What had once been a blur of black, blue, and grey, turned into a set of clear images. The pictures that had been taken were shots of yours truly doing regular everyday stuff. Some where in my head I was wondering who would take pictures of me.

My jaw dropped to the floor as Pepper clicked furiously through them. I felt disgusted with the fact that some one had taken the liberty to capture me in some of my most private moments. At least I had thought they were private.

"Virtue?" Pepper murmured gently as I began to pace the room and whisper under my breath.

"W-who in all of the STASIS would do something so...vile! I-I no...I..." whimpered, tensing up as he did his best to calm me.

"Look...It's probably some creepy stalker who doesn't have the guts to tell you how he really feels." he said quietly, trying his best to make me feel more comfortable.

As much as I wanted to believe him, I couldn't. In my defense, I considered myself a marked mare. My father had known secret information and there was no doubt that somepony else thought I knew it too. Even though I was scared I wouldn't tell Pepper Flake since I didn't want him to worry.

* * * *

Pepper Flake's concern grew for me daily since I became more withdrawn than usual. I didn't laugh or smile, I only spoke when spoken to, and I didn't eat very much. Some nights he would sleep on the floor of my STASIS just to make sure I got some sleep. I was just grateful he didn't give up on me.

Even with all the kindness and reassurance he would give me I still felt hollow. Like there was something hiding from me. Something I didn't understand just yet. That led to conclusion that the only one was against me happened to be the only one helping me.

* * * *

"Get out! Get out of my STASIS you back stabbing son of a bitch! I knew it was you! Get out!" I bellowed as Pepper Flake advanced on me.

I had completely avoided him for the past week. I changed the password to my STASIS, my schedule, and my thoughts about him. Was he selling me out? Nopony had access to my STASIS except for him. Right?

"Virtue. I'm not going to hurt you." he chirped between dodges of furniture and other assorted items I had thrown at him. I looked into his sad eyes and wanted to believe him but...some where deep inside me, I knew he was lying about something. In hindsight, that should have been my second clue.

"You're lying! I know you're not telling me everything!" I spat bitterly. He looked at me like a kicked puppy before averting his gaze to the ground. He gave a small defeated smile and shook his head in mock disbelief.

"Virtue...I thought you were better than this. Blaming me for paranoia you accumulated over the last few weeks is kind of low when I'm trying to take care of you. What have I done to betray your trust in the last few days for you to start avoiding me? How could I ever do something behind your back? I'm with you practically all day everyday! I'm sorry but...I thought you would be stronger than a coward." He stated coldly.

Part of me knew he was right. Why would he have any incentive to harm me, or sell me out? Part of me though, knew he was lying. He had every incentive to rat me out or hurt me. I decided to push the thoughts of betrayal out of my mind because he would never do something like that. At least I tried to believe that was the case.

"Y-you're right. I shouldn't blame you for my own paranoia. It's just that... all this is going to my head. I feel like I'm being watched... all day... everyday... no matter what." I whimpered, giving a broken piece of furniture a closer examination.

"It's alright. I forgive you." he whispered quietly as he gave me warm hug. I could feel my cheeks starting to burn but kept quiet. Even though we had gotten everything cleared up I...still didn't believe he was telling the truth. He had accepted my apology a little too fast.

"Pepper? You'd never sell me out. Would you?" I mumbled into his neck.

"No." he whispered back in a small tone. "I certainly wouldn't."

"Enough of the gushy stuff. Wanna help me clean this shit up?" I giggled as I broke the hug and gave a broken piece of furniture a light kick.

"Certainly."

* * * *

About an hour of cleaning later my STASIS was completely spotless. I yawned and checked my STASIS watch even though I knew it was starting to get late. My stomach gave a small growl, letting me know it was dinnertime.

I trotted into my small kitchen, hoping to find Pepper throwing out the trash or (to my hopeful tummy) making a sandwich. Instead I see him downing a large shot of whiskey. I chuckled as he made a face and stuck his tongue out in pure disgust. He refilled the glass and offered it to me.

"Trying to get drunk, huh? Why?" I asked, floating his full shot glass up to my lips. I downed the liquor in one gulp and gave a face as it burned my throat and warmed my belly. He gave a chuckle before refilling the glass and swallowing it's contents down.

"Ugh. This stuff tastes terrible." he coughed as he poured himself yet another drink. I yanked the glass out of his hooves before he could gulp down anymore of the strong booze.

"You didn't answer my question. Why are you trying to get drunk?" I asked again, this time with a little more force. He snatched the glass out of my telekinesis and gulped down it's contents before slamming the cup down hard against the counter.

"Why not? It's not like you can help with the pain." he growled angrily before his gaze seemed to soften a touch. "Sorry...I just..." he blushed before filling yet another glass.

"What pain?" I asked quietly, my curiosity getting the better of me as I looked at him. He knocked back the intoxicating amber liquid and gave me a drunken smirk.

"I might as well show you then."

* * * *

Pepper sat down on the edge of my bed, his floppy apricot mane falling in his eyes. I looked at him in confusion as he began to unzip his Surveillance jacket. He carelessly threw it on the floor and began to unbutton his shirt. This action caught my attention and caused me to blush very hard

STASIS ponies always wear clothes, unless they're in the privacy of their own STASIS. Usually their outfits consist of jackets, undershirts, and uniform jumpsuits. Pepper's happened to be laying on the floor in a messy heap, leaving him sitting completely naked on my bedspread. Before I could say a word or blush even harder, he was laying on his stomach with his chin resting neatly on his crossed forehooves.

"My back. Hurts." Pepper garbled as he tried his best to relax on my comforter. I would need to give my bedding a good washing after he left. I swallowed hard and took a step closer to examine his back. I nearly shrieked at the sight of crimson gore stained into his cinnamon hued coat.

"W-who would do something like this to you?" I whimpered silently, unsure of how to feel about the bloody mess that was my friend. He hadn't shown any signs of pain the entire evening, and judging by the freshly clotting blood, the wounds had been caused very recently.

He gave me a sad little smile and a shrug before wincing at the movement. I swallowed hard and ran into my bathroom to look for anything I could possibly clean and bandage the injury with. Sadly, all I found was whiskey, an old rag, and some thin bandages. It would have to do.

I didn't have any experience with cleaning lacerations on somepony's back, so more than once Pepper yelped out in pain. I wasn't sure if the liquor I was using was helping or hurting him by the way he was groaning. The cuts were long and (thankfully) not too deep, this meant they didn't bleed through the bandages like I had thought they would.

When I'd finished cleaning and swathing the injury, I decided to take a further examination of his back to make sure I hadn't missed anything. He had multiple scars from the same type of cuts to his back. While the fresh wounds had been on his lower back these discolorations had been closer to his neck. In one small area right where his neck met his shoulder there were three small scars.

I brushed my hoof across them, arousing a small grunt from sluggish my friend. I pulled away, my cheeks burning slightly from the embarrassment of touching him. That's when my eyes spotted something I hadn't noticed before. Something he had obviously been trying to hid from me.

I felt the sensation of tears in my eyes as I spotted the attempted mutilation of his wings. The feathery down and coat where his wings met his body had been cut away, leaving a bloody mess dripping down the sides of his body. I nearly retched at the sight of the slightly infected wounds. Who would do something like that? How was he not showing any pain?

When I finished cleaning his back, belly, and wings, they were completely wrapped in white gauze. He seemed a bit more relieved that his injuries had been taken care of but he would definitely need to rest up before doing anything strenuous. I threw away the bloody rag and put back the whiskey and gauze before heading to the bedroom.

I stopped short of the doorway, remembering that he was laying stark naked on my bed. I certainly didn't want to see my best friend exposed and decided that sleeping on the couch was a much better idea than the alternative. I walked by the doorway to see him staring expectantly at me but continued to walk down the hall.

"Hey! You're just gonna leave me here?!" Pepper cried out. I swallowed hard and turned around before sticking my head through the small corridor.

"Yeah well...I'm just gonna sleep on the couch tonight. Okay. Bye." I squeaked, trying my best not to look at him. He sat up a bit before moving over and patting the empty bedding he had occupied not a moment before.

"Come on. It'll be fine. This bed is much more comfortable than that lumpy old couch anyways." He smiled, patting the soft surface. The rational part of me was screaming to just run down the hall and apologize later but...the curious part of me wanted to know what it was like to sleep in a bed with somepony.

"A-alright but...only cuz you're right about the couch being lumpy." I stammered bashfully but immediately crawled into my bed. Judging by the look in his eye, he was just as curious as me about the whole situation.

"You never told me about how you got those cuts on your back." I stated simply, hoping he would just answer my question like I wanted him to. He seemed to ponder this for a second before looking at me with a devilish smirk plastered across his muzzle.

"I tell you what. If you take off that itchy STASIS jacket and get comfortable...I'll tell you everything." he said smoothly without showing any regret for his offer.

I rolled my eyes and unzipped the ugly cerulean jacket before I threw it on the floor with a resounding 'thump'. With that, I plopped onto my side and looked up at him expectantly. I cleared my throat to grab his attention away from my undershirt.

"Oh yeah...um...it happened yesterday. I told Snapdragon about how you were avoiding me and she told me to forget about you. Then she dragged me into the tunnels so that we could collect some scraps to trade for some contraband items." he whispered quietly. Snapdragon was one of Pepper's galpals and the only pegasus mare in the STASIS with a terrible attitude. I think she classified as a whiny bitch but Pepper seemed to like her.

"That's when the 'things' came out and...they tried to get her. Luckily, we'd run into a group that couldn't fly and...I was able to get us out of there before they mauled her to death. When we got to the medical ward they said she would be in there for a few months. They tried to examine me but I I wouldn't let them touch me because I don't trust them." he murmured quietly, letting his eyes drift across my face.

Funny...I thought somepony had tried to hurt him and I had been correct. None of it would have happened if it hadn't been for my stupid paranoia. Out of guilt, I wrapped a foreleg around his neck and buried my face into his warm chest.

"I'm so sorry Pepper. None of this would have happened if I hadn't been avoiding you." I whispered quietly. I felt a warm tear spill down my cheek only for Pepper to lick it away. I felt myself tense up from the confusion of the tender gesture.

"You actually saved her life. She probably would have went without me and gotten herself killed." he cooed softly in my ear, in an attempt to calm me down.

"Well when you put it like that..." I trailed off. Pepper was looking at me with fondness in his eyes and a small sleepy smile that made me feel...weird. I was confused to say the least since I had never seen anypony look at me like that before.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked in utter bewilderment. He leaned in even closer to me, brushing my bangs out of my eyes. The unnecessary touching was just little to much for me but I didn't shy away. Why he was acting so strange all of a sudden?

I looked into his dark maroon colored irises and could feel even more unease bubble up from inside me. Was he drunk? That would certainly explain the odd behavior, but he didn't seem inebriated enough for that.

"Can I try something really quick?" he whispered breathlessly into my ear. The smooth tone of his voice made me shiver but I was still able to give a curt nod in response. Some how I knew what he wanted even before he asked for it. All of the thoughts and emotions running around inside my head made me want to run but all I could do was give in.

He tilted my chin upwards, letting his mouth fall slightly agape. Our breathing grew slightly heavier as he leaned in to push his lips to mine. The feeling was exhilarating as it was frightening for me. I had never felt anything so loving and yet lascivious in my entire life.

He took great care to keep the kiss gentle so that I could adjust to the feelings throughout my entire body. I felt an unfamiliar muscle clench in my belly as he slowly began to caress my back in an affectionate gesture. I moaned lightly against his lips as I felt him adjust his maw to suit mine better, an insatiable feeling welling up deep inside me.

We broke away, craving the sensuous touch of each other's firm lips. While he may have been swimming in the pleasure of kissing me, I on the other hand, was feeling more conflicted than ever. He was supposed to be my best friend...not my lover. Yet I loved the feeling of him touching me and showing me the intimacy I had never dreamt of feeling. Was I some how a bad pony for enjoying it?

He tried to lean in for a second kiss but I shied away. His eyes seemed a bit dejected by my small act of defiance, but he seemed to come to a realization very quickly.

"You've never been with anypony. Have you?" he whispered warmly, without any hint of prejudice. All I could do was nod and look away with a feeling of shame slowly washing over me.

Of course he would know about my inexperience when it came to lovemaking.

"If you let me...I'll show you a few of the ropes when it comes to feeling good." He murmured hotly against my neck. I moaned lightly at the sultry feeling slowly growing in my nethers. Even his voice was provoking me!

"Y-yes. Show me."

Author's Note

Welp. Things are gonna get a little juicy in the next chapter.