Gentleman in Training

by Denim_Blue

Chapter Nine: Uptown Mare

“-ren…”

Consciousness came to me with the gentle nudging of something against my side. I groaned in protest, my mind wanting to remain in the realm of dreams and unconsciousness, despite the persistent force trying to wake me from my slumber.

“Darren,” whispered a voice that struck a familiar chord in the back of my mind.

More prodding against my chest.

With a yawn, I slowly opened my eyes and let my vision adjust to the early rays of sunlight filling my room. I smacked my lips, only to blink dubiously as a pair of equally groggy, verdant eyes met my gaze.

In fact, said eyes more or less were almost all that I could see in my field of vision at the moment.

“Mornin’, Full Bloom,” I mumbled, my mind slowly kicking into gear. It was only then that I realized I had managed to pull my poor marefriend into a vicegrip embrace overnight, and it seemed that I hadn’t let her go throughout the night.

“Your breath stinks,” she said, and I could practically hear her wrinkling her nose as I chuckled.

“Speak for yourself, hay breath,” I said softly, planting a soft kiss on her forehead while keeping my eyes closed. “What time is it?”

“Mm. Seven thirty in the morning. Your phone woke me up. I just turned off the alarm… or turned it off the phone itself. I’m not sure, but it stopped playing that really dramatic music you always wake up to.”

“Sorry, about that,” I apologized as I let her go. “Hope I didn’t cause any problems by unknowingly using you as a body pillow last night.”

She smiled at that, “No harm. I was pretty comfortable, to be honest.”

I sat up after my muscles protested for a few moments, then shifted my feet to hang over my bed. I slumped forward and groaned, peering through the blinds of my bedroom looking out into residential Hoofington. “At least it’s nice out.”

I felt a weight press against my back, followed by Full Bloom giving me a gentle kiss along my jawline. She eventually stopped, and the two of us just sat there, enjoying the moment together.

“You’re sure you don’t mind playing host to Riley and Mildred while I’m gone? I can see if I can quickly find them a hotel for the night. I’ll be back tomorrow around noon, so—”

“I don’t mind,” she whispered, giving me a final kiss. “Mildred seems like a pretty cool girl, and Riley’s got that goofy vibe going about him like you have.”

“Goofy?” I gave her an look of mock-hurt while placing a hand to my chest and frowning. “You wound me, Full Bloom.”

“You doofus, it’s what I love about you,” she giggled. “Now come on, get up or you’re going to be late for the chariot coming to pick you up at your work.” She nudged me with a hoof, gently pushing me up and forcing me to stand.

“Okay, okay,” I laughed as she threw me a towel and a change of clothes that I had laid out the other night.

“I’ll make you some breakfast while you shower up,” she said, adjusting her bedhead in the bedroom mirror a bit before giving up when it refused to submit to her hoof and magic. “How about I make some… what did you call them? ‘Egg in the nest’, right?”

I nodded. “That’d be awesome. I appreciate that, Full Bloom.” I leaned forward and gave her a nibble on the ear, earning a pleased hum from her. “I’ll need to repay you for all the pampering you’ve been doing lately.”

“I would happily welcome that,” she purred, only to gently push me away with a hoof. “You’ll have to wait until after Manehattan, though. I don’t want my boyfriend coming back half-dead, after all.” She chuckled as my smile fell. “I’m joking, Darren. I just want you to have a good… session, or whatever, with your instructors. You’ll need all the energy you can spare.”

I settled for giving her another peck and gentle scratch behind the ears. She eventually managed to pry herself from me, and she chased me into the bathroom after threatening to snap me with the bath towel. I hopped into the shower and quickly cleaned myself up. Afterwards, I spent a few minutes wetting my hair and applying a bit of gel to it, giving it a bit of style that I normally would not bother with. I put on the white dress shirt and a dark blue tie, then took the rest of my ensemble with me as I headed to the kitchen.

The aroma of toast and eggs cooking wafted through the air as I opened the bathroom door, and my stomach growled loudly.

“Amen to that,” came the voice of Riley from the living room.

I laughed and looked over the edge of the futon he was sleeping on, only to pause as I saw a second, much more feathered/furred lump lying beside him. I noticed that Riley’s top was off and tossed to the floor.

“Oh, s-sorry, I didn’t mean to—” I backed away as I continued to stammer out an apology.

“Darren, hold on, I’m not buck naked, geesh.” Riley laughed. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

I stopped, and walked back towards the two. Mildred now had an eye open, and offered me a lazy greeting with a claw before nuzzling closer to Riley.

“I suppose I forgot to tell you we’re a thing, huh?” Riley said, which was more or less his way of apologizing.

I gave him a nod.

“Milly and I got together about… two years ago, right?” He looked down to Mildred, who gave a grunt of agreement. “Yeah, two years.”

“Wish you had told me. It’d be nice to know the name of my brother’s… um…”

“Girlfriend is fine with me. Eaglessfriend is too much of a mouthful in Equestrian,” Mildred said with a yawn. “I suppose I shouldn’t have assumed you knew, Darren. Don’t worry, though, you’re brother’s been a perfect gentleman.”

I smirked. “I’m glad to hear that. If he gives you any problems, just let me know.”

“Pfft, like you could take me one-on-one,” Riley chuckled.

“He wouldn’t need to,” Mildred said with a gentle nip to his neck, earning a grunt of annoyance from Riley. “You’d be dealing with me.”

Despite the surprise, I guess a part of me didn’t find this to be too odd as far as revelations went. In fact, after seeing how close they were last night during the movie, it made sense.

Grinning a bit, I nodded towards the kitchen. “Full Bloom’s making breakfast. I’ll help her out if you two are hungry for something right now. She’s making eggs in the nest.”

“Yeah, that sounds great.” Riley stretched, forcing Mildred to sit up. “You hungry, Milly?”

“Mm, I could probably go for some food.” She sat up and stretched as well, looking very much like a cat waking up from a nap as she did so. “So, where are you heading off to that you have to dress up so nice?” She asked me upon noticing my dress shirt and pants. “I’m not one of those Canterlot socialites, but I know someone is dressed for an occasion when I see it.”

“I’ve got an appointment with one of my instructors in Manehattan later today. I’m actually going to be leaving in…” I glanced at the watch strapped around my wrist that Full Bloom had bought me before continuing, “Roughly an hour, if not sooner. I got a chariot scheduled to pick me up at nine, and with any luck I’ll be in Manehattan by one if the winds are favorable.”

“Damn, Manehattan, huh?” Riley nodded approvingly. “Now aren’t you glad you took Uncle Dale’s advice and took that suit he gave you across the portal with you?”

I grunted as I fixed my tie a bit. “Sure, but that last minute addition almost cost me an hour delay in crossing the portal. I was supposed to bring only so much weight when we were offered a moving crate and help moving belongings. It’s not exactly the easiest thing to transport a lot of crap across that portal from what I heard. Especially electronics.”

“Still, you look better in a suit than not,” Riley countered. “Anyway, we’ll be up for breakfast in a bit.”

Giving a nod of understanding, I made my way into the kitchen area. Full Bloom had already made two plates of food, and was on her way through a third when I walked in. “I figured Riley and Mildred will be hungry, so I’ve already got their breakfast in the works.” She floated a plate of toast with an egg cooked into its center over to me, along with a side of some chopped melon I had in the fridge. “You want milk, juice, or coffee?”

“You won’t find any coffee in this house, Full Bloom. You know that,” I laughed.

“That’s something we’ll have to fix, then, if I plan on staying overnight more often,” she sighed melodramatically. “I suppose I can do with orange juice for now. I’m not sure why you make me suffer, Darren.”

“Love you, too,” I replied, making my way to the fridge and pulling out the carton of orange juice. I poured two glasses, one for her and one for me, and made my way to the table. “You need any help?”

She shook her head as she got to work preparing a fourth plate. “Nope, I’m just about done, and you don’t have much time before you need to get going.” She waved a spatula at me as she continued. “You don’t want to be late for your first session with your instructor, do you?”

“No, I’d rather not,” I relented, digging into my meal. Upon taking my first bite, my eyes lit up. “Huh… Full Bloom, either you’re a good guesser, or you know my tastes better than I thought you did.”

She giggled as she set down the last plate of eggs in a nest, “I figured you’d like the crushed pepper and chili sauce.” She took a seat and called into the livingroom. “Breakfast is in the kitchen whenever you two are ready.”

“M’kay,” called Riley, a hand waving up from behind the futon.

“So, did you know about them?” I asked quietly, nodding into the livingroom.

“I had my suspicions,” she replied with an innocent grin. “I didn’t want to say anything, though. I’m not too familiar with griffins outside of my few times talking with them, so I figured I’d keep any questions to myself.” She shrugged as her horn lit up, moving her knife and fork over the toast as she cut into it. “I guess griffins are just as prone to cuddling as us… at least in Mildred’s case.”

I chuckled. “Yeah.”

“You sound relieved,” she noted.

I waved my hand in a ‘so-so’ manner. “Yes and no. I wasn’t really worried about Riley’s opinion of me dating you too much. He’s pretty open-minded about stuff like that. It’s… just nice to know that he’s got some understanding of where I’m coming from. Magical, unicorn girlfriend and such withstanding, it’s nice to know he can relate to cross-species relationships.”

Full Bloom flashed me a coy grin. “Aw, are you afraid me and my magic?” She hid her smile behind a hoof when I let out a bark of laughter. “I’m just a helpless little unicorn, though, and you’re a big, scary human.”

“Oh baby, I love it when you talk dirty,” I said with a rolling of my eyes while taking another bite of egg. “Keep it up and I might have to call off my date with Ambrosia for tonight.”

In time, Riley and Mildred got up and joined us for breakfast. Mildred voiced similar complaints regarding the lack of coffee, and I was probably safe in my guess that I’d have a coffee maker in my home before the end of the weekend if the two girls had anything to say on the matter.

“Mind if I join you for the trek to work?” Riley asked me as I rinsed off my plate after I had finished.

“Yeah, sure, I guess,” I said with a shrug. “It’s not like it’s a long ways. I can make the trip in under fifteen minutes if I keep a good pace.”

“Eh, I want to get some fresh air anyway,” Riley replied. “Let me throw on some pants and a shirt and I’ll join you.”

I gave Full Bloom a final goodbye as I took my overnight bag and left the apartment. Full Bloom promised to take care of my place while I was away, though it wasn’t entirely needed with Riley and Mildred being there. Regardless, the thought was appreciated.

Riley and I made for an interesting duo as we headed down the road towards Gentleman for Mares. I was in a nice dress suit with a tie and a wristwatch that probably had more value than any of my other belongings put together, and he was in a gray t-shirt while wearing a pair of heavy boots and cargo pants.

“So… you and Mildred, huh?” I asked conversationally.

“Yeah, I bet you’re curious, huh?” He looked to me with a grin. “Believe it or not, I was the one who asked if she was interested in dating first.”

“What’d she say?”

“She told me to meet her on the training ground later that day so we could spar, then left me confused as hell. I asked one of the of the Talons that I became friends with if I pissed her off, and he told me it was basically her way of sizing me up and seeing if I was worth her time.”

“Talons?” I echoed.

“They’re griffin soldiers,” Riley answered. “You’ve got Guards, Talons, and then Knights. Long story short, Guards typically protect areas like towns and the like, Talons are the main soldier body of the Gryphon Kingdom, and Knights are the best of the best. You got the Fortus Knights, who carry huge shields and warhammers—”

“Warhammers?” I repeated, my eyes widening. “Badass!”

“Yeah, they remind me a lot of the Roman Legion with how they use shield walls and other tactics. Though, the griffies are starting to learn a few tactics from us, too. Anyway, you got the Fortus Knights, which is made up of heavy-armored earth griffins. Then you’ve got Wind Knights; they usually carry crossbows, and attack quickly and effectively, and perform scouting and missions that require fast air-travel. Sky griffins make up that force. Then you’ve got the Magus Knights, like Mildred. They’re pretty rare from what I understand. Mage griffins make up that group. They cast spells to protect allies and give hell to enemies.”

“So, just how powerful is Mildred, then?”

Riley chuckled. “You ever see wind cut through trees like butter?”

“...butter?” I raised an eyebrow, but Riley just continued to smirk. “Cripes, you’re serious, aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it for myself. She’s got this love for wind element magic, but she’s decent at other stuff, too. I once saw her set a flock of Flyers on fire with a wave of her staff.”

“Flyers?”

Riley paused for a moment, then nodded. “Y-yeah, they’re a type of… Cloven. Nasty bastards. They make for a good moving target, though.”

“I’d be much happier if you’d never have to face down anything like those nightmares ever again,” I replied in earnest. “I didn’t get much information outside of what you were able to tell me over email. None of it was good.”

He nodded. “Yeah… I’m glad I went to Gryphon. I learned about the griffins, got to see some cool places… but…” He looked ahead as he continued, his gaze not really focusing on anything in particular. “There’s some shit you just wish you could forget.”

I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey…”

He looked to me, flashing me an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Just some bad memories.”

“Have… have you talked to anyone about them?” I couldn’t help but let the worry I felt creep into my voice. “I mean, I know you’re tough, but—”

“I’m better,” he admitted. “I’ve talked to others who experienced the same shit I did, and it’s helped. The griffins are pretty good about helping those who went through war, too. They take military service seriously over there, and that includes helping soldiers recover and deal with PTSD.” He smiled a bit. “Not only are Mildred and I dating, we’ve also been looking out for each other ever since the war. She’s got a little background in medicine and a little in psychology, so she’s been there for me during some rough times.”

I found my throat tightening a bit. I struggled to keep my voice even. “Riley… damn, I wish I—”

“Hey,” Riley cut me off with a nudge to the shoulder. “You never knew, okay? I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you, but at the same time, I was dealing with things fairly well compared to others.”

“Alright…” I sighed. “Just… I know I can’t relate all that well to much of what you dealt with, but I’m always willing to listen or help. Remember that, alright?”

Riley’s smirk softened a bit and he simply nodded.

We were quiet for a long time after that. Before long, we were making our way down the cul de sac that Gentleman for Mares was located on. Classes weren’t held on weekends, but the place itself still operated every day of the week.

“Heh, cute place,” Riley noted, taking in the flowers and pristine lawn in front of the building. “This is where you work?”

“Not so much work as much as learn, but yeah. It’s probably the smallest branch of Gentlemen for Mares, actually, but they handle a crap-ton of paperwork. I think it’s safe to say that the mare who handles most of the filing work is happy that a computer is going to be installed soon.”

“Oh man, Mildred loves computers,” Riley laughed. “The poor girl is addicted to chess, but she gets pissed since the computer always beats her.”

“Mildred seems like a pretty cool griffin,” I said as we made our way up the walkway leading to the front entrance. “I like her.”

Riley smiled, and it may have been just me, but I thought I saw a bit of relief flash across his face. “Heh, she was actually looking forward to meeting you. I may have talked you up a bit, but she wanted to meet my little brother as soon as we decided to visit Hoofington.” He was quiet for a moment, then added. “Full Bloom is pretty cool, too. She seems like your type.”

“If you need me to idolize you and make you sound like the best brother in the world to win over Mildred, I’ll happily do that for you,” I laughed. “Though, I think you’ve already got that area covered.”

“I’ll keep it in mind for family gatherings, then. I haven’t met much of her family, yet, but she wants me to meet them. Not sure how excited I should be about that, yet.” He sighed loudly, “Anyway, I suppose I’ll let you go.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” I said, making my way inside.

“Alright. Hopefully I can keep Mildred and Full Bloom from renovating your place too much while you’re away. We’ll have to see Gabe, Alex, and Mel when you get back.”

That actually sounded like a great idea. “Yeah, I’m sure they’d love to see you, too.”

“Hey, Darren?”

“Yeah?”

I was surprised when I Riley pulled me in for a tight hug, slapping me hard on the shoulders for good measure. After a moment passed, I chuckled and returned in kind.

“It’s great to see you again, dork.” He pulled away quickly and grinned. “I’ll try and keep the girls in line until you get back.”

“Good luck with that,” I laughed.

Riley left shortly after that, and not a moment later, Manila walked out of the building, holding a mug of coffee in one hoof while she walked with her other three legs—something that I never thought possible, but apparently Equestrians were pretty damn good at keeping their balance.

“Morning, Darren. Here for your trip to Manehattan?” she asked.

“Yep, the chariot should be here pretty soon, if I remember right.”

She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. “Mhm. They’re actually coming up from Las Pegasus; it’s a shorter distance getting here, and then they will be giving you and Ambrosia a ride back tomorrow morning.”

“I’m still surprised that you can afford chariots for your Gentlemen to ride in.”

Manila hummed. “Platinum Corona likes making all of you boys look good. Part of that includes making a great first impression when you arrive.”

“Speaking of Platinum, is she still here with Five Stars?”

Manila nodded. “Five Stars and Platinum are each sleeping in one of the guest rooms we converted from an office.”

“I’m kind of surprised they’re okay with that… well, at least Platinum. She doesn’t seems like a mare to make do without comforts like a hotel suite.”

“You’d be surprised. I heard from Five Stars that Platinum can be pretty down to earth once you get to know her a bit. She just has to keep appearances for publicity.”

“She seemed pretty chill when I talked with her.” I said, turning my gaze towards the sky. “Ah, and there’s the chariot.”

Manila and I watched as the chariot in question came into view. There were four ponies pulling the chariot, and as they landed in front of headquarters, I got a better look at them, taking note that they were all stallions.

“Huh, they don’t pull punches on service, do they?” I remarked. The stallions were decked in flight gear and carried themselves in a professional manner as they slowly turned the chariot in a perfect half-circle before coming to a complete stop. The chariot was actually more like a carriage, consisting of a roof that came up from the back and covered the majority of the seating area, a door on either side, and a what appeared to be an area to install windows and paneling for colder temperatures. All in all, it was rather impressive.

Manila gave me a nudge and walked with me to the chariot.

Upon seeing me approach, the closest stallion spoke up. “Mr. Halverson?”

I stopped short, but nodded. “Yep, that’s me.”

The stallion gave a nod in return. “Good morning, sir. We’ve been instructed by Ms. Silky to pick you up and deliver you to Manehattan before twelve thirty this afternoon. If you would please board, we’ll take off when you’re ready.

“Oh, Darren, hold on!”

I was stopped by Manila, who walked in front of me and handed me a small folder. “Here, take this. Read it on your way to Manehattan.”

“Hm?” I took the folder. “What is it?”

“Just…” She took a moment, searching for the proper words. “I guess you could say it’s a bit of a guide to what you’ll be covering during your day with Ambrosia. She made it up herself, so she’ll be familiar with everything covered, too.” She gave me a knowing smile as I raised an eyebrow while opening the folder up. “She asked me to tell you that she’s really been looking forward to this.”

“You don’t say,” I laughed. A few of the stallions even chuckled at that. “Well, no sense in keeping the poor girl waiting, then.” I turned to the stallions. “Erm… I’m sorry, what are your names?”

“Crosswind,” replied the stallion that had addressed me.

“Dust Devil,” answered the stallion behind him with a grin.

“Whirlygig,” said the other stallion in the front.

“Whirly Gig,” said the fourth stallion.

“Wait… Whirly…?” I looked between the two stallions.

“My name’s one word, his is two.” Answered the stallion in front. “You can just call him Gig. He a stunt pony during the slow seasons.”

“Huh…” Fair enough.

“By the way, you probably want to drink down one of those warming potions. If you get airsickness, there’s a bottle for that, too,” called Crosswind from the front.

Without further prompting, I opened up the chariot and hopped in. Manila waved to me as I we took off, and within less than a minute, we were flying over the modest Hoofington skyline. In a small compartment in the back I noticed a bottle with a clear label, indicating a warming potion. I uncorked the screw and drank half the bottle, as suggested in the directions. Airsickness wasn’t much of a problem with me, thankfully, but I’m sure Alex would appreciate the service whenever he would be taking a chariot ride for business.

“So, you guys do this on a regular basis or is this just a side-job for you?”

“Crosswind and Whirlygig are full-time staff for our transportation company,” answered Dust Devil. “Gig and I both have other jobs that are sort of dependent on what work we can find. Gig is from Applewood and I work as a teacher at the Junior Speedsters flight camp during summer program classes.”

I grinned. “That’s awesome!” I meant it, too. I seriously envied pegasi and their ability to fly. I love being a human, don’t get me wrong, but I think it’s safe to say that many humans have always wished to be able to take the skies. It explained much of our species’ history with planes and other modes of travel, after all…

“Heh, don’t be too sure of that. You get the brats who think they’re the next General Easyglider with their ‘amazing’ moves all the time, and they end up complaining the most because the classes are too hard about a week in.” He chuckled, “Well, I must enjoy it for some reason, though. Otherwise I’d have stopped teaching years ago.”

Gig snorted. “Don’t believe him for a second, kid.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. Kid?

“Dust Devil will prattle on for hours like an old mare at the weekly bingo hall gathering if you ask him about flight camp. He loves it. He’s been getting lots of griffin kids lately who came from Caleponia within the Gryphon Kingdom. Won’t stop talking about them.”

“Hey,” Dust Devil snapped, “those griffins put most of the foals to shame with how well behaved they are. Besides, they’ve had it rough. The classes give ‘em something to work on and help ease their minds while their communities are recovering, you know?”

“Easy, Dusty, I wasn’t implying it’s a bad thing…”

“That’s cool, though.” I said, raising my voice over the increasing gusts of wind as we ascended higher into the air, “You pegasi are pretty awesome, being able to fly and move around the weather like you do.”

“Yeah, but you humans are pretty awesome, too,” argued Gig. “Who would have ever thought of something like deep-fried cheesecake?”

“Or deep-fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” Whirlygig added.

“Deep fried pickles…” Gig continued.

“Deep fried ice cream…” Whirlygig laughed. “Seriously, who the heck would’ve thought of that?” He turned to Crosswind and poked him in the side, “Humans, that’s who.”

“You need to stop watching those educational videos from Earth, Whirlygig. You’re starting to sound like one,” Crosswind said with a snicker.

“You laugh now, but I know a place in Manehattan that we’re going to go to. It just opened up, and it has deep fried foods from Earth. You’ll be eating your words, trust me.”

Dust Devil laughed. “Oh man, here we go…”

I sat back, listening to the stallions go on about the merits of deep-frying food. I was thankful for the overhead covering on the chariot, otherwise the winds probably would have been unbearable for me. Not to mention reading the papers Manila gave me would have been difficult.

I looked over the guide Ambrosia had written up for me, surprised by how neat her penmanship was. It was still obvious that she had written it with her mouth, but it was incredibly legible. Usually I had to pause when reading over the mouth-written script, then again, most of my colleagues back at Ecosystems for Equestria cared little for legibility, so as long as they could read their own writing.

The guide started with a small introduction from Ambrosia herself:

Darren,

I’m really looking forward to spending the day with you. I’ll be meeting you at the Gilded Willow Hotel on the corner of Smart Cookie Street and Trotsborough Avenue. If you’re lost, I have a city map included in this folder, though the boys bringing you here shouldn’t make any mistakes. They were very professional in bringing me here without any problems several days prior.

Once you arrive, we’ll be starting by having lunch at a beautiful restaurant that I’ve been wanting to revisit for some time; The Chêne Blanc. It’s approved under G4M’s list of Manehattan restaurants (I’ll get into that a bit more when you arrive), and the maître d’ is a friend of my family. I actually set up a reservation for us ahead of time for around two thirty in the afternoon (something that we’ll be touching upon in classes next week), and were promised a private booth.

I think you can understand where I’m going with the need for privacy.

Afterwards, I’ll let you decide where we’ll go next. There’s a beautiful park in Manehattan, several shows are playing on Bridleway, and a wonderful view of the harbor we can see along the boardwalk, along with numerous other places to visit. Once you start taking on actual jobs with paying clients, you’ll be responsible for much of the activities planned, so it’s important to get an idea of what’s available in the area you’re working in. This will give you a small taste of one of our bigger client base locations. While we do have a headquarters in Manehattan, there’s always the chance that Hoofington may have its own Gentlemen going there from time to time.

After spending our afternoon and early evening on the town, we’ll return to the Gilded Willow Hotel for a night that will hopefully be enlightening and enjoyable—for the both of us.

~Ambrosia

P.S. I almost forgot, there’s a sheet with some of the more common and popular ‘positions’ practiced in Equestria, complete with illustrations. I’d recommend looking them over, but don’t worry too much. I’ll be helping you get familiar with them this evening, and perhaps in the morning before we leave, depending on how things go.

I looked at the other documents in the folder, and sure enough, there was a sheet with some rather explicit illustrations on them. Well… not explicit so much as informative on a topic that you wouldn’t discuss with young children around.

I glanced over the papers, raising an eyebrow as I noticed it was folded into three parts. I unfolded and felt my face heat up.

“H-how the heck can…?” I squinted, then looked at the fine print next to a particular drawing. “Oh, right, unicorns. Magic… that makes more sense…”

Well, time to get studying, I suppose!

I saw the Manehattan skyline come into view after we passed over Canterlot and crossed a mountain range or two. I didn’t even realize how much time had passed, but I was pleased to see that my watch worked as well as Full Bloom said it would; we had gone ahead by almost an hour in time zones since we started traveling, and the watch had adjusted for this on its own.

The chariot gracefully weaved around a few buildings before it banked gently and descended upon Smart Cookie Street. They came to a steady stop in front of a rather swanky looking hotel. There was a large fountain out in front, and in the middle of the fountain grew a willow tree that probably stood somewhere between twenty to twenty-five feet high. Despite it being close to autumn, the tree was still green and had not lost any leaves aside from the normal amount that fall from a willow throughout the growing season.

“Alright, Mr. Halverson, this is our stop,” called Dust Devil. I turned around to face the stallion, and he grinned. “We’ll see you here tomorrow morning.” With that, the four stallions took off, quickly becoming a distant speck against the Manehattan skyline.

I didn’t get much of a chance to admire the scenery of Manehattan, though, since my gaze was immediately drawn to that of a familiar face.

“Hello, Darren,” greeted Ambrosia. My earth pony instructor gave me a friendly smile as she approached. I knelt down as she neared me, and wrapped my arms around her without a second thought as she gave me a friendly nuzzle.

When she pulled away, I managed to get a good look at her appearance. She had done her long mane into a gentle, flowing braid that ran down along her neck, being tied off with a dark orange bow. She wore a matching colored dress… my memories of elementary school and crayons brought the words ‘burnt umber’ to mind. The dress was designed to fit comfortably, but gave her a certain degree of mobility if my growing understanding of Equestrian fashion was anything to go by. As far as designs go, it was perhaps a little more conservative. It flowed rather than hugged, yet at the same time it brought attention to her soft green eyes. For a finishing touch to her ensemble, she wore a silver bracelet around her right foreleg and a simple necklace depicting a small ruby heart enclosed in a circle of silver jewelry.

All in all, she looked beautiful, but not like she was preparing for a formal dinner with one of the Canterlot nobles.

“You look lovely,” I said with a smile.

That brought a smile to her lips. “Oh, thank you. I visited this nice dressmaker that I had heard about. She’s a wonderful mare, and managed to whip this beautiful little dress about three days after I visited while I was staying here in Manehattan.” She did little twirl so I got a full view of dress. “On top of that, I visited my doctor, whose main office is in Manehattan, and got my brace off!” She wiggled her once injured leg for me, grinning. “I healed up faster than they expected. After they checked everything over, they said I was good to go! I just need to take it easy for a week as far as moving around goes.” She leaned forward a bit and whispered, “Luckily, that refers mostly to running and jumping; we can still have fun tonight.”

I chuckled as she let out a giggle. I held out my hand for her, and a cute blush rose to her cheeks as she smiled at my gesture. Lifting a hoof, she placed it in my open palm and I raised it to my lips, kissing it softly.

“Ms. Ambrosia, would you give me the honor of enjoying your company this fine day?” I asked, just loud enough for her to hear.

She actually shuddered a bit, and licked her lips. “Y-yes, please.” She straightened up a bit, and exhaled. “I-I mean, yes, I would love that.” She flashed me a smile, and winked. “Clearly you’ve learned a bit since we last saw each other.”

It had been awhile since we had seen each other, hadn’t it? She had more or less met me on my orientation day, and then left for Manehattan to see her brother and her sister-in-law. Aside from that, neither of us got much time to spend together.

“I may have learned a few things,” I smirked as I gently planted a few more kisses along her foreleg, running up to where her knee was. She pulled away, her blush now an intense shade of red. “If I were to be honest, though, what you saw just now was me reacting more than thinking.” I grinned a little and waggled my eyebrows. “I’ve been hoping to see you again, Ambrosia.”

Ambrosia continued to giggle as she waved a hoof at me. “You’re a real tease, Darren, but I’m loving it.” She leaned forward so that I could feel her breath tickle my ear. “I’ve been dealing with a dry spell that’s gone on for almost seven months now. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this…”

Dry spell? Did she… oh. Oh.

She slowly walked past me, purposely letting her tail brush against my hands as she gently bumped my side with her flank. She looked over her shoulder, all hints of her teasing replaced once more with that bright and cheery grin. “Come on, let’s drop off your bag with the hotel staff so they can bring it to our room. Then, I’ll give you a little tour of the city while we head over to The Chêne Blanc.

And just like that, the lustful, teasing mare that I had a bare glimpse of was gone. It was like she flipped a switch on me.

Nodding, I got to my feet and walked up so that I was beside her.

Ambrosia, I had come to learn, was very much a filly at heart. In the short time we had been walking down the streets of Manehattan, I learned from her that she loved cute animals, had a very bad sweet tooth, and owned every single volume of the Daring Do series, which were all signed by A.K. Yearling herself, or so she claimed.

Despite that demure and youthful aura she carried about her, I would catch brief glimpses of her more sensual side as well. They were a lot harder to notice at first glance, since she tended to quickly cover them up with a smile or a giggle.

For instance, she put a little more sway into her hips as she moved, and it seemed like every other step had her neck or tail brushing against a leg or hand. I could tell they were deliberate and a part of my mind noted they were likely more than a little obvious since she was making them that way. It was reasonable to assume that when I was spending time with a client in the future that the physical contact would still be there, but less noticeable.

She was, more or less, instructing me on the subtle nuances of pony body language by acting out the role of a client.

“So, what’s this “Chêne Blanc” place like?” I gave her an inquisitive look as she glanced up at me. “I should forewarn you, my French is about as solid as a wet napkin, so I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to read a menu. I will most likely be able to pronounce only one thing. It’ll be under the breakfast menu, if it exists; the omelette au fromage.”

“The… omelette with cheese?” she translated aloud.

While she gave me a weird look I just smirked. “It’s… a joke from a cartoon. I had a good childhood, let’s leave it at that.”

She laughed while shaking her head, then gave me a gentle nudge with a hoof. “Don’t worry, I know a little Prench—which I believe is more or less the equivalent of French—so I can help you if you need it. Though, they should have Equestrian translations of everything for us, too.”

“Prench, huh?”

She nodded. “Before I took up a job in construction, I studied Prench back in secondary school.” She waved a hoof when I nodded for her to continue. “Four years of classes, and I haven’t really used much of it, but I could probably speak enough of the language to find out where the bathroom is and know what I’m eating.”

“A little multilingualism never hurt anyone,” I replied. “I can speak some Spanish and I picked up a few words in Japanese from my brother over the years.”

“I’d love to visit Earth someday,” Ambrosia said with a smile as she looked ahead. “I hear there are many beautiful places to visit.”

“More than I could hope to think of,” I said with a nod. “Though, to name a few, I’d recommend Japan, Ireland, the Redwood forests , Alaska, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Hong Kong, the Schwarzwald, the Amazon Rainforest, the Caribbean islands, and perhaps Italy if you can fit it all in one trip…” I winked when she shook her head in amusement. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg, by the way.”

“I don’t think I’d ever be able to see all of Earth in my lifetime. I’ve read magazines on all the different places to visit… there’s just so much.” She gestured with a hoof to the city around us. “What do you think of Manehattan, by the way?”

“It’s big,” I said, stating the obvious. “I… honestly, I’m not sure I could give an honest opinion without spending a few days here. I never visited New York back on Earth, but I imagine this is close to what it must be like there.”

“That’s what most who’ve been to both cities say, at least,” she agreed. “Have you thought of anywhere you’d like to visit after lunch?”

“Mm, actually, I was thinking we could maybe go through the park you mentioned in that letter? Maybe see a performance on Bridleway?” I shrugged. “I wish I had more of an idea of what was good around here to make a decision.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said with a smile. “You’re here to learn, remember? You have to start somewhere.”

We soon found ourselves standing before the restaurant that Ambrosia had picked out for us. It had a stone sign in front of it, the establishment’s name engraved into it with an ornate calligraphy like style. Beneath the restaurant name was a stylized depiction of a cluster of oak leaves and acorns.

“Well, here we are,” Ambrosia stated. “I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. I skipped breakfast since I had a lot to take care of this morning before you arrived.” She blushed a bit as her stomach chose at that moment to growl.

I just smiled and made no mention of it, instead walking to the front entrance and holding open the door for her. “After you, Miss Ambrosia.”

Ambrosia’s blush faded a bit as she gave me a gracious nod before stepping through the doorway. I followed after her, wondering if perhaps I was going overkill with the gentlemanly behavior. I mean, sure, it was in my job title, but still…

Well, only time would tell, I suppose.

Upon entering the establishment, the maître d’ verified our reservation and had a brief conversation with Ambrosia. Like Ambrosia had said, she and the unicorn mare maître d’ were indeed friends. After talking about what sounded like a story from a recent class reunion, the maître d’ gestured for us to follow her to a table inside an enclosed booth. After we were seated, we were promptly greeted by a young man who couldn’t have been older than twenty. He gave us a list of the day’s specials, and even offered me a menu with popular French cuisine options. After a brief look over the menu, though, I declined, stating I’d be fine with what was already available on the Prench menu.

I ordered, at the waiter’s recommendation, the mushroom risotto. Apparently, one of the chefs working here had just started, and she was a master of the dish. It was likely just the boy trying to talk up the restaurant, but hey, I gave him credit for selling me on it.

Ambrosia ordered a creamy chestnut and mushroom soup and a large salad with vinaigrette and crumbled cheese on the side. To finalize the order, we ordered a bottle of white wine… a chardonnay or moscato, if I remember right.

As we waited for our food, I decided to break the ice. “So, Ambrosia, how’s the family doing?”

“Oh, wonderful. My brother is an architect and his wife is studying theater while teaching music to grade schoolers right now. They’ve been keeping plenty busy with things.”

“Architecture and building sounds like a thing in your family,” I noted with a smile.

“Oh no, it’s just my brother and I, really. My parents own a small orchard and vineyard in northern Trottingham. It’s been in the family for a generation or two, but I’m not all that interested in running it. As of right now, my parents plan on letting one of my older cousins take over when they’re too old to work it any longer.” She sighed, “To be honest, my talent would make you think otherwise, but I don’t have much of an interest in tending to an orchard and vineyard all year. It makes decent bits, but I’m not the kind of mare who likes the quiet country life.”

“What is your special talent, if you don’t mind me asking?” I asked.

She chuckled. “Cider.”

“Really?” I raised my eyebrows.

“I know, right? You think I’d be right at home on an apple orchard, but nope.” She laughed. “My parents have supported me and my choices, but every now and then when I visit they try to convince me to come back home and take over the family business. We don’t have much in the way of cider production aside from a small cider press, so it’s not enough to start anything large scale.”

“You don’t strike me as someone from Trottingham, actually. The region’s accent is pretty noticeable, at least from what I noticed with the few ponies I’ve met from the area.”

“Mm. Shortly after I got my cutie mark, my parents spent a few years living in the suburbs outside of Manehattan area, helping my aunt and uncle with their own farm. I had an accent at one point, but it sort of faded with the years I spent here.” She grinned as she continued. “I could probably muster up a bit of Trottingham if you want to hear it, though.”

“I’m a sucker for accents, Ambrosia. I’d love to hear it,” I replied.

“Okay…” she said with a laugh. “Be warned, though, it’s way different from what I normally talk like these days.” She cleared her throat as she continued. “Now, mind yeh, I don’t normally speak like this. M’folks, though, they speak with what you’d call a ‘West Trotty’ accent. Round vowels, often what you hear from the families ‘round those parts. Green pastures, lots o’ beautiful hills in the countryside to run amok when yer a lil’ filly.”

I grinned. “Wow, it’s like you turned on a switch. Lovely accent, though, Ambrosia.”

She nodded as she continued to speak with her old accent. “Thank you kindly, Darren. There’s not just farms out where I’m from, though, mind you. The ol’ West Trottingham University is there, too. It’s a beautiful scen’ry to admire when you’re visitin’.” She rolled her eyes as she continued. “'Course, some of the snobs in the bigger cities think that all the folk that talk with this accent are simple, slow-going folk without a lick o’ education, but they’re a bunch of bloody sod-eaters fer thinkin’ that way. It’s like sayin’ Royal Ribbon’s an uptight floozy who lives most of her life behind the city walls just because she speaks with a heavy Upper Canterlot accent. You can’t just lump all ponies into one group because of something as simple as the way folks talk.” She paused a moment, and cleared her throat. “Wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve let myself slip into that accent, heh. I was starting to get riled up there.”

“It kind of reminded me of Samwise Gamgee from the Lord of the Rings film series.” I laughed as she blushed. “It’s not a bad thing; it’s like you said, an accent you hear in the western lands of Trottingham, where there are lots of farming communities and the like.” I leaned forward a bit, and whispered. “It was pretty attractive-sounding, too, not going to lie.”

Ambrosia stammered a bit, her blush returning in full force. “W-wait, really?”

“Oh yeah,” I smiled. “While you have a lovely voice as it is… I liked hearing a bit of that side of you.”

Ambrosia’s gaze dropped to the table, her cheeks beet red now. “Th-thank you.”

Accent or not, though, Ambrosia was still easy to tease. I may or may not have been enjoying that.

“So, aside from Trottingham, have you lived most of your life in Manehattan?”

“Oh, goodness, no!” She sighed. “I’ve lived all over the place after I completed secondary school. I’ve been to Vanhoover, Las Pegasus, I even lived up in the Crystal Empire for a year shortly after it reappeared. A part of the construction crew that I worked with was there to help the locals with updating their buildings. Some of the buildings weren’t up to par with Equestrian building codes and standards, so we helped a few families that needed renovations and such. I actually was part of the team that made out the updated building standards they use.”

“Sounds like you’re a rather worldly mare, Ambrosia. I’m a little jealous, actually.”

“Oh, well, I’ve never really left Equestria itself. The Crystal Empire, while technically it’s own entity, has strong ties and history with Equestria, and Princess Cadance was born and raised in Equestria as far as I know.” She gave a small shrug. “If there’s any place I’d like to visit outside of the country, it’d be someplace like Arnau. The city is breathtaking, or so Ribbon has told me.”

“My brother’s military unit spent a lot of time in Gryphon. I’m pretty sure he’s been to Arnau at least once or twice. He’d agree.” I sighed, “The guy’s not as much of a cultural nut as I am, though. He’s all about trying the local cuisine.” And apparently trying out the locals themselves. I added silently, attempting to hold back a chuckle.

“What?” Ambrosia asked in amusement, noticing my stifled laughter.

“Nothing, just… memories of my idiot brother,” I replied.

I looked her over once more. I have to admit, the simple yet flowing design of her dress was fitting for her. She didn’t strike me as the type of mare who liked wearing overly fancy dresses and attire you would see in places like Canterlot, but at the same time, like most folks, she probably enjoyed getting dolled up on occasion. “I’m amazed by how ponies can make such detailed outfits while lacking opposable thumbs and fingers.”

She smiled as she admired her dress. “Coco really did a fine job with this, didn’t she? I promised to recommend her to my friends and the girls back at work. Considering how short-notice it was, she outdid herself.”

“Coco?” I repeated with a lopsided grin.

“Coco Pommel, actually,” Ambrosia answered. “She’s a young mare who’s been in the fashion industry for a few years now… well, sort of. She’s more focused along the line of theater attire, but she still runs a fashion line on the side. She couldn’t have been older than her late teens or early twenties when she started out, which says a lot about her skills.” She leaned close and whispered. “I’ve heard rumors that she’s friends with Lady Rarity, too. I’m not much of a gossip when it comes to fashion and such, but those two are some of the biggest names in the business right now.”

I just continued to listen with rapt attention as she went on to tell of her time in Manehattan and her time growing up in the large metropolis. I had barely noticed the time fly by until we were interrupted as our food arrived. The waiter thanked us for our patience as he set down two wine glasses and a large bottle of wine. After asking if we needed anything further, he left us to our meals.

“So, I’m curious,” I began, digging into my mushroom risotto. “What made you want to work for Gentleman for Mares?”

Ambrosia took a delicate spoonful of her soup to her lips and blew on it gently to cool it off. “Well, aside from being out of a job, I suppose it was curiosity.” Her gaze became distant as a faint smile formed on her lips. “I… well, right before my accident, I met this young man. He was probably about your age, maybe a little older. He was helping with the relief efforts in Caleponia following the Cloven and was visiting Manehattan during a break between projects.” She sighed softly, her smile growing. “We met completely by chance at a café where my old apartment is, and well…” She tilted her head gently from the left to the right. “One thing lead to another, and it had been a while since I had been intimate with anyone.”

I grinned teasingly. “Was there a candlelight dinner and soft violins playing as you two shared a quiet meal overlooking the waterfront?”

She let out a snort of laughter. “Hardly. We visited a diner that I frequented as a young mare, and shared a milkshake and some fries, and afterwards we went to my place and…” At this point her voice became a soft whisper. “... had sex…”

“You sound embarrassed,” I said gently with a small hint of mirth in my voice.

“N-no, it’s just…” She shook her head. “I guess I get flustered about saying such things. Silly, isn’t it?” She gave me a shamefaced look.

“A little,” I replied honestly, but quickly added. “That’s not a bad thing, though. You’re a good mare from what I’ve seen so far, Ambrosia. Some folks just worry about sounding indecent a little more than others. It doesn’t make you less mature, especially since you’re willing to share this with me.” I arched an eyebrow. “So, did you two hit it off after that, or was it a one-time thing?”

Her smile fell, “Sadly, he had to leave the following day. We had no real way to stay in touch; I didn’t have an e-mail, he didn’t have a phone that worked within Equestria, and neither did I. I gave him my address if he ever wanted to write, but…” She shrugged. “He was nice, but I think both of us knew it wasn’t anything serious. We were both curious, young, and driven by hormones.”

“Mammals tend to be that way,” I joked, earning an eyeroll from her.

“Still, I guess that had been the trigger to set me off. Shortly after that, I had my accident that injured my leg, lost my job after my disability ran out, and one of my friends recommended I try out Gentleman for Mares after I had spilled the beans about my one-night stand.”

“And here we are,” I said, gesturing with a hand. “I’m glad I got you for an instructor, Ambrosia. If it weren’t part of the job, I’d say you were pampering me.”

“Who says that’s not part of my reason for bringing us here?” She gave me coy smile and winked. “I’m setting the bar for Pizzelle and Ribbon, after all.”

“Oh?” I asked, leaning back a little and setting down my silverware. I couldn’t stop the amused grin from forming on my lips at that point.

“Now, don’t get me wrong, the three of us are friendly, but…” She looked away as her smile grew. “We may be trying to compete. A little.”

“Really? What’s the prize?” I asked, whispering in a soft whisper, smirking a bit.

“You’ll know before too long, I’m sure,” she purred, only to break out into a giggle when I gave her an intrigued look. “Telling you now would spoil the surprise, Darren.”

“Maybe, but it might give you an advantage,” I replied.

“Oh, tempting…” she hummed. After a moment of pretending to think it over, she frowned and shook her head. “Sadly, I’ll have to decline. I don’t want to ruin the competition with the girls.”

“What if there’s a three-way tie?” I suggested.

Ambrosia laughed heartily at that. “Oh, Ribbon would love that!” She met my gaze and took a sip of her wine as she kept her eyes locked with mine. She licked her lips a bit and continued in a smoky whisper. “That would have to be the judge’s call, though, I suppose.”

“I guess you’ll have to convince him, then,” I shot back with confident smirk.

“I’ll just pretend that I’m not privvy to that bit of information that would give me an advantage, then.”

Taking a sip of my own wine glass, I nodded. It sounded like a challenge had been issued, and I was willing to meet it head on.

After our meals had been finished and we polished off a generous portion of the wine, we found ourselves wandering the park of Manehattan. There were only a few clouds out that night, so we had a relatively clear view of the darkening night sky. Much like any major city back on Earth, though, the light made it difficult to see any of the first stars that were beginning to dot the sky.

Not that it bothered me, really. Not when I had the company of Ambrosia.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes, I don’t know what she was thinking, trying to use balloons to support the metal and wood structure. I had to literally remove her from the area before she got someone injured, or worse,” Ambrosia said with a sigh. “The other time we were working on a project, my crew and I almost got crushed underneath a few tons of wooden supports. Luckily, some masked pony with a cape and hat managed to save us. You could have taken the scene right out of a comic book!”

“... okay, now I know you’re pulling my leg,” I chuckled.

“I’m not joking, seriously!” Ambrosia said, despite her laughter. “That town is just a magnet for weird things, Darren, I’m telling you.”

The two of us stopped at a park bench and took a seat. An old gas street lamp bathed us in its gentle glow as the chorus of crickets filled the air.

“You wouldn’t think that we’re in the middle of Equestria’s biggest city with how quiet it is right now…” I whispered.

Ambrosia was leaning against my side while I draped an arm over her. She let out a hum as she stared up into the night sky with me. “For all the ridicule it receives, Manehattan still has plenty of things to be proud of. Sure, it’s a noisy city, but some folks like the background noise. Honestly, for me, the silence of the countryside at night gets to me. Even if it’s crowded, Manehattan ponies take a certain amount of pride in being helpful and friendly when we can afford to. City life is hard, but we strive to try and remember what it means to be a community and not just a mess of businesses and apartments.”

“I wish more major cities back where I’m from were like that. I’m of the mindset that every person has the potential to do good, but… at the same time it seems like sometimes humans are of the mindset of keeping to themselves in big cities. It can be hard to want to help total strangers or trust someone you’ve never met before when you hear of all these stories of people getting mugged, beaten, or worse…”

“Well,” Ambrosia said softly. “What about all the stories there are of humans helping each other after natural disasters? Princess Twilight has given tons of examples of humans coming together to help one another. You could say that your own brother is an example of that kind of mentality, even. He’s a Marine from Earth, yet he went all the way to Gryphon to help protect complete strangers.”

I smiled at that. “You’re right, Ambrosia. It’s just so much easier to focus on the negative, I guess. Humanity is affected much more easily by a tragedy than an uplifting story about a group of people helping a coastal community recover after a storm, or finding a cure for a virus afflicting a community, or providing medical supplies to areas that need it. Bad things just tend to stick to our memories better in a lot of cases.”

“That’s why it’s important to treasure the good things,” Ambrosia added.

I hummed as I ran my fingers down her neck, earning a pleasant shiver from her. “I think Tellus was a bit of a wake-up call for humanity.” I met Ambrosia’s gaze as she raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Ever since we encountered your world, the vast majority of human civilization has been making strives to improve itself. Admittedly, it’s probably so we look better for our Tellurian allies, but still, we’ve been looking at what needs fixing and taking strides in doing so.”

“Well, it’s not like Equestria doesn’t have its own share of problems, Darren. We’ve been dealing with a cultural stagnation for a long time now, along with lots of other issues. Though, you already heard a good deal of that from classes, I imagine.”

“Yeah, Luckette really drove home the problems with herd mentality in your society, not to mention Equestria’s difficulty in dealing with cultural change. I’m surprised you didn’t just lock up the portal on us after getting a glimpse of what we’re like as a species.”

Ambrosia’s smile fell a bit. “Darren, do you really think so little of your own kind?”

I leaned my head back and sighed heavily. “I… no. No, I don’t. It’s just the popular mentality of seeing more negatives than positives, I guess.” I offered her a lopsided grin. “I love my species, really, I do. We’re awesome, despite our shortcomings.”

She chuckled at that, and leaned forward to nuzzle my cheek. “Good. Because I know plenty of ponies who feel the same about you humans.”

“I’ll try and work on my outlook, then.” I chuckled as she gave my earlobe a playful nip. “You ponies sure have a lot of love to offer, I’ll give you that much. Some of it is bound to rub off onto humanity in time.”

Ambrosia gave me a demure smile as she pulled away from my cheek. “A lot of love to offer, hm?” Her eyelids lowered as her her smile became hungry. “Well, you humans have been rather receptive of our hospitality, so you can’t put all the blame on us, can you?”

I chuckled as I pushed aside a loose lock of her mane. “Are you calling us enablers, Miss Ambrosia?”

“Mmm…” She leaned in close. I could smell the faint, tangy scent of wine on her breath. Not overpowering, but enough that it was pleasant to the senses. “Maybe. Still, you can’t blame us mares for pursuing something when it’s not trying to stop us…”

“I suppose you’re right. I’d be an idiot to turn away from a mare as beautiful as you, wouldn’t I?”

At this point, Ambrosia had both her forehooves draped over my shoulders. I willingly obliged to her advances and cradled the small of her back with my hands to keep her from falling off the bench.

“You have no idea…” she breathed into my ear, “how bad I’ve wanted this…”

Well, that was a quick change. A little sudden, but as I’ve been told, the Gentleman adapts to the needs of the client.

“Shall we head back to the hotel, then?” I whispered into her ear, only for my breath to hitch as I felt her velvety tongue run along my neck. I groaned as her teeth gently nipped at the skin beneath my jawline.

My hands gripped the fabric of her dress as she continued to pepper my neck with kisses and love bites. She hummed pleasantly when I squeezed her flanks just hard enough to make her jump a bit.

“L-lower,” she whispered again. “Please…”

Her tail was smacking against my knees while her haunches rested on my lap. She slowly ground her hips against the growing bulge in my pants. She let out a cute little moan every so often, and I could feel the heat coming from her nethers.

“Forgive me for putting you in such a situation, Miss Ambrosia.” Taking a page out of my book of experiences with Full Bloom, I softly bit on the tip of her ear. Her reaction was immediate, her voice catching in her throat as one of her back legs jerked a bit.

“Hey, Ambrosia?” I asked softly.

“Y-yes…?” she breathed.

“Are all ponies sensitive around the ears like this?”

“Mnnnn…it varies… but it’s a common spot for many ponies…”

I planted a few kisses along the ridge of her ear, slowly trailing down to her cheek and jawline. As I nibbled along the sensitive region of her neck, Ambrosia continued. “D-Darren… your hands…”

“H-huh?” I asked, loosening my grip. “S-sorry, did you want me to let go of—?”

“No…” she replied with a patient smile and a hoof pressing against my lips. She looked around the park for a moment, then returned her attention to me. “Hold on to me for a second.”

Ambrosia adjusted herself on my lap, turning so that her back pressed against my stomach while her tail now draped to one side. She reclined back, her neck and mane pressing against my cheeks and nose as she attempted to adjust her position a little. Eventually, she managed to rest her neck against my shoulder, letting out a content hum as she nuzzled me. Her hoof gently grasped onto my right arm, and guided it down, past her navel. I noticed a marked increase in heat coming off of her as she placed my hand just above the spot where her inner thighs were. “You misunderstand me, Darren. I don’t want you to stop…” She lifted the hem of her dress for a moment while taking my other hand and placing it where her teats were, then pulled the dress back down to cover herself, “I want you to use your hands…”

“I…” Without thinking, I groped the flesh around her teat in my hand, earning a coo of approval from her. I let out a shaky breath, one part nerves, one part arousal. By now, I didn’t doubt she felt the veritable tent I was pitching in my pants, and I wasn’t able to ignore the growing damp spot in my lap that I knew for a fact wasn’t from me.

Slowly, I let one of my fingers snake its way towards her inner thighs, only to pause when I hit a thin barrier. I raised an eyebrow, and chanced a peek over Ambrosia’s shoulder.

“Ambrosia… is that… are you wearing a g-string?” I whispered, even as I glanced down at the answer that was right before my very eyes.

She turned to meet my gaze with a turn of her neck, and offered me a sheepish smile as her cheeks flared up. “I-I heard from some of the girls at work that humans like seeing ponies in clothing… I thought I’d… take it a step further and wear this, too.”

I smirked a little. “Well, your friends were right,” I growled a little as I pressed my lips against her neck, earning a squeal of delight from her. “Because that is probably one of the hottest thing I’ve ever seen since I came to Equestria.”

With a deft movement of my fingers, I pushed aside the patch of fabric covering her marehood. She was trembling in arms now, her breaths shaky and heated.

“Ambrosia? I want you to know right now that I’ve enjoyed this day with you so far… and I look forward to what we’ll be doing for the rest of this evening.” I planted a hard kiss along her neck as she mewled softly. “Now… with your permission, I’d like to demonstrate a little bit of what I managed to learn from reading those papers you asked me to look over on my way here from Hoofington.”

“Y-yes! Oh, Celestia, please, yes!” she gasped as my index finger traced a line along the delicate folds of her entrance.

“Are you sure?” I asked, my voice just above a whisper. “We’re in a public park, and there’s a chance someone could see us…”

“I-I know,” she replied. “Please, just… just don’t leave me like this.”

I had to admit, until just now, it hadn’t really occurred to me that there was a very real risk of getting caught in the middle of our act. Sure, it was the evening, but who’s to say some young couple wouldn’t be strolling by and stumble across our little session? I’d never done anything like this before, and I had been too caught in the moment with Ambrosia to realize what was happening.

Though, seriously? I couldn’t deny the small sense of thrill I got from our predicament. We were in a rather isolated part of the park, yes, but the chance still existed. Ambrosia didn’t seem to care all that much, though, and her emboldened behavior was contagious.

“Very well, Ambrosia.”

Without further prompting, I slid a single digit into the folds of her marehood. She stiffened immediately, and I gave her a moment to adjust.

“O-okay…” she whispered.

I slowly began sliding my finger in and out of her entrance, steadily easing it further as a slick fluid began to coat my hand. A strong, musky scent with a hint of something familiar hung in the air.

“O-oh yes, yes…” she whispered hoarsely as I added a second and third digit.

I smiled and pressed my face against her mane as she nuzzled against me. “I never would have thought a mare as sweet and thoughtful as you could be so risqué, Ambrosia.” I gently nipped at an ear, earning a soft moan from her as her forelegs tightened around the arm holding against me. “I like it, though, don’t get me wrong.”

Ambrosia was apparently at a loss for words, having resorted to moans and gasps, peppering in my name every so often as I continued to pleasure her dripping slit. By now, my pants were thoroughly soaked around the lap area, but I could not have cared less. All that mattered at present was the mare beside me and the dexterity of my right hand.

“Hey, Ambrosia,” I asked, my voice muffled by her fur as I gave her a gentle kiss on the back of the ear.

“H-huh…?” she managed to breathe out.

“You want to know what makes humans so awesome?”

I felt her nod weakly. “Y-yes, please!”

I chuckled in genuine amusement. “Opposable thumbs.”

I rubbed my thumb against the hard nub above her entrance, pleased to hear another throaty moan escaped her. “Ohhhhhh, fuck, Darren! Yes, yes!”

Heavens above help me, hearing her swear like that was sexy.

“D-Darren…” she said with a shaky breath. “Y-you have two hands… w-what happened to the one right here…?” She slowly moved the hand that had been kneading her teats and gave them a firm squeeze with a hoof. “P-put those opposable thumbs to work, stud…”

Yes, ma’am!

I let out a murmur of agreement and began tracing her jawline with light kisses while the hand in her grasp began to tease her teats. Her barrel was rising and falling rapidly now, and I could feel the inner walls of her pussy constrict around my fingers. I hadn’t even realized that at some point I had slipped all four digits in while my thumb was continuing to pleasure her clit.

Okay, I know that earth ponies have crazy endurance, but even Mel would have been a stuttering mess at this point back when we were dating…

With that thought in mind, I renewed my assault on her neck and lips. She returned my kisses with a fervent, desperate enthusiasm, and her hips were grinding hard against my groin. The fact that she was intentionally pressing down upon my erection was making it hard to remain focused, but us Halversons are known to be a stubborn bunch. I was no exception in that regard.

“D-Darren…” Ambrosia murmured as she parted her lips from mine. “I… I’m going to cum…”

“Go ahead, Ambrosia…” I whispered huskily. “Do it. Cum for me.”

“H-harder,” she squeaked out, her body going rigid. I obliged to her request, dipping my digits deep into her dripping folds with an increased fervor while my thumb continued to tease at her nub. “I-I’m almost there, Darren. Just… oh, Celestia, oh…! Ohhhhh, ffffuuuu—!”

All at once, I felt something warm splash against my hand. Numerous flecks of liquid caught my eye in the lamplight as her marecum hit the pavement of the sidewalk in front of us. A few smaller waves followed her initial orgasm as she held my arm in a vice-like grip with her forelegs. Her moans filled the air as she shuddered, only ending after several long moments had passed. A small puddle had formed in front of our seat. The strong, tangy scent of her fluids filled the air as I continued to hold her close, keeping her steady as she slowly came down from her high.

“Hah… hah… oh…” she breathed. “I… that was…”

“Holy shit…” I whispered profoundly. “Damn, Ambrosia, that was the most intense orgasm I’ve ever seen…”

Ambrosia gave me a shaky smile. “R-really?”

“Really. Looks like you’re a squirter, too.”

She flushed in the cheeks from that, her face a beet red. “Wh-what?”

“A squirter. It’s… a human term, I guess?” I shrugged while flashing her a smile. “Not everyone orgasms with the same intensity.”

Ambrosia managed to quirk an eyebrow at that. “R-really?”

“Yeah. Well, especially with women, it doesn’t happen every time during sex. My girlfriend apparently made it a hobby of sorts to study that stuff while we were going out… made for some weird conversations when we…” I cleared my throat and went on. “A-anyway, it can be hit or miss sometimes… which, I have to say, must suck at times…” I shook my head. “Anyway, off topic, but yeah… I believe most would agree that you’re a squirter.” I planted a kiss on her muzzle as she hummed softly. “And that’s hot.”

She smiled sheepishly as her gaze shifted down to my pants and the cuffs of my suit. “I’m really, really sorry about the mess…”

I waved it off. “Don’t be. I loved every minute of it.” I looked around for a moment, and added. “Not to mention we totally just did that out in the middle of a public park.” I laughed, “That’s definitely a first for me.”

Ambrosia’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh sweet Luna, you’re right!” She adjusted her undergarments and tried fixing the wrinkles in her dress as she pulled it down. “Y-you don’t think anyone saw us, do you?”

“If they did, they got a good show.” When her frown worsened, I quickly added. “I’m pretty sure we’re fine. This park is huge, like you said, and I didn’t see anyone around the park while we were walking through here earlier.

She let out a weary sigh, “I suppose there’s no helping it, either way.” She scooted off my lap and settled for leaning against me. I saw her eyes traveling down my body, resting on my lap, or more specifically, my still very-hard erection restrained by my pants. “Need some help with that?”

I waved a hand. “I can manage. Let’s save it for the hotel.”

“You sure?” She asked with a fake pout.

“Positive,” I replied, fighting down the instinct to throw my pants off right then and there.

Ambrosia just smiled demurely as a hoof gently glided down the fabric of my suit and pants. “If you’re sure… I suppose we can wait…” She giggled as I felt my face heat up. “Not to tease, but it’s adorable how you were acting all smooth earlier, and now you’re getting all flustered.”

“H-hey, I didn’t do that bad, did I?” I laughed, letting out a gasp as her hoof ventured further south, her hoof attempting to cup the family jewels beneath the fabric.

“Mmm, no. I could tell you were acting a little, but, that’s to be expected, to an extent.” She ceased with her teasing, and placed both hooves against my chest while leaning up. “For what it’s worth, Darren, you did very well when it came to handling things.”

I blinked. “Wait…”

“Hm?”

“You mean… you planned on us doing this out in public?”

She looked away for a moment. “W-well… maybe…”

I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “You’re one shrewd little minx, Miss Ambrosia. And here I thought you were just a cute, innocent little mare looking to give me some dating advice.”

She snorted. “You think I am bad, you ought to see Royal Ribbon at her worst.”

“Don’t you mean her best?” I asked.

“Same difference,” she giggled.

After Ambrosia’s legs finally were strong enough to keep her upright without wobbling, we made our way back to the hotel. I couldn’t help but notice that Ambrosia seemed to be moving just a tad faster than her previous gait when we had been walking through town.

She seems rather eager!

The Gilded Willow greeted us with the soft sound of its fountain spraying water into the air and letting it cascade down, back into the pool. Lights shined upon the willow tree in the front yard of the hotel, and a stallion gave us a cordial greeting as he opened the door to the front entrance for us. Ambrosia was taking the stairs up to our room three at a time.I struggled to hold back a tremor of laughter every time I was greeted to the sight of her impatiently for me waiting for me at each landing of the stairwell. Thankfully, our room was only on the third floor, so the trip didn’t take too long for us. As soon as we made our way through the door leading to our floor, she took off at a light canter down the hall.

As I turned down the hall where our room was, I found Ambrosia fiddling with the key to her room. She was grumbling something about sticky locks as she jiggled the key a bit, letting out a satisfied grunt when the door finally opened for her. She did a little impatient dance in place as I neared the room.

“C’mon, Darren,” she whispered, nudging me in with her muzzle as I crossed the threshold leading into our room. She shut the door behind me with a soft click and turn of the lock, and she giggled as I met her gaze. “I-I… sorry, I’m coming on a little strong, aren’t I?”

“A little…” I replied, slowly unbuttoning my suit. “I don’t mind it, though. I like enthusiasm and eagerness.”

Ambrosia watched me with a hunger in her eyes, licking her lips every few moments while her hooves continued to lift and fall as she stood in place. Her tail was swishing so violently that I was worried she might snap it off.

I continued to undress at my slow and steady pace, taking my time to neatly place the suit on a coat hanger and put it in the closet. I took of my pants next, and heard a soft whine from Ambrosia as I slipped it onto the hanger as well.

Yes, I may have been teasing her. I felt only a little bad about it, though.

I made my way back to the bed and began to remove my t-shirt when the sound of hooves crossing the carpeted floor reached my ears. I turned around in time to be tackled onto the bed. I looked up to see Ambrosia’s face centimeters from my own. I noticed she had taken her horseshoes off, and she now had her back legs intertwined with my own.

“You were teasing me.” It was a statement. Not a question.

“Guilty as charged,” I replied with a wink.

Her smile transformed into a pout. “It’s not nice to tease, Darren.”

“Would it help my case if I thought you looked cute dancing in place like you were just a few seconds ago?”

“...maybe…”

“Or, maybe, if I told you that I seeing you in that dress and g-string really turned me on…?”

“Better…” she said with a seductive wiggle of her hips.

“Maybe if I mention that I’ve been looking forward to this since I saw you in your dress?”

“Warmer…” she continued as one of her hooves drew a slow circle across my clothed chest.

“Okay… how about if I told you that you’re making a good point with the teasing by grinding against my boxers right now?”

That earned a pleased smile from her, and she closed the distance between us by planting a kiss on my forehead. “Good. You’ve learned your lesson.” She lifted her back legs up and glanced down at my boxers, smirking as she noticed my erection pressing against the fabric. “For what it’s worth, Darren, you did a nice job at the teasing while you were undressing. I enjoyed it.” She got off of my chest and turned around so that her hindquarters were facing me. I must have had quite the expression on my face, since she started giggling the moment she slowly rocked her hips from side to side, her tail swaying with each movement.

With no small amount of effort, I pried my gaze away from her hindquarters and looked to her. She gave me a playful wink and wiggled her hips a little more. “Why don’t we start with something standard?” She batted her eyelashes at me coyly. “I’ll show you the missionary first.”

“Uh, r-right,” I replied, watching her tail flag a bit as I sat up. “Um… so, what, do I lay you on your back and—”

“Oh, right, sorry,” she giggled. “No, I’m talking about the pony missionary position.”

Memories of the instructional paper that I had read over on the flight into Manehattan came back to me. “Ohh, right. Pony-style, got it.”

She arched an eyebrow and snickered. “Pony-style?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, calling it doggystyle isn’t quite accurate, but it’s close. Missionary, for humans, at least, is with both the woman and man looking at each other, stomach to stomach.”

She nodded. “I’m familiar with the basic positions. Usually, stomach to stomach is considered pretty kinky to ponies.”

I frowned. “Really? I mean, it can be boring for people, sure, but I can see the appeal of being able to see the person’s face, you know?”

She gave me a small smile. “I’m not really sure why it’s considered kinky, Darren. Ribbon or Luckette could probably tell you why.” She looked down to my boxers again, and grinned. “Actually, lie down for a moment. I want to try something.”

With a nod, I reclined back and let my head rest against the headboard of the bed. Ambrosia walked across the bed and gently bit at the hem of my boxers. She slowly tugged down on them, eventually freeing my manhood from the confines of my clothes. She let go of my boxers at that point, and stared at my erection as it stood proudly before her.

The only warning I got was a small hum of approval, and she quickly leaned in and wrapped her lips around my shaft. I groaned as my length was enveloped in the warmth of her mouth, and I barely held back the urge to thrust as she slowly took me in.

“Oh fuck,” I leaned forward, placing a hand on the side of her face, if only to distract myself from releasing right away.

Ambrosia had both eyes closed as she began to noisily fellate me. I bit down on my lip as she took in my entire erection, and held it there for several long moments. In the haze of it all, I met her gaze as she opened a single eye. She gave me what I believe to be a smile, and I felt her tongue run up my length as she slowly took me out of her mouth, leaving only the tip between her lips. Her tongue teased me for a few seconds, and by now I was about ready to burst.

And then, suddenly, she pulled me out of her mouth completely and wiped her lips with a forehoof. “That…” she began, “was for everything you did for me at the park earlier.” She leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on my forehead. “I don’t mind oral, personally, but I know a few of the girls at work are a bit squeamish about it.”

I managed a weak laugh as I slowly regained my senses. “I… appreciate the gesture, but… you didn’t need to ‘repay’ me for anything, you know.”

She just patted my cheek with a hoof. “I know, Darren. I just wanted to see how you tasted before we started the lesson.” Once more, she turned around, this time her tail was flagging fully, the only thing between us a thin layer of red fabric from the pony-style g-string she wore. “Now… whenever you’re ready, we’ll begin your lesson.”

The following hours were absolute bliss—and education—for me. Ambrosia kept to her word; we practiced a few positions in the hours that we went at it, and between ‘sessions’, we kept ourselves hydrated with some juice and water from the mini-fridge in the room. Apparently, Ambrosia received the bottles from the Manehattan Gentleman for Mares headquarters, and she told me that they contained a light mixture of what ponies called ‘boosters’.

Long story short, boosters were a liquid solution—some called them potions, others considered them more along the lines of a drug, like viagra or what have you. Whatever the case, they had magic in them, and were widely used by Gentlemen as a means to help increase stamina among other things that are beneficial to sex. The mixture was apparently diluted to some extent, thus reducing their potency but still giving me something to help shorten my refractory periods, to put it bluntly.

Speaking of, while the sex was nice, I also liked the breaks where we just talked. They let us recover and review what I had learned. She was genuinely interested in getting to know me, and I’d be lying if I wasn’t starting to see her as something more than an acquaintance. She was friendly, cheerful, and incredibly fun to tease. That and she loved to intertwine her legs as best as she could with my own.

Currently, we were reaching the end of our last session; a review of the missionary position. Both of us had lost the rest of our clothes in the midst of our romp through the bed sheets, thus leaving me with only her rump to hold onto as I neared my climax.

“O-o-okay,” Ambrosia squeaked. “I-it’s important to go deep here, s-so—oh, buck yes—so… mmff… don’t forget… unnh!”

I gave a nod that she couldn’t see, and leaned forward while burying myself within her up to the hilt. I groaned as I felt her muscles contract around me while I released into her. I bit down gently on her neck while she let out a shuddering gasp. Her back legs wobbled, and I mercifully picked myself up and gently helped her plop onto the bed, my arms supporting her weight as she did so.

Her glistening marehood winked every few moments as she lay on her side, her barrel rising and falling as she recovered from our final session. She gave me a small smile as I lie down beside her back and wrapped my arms around her stomach.

“Very… very good, Darren…” she said before laughing. “What’d you call the Wagon Rider, again?”

I chuckled quietly, “Reverse Cowgirl.”

She giggled at that. “I’m sorry, I get the human context, but I’m just picturing this old cow I know back in Trottingham every time I hear that. She’s got a few grandcalves, but picturing her doing this…” she giggled some more, “I think the poor dear would break something.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t break something of mine,” I said with a light nibble on her ear. “I know you earth ponies are strong, but… wow.”

She rolled over to face me, and gave me a challenging smirk. “Can’t handle this, huh?” She gave one of her flanks a light smack with a hoof.

“Do I get an ‘A’ for effort, at least?”

“Mm. You get an A-, but that’s still good in my book.” She pushed aside a lock of my hair and whispered. “Luckily, having a marefriend doesn’t count as cheating when it comes to learning these things.”

“Mm. I imagine Full Bloom will be happy with the results from these lessons,” I replied with a yawn. “And what do you mean by A-, anyway?”

“You forgot to tug my tail when I told you to go harder earlier.” She stuck her tongue out at me as I snorted in amusement.

“I never took you to be such a sassy filly, Ambrosia.”

“Save your opinion for after you’ve had a date with Ribbon.”

“I’ll take the advice, then,” I murmured as she snuggled up against me. “What time do we have to be up by?”

“Nine in the morning,” she answered. “That’s considered a bit late compared to how early you’ll usually be waking up, by the way.”

“Mmph. Better enjoy this while I can, then.” I pulled her close as she let out another string of tired giggles. I pulled the sheets over us and sighed contentedly as she rested her chin in the crook of my neck.

“Goodnight, Darren.”

“G’night, Ambrosia.”

I closed my eyes and smiled as my exhaustion finally caught up with me. Within moments, the steady breathing of Ambrosia could be heard. I let sleep take me shortly after, my dreams filled with scenery of a particular Trottingham-born mare running through a familiar park in Manehattan.

End of Chapter Nine

Author's Note

So, after a rather long hiatus from writing, I return to you all with another chapter of our hero Darren's escapades in the world of Gentleman for Mares. From what it seems, he's off to a rather nice start as far as 'field experience' goes. Good for him, I suppose!

I'd like to thank my ~~clop-writing enablers~~ pre-readers Firesight, AJ Aficionado, and Silent Woodfire, who provided comments and corrections where needed. I've been trying to keep ahead as far as writing goes, so while this chapter is published now, I actually have about another chapter and some change already written out. It'll need polish and the like, but it's a good way to stay ahead and not be without something to build off of in the following chapters.

Also, I'd like to give a sincere thanks to Demon Eyes Laharl, who helped mold the Gentleman for Mares world that several stories are based off of. He's been a big help since I started this story all those months back. He, along with the aforementioned pre-readers, have been a huge help with this piece. So, thanks, guys.

Finally, thanks to all of you who have been keeping up with this story, as well as my other works. I know it's been a long time since I updated anything of mine. Work dominates a lot of my time now, but I have been on a bit of a streak with writing as of late. If I continue with my current trend, I should have some more for this story, at the very least, written out before long!

Until we meet again, keep on keeping on, everyone!