“And so, after five years of tedious legislation, all but one state allowed equestrians in public schools.”

Martin paused the TV’s playback and turned to his roommate. “This sort of thing is why I’m ashamed to be from Kentucky.”

“You have to admit though,” Steve objected, “that everybody thought Texas’d be last.”

“Point taken.”

“Have you met any?” Steve asked as reached for his drink. “Ponies, I mean?”

“Have I ever! There’s at least five at Providence alone.”

“Well, North Carolina was one of the first in line. Hey, you got more of these cans?” Steve asked as he crumpled the tough plastic shell that formerly held his Coke. Martin nodded.

“Don’t drink all of it, okay? We’ve got a guest coming over in a few.”

“Right, right. Somebody I know?” Steve joked.

“Some pony you probably don’t,” Martin corrected with a knowing smirk, putting just the right amount of stress on the word “pony”.

“You’re kidding me? From Providence?”

“Eyup. She goes by the name Sky Dancer,” Martin said wistfully. The tone didn’t escape Steve, even if he was a legit dumbass.

“Oh, what’s this?” Steve teased, posing with a fresh can. “You like ponies, don’t you Marty?”

“Shut your face,” Martin exploded. “She just seems nice, okay? So what if she looks good in shirts and I was the first human student she dared speak to?”

“You really do like her.”

“I might. I’m not entirely sure,” Martin admitted. “At least, not yet. That’s actually one of the reasons I said yes to her.”

Steve handed Martin a can and a questioning look.

“I mean… sure, there’s the stuff I said just now. But she’s not even human, dude. She’s… some kind of small, sapient horse thing. I’m feeling rather conflicted about it, actually.”

“Heh… You mentioned shirts. Does she wear anything else?”

“Hush, you. You’ll know soon enough,” Martin said softly, pointing at the street where a little pony was trotting up to their door.

Sky Dancer was a graceful sort. She had a pleasing wisteria coat, long eggplant-brown mane, and stark magenta eyes revealing just a touch of mutual nervousness. The entire scheme went well with the large black shirt draped around her lithe form, but then again black went with everything. Looking out the window, Steve could imagine how it must’ve happened between the pony and his roomie. Before Sky Dancer could reach the door, Martin was there to open it for her.

“Hello Sky,” Martin greeted, receiving a hug from the pony that only he had expected. “I’d like to introduce my roomie and best friend Steve. Steve, this is Sky Dancer.”

“Hi.”

“Pleased to meet you, Steve,” Sky Dancer said before giving Steve a hug of his own, rearing up and wrapping her forelegs around his torso.

“Woah! A little too pleased, maybe?”

Martin tore an equally surprised Sky away from his roomie. “Nah, I got the impression that’s just the way ponies are. Real touchy-feely sometimes. Sky, you didn’t mean anything special with that, did you?”

“Not really, no. I’m just a little… nervous to be here. My first visit to a human residence…”

“Well, it’s not much to write home about, but please come in,” Martin insisted as he led the pony to the living room.

Said room seemed to be your typical high school students’ living room, with all the typical amenities 205X had to offer – a somewhat outdated flat-screen TV, an equally outdated media recorder, and the latest Nintendo console on one side, a comfy couch on the other. Against one wall, an older rail gun model with the control system, power source and slugs removed hung on a sturdy nail, surrounded by a series of vintage movie posters from classics such as The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, Equestria Girls, and The Great Gatsby.

It wasn’t until Sky had taken a spot on the couch and laid down that Steve found the answer to his question. Sky did not indeed wear anything besides her shirt. He could see as much, and thanked his favored deity that Sky had her tail loosely wrapped around her rump. Sky was little enough to allow both roomies to sit on the couch with her, with the arm rest within reach of her head if she wanted. Martin quickly popped off to the small kitchen and returned with another Coke that he’d stuck a straw in, placing it on a side table on Sky’s side of the couch.

“Thank you Martin,” Sky said with a nod and smile. She reached out and took a sip of the divine beverage as Martin sat down in the middle. The three sat there in silence for a few moments until Sky felt something on her haunches.

“Martin, are you?”

Martin caught himself softly stroking Sky’s soft fur, just above her cutie mark. “Oh ah… excuse me. It’s just…”

“It’s okay, Martin. You can stroke me there if you want. Just don’t get any funny ideas.”

“Oh hey,” Steve interjected. “That reminds me! With a name like yours, I expected you’d be a peggyseuss.”

“Pegasus, Steve,” Sky corrected, “and no, sometimes the obvious meaning isn’t the correct one. I dance.”

Steve bent over to get a close look at Sky’s flank. “Oh yeah. When you consider the tat, it does make more sense.”

“‘Tat’ as in ‘tattoo’? You must mean my cutie mark.”

“Yeah.” Steve sat back and pondered the term for a few seconds. “What do the boys call theirs?”

“Colts and stallions also call them ‘cutie marks’. Why?”

“They do? It sounds so… emasculating.”

Martin chuckled. “I’m surprised you know the word.”

“Fuck off, Marty. Anyway, why not give them some cooler name, like… ‘bootie badge’?”

“It certainly has a nice ring to it. ‘Bootie badge’… I should discuss this with my pony friends. Some of them are male.”

Suddenly, Sky gasped. “Martin! Where are you touching?!”

Martin retracted his hand. “Oh, sorry! Was that too close?”

“Haha, yeah. Maybe if I wasn’t quite so nervous and we knew each other a little better?”

Steve harrumphed in an exaggerated manner and put his drink down. “As long as you get a room first instead of making out on the couch I am also sitting on, you just do what you want.”

“Are you serious?” Martin asked somewhat incredulously.

“Mostly. Why?” Steve replied with a smirk.

“I wasn’t even looking, dude. I wasn’t looking and I didn’t know exactly where the ‘bad touch’ zone starts. Now I know, a’ight?”

“Look. Marty, dude, just look. I know you’re into this lovely young mare. Why else would you bring a female into our apartment, right? And then spend the next ten minutes stroking her butt.”

“Haunch,” Sky corrected, sitting up a little to look at Steve.

“I’m just saying, the lady seems un-nervous enough by now and I’m perfectly willing to pop down to the store and get some pizza or whatever, and some more drinks, if you catch my drift.”

“You are a bigger pervert than I am, but your concern is appreciated,” Martin said mock-seriously. “We do need something for dinner.”

“And I’ll admit, I’m not nearly as nervous as I was before,” Sky added.

Steve finished his drink, crushed the can and threw it away. “I’ll be off, then! And remember: play safe, kids!”

Author's Note

To be continued in Chapter 4 - Up All Night To Get Yucky.

Thanks to Frigo for the pony's name.

The two best friends are named after, of course, Steve Martin.