One week has passed, since my mom and 'marefriend' visited me and Tempest saved my plot, once again. Being saved by a mare is kinda humiliating. Especially for experience blacksmith, like me. Before I met Tempest, I could easily defeat every earth stallion in hoof wrestling. Now, I can barely swing my hammer. I decided to change something in my life.

I was on Sweet Apple Acres. As always, Applejack and Big Macintosh were harvesting the apples. I really want to do this? Of course, I want.

"Hi, Applejack."

"Howdy, Rust'." Her accent is... weird for me. "What brings ya' here?"

"Can I help you with apple bucking?"

"If ya' want to..." Nice. She agreed. "But ya' must be strong, yet delicate." That's what she said...

"It's not my first rodeo, Applejack." I said, walking to the nearest tree. I was standing face to it, not my plot.

"What are ya'..." Before she finished, I hit the tree with my right foreleg with all my force. The effect was... unexpected. Applejack's gonna kill me. My hoof completely smashed most of the tree. It fell on the right and... it worked like apple domino.

"Um... I have laundry in oven! Bye!" I quickly left farm and returned to my forge. Wow. Maybe I'm not that weak?

Now, seriously. When I hit this tree, I landed in the hospital with broken hoof. I was in the hospital with right hoof on the hook. I hate my life. When I was writing curses on my plastered leg, inside walked Tempest with my favorite cake. I love my life. Tempest placed the cake on a table, next to me and sad on nearby chair.

"Pretty weird place for meeting, isn't it?" I asked funnily. She wasn't smiling.

"Can you tell me, what happened?" Her tone was more serious, than I've ever heard.

"It wasn't robbery. I just... I hit one of Applejack's trees." I confessed.

Tempest raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"Yes?" I answered, feeling a bump in my throat. Tempest chuckled, then loudly laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Are you... sure it was... was tree, not... Big Mac?" She said, pausing with laugh.

"I'm not in mood for jokes, woman..."

"I'm sorry... It's just weird to me, that someone broke leg, hitting a tree." Not only for you. "Anyways, why did you do that?"

"Laugh again and you'll end up, like me." Tempest nodded. "Well, since I met you, you always save me from dangers. First, timberwolfs, then my crazy ex... This is hard for stallion to accept, he was saved by mare. I wanted to check, that my blacksmith's strength is still inside me. But, you see, my bones are totally weak."

"When do you leave?" She changed the topic. Yeah, that's a bad sign...

"This evening, then I'll be wearing this for 2 weeks."

"Meet me at 'Scarlet Goblet' at 8 pm" She said with smile and left. She has a plan... Scarlet Goblet is a pub in Ponyville. Tempest sometimes drives there to drink something stronger, than cider. You know, why there's a little of stallions here? Most of them is going there to rest from their wifes. Anyways at 6:30 pm, I was in my house. Cake from Tempest landed in fridge, without one slice. I was eating it, wondering, what Tempest is planing for me.

When the time came, I was in the pub. There was a billiards, darts and some other bar games. In air was strong smell of alcohol. Tempest was sitting at the bar. I sat next to her.

"So, why did you invite me here?" I asked.

"Two beers!" She called. Barstallion gave us two mugs of beer. "I just wanted to ask you on a beer."

I grabbed my mug. "Then, for our friendship." I took a deep sip. It was way stronger, than cider. Tempest drank as well.

"It's my place, shaggy!" I heard voice behind my head. I turned around. Behind me was some unicorn stallion.

"Does it have your name on it?" I responded.

From his side, he grabbed the knife. "Don't try to be smart-flank."

"Oh, knife... I'm scared as buck..." I said with sarcasm. "Put it back, before you'll cut yourself." I returning to my beer and took next sip.

"Stop teasing, or else..." I couldn't handle anymore and hit him with my plastered leg.

"Here's an advice for you. Don't piss a blacksmith off, or else say goodbye to your teeth." Can I call myself 'badass' now?

"Yeah. Now I remember you... Your that stupid pegasus, who bit me of the business." I did what? "When you opened your stupid forge, you started to make hoof-made decorations and ornaments. My gift shop bankrupted, cause of this. Now, you're a blacksmith in royal hoofs and have more money, than you can spend. I had to grab a job as a dustman to feed my wife and daughter." Oh buck...

"Listen. I didn't know, that you had a gift shop around. I was just doing, what I love. If you want money, you can get 10% of my profit..." I tried to calm down the situation, but it only made him more mad.

"I don't want money... I want your corpses!" Unicorn threw his knife on me but Tempest grabbed it in her mouth and spit it away. "I see, that you even have your own chain dog." Oh no, you didn't.

I hit him again and pinned his head to the wall. "Call Tempest like that one more time and I'll crush your head..." I sighed. "I'm sorry about, what happened to you but it doesn't mean you have to stab me with a knife..."

"Now, you're sorry... But earlier, you didn't even know about my existing. Face it, you just took me my job. You don't even have a marefriend, not even speaking about wife, you have to..."

"Silver Plate?" I heard mare's voice. "Your fighting in bar again?"

"Honey, I can explain..." Unicorn said. Looks like, it's his wife. "This pegasus..."

"Tried to calm you down." Earth mare said. "Now, go home and you can forget about coming here for a week."

"It's not over..." Silver Plate said, leaving. His wife walked to me.

"My name is Silver Cup. I'm sorry about my husband, sir."

"Rusty Anvil. I'm sorry about my acting." I felt little guilty. "And that I ruined your husband's business..."

Silver Cup snorted. "He can't forget about this and he still forgets, that I run a store with silver goods. I've heard, that you tried to calm down the situation. And you stood in protection of your friend."

"Well, actually..."

"You don't have to protect him. He acts, like this every time, when he drinks too much. Anyways, have a nice evening, sir." She said and left. That was... weird.

I heard hoof-clapping. It was Tempest. "You're not that weak, as you think..." She said with proud smile. "You showed him, who's the boss here."

"I guess, I did." I wanted to say something about his business, but I reminded about our family adage. 'We can't fix past, but we can make better future'. Dwelling on this subject wouldn't make it better. "Let's have one more beer..."

10 beers later...

"🎶What will we do with a drunken pony,
What will we do with a drunken pony,
What will we do with a drunken pony,
Early in the morning...🎶"

I've been singing this all the way home with Tempest. We've drunk too much...

It was weird and crazy night. I was in bed, not remembering what exactly happened. All I knew is that I have big hangover. I hope, that I didn't do anything, what I should regret... I turned on the other side and... I froze. Oh shit... Buck... Next to me was Tempest... Naked. What happened last night? She was slowly waking up. I'm so, so dead.

"R-rusty?" She said with tired voice. "Wha-what are you doing in my bed?" I realized, where I was. It was Princess Twilight's Castle. I'm double dead... "Wait... I remember that we came here, kissed and..." Her face was telling everything. "WE HAD SEX!" It's cliché, but bucking terrifying! What if she was in heat? Did I impregnate her? Am I a father now? Am I not a virgin now?

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to... I was drunk. I didn't know what I was doing. Forgive me!"

"For what?" She asked confused. I was confused as well, because I was still alive. "I wasn't in heat, if it's all about... It was... indescribable feeling. It hurt... but in the good way. I felt like I was going to melt. This pleasure, this passion, this... love... It was... amazing... You were pretty good."

"I can't remember anything but I think It was great. For my first time..."

"For my, either."

We lied down on Tempest's bed in silence for quite a while, before she broke it.

"You know... you said also think, what stuck in my head..." She had a blush on face, saying that.

"What exactly?"

"You said... that you love me..." I really said that? "Was it true or... just drunk talking?" She seemed, like she really needed to know.

"What about you? Do you love me?" I just had to ask.

"I don't want to hide it... Of course, I do!" I was surprised by her answer. I would never expect, that she would go further, than friendship. "You're kind, cute and talented. What mare wouldn't want such a stallion to be her special somepony?" Kind and talented, that's fine. But cute? Maybe for her, I'm in some way cute. "So, what about you? I will understand, if you don't want to be with somepony, like me..."

I knew, what I have to say. "If I didn't want to be with you, we wouldn't end... here. I really care about you, Tempest. You're always ready to help somepony. You seem cold, but you're really kind and great mare. When I've been doing something wrong, you've always forgave me instead sending to the hospital. Also, you're always after me, no matter what's happening. Except this, you're the most beautiful mare, what I've ever seen..." I decided to kiss her. She quickly returned the kiss. Wow. She tastes like berries. "I love you, Tempest Shadow."

"I love you too... Rusty Anvil. You love me that much or you have sword with you?"

"If it's a sword, let's find it's proper place..." I've been waiting for that moment, since we met.

"What's going on here?" I heard kinda child's voice. At the door was little, purple dragon. Who the buck is he?

"Spike, you should go, now..." Tempest tried to get rid of him.

"Twilight wants to see you, this instant." Dragon said. "You can take your... friend with you." In that moment? I hate you, again, Twilight.

We both were in some kind of meeting room. Twilight was standing back to us. I've never been inside of this castle. It was really big and... crystal.

"What's going on, Twilight?" Tempest asked, worried.

Twilight turned to us. She had a smile on face. "Princess Celestia invited us for Grand Galloping Gala!" Twilight said, holding with magic 3 tickets. "It means me, you and Rusty. You see, the third ticket is for your friend, what you met. Now, it's Rusty." She interrupted the best moment, in my entire life, cause of some tickets? That's it. I'm declaring her war.

"Oh, no. I will never wear a dress ever again!" Tempest protested. I love this mare...

"But, this is important to me! For you, too. If ponies will see, that you made a friend, they might stop treating you as a criminal. Besides, I've heard about your dream with Rusty..." Me and Tempest blushed of embarrassment.

"Well, one dance won't hurt..." Tempest agreed, kinda. "But, what deal do you have in that?"

"Well, I will be this year's Gala host. I want everything to be perfect and it won't be without you two."

"Okay, Twilight. We will go." Tempest said. "Right, Rusty?"

"Snobs, wine, miniature appetizers... Not my climate, but I will go." I can't believe, that I agreed on that but if I could dance with Tempest in real life, I would even go to Tartarus. "When is that Gala?"

"In two months, so you have time to strengthen your friendship." Not only that... "I have to go to the Canterlot, to start preparations. Have a nice day!" Twilight left and we were alone.

"So, where have we finished?" Tempest asked.

"Let's go to my house, so no one would interrupt us."

We returned to my house and )U)(JH(H*(Y&(T&TY(Y)(Y*(^T^*T%&E^$R*&Y_&*)#@$%$%&*(*^()%^$(^T^*(*()&^*$RF...

We went to the Sugarcube Corner to get some energy after our... banging. I can't believe, that we were doing this for an hour. Well, we really needed this.

"Will we tell anypony that our relationship is on higher level?" I asked.

"For now, let it be our little secret. We can tell at the Gala. For now, let's enjoy ourself." Tempest said and finished her milkshake.

"You have a point. Let's stick to that we are still friends. Nothing more." Then, in my head, appeared great idea. "You know, in cinema are playing a new movie. Maybe you want to go, this evening?"

"If it's not any romantic comedy, horror with vamponies or romance with vamponies, then sure."

"Don't worry. It's good, old action movie."

Author's Note

Some words at the end of this chapter.

I know, that I used 'drunk sex' Cliché, but it was stronger, than me. Tempest and Rusty are still, technically, friends but on higher level. Dating is also some kind of friendship, isn't it?

Don't worry, we haven't even reached halfway of this fanfic, fellows. 👌