Of Men and Manes

(back inside the castle, in the study with Silken Strand and the Mane Six)

"So, what you're saying is, you want to live with him?" Twilight questioned.

Silken Strand shrugged, and said, "Why not? He seems friendly enough and nice enough to help me get more normal"

" . . . would you excuse me for a second. I'll be right back." Twilight said, leaving the study.

She then ran smack-dab into Princess Celestia, who was just about to open the door to the study, and fell onto her flank.

"I'm sorry Princess." Twilight said, while getting back onto her hooves. "i need to talk to you, though."

"Excuse me Twilight, but I must speak with Mane-iac- erm, Silken Strand." Celestia replied.

"Actually, thats what i wanted to talk to you about. Mane-iac-" Twilight said, but Celestia cut her off.

"Silken Strand" Celestia said.

"what?" twilight inquired.

"Her name is Silken Strand, Twilight." Celestia said

"oh-kay. . . well, Silken Strand wants to live with Todd, it seems." Twilight said.

Celestia couldn't have looked more dumbfounded.

"Todd asked the same thing of Silken Strand." Celestia said in disbelief. She then looked at twilight with utmost sincerity in her eyes.

"Did either of them say anything to the other that would have caused this turn of events?" Celestia asked Twilight.

"Nothing to make Silken directly want to live with Todd." Twilight said after a moment of recollection.

"Let me talk to Silken, please" Celestia said, staring down Twilight with all the authority she could muster.

Twilight shrunk low to the ground and scooted to the side, letting Celestia open the door and enter the study.

"Silken. I believe Todd had a request of you." Celestia said.

"ah, so that's it's name. continue." silken interjected.

"Todd's request was for you to walk with him back to Ponyville." Celestia began, but Silken stood up and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Celestia asked, surprised that a pony would first interrupt her, then completely ignore her.

"To walk with Todd." Silken said simply, then she left the study.

'She's more enigmatic than Lulu before the Nightmare Moon incident' Celestia thought wryly.

(with Todd, a few hundred yards from the castle.)

'I hope she joins me. It's a really long walk back to Ponyville.' I think to myself as I tuck my hands into my pockets.

I hear somepony yell after me, "Wait up, Todd!"

I stop walking and lean against a tree, waiting for the pony who called after me.

The pony comes around a bend in the path, and I can see that it is Silken Strand, walking on her mane tendrils like Doctor Octopus would have.

"Tia let you go with me, huh?" I ask her.

"You mean the big, white alicorn, right?" Silken asked as she chuckled nervously.

I nod and stand up from leaning on the tree.

"mhm" I murmur.

"So, . . . Your name is Todd, I believe." Silken asked hesitantly.

"Yup, Todd Riley. That's my name, don't wear it out" I said jokingly, trying to ease the tension.

Silken let out a weak chuckle, and we fell silent.

The whole walk was mostly spent in silence. We listened to the sounds of nature, and I tried once to make conversation by pointing out a few birds I recognized. I wasn't successful.

Oh, and I almost forgot. she's actually kind of cute when she walks on her hooves. she trips over her prehensile hair occasionally. i don't know why she wanted to walk on her hooves, but, as i said earlier, it's cute.

I actually offered to carry her once. She gave it a moment of thought, then politely replied, "No thank you."

I think I may have seen a small blush pervade her cheeks while she thought about it, but I was probably imagining things.

I open my door to the humble, cozy place I now call home, and gesture into the premeses with a small bow. "Welcome to my home" I say with a smirk.

"So this is comparable to an average Pony's residence in this part of the world?" Silken asked, surely sounding quite educated.

"Erm, I guess. . ." I replied awkwardly. "I haven't visited any of my neighbors, so I don't know."

I hesitantly walked to my couch and grab my TV remote. I contemplate turning it on, when Silken asks, "Is that the Spony T3500S Television, Model M? It's the best television on the market thus far."

"Eh, nope. It's an Earth model.  Sony Trinitron, I think. Kinda old now" I reply, unsure

"You mean 'Spony'?" she asked, looking slightly confused.

"It's called 'Sony' where I'm from." I reply.

"What? Mintauria has television now? Or did you minotaurs steal the design from us ponies." Silken said accusingly, glaring at me.

"I'm not from here! Not from this planet, not from this solar system, not from this galaxy. Hell, probably not from this universe. . . . do you know what it's like to be taken somewhere you don't know about against your will?" I growled.

Her face immediately went from accusing to hurt to pissed.

'Oh shit' was the last thought I could remember thinking before a hoof smashed into my skull.

I came to in the clutches of Silken Strand's prehensile mane. Not a tight, oppressive grasp, but a tender, loving, almost sorrowful grasp. That's what it felt like, anyways. I had my eyes closed.

"Ow. . . " was the first thing out of my mouth.

"Buck, Todd, I'm so sorry. It was your fault, but I'm sorry I hit you as hard as I did." Silken said tenderly.

I open my eyes to see that I am outside, on a dirt path. The sun was right behind Silken's head, giving her a nearly angelic look (that is, if angels had a prehensile green mane, a purple fur coat, and multicolored irises.)

I was still a little loopy in the head from that unexpected hit, so I replied with, "Mint cherry ice cream," followed by a giggle.

I rapidly shook my head, eliciting a 'rattling can' sound to come from it.

"What?" I asked.

Her eyes had a glazed-over look, one you may see from a person who isn't listening to you and is instead fixated on someone they like.

Her eyes were glazed-over at me. Her beautiful eyes.

She leaned forward, her eyes beginning to close, her lips puckering slightly.