Gentleman in Training

by Denim_Blue

Chapter Seven: The Mare Behind the Mask- Part One

The morning came with the silence of my apartment as I went through the morning ritual of washing up and getting in a light breakfast. Full Bloom had left before I had awoken, leaving me a note telling me that she would be gone until later into the afternoon. Something about field work in the deepest section of the Everfree Forest that Ecosystems for Equestria had staked out. So, with no one to keep me company, I had made quick work of my pear that I had been snacking on and made my way out the door, deciding to get an early start on my trek to work.

I was about two blocks from the brick building of the Hoofington branch headquarters when I noticed a familiar face taking a turn around a corner and heading in the same direction as I was. He was currently engaged with something on the phone in his hand, and didn’t even notice my approach.

“Arnold! Hey!”

The older man looked up from his phone, his face brightening a bit upon seeing me. “Oh, morning, Darren.” He stuffed his phone into the briefcase he carried his belongings in and greeted me with a firm handshake. “You’re heading to work early.”

“Yeah. My marefriend had to leave for work extra early this morning, so I was left to an empty apartment with nothing to do. Figured I’d head here early and see if there was anything I could do to pass the time, and maybe get in some extra training or whatever.”

“Training?” He chuckled in amusement. “What, you mean 'see if one of your instructors was available for a little hanky-panky'?”

“N-no, not exactly… though I wouldn’t be against it.” I rolled my eyes when he just chuckled more. “I was actually kind of hoping if there was anything I could get a headstart on as far as lectures go.”

“Mm, I hear you. Luckette’s been making sure I’m not shirking my notes.” He groaned as he tapped his briefcase. “The mare gave me a copy of her own notes she keeps for classes, and she’s planning on having a pop quiz some time before next weekend.”

We reached the cul-de-sac that Gentlemen for Mares was on, and made our way through the doors, a soft chime signaling our entrance. Instead of the usual calm atmosphere that greeted us whenever we walked through the lobby, we were greeted by a rather frantic Manila, who was bustling around the workspace behind her desk, mumbling to herself as she pulled out folders and stuffed other ones in seemingly randomly spots. With her was a much calmer Silky, who was trying her best to soothe the frazzled secretary from the looks of things.

“Manila, it’s going to be fine. She’s not going to expect this place to be perfect. For Celestia’s sake, we’ve been a training facility for less than a month. There’s going to be a little chaos mixed in with the order.”

Manila turned to our the head of the Hoofington headquarters, her eyes wide while a few locks of her mane came loose from her neat little hair bun. “No! I-I cannot let her see this!” She waved a hoof at the shelving space behind her. “She’s going to see how disorganized everything looks, and then she’ll boot me out the door and… and she will replace me with a mare from Manehatten who—”

“Manila,” Silky cut her off with a hoof touching her lips gently. “Stop.” Manila ceased her babbling. “Take a deep breath. With me, okay? In…” Silky took a breath in through her nostrils, and Manila copied her actions. They held it for a moment, then Silky exhaled while saying softly. “Out…again. In… and out…”

Manila and Silky repeated the action twice more before Silky cleared her throat and placed a hoof on the tan mare’s shoulders. “Better?”

“Y-yes…” She sighed. “Sorry, Silky. I was… you know…”

“I understand, but you need to remember that she also personally appointed you to this position because she knows you’re good at your job.”

“But… it’s so disorgan—”

“No, sweetie, no it’s not.” Silky placed a wing on her back and slowly turned her to face the shelving space. “I can already see that you’ve organized everything by clientele region and by alphabetical order. I know you’ve also been working on transferring things over to the new computer in the back office.” She gave Manila a reassuring smile. “You’ve done an amazing job, and I’ve heard both Ribbon and Dawn Weave speak nothing but wonderful things about you whenever they’re helping you back here.”

“I… I guess…”

“Look, Manila, you’ve been here since five this morning. Why don’t you take a fifteen minute break and stretch your legs a bit, okay?”

“Oh, but… I have so much stuff to take care of…”

“Yes, and none of it is of immediate concern. The lobby is clean, the offices are in tip-top shape. Tidy said you were here late into the evening, helping her get the place prepared for the visit today, so I don’t think you have anything else to worry about.” Silky grinned. “So, please, as a favor to yourself and to me, take a break. Get something to eat, too, okay? Eating those granola bars and drinking coffee is hardly enough to get you through a day.”

“Alright, Silky… thanks…”

Manila trotted out a back door into the office area, leaving Silky alone behind the desk. The pegasus picked up a folder Manila had been holding, and after a quick search, slid it into a spot on one of the shelves. When she finally walked back to the front desk, she blinked in surprise, clearly having not noticed Arnold and I enter. “Oh! Good morning, boys!”

“Manila seemed a tad stressed,” Arnold noted. “Everything okay?”

Silky sighed, “Yes… and no. We… got an unexpected call on the new phone we set up the other day. Turns out the head honcho is stopping by around noon or so to check out our place, see how we’re doing.”

The head honcho? I raised an eyebrow. “What, you mean like an executive or something?”

“Platinum Corona. She’s the founder of Gentlemen for Mares, and yes, she more or less holds the power of a head executive. Basically, whatever she says is law… well, within the laws of Equestria, that is. To be honest, more than a few rumors are going around that she’s got the ear of Princess Celestia. She has a good deal of influence within the social elite of Equestria.”

“She sounds like a very powerful mare,” Arnold said with an intrigued tone in his voice. “I… think I’ve heard a little bit about her, actually. If I remember the stories I’ve heard about her, she would be right at home within the corporate business world of Earth.”

Silky sighed and brushed away a lock of her blonde mane. “Yes, but… at the same time, she’s not as bad as ponies make her sound. She just expects you to do your job, and do it well, and in turn, she’ll make sure you get paid for doing a good job.” She waved a hoof idly as she continued. “She’s actually a bit of a mentor to some of us, I suppose. She’s always pushing us to do better.”

“So… anything we should be prepared for, then?” I asked.

“Just be yourselves, and answer any questions to the best of your ability.” She paused, then added. “Don’t lie to her; she’s pretty good at reading a person or pony. Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s her special talent.”

“What, is she going to be interviewing us?”

“Not in the sense that you’re thinking of. She’ll probably just want to get to know you boys a bit. See what Hoofington has to offer to the company. She’ll probably want to see how you’re all acclimating to the environment, too.”

“Huh, a head of a company with a genuine interest in the lower-chain employees?” I chuckled. “That already sounds too good to be true.”

Silky smiled. “Believe it or not, she likes to stay involved with our Gentlemen and Handlers. She actually personally appoints a few clients and Gentlemen, depending on the situation and circumstances.” She laughed a little as she nodded back to the doors leading to the back offices. “While you may not see too much of her, there’s a good chance she’ll be keeping track of us, especially you five. Hoofington is a bit of an experiment for her.”

“... uh… and how exactly are we an experiment?” I asked, Arnold chuckling at my concern.

“Nothing sinister, I promise,” Silky giggled. “While almost every Gentleman forms a clientele base over time, she wants us to pay special attention to our clientele base.”

“How so?” Arnold asked.

“By keeping a line of communication open between you boys and your clients. Obviously, the office,” she gestured to our surroundings, “will serve as the communication line. It’s both to protect your privacy and to provide a guaranteed means of getting in touch with you. We have a personal email address for each Gentleman to use, we have voicemail, and we have good old fashioned snail mail.” She beamed brightly at the last part. “There’s nothing quite like a written letter, after all. The personal touch helps, sometimes.”

“Huh… and this was all ‘Platinum Corona’s’ idea?” Arnold inquired, sounding impressed.

“Partially. Um, truth be told, I sort of spoke up about the idea of furthering the relations between clients and Gentlemen. She took it from there.”

“Sweet. Looks like you’ve got the attention of our boss, huh?”

Silky gave me a nervous smile. “I guess so. I’m a little nervous about it. I’d… appreciate it if you keep that to yourselves, by the way. I have to keep maintaining an image and whatnot.”

Arnold and I gave a nod. “You got it, Silky,” I replied.

“Thanks…” Her shoulders loosened a bit. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to about that.” She stood up a little straighter, and continued. “So, what are you two doing here so early?”

“I came to prepare for a possible pop quiz,” Arnold replied, lifting up his briefcase. “Got over twenty pages of notes to go over.”

“I got bored at home and decided to see if I could do anything here to pass time until work starts,” I replied, earning a chuckle from Arnold and an amused smile from Silky.

“Well, if you’re looking to help, I know Dawn Weave was out back tending to the garden. I’m sure she’d like some extra help until class starts.”

I looked to Arnold, gave a shrug, and nodded to Silky. “Okay, you said she was out back?”

“Mmhm. Just look for the thestral with the big, frilly sun hat and the pink gardening apron on.”

Well, that wouldn’t be hard to miss. I made my way to the back entrance of the headquarters and stepped out to the back lawn. Sure enough, there was Dawn Weave, tending to a clump of tulips in the garden lining the back of the building. She must have heard me approaching, for she looked up from her work and smiled. “Ah, good morning.”

Dawn Weave’s voice was smooth and velvety, but at the same time lacked the same degree of sensuousness that Royal Ribbon’s own voice had. It was still pleasant to the ears, though.

“Morning, Miss Dawn Weave. Silky said you could use a little help back here until class starts.”

She chuckled softly as she wiped her brow with a hoof. Her face had specks of dirt on it, and the frilly hat and apron both had clumps of soil clinging to them as well. Even so, I wouldn’t be lying if I said she had a beauty to her.

“Just call me Dawn Weave. I’m far too young for you to be talking to me like that,” she said with a smile. “Though, I do welcome the help and company.”

After she pointed me to a wheelbarrow that had gardening supplies in it, I put on a pair of clean gloves for human hands and set to work with weeding out the garden with her.

“So, you’re Gabe’s friend, right?”

I smiled. “Depending on how much trouble he’s currently in, yes, I am his friend.”

She giggled softly as she pulled out a rather stubborn weed. “He speaks well of you. Says you and Alex are both wonderful friends to him.”

“Eh, we can be.” I replied with a shrug. “Sometimes I feel like throttling the guy, but most of the time I enjoy his company.”

“I can understand that sentiment,” she said with a nod and another giggle. “I have a good feeling about him, though. He seems like a genuinely good man. I’m sure he’ll be a great Gentlemen when he’s done with his training and classes.”

Well, that put Dawn Weave in my good books. Anyone willing to give Gabe a chance was okay with me.

“Did you plant all these flowers yourself?” I asked, admiring the garden. There were not only tulips, but several types of lilies, a few rows of native prairie grasses, irises, and even a few rose bushes in one corner. Not only that, but there were a few lilac and honeysuckle bushes throughout the property that I hadn’t noticed earlier. The fact that the sheer variety of plants still had a semblance of order and pattern to them in their layout said a lot about whoever planted them.

“Oh, no, I only help with maintaining the garden. Candy Apple was the one responsible for the garden design and planting everything. Apparently, she got a great deal for all these flowers at a floral shop in Ponyville of all places. She bought all of the flowers and bushes while she was visiting some family, I guess.” She took a few steps back from her work and admired the garden in its entirety. “Silky’s been thinking of extending a business partnership with the flower shop, but it’s nothing set in stone yet. Gentlemen for Mares already has a few partnerships with several hotels, luxury spas, travel agencies, and even a hot-air balloon dating service. Still, a flower shop that could provide us with some more specialized bouquets and the like? That would be neat.”

Dawn Weave looked up to me, her bronze irises shimmering beneath the brim of her sun hat. Despite her dark blue coat and jet black mane and overall nocturnal appearance, she seemed to be perfectly at home in the morning sunshine.

“I’d be all for that. It’d be nice to have someone who can supply us with something like special-order bouquets and stuff to plant around the building.”

“Exactly. Though, I hear the shop is still a bit on the small side. They can only take so many orders at a given time, and they deliver everything by hoof and wagon.” She smiled at that. “Three earth pony mares run the business, if I remember Candy Apple telling me right. I love gardening, but there’s something special about plants grown by the hooves of earth ponies. For most of them, growing and nurturing life is second nature to them.” She chuckled, “I’m a tad jealous about it, actually.”

“Well, I’m sure most of them can’t claim to be poets.”

“Oh goodness, how’d you find out about that?” Dawn Weave asked, her cheeks flushing a bit as she giggled.

“Ambrosia. She’s one of my instructors.”

Dawn Weave’s expression brightened at the mentioning of Ambrosia. “Ah, Ambrosia. Of course,” She hummed and shook her head in amusement. “She’s a sweet girl, but a little bit of a worrywart.” She shifted her wings in a manner that resembled a shrug. “You grow to appreciate her, though.”

“I can imagine.” I squatted down beside the garden and looked over the growing flowers. “So, what else can I do to help?”

She nodded to a wheelbarrow over in one corner of the yard filled with mulch. “If you could lay down some mulch around the rose bushes, that would be very much appreciated. There’s a spading fork by the wheelbarrow you can use, and if you need any more mulch to spread, there’s a small pile behind the work shed in the back.”

Nodding, I got to work with spreading mulch. It wasn’t all that hard of work, and with the spading fork to help me, I didn’t get any of the mulch on my clothing. Time flew by for the two of us as we swapped stories about Gabe and each other.

Dawn Weave openly admitted to being a bit of a black sheep in her family, seeing as she was mostly diurnal. She apparently wrote for a general interest magazine that was geared towards mares, supplying it with irregular poetry, advice, and short story contributions. While she loved it, the work by itself wasn’t reliable and the paychecks she received weren’t enough to live off of. Thankfully, her brother and sister helped with that, bringing in a steady income with their own work. She had taken a job at Gentlemen for Mares partly to help make ends meet, and partly because she had, in her own words, ‘a major attraction to humans’.

“So, you’re from Hollow Shades, you said?”

“Yep, born and raised.”

I grinned as I tossed some mulch onto one of the last rose bushes that needed to be covered. “I’ve never been there. Only heard that it’s surrounded by forests.”

“It is. Now, I might have a bias, but I think you’d like it. If you like going in the Everfree Forest as much as you say you do, I think you’d like Hollow Shades.”

“As long as there aren’t any Vampiric Jackalopes or manticores, I think I’d enjoy it,” I replied with a wink, getting a laugh out of her. “I’ll have to go there with Full Bloom. She’d probably like it, too.”

“Full Bloom?” Dawn Weave repeated.

“Oh, yeah, she’s my marefriend,” I answered. “She studies botany, and knows more about plants than anyone else I know, pony, human, or otherwise.”

“Marefriend?” Dawn Weave raised an eyebrow and smiled. “My, my, so you’re not so wet behind the ears, are you?”

I shrugged as I set down the spading fork. “She does most of the seducing between the two of us. I like to think it’s my intellect and devilishly good looks that attract her to me, though.”

“Well, I can see what she finds appealing about you, Darren.” Dawn Weave set down her gardening trowel and wiped her brow. “I think that about does it. I need to get cleaned up before Platinum Corona comes here.”

I managed to keep myself from working up much of a sweat, thankfully. The last thing I wanted was to reek of sweat and dirt when I met the supposed mare that ran all of Gentlemen for Mares. I walked over to Dawn Weave and knelt down so I could admire our handiwork. “Not bad at all, huh? We make a pretty good team.”

Dawn Weave hummed in agreement. “I couldn’t have gotten this all done without your help. Thanks, Darren.” She surprised me with a chaste peck on the cheek. “I’ll be sure to let Silky know how much of a help you were.”

“Nah, you don’t need to do that,” I laughed. “I’m just happy I could make this place look a little nicer.”

Dawn Weave just smiled as she made her way to the door. “I’ll see you later, Darren.”

“Later, Dawn Weave.”

She paused in mid stride, and turned around to face me. “Actually, you can call me Dawn.” She smiled warmly. “That’s what my friends call me.”

“I dunno. The last thing I want is for Gabe to be getting jealous of me, now,” I joked.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that, he’s already taken to calling me Weavy.” She arched an eyebrow and continued, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “Now, if I wanted to make him jealous, I could think of a few things we could do…”

I snickered as she giggled. “I’ll see you later, Dawn.”

“Take care, Darren.”

As Dawn Weave headed inside, I took a quick glance at my phone and noticed it was almost nine thirty. Class was scheduled to start soon, so I made my way inside and washed up in the men’s bathroom. With my face and hands clean, I walked into the classroom we were scheduled to meet in today. I noticed Silky at the front of the office, along with a mare that I wasn’t familiar with. She had a yellow coat that reminded me of daisies, and her curled mane and slightly cropped tail were of a deep, green hue. She was an earth pony, and looked to be a little older than Silky.

Judging from Silky’s smile, she must have been a friend, too. That or at least someone she was familiar with. It’s a little hard to tell; Silky seems to be a naturally friendly mare to everyone she meets.

“... I was prepared for Platinum to visit, but not you, Five Stars.” Silky gave the other mare a light nudge with a hoof. “Why didn’t you let us know ahead of time that you were coming? I would have been happy to let the girls know so we could get you a room set up.”

Five Stars… Five Stars… where have I…?

“Oh, Darren! Come in, come in!” Silky waved me in with a hoof. “Darren, this is Five Stars. She’s a surprise guest lecturer we’ll be having here for a few days.”

“Guest lecturer?” Five Stars laughed. “I don’t think I’m qualified for anything bordering on educational, Silky.”

“Oh, don’t worry too much about that. Luckette probably won’t let you within an inch of her podium, anyway,” Silky said with a goodnatured laugh, then gestured to me with a hoof. “Five Stars, this is one of our Gentlemen, Darren Halverson.”

I walked up to the mare and gave her a gentle smile. She gave me a smile in return and lifted up a hoof while fluttering her eyelashes a little. I couldn’t hold back the grin that spread across my face as I took her outstretched hoof in one hand. For a moment I thought of kneeling down and giving the customary Noble Greeting, though I decided against it. No sense in practicing a gesture normally reserved for someone you planned to rut at some point. Besides, I still wasn’t familiar with all the nuances of such actions… yet. Luckette had informed us that we’d be covering that with our own instructors soon, though.

Instead, I settled for giving her a dip of my head as I ran a thumb over her hoof. Still a little too intimate, perhaps, but judging from her smile, she didn’t object to it. I turned up the suave in my voice to eleven and locked eyes with her while smiling warmly. “It’s a pleasure, Miss Five Stars. Welcome to our humble little town.”

As Five Stars’ smile widened a little, from behind the mare I could see Silky making a gesture similar to a fistpump and mouthing the words ‘Yes! Yes!’ while giving me an approving nod.

“Well, the pleasure is all mine, Mr. Halverson.” She looked over her shoulder to Silky, who had settled down shortly beforehand. “You said he’s in training?” She seemed to be pleasantly surprised, which I will admit did nothing to stop my ego from swelling up a bit.

Silky grinned. “Darren’s… a unique case, I suppose. He has no experience with mares, but—”

“Um, actually, Silky… I sort’ve am dating a mare now. I might have forgotten to tell you that beforehand. We started dating shortly after my interview with you, believe it or not.”

Silky’s eyes widened. “Wait, really?” I nodded. “Well, there you go!” She looked to Five Stars with a proud grin. “See? He’s a real charmer. Not as much of a flirt as Martin or Gabe, though, but Ribbon’s told me she’s looking forward to training.” She glanced over to me and winked.

“I can imagine why,” Five Stars gave me an appraising look, and for a moment I felt like I was in the eyes of a predator, not a miniature, alien equine. When she met my gaze once more, she winked at me as well.

Okay, this mare was definitely not shy around humans.

“Platinum said that Hoofington isn’t going with the standard recruitment phase of testing their skills with another mare. That true?” Five Stars’ gaze never left mine as she asked the question.

“No, we’re striving to focus a little more on the emotional aspects first. The physical stuff will come in due time, though, believe me.” Silky gave me an apologetic smile as Five Stars walked a little closer into my personal bubble. “As a certain set of media articles had taken great pains to make clear, there’s more to Gentleman For Mares than sex, after all,” she finished with a wink.

Five Stars actually paused at that, and her smile softened as she glanced over her shoulder to face Silky. “That’s why I’m glad we have you running this place.” She chuckled as the pegasus blushed a little. Five Stars turned back to me and nodded to Silky. “You’re working for a great mare, Darren. Treat her well and she’ll take good care of you.” She leaned in close, and whispered to me. “Her special talent is finding the best way to comfort someone, by the way.”

“F-Five Stars!” Silky said, clearly flustered from hearing that. “You don’t need to say it like that!”

“What?” Five Stars giggled, her seductive air quickly dissipating as she retreated a few steps when Silky tried to bat at her with one of her wings. “It’s not like I was lying, was I?”

“But the way you said it made it sound like something different, and you know—Darren, stop giggling, you’re supposed to be on my side!”

I couldn’t help it, really. Silky had the cutest pouting face, and Five Stars giggling was contagious. “Sorry, Silky.”

She frowned. “Traitor.”

I sighed, and calmed myself down before putting on the best stern expression I could muster. “Miss Five Stars, I must ask you to stop teasing my beloved manager so much. She’s a very delicate flower who must be nurtured and cherished so that she can help—”

“Okay, okay, enough, geesh,” Silky grumbled, but the ghost of a smile on her lips betrayed her attempt to look annoyed. “You’re lucky I find you so charming, Darren. Just be careful, or I’ll sick Pizzelle on you.”

I just chuckled some more as Silky let out a quiet snort, though the telltale signs of a smile were already creeping back onto her lips.

“You’re sure it’s okay for me to take over the lecturing for today? I don’t want to step on anypony’s hooves,” Five Stars asked as our laughter settled down. “I know most of the girls here are pretty new to the business, but I know there’s a few that just don’t have that high opinion of me.”

Silky waved a hoof. “Don’t worry about that. Luckette already knows about how hectic today is going to be, and I could use her help with a few things.”

“I don’t have anything really prepared, at least as far as classroom material goes…” Five Stars went on, her confident demeanor faltering a bit. “Platinum just sent me a message through pegasus express mail the other day, asking me to stop by here today so I could help her with assessing your place. My best guess is she wants me to help prepare all you girls for teaching and the like. I know most of your instructors are first timers, seeing as this wasn’t much of a training facility until a short time ago.” She sighed, then added. “Personally, I think Ever Ring may have been better suited for this kind of work, what with the classes and offices. I prefer more of a hooves-on approach when it comes to teaching Gentlemen, personally.”

Silky walked forward and draped a foreleg over her shoulders. “Stars, you helped me out back when I started at Gentleman for Mares in Manehatten. I know there’s a lot you can teach Darren and the rest of the boys, as well as us mares.”

Five Stars seemed to ponder over Silky’s words for a moment, then gave a nod. “Okay, but it won’t be much of a formal lecture if I’m doing any classroom stuff. More like a discussion.” She then added after a moment. “Luckette and anypony else who has lectures and class today can probably take over after an hour or so. We’ll see what happens.”

“That perfectly fine,” Silky said reassuringly. “The rest of our boys should be arriving soon.”

Silky eventually excused herself, leaving Five Stars and I in the classroom. I took a seat close to the front while Five Stars walked up to the blackboard behind her. She took a piece of chalk into her hoof and stared at the blackboard for several long moments. I was about to ask her if something was wrong when she started writing on the board.

She had drawn a vertical line across the board, dividing it in half. At the top of the blackboard she had written in rough English ‘Personal Life versus Professional Life’. On either side of the board she wrote the words ‘Pro’ and ‘Con’, then set the piece of chalk back down on the rack. She turned around to face me, a smile on her lips.

“I feel like I’ve heard of you before,” I said after a few moments passed. “It’s on the tip of my tongue, but…”

She chuckled, “You’d be surprised how often folks say that to me these days.”

So, turns out this Five Stars is a big deal. Like, a very big deal for Gentleman for Mares.

After the rest of the guys, along with Luckette and Royal Ribbon, showed up for class, we were all given a proper introduction on who the green maned mare was. Imagine my surprise when I found out that, along with her vast array of experience as a teacher for Gentleman, she was a major figurehead in what some were calling a cultural movement regarding Equestrian-human relationships.

Her name was indeed one I had heard before. She was the mare writing the magazine article that Mel had been telling me about the other day that was related to the significant need for change in the sex culture of Equestria, and her experiences before and after becoming an employee for Gentlemen for Mares. Well, there was a lot more to it than that, but those were two major things.

Judging from the look of admiration Ribbon was giving Five Stars, she must have been a bit of a role model for more than a few mares throughout the land.

“...now, while Ribbon and I will be doing lecturing today, if time permits, I think it’d be great to let Five Stars have the floor for now.” Luckette gave Five Stars a nod. “They’re all yours.”

Five Stars smiled, and waited for the two mares to take a seat before she began. “Well, embellishments aside, as Ribbon and Luckette told you boys, I’m Five Stars.”

“Dear, there’s a difference between embellishments and facts,” Ribbon said gently, earning a chuckle from Luckette.

Five Stars just smiled. “Regardless, I’m still a mare. However, Silky believes that my experience would be beneficial to you five, so I decided to talk to all of you about what it means to be a Gentleman. Namely, what it will mean for your personal lives, as well as your professional ones.” She gestured to the blackboard behind her with a hoof. “Let me start by asking: Have all of you been involved with another pony in the past at all as far as relationships go?”

There were nods from all present, myself included.

“Good, that will save a bit of discussion, then.” She picked up a piece of chalk with one of her hooves—something that I still have trouble wrapping my mind around, seeing as they have no fingers—and looked to us. “So, I’m sure a few of you have noticed a few cultural differences between Earth and Tellus.”

More nods from us.

“Now, as Gentlemen, you’re going to be expected to understand these cultural differences, and adapt to them appropriately. Some may even go as far as to say you will adopt them as your own. I won’t be here to tell you about those things, though. That’s the job of your instructors, such as Luckette and Ribbon.” She gave the two mares a nod. “I figured today we could discuss something a little more close to home: how your jobs will affect you as people, and what you can expect.”

While I had an idea of what she was going to be talking about based on what she had written on the blackboard earlier, I still found my interest piqued by this revelation.

“So, why don’t we start. Can any of you think of some things that will be affecting you with this line of work? Don’t be afraid to suggest something; there’s no real right or wrong answers.”

Arnold was the first to raise his hand, and Five Stars nodded for him to speak. “Time.”

Five Stars smiled, but cocked her head to the side. “Care to elaborate on that, Arnold?”

He gave her his usual relaxed smile. “We’re going to be doing a lot of traveling, and spending a lot of time dedicated to clients.” He gave a shrug. “I mean, twenty-four hours isn’t that much time to do a lot of things, if you think about it. Not to mention sleeping. I guess I’d consider that a con, since there’s never enough time to do anything as it is.”

“Good point,” Five Stars said with a nod, jotting down the word ‘Time’ on the cons side. “Though, I wouldn’t worry too much about being tired all the time. Gentleman for Mares does make sure that you boys have some time off to recuperate and have a social life of your own.” She took a moment, then looked to the rest of us. “What else?”

Alex raised a hand, and she pointed to him with a hoof. “Improved health. I mean… we’re exercising a lot, and it’s expected of us to keep a certain level of fitness with the job after training.”

“Very good,” Five Stars grinned. She wrote the words ‘Health’ on the pros side, underlining it once. “Now, I’m confident when I say that you all will be at least a little healthier by the time you’re finished with your classes and training.” She set down the chalk as she continued. “This is something I think all of you should take to heart now instead of later: being a Gentleman is very physically demanding. You’ll need to be able to handle dealing with mares who are, more than likely, going to be stronger than you. This is doubly so for most earth pony clients, like yours truly and Luckette over here.”

Luckette gave a nod of agreement. “Five Stars is right. I don’t mean to insult any of you, but I am probably capable of lifting more weight than any of you, and if push came to shove I could overpower you.”

Gabe and Martin chuckled in amusement.

“It’s true, though.” Five Stars paused for a moment to size up Alex, then walked up to him and gave him a sly grin. “I think a demonstration is in order.” Five Stars’ eyes twinkled a bit as she continued. “Did you play any sports, Alex?”

Alex arched an eyebrow, but nodded. “Yeah, football, a few years of hockey, and track and field.”

Five Stars nodded. “Would it be fair to say you’re stronger than most of the boys here?”

There was a nod from him after several moments, along with a murmur of agreement from a few of us, myself being among them.

“Did you do have any jobs that were physically demanding?” She continued.

“I worked on my uncle’s dairy farm when I was a teen during the summer. I’d say it was physically demanding.”

“Good.” Five Stars move so she stood before him. “Alex, I want you to try and stop me from pushing you towards the wall where Ribbon is sitting. Don’t stop trying to push me back until I say to, even if you’re pressed right against the wall, okay?”

Alex flashed her a confused look. “Um… okay…?”

Luckette sat up a little straighter in her seat and frowned slightly. “Five Stars, are you sure…?”

She gave Luckette a reassuring smile. “I won’t go too hard on him.” She rolled her neck a bit and exhaled through her nostrils. “Get into a ready stance if you want.” Alex shrugged, and got into a three-point stance, adjusting his feet a bit before nodding to her. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Five Stars grinned and took a step forward. She pressed her right shoulder into Alex while he in turn moved out of his stance to try and keep her from pushing him back, pressing both of his hands against her shoulders like a lineman would in a football game. It was probably a bit awkward, given the difference in body frames, but the principles were still applicable. Given his size, Alex should have had little difficulty in holding his ground.

The results were quite the opposite. It was… well, to be blunt, it was kind of embarrassing to watch. Alex was strong, but Five Stars?

In less than thirty seconds she had managed to press him against the wall. It hadn’t been sudden, but she never lost ground as she pushed him back. Alex had tried everything to slow her down, but the best he managed to do was slide and lose his balance. She was kind enough to grab a hold of his shirt when he almost fell back once, at least.

As if to emphasize her point, Five Stars held him firmly against wall with the side of her body, and while it didn’t look all that painful, Alex’s flushed cheeks clearly told that he was at least a little embarrassed of his predicament.

“Now, keep in mind,” Five Stars said as she remained pressed against Alex, “I’m not what you’d call an athlete among earth ponies. I am fit, but I’m not somepony who spends her days exercising or playing sports for a living.” She looked rather relaxed, in all honesty, despite Alex still trying to nudge her back. The best he managed was to make her adjust her footing. “Alex here is actually pretty strong, and I’d hazard a guess and say he’s probably more agile than I am, even for a man his size.” She looked up to Alex, who was beet red in the cheeks, and giggled softly. “You can stop now, Alex.” She stopped leaning against him, and placed a hoof on his leg while smiling. “Thanks for helping me.”

“Yeah, yeah… s-sure…” was all Alex could say in reply, his gaze resting on the floor as he returned to the desks.

As Alex took his seat, Five Stars went on, “So, as you can see, all this physical training isn’t for nothing. Some of your clients will probably be athletes. I know for a fact that a few of our customers are world-renown sports celebrities. You need to be prepared to service them, even if they’re stronger than you.”

Gabe and Martin looked a little less amused after that demonstration. Even I had found myself reevaluating my past experiences with earth ponies. How many times had I been gently nudged by Professor Wild Call when I worked at Ecosystems for Equestria? How much strength had she been holding back whenever she did give a gentle push or or nudge in a particular direction?

“Right, I think that point has been made. What else can you boys think of?”

I shook away the stunned silence, and cleared my throat. “Relationships?”

“Hm?” Five Stars turned to me, giving me an expectant look.

“Well, I mean, relationships outside of work. With… other women, men, mares, or stallions, even. Friends or… marefriends and coltfriends, I guess.”

“That,” Five Stars said, her smile growing as she walked up to the board, “is what I was hoping to hear. Excellent answer, Darren.” She wrote ‘Relationships’ in big letters over both sides of the board. “This, gentlemen, is probably one of the biggest hurdles you’ll have with this job, but you may also find benefits from working for Gentleman for Mares that carry over to your personal lives.” She looked to all five of us as she asked, “So, if you don’t mind me asking, how many of you are in a relationship with another individual: marefriend, girlfriend, griffin, stallion, minotaur, zebra… you get the picture…” She watched as Alex, Gabe, and myself raised our hands. She nodded in satisfaction.

Ribbon cleared her throat, getting everyone’s attention. “I think it stands to reason that your jobs will also affect non-romantic relationships. Families, friends, and so forth. Wouldn’t you agree, Five Stars?”

“Oh, definitely.” Five Stars gave Ribbon a nod. When she turned back to us, her playful smile fell a bit. “If you don’t mind me asking… do your significant others know of your work?” Again, Gabe, Alex, and I nodded. “How do they feel about your jobs?”

“Well,” Gabe began. “My marefriend is fine with it. I’d even say she’s kind of excited that I’m a Gentleman.”

“Same,” I said with a chuckle. “My marefriend’s been supportive of this, and she’s helped me work on skills like brushing, massaging, and… other things.”

Alex just nodded. “I’ve heard no complaints from my marefriend. She thinks it’s cool, and knows it’s not as bad as the media has made it sound.”

“Ah,” Five Stars frowned a little at that last bit. “Yes, I don’t mean to change the topic, but the media is… well, for those of you familiar with the articles I wrote, I’m sure you can guess how I feel about some media and social groups.” She took her chalk and scrawled ‘negative public opinion’ and ‘sensationalism’ under the cons portion of the board. “Either way, I’m happy you have supportive marefriends. A little advice, by the way: don’t be afraid to ask them for advice if you can’t talk to one of your instructors. I’m sure they’ll be happy to help if they’re as supportive as you boys say.” She finished with a wink that got a giggle out of Ribbon and Luckette.

She tapped her chin in thought before returning to the board and underlining ‘relationships’ several times. “There may be some stressful moments in your relationships as well, for a variety of reasons. Long traveling periods, exhaustion after work, and many other things. Things might not always be easy, and you might have to make some choices if things get tough. I will say this, though: the vast majority of our Gentlemen who have relationships outside of clients experienced few, if any, issues that were related to work. Most of those issues can be taken care of just by talking and listening, and understanding what’s wrong.”

“Sounds like common sense to me,” Martin remarked.

“It is, really,” Five Stars admitted. “Still, you’d be surprised how much communication can do for a herd, a couple, or what have you.”

The impromptu lecture continued in a similar fashion for the better part of an hour, just as Five Stars had thought it would. By the time she had finished, we had covered topics from cultural sensitivity, vegetarian-heavy diets (which Alex had insisted overlap both pro and con instead of being only pro), greater understanding of pony anatomy, emotional issues relating to work, and greater knowledge of Equestrian music.

Luckette and Ribbon had taken over after that, going into a history of Canterlot Etiquette and social structure. Five Stars stuck around, listening with interest and adding in her own thoughts and experience relating to the Equestrian capital a few times.

A lot of the lecture was talking about aristocracy and upper class practices, but I was interested in the cultural history of it all. Unicorns had a long history of royalty, nobility, and scholars, given their culture before the uniting of the three tribes. Pegasi families often talked of their pride in flight and skill, and lots of large families had military backgrounds. Earth ponies had their expansive family trees, and many individuals could trace back their lineage to explorers, pioneers, and farmers who brought life to the land dating back hundreds of years.

“I think it goes without saying though that there is hardly any ‘pure’ family lineages anymore,” Ribbon said as she slowly paced in front of the classroom. “For instance, my grandmother was an earth pony, and many of my cousins on my father’s side are pegasi as well as unicorns. I have family in Cloudsdale as well as Manehatten, despite spending most of my youth growing up in Canterlot. Even so, my family still is considered by many to be a part of the aristocracy, considering our long line of records and the land we own.”

Luckette gave a nod. “Ribbon is right. While pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns all have their own unique abilities and individual talents, the belief of keeping tribes separated is hardly the norm. You’re more than likely to receive a few belittling comments and even open insults if you consider one tribe ‘superior’ to the others. I believe it was Clover the Clever who said, “Flesh, fur, and bone cannot express the soul in the same manner as the heart and mind,”” Luckette smiled brightly. “And, Five Stars, not to try and butter you up, but I daresay you’ve shown more than a few ponies, humans, and other species that there is plenty more we can all learn about ourselves and each other with your articles.”

Five Stars chuckled, “You’re such a flatterer… thank you, though.”

A voice spoke up from the back of the classroom at that point. “Well said, Luckette. That’s part of why we have Gentleman for Mares in the first place.”

All eyes turned towards the far corner of the room near the doors leading in. There, sitting on one of the benches, was a unicorn mare. She was noticeably taller than the other mares in the room, even sitting down I could tell that much. She had longer legs, and a lithe build to her. Her coat was pink, and her mane that cascaded down her neck was of a platinum white. She wore a red and black dress with rubies lining the seams that reminded me of something from my history lessons in school relating to the Victorian era; ruffled, elegant, and probably more expensive than my Uncle Dale’s Harley Davidson. To top it off, she wore a mask you might see in a ballroom masquerade, along with a feathered hat.

What really struck me about the mare was the air she held about her. It was palpable. Judging from the way Luckette and Ribbon both seemed to stand a little straighter, I wasn’t the only one who felt it. I didn’t feel intimidated so much as I felt the need to show this mare some respect.

Then, Martin decided to break the silence. “So… who’s the cosplayer pony?”

“M-Martin!” Luckette squeaked, her voice unusually high as she gave him a frantic look.

The mare sat up from the bench she had been sitting on, and looked to the two mares while chuckling. “I’m sorry for intruding. I merely wished to see how your lectures were handled.” The hint of a smile played at her barely visible lips as she added. “I like what I saw.”

“T-thank you.” Luckette gave a small nod, as did Ribbon. “I… forgive us, but we didn’t notice you enter the room.”

“Oh, I’ve been here for almost an hour and a half,” the mare replied. “Again, I apologize. I used a subtle little spell so I wouldn’t draw any attention. Nothing spectacular, really. I didn’t want to affect your class until you were done.”

“Well, then…” Royal Ribbon cleared her throat, and looked to us with a smile. “Boys, I’d like you to meet Platinum Corona: the founder and owner of Gentlemen for Mares.”

Shortly after our introduction to Platinum Corona by Ribbon, a mildly panicked Silky burst into the classroom and asked if any of us have seen Platinum Corona. Upon spotting said mare, she began to apologize for not properly introducing her to the staff. Platinum seemed completely fine with the whole thing, though.

“It’s fine, Silky. I’m sorry for disappearing on you like that, but I wanted to get a candid look at our hopeful Gentlemen and instructors before revealing myself.” She frowned a bit. “I didn’t mean to imply any distrust in your capabilities by doing that. I hope I didn’t cause you any unneeded problems.”

“O-oh, no, of course you didn’t.” Silky exhaled slowly, and loosened up. “I trust your trip from Manehatten was alright?”

Platinum gave a ghost of a smile. “Yes, it was. If you don’t mind, I will be spending the next two days here so that I may see how things are run here with Five Stars.”

Speaking of Five Stars, she was currently next to a shaky Manila, who was currently mumbling something about ‘missing records from Cloudsdale’.

“Well, I believe lectures are done for now, but Pizzelle is going to be running drills with the boys in about an hour,” Silky said with a smile. “She should be here soon. If you want, we can adjust the schedule so you can—”

“That’s alright, Silky. I’d be happy to assess their physical performances. Your letters say they’re doing rather well, so I have high hopes for them.”

Under his breath, Gabe grumbled. “Geez, she’s acting like we’re not even here.”

One of Platinum’s ears flicked towards us, and I felt my stomach knot up. Oh damn it, Gabe, why couldn’t you just keep your mouth shut?

Platinum turned towards us, approaching us with an intentionally slow gait. She eyed up Alex, Martin, and finally rested her eyes upon Gabe.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Einsworth, is there problem?” Her voice was soft and calm, but with how quiet it had become, you would have thought she shouted.

Oh crap, she’s got our names down and we haven’t actually introduced ourselves yet.

Despite the situation, Gabe kept his features schooled. “Nope. Nothing wrong, ma’am.”

Platinum studied him silently for a few more moments, then sighed softly, the faintest of frowns forming on her features. She turned away, but added while looking over her shoulder. “For the record, Mr. Einsworth, I do value the input of my Gentlemen. I value it a lot. If I am to be honest, I sometimes value it more than the instructors and handlers. If something is bothering you, I’d ask that you not hesitate to tell me. I may be your employer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you, as well as the rest of you boys.”

As soon as she returned to her discussion with Silky—who looked a few shades paler and was giving Gabe a look bordering between homicidal and relieved—I looked to Gabe and mouthed the words, ‘What the hell?’ to him. He just shrugged and gave me an apologetic smile.

Pizzelle must have gotten word about Gabe’s little incident with Platinum, because she looked more than a little peeved as we lined up outside. “Alright, fillies, today, we’re going to be working on our cardio again… unless someone has an issue with that…” She paused for a few moments to study us. “Anyone? No? Good. I’d hate for a certain loudmouth to have any issues with the workout I have planned, after all.”

Yeah, okay, she had definitely gotten word about Gabe.

In no time at all, we were jogging around the track, Pizzelle sometimes running beside one of us, practically nipping at our heels and keeping us from slowing down. All the while Platinum Corona, Silky, Five Stars, and a few other instructors who had arrived watched with varying degrees of interest.

Gabe and Alex eventually sidled up beside Martin and I, Arnold close behind.

“So,” Alex said, “Anyone else feel like there’s something off about Platinum?”

Martin laughed. “Unicorn magic. I’m telling you, she was casting a spell on us to get under our skin.”

“No, she’s not,” Arnold said. “She’s testing us. She’s testing our mettle. Not unlike our wonderful P.T. coach over there.”

Pizzelle was currently standing off to the side of the track, watching us like a hawk watching a prospective meal in a field.

“You seem so sure of yourself,” Alex replied with a snort. “I get that she’s in charge around here, but seriously? The mask and whole mysterious aura-vibe she’s giving off is a bit much.”

“Nah,” Arnold said with a smirk. “Trust me, I’ve seen this kind of stuff before. She wants to know that there’s a future for this place. She’s trying to see us from a logical, unbiased perspective. Think about it: we’re going to make or break it for the Hoofington branch. She wants to know that this place is worth keeping. She’s going to put pressure on us because the demand for us to do well is real.”

That… huh, I hadn’t thought of that, now that I think about it. I mean, I knew about the branch’s situation, sure, but I never really considered that there was still a very real chance that the place would close shop on us.

“Well, damn, when you put it that way, it makes sense…” I mumbled.

“Not only that, but there’s also the pressure of us directly affecting the job of those ladies sitting with Platinum over there. If she’s not impressed with our performance, she’ll see it as a lack of training by Silky, Pizzelle, Luckette, and the rest of the girls. It will also probably be seen as a lack of dedication on our parts.” Arnold’s tone lacked any of its usual laid-back attitude as he continued. “Now, I don’t know about you boys, but I’m willing to suffer a bit of muscle pain and cramps if it’ll mean helping these lovely mares keep their jobs.”

I couldn’t help but agree with that sentiment. Between Pizzelle’s guidance and advice on preening and socializing and Silky’s willingness to give me a chance, I felt a twinge of indebtedness to the mares working here. Not to mention Royal Ribbon and Ambrosia, who would soon be giving me private lessons as well on the various aspects of being a Gentleman.

I’d hate to see their jobs disappear before they even got a chance to work with me.

With a renewed sense of determination, I picked up the pace a bit, keeping my eyes ahead. No sooner had I begun to separate from the group did Martin start catching up, along with Alex and Gabe. Even Arnold, who sometimes complained about a stiff knee during class, kicked up his usual steady pace.

“That’s the way, boys! Strong, steady strides!” Pizzelle said, a bit of peppiness lacing into her words. She began to canter along the outside of the track, keeping pace with us as she continued. I swear I saw the corners of her lips arch up a bit when I glanced over to her for a second.

So help me, seeing Pizzelle smile and laugh was worth the strain.

My mind began to wander to Full Bloom. I had told Five Stars myself; Full Bloom had given me her full support. Full Bloom wanted me to succeed, and saw my job not as an excuse to only have sex, but also as a way to help those who just needed a companion to talk to, someone to make them feel needed…

The discussion in class with Five Stars had got me thinking about what my relationship with Full Bloom meant to me. Yes, I would be working as an escort, but that was my profession. I wouldn’t be seeing anyone on the side while also dating Full Bloom. I know I had said something along the lines of understanding if she wanted to see someone on the side during those long periods that I may be gone, but… in truth, did I want that?

I was getting paid to provide services like that, and while it was my choice to work at Gentleman for Mares, it wasn’t like I did it because I wasn’t happy with Full Bloom. I may have only started dating her, but I cared about her too much to hurt her by seeing someone outside of work, pony, human, or otherwise. What if she was uncomfortable with it, but hid it for my benefit? I wouldn’t put it past her; she was pretty good at putting on a tough front.

I’d have to talk to her and see what she felt about that. If it was to truly just be a relationship between the two of us, I’d need to clear the air on anything right from the get-go. I’d rather apologize for changing my tune now on the topic than risk having someone get hurt later when it should have been avoided…

With thoughts of Full Bloom, Silky, and the others who wanted me to succeed, I continued to pick up the speed at a steady rate. Martin was already gaining a lead on me, but I wasn’t all that upset about it. It was to be expected of the fastest guy in our little group.

“Six more laps, six more! I want to see those legs moving, boys! You got ladies watching you; if that doesn’t motivate you to do your best, than maybe my hooves to your rear will. Einsworth, stop running like a limp-ankled ninny and pump those arms!”

“Love you too, Pizzelle!” Gabe called out, earning a laugh from the crowd of mares.

Minutes later found the five of us on the grass off of the track, forcing ourselves to stand straight and take slow, steady breaths.

“Nice work. During the next session we have, I think we’ll be hitting the weights, so be prepared for that. Now, I’ll let Platinum have some time to talk with each of you.” She lowered her voice as she continued. “I know Silky said this to you already, but I want you all to be upfront and honest with Platinum Corona…” Her eyes rested on me in particular as she continued. “Don’t get used to this, but I do have pride in you boys. I’d hate to see any of you get let go because of something that becomes an issue later on. Ask her questions, and answer any she has to the best of your abilities. That’s all I ask.” She waved a hoof. “Dismissed.”

We were given fifteen minutes to clean up, and then asked by Silky to wait in one of the back lobbies as Platinum conversed with us individually.

“How long will these interviews take?” I had asked Silky as we all took our seats and relaxed. Alex had been the first to be called by Platinum, so that left Martin and Gabe playing a game of what looked like crazy eights while Arnold whipped out his smartphone and begun puttering around on it.

Silky could only shrug her shoulders and give me a small smile. “I’d tell you if I could. Could be minutes, could be an hour.

“I wouldn’t worry too much, Darren,” said Five Stars, who had taken a seat beside Silky on one of the couches. “Platinum’s done this for a while. She’s not going to put you through Tartarus with the interview. I’ve seen these processes… occasionally up close and personal,” her grin turning coy for a moment. “Though for this, I’d guess she won’t be as focused on assessing individual performance so much as simply getting to know you boys.”

I quirked an eyebrow and gave her an amused look. “Assessing individual performance, huh?”

Five Stars waggled her eyebrows. “I could help you with that later, if you want. Oh hush, Silky, I’m just teasing… sort of.” She returned her attention to me and continued as Silky let out an annoyed snort. “But yes, it sounds like she’s more concerned with just getting to know you boys. Platinum’s going to be keeping an eye on Hoofington for a few months while you’re all finding your bearings.”

Fair enough. I guess I couldn’t be too upset. I actually liked the fact that this place took its employees’ issues and concerns so seriously. Though, I suppose, given the nature of the business, it sort of had to.

I picked up a magazine that was lying on the coffee table, arching an eyebrow as I looked at the cover. The picture was of some scenery in Manehatten, a park from the looks of it. The issue was from this past April, so it wasn’t too dated, but still a few months old. On the bottom corner I read the words, ‘Five Star Service- Las Pegasi’.

I looked up from the cover and noticed Five Stars was watching me intently. Not with the usual playful smirk that I had come to associate with her in the short time I had gotten to know her, but a look of interest.

“Ah…” She let a smile cross her features. “Looks like you have all of the issues, huh, Silky?”

Silky nodded in reply to Five Stars. “I figured it would make sense to have an issue or two around here.”

I tapped at the magazine cover. “How many of your articles have you published so far?”

“Including the Q&A articles…?” Five Stars thought it over for a moment, then replied, “About eighteen, I believe.”

I set the magazine down, and looked the pile. Sure enough, more of the magazines advertised Five Stars’ articles. The magazine itself was one I had seen plenty of in my time in Equestria; The Manehatten Post. Heck, one of the articles even had a small picture of her one the page as I flipped through it. It was dated from February of this year. The earliest one I found was from late January.

“I’d recommend starting on that one,” Silky said, pointing at the January issue. “You’ll be lost otherwise.”

Made sense, I suppose. Nodding, I flipped open the magazine and began to read.

Time had passed me by relatively quickly as I read through the stories of Five Stars. I was a little relieved that Five Stars didn’t bother me with any questions on what I thought about the articles. I understand the aim of her writing but… it was still a bit embarrassing to talk to somepony about their sex life after reading about it.

By the time I got into an issue that told of two pegasus stallions she was courting, everyone but myself had been called in to talk with Platinum Corona. Silky and Five Stars had seen to it to keep me company while the other guys had been excused early so that they could have individual lessons with their instructors or head home.

“Darren?”

I looked up from the magazine to see Platinum watching me from outside the room she was interviewing everyone in. She had a small smile on her lips, and nodded to the magazine. “What do you think so far of the articles?”

“O-oh, well,” I looked over to Five Stars and Silky, who had paused their game of what looked like some kind of alternative to slapjack for ponies. “I’m actually surprised. I gotta hand it to you, Five Stars, you got some real cojones; writing these and submitting them is admirable… and a tad risque, but who am I to judge?” I laughed when she gave me a small, grateful nod.

“Mm,” Platinum nodded to the room behind her. “If you would, I’d like to talk for a bit.” Without another word, she gracefully moved back into the office, leaving the door open a bit.

While I knew I had nothing to worry about, I couldn’t help but feel a touch nervous. “Should… should I be prepared for anything in particular?”

Silky let out a snort of laughter and shook her head. “She won’t bite, Darren,” she whispered. “Go on, now. We’ll be here.”

I set down the magazine, only to pause and double check the page number I had been on. I’d have to continue reading it later when I had time. “Wish me luck,” I said as I got up from my chair.

“Let us know if things get interesting so we can join in the fun,” Five Stars called out, eliciting a giggle from Silky followed by a half-hearted scolding from the pegasus.

I opened the door, surprised by how dark it was. There was a lovely smell in the air… vanilla and cinnamon, I think. It was relaxing, whatever it was. It was probably from candles burning on a table, which provided some of the light for the otherwise unlit room.

“I hope you don’t mind; I find the dim lighting helps alleviate some of the anxiety during these interviews,” Platinum said. A faint glow of her horn brought forth a long matchstick, which lit a small row of candles on the desk beside her. She herself had taken a spot on a chaise lounge, allowing her taller frame to stretch a bit. “Have a seat, Darren.” She nodded to the recliner across from her, and I did as she asked.

“No worries; I actually kind of like the smell of the candles.”

I thought I caught a flicker of a smile on her lips, but the lighting was too dim for me to say for certain. “Then I’ve done my job well so far.”

I gave her a smile, keeping in mind not to show too much teeth.

“Well, then,” she cleared her throat. “Tell me a bit about yourself…”

End of Chapter Seven

Author's Note

And that's chapter seven! I'm sure a few of you who have read other stories within the Gentleman for Mares series are familiar with the two characters I introduced. I had been planning on them showing up for some time now, and I'm glad I finally got to this point in publishing.

I owe thanks for pre-reading this chapter to Firesight and AJ Aficionado, and thanks to Demon Eyes Laharl for his input on various aspects and ideas that I used in this chapter back when this story was still in the works. I'd also like to thank all of you wonderful readers who have helped me by finding errors and giving me your feedback. It helps a lot to hear your thoughts; regardless of whether you're a professional or amateur writer, reader feedback is our lifeblood when it comes to this stuff.

That's about it for now. Thanks for giving this a read, and please let me know what you think. Until next time, keep on keeping on, people!