Gentleman in Training

by Denim_Blue

Chapter Ten: A Brief Respite

Waking up the following morning proved to be a harder task than I had expected. I was sore, but… well, thatwas to be expected, given what last night’s activities had consisted of. That wasn’t quite why I was having trouble stirring from the boundary between consciousness and being awake, though.

No, it was the fact that I was so damned comfortable that made it difficult for me to get out of bed. It was only thanks to my phone blaring the theme music of Ornstein and Smough at full volume that I managed to even crack an eye open and register that it was morning.

Ambrosia apparently had the same issue with waking up this morning, too. She whined in annoyance as the sun began to pierce through the drapes that we never bothered closing all the way last night.

“Celestia, why must you punish me…?” she grumbled, rolling over and throwing a pillow over her head.

I laughed at that. “Do you think she ever sleeps in?"

Ambrosia snorted. “I can’t say, but I do think that Princess Celestia either has a large bowl of coffee grounds and milk every morning to start her day, or she uses photosynthesis to wake herself up every morning. I mean, she makes the sun rise, and she’s got a pretty long track record of doing that every day. I don’t know how she manages it.”

“Yeah, can’t say I envy her,” I chuckled. “Well, it’s about nine o’clock. Want to grab some breakfast before we head back to Hoofington?”

Ambrosia lifted the pillow off her head and gave me a sleepy smile. “Breakfast sounds wonderful right about now.” The growling of her stomach only further emphasized her point. Her ears folded back as a particularly loud gurgle was made, and she covered her blushing face with her pillow once more. “Ugh, sorry. That was embarrassing…”

I laughed softly and lifted the pillow up to meet her soft green eyes. “I think the hotel has a continental breakfast right now until ten. If we hurry, we can get the last few muffins and fruit before they're all gone.”

After dressing into a fresh pair of pants and a shirt I had brought with me, the two of us headed down to the dining area on the first floor of the hotel. I was pleased to see that there was still a wide selection of food to choose from. They even had Twilight Sparkle Bursts cereal in small packages. I looked around carefully before grabbing three of them, tearing them open, and dumping them all into a bowl before flooding it to the brim with milk.

Ambrosia chuckled. “A fan of cereal, huh?”

“This stuff is like everything I loved about breakfast cereal as a kid, but with natural ingredients.” I pointed to one of the ripped packages. “One-hundred percent natural honey. Nothing artificial in this cereal as far as sweeteners go. They even list the providers of the stuff. I looked it up, the place is a legitimate bee farm out in southern Fillydelphia. The place is big, but they don’t skimp on quality or the welfare of their bees, either.”

“...I guess the cartoon picture of Princess Twilight with that oversized spoon in her magic is pretty cute.” Ambrosia took a package for herself as well as a bowl, and soon the two of us were eating cereal and blueberry muffins with a mug of coffee for each of us.

I skimmed over a copy of one of the local newspapers, raising an eyebrow as I scanned a particular article in the lifestyle section titled Gentleman for Mares Protests Continue.

I read it over with mild interest. The article had little in regards to new information outside of telling about another major protest in Las Pegasus regarding my company’s work. It had been a peaceful protest for the most part, aside from some harsh words that had been slung by a few individuals to Gentleman for Mares employees going to work.

“Silky’s been considering hiring us some security personnel,” Ambrosia said softly as she noticed what I was reading. “She’s pretty sure things won’t get too heated if the protests come to our place, but she’d rather be safe than sorry. Platinum Corona’s already given her approval on hiring a few able bodies.”

“Hm,” I set the newspaper aside. “You think that might be needed?”

“It’s… hard to say,” Ambrosia shook her head. She took a sip of her coffee and sighed, “Hoofington’s not the biggest city in Equestria, so we don’t get too much in the way of visitors or publicity. I think that’s part of the reason Platinum Corona chose the location.”

I smiled a little. “You think we’d have a few burly stallions watching the doors, then?”

She chuckled, “Maybe. That or maybe have some strong, handsome buffalo guards, or maybe a few griffins tiercels.”

“Yeah, griffins would be pretty cool…” I paused, a thought coming to mind. If my memory was correct, Riley was nearing the end of his service. I wasn’t sure on Mildred, but it’d be worth looking into. If anything, they might be able to recommend some griffins looking for work.

Thoughts for later, I suppose.

We finished our breakfast within a half hour and checked-out of our hotel shortly after. By the time we left the hotel, it was almost ten. I spotted the group of pegasus stallions that had brought me to Manehattan yesterday almost immediately, and flagged them down with a wave.

Crosswind, their apparent leader, gave me and Ambrosia a nod as he noticed us approach. “Good morning, Mister Halverson, Miss Ambrosia. Whenever you’re ready, we can depart for Hoofington.”

I gave Ambrosia a quick look, and she simply nodded. With that, I turned to the stallions and smiled. “I think we’re all set.”

“Alright, then. Just put your luggage in the trunk space and we’ll be off momentarily.”

In short order the carriage took off. Ambrosia was a little quieter than normal as we cruised through the sky, and seemed to be avoiding looking outside.

“You okay?” I asked

She jumped a little and gave me a wide-eyed look, “H-huh?”

“I was wondering if you’re alright,” I repeated. I offered her a disarming smile as she blinked dubiously.

“O-oh, right. Y-yeah, for the most part. I just…” She shook her head. “Not used to flying. Earth pony and whatnot.”

“Understandable.”

She slowly got up from her seat and sat on my side, scooting close to me. Without a thought, I lifted my arm so she could sit beside me.

“Thanks…” she said, just loud enough to be heard over the rushing air outside.

“Sure thing,” I said, rubbing her side comfortingly. “You took one of the airsickness potions, right?”

She nodded.

“Alright, just let me know if you start feeling dizzy or something.”

She leaned against me and said softly. “I think this is helping already.”

“Then I shall be your anchor until we land,” I chuckled as she nuzzled me. “So, are these lessons going to be a weekly thing now?”

“Yep,” she replied. “I think Ribbon wants to take you to Las Pegasus for all of next weekend, so keep that in mind. She’ll give you a heads up if things change so that you’re not scrambling to rearrange any plans you make. I’m not sure on Pizzelle, yet, but she mentioned something about Canterlot or Cloudsdale once the harvest season is done.” She leaned away a little as she continued. “Oh, I forgot to mention that, but I want you to read this before classes on Monday.” She reached behind the seats and dug into her saddlebag. She produced a pamphlet that she placed in my hands that was titled, Boosters: What You Need to Know.

“Boosters? Like the stuff I had to keep me going last night?”

“Yes, but keep in mind that those were diluted in juice and water. Pure boosters are much stronger, and there’s a risk of possible side-effects if you’re not careful with them.” Her expression became serious as she continued. “You’re a smart man, Darren, but I want you to promise me that you’ll listen to me here.”

I nodded. “Alright, I will.”

“The pamphlet can tell you more, but just know that boosters are perfectly fine to use so as long as you’re mindful of how much you take. Otherwise, you can seriously mess up your body if you’re not careful. Withdrawal and similar symptoms can result from overuse, and you can crash hard.”

“So, they’re like a drug?”

She sighed. “Yes and no. It’s also magic, and while I’m not a unicorn, I do know that magic can be volatile. Gentleman for Mares makes boosters through strict standards and procedures, though there are varying types of them that we produce. The point is that I’d rather you get your boosters, if you should choose to use them, from a safe source like work. The company is good about prices with them, and you can be happy in knowing there’s nothing added to them that might hurt you later on.”

“Hurt me…?” I repeated.

She nodded. “Boosters aren’t exclusive to Gentleman for Mares. There are other legitimate medical labs that create them outside of our own. However, that also means anyone with knowledge of chemistry and magic can make them as well. Black markets sell them for lower prices, and a lot of those boosters have added substances to them to heighten pleasure, give the user a sense of euphoria, and in some cases, affect biological processes to an extent and cause addiction. As a rule, the more magic and enchantments they have in them, the more potentially dangerous they are. Some have even been known to cause fatal addiction for first-time users.” She shook her head. “Just… promise me you won’t be stupid about this, okay?”

I smiled. “I promise, Ambrosia. Not like I’ll need boosters that often, though.”

She chuckled softly. “Maybe not, but while I might be a professional at rutting, I’m not a Royal Guard, or a Wonderbolt, or a Pony Games athlete. Earth pony or not, I don’t rut as hard as some of our clients do.” She gave me a playful wink. “Keep that in mind. There’s no shame in needing an extra boost, just try to be careful when you use them.”

“Will do.”

With the company of Ambrosia, time flew by even faster than it did during my trip to Manehattan yesterday. Now that Ambrosia was back in town, she was eager to have a few small weekend dates where she would go over some of the important lessons that didn’t involve bedroom misadventures. Things like getting a taste for different cuisine in Equestria, cider testing, and getting a taste of the culture of ponies.

We gained back about an hour of time from the trip, and I was pleased to see it was only a little after noon when the chariot touched down in front of the Hoofington headquarters.

“Thanks for the ride, guys,” I said, giving a nod to the four stallions. “That was probably the smoothest ride in a sky chariot I’ve had in ages.”

“Yeah?” Crosswind grinned widely at that. “If you really want to show your appreciation, put in a good word for us with Silky. I’m looking to expand my transport service, and I think this little office you have here would be a great start.”

Ambrosia beamed at that. “I’ll be sure to let Silky know, and let her know you four gentlecolts did a wonderful job.”

The four puffed out their chests a bit at the praise, and after a quick farewell, the four took off into the sky once more, likely heading back to their headquarters.

“So, anything planned for the rest of the day?” Ambrosia asked casually as she strapped her saddlebags over her back.

“Yep, I was planning on watching a movie with my marefriend and some other friends of ours, maybe do something special with Full Bloom after that.”

“Special, huh?” she repeated, giggling when I just gave her a cheeky grin.

“Full Bloom’s been nothing but wonderful. I figure it wouldn’t hurt to remind her about that.” I shrugged as Ambrosia smile grew. “I kind of owe it to her, even if she’d say otherwise.”

“Alright. I’ll probably see you sometime later this week, and I’ll be sure to pass on what we went over with Ribbon so she’ll have an idea of where you stand as far as skill and experience go.”

“Just a suggestion, but if you said something about how mind-blowing the sex was, I’d appreciate it,” I joked.

“Hm, well, that’s not too far from the truth, so I’ll be sure to give her some suggestions. Just be ready for her, Darren. She’s a bit of a hoof-full if you let her get her way with things…though, you might enjoy that. Who knows?”

With that, Ambrosia made her way down the road, putting a bit of a sashay into her hips as she walked.

Flaunt it if you got it, I suppose.

Chuckling to myself, I picked up my travel bag and made the trek back home. A gentle breeze tickled my face, a noticeable chill being carried along with it. I passed by a town bulletin board with the local weather schedule tacked onto it. A notice stating that the first wave of autumn weather would be approaching this week before the ‘official’ end of summer caught my attention briefly. Something about Cloudsdale needing to meet a quota for cold-weather cloud production before the end of the quarter as well as a need for some cooler days to help the local flora and fauna to acclimate to the drop in temperature.

“Cold-weather quota my ass,” I grumbled, making a note to test the heat for my apartment before the end of the month. “They’re probably just trying to get a head start before they fall too far behind on snow production again like last year…”

With thoughts of what might go wrong with my apartment's heating system this winter spinning through my head, I continued down the road towards my apartment. I could see the small balcony of my apartment, and all looked well as far as I could tell.

“Good, at least Full Bloom managed to keep the place intact while I was gone…”

A couple minutes later found me opening the door to my place, and was surprised to find it empty.

“Huh…” I set down my traveling bag and looked around. “Full Bloom? Riley?” I paused for a moment. “Mildred?”

No answer.

I walked through the living room, pausing as I noticed a sticky note on the small coffee table in front of my couch. I recognized the handwriting as Riley’s almost immediately.

Darren,

Went to town square for a bit with Mildred, we’ll be back before dinner time. Hopefully you’ll be back before we are, otherwise we’re sort of stranded outside of your place until you or Full Bloom return, since we don’t have a key.

In fact, why am I writing this if that is the case? I should be texting you.

Anyway, you want to get some lunch if you're back early enough? Full Bloom had to go run a few errands earlier today, said she’ll be back during the late afternoon. It’d be easier to get something from a restaurant and saving her some food than having to cook a late dinner.

Riley

P.S. - Full Bloom may have figured out the password to your computer after I managed to guess it. Seriously, man, having the actual phrase ‘insert password here’ is clever, but at least capitalize a word or put some punctuation in it to make it harder. She and Mildred started surfing the internet, and I felt like I was intruding on some girl talk after a while, so I let them be. I’m pretty sure they didn’t mess with anything on your computer, though. If so, I’ll take blame for any problems, okay?

I set down the note and made my way into the kitchen, only to pause as the last bit of the note caught up with my thoughts.

“Wait… Full Bloom figured out how to access...?” I sighed, “Aw, hell.”

I made my way back into the living room. Sure enough, there was a single soft green light that would light up for a few moments before fading out, indicating it was currently in sleep mode. With a hint of trepidation, I opened up my laptop and let it start up. As the screen turned on, I was greeted to an internet browser window.

The page that appeared was surprisingly… tame. Full Bloom and Mildred had apparently been looking up stuff on the ponynet regarding human culture. There was a wikipedia page that had covered general stuff, and the browsing history indicated they had been looking through tons of human culture pages from various sites for the better part of three hours.

A common theme had come up in the later portion of their searches, though.

Human+dating+practices. Human+Equestrian+dating+advice. Male+dating+culture.

Now, normally I’d be a little miffed that someone had accessed my private laptop without me knowing, but… well, I found myself more curious than anything. If my hunch was correct, Full Bloom was likely trying to figure out how to make our relationship work best for us. I had a strong suspicion that Mildred was probably giving her advice more than researching alongside her.

I wasn’t really bothered by our cultural differences considering we both knew each other well enough, but the thought still counted, I suppose. That and maybe Full Bloom figured it was only fair? I mean, I was learning about pony culture, especially as far as romance and the many social norms surrounding it. I guess she was only trying to pitch in.

Heck, if my history search was to be believed, she even browsed through the quickly growing reddit site created from for the Equestrian internet. Not sure if I was happy about that or not, given how those sites can be at times, but it was interesting nonetheless.

I randomly picked one of the pages on the browsing history list from the pony-reddit site, this one regarding human-pony relationships. It was aptly named /r/human-pony.

Advice for dating human male?
submitted 2 days ago by Eezpeez poneplz

Hi, /r/h-p, new member here! So, I have a need for some advice. I recently asked out this young man that lives a few blocks away from me in Manehattan, and he said yes! While I really like him, and we’ve known each other for a few months, I’m still not sure on how to go about this. I’m not afraid of trying out different things, but is there anything I should be ready for? Thanks!

Top 200 comments
MareAboutTwn 324 points
First off, congratulations! Just asking him out was probably enough to show that you’re interested in him, and you’d be surprised how much that can impact a human. Many of the cultures in the human world tend to be the opposite of ours: men tend do the initial courting in a relationship. Not always true or the usual case, mind you, since every human’s unique, and they have many different cultures back on Earth.

Anyway, you want advice? That’s a bit tough, but here’s some general tips:

1. Do. Not. Rush. Things! This is probably one of the most important tips to remember. Humans can be very private and personal as far as intimacy goes when compared to Tellurians, especially ponies. Many humans don’t mind playing around, to phrase it nicely, but keep in mind that there’s a difference between sex and love. They may not show it at first, but if they’re genuinely interested in getting to know you, they might not like rushing to the bedroom right away. Then again, maybe they will! You need to be the judge here, so it’s important to know your special someone’s feelings on the matter beforehoof.

2. Be ready to have things flipped around for you as far as dating practices go. Traditionally speaking, at least, most men are probably going into this relationship with the mindset of treating you to things more often than the other way around. Some might even be persistent on paying for most meals and other outings. Don’t be offended, but don’t be afraid to offer to pay. I guess it’s not uncommon for expenses to be split in lots of cases, and it's a lot more common for either male or female partners to pay the bill these days from what I understand.

3. Communication is key. If something is bothering you, tell them. In turn, let them know that you’re open to hearing them out as well! Trust me, honesty helps!Hope that helps, and good luck in your relationship!

Posiepony1 300 points
Be careful with magic around them if you’re a unicorn. My boyfriend literally started freaking out when I used my magic to lift up a chair he was sitting in to clean under it. I wasn’t even really thinking about it at the time. Though, I guess the fact my aura was surrounding him as well as the chair might contribute to him going crazy. He’s used to it now, though, but just be careful when you first start dating. Same goes for using your strength if you’re an earth pony, or flying around them if you’re a pegasus. Like MareAboutTown123 said, humans are very mindful of personal space in many cases. Be careful of that.

CometsFan4ever 50 points

Agreed. Magic seems to be the biggest issue with lots of relationships at first. For instance, my husband and I have been married for two years now, and he’s been living here in Fillydelphia with me for almost four years. He still gets uncomfortable when anypony mentions the princesses moving the sun or moon.

neighsayerz 61 points

Yet they have no trouble with the idea of space travel or black holes

ArnauProud 17 points

You think that’s awkward? Try explaining the concept of a round to them sometime. That’ll either scare them off or turn them on even more. This is from firsthand experience.

hayburgerznfriez 15 points

Kinky

ArnauProud 35 points

You don’t know kinky until you’ve seen some of the stuff humans have thought of as sexy. Seriously. I’m just glad my boyfriend was into the idea of a round after some talking it over.

hayburgerznfriez 28 points

Did your boyfriend serve in the military at any point? I have a griffin friend who’s been with a guy who was part of the group who fought off the Cloven. She’s been very happy in her relationship so far.

ArnauProud 7 points

No, my boyfriend was a journalist who was there to do some article on Gryphon after the fighting ended. I was a guard at the time, and was helping with relief efforts. We sort of hit it off after I met him outside of Arnau one day. For the record, I won the round, but he put up a great fight for someone with no military training.

CrystalCrux 312 points
Don’t be too offended if they randomly pet you. I’ve only dated women, but more than a few of them have done it to me, and they would be conscious of it only after doing it for a few minutes. I guess it’s sort of calming for a lot of them, like with a pet. I didn’t mind it, personally, but my fiancé felt really bad and thought she was being offensive or degrading at first. Some ponies don’t like it as much, though. That’s your call, but let them know from the get-go. To be honest, though, I don’t think it’s demeaning so much as affectionate, not to mention it feels good most of the time. Especially after we got more comfortable with each other <3

S4ndyshor3 270 points

How can anypony not like it? Seriously, the things humans can do with those hands. Not even unicorn magic can compare in most cases.

CrystalCrux 247 points

Gotta love those opposable thumbs, too!

The conversation continued on in a similar fashion, eventually spiraling off topic to a degree with each new comment. Still, it was a little reassuring that Tellurians and humans shared the gift of being unable to stay on topic.

I’d have to look into helping Full Bloom pick out a personal computer of her own in the future, though. The newest smartphones that were being sold in Equestria were better suited for Equestrian interface and magical resistance, so I can only imagine the same could be applied to computers as well.

Either way, Full Bloom could probably stand to have some sort of device to connect to the online world, if only for the benefit of information exchange. I made a mental note to do some early Hearth’s Warming shopping for her this year.

I was shaken from my thoughts by the chiming of my phone. I dug it out of my pocket and looked to see it was a text from Riley. With a swipe of my thumb, I opened up the text messaging screen.

You home right now?

I began typing out a reply as another message from him appeared.

By the way, if there’s anything wrong with your computer, I didn’t do it.

I let out a chuckle as I continued to type.

Yes, I’m home. I thought it over for a moment before adding, Speaking of my laptop, why is my internet browser open to griffin porn?

The little speech bubble with ellipses appeared, indicating Riley was typing, only for it to stop. For several long seconds, there was nothing, then…

Really? Anything good?

I shook my head, unable to stop a bout another bout of laughter.

Yes. Two eaglesses, a pegasus mare, and a woman going at it with each other, and the woman is wearing a studded strap-on. She’s really giving it to the mare while the eaglesses are sixty-nineing each other.

Riley replied, Wait, seriously? Bookmark that shit!

I snickered and began to type out more, only to be cut off by Riley adding, Mildred says you’re lying. She and Full Bloom didn’t look up anything like that. Jackass.

Sorry, couldn’t help it. Yeah, I’m home. You want to grab some lunch still?

It was a few minutes before my phone began ringing. Riley’s name showed up on the screen, so I answered.

“Hey," he said, "it’d be easier to just talk.”

“Right,” I agreed. “So, you two hungry right now?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Riley answered “So, Mildred saw this awesome place that looks like one of those old malt shops with the old car decals and stuff on the walls. I think there’s even a jukebox inside the place. She says it’s run by a pony and human couple; really great food, I guess.”

That sounded cool enough. “Sweet, you know the address?”

“Yep. It’s 335 Sunrise Lane. About a ten minute walk from your place, I think? The place is called The Trottingham Pitstop.”

“Alright, meet you there?”

“Sure, we’ll head over there right now—hm?” There was a pause, and I heard a voice talking in the background. “He wasn’t being serious when… well, fine, fine…” Riley chuckled. “Mildred says she’s got a friend or two back in Gryphon who’d probably be up for a good time with you and Full Bloom, if you two are ever interested.”

“Tempting,” I laughed. “I’ll have to remember that.”

“Just a word of caution; griffins do bite—ah! I was teasing, Milly, no need to get all flustered!”

“Alright. You two try not to rip each other to pieces until I get to the restaurant, okay?”

“No promises,” Riley finished, and then ended the call.

Those two were made for each other. In all honesty, I was very happy that Riley had found someone. A guy like him deserved someone to make him happy, and knowing him, he was doing everything he could to make Mildred happy as well.

I jotted down a quick note letting Full Bloom know where we were in case she got home early, and then I changed out of my clothes before putting on a fresh pair of clothes and made my way out once more.

Turns out Riley wasn’t joking about the malt shop atmosphere. The place was full of 1950s-themed decor, both from the U.S. and Equestria. Apparently, Equestria had a sort of similar period to Earth, minus a few things like muscle cars, leather jackets, and such. Still, the music was fairly similar in the two respective eras, and the staff seemed to genuinely enjoy sporting the attire from the period.

“Afternoon, folks!” replied a peppy pegasus mare who looked like she was just out of high school judging by her appearance. Her vibrant red and dark red mane was tied in a tight bun, and she wore an old-fashioned waitress outfit over her light red coat. I swore that I even saw her violet eyes sparkle a bit as she greeted us. Were I not so accustomed to Equestrians, I’d probably have been a little baffled by it. “I’m Peppermint Snap, and I’ll be your server. Can I start you with anything to drink?"

Mildred was the first to speak. “I take it you don’t serve alcohol here?”

The mare gave her a sympathetic smile and shook her head. “Sorry.”

Mildred waved a claw. “It’s cool. I’ll take a vanilla malt. Hold off on the whipped cream.”

The waitress nodded, her wings skillfully holding onto a notepad as she scribbled down the order with her mouth. “M’ph’kay, an’ you?” She asked, turning to Riley.

“I’ll have a large root beer, please.”

She nodded, continuing to jot down notes. When she turned to me, I simply replied, “Chocolate malt, please. Whipped cream is fine.”

Our drink orders taken, she nodded to herself and said, “Alrighty, I’ll be right back with your drinks!”

“So,” Riley said as we all looked over our menus. “We’re thinking of staying at the hotel on Wrought Iron Street. You ever been there?”

I shook my head. “No, but I know it’s a popular place for people visiting.” I grinned. “I don’t mind you two staying longer at my place, though.”

“I know, it’s not anything on your part,” Riley said with a laugh. “It’s just…”

I noticed Riley pause, and he seemed to be struggling to find the appropriate words.

“What?” I asked.

“You and Full Bloom could probably stand to have some more privacy,” Mildred replied in a frank tone. “I’m sure us sharing space with you has made that a little difficult.”

“O-oh, well…” I chuckled. “I guess. I mean, it’s only been a day or two, so it’s not like it’s been a huge burden for us.” I noticed Riley’s eyes flicker to Mildred for a moment before he met my gaze.

It should be worth noting that while Riley and I haven’t seen each other for a few years, we were both still very good at communicating without words. The pursed lips and deliberate movement of his eyes, going from meeting my gaze to glancing for a few seconds at Mildred said all that needed to be said. The subtle nod towards the eagless probably helped, though.

“Then again, the hotels around here are pretty nice. I hear a few of them even installed some hot tubs and stuff like that recently,” I added, and I could almost see the tension leave Riley’s features as he gave me the barest of nods in thanks.

Mildred, who was unaware of our silent conversation, just gave me one of her small smiles that I was beginning to associate with her. “We could probably do with a bit of pampering.” She turned to Riley, who gave her an innocent grin. “Maybe we could stop by one of those saunas too?”

“Sure,” Riley said with a shrug and laugh. “I’m all for it.”

“Cool,” Mildred said with a nod of her own. “If that’s the case… we should probably head down and check into the room we called for earlier.”

I raised an eyebrow. “So you already planned on staying there overnight, huh?”

Riley grinned. “Mildred figured out how to use my phone a few weeks ago… after she stole it from me during one of my medic training classes.” It was at that point that Riley gave her a pointed look, which she casually ignored. “She asked for it about three hours ago while we were walking through town, and next thing you know she got us a hotel room reserved.”

Mildred nodded in agreement. “You humans have some weird gizmos.”

It was at that point that Peppermint Snap returned, carrying a tray with our drinks. “Here you three go! Have you made up your minds on what you’d like to eat?”

Riley looked over his menu one more time before holding it before Mildred and pointing out something. She studied whatever he was pointing at before nodding in agreement. He closed the menu and handed it to the waitress. “We’ll have the cheese and mushroom pizza with an order of waffle fries, please.”

“Oh, good choice,” she said with a grin, taking the menu from him. She then looked to me. “And you?”

I did a quick perusal of the menu before closing it and handing it to her. “I think I’ll go with a large veggie submarine sandwich. Honey mustard and extra banana peppers if you could, please.”

“You got it! I’ll give the cooks your orders right away!” With that, she made her way back to the kitchen.

We spent our time waiting for the food with small talk and catching up on things. For a while it was fine up until we had gotten to a topic that apparently was still a little hard to talk about. How we got to the topic, I’m not sure. Something going from restaurants to mess hall food, then to field rations… the typical trail conversations tend to take.

“So… if you don’t mind me asking…” I began, “What exactly are the Cloven?”

Riley went quiet at that, and Mildred decided to reply after a few moments of watching him. “The Cloven, to put it in simple terms, are…” She paused, and let out a noise that sounded somewhere between a hum and a warble, her eyes looking up to the ceiling as she collected her thoughts. “They’re a race… of sorts, I guess. Parasites I guess would be a term for it. Or at least a part of their… species… whatever you want to call them.” She shook her head. “The texts on them are old, but they’re said to be something like shelled insects. They use parasites to control other hosts…like griffins and ponies.”

“Shit,” I mumbled. “It’s like that one movie…” I searched through my thoughts, trying to recall the title. “Damn it… it was… Riley help me out; that one movie we rented with those aliens taking over that school. They looked like… fish-worms or—”

“You mean The Faculty?” Riley asked.

“Yeah!” I replied with a snap of my fingers. “Yes, that movie.”

Riley frowned and let out a breath. “You’re not too far off, actually. The parasites are like worms… sort of… the way they take over and…” Riley shook his head, and pushed away his chair. “I… I gotta use the restroom.”

I made to rise from my seat. “Riley, you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I just need to use the restroom. Be right back, don’t worry.” He gave me a strained smile as he turned to make his way to the bathrooms.

“Riley…” Mildred called to him as he took a few steps.

He paused, and looked to her. “Yeah?”

It was barely noticeable, but her predatory eyes showed a hint of worry. “Don’t be long, okay?”

His smile became less forced, and he exhaled. “Yeah. Promise."

As he made his way through the dining area and vanished into the men’s bathroom, I sat back in my chair and looked to the eagless in front of me. “I… opened up some bad wounds, didn’t I?”

Mildred said nothing for a few moments, her claws lightly tapping on the table as she stared a hole into its polished wooden surface. I was worried she was going to continue with the awkward silence when she began. “Riley… blames himself for a few deaths during the war.”

“Why would…?” I stopped myself as I saw her look up at me.

“I believe the human terminology is PTSD. As a Corpsman, he was responsible for treating others to keep them alive while on the battlefield… but…” She closed her eyes and took in a shaky breath through her nostrils. “It’s hard to save everyone during a battle, especially when the enemy has no regard for their own lives.”

“Oh…” I rubbed the bridge of my nose and eyes and let out a weary breath. “I suppose I’ll never know what it was like. I wish I could understand what—”

“No,” Mildred replied, her voice soft but firm in tone. “Darren, Riley told me once that you were part of the reason he was out there in Gryphon.” She cleared her throat a bit, “‘If I can save him from seeing any of this stuff by being out here instead, then I have no regrets.’ That’s what he said after… after our group had been through a particularly bad fight with a group of Cloven. We lost a few griffins and even a Marine or two… one of the lives claimed was my older brother, Telforde.”

“You… mentioned him back during our movie night the other day,” I replied, not knowing what else to say.

She smiled and nodded. “He was a wonderful brother, and… honestly, Riley and him are a lot alike. Big, lovable idiots who are looking out for everyone, especially their younger siblings.” She cleared her throat again, this time swallowing hard as she continued. “Riley and Telforde, along with a few others, got separated from our group during a fight with some Cloven. We found some civilians in the ruins of the town we were in, and of course their safety became top priority at that point. One of the civilians was a young tiercel with a broken leg… the injury was external, and… not pretty, from what I heard. Riley was trying to treat the leg when a few Cloven managed to get the jump on the group. Riley, a few of the surviving Talons in the group, and the civilians managed to escape… thanks in part to Telforde and my group’s officer buying them time.”

“I…” I began, and noticed tears forming in her eyes. “Damn… Mildred, I’m sorry for bringing it up. Really, I didn’t…”

“It’s fine, you didn’t know. Don’t apologize, though. I’m proud to have had a brother like Telforde. He was a brave Fortus Knight, and he died without regrets…” She chuckled quietly. “It’s the Equestrian in me that has a hard time getting over it, I suppose. My parents and family are griffins in the flesh, but a bit of the pony culture must have rubbed off on us at some point.” She continued after a few moments of collecting her thoughts again. “We returned after clearing out the area of hostiles. We… found the bodies. Telforde was still alive, but… only barely. Riley and I tried to save him, but I’ve always been more of a combatant than a healer, and Riley’s supplies had been almost entirely used up on the others, and I don’t think it would have mattered at that point, anyway.”

“...” I nodded slowly, letting her take her time.

“After we… ensured that none of the dead were holding a parasite in them, we burned the bodies… just to be doubly sure, and grant them some form of a burial. Some of the Marines weren’t happy about that. Something along the lines of bringing them home to Earth so they could have a proper burial… but it was too dangerous. Too many risks when dealing with Cloven.”

“Shit…” I couldn’t find any real way to comfort her other than empty words. “I sometimes wish that… that I had joined the military. I was never as strong as he was, though, and I don’t know if I’d have guts to do what he does.”

“Military service is a major part of life for us griffins, but I understand it’s not so for all human cultures.” Mildred replied. “It makes some sense, though. You’re species is numerous, and not everyone is cut out for military service.” She smiled a little at that. “Don’t be ashamed, Darren. You shouldn’t regret your choice. After all, you went to college, and you studied and look where you are now. You helped do some good for the scientific community with all that stuff in the Everfree Forest, and you’re living a happy life with a wonderful mare right now. Who knows what would have happened if you had joined the military?”

“That… helps put things in perspective, I suppose.”

“On top of that, if something would have happened to you, how do you think Riley would have been? What if you had been in the Cloven War? What if, ancestors forbid it, something had happened to you during a battle with a Cloven Spiker? Or worse, you were taken over by one of their parasites?”

“That… yeah, I don’t want to know how Riley would have reacted to that.”

“Exactly.” She surprised me by reaching across and patting my arm with one of her claws. “Be thankful that you have Riley in your life; I know he’s happy to still have you… and to be honest, while I know we just met recently, I think I have to agree with him on that. You’re a good man, Darren.”

There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I was blushing at that moment. Still, I did my best to keep my composure. “Thanks, Mildred.”

“Anytime. I… think that helped, actually. I haven’t talked to many about Telforde, aside from Riley and my parents.” She sighed softly, pulling her claws away from my hand. “I’m sure you would have liked him.”

“Probably. It sounds like he was a really awesome griffin.”

She smirked. “I’ll have to tell you some stories about him and Riley someday. They only knew each other for awhile, but Telforde got along well with the Marines and your brother.”

At that point, Riley could be seen making his way back to our table. He seemed a lot less upset, but I could make out a few beads of water clinging to his bangs. If I were to guess, he probably splashed water across his face while he was in the restroom, and then spent a few minutes staring at himself in the mirror above the sink. He always did it when he was nervous or stressed, like when he was preparing for a game of football during his high school years or when he was going out for a date with a girl he had just met.

“Sorry about that,” Riley apologized, offering us both a weak smile.

“No worries,” I replied, doing my best to convey my understanding. “Mildred was just telling me about how you and your Marine buddies are slowly destroying the discipline and professionalism of Gryphon’s proud soldiers with dirty humor and media from Earth.” I gave Mildred a quick glance, and she smiled appreciatively.

Riley snorted. “I apologize for nothing.” He glanced at Mildred before looking back to me. “I would have been stupid to avoid showing 300 to the griffies.”

“Oh god, you showed them that movie?” I laughed.

Mildred’s eyes lit up. “I liked that movie. It was intense!”

“Intense may be putting it lightly. I felt like starting a fist fight after I left the theater back when I first watched it,” I replied with a chuckle. “You think they’ll go as crazy for the FPS games we have on Earth?”

“Oh, it’s already been confirmed that game developers are looking into making games featuring combat with griffins and other Tellurians.” He laughed a bit, and added, “I hear they’re even going to make a new Civilization game that features Celestia and Luna. They’re still trying to decide on which leader to have for the griffies.”

“Lady Arnau,” Mildred said in a decisive tone.

“Who?” I asked. “Arnau? Like the city?”

“No, the griffin,” Mildred replied, puffing her chest out just a bit. “She helped lead an army of griffin tribes that, until then, had been divided. She died in battle, but not before slaying the Cloven Overlord and naming her successor, King Fortis, the first monarch of Gryphon.”

Riley rolled his eyes, but his smile was something akin to adoration. “Lady Arnau is a mix between folklore hero and historical icon for the griffins. Kind of like… hm… Cadmus…. or Perseus, I guess? She was not just a mythical hero, though, since she was an actual living griffin at one point. It’s hard to draw a parallel right off the bat.” He shrugged. “Arnau technically wasn’t a monarch, but she was still a leader. I’d be all for it.”

Our food arrived not long afterwards, and it was only then that I realized I was a lot hungrier than I had expected. Even so, I had made sure to set aside a portion for Full Bloom when I got home

“Quit it.”

“What?”

“You’re taking the pieces with the most mushrooms.”

“Am not.”

“Are too. Milly, look at my plate, and look at yours.”

“You got more cheese on your slices.”

Riley narrowed his eyes as Mildred took a clawful of the waffle fries from their basket. “...you don’t even care, do you?”

Mildred arched an eyebrow, but instead of giving him a glare, she smirked as she took another clawful of fries and put it onto her plate. She lifted a slice of pizza to her beak and bit into it with deliberate slowness. “Mmm. These mushrooms are the best.”

“...stop it.”

“You going to make me?”

Riley lowered his voice. “I would, but there are foals here, and I don’t want to scar Darren’s mind anymore than I already have in this lifetime.”

Mildred snickered. “Oho, sounds like someone is a chicken.”

I cleared my throat.

At this point, Riley and Mildred were staring each other down with expressions somewhere between bedroom eyes and challenging grimaces. They both looked to me, only to realize their faces were only inches apart from each other. They quickly put some distance between each other, and became interested in their food once more. Riley took the opportunity to swipe a handful of fries and a slice of pizza from Mildred’s plate, causing her to snap her beak at him.

“Wow,” I said with a grin. “You two are made for each other.”

“Shut it,” Riley said between bites of pizza.

Mildred glanced at me with her crimson eyes, a faint blush visible beneath her feathers. “Sorry, Darren.”

“Nah, it’s cool.” I leaned forward and looked her dead in the eyes. “For what it’s worth, I give you my blessing.” I patted one of her talons gently and said in a soft tone. “Please take good care of my aniki for me, Mildred onee-san.”

Riley coughed a bit as he set down the root beer he had been drinking at that moment. He gave me a glare as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Not funny!”

I laughed heartily as I dug into my submarine sandwich, all while enjoying the death glares and flustered looks from my brother.

Mildred, meanwhile, was looking between the two of us with a confused expression on her face.“So… wait, what’s an ‘onee-san’?”

After our meal, and extracting a promise from the two that they’d stop by in the next day or so to watch more Lord of the Rings, I made my way home, a bit of a skip in my step as I whistled the tune That Lady by the Isley Brothers to myself.

With Riley and Mildred staying at a hotel for the remainder of their stay in Hoofington, I found my mind drifting to Full Bloom. It went without saying that work kept her busy, seeing as she was often away, likely working on projects and her botany research. There had to be something I could do to help her unwind.

My apartment came into view, and I picked up my pace a bit. As I made my way down the paved path leading to the apartment complex, I saw the doors to my balcony open. Full Bloom walked out, and propped herself up on her hind legs while holding onto the wooden railing with her forelegs. “Well, hello, stranger. Nice of you to drop by.”

Even from ground level, I could see the traces of exhaustion in her smile. Her curly mane had been done up into a simple ponytail, and she had a large mug floating in her magic, curls of steam rising up from it.

“Hope you don’t mind, but I bought a coffee machine and brought it over. I needed a little pick-me-up after all the running around I had to do.”

I gave her a sympathetic smile. “Busy as always, huh?”

She nodded and took a sip of her coffee. “Mm, with the four of you no longer working at Ecosystems for Equestria, the workload has increased for me and the other fieldworkers. I’ve had to go in for extra shifts and grab supplies in town for Wild Call on my days off.”

“Well, tell you what, let me get settled in, and I’ll give you a nice back rub while you vent to me about the unfairness of it all.”

“That sounds wonderful, actually.” She took another long pull from her coffee, and apparently having polished it off, set it down on the railing with a content sigh. “That hit the spot.”

“...that mug was steaming hot.”

“I like to drink my coffee before it’s cooled.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but decided to forgo any further conversation on the topic. Instead, I made my way up the stairs to my apartment, and opened the door. Full Bloom greeted me with a nuzzle, and it was then that I got a good look at her state.

Now, as cliché as it sounds, Full Bloom was still beautiful, even in a disheveled state. Still, there were noticeable bags under her eyes. While her mane always had a bit of an untamed look to it, what with it’s incredibly curly nature, it looked extra unkempt today.

“I know, I look horrible, don’t I?” she laughed as she sauntered over to the couch and plopped down. “I just got hit with a wave of fatigue today and I can’t seem to shake it.”

“What were you doing today that’s got you like this?” I asked, running a hand through her mane. “And for the record, I don’t think you could really look horrible. Your bedmane looks sexy.”

She leaned into my hand a bit and hummed. “Like I said, lab supply runs. I’ve had to go to one of the in-town suppliers to get more sampling kits and such. Not to mention we bought another microscope and a few other odds and ends.” She gave me a reassuring smile as she continued. “Don’t worry, Wild Call isn’t working me to the bone. I’ve been volunteering for most of the work. Have to keep a good record on the plant samples for diseases and such that we gathered recently, so that means more time at the lab.”

I frowned a bit. “Well, you shouldn’t drive yourself to this state, Full Bloom.” I ran my hand across her shoulders, earning a quiet murmur of approval from her as I began to knead the tissue. “Cripes, you carry a lot of stress. I’m not a massage therapist, but I can feel the knots.” I sat up. “Right, lay on the carpet. I’m fixing this right now.”

She grinned a little, and happily plopped herself onto the floor, wiggling her flanks a bit as she looked up at me. “Is this going to be one of those massages with a ‘happy ending’?”

I was tempted to say yes, but instead just smiled. “Just relax for now. I’m going to see what I can do about all that stress you’re carrying right now.”

She let out another hum and I sat down behind her. She waggled her eyebrows a bit, noticing my position relative to her hindquarters. “Not sure I can relax with you back there.”

“You mares and your hormones,” I chuckled, earning a playful swat from her tail. “I’ll do my best to restrain myself, so don’t worry.” As soon as I pressed into her shoulders, I felt her tense. I pulled away and gave her a worried look. “You okay?”

“Just sore, don’t worry.” She sighed, “Keep going.”

“Try to relax. I’ve gotten good at this.” I said softly, pressing my fingers into her shoulders once again, gently this time. “Let me know if anything hurts.”

What followed was a good half hour of me working out every kink and knot on her backside that I could find. Her neck and hip area, unsurprisingly, carried the vast majority of her stress, along with her shoulders.

“Remind me to thank your instructors…” she murmured as I rubbed slow circles into her neck muscles. “Sweet Celestia, Darren, when did you get this good?”

“Practice, I guess?”

She slowly opened an eye at that comment, turning her head slightly to meet my gaze. “Practice, hm? With who?”

Well, I figured honesty was probably the best policy here. “My instructors Pizzelle and Ambrosia both have let me give them massages. One’s a pegasus, the other is an earth pony. Both of them said I was pretty good right off the bat, though.”

“Mm.” She closed her eyes and smiled. “I guess I don’t mind sharing you if it creates results like this.”

“Fair enough,” I agreed, slowly kneading her back with my palms. “So, how did your research into dating human males go with Mildred?”

“Alright, I guess. She and…” Full Bloom paused, only to laugh as I continued to massage her. “Um… sorry?”

“No harm, no foul, I guess.” I pulled away a bit to rest my hands. “Just a personal space thing, you know? I don’t mind sharing a laptop, but… you know.”

“Afraid I’ll look at your search history and find something scandalous?”

I let out a bark of laughter. “Like you have any right to talk.”

She rolled onto her back and adjusted herself so that her head was resting in my lap. “What’s that supposed to mean?

I smirked and leaned forward. “I’m just saying that you’re not so innocent yourself. It was you who took me, the poor, naive human male, and introduced me to the exotic and enticing world of mares, after all.”

“Oh, pfft!” She let out a snort, then booped my nose gently with a hoof. “It was going to happen one way or another, Mr. Gentleman. You’re lucky you got me first, instead of some sex-crazed instructor.”

“Hey, my instructors are good mares,” I defended, perhaps putting a little more force into my voice than intended. “I… well, I mean, they’re not deviants or uncontrollable—”

I felt the light, electric tingle of Full Bloom’s magic encompass the back of my head, pushing me down to meet her lips. After sharing a kiss, she pulled away. “You’re too easy, you know that?”

“Well… I thought you were upset or something…” I defended lamely. “I mean, I’m still surprised you’re okay with my work, to be honest.”

She rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. “Darren, let me make one thing clear: I will never hold your work over your head like that when it comes to us.” She took a hold of my right hand with both forelegs, pressing it against her barrel. “I love being with you, and truth be told, I think you’re the first male I’ve been with that’s ever treated me the way you do.”

“Thanks?” I said with a smile. “I… hope that’s a compliment, because it sounded like one.”

“Yes, it is,” she giggled. “I know you’re going to have sex with mares you hardly know, and there may be a few repeat clients you get that will really enjoy their time with you…” Her smile fell a bit. “There… may even be a few that you enjoy more than me.”

“Now hold on, Full Bloom—”

She pressed her other hoof against my lips. “I’m not blaming you for anything.” She grinned. “Truth be told, I’m sure there are a few guys out there that could rock my world better than you.”

“... I’m not sure if that’s a blow to my manhood or you saying that I’m not as experienced as other guys…”

“Oh, no, no!” She giggled some more, only to pull me closer as I sighed. “Hey, come on, just let me finish talking.” She used her magic to turn my head and make me face her. “Regardless of whether that would be true or not, they’ll never be someone that I will care for like you. Sex is… well, that’s just it, Darren. It’s sex. It’s wonderful. It’s driven both of our respective species to continue existing for eons, but, in the end, it’s just friction and hormones.”

“You know, it kind of scares me that I completely agree with you on that.”

She just continued to give me that warm smile. “Well, whatever the case, no one can replace you. Okay? Sex, be it for work, or between us, isn’t going to make or break this so easily.”

“Same here…” I leaned down and gave her another kiss. “I’d be an idiot to think of letting go of a mare who can pull off the sexy nerd thing as well as you can.”

“Oh, be still my beating heart. I think I’m swooning,” she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

We remained that way for what might have been hours; my fingers running through her mane while her magic ran through my own. I might have even dozed off at some point. In fact, I’m pretty sure that was exactly what had happened, because I ended up opening my eyes at some point, only to find myself on the couch with Full Bloom resting on top of me, softly snoozing. The clock on the wall read that it was currently going on to six in the evening.

“Hey…” I whispered softly into Full Bloom’s ear. “Full Bloom, wake up.”

“Mmmphh…” she whined, nuzzling into my shirt. “Don’ wanna…”

“You sure?” I replied, a mischievous idea coming to mind. “I mean, you’re kind of on top me…”

“Mhm. Stay there for a bit longer. Too comfy to move…” she mumbled.

I lifted a hand and gently ran it down her side. “Last chance, Full Bloom.”

This time, she managed to crack open an eye. “You wouldn’t…”

My fingers began to gently dance across her sides, just featherlight touches. “Consider your last warning given, then.” I cracked a smile as I lifted my other hand and tended to the other side of her stomach.

“O-okay, Darren, easy-bwfhahahahaa!” Full Bloom’s back legs began to kick against the couch armrest as she squirmed in my grip. She let out a peal of laughter as one of my hands found the crook between her foreleg and her shoulder. “No fair! No fair! Gyahahahahhaaaa-”

I managed to sit up while flipping her onto her back, gently pinning her to the couch as she gave a halfhearted attempt at fighting me off. “And now, for the coup de grâce.”

I blew a raspberry onto her stomach, causing her to let out a squeal of laughter and ask for mercy.

I pulled away from her stomach and gave her a smirk. “And what have we learned?”

She let out a wheeze as her laughter died down. “Humans fight dirty.”

“You’re damn right.” I gave her mane a light tussle and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, just beneath the base of her horn. “Luckily, you ponies are so damn adorable we can’t find it in ourselves to conquer you.”

“Mm. All in nature’s grand design, I suppose.” She hummed in agreement while sitting up. “So, what’s so important that you had to wake me up from that nap?

I looked at the clock, then to her. “Feel like going out for a bit?”

“Where?” She asked. “I mean, that nap was nice, so I wouldn’t mind getting some fresh air now, sure… but…” She gave what looked to be a shrug.

I had an idea in mind. “There’s that place down the road that does community theater stuff. Want to see if there’s anything going on there?”

She grinned at that. “Sure! I haven’t seen a play for ages, if you don’t count that Trixie mare’s show that we saw.”

In short order, the two of us got ourselves cleaned and dressed up for going to the theater. It was a good fifteen minute walk from my place, and even if there wasn’t a performance tonight, it was at least a nice night for being out and enjoying the late summer weather.

“Oh, no way! How didn’t I hear about this! Darren, look!” Full Bloom let out a chuckle as the theater came into view. “They’re doing a performance of Jaunty Softshoe’s The Art of Warmance.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. “The… The Art of Warmance?”

“Yeah!” She picked up the pace a bit, forcing me to step up my own speed to a light jog. “It’s from Jaunty Softshoe’s Jamboree.”

“Jaunty Softshoe’s Jamboree?” I echoed in equal parts confusion and amusement.

“Yeah! They’re a comedy group. Most of their members are from Caleponia, Gryphon, and some of the regions just inside of Equestria. Makes for some pretty good comedy that you don’t get in places like Canterlot or Las Pegasus.”

“Huh, okay, I’m interested.” I looked at the poster advertising the performance. It had a picture of a bunch of mares and tiercel griffin garbed in armor that would have been more appropriate several centuries ago. The mare had a bouquet of flowers in one hoof while she was attempting to stab the tiercel with her wing blades. The tiercel, in turn, had what appeared to be a large box of chocolates and a shortsword in either of his claws

“It was originally written about a decade ago when Equestria’s filming studios were going through a huge boom on romanticizing its warring days with Gryphon.” She snickered. “It’s… sort of based on historical events during the ancient Gryphon-Equestrian war… you’ll love their rendition of Sergeant Major Windshear, by the way.”

I made no further comment, instead trusting my spur of the moment decision to visit the theater, as well as Full Bloom’s words of encouragement.

"Captain Firefly, ma’am!”

Captain Firefly, the heroine and main character of the performance, casually looked up from the desk of her private quarters.

Captain Firefly, according to the brief Equestrian history lesson Full Bloom had given me before the show, had played a key role in the ancient continent-spanning conflict between Equestria and the then-Gryphon Empire. Judging from her appearance, however, the mare playing Firefly, if anything, seemed to be a satirical jab at the more bureaucratic side of modern Equestrian military and given an ancient makeover. Unlike the actual pegasus mare who went by the name Firefly, the Caleponian pegasus actress playing the role was far from an imposing figure. She was of a slender build and had her mane done up in a fashionable style, which was something you wouldn’t see among any Royal Guards, past or present. “Yes, yes, come in, Sergeant Blindside.”

The young, dashing pegasus mare playing Sergeant Blindside promptly burst through the doors of Firefly’s office in an overly dramatic fashion. Like Firefly, Blindside was a historical figure who had served in the Equestrian military several centuries ago. Much like the depiction of Firefly in this performance, however, instead of a fierce pegasus warrior, this performance’s Blindside was rather comical in behavior.

She was a far cry from the rather no-nonsense mare—who could fly through a hail of arrows untouched— that was talked of in the history books. In Equestrian history, she was lauded for being a heroic mare who had overcome a severe visual handicap and shone as an example of the Equestrian military spirit, much like Firefly herself. As her name indicated, she was blind in one eye, which for a pegasus in ancient times was normally disastrous. It meant no depth perception for a pony, which was normally essential to flying or fighting. However, this Blindside’s eyepatch was purposely being switched from one eye to the other throughout the performance, sometimes in the midst of a scene so that the side it was on was facing towards the audience.

“Captain, it appears I’ve been shot by griffin weaponry!” Blindside said, gesturing to an arrow flopping loosely from her side.

“Have you, now?” Firefly shuffled some papers around. “My, that looks quite serious. Have you talked to the healers?” she asked in perfect deadpan.

Blindside, who was standing at the entrance of her superior’s office, nodded once. “Indeed. They say it’s likely a fatal injury, my lovely and heroic Captain! I shall die within the hour.” she raised a hoof dramatically to her forehead, then paused for a moment. “Probably.”

“Oh, dear me! That’s not going to sit well with Lieutenant Fell Flight at all! Imagine the paperwork she’ll have to take on in your absence,” Firefly replied in the same deadpan tone, causing the audience to laugh. “You’re sure you can’t shrug it off?”

Blindside purposely lifted her eyepatch to get a good look at the supposed wound before placing it over the opposite eye. “I’m afraid not, ma’am. I fear that I am not long for this world,” Blindside replied, pulling out a bottle of expensive red wine and a long wax candle under her armored wings, earning more amused laughs from the audience. “I do feel that I must get something off my chest though before I give up the ghost, ma’am.” She took two glasses out from her other wing and began to fill them with wine while lighting the candle as the audience continued to laugh heartily, a few even whistling in approval at the comically romantic scene.

“Right now?” Firefly said in a polite, yet slightly annoyed tone. She arched an eyebrow at the wine glasses. “What’s all this, then?”

“Oh, just setting the mood.”

“The mood?”

“Aye, for my confession before my untimely death, ma’am.”

“Ah. Well, could it and your untimely death perhaps wait until this afternoon? I’m terribly busy until then, I’m afraid.” Firefly asked, a twinge of hope in her voice.

Blindside slumped, a pout forming on her lips. “Please, My Captain! Would you not allow a dying mare her last request?” she leaned in close and puckered up.

“Are you sure you’re wounded?” Firefly asked as she looked back to her stack of papers.

“Aye, terribly so,” Blindside replied, making a point of wobbling unsteadily, which caused the arrow in turn to wobble right off, revealing it nothing more than glued on haphazardly. The reaction of the audience was priceless, the theater now full of laughter, cheers, and applause.

“Really?”

The two mares looked at the unwounded side of Blindside’s body, then to the arrow on the ground.

“It seems it was just a flesh wound, ma’am!!” Blindside stated jubilantly, much to the audience’s amusement, though some of the Equestrians were surprised when some of the humans in the audience began to laugh to the point of wheezing. Recovering quickly, Blindside stood upright, and beamed. “Celestia be praised!”

“So it was!” Firefly nodded approvingly. “Good work, Sergeant.”

Blindside continued with what she had been doing before, now dragging in an antiquated-looking phonograph and slipping on a record. The theater was suddenly filled with the sound of romantic stringed music, and the audience, having seen several attempts by Blindside that were much like this, just continued applauding and laughing in amusement. “We should celebrate my recovery, ma’am!” She offered Firefly wine and a kiss again

Just like every time before, Firefly was completely unmoved. “Ah, perhaps later, Sergeant. I’m afraid I’ve got lots of papers to shuffle around, it will probably take me into the afternoon.”

“Oh…” Again, Blindside slumped. “Well, if you feel like joining me for dinn—I mean to celebrate, I would be all for it, ma’am!”

Firefly gave a very deliberate shrug. “Mm, I shall keep it in mind, Sergeant. Dismissed.”

Blindside trudged out of the office, dragging the phonograph that still was playing the record. She cast one last look to Firefly before sighing deeply, taking a long pull from the wine bottle, and continuing out of the room.

At that point, as the door to Firefly’s office closed, an adult griffin tiercel’s head poked up from the spot between Firefly and her desk, his body painted black except for some pink heart-shaped markings on his head and wings. Like Firefly, this griffin had been a major figure in the Gryphon nation’s military history, and had served as a Tribune and later as a Prelate during the war, commanding an elite unit that became the Bolt Knights’ greatest foe. He was one of the Empire’s greatest heroes, in fact, and had been a major nemesis to Firefly for the majority of the ancient conflict.

“I thought she’d never leave,” he announced with a very corny Prench accent.

“Hush, Kaval. You still have an hour left before you’re due back,” Firefly replied, pushing Tribune Kaval’s head back past the audience’s view. “And do use less beak this time.”

“Of course, My Captain…” he all but purred as the curtain closed, ending the scene and indicating to the audience that it was time for an intermission. As applause and shouts of approval filled the theater, Full Bloom and I got up, both of us still chuckling a bit.

“Okay, you win. I never thought I’d experience that much dirty humor in one hour from anything in Equestria until tonight…” I admitted, turning to Full Bloom. “I have to ask though… did Blindside actually fawn for Firefly like that?”

Full Bloom let out a laugh. “The war with Gryphon and Equestria happened over seven hundred years ago, but there have been several records indicating the two were romantically involved at some point.” She grinned. “Actually, from my understanding, they weren’t just lovers, but also herdmates. Not too often you get war stories with that sort of a happy ending.” She shook her head. “In the end, though, the only mare who might know any other facts about Firefly’s love life lives in Canterlot and moves the sun every day.”

“Mm. I don’t think it’d be proper of us to ask for an audience with Celestia so she can give us some dirt on a long-dead Royal Guard’s secret love life.”

“Probably not. But there are some things we do know. Firefly actually admitted in her memoirs that yes, she did have a fling with Layan Kaval a decade or two after the war, during a joint campaign against the forces of Dragon Lord Diabla. She actually said that he never enjoyed rounds or rutting until she came along, because no griffin was a match for him. But she was!”

I grinned widely at that. “Really? Wonder if they’re going to show that in the movie?”

“I’m sure the upcoming movie trilogy about Firefly and the Bolt Knights of ancient Equestria will cover that department for us.” Full Bloom smirked. “Can’t wait to see the previews; that one teaser trailer was compelling enough! I think it’s great they’re using the current Wonderbolts for certain roles--I mean, Spitfire as Sirocco and Soarin as Windshear? That’s perfect! And as for romance, it wouldn’t surprise me if they did. I haven’t seen a lot of your world’s movies yet, but from the ones I have watched, you sure like to squeeze a lot of love and lovemaking into your action films. Not that I’m complaining!”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, Hollywood is… yeah…” I shook my head. “Seriously, though. If you want a good documentary on human conflict without some sappy and nonsensical romance, I got a few miniseries we could watch.”

We ended up getting some popcorn and beverages before returning to see the second half of the performance. In the end, Firefly and her elite team of pegasi—who would end up becoming the foundation for the present day Wonderbolts flight team, according to the historical blurbs in the theater pamphlets—won the war against Gryphon with the assistance of Celestia, who had been played by a unicorn with intentionally tacky cardboard wings. The actress playing Celestia had threatened to drop a riotous, heat-frenzied horde of mares upon the city of Mosclaw, quickly ending the war.

Celestia, who had spoken to the audience via an aside, stated jokingly that Equestrian historians apparently were so embarrassed by this maneuver that they chose to lie and claim military prowess and tactics had won the conflict.

“Indeed, as the famed general called the Sun Master himself once said, ‘The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy not with fighting, but with a well timed heat cycle and several battalions of mares who have not had a good rutting for the better part of several months while serving in distant forts across the countryside.’.” Celestia proclaimed before taking a bow as the curtain closed, ending the performance.

The large cast of performers all took their bows as the audience applauded. Full Bloom and I eventually left the theater, but not before we managed to get the pony actress who played Blindside to sign our pamphlets.

Full Bloom was rather giddy about that, to be honest.

“I can’t believe I got Standing Ovation’s autograph!” Full Bloom squealed, waving the autographed performance pamphlet before me with her magic. “I almost forgot she joined the Jaunty Softshoe’s Jamboree crew about a year ago! This is amazing!” She giggled and danced in place a bit as she tucked the pamphlet into a saddlebag she had brought with her.

“Is she a big name in the theater business?”

Full Bloom waved a hoof. “Yes and no. She’s a rising star, but she’s mostly been focusing her career on Bridleway and non-film work. She actually turned down an offer to star in the upcoming trilogy of films that are based on the Gryphon and Equestrian war, actually.” She smirked. “This might have been her way to get the point across to the studios that kept badgering her.”

“Well, lucky you,” I chuckled. “She seemed pretty cool.”

“She actually started out as a comedian, believe it or not. After she finished her required years of education she moved to Vanhoover, and well, now she’s working in theater.” Full Bloom walked closer, and without a thought, my hand settled on her neck and began to scratch. “Enough about her, though.” Full Bloom gave my side a gentle nudge with her head and continued. “Someone deserves a bit of thanks for that wonderful trip to the theater.”

“Glad you enjoyed it.” I stopped, and like many a time before, knelt down so I was at eye level with her. “I know I’ve been busy with work lately…”

“We both have been busy,” Full Bloom added.

“Well…” I continued. “I just wanted to remind you that I enjoy being with you. That and get you to take some time off from the daily grind and not drive yourself to exhaustion so much.”

“You’re sweet, Darren.” She gave me a peck on the cheek. “Don’t worry so much about me, though. I’m a big filly.”

“Yes, but you’re prone to overworking.” I gave her a kiss on the forehead in turn. “Don’t overdo it too much, okay? You have a worrywart of a boyfriend to consider.”

“Fine, I’ll try,” Full Bloom giggled as I pulled her in for a hug. “Only because you’re so adorable.”

I gave her a final kiss before standing up once more, the two of us continuing back down the road leading to my place. “Whatever works.”

End of Chapter Ten

Author's Note

Surprise! Denim's still doing stuff with pone words!

Well, in all due fairness, I have been helping with prereading for a few gents, namely Firesight and AJ_Aficionado. In turn, they've been helping me out with my own work, and I managed to eke out some writing time this past weekend since I was off from work. With any luck, I'll have more written this coming weekend, so there's a silver lining to all of this, I guess!

As usual, my thanks goes to the usual suspects of AJ_Aficionado, Silent Woodfire, Firesight, and TheTownCrier. These four managed to shape up this story into something decent, and I have a special thanks to Firesight for his additions to the play scene with Firefly. Check out Before the Storm: The Rise of Firefly if you need a reference to understand things better. I would like to note that I am to blame for the idea of the characters Blindside and Firefly being an actual pairing/future pairing in the story.

Anyway, I would have gotten this out sooner today, but the whole formatting issue with Google Docs made this a multi-hour process... I could use that alternative that's been mentioned, sure, but I didn't think it'd be this long to fix, heh. As it stands, I've gotten better at typing out brackets and backslashes today, it would seem. Hurray for me!

Until next time, folks, keep on keeping on!