You've been planning this for months, you thought you'd feel more prepared, but you still can't shake the feeling that something is wrong as you turn the key in the apartment's door.
The first room you see is the living room. You walk in and close the door behind you, crashing onto the comfy couch, laying on your back. There are a few steps from beside you, drawing your eyes. Your roommate, right. You've talked to them before, but you've never actually seen them, you're a little nervous.
"Hey! Anon, right?" A familiar feminine voice calls as your new roommate enters, walking over. Your eyes had been much too high, so you take a second to adjust and look the pony in their crimson eyes. It gave you a small shock, but you soon recover, you haven't had much experience with ponies, even though they've been around for a good few years now.
"Yeah. Sky, was it?" You respond, it doesn't sound much like a pony's name, though you figure it must be a nickname. The mare nods, a friendly smile on her face. Her long hair has a lovely gradient, reminiscent of a sunset.
"Evening Sky, great to finally meet you!" The mare answers, she radiates a pleasant aura, something about her makes your worries shrivel up. She wears a soft-looking scarf around her neck, similar to her mane. It surprises you just how cute ponies are, even you can't deny it.
"Likewise. So uh.. What do you do?" You awkwardly ask, shifting your weight forward to sit up. You're finding it hard to think of topics, but she doesn't seem to mind. That's good, at least she's easy to talk to.
"I'm a cashier, I do art on the side though!" She walks over and hops onto the couch with a small flap from her wings, taking a seat beside you. You notice a faint redness in her cheeks and suppose she's not too proud of her job.
"I clean for a living" You reassure her, putting on the best smile you can muster. Hearing this seems to calm her a bit, a small sigh of relief leaving her mouth.
There's an awkward silence between the two of you, interrupted by a low growl from your stomach. You'd forgotten to eat before driving here and you're starving.
"I was just about to make something if you're hungry." Sky offers, already moving for the kitchen. You wonder what she might make, probably something vegetarian, they are herbivores after all.
"That'd be great, thanks." You walk into the kitchen where she's already started. She has to fly to reach the top drawers, and for a second you wonder how a pony would reach up there without wings or a horn. Earth ponies must have a hard time in human dwellings, you figure.
"Mashed potato and carrots, is that good with you?" She questions, you offer a simple nod. It's been a while since you last had mashed potato. You watch the Pegasus as she works, admiring her race's agility for a moment. She's not the fittest of ponies, but she's by no means fat, she does have a slight roundness to her belly though.
"Is there any way I can help?" You ask, thinking it unfair that she does all the work. Her ear twitches at your voice, stopping her for a second.
"If you could chop the carrots, that'd help." She smiles at you as you walk over to the counter, grabbing the knife and getting to work.
It doesn't take long for you to finish chopping the carrots, Sky says she'll take it from there so you decide to take a seat in the living room, lying down and checking your phone for a bit.
It's another half hour or so before Sky emerges from the kitchen with two plates, one in her mouth and one on her back, balanced by her wings. She turns to the side and you grab the plate off her back, placing it down on the table in front of you. She seats herself beside you and places down her plate.
The two of you eat in silence, the only sounds being that of cutlery against your plates. It's relaxing to just sit and eat after a hectic day and meeting your new roommate. You feel like you're going to enjoy living with this pony, as weird as it may feel.
After you've both finished the small meal you grab both of your plates, heading to the kitchen to wash them. While you're there you wash the other things used to make the meal. You sigh to yourself as you place the dishes in the drying rack.
When you return to the living room you find that Sky has dozed off on the couch. Her day must have been even more tiring than yours. Her chest slowly rises and falls as she breathes peacefully, she's pretty cute like this. You look outside and see the sun barely visible on the horizon, it's getting late.
You decide against disturbing the sleeping mare. You do, however, place a blanket over her to keep her warm. As you leave the room to head to bed, you turn back and smile at her sleeping form.
You wake up with a yawn, it's the weekend so you slept in for a while. You slowly peel the covers from your body, revealing it to the cold air, giving you pause for a moment. It's been getting chilly lately.
You force yourself into an upright position and slump out of bed, taking a second to stabilise yourself. You walk up to your door and open it, battling to get your eyes open. Stumbling your way to the kitchen, you're surprised to see Sky already up, making some breakfast, looks like pancakes. She's holding the pan with her wing, it's a little weird to look at. She turns to you, smiling brightly.
"Good morning! I'm almost done. How did you sleep?" She's glowing with positive energy, and you can't help but smile back at her. Her mane is a bit messy, she probably hasn't had time to fix it since she woke up.
"Great! You?" You beam at her as she slides some delicious-looking pancakes onto two plates. You take some time to flatten your hair as it shoots up in every direction.
"Good, sorry about falling asleep on you." Her cheeks turn a light shade of pink as she scratches the back of her head with a hoof. You catch yourself wondering if all ponies are naturally adorable.
"Don't worry about it." You reassure her, waving a dismissive hand to accentuate your statement. She visibly relaxes at your words, you get the feeling she worries a lot.
The two of you sit down in the living room again, each carrying your plate. Sky holds hers in her mouth again, which is strange but natural, you surmise. She's moved the blanket back to her bed. You both sit eating silently again. For her part, the pancakes are good. You'll have to make the food next time, she can't have all the spotlight, it's unfair.
Neither of you dares to break the silence that forms after breakfast is done, you simply sit and relax, taking this time to reflect on yesterday and collect your thoughts. The realisation that your new roommate is a pony only now hits you full force, you sit there with your eyes wide open, staring up into the wall, mulling it over.
Your thoughts are interrupted by a soft sensation against your arm, when you look down you see that Sky has once again fallen asleep, this time resting against you. You smile at the sight, looking at the dirty plates and deciding to let them wait. Her breathing is slow and peaceful and you wish you could just sit here forever so you don't have to wake her.
You notice a stray thought, a rather odd one, one that you dare not admit exists. You have an urge to pet her like one would a cat or dog, but you keep your hand in place. Maybe you can ask later, once you've gotten to know each other a bit better.
After about half an hour you figure it's finally time to get up. You slowly move out of the way, gently lowering her onto the cushions with your hands. You grab the plates and head to the kitchen to wash them.
Looking outside the window you notice it's already nearly midday, the time has flown by much too fast. You'd like to do something with the day, so you finish washing the dishes and change into something a bit more sporty before heading out the door.
You take a walk-jog around town, admiring the beauty of the area in the bright sunlight and trying to memorise the layout of nearby buildings. You wonder what it might look like under the moon's light instead, it's something to occupy your mind while you head back.
As you push the door open there's a small creak, you notice Sky's ear twitching at the disturbance. You feel bad for interrupting her sleep. When you close the door you try to be as quiet as possible. You're feeling cold and you could use a drink so you decide to make some hot cocoa.
At some point while making hot cocoa Sky wakes from her slumber, sniffing at the air before walking into the kitchen. She's still blinking the sleep out of her eyes as she waves to you.
"Morning, sleepyhead. Do you want some too?" You offer, eliciting a silent nod from the Pegasus. She's too tired to talk right now it seems, having just woken up. She yawns, causing her wings to spring out as she stretches. You note that her wings are tipped with feathers of a different colour, the same gradient as her mane, something you haven't seen before.
As you pour her a cup of hot cocoa you notice her eyes following your hand intently, eager to have the drink. When you hand her the cup she smiles at it, blowing gently across the surface as she holds it between her hooves.
The two of you sit down once more in the living room, blowing on your hot cocoa peacefully. When you finally take your first sip you feel the heat radiate through your body, bringing a contented sigh from both you and Sky. You can't remember the last time you felt this relaxed. You sink into the couch, closing your eyes, feeling sleep grabbing at the edges of your mind.
You wake up with your head on the couch, covered in a blanket from your bed. You hear humming coming from the kitchen and look over, spotting Sky with her hips swaying, a happy tune coming from her.
You catch yourself looking at her rear, where an image of a sunset sits. You've heard that ponies have special talents that are somehow tied to their butt-mark-thingies, but you can't figure out what hers might be. Despite the confusion it causes you, her- cutie mark was it?- is certainly beautiful.
She turns her head and spots you staring, it takes her a moment to think before her cheeks start burning a crimson red. Your cheeks follow suit, even though you know your intentions weren't in any way wrong. Fortunately, Sky seems happy to simply continue baking, ignoring you.
A few minutes pass before curiosity gets the better of you and you walk into the kitchen, wondering what Sky could be making. It looks like she's busy preparing a cake, just a simple one, but you're surprised nonetheless, both by the food and how she holds things, you couldn't imagine having 6 limbs. What could she be baking a cake for, you wonder.
"So, what's the occasion?" You ask, making sure you have her full attention, you see her ear twitch as she turns to you, a big smile on her face.
"To celebrate, of course!" She answers as if it's obvious, you tilt your head slightly and give her a weird look. She looks confused for a second before she figures you out.
"I'm making a cake to celebrate us moving into this apartment." You would think she was being silly if it weren't for the genuine smile on her face as she speaks. It's infectious and you soon find yourself smiling too, rolling your eyes at the nature of ponies.
It takes a while for the cake to be finished, including icing. In the end, it looks delicious and you can barely stop yourself from diving right in. Sky grabs her phone, deciding that this moment should be captured. You both pose in front of the cake, great big genuine smiles on both your faces. After the photo is taken, you both chuckle a bit at the poses and she returns her phone to where it was.
You take the cake to the lounge room, Sky following close behind you. It's obvious that you're both eager to try it. When you finally take the first bite the flavour overwhelms you, it's been too long since you had cake. You look over and see Sky with her eyes closed, humming in satisfaction.
The cake is small and you quickly finish it together, picking up any crumbs you possibly can. You both sit there for a while after it's done, staring between the wall and each other. It's a magical moment of relaxation. Eventually, though, you have to get up and wash up the plates, Sky offers to do some of the cleaning but you insist on doing it all after she went through the trouble of baking the cake.
When you finish with the washing up, you return to the lounge room. Sky is laying on the couch fidgeting with her hooves boredly. You place yourself down beside her, looking over at her. She's completely focused on her hooves right now.
"Do you think I'm cute?" Her voice cuts through the silence with ease, snapping you to attention. You're caught off guard by the question, unsure what to say.
"Yeah..? Why?" You finally say after a bit of thinking, confused by the pony's query. Sky doesn't say anything, but you can see a faint smile on her face, even though she's trying to hide it. Her cheeks are burning as well.
Without thinking you reach out and gently rub the top of her head with your hand. She goes stiff for a moment, her ears standing straight up before her eyelids droop and she relaxes. You shift your hand over to her ear, eliciting a satisfied hum from her. As you continue to rub her ear she leans her head into your hand.
Sky's mane and fur are the softest things you've ever felt. You think to yourself that it might be a magical thing. You're distracted from your thoughts by the flick of Sky's ear. You gradually move your hand under her chin, causing her to lift her head. Ponies act a lot like cats when being pet, you observe.
You're not sure how, but by some means Sky has ended up laying across your lap, your hand slowly rubbing her slightly plump belly. You had meant to ask for permission, but seeing how she's actively seeking your affection at this point, you don't bother. With your other hand, you carefully rub her ears, bringing a dreamy smile to her face.
You're not sure when, but at some point, Sky falls asleep on your lap. You'll never admit it to another soul, but she looks adorable. You stay there, letting her sleep in peace. You hope she wakes up quickly, but you wouldn't mind if she didn't.
Sky wakes up two hours later, yawning and stretching. She lays still on your lap for a minute, seemingly unaware of her position. When her eyes finally focus on you something visible clicks behind her eyes and her cheeks turn a light shade of red. She snaps into a sitting position, avoiding eye contact.
"How do you feel?" You smile at her, waiting for the embarrassment to wear off. Eventually, her blush calms and she turns to you.
"Amazing. Thank you." Sky returns your smile with her own, then surprises you when she wraps her forelegs around you. It takes a few seconds for you to recognise the hug, but you soon reciprocate. The embrace lasts a few minutes, you enjoy the warmth. Sky sighs contently as she pulls away. You can see that she's less tense, she must have really needed that.
The rest of the day disappears in a blink, none of it can top that moment of peace. Sky doesn't sleep on the couch that night, thank god. You wish each other goodnight, both heading to bed. You fall asleep faster than you did last night, thinking about petting Sky. Something about it puts your mind at ease.
You wake up to the sun shining in your eyes, dragging your eyelids open. You throw the sheets off of your body, flinging your legs off the side of the bed.
You get up slowly, stretching and yawning. You gently open your door in case Sky is still sleeping. It's way too early. You walk over to her room, slowly opening the door and peeking inside.
Sky is sleeping peacefully, her fluffy chest slowly rising and falling. It brings a smile to your face seeing her like this. You close the door just as quietly as you opened it, heading straight for the kitchen.
It takes you a bit to figure out what to do for breakfast, eventually, you settle on a salad for Sky and some eggs on toast for yourself. You start frying the eggs and then head back over to Sky's room.
You push the door open, taking light steps towards her bed. Her ear twitches, but she remains asleep. You lower yourself onto the bed, making sure not to wake her yet.
Reaching out, you run your hand over her head and partway down her neck. She smiles, leaning into your hand. Her eyes open slowly, looking up at you as she stretches, covering her mouth as she yawns cutely.
"Good morning.." She says, her voice groggy and quiet, but happy. You were a bit worried she'd dislike the petting. You risk rubbing her ear as you speak.
"I'm making breakfast, you gunna get up?" You tease, getting a groan out of the tired pegasus. Her wings spread out, lifting the sheets before she throws them off of herself.
The two of you head out of the room, Sky lounging on the couch and you returning to the kitchen to finish breakfast. It doesn't take long for it to all come together.
You walk into the lounge room carrying a plate for both of you, one with a fresh salad and the other with some fried eggs on toast.
Sky smiles at you as you approach, immediately digging into her breakfast. You sit down beside her and eat slowly, shaking your head at her ravenous pace.
You finish after not too long, Sky is already laying back with her eyes closed when you're done. You quietly get up, not wanting to disturb her, taking the plates to the kitchen.
Sky once again offers to help, you insist that it's fine once more. After you finish washing the dishes your return to the lounge room to find Sky with a pencil held in her wing and a sketchbook on the table. She's got the linework done, it's you, cleaning.
You place yourself down on the couch, careful not to mess up her sketching. She's got a hoof on the corner, keeping the book in place as she's erasing and redrawing a lot of stuff, you wonder if maybe she hasn't drawn many humans.
You sit there for a bit, silently watching her draw. It's relaxing, nothing but the sound of pencil to paper, watching the piece come together. You have to admit, she's pretty good, not that you doubted her. She spends a bit more than an hour perfecting it, you're happy to sit there for that long, but you do get up to get a drink halfway through.
Sky does a final bit of shading before leaning back, smiling at her work and then looking over to you. At this point, you're resting your head on your hand. You look over the sketch, nodding and returning her smile. With all of her refining, it looks great, certainly better than you could do.
Sky closes the sketchbook, putting it back in her room and then crashing back onto the couch. She looks up at you, her big eyes asking for something. She's visibly excited when you lift your hand, you roll your eyes and start petting her.
Sky is like putty in your hands, a dreamy smile on her face as your hands gently rub her ears and scratch her chin. You think about how ponies act like pets sometimes, it's baffling how they go from cooking and intelligent speech to nuzzling and slurred words so quickly.
It's not long before Sky is on the edge of sleep again, her head resting in your lap. You feel good knowing that you can bring peace to her with something as simple as petting. You look down at her, smiling. It warms your heart, seeing her like this, in utter bliss.
Begrudgingly, you pick her up, moving slower and more delicately than you ever have before, and place her on her bed, making sure she's covered and comfortable. After a small pat on her head, you go to your own bed and almost immediately pass out, sleep eagerly embracing you.
You wake early in the day, the sun barely in the sky yet, an alarm blaring beside you. You reach over and fumble around for a bit trying to turn off the alarm. Once the alarm has stopped bursting your eardrums, you get out of bed.
You change into your work uniform, heading out of your room for the kitchen. When you reach the kitchen, Sky is already there, sipping at a coffee, in her own work uniform, she looks kinda cute. You look at each other for a moment. You can see there are holes in her uniform for her wings.
Both of you are rushing around to get some breakfast before heading out. Sky finishes hers first, waving a goodbye to you as she closes the door behind her. It's not long before yours is done too, you place the dishes in the sink to soak because you don't have time, walking hurriedly to the door.
You sigh as you approach the apartment door, pulling out the key. You don't like your job, but it's not like you have a choice these days. The door swings open as you twist the key, you're immediately greeted by the sight of Sky, laying boredly on the couch, watching TV. She looks over to you as you enter, her face lighting up.
"Hey! How was your day?" She asks, shifting around to get into a more comfortable sitting position. You walk over and sit beside her, smiling.
"Terrible." You answer with a chuckle, Sky chuckles too. You notice her body language is a bit unsure and you can guess why.
Reaching a hand out, you run it across her head and down the back of her neck. Immediately you can see stress falling off of her. You go for her ears, rubbing them gently. She closes her eyes, melting into your touch like usual. It calms you too, feeling her soft fur against your hands after a long day.
Sky's back drapes across your lap again, exposing her belly to you. You take the bait, rubbing her belly. She nuzzles your hand as it works its way around her head. You look at the TV as you continue the petting, an idea coming to you. You pick up the remote, flicking through the channels, keeping Sky satisfied with the other hand.
You stop on a channel where a movie is just ending. The next movie is one you've heard a lot about, it's pretty good according to your friends. You place down the remote, giving Sky a quick Boop on the nose. She scrunches up her muzzle, looking up at you annoyed. You nod towards the TV. She sighs, turning her head towards it.
Throughout the length of the movie, you keep up some light petting, not too much to distract from the film, but just enough to relax her and yourself. It's about a fantasy world where humans can use magic, the focus is on a girl who thinks she has no magic but ends up saving the world. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's well-written, there are some funny moments and the climax is really powerful.
After the two hour runtime of the movie, both you and Sky are completely silent. She turns her head away from the TV and towards you, smiling. You return the smile, grabbing the remote. This time Sky gives her input on what to watch.
It doesn't take long for the two of you to choose another movie. It's starting soon, so you have some time to make dinner. Luckily enough, there are a few bags of microwave popcorn. A few minutes later you've got a bowl full of popcorn and you're sitting on the couch again. Sky looks happy to see the popcorn. The movie is just starting, the company logos are finishing up.
It doesn't take long for Sky to be in your lap again, it must be really calming to her, you guess. The movie is a reimagining of a classic, barely having any connection to the original. You've seen the original and had found it boring and predictable, this new version is much more interesting though. It has a few slow bits, but you've got a ball of fluff to pet during those.
The movie goes by fast, the hour and a half feeling much shorter. You start feeling tired, yawning. Sky yawns as well, stretching out in your lap, her wings trying to spread against your legs. You've been actively avoiding touching her wings, you've heard they're incredibly sensitive and you don't want to cross any lines.
Sky sits up, looking around for a second before standing. She heads to the bathroom and a moment later you hear the buzzing of an electric toothbrush. You stand outside, leaning against the wall, waiting. When she comes out you walk in to brush your teeth as well.
You wish each other a goodnight and both head to bed. You have plans to meet with a friend tomorrow after work, you're not sure what to say. You imagine the look on their face when you tell them your roommate is a pony, smiling as you fall asleep.
You head straight to a local cafe after a quick trip to the apartment to change. You notice that Sky looks a little disappointed when you rush out the door.
"You're late," Teases Ben. You've known Ben since high school, he's helped you through a lot, been a good support after a couple of breakups, and you've done the same for him. He's a tall guy, not particularly strong, but certainly not made of sticks. His hair is a short brown mess atop his head, his eyes are a piercing blue.
"I misjudged the distance, we'll have to schedule later next time." You respond, Ben smiles at you.
"So, how's the apartment? Comfortable, homey?" He asks, moving from his relaxed position to sitting up straight.
"Yeah, it's good, no complaints so far." You answer, getting comfortable in the chair.
"And how about the roommate? Tell me, am I being replaced?" Ben leans forward, you chuckle a bit at the question.
"Sadly no, you aren't being replaced. They're good though, y'know, nice, easy to be around, a pony.." Your voice drops as you finish the sentence.
"What was that?" Ben leans further forward, turning his head slightly to hear you better.
"They're a... Pony." You repeat, a touch louder so he can barely hear it. His eyes go wide and he stares at you silently for a few seconds. Exactly the face you imagined, classic Ben.
"Really? Tell me everything. Are they as soft as people say? Are they a mare or a stallion? Do they have wings?" Ben shoots all at once, leaving you flabbergasted. He stops to give you time.
"Yeah, they're insanely soft. She's a Pegasus mare." You state, he processes the information, his smile growing.
"So you've felt them? What, like an accidental glance?" Ben enquires, getting a bit too close. He loses awareness of himself when he gets excited.
"More like a.. Hug." You say, leaning back into the chair to put a little more distance between the two of you. Ben's face visibly lights up at your answer.
"So you've hugged? It's been, what, three days? That's a great sign! Are their wings super sensitive? I've heard a few people say so." Ben fires, ecstatic. He's practically bouncing in his seat, impatiently waiting for the seconds to tick by until your response.
"I've heard the same. I made sure to avoid them for that exact reason." Your answer seems to be unsatisfying for Ben.
"Okay, well, are they cute? Like actual cute cute, not date cute." Ben's question gives you pause, your cheeks turning a light shade of pink as your mouth opens.
"I-yeah. Very. Like imagine a puppy and a kitten, rolled into one." You answer, Ben's jaw drops as you do. You can't help but smile at his silliness.
"Nooo, seriously? That's cheating! Hold on, does she purr?" Ben's query makes you stop to think. Your answer could give away very volatile information. Despite this, you push onwards.
"No, but she leans into your hand, lifts her chin, all that stuff." You finally respond. Ben openly 'aww's for a solid 3 seconds before his eyes snap directly to yours.
"You've pet her?!" His voice is giddy, excited, hopeful even. You nod, your voice caught in your throat for a moment as your cheeks redden. Ben places both of his elbows on the table, resting his head atop both hands.
"Tell me all about it." He insists. You sigh, preparing for a long story. This is going to be half your time today, isn't it?
You wave a goodbye to Ben as you part ways. He was uncharacteristically quiet throughout your recount of the pettings, it felt weird. You don't think you've ever seen him so enraptured by something before.
You head back to the apartment, wondering what Sky is up to as you climb the stairs and pull the key from your pocket.
You're surprised to not find Sky when you open the door, she must be in the bathroom or her bedroom you figure. You plop yourself down on the couch, releasing a deep, relieved sigh.
Ben is draining sometimes. You love the guy, you don't know where you'd be without him, but you just can't match his energy levels. You're happy to be home, where everything is quiet and relaxing.
A few minutes pass in complete silence, you staring at the ceiling. Eventually, you get up and gently knock on Sky's door out of curiosity. You hear a questioning hum from the other side and push the door open.
"Good evening, how did it go with your friend?" She asks, stretching as you enter. She was idly scrolling through something on her phone beforehand, she holds it with one wing and taps with the other, must be special technology to detect feathers?
"Great. I get the feeling he really likes you. You two should meet sometime." You respond. Both of you smile as you seat yourself on her bed. She shimmies a bit closer, neither of you say anything as you extend a hand and the petting begins.
She falls onto her back beside you, her wings splayed across the bedsheets. Your conversation earlier really made you wonder about the sensitivity of pegasus wings, but you keep your hands away.
You rub her soft belly, petting her head calmly. Immediately your worries disappear, you can see hers doing the same. She slowly shuffles closer to you, seeking warmth you suppose. You're happy to move her onto your lap. She's not the lightest thing ever, but she's not fat by any stretch of the imagination.
It doesn't take long for sleep to take her. It soon makes a move on you too, you grab a pillow and lay your head down, closing your eyes and surrendering.
When you wake up there's a heavy weight on your chest. Looking down, you see a spectrum of messy hair and a dark purple bundle of fluff, eyes closed, a blissful smile on her face. Sky must have migrated upwards after you fell asleep, by the looks of it she's listening to your heartbeat. It's a good thing to wake up to, something cute and wholesome.
The alarm cuts through your thoughts like a knife through butter, making you jump suddenly. Your movement and the alarm both make Sky wake up suddenly, looking incredibly startled. She looks around, unsure of where she is for a moment. It's not long before she glares at the alarm and reaches over to turn it off. You gently poke her side, trying to get her off.
She flutters off of you so you can sit up. You run a hand through her mane, it's all tied up and out of place from a night spent moving about, even so, it brings a smile to her tired features. Before long she jumps off the bed to start getting ready. You hop up as well, soon hearing your alarm blaring from your room.
You turn off your alarm, stretch briefly and then join Sky in the morning rush. Actually, it's less of a rush now, after a couple of days everything makes more sense. You think about changing your alarm time, but figure that there's no point. Soon, you're out the door, neck and neck with Sky this time.
Some people made a huge mess today, it was terrible. Luckily, you can let the day fade away into nothingness as soon as the door opens and you're home. The smell has become recognisable, greeting you with open arms every time you return. It's a homey smell, a good one, almost brings a smile to your face on its own. Of course, that honour truly goes to the lazing pony before you.
Sky's eyes look up at you as you enter, she's on her back watching TV. You wave at her as you throw yourself down on the couch. You've come to love this couch, so much time spent just lying here, it's actually really comfortable. Sky seems to agree, you often see her lounging on it, with a pillow under her head, for some reason she looks more at peace sleeping with her head resting on you, though. Must be the warmth, it sure does make you happier to sleep with her warmth against you, surely it's the same for her.
Speaking of which, you feel a soft sensation against your thighs. You idly pet Sky as you watch the show that's on, something about time travel, nothing groundbreaking but it's good. Sky seems to be using it as background noise, completely focused on the sensation of your hand on her head. Work clearly has her drained and she looks grateful beyond belief for having you around.
"You know how I said you and Ben should meet?" You ask, looking down to the peaceful pony in your lap. Sky opens her eyes, tilting her head before nodding.
"I'm sure he'd be more than happy for us to come over someday soon, what do you think?" You offer, causing her to pause, thinking it over. She ruffles her feathers, smiling up at you as she answers.
"Sounds like a good idea! For now, though, I'm hungry." Sky answers, leaning forward and sitting up. You stand, heading over to the kitchen, shortly followed by her. You've noticed something about her recently.
It seems like she's been happier and happier every day you've been together, she's even got a small bounce in her step now. She wasn't depressed before or anything, but the improvement in her mood is noticeable. She's cuter when she's happy too. You stopped bothering asking to pet her, you feel comfortable around her now and she's really nice to talk to, a great counter to Ben's boundless energy, just a cute, calm ball of fluff.
You don't notice you're staring, lost in thought until Sky says something. You don't understand it the first time, your focus elsewhere for a moment. It's only when she speaks up again that you snap out of it and regain your focus, though you miss what she said this time too.
"Earth to Anon? Hellooo~? You awake?" Sky says, her voice finally clear in your mind. She's waving a hoof in front of your face, trying to catch your eyes. You smile at the attempt, warding away her hoof with a hand.
"Sorry, mind was wandering. Anyway, food." You change the subject immediately, just as hungry as the little equine in front of you. She rolls her eyes, giving a genuine smile as she starts. You're not sure what she's planning to make, but you're glad to help however you can. It surprises you to see fish, but then you think about it and remember that some ponies are pescatarian, usually Pegasi. It's a bit strange, considering they're herbivores naturally. Then again, humans are omnivores and yet some of them choose to be vegetarian, so you can't judge.
As it turns out, this evening's meal is going to be fish and chips with some lemon on the side. It looks pretty tasty, and the smell is amazing. You compliment her on the meal as you finish it up, her plate almost empty too. The show from before is finishing up, the action is ramping up. You don't understand half the stuff that's happening, but it's definitely gotten you pumped up.
After the show ends and you've washed the plates, you each return to your respective rooms. The rest of the day disappears in a snap without the company of, who is now, your favourite pony. Not that there's much competition. You have a chat with Ben, but the rest of the time is spent on YouTube and some light reading.
Before long you've bored your mind and passed out, your phone beside you on your bed. You've still got earbuds in while you sleep, luckily they end up being fine.
It's late when you rouse from your nap and your stomach is making itself known. Still getting your bearings, you lazily grab your phone and move it off the bed. With some effort, you sit up and stand from the bed, straightening the messy sheets.
Stumbling out the door, you tap the wall a few times before finding the light switch. Your head angles down to avoid the sudden light, a hand coming up to assist.
You look around the kitchen, trying to choose what to have. You wonder how Sky is sleeping and hope you haven't disturbed her. You end up pulling out some bread and microwaving a cheese and ham sandwich.
While you eat alone in silence, you reflect on the past week. You find yourself feeling lucky to have met Sky, you've made a lot of good memories together in just a short time. You'll have to properly thank her sometime, you think as you finish up the sandwich.
After washing up the plate, you return to your room. As you're about to turn the knob, you stop and turn around, carefully opening Sky's door. It brings a smile to your face seeing her sleeping without interruption, so you close the door silently and head to bed.
The morning is the same as always, boring and monotonous. You push yourself through the work with the thought that it's just today and tomorrow before the weekend. You don't mention it, but thinking about Sky also helps.
Before you know it, you're back home. You're saddened after checking all the rooms and finding no signs of Sky, you wonder where she is but the thought is cut off by the door opening.
Sky walks in looking tired and unhappy. You reckon she's late from work and walk over quickly, ready to offer some comfort. She doesn't seem to notice you as she walks in, which is perfect for a sneak attack. She almost falls over at the sudden petting, but manages to keep her legs firm and push into your hand, the frown washing off her face, quickly replaced with a content smile.
Before you get carried away, you remove your hand, much to Sky's displeasure. The little Pegasus gets out of her uniform, her mane a mess. Looking at it, a thought occurs. You ask her if you could brush her mane, which comes as a surprise to her. It seems like a Pegasus would have a hard time doing it alone.
Fortunately, your prediction is correct and Sky agrees eagerly after a bit of thought. You get to work quickly, though carefully. Your work pays off, Sky looks beyond peaceful as you fix up her mane. This must not happen much for her, or maybe she wasn't expecting it from a human? The gradient is very noticeable in her hairs, but how it grows like that is beyond you.
After her mane has been brushed to near-perfection, you run your hands through it. It's softer than when your first pet her, somehow. You weren't aware something could be as soft as this. It takes all your willpower to not bury your head into it and indulge in the velvety smooth texture.
Sky is clearly on the verge of falling asleep, you're pretty relaxed too, the motion was soothing to repeat, and the occasional satisfied hums helped. If you went for some petting right now she'd undoubtedly pass out in your hands.
But of course you're both hungry, so that'll have to wait until later. For now, you stand and head to the kitchen. Sky wakes from her sleep-like state and joins you. You've got some frozen pies that you can heat up, fast and simple. Sky takes a salad out and you both eat in relative silence. Compared to the other stuff you've had recently, this pie is terrible, but you're hungry now and don't have time to wait. The salad doesn't look amazing either, but you're both enjoying your food enough.
An idea comes to the front of your mind suddenly. Maybe you should try to cut down on your meat consumption? It doesn't seem to make Sky uncomfortable when you eat it around her, but it'd be interesting to try going without it. You could do what she does, fish but no other meat. It's kinda weird that a pony would be pescatarian though, they don't need it, is it just for taste?
Before you fall down that rabbit hole, a ticklish sensation interrupts you. Moving your arm, it becomes obvious what's causing it, it's not the fluffy fur, but rather the soft wing of your roommate. For whatever reason, her wings have been left extended by her sides and one of the feathers has started brushing against your skin. You hadn't noticed until now, but she clearly puts a lot of work into her wings, they're orderly and clean. Overall, Sky certainly does a lot to keep herself looking nice. To keep her fur fluffy and soft she would have to use some kind of shampoo or something, which brings an image of Sky hopping out of a shower and drying herself, just for her fur to poof up suddenly, the thought brings a chuckle from your mouth.
Even though it was quiet, Sky hears the chuckle and looks over, curious about what's funny. Unwilling to expose yourself, you try to bribe her with pettings. Any questions are immediately gone from her mind as she surrenders to your ministrations like every time before.
You find the rest of the day gone in a haze, the details are fuzzy and unimportant. You lay on your side in your bed, smiling to yourself at thoughts of that silly cute horse.
You decided it would be best if Sky and Ben met at his place, it's more spacious and you haven't been there in way too long. You walk up and press the doorbell, your fluffy Pegasus friend following closely beside you. Ben is quick to arrive, opening the door and greeting you. It's barely a second after he lays eyes on Sky that pure, unrefined glee covers his face.
After prying your overly affectionate human friend off of your surprised pony friend, you and Sky sit down in the living room while Ben gets some snacks. You turn on the TV, looking through the channels for something to watch. Ben comes back while you're browsing, carrying 2 bowls full of chips and popcorn. He gives his opinion and you finally decide what to watch before he leaves again to get some drinks.
You all sit down, finally settling in to watch a romantic movie. The genre choice reminds you of how Ben broke up with his girlfriend recently, you haven't been able to give him the support you want to because of moving, so you're hoping this will make up for it. Sky is between both of you, she begrudgingly accepted to let Ben pet her after a lot of pleading on his part. His face when she said yes could only be described as ecstatic.
The three of you sit for the next couple hours, watching as Kate falls for some random guy. Honestly, you stopped paying attention to the plot. Looking over, Sky looks pretty happy, you started petting her after a few minutes and she lit up immediately, your pets must somehow be better. As the movie comes to an end, the Pegasus is in a dreamy state, being exposed to the affection of two humans. Collectively, you've gotten through about half of the snacks.
After the credits and advertisements, the next movie comes on. It tells the story of a team of engineers on board a half-destroyed starship, trying to fix it and get home while facing the challenges of insanity and a lack of leadership. Unlike the previous movie, it manages to keep your attention throughout its run-length. Sky seems pretty interested in it too, though Ben's mind is elsewhere, he's hooked on petting Sky now. She looks comfortable at least, more used to Ben after a few hours.
The movie comes to a close as the sun sets, bathing the house in soft orange light. You thank Ben for the evening as you head out, but that's never enough of a goodbye for him. Before you turn your back, he wraps his arms around your torso in a hug, which you reciprocate.
"And thank you for coming over, I really needed this," Ben says, his voice barely above a whisper. It's rare to see him in an unhappy state, but now he's got tears in his eyes. He's been bottling up his emotions for too long, so you stand there, holding him for a bit so he can let it all out.
Sky has a smile on her face when Ben finally releases you and you turn around, you roll your eyes at her, musing her mane as you walk past.
You flop onto your bed, sighing. Today felt like a blur, it seemed like you were only at Ben's for an hour, but the day's suddenly gone. You smile knowing that you helped Ben out, those two were inseparable, it must have hurt a lot. You make a note to yourself, you've got to talk to Ben again, soon, 1 on 1, in private.
Even though your mind is wandering all over the place, full of energy, your body is perfectly content to pass out immediately. Sleep takes you in the middle of a thought. You have a bit of a weird dream, there's a lot of focus on someone you've barely talked to, yet somehow the dream narrative brings you closer to each other. Dreams are weird.
3 months have passed, a lot has happened, you're a little overloaded and you need to sort through everything quickly.
You and Sky have gotten really close, you vent to each other, support each other, spend a lot of your time together, your relationship with her is similar to your relationship with Ben. Speaking of Ben, he's feeling fantastic, he visits every now and then, mostly to pet Sky.
Ben asked you about your love life a few days back, of course, you've got nothing going on, he briefly mentioned something about Sky but he clearly already knows nothing romantic is going to happen there. It's not that you don't find her attractive, despite being a pony, and you definitely don't dislike her, but she's too good a friend to risk.
You're right outside your apartment now, pulling the key out of your pocket. Soon after the door is open, a ball of fluff assaults you with affection. You wrap her in a hug, smiling wide. You've gotten used to it now, it makes life a lot easier to live. Even on bad days, you can't keep a smile off your face when Sky decides she wants to see you happy. That's something that's great about Sky, when you need her most she's there, you can just hold her, pet her and calm down. Ben is still better when you need to talk about things, he's known you for longer, knows just what to say, but sometimes you don't need words, you just need to relax.
Sometimes one of you gets back first, sometimes the other one does, you've come to the agreement of whoever gets back first making something for both of you, and the other one making dinner. You can't say you're the best cook ever, but most of the time you just have sandwiches after work anyway. Dinner is usually pretty simple too, most of the time you help each other out. Ben's never been very good in the kitchen, he almost broke your oven a few years back actually, so needless to say you never let him help even when he feels like he should.
Work has been pretty normal, nothing much has changed. It might not be great, but you're grateful that it's consistent at least. Every now and then someone will thank you for your work, those people bring a smile to your face. Sky has apparently been going through much the same thing, which is good you suppose. She's wanted to take commissions for the longest time, but she doesn't seem to think she's good enough yet. You've tried to encourage her, and it's certainly helped, but she still says it'll be a little bit before she's comfortable with the idea. Of course Ben has no trouble with work, he's got plenty of disposable income. It'd be easy to be jealous of him, but you're happy that he's able to do what he likes. It also helps that, being so close to him, he occasionally buys things for you.
You sit down on the couch, looking over to your roommate. She looks back, a smile on her face and a brightness in her eyes. You return her smile, closing your eyes and letting out a satisfied sigh. You think to yourself how lucky you must be, to have friends who support you, being able to enjoy life. Your train of thought is interrupted by the now-familiar sensation of Sky nuzzling up against you, looking for some petting. You oblige happily, forgetting your thoughts, they aren't important right now.