“That wasn't the deal, Owl!”

My hands balled into fists of rage at the man on the other side of the desk. He had dark stubble growing in which made up for the lack of hair up top. His name is Owl, an information and weapons dealer aboard the beached cargo ship Skadovsk. He held a vicious grin on his face but otherwise remained silent.

“You said if I retrieved the PDA from that kid, you'd give me the co-ordinates of my Brother!” My voice could have easily been heard throughout the rust bucket of a ship. I had just given the scum the PDA and he simply gave me a small cash pay out for my trouble. How I wanted to reach across the table and beat that stupid smirk off his face! “Where is he? Where is Daniel?”

Owl's simple response was an irritated roll of his eyes and deep sigh, as if I was some sort of annoying mosquito. There was an uneasy silence between us for a moment as a few heads peeked into Owl's office from the medic's office adjacent the hall. “Fine, you damn Canuck. I know where you can find more information on your Brother but I need one more job from you,”

“Fuck your jobs!” I shouted in rage fuelled defiance. “I bet you don't even know anything about Daniel. Get some other monkey to dance on your lap!” I mocked him and lord did it feel good! As much as I wanted to just crack his jaw with my fist, Owl had many allies aboard that would be more then willing to waste a bullet or two for a discount.

Owl could only smirk as he reached underneath his counter. Instinctively, I had my hand on my pistol that was holstered against my thigh. The Information Trader however brought something that scared me more then any weapon he could pull. It was a photo of my Brother that he tossed onto the table top with a small flick of his wrist. It was him. The same stupid, goofy smile that got him the King of Prom back home. He was giving the photographer a thumbs up as a Chimera was strung out behind him and his STALKER buddies all in arms.

My hand trembled for only a moment as I hovered my hand over the priceless artifact before me. I glanced up to Owl who seemed to have softened his expression to a point I thought impossible for the old man. He simply gave me a nod of admittance as I picked the photo up closer to the light. I have been looking for a good year now and was starting to lose hope. Many thought I was foolish to still have hope that my Brother was still alive although many haven't seen him since a year ago.

My face hardened into complete dedication as I lowered my vision down to Owl. He gave me a small smirk knowing full well that he had me in his pocket.

“What do you need me to do?”

My footsteps were muffled under my boot as I tread with extreme caution. The Waste Processing Plant was ahead with the moonlight shinning off the large construct and adjoining pipes. A simple snatch and grab of intelligence from the small mercenary group stationed within. Many STALKERs have given the Mercs plenty of room since they often give a “Fuck off!” before opening fire on you, unlike the Bandits.

I, however, have no hesitation of sinking my blade deep in their throat when it comes to my Brother. My body hugged the concrete wall of the sewage drain as a small two man patrol exchanged idle chatter only a few meters away from my form. I held my breath until they disappeared after turning around the corner. I stalked away from the shadow like a silent, lumbering creature of the dark. My blade and silenced pistol out front in case I was in for a few surprises along the way. My boots patted against the still wet concrete beneath me as I quietly leaned my head to see down a sewer pipe. I noticed nothing until my night vision flicked on.

Through the green tinted vision I noticed a shape disappear farther down the large pipe. I only cursed under my breath before pulling myself up into the awful smelling pipe. The smell was beyond foul! It's as if every single being came to this exact location to crap and die. It wouldn't be a great shock to believe the Mercenaries were using this as a sort of defence mechanism. Inhumane if you ask me but then again, the whole Zone was inhumane.

I made forward, taking every precaution of both my stealth and security as the pipe eventually lead out to a small room. A few corpses laid out in no particular pattern which I quickly gave a small pat for anything useful. They were all picked clean which could only make me assume that it was a simple burial ground of past owners of the Station or perhaps unlucky passersby. My gaze shifted to the roof as I saw something that chilled my bones. Shadows passed by as a few shouts could be heard through the large hole in the ceiling.

“Let's dump 'em already!”

I panicked. My eyes darted left and right for a place to hide but all that surrounded me was the corpses that laid lifeless before me. The sweat glided down my face as the shouts were getting closer as my vision glanced once more to the figure at my feet, decaying flesh easily wafting through my nose. I swallowed hard to try and keep the puke from coming out as I quickly knelt, holstering both my pistol and knife before pushing the corpse over. I quickly pulled with a great huff of effort as the man's dead weight laid upon me. Maggots fell out of the gas mask eye piece as I tried yet again to contain my urge to puke.

The puke that did form in my mouth spilled out in small heaves. The remnants of the canned Tuna easily seen amongst the other indescribable mush. It was muffled thankfully by the yelling over head until I heard the tell tale sign of a new deposit for their make shift grave yard.

“One! Two! Three!”

I watched for a small moment as beside me a corpse collided with the cold cement beside me with a wet thud. Blood sprayed against my face as the man's deformed body simply laid still, lifeless eyes staring at me. “I fucking hate you, Owl,” I could only utter with despite as another wet thud was heard a few feet away from me. I held my breath to hear the Mercenaries above me clearer.

“Stupid, Bandit fucks; never learn. At least the Snorks will get a meal now!”

My blood ran cold on the spot as the low growls filled the small, makeshift burial room. The small pattering of boots and hands slightly echoed as the sound closed closer. It was the moment of sudden silence that terrified me the most. The only thing that perturbed the silence was three long sniffs much like any animal trying to detect prey. I held my breath in fear as I noticed the shadows of the Mercenaries above were still there watching the enfolding scene, probably making bets.

My vision snapped close as the foretelling of attack echoed through the sewer as the Snork leaped upon its food. I cringed for only a moment as the sound of flesh tearing by teeth brought a crowd of cheering from above. I opened one eye to see the unlucky sod beside me was now becoming a feast for a sole Mutant Snork. The lanky creature was once a human much like myself but radiation has messed both body and mind. An old gas mask was strapped to its face as the hose simply waved left and right with each jerk of its head. Most of the old Russian uniform was still attached to the creature though it has seen much nicer days. I continued to watch in horror until a shout brought me from my stupor.

“Hey! Get back to your patrols!”

A host of grunts above responded as the shadows begun to move away and silence regained my senses. I let out a breath of small relief until my eyes shot open. The room was silent. Silent. I jerked my head left once more to see the freshly mauled corpse was alone. My panic easily set in once more as I reached for my pistol that was on my thigh. One thing stopped me however as the weight of the corpse above me suddenly became heavier as I quickly gazed down to see a gas mask tube run down my arm.

“Ah shit,” I muttered before the Snork gave a roar of attack as hands tried to grasp for me underneath my dead shield. The Snork barely showed its head over the corpse before I gave both a great heave upwards, the light bodied Snork rolled with the decaying man. With more then enough time for me to recover myself, I grasped onto my pistol and brought it to bare. In all of that movement however the Snork gave another shout as it hurled itself at me as I fired the first round.

The Snork shrieked in pain as the bullet tore through its left arm. I, on the other hand, could only swear as the propelled Snork collided into me with enough force to cause my side arm to fall to the side with a clank. The adrenaline pumped through my legs as my retaliation came as a swift kick to the ribs of the creature that was on all fours. The bastard went a few feet airborne before colliding with the cement wall.

I didn't waste a moment as my hand deftly scooped my pistol up and lined up a shot to the recovering monstrosity. The end came with a kicking top receiver of my pistol that caused much of whatever remained for a brain to be splattered against the cement wall. The Snork twitched once or twice before remaining still once more, two lenses of the worn gas mask looking off into some distance. If anything, I did that poor creature a favour.

Not wanting to waste any more precious nighttime, I hustled to the iron bar ladder and begun my way up to see part of an abandoned courtyard. One lone guard was gazing off at an opposite length of darkened landscape as I silently pulled myself up. I gave a small prayer of thanks that the sewer was behind me as my quiet form stalked across the concrete ground until I begun enter the main complex through a rear door. Thankfully the main interior was hardly defended as I made my way towards the only lite office. I stopped for a moment before entering the room to find a lone man leaning back in his chair.

“Who the fuck-,” was all that he was able to say before my pistol once more claimed another life. The muffled gunshot echoed for only a moment as the shell clattered on the ground. My hands quickly routed through the small scattering of papers until I found the single portfolio labelled “Weapon Transaction”

I left the station in a hurry as the station was becoming a darkened silhouette behind me. The band finally caught on as I watched a single red flare rocket towards the sky to illuminate the ground in a useless attempt to find the intruder. I could only chuckle as my HK rifle rested in my grasp, my body hidden in the reefs of the small swamp around the Skadovsk. Owl lightened up with a round of laughter as he greedily begun to observe the contents within the folder. He simply dismissed me with a hand and payment saying only “I have more info on your Brother. Tomorrow, tomorrow,”

I stayed angrily mute as I simply retired to a small bunk in one of the spare rooms. The small lantern nearby giving me just enough light to see my Brother's stupid goofy smile. My thumb ran across the picture as if a priceless treasure.

“I will get you out of here, Daniel,”

The faded picture of my brother reflected the years of it's survival. The edges have been beaten and frayed but the picture itself still remained mostly pure. Daniel's smile still remained a bright beacon amongst the rather grey and dull background. My grasp on the edges tightened until something smacked me across the face. Looking up from my photo I noticed Binary giving me an odd look.

“You ok, man?” Binary asked with his shotgun levitating in front of him with a bore brush cleaning out the barrel. We had cleared out a nice spot where most of the dangerous Everfree inhabitants leave alone already. Luckily we didn't have to actually kill anything which kept my guns in better shape and Fluttershy from crying over another dead Boar or Squirrel. “I practically shouted your name without even a flinch from you,”

I could only groan as I simply paused for a moment to think up a convenient lie. “Sorry, Bines. Vehement just would not go to sleep last night. Little bundle of energy ran all over the the house,” I falsely explained while my hands rubbed the side of my head for emphasis. I slid the picture quickly back into my pocket as Bines just gave me another odd look before closing his shotgun breach, satisfied with his clean job.

“Yeah, I will be feeling that pain soon,” Binary chuckled as he gave his own pistol a quick look over even though he didn't get to fire a round from it.

“Which means I need to ask a favour from you,” my voice spoke out as I obviously caught his attention. I let out a huff before unzipping my tactical vest which now laid like a lump on the hardwood floor. “You need to quit this job, Binary,”

I could see it on his face. He was motionless for more then a few moments as my words started to sink in. “Did Twilight get you to try and convince me to quit?” he asked with anger starting to build up in his tone.

What's one more lie? “No,” I responded with little change in emotion. “You have a foal on the way, Binary. The Zone and Everfree is not worth dying in some irradiated pit just to leave a widowed Princess and newborn,” I tried to make him see light although a part of me secretly wanted to give Twilight the middle finger. Binary Storm was a decent shot and great with tinkering around more delicate instruments like Detectors. Field repairs and working out the artifact detectors was always a cinch with him around.

He simply satisfied himself with a steel gaze from behind his glasses. The air between us was tense as neither of us said a word. The clock on the wall filled the dinning room with the rhythmic sound of the needle calculating the time passing by.

“No way,” Binary finally responded as he crossed his fore hooves over his chest. “You'll get partnered up with some numb skull who'll get you both killed,”

His reasoning was solid, no doubt about it. It's hard to pick an individual who'll go into the Everfree without much in payment. If it ever came down to that, I'd simply just go alone and stick with my solo tactics that saved my hide back on Earth's Zone. “Then I'll go alone. You know I hunt perfectly well on my own. I'm light on my feet and I know the Zone better then ten of Pony kinds best experts put together,”

Binary bit his tongue at my rebuttal. He knew I was speaking the truth and was probably trying to find another excuse out of the forced retirement. I raised my hand however to stop him. “It's time, Bines. You've shed more then enough blood for Equestria's safety,”

“Fuck Equestria!” Bines shout took me off guard as the Stallion was now properly angry. “I don't venture around in the damn Everfree or the Zone for some thankless tart in Canterlot! The Mutants rarely venture beyond the Zone anyway!” Binary's form slouched for a moment as he cast his gaze to the floor.

“Then why?” I asked in curiosity.

“Because you're my best friend, Asshole,” he chuckled slightly but it didn't really lighten the mood set about the room.

I let out a long sigh before grabbing a well known cure all. I stood up from my seat with a slap of my knees and pulled a bottle from one of the top shelves. “Stalliongrad Vodka,” I announced as I placed it on the table for him to see. He cringed slightly knowing full well what it meant. “Two months,” I also announced in slight defeat.

“Two months?” Binary asked as he raised his gaze to meet mine.

“Take two months off for both Twilight and yourself,” I practically ordered as my hands twisted the cap off the bottle only to get the familiar smell waft through my nose. “After those two months you can rejoin me if you want, although you'd be stupid to do so,” I explained further to see him practically smile ear to ear. I only gave my own hearty chuckle as I noticed that Bines levitated a couple of glasses over to the table. “To hell with that,” my lips muttered as I tipped the bottle to my lips for a great chug. The liquid burned to the point that it was something oddly relaxing in it; much like a memento to a home sick fella.

Binary levitated the bottle closer to him after I offered. He was the light weight between the both of us but tradition is tradition; no matter the species. He tipped the bottle back for a mouthful which he coughed for a solid minute afterwards. He held it in however as we chuckled for a solid minute before making our way to the front door.

We finally arrived to the Library after a few more chugs of the bottle which easily caught the Stallion in a bad stagger back and forth. My knuckles rapped against the door once more as hurried hoof steps came to the door. Twilight greeted us with a large smile until she witnessed her Husband give her a odd wink and kiss. The Princess was mad till I gave her the good news after she placed her blissful Husband in bed.

“You got him to retire?” she burst with joyful excitement, something I found odd for a pregnant Mare capable of doing.

“All I could do was buy two months for you and your Foal. I offered him the job again after this vacation but my hopes is that when your little bundle of joy comes, he'll forget all about being a STALKER again,” I explained which caught her in roller coaster of emotion. She was silent for a few moments in humming thoughts until a knock on the door caught our attention.

“That must be Rainbow Dash! Wow, she's even using the front door for a change as well,” Twilight mused as she gave the door a pull by magic. I watched from my spot near the table as Rainbow Dash trotted in calmly with a uniform on. “Looking good there, Wonderbolt,” Twilight said with a small laugh before going to relax on her lavish pillow.

“What can I say?” the multicoloured Mare sauntered over closer to us trying her best to show off the crisp, blue uniform that was adorned with a few medals. “I make just about anything look good. Sup, Ruffles,” she said in a confident tone before nodding in my direction which I responded with a slight nod of my own.

“I'm surprised Princess Celestia had selected another Pony so quickly. Did you receive the orders straight from her?” Twilight directed her curious question towards Dash as I simply crossed my arms over my chest.

“Spitfire got them and then offered it to the entire squad. She said it was a dangerous mission for a few months or so, which no Pony even bothered for,” Dash started to explain as I started to let my mind wonder to my watch. Had to pick Letter and Vehement up in a few minutes. “I volunteered which brought me here!”

I slightly rolled my eyes for a moment as I coughed for a moment to get both Mares to look up at me. “I don't want to interrupt, but I should be on my way,” I said giving the two a nod and making my way to the front door.

“Wait, Ruffles!” Rainbow Dash called out to me which made my shoulders droop slightly in tired irritation.

I turned to see Rainbow looking at me while she hovered oddly before me. “So, what's the first thing on our to-do list?” her question left me with nothing but confusion. Rainbow Dash and I were never anything more then acquaintances since I arrived in Ponyville years ago. We may have shared a few words at parties but beyond that, nothing.

“What do you mean our to-do list?” I ask suddenly filled with a certain dread.

“Has no Pony told you? I'm your new partner for a couple of months!” Rainbow Dash eagerly informed me as I stood there in shock. “I know, I know! Pretty cool to get a chance to work with a Wonderbolt, huh?” she nudged my shoulder until I caught her appendage with a free hand.

She immediately changed her cocky attitude when she witnessed the scowl I now possessed. “You are not my partner. I don't care who ordered you to help me, go tell them to shove it,” I informed the shocked Rainbow Dash as she hovered for a moment.

“What? Am I not good enough to become a,” Dash fumbled over her words for a moment. “What do you call yourselves again?” she asked which only caused me to shake my head and close the Library's front door behind me. It wasn't enough to stop her however as I soon found myself face to face yet again to the Rainbow clad Pony. “What's your problem, Ruffles?” she asked with easily understood irritation of her own.

“No offence, Rainbow Dash, but I don't take Pegasi with me on expeditions,” I explained without backing down. “Especially ones that have such a bright mane colour,” I noted with a flick of my finger to make a few strands of her yellow mane to the side. “I only take Unicorns, no exceptions,”

Dash's growl of anger only made me smirk. It was easy to tell that this Mare wasn't exactly known for having a cool head. “I could do anything better then a Unicorn!” she stated which got a huff of derision from an amused Twilight who was watching from the Doorway.

“Bullshit,” I muttered as I side step to walk past the Mare only to get blocked once more by the hovering annoyance. “Alright, Rainbow Dash, how about this,” I pull my pistol out which caused a gasp of shock from Twilight who knew full well of the power of the firearm. “Shoot this gun in the ground and I'll accept you as my partner,” I ordered Dash as I flipped the gun in the air and caught it by the top receiver so the pistol grip was towards the surprised Pegasus.

“That's it? Piece of cake!” she exclaimed with ease as she fumbled with the pistol. The barrel swayed all over which caused Twilight to practically dive for cover. I however stood my ground and begun to tap my boot with impatience. “I got this!” Rainbow said once more as she finally manage to gain a solid hold of the firearm. Her frown however managed to show as her desperate attempts of fitting even the smallest parts of her hoof into the trigger guard proved challenging.

“Look, Dash, I got to pick up my kids. . .,”

“I got this!” she repeated as she scrapped the trigger only to find that the gun didn't fire. She attempted again which only succeeded in getting a long sigh from me.

“Next time you try to fire something, try taking the safety off,” I inform her as I ply the pistol from her grasp and flipped the lever down to show that the pistol was good to go. “Go back to the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash,” I said once more as my hands deftly holstered the pistol once more to my thigh, safety on.

“Just because you think you're some fancy Human that you get to decide how things go?” Dash shouted after me which I just ignored.

I don't know what Celestia or Twilight were going with this but I was making sure to put a stop to it. They didn't even talk to me about a new partner or how Binary was doing before selecting another to fill a missing slot. Twilight probably assumed that I was just going to forcefully retire Binary!

The thankful silence was enjoyable as I made my way to the School house only a few minutes away from the Library. I waited patiently among a few other Parents, some I enjoyed chatting with while others simply waved. It was a comforting thought that many have accepted me not only as a different, unknown species but as a Father figure as well. The bell rang out as the torrent of Colts and Fillies spilled forth to their parents or to play in the playground nearby.

“Dad! Dad!” Vehement voice easily caught my attention first as the dark coated Filly ran up to me before stopping with a confused look about her.

“Vehement?” I asked as I watched the Filly's head turn from side to side as she gazed at something above and behind me. I turned only to see a Cyan Mare lazily laying on the nearby tree branch watching us. “Rainbow Dash!” I groaned loudly as my hand slid down my face in exasperation.

“One and only,” she simply smiled at my apparent displeasure. “You're stuck with me, Grumps,”

“Rainbow Dash, the Zone is dangerous! Do yourself a favour and just stick in Ponyville. You can say you completed your task after a couple of months and I get to work alone; win, win,” I offered her as Letter was trotting up to meet us.

“Why are you going to work alone, Dad?” Vehement asked curiously before letting out a gasp. “Is uncle Storm hurt?” she asked with sudden worry shown on her face. I simply just scooped the Filly up in a small embrace as she leaned in to the hug.

“Uncle Storm is just fine, Hemi,” I reassured her by using her little nickname.

“And I'm not going anywhere, Ruffles,” Rainbow Dash stated along with a small flick of her tail before jumping down to land beside me. “You should just get used to seeing me around,” her tone just oozed a certain cockiness that I hated to hear sometimes.

“What is Rainbow Dash doing here, Dad?” Letter Head enquired as he let his gaze examine the Mare over his glasses black frame.

“Trying to be annoying,” I muttered which caught me a sudden jab against my side. Turning my head back to the now fluttered Mare I could only groan once more before walking away for home, Letter following with eyes glued to a book.

“So how was your day, Sweetie?” I ask as she began to pout in my arms as I cradled her.

“I'm not a sweetie! I'm tough!” she tried to then convince me with a flex of her fore legs. I tried to contain my laughter, I swear! “Don't laugh, Dad!” she protested against my chuckles but it only caused me to laugh more.

“You seem like a tough Filly, Hemi was it?” Rainbow Dash spoke again which caused me to groan.

“See, Dad! Rainbow Dash thinks I'm tough!” Vehement immediately jumped on that metaphorical bandwagon.

“Why are you following me home, Dash?” I asked the Mare as she grinned back up at me.

“I want to get to know you better,” her explanation caught me off guard as my eyes narrowed at her. “We are going to be spending a lot of time together so I might as well get used to you before we do any actual work,”

I let out a long sigh and before I could speak, an unusual thing occurred. Letter Head spoke out.

“Why not stay for dinner, Rainbow Dash?” he suggested without actually moving his gaze away from the book.

“I'd love some grub!” she agreed with a eager smile all at the same time ignoring the growing frown on my face.

“Hold on a moment,” I started to protest before Vehement exhaled in sudden excitement to cut me off.

“It's Lasagna Fridays!” the small Filly squealed with delight.

“I love Lasagna!” Rainbow Dash announced as the two girls began to talk back and forth about their similar interest in food.

“No, that's ok. I love for everyone to come over to share in my food. Maybe we should invite some Pseudodogs while were at it?” I mutter to myself knowing full well that I was officially separated from their food oriented conversation.

“Why are you talking to yourself, Dad?” Letter mentioned which only caused me to let out a drawn sigh.

“Nothing, bud,”

“That dinner was fantastic, Ruffles! Where did you learn to cook?” Rainbow Dash asked as she leaned back in her chair at the dinning table, a hoof over her stomach. Her face easily described inner bliss as she eyed the small remains on her plate.

“In the Army,” I mutter as my hands deftly collect the few dishes to dump them in the kitchen sink. “Go brush your teeth and get ready for bed, Vehement,” I call back from the kitchen only to get a loud groan in reply before dumping some water in the sink. “No huffs, Missy, get to it!”

“I'm going, I'm going!” she called back with annoyance before heading towards her room, a quiet Letter Head following.

I heard a few hoof steps stop at the doorway to the Kitchen just as I turned the faucet off and begun to scrub the dishes. Knowing full well who was standing at the door, I simply just kept scrubbing the dishes. The room grew awkwardly quiet except for the small splashes made now and again by my frustrated cleaning attempt. My patience however decided to end abruptly as I threw the scrubbie in the water and turn to lean against the table top edge. “Why does this mean so damn much to you, Dash?” I asked with my mild temperament in tow.

She stood uneasy for a moment before sitting on her haunches to view up at me. Her gaze was surprisingly different from before as she let out a long sigh. “All I ever wanted to be is a Wonderbolt,” she started to explain before I rudely cut her off.

“Which you already are. Speed up to the part where you should convince me to not write to Celestia to get you removed from my so-called partnership,” my words were sharp and to the point which Dash seemed to pick up on quite clearly.

“It's my Captain. She wants me to one day take over the Squad so I've been trying to show her that I'm capable of anything she can throw at me,” Rainbow began to explain with unease, more then once checking to see if there was anyone listening in. “Don't you have three Ponies living here?” she asked.

My eyes narrowed at her as I thought about her reasoning. “Star Struck is still with Big Macintosh probably,” I informed her before rubbing my eyes to get the sleepiness out. “Dash, the Zone and the Everfree can be extremely dangerous to the unprepared. You can't fire any of my guns and I can guess you have no skills in hunting,”

I could see the overbearing sense of being out of place slowly dawn in her eyes. She was confident, sure, but that only got you so far in life. The look she gave me however was one of utmost desperation. Either the story she told me was complete phooey or she was one hundred percent committed to showing this Captain Spitfire of hers that she could indeed do anything.

“I'm a good flier though,” Rainbow Dash started to plead her case.

“If you fly in the Zone, a Gravitational Anomaly will chew you up and spit you out,”

“I have a good swing,” she flexed her fore legs to show well defined muscle care.

“A Bloodsucker is invisible, you know? Snorks can smell you out in pitch black nights. Pseduodogs can lead packs of ten to twenty dogs to maul you and don't even get me started on Chimeras,” I explained some of the Mutants which seemed to bring Dash's hopes so far down that they were trampled in the mud. “This job is too dangerous to just waste your life on,”

“Then why do you do it?” her question caught me off guard; her eyes, inquisitive but soft.

I was quiet for a moment. We exchanged nothing but our unblinking gazes until a long sigh broke from my lips. I sauntered towards the hallway before motioning the Cyan Mare to follow after me. I lead her to a door down the hall which opened to a spacious bedroom. A simple blue blanket laid in a room of soft white paint and a single closet. “I know you live in Ponyville but you can sleep her anytime you need. You start tomorrow morning,”

I watched as the Mare who was sullen only a moment ago jumped up in cheer as she did a small victory dance to celebrate. “Thank you, Ruffles! I won't let you down!” she promised as she did something I didn't expect nor was prepared to receive. Her fore hooves wrapped around my chest while she was hovering and gave me a good squeeze that almost made me go blue. I raised an eyebrow while looking down at her as she caught on to what she was actually doing. Her head was rested against my chest before noticing my gaze. Flustered she broke off and hovered over to her bed trying her best not to make immediate eye contact.

“Your welcome,” I simply mutter before leaving the room, closing the door behind me. My silent mutters of curses followed me up until I reached Vehement's room.

“Look, Dad! I'm a Pseudodog! RAWR!”

Oh boy...

Author's Note

Italics in the start of chapter are Flashbacks! Hope you're enjoying Ruffles adventure so far as we discover both past and potential future epics! R & R!