Possibilites

I placed the machine bed in my lap and began examining the gears and other assorted inner workings of the machine. I hadn’t fiddled with such outdated technology in years, so the sight of this machine elicited within me some sort of nostalgic response. I had completely forgotten the exact locations for the parts for this particular device and almost wasn’t sure where to start. It was much simpler than the technology I was accustomed, but luckily I was able to infer where some pieces went and roughly how the machine worked. As I mulled over the broken equipment, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom sat to my left and Sweetie Belle on my right. I looked over at them and smiled before looking back down to continue working.

Children’s eyes are one of my favorites.

“So what’s your name?” Sweetie Belle asked me.

“My name is Xavier.” I said, not raising my eyes from my work.

“That sounds like a smart pony’s name, are you really smart?” Asked Apple Bloom.

“I reckon so.” I said, mimicking her southern accent and making her laugh a little.

“You know Rarity loves you, right?” Scootaloo asked me quietly.

“Yeah, she’s not doing a very good job at hiding it.” I said in a low voice so Rarity wouldn’t hear me. She was on the same floor and in the same room, but was tidying up her bed and rearranging fabrics and other assorted tools one would expect to find in a seamstresses arsenal, possibly preparing secondary sleeping accommodations.

“Do you love her back?” Whispered Apple Bloom, cocking her head to one side. I stopped working for a moment and looked at her.

“I don’t think it’s necessary for you guys to be meddling with other people’s personal affairs.” I said softly while shaking my head lightly. They all leaned in closer to me with a rather smug expression on their faces. “What?” I said, denying it. I took the horizontal arm of the sewing machine and snapped it over the now (hopefully) repaired assembly. “There we go, good as new! I think…” I exclaimed as I held up the newly mended sewing machine. Rarity looked over from her bed and gasped.

“Oh that’s simply marvelous!” She rejoiced, hugging me and kissing me on the cheek again, a little closer to my lips this time. She held on for a good minute snuggling me as I saw the kids exchange glances and giggle amongst themselves. She really needed to cut this out. Rarity let go and fixed her hair. “I really need to stop doing that…” She said to herself. “Alright kids, you should go home now, me and Xavier have a few things to discuss.” They all groaned in sync as they trudged over to and down the steps. They all said goodbye to me and Rarity as they passed. Before disappearing down the staircase, Scootaloo looked over at me and raised her eyebrows a few times at me with a smug face. I rolled my eyes and she left down the stairs. It was silent except for the little steps of hooves on the ground floor, then a door opened and closed.

“Well, it’s just me and you now. So what did you want to talk about?” I asked. She didn’t say anything, she just stared at me, her eyes glittering. “Um, Rarity? You all right?” I questioned. She shook her head, her mane bouncing as she did.

“Sorry, I was just lost in your glorious violet eyes.” She said, giggling a little and turning her head to the side slightly.

“Oh, um, thank you, I guess…?” I said, anxiously. “So what did you want to discuss then?”

“Oh, I thought we could talk a little, get to know each other. That and the sort.” She wheedled as she slowly stepped closer to me. I looked around nervously, trying to avoid eye contact and attempting to find something to change the subject to.

“That’s…um…quite the bed you got there.” I said, quickly trotting over to the bed and admiring the craftsmanship.

“Oh that? Yes, it is quite the beauty, just like me of course.” She said, chuckling.

“I wouldn’t be so haughty all the time.” I thought to myself, rolling my eyes. This would definitely take some getting used to if I was going to survive the entire night with her. Maybe I should make myself a medal for making it even this far without strangling her.

“So where do I sleep then?” I asked.

“Well, that’s the thing, I don’t have another bed anywhere. So as far as I can tell we’re only left with the option of sharing a bed.” She lied.

“Ohh…” I said as beads of sweat began forming on my forehead. “Are you sure you can’t just pull out another blanket and I can sleep on the floor?” I asked.

“That’s another thing, I don’t have any spare blankets. I’m so very unprepared for a guest to visit.” She said, lying again. “Besides, the floor is awfully cold. I don’t think you’d be very comfortable down there. What? Are you scared to sleep with a lady?” She said, batting her eyelashes.

“W-well no. I mean…b-but-”

“Then it’s settled! You’ll be sleeping in the bed tonight.” She said. I let out a long and weary breath, knowing there was no way out of this.

“Well, I guess since that’s out of the way, what else do you want to talk about?” I asked, prepared for the worst after what had just occurred. Suddenly, something soft and fluffy brushed up against my leg. Looking down, I saw a little white cat with a bow on its head purring and rubbing its cheek on my leg. It was a wonder I hadn’t seen it before. “Now who’s this?” I inquired as I sat down next to the feline and began to pet it, in turn making it purr loudly. It seemed quite satisfied simply by my mere presence.

“That’s Opalescence, but we just call her Opal. She’s my pet cat, hopefully you’re not allergic to them.” She answered.

“Oh no, not at all, I absolutely adore cats.” I said, scratching her under the chin, the cat closing her eyes and tilting her head up slightly.

“And she’s warmed up to you awful quickly, she only seems this happy around Fluttershy.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh yes, Fluttershy is amazing with animals. She has her own little house on the outskirts of town with various animal companions for her to be around.” Rarity reached her hoof out to pet Opal, but Opal hissed and clawed at her before walking behind me to avoid being in Rarity’s line of sight. I twisted my body so I could continue to pet Opal.

“I wonder why she’s like that…” I thought aloud.

“Oh I don’t know, it’s just her personality I think. But she does have excellent taste in dresses.” I picked my head up suddenly and glared at Rarity.

“Are you telling me a Felis Catus can interpret and critique a complex concept such as fashion?”

“Felis…Catus…?” She asked, genuinely puzzled. I stood up.

“Yes, it’s the scientific name for cats, it’s Latin. Felis Catus.” Her eyes lit up.

“You can speak other languages?!” She exclaimed. Was that all she got out of that statement? If so, that was utterly pathetic.

“Well… Not exactly. I mean, I know the scientific names for a few of animals, and being that the domestic cat is rather common, but that’s about it. As I digress, tell me how a ca-”

“Say something else in Latin!” she begged. Was she serious? This was beginning to become borderline ludicrous, but I didn’t really feel like arguing; I was getting tired and this cat thing was going to bore a hole in my head when I tried to sleep.

“Canis lupus familiaris…” I said unenthusiastically while rolling my eyes. She beamed with a joy that was almost unequalled in anyone I had ever seen.

“That was absolutely beautiful! What does it mean?” She asked, becoming increasingly interested.

“It's just a a domesticated dog, but the cat!” I yelled, pointing at the cat who was now licking her paw, disinterested at the commotion unfolding in front of her. Rarity still seemed to only pick up on the Latin portion.

“Oh my…that’s so elegant…” She moaned. She was starting to creep me out. No wonder Opal didn’t like her very much. I looked down at Opal to see if she had any reaction for this. She merely stopped licking her paw, looked up at me and shrugged her shoulders. I would have to examine her more in depth at some point; she appeared to have a clear understanding of what was going on and it was astounding.Either that, or she didn’t knew what was going on and didn’t really care. Knowing cats, I could assume the latter.

“Listen, if you don’t mind me, I would like to go to sleep now. I’ve had a long trek in the woods and that race with Dash, so the fatigue is really starting to set in now.” I said. Rarity recovered from her moment of bliss.

“Oh of course, just go ahead and get in the bed. I’ll be back shortly.” She said. I clambered into the bed and laid down on the mattress as Rarity went into another room. Opal jumped onto the bed with me and laid down on my legs, purring the entire time, making me chuckle.

“Is she always like this?” I quietly asked Opal. The cat lifted up her head and tilted it from side to side, eliciting a smile from me. I loved this cat; so full of character. I put my head onto the down stuffed pillow, almost falling asleep right then. It was one of the best pillows I’ve ever had the privilege resting my head against. In fact, I think I fell asleep before Rarity even returned.

I woke up the next morning once again greeted by birds chirping outside. I looked around my environment to gather myself and remembered the wonderful pillow I slept on last night. I felt an anomalous warm presence on the right side of my torso and looking over at it, I saw Rarity—and despite having practically a three meter wide bed—cuddled up with me with one of her forelegs around me and a vast number of curlers in her mane.

“Typical,” I thought to myself, looking back down at Opal who was still curled up on my legs and sleeping soundly.

My brain suddenly snapped awake enough to notice that Rarity was cuddling me, causing me to jump a bit. I attempted to wiggle out from her grip, but every time I moved away she seemed to nudge closer and hold on tighter.

This is what I get for giving in.

I sighed, realizing this was futile and resorted to waiting for her to wake up. My squirming had disturbed Opal, making her look up wearily and yawn. She stood up and stretched her back before jumping off of the bed, possibly in search of food or something to do. It took some time, but Rarity finally came to in the middle of me pondering the presence of electricity in this realm, which I mostly doubted. She slowly raised her head up and looked at me drowsily.

“Good morning, darling.” She said, smiling slightly with heavy eyes. I cleared my throat loudly, although she didn’t seem to register what I meant immediately. I cleared my throat again and gestured with my head toward her. She finally got the message and she let go quickly, sitting up in the bed and taking the blanket up with her so it covered her torso.

“Ah…um…I-I can explain. Y-you see I was-” she started.

“It’s fine. You needn’t explain.” I said; I wasn’t in the mood to hear any of her nonsense.

“Oh…” She said, surprised and still shaken. “Well I’m going to take these thing out, I shouldn’t be long.” She got out of the bed on the opposite side and walked out of the room. I laid in the bed again, closing my eyes and wishing to wake up someplace where I wouldn’t have to bother with these ridiculous shenanigans.

I heard Rarity step back into the room return several minutes later and I opened my eyes. She had removed the curlers and was practically glowing as the early morning sun poured through the windows and on to her.

“How do I look?” She said. If she was still embarrassed from earlier she wasn’t showing it. I sat up in the bed.

“You look fantastic.” I said, rubbing the gunk from my eyes. Once I had finished, I lowered my arms and noticed Rarity was gone from her previous position. I looked to the right and found nothing. I looked to my left and a sudden kiss greeted my lips with a shocking amount of force.