” she says.


	
Ms. Harshwhinny and I sit in the cab in silence. It’s raining a little outside, but nothing too troubling. I look over to Ms. Harshwhinny, still holding onto that stuffed animal, gazing aimlessly out the window. I can’t tell what she’s thinking; all I know is that we almost kissed. Does she feel embarrassed? Angry? It’s hard to tell.

“Ms. Harsh…”

“I don’t want to talk right now.” she says in a snapping tone. I’m taken aback. This is one of the very rare moments she’s actually been genuinely angry at me.

“Did I do something wrong?” I query.

“You will not speak of this to anyone or anypony. You do, and I will not hesitate to fire you.” Her tone is scary. I believe what she says. She looks away from me quickly, staring out the window once again. “I can’t believe you.” she mumbles, “Your own boss.”

“Excuse me?” something inside irks me about what she said. “If you didn’t want to go, you should have just said so.”

“Why did you even ask me?” she shoots daggers at me with her angered expression, “Did you think I’d be a notch under your belt? Something to brag about with your friends? A conquest to gloat over?” What the…? Where’s this coming from?

“No! Why would you even say that?”

“I know you humans too well; in a new world, and want to have your way with the indigenous species. I will not bow down to such…such…vileness!”

“Ms. Harshwhinny, if that’s what you think of me, then why did you hire me?”

“Why did you ask me out, then, if not for a conquest?” she avoids my question quickly.

“Because I wanted to show you a good time.”

“No! That can’t be it! There’s got to be a more shallow reason, I just know it!”

“You want me to be shallow?” I ask, “Fine! I’ll be shallow!” I don’t know what’s coming over me, but the accusations are really bothering me. If she doesn’t want the truth, then I’ll tell her the superficial stuff. “I think you’re very attractive! I like how you don’t wear make up, and still look beautiful! I like how your suit accentuates your body, and that you show off you legs, which I think are great! You obviously take care of yourself, which I admire!” I tell her all this like we’re in a major fight.

“I…well…I…” she’s struggling to get the words out, “What else?”

“What do you mean?”

“What else? That can’t be all.”

“You told me to be shallow, so I did.”

“Then, what is the not shallow reason?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Now I have to know. Tell me, what’s the biggest reason why you asked me out?” She asks. I’m quiet. I can’t tell her. Who know what she will say to me? “You better ask me, or else I’m going to make you walk the rest of the way home.”

“I can’t tell you.”

“You can’t or you won’t?" I'm not going to respond to that. "Okay, fine. If you don’t tell me, I’ll fire you right here and now.” Crap, she’s going for the job. I can’t…

“Okay, you want to know the biggest reason why I asked you out? It was because you looked lonely!” I snap at her.

A silence falls. Ms. Harshwhinny stares at me with wide eyes, and an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. She looks down at her stuffed animal, refusing to make any further eye contact with me.

“I…looked lonely?” she asks in a whisper.

“Yeah. You did.” I respond in my own soft tone, “Whenever we weren’t traveling for the Equestria games, I would always see you eating lunch alone. You never had any personal visits or phone calls from friends or family. Most of all, every time I leave the office for the day, you would always stay. Alone. Working. I felt that, if I took you out, then you would see that you weren’t alone. You have me. I’ll be here whenever you need me.”

Ms. Harshwhinny is quiet with me again. Damn, that all just came out of me at once. I probably shouldn’t have said that, but it’s true. I hated seeing her so alone what I left the office, or eating lunch. Maybe I should have made the transition to spending personal time with her easier by asking to sit with her for lunch, or offering to stay later to help her with any overtime projects. Hell, I would have been fine if she said I wouldn’t be given overtime pay, just so I know that she gets home earlier, and has less things to worry about for the next time.

I’m such a screw up. I had a good job with good money, and now I’m messing it all up because of my damn feelings. And my big fat mouth. Can’t forget that. 


	
The cab stops in front of Ms. Harshwinny’s apartment complex. So, she lives in an apartment? I always figured she lived in a nice house, with butlers and stuff. I step out of the cab, and open her door to let her out. She walks around the cab and stops at the door I came out of.

“Keep the meter running.” I tell the driver. I look back at Ms. Harshwhinny. “Listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you angry.” She doesn’t say a word. Her eyes glance up at me, staring into what feels like my soul. I’d compliment her eyes, but for the first time in forever, I’m actually kind of scared. “If you want me to leave, I’ll do it first thing in the morning.” She’s still staring. I don’t want to make this more awkward than it already is. “Have a good night, Ms. Harswhinny.”

I move to open the door. I place my hand on the handle.

It is now, that I feel pressure on my chest. I freeze. I look down, and see the right palm of Ms. Harshwhinny pressing on my chest, stopping me from opening that cab door. I turn my gaze back into the eyes of my boss, and she is staring at me with a new look, one that I have never seen from her before. Her eyes have softened into an expression that I cannot comprehend. Does…does she want me to go with her?

She nods. She nods before I can even ask my question.

I reach into my pocket, pulling out my credit card. I lean down to the cab driver.

“How much do I owe you?”

“Thirty five bits.” he says.

“Okay.” I slide my card in the meter, paying the fare. “You can go. Sorry for making you stay.”

“No problem. Have a good night.” he nods, driving away quickly.

I look back at Ms. Harshwhinny, her hand still on my chest. Slowly, her hand slides down all the way to my left hand. She grasps onto it in that same grasp that she had when I caught her from slipping those months ago. That soft and gentle grasp. She pulls me towards the front door of her apartment.

Why do I get the feeling that this night hasn’t even begun yet?
> Harsh Night (Explicit Content)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Ms. Harshwhinny and I stand in the elevator, moving up and up to the last floor of the apartment complex. Neither of us are saying a word to one another, but her hand is still holding on to mine. Her thumb caresses me, much like it did when we were on the ferris wheel. The feeling of her is sending chills up my back. The good kind of chills, too. However, there’s also the undeniable feeling of nervousness. I don’t know what is going to happen when we get to her apartment, but if this leads into some kind of encounter, I pray to god that I’m good at this. I would say halfway decent, but Ms. Harshwhinny said “fine is for second place,” so halfway decent might as well be last. 

We get to the last floor of the complex, and Ms. Harshwhinny leads me to her apartment. We don’t pass too many rooms, so I have to assume that the apartments inside are pretty big. She lets go of my hand to pull her keys out, and within seconds, we are inside.

Holy crap, I was right. The apartment is huge. It might as well be the size of a medium, single story house. It’s also extremely nice. Not a speck of mess to be found. Then again, this is Ms. Harshwhinny, I shouldn’t have expected anything less. 

“Nice place.” I say with a nod. Ms. Harshwhinny turns around, handing me her stuffed animal.

“Thank you.” she replies softly, her first words since we left the cab. “Put that stuffed animal on the dining room table, and have a seat on the couch in the living room.” she says to me as she takes off her jacket and places it on the coat rack.

I’m briefly distracted by this action, as the shirt underneath is loose silk, but the left side is clinging to her waist. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen her in this shirt. I remember when Appleloosa was in consideration for the Equestria Games, and Ms. Harshwhinny and I went over to check their venue. It was a hot day, and she took her jacket off in an attempt to cool down. She was sweating, and her shirt was clinging to her back. Something about the way it clung was strangely attractive. Maybe I’m just a freak, I don’t know.

“Sure thing.” I reply, quickly broken away from my flashback. 

I walk into the living room, marveling at how spacious it is. I think this living room is as big as my whole apartment. It’s got a leather couch, a big screen television. Is that a video game system? I can’t make it out, due to it behind a tinted glass door, but it sure looks like one. No time for prying, I have to put this fluffy pony away. I place it on the dining room table, which is close to the kitchen. I look up to see Ms. Harshwhinny in the kitchen, standing up from behind the counter with two wine glasses in her hand. What happened to no alco-ah screw it.

I go back to the living room and sit down on the couch. Oh, man. This is comfortable. So comfortable, that I’m tempted to close my eyes for a bit of a doze. No, stay focused. You can’t have Ms. Harshwhinny show up and you’re asleep. How do you think that’s gonna a look? Admittedly, this is rather nice.

A couple minutes pass by, and Ms Harshwhinny arrives. The glasses are filled halfway with what is no doubt wine. I can smell it from where I’m sitting. I can’t tell what it is, though. Too strong scented to be dandelion wine. Ms. Hashwhinny sits down close to me, handing over a glass. I take it and give it a sniff, still trying to figure out what it is.

“It’s sunflower wine.” she says before I can even ask.

“Oh.” I nod, “This is strong stuff.”

“If you drink too much of it, yes. It’s only half a glass, you’ll be fine.” her voice is an interesting combination of stern and soft. Quickly, she downs her glass within moments. I better step my game up if I have to catch up. I down my glass too. 

Holy crap, that’s strong! I can feel my insides tingle from the moment I swallow it. I have to try my best not to let her notice that this is the first time I…

“Too strong?” she says. Damn it, she keeps noticing these things! “Is this your first time trying Sunflower Wine?”

“Y-yeah.” I admit. “I always heard it was strong, but I never tried it, myself.”

“I hope you’re okay.”

“I am. Was caught off guard, but I’m good.”

“That’s good to hear.” she places her glass down. I place mine down as well. Ms. Harshwhinny, then begins to stare at me. It’s a mysterious stare; one that gives me no idea as to what she is thinking. She rests her head against her right palm, as she continues to look at me. There are small moments where she looks at me up and down; head to toe. Her expression is blank, seemingly emotionless. I am tempted to ask what’s going on, but at the same time, I get the feeling that she’s in some kind of state. 

Her eyes scan me again, this time at a much slower rate. It feels as if it takes ages for her eyes to reach my feet, and just as long for her gaze to go back to my eyes. This cannot be left unanswered any more, I have to ask her.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m thinking.” she replies rather cryptically.

“About?”

“About how to proceed.” the vagueness is never ending. What feels like more minutes pass by, and all she is doing is staring at me. I don’t know if I’m supposed to be confused or scared, but I kind of feel like the combination of the two. “I’ve decided.” she cuts through the silence with her cold and authoritative voice. She moves to a standard sitting position, with her palms on her lap.

Her palms move to the edge of her skirt, and she pulls up on it slowly. More and more of her thighs are being revealed to me, and…oh my god….

She’s….she’s not wearing any underwear. I can see everything down there! Woah…she really does take care of herself. Does she go to a groomer for this kind of thing? Wonder what it’s like to have a job like that, with everything essentially covered in fur but…what the hell? I’m looking way too much into this, considering what’s going on is hot as hell, and I should be paying attention to that.

She hikes the skirt all the way up, revealing her entire bottom half. I stare and stare, and look over at the mark on her ass, noticing a trophy. Oh, it’s a trophy alright. A gold trophy. From what I see, that makes total sense. Yes, I know that she didn’t get a trophy because her special talent is having a great ass, but come on, it’s pretty great.

“Ms. Harsh…” I can’t say anything else, as she moves over and sits in my lap, straddling me. She places a finger on my lips, silencing me.

“Shhhh….” she says ever so quietly. “Keep your hands to yourself. Don’t move.”

Her thighs are squeezing me tight. Christ, I want to bring my hands up to touch her legs. I want to touch her all over. Her thighs. Her ass. Her back. Her breasts. Her being on top of me is causing my heart to beat wildly, and all of my blood is going to a specific area, and she’s going to notice in five…four…

“Oh.” she looks down at my crotch in a bit of surprise. “I see.” Yeah, of course she was going to notice something like that. 

Ms. Harshwhinny reaches down, and pulls down my zipper. She places her right hand inside, maneuvering the underwear so that my dick can come out into the open. Her touch is soft, almost loving in a way. There is no roughness in how she is touching me. She stares at my member, using her palm to lightly stroke it, making it get harder and longer in the process. I don’t stare at what she’s doing down there. Instead, I’m looking at her, and she’s biting her lip. Her eyes glance up at me, noticing that I’m watching her, and her cheeks glow red.

She raises herself up a bit, lining up my cock with her now soaking wet pussy. I can’t believe this is happening. Am I really seeing this? Or is this just some dream that I’m having on my cab ride home after dropping her off. It’s hard to doubt this, when her shirt covered breasts are in my face as she hoists herself for the main event.

Ms. Harshwhinny presses the tip of me at her entrance, and she slowly lowers herself. Little by little, inch by inch, I start to enter her. Though she is wet, her inside grasps me the more she takes it in. With her breasts out of my face, I look at her, and she has her mouth open, seeming as if she’s holding her breath. Her eyes are shut tight. It must have been quite a while since she’s had sex. I’m going to hold my tongue about this sort of thing. If she’s uncomfortable, she’s the kind of person…mare…that would stop.

Ms. Harshwhinny is now back on my lap. My length is all the way inside of her. Her eyes are still closed, as if still taking me in. Gradually, her eyes open up again, and she looks straight into mine. Her hands rest on my shoulders, while I keep myself in check, and continue to rest my own hands on the couch. Ms. Harshwhinny starts moving her hips, slowly, as her insides massage my dick. It’s a wonderful feeling. The wetness, combined with the tightness of her walls. If I were a weaker man, I’d be cumming right here and now. 

There are no words between us. I am following her orders and not saying a word. Ms. Harshwhinny stares into me as she continues to grind against me. I can feel my pants getting wetter, as her juices are seeping through my jeans, and through the hole that she made to get to me. Her breaths are slow, and oh so sexy. The scent of that strong wine wafts into my nostrils every time she exhales. After a minute, her grinds become faster, her breaths become more rapid. Her fingers grip my shoulders, and her walls become tighter.

Suddenly, Ms. Harshwhinny stops. Her whole body shudders as her inner walls grip me, and she gasps rapidly. Within moments, she rests her head on my shoulder, and normal breaths return to her. 

Did she…?

“Apologies.” she says quietly, raising herself back up to face me. “I…um…I….I c-.”

“I-it’s fine.” I assure her. Never had someone nearly apologize to me for climaxing before.

“Did you…?” she begins to ask me.

“No, not yet.”

“Okay.” she nods, looking down at my crotch. “Let me…um…try again…”

Ms. Harswhinny gets her bearings, straightening herself out again and putting her hands back on my shoulders. She looks visibly shaken, as if she hasn’t fully recovered from the orgasm that she just had, but she endures. Slowly, she restarts her grind. I don’t move, all I do is watch and feel her moving up and down my shaft. It’s still an amazing feeling. The way she moves her hips, and stares into my eyes, and breathes heavily, is an erotic sight to behold. Every once in a while, she would look up at the ceiling, mussing her hair up in ecstasy, so that when she brings her head back down, her hair becomes unkempt, nothing like how perfectly groomed it was when the day started. 

Her grinds become faster again, and her eyes close tight. She bites her lip as her movements become quicker. She looks frustrated, but she can’t stop. Again, her walls clamp down, her body shudders, and she throws her head on my shoulder as she gasps for air. A familiar sight and feeling.

“Damn it!” she whispers. Being so close to my ear, I can hear her frustration. 

“Hey…” I whisper back, “It’s okay.”

“It’s…it’s been a while, since…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Truthfully, she’s amazing. Everything is great. But…I can’t help but feel something is missing. Hold up, I know what’s missing. “Ms. Harshwhinny…can I…use my hands?”

There’s a pause between us. Slowly, she moves her head back to look at me. That thinking face she had when I first asked her out has come back. Her eyes look from side to side. Is she looking at my hands? Moments pass, and she nods in approval. 

I’m able to use my hands. I raise them up, and rest my left palm on her cheek, and my right rests on her shoulder. I caress her cheek slowly with my thumb. Then, I pull her down closer to my face. 

I kiss her on the lips. She moans in surprise at my action, but she isn’t pushing me away. The kiss goes on for longer than a few moments, and Ms. Harshwhinny’s mouth opens, allowing her tongue to touch mine. She relaxes into the kiss, and we keep doing it for a while. For someone who is stern and sometimes unforgiving to those around her, her kisses are gentle; very much unlike her character.

We separate, but my hands remain where they are. Ms. Harshwhinny inhales deeply, and exhales for just as long.

“I never said you could use your lips.” she cuts through the silence with that stern voice.

“I had a chance, and I took it.” I respond back.

“Well…” her serious expression turns to a smirk, “…keep taking those chances.”

I smile, bringing her in for another kiss. As I lock my lips with her’s I slowly thrust my hips up. She gasps, at my action, but keeps kissing me. I do it again, and again, and again, and soon, Ms. Harshwhinny moves her hips with mine. I move my hands along her back, feeling her muscles covered by the smooth silk. I bring my right hand down to the bottom of her shirt, and move underneath it, so I can feel the coat on her back. It’s just as smooth and delectable as the silk she’s wearing. I run my hand through her fur, and am only briefly stopped by the bra strap. I’m not going to take the time to remove it. From the way things are going, I’m not sure that I even have time to remove it. Perhaps, if this all goes well, I can see more of her on a later date.

Ms. Harshwhinny moves her head back on my shoulder, but this time, she’s nuzzling my cheek, and kissing my neck. I do the same to her. I feel her tail brush against my leg, and sweeping on my shoe. Our movements have become synchronized. My breaths are becoming harder, louder, and so are hers. Ms. Harshwhinny moves her hips even faster now, and I do my best to keep up with her. I grab onto her ass to have her grind onto me further, and to also feel it in my palms. Firm and shapely, a deadly combination. 

I can feel the pressure in me, now. Any minute, and I’m going to burst. Ms. Harshwhinny isn’t helping matters, as she has leaned upwards, with her bouncing up and down on me. Suddenly, she grabs my head and presses me against her chest. Her soft breasts nearly envelop me, and I gladly accept them. Who wouldn’t? I wrap my hands around her back and embrace her just as tightly as she’s holding me, as we both head towards our inevitable, and rapidly approaching climaxes.

Ms. Harshwhinny is the first to orgasm, with the familiar tightness, and shuddering of her body making its grand reappearance. It’s this feeling that I cannot contain myself anymore. I grunt into her chest, and let loose with my own pleasure, shooting my cum into her warm and wet insides. Ms. Harshwhinny gasps every time my cock spasms, feeling my semen make its way into her body. Her arms hold me tighter, and she holds her breath as my orgasm comes to a close. 

With nothing else to give her, my own breath returns, and my grip on her subsides. Soon, she loosens her arms and lets me fall back onto the pillow behind me. We regain our normal breathing habits, and soon, we are looking into each other’s eyes. There aren’t any words between us. What can we say? We started the day off as Boss and Assistant, and we ended it by having sex on this lovely couch. When I first asked her out, Ms. Harshwhinny talked about how fraternization isn’t allowed in her building, but now here we are. 

I open my mouth to speak first, but Ms. Harshwhinny interrupts me with a sensual kiss on the lips. I don’t care that this is yet another interruption in a long day full of them, this is pretty much the best way to interrupt me. I place both my hands on her face, caressing her cheeks with my thumbs, wanting desperately to keep the kiss going. Of course, we’ll have to let go of each other at some point.

That point comes sooner than I would have liked, as Ms. Harshwhinny removes her lips from mine.

“Will you…stay the night with me?” she asks. She really doesn’t have to, the answer is way too obvious.

“Yeah, sure.” I attempt to say casually, but even when recuperating from what we just did, my enthusiasm still shines through. “Where would you like me to sleep?”

“My bed would be preferable.”

“Okay. I’ll sleep in your bed, then.”

“Good.” she nods. Slowly, she gets off of me. My softening member slides out of her, and I see a little bit of my cum drip out of her as she straightens herself and her skirt. She looks down to see the drops of seed on the hardwood floor. “Would you mind…um…cleaning that?” she looks embarrassed to have asked that question. Understandable.

“Okay.”

“Thank you.” she nods again, only more slowly this time. “I’m going to get ready for bed. I’ll see you soon.” Ms. Harshwhinny takes her leave, going into her room, which also leads to the door for the bathroom.

I hear water running, and the sounds of brushing teeth. I’m all alone in the living room. Well, not completely alone. I think I put that fluffy pony plushie down in a way that faced us. I turn around to look at the dining room table. Yep, it saw the whole thing. Poor thing. Well, not that poor. It isn’t alive or anything.

Still, the experience of it all washes over me. I almost forget to notice that my zipper is still open, and my dick is still out. I put it back in my pants, and zip myself up, all the while staring at the ceiling, continuing my thoughts. Of course, my mind is also flashing to how disastrous my actions could have been if I flipped the order of what I just did around. Ouch.

I stay seated. I can’t get what happened out of my head. Well, it’s only natural not to, since it happened like a minute ago. The fact of the matter is, I can’t believe it finally happened. I don’t know how we’re going to proceed when we wake up. If we’re going to proceed at all. Is this going to be a one time only thing? Is it going to continue? If we are, how are we going to keep it a secret? Oh no, is Ms. Harshwhinny going to kill me when I fall asleep so that I won’t tell anyone?

Um…that’s a bit over the top. I don’t know why my mind went to that. Ms. Harshwhinny would do no such thing…would she? Quiet brain!

I can’t think about this. It’s too weird. Weirder than what we did? Yes, yes it is. Right now, I only have one thing to say….

“Holy shit.”
> A Harsh Contract
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ

The watch on my wrist buzzes, waking me up from my slumber. It’s six o’clock in the morning. This is the time I would wake up to get ready for work. But, I’m not at home. I’m in Ms. Harshwhinny’s bed. The bed is soft and smooth. The blankets are silk and feel ever so nice. Would probably feel nicer if I was wearing my pajamas…or nothing at all. Instead, I’m still wearing my clothes from yesterday. 

I hear movement behind me. I turn to see Ms. Harshwhinny, buttoning up her shirt cuffs, getting ready for work. 

“Hey…” I say. She turns around instantly; her eyes have gone back to all business. That soft caring expression I saw last night has disappeared. 

“Good morning.” she says drolly. “It’s time to go to work.”

“Ah, okay.” I nod, getting out of bed. I straighten out her bedsheets. She notices this.

“There was no need, but thank you.” she responds to my action, “You should go home, take a shower, and put on new clothes. Someone or somepony might notice that you’re wearing the same clothes as yesterday.”

“Good call.” she makes a good point. I personally don’t think they’ll notice, but there’s no harm in caution.

“It’s okay if you come into work a bit late. I don’t need you in the office until eleven. We have a meeting at twelve thirty, so you have plenty of time.”

“Okay, are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ll see you then.”

“Can I get a glass of water before I go.” my lips feel a bit parched.

“Of course.” she nods, gesturing to the kitchen outside her room.

“Thanks.” I leave her room, and head straight to the kitchen. I haven’t been here before. It’s quite spacious. Then again, that could describe the entirety of her apartment. Ms. Harshwhinny has placed little plaques on the cabinet doors, detailing where everything is. Very nice. I grab a mug and go to the fridge, opening it up to find a pitcher of water. I get a helping, and guzzle down the liquid. That feeling of cold water running through my insides makes me shiver. I never get tired of that…

What’s this on the floor?

I put the mug down and pick up the item on the floor. It’s…black. It’s…lacy….it’s….oh….

It’s panties. It’s Ms. Harshwhinny’s panties.

How did her underwear get over here? Well, she obviously didn’t have it on when we had sex, so…she took it off in the kitchen? Thinking about it now, she was back there for a bit before coming over with the wine. Did she plan this all along? Was all that thinking she was doing just posturing? She could just have been second guessing herself, and gave herself an out just incase. Still…

“Ahem.” I hear Ms. Harshwhinny clear her voice behind me. I turn around, and she can see me holding her underwear. She makes a glance at my hand, holding the look for a bit. Finally, she extends her palm out.

Obviously, she wants them back, so who am I to not give her her underwear back? I place the lace panties in her palm. We hold a gaze on one another for a bit. She nods in thanks, and I nod in no problem.

I should probably go get ready for work.


	
Home is only a quick cab ride away. It’s strange walking into my dingy apartment after being in what equated to a mansion, but I’m not going to let that bother me. I take my shower, and put on brand new clothes for the day. All set and ready to go.

The offices for the Equestria Games are a mile away from my apartment, so I don’t need a cab to get there. Besides, I have a little over an hour to spare, so I might as well walk it. It’s a nice day out, considering that it was raining a little bit when I was in Ms. Harshwhinny’s apartment, so a walk wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Within twenty minutes, I make it to the building. I get into the elevator and go straight to the fifth floor, where all the magic happens. I don’t know what the other floors are meant for, when we have most of our workers on the fifth. The fourth holds the interns, where I spent the first couple years before my promotion. The first is the lobby, where a good looking receptionist mare named Crystal says hello and greets any visitors. I think my buddy Kevin went on a date with her, last night. I bet he’ll tell me all about it when I see him. I’m not going to tell him about what I did last night; it wouldn’t be right. I also hope he knows about the rule on fraternization. 

I get to the fifth floor, and walk past the various employees sitting at their desks, doing whatever it is that they do. I think they do accounting; at least I know Kevin does that, but I’m not entirely sure what everyone else does.

Within a minute, after greeting those who say hello to me, I make it to my desk. As I put my stuff down…

“Hey, buddy!” I hear the voice of Kevin behind me. I turn to greet his smiling face. Kevin is a cool guy. We were friends back home, and were both excited when we were hired on as interns. Nowadays, since we were elevated to employees, we don’t hang out as much. Still, it’s always fun to see him.

“Hey, Kevin.” I smile and give a slight wave.

“So, what did you do, last night?” he gets right into the nitty gritty.

“Man, I was wiped after work. I just went home and crashed for the night.”

“Ah, Ms. Harshwhinny give you a sudden assignment? I noticed that you stayed over when everyone else left.”

“Yeah. Got a call from her at the last minute to look over a contract for Fast Pass. We’re trying to get a hold of her to do the torch lighting for the Equestria Games.” That’s right, Fast Pass. She’s the highest paid Hoofball Player in the sport. We’ve been trying to get a hold of her for the past couple months, and now she’s considering being a part of the opening ceremony for the games, provided the offer is good. Greedy mare.

“Ouch. I’ve seen the e-mails evaluating our written work. Always so anal about the tiniest mistake.”

“True, but at least we got it done. “ I smile. Little does he know, the only reason Ms. Harshwhinny even catches the mistakes, is because she gives me the documents first, and I tell her what errors were made.

“Is that why you’re in so late? It’s ten thirty.”

“No.” I grimace, “My alarm clock broke sometime during the night. The alarm didn’t go off. I phoned Ms. Harshwhinny when I was getting ready. She seemed okay.”

“Well, of course she did. Of all of us, she’s the only one who treats you the nicest. You know something we don’t?”

“Beats me.” I shrug and chuckle, “You need to step your game up if you want to get on her good side.”

“Well, if you ever figure out what you’re doing, you better let me in on it.” he chuckles alongside me.

We don’t get too comfortable with our conversation, as my desk phone rings. The caller ID is Ms. Harshwhinny’s office. Truthfully, I’m happy to see her name flashing on the display, but I should keep up appearances.

“Uh-oh.” I say, “Hold on a second.” I pick up the phone. “Good morning, Ms. Harshwhinny.”

“Good morning. You’re earlier than expected.”

“I know. It couldn’t be helped.” While our conversation is about me being early, there’s no doubt in Kevin’s mind that my response was about being late.

“Very well. Please see me in my office. There’s a matter I would like to discuss with you.”

“Of course, I’ll see you soon.” I hang up the phone, looking back to Kevin. “I have to get going. Need to speak with her.”

“Good luck, man.” he gives me a very enthusiastic thumbs up. “When you get back, I have to tell you about last night.”

“Looking forward to it.” I smirk and wave him off. Okay, now that that’s over with…

I straighten my shirt collar and walk into Ms. Harshwinny’s office. She is not at her desk, but standing by the printer with her back turned towards me. Her head turns slightly, noticing me before looking back at the active printer.

“Lock the door.” she tells me. That’s a request I’ve never heard from her before. I do so. “Have a seat.” she orders again.

I go to her desk, sitting down in the comfortable chair. The printer finishes its last page, and Ms. Harshwhinny takes the pages over to the desk. She sits down, straightening any creases in her jacket with a quick hand wipe on her fabric. She looks around the desk, eyes falling on the stapler that’s close to me.

“Hand me that stapler.” she points at the object. I hand it over it her, and she gives me a professional and appreciative nod. The quiet moment is punctuated by the sounds of her stapling the pages together. “Okay…” she sets everything down, moving into a relaxed state. Now she looks at me. Her eyes are serious like always. Then, her expression becomes softer; the stern face is slowly giving away to something…friendly. Like, she’s elated that I’m sitting here with her. “Hi…” she says, her voice sounding oh so gentle in its tone.

“Hi…” I respond back.

“My apologies for the quick morning. I had to get to work early to review my schedule for today, and to be prepared for our meeting with Fast Pass’ Agent at noon.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t mind.”

“You’re here early. I wouldn’t have minded if you arrived at eleven.”

“I wouldn’t know what to do with the extra thirty minutes of time I had, so I wanted to come now.” I smile. “How did you sleep? You look well rested.” I take note of the lack of bags under her eyes. Even on her good days, she would look tired, but not today. 

“I slept well, thank you. It’s been a while since I slept…like that.” I notice a small blush on her cheeks. “I suppose you want to know why my undergarments were in the kitchen.”

“I assumed you took them off when you got wine.”

“You assumed correctly.”

“Why, though?”

“I figured it would be obvious.” she says. I shake my head. After all that staring before we had sex, I thought she was still thinking about proceeding. Maybe she was ready, but it was a last pause before going through with it. “There was a reason why I brought you to my apartment. To be honest…” she looks away from me, “I made my decision when you got me that stuffed pony.”

“What? That far back?” I ask and she nods. “Why did you want that so much?”

“I thought it was cute. Don’t think somepony such as myself doesn’t like cute things every once in a while. Actually, when I was a filly, I used to collect stuffed animals. When I left home, I didn’t bring any with me. They’re still in my bedroom where I left them.” a small smirk forms on her lips. “That pony reminded me of those animals.” her eyes go back to me. “Thank you, for getting it for me.”

“It’s not a problem.” I smile. Seeing her like this is quite lovely.

“Let’s get down to business.” her face turns serious, “I like you. I like you a lot. Last night was amazing. However, if we are to continue this arrangement, there’s a couple things we have to go over.” Her tone is that of a businesswoman in the middle of a deal negotiation. “First…” she hands me the papers she printed out.

I take the small stack and look over the document. My eyes scan the words from page to page, and I begin to realize what I’m looking at.

“Is this a Non-Disclosure Agreement?”

“Yes. I need you to sign it. As you were made aware yesterday, fraternization with employees is strictly forbidden. This applies to myself, even if I’m of higher stature. Signing this gives me your word that you will not disclose our relationship to anyone or anypony. Not your friends, not your family.”

“I guess it wouldn’t do well if I just said ‘I promise,’ huh?”

“Not to me. Signing the contract will make me believe you. Keep in mind that this is mainly to protect you, rather than myself. Being the head of the Equestria Games, the higher ups will likely find me too useful to let go. You, on the other hoof.”

“Right…” I grimace at the thought of being fired. I like my job. I really like it, now. I look over the contract again. “I’m really impressed, Ms. Harshwhinny. Nowhere in this contract hints at what we’re actually going to be doing.”

“That’s because if anyone or anypony happened to find this contract, they wouldn’t get suspicious. That’s why any references to our relationship are referred to as ‘for your eyes only’ projects. Apologies for any grammatical errors; I wrote it in twenty minutes. You were always the better writer than I.”

“There’s a couple missing commas here and there, but nothing too serious.” I assure her. “Can I have a pen?”

“Of course.” Ms. Harshwhinny gives me a pen from the drawer in her desk. Once she hands it to me, I sign it quickly, giving back both the contract and the pen. She takes the items with a look of surprise. “I’m surprised that you signed it so quickly.”

“My family still lives on Earth. My friends work here, and I don’t tell them much. I just say how work is going, but never specifics. Truth be told, I always thought our time together was meant to be non disclosed to anyone other than potential clients.”

“Oh…” she looks at me, impressed. “How…professional of you.” The way she says that, the way she moves around in her seat, it’s almost like she’s turned on by what I just said. Should I feel proud about that? I don’t know. Maybe. “Well, our deal is done, then.” 

Ms. Harshwhinny stands up, straightening her jacket and skirt. I stand up as well, and do the same with my pants. 

“Okay, then. I’ll get back to my desk. I should look over our contract with Fast Pass for the meeting today, just to make sure that there’s no mistakes.”

“Good. I’ll see you then.” She nods. I turn to leave, when… “Wait. One more thing.” I turn back around, and she gets closer to me. “There will be times where I would feel a bit stressed out. Usually, it would be before a meeting. When that happens, I may call upon you for some stress relief.” She puts a hand on my waist. “Like so…”

Ms. Harshwhinny pulls me in and kisses me passionately. She’s rough with it. Her tongue invades mine, and I’m shocked….for all of a few seconds. Once I realize what’s happening, I match with her roughness, running my right hand through her mane, while my left is on her waist. 

After a few more seconds, we part. Ms. Harshwhinny, wipes away any saliva on her lips, and brushes her mane back with her hand to get it to look like it did before I mussed it up a little bit. Again, she straightens out her jacket and skirt to look more presentable. 

“That will be all for the time being. I will see you, soon.” she says, moving back to her desk.

“Yes ma’am.” I nod.

“Oh, and do try to hide your arousal when you go outside.”

“Huh?” I look down and notice that I’m REALLY turned on right now. “Oh, I’ll get right on it. I’ll see you later.”

I go outside, rushing to my desk so that no one notices the bulge in my pants. Thankfully, no heads turn during my rush to the desk. They’re working on their own projects, anyway. 

Time passes by, as I look over the contract for our upcoming meeting. Truthfully, I don’t really see much of a point in this appointment. The thing is, from what I’ve heard from other corporations, Fast Pass is notorious for not showing up to negotiations for any potential publicity events. Instead, she sends out her Agent, whose name I never remember, to do the negotiations for her. Normally, that’s not much of a problem, but what makes her difficult is that with her not being there, there’s a lot of back and forth. Set up meeting, make offer, set up meeting, hear offer get rejected, set up meeting, make new offer, set up meeting…yeah it’s that bad.

I kind of would have appreciated phone calls or e-mails, but I guess if we’re going to get rejected, might as well do it in person…or in pony. Is there a ponified version of in person? I’ve been here for years, and yet I never found out. I’ve always said ‘in person’ when in front of Ms. Harshwhinny, and she’s never corrected me once.


	
Noon hits, and the meeting happens in the rather massive meeting room. The room is way too big for this, consisting of a big and long table that stretches the entire area. Only me, Harshwhinny, and the Agent are inside. 

Once again, the Agent informs us that the offer we’re giving to Fast Pass has been rejected, saying that it’s too low. Seven and a half million bits for a one hour appearance at the Equestria Games AND lighting the torch seems to be a little low, apparently.

“Sorry, but Fast Pass feels that ten million bits is more fair.” the Agent says in a rather smug voice. He adjusts his tie in a way that suggests that he has won the negotiation. Really, I bet in the back of his mind, this is as big of a waste of time as Ms. Harshwhinny and I feel.

“I see.” Ms. Harshwhinny says, looking to me to check if I’m still transcribing the meeting. I am. “Look, here’s the thing. I’m sure you’re sick of coming here to tell us for the seventh time that Fast Pass has refused our offer.”

“Not sick of it, Ms. Harshwhinny, but I am rather annoyed that you don’t make a counter offer right here and now.”

“Funny, I was just thinking that.” I notice a small smirk on her face, “Here’s what I have. Tell Fast Pass, that if she wants to light the torch for the Equestria Games this year, that she doesn’t hide behind her Agent, and comes to me personally for any future negotiations. I will no longer tolerate any more jerking around on her part.”

“Ms. Harshwhinny!” the Agent is aghast at her attitude. I meanwhile, am loving it. “May I remind you, that it was you and your agency that came to us?!”

“And if she didn’t want to, she would have simply said no. There is obvious interest on her part, but she feels she won’t be adequately compensated for her time. I’ll be honest with you, I do have a new offer, but I will not tell you in a future meeting with you, nor will I tell you now. Instead, I will tell her when she meets me muzzle to muzzle. If she does not want to hear this offer, then I will find somepony else to do it, and it will be somepony more famous, and more courteous.”

“Preposterous! There is no sports champion as popular as Fast Pass!”

“You want to try me?” 

A pause between the two of them. The Agent clenches his fist tightly, staring daggers at Ms. Harshwhinny. After a pause so long that I became cheeky enough to write a series of ellipses on my laptop, the Agent sighs in defeat.

“Very well.” he says, “I will return to her and tell her your thoughts. If she agrees to hear you out, I will call you. If there’s no response from us in the next twenty-four hours, then there will be no deal.”

“I’m fine with that.” Ms. Harshwhinny stands up, straightening her jacket and skirt yet again. “Good day to you.”

The Agent nods, bowing to her and taking his leave. Ms. Harshwhinny sighs angrily upon his exit. I stop with my transcription, taking a seat next to her. Luckily, the shades in the room are closed, so no one can see what’s going on.

“Hey, are you okay?” I ask her.

“Your concern is always welcome.” she says, her hand over her eyes. “I could not take any more rejection meetings with that colt.”

“I know, me neither.” I chuckle. The comment makes her smile lightly. “Do you know anyone more famous than Fast Pass?”

“You know the answer to that.” Of course that’s a no. “The top brass won’t like it if she says no, but we’ll make do.” She looks at her watch. “It’s time for a lunch break.” Ms. Harshwhinny look at me with that same softness as she did earlier. “I’d ask if you would like to have lunch with me, but…”

“Yeah…I get it.” I nod. “I’ll see you in an hour.”

I leave the room, taking my laptop with me. Immediately, I head for the elevator, taking it down to the lobby, where I go out for lunch.


	
Funnily enough, Kevin is at the Fillydelphia Sandwich joint I like to visit on some days during the lunch hour. We talk during the break, and he tells me all about his date with the Receptionist in great detail…whether I like or not. I suppose that he thinks since I’m a guy, I’d be interested in any lewd escapades. Truthfully, I couldn’t really care less, but his enthusiasm is admirable. It’s a character trait he’s had ever since we were friends on Earth. The two went out to a movie, where they started making out halfway through, and had some rather intense sex in the car. Considering that they were watching a horror movie, it must have been really good for them to want to go at it right after it was over. 

Then again, I shouldn’t joke around too much. Ms. Harshwhinny and I had dinner, rode the ferris wheel, and went to her place for some rather intense sex. Well, it’s the context that counts. Kevin asks me what I did on Hearts and Hooves day, and I tell him I stayed home and watched television, where every station played cheesy romance movies, so I put on an over-the-top action flick to counteract it. He buys the story hook line and sinker. I then ask if he knows the rules about fraternization. He confirms, and assures me that I'm the only one he's told about the encounter, and Crystal is also keeping it a secret. That's good, I don't want him to risk his job. Little does he know, my job is also on the line.

Once lunch is over, I head back up to my desk. The moment I sit down, I get a call on the phone.

“Can you come in?” the voice of Ms. Harshwhinny on the other end asks.

“Sure thing.”

I stand up, and go into her office. I see Ms. Harshwhinny standing in front of her desk, awaiting my arrival.

“Lock the door.” she requests. I do so. Once the door is locked, she approaches me. “How was your lunch?”

“Good. And yours?" 

"Quiet. Normally, I like the quiet, but..." She doesn't finish her thought, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a key. “Here, take this.”

I take the key from her hand. Looking at it, I notice a series of numbers at the top.

“What is this?”

“It’s the key to my apartment. I had it made during the lunch break. The numbers are the code to get through the front door. I would like you to come to my apartment after work.”

“Wow…” I stare at the key in awe. “Sure, when do you want me to arrive?”

“As soon as you are able. I won’t be home at first. I have my Yoga and Spin Class, but I’d like the first thing to see when I get home to be you.”

“Okay, what time will you be home?”

“Should be around nine.”

“You want me to make dinner?”

“You cook?”

“I can make spaghetti. I can pick up some ingredients on my way.”

“No need. I have the necessary items in my kitchen.”

“Okay, then I’ll make dinner.”

Suddenly, Ms. Harshwhinny leans forward, giving me another passionate kiss. God, she is wonderful at this. Every time her lips come in contact with mine, my heart beats wildly. She separates, and again, she wipes her lips to show she hadn’t been vigorously been making out with someone.

“I’ll look forward to it.” she says softly. She looks down and smirks. “Ah, I see you’re learning to control yourself.” I look down to see that, yes, I don’t have an erection this time. Nice. “I’ll see you later tonight.” Ms. Harshwhinny turns around and walks back to her desk. Her backside has an extra sway to it, like she wants me to stare at her ass.

Great, that control is fading. I should get back to my desk.

I get back to my desk quickly. When no one is looking my way, I take out the key, staring at it, like I’m still in disbelief that I actually have this.

“This is happening. Isn’t it?” I whisper to myself.

Yes…yes it is.
> A Harsh Workout (Explicit Content)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Being in Ms. Harshwhinny’s apartment by myself is kind of weird.

The rest of the work day went by fairly uneventfully, with some updates being made to the offer to Fast Pass for the lighting of the Equestria Games torch. There were a few phone calls about various appointment confirmations during the week, such as her spa day on Friday afternoon, and a bracelet being ready tomorrow morning at the jewelry store. All normal things, to be sure. Depending on the day, Ms. Harshwhinny wears a very nice gold bracelet, but it has an unfortunate tendency to crack after use. In my time as her assistant, it’s cracked twice. Maybe I should recommend a better jeweler to her.

Once six o’clock hit, I went to her office, announced my leave, and she nodded with a “good night” and “see you tomorrow.” A common occurrence that leaves no suspicions whatsoever. 

Now that I’m here, I guess I should get to the most important thing. Check that entertainment system to see if there’s actually a video game console behind that tinted glass door. Holy shit, there IS a console here! Is Ms. Harshwhinny a secret gamer? I hope she is. I bet she’s a hardcore gamer, too, who trash talks to those that really irritate her. Maybe she’s just a casual gamer that enjoys a couple hours of platforming or adventuring every once in a while. I’ll ask her when I get the chance. 

It’s eight fifteen; I head to the kitchen and look through the cabinets. I find the spaghetti noodles, and…woah. This is sauce from Villapiano’s itself. This stuff is pretty expensive; definitely not the type one would get at the grocery store. Better make sure not the screw this up. I mean, it’s spaghetti. I've done it many times before, so it's not going to be difficult.

And now the apartment’s on fire. At least, that’s what my mind flashes to after thinking that. 

I boil the noodles, adding in a bit of salt, while also heating up some vegetarian meat balls in the oven. Ms. Harshwhinny has got a really nice oven. It’s sleek and shiny, and looks like it could cook a thanksgiving turkey in a matter of minutes, not hours. Well, that’s how it looks, anyway. It probably cooks a turkey at normal time. 

The nine o’clock hour approaches, and everything is ready. All there is to do now, is to mix everything together. I’ve done everything as carefully as possible to not make a mess, so this should be relatively simple.

And it is! Yes! I’ve mixed everything together in a big pot, and it looks so damn good. I put a lid on it to keep the heat from escaping.

There, all done. Now all that’s left to do is to wait for Ms….

Click.

I hear the front door unlocking. She’s home? Wow, five minutes early. 

Quickly, I go to the front door, standing with a smile, knowing that she wants the first thing to see when she opens that door to be me. The door fully opens, and Ms. Harshwhinny is standing on the other side. 

Woah….oh….woah.

She’s not wearing her work outfit. Instead, she’s wearing her workout clothes. Those tight sweatpants. The open sweatshirt. The sports bra.

Dear lord, the sports bra.

Being that all I’ve seen her wear is a fairly loose silk shirt, I couldn’t really tell just how…ahem…well endowed she was. Even when I had them pressed against my face last night, it was still hard to tell. Bras can be tricky beasts, you know. What could be considered stacked on a first glance, is nothing more than trickery. That sounds rather shallow of me. Truthfully, if she was medium or even small, she would still be absolutely lovely and desirable.

But, oh my god. She is shockingly busty. Not in that ‘if you get hit by them, you’ll die’ kind of busty, but that perfect type of busty. The type you can wrap a hand around and play with them. My mind is seriously going to places. I don’t know where I am any more.

Ms. Harshwhinny’s lips are now on mine, bringing me back to Earth and potentially life.

“I had to get you out of you trance.” she says quietly, but in a tone that shows amusement. “I assume that I am to your liking?”

“Yeah.” I nod and chuckle.

“It must be quite a shock, seeing me wearing this.” Oh, she has no idea. “But, if there’s anyone I don’t mind looking at me the way that you are now…it’s of course you.”

“Forgive me, but does your instructor notice? Like, does he make glances at you?”

“My instructor is female….but yes.” she stifles a chuckle, “No matter how many dirty looks I give her, she's always glancing at me. I don't know why. There are plenty of more attractive and…bustier mares than I in these classes…”

“Maybe it’s because you look perfect.” I interrupt. Ms. Harshwhinny’s eyes widen slightly, and a blush crosses her cheeks. A sight I’ll never tire of.

“There you go again.” she looks away from me. “Is dinner ready?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll go take a shower.” she walks past me, towards her bedroom, where the bathroom also is. Then, she turns around. “I would like you to join me.”

If I could, I could make my clothes explode off my body. But…I didn’t bring any spares with me, so I kind of need them for tonight. 

I turn off the stove and follow Ms. Harshwhinny into the bathroom. I haven’t been in her bathroom before, and much like everything else in this apartment, it’s rather spacious. The shower looks like it could fit three people, which is only appropriate, since it also doubles as a large bathtub. I close to door behind me, and Ms. Harshwhinny looks me up and down with a smirk.

“So…” I say.

“Turn around.” she interrupts. “Before you see me, I want to see you.”

Those words shouldn’t make me nervous. I take pretty good care of myself, so I think I look alright, but hearing her say that in that almost anticipatory tone is causing my heart to race. I turn around, and I’m face to face with the door. 

“Take off your clothes.” she says, sounding like all business. “Start with your shirt, and make your way down.”

“O-okay…” I respond. I unbutton my shirt, and take it off, letting it fall to the floor. I then remove the tank top underneath, and then my shoes, so taking off my pants is easier. I unbuckle my belt, and pull my pants down, alongside my underwear. 

I stand up straight, no longer moving and letting Ms. Harshwhinny look at me. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but I hope it’s relatively pleasant. 

I hear shuffling behind me, and then something lands on my shoulder. I pull it off to see that it’s…oh god, it’s her sports bra. Sliding next to my feet, are her sweat pants, and her shoes. I drop her sports bra, realizing that behind me, Ms. Harshwhinny is completely naked.

Her hands grip my shoulders, and I tense up. Her grip is gentle, but firm. That probably describes her attitude towards me, thus far, so it feels rather appropriate. 

“Don’t turn around just yet.” she says. She leads me to the shower. The door in front of me gets further and further away. “Raise your right leg.” I do so, and bring it down over the tub. “Now your left.” I’m fully in the tub.

Her hands move off my shoulders. I hear squeaks behind me, and then the rush of water on my back. It’s lukewarm, but gets warmer and warmer. Steam quickly rises up, as the water is now fairly hot. I can hear the sounds of the water hitting Ms. Harshwhinny’s body, and falling onto the porcelain bottom.

Before I can register this any further, I feel the emanating warmth of her body getting closer to me. Suddenly, her arms wrap around me and she holds me tight. Her breasts press against my back, and they feel soft. Her hands glide along my chest, and her head rests on my right shoulder. 

“Not bad.” she whispers, “I knew your physique was like this. I could tell from the clothes you wear.” her fingers trace along my stomach. “Ticklish?” she asks. I shake my head. “No? Good.” She continues to play with my torso. Her movements, and her warmth is causing my body, and other parts of it, to start stiffening up. “Oh?” She notices. “I didn’t have to work very hard for that one.”

“Ms. Harshwhinny…can I turn around?”

“So impatient.” she sighs. She then kisses my shoulder. “Very well. You may turn around.”

She lets go of me and steps back. Finally, I can see what she looks like. I turn around slowly, savoring the moment. When I turn all the way around, I see a very naked Ms. Harshwhinny standing before me. Her teasing attitude has melted away into something more demure. She rubs left hand on her right arm in nervousness, and she’s looking away from me. My eyes scan her body up and down, taking it all in.

My god…she’s perfect.

My assumptions that she takes care of her body were more than founded. She’s well toned, with noticeable muscle in her shoulders and thighs, likely due to her workout classes. Her build is of medium size, not thin, but no excess fat. Her breasts…there as I predicted. They’re big, and they’re staring right at me. My hands twitch, desperate to grab every inch of her, but I’m staying myself. I don’t want to be too aggressive. I want to make this last.

“Well…” she says in a soft spoken but stern tone, “What do you think?”

I don’t respond to the question, as I reach down to the side and pick up a bottle of body wash. Ms. Harshwhinny’s ears perk up at the sound, and she sees me squeeze the bottle into my palm. Her eyes widen slightly, alongside a blush on her cheeks.

“W-what are you doing?” she asks.

“Turn around.” I reply.

Almost reluctantly, she does so. I see the rest of her marvelous body. Her ass is incredible. It better be, it sure felt amazing in my hands last night. Her tail sways back and forth, weighted down by the water. It’s almost like her body is taunting me, even as she still looks nervous.

I move closer to her, putting the body wash on both my hands. Then, I place my hands on her shoulders. I feel her body shiver at my touch, as I move my hands up and down, spreading the soap on her arms. As I move my hands around her, I hear small moans coming from her. Her legs shake, and thighs tighten. I put more soap in my hands, and continue rubbing her down. I make it to her chest, and I begin to caress her breasts, rubbing soap all over them. I’m soft in my touch, and she continues to moan. As for me, I’m rock hard, but I’m controlling myself.

I press my chest against her back, as I continue to rub the soap all over her torso. Her breathing gets heavier, and her left hand moves closer to her crotch. I stop her hand from proceeding, and she looks over at me, looking confused as to why I stopped.

“There’s no need for that.” I say, turning her around. I move her back, closer to the water. The water rains down on her, washing away the soap I just applied to her. As the last of the suds fall off her, I go in and kiss her passionately. Instinctively, I move her further, so that her back is pressed against the wall. 

“Please…” she pants, “I can’t take much more.”

Listening to her demand for sex is making me go crazy. I line up my cock and slowly insert it inside her wet but tight pussy. If feels just as incredible as it did last night. Ms. Harshwhinny latches herself onto me, her fingers digging into my back, but not breaking any skin. A loud moan exits her mouth, and her inner walls clamp down on me in a vice grip.

Did she…

“Not again…” she says in disappointment. “Sorry…”

“Don’t be.” I say. Truthfully, I don’t mind. In fact, it’s actually makes me proud. I caress my hands on her cheeks, and give her another kiss, further assuring her that I’m more than okay.

I move myself into her, and she gasps on each thrust. She kisses my neck again, and then moves up to my ear, giving it a nibble. That only turns me on more, and I thrust harder into her. Her gasps become audible moans, and every time I thrust, she moves her hips forward, burying me inside her more than I already am.

Suddenly, she pushes me backward to the wall behind me. Her vice like grip of both her hands and her pussy never subsiding. I stop moving, as Ms. Harshwhinny becomes the dominant one now. She thrusts herself onto me, and I feel my length being roughly caressed by her inner walls. Her look of determination to make me climax before her oncoming orgasm is endearing, and I’m fighting myself because of it. Ms. Harshwhinny, gets rougher and rougher, and her walls get tighter.

Her body breaks down into shivers, and she loudly moans. I feel her sexual juices run onto me, and down my leg. 

“Why?” she whispers after her orgasm subsides. “Why aren’t you cumming, yet?”

“I will…in just a minute.” I say. I better live up to that minute.

I grab onto her perfect and shapely ass, lift her off the floor, and press her against the wall again. I thrust harder into her, and she wraps her legs around my waist. Her breasts are in my face, and I cannot help myself. I wrap my mouth around her left breast, and suck on her nipple. Each thrust makes her yell in pleasure, and my breast stuffed mouth muffles, feeling myself reaching the inevitable climax.

After a few more thrusts, I cannot take much more, pressing into her hard, and my cock twitches wildly inside her, much like it did last night. Semen explodes out of my tip, filling her up, and in turn, she climaxes again. I remove Ms. Harshwhinny’s delicious breast from my mouth, and kiss her cleavage. I then rest my head on them, feeling the soft and wet fur against my cheek. Her breaths, once heavy, begin to soften, and she rests her chin on the top of my head.

“This…” she quietly says, “…may have been counter productive.”

“True.” I chuckle. “I suppose we should get clean for real, this time.”



Ms. Harshwhinny and I sit at the dining room table, both wearing robes, eating the still hot spaghetti from our respective bowls. She is quiet, eating the pasta much like she did yesterday. That prim and proper attitude, even when wearing a violet colored robe that hides her glorious nakedness from all, isn’t going away. I catch a minor instance of what must be her true self, slurping a noodle into her mouth quickly. She catches me, and tries to hide it with a napkin on her mouth, pretending to wipe away any sauce from her lips.

“Do you like it?” I ask.

“Yes, it’s quite good.”

“I noticed that the sauce you use is from Villapiano’s. Expensive stuff.”

“Expensive? Do you use it when you make spaghetti at home?”

“No. I use regular store brand.”

“You do?” she turns her head to the side. “Do I…do I not pay you enough?”

“Huh?” What is she talking about? I get paid more than enough. It’s just… “No, no, you pay me a great salary!”

“If you feel inadequately compensated, I’ll raise your salary. You’ve more than earned it.”

“I…” Okay, that sounds pretty great, but… “No. You pay me well, Ms. Harshwhinny. I’ve just been saving my money…I mean bits.”

“Saving? For what?”

“Anything, really. Sometimes, I send bits over to my family on earth. The inter-dimensional travel turns the bits into cash. Not that my family is poor, but I thought I’d pay them back for raising me.”

“Huh…” I see a small smirk on her face. “You remind me of myself.”

“I do?”

“I send bits to my parents every month.”

“Oh? I’ve never met your parents.”

“Not many have. I don’t know anypony or anybody well enough to introduce them to my family.”

“You think that maybe I could meet them? It would be interesting to meet the parents of the Head of The Equestria Games.”

“Perhaps.” she chuckles, “But under the guise of my assistant. After all, we have a contract to uphold.”

“Of course.” I nod. I pick up my empty bowl, and take hers as well. She nods in appreciation. I put them in the sink and run water over them for a preliminary soak before I fully wash them later. I sit back down at the table.

“That was delicious.” she says, “Thank you for the meal.”

“It’s no problem.” I wave it off. I watch as Ms. Harshwhinny moves her right palm onto her cheek, staring at me in thought. “What is it?”

“I was thinking a little bit about the terms of our contract. My I propose some loopholes?”

“Loopholes?”

“Well, I’m beginning to realize that the state of our relationship might make me impatient on most days.”

“Most days? We only just started being together.”

“Technically, we’ve been together for a year.”

“Yeah, but as…wait…” I think about it, “…have you been thinking about going out with me during that year?”

Ms. Harshwhinny goes silent, with a blush on her cheeks. “Perhaps.” she responds timidly, “I do admit to having a fondness for you on certain days.”

“Woah.” as incredible as it is to hear, my next question is “Why?”

“Do you want to hear my proposal about those loopholes?” she deflects the question. I would call her out on it, but I am genuinely interested to see what she has in mind.

“Sure.”

“Well, say we are at a restaurant, going over a memo or contract over lunch. Say that the table cloth is lengthy enough to hit the floor. Perhaps…if that is the case…would you mind if I…” I feel her hoof scratch against my leg gently. “…do that?”

“I…wouldn’t mind at all.” Man, playing footsie (hoovsie?) with my boss sounds weirdly hot. “Well, since we’re finding looholes already, say that we’re reading a memo at this restaurant, and there’s an important detail that I would like to show you. So, I decide to move myself…” I pick myself and my chair up, and sit down next to her, “…to your side. And, as I read to you the detail, I…” I place my hand on her leg. A small gasp comes from her. “…I decide to touch your leg.”

“If you’re really talented, you could probably get away with a lot more than that.” she says. 

I look down, noticing that she has spread her legs a bit. Holy shit. Okay, then. I slide my hand up her thigh, and find my mark with ease. I insert a finger inside her slick pussy, and she immediately moans upon insertion. She grabs my hand, and pushes my finger in deeper. She closes her eyes, and arches her back, causing the robe to open up, showing her healthy cleavage trying to burst out of the cloth.

I continue massaging her inner walls and clit, and I use my other hand to reach into her robe and fondle her breasts. Man, they feel even more wonderful than they did in the shower. Probably because they aren’t wet, but with a bit of fluff to them, thanks to that body wash. Ms. Harshwhinny opens her eyes to look at me; her tongue fighting to come out of her mouth in pure pleasure.

“You are a brute.” she says in the most sexual tone possible. 

“I know.” I reply, planting a kiss on her. The combination of all these things; the fingering, the fondling, and the kissing, make her muffle in yet another orgasm. Her body shakes from the sensation, and she holds onto my shoulders to wait for the shakes to subside.

Moments pass, and she calms her body down. I remove my fingers from her, and take my hand off her breasts. She pants quietly, as she gives me light kisses.

“Will you stay with me, tonight?” She doesn’t really have to ask.

“Of course.”

“I don’t want to be separate this time. Do you mind if you…hold me?”

“Not at all.”

After we wash the dishes and put away any leftovers in the fridge, the two of us head to the bedroom. Ms. Harshwhinny takes off her robe and crawls onto the bed. God, she has such an amazing figure. I always figured that she would have a great body, but looking at her now is like staring at a goddess. Listen to me; my hyperbole is off the charts. I take off my robe and lie down next to her. She stares at me with her head resting on her right palm, a small smile curls on her lips. 

“What?” I ask.

“Did you ever imagine something like this?”

“Not exactly, but…I did wonder what it would be like…with you.”

“Ah, so you did have ulterior motives for asking me out.”

“No, I actually didn’t think about it. I truly wanted to do something nice for you. The rest was…quite a surprise.” 

“You’re sweet. Maybe that’s what I like about you most.”

“I never would have imagined hearing you say such things.”

“I won’t use them in public. I have an image to maintain.” she says in a stern stone. “Now then, onto business.” she inches closer and wraps her arms around my body. She holds me to her tightly, and she rests her head on my chest. Since we’re the same height, she has to move down a bit. “How is this?” 

“It’s fine. A bit tight.” I admit. I feel her grip loosening up, and it now feels way more comfortable. “Ms. Harshwhinny, have you ever cuddled before?”

“No. I lack experience with it. I’ve only seen it in movies. Is it okay?”

“Yeah, yeah it’s okay.” I put my arms around her. “You feel nice.”

“It’s only natural. You practically drowned me in that body wash.”

“Sorry. Did I use too much?”

“A little bit. It’s fine, though. I did come back from a work out, so I appreciate you being so thorough.”

“I know, I got pretty carried away.”

“Don’t worry about it. The attention was…nice.” she mutters the last part. “Do you mind if I stay like this?”

“Not at all. You hold on for as long as you want.”

A long pause happens between us. I don’t hear an answer from her. Instead, I feel her breath massaging my chest. She breathes in and out so slowly, and I feel her chest pressing against me, and then subsiding. It’s a calming feeling, more so that I can feel her hand caressing my back. It’s incredible just how much our relationship has progressed these past hours. Just yesterday afternoon, I was only her assistant, but now, we’re much more than that. Things are different now. I don’t know what tomorrow brings, nor the day after that. 

The days between us were predictable. Not uneventfully so, but there was a routine. Now? Now there isn’t a routine. There’s only us. There’s….

“Thank you.” she whispers to me after minutes of silence. Her tone is interesting. Her voice cracked just a little bit, like she was holding something back. It sounded…almost sad.

I want to ask her what’s wrong, but she might just ignore it. I feel her cheek nuzzle my chest, and she sighs in comfort. Maybe I’m overthinking her tone. That was probably her tired voice. I don’t know, yet. I shouldn’t dwell on it for too long, as I’m getting tired myself.

I kiss the top of her head, and close my eyes.

Tomorrow’s a new day. Should be interesting.
> A Harsh Deal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It’s quiet in the office today. I thought for sure that Fast Pass’ Agent would be calling or e-mailing us at some point. He did say that if we didn’t hear him in the next twenty-four hours, that would mean any potential deals with Fast Pass is off, and Ms. Harshwhinny would have to find somepony else for the Equestria Games.

Right now, it’s hour twenty-three point five. Just thirty more minutes to go, and the deal is gone. I wonder what Ms. Harshwhinny has as a back up plan. Maybe I should mention that one mare, Rainbow Dash, to her. She’s a pretty popular Wonderbolt, and I hear that she helped save Equestria a couple times. That’s kind of cool, and is no doubt at least worth a consideration. You know what? I’ll ask her about it right-

RING RING RING! Phone call. 

Huh, guess that’ll have to wait. The phone number doesn’t look familiar. Could be a telemarketer. Ms. Harshwhinny hates telemarketers. I hate telemarketers, too. Eh, I’ll pick it up anyway, could be important.

“Hello?” I speak first.

“Hi.” the somewhat familiar voice on the other end replies. “Is this Ms. Harshwhinny’s Assistant?”

“Yes, it is.” He seems to know me enough, but doesn’t know my actual name. “Who am I speaking to?”

“It’s Done Deal. Fast Pass’ Agent. You were present when Ms. Harshwhinny and I spoke.”

Oh, his name is Done Deal? That’s kind of cool. His voice is very unfamiliar to me, though. Actually, it’s less his voice, but more of the tone. Whenever I would see him, he constantly struck me as a snooty high class type. The voice on the phone sounds more polite.

“Right, my apologies. How are you?” I respond to his politeness in kind.

“I’m well, thank you for asking. I’m calling to say that Fast Pass has agreed to meet for one final deal negotiation. She is open for an appointment today, if Ms. Harshwhinny is free. Would the lunch hour be good for her?”

“Sure. Let me check in with Ms. Harshwhinny. May I put you on hold?”

“Of course. Take your time.”

I put Done Deal on hold, and go into Ms. Harshwhinny’s office. I see her typing away on the computer. With a clearing of my throat, she turns her attention to me.

“How may I help you?” she says in her signature business-like tone. 

“Done Deal is on the phone. He says that Fast Pass is open to one final deal negotiation. It appears she would like to perform negotiations over lunch.”

Ms. Harshwhinny taps her fingers on the table, thinking for a few moments. I wish I could know what’s on her mind. Maybe she was interested in having a quiet lunch. I wonder if she would be open to having lunch with me sometime. We would go someplace quiet, with no prying eyes. Perhaps the roof of the building would be a good spot. I should keep my attention on waiting for her response, or else I’ll miss it.

“Very well. Ask him where she would like to meet, and we’ll be there. Report back to me when it’s done.”

“Of course.” I nod and head back to my desk. I take Done Deal off hold. “Ms. Harshwhinny would be happy to meet with Fast Pass. Where does she want to hold negotiations?”

“Fast Pass has already chosen a venue. The meeting is at the ITROT downtown at one thirty. Would you like some directions?”

“No thanks. I know the place. I’m surprised she would choose that.”

“Yes, well…even she enjoys pancakes once in a while.” I hear his chuckle. “We look forward to seeing you two.”

“You two as well. Take care.” I hang up. It’s like he was a completely different person…pony…on the phone. Maybe I had him all wrong. Maybe he was only snooty because he was playing the role of an agent, and wanted to seem professional. I shouldn’t dwell on this too long. I stand and go back into Ms. Harshwhinny’s office. “The meeting is at the ITROT downtown at one thirty.”

“The pancake establishment?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting. Never considered her somepony who ate pancakes. It’s also been a while since I’ve had breakfast for lunch. Okay then. Close the door and lock it.” She orders. I do as she commands.

“Okay, now what?”

“Now, you kiss me. I need to come into this meeting with as little stress as possible.”

“Sounds good to me.”


	
It’s one thirty-five, and Ms. Harshwhinny and I sit at a sizable booth in the ITROT, waiting for our guests of honor to arrive. My laptop is out, perusing the net, while Ms. Harshwhinny is looking at my screen, checking to see if I find anything interesting. My search leads me to the website for the local movie theater, where that superhero movie Wonder Mare is selling advanced tickets. My heart skips a beat, as I’ve been waiting to see that flick since the first trailer. 

“Do you want to go?” I ask Ms. Harshwhinny, who leans back from me after noticing that she was pretty close to my face.

“If we do, we have to make sure that it’s out of coincidence. I know a few of my employees go to the movies. If they spot us entering the theater together, it may raise suspicion.”

“Okay, I’ll buy the tickets separately. I’ll print out yours when we get back.” I type away, paying for the tickets. “You like superhero movies?”

“Most of the time, yes. I normally can’t stand it when the so called heroes make jokes every five seconds. The city is falling apart and you’re making references to old movies? So silly.” she shakes her head with a chuckle. “I will admit that this particular cinematic endeavor has piqued my interest. Thank you…” she blushes, “…for buying me a ticket.”

“You’re welcome.”

Right when I finish getting our tickets, the front door bell jingles. Ms. Harshwhinny and I look up to see Done Deal, wearing a nice and professional suit and tie, looking at us with a nod and a little wave. Behind him, I see Fast Pass, a tan earth pony with a slim figure and a holier than thou posture that just screams she’s kind of a big deal. Her sunglasses cover her eyes, so I can’t see if she sees us or not. Done Deal motions her to us, and the start their walk.

Ms. Harshwhinny and I stand up, awaiting their arrival.

“Ms. Harshwhinny? Is there anything about Fast Pass I should know about?” I whisper.

“She hates humans.” she whispers back.

“Huh?”

“How nice to see you two, again.” Done Deal arrives first, holding his hand out for a shake. I shake his hand first, and then he shakes Ms. Harshwhinny's hand next. “Were you waiting long?”

“Just a minute.” Ms. Harshwhinny lies. We were waiting for a good ten minutes. 

“Sorry for the delay. We were caught in traffic.” Done Deal moves out of the way to fully reveal Fast Pass. Yeah, she looks pretty good, but…she hates humans? “This is Fast Pass.”

“A pleasure.” Ms. Harshwhinny reaches her hand out. Fast Pass takes off her sunglasses, revealing her bright blue eyes, looking at my boss up and down. Her lips curl into a smile and she takes Ms. Harshwhinny’s palm in a soft grip.

“The pleasure is all mine.” she says in a husky voice. “It’s wonderful to finally meet the famous head of the Equestria Games herself. I’ve seen your photos, and they do not do you justice. How old are you, may I ask?”

“I’ll be thirty-six in a couple weeks.” she responds. I, meanwhile, am now planning possible birthday presents. 

“Your eyes show experience, but your body is very young indeed.” Fast Pass goes on the offensive with the flirting, that I’m almost tempted to interrupt her to get on with proceedings. I shouldn’t, though, I need to keep my head cool so that negotiations go well. 

“Thank you.” Ms. Harshwhinny nods. There’s no blush on her cheeks. No sign of fidgeting in her stance. Fast Pass’ words don’t even register in her mind. Ms. Harshwhinny is the first to let go, motioning over to me. “This is my assistant. He helps in the creation of the contracts, and will be transcribing the meeting, so that nothing is missing if we come to an agreement.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Fast Pass.” I hold my hand out. 

Fast Pass completely ignores me, and takes a seat. I glance over at Done Deal, who looks at me apologetically. I nod, and take a seat, as does Ms. Harshwhinny. As I switch the tabs on my laptop to show a new word document, I feel Ms. Harshwhinny’s hand briefly rest on my left leg, giving it a minor squeeze. It was so quick that no one noticed, but for me, it might as well have felt like ages. I pretend as if I do not acknowledge it, but inside, I can tell that she did it out of sympathy for me.

“So, what is this I hear about a new offer for me?” Fast Pass begins.

“First off, I would like to hear your reasoning for ten million bits.” Ms. Harshwhinny fires back. “It’s not that we don’t have the bits, but it also feels a tad steep. Your Agent, Done Deal, could only tell us your demanded number, but never the reasoning, so I assume you never told him.”

“I didn’t realize that the reasonings for my salary needed explaining. Do you have your employees explain why they want raises?”

“My employees are well compensated, Fast Pass. I haven’t had any petitions for raises in years.”

“So you say.” Fast Pass nods. “Fine, I feel that ten million bits is fair, for a star of my stature. As you know, I’m the highest paid, and most popular hoofball player in the sport, and have lead my team to victory countless times. Being in my presence is an event, so I would like to be paid as such. Seven and a half million bits is…no offense…a bit paltry.”

Paltry? Seven and a half million bits is paltry? What in the world do you pay for to consider such money less than desirable? A gold plated rocket car? A lifetime supply of zap apple jam? Hookers and blow? I have done just well with the salary I’ve earned from Ms. Harshwhinny; as a paid intern, as an employee AND as her assistant.  Also, I hate it when people and ponies preface things with "As you know." 

Yeah, we DO know. There's no need to prattle on about your accomplishments when we already know. Then again, Fast Pass is quickly striking me as the arrogant type.

“I see…” Ms. Harshwhinny says quietly. I can tell from her tone that she’s rather annoyed. I can also tell, because she didn't respond with "No offense taken." As most would when they're not offended.

“Good afternoon.” The Waitress arrives. “May I start you off with some drinks?”

“Coffee.” says Fast Pass.

“Coffee.” says Done Deal.

“Coffee.” says Ms. Harshwhinny.

“Iced Tea with lemon.” I ruin the chain.

“Sounds good. It'll be just a moment.” The Waitress smiles and leaves.

“Anyway…” Ms. Harshwhinny continues. “I cannot say that I understand your reasoning, but at the same time, your celebrity status in the sporting world is second to none.” The last part makes Fast Pass give off a smug expression. “That being said, you get paid ten million bits for an entire game, which can last up to four hours. I figured seven and a half million for one hour would be more than enough. I now know that such an amount isn’t enough, so allow me to make one more offer. My offer is eight million bits…”

“I don’t…” Fast Pass is about to say, before Ms. Harshwhinny moves her hand up into a stop gesture.

“Let me finish. Eight million bits, plus any bits you’ll be paid in advertising and promotion.”

“Advertising and promotion?” this intrigues her.

Before Ms. Harshwhinny could elaborate further, the Waitress arrives with the drinks. It’s quiet between all of us, as the Waitress then takes out her notepad for our orders.

“Are you ready to order?” she asks.

“Yes, I'll have the vegetarian omelet with two buttermilk pancakes.” says Fast Pass.

“Strawberry crepes with scrambled eggs.” says Done Deal.

“Double blueberry pancakes with sunny side up eggs and hash browns.” says Ms. Harshwhinny.

“The country omelet with sourdough toast.” I reply, not ruining any chains this time.

"All great choices." The waitress nods again, writing everything down with another smile. "We'll get right on it." She walks off to place the orders.

“Okay…” Ms. Harshwhinny continues again, “I have made a deal with various outlets; Sugar Wheats Cereal, Athletics Illustrated, Mare’s Health, and Red Manticore Energy Drink, to sponsor you for the duration of the Equestria Games. That means your face will be plastered on every one of their products, and you will be paid handsomely throughout the event.”

“Oh…” the thought intrigues her. “I’ve been paid for one or two sponsors at once, but four? Can that be done?”

“It can, and I did it.” now Ms. Harshwhinny is giving the smug grin. I almost stop typing, due to how hot it is. "I called them all this morning, and they all agreed to sponsor you." Ah, so that's why I didn't hear anything from her this morning. She was busy making phone calls personally. 

“And…how much would that be?” 

“I looked at your last two sponsors. Together, you were given an initial payment of eight million between the two of them, and you profited an extra fifteen from residuals. If you agree to run for the games right here and now, not only will you be given the eight million bits from my company, but the sponsors will give you an extra seven million bits…each. That’s thirty six million bits. Being that the event lasts for four months, I’d say the profits you’ll receive after that will be more than gracious.”

The offer makes Fast Pass and Done Deal’s jaws drop. Thirty-six million bits, plus more in residuals, is an amazing offer. She can’t even deny that. Fast Pass tries her best to compose herself after that whopper of an offer, but even when she’s at her most composed, traces of amazement are still there. 

“Well…” Fast Pass thinks, “I have to say that you surprised me. The offer is more than I ever imagined. It takes a lot for somepony to catch me off guard.”

“I do my best.” Ms. Harshwhinny nods, that hot smug expression still on her face. “That is my final offer.”

“It would be insane of me not to take it. So…” She thinks even more. Her eyes look around the room in every direction. Well, every direction except for the one I'm in. Geez. Finally, Fast Pass smiles and nods, reaching out for a handshake. “I accept.”

Ms. Harshwhinny shakes her hand. The deal is finished. Done Deal is sighing in relief, and so am I. No more back and forth meetings from her. Done Deal and I look at each other, trying not to show our satisfied smiles. Just as the handshake between Ms. Harshwhinny and Fast Pass ends, our food arrives. Done Deal stares at the food with anticipation. It must have been a while since he ate, or successful negotiations really give him an appetite.

“I have to say, Ms. Harshwhinny, you certainly are full of…attitude. I like that in a mare.” Flirts Fast Pass, yet again. “Tell me, is there a Mrs. Harshwhinny at home?”

“There is not.” Ms. Harshwhinny shakes her head. 

“I see…” a smile forms on Fast Pass’ face. “So, what happens now?”

“Now, my Assistant and I will return to the office to compile a contract, and send it to you first thing in the morning.”

“Why wait? I have a better idea.” What? What does she have planned, now? “How about you come to my house tonight, and deliver it then? We could use it as an opportunity to celebrate our successful deal. A nice dinner and fine wine is a good way to spend a night, don’t you think?”

A pause comes from Ms. Harshwhinny. I can tell that there’s hesitance in her seemingly blank expression. Hell, even I’m nervous. Fast Pass is really laying it on thick that she harbors some attraction for my boss. I’d say that I can’t blame her, but she better back off quick. I wonder what Ms. Harshwhinny will say?

“That is a good way to spend a night.” Ms. Harshwhinny nods, “Very well. I’ll bring the contract tonight, and we will celebrate.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you then.” Fast Pass taps Done Deal on the shoulder, getting his attention. “Come on, we should go.”

What the? Fast Pass hasn’t even touched her food, and Done Deal has only taken a few bites out of his crepes! What a waste of food! Poor Done Deal, he looks disappointed, but also loyal to who is pretty much his number one client. He stands up, and follows her close to the exit.

“Don’t worry about the bill.” Fast Pass says over her shoulder, “I’ll take care of it. See you tonight…Ms. Harshwhinny.” she says Ms. Harshwhinny’s name in a seductive tone.

Ms. Harshwhinny and I sit there. I have a dumbfounded look on my face, while she looks like she’s not phased even a little bit. That is quite possibly the strangest meeting I’ve ever been a part of, and I’ve attended some strange meetings in the past. We watch as Fast Pass pays for our meals, and then walks out of the door with a sway in her backside, like she wants Ms. Harshwhinny to look.

“She’s a walking lawsuit just waiting to happen.” Ms. Harshwhinny says in a deadpan tone. Unfortunately, I was taking a sip of my iced tea, and now I’m coughing because some liquid went down the wrong tube. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah…I’ll-cough-recover.” I subside the cough with a few more sips.

“I mean, are you okay with Fast Pass? She ignored your offer for a handshake.”

“You warned me ahead of time, so it wasn’t unexpected.”

“I should have demanded that she shake your hand, or the deal would be off.” There’s a venom in her voice.

“No, don’t say that. I’m not worth cancelling a multimillion bit deal.”

“Nopony and nobody treats you like that. Not when I’m around. And even when I’m not around, they should still treat you with respect.”

“Ms. Harshwhinny, please…” I rest a hand on her lap. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

Ms. Harshwhinny looks down at my hand, and then back at me. That serious expression on her face turns into a small smile, and she chuckles with a shake of the head. Her right hand comes down on mine, caressing it with affection.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to get so riled up. Guess I’m still not quite used to this.”

“Used to what?”

“Being…involved with someone. It’s been a while, and…well…let’s just say that my past relationships were never like this.”

“It’s okay. I’m not used to this, too.”

“Which part? Dating a pony, or dating an older mare?”

“Both, really. Then there’s the whole ‘boss’ thing, and that we’re trying to keep it a secret from everyone. It’s a quadruple threat relationship. It’s pretty exciting, actually.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” that smirk becomes more of a smile. It’s such a pretty smile that I hope she smiles more in the future. “You don’t mind if you come with me to Fast Pass’ house, do you?”

“Didn’t she only invite you?”

“Please, her intentions are so obvious, I’m sure the Princesses saw it from their castle in Canterlot. I’ll bet Princess Luna will come visit me in my dreams to tell me all about it.”

“Right, I almost forgot that the Princess of the Night can visit dreams.”

“At any rate, having you around should make her back off. She may not acknowledge your presence, but she can’t deny you are there.”

“And what if that doesn’t work?”

“Whatever it takes to get her away from the goods, I’ll do it.” The determination in her voice when she says that makes me laugh loudly, taking her aback. “Did I say something funny?” she asks in genuine curiosity.

“Sorry. I never thought I would hear you describe your physique as ‘the goods’ before.”

“That’s because we’ve only been together for a few days. I take great pride in my body. Your appreciation of it last night tells me that I’m doing a good job of maintaining it. Now then…” she turns her attention to the food before her. “I’m hungry, and I’m not going to let this food go to waste.” She brings her plate forward a bit, along with Fast Pass' uneaten omelet. 

“You’re going to eat her food, too?”

“Of course I am.” she says with a definitive nod, “I haven’t eaten since that apple this morning, and my stomach is growling like an angry manticore.” She takes a bite of her pancakes, and then a bit of the omelet. Her face shows that she’s pleased at the taste. “If it makes you feel any better, the calories are going to places that I know you’ll like.” 

“No judgements here.” I chuckle, bringing my plate, and Done Deal’s partially eaten crepes closer to me. “I’m quite hungry myself. I’m sure we’re going to regret this later, but like you said, we shouldn’t let this food go to waste.”

“True. Any discomfort is the problem of future us.”

“I like your attitude, Ms. Harshwhinny. Let’s eat.”
> The Harsh Dinner
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ooof. That wasn’t the greatest idea.

It’s almost night time, and I’m still full from that massive breakfast-lunch thing I had a few hours ago. It wasn’t uncomfortable enough to make a particularly explosive trip to the bathroom, but it was still not a great feeling. Ms. Harshwhinny seems as fine as ever. I mean, she did leave her office for fifteen minutes to parts unknown, and came back slightly refreshed. I guess she had the explosive bathroom trip, and not me. 

Ah well, enough of that, the contract is done. After picking up Ms. Harshwhinny's bracelet from the jewelers, the second we got back to the office, I went right into writing the new and improved contract, which was made easier, thanks to the transcript I wrote during the meeting. Everything has been proofread three times and error free. I give it to Harshwhinny for the last once over. She approves! Yes! When it came to the time management, it wasn’t easy; I was fully planning on making the contract, sleep, wake up, look over the contract again, and then deliver it. That’s how we always did it, but now we are due to deliver it in a couple hours to Fast Pass’ house.

Truthfully, I’m nervous about going there. It’s not that I don’t want to go with Ms. Harshwhinny, I’d go anywhere with her, but Fast Pass doesn’t seem to like me, and she is looking for some Harshwhinny action, if her behavior this afternoon was any indication. Still, if Ms. Harshwhinny wants me to go, then I'll go.

We go down to the garage, where Ms. Harshwhinny’s car is. Normally, she takes a cab, but today she decided to drive. It’s a nice looking vehicle. Reminds me of a Volkswagon back home. Funnily enough, the car brand is Coltswagon. It’s almost as if Equestria is packed with alternate universe products, only they put horse synonyms in there.

Wait a second. Wonder Mare. Supermare. Captain Equestria. Transformares. Why did it take me four years to figure this out? Maybe because Equestria reminds me so much of home, anthropomorphic ponies notwithstanding, that it barely registered with me until now. Now that films and TV shows here have human actors too, it might as well be home. 

The drive over is fairly lengthy; about an hour’s away from Manehattan, and out in the countryside. The nice green hills are a pleasant sight, compared to the hustle and bustle I see every single day. Reminds me to take another trip out in the future. I wonder if Ms. Harshwhinny would like to come along.

Ms. Harshwhinny and I listen to the radio on the way over. At first, we took a listen to the political station, but all they were doing was trash Princess Celestia for eating two slices of cake at last week’s Grand Galloping Gala. What? Is royalty not allowed to indulge in sweets? I’ve seen her on TV, and she looks great. Must be jealous ponies or people who aren’t able to eat a bunch of sweets, and still look damn good. 

After minute five of listening to the rabble rousing, we change it to the rock and roll station. I got to say, Equestria has some great music. Very catchy. Even Ms. Harshwhinny has a bit of a head bob going on. It’s extremely cute. There are even a couple of songs that I know the lyrics to by heart, and I am very much tempted to start singing. I don’t know how Ms. Harshwhinny is going to react. After all, I’m not a great singer.

Instead, I start humming the song. It’s mostly silent, and less disrupting. Best of all, I’m a much better hummer than a singer.

Halfway through the song, I hear a humming different from mine. Is it…? I look over, and see Ms. Harshwhinny humming the same song. She knows this one too? Ms. Harshwhinny turns her head with a smile and a wink. Sweet Celestia, I’m falling for this woman more and more.

We finally arrive at Fast Pass house, Actually, it’s less of a house, and more like a mansion. It probably has more rooms than the average hotel. That may be an over-exaggeration, as I haven’t even seen the inside of the thing, but I’m probably right. Ms. Harshwhinny stops the car at the front of the steps. We step out, and I half expect a valet to come out to park the car, but no one comes. 

Gradually, we walk up the steps, holding the new contract in a swanky folder. I think Ms. Harshwhinny is as intimidated by this place as I am, though her face is making a damn fine effort of hiding it. We make it too the door, but Ms. Harshwhinny isn’t knocking on it, nor is she pressing the big button that is likely the doorbell.

“Everything okay?” I ask her.

“Are you sure you're okay with coming here with me?”

“I’m always okay with going places with you.”

“No, I mean…HERE. After what happened this afternoon. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

“I’m a big guy. I can take a few snipes.” I smile with a confident nod. She doesn’t seem too sure, but there’s really no need to worry.

“Okay.” she says. She rings the door bell. “Oh, by the way…” Suddenly, she licks her palm and brushes it on the top of my head. “You had a few hairs sticking up.”

“Oh…thanks.” I blush. I liked that probably more than she thinks.

Just then, the door opens up, revealing Done Deal, wearing slightly more casual attire. He still looks like he’s about to perform a business meeting, but at a Hawaiian resort, rather than a high rise office building. He smiles at Ms. Harshwhinny and I, then shakes our hands.

“Nice to see you two again.”

“Yeah.” I respond, not expecting him to be here. “You’re looking festive.”

“This? No deals to be made for now, might as well let loose, right?”

“Right.” I chuckle. Kind of wish I arrived in a T-Shirt and Jeans, but it’s good that I’m still in my office attire. Ms. Harshwhinny is still in hers so why should I change?

“Come in. Fast Pass is in the living room. Hope you two are hungry.” he smiles, beckoning us in with an inviting hand.

The inside of this place is truly enormous. The mortgage is probably insane. A highly paid athlete such as Fast Pass would have no problem affording this house, but I feel that I would have to pay a year’s salary just to live in here for the day. No thank you. I’ll gladly take my one bedroom apartment over this. Actually, maybe I should invest in a bigger apartment, especially considering the possibility of bringing Ms. Harshwhinny over at some point. 

We get to the living room, where Fast Pass is watching a hoofball game on a 108 inch television. Oh sweet lord, really? This is ridiculous! Done Deal goes to Fast Pass and taps her on the shoulder.

“Ms. Harshwhinny is here.” he says.

Fast Pass nearly jumps up from her giant leather couch, straightening her t-shirt and brushing her hair back. She turns around with a smile…which quickly dissipates when she notices that I am right next to the object of her affection. Fast Pass attempts to play it cool, bringing at least a smallish grin back, and clearing her throat as she approaches us.

“Nice of you to come, Ms. Harshwhinny.” Fast Pass extends a hand out. Ms. Harshwhinny shakes it. She puts her hand back to her side. “May we head to the dining room?”

“Sure…when you give my assistant a handshake, too.”

Oh shit, Ms. Harshwhinny. Right out of the gate with that. Fast Pass freezes midstep in the direction of the dining room, turning around to look back at us. Her eyes look over at solely me, and she once again clears her throat. She walks up to me, putting her hand out. I shake it with a polite smile. Her grip is nonexistent, almost as if she doesn’t want to give my skin any extra contact. Whatever, I still got that handshake I didn’t get this afternoon.

“Okay…” Fast Pass takes her hand back. “Let’s head over to the dining room.”

Fuck me, this dining room is enormous. I know I keep repeating myself, but Sweet Tap Dancing Celestia, is she the Mare-Do-Well or something? The table is wide enough to seat about twenty people. Ms. Harshwhinny and I sit on one side, while Fast Pass and Done Deal sit across from us. Ms. Harshwhinny gestures for me to give her the folder. I do so, and Ms. Harshwhinny slides the contract over.

“This is the new contact. I hope its to your liking.”

Fast Pass looks over the document. She scans each page, with a nod of her head every time she gets to the end of it. She reaches a hand out, and Done Deal gives her a pen. Quickly, she slides it back over, and Ms. Harshwhinny gives it back to me. I put the contract on the seat next to me.

“I’m happy you were able to get it done so quickly.”

“It wasn’t I who wrote it.” Ms. Harshwhinny says, looking over at me.

“Right. Well, we have some delicious food for tonight. My personal chef, Elizabeth, is an amazing cook. I believe salads are up first.”

Elizabeth? That's an odd name for a pony. Right on cue, the doors to where I assume to be the kitchen open up, revealing….oh…oh no. 

Elizabeth is a human. 

Yeah, human chefs are not surprising. But…Fast Pass…who hates humans, or at least me, has a human as her personal chef. This feels weird. She has a smile on her face, though. Maybe Fast Pass treats her okay. I hope she does. 

As for her appearance, she’s quite beautiful. Brunette, dark brown eyes, good figure, not that I’m paying much attention to it; merely making an observation. Done Deal seems happy to see her. I wonder if they’re good friends. 

Elizabeth puts a salad down for Fast Pass first, then for Done Deal, then for Ms. Harshwhinny.

Oh, I guess I’m not getting one, since there’s only three plates. I think the three dining sets should have been the big giveaway that I wasn't expected.

“Huh?” Elizabeth is surprised to see me sitting next to Harshwhinny. “So sorry, I was told we were only having one other guest.”

“It’s okay.” I smile with a nod. “I’ll wait for the main course.” Truthfully, I’m still working on the gigantic lunch I had. 

“Are you sure?” Ms. Harshwhinny asks.

“You heard him, he’s fine.” Fast Pass cuts in. “Can you bring some wine, Elizabeth?”

“Yes Ma’am. Would you like dandelion or sunflower?”

“Dandelion.”

“Right away. I’ll bring an extra glass for the gentleman.” she walks away. 

The three get to eating their salads, while I sit and watch them. After a few moments, Elizabeth comes back with a bottle of wine, and an extra glass for me. She pours my glass first, then moves on to the others. Her movements are swift and efficient. More than likely, she’s done this for quite some time to be this good at it. But, if she’s just the cook, why is she also doing maid work, too?

Elizabeth heads back without saying a word.

“How do you like the salad, Ms. Harshwhinny?” Fast Pass asks.

“It’s delicious.” she nods. 

Fast Pass takes a sip of the wine. She makes an audible pleased hum at the taste. Her eyes look over at me looking at her, and she clears her throat yet again.

“So, how long have you been working for Ms. Harshwhinny?” she actually addresses me. Is this some kind of miracle?

“I started working at her firm about four years ago, but have been her assistant for a little over one year. I started shortly before the first Equestria Games, so this will be my second time attending.”

“How are you liking it?”

“It’s great. The work is good, and I love to travel to places I haven’t been to before.”

“You must have seen all of Equestria by now.”

“Not all. A good portion of it, though.”

“So, tell me, why did you come to Equestria?”

“Hmmm…” I think about it. The way she said it sounded like it was supposed to be a loaded question. I hate to disappoint her, but the answer is resoundingly uncomplicated. “The thought of traveling to a new world excited me. Once it was reported what was on the other side, I had to come here even more. It felt like I was in a science fiction movie.”

“I see. So, you think of us as aliens?” she kind of sounds offended at that.

“At first, yeah. But, I wasn’t put off or anything. Certainly surprising to see Equestrians in person.  But, once I got to get to know everyone I met, it was like I never left home. Everyone’s been really nice.”

“Sounds like an exaggeration, to me.” Fast Pass chuckles condescendingly, “Not everypony could have been nice to you.”

“Okay, that’s true…” I chuckle myself, “I did get my share of dirty looks…” and denied handshakes, but I’m not going to tell her that. “…though nowhere near as much as when I first came here. I’m thankful that Ms. Harshwhinny took a chance on me and us humans from the start, and I’m grateful for this position.”

“Well, I’m glad to know that Ms. Harshwhinny is so charitable.” she responds. Something about her comment rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it’s her tone. Yeah, definitely the tone.

Elizabeth comes out with the main course, this time rolling out four plates instead of three. She places down the food, and I see what she has cooked up. Spaghetti squash sauted in cream of mushroom sauce. Very unorthodox, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

“Thank you, Elizabeth. This looks delicious.” Done Deal smiles, digging in like someone who didn’t eat this afternoon. “This IS delcious.”

“Thank you, Done Deal.” she returns his smile, then looks to Ms. Harshwhinny and I, “Enjoy the meal as well.” She then takes her leave again.

I take a bite of the squash, unsure on how a combination like this would work, but somehow, it does. The reaction to the pleasant taste seemed to be audible, with Ms. Harshwhinny looking my way with a bit of a smile on her face. She starts eating her serving, and nods in approval. The meal between all of us is relatively quiet. I suppose Fast Pass doesn’t have any more questions for me, which is fine; I’m sure she was only doing it out of respect for Ms. Harshwhinny. 

I finish my meal first, wiping and residue sauce with a napkin, and placing it in the picked clean bowl when I’m done.

“That was great.” I say. “My compliments to the chef.”

“Well, if you would like to compliment the chef, she’s in the kitchen.” Fast Pass points to the door where Elizabeth has come out of. “Why don’t you go and chat with her?”

“I think I will.” I nod, taking my bowl with me. “I’ll see you all in a bit.” Before I leave, I notice Ms. Harshwhinny is done. “May I take your bowl as well, Miss?”

“No thank you, I’m fine.” she shakes her head. I look down to see that her hand, unseen by Fast Pass or Done Deal, gesturing for me to leave. I look back at her face, and she’s staring at me like she’s worried about something. I wonder what it could be. I have to act fast, before it seems like I’m standing around for too long.

“Okay, Ma’am.” I turn and walk into the kitchen, away from the party.

I go into the kitchen, to see Elizabeth sitting at a table, reading a magazine. She puts it down quickly, staring at me, wondering what I’m doing here.

“Hello.” she says in a friendly tone. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Everything’s fine. I just wanted to say thank you for the excellent meal.”

“Oh, you’re welcome.” she smirks, “You didn’t have to come all the way here to tell me that. The empty plate is enough for me.”

“True, but Fast Pass seemed pretty adamant at the idea of me coming here.”

“She did, did she?” her voice relinquishes the friendly tone, into a bit of snark.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be a bother.”

“Huh? Oh, no. You’re not bothering me at all. In fact, it’s nice to see another human here. Not that a couple of pony guests aren’t welcome company. It’s just that we don’t normally have human guests, apart from myself.”

“I take it you’re aware of the rumors about Fast Pass.”

Elizabeth pauses for a moment. She stands from her chair, and goes to the door to make sure it’s closed all the way. It is. She nods with a relieved sigh, then turns back to me.

“There are no rumors around here. It’s entirely true.”

“Really? She hates humans?”

“Yeah. Can’t stand them.”

“Then, why…”

“Am I here? I guess I am a pretty big enigma. I used to be the head chef at The Trotting Greek Restaurant back in Applewood. Fast Pass came in and ordered one of the signature meals, which was a cinch for me. She was so impressed that she asked to see the chef, and when she saw it was me, she hired me on the spot to work at her place.”

“So, you live here?”

“Yep. Got my own room in this mansion.”

“So, how do you know if she hates humans?”

“Well, being that you’re the only human I’ve seen here in ages tells me this. That, and Fast Pass would criticize other celebrities who come here with human guests at her parties.”

“In front of them?”

“No, never in front of them. Mostly in her study, or in the dining room when no one is around.”

“Does she do this in front of you?”

Elizabeth looks around the room, as if scheming something. She gets close to me, and her voice changes into a whisper.

“If I show you this, you promise not to tell her?”

“I wouldn’t tell Fast Pass anything. Not that she would believe me.”

“Good.” she gestures for me to come to the table she was sitting at. She reaches underneath and pulls out a pair of ear bud headphones.

“What is that?” I ask.

“I was made aware of Fast Pass’ hatred for humans fairly early on. While she was gone for last year’s Equestria Games, I planted a couple of microphones. One in her study, and the other in the dining room.”

“Where?”

“The flower vase in the center of the table.”

“Oh. That makes sense. How’s the clarity on that thing?”

“Crystal clear.”

“Aren’t you worried about getting caught?”

“A little bit. But, I record all of her conversations about the topic. She also tells me to water the plants constantly, so I know she won’t touch that vase if her life depended on it.”

“If you’re recording her conversations, and are aware that she hates humans, why do you work for her?”

“The pay is good. And…um…” a blush crosses her cheeks, before it promptly disappears. “Never mind. You want to listen in?” she changes the subject, holding up one of the ear buds. I shrug and sit down next to her. 

I place the headphone in my ear, and instantly, I hear Fast Pass talking like I’m right next to her. The clarity on this thing is amazing. 

“Elizabeth really knows how to make a good meal.” Fast Pass says, “Certainly one of the more talented humans I’ve come across in Equestria.”

“Yes, she certainly is something else.” Ms. Harshwhinny responds. “Are there other staff in your place?”

“I have a maid that comes around every so often. A nice little unicorn that can get to hard to reach places. Otherwise, Elizabeth lives here to help with any chores that need to get done, such as water the plants, or do the laundry.”

“So, she’s the cook, and the house maid?”

“Of course. I mean, she was just a cook when I met her, but she has her other uses. Can’t just let her lounge around all day. A human has to pull their weight around. What about your assistant? What does he do for you? Certainly not just write contracts and memos.”

“No. He also picks up my dry cleaning, gets my morning coffee, does any errands I…” her voice trails off. It feels like she’s bothered by what she’s saying. Her tone says it all for me. “…he does a lot.”

“So we’re not all that different. Humans may not be nearly as talented as us ponies, but they are good for something.”

“What about the humans joining the Equestria Games?”

“Bah, don’t remind me.” Fast Pass scoffs, “Nothing but a side attraction made by the higher ups to appease those hairless creatures. Not one human placed in last years games, so why bother trying again?”

“I suppose they feel that they could improve.”

“Improve my hoof. There were a couple of humans in a couple of the hoofball teams I played against. Wiped the floor with them in no time. Sure, they tried, but trying doesn’t get you anywhere in life. As far as I’m concerned, there’s only one place humans are good at, and that’s the help. Doctors, lawyers, business owners, rulers, that’s no place for them.”

“I see…” Ms. Harshwhinny says quietly. Strangely, I haven’t heard anything from Done Deal.

“Since you have a human as your assistant, surely you agree with me.” Fast Pass says with a smug attitude. I bet she’s grinning, too.

“I…” Ms. Harshwhinny pauses, “…I think humans have their uses. They’re certainly nowhere near as talented as us. My assistant is good at his job, but anything more than that, and he’s absolutely useless. I’m sure they’ll find some other use in the future, but it’s not today.”

I know Ms. Harshwhinny doesn’t mean that, but it still makes my heart drop listening to her say it. Elizabeth looks at me with sympathetic eyes, which is understandable, since she doesn’t know the truth.

“See? I knew you’d agree. Elizabeth should be coming out with dessert soon. It’s apple pie; my favorite.”

“Can’t wait.” Ms. Harshwhinny says with a calm demeanor.

“That’s my cue.” Elizabeth stands up, going to the nearby apple pie and slicing into it. “You want some?”

“No thanks. I’m not hungry.”

“Sure thing.” she places the pie slices onto the plates, and puts them on the cart to bring out. “Hey…um…sorry.” she says before wheeling the cart outside, leaving me alone in the kitchen. 

I really should be shocked about all this. Fast Pass. The most popular hoofball player in Equestria. A racist.  However, I’m not all that surprised. What Ms. Harshwhinny said to me in the afternoon, followed by the awkward first meeting, I had it in my head that what she said was true. This is just a solidification of that truth. 

What surprises me more are Ms. Harshwhinny’s words. She doesn’t mean it. Of course she doesn’t. But why does it feel like she means it? I can’t think about it like that. She’s only trying to stay on Fast Pass’ good side. I told her at lunch that she shouldn’t waste such a deal on me. Why would she? I’m just her assistant in the eyes of everyone. No one should know that I am more than that. 

Still, it hurts pretty bad.



Ms. Harshwhinny finishes her apple pie, and Elizabeth comes to pick up her plate. Fast Pass and Done Deal soon follow. I emerge from the kitchen, thanking Elizabeth once again for the meal.

“You were in there quite a while.” Ms. Harshwhinny says with a cold voice.

“Elizabeth was showing me around the kitchen.” I respond with a lie. Ms. Harshwhinny knows I’m lying. Fast Pass doesn’t. Maybe she doesn’t care.

“Thank you for everything, Fast Pass.” Ms. Harshwhinny looks away from me. “We shall take our leave before we intrude any further.”

“Please. You’re not intruding.” Fast Pass chuckles. “It’s getting late. Why don’t you stay for the night?”

Ms. Harshwhinny pauses. I see her hand shake just a little bit at Fast Pass’ question. I’ve seen that shake in her hand before. It’s a gesture of anger and frustration. It’s something she does when she knows she cant show it on her face. 

“I’m afraid we can’t. We don’t have the essentials.”

“We have plenty of pajamas. There’s also guest rooms that you can sleep in. You drove so far out to see us, that it would take hours before you get back home. Please, you’re my guest. Allow me to treat you as the royalty you are.”

I leave the decision making to Ms. Harshwhinny. I desperately want to leave. I know what’s going on in Fast Pass’ mind all too well. That look on her face. The gleam in her eyes. That’s the look of someone who wants something, and it isn’t just to give Ms. Harshwhinny a place to crash for the night. I think Ms. Harshwhinny can see it, too.

“Very well.” Ms. Harshwhinny turns to me, “I guess we are staying for the night. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” I say, hiding the hesitance in my voice.

“Since we are in an agreement, may you show me to my room?”

“Sure.” Fast Pass says happily.

We walk through the halls of the mansion. The walls are decorated with medals that Fast Pass won, and blown up pictures of her magazine covers. The drapes are of dark red silk, and the window behind the curtains show the backyard. It’s a beautiful rose garden, complete with a fountain, which consists of a figure of Fast Pass spewing water from her mouth. I could gag.

Finally, we stop at a velvet door. Fast Pass opens it up, revealing the room that Ms. Harshwhinny is staying in. It’s as big as Ms. Harshwhinny’s living room back in Manehattan, and that’s pretty damn big. 

“Elizabeth will be arriving shortly with a fresh tooth brush and pajamas. Inside is a personal bathroom, should you desire to take a shower.” Fast Pass is really laying it on thick. “Would there be anything else?”

“No thank you, that will be all.” Ms. Harshwhinny nods. “Thank you.” She then steps inside.

“I’ll be back to make sure you’re comfortable.” I’m sure you will, Fast Pass. Fast Pass closes the door. She looks over at me, scanning me up and down with her eyes. “Follow me.” she walks past me, in the direction in which we came. I follow her to the living room, where we stop at her couch. “You will sleep here for tonight. Elizabeth will bring you a blanket and a pillow. Your bathroom is down the hall and to your right. Any questions?”

What I want to say is “Yeah, can you go fuck yourself?” but I really can’t. Instead, I settle on "No, thank you."

“Good.” she scoffs and walks away. 

I sit down on the couch. Admittedly, it is pretty comfortable. I’m betting that a week’s salary would be able to afford this thing. I’m happy with the couch I have at my apartment. It’s not the most showy thing ever, but it works where it counts. With a few minutes, Elizabeth arrives with a blanket and pillows. She also hands me a toothbrush. That’s nice. She nods and takes her leave. Might as well see what this bathroom looks like.

Huh, it’s quite nice. That’s good. I was thinking that it was going to be a dingy bathroom with cockroaches running around, so color me surprised that it looks as nice as the rest of her mansion. I brush my teeth and wash my face. No pajamas for me, I guess. I could freak her out and sleep in the nude, but I’d rather not.



Yikes, this couch may be comfortable to sit on, but sleeping is a whole other story. It’s way too soft, and makes my back uncomfortable. I can’t take much more of this. The hours are passing by, and the moon shines through the window. Maybe Ms. Harshwhinny is still awake.

I go back into the hall, and I see at the far end Fast Pass at Ms. Harshwhinny’s door. She’s talking with her, but I can’t hear what’s being said, nor can I see Ms. Harshwhinny. I make myself scarce, and I can only see what is going on on Fast Pass’ end. Fast Pass keeps inching closer to being in Ms. Harshwhinny’s room, but she takes a step back every time. I’m betting that Fast Pass is asking if she can come in, but Ms. Harshwhinny is standing her ground. After minutes of unheard conversation, Ms. Harshwhinny’s door close, leaving Fast Pass alone in the hallway. 

I see Fast Pass’ fist clench, and give a frustrated shrug of defeat. She walks away deeper into the hallway and goes around a corner, likely to her room. I go to the violet door, raise my hand to knock…

“Ahem…”

Oh shit. 

I turn around and see Done Deal, wearing dark brown silk pajamas, staring at me while holding a pillow. We look at one another, both of us unsure about how to proceed.

Another door down the hall opens up, and Elizabeth, wearing a white night gown, comes peaking out. She gasps when she sees me standing next to Done Deal. The two of us look to her, and then back at each other. My eyes widen in shock. That’s why he was so quiet during the dinner. That’s why he never chimed in. He…Elizabeth…holy sh-

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” Done Deal says quietly.

“Tell what?” I reply. “I didn’t see anything.” 

Done Deal stares me down, before that serious expression turns into a smile. He gives me a light slap on the arm, and walks in Elizabeth’s direction. He goes into her room, and she gives me an appreciative smile before closing the door.

Well, that was a thing that happened.

I better go back to what I was doing before any further interruptions. I knock on Ms. Harshwhinny’s door. Moments pass, and the door opens, revealing a frustrated Ms. Harshwhinny wearing a robe. Her eyes soften when she sees that it’s me behind the door.

“Oh, it’s you. I’m sorry.” 

“No, it’s fine. May I come inside?”

“Of course you can.” she steps to the side, allowing me to enter her room. Man, this place is spacious. She closes the door and locks it. “Fast Pass sure spared no expense when it came to this house.”

“No she did not.” I chortle. 

“With the tone she had been giving you, I’m sure you received a less than stellar guest room.”

“That would have been something…if I got a room at all.”

“You didn’t get a room?”

“She gave me the living room couch.”

In that instant, I see a look on her face that I had never seen before. Sure, I see her annoyed, even a bit peeved on some days, but the look on her face is the face of someone in rage. Her fists are clenched, her face is red, and her eyes are shut tight, with her mouth trying not to scream. It’s scaring me, honestly.

“That’s it…” she seethes, “…the deal’s off. I’m going to cancel everything. I’m making the call, right now.” she goes to her folded pants, digging through the pockets for her phone. 

“No, wait!” I rush to her, placing a palm on her searching hands. “Don’t…”

“Nopony and nobody has any right to treat you like this! You're not only just a human who has done no wrong, but you are also my assistant, and my…” she looks away, her voice trailing off. “I can’t tolerate this any longer. I can’t stand by and let somepony as vile as her be the face of the Equestria Games.”

“Ms. Harshwhinny, please. I’m not worth it.”

“Why? Why aren’t you worth it? Have you done something bad during your time here, or when you lived on Earth?”

“No. I mean, unless you count jaywalking a couple times.”

“This is no time to make jokes. This is serious!”

“I know. I’m sorry. Look, we have only a few more weeks before the Equestria Games. You already have so much on your plate. If we back out on this deal, then we’ll be back to square one in finding a face for these games. You said it yourself, there’s nopony else that is more popular than her.”

“And you believed me? There’s plenty of popular athletes in Equestria! I hate to admit it, but Rainbow Dash is quite a popular Wonderbolt. That, and she saved the world a couple times with her friends. She also knows the Princesses, and has quite a big following.”

“Then, why didn’t you call her?”

“Because she’s cocky, full of herself, with no regards for…” she catches my look. I’m giving her a face that suggests that we already know someone like that. “…oh…” she blushes in embarrassment, “…right. That was a bit stupid of me.”

“No, I'd never say that. Fast Pass is huge in the hoofball scene; it’s only natural that you would want her.”

“I suppose what I’m feeling right now is buyer’s remorse, among other things.” Ms. Harshwhinny calms, but I see that she is still angry. “You’re right. I may not like it…I may even hate it…but we do have other things to do. The final weeks are critical, and we have almost no time in the schedule to look for a replacement. After tonight, we don’t have to interact with her until the games.” She turns her gaze to me. “You think me too emotional, don’t you?”

“No. I’d say this is a perfectly rational reaction.”

“You must think me a coward, though.”

“Why is that?”

“You must have heard Fast Pass say those awful things about your species.”

“I did.” I respond, not telling her about the hidden microphone in the dining room.

“Then you probably think I have no backbone in defending you.”

“Neither did Done Deal.”

“But he’s not having relations with a human.”

“Actually, he is.”

“Wait…what?”

“I just saw him in the halls. He and Elizabeth are an item. Don’t tell Fast Pass I told you.”

“Why in Equestria would I tell her that? Both of them would be fired! Well, maybe Elizabeth more than Done Deal.” Ms. Harshwhinny’s mind races at the thought. “I had no idea. They hid it quite well. Hold on, does that mean they saw you?”

“They did, but they know not to tell anypony, especially not Fast Pass.”

“Good. The last thing we need right now is our relationship being made public to the wrong people…and ponies.” Ms. Harshwhinny sighs, running a hand through her mane. “This whole day has made me frazzled.”

“I think I might have a solution for that.” I smile, reaching for the sash on her robe. Ms. Harshwhinny looks to see my hand grab the sash, and smiles, not stopping me. I remove the sash, allowing the robe to open up, revealing her near naked figure underneath. All that’s there is a black bra and panties, looking very much like a lingerie model about to walk the runway. 

Ms. Harshwhinny removes the robe, letting it drop to the floor. Her body is illuminated by the moonlight, and I can barely help myself. I embrace her, and kiss her neck, followed by her cheek, and then her soft lips. Her hands travel my back, and dig into my shirt. Her breathing becomes heavy, as I turn her around, and press her back against my chest. I grip her waist and kiss her shoulder. As my hand grabs onto her bra strap, she stops me.

“Wait…we probably shouldn’t do this.” she whispers, attempting to compose herself after the flurry of kisses.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes. As satisfying it would be to make a mess of Fast Pass’ room with our…ahem…activities…I don’t want her to suspect anything.”

“Oh, right. I didn’t think about that.”

“Sorry, but you know how I get by now.” she lets out a small chuckle. “You don’t mind…cuddling, do you?”

“I don’t mind at all.”

“That’s good. Well, first off, you’re not getting into bed wearing your work clothes, so…” Ms. Harshwhinny unbuttons my shirt, while I unbuckle my pants. By the time she reaches the last button, my pants are already on the floor, while one of my shoes has been removed. I take the rest of my clothes off, aside from my underwear. Once I’m done, Ms. Harshwhinny looks me up and down, smiling. She takes my hand, and we go to the large bed.

We lay down, and I notice that the bed is very soft, but unlike the couch, where it was too soft, this one was comfortably soft. Ms. Harshwhinny presses herself against me, and rests her forehead on mine. I kiss her muzzle, eliciting a giggle from her, followed by a scrunch of her nose.

“It’ll probably be a while before I’m fully comfortable with this.” she sighs.

“With what?”

“This. Me and you. I enjoy sleeping with you, and the current position we are in, but…”

“I know. It’s been a while.”

“What about you? When was your last relationship?”

“A few years ago. Had a girlfriend on Earth, back when I was living with a roommate in an apartment complex. We broke up a couple days before I was transferred here.”

“What happened?”

“She was sleeping with my roommate.”

“That harlot!” she replies, shocked. “I can’t believe she would be unfaithful to a man like you.”

“It’s okay. Because then I met you.”

“Oh, now you’re just being silly. You couldn’t have possibly been attracted to me the minute you saw me.”

“True, but you did intrigue me. The attraction came when you hired me to be your assistant.”

“The last year must have been painful for you, then. Being in my presence and unable to tell me how you feel.” she says with a playfully smug tone. I can’t help but chuckle at this side of her. It’s very unlike how she usually is with me, which is sweet, but with that air of professionalism. I think she’s getting comfortable in opening herself up to me. 

“I’ll admit, it did have some difficulties. It especially didn’t help when I saved you from falling into that puddle at the last Equestria Games. Your hands were so soft when you lessened your grip. Not to mention you were extremely close to me, and…”

“And I heard your labored breathing and beating heart.” Ms. Harshwhinny places a palm on my chest “It was loud and rapid. That should have been my first clue that you felt something for me. Truth be told, I was rather…excited when you saved me.”

“Really?”

“Of course. A human, such as yourself, saving a mare like me. It was like one of those silly romance novels, but real. It was the first time you left me speechless.”

“You know, all this talk isn’t doing well to stop me from wanting to make a mess of this bed.” I admit to her.

“My apologies.” she replies softly, caressing my back with her hands. “Once we are out of this place, we’ll go back to our normal schedule. Which reminds me; first thing in the morning, we leave. I can’t stand to be in this house any longer.”

“You and me both.” I nod, kissing her on the cheek. “Let’s just get some rest, and deal with the issue of leaving in the morning.”

“Yes, let’s.” she smirks.

We look into each other’s eyes, caressing one another in different areas. I touch her cheek and shoulders, while she feels my back and chest. It’s all very sensual, but it’s making us very sleepy. Ms. Harshwhinny’s eyes are getting heavy, and so are mine, but the smiles on our faces remain.

Within a few minutes, we are fast asleep.



Seven o’clock rolls around, and we are already up. We finish getting dressed, and I make the bed; straightening the blankets, and making sure it looks like one body was sleeping in it, rather than two.

We head over to the living room, where we see Elizabeth folding up the blanket from the couch I was meant to sleep in. She looks to us, surprised we are up so soon. Quickly, she finishes up the folding, and walks over to me.

“You’re up early.” she says quietly.

“We wanted to leave early. Have things to do.” I respond back. “Did you sleep okay?”

“I slept well, thank you for asking." she responds with a blush "And yourself?”

“We slept good.” 

“That’s good to hear. Do you need me to do any…cleaning in the bedroom?”

“No, thank you. We kept it strictly…” I look over to Ms. Harshwhinny, who is giving me a slight smirk, “…professional.”

“I see. Well, before you go, you should have this.” Elizabeth hands me the folder which holds the contract. “You left it on the seat in the dining room.”

“Thank you. Tell Fast Pass it was…a pleasure meeting here.” it takes my all not to sound snippy when saying that.

“I’ll do just that.” she nods, noticing my struggle. Elizabeth looks to Ms. Harshwhinny. “You have a good day, Ms. Harshwhinny.”

“Same to you.” 

Ms. Harshwhinny and I leave the mansion with a quick step, going down the stairs, and into the car. As if she was in some kind of action movie, Ms. Harshwhinny hurriedly shoves the keys into the ignition, changes the gear to drive, and speeds back onto the road.

“Now we are out of there, can you tell me the schedule for today?” Ms. Harshwhinny asks politely, back to her business tone.

“Right…” I pull out my smartphone, looking over the schedule. “You usually like to have your schedules mostly clear on Fridays, but there’s a couple things. You have a phone call from a potential merchandise vendor at twelve o’clock, and there’s a spa appointment at two. I assume you also have a yoga and spin class later on.”

“Yes, but that’s after office hours. If traffic is good, that’ll give us time for breakfast. Would you like to go out to breakfast with me?”

“You know that I would.”

“Good. Also, if you would like, I can get you into the spa for your own appointment. Take it from me, it’s very relaxing.”

“I don’t know. Not really a spa kind of guy.”

“The steam rooms are unisex.”

“Okay, sign me up.”
> The Harsh Spa (Explicit Content)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’ve never been to a sauna before. I’ve seen them in movies and TV, but never been to one myself. Never really saw the appeal in it. Sure, there’s the relaxation element, and the massages, but also mud baths? Weird.

Then again, I’m in a mud bath right now, currently mulling over just why this is good for anyone. I can’t see at the moment, due to my eyes being covered by cucumbers, and I can’t move my face too much, as there’s a facial mask attached to it. Ms. Harshwhinny is in the bath next to me. As much as I’m complaining right now, the thought of her body covered in mud does sound rather hot in its own special way. 

Still, the question remains…

“How is this helping?” I ask, trying not to move my face as much as possible.

“It’s meant to help relieve tension in the muscles, and any aching joints.” she responds with a matter of fact tone. 

“Isn’t that what the massage is for?”

“That’s just to sweeten the deal. Don’t talk too much, you’ll crack the mask.”

“One more question. What about the cucumbers?”

“I…” she pauses for what feels like a while, “…I have no clue. And no, you can’t eat them when you’re done.”

“Well, that sucks.”

I can’t see her, but I can hear a chuckle come from her. 

The spa we’re in right now is in Manehattan, and it’s considered the finest spa in Equestria, with the only main competitor in quality coming from a place in Ponyville; a town in which I’m told also houses the multiple time saviors of Equestria, including that Rainbow Dash girl we discussed last night. With such famous mares living in such a small town, I should make a point to visit some time, if I have any down time after the Equestria Games. 

It’s quiet again. The only real sound that is heard is the soft music coming from the speakers in the walls. I have to say, that’s the main thing that’s making me feel relaxed. The soft vocals of the singer, the slow tempo of the beat, I think that’s what’s causing this weird mud bath to have some sort of effect on me. 

After fifteen more minutes, the timer dings, and we are free to move about freely. I first remove the cucumbers. I’m briefly tempted to eat them, but now they’re covered in mud. As for the face mask, I was told to remove it slowly. It doesn’t feel particularly great, as it’s taking some facial hair with it, but I can’t help but wonder what it’s like for ponies. Once it’s off, I turn to see Ms. Harshwhinny is halfway through her mask removal. I freeze in place, staring at that amazingly toned figure covered in mud.

“I can feel your eyes on me.” Ms. Harshwhinny says bluntly.

“S-Sorry.” I blush, looking away.

“I didn’t say you had to look away.” she fires back, somehow knowing that I looked away from her. “After all, you’ve seen it before. Without mud, of course.”

“True.” I look back, “You want me to help with the mask?”

“No, thank you. I’ve done this before. Besides, the employees are already curious as to why we’re in the same spa together.”

“They won’t gossip, will they?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve paid them handsomely for their confidentiality.”

“So, what comes next?”

“Next, will be a massage.” she says, finished taking the mask off her face. “I’m not an expert myself, but I know your muscles are awfully tense.”

“How do you…” I trail off, catching the look in her eyes. She has had her hands all over me during the past few days. Of course she would know if my muscles were tense. “Oh…right.”

Then, the door opens, and a couple of spa ponies, both earth mares, come running in with fresh towels. One goes to Ms. Harshwhinny, wrapping one around her body, while the other comes to me, and hands over a towel. The mare gives me a sharp look, no doubt noticing that I was staring at Ms. Harshwhinny’s body.

After I’m cleaned off with a quick hot shower, I am taken to the massage parlor, where the same mare who gave me a sharp look is waiting for me. 

“Hello. My name is Aloe.” she says in an interesting accent that sounds almost Transylvanian. “Please lie down.”

I do so, laying on my stomach, with my head through that hole thing that all massage beds have. I don’t see what she’s doing, but I hear her slather liquid on her hands. Soon, I feel her warm palms massage my back. She is firm, but also gentle at the same time. It feels very nice.

“Comfortable?” she asks.

“Yes. Thank you.” I reply softly. "I've never had a massage before."

"I can tell. Your muscles are very tense. You must use them quite a lot for activities."

"Only what is necessary. I wasn't aware I was stressing them."

"Don't worry, having tense muscles isn't completely bad, but it's good that you are here." her tone with me is pleasant and friendly. Unlike the look she gave me earlier, which seemed to suggest judgement. “By the way, I’m sorry for giving you that look earlier.” Speak of the devil, I was just thinking about it.

“It’s fine.”

“No. That was unprofessional of me. It’s not my business to judge who Lady Harshwhinny brings with her on her spa days.”

“Oh, she’s brought others?”

“Only once. A very long time ago. She brought a stallion here for a similar treatment. He was…in a word…uncouth. I suppose seeing you made me think it was going to be similar. I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry that you were treated so poorly.”

“There’s no need to apologize for things that aren’t your fault.”

“Ms. Harshwhinny tells me the same thing. It’s a habit of mine.”

“Well, it tells me that you’re kind, which already makes me like you better than that other stallion." she giggles. "Tell you the truth, I was surprised that Lady Harshwhinny came with company. You must be quite the charmer.”

“I’m her assistant.”

“Nopony and nobody is able to look at Lady Harshwhinny’s naked figure like you did, and JUST be her assistant.”

“Maybe I’m just a really close assistant.”

“You’re funny. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anypony or anybody about this. Not here, or in Ponyville.”

“You live in Ponyville?”

“Yes. I run a spa over there with my sister. Lady Harshwhinny calls us over for special appointments such as this. I have to say, I haven’t seen her in such a good mood. Have you done anything special to make her this way?”

“Perhaps. I’m not telling.” I smile and play coy.

“Well, whatever it is that you’re doing, don’t stop.” I hear her chuckle. 

“I don’t plan to.” I smile.



Once Aloe is finished, I am able to get up from the table. She leads me out the door, and into a corridor, where I see a line of doors. They have numbers on them. Simple numbers, like Door #1, Door #2, all that. We go down the corridor, all the way to door number 6. When we stop, Aloe and I talk for a couple more minutes, mainly about her time as a masseuse, and if she enjoys the work. She tells me that she loves her job, even if some of her clientele can be a bit…shall we say…perverted with the massages. She tells me that those clients are few and far between, and when someone does get a bit needy, she kicks them out with a deceptively kind smile. 

After a few minutes, another spa pony comes in, with Ms. Harshwhinny, clean and wrapped in a towel. They walk to us, with the second spa pony looking at us with a grin.

“Getting to know the assistant, Aloe?” she asks.

“Nothing like that, Lotus Blossom. We both know who he belongs to.” she chuckles, looking to Ms. Harshwhinny, who stands with authority, but the blush remains. 

“I have your word about your confidentiality?” Ms. Harshwhinny asks.

“Of course.” Lotus Blossom replies, “Our lips are sealed. Now then…” she walks past me, to the door. When she opens it up, a waft of steam comes out. I can feel the warmth emanating from the room. She turns to me. “By the way, do you have any heart conditions, blood pressure problems, or are in reasonably good health?”

“No heart conditions, no problems with blood pressure, and last week, my doctor said that I’m as healthy as a…well…as a healthy human.” I chuckle, refraining from saying the age old 'healthy as a horse' cliche.

“Good. Then that means you and Lady Harshwhinny will be able to stay in for about twenty minutes. Once the doors close, I’ll start the timer.” as she walks past me, she turns by around. “Oh, by the way, I know it might be tempting, but please no funny business in there. We like to keep our saunas clean.”

“Oh, okay.” I nod, though, truth be told, I am a bit disappointed. Sex in the sauna sounds pretty amazing. I can see Ms. Harshwhinny looks disappointed too.

“Okay, in you two go.” she gestures to the open door. Ms. Harshwhinny and I walk in. “Have fun, but most of all…relax.” she closes the door. At the top of the door, I see a timer starting at twenty minutes.

I turn to look at the sauna before us. It’s a pretty spacious room, with the steaming rocks in the center, along with a bucket of water that contains a big ladle to spill the water on the coals. Ms. Harshwhinny looks at me, with her hoof scratching the back of her leg in nervousness. Every time I see her cold exterior break, making way to this nervous mare, I can’t deny how cute of a sight it is. To be the only one to see her like this is a joy, and it only makes her serious side when we are working together even more desirable.

“So, what’s the purpose of the sauna?” I ask her.

“Much like the massage, it’s meant to decrease muscle tension, along with cleansing the body of any potential toxins.” she nods, going to one of the benches. I follow her to it. “Basically, we are meant to relax.” 

“Sounds good.” My eyes scan her up and down. “You seemed disappointed when Lotus said no funny business.”

“I was. I can only image what such a place may bring for us. For the best. It could make our blood pressure go too high.” she smirks “Then again…it sounds a bit exciting.” Her face then goes into a look of disappointment, and lets out a sigh. “Still, it’s best not to disobey their rules.” 

In an instant, she takes off her towel, placing it on the bench. My eyes nearly pop out, not expecting that in the slightest. She looks back at me, noticing my look of shock and delight. She smiles again, only with a bit more deviousness to it.

“What?” she says, “You didn’t expect me to be in my towel when I’m with you, did you?”

“A little bit, but, please, don’t put it back on on my account.” I chuckle. Following her lead, I take my towel off, and lay it down next to hers. The two of us take a seat, and lay back to take in all the steam. The place is hot and humid, but is oddly relaxing at the same time. More so that I have Ms. Harshwhinny relaxing right next to me. I look at her, seeing that her eyes are closed, letting out deep sighs of relaxation. My eyes again move down her body, watching her breasts heave up and down with each breath, and her thighs rub against each other slightly with every small movement of her legs. Sweat pours down my face, whether it’s from the humidity, or my own arousal, it doesn’t matter.

“I can feel your eyes on me, again.” Ms. Harshwhinny says in a deadpan tone. “Not that I mind at all, but it’s rather noticeable, even when I’m not looking at you.” Her eyes gradually open, and her gaze falls on me.

“I can’t help it. You’re…beautiful.” My words make her cheeks turn red for a brief moment. “Don’t worry, I’ll hold up my end of the bargain.”

“Seems like a part of you has other plans.” she chortles, looking downwards at my lap. I follow her eyes to see my erection. That’s the second time this week that I got a boner and didn’t notice it. I stammer in my reaction, but before I can say anything, she chuckles. “It’s okay.” she says “I think it’s quite flattering. It lets me know that you are still attracted to me.”

“You sound like we’ve been together for years.”

“Technically we have. Tell me, did you ever get aroused when we were together, and had to hide it from me?”

“Y-Yes.” I’m continuing my habit of being honest with her. “When we visited Appleloosa, your sweat made your shirt cling to your body, and I saw the outline of your bra. I already thought of you as attractive, and seeing you like that…well…it made me go a bit nuts.”

“Ah, so that’s why when I turned to you for notes, you were sitting down with your laptop on your lap.” she chuckles. She sits up, palming at the fur on her thigh. “May I…request something of you?”

“Sure.”

“You can tell me if I’m overstepping any boundaries, but…would you mind…resting your head on my lap?”

My knee jerk response is to slam my head down on her lap and feel every inch of her, but I think she genuinely wants to relax. I don’t give a verbal response, but slowly shift myself into position, and lay my head down on her lap, with me facing upwards. Her lap feels like the rest of her, firm but lovely. Her palm comes down, and caresses my hair, running her fingers through it with a gentle touch. It seems like this has been on her mind for quite some time.

“How long have you wanted to do this?” I ask her.

“A while. I told you, I’ve had a fondness for you for quite some time. This was one of my fantasies.”

“Petting me?”

“Do you not like it?”

“No, I love it. I’m really appreciating the view.”

“Oh, are you now?” she laughs “What about it is so great?”

“Well, when I look up, I see three amazing things, and when I look to my right…” my head turns to look at her vulva, but her hand bring me back to her. She doesn’t look offended, but genuinely playful.

“Okay, okay. I’ll bite. What three things?”

“Hmmm…” I think. I reach up, and palm her left breast. Her eyes close in response, along with a pleasured sigh. “One…” my hand then goes to her right breast. Her breathing gets heavier. “Two…” I then lean move my hand between her breasts, all the way to her face. I caress her cheek, as her breathing is at its peak. “Three…”

“You really know what to say to me, don’t you?”

“Actually, I’m just talking off the top of my head. Is it too much?”

“No. I like it.” she smiles. I put my hand down, and rest it on my leg. “So, be honest, did Aloe attempt to woo you with her massaging skills?”

“No. I think she knows not to try and mess with me.”

“Good. I’d hate to lose you to somepony good with her hands.”

“You’re good with your hands.” I grin, “We did talk a bit about you, though.”

“What about?”

“She told me that you brought someone here a few years back.” Just then, her caress of my hair ceases. The look on her face tells me everything I need to know. It’s a look of guilt and regret. I touched a nerve. Shit. “I’m sorry. I…”

“It’s fine. I…do you mind if we don’t talk about it?” her voice is soft, but pained. 

“Yes, yes of course. I didn’t mean…”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m…not quite there, yet, that’s all.” her hand goes back to caressing me. “Is that okay? I don’t want to withhold information from you, but…”

“Take all the time you need.” I assure her, using a hand to touch her waist. That look of pain on her face soon makes away to a small smile, like her troubles are melting away. She looks down, looking deep into my eyes, with that lovely smile on her face.

“Do you think we’re going too fast? All this. It’s not too quick, is it?”

“I admit, it is a little quick. But, we’ve practically have spent the last year getting to know one another. I feel like we know each other pretty well at some point. I know how you like your coffee, that’s got to count for something.” I joke. She chuckles at the crack.

“I know that you can be…how do you say…a dork.” she utters, trying not to laugh at the mere word.

“You mean like that time I was talking with Kevin about who would win in a fight, Captain Equestria or Iron Mare?”

“And I walked in on the conversation.”

“Kevin looked so scared.”

“You just looked surprised. When I went back into the office, I did smile at your enthusiasm. Full disclosure, my bits are on Captain Equestria.”

“How come you rarely smile when you're in public?”

“Because I have an image to maintain. If I smiled all the time, I wouldn’t be as intimidating. Looks at this physique. I’m built!” 

“Well, you certainly aren’t lacking in modesty.” I grin.

“Please. My face could use some improvement. But, it’s unavoidable, given my age.”

“You’re not old.”

“Yes, but I do have a wrinkle or two.”

“Where?”

“Sit up.” she says. I do. “Look at my face. Can you see the bags under my eyes? The crow’s feet? Don’t lie to me, they’re there.”

I look closely at her face. True, there is the hint of bags under her eyes, but they are far less prominent now, than they were before we slept together. The crow’s feet, however, I legitimately can’t find. I squint my eyes, but I see nothing.

“The bags are there, but I can’t see any crow’s feet.”

“Look closer. There’s no way you can…”

I silence her with a kiss. She muffles in surprise, but it doesn’t take long before she settles and kisses me back. Her hands move to my back, and start their normal routine of caressing me. She is gentler now, probably because I got a massage earlier, but she still lightly scratches my flesh with her nails. I lay her on her back, and move on top of her, kissing her lips, followed by her neck. With her mouth free, she moans in pleasure as I nibble on her neck, and fondle her body. My hand travels down her waist, and touch her thighs, before settling on her ass. 

“You know we can’t.” she whispers between moans. “You know how I get when you’re doing this.”

She’s right. Whenever we make love, her orgasms are quick as they are powerful. If Aloe or Lotus Blossom were to come in and see the mess we made…well…there’s a chance we would be reprimanded, worse, we would be banned from coming back.

Unless…

I travel down her body, kissing every part of it. Her shoulders, her breasts, her navel, her inner thighs, until I stop at her leaking sex, already dripping onto her towel. I make no effort to warn her, as I drive my tongue into her tight pussy. Ms. Harshwhinny moans loudly, and gyrates her hips the moment my mouth makes contact. My tongue moves around her inner walls, and my hands grab onto her thighs, as I lap up every single drop from her. 

My eyes glance up, and I see Ms. Harshwhinny grabbing her breasts in pleasure, and her hips moving up and down, as if attempting to get my tongue deeper into her. I do my best, tasting her insides, and finding her oh so delicious. My member is rock hard, and I am tempted to abandon all sense and drive myself into her, but I have to remember…not a single drop. 

“Oh…Sweet Celestia…” Ms. Harshwhinny pants, “I’m…I’m gonna…”

I keep licking her. I keep caressing her. She’s actually lasting longer than usual. I know she’s fighting it. Her walls are squeezing my tongue. Her delectable scent sneaks into my nose, and I take it all in. Her breathing get louder and louder, until finally, she lets out a long and audible moan, as I feel her insides tightening, and a torrent of liquid enters my mouth. Her sexual juices squirt into me, and I drink it in. She tastes wonderful, like sweet nectar. How does it taste so good? Well, it might have something to do with her steady diet of fruit. Whatever it is, I'm determined to drink every last drop.

Within what feels like a minute of lapping her up, she is done, letting out a noise of relaxation. I remove my mouth from her, and sit back on the bench. Her hands are still on her breasts, caressing herself.

“You…” she softly says “…I can’t believe you did that.” her tone sounds like she's more impressed than anything.

“It’s okay. I got everything.” I say, admittedly with a bit of smug satisfaction. Suddenly, Ms. Harshwhinny sits up, places her hands on my shoulders, and sends me down onto my back. “Woah!” I yelp.

“My turn.” she licks her lips. She does what I did, kissing every inch of me, coming down to my hardened cock. With little warning, she licks my shaft, from the base to the tip. I look down, and watch her lick me with vigor, before shoving every last inch of me down her throat. 

“OH MY-!” my eyes widen and body tenses, as Ms. Harshwhinny bobs her head up and down, as my cock moves in and out of her mouth. Every few bobs, she rises up, and licks my tip softly, before going back to work. Every time she does her lick, she strokes me and looks into my eyes with all of her seductive power, and it only serves to make me even harder than I already am.

I feel her breasts pushing down on my legs, and the thought of removing her mouth from my cock and shoving it between those two bountiful mounds plays in my mind like a movie projecting on the big screen. It sounds like an amazing fantasy, but I can’t act it out. Not here. Not in this sauna. 

Honestly, I don’t know how much longer I can last. Being with her last night, unable to make love to her, has made me pent up, and I don’t think it’ll be long until I eventually climax inside her mouth. Then again, from her movements, and that look she’s giving me, I think she wants me to do it as soon as possible.

“Come on…” she says softly, licking my tip, and taking a few drops of pre-cum “I know you want to.” 

Shit, it’s like she’s reading my mind, and knows how much I am struggling. Well, it’s either that, or the very noticeable teeth clenching and audible grunting that I’m doing. Either of the two would probably clue her in about the inner struggle going on inside my body.

I can't take much more. Any attempt to struggle will just buy me a couple more seconds at the very least. I let out a loud moan, as I slam my fist down on the bench, and thrust my hips upwards, shoving all of me into Ms. Harshwhinny's mouth. Within an instant, my shaft spasms, and I cum into her throat. Ms. Harshwhinny is surprised at first, but each successive blast of semen makes her relax, and she closes her eyes, and drinks it all in. It feels like a lot is coming out of me, but I don't think she cares that much, judging how happy she looks right now.

After what felt like a minute, Ms. Harshwhinny releases my cock from her mouth, licking away any drops that nearly got away. My erection finally subsides, which feels good, since it was hard the moment she took her towel off. I sit back up, as Ms. Harshwhinny licks her mouth of any more of my seed. 

"That's the first time I've ever done something like that." she says after a few moments of silence.

"Really?" I'm surprised. "You seemed to know what you were doing."

"Well, I had some...visual training." she looks at me with embarrassment. Wait...is she implying what I think she's implying?

"Have you...watched porn?"

"Perhaps." she says cryptically, with a face that tries to hide the truth. Yeah, she watched porn. "At any rate, that was...pleasing. I'm not against doing that again at some point." The fact that she's trying to act professional while completely naked is extremely sexy right now. "Do you mind if we spend the time we have left relaxing?"

"Not at all."

"Good." she nods, laying back and closing her eyes. Now we're back in the position where we started. With her arcing her back, and me staring at her naked figure. I'm don't think I'll ever get tired of it. "I can feel your eyes again. I like it."



Once the twenty minutes were up, we were let out by Aloe. Our little session has gone unnoticed, and the two of use get dressed and head back into the office, refreshed and prepared for a couple more hours of non-work. Fridays are usually the least busy, but that's what Ms. Harshwhinny likes. 

The two of us enter the office, and her presence commands the room like always. Every employee she passes by greets her, and she only nods, rather than verbally responding. Ms. Harshwhinny goes into her office, and shuts the door, not addressing me like always. I'm fine with that, considering what happens behind closed doors.

"Hey man." Kevin comes walking to my desk "You look refreshed."

"Ms. Harshwhinny had a spa day. I got my own appointment as well."

"Awesome. How was it?"

"It was...relaxing." I smile. 

"I hear the spas in Manhattan have unisex steam rooms. Did you get one with Ms. Harshwhinny?"

"What do you think?" I say in a convincing 'are you kidding me?' tone.

"Yeah, she'd probably kick the shit out of you if you tried peaking."

"I like my job too much to risk it." I laugh. 

"So...did you get any...you know...special treatment with the masseuse?" his eyebrows go up and down, heavily implying naughty stuff with all the subtlety of a freight train.

"Ha. No. No I did not." I tell a half truth. "I heard the last time it happened, the masseuse kicked their ass out of the spa."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Pretty brutal."

"Wow. Nevermind." he chuckles nervously. "I'll leave you to it, then. Oh, by the way. Has Ms. Harshwhinny said anything about me? Like...is she suspicious of Crystal and I?"

"No. She hasn't mentioned anything."

"Okay, good. We're trying to keep it on the down low, so if you notice anything, let me know."

"No problem." I nod. Kevin walks back to his desk.

Oh, Kevin. If only you know what's been going on with Ms. Harshwhinny and I. You'd really flip your lid. You'll never find out, but it would be funny to imagine.
> The Harsh Screening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s been a rather exciting couple of weeks since Ms. Harshwhinny and I got together. This whole sneaking around thing, hiding our relationship from everyone, is kind of cool, but at the same time, a bit unfortunate. It’s a shame that the rules dictate that employees can’t date, lest they want to be fired. I mean, can’t a stern talking to suffice? Still, sneaking off to Ms. Harshwhinny’s apartment every other night has its charms. For one thing, she always wants me to go to her apartment on the days she has her work out classes, likely because she knows I like the sight of her in that sports bra, and we get to have our romps in the shower. I know I’ve said it before, but her being all stern at the office, but both timid and dominant behind closed doors is really a sight to see.

Now, we’re going on our first date. 

We’re not officially calling it a date. At least, Ms. Harshwhinny isn’t, but I sure am. We’re catching a Thursday night screening of Wonder Mare, where it’s sure to be crowded with enthusiastic fans. Prior to tonight, I was surprised to hear about Ms. Harshwhinny’s opinions on the current films based on Knight Comics, Equestria’s version of DC. While others were negative on the serious approach for the popular heroes, she seemed to appreciate the tonal differences to the rival Amazing Studios Cinematic Universe. Needless to say, this geeky side of her is extremely attractive.

At my desk, I print out the tickets, making sure that no one saw me print out two tickets. A risky move to be sure, but it’s been quite a busy afternoon; setting up invitations for the upcoming Equestria Games Celebration Gala, and making phone calls to the catering companies as to what needs to be served. This is the only free time I can get before I have to go back to my desk for e-mails and phone calls.

I get up from the desk, and walk into Ms. Harshwhinny’s office, where she is in a familiar position; looking at her computer. I close the door and lock it; a common thing to do now, whenever I walk in. 

“Is everything okay?” Ms. Harshwhinny asks in a concerned and caring tone that only I have the pleasure of hearing, “Equestria International Foods didn’t give you any trouble, did they?”

“No, the phone call went well. They received the list, and will have everything ready for the Gala.”

“Good. What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I realize that the next couple of hours are going to be busy, so I figured I'd give you your ticket now.” I hand her her ticket. She takes the paper and looks at it for a couple of seconds. Cutely, I see her tail make a couple of brief happy swooshes on the floor, even as her face remains stoic.

“Thank you.” she nods “How…um…are we going to meet up? We obviously can’t go in together.”

“Right. I figure we would go in separately, and meet in our seats. If anyone at work is around us, we’ll chalk it up to coincidence.”

“Do you think that will work?”

“If you think it’ll help, how about we wear casual attire, instead of our work clothes?”

“Casual attire?” she looks down at her suit, then back at me. “Yes, I believe that will work. Perhaps some adjustments to my mane will also help. I’ll put on some glasses, too.”

“Oh yeah, I keep forgetting you wear contacts. I haven’t seen you in glasses before, that sounds exciting.”

“I bet it does.” she chuckles “Very well, we will make our rendezvous tonight. I can’t wait.”

“Neither can I.” I walk up to her, leaning down to giver her a soft kiss on the lips. We hold for a few seconds, as I hear a pleased moan come from Ms. Harshwhinny. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yes, of course.” she blushes, and I head back out.

A couple more hours of phone calls and e-mails pass by in what feels like an instant. Talking with clients and writing lengthy messages makes the time go by rather quickly. Now, it’s six’o clock, and our film starts at nine. Ms. Harshwhinny takes her leave first, wishing me a goodnight, which turns a couple of heads; not because she said goodnight to me, but because this is the first time in history she actually left around the same time as the employees.

Kevin, still around and mouth agape, walks up to me with that continuously dumbfounded look.

“Holy shit, did Ms. Harshwhinny just leave?”

“Sure looks like it.”

“That’s so weird. She never leaves when we do. I thought she lived here.” his head then turns to me “You’ve been around her for a while. Does she live here?”

“No.” I chuckle. “As far as I know, she lives in an apartment.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because whenever she sees something she likes, like a carpet or a lamp, she would mention how good it would look in her apartment.”

“She actually compliments things?”

“Kevin, come on. She praised you last month.”

“Yeah, for having a clean desk.”

“I don’t see why that’s so disappointing. Do you want to be an ornament in her apartment?”

“Hell no. Crystal’s the only mare for me, man.” he smiles in a swoon. He looks down at his watch, and his eyes go wide for a brief moment. “Shit, I’m meeting her downstairs. Have a dinner and movie date.”

“What are you seeing?”

“What else are we seeing? Wonder Mare, dude!”

“What time?”

“Nine o’clock at the Manhattan Cineplex. Back row. Perfect for making out when things get awesome! See ya!” Kevin waves as he hurriedly walks out the door, leaving me the sole inhabitant of the floor.

Oh shit.



I walk to my apartment in very little time, heading straight to the shower to clean myself up for tonight. I soak my hair in shampoo, and vigorously wash other parts of my body. I’m going to smell good for this date, and damn it, nothing is going to stop me! Even though it’s hours away, and we’re not going to treat our date as an actual date, I’m extremely nervous. Watching a movie with Ms. Harshwhinny, eating popcorn, drinking soda, being so close to each other that the urge to hold hands is inevitable; it gets the heart racing. I wonder what she’s going to wear. I’ve never seen her in casual attire. Is it going to be extremely simple, like T-Shirt and jeans, or is it going to be casual in the sense that she’ll still wear a suit, only not as fancy?

Then, there’s the issue of Kevin and Crystal. Ms. Harshwhinny and I are sitting closer to the screen. The fourth row, so that the screen overtakes us without being obnoxiously close. Kevin said that he and Crystal are sitting closer to the back. Hopefully, they don’t notice that Ms. Harshwhinny and I are sitting together. But, what if they do? Damn it, my excitement for this date is being overshadowed by my fear.

I went from being ninety-eight percent excited and two percent scared to two percent excited and ninety-eight percent scared. Pull yourself together, man! You’re going on a date with a perfect woman! Be excited about it!

I decide to go super casual, wearing a T-Shirt that has Wonder Mare’s logo on it, and a pair of jeans. Yeah, I’m a guy who wears a Wonder Mare T-Shirt, and I’m damn proud of it. Helps that whenever I go to conventions with this shirt, people and ponies give me the thumbs up.

Within twenty minutes, thanks to relatively minor traffic from the cab ride, I make it to the theater at eight-thirty. The moment I arrive, my phone buzzes. I look to see a text message from Ms. Harshwhinny.

“I’m inside. You mind getting popcorn and soda when you arrive?” 

I text back. “Just arrived. I’ll get right on it.”

Once I send it, after a few moments, a heart emoticon pops up. Urgh, the fact that Ms. Harshwhinny is using emoticons with me. I don’t know how much more my heart can take the preciousness of this woman. 

Once my ticket is scanned, I head straight to the concession stand, where there’s already a line of eager humans and ponies waiting to get their treats. Luckily, the service is fast, and I’m getting closer to my destination, when suddenly…

“Hey!” a familiar voice calls out, freezing me in my tracks. I look to the right to see Kevin, holding hands with Crystal, the receptionist. They’re both in causal attire as well, and smiling at me. I give them a smile too, though I’m having a bit of a heart attack inside. “I didn’t know you were here! Why didn’t you say anything back at the office?”

“You ran out before I could.” I chuckle, keeping cool. “Crystal, nice to see you.”

“You too.” she smiles “Bring anyone or anypony special?”

“No, just by my lonesome.”

“You should have told us you were seeing it by yourself. I would have gotten a ticket for you, so we could all sit together.” Kevin says. Nice guy.

“I don’t want to be a third wheel. Besides, you said you were planning on making out during the movie.”

“Oh, right.” Kevin laughs while Crystal playfully smacks him on the chest. “You were thinking it, too.” he says to her. She nods and shrugs, seeing his point. 

“I was…” she admits “But I don’t tell others about my plans. You shouldn’t share so much, Kev. Privacy is key in this.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” he kisses her on the top of her head. “To be fair, I only talk about you with this guy. He’s the coolest dude here, and won’t say a thing.”

“It’s true, Crystal.” I raise my hand up in a boy’s scout salute “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Thanks, hon.” Crystal smiles. She then looks up at Kevin. “Okay, let’s take our seats so you can wrap your hand around my shoulder.”

“Sounds like a plan.” he looks to me with a smile, “Enjoy the movie, man.”

“You too.” I wave. Once he’s off, I finally make it to the front of the line. I order a large popcorn and two large apple sodas. Good thing Kevin and Crystal didn’t see my order, or they would have gotten suspicious pretty fast. I guess I could have gotten one large drink and I would share it with Ms. Harshwhinny, but I’m assuming she prefers to drink from her own cup.

I move into the large theater, moving past Kevin and Crystal, currently mid-kiss, amd making my way to the fourth row. As I get closer to my destination, the crowd gets less, probably because some don’t like to sit closer to the screen. It’s the best view, in my opinion. 

There, sitting in the dead center, is Ms. Harshwhinny. Wearing a Wonder-Mare t-shirt, jeans, and violet rimmed glasses. Her mane is also a bit scruffed, probably to make her more unrecognizable. I walk over to her, and she turns to look at me, smiling as I get close to her. I don’t know what to say. Suddenly, the most desirable mare in Equestria got increasingly more desirable. She can see the amazed look on my face, and gets me to sit down before anyone notices.

“Is everything okay?” she asks with a titled head.

“You…you….you look…” I can’t get the words out.

“Is it too much?” she wonders. Though, from her tone, she seems to know exactly what she’s doing. The little smirk she has is also a pretty big sign. “Come on, now. You didn’t expect me to wear a suit to the movies, did you?”

“Well…no…you did say ‘casual,’ but I figured that meant you would wear a slightly less nice suit.”

“That’s cute.” she giggles “I do have my days where I am a t-shirt and jeans kind of mare. Mostly when I’m lounging at home…”

“Playing video games?”

“Oh…yes…” she blushes “You saw that?”

“Do you have a gamertag I should be aware of?”

“Um…" she leans in "...Boss Mare 788.” she whispers. 

“Boss Mare 788?”

“Yes, but there’s an underscore between Boss and Mare, and 788 isn’t separated by a space.”

“Okay, but what’s the significance of the 788?”

“There was already a Boss Mare, and I came up with a random number.”

A pause between us. I just found out what is probably the greatest secret of my boss. I can’t control myself; I bust out laughing, holding my gut because it hurts so much. Tears coming from my eyes, and Ms. Harshwhinny looks embarrassed. I’m sorry, Ms. Harshwhinny, but it’s just too good. I really mean no offense by it.

“Settle down. You’re going to attract too much attention…” she whispers with a stern tone.

“I’m sorry…” I try my best to calm myself “I truly am…” I wipe the tears from my eyes “I don’t mean to embarrass you. It’s just…you know. You’re so…you…and…you have a gamer handle. Be honest, what’s your trophy score?”

“I don’t want to tell you.” she pouts. It’s a cute pout.

“Come on. I won’t laugh.” I say. She snorts in response, not believing me. “Honest. I won’t laugh.” She looks away from me, I suppose as an attempt to avoid the question. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad. I just refuse to…” she sighs “Fifty six. Okay? I platinum a lot of my games, and got that score as a result. Happy?”

“Yes…” I chuckle. The chuckle makes her glare at me.

“You said you wouldn’t laugh.”

“No. I’m not laughing, I swear.” I place a hand on her shoulder “God, I love you.”

In that instant, my eyes go wide, and so does hers. I love you. It just came out like that. With no thought or tact, the words spilled out of my mouth like I had been saying it for years. Ms. Harshwhinny is speechless, I don’t know what is going on in her head. Does she feel the same? Does she not? Her cheeks slowly bush surely glow with that familiar blush, and her hand gradually covers her mouth to hide her agape expression.

The lights go down, and the screen opens up for the movie. The trailers start to play, but Ms. Harshwhinny and I continue to stare at each other. Her expression begins to soften into something more normal and befitting her, and she turns to watch the screen. It’s taking a while for me to do the same thing. I have to focus on the movie, but how can I? I just told Ms. Harshwhinny, who I don’t even know her first name, that I love her. 

I mean…it’s not like I didn’t mean it, but I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.

When the trailers come to a close, the movie starts to play, much to the fanfare of the enthusiastic crowd. I finally turn to the screen and watch the movie.

It’s a good thing that the movie is so much fun, or I would have been distracted the entire time about my admission. The crowd is definitely eating it up, and even Ms. Harshwhinny seems to be enjoying herself. I hear her chuckling whenever there was a funny gag, shuffle in her seat in stress during an action set piece. I can only imagine what she was like during the prior movies, since she enjoyed them as well.

A couple hours pass, and the film reaches its big climax. Wonder Mare is facing off against Eris, the god of chaos in a giant spectacle of a fight, while Flying Ace, an Earth pony and love interest for Wonder Mare, looks to be making the ultimate sacrifice in order to stop a giant plane from reaching a city with deadly gas. It’s actually a pretty bold move, though I saw his death coming after watching the Director’s Cut of Mare Do-Well v Supermare, but to go out in such a heroic way is pretty cool. 

Wonder Mare is dazed from a fight, and can’t hear what Flying Ace says before he leaves on his suicide mission, but now the movie is flashing back to show what he said. He tells her that he has to go, and when Wonder Mare protests, he says these rather heartwarming words.

“I can save today. You can save the world.”

I’d be lying if I said that my heartstrings weren’t tugged super hard by this, but what is catching my attention more is the sniffling next to me. Ms. Harshwhinny…is crying. She’s wiping her eyes at this act, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her like this. Ms. Harshwhinny…the toughest mare I know, is practically bawling at this tragic and romantic moment. On reflex, I wrap an arm around her shoulder, and bring her closer to me. Her head rests on my chest, as we watch the rest of the movie together.

Of course, everything turns out well. Wonder Mare saves the day, and we go back to present day to lead into the Freedom Federation movie. The credits roll, and the crowd goes nuts. All in all, a good entry in the series. I know there’s nothing at the end of the credits, but Ms. Harswhinny and I stay until the end, where it feels like we’re the last residents in the theater.

“So, what did you think?” I ask after some silence.

“I thought it was great.” she responds. “I almost said wonderful.” I hear her chuckle.

“It’s okay. I was about to say wonderful if you weren’t.” I chuckle with her. 

Ms. Harshwhinny removes herself from my chest, and rests her hands on my shoulders. She looks into my eyes with a loving expression, but also a look of wonderment.

“Did you mean what you said?” she asks me in a soft tone. “Do you…love me?”

“Yeah. I meant it.”

She looks away from me with a blush, muttering “Stupid. We’ve only been seeing each other for a couple weeks.”

“But we’ve known each other for over a year.” I am quick to point out. 

“That wasn’t meant for you.” she shakes her head “That was for me. You’re not stupid for loving me. I’m stupid…” she looks back “…because I love you, too.”

Before I can respond, she pulls me in for a kiss. It’s the kind of kiss we’ve done before, but it’s no less amazing than the other times we have locked lips. We stay on it for a while, and hear her soft moans as our tongues connect. Her hands runs through my hair, while mine caress her firm cheeks and her ruffled mane.

We separate, catching our breath, and smile at our now admitted love for one another.

It is here, that Ms. Harshwhinny’s eyes go wide. Not at me, but what is behind me. I turn around, it’s probably the ushers wanting us to…

Oh shit. It’s Kevin and Crystal.

“Uhhhhh….” I say.

“Uhhhhh….” Kevin also says. “I….um….” he looks to Crystal “…sorry for being loud, but…” he then quickly turns to me and shouts “WHAT?!” at the top of his lungs.



The four of us stand in the parking lot of the theater, where Kevin is pacing, while Ms. Harshwhinny, Crystal and I stand, watching Kevin try to process this information. While Crystal is less animated than Kevin is, she is no less as surprised as he is. I told Kevin almost everything, in that we started seeing each other after Hearts and Hooves day, and that this was our first real date together. Ms. Harshwhinny nodded and concurred my story in a professional manner, despite the ruffled mane and the Wonder Mare t-shirt and jeans ensemble.

“Okay, so…” Kevin speaks “When I asked what you did on Hearts and Hooves day, and you said that you did nothing, what you were actually doing was going out with Ms. Harshwhinny?”

“Yeah, I’d say that’s accurate.” I nod

“This is…this is incredible. YOU…” he points at me “…are dating HER!” he points at Ms. Harshwhinny. “Ms. Harshwhinny. The head of the Equestria Games. YOUR BOSS! And that kiss! Holy shit! That was some kiss! Wasn’t it, Crystal?”

“Yeah, it was pretty great.” Crystal agrees.

“It was pretty freaking great! Wow! You two…you two are really something! How did I NOT see this coming? It only makes sense! You two are always together. You two are pretty attractive. You both look great next to each other. How were you two able to hide it for as long as you did?”

“Kevin…” Ms. Harshwhinny steps in “I understand that this is all very surprising for you and Crystal, but I need to make myself very clear here.” Her voice is stern, and very much how she is in the office. “What we have is special, yes, but it’s also very illegal. Fraternization with employees is strictly forbidden, and we have broken one of the very rules that I helped set up. So, as you are well aware, secrecy is key. I don’t need to remind you that you and Crystal are also breaking the rules as well.”

Kevin looks at Crystal, and then back at Ms. Harshwhinny, before responding with a quiet and fearful “Yes, ma’am.”

“That being said, it would be hypocritical of me to reprimand you for the offense. So, here’s what I propose; I will say nothing of your relationship with Crystal, as long as you don’t mention ours to anybody or anypony. I am willing to offer you some monetary compensation if need be.”

“Huh? No, no, no extra bits are necessary.” Kevin shakes his head.

“We won’t tell anypony.” Crystal shakes her head as well “We would never do that to your two.”

“Good.” Ms. Harshwhinny smirks “Now then, all this excitement has kicked up my sweet tooth. Would you like to join us for ice cream?”

Kevin and Crystal look at each other in confusion, and then back at Ms. Harshwhinny. It takes a bit, but the two respond with a shrug and a nod.



Inside the Manehattan Ice Cream Parlor, Ms. Harshwhinny and Crystal sit at the far end, chatting it up with their bowls of ice cream, while Kevin and I sit a distant away with our bowls. I have my strawberry chesecake ice cream, while Kevin goes for a brownie sundae. The ice cream was bought by Ms. Harshwhinny, I suppose as an extra incentive to keep Kevin and Crystal quiet.

I would say the ice cream is delicious, and it is, but Kevin is currently staring at Ms. Harshwhinny and Crystal talking to one another so casually.

“Kevin?” I break the silence between us. He snaps to attention immediately. “You okay? Your brownie is getting soggy.”

“Oh…” Kevin looks down at his bowl and starts to dig in a little bit. “Sorry. I got a bit distracted.”

“I know. I saw.” I chuckle “We were hoping to keep this a secret for a while longer.”

“Well, public displays of affection tend to cause attention.” Kevin smirks.

“It was the first time we said we loved each other.” I admit. The news causes Kevin’s eyes to widen slightly.

“Really? You belted out the L word already?”

“Yeah, it just happened. I don’t know what came over me, but at the same time…I guess… it just felt right.”

“It’s been a while since you said that to anybody. The last time I heard you tell someone you loved them, was back home with that Karen chick.”

“Yeah, and when I found out she was seeing Gary, I wish I took it all back.”

“Man, fuck Gary.”

“Yeah, Gary sucked. A terrible roommate, and a worse friend.” The two of us share a good laugh at that. “I think this is it, though.”

“This is what?”

“The one. I think it’s her.”

“Do you even know her first name, yet?”

“Not yet.”

“You don’t know her first name, and you told her that you love her?”

“Weird, right?”

“It’s pretty damn weird. But…well…” Kevin thinks for a couple moments, as if weighing the words he’s about to say. “At the same time…it fits.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dude, I think you’re great, I mean that sincerely, but you can be kind of a weirdo. Nothing wrong with that, but you skirt the line between professional and geeky so often, that I am both impressed and freaked out. I assume Ms. Harshwhinny’s the same?”

“Yeah. When we’re behind closed doors, she can be pretty geeky. She has a gaming console.”

“Dude, you need to lock that shit down tight. Marry her.”

“What?! We haven’t even discussed it yet! And, if we got married, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of keeping it a secret? There’s records of that stuff!”

“So? She’s Ms. Harshwhinny, I’m sure she has some pull.”

“She may be the Head of The Equestria games, but I don’t think she has the authority to hide marriage records. Though, she did have enough influence to keep the Spa ponies from telling others that…” I trail off.

“What?”

“Ms. Harshwhinny and I shared a sauna together.” I whisper.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuccccccccck…..” Kevin practically breathes it out. He then looks back at Ms. Harshwhinny and Crystal conversing. "Look at them. Talking like everything is normal. How did we end up in this situation?"

"We were offered the chance to go to Equestria, and we took it."

"I meant THIS situation."

"I became attracted to Ms. Harshwhinny  and you became attracted to Crystal, took a shot, and ended up in a relationship."

"You know I'm being rhetorical, right?"

"Yeah, but I like answering rhetorical questions. I'm a weirdo, remember?"

"That's true. I did say that." Kevin smiles "And don't worry about me. I won't tell anyone about this. I promise." His speaks with sincerity. As much as I poke fun at him, I trust Kevin. He's had my back since we lived on Earth, so I can trust him with this information as much as he can trust me with what I know about him. "Hey..." he leans in close "...can I ask you a bit of a lewd question?"

"Umm....sure."

"What's Ms. Harshwhinny's cutie mark?"

"Oh..." I blush "It's..." I whisper "...it's a trophy."

"What kind of trophy?"

"A gold trophy."

"Does it look good?"

I nod and smile in confirmation. "It's perfect." I say with admittedly smug look on my face. The news makes Kevin lean back in his chair, processing the information. He runs his hands through his hair as he looks around the room. Finally, after minutes of pause, he says one more word before finally eating his sundae.

"Damn."
> The Not-So Harsh Parents
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Would you like to meet my parents?”

Ms. Harshwhinny asks me suddenly. Meet her parents? Me? I don’t know what to say. I was just walking into the room to give her last minute details about this weekend’s Equestria Games Gala event. What the finalized food menu looks like, the guest list, and that her dress is ready for pick up. Asking if I would like to meet her parents is throwing me off guard in the worst way.

“Umm….when?” I finally respond after what felt like over a minute of silence.

“Tonight. This will be the only chance we’ll have for a while.” Right, since we’re leaving Manehattan the day after tomorrow, that does make sense. 

“Do they…you know…do they know that we’re…”

“No. I admit to mentioning you a couple times. Maybe if they meet you, and if they like you…perhaps I could tell them about us.”

“Are you…”

“Yes, I’m sure I can trust them.” she interrupts in a stern tone “I trust them with my life. They will never endanger my career or yours.” 

“Actually, I was going to ask if you’re okay. Your muzzle is a bit red.”

“Huh?” Ms. Harshwhinny crosses her eyes to see that her muzzle is indeed red. On cue, she lets out a loud sneeze. Not one to leave her hanging, I produce a handkerchief from my pocket in case of handkerchief emergencies. “Thank you.” she nods, blowing her nose into than handkerchief. She can keep it. “Yes, I’ll be fine. It’s just a minor cold. I broke the fever last night, so it should be on its way out.”

“Okay.” I smile and nod. “All that aside, I’d be honored to meet your parents.”

“Good. When it’s time to leave, we can head out.” Finally, she notices the stack of papers in my hand. “What is that?”

“It’s the final details for the Equestria Games Gala.”

“Ah, give them here.” I hand them to her. “Appreciated. You may go now.”

“Ma’am.” I say, taking my leave from the office. So, I’m going to meet her parents tonight. I can only imagine what they are like. Are they like Ms. Harshwhinny? Are they stern but caring? What if they’re the exact opposite? What if they’re bouncy and crazy? That would be weird. Actually, the weirdest thing would be if they were completely normal. I guess I’m going to find out in a few hours.



Clouds form in the sky as Ms. Harshwhinny drives into a neighborhood a few miles outside of Manehattan. It’s a nice and peaceful neighborhood, that is a pretty sizable contrast to the city that’s miles away. Flowing trees and clean streets illuminated by lamps for anyone out for a nightly walk, it reminds me of my old home back on Earth. The ride over here was fairly quiet; I can tell that Ms. Harshwhinny is nervous about the meeting. Her palms have gripped the steering wheel ever since we left, and I can see a trace of sweat on it. My instincts are telling me to place my hand on her lap, but she seems simultaneously focused yet lost in thought, that I don’t want to startle her.

We get to the end of the street, where Ms. Harshwhinny parks in the driveway of a brown, two story house, with an olive tree in the front, and a small flower garden by the porch. We get out of the car, and go up the steps to the front door. I look at Ms. Harshwhinny, and see her palms shake; hesitating to knock on the door. I’m knocking on it.

KNOCK KNOCK

Ms. Harshwhinny looks sharply at me, not out of annoyance, but of surprise.

“Sorry.” I say sheepishly.

“It’s fine. I’m…”

“I know. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

“I hope they like you.”

“Me too.”

Within moments, the door swings open, revealing a rugged looking stallion with a brown coat of fur, bright green eyes, and such an intimidatingly built figure, that I’m certain that he lifts eighteen wheeler trucks every morning. However, his face doesn’t resemble that of someone looking to chew on cans of spinach, but of a happy and enthusiastic father. He pulls in Ms. Harshwhinny for a hug, and that nervousness from her drifts away into an amused smile.

“Violet! It’s so nice to see you, honey!”

Wait a second…Violet? Her first name is Violet? Damn, just hearing her first name so off handedly makes me feel stupider than I already do. How could I have not asked for her first name for the entire time I have been her assistant, and especially when we’ve been seeing each other? What’s even more amazing is that none of the documents that she signed or were addressed to her, nor the various clients, ever referred to her by her first name. 

Documents sent to her. Ms. Harshwhinny. Her signature. Ms. Harshwhinny. What her clients call her. Ms. Harshwhinny. I always figured that she had a first name, but she has been known as Ms. Harshwhinny for some time, that I even briefly thought her name was just Ms. 

Violet, huh? It’s a nice name. Makes sense, too, since her outfit color of choice is violet.

“And this is the assistant I’ve heard so much about?” the stallion lets go of Ms. Harshwhinny, and looks to me. He stretches out a hand for a shake. I shake his hand. He has a strong grip. “Slewhoof, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” I smile.

“Where are my manners? Come in, the both of you. Your Mom’s making dinner.” Slewhoof points at me “You like cobb salad?”

“Yeah. It’s good.” I nod.

“Good. That’s what we’re having. No olives, though. Nasty taste. No matter how much I try it, I can’t stand it.”

Ms. Harshwhinny and I walk into the house. It looks even nicer than the outside. Superbly made carpets, a tranquil fire place, paintings of lush scenery, and that’s just the living room. We get to the dining room, where there’s a spacious wooden table; wonderfully crafted and smooth, with four plates ready for us. I can’t help but feel a little touched. The last time we went to someone’s house, I didn’t have a plate setting waiting for me.

“Sit, sit.” Slewhoof motions for us to sit down. We do. “Good, I’ll go get your Mother.” he smiles and heads to the kitchen.

I run my hand on the table, feeling its smooth surface. It’s also nice and shiny, with the reflection of the fan light above us giving off a heavenly gleam.

“This is nice.” I say. I see Ms. Harshwhinny’s hands clenching in nervousness. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.”

“I hope so.” she looks down at her hands “Why am I the one being nervous? You should be more nervous than me.”

“I am, but I’m more surprised that your name is Violet.”

“I…” she blushes, then smiles “…I should have told you myself. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s a pretty name. It suits you.”

“Because you think I’m pretty?” she teasingly asks.

“That, and you always wear violet.”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Well, if you decide to use my name, it will only be for personal use. Don’t use it when we’re in public. Don’t even think about my true name when we’re at work.”

“Of course, Violet.”

“Shush, it’s Ms. Harshwhinny still.”

Just then, Slewhoof comes out, with a mare close behind him, carrying a massive bowl full of cobb salad. It looks delicious. It’s got chopped hard boiled eggs, cheese, tomatoes, avocado, corn and tofu. It makes sense that there’s no chicken or bacon. The stallions and mares of this world rarely eat the stuff. I’ve seen them eat chicken sometimes, but I’m told that it holds no nutritional value for them.

Even though humans in Equestria still eat meat, they leave the livestock of this realm alone, and import what they have from Earth, with the exception being cows. Since there are cows in Equestria that talk, Humans are not allowed to eat cow. I’ve eaten chicken or pork on some occasion, but since it’s imported, it costs more, so I’ve stuck to vegetables, falafel, and tofu.

The mare holding the bowl and currently setting it down is quite easy on the eyes. She’s an Earth Pony, with a long blonde mane, a light orange coat, and a slender figure. I can see where Ms. Harshwhinny gets her looks from. She looks up at me with a smile. “Hello.” she says. Her accent is familiar. It sounds French. “I’m Metier, Violet’s mother.” Well, French accent, French name. There’s a France equivalent in Equestria. What’s it called? Oh, wait, Metier is reaching her hand out for a shake. I shake it. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Metier. Am I saying it right?”

“Yes, thank you.” she chuckles “Sorry if my accent is a bit thick. I’m from Prance.”

“No need to apologize, I can hear you clearly.” I smile. Prance. That’s kind of clever. I look down at the food. “This looks delicious.”

“No need for flattery, it’s just salad.” Metier waves me off.

“I’m serious. Salad looks so plain most of the time, but this looks fantastic.”

“Oh, my.” Metier blushes, looking to Ms. Harshwhinny. “Where did you find this gentleman?”

“At my company.” Ms. Harshwhinny chuckles, taking a scoop of salad to put on her plate. The rest of us follow suit and fill our plates up. I take a bite into the salad, making sure to get some egg and tomato on there. I was right, it tastes as delicious as it looks.

“So…” Slewhoof addresses me, “What did you do, before you became Violet’s assistant?”

“You mean, when I was working at the company, or back on Earth?”

“You can start with Earth, if you’d like.”

“On Earth, I was a copy guy working for a news publication. It wasn’t very extravagant, but it paid well. Working here, I had the same job title, but it was an internship at first, and then I started getting paid again after a month.”

“What made you want to be Violet’s assistant?”

“Being able to go to the Equestria Games for free was a pretty good perk.” I chortle, and the others chuckle alongside me. “But, I also wanted to try something new. I’m pretty good with handling schedules and memorization, so I thought that it would be a good opportunity for me.”

“Considering how much Violet talks about you, I’d say you’re doing a good job.” Metier nods her head.

“How…” I look at Ms. Harshwhinny, who is trying to hide her blush, “How often do you talk about me?”

“Frequently.” Slewhoof answers for her with a laugh, “To be fair, we ask about you frequently, after she praised you so heavily the first time around. Every time she came here, one of the big things we were wondering was ‘how’s Ms. Harshwhinny’s faithful assistant doing.’”

“It felt less like questioning, and more like interrogations, Dad.” Ms. Harshwhinny replies with snark “I’m not one of your perps.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic sweetie.” he looks back at me “I used to be a Detective for the Manehattan Police Department. If you feel that I’m getting too personal, feel free to let me know.” I answer him with a nod, as I have a mouth full of salad. “So, tell me, how is the fearsome Ms. Harshwhinny as a boss?”

“Dad…” Ms. Harshwhinny protests, “Can we talk about this later?”

“No, it’s fine.” I assure her. I’m not going to slip up and hint about our true relationship. “Ms. Harshwhinny is probably the most demanding boss I’ve every had.” Both Slewhoof and Metier lean in. “She’s strict and stern…but that’s a good thing.” 

“Oh, really?” Metier asks with interest.

“Yeah. She’s always demanding for perfection, and wants nothing more than everyone to act with a degree of professionalism, but I understand that. Being part of such a big event as the Equestria games, everything has to be nothing short of perfect. However, as tough as she is, it never comes off as unwarranted, and she praises those around her that do a great job. I’ve seen it happen with others, along with myself, of course. I think that she’s tough…but fair.”

Slewhoof and Metier sit back, taking in what I said. Slewhoof looks serious, glancing back and forth at me and Ms. Harshwhinny. Moments pass, and Slewhoof lets out an amused chuckle, and a wide smile.

“Can’t ask for anything better than that.” he says “You got a good catch, Violet.”

“That’s why I brought him here. I finally got a good assistant.” Ms. Harshwhinny laughs with such cuteness, that I’m just about close to grabbing her and kissing her. Keep control of yourself, man!

We all chat amongst ourselves for what feels like hours, even though in actuality, only one hour passes by. By the end of our conversations, the bowl of salad is completely empty, and we all feel full. Not bloated, mind you, that’s a terrible feeling, but a feeling of satisfaction. Slewhoof breaks our relaxed quiet with a burp, which causes Ms. Harshwhinny to glow red with embarrassment, but a smile forms on her face soon after.

“I suppose I’ll clean up the dishes.” Metier says, picking up our plates. “Violet, can you bring the bowl to the kitchen?”

“Of course.” Ms. Harshwhinny nods, taking the bowl. She follows Metier into the kitchen, and the door closes, blocking me from seeing what’s going on on the other side. 

Slewhoof stands up, walking towards the living room. He turns around, and looks to me with a grin. 

“Come on, I want to show you something.”

“Really? What?”

“Something I think you’ll like.”

Well, if it’s something I’ll like, I can’t possibly refuse. I get up and follow Slewhoof into the living room. We walk past the well decorated area, and to the stairs, where we climb upwards. On the walls are pictures of Ms. Harshwhinny and her parents at different points in time. I see her as a little filly, which is extremely adorable, and her as a teenager, where she begins to obtain her good looks of today. I spot a photo of her at her high school graduation, where she has the widest smile I’ve ever seen from her. It’s such a stunning and disarming smile, that I’m surprised I haven’t seen it yet.

Slewhoof and I walk down the hall, where I see more pictures, which consists of Ms. Harshwhinny as a baby, and I can’t help but smile at the pictures. I notice that Slewhoof has been making glances at me. I’m sure he notices that I’m staring at the pictures. I wonder what he’s going to show me.

We finally make it to a brown door, which Slewhoof opens with little fanfare, revealing what I can only describe as some kind of Detective’s office. Newpaper articles of Slewhoof’s accomplishments decorate the walls, alongside various pictures he’s taken with political figures, including the Princesses! Wow, he must have been a big deal back when he was a detective if the Princesses wanted a picture with him. At the end of the room is a glass case, which houses his shiny and pristine badge. It doesn’t look much different than police badges on Earth, but very nice all the same.

“Wow…” I exhale.

“That’s not my actual badge. Just a gold replica as a retirement present. If I actually had that badge while walking around Manehattan, I’d have a few goons after me for some quick bucks.”

“They’d probably get a good beating, though.” I say “You look like you could have taken them.”

“Good point.” he chuckles. “Have a seat, son.” He points to one of the two chairs in the room. One is something befitting a king, while the other is a normal rolling black chair, with the two separated by a large desk. I naturally pick the rolling black chair, because not only does the kingly chair appear to be exclusive to Slewhoof, but rolling chairs are fun. Slewhoof sits in the kingly chair, naturally, and places his palms on the desk; patting the wood like a drum. “I’m happy that you’re doing well at Violet’s company. I’m not kidding when I say she speaks highly of you.”

“Thank you, sir.” I nod with appreciation.

“This is also the happiest I’ve seen my daughter in a long while. The last time I’ve seen her like this was when she became that head of the Equestria Games. Don’t let her age fool you, she’s actually been in her position for quite some time.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She was always a gifted student, from elementary school to college. Her knowledge and genius were something to be proud of. She did have a bit of trouble when it came to writing essays, though. The intellect was there, but when it came to coherence, we had to help out a little bit. I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

“I’ve had to proofread a few contracts and e-mails, I admit, but she has improved.”

“That’s good to hear, and it’s kind of you to help out. I’m sure you realize that with such intelligence, she got a lot of attention. Some less…desirable than others.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Was she bullied?” Picturing Ms. Harshwhinny being bullied makes me more than a little uncomfortable.

“Nothing like that, thankfully. Aside from a couple of jealous students, nothing escalated beyond that.” That’s good to hear. I calm down a bit. “No, I’m talking more about…relationships.”

“Oh…” This gets me interested, though I’m not sure why he’s bringing this up to me. “What happened?”

“During her college years, there was a colt that was interested in her. Violet assumed that he wanted to date her, and they went on a couple of get togethers. However, she soon found out that he was only dating her so she could do his work.”

“That’s pretty crappy of him to do.”

“Yeah. She found out rather quickly, and dumped him. However, when she became head of the Equestria Games, it got worse.”

“What happened then?”

“Ponies were hoping that if they were to, quote-on-quote, hook up with the powerful Ms. Harshwhinny, they would somehow get a boost in their careers. Promotions, letters of recommendations, and the like. It wasn't just stallions, it was mares too. Our Violet was too smart for that, and did away with them. However…there was one stallion. He was the worst of them all. He strung her along for over a year; acting like he loved her, and she loved him. She thought she found the one, but…”

“He was using her for his own gain…”

“Worse than that. She was what you’d call a notch under his belt. She found out he had other mares groveling at his feet. She was just one of many. Imagine that. My Violet, nothing but a plaything to this jerk.”

“I can think of stronger words to describe him, sir.” Hearing that is making my blood boil.

“I’m sure you can. You humans have quite the inventive vocabulary.” His eyes look me up and down. I think he realizes how agitated I was about that story. “From then on, she swore off love. It broke my heart to see her like that. When she was a filly, she would love those old school fairy tales with the handsome prince, happily ever after and all that. That stallion killed whatever romance she had in her heart.” Suddenly, his eyes narrow at me, staring into me like how a Father would stare at his Daughter's prom date. It’s a look I’ve seen before, and my stomach tightens in an instant. Oh, shit. Does he know? “Until you.”

Oh, shit! He knows!

“Sir, I…” I try to speak, but he raises his hand to stop me.

“How long has this been going on?” he asks in a calm manner, but his eyes still intimidate the hell out of me.

“About a month.” I admit to him. “We’ve been together since Hearts and Hooves Day.”

“Oh, I thought you’ve been together for longer than that. The way she talked about you, I assumed you’ve been dating for nearly a year.”

“No. I mean, I’ve had feelings for her for quite some time, but I didn’t get the courage to ask her out until…”

“So, your feelings are genuine.” There’s relief in his voice, but a twinge of doubt is still there.

“Sir, I’m not like those other ponies. I’ve never thought of her as a plaything or a conquest. She’s…she’s….” thinking about her makes me smile, making me say “…she’s wonderful.” like I’m exhaling it out. “When we’re at the office, she’s how you think she’d be. She’s tough, she’s uncompromising, a genius, but most of all, she’s a professional. When it’s just us, she’s the sweetest woman I’ve ever met. She’s kind, she’s loving, and she’s a huge dork like me sometimes. We went to see Wonder Mare a couple weeks ago, and she and I had on a T-Shirt with the logo on the front.”

“She did?” Slewhoof asks with a laugh, “She did like her comics when she was younger.”

“Believe me when I say that I have no intention of hurting your daughter. I…I don’t have any intention of letting her go, either. She’s…special.”

“Yes, she is.” Slewhoof nods in understanding. He stands from his chair, looking me dead in the eyes. “I can see you care for her. Your tone strikes me as the kind of man willing to do anything for her.”

“Yes, sir. Anything.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad she’s found somepony…or someone, in your case…to be happy with. I just have one small request.”

“Of course.”

“If…for whatever reason…this doesn’t work out…it has to be amicable. If you break her heart, I’ll break a chair over your head. Deal?”

He said that in such a cold tone, that I have no choice but to freeze up at his utterance. I’m no slouch, but he looks like the kind of stallion that could break my spine by just stepping on it with little force on his end. I don’t think this relationship will end, I sure hope it doesn’t. I can’t even think about what could happen if we are separated. However, one thing is for sure, whatever happens, it’ll be amicable.

“Deal.”



Now that we’re alone together, I suppose it’s appropriate to use Ms. Harshwhinny’s name. Violet and I are back on the road, heading to Manehattan. The clouds earlier have gotten darker, and little drops of rain splash on the car. Violet is quiet, and so am I. The rest of the visit went well, with all of use capping the evening off with some dessert. Apple pie a la mode. Delicious. We said our goodbyes, while Slewhoof and I shared one last knowing glance. He has his eyes on me, and I don’t blame him.

However, Violet is being awful quiet. From the look on her face, she appears to be as she was on our trip over; deep in thought. I’m tempted to break the silence, to ask what’s wrong and…

“So, Mom knows.” Violet breaks the silence before I could. 

“So does your Dad.” I say right after.

“I never could keep anything from them, especially Dad." she scoffs "Silly of me to think I could hide something from a former detective.”

“What did your Mom say?”

“She was upfront. The moment we started washing dishes, she asked how long we were seeing each other. What did my Father say?”

“We made some small talk, and then he started talking about your past relationships.”

“Oh…” Violet says in a sad tone, “I…how much did he say?”

“He told me enough. Violet, I…”

“Don’t say you’re sorry. You don’t need to. They were my mistakes.”

“You know I can’t help it.”

“I know you can’t, but please. I should have told you about them.”

“No, I get it. They were jerks, and that’s me being nice.”

“Don’t be nice.”

“Okay, I think they were fucking assholes. To treat you like that. I hope you clocked them over the head with a paperweight.”

“That’s better.” she nods. “I didn’t, but I should have.” Violet glances at me with a smirk, “I never knew you have a vicious side. I like it.”

“I’m a master of the rifle. Just say the word, Violet, and I’ll get them.”

“There’s no need for that.” she chuckles, “But the sentiment is nice. Thank you.”

“I’ll never do that to you. I’m not with you for personal gain. I’m with you because I love you.”

“I…I know that.” she blushes “You don’t need to tell me. Just looking at you lets me know your intentions with me. Still, hearing you say that…It’s nice.” Violet sees that it’s raining a bit heavier as we get closer to Manehattan. “Hmmm, it’s starting to pour. May I make a request?”

“What’s that?”

“Your apartment is closer. Can I stay there for tonight?”

“Are you sure? It’s not as classy as yours.”

“That doesn’t matter to me. I’d like to see where you live. Truth be told, I’ve never been to a bachelor pad before.”

“Really? Well, in that case, make a…”

“Make a left at the first light. Yes.”

“Wait, do you know where I live?”

“Of course. You put your address in your resume.”

“Oh, right.”



The two of us step inside my apartment. The good news is that I always keep it clean. The bad news is that it’s a bit small compared to Violet’s place. Violet looks around the apartment, seeing that the bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room are not too far from one another. She’s not showing disgust, but a bit of confusion.

“Well…” she speaks “It sure is…something.”

“You hate it.”

“N-No! N-No!” she stammers a bit “I’m not saying that. It just…are you sure I pay you enough?”

“Violet, we’ve been over this.”

“I know, but I have to make sure. If you feel that I’m not paying you enough, just say the word. I’ll give you a raise. Twenty…thirty percent more. Tell me!”

“It’s okay!” I put my hands on her shoulders with a chuckle “I’m telling you the truth. I have enough bits in my account to buy an apartment like yours.”

“Are your sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Please, there’s no need for this.”

Violet takes a deep breath. Her panicked tone is both amusing, but also worrisome. Knowing that she cares about my well being is sweet, but I can see it has made her stressed. After a few deep breaths, she looks back at me, and then looks away again with a scoff and a blush.

“Look at me.” she silent says “I’m older than you, but here I am, acting like some kind of lovestruck filly.”

“You’re not that much older.”

“That’s not the point. I should be the more mature one. A mare in my position needs to handle situations with delicate care, but you…you’ve made me…” she’s struggling to get the next word out, until… “…unprofessional.” I try my hardest not to chuckle at the cuteness of what she said. “How did you do it? You’ve had feelings for me for a long time, but I never guessed it. How did you hide it for so long?”

“I was like you. I held it together for the most part. There was some unavoidable moments, like when I got…excited seeing you in Appleloosa, but I knew that the job had to come first.”

“That’s…admirable of you. Celestia only knows how I managed to keep it together until now.”

“Were your feelings really that strong?”

“Of course they were. Do you know how rare it is for me to see somepony or someone who wasn’t afraid of me? Everypony I’ve ever met was afraid of me in someway or another, and those who weren’t only used me for their own selfish needs. The only ponies who were never afraid of me until you were my own parents.”

“Ponies and people fear you?”

“You don’t need to act surprised. I’m aware of my reputation. Many respect me, but all fear me. I’ve always known. On a certain level, it felt good, but on others…it was like you said…it felt lonely.”

“Hey…” I bring her close for an embrace. “It’s okay now.”

“I know it’s okay, now. You’re holding me.” she smirks. “Do you know why I hired you?”

“Because I was the best person for the job?”

“Well…kind of. You did ‘um’ and ‘ahh’ your way through the interview, and I briefly thought you were going to be like that during meetings. Then again, it did turn out you actually were the best person for the job in the end.”

“Then, why did you hire me?”

“Because when I interviewed the others, I could tell they were afraid of me. They only told me what they thought I wanted to hear, but from their mannerisms and voice, I knew that deep down, they were terrified.”

“To be honest, I was a little scared.”

“Of me?”

“No, of screwing up the interview.”

“But not of me.”

“No. I wasn’t afraid of you. Sure, you struck me as the no nonsense professional type, but fear? No.”

“I hired you because despite your stuttering, you sounded genuine. You were friendly with me. You talked with a smile, and your seemed genuinely happy to be in my presence.”

“I was. Being in the presence of such a beautiful woman was a nice experience.”

“I’ll bet.” she smiles “It was because of your good nature, that I knew you were the one for me…in many ways.” her once sad and nervous tone has melted into a sweet and even seductive purr. “Here I go again. Acting like a young mare in love.”

“You are a young mare in love. Seriously, thirty-five years old is not old. You don’t need to be hung up on this.”

“Perhaps.” she shrugs "Being with you has certainly made me feel younger than ever. It's been a while since I've felt so...good."

"Well, I'm down for another session if you are." I smile and kiss her neck.

"Not tonight. But, I am in the mood for some cuddling."

"That's fine, too."

"Besides, we'll have plenty of alone time when we go to the Crystal Empire for the Equestria Games. I booked us two rooms with a connecting door. That way, if you're feeling needy, you can come see me whenever you'd like."

"I like the way you think. Then again, I do have to say I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Because my room will likely go unused during the night."

"Not using the room I paid for? Well, you must be punished." she says playfully.

"Oh no, what do you have planned?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." she teases, tracing a finger on my chest. "Enough talk, I am in the mood to hold you and sleep in each other's arms."

"There's nothing wrong with what you just said."

"You're damn right there isn't."
> The Harsh Gala
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks Violet, for the clip on tie for my suit.

The Equestria Games Gala is tonight, and I’m standing in front of a mirror inside the Shining Crystal Hotel, a large scale hotel located in the Crystal Empire. The moment is finally here; we are mere days away from the start of the Equestria Games. All that hard work has payed off, and we managed to get everything up and running ahead of schedule. 

I was hired a few weeks before last year’s games, and it was the most stressful days of my entire life. The fact that we were set up seconds before the games started was a miracle. It was also the first time Violet ever praised me, telling me that I “did well, all things considered,” which was the best compliment I received from her at that time.

Compared to that roller coaster of madness, this year was a breeze. We did skirt the line a little bit, with that Fast Pass business, but it all worked out. Now, I’m just about ready with this suit for the gala. I wonder what Violet is going to wear this year. Last year, her dress displayed her signature color of violet, and was extremely classy; barely any skin….coat…was shown. She looked quite graceful, and her poise commanded that room. I’m betting that she’s got something similar, which will be nice.

Now that this tie has been clipped on, I’m ready to go.

I walk out of my hotel room, and move to the next door. Our rooms are conjoined, with a door in my room that connects to hers. However, I don’t want to just barge in, and we’re due downstairs at any moment for our ride to the Gala. 

Three knocks should do the trick.

KNOCK KNOCK KNO…

Mid third knock, the door opens, and my jaw almost detaches from my head when I see what's on the other side. Violet stands before me with a dress that sports her signature color, but that’s the only similarity to last year’s dress. The sleeveless dress sways at the bottom from side to side, with a long slit from the bottom to her waist, showcasing a healthy amount of leg when the breeze kicks it over. At the top, is a plunging v-neck that stops short of her belly button, meaning that there’s an eyeful of cleavage for all to see. 

My eyes scan her body, and I stop at her face. Her expression screams professionalism, while her cheeks display affection. Her eyes then look me up and down, before closing the door behind her.

“Remember, no saying or thinking my name when we’re in public.”

“Of course.” I nod. “You look fantastic.”

“Thank you. You as well.”

The two of us walk side by side, head downstairs using the elevator, and make our way through the lobby. Her dress catches the eyes of many ponies and people, with their heads turning to follow her as we get to the front door.

Waiting for us outside, is our chauffeur, who opens the back of the limo for us. When he looks at Ms. Harshwhinny, his eyes widen for just a second, before regaining his composure.

“Ms. Harshwhinny…” he nods, as Ms. Harshwhinny gets into the limo, with me following soon after. 

The inside is comfortable, with bouncy seats, and a mini bar on the side. Ms. Harshwhinny eyes the drinks for a few moments, before slowly closing up the bar and crossing her arms pressing her breasts together and catching my immediate attention. The the chauffeur gets in the car, we head off towards the Gala.

There’s a silence between Ms. Harshwhinny and I. We can’t make too much small talk, because the partition is open, and the chauffeur can see and hear us. Ms. Harshwhinny looks over at our driver, and notices that his eyes frequently glance up at the rear view mirror to look at us. More specifically, at her. Slyly, Ms. Harshwhinny presses a button next to her, that brings the partition up, blocking his line of sight.

The silence continues, until…

“This limo is soundproof.” she says “But I still won’t advise you coming over to me to do what you really want to do.” Her tone is teasing, and is smirking as she talks. “Just as I can’t come over to you and do what I really want to do.”

“It would probably take a while to straighten ourselves up.” 

“That’s not to say that I’m not tempted to see if we can get away with it, but I’d rather not risk it.”

“Smart.” I nod, continuing to stare at her figure. “You’re going to turn some heads tonight, Ms. Harshwhinny. This isn’t your normal attire.”

“I didn’t wear this for them.” she grins sexily “Just make sure not to stare at me too much, okay?”

“Okay, but I make no promises. After all, there’s no crime in an assistant finding his boss attractive.”

“True, but I’d rather your gazes be brief. Any longer, and others might suspect something.”

“Got it. No prolonged staring.” I give her a playful salute, which makes her chuckle in amusement. 



About ten minutes go by, and we make it to the Gala. Through the glass, I can see the large establishment, where various athletes are walking the steps, while press pester them with questions I cannot hear. The crystal architecture still takes my breath away, even though it’s no different from when I saw it last year. I don’t see Fast Pass there yet, but I know she’s not the type of mare to miss the chance to steal the spotlight from everybody. 

Our limo stops at the steps, and I get out first. I leave the door open for Ms. Harshwhinny. I sort of feel sorry for the chauffeur, as holding the door is his job, but I need to play the role of the assistant. The moment Ms. Harshwhinny and her stunning attire leave the limo, flashbulbs from the press assault us with their blinding light. I cover my eyes from the sight, while Ms. Harshwhinny simply looks on without a care in the world. Her signature look of seriousness that she uses in public is in full swing, and doesn’t showcase that winning smile or charming grin that she shares with me whenever we are alone.

The press yell questions at her, namely her outfit, but she pays them no mind. She motions to me to follow her, and she walks up the steps towards the front door. I follow her closely, but not too close, keeping my hands on my sides the entire time. The ponies at the front door open the large doors for us, but their eyes are understandably fixated on Ms. Harshwhinny.

We enter inside, where we see many ponies and people heading towards the large ballroom in the center of the building. That’s where the gala is being held. Some members of the Equestria Games board walk up to Ms. Harshwhinny, saying good evening, and complementing her gown. Mares, stallions, men, and women cannot help but make their occasional glances downwards, but they do it so quickly that if I wasn’t paying attention, no one would notice. There is some amusement to be had here, as while Ms. Harshwhinny is the head of the Equestria Games, these board members are technically her bosses, and yet are now eyeing her up like they suddenly found out she’s actually extremely attractive. Then again, that’s probably what is happening.

After some minor mingling, we make our way to the main event, where the large ballroom is littered with tables assigned for various people and ponies, from the board members, to athletes who wanted to show up, to some employees that were invited. Kevin and Crystal are invited to come to the gala, and were given VIP passes to the games, which is a real step up from last year. I remember Kevin got passes, but they were the regular kind, where he would get an assigned seat for each event. The VIP pass will place him and Crystal in their own private room, where they will be able to watch the events with little distraction from the audience. It’s not so different from the room Ms. Harshwhinny and I will have. There will be free food as well, which is a huge plus.

Ms. Harshwhinny and I get to our table, which is placed towards the large stage at the end of the ballroom, no doubt because Ms. Harshwhinny has to make her speech to signify the true start of the Equestria Games. Last year, I took a look at her speech to make sure it’s grammatically correct, but I didn’t see her speech this time. I guess she’s confident with this one. The two of us sit down, looking over the place settings and making sure that it’s up to snuff. Ms. Harshwhinny glides her hand on the silk table cloth, nodding in approval.

“This is nice.” she says “Good table settings and placement, only two seats for us, so no uninvited guests. All that’s left is for the food to be delicious, and I’d call this a successful night.”

“I’m glad you’re pleased, Ms. Harshwhinny.” I look around to make sure there is no one close by. The coast is clear. “Kind of wish we sat a bit farther.”

“How come?”

“It makes…um…small talk…difficult.”

“I see…” she cringes, as if she forgot about that part. “I made the table placement specifications before we…I forgot to update that. My apologies.”

“No, no. What are you apologizing for? I’m not upset.”

“Well, now that you brought it up, I can’t help but be disappointed.” Her disappointed pout soon turns into a mischevious smirk. “Then again, not all is lost.”

“What do you mean?”

“The table cloth is rather lengthy, don’t you think? Like…it’s hitting the floor.” As she says this, I feel her hoof brush against my leg. The soft caress gives me welcome chills, but I maintain my straight faced professionalism like a good assistant should. “Is this to your liking?”

“Very much. How about you?”

“I think I can manage.” she says in a teasing tone. 

It doesn’t take much longer for the other guests to arrive. Members of the board, various athletes, and I see Kevin and Crystal arrive as well, with the two of them dressed up well for the evening. They are looking around the place with awe and wonder, which makes sense, since they’ve never been to the Gala before. No sign of Fast Pass, but then again, I’m not really looking for her.

The somewhat quiet ballroom has become fairly loud, with the band in the corner playing some light jazz, and the talking from everyone inside. It’s not unbearable or anything, but considering that the office building I work in is extremely quiet on most days, this is definitely a bit of a jarring switch. It’s not all bad, though. Ms. Harshwhinny and I are still playing footsie under the table, even as some guests approach us for small talk. Ms. Harshwhinny doesn’t stand up; instead doing her talks while sitting, probably so she can still brush my leg with her hoof. 

After about a half an hour of mingling and light drinking, a stallion in a fancy dark grey suit gets on stage in front of the microphone. He taps on the mic, and the feedback rings through our ears to get our attention. The stallion blushes at the goof.

“I was making sure it was working, I swear.” he chortles, causing the guests to laugh. “Anyway, allow me to greet you all for this years Equestria Games Gala.” The guests applaud in response, including Ms. Harshwhinny and myself. Last year, she didn’t applaud, likely due to the hectic events. “This is Equestria’s eighty fifth Equestria Games, but the tenth for our mighty and illustrious head, Ms. Harshwhinny.” The applause stirs again.

For me, however, I have just learned that Ms. Harshwhinny became head of the Equestria Games at twenty-five years old. That’s amazing! This stallion didn’t mention how many years she was working at the last Gala. To be fair, though, ten years is a pretty big milestone.

“It’s thanks to her that we have been able to put together what I feel will be the greatest Equestria Games yet, and for her tenth anniversary, and to officially welcome us all, I present the mare, the myth, the legend herself…Ms. Harshwhinny.”

The applause kicks up yet again, as Ms. Harshwhinny stands from her seat, and goes to the stage. Music bellows from the band with triumph, like Ms. Harshwhinny is a boxer ready to take on their greatest opponent. She shakes the hand of the stallion who introduced her (with the stallion doing a quick eye scan of her dress), and goes to the microphone, waiting for the applause and music to die down.

“Thank you for the kind words. I also thank you for not staring at my dress for too long.” Her tone is so straightforward and dry, that the audience roars in laughter, as the stallion blushes and loosens his tie in embarrassment, but he’s laughing too. “I realize that this ensemble is turning a few heads tonight, and truth be told, the attention is rather nice. However, I didn’t come on stage for my tenth anniversary of being the head of the Equestria Games to wow you with my choice of attire. Instead, I want to tell you that all that you see here tonight was not just done by me, but by my staff. The accountants, the marketing team, even…” she looks down at me “…my own assistant.” she turns her head back to the crowd “They are just as much to congratulate as myself. I wish they were all here tonight to come on stage with me, but I feel that they are here in spirit. To my staff, thank you all for what you have done.” 

The crowd applauds, and Ms. Harshwhinny again turns her gaze to me with a small smile. I give her the thumbs up, and she nods with a brief chuckle. 

“My tenth year working the games has been the best of my career thus far. Yes, there were some challenges along the way, as there should be, but it has been much more rewarding than all the years past. We have an excellent venue in the crystal stadium, a variety of events, and a wonderful line up of the most talented athletes in Equestrian history. And, for the first time ever, we have cross competition with the ponies of Equestria, and the humans of Earth in all events. Not just sports like hoofball, but swimming and the triathlon. Humans have shown their mettle over the years, and now it’s time to show the sports world what they can really do!” Her inspiring tone echoes through the room, causing the audience to burst with applause. “Of course, this is the most competitive event of the year, so as we say…may the best one win. Thank you all, and welcome to the Equestria Games.”

The crowd stands from their seats and clap and woo her with massive energy. Ms. Harshwhinny waves, as the music explodes from the band. She walks down the steps, and back to our table, where she sits down and looks to me with a smile. The doors in the back open up, and waiters pool out, carrying plates of food and wine. 

Set down in front of Harshwhinny and I are two bowls. One filled with spaghetti, and another filled with cobb salad. Another waiter arrives, bringing us bread and dressing for our salad. Ms. Harshwhinny looks around, and sees others getting different foods from us. Others are given grilled salmon, tomato and mozzarella paninis, and the standard caesar salad. Ms. Harshwhinny looks back at me, and I give her a smile.

“Why do we have different food?” she asks.

“I called in to say you wanted something special for your table. The catering company was more than happy to oblige.”

Ms. Harshwhinny looks back at the food, then at me again. I can see in her eyes the memory of me making spaghetti for her on our first official night as a couple, and events just a few days ago, with us enjoying a nice cobb salad with her family. Her cheeks become deep crimson, a sight I will always cherish, and she leans forward and touches my leg with affection. As quickly as that feeling of love comes, she leans back, so to not attract any attention from wandering eyes.

“Thank you…” she quietly says, scooping up salad for the first course.



Dinner is relatively pleasant, as guests talk amongst each other, with calming music plays from the band. Ms. Harshwhinny and I exchange in some innocent small talk, being careful not to slip up and say anything that stray ears could hear. Occasionally, some guests would walk by to congratulate Ms. Harshwhinny on a job well done, with her respond with giving her staff and myself credit. Of course, they were more interested in acknowledging her, despite her light protests that it wasn’t all her doing. I don’t mind so much. After all, she is the mastermind behind the machine, so it only makes sense that she would get a majority, if not all of the credit.

When the dinner portion ends, there’s an announcement that desert will be served in twenty minutes, so that our stomachs are well rested before being given our choice between strawberry cheesecake, or apple pie a la mode. Guests start to get up, with some going to another table to mingle, while others go to hang out by the large table to fill up on wine and hors d’oeuves like cheese and crackers.

Ms. Harshwhinny and I spot the table with a couple board members of the company waving towards her, motioning for her to come join them. 

“Looks like I’m needed.” Ms. Harshwhinny says.

“You want me to come with you?”

“No, that’s fine. I’ll call you if I need a drink. I believe Kevin and Crystal are here, so you should talk to them for a bit.”

“Okay. See you in a bit.”

“Looking forward to it.” she smirks, standing from her seat, and walking over to the table. I notice her walk has a bit of an extra sway to it, letting her femininity loose in that one strut. I know she’s doing it to tease me, I can sense her smirk from where I am, but I can only imagine what the board members are thinking. 

I stand up and look for Kevin and Crystal. My search doesn’t last very long, as we nearly bump into each other. The three of us share a chuckle at the near mishap, and I give them both a welcoming hug.

“Glad you two made it.” I say.

“We were almost late. Had to get up early this morning for the train, and we…ummm….overslept.” Crystal says with a giggle. 

“More like I overslept, and you spent a good five minutes trying to wake me up.” Kevin chortles. “Seriously though, this is great.” He looks around the ballroom with wide eyed wonderment. “And you’re looking quite sharp, Mr. Assistant.” Kevin playfully bops my shoulder. “Where’s Ms. Harshwhinny?”

“Mingling with the board members.”

“Probably checking her out, too.” Crystal nods. Kevin looks at her in surprise. “What? She looks hot tonight.” Kevin then nods in agreement. 

“Hey, listen buddy…” Kevin gets a bit closer, having his voice turn into a whisper. “I know that we’re getting this treatment as a way of…you know…assuring our confidentiality. Don’t worry, we have no intention of telling a soul.”

“I know, man.” I assure him, “But don’t thank me. This was Ms. Harshwhinny’s idea.”

“It was?” Kevin is shocked.

“Yeah. She asked me if they would be interested in the VIP treatment, and I said that you two would love it.”

“Then, we should send her an e-mail as thanks.” Kevin’s voice of surprise remains.

“Screw the e-mail, we should send her a basket of muffins!” Crystal raises her voice slightly, “Does she like muffins?”

“Yeah. Primarily blueberry.” I nod.

“Good. We’ll send her a basket of blueberry muffins.” Kevin responds, and he and Crystal nod together sealing the promise. 

“She’d like that. Oh, and by the way, we haven’t told anyone about…” I point to the two. “Are you two able to hide it okay?”

“Yeah. We’re trying to come off as good work buddies. None of the…” Kevin then whispers, “Lovey-dovey stuff.”

“Good.” I look over at Ms. Harshwhinny. She turns her head, scanning the crowd until she spots me. She motions with her hand that she needs a drink, simulating her hand as a cup and drinking from it. “Looks like she needs a drink. Enjoy the night.” I pat Kevin and Crystal on the shoulder and take my leave.

“You too.” they say at the same time.

I mosey on over to the table of wine glasses, picking up two glasses; one for myself, and the other for Ms. Harshwhinny. I turn back around, and now I have lost her. With everyone mostly standing up, looking for Ms. Harshwhinny has become a bit more difficult than I anticipated. One gentleman blocking my vision moves to the side, and the violet sheen of Ms. Harshwhinny’s dress catches my eye immediately. She’s still in conversation with the other board members, but no doubt she is waiting for me to deliver the wine.

“That’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her.” a voice next to me says. I look to the left to see a nicely suited man sipping a glass of wine, making glances at Ms. Harshwhinny, before landing his eyes on me. I can’t tell if he was looking at her in a skeevy manner, or if he was genuinely happy, but all I know is that I cannot show him that I was a bit bothered by that. “Last year, she was quite frazzled.”

“Last year, we had everything ready right down to the wire. We were lucky it worked as much as it did.”

“I don’t doubt that. You’re looking pretty nice, yourself. Last year, your suit was more loose and hastily put on.”

“My apologies, I don’t mean any disrespect, but I don’t remember meeting you.”

“No disrespect taken. This is the first time we’ve had a conversation. My name is Jeffery Caldwell. I’m the head of the PHR.”

“PHR?”

“Pony and Human Resources.”

“Oh. That makes sense. I was hung up on the acronym, because it sounds like fur.”

“Most do.” he chuckles, “You aren’t the first, believe me. I’m impressed with your work ethic. It’s hard to believe that you are Ms. Harshwhinny’s assistant, and that you show no signs of stress.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’m sure you know that Ms. Harshwhinny’s traction with assistants have been less than stellar; most quitting or being let go within months. You have been with her for over a year, and yet here you are with a smile. Got any trade secrets?”

“Other than be vigilant and professional?” I jest. He chuckles. 

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. My department does bi monthly employee evaluations with Ms. Harshwhinny. She gives us reports on her staff, and her overall satisfaction.”

“Any juicy secrets I should know?” I chortle.

“Surprisingly, her complaints are small and somewhat inconsequential. Mainly the desk etiquette of some of her employees. You however, there has been nothing wrong in your evaluations for the past ten months.”

“Ten months?”

“The first two months, she mentioned that you were tardy on a couple days, and that your choice of work attire was messy at best. But, once your first Equestria Games passed, her evaluations of you were positively brimming with praise. I’d even go as far as say that it felt like they were written by a different mare.”

“Think she’s a changeling?” I joke with him.

“No.” he chuckles again. “Her evaluations did say you had a welcome sense of humor.”

“I don’t really know what to say. I just did my job, and catered to her requests.”

“And you have done a marvelous job. Honestly, that’s all I wanted to say to you. That and ask if you’ve experienced any discrimination, being that you’re a human.”

“None from her or anyone at my work. You’d think others would get used to us by now.”

“Yeah. You won’t believe the outcry when Ms. Harshwhinny made the announcement last year about letting humans compete with ponies. Give it a couple more years. It’ll pass.” He glances at the wine glasses. “I’m sorry, I’ve been keeping you. Enjoy the party.” He waves me in the direction of Ms. Harshwhinny.

“Oh, thanks. I’ll keep in touch.”

“I’m sure we will.”

I walk away from Jeffery and head straight towards Ms. Harshwhinny in a b-line. When I’m mere steps away from her, she turns around, giving me a small smile as she takes the wine glass from my right hand.

“Thank you.” she takes a sip, not breaking eye contact with me. She then turns back to the board members. “Fillies and gentlecoats, it was a pleasure talking with you all, but I must take my leave to the facilities.” She gestures me to follow her. “If you please.” 

Ms. Harshwhinny moves away from the board members, who all turn their attention to me with a series of snickers in what I can only guess is a “she’s working him to the bone” type of tone. All I can do is nervously chuckle and say a small and timid “Hi” and wave before taking my own leave. They are nice enough to give me a minor wave before I go, I’ll give them that. 

I follow Ms. Harshwhinny out of the ballroom, around the corner, and into a hallway where there’s a bathroom a distance away. We get to the bathroom, and Ms. Harshwhinny looks back at me.

“Don’t get any ideas. I brought you here because I would like some privacy. No one and nopony is allowed in until I’m finished.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Besides…” she looks to the left and to the right, before whispering in my ear “There will be plenty of ideas when we get back.” Just her tone sends shivers down my spine. The good kind of shivers, too. “Hold this.” she gives me the wine glass.

Ms. Harshwhinny moves away from me, and goes into the restroom. Being alone in the hallway, performing bathroom guard duty for my boss is pretty strange, but I’m not troubled by it. This wasn’t the first time she wanted privacy in the bathroom. One time, when we went to Las Pegasus for a potential Equestria Games venue, she had me guard the bathroom there. It was more difficult that time, since we were in a large lounge, and was the closest bathroom in the area, meaning I was forced to turn away a lot of angry people and ponies who needed to use the bathroom. 

My mini-flashback is interrupted by the clacking of heels on the floor echoing through the hall. I look to the left to see a mare I had hoped not to be a lone with. 

Fast Pass, wearing a slick, flowing dress that accentuated her slim and athletic figure, walks towards me with that disgustingly smug look on her face, like I’m beneath her. Okay, to be fair, I am beneath her, but if she tries something, I’m not afraid to throw down.

“What in Equestria are you doing at the door to the mares restroom?” she asks like I’m some huge pervert.

“Ms. Harshwhinny is using the facilities. She told me not to let anyone else in.”

“I’m sure she won’t mind if little ol’ me is in there with her.” she starts to move past me, but I get in her way. “Ahem.”

“She’s pretty adamant about being by herself. Sorry, but you’ll either have to wait, or use another bathroom.”

“Do you think you’re in any position to tell me what to do?”

“When it comes to the orders of Ms. Harshwhinny, yeah, I do.”

I glance down at her hands, and notice that they are clenched in a fist. Holy shit, is she going to hit me? I dare you. I double dare you. Forget what I’m going to do when you lay your fist on me, imagine what Ms. Harshwhinny is going to do. 

Suddenly, that look of anger on her face turns into one of amusement. She chuckles, and then full on laughs. I don’t see what’s funny, unless she imagined me pile-driving her into a crater. That’s pretty funny.

“I see what’s happening here.” she says.

“What?”

“You like her.” Oh, yeah. She has no idea how right she is, but I’m staying stone cold. “You can get all stoic with me all you want, but I can see it in your eyes. You got it bad for her, don’t you? I can’t blame you. She does have that something that makes her so desirable. That young but experienced face. The demanding attitude. That voluptuous figure. Who wouldn’t want her, am I right?” For once, I agree with her, but I’m certain this is going to head to an insult. “But why in tartarus would she waste her time with a pathetic little worm like you?”

I’m sorry…little? I’m about as tall as you, and have a bit more muscle. I guess she’s talking more in the realm of monetary value…and that I’m a human.

“I’m sure she didn’t tell you this, sweetie, but she doesn’t think much of you. She told me back at the mansion that you’re nothing more than the help. That’s all your kind is good for. Who knows why she would make a boneheaded decision to allow humans to compete in all events. She should have seen me wipe the floor with the human hoofball team last year. She was probably overruled by her board members. At any rate, whatever feelings you may have for her, I suggest you give it up. She doesn’t want you. She’ll never want you. So, how about you do her, and all of ponykind a favor, and get off our fucking planet?”

Oh, how I wish I could hit her. How I wish I could call her every dirty name I could think of. But, I’m going to be the bigger being in the hallway and stay perfectly still, staring her down. The door to the bathroom opens up, and Ms. Harshwhinny, with her serious face, goes to my side.

“Fast Pass. Sorry for the hold up. You may use the bathroom, now.” Ms. Harshwhinny looks to me. “Talk about anything interesting?”

“Nah, just some small talk.” I say with a smile. “Everything okay?”

“Of course, thanks for asking. Must have drunk too much wine. You may escort me back to the ballroom. Take care, Fast Pass.”

“Sure thing.” Fast Pass does her best fake smile, going into the restroom.

The second Fast Pass closes the door, Ms. Harshwhinny grabs my hand, and leads me away from the bathroom, past the hall leading to the ballroom, and finds a nearby office. She turns to doorknob, and we see that it’s unlocked. She swings the door open and pushes me inside. I put the wine glass on a nearby table, so to not spill it. Ms. Harshwhinny closes the door, locks it, rushes to me, grabs me and gives me a passionate kiss. I’ve been wanting to feel this all night. Her warm lips against mine, and her soft coat pressing on my chest.

I take charge, and push her against another wall, as my hands travel her body and slip under her v-neck to clutch her amazing breasts. Her breathing is heavy, as I slip a strap of her dress off, and wrap my mouth around her left nipple. Her hands rub my shoulders, as I suck on her breast. I’m tempted to give her a teasing bite, but I think she wants to be as quiet as possible. I move back up, and lock lips with her once again. She embraces me tightly, scratching my back as she always does, though not as rough; probably to avoid ripping any of the fabric. 

As I reach down to my zipper, Ms. Harshwhinny moves me away. 

“Wait…” she says, finally able to get some air. “I want to, I really do. But I took it too far. I only brought you here to make out with you.”

“Well, I was the one who partially undressed you, so I think I was the one who took it too far.”

“I guess we both did.” she chuckles, brushing her mane with a hand. I reach into my breast pocket and pull out a comb; something I always bring whenever we go out of town, incase she needs to brush her mane when we are waiting for a meeting. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” I move to her and pull the strap back up, covering her breast. “Not that I minded, but what was that about?”

“I heard everything Fast Pass said. Why she thought the door blocked any sound is a mystery to me. That she would say those things to you…it made me so mad. I needed to let you know that nothing she said I told her was true.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not okay! You shouldn’t let her talk to you that way.”

“I know, but I was afraid that if I defended myself, she would catch on that we are together.”

“Then let her! I love you, and I don’t want her, anyone or anypony treating you with such indignity!” Ms. Harshwhinny puts her hand over her mouth, looking towards the door. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be so loud. You think anyone heard us?”

“I’ll check.” I open the door. No one is there. “Nope, we’re fine.”

“Good.” she leans back against the wall. “See what I mean about you making me feel unprofessional?” she shakes her head with a smirk.

“I see what you mean.” I chuckle. “It’s cute.”

“What did I ever do to deserve you?”

“You hired me.”

“You don’t know how much I want to just leave, go back to the hotel, and spend the night with you.”

“What’s stopping us?”

“Hey…” she thinks “…you’re right. What IS stopping us? It would be strange if we leave right now. For all everyone and everypony knows, I’m still in the bathroom. If we leave, it may cause suspicion. How about we return, stay for another hour, and then leave?”

“That sounds like a plan.”

“Good. Then, we’ll return to our hotel, reconvene in my room, get naked, and watch a movie on the TV.”

“What are we standing around here for, then? Let’s get back out there to make that hour pass by.”

“Okay.” Ms. Harshwhinny says excitedly, opening the door. I grab the wine glass, and follow her into the hall leading to the ballroom. We look back at each other making sure that we don’t look like we just had a rigorous make out session. Everything on her end looks spick and span, and she’s looking at me like everything is fine, too. “You ready?”

“Always.”
> The Harsh Proposal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

That was the longest hour of my life.

Standing around the Equestria Games Gala, mingling with others, chatting with athletes, catching up a bit more with Kevin and Crystal. The last part wasn’t bad, though. The two make for good company, and are a cute couple. Still, seeing Ms. Harshwhinny, standing with the board members, conversing with them, while looking positively stunning. I could barely take my eyes off her, and she knew it. Every few seconds she would glance my way, with the slightest of smirks on her face. She knew exactly how crazy she was driving me.

Now, we are walking down the hall in the hotel, heading toward our rooms. We walk side by side; our hands as far away from each other as possible. Security cameras on the hall see us, but we do nothing to indicate our true intentions for the night. Ms. Harshwhinny’s room comes first.

“Good night.” Ms. Harshwhinny says coldly, whipping out her keycard and going into her room in a flash. I didn’t get the chance to say good night, but whatever the cameras catch, it shows that she is no nonsense.

I go to my room right next door, and get inside quickly. No more cameras watching us. I turn the light on, looking around at the hotel room. It’s a nice place. Spacious, with a comfortable bed, still showing that indentation from this morning, when I jumped on it to test the softness. The quiet overtakes the room, and I hear nothing. With no noise, it feels rather…lonely.

Click.

Oh, that loneliness disappears in an instant, as I hear the side door connecting to Ms. Harshwhinny…wait…we’re no longer in public…connecting to Violet’s room, unlock. I wait a couple extra seconds to see if she opens the door as well. She doesn’t. Guess she wants me to come to her room. That won’t be a problem at all.

I go to the door and open it slowly. On the other side, Violet stands before me, shifting in her dress with a blushing smile on her face. I smile back and close the door after I step on inside. Violet’s eyes scan me up and down at a snail’s pace, much like she did the first night we spent together. I’m not going to wait till her eyes reach mine, so I walk up to her gradually. It’s only a few steps, but I’m milking those few steps as much as possible. I’m not less than an arm’s distance away from her, and I just now notice that because we’re the same height, her heels tonight made her look slightly taller than me. I don’t know why I didn’t notice until this moment.

I open my mouth to speak, but Violet interrupts me by placing her hands on my tie. She unclips it, and moves it away from my collar. She looks at the tie, chuckling to herself.

“Thanks for making it a clip on.” I say.

“I know you have trouble tying ties. Besides, it makes the undressing go by quicker.” she lightly tosses the tie on the floor, and moves her hands on my jacket, removing it, and allowing it to plop on the floor. Then, she unbuttons my shirt. Watching her remove my clothes is making my heart beat fast, and makes the anticipation of removing her clothes that much more unbearable. She opens my shirt, revealing the tank top underneath. “You sure wear a lot of layers.” she chortles.

“Sorry. I’ll get it.” I place my hands on my tank top, ready to remove it, when Violet stops me.

“No, that won’t be necessary. I’m not complaining.” she grins, “I like a bit of work.” She reaches underneath my tank top, and moves it over my head, and tossing it onto a nearby chair. Now that I’m shirtless, she moves her hands to my belt buckle. “Can you remove your shoes?”

“I thought you liked the work.”

“I think untying shoes isn’t very sexy.”

“I can’t argue with that.” I slide my feet out of my shoes; no untying necessary. I kick the shoes away, and they rest on the foot of a chair.

Violet finishes unbuckling my pants, and in a swift movement, kneels and pulls down both my pants and underwear at the same time. She stays down there for a bit, before coming back up with a satisfied smile.

“That was fun.” she says with a nod “I’m almost jealous that you don’t have much to work with.” She teasingly pulls at the left strap of her dress, indicating that she's not wearing much compared to me. That's okay. The sooner I can get to see her beautiful naked body, the better.

“Don’t worry…” I grab her shoulders, and press her body against my nakedness, causing her to gasp with both amusement and arousal. “I’ll make due.” I give her a small kiss on the lips, as my hands find the zipper on the back of her dress. Slowly, I bring it down, exposing her bare back. I run my hands through her soft coat, and feeling her firm back muscles. I kiss her neck, and she exhales as a result.

I place my hands on both straps of the dress, and bring them down, allowing the dress to fall to the floor. She’s right, I don’t have much to work with. Underneath the dress is her nearly naked body. I already knew she wasn’t wearing a bra, due to both the dress itself, and that I pulled a part of it down when we were making out back at the gala. All that’s left for me to remove are her high heels, and a lacy black thong.

Good enough for me.

I kneel down, and slowly remove her left shoe, exposing her hoof. I always half expect feet whenever I look down at her legs, I don’t know why. Maybe because so much of her looks human, that I expect her anthropomorphic body to be consistent with humans. Not that I’m complaining. I remove the right shoe, finally bringing her back to my height.

Lastly, I place my hands on her hips, grabbing the lace underwear, and gradually pulling it down.  It didn’t take nearly as long to get her naked as it did me, but from the way she is trembling, I don’t think she’ll want to wait much longer. Perhaps she planned this. With her dress last year being more modest, perhaps she chose the skimpier dress because it would be faster to remove. I’d believe that.

I rise up, kissing parts of her as I make my way to face her. Her thighs, her stomach, her chest, her neck, her cheek, and finally her lips. Her hands rest on my shoulders, as our kiss lingers for a few more moments. It’s soft and gentle, unlike our bout back in that room at the gala, and her left hand travels to my cheek, caressing my skin with affection. When we separate, she lets out a chuckle.

“You’re growing a bit of a beard.” she says. “What’s that called on Earth? A six o’clock shadow?”

“Five.” I smile “You want me to shave it?”

“No. I want to see what you look like with a beard. Could be interesting.”

My right hand runs through her mane. I noticed a couple days ago that she’s allowed it to grow out a bit. Normally, after a month, she would have it cut, so that it maintained that normal short style. It looks great on her, but I’d be lying if I said I’m not interested in how she looks with a longer mane.

“You’re mane is getting longer.” I point out. Violet puts a hand on her mane, twirling the end of it with a finger.

“Well, I haven’t cut in a while. Usually before the end of the month, I get it cut to maintain my normal mane style." she reiterates what I was thinking "I suppose I forgot, this time.”

“It’s cute.” I say. “I’m interested to see you with a longer mane.”

“Really?” she asks with curiosity and a bit of excitement. “I-I mean…really?” she asks in a calmer manner. “I suppose if you’re so curious, perhaps I’ll grow it out. I’ve been wondering how I would look with a longer mane.”

“I think you’ll look beautiful.”

“Is there a switch on you that turns off the embarrassing flattery?”

“If there is, do you want me to flip it off?”

“Hmm…” she thinks for a moment, before kissing me on the cheek. “…nah. I like it.”

“I’ll tell you what. How about I grow out my beard, if you grow out your mane?”

“Fine, I suppose we can do that.” she says with a faux pout, knowingly teasing me with that stern tone. “Now then, we have gotten naked. It’s time for the second part of our plan.”

“Sex?”

“No, you goof.” she playfully smacks my chest. I’ve never heard her call me a goof before. It’s tremendously adorable. “I meant watching a movie.”

“Oh, right. That was part of the plan. What kind of movie do you want to watch?”

“A bad movie.”

“A bad movie?”

“Not just any bad movie. I want to watch a movie from your world. I want it to be a movie that’s bad, but fun. I don’t like bad-bad movies. Those aren’t fun at all. I want one that is terrible, but a good watch.”

“Hmmm….” I think about it for a second. “You know, I think I got this.”



“I did not hit her!” Johnny half heartedly bursts onto the rooftop in a poorly delivered tantrum “It’s bullshit, I did not hit her!” he then awkwardly throws his bottle of water onto the ground, kind of shouting “I did noootttt!” Then, he looks to the side, and without missing a beat, says “Oh, hi Mark.”

Violet laughs hard, squeezing me tight as she cuddles with me and resting her head on my shoulder. We’re watching a terrible movie from my world called The Room; a film about love and betrayal, through the eyes of what I can only guess is an alien posing as a man. I’m so happy that the hotel had this in their film library. It was the first thing that came to mind, so when I saw it in the directory, my eyes lit up like the Fourth of July.

“This is atrocious!” Violet exclaims mid chuckle “How was this even allowed on movie screens?”

“It’s a long and strange story. They even made a book about it.”

“If I ever find that book, I’m going to read the Tartarus out of it.” she continues to giggle uncontrollably. “Do you know of any other bad movies like this?”

“There’s this one movie called Birdemic, where birds attack people. But they look like animated gifs, and blow up for some reason.”

“They explode?!” she says in a manner that sounds both surprised and excited, “Can we watch that next?”

“Really?”

“Yes, really! Things blowing up for no reason in movies makes me laugh more than you can imagine!”

I am left speechless by her. The excited tone, the happy look on her face, now knowing that she loves random humor, I can hardly fathom what is happening right now. At every turn, I know more and more about her, and at every turn, I fall in love with her even harder. There is no way I’m going to let her get away. I would ask that cheesy question of where’s she’s been all my life, but I know where she’s been. In another world that I was unaware of for the longest time.

I say nothing to her, pulling her in for another kiss. She doesn’t resist, instead closing her eyes right before I plant my lips onto hers. I guess she was expecting it, or she wasn’t but had no qualms about it. I love kissing her. She does this thing where in between our longer and more tender lip locks, she would separate, and give me two smaller kisses before going back for more.

We separate, just as things in the movie become even more silly, such as Johnny laughing about abuse, but it’s hard to pay attention to such absurdity, when I’m staring into the eyes of a gorgeous woman.

“Will you marry me?” I sa…wait…I say that? Did I just say that?!

Violet is frozen in shock. Oh shit! Did say that! Those words just came out of my damn mouth without a care in the world! Was it on my mind? Well…yeah, but I didn’t think I was stupid enough to come out with it! Violet keeps on staring at me. Her lower lip shakes ever so slightly, while the rest of her lips struggle to find a reaction. Confusion, happiness, both are present, and both have an equal chance at dominating the other.

Instead of either of those, Violet’s face turns into a cold expression. She calmly gets off the bed, going to the window, looking out to the Crystal Empire. The moonlight bathes her naked body, and I get out of bed to approach her.

“I’m sorry.” I apologize, placing a hand on her shoulder. She doesn’t resist my touch.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. I…” she looks over at the television screen, where another silly scene is playing. “Do you mind pausing that?” I do so. Having that horrid dialogue and acting ruin this moment would be pretty embarrassing. “I’m sorry. That was distracting me.”

“That’s okay; I’m glad you said it before I did.”

“Anyway, there’s nothing for you to apologize for. I…” she looks away from me, stepping back to let my hand slide off her and fall to my side. She gazes out to the Empire ahead “…to be honest, I liked hearing you ask that.” her face briefly becomes happy, before turning back to melancholy. “Every part of me wants to say yes…except for…”

“I know. I said it without thinking. I’d be putting you into more danger.”

“Not me. You. If we got married, there would be public records. Everyone and everypony would find out eventually. I can’t do that to you. I…” she pauses abruptly, as if a thought has entered her mind. She scratches her chin thoughtfully, while I watch her every move with curiousness. What is going on inside that beautiful head of hers? “Hmm…wait a minute…”

“What?”

“May I propose an idea?”

“Do you really need my permission, Violet? You have more authority than I do.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being courteous.” she smirks. “I was thinking. What if…we DO tell every pony?

“Wait, excuse me?” my eyes widen at the thought. Tell everyone? After all this time keeping it a secret? I really shouldn’t be all that shocked, she did say earlier tonight that she didn’t care anymore if anyone found out about us. “Are you alright?”

“Of course. I’m fine.” she replies. I’m not sure if she got what I was asking.  “I’m not going crazy, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Nevermind, she got what I was saying. “Allow me to elaborate on my proposal. With me being the head of the Equestria Games, I would be protected from such scrutiny, but you are not.”

“Yeah. I know this.”

“However, even though we are both breaking the rules set by the company, rules that I helped set into motion, having you being the only one punished would be considered unfair, no?”

“A little bit, yeah. But that’s because I’m just an assistant.”

“If we were married, you wouldn’t be just that. I was wrong; there might be some validity in getting married before we let anyone or anypony know of our true relationship. If we were married and then revealed what we truly are, the board wouldn’t dare touch us…especially you. There may be some form of finger wagging, but anything close to an outright expulsion would be out of the question.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier just to get the board to rescind the rule, when we prove that our work ethic wasn’t compromised by being in a relationship?”

Violet is about to answer, when she rapidly shakes her head in disbelief, and her eyes go slightly wider in surprise. She tilts her head to the side, and her ears flutter in an attempt to make sure she’s heard me correctly.

“You’ve read the rulebook?”

“Of course I read the rulebook. After you mentioned the rules, I couldn’t help but read it. It explained that the reason the rule was put in place was because employees in relationships would be at higher risk of having their work suffer. With us, all the board members would have to do is look at our work together for the past couple of months to see that we were still operating at exemplary levels, making them realize that the rule isn’t necessary.”

“Oh….” a blush covers her cheeks “…I suppose that would be easier. The board has said that this is the best games we’ve put on, yet. These last couple of months putting it together was done while you and I were being intimate. That kind of evidence for rescinding the rule would be irrefutable. They would have little choice but to accept us as a couple. Still…do you still want to marry me, regardless?”

“Violet, I asked you first. I think I’d be okay with marrying you.” I chuckle. “May I ask something now?”

“What is it?”

“How does naming work in Equestria?”

“Right, on Earth, the wife is the one to take the husband’s surname when they get married.”

“Not all the time, but that’s normally the case. I noticed that your parents didn’t do that, so is Harshwhinny part of your given name?”

“It is.” she nods “Therefore I can’t just put your last name at the end of mine, or mine at the end of yours. I can call myself Mrs. Harshwhinny, though.”

“I don’t know…Mr. Harshwhinny has a nice ring to it.”

“If that’s what you want, I won’t stop you.” she chuckles, walking up to me and placing a finger on my chest. “So, are we actually doing this?”

“I am if you want to.” I place my hand on her shoulder.

“Just making sure we’re not rushing into this. I mean, I don’t think so. After all, we’ve been at each other’s side for over a year, so…”

I interrupt her again with a kiss on the lips. Like other times I’ve stopped her with kisses, she muffles in surprise, but she gets into the motions quickly. I wrap my arms around her, and press her firm body against mine. Her warm coat and soft breasts get me all heated up in an instant, as I rub my hands all over her back, while she does the same to mine.

Gradually, I start moving us to the bed to finish what we just started, when…

“Wait…” Violet breaks the kiss, breathing heavily “As much as I would like to do this, I’m afraid that we have further business.”

“What is it?”

“Well…” she looks over at the television screen, where the movie is still paused, “…I would like to see how this horrid thing ends, and you still have to show me that exploding bird movie.” She looks down, then back at me with a smile. “I’m surprised. You show considerable control.”

“Oh…” I glance downwards to see that I don’t currently have an erection. It’s kind of funny that I had to check myself. “Well, it wasn’t getting TOO hot and heavy.”

“Good.” Violet suddenly pushes me onto the bed.

“Wah!” I yelp, landing on the soft mattress below. I move over to the pillows, as Violet gets into bed, and moves to my left hand side. She rests her head on my shoulder, and I wrap my arm around hers. “Ready to continue?” I ask.

“You bet.” she nods with a chuckle, “I’m looking forward to seeing how this trainwreck is going to conclude.”

“You and me both.”

I press play, and the terrible movie continues. I make glances over at Violet; her eyes glued to the screen with a permanent grin on her face. It’s so lovely and innocent, that I can’t believe it belongs to a mare who is normally seen with a look of seriousness and professionalism. I also can’t believe that I just out and asked her to marry me like that. I was so scared that she was going to laugh or get angry, or worse, say no. But she didn’t. In fact, she wants to get married.

“When do you want to get married?” I ask.

“When we get back from the games. Then, we’ll let it sit for a couple more weeks, and then I’ll tell the board, prompting their investigation into the matter.”

“I hope this works.”

“I am positive it will work. If they try anything with you, I will do everything in my power to keep you on as my assistant.”

“And if you can’t?”

“Then you’ll just have to settle with being my husband.”

“I can live with that.”

“If it comes to that, I’ll write the most flattering recommendation letter that anyone or anypony has ever seen.”

“Just promise me that you won’t fall for the next assistant.” I say in jest.

“Never.” she laughs, “There will never be anyone or anypony like you.”

“You mean that?”

“So much so, that if you’re let go, I won’t hire another assistant.”

“Seriously? Who will help you with putting the games together?”

“Are you kidding? You’re my husband. I’ll bring you on trips and you’ll help me anyway!”

“Wow.” I laugh, squeezing her tight with all the love and affection that I can give her. “What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful woman like you?”

“It’s kind of like you said…” she turns her head to face mine, love sparkling in her eyes for all the world to see “…you nailed the job interview.”
> A Series of Harsh Events
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Equestria Games. It’s good to see you again. 

Last year, I arrived in a state of stress. With everything being done at the last possible minute, I could barely sit through the games without the urge to fall asleep because I was so exhausted. Now, this year I’m relaxed and happy. Not only did we get everything ready well ahead of schedule, but I’m at the side of Ms. Harshwhinny, soon to be Mrs. Harshwhinny, once we decide to officially tie the knot. The two of us stand together in the middle of the stadium, where events such as the triathlon, log toss, and the hundred meter dash are due to take place. 

At the microphone, one of the board members is playing up how these games are the best he’s seen; practically reiterating what was said last night. Before us, are the various athletes that will compete in the games. There are definitely more ponies that humans here, but that’s to be expected, as we are not the dominant species, nor should we be. This is Equestria after all.

Honestly, I’m not paying much attention to what he has to say. All I’m thinking right now, is that I’m going to be relaxing in a VIP suite with Ms. Harshwhinny, watching the games from afar. The suites we'll begging to will give us a perfect view of the the various stadiums, and there are a couple flat screen televisions on the sides, just in case we would like a closer look. Each stadium that will host a different event has the same amount of suites. A maximum of ten. These spots are reserved mainly for board members, but Ms. Harshwhinny was able to pull some strings to allow Kevin and Crystal to get their own suite. Of course, when I asked her how hard the string pulling was, she smiled and told me that it took no convincing at all.

The music blares from the loud speakers, as Fast Pass comes running into the stadium, holding the flaming torch in her hand. Her running is obviously fast, but her back is straight, and she looks like she’s not even sweating. A part of me kind of wants her to trip and fall, setting herself on fire, but that would be a bit much, even for someone as rude as she. 

Fast Pass gets to the top of the stairs leading to the giant torch. She throws the fire inside, and a bigger, more incredible fire shoots upwards, lighting to torch in all its brilliant glory. The crowd goes wild.

The speech is done; finally, now we can get off this platform and into the suites. It’s strange to be standing in the middle of the stadium, with millions of ponies and people watching me. Well, they’re probably not watching me, but it sure feels like it. 

Ms. Harshwhinny and I move out of the field, and through the large open gateway that leads into a hall, where we get past the row of food vendors selling tasty snacks, as well as the merchandise store. We go to the elevator, and ascend all the way to the top floor, leading to another hall.

Room five…..room six….here we are….room seven. I open the door with my keycard, letting Ms. Harshwhinny in first, and then I enter, closing the door, which locks behind me. 

“Finally…” Violet exhales her exhaustion out “I’ll never get used to those opening ceremonies.”

“You held your own quite well.”

“True. A mare such as myself learned to compose myself at an early age.” she sounds proud at her achievement to maintain her professional poise. “Still, all those eyes staring at me. I may like the attention every once in a while, but that was way too much attention. Especially Fast Pass. She was staring at me from the top of those stairs.”

“I didn’t notice. She was too far.”

“I did, and I did not like it one bit.” Violet shudders slightly at the remembrance. I walk up to her from behind and wrap my arms around her, pushing her back against my chest. She chuckles as I nuzzle her neck. “Is this the part where you say you’ll protect me?”

“Maybe.” I tease her with another nuzzle.

“I can handle her, but having you around is much appreciated. I may be fit, but violence is not my thing.”

“What makes you think violence is my thing?” I ask, not offended, but curious.

“I mean no offense, I assure you. It’s just…” she caresses my left forearm affectionately “…you always struck me as someone who can handle himself.”

“I like the vote of confidence.” I playfully squeeze her tighter “But I’ve only been in a couple fights back when I was on earth.”

“Who won?”

“I won the second fight.”

“A fifty-fifty chance? I like those odds.” The both of us let out a chuckle. I turn her around to face me and plant another kiss on her cheek. My hands go over to her right hand and I lift it up to my face. I carefully inspect her fingers, namely her ring finger. “Not that I object to this, but may I ask what you’re doing?”

“Just inspecting your ring finger. I want to get the measurements right so that I don’t mess up getting you a ring.”

“Oh…” her cheeks glow that memorable red “I-I see…well…I appreciate the thoroughness. I realize that your trips to the jewelry store never involved getting me a ring, so of course you wouldn’t know my size.”

“Yep. That’s why I’m doing it.” I smile “So, what kind of a ring do you want?”

“You want to know?”

“Yeah. I don’t want to get you something you don’t like. Something tells me you’re not much a diamonds mare. Correct me if I’m wrong.”

“You’re not. I don’t like flashy jewelry. I’m more simple. A gold ring would be preferable.”

“I figured. How much would you mind if I have our initials engraved in the ring? Or a saying?”

“A saying? What in Equestria would you put in there?”

“Umm…’Get back to work?’” I say in jest. She laughs and teasingly pats me on the cheek.

“How about you surprise me with that one? I don’t want to know everything about my ring before you give it to me. Now that you’re doing this.” she takes my right hand “I suppose I should do a measurement of my own.”

“What are you…” without warning, Violet puts my ring finger in her mouth, caressing it with her tongue. This is the first time she has ever played with my finger, and I’m confused and aroused at the same time. After a few moments, she releases my finger from her mouth. 

“I think I got it.” she whispers seductively. 

“Really?”

“Not really. I just wanted to do that.” her seductive tone turns into a mischievous one, and I laugh in response.

“You can be so sneaky, Mrs. Harshwhinny.” I say as Violet lets my hand go. I look over at the nearby table at the end of the room, spotting some fine place settings, with fancy looking plates, and a variety of silverware and cutlery. “Looks like we’re going to get the five star treatment with the food.”

“Yes. A step up from last year’s games over in Applewood, where it was more of the four star variety. Still good, but slightly below expectations.”

“That might have been my fault.”

“Nonsense. My previous assistant was the one who set up the catering. It was my fault for not catching that they weren’t as good as advertised.”

“You know, there has to be a time where something is my fault. You can’t just lay any mistakes on your part.”

“I’ll let you know when you make one.” she chuckles. “At any rate, while I’m confident the dining here will be more than satisfactory, I do want to indulge in…shall we say…more junky fare.”

“You mean like something from the concession stand downstairs?”

“If you don’t mind. I’m feeling a bit adventurous today.”

“I can see that.” I smirk “What would you like?”

“I am curious about those tofu dogs. I hear the ones made in the Crystal Empire Stadium are the best in Equestria.”

“Now my interest is piqued. I’ll get one, too. You want some popcorn and soda to go with that?”

“That would be preferable. Apple Cider is my drink of choice. The regular kind, not the hard stuff. I’d like to watch the games with a bit of sobriety.”

“You got it. I’ll text you when I’m on my way back.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

I head back to the elevator and go down to the area where all the concessions are. There’s a line of people and ponies waiting to get their snacks, but I don’t mind. The next event coming up is the race, where Fast Pass is competing with humans and ponies in the mix. After that run to the torch, I wonder if she’s tired at all, but given her reputation, I’m sure she’s fine and dandy. I personally don’t care to see her race, and am actually more excited about sharing junk food with Ms. Harshwhinny. 

Minutes go by, and I’m already halfway to the front of the line.

BANG!

There goes the staring gun, and the crowd roars in enthusiasm, as I’m sure the race is fast as it is furious. Whatever, I’m almost at the front. 

I’m at the front within a couple more minutes. Once I’m there, the crowd roars in applause. I suppose someone or somepony won, and I’m sure it’s Fast Pass. Good for her, I guess. I make my order, and within a minute, two tofu dogs, a bucket of popcorn, and two large cups of ice cold apple cider are within my reach. I pay for it and head back to the elevator.

The elevator had gone back up. Guess a board member used it when I wasn’t looking. Ah well. I don’t mind waiting a few extra seconds. 

BUZZ BUZZ

My phone gets a text. Carefully balancing all the food and drink contained in a cardboard tray, I look at the text.

“Fast Pass is inside.”

My eyes go wide in an instant. If Violet is texting me, it must not be good. Well, Fast Pass being inside the room isn’t good just because it’s Fast Pass, but I can tell the tone of the text is worrisome. The elevator door opens, and I step inside. Just a few more seconds. 

The ride up feels like forever, and it finally opens. I walk quickly to the door, noticing that it’s open. I hear Fast Pass’ voice bleed through the open door.

“Come on, you got to have been impressed with that race.” her smug voice rings out. “You saw how fast I was. I dedicated that race to you. You’re my personal muse.”

“I was impressed, but I’m expecting my assistant. Can you please leave?” Violet sounds annoyed, maybe even concerned. “We can talk about this later.”

“Come on, Ms. Harshwhinny. You must have noticed something between us. Your assistant can wait a couple minutes.”

“There is nothing between us.”

I look through the crack in the door. Fast Pass has Violet up against the wall, her hand pressing on the glass in an act of aggression. My blood boils in an instant.

“There’s no need to be coy with me.” Fast Pass giggles “I know what you want.”

Violet looks past Fast Pass, and notices me watching them. She looks relieved that I’m just a few steps away, but also concerned. I would be too if I was cornered. I see Violet’s hand gesture me to stay back a bit. I know Violet said she can take care of herself, but…

“You don’t know what I want, Fast Pass.” Violet growls “I don’t know what you think this is, but if you don’t leave…”

“Stop lying!” Fast Pass says in anger, pushing herself against Violet and grabbing her behind.

Okay, Fuck this shit.

I burst into the room, and within a fluid motion, put the food down, grab Fast Pass by the shoulders, and pull her away from Violet, pushing her towards the door. I stand between Fast Pass and Violet, acting like a human shield. Fast Pass looks at me with surprise and anger.

“How dare you put your hands on me?!” she says like she’s offended. You don’t get to play that card, Fast Pass.

"Are you okay?" I ask Violet, not paying any attention to Fast Pass. "How did she get in?"

"I thought you forgot your key. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's okay."

"Hey!" Fast Pass ruins our moment "I'm talking to you!"

“Get the hell out of here!” I scream at her, taking Fast Pass aback. “I’ll call security and have you thrown out of this place!”

“You wouldn’t dream of it! Who are they going to believe? You or me?”

“They’ll believe me.” Violet says with authority. “Fast Pass, your actions have caused me to rethink my offer. With one phone call, I will tarnish you reputation, have you removed from the games, and make every sponsor pull out. You’re going to lose a lot of bits for this offense.”

“What? No! You’re the one who has playing games with me, Ms. Harshwhinny! I know how you really feel!”

“You don’t know shit about her!” I seethe. If she doesn’t back off, I’m going to get violent. I really should, but I have to try to remain levelheaded, even if I don’t have much of a reason to.

“Oh please!” Fast Pass laughs. “I know how she really feels about you. You don’t matter to her. She doesn’t like you. So stop playing the knight in shining armor act, and back away.” she looks past me to Violet. “Tell him, Ms. Harshwhinny. Tell him what you told me that night at my house.”

Violet pauses. Her serious face never subsiding. She walks past me and is now between me and Fast Pass. She looks back at me, with the face of regret and shame.

“She’s right. I did say things about you. I said you were nothing but the help, and useless.” Gradually, I see that face of sadness turn into a gentle, beautiful smile as she looks back at Fast Pass. “In actuality, I didn’t mean a single word. I thought that by playing to your prejudices, that you would agree to our deal. While I was successful, I was ashamed that I sacrificed my true affection for my assistant. You see, Fast Pass, my assistant is not someone to trifle with. He’s not someone you can just bully and insult in my presence, or even when I’m away. That’s right, I heard what you said to him at the Gala last night.”

“So, you know how he feels about you.” Fast Pass grins in some kind of smug satisfaction like I’m somehow the one in trouble. Yeah, keep dreaming.

“I know. I’ve always known. He’s felt something for me for a very long time. But I know something you don’t, Fast Pass. I feel the exact same way.” Violet says, making Fast Pass’ look of confidence instantly shatter before our eyes. “He’s not just my assistant….he’s my husband, and I love him dearly.”

Within that one second, I see Fast Pass’ world explode in spectacular pyrotechnics. Violet’s news rocks her to her very core. I look upon Violet with pride and affection. I don’t even have it in me to tell her we’re not married yet, but knowing that she fully intends to go through with the marriage is enough to make me swoon.

The swooning will have to wait, as Fast Pass’ look of shock turns into one of anger. I have to prepare myself for the worst.

“You…love him?” Fast Pass’ tone sounds heartbroken. I think I could hear her psyche break from space.

“Yes. I do. I’m done rethinking my offer, Fast Pass. As of now, you are hereby stripped of you status as the face of this year’s Equestria Games. I’m going to make all the sponsors take the money they gave to you back, and I’m going to take you to court for sexual harassment and assault. It’s over, Fast Pass. Everything you worked for will be gone overnight.”

“No…you can’t do this to me!”

“I can and I will.”

“You…” Her tone of sadness is soon replaces by one of rage. I see her hand move to the table behind her. Wait, isn’t that where the…Uh-Oh.  “….you BITCH!” she roars that obscenity with all she has.

My mind races when I see Fast Pass grab one of the knives from the table, and heads straight for Violet. She’s really going to do it. She’s going to stab her for loving me! Hell no! No one stabs Violet!

I take Violet by the shoulders and move her out of the way, just as Fast Pass raises her arm up to swing the knife. I’m not going to take this lying down. I’m not going to let her get away with trying to murder the one wonderful thing in my life. I’m going to knock her god damn lights out. I don’t give a shit what the consequences are. I don’t care if I go to jail for hitting her. This bitch is going down.

Within a blink of an eye, my right fist collides with Fast Pass’ muzzle in violent fashion.

I hit her. I hit a celebrity. I hit a Equestria Games gold medalist. I hit her so hard, that I can feel my fist break something within her. I hit her so hard, that I’m sure I fractured my knuckles. I hit her so hard, that Fast Pass is visibly knocked out before she even hits the floor.

I hit her so hard… that I don’t notice that she stabbed my chest a millisecond before my fist got to her.

“NO!” I hear Violet scream.

Everything happened so fast, that I don’t feel any pain, even as Violet rushes to me with tears in her eyes. I don’t think Fast Pass hit anything vital, but now I don’t feel very good. Security comes rushing in, seeing the bleeding and twitching Fast Pass on the floor, and then finally noticing me with a knife in my chest. I’m not sure what surprises them more. One goes to Fast Pass, while the other goes to me.

“Sir, I need you to lay down.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m positive. We’ll have you carried out to the hospital.”

“Um…okay.” Seriously, while I feel a bit woozy, it still doesn’t feel like there’s a sharp object inside of me. 

“What happened?” the guard looks at Violet.

“Fast Pass tried to attack me. My assist…” she looks back at me “…my husband…saved me.”

“Your husband?” the guard quickly shakes his head of the news, realizing there are more pressing matters. He looks at me. “Sir, can you tell me your name?”

“Yeah, my name is…” my voice trails. I suddenly feel very sleepy. Oh shit. Come on! I don’t want to pass out. I was just going to tell him my name! It’s a super cool name, too. “…it’s….”

I black out. Really? Lame.



I awaken in an unfamiliar room. This must be the hospital. The heart monitor gives it away. That, and the bed definitely looks and feels like a hospital bed. Soft, but not too soft, and the pillow is a little on the spongey side. I feel a bit groggy, but I don’t feel ill, or at the very least, feel that there’s a knife in my chest. Still, there’s something else on my mind. Where’s Violet? Is she okay? Is she back at the stadium, watching the games? If she is, I can only imagine her not paying much attention, due to what happened. 

The door to my room opens, and a human nurse comes walking in. She takes a look at me, stepping back in surprise that I’m awake.

“Oh, you’re awake.” she says “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good, all things considered. How bad was it? My injury.”

“It could have been worse, believe me. The knife was only an inch away from your heart. A little bit to the right, and the possibility of us having this conversation would have lowered.”

“Thank goodness for Equestrian medicine, huh?”

“Yes, quite.” she smiles, but then looks at me with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to put this on you so soon, but there is someone here that has been waiting for you to wake up for quite a while.”

“Ms. Harshwhinny?”

“No. A Mr….umm….Mr. Jeffery Caldwell, from Pony and Human Resources.”

“Jeffery Caldwell?” What’s he doing here? Maybe he wants an account of what happened. “Um…sure. Send him in.”

“I can have him come back if you still need to recover.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. It’s a good time as any.” Honestly, I do feel great, if a bit tired.

The nurse leaves, and within a minute, Jeffery Caldwell comes inside with a look of concern and curiosity. Once he sees me awake and fine, he smiles, fully walking into the room with a briefcase in hand.

“Glad to see you’re up and about.” he says with relief.

“How long were you waiting for me to wake up?”

“Not long at all. I got word of your attack yesterday, and immediately went to work on the investigation before coming here.”

“I’ve been out for a day?”

“Well…a day and some change. Honestly, I’ve only been in the hospital for a little over and hour. The TV is showing the games, though it does mention your attack every once in a while.”

“Well, you can tell them I’m fine.”

“They already know. Equestrian medicine healed you in no time. The reports are more about Fast Pass, anyway.”

“Where is she?”

“Before I get to that…” he opens up the suitcase, pulling out a stuffed folder. He takes a seat on the chair next to my bed. “…I want to close the book on the investigation. Do you mind recalling what happened?”

“No, not at all.”

“Good.” he pulls out a pen from his breast pocket, and opens up the folder. I can barely see the pages he’s looking at, but I do notice a couple of highlighted areas, though it’s hard to tell what has been highlighted. “According to Ms. Harshwhinny, you left for the concession stand, correct?”

“Yes. Ms. Harshwhinny had a craving for concession food, and I went downstairs to buy some for her.”

“What happened next?”

“After I got the food, I received a text message when I arrived at the elevator that Fast Pass was in the room. I got worried…”

“You got worried?”

“Yes. Out encounters with Fast Pass had been…less than ideal.”

“Explain.”

“You’ve heard the rumors that she harbors some anti-human sentiments, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, they’re true. During our meetings, Fast Pass had been a bit rude with me, which made Ms. Harshwhinny notice. When we went to Fast Pass’ estate, where made the deal for the sponsorship official, Fast Pass refused to give me a room, and forced me to sleep on the couch.”

“That’s troubling to hear.”

“There’s more. At the gala, when I accompanied Ms. Harshwhinny to the restroom, I encountered Fast Pass trying to get inside the restroom as well. When I told her that Ms. Harshwhinny wanted her privacy…let’s say that she had some…choice words for me.”

“I see…” Jeffery looks at his notes, nodding his head. “Anyway, about the attack.”

“I went to the room, where I saw Fast Pass being very aggressive towards Ms. Harshwhinny. I pulled Fast Pass away, and told her to leave, but she wouldn’t budge. That’s when she tried to attack Ms. Harshwhinny, but I protected her.”

“That was very brave of you. Ms. Harshwhinny said as much.”

“No one tries to hurt Ms. Harshwhinny.”

Jeffery doesn’t verbally reply. Instead, a small smile creeps on his face, as he looks down at the folder. He flips a couple more pages, and I see him stop on my employee profile. I know because I see the identification photo that was taken of me for my badge. I had a stupid cowlick on the back of my head that day, and a bit of it can be seen in the photo. I remember when Ms. Harshwhinny noticed it after the picture was taken. She was nice enough to let me know about it, but refused to let me take the picture again. I wonder if she secretly thought it was cute or something.

“Let’s talk about you and Ms. Harshwhinny.” he switches topics, snapping me back to him.

“What about?”

“For starters…let’s talk about how long you two have been seeing each other.”

I tense up immediately. He knows? How did he know? Was it the news of Violet’s reveal that I was her husband that made its way to him? If not, then did he always know? Of not always, then for a certain period of time? How on Ear….I mean Equestria, did he ever find out?

“I…I…” is all I can get out.

“Relax.” he says calmly, like I’m a good friend he’s not currently questioning. “This is an inquiry, not an interrogation.”

His friendly demeanor calms me a little bit, enough for me to relax and say “Since Hearts and Hooves day.”

“Since Hearts and Hooves?” he tilts his head to the right “That wasn’t very long ago.”

“Wait, how long did you think we were seeing each other?”

“From the employee evaluations, we thought you two had been together for over nine months.”

“We?”

“I’m sorry, let me go back a bit.” he takes a deep breath “When I read the third evaluation in a row that praised your work ethic, I got a bit suspicious, since her words were…unnaturally enthusiastic. I took my suspicions to the board, and they had a decision to make. Either confront the mare who is the face of the Equestria Games for fraternization with an employee, or…we let it continue to see how it affects her overall work performance. You can guess what option was picked.”

“I can.” I nod. “The first option.”

“What? No. The second.”

“Sorry. Bad joke.”

“They can’t all be winners, I guess.” he chortles “Anyway, when it came time to put together the next Equestria Games, we saw that not only was Ms. Harshwhinny’s work ethic not affected in a negative way, but we saw an increase of productivity. The two of you managed to get months of work done in significantly less time. When reports of the two of you working in such synchronicity reached me and the board, we decided to let it slide. Besides, if the board did want to pursue serious action, there would have been potential legal troubles.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the two of you are in a relationship that is one hundred percent consensual. However, the rules dictate that both parties would be punished severely if found out. Easy enough, but with the position that Ms. Harshwhinny is in, she is protected, but you aren’t. If the board was to fire you and not her, you have a case for unfair termination.”

“Jeffery, I would never attempt to go to trial…”

“Look, we’re saying that you’re off the hook. Ms. Harshwhinny is happy, you’re happy, everyone is happy.”

“Oh…” all this information is coming at me in every single direction. I’m having immense difficulty processing it. “So…what does this mean for the rule? Is the board considering taking it back?”

“Of course not. The rule against fraternization was also put into place to combat potential instances of sexual harassment or worse. All this means is that any case that comes our way will be investigated, rather than passing immediate judgment. If the board deems the work ethic of the employees in a relationship to be satisfactory, they will be able to continue seeing each other with no hassle. If not, then they’ll be given a single warning, and if they continue to perform in an unsatisfactory performance…THEN they’ll be fired.”

“Huh…that’s not bad. Why did you tell me all that?”

“Just in case you know anyone else with secrets.” he winks. I’m getting the feeling that he might be clairvoyant. “I also wouldn’t worry about Fast Pass anymore.”

“What happened?”

“Other than you breaking her muzzle and knocking her out cold? She tried to sue you and the company for hiring you. She called you…and I quote….a criminal thug who deserves to be put in jail.”

“Anyone or anypony take that seriously?”

“There were some internet pieces that took her side first; calling you a sexist, misogynistic racist, and that the Equestria Games was covering up for you for unknown, but possibly uncouth reasons. Then, an anonymous tip leaked out audio recordings of her being prejudiced towards humans.”

“Anonymous, huh?” I smirk. Elizabeth must have heard about the attack and took the opportunity to take Fast Pass down. “What happened after that?”

“When the tapes broke out, many humans, and even ponies came out to accuse her of racism and harassment. The news spread like wildfire within minutes, and the authors of those articles damning you had to apologize, though a couple of them were reluctant, but that’s the way it is.”

“Yeah.” I wave it off. “No surprise there.”

“All that being said; with the combination of the tapes, Ms. Harshwhinny’s testimony, and all of the other news breaking out, every single one of Fast Pass’ sponsors backed out, and are demanding that she give the money they gave her back, or face prosecution.”

“Yikes.”

“Yikes indeed. With the money she’s giving back to the sponsors, the money she has to give to our organization, and the money she has to give you…”

“Wait…I’m getting paid?”

“You got stabbed trying to protect Ms. Harshwhinny. Of course you’re getting paid. Ten million bits, to be exact.”

“Ten…Ten million bits?!” My eyes threaten to pop out of my skull, while my heart rate goes nuts, causing the heart monitor to spike.

“Calm down, man.” Jeffery points at the monitor. “You don’t have any heart problems I should know about, right?”

“No. None that I’m aware of.” I calm down “But it’s not every day that you’re told that you’ll be receiving a large sum of money.”

“It was at the behest of Ms. Harshwhinny. The initial compensation for you was to be two million, but Ms. Harshwhinny was the one who multiplied it. Guess you two must have a special relationship.”

“We’re getting married when we get back to Manehattan.”

“Oh.” his eyes go wide for a brief second. “Congratulations. How is the last name process going to go? Equestria doesn’t normally do the last name thing.”

“I’m partial to Mr. Harshwhinny.”

“I like it.” he smiles, then is back to business “Anyway, with the money she’s giving back, she’ll be lucky if she has anything left when all is said and done. Given her celebrity status, I assume she’ll still be well off, but it will be a long time, if ever, that she’ll be let into the sports world again.” Jeffery closes up the folder, puts it back in the briefcase, and stands up. “Well, our business is done. I’ll leave you to recover further. Whenever you’re ready, you may return to see Ms. Harshwhinny, and the two of you are free to do whatever you like.” He turns to the door, stops, and looks back as if remembering something. “Just keep it behind closed doors.”

“We already do.”

“Right.” he nods. Jeffery makes it over to the door, and turns back yet again. “By the way…who made the first move?”

“I asked her out first.”

“I’d say you’re a brave man, but where you are right now, I don’t need to state the obvious.” he smiles “Good day.”

And just like that, Jeffery Caldwell has left the room, leaving me all alone. I suppose staying a few more hours in the hospital won’t hurt. After all, I just woke up, and I’m still a bit tired. Violet is probably worried about me. Maybe I’ll go see her at the hotel, or leave in an hour and meet up with her at the stadium. If I leave soon, I can still catch the aerial race, which is always a lot of fun to watch.

This bed has gotten pretty comfortable, though, so maybe I’ll watch a bit of television first.

I find the remote next to my bed and turn the television on. The first thing I see is a group of mares on a talk show talking about Fast Pass. 

“I can’t believe she would be capable of such things!” one mare says.

“My daughter was crushed to hear about the news. Fast Pass was one of her idols!” says another.

That honestly makes me a bit sad. Never a good thing to hear that those you admire have been revealed as terrible people, or ponies in this case. The mares look distraught about the whole thing. Just then, the mare at the far right end suddenly beams in a smile.

“But let’s take a look at the man who saved Ms. Harshwhinny, shall we?”

A picture of me shows up on the giant monitor behind them. It’s a picture of me with Violet at the Gala from the other night. While it’s hard for me to take my eyes off of Violet, mainly because of that dress she was wearing, I do notice that I don't look too shabby myself. 

The crowd woos and makes a few catcalls at the picture. Are they…?

“Mmmmhmmmm!” the center mare grunts in appreciation, “Now that looks like a man who will defend his mare to the death!”

Woos and applause burst from the crowd that is a mixture of women and mares. The hosts nod in agreement. This is kind of weird. I’ve never had this kind of attention before. I’m not sure if I like it or not.

“News came out that these two were in a secret affair, and are now getting married!” the mare on the far left says. The audience lets out an “awww” in response. “He’s a lucky guy.”

“More like she’s a lucky mare!” the one on the right blurts out, causing the audience to go crazy again. “With the dress she was wearing, I bet the sex they have is crazy!”

“Not that crazy…” I say to myself. “Wait a second, am I talking to myself?” Yeah, I am.

“I can only imagine what that’s like.” the mare on the right continues “His strong looking arms wrapped around my body. Lifting me up and throwing me onto the bed before he…”

I shut the TV off. Screw this, I’m going to see Violet.
> The Pretty Harsh Welcome Back That Turns Out Okay (Explicit Content)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope Violet is surprised when I come and see her. I know it’s only been a day and a half since she last saw me, but I can only imagine what she is feeling right now. However, all I can think about is that this elevator is way too damn slow. Finally, it stops at the top floor. I get out and walk through the quiet hall to the VIP suite. 

A couple of suited stallions walk by me, presumably to go to the bathroom or indulge in concession stand food, I don’t know. They briefly lock eyes with me and then look to each other and make hushed conversation. No doubt these are board members, and have become acutely aware of the confirmation that Violet and I are a couple. I can’t hear what they say; only the standard incoherent whispering noises that one would hear in TV and the Movies. Then again, I don’t really care.

I make it to the VIP room. I take out my ID and scan it. The door clicks, and the light turns green, allowing me in. I step inside quickly and shut the door, with the locking mechanism immediately turning on the minute it closes.

Violet stands at the large window, looking down on the Equestria Games. I’ve completely spaced on what event is taking place. Hoofball, maybe? Perhaps it’s Buckball. Wait, it could be the aerial race; that was one of the reasons why I left early. Eh, whatever, Violet has just turned around and is looking at me. Her eyes widen in surprise, just as I was expecting. I walk halfway to her, and she rushes towards me.

“Viole-“

SLAP!

Ow.

Her palm strikes my left cheek with such excessive force that the slap noise practically echoes through the room. I wonder if it’s going to leave a mark. I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.

More importantly…

“What the…?” I say.

“What in Equestria were you thinking?!” Violet demands an explanation. Time to give her my best explanation ever.

“Holy shit, my future wife is about to be stabbed, time to knock this bitch’s lights out?” I answer in the form of a question. Truth be told, it’s not the best explanation. Maybe I should have been more heroic and cheesy about it.

“That’s….” Violet raises a finger to object, but then lowers it, “…that’s not bad. A bit crude…but brave and noble.” Never mind, she liked the explanation. “Still, you scared the tartarus out of me!” her tone gets loud again “You should have moved us both out of the way, not take the knife yourself!”

“I thought I could hit her quicker. Guess I wasn’t fast enough. But, I’m okay now.”

“Sure, you’re okay now, but I thought I was going to lose you!” Violet gets closer to me. She places her hands on my chest and light grabs my shirt. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?! If that knife was any closer to your heart…”

“I know, even Equestrian medicine would have had trouble reviving me.”

“Then why…why did you do it?!”

“Because I love you.” Okay, now I’m going with the cheesy response. It seems to be working, as Violet is looking at me with a start; her eyes watering.

“You can be so stupid sometimes…” she separates from me and looks away as a tear runs down her cheek. I wipe the tear away, making her look back into my gaze. “You think saying something like that will get me to stop being angry with you?”

“Maybe a little bit.” I smile. I see a small smirk forming on the left side of her mouth.

“Alright, I’ll give you that.” she concedes, “I never want to see you like that ever again, you understand me?” Her tone is deadly serious, and her voice cracks ever so slightly at those words, “Seeing you on the floor, looking like you were dead…I can’t even imagine how I managed to keep it together. I had no idea you were capable of something like that.”

“What, knocking Fast Pass’ lights out?”

“No, the attempted self sacrifice.”

“Like I said, I didn’t know she was going to be fast enough to get me.”

“Her name is Fast Pass, what did you expect?” she snides.

“Hey, at least there’s one mistake you can reprimand me for.”

“What?”

“You said that if I made a mistake, you would let me know. Well…” I open my arms out motioning that I made a mistake, and am waiting for her to reprimand me. Violet pauses for a second, with her eyes looking me up and down, processing what I said. I see her mind racing, the cogs moving to create a proper reaction. 

Violet jarringly gets very close to me, lightly hitting my chest with her fists. Her eyes are closed and pained, and her teeth grit in frustration.

“Stop joking around for once in your life!” she lets out. “It’s like you don’t understand the pain you put me through!”

I could make another joke, I really could, but it seems like trying the lighten things up isn’t working as well as I thought it would. I hurt her, not physically, but her emotions tell me everything I need to know. I’ve never seen this side of her. The side that almost lost someone close to her, and she can’t bear the pain involved in it. This calms me; subsiding my need to make another gag. 

Instead, I wrap my arms around her and bring her close. She rests her head on my shoulder and sobs, letting out what she must have been feeling for the past day or so. I caress her back and kiss her neck, letting her know that I’m okay and have no intention of leaving anytime soon, if ever. In fact, I should tell her that.

“I’m not going anywhere, Violet.” I say, “I’m sorry for everything I put you through.”

“No…I’m sorry.” she sniffles, “Being my husband is hazardous to your health.”

Wait, did Violet just make a joke? Didn’t she just reprimand me five second ago for making a gag about my possible demise? I can’t be mad at her, though. Her casual tone of voice is enough to get a chuckle out of me.

“Now who’s the one making jokes?” I say.

“I admit, it’s hard not to. I’m close to someone who’s known to be a bad influence.” her arms move away from my chest and wrap around me. “I’m glad to have you back.”

I hold on to her for a long time. I hear the roar of the crowd outside, cheering on a team of pegasi flying though the air. It is the aerial race, I knew it. That doesn’t matter though. What matters is Violet hugging me tightly, and breathing in comfort at my warmth. She is warm too; hot actually, both in temperature and in looks. 

Just as I’m tempted to hold onto her forever, Violent moves off my shoulder and looks into my eyes. She removes her hands from my back and go to my buttoned up shirt. She carefully unbuttons my shirt from the top to the halfway point. She then opens my shirt to look at the bare chest underneath. Violet stares at it for a few moments, tilting her head to the side and running a finger on the spot where there is the faintest hint of a scar.

“I can barely notice the scar.” she says, “Tell me, how long would a wound like this heal in your world without Equestrian medicine?”

“A pretty long time.” I admit, “If I was back on Earth, I might still be in the hospital.”

“I see…” she nods slowly. She moves down and kisses my chest, as if it was still injured, and the only way to fix it was to kiss it. “How do you feel now?”

“Much better.” I smile. She smiles back. “Is the door locked?”

“It locks automatically when we walk inside.”

“Good. There was something I wanted to do yesterday, but didn’t get the chance to.”

“What is it? Play games?”

“In a sense.” she leans to my ear, “I think you’ll like it.” she whispers. Oh, I think I definitely will.

Violet’s hands move to my shoulders and pushes me backwards to one of the large seats behind us. I hit the seat and plunk right down onto the soft mattress. I have no time to get my bearings, as Violet moves onto my lap, hiking her skirt up to reveal her black lace underwear. She leans down to kiss me, but I meet her halfway, pulling her down the rest of the way to engage in a passionate lip lock. I might have been away for what feels like hours on my end, but I’m kissing her like I haven’t seen her in years. Every time we separate, she breathes and moans heavily, and I only bring her right back in. 

I move my hands down to her blouse, and I unbutton it down to the halfway point, opening it to reveal her black bra and shapely breasts. I do what she did to me and kiss her chest lovingly, but I’m staying there for a longer time, because let’s be honest, who wouldn’t. I hear her moaning as I kiss her breasts and feel them against my hands. She scratches my back as she always does and pushes me deeper into her cleavage, which I’m perfectly fine with.

Violet quickly moves off of me, and before I can ask her what happened, she pulls down her black panties and moves over to the counter in the back. She turns around, hiking up her skirt to show her magnificent bare ass with her tail swishing about wildly, as if presenting for me. It takes no time whatsoever to get up from my seat, unzip my fly and pull out my diamond hard erection that had been fighting to get out of my pants. Violet turns her head to look at me, biting her lip in anticipation and giving me eyes that practically yell at me to get to the good stuff. 

I go to her and enter her from behind, causing her to gasp upon insertion. She feels warm and wonderful, and her inner walls hug me tightly, refusing to let me go. I rest my chest against her back, and reach around to gently caress her chest. Violet coos in relaxation, and loosens up to allow me to move inside her.

Slowly, I begin thrusting. Each thrust makes her pant heavily, and so do I. The counter shakes every time I pump into her, with the plates rattling, and glass falling on the side. I unbutton the rest of her blouse and grab at her bra, unhooking it from the front, and allowing her wonderful breasts to get some fresh air. I palm them lovingly, even as I get harder with my thrusts. I’m impressed with Violet; usually by this time, she would climax, but she is showing control. 

I take myself out of her, and turn her around to face me. Before she can react, I kiss her and enter her again. Her arms wrap around me, pulling me in further as I continue thrusting. Her breasts press against my chest, and my hands travel downwards to her bottom, giving it a hard squeeze as I push myself in more. This feeling is indescribable, like I’m one with her, and she is loving every second of it. She puts her hands on my cheeks and breathes heavily with a smile, and the look in her eyes is pure beauty and joy. Violet smiles and gives me a few small kisses, before forcefully pushing me backwards hard enough to exit out of her, and fall back onto the couch.

“Woah!” I yelp, “What…” I don’t get another word out, as Violet quickly straddles me and lowers herself down, and I enter her again. 

Violet’s taking control of the situation again. She always gets like this when she is approaching climax. Whenever we make love, she would allow me to have my slight moments of domination, but when it comes time for the final event, she would become animalistic and hungry for what is coming at the very end.
She hugs me close, and once again I am buried in her bosom, as she grinds my length with all she has. I am approaching my limit the more she continues, but from how tight she is getting, she is getting very, very close as well. Her breathing has become heavily, her moans more pronounced, and her grip on my back tighter than ever. 

Violet grinds me faster, and my cock twitches like crazy at the sensation. Though I can’t see what her face looks like, from the sounds she’s making, I can only guess that she’s in a some state of euphoria. Suddenly, Violet moves back, and I’m able to see her in all her open mouthed glory. She is moaning loudly, and looking up at the ceiling, as I feel her walls tighten, and she freezes in place.

Her climax is enough to send me over the edge, and I cum inside within seconds of her orgasm. Violet gasps loudly as I fill her womb with my seed. It’s been a while since we had sex, and I’m a little bit pent up. Her body shakes as much as my length does, before moving forward and looking down at me. Her mane moves over her eyes, and the only sound she makes is her heavy and satisfied breathing slowly regaining its normalcy. Seeing her mane so frazzled and covering her eyes is immensely attractive, which is only natural, since she’s so business savvy on all the other days.

I move the parts of her mane covering her eyes, and I’m once again staring at those beautiful large and expressive orbs. Violet chuckles and she leans down to kiss my cheek.

“So…is this how the next few months at the games are going to be?” I ask her.

“If it is, do you mind terribly?” she responds.

“I don’t mind at all. It can give us time to try new things.”

“I can live with that.” she chuckles. 

KNOCK KNOCK

Goes the door as we are leaning in for another potentially passionate lip lock. Who could it be this time? Violet looks at the door with an expression of annoyance at the interruption. I don’t blame her. There’s a part of me thinking that we should’t bother answering, and just ignore it and pretend as if we’re not there. However, the other part of me is just too dang nice.

“Who is it?” I call out.

“It’s Kevin and Crystal!” I hear Kevin say.

This makes Violet and I pay more attention. Violet gets off of me, rushing back to the table and putting her panties back on. I slip my now softened member into my pants, and look around for a comb. Normally, I bring one to help Violet freshen up, but I can’t recall if I had one in my…oh, there’s a comb in my jacket pocket. Never mind. 

I bring the comb to Violet as she’s readjusting her bra. She takes the comb and brushes her hair while I button her shirt up. When she’s done with her hair, she brushes mine as I button my shirt up. 

I don’t know what we’re going to do about the smell of sex in here, though.

Violet is one step ahead of me; going to the counter and pulling a can of air freshener that was contained in one of the drawers. She sprays a healthy amount around the room. Smells like cotton candy, and I’m now craving some sugary sweets. Violet puts the can away, makes any minor adjustments to her clothes, and goes to the door. 

Violet opens the door with all the professionalism she can muster, with a smiling Kevin and Crystal on the other side. 

“Hi!” the two say in unison.

“Good afternoon.” Violet’s serious face turns to a kind and friendly grin, “It’s nice to see you both. Would you like to come in?”

“Do we?” Kevin responds, “I have to see the big hero.” Violet looks to me and points, allowing Kevin to go past her and come to me. “You’re okay!” Kevin gives me a major hug, squeezing me tight like the best friend he is. “I was so worried when I got the news! But you look like nothing’s happened!”

“Yeah, that’s the power of the medicine here.” I smile, “You were really worried?”

“Of course I was worried. You’re my best friend! I would never…” he glances down, then back up at me. He chuckles and whispers, “You’re fly is down.”

“Huh?” I look down to see that I indeed did not finish up closing my pants. Quickly, I do so. “Sorry.” I say sheepishly. Violet and Crystal are still chatting, so they did not see this exchange.

“Guess you got a bit of a heroes welcome, huh?”

“Not at first, but then…yeah.”

“I can tell. If not for the fly, then the smell of cotton candy. This isn’t a natural smell for a viewing suite. I know because our suite does NOT smell like this.”

“You never know. This could be the Cotton Candy suite.”

“Yeah, not buying it.”

The two of us share a chuckle, as Violet and Crystal come to us. Violet stops at my side, while Crystal wraps her arm around Kevin’s shoulder. holding him close. His look of love is something I have rarely seen in a while. Later, I’ll tell him that it’s okay to let the board know about their relationship.

“So…” Crystal looks to me, “I hear that there’s something you want to tell us.”

“Oooh, I love announcements!” Kevin beams in excitement. “Are you pregnant, Ms. Harshwhinny?”

“One, human and mare coupling and vice versa do not result in pregnancy,” I say says curtly in my correction, “two… you can call her Violet if you wish…” I look to Violet, who nods in agreement, “and three…that’s Mrs. Harshwhinny from now on.”

Kevin and Crystal look and me and Violet back and forth, with their eyes landing on me first, then on Violet, then on me. This goes on for what feels like hours, until their eyes nearly bug out of their sockets like a Tex Avery cartoon. Crystal stumbles slight, as if trying to to faint, while Kevin catches her while trying not to do the same exact thing. 

It doesn’t work, unfortunately, as the two plunk down on the floor in a heap of unconsciousness. Violet and I look at one another with smiles on our faces.

“I saw that coming.” Violet says so casually.
> Mrs. Harshwhinny
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It’s been two months since the end of the Equestria Games. All in all, it was a very successful show. Ponies took away most of the medals, or course, but there were a few humans that surprised as well. With Fast Pass gone, her team struggled against the human led opponents, with the human team winning by a few points. There were no hard feelings between the two teams, however, as they congratulated and patted each other on the back for a good game. It certainly was one; Violet and I were on the edge of our seats. 

With the absence of its old mascot, Violet managed to get a replacement in the form of Rainbow Dash, who was participating in the aerial events of the games. She was more than happy to be the new face of the event, and her fee demand was surprisingly nominal at best, as she said “Bits don’t matter, really. I’m here for the fun,” followed by “and to be awesome.” Which got a nice chuckle out of Violet and I.

On the subject of Fast Pass, the story about her continued to grow, as more and more accusations were leveled against her. She denied the claims as fast as they appeared, but proof soon followed. Her case was the hot story, almost more than the games themselves. She became the face of the prejudices facing the humans living in Equestria, and the consequences of being caught. It also didn’t help that even if she somehow managed to get out of jail time for her behavior, she would still have to serve time for attempted murder.

The minute we got back to Manehattan, I became Mr. Harshwhinny. 

It should feel weird, being the one taking the last name, instead of the wife, but I said it before and I’ll keep on saying it whenever anyone asks, I think it’s a catchy last name. Mr. Harshwhinny. It has a nice ring to it. Mr. Harshwhinny. Mr. Harshwhinny.

Okay, I’ll stop.

The wedding wasn’t anything special; it almost can’t be called a wedding at all. Violet was more comfortable with a smaller scale arraignment, so we got married at the courthouse in Manehattan. We said our vows in front of a judge, got the certificate signed, and it was over and done within a few minutes. Our vows were nice. I told Violet how much I loved her, how she was the best thing that ever happened to me, and how I’m so happy that we are married. Violet’s vows were better. She essentially had the same sentiment, but she thanked me for making her feel special every day, how every second I was near her and loving her brought joy to her heart, and how there is no one that she would rather be with at that moment than me. 

I couldn’t help but tear up at her words. She didn’t even try to act professional in front of the judge either. Her emotions were out for us to see, and it was beautiful. 

Once we left the courthouse, we immediately went to the movies. It was a good day. 

Now, I live in her apartment, well…OUR apartment. I didn’t have much to take with me in the move in, other than my clothes, video games, movies and toiletries, and there was more than enough space in the apartment for it all. 

While news of our relationship and subsequent marriage spread pretty wide when it was first announced, the fire has died down significantly within a couple weeks. After all, the whole rule of no fraternization wasn’t well known, so no one spun the story into some kind of dramatic forbidden love plot. Instead, the news was that Ms. Harshwhinny, the stoic and intimidating head of the Equestria Games, found love in her loyal assistant. A cute story, but it became yesterdays news quickly. After all the build up and doomsaying, the real outcome was thankfully underwhelming. 

Our honeymoon could also be interpreted as nothing special. Considering our profession, we’ve been all over Equestria and seen practically every sight that needs to be seen. Instead of going to Saddle Arabia, Cloudsdale, or that nice hotel near the Galloping Gorge, we spent our honeymoon in the confines of our apartment. Just the two of us. Alone. Watching terrible movies while cuddling with one another. Naked. If you ask me, it was a damn good honeymoon.

I’m thinking too much about this. I’m supposed to be completing this transcription of the meeting currently in place.

It hasn’t been long since our marriage, and Violet and I have gotten back to work on the next Equestria games. It’s not for another ten months, but we are attempting to beat the record time we had last year. Rainbow Dash has agreed to sponsor the games again, after the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response she got the last time. So really, the hard part was already over.

Now, we’re trying to secure a venue. We’re in a meeting with Filthy Rich, the owner of the Las Pegasus Stadium, which is tailor made for the main portion of the games. It’s just as big as the Crystal Empire Colosseum, maybe even bigger. This guy spared no expense to make sure this stadium can suit many sports needs. Despite what the name may imply, so far he’s very nice. He’s been nothing but inviting to the both of us, which is good, especially for Violet. The reason I say this is because Violet uses the reactions of potential venue hosts to judge whether she’ll consider them or not. Reaction to what? Well…of me being her husband.

Despite various celebrities and business owners being under the microscope for any injustices, there is still a surprising number of Equestrians that haven’t taken kindly to me, a human, marrying one of the most powerful mares in the sports world. At the Applewood Stadium, the owner made a couple of snide comments to me when Violet was out of the room, ask me condescending questions, and going as far as to imply that I was a pity hire and that if were up to her, I’d be on the streets. It’s incredible that Equestrians still would talk like that, thinking that they are somehow untouchable if they have a great venue.

Needless to say, when I reported them to Violet, she would cross them off the list without a second thought.

All that being said, Filthy Rich is the complete opposite.

“Thank you for the tour, Mr. Rich.” Violet says in appreciation, but keeping her signature tone of voice, “With all the renovations you have done, I’d have to say that it would make a spectacular setting for this year’s games.”

“Why, thank you kindly, Ma’am.” Filthy Rich says in a charming voice. “It makes me ecstatic ta hear that the venue was to your liking.”

“Very good.” Violet looks to me with a nod, noting that the meeting is complete, “Before we are to leave, may I use the restroom?”

“Of course. It’s just down the hall to your right.” 

“Thank you.” 

Violet takes her leave, leaving me all alone with Filthy Rich. I save my document, and close up my laptop. As I start to place the laptop in the bag…

“Excuse me, sir?” I hear Filthy Rich’s voice say to me. I look up from the bag to look at him. “Do you mind terribly if I ask you a personal question?”

“No, of course not, Mr. Rich.” I reply.

“Well, I don’t mean to sound like I’m dim or anything, but…are you…MR. Harshwhinny?” He sounds nervous, like he’s afraid of my answer to his question. He can’t be further from the truth. “I only ask cause I heard that Mrs. Harshwhinny got married to her assistant, but I wasn’t sure if he…ya know…remained her assistant.”

“Oh. That’s okay. Yeah, I’m Mrs. Harshwhinny’s husband, and yes, I’m still her assistant.” I smile.

“Ah, thank you.” he chuckles, “It was on my mind the entire meeting, and I thought it would've been rude if I asked it in the middle of everything.”

“It doesn’t trouble you, does it?” I wonder.

“No, not at all!” Filthy Rich shakes his head rapidly, “I have absolutely nothing against humans. As you saw, I had a lot of human’s in my employ, and I have treated them like any other pony.” That business like tone from earlier has been replaced by a bit of fear. He really doesn’t need to be afraid. “I've always supported humans since the beginning, and when I heard that Mrs. Harshwhinny married a human, I was extremely happ…” 

“Mr. Rich, it’s okay.” I lift a palm for him to stop, “There isn’t a need to be nervous with me. I didn’t mean to seem accusatory.”

“No, nothing accusatory bout your question. I understand that your kind had faced some…difficulty during these years in our…how you say…realm. I just want to clarify that I am not one of those ponies.”

“Between you and me, I’m glad you’re not one of those ponies either, Mr. Rich. You have been an absolute pleasure this afternoon.”

“Aw, thank you, sir.” he smiles and scratches his head in flattery, “Likewise, to you and Mrs. Harshwhinny.” Filthy Rich looks back at the front door, then back at me. Looks like he was checking to see if Violet had returned. “Can I ask you one more question?”

“Of course.”

“What’s it like? Being married ta Mrs. Harshwhinny? Don’t get the wrong idea about me, she’s been great, but I know she has a bit of a reputation.”

“You’re right. She does have a reputation. If you’re asking if she’s the same way when we are alone together…well…not to give too much away, as there must be some degree of confidentiality, she’s not.”

“Wow. I’m happy. For the both of you. The two of you are like peas in a pod.” As he says that, Violet walks into the room, straightening out the bottom of her jacket and adjusting her scarf for the cold outside. Filthy Rich immediately stands up, and so do I. “Mrs. Harshwhinny. I trust you were able to navigate the halls?”

“With no difficulty.” she nods, turning her attention to me, “It’s time to go.”

“Sure thing.” I go to her, passing by Filthy Rich, “We will give you a call when we make our decision, Mr. Rich.”

“I look forward to it.”



Violet and I stand in the slow moving elevator, waiting for it to go to the lobby. Filthy Rich’s office building is magnificent, but these elevators aren’t exactly the fastest. The ones in Manehattan are almost lighting fast, to the point that if you’re not prepared for it, you might get whiplash. Cheesy elevator music plays on the speaker. It sounds like a slow synth version of “Careless Whisper.”

“So, what did he say when you two were alone?” Violet inquires.

“He said he was happy for us. He went on about how much he supported our marriage and celebrated the value of humanity.” I might be overstating what he said, but he was pretty much singing his praises.

“So…do you feel comfortable with the Las Pegasus Colosseum?”

“I love it, but you don’t have to always turn to me for advice. That stadium in Applewood was quite nice, despite the owner’s attitude.”

“It was nice. Maybe I’ll consider it for next year’s games when her attitude improves. So far, Mr. Rich’s venue is the best we have seen thus far. Put that at the top of the list. Unless Cloudsdale manages to stun us, I’d say that Las Pegasus might be the go to place for the games.”

“I think so, too.”

The elevator dings, and the door opens to the expansive lobby. We walk through to get to the large front doors. We pass by many people and ponies, with some looking our way, either because it’s Mrs. Harshwhinny, or they’re aware that we are married, I don’t know. No dirty looks though, so that’s a plus. 

“What’s next for us?” Violet asks.

“Our flight to Cloudsdale leaves in a few hours. Our luggage from the hotel is already in the limo, which is waiting outside and preparing to drive us straight to the zeppelin port.”

“A shame. I was looking forward to relaxing in the hotel for a couple hours.”

“When you say relaxing…”

“I mean actually relaxing. I’m not a machine, you know.”

“Could have fooled me.” I respond, eliciting a chuckle from her. 

We get outside to see the limo parked out front. The driver opens up the door, and the two of us get inside. Amusingly enough, the driver is the same one from the Equestria Games Gala a few months ago. This time however, he’s not making looks at Violet. Probably due to her not wearing such a revealing outfit this time around. Once Violet and I get our bearings inside, the limo makes its way towards the zeppelin port, which is about an hour away.

“I’ll never get used to going to Cloudsdale.” Violet mutters, “The city is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but the whole having to go through an enchantment gate to walk on the clouds will never not make me nervous. I feel that one wrong step, and the spell will wear off.”

“If you fall, I’ll catch you.” I reply.

“And what if you fell, too?”

“Then we’ll both fall.” I smile, “If you’d like, we can try to see if any place is selling parachutes.”

“As tempting as that sounds, I don’t want to give the citizens of Cloudsdale the impression that I don’t trust their magic.”

“But you don’t.”

“Yes, but they don’t know that. I just hope their hotel has a nice comfortable bed.”

“Made of clouds, no doubt.”

“Were they made of clouds the last time we were there?”

“No, actually. The last time we were there, you specifically asked for a normal mattress, because you can’t sleep on clouds.” I look at Violet to see her smile and giggle at my words, “What is it?”

“Sometimes I forget that you’ve only been here for a few years. The way you talk about these things so matter of factly, it’s like you’ve lived here forever.”

“Well, with you as my boss and as my wife, I will live here forever.” 

Violet moves over to my side, resting a hand on my lap. I move my hand onto hers, and we hold on to one another softly. She caresses her thumb along the top of my hand, and stares into my eyes with a kind and gentle smile. I can’t help myself, and lightly kiss her on the lips, to which responds with a soft kiss of her own. Violet notices something behind me, and I look over to see the driver making occasional glances. Now it’s me pulling up the partition away from his prying eyes. 

“Sorry. Still getting used to the attention.” I say.

“Me too. It’s not as much as it used to be, thank goodness. It’s almost like nobody and nopony has seen a human and a pony married before.”

“Speaking of which, when are Kevin and Crystal tying the knot?”

“I don’t know. When ARE they tying the knot?” Violet speaks in such a teasing manner that I just know she’s messing with me.

“Do you know something I don’t?” I ask.

“Perhaps.” That teasing voice of hers. It’s so rare to hear, but when I do, my heart flutters. “I may have heard some whispers.”

“Come on, you got to tell me. I didn’t keep that announcement of Done Deal and Elizabeth getting married from you, did I?”

“Well…I suppose…” Violet nods in agreement and understanding, “Fine then. I hear that Crystal is planning on asking Kevin this weekend.”

“This weekend? Like, the day after the engagement party for Done Deal and Elizabeth this weekend?

“Mmm-hmmm…” Violet smiles, “Don’t tell Kevin I told you this.”

“Why would I do that? He will be ecstatic!”

“He will?”

“Of course! He was planning on asking Crystal to marry him, and he’s been looking for the right time!”

“Really? Wait, did he buy a ring for her?”

“Yeah. I went shopping with him a month ago.”

“You did? When was that?”

“Remember when I told you I was going to go to the bar with Kevin?”

“Right…” Violet thinks back on the day, “I thought it was rather odd that you would go to a bar, since you’re not much of a drinker. I just figured it was a special occasion.”

“Technically, it was.”

“That is true. Well, it’s going to be quite an interesting day for them, since Crystal bought a ring for him, too.”

“Were you with her for that?”

“Definitely.”

The two of us share a laugh, resting our heads against one another. Our laughter subsides as we feel the warmth of each other emanating through our bodies. I can’t help myself again, and kiss her on the cheek, and she kisses mine. I adore this side of her. I’m the only one that is present for this personality change; like it’s all for me and no one else. 

“When are we going to have a fight?” she wonders.

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“We’ve been together for so long, that we’ve haven’t had a fight, yet?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Well…no, not really. I feel it’s a bit odd, though. Don’t couples usually have a fight at some point in their lives?”

“I guess they do, but do you really want to have a fight with me?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why are you wondering why we haven’t fought yet?”

“Because…I…don’t know…” Violet looks particularly stumped about asking such a question in the first place. Her confusion turns into a smirk, as she shakes her head with a chortle. “I’m strange, aren’t I?”

“The strangest. That’s one of the reasons I love you, though.”

“Speaking of strange; have you told your parents about us, yet?”

“No, not yet.”

“How come? Is it the whole human-pony thing?”

“A little bit.” I nod, “It’s not like I don’t want to tell them, I’m just looking for the right time. I don’t want to hide that it’s you and say ‘Hey guys, I married a woman named Violet!’ because then they’re going to ask for pictures, and when I show them, they’ll be shocked.”

“Surely, they’d have to know that with you being in a world that is predominately inhabited by ponies, you would find yourself attracted to one.”

“Yeah, but whenever I talk to them, they would tease me about it, making me think that they aren’t really comfortable with the idea, so I don’t…” I see Violet reach into my pocket, pulling out my phone. “What are you doing?”

“You payed for the magic dimensional service, right?”

“Yeah, but…” I see Violet look through my contacts, stopping on ‘Parents.’ Oh no. “Violet wait, I’m not prepared.”

“Nopony ever is, honey.” she presses the contact, and puts the call on face cam.

I can’t believe Violet would do that. On the one hand, I admire her audacity, but on the other, I’m scared out of my wits. Even more so, since the call is on face time, so my parents will see who is on the other line. The phone rings for a few moments, and just before the last ring that will go to voice mail, I see the face of my Mother. 

“Hi, swee….” my Mother’s smile disappears almost immediately upon looking at Violet, who in contrast maintains her smile. “Who is this?”

“Hello, my named is Violet Harshwhinny. I assume your son has told you about me?”

“Yes, he said that you are his boss. Is everything okay? Why are you holding his phone? Where is he? Did something happen?”

“Nothing like that, he’s over here.” Violet turns the phone to me, showing my Mom that I’m safe.

“Hi Mom.” I wave. Mom waves back, before Violet turns the phone back to her.

“I just want to tell you how proud I am of your son’s work ethic. He has been a model employee, and the best assistant that I have ever had.”

“Oh…” Mom says, surprised, “Thank you. He has always spoken highly of you.”

“That’s good to hear. I would also like you to know that we are madly in love, and have been married for the past couple months. He hasn’t told you, because you were teasing him about being in a relationship with an Equestrian, and that made him a bit worried that you wouldn’t be accepting of the idea.”

“M-Married?!” Mom exclaims in a loud and understandably shocked tone. I’m not sure if she even heard everything that came after that dynamite bit of news. “I…I…married?!”

“Yes. Married. He is now Mr. Harshwhinny. I hope you do not mind; I understand that Earth culture normally uses the husbands last name for the wife, but we decided to do something different.”

“That’s…that’s fine….um…” Mom thinks for a moment or two, “As for the teasing…I…um…well…it was all in good fun, we weren’t really against any sort of…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Violet smiles, “I’m just calling you about the good news, and that you’ll be hearing from us again very soon. Take care.” Violet hangs up before Mom could respond. “There we go, all better.” Violet turns to me to see my mouth wide open at everything that had just transpired. “Is everything okay?”

“You…just called…my mom…and….told her…everything.”

“Not everything. I couldn’t very well go into the details of our coupling, could I?”

“No, I mean. That was…” I can’t be mad at her, I really can’t. She may have suddenly called my family, but it was going to happen sooner or later. I wish that it could have been done more traditionally, but then again, our relationship for a while was anything but traditional. “You continue to surprise me, Mrs. Harshwhinny.”

“I’m glad I still have a few things up my sleeve.” she chuckles.



Time passes, and we finally arrive at the zeppelin station. Past the gates is a massive dock full of zeppelins waiting to take off to various places in Equestria, and tons of passengers waiting for their flight. The chauffeur opens the door for us, and Violet steps out first, with me following close behind. We look at the crowd of various individuals; humans, ponies, griffons, I think I spotted a couple dragons walking through the gate, too.

A couple look in our direction, but don’t pay us much mind, apart from a head nod or a quick look away when they see that we notice them. Violet straightens her jacket out with a small tug, and does a short wipe of her skirt. I feel her hand brush my back, causing me to look to her, and she notices my passing glance.

“Sorry. I noticed a couple strands of my mane on your jacket.” she blushes, “Since your like wearing black jackets, it would be quite noticeable in a crowd.”

“It’s okay.” I brush my hand on her back.

“Oh, was there stuff on my back?”

“No. I just like touching you.”

Violet blushes even more, doing that cute thing where she wraps a loose strand of her mane around her ear. She gets close to me, whispering in my ear “Truth be told, there was nothing on your back either.” Violet then softly kisses my neck, before moving away from me before I could pull her in for another bout of passionate lip locking, but we have to get our luggage and tickets first.

Just in time, our bags are out of the back of the limousine and by our feet. I take my suitcase, and Violet takes hers. We nod at the chauffeur that we’re good, and he nods back, getting in the limo and driving off to his next client.

Violet and I continue to stand at the gate. I’m ready to go, but after Violet told me of her fears when going to Cloudsdale, I can understand why she isn’t moving yet. Her face shows seriousness and professionalism, but her statue shows nervousness. I can even see her palm do a very subtle but noticeable shake. Despite being there before, I suppose each visit still makes her nervous.

I take her hand, and pull her closer to my side. She is broken from her trance of fear and looks into my loving eyes.

“Hey. You fall, I’ll catch you, remember?” I say.

“Or we fall together.” she nods with a smirk.

“Yep. Though, I prefer if neither of us fall. I kind of like spending time with you.”

“As do I. That would be very unfortunate.”

The two of us giggle. Whenever we look at each other, it feels like time slows down just for us. The noise of the crowd dissipates into a low hum, and all I can hear is her breathing and heartbeat, which is currently beating fast. Her nervous look has turned into a serene expression of absolute love, and we move closer together for a kiss. Just one of another trillion kisses to come in our relationship.

To think that just one year ago, our trips to the zeppelin port was anything but romantic. Coldly walking through the crowds to get to the ticket booth, saying nothing to one another, other than a couple inquiries about the itinerary, and making sure that I was catching up with her. Now here we are, locking lips as the crowd passes by us. A lot can change in a year. A lot can change at any point, really, but this is a good change. Actually, it’s an amazing change. 

“Have I told you I love you today?” I ask her.

“No, but even if you did, I would like to hear it again and again.”

“I love you.” I whisper softly.

“I love you, too.” she whispers as well. “I don’t mean to rush, but we really need to get our tickets.”

“Oh, right.” I straighten myself out, still holding Violet’s hand. “Ready to go?”

“Yes. I’ll lead the way. Think you can catch up? You know how quick of a walker I can be.”

“With me holding your hand, I think I can manage.”

Violet gives me another winning smile, as she starts her walk into the station, with me holding on to her hand with all I have. She’s not wrong. She is a quick walker. When she’s on a mission, she won’t stop until she gets to her destination. If I wasn’t prepared for it, I would have immediately tripped and fell.

But, it’s not like that. I didn’t trip and fall. I’ll never trip and fall when I’m with her. Even if I do, she will always catch me. There’s still plenty of things in this world I haven’t seen, plenty of things that I do not understand fully. But, if there is one thing I do understand, one thing that makes the most sense, it is this.

Violet Harshwhinny. The head of the Equestria Games. She helps to make sure that everything runs smoothly, from the lighting of the torch, to the safety of the events. If she’s not working on the Equestria Games, she’s working on next year’s Equestria Games. Everything has to be perfect in the mind of Violet Harshwinny. She is the living, breathing, physical embodiment of the word professionalism.

She’s also my boss.

She is also my wife.

She will always be....my everything.