An evening with Survivors

It had been three months since Celestia bartered for Louis's and Loner's lives in the afterlife, and, while the two would never understand the magic of this world, they didn't question it, as long as it brought them back to the people, or ponies, they cared about. It had been a wild reunion for Louis and his friends, who upon seeing him return, were either floored, or in one bikers case, a bit teary eyed, although, he tried to play it off as 'allergies'.

While Francis, Zoey and Louis had a nice, easy time adjusting to life in Ponyville, Loner had to adjust to life in a castle, full of guards to protect him, servants to wait on him, and a feeling of a most uncomfortable kind. After being in a kill or be killed world for so long, adjusting to a peaceful life was incredibly difficult and frustrating.

Tonight, though, Loner was now busy getting ready for a date with Princess Celestia, their first actual date together since they had started their relationship. To say Loner was nervous was an understatement. Looking at himself in the suit he wore, which had been sewn by the finest seamstresses in Equestria, was like looking at a totally different person. He thought he had buried Loner and put his past as a Zombie killer to rest, but just looking at himself, he could only see a man who had done some pretty horrible things, no matter what guise he tried to make himself.

A knocking at his door roused him from his thoughts. It opened, and one of the castle's staff poked their head in, smiling. "Sir? The Princess is waiting for you in the ball room. Would you like an escort to accompany you there?" the mare asked.

Loner smiled and shook his head. "No. Thank you. I'll be able to get there myself." He reasoned, leaving the room and heading down the massive halls towards the ball room.

Living in the Castle for over three months had its perks, however, as it made you really good at mazes. almost every corridor led to three others and branched off like the limbs of a tree. It reminded Loner of his high school days, trying to find his classes in those seemingly endless halls. Although, the Castle did have much more to see than a school. Ancient tapestries, decorated stained glass windows, depicting battles old and new. Looking at them, Loner could see nearly all of them had Celestia in some battle or another. Loner wondered how the old him would do in a war like that.

When Loner arrived at the large, decorative doors of the ball room, all thoughts of war left his mind, and were replaced by a nervous knot in his stomach. He had been around Celestia for a long time now, but most of the time she was busy running a kingdom, or attending royal court sessions. Not a place for someone as gruff a person as Loner was.

When the man approached, the Guards by the door bowed their heads and opened the way inside, which was lit only by the moon, and candlelight at one particular table by the large windows.

Loner looked at the woman sitting there with a smile. Celestia, when in their private time, would take the human form she took when the two first met. She wore a tight fitting black dress, accentuating her curves perfectly. Her makeup, which ponies didn't usually wear, was applied to her face just as delicately and precisely as it could be, showing Celestia was holding no bars with this date. Her hair was still cropped short, and in a simple bun, which still looked splendid on her. When she saw Loner enter, an excited smile quickly adorned her face, which she quickly hid with a sultry smile as he approached and sat across from her.

"Hello, William." She said sweetly, leaning across the table and planting a kiss on his lips. "It's been a while since we had a moment to ourselves." She added, placing her chin on the back of her hands as she leaned on the table.

Loner smiled and nodded. "It has, and you look... amazing, Tia!" He gushed, the smile never leaving his face as he looked over the woman he had come to love. Celestia blushed and, with a clap of her hands, two finely dressed Stallions came over, one pushing a cart with two trays atop it, while the other brought over a bottle of wine and two champagne bottles. Loner took an inhale of the food and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that-" Before he could finish, the lid was lifted off the two trays, and on his, sat a massive steak, and by the smell of it, cooked medium-rare, his favorite. On Celestia's tray was a salad and some fish, the only meat she ate, but the gesture to him and his pallet was something he was most grateful for.

"I wanted to treat you to a perfect evening." Celestia said as Loner poured her a glass of wine, which she took in her slender hands and took a sip. "After all, I never thought that you and I could do this again. It's not everyday you have dinner with someone who died for you"

Loner chuckled at that as he poured his own glass and took a sip. "No, it's not, is it? What can I say, you changed me for the better, Tia. If you hadn't shown up, I'd still be neck deep in a zombie hell, maybe end up like... the others." He sighed, thinking about Allen and Cho, one man being long dead, and the other God knows where. Celestia sighed and placed a hand on his, rubbing the back of it with her fingers.

"Let's not think about it." She said quietly, locking eyes with him. "Tonight, we celebrate us. The past is the past, and I want us to look forward to our future. I miss them, too, but dwelling on the pain won't help anything. You know that, right?" She asked, to which the man nodded. "Anyways, let's eat. I have more planned for us after dinner." She said with a hint of desire in her voice, which was not lost on Loner.

"Oh, you want to..." To which Celestia nodded. "Well, then I guess dinner is going to be a quick affair." He said as he cut a big chunk of his stake away and shoved it into his mouth. This got Celestia to giggle as she, too, began to eat rather quickly.

Once the two completed dinner, and had partaken in a healthy amount of wine, they made their way back to the Princess's chambers. Celestia had herself wrapped around Loner in a loving embrace, but the man suspected she needed the support of him to keep her walking in a straight line.

The silence of the halls at night was punctuated by Celestia's high heels clacking against the marble floor, setting the lonely tone for the seemingly endless walk back to the room. After what felt like a long while of silence, Celestia finally broke it, saying, "I must say, human bodies cannot handle the same level of alcohol that a pony's can. I don't think I've been this drunk since my drinking match with the Emperor of Gryphonia. Now there's a species that can handle the drink." She chuckled, stumbling a bit, only to be kept upright by Loner.

"You know, Tia. You worry me sometimes." He chuckled, stopping them in the middle of a long corridor. Celestia took this moment to fall back into the wall and, pulling him by the tie, tug Loner in for a long, passionate kiss. Celestia wrapped her slender arms around the back of his neck as she drove the kiss deeper, becoming more and more wanting as the seconds passed.

"You know what worries me, William?" She asked between kissing. "That we still... aren't in my chambers."

With new purpose, Loner picked up Celestia in his arms, causing her to giggle happily, and carried her the rest of the distance to the bedroom. It was only one corridor away, and when the two arrived, the Guards outside gave each other puzzled looks, but Celestia's flick of the head told them that they were no longer required. With a bow, the duo left and Loner practically burst into the bedroom, jumping into the gigantic king sized mattress.

Celestia laughed and rolled atop Loner, straddling him at the hip as her bun came undone, draping her hair messily over her face. Loner watched as Celestia slowly pulled the dress above her head, and was left in nothing but a corset and some dangerously lewd underwear.

"I see you didn't hold anything back for tonight." He said as Celestia began removing the articles of his clothing with haste. The drunken woman tisked as she removed his shirt, remembering the gruesome tally chart he kept on himself during his troubled times. It was all still there, in perfect clarity; every Hunter, Boomer, Smoker, Tank, Witch, Charger, Spitter, and Jockey he killed was listed, and it reminded Celestia of their first encounter. He was such a brutish man when they first met. Now, he was kind and gentle, holding her in a lovers embrace as they prepared to consummate their love.

"You know, It's funny how far we've come together. I never thought this is where we'd end up..." She admitted, smiling down at the man on her mattress. "I'm glad it is though..." She smiled, leaning down as she planted kiss after kiss on Loner, trailing across his face, down to his torso.

Loner smiled and shut his eyes as each kiss sent a little shock of ecstasy through his body. Tonight would be a night he would surely not forget, nor would it be a night Celestia would forget either. Loner took one last look down as Celestia removed his pants, and prepared himself for a very wild ride.

"UGH! Just get OUT, Mac!"

Big Mac ducked as another item from Zoey's room was chucked straight at the door Big Mac had to quickly shut in his exit. Zoey was six months along with his child, and remembering the night, it was pretty awkward for both of them. Now, however Zoey was going through the stages of her pregnancy rather... roughly. She was constantly sick, her mood would go from happy one minute, to "I'm going to level you with a shotgun" the next.

Big Mac slid down the door with a sigh as Zoey continued her triad inside. Applejack came trotting forward and, with a chuckle, sat by her brothers side. He acknowledged her with a simple nod of the head, too beat to do anything else.

"She gettin' the better of you, Mac?" Applejack asked with a smile on her lips, knowing full well the chaos that had been ensuing throughout their home for quite some time.

"Just about..." He admitted, running a tired hoof through his mane.

"What is it this time? Y'all finally agreed on names, right?" She asked.

Big Mac nodded. "Eeyup. She wanted to go with names from her kind. Lisa if it's a filly, and, honerin' her old friend, Bill if it's a colt. Good names, Ah admit. That ain't why we're fighting. Truth is, Ah don't know what it is. Ah assume Ah did somethin' wrong, but she ain't givin' me any clues as to what." He admitted, standing from his seated position. "Ah'm gonna go cook her some dinner, see if that lightens her mood."

Applejack watched her brother trudge down the stairs and, with a smile, knocked on Zoey's door a couple times. An angry "Go away!" came from inside, but Applejack was having none of that.

"It's me, Sugar Cube. Ah wanna see how you're doin'." She said, opening the door to see Zoey laying in her bed, the lump in her stomach now quite large. "Ah. You in a bit of pain today with the little'un?" she asked, getting a glare from Zoey.

"You think? Ugh... Why did I have to do it? This sucks worse than Boomer puke." She sighed explosively as she wrapped her forelegs around her midsection and groaned in pain. "Should name it asshole with all the pain it's putting me through."

"Now, Ah know you don't mean that." Applejack assured, taking a seat at the end of Zoey's bed. "Granny Smith'll tell ya that birthin' is probably the hardest thing a pony'll ever have to go through, but it's worth it to hold that little bundle of joy in the end. Trust me, when this is all over, Ah'm sure you and I will be lookin' back at this moment and laughing about it."

Zoey let a very faint smile cross her lips and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so... Only three more months to go, right?" She asked, getting a confused look from Applejack.

"What? Only nine months? Sugar Cube, Ponies go through eleven."

And at that moment, practically all of Ponyville was able to hear the explosive "WHAT?!" that echoed across the countryside.

"Cupcake Butt... I'm hunnnngry!" Pinkie whined as she and Francis laid in bed, the latter flicking through channels on the television on the nightstand.

"Yeah, and?" Francis asked as he found quite a lovely show on Gryphon gladiator fights. Pinkie leaned against Francis's gray body and tugged at his vest, giving him the pleading puppy dog eyes.

"Can you make me and little Cupcake Butt Jr. some cupcakes please?" she asked, rubbing the bump on her stomach. "I love it when you cook for me."

Francis sighed through his nostrils and rolled his eyes. "You're lucky you're so goddamn cute, otherwise I'd say no." He stated, begrudgingly getting up from the bed and trotting down the stairs into the bakery, passing Mr. Cake who was grabbing some bottles for the twins.

"Oh! hi, Francis!" Mr. Cake greeted the stallion as he entered the kitchen. "I see Pinkie Pie has you cooking up some more of your special cupcakes?" He asked, getting a chuckle and nod from Francis as he pulled out the required supplies from the pantry and fridge.

"Yup. Third time today I had to make these damn things. I don't even like cooking! It's boring!" He grunted, expertly whipping the ingredients up into a bowl, getting Mr. Cake to laugh.

"You know, pardon my Prance, but your pretty damn good at cooking. And that is your job here, I might add. What's so bad about it?" He asked curiously as Francis began to pour the batter into the trays, making extras to prepare for Pinkie's ravenous hunger, just in case.

"It's just so... unmanly. No offense, but it just isn't something I saw myself doing as a profession. Back home, before the vampires attacked, I was just a thief, and it was fun! Now? I have a stable job, a knocked up girl, and everything just seems so..."

"Together?" Mr. Cake asked, to which a surprised Francis nodded. "Look, making a change is hard, and I won't pretend to know what your life was like before you came to Equestria, but you shouldn't complain about how good you have it. You should be happy that you don't have to go back to that life again. You're gonna be a daddy, and that changes a heck of a lot."

A sudden calling from Mrs. Cake roused the Mr. Cake from the conversation. "Whoops. Gotta feed the twins. We'll continue this conversation tomorrow. Go enjoy your evening with Pinkie Pie. I've never seen a mare more content in pregnancy than her when she's around you. Count yourself lucky you found your nitch so quickly here. You're part of the family now." And with that, Mr. Cake left the kitchen, leaving Francis with new, mushy feelings to mull around with.

Twilight sat on the couch in her living room under the candle light, reading a good book on Quantum Physics, while Louis sat across from her, reading one on the history of Equestria. While Louis was engrossed in his novel, Twilight was not so much.

What Louis didn't know, was that Twilight was hiding a second book inside the Quantum Physics one. This book was titled, 'Getting to Know Stallions: Showing Them Signs of Affection'. Louis was also unaware that Twilight was occasionally sneaking quick glances over at him as she read quietly to herself. The silence of the Library was suddenly shattered as Spike burst in the front door, having been out all day helping Rarity on a project.

"Heya, Twilight, Louis. What's up?" He asked as the two turned to him with a smile.

"Not much, little man. It's been just a quiet evening here. How was the boutique?" Louis asked, smiling down at Spike as he walked over. "Did you finally tell Rarity how you feel about her?"

Spike mock laughed and blushed slightly. "Ha ha, very funny... And, no, I didn't..." Spike grumbled, hopping up on the couch next to Twilight, leaning over to see the hidden book within the one he thought she was reading. With a lightning quick claw, Spike reached out and grabbed it, getting a startled "EEP!" from Twilight.

"What the hay is this? Getting to know Stalli-" Twilight quickly wrapped a magical band around Spike's mouth and simultaneously ripped the book out of his claws and high up onto a shelf. Louis watched the exchanged with a raised brow, curious as to what all the fuss was.

Twilight turned to him and blushed as she released Spike. "Heh heh... Sorry about that, Louis... Um, it's nothing. Spike here was just saying how tired he was, right Spike?" She asked the little dragon, glaring down at him with hard eyes. Spike gulped and nodded.

"Y-Yup! Super pooped! I'll see you guys tomorrow!" He said quickly, running out of the living room and up the stairs to his room. Louis never took his eyes off Twilight as her glare followed the little dragon up the stairs, and only stopped when she heard his door close. When she turned back around, she was met with the odd look Louis was giving her and smiled impishly.

"Again... Sorry. Um... I think I'm gonna hit the hay, too. See you tomorrow!" She said quickly, bolting up the stairs into her room. Louis knew Twilight could have strange behavior. He was warned plenty of times by her friends. This, however, was behavior he had never seen before.

Now that he was alone, curiosity got the better of him. Getting up from the couch, he grabbed the ladder in the corner that Spike used to reach the shelves, and climbed it to the top where Twilight had placed the book. When he grabbed it, he read over the title, eyes widening at what was written.

"Getting to Know Stallions: Showing Them Signs of Affection..." He read aloud, slowly, just to make sure he was reading it correctly. Did this mean that Twilight... had a thing for him?! Louis quickly put the book back where it was and slid down the ladder. "Ho-lee shit... I gotta... I can't belive I'm saying this... I gotta talk to Francis about this one."

With that, Louis made his way for his room in the back of the library. He doubted he'd get much sleep after that revelation, though, and knew that he'd have to do something about it sooner or later. He wasn't sure if he wanted to go through with it, but, it would be addressed sooner or later. He wanted to at least be prepared for whatever he decided.

Loner laid in the plush bed, blanketed in the comfiest comforter he had ever felt, with an actual Princess cuddled up against him, sleeping peacefully after their love making. Loner had to say, it was the greatest experience of his life, and probably nothing that happened to him could top. Not even coming back from the dead was higher than what he was feeling right now.

Although, he did have mixed feelings, involving the wife he lost to the Green Flu. It had almost been a year since it happened, but he felt like he was moving on to quickly. However, when he died, it wasn't like he ever saw her. That was one thing that he could say never happened when you die. Loved ones weren't there to meet you. It was you, alone, as you prepared for another journey.

No, he shouldn't feel that way. He had a life, with a beautiful woman, and there was no going back after what they had just done. No, Loner was happy with this, no matter what his conscious said. He'd be damned if thoughts of his old life stopped him from a happiness that he could never have before.

With a sigh, he pulled Celestia closer, who sighed happily in her sleep as she draped an arm across his torso and laced a leg around his. With a smile, he slowly shut his eyes and held his Tia close as he drifted off to sleep, happy that this dream had come true.

However, his sleeping dreams seemed like they would forever be a nightmare...

Author's Note

Hey! I did it! It may be 11, but I said I'd get it out tonight, not when! First chapter, done! Second Chapter will contain a dream, containing back story to Loner William man! I might actually not get bored with this because I have a direction and it seems like a good one, so... Hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the first.
PS: My writing is improving! Can you tell? :3