"You don't have to explain anything. If you want to be with her, then go. I wanted you to come by so I could apologize for slapping you." Her voice sounded distant.

"Rarity, that's what I-"

"No no, you don't have to explain anything. I'm sorry for slapping you." She turned away as if to leave.

"Rarity, please just let me talk." With a sigh she agreed and turned to face me again. Her sapphire eyes seemed dull when she looked at me. Her blank expression felt like it was cutting away at my heart. "What happened last night- with my boss- it was just a misunderstanding." I took a pause, expecting her to interrupt me. When she didn't say anything I continued, "I didn't even know she liked me, so when she kissed me... it was completely by surprise! Nothing went on between us and there's still nothing between us. She's my boss and my friend: nothing more." I stopped to catch my breath, and then decided that was a good stopping point. For now.

"I see." Her expression stayed blank, but her stare softened a bit.

"I honestly don't know why you even flipped out like that. Or why you slap-"

"I like you," she cut me off as she started stepping closer to me in a hostile manner, "I'm always either making dresses or spending time with my friends. I had no stallion in my life until you came along. Sure I've had stallions ask me out before, but you... You're different. You would have completely cut me out of your life if Scissor Clip hadn't brought you here while you were high as a kite off the chemicals! And for some foalish reason, I wanted that. I wanted to know the stallion I accidentally hurt for some stupid misunderstanding. I wanted him to ask me to be his fillyfriend." By this point, she was just a few inches away from my face. If I wasn't taller than her, she'd be glaring down at me. I was afraid she was going to slap me again.

"And I wanted to ask you out. I was about to when Brewer came out of nowhere and kissed me." I swallowed the lump in my throat before continuing, "I wanted the beautiful mare, you to be my fillyfriend! And if it means anything, I still do. Everything went exactly how I wanted it to until the point where Lantern was arrested. And I definitely didn't want Brewer to kiss me." Even though she was a good kisser. Best not to tell her that part "I'm sorry for what happened, and I'm sorry if things didn't work out-" my last words were cut off...

My very first fillyfriend was a mare named Morning Light. She and her parents were on a trip across Equestria to see a giant music expo that was raising attention for the innocence of a radio DJ. I met them when they passed through Manehattan when I was a teenager. We went on a "date" and ended it with a peck on the cheek as she chased after the wagon her family was driving.

Next came a blue maned DJ named Vinyl, but that didn't last long either. I was a stallion by then, so we had a few drinks, a few laughs, and a quick kiss on the lips. A few days later, she discovered a love for a cellist. I never heard from her again.

Third was a business mare named Amber Rain. I never even held her hoof, much less kissed her. She just said she needed the feel of having an innocent coltfriend again since her husband was getting boring.

Lastly as a two part, there was that surprise kiss- a real, passionate kiss- from Brewer. It was my first kiss and I wasn't even expecting it. And now-

Rarity.

She had her front legs wrapped around my neck to lift her up close enough so she could have her lips pressed firmly- yet affectionately- against mine. They were sweet, soft, moist, and most importantly connected to mine.

Idiot! Kiss her back! Oh right!

I did as my conscience told me, returning the kiss as passionately as my inexperience would allow. In other words: it wasn't that much, but it was enough. The kissing became more aggressive, making me a little nervous, but she pulled away soon afterward.

"Yes." She said.

Yes? Yes what? She must have noticed my confusion. She giggled.

"Yes, I'll be your fillyfriend."

"When did I-" I started to ask when I asked her out, but she kissed me again.

"What will you do about your boss?" She asked.

I thought for a moment. I had no idea what I was going to do about Brewer. "She knows how I feel towards you. She admitted she didn't know, and she said it won't happen again." That last part wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't necessarily the truth. I certainly hope it doesn't happen again!

"Well, you should at least go and let her know our stand point." She gave me one last kiss before shooing me out the door to her audience of friends. I gave them a smile and told them what had happened and where I was going. Rainbow Dash's attitude seriously changed after I told them everything. She even congratulated me. Best to get back to Alfalfa. Or Coffee Lobby, whichever worked.

The door to Alfalfa creaked open. It had never done that, but after Rainbow's assault, I'm not too surprised. "Welcome back!" Lantern called out from the kitchen. For once, he didn't sound drunk, but there was a familiar smell in the house.

"Lanti, have you been smoking inside?!" I shouted.

"Sorry bro, I had forgotten, but I ran outside with my cig as soon as I remembered." Ponyfeathers, it was going to take a lot of air cleanser to cover that smell. I didn't have a problem with cigarette smoke: I even smoked once in a while with Lantern, and I still had a nearly whole pack in my room somewhere.

"Is Brewer still here?" I asked, peeking into the kitchen.

"Yeah, she's in your room." He gestured down the hall. By then, Brewer had appeared behind me. She smiled and we exchanged hello's before going back to my room to talk.

"What's wrong, Ozo?" she asked.

"I need to tell you about me and Rarity." Her face gave an expression that seemed to be a mixture of hopes that things didn't work out and acceptance if things did. I took a deep breath, thinking of how to say what I needed. "Rarity and I spoke, and we decided that we," I paused, closed my eyes and took another breath, "will start dating." She didn't make a sound. I couldn't even hear her breathing, so I cracked my eyes open to see her with her jaw dropped.

Uh oh. This can't be good.

She looked at the floor, at me, at other various items in the room, then back to me. When she started shaking, I knew I was in a jam. The same weight returned to my chest and on my shoulders. "Celestia damn you!" She finally shouted, causing me to flinch. "I go out of my way to find you in the middle of the night and kiss you and this is what I get? Do you have any idea how much that took?!"

Nope, not good at all.

"Brewer, I-"

"No! Don't you dare start talking! I've been working in that damn coffee shop- by myself- for years! Just once I wanted somepony to lean on, and talk to, and kiss just like Bon Bon did!" She was frantic, she picked up the clock on the night stand and threw it at me. I managed to duck in time, but not fast enough for the photo.

The photo. The one of me and my Grandpa at the Summer Sun Celebration. The frame cracked against my head with a loud snapping sound and the shattered glass cut the photo itself.

That photo was the last thing that I had from him. When I saw the shreds of paper flutter to the floor, it felt like everything was gone in my life. I didn't even care that the broken glass had cut my face a bit.

"Ozone! I'm so sorry!" Brewer scrambled over to me and pressed her hooves against the cut to try and stop the bleeding when Lantern charged in.

"Get away from him! What did you do?!" He shouted, prying Brewer away and standing between the two of us. I was still looking down at the cut up photo. I wanted to snap and yell at Brewer. I wanted to show her the picture and what she did to it. I wanted to make her cry for what she did to my grandpa. I wanted her to feel like manure for hurting me. But I was a forgiving pony, and even though I thought I'd never forgive somepony if this exact situation were to occur, I still found a small- a small- fiber of forgiveness and decided to test its strength.

"Lanti, calm down. It's fine." I placed my hoof on his shoulder. Judging from the look of pure fear on Brewer's face, she needed a calming side. Thank you, forgiveness strand.

"Ozone, I freaked out, I'm so sorry. I just thought I'd finally had somepony in my life that I could call mine. I guess I was just being foalish, I hadn't even told you." She hung her head away from Lantern's glare.

"Down boy," I whispered to Lantern, who seemed to ease up a bit. "Look, Brewer, you're my boss and my friend. If Lanti here wanted to go out drinking, you'd be somepony I'd invite, not somepony I would tell I can't come over because I'm working later than normal." I cracked a smirk at my own joke, "I see Rarity in a way I want to date her, and I see you in a way I see Lantern. I want to be your friend." I offered my hoof to her.

She looked from me to the hoof, "It'll take some time." She slowly placed her hoof in mine, "I- I'll give it a try." I smiled at her. Brewer was my friend and I wanted it to stay that way.

"I need a smoke." Lantern laughed, leaving out of Alfalfa. I shortly followed him. "Want one?" He levitated the pack over to me. What the hay? I figured, taking one. "Just one second." He cast a small spark from his horn to light the thing.

"Thanks, bro." I waved my hoof in a playful salute as I made my way back to Rarity. I sure hope she doesn't mind the smoke. But Lantern called out to me.

"Hey, Zo Zo."

"Yeah?" I answered.

"Well, I was wondering if I could move in. Permanently." I'm not surprised. In fact, I'm surprised he didn't ask sooner. We always ended up in the same place anyway. It would be the first time we were actually roommates.

"Sure thing. Just don't smoke inside." We shared a laugh at that. Ponyville was my home now that my brother was with me.

"There you are, Ozone. Why do you smell like smoke?"

"Oh, uh, Lantern was smoking in the house." Not a lie, but also not the truth.

"Good, I can't stand the smell. Be sure to take a bath later." She smiled at me. She still seemed a bit shaken up from last night, but she was definitely in a much better mood. I laughed at her comment about the bath and kissed her on the cheek.

"Well, I talked to Brew-"

"Ozi, what happened to your face?!" She must have finally caught a glimpse of the gash above my eye.

"Oh, just a flying photo frame, don't worry abouuuuuuuu-" My voice drug off as I felt her gentle kiss on my forehead. It stung at first from the injury, but it started to feel better. "Saaaahah I should get injured more often."

"If you do, I won't do this." She took my face in both hooves and pressed her lips against mine as passionately as she could. My mind was melting. If it wasn't for the fact that her kiss made me fall to my flank, I would have stayed like that all day. Rarity noticed how her kiss affected me and giggled, "I'm going to have fun with that."

"Oh, hush." I smiled at her, trying to hide my embarrassment.

"That's not very nice," she said as she stepped over me, her lips just inches away from mine again. Just as I leaned in to kiss her, she pulled away.

"Hey, neither was that!" I moaned. She giggled and got me to my hooves. We went over to the couch, took a seat, and Rarity snuggled against me as I put my forelegs around her.

"Well, we have plenty of time to do more of that." She said warmly.

I sighed happily. I was on my way to an awesome life: an amazing fillyfriend, my best friend was moving in, I made minor amends with Brewer, and I finally found my new home.

I kissed Rarity's forehead and smiled.

Author's Note

I had the hardest time brainstorming for this chapter. I didn't know what to write at all, so I spent all day throwing bologna at the wall (which is still there from 11 this morning: 8/14/2013) I made koolaid, went driving around for a bit, bought a pack of Marlboro's(never had them before), came back, dumped a pitcher of koolaid that was made and finally sat down and started winging it.

Oh, and this may or may not be the last chapter. Might do an epilogue later on.