Archery

The day before the tournament, the two of you prepare to disembark to Canterlot. Archer had gotten more clothes from Rarity for you, which was actually good-quality considering how she had never heard of humans before. You had no idea how she had learned to make clothes so well, but one day, you vow to go to her boutique and thank her personally.

Archer had an extra case for your bow, luckily, considering how big your bow was compared to hers. You had told her at first that it wasn’t necessary, but she insisted.

“Besides, it’ll be troublesome if you actually carrying your bow around on your back but with your arrows in your luggage bag. It just doesn’t look practical.” She shrugged.

You thought walking around with an bow on your back made you look like Legolas from Lord of The Rings, but decided that Archer was right. It wouldn’t look right if a human were to go around with a deadly weapon, even if it has no arrows. Chances are, you would scare the Canterlot patrons with your Lord of The Rings act and might bring some shame to Archer, so you packed your bow into the case.

‘Hey, Archer.”

“Hm...?”

“Are you nervous about the tournament? I mean, have you entered a tournament before?”

Archer thought over it for a moment, “Maybe a biiiiiiit nervous, and yes I’ve entered tournaments before. Won the first tournament I joined, but there was this one group that was really a pain in the flank.”

“Group? I thought they only allowed pairs into the tournament?”

“My mistake, it’s just that, the pair are so good that I often forget that they’re just a couple of unicorns. Unicorns have it a bit easier when it comes to Archery, so I’m expecting some of them to actually take it easy a bit, what with how their spells work and such.”

You blinked, and asked, “Well who went with you during the last tournament? Sounds like they were good enough to make you win the tournament.”

She grimaced. “Well, about that.... I actually participated alone the first time. The fact that I still managed to stay in the tournament was shocking enough, let alone me winning. Didn’t really expect to even beat the Canterlot Elite Archers.”

You actually felt a bit guilty, knowing that she had to participate alone. “Why didn’t you go with another archer? I mean, if must have been rather tough going solo, don’t you think?”

Archer’s ears drooped, and she frowned. You realize too late that the question shouldn’t have been asked. “Well, it is rather tough going solo, but then again at the time there wasn’t any other archer in Ponyville, just me.” She cleared her throat, “I’ve lost for the past couple of years, either because being alone and making good results isn’t good enough, or I did really poor. I didn’t even think of standing a chance this year when I was invited to join the competition.”

Then something struck you. There was no other archer in Ponyville, but the moment she found you and brought you to hospital, she had registered you and herself for the tournament. She must have been really happy to find someone else to go with her to the tournament. You feel even guiltier, the fact that she had gone solo three years in a row burdening you.

“When I found you those many nights ago, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. I mean, there has never been any record of a creature like you before as far as I know, but when I saw you with your bow, I felt happy. Happy that there was somepony else like me, who shares the same passion, and happy that I wouldn’t be the only archer in Ponyville.” She grinned.

You grinned as well. You didn’t realize how much of an impact you had set on someone’s life, but that wasn’t by your choice. Had it not been for the bright flash of light while you were crawling through the hallway that night, you wouldn’t even be here, and she would have had to go alone again this year.

You reached out a hand and ruffled her mane playfully, which went back to its original un-ruffled form, and she pouted. You grinned, “Well that’s good to know Archer. That’s good to know.”

The train ride to Canterlot was rather uneventful so far as you stare blankly out the window for the best part of the trip, and Archer just sat there, reading a book. You used to bring a little book wherever you went, but the slacks Rarity made for you had pockets too small for any little book. There was a library in the centre of Ponyville, but the librarian was out for a month researching something about oneirology.

Throughout the trip there, you would occasionally glance at Archer, who almost seemed to be trying too hard to read. You would look away a moment after that so as not to arouse suspicion that you were watching her. Several times, the eyes of the both of you would meet, which would result in either of you looking away in another direction blushing.

Princess Luna’s moon was hanging high in the sky, with multiple other stars hanging about in the night sky. Archer had told you about Nightmare Moon and what had happened, but you didn’t really worry that much. After all, what has passed has passed. Princess Luna’s now just another princess in a castle administering her country. Constellations became clear the further away you got from Ponyville. You could see the stars better without so many lights around.

The train isn’t due in Canterlot for another hour, and you feef hungry. “I’m gonna head to the dining carriage for a meal. You’re free to join me if you want to.” She nodded, and set her book down by her bag. The dining carriage was just two carriages away from your rooms, so you were sure that if anyone wanted to break into your rooms, you and Archer would know. The dining carriage wasn’t that full, considering how it was nearing midnight. The two of you sit down at a table for two by the window side with a magnificent view of Princess Luna’s night.

As you go over the menu of pastries, salads and sandwiches they had on the list, you take a peek over the top of your menu, and catch Archer doing the same. She raised her menu higher to block your line of sight, and tried unsuccessfully to hide that adorable blush of hers. You try your best not to chuckle, but you were sure she must have heard it seeing as to how her menu was shaking a bit.

A waiter came by and offered to take your orders. You order chocolate cheese pie and a caesar salad with salmon while Archer ordered a daisy sandwich with a serving of rose petals, a slice of cheesecake and some wine. Though you did not drink much, you haven’t had any wine in a while so you didn’t argue.

After the waiter left with the menus levitated behind him, Archer looked over to you. When your eyes met hers however, she didn’t look away. Rather, she held her gaze and you debate with yourself whether or not you should stare back. When you look away, she raised a hoof to your chin and asked, “So how is the world you’re from? It must be an interesting place.”

You weren’t sure how to respond to this. You were expecting this question while you were in hospital and had forgotten all about it when she hadn’t asked. You think over her question for a moment.

“Define ‘interesting’ in your way.”

That made her pause for a short while.

“Well... like how’s the life of the world treating you? Your job, your family, and do tell me about your life.” She grinned.

You stare back, thinking over the question again. “I took Archery up as a hobby and entered tournaments whenever I could. I work as a pilot for a local aviation company that concentrates primarily on commercial aircraft.”

“Aircraft?”

You smiled inward, you knew she was going to ask what an aircraft was. “An aircraft, to keep it simple, is like a huge tube of metal used to transport people, that flies. Pretty much like the pegasi here. My job is to help transport people from one point of the world to another.”

“Sounds exciting! But, does it feel like what those pegasi feel like when flying?”

You shake your head. “Pegasi have wings to help them fly, but they can feel what they are doing. Likewise for aircraft, but we use more technology than human power to actually work an aircraft. I mean, it really doesn’t feel as invigorating as it would be to be a pegasus, but hey, I get to travel to places everyday and meet new people.”

She nodded, apparently understanding what you just said. Normal people wouldn’t even understand what you mean if you changed the word ‘pegasi’ to ‘birds’. Humans were weird, but that’s just how life was.

“So what about your family?”

You shrug, “There really isn’t much to talk about my family. My dad used to be an avionics engineer while my mother was only a housewife. I live alone now with my cat since I’ve moved out of my parent’s house. I visit them from time to time to check up on them, and they seem to be doing fine every time I do.” You paused a moment, and then continued. “I give financial support as well, since my dad retired.”

She nodded again, but you noticed some sort of glimmer in her eyes. You decide not to press her about it. Just then, your food arrived. The wine was white and chilled well, like it had been taken out half an hour or less prior to your arrival, which was most likely the case.

Since earth ponies couldn’t use utensils that well, they tended to use their hooves more. Such was the case for Archer and her sandwich. She just used her hooves to pick the sandwich up and dug in. You could use the utensils prepared like a unicorn could, but for some reason, it felt weird doing so. The two of you ate silently, occasionally chatting back up again before continuing the meal.

You didn’t mind that the ponies didn’t eat meat. There was tofu as a meat substitute, which was delicious as well. They did, however, eat fish, which is a relief for you. You like eating fish. The pastry in Equestria is not bad either. You pause a bit to savour the first bite of your chocolate cheesecake. If only they made pastry that good back where you came from.

Archer seemed to be enjoying her meal as well, judging by the look of satisfaction on her face. You leave some of your cheesecake, feeling that eating all of it at once would be a waste. Your salad, though, was cleaned out to the point that it could be said the plate wasn’t even used. As you set your fork down, you glance up, and Archer was looking at you. She grinned as she asked, “You want some cheesecake?”

There was roughly half a cheesecake left on her plate, and judging by the look of content when she was eating it earlier, it must have been good. You nod, and she picks some of the cake up.

“Open up,” Her grin turned into devilish smile. You were liking where this was going. You take a nibble of the cheesecake as she held it out. It tasted a tad tangy and crunchy, which was weird for a cheesecake, however, you didn’t know what sort of cheesecake it was so you savoured it. You took a bigger bite since she continued holding the cake in place.

“Hm...this is good.”

“I know right?” She grinned. That adorable little grin of hers, but this time she grinned with her eyes closed, which made her all the more cuter. You decide to give her some of yours, so you pick it up with your right hand and hold it out to her. She opened her eyes and frowned, confused for a moment before grinning again. She set the remains of her cake on her plate.

What she did made your nibble seem like a huge bite as she took a small bite of the cake. It wasn’t much, but it still had its desired effect. Her eyes shot up and you could see a sudden change of expression in them, though you couldn’t tell. It was as if the taste of the cake was startling for her, like she hadn’t expected it to taste that way. You didn’t realize she was close to finishing the cake until she licked your thumb.

A jolt of surprise went through your body as she did so, snapping you out of your reverie. You glance at her, who wore that devilish grin from earlier. She finished the cake in one swift bite, and beamed. Apparently the cake was more delicious for her than for you, so you didn’t really mind. She held her cake out one more time, and you look at it, before looking at her face. She was blushing with a grin.

You took a bigger bite than before and savour the taste. You taste it like it was your last cake, hoping that the tangy taste of the cheesecake would stay in your mouth for the next few hours. You slowly take another bite, revealing part of Archer’s outstretched hoof. You decide to ignore it for now, and take another bite. You observe the disappointment on her face, and you realize she wanted you to lick her hoof, like she had to your fingers just now.

You slowly move your mouth over to another section of cake, before switching over to lick her hoof. You felt her shiver as you did so, and see the blush on her face deepening. You act quickly again, and lick her near the base of her hoof, which was holding what was left of the cheesecake she ordered. She went from a shiver to a tremble as you licked her again near the base of her hoof. She was so adorable when she was blushing so hard, moreover when she was trembling with that blush.

She pulls her hoof back and fakes a cough, looking away in another direction, a goofy grin on her face as she blushed up a storm. You weren’t sure whether you were blushing either, but the heat on your face seemed to prove so.

“Anyway...” she starts saying, “Do you enjoy doing what you do on this... ‘Earth’?” She starts taking the cork out of the top of the bottle of white wine. You have no idea how she does it, but it seems to just happen.

You think over it. The fact that she had started up a topic from something that was rather awkward earlier proved she had a quick mind. You were liking her more. Your thoughts snap back to her question.

“Life on Earth is rather boring I’d say.” You said, “The people on Earth are okay to say the least. My neighbours are rather decent people, and so are most of the crew I work with when I fly.” You think further over it. “My cat’s always there for me whenever I need it, and when I’m not around, usually my neighbours will take care of it.”

You missed your cat, sad to say. But with the great neighbours you have, your cat was the least of your worries. You wonder if the police have checked on the two dead bodies near the indoor field you were practicing in the other night.

“A cat? So you’re an animal type of person?” She poured some of the wine into her glass before pouring some into yours. She seemed to still be blushing from earlier, albeit not as heavy.

You shrug. “I’d prefer to own a cat over a dog. I’m not that much of a dog person, considering how loud they usually are at night. But any other pet, I guess I’m okay with it. I could own a few hamsters or rabbits, but I might not have the time to take care of them.”

You take a sip of the white wine, and feel the cool fluid flow down your throat. You look at her, as if anticipating another question. But instead of asking another question, which you could clearly see she was itching to by the looks on her face, she just shrugged and finished her glass of wine. She pours herself another glass and returns her attention back to you. She gazes at you like it was your turn to ask a question.

You give in, and ask ahead. “So, when and how did you get into archery?”

She took a sip, and gave it a thought, swirling around the contents of the glass as she did so. “Well... I was young, I used to live near a big field. Not saying that I don’t now, but you get what I mean. My bedroom was facing the field, and often times, I would glance outside the window to see other ponies firing arrows. I used to stop doing what I was doing just to watch them do so, but then my mother would catch me.” She finished her wine before topping it up and continuing. “Anyway, I snuck out one night to give it a try. We had a beginner bow inside the shed for foals to use, but I didn’t really get the chance to use it since I was busy most of the time with studies.”

She sipped her wine, and you finished yours. She continued as you poured another glass. “At the time, I didn’t really have a cutie mark yet considering how I spent most of my time indoors studying. It wasn’t actually my wish to study anyway, I was more of an outdoor pony. I tried my first arrow from what I’ve observed from some of the ponies outside my room window, but it sorta backfired. I almost got whipped across the forehoof because I didn’t position it properly.” She sipped her wine, “I corrected my error and tried again. There was this target that was about 20 metres away, and I hit it dead center. I was jumping with glee that my second arrow actually hit a bullseye!” She beamed and finished her wine.

She cleared her throat, and topped up her glass with more wine before finishing her story, “However, the joy was somewhat short lived when I saw my mother’s shadow fall on me. I expected a glare and a scolding from her, but apparently that wasn’t the case.” She beamed even wider, “She gave me a big hug, which was rare considering how I don’t really mingle around the house that much, and told me I had done a great job. Had she not pointed it out, I wouldn’t have noticed the cutie mark appearing on my flank.”

You drain the sweet liquid in your glass as you awaited any other sentence that might come out next, but nothing else was said. You smiled, “That sounds rather...rebellious I’d say.” You chuckle. You could feel your face heating up as she giggles and you pour yourself another glass. The wine bottle was already half-empty. Or what you and Archer would say, half-full. You glance over at Archer, whose red was almost full red from the wine (or blushing, you couldn’t tell), and decided against asking her what she thought of the contents of the bottle.

Her face forms another one of those adorable grins, but the grin seemed to be amplified by her blushing, making her all the more adorable than she was before. It was then that you concluded, that she had a little too much to drink.

You recall Archer filling her glass three times, as did you yourself. You finish your wine, and help pour some more for Archer and yourself. Archer seemed to be itching to ask another question, to which you nodded your approval.

“What’s it like living alone with such great neighbours and a cat?”

You chuckle. A silly question. You had stayed single for the entire while because you were certain you would find someone when you were ready, and at the time, you weren’t at all ready. “Well, it’s like I said, kinda boring. Sure I have a lot of time to myself, but somehow, there’s like this hollow shell that needs to be filled to make everything complete.” You drank half of your glass before continuing, “I’m still not sure if I want that hollow shell to be filled too early, while I’m not ready. But since I’ve been here, I’ve been wondering why I thought it was too early anyway.” You grin.

Archer finished her glass and nodded. The grin that had formed earlier, amplified by a further intensified shade of red on her face, returned as the train pulled into the station. “Say, want to get some more of that cheesecake? The chocolate cheesecake was gooooooooddd...” She giggled. Your grin widened and you nodded. After packing the cake, the waiter that had taken your orders earlier gave you the cake, and you struggle to get back to your carriage.

Archer kept her book in her bag and went out first, with you following behind with your archery case and luggage. Luckily for the both of you, there was a hotel not far from the station. You led the way, knowing that the alcohol probably wasn’t effective yet, but you could see the obvious drunkenness of Archer. The two of you check into the hotel, which only had rooms with queen-sized beds, but neither of you complained and you sighed the form.

You step into the elevator, which was one of those elevators you had seen in movies from the 80s, and Archer slowly stumbled in. You chuckle, pitying the mare. She turned to look at you and pouted. Your vision spins around as the elevator goes to your floor, and the door opens. The both of you go out into the multi-door hallway. Halfway down the hall, Archer struggled to insert the key to open the door, but you were patient, and she opened the door half a minute later.