They had settled to sleep, firmly in one another's arms. When he had withdrawn from her, she wriggled about to face him and there they faded off, content with the world. When the sun rose, she woke first, eyes blinking to find she was pressed warmly against another. Surprise made her tense before memories of the evening before flooded back and replaced her shock with warm blushes.

She had done as a coupled mare does with a stallion she favors... Summer slipped from the bed slowly, first edging away from his sleeping grasp, then inching down to the floor to not make too much noise. She trotted away stealthfully down the hallway, a little smile on her face.

Winter woke, the lack of her presence stirring him. It was growing colder, and her smell was diminishing, but never entirely gone. It was her bed, in her room. "Su--" He snapped his mouth shut, going tense all over. He had almost spoke. That was not what kirin do! He was her kirin, quiet but noble and caring. With a re-affirming nod, he slipped from the bed, deciding silently to simply look for her. Surely she wouldn't have gone to work without saying goodbye.

He looked into the living room, but there was nopony there. He came on the kitchen next and his smile deepened faintly. There she was, preparing breakfast. He would have done it, had she woken him... Instead of interrupting her efforts, he instead trotted into the room and hopped up onto one of the seats around the dining table.

One of her ears turned towards him, hearing his motion. "Good morning, Winter. It's my turn to make some vittles for us, and ahm almost done, promise." She grabbed the handle of the pan in her teeth and deposited the food that had been in it onto a large serving plate. "Just a little more." She set the pan back down over the flames and got right back into it as delicious scents filled the room. "My wonderful kirin deserves a good meal after.... that."

That... He thought back to it, to holding her, and filling her. He felt like he should blush, but no blush came, just a sedate little smile. He nodded softly, considering over things. That had been an important step. He had broken through a barrier, and felt they were closer. He also felt certain they would do... that... more often now that they were past the first time. They were a couple, officially.

She squeaked, feeling his magic gently pet down her back. "You don't say a thin', but I get yer meanin' jus' fine." She flipped the pan and grabbed the serving plate, bouncing over with it and setting it in the middle of the table, just to dash off and grab two smaller eating plates and silverware to add to the setting. All the silverware she had was made for an earth pony, of course, so a hoof could easily slip into a harness of metal and wield the utensil attached.

He didn't need that. He grabbed a fork in his magic and scooped up some of the warm mixture of oats and eggs, but did not float it towards himself. She squeaked as he surprised her with the food floating right at her eye's height when she hopped up into her chair. "Ah can feed myself," she laughed out between words. Not that this stopped her from snapping up the offering. "Mmm, came out good. Eat up!"

Winter nodded at Summer and brought his fork back towards his side of the table. The two went quiet together, enjoying the breakfast with only the noises of eating. The mixture diminished with every little bite either took, refueling for a new day.

"Now." She set her used utensil on her plate. "Ah do haveta get to work. Like yesterday, ya stay here, and be good, ye hear?" When he nodded, she grabbed her plate and hopped to the floor, approaching the sink. "Ya mind doin' the dishes? That horn of yers will make short work of it, ah bet." She set her plate and fork in the sink, ready to be cleaned.

Winter willed his plate, fork, and the serving plate into the air as he hopped down, all of it floating alongside him as he came closer to Summer and the sink. He set it all down in the sink with hers and looked around, spying the soap and grabbing it in his magic.

She smiled and turned away. "Yer a lifesaver. look, just three more days, alright? Then ah get a day off, we get to be together all day."

He paused and nodded at her, tail swaying a little to display his joy at the idea of a day to themselves.

"You are simply the sweetest thing." She touched her nose to his, the two exchanging breath for a quiet moment of nuzzling before she drew back. "Now off ah go! Be good." She trotted away, a working mare off to earn her bits.

He watched her go silently until the door closed behind her, barring his vision of her back end. With the faintest huff, he returned to the kitchen and did dishes. It didn't take long. As she had said, his magic made short work of it, leaving each thing nice and clean on the drying rack, and they hadn't used that many things to start with. He reached a hoof for the pan and it floated over along with the cooking utensils, cleaning them as well to be thorough.

He was a living dishwashing machine. He smirked faintly at the idea before turning away from the clean dishes, considering how to spend the day. She had forbidden him from reading her journal, which was a shame. He felt he could have learned more about her and whiled away the hours quite well with that.

Instead... He went to the living room and perched on the couch, trying to think of other things to do. He remembered the raid that had let him to Equestria. He had no computer, he couldn't play with his old guild mates. He couldn't browse the web. He couldn't do the things he used to do, when he was a human spirit, or when that human was a human before a copy was made that became him. That question was still up in the air, but it didn't matter much which the true answer was.

Either way, there he was, and he was getting bored. He wanted to be with Summer, or doing something interesting, which being with her always was. But she wasn't there, and he was. But... there he was, in Equestria. It was a land of magic, and ponies, and magic ponies. Surely there were things for him to do in it.

He just had to go outside.

Sure, she had told him to wait and be good, but he could be good while outside. He'd be the best kirin around. Besides, it was getting more and more boring by the moment. With growing resolve, he hopped to the floor, trotting towards the door. As he got close to the door, he slowed, hesitation creeping. Should he?

He wasn't a foal. He knew how things worked. He wouldn't take candy from strangers. or assume shiny things left lying around are there for him to snatch up. With a last nod of resolution, he willed the door open. Heat and light spilled in, the sun out and rising higher in the sky, the heat of the day easily felt as he emerged into it, willing the door shut behind himself.

Winter strode away from the small house that had become his home, looking around the town it dwelled in. He could see the cherry orchard Summer worked at, dominating a whole side of the town. Temptation to go towards it, to find Summer, came intensely, but fled almost as quickly. She was busy working, and didn't have time for her boyfriend to bother her while she was on shift. That would not be a welcome surprise at all.

A small gasp turned one of his tufted ears to see a little colt gaping at him with huge eyes. Winter turned towards him and he fled with a squeal, leaving Winter standing there on the dusty road alone. Winter raised a hoof to his chin in silent thought. Children were funny...

The colt's hat had fallen off, laying there on the dusty road. Winter waved a hoof at it, willing it up into the air to come to a smooth stop hanging off the railing leading into the closest building. His eyes followed the railing upwards, looking for a sign. The foal had been just in front of a general store. That sounded nice, but he had no bits, so he had no business there. He trotted away.

"O-Oh!" came the equally started sound of a stallion, just coming around the corner of an intersection as Winter approached it. "Didn't see you there, ma..." He trailed off, getting a good look at Winter. He blinked with astonishment. "What...?"

Was he that odd looking? He was basically a pony. He tilted his head faintly at the stallion, watching him impassively with slow sways of his tufted tail.

"Uh..." He took a slow step back. "Didn't... mean nothin'..." The stallion suddenly fled away, kicking up dust as he went.

Winter frowned faintly at the space that had once held the stallion, but he had more to explore. The town seemed determined to not meet him, each pony that he ran into shied back and fled. He decided to be more subtle, darting from cover to cover, hoping to actually see ponies being ponies, instead of running away from him.

There were two ponies chatting, two mares.

"Did you hear? Some kinda dragon-pony thin' just stalkin' around town."

"No! Yer kiddin'. Anypony get hurt?"

The first waved it away. "Not ah heard yet. Ponies stayin' well away if they know what's good for them."

Winter sagged in his hiding place. Was he that scary looking? He thought he was more cute than intimidating...

"Ah'll do that too. Ah don't reckon ah wanna know what bein' chomped's like."

The first tittered. "Or bein' set on fire or somethin'. Shoot, wonder why it's even here?"

"Couldn't say. I didn't even know it was here 'till ya done told me about it." The second rubbed her chin with a hoof before shaking her head. "It's too much, gonna get mah chores done right quick and get home."

"What if it finds you there?"

The second paled at the thought. "Ah hope not!"

The first tipped her hat at the second. "Well let's get movin' then, afore it goes and finds us."

The two strode off with determination, to avoid Winter.

He sank to his belly, trying to figure out how to get past the pony's shyness and show he was a perfectly nice kirin, not a chomping and fire breathing dragon-pony. Was that even a thing? He didn't remember ever hearing of scary dragon-ponies out to chomp random ponies. That didn't stop ponies from being scared of the idea.

With sullen resolution, he rose from his hiding place behind some scraggly bushes and galloped away, making swift time back to Summer's home, where it was safe and nopony expected anything from him that wasn't nice.

"Well, look who's got a smile on her face," practically purred Cherry Jubilee, looking over Summer. "You've got the northern fields today, but ah bet you'll get 'em done before lunch time with a grin like that."

Summer blushed, her good mood spotted so easily.

"Oh ho, you done found a boyfriend?" She leaned in even as Summer shied back half a step. "S'allright, don't tell me if ya don't want to. You just get on the fields and get those cherries in the basket. You know the drill well enough by now." She kissed Summer's warmed cheek on the way past. "Good luck."

Author's Note

Winter explores the town as Summer gets to work with the warm glow of satisfaction. Written before heading home after the last Bronycon (Oh no!)