I was awoken by the songs of the birds outside on the balcony. I just decided to open my eyes because it's pretty much impossible to go back to sleep now that I was conscious of what was going on around me. I looked into the face of the other sleepy occupant of the bed. Rainbow Dash's frazzled mane covered her cute face, which I gently moved out of the way to not awaken her. I lifted my head and realized we were sleeping on the opposite end of the bed. What the hell happened last night?

I looked around to see my pants laying on the floor and a cold breeze attacking my legs, sending chills up my body and spine. It was at this moment that memories from last night flooded my mind. Sensations and images returned to my fuzzy brain. I looked over at the silently sleeping pegasus. Did she remember? I know it was to relieve her heat, but...is she okay with what happened? Will she be okay with the subject when she wakes up? I shook the thoughts out of my head and decided--I looked over at the clock--10:30 was a good enough time to get up.

My underwear still hung around my ankles miraculously. I was sure they would've gotten lost in the sheets from me shifting around in the middle of the night. I pulled them up and put my shorts back on and tightened the drawstrings. As I stood up, my vision suddenly blurred and went out of focus and my mind began to blank. I grabbed onto the nightstand to steady myself before I could collapse on the floor. I think the action from last night must have drained most of my energy. I shuffled over to the fridge and searched around until my eyes settled on a cold, red can of Colt-Cola. I grabbed two in case Rainbow wanted one.

I popped one can open with haste and chugged it down until there was nothing but fizz and bubbles at the bottom of the can. The sugary drink filled my groggy body with the energy it needed--for now. Without any decency or mannerisms, I let out a hefty, strong burp that would have made Rarity faint just from the "rude" gesture.

"Pfft, weak."

I looked back to see Rainbow Dash just waking up from her slumber. I looked at her with a cocky smile. "And you think you can do better?" I asked.

"Please, I only need half a can to do the one you did." This pony was so confident and so prideful. I loved that about her.

"Well then." I grabbed the second can of soda and held it teasingly, like holding a treat before a dog. "Come and try it."

Rainbow got out of the bed, but she planted face-first into the wooden floor. Shit! I dropped the can and ran over to her to make sure she was okay. I turned her over and pulled the entanglement of sheets from her body. "Rainbow. Rainbow! Are you okay?" She scrunched her face in pain. Okay, she was alive. She opened her eyes and I could see little droplets of tears in her eyes.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she responded weakly. Either she was playing it off, or she was fine. No bloody nose, no busted face, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, only her face was red from the impact. She almost looked like one of those red and blue popsicles. "I forgot, I still can't feel my legs." Her face turned a darker shade of red as I believe, she remembered what happened last night.

"Here." I grabbed the little pegasus by the waist and placed her back on the bed. Instead of sitting down, she just fell to her side. She looked at me with a not so impressed gaze. I guess she can't sit upright either. "Uh, give me a minute." I walked over to where I dropped the Colt-Cola and picked it back up, being careful as I opened it to prevent it from exploding everywhere. I walked back over to Rainbow Dash as she was trying to lift her self back up. I sat next to the struggling pony and lifted her with one hand while I fed her the soda in my other hand. I chuckled. "You know, like this, it looks like I'm feeding you like a filly." She did not take kindly to that. She made an annoyed face at me and spat the soda back in my face.

I just sat there on the white bedsheets, soda dripping down my face, a wild blue pegasus laughing hysterically in my arms, and just having a jolly old time. "Like I said," I managed to say in my moment of annoyance, "it's like I'm feeding a filly."

"HA! Well, you gotta watch what you say, Luke," Rainbow warned in the middle of her subsiding laughter.

I wiped the drying soda off of my face and just sat with my mare-friend on the bed. I couldn't stay mad at her, she was too lovable. I planted a surprise kiss on her lips, which she didn't try and object or pull away from. She pulled herself into me and moved her tongue around. Our muscles twirled together and tasted each other's morning breath--which I will say now, wasn't a great experience--but our minds were focused on each other and not anything that would hinder us from sharing our passion. I was the one to break the kiss. I wanted to look at Rainbow's cute face some more. She gazed into my brown eyes and I gazed into my reflection in her large magenta eyes.

"So," I interjected, "if I were to call you my Rainbow Sunshine...?"

"Then I would buck you right over the balcony," Rainbow threatened.

"Alright then...my Rainbow Sunshine." I waited for the hoof to the face, but it didn't come. Rainbow just looked at me with a satisfied grin, like she was proud that I managed to stand up to her like this. Speaking of standing.

I tried to think of a solution for her so that she can still move around the resort, but still, be in my presence. Suddenly, a light bulb appeared. I got off the bed and turned around so that my back was to the weak pegasus and knelt down. I looked back at the confused expression that greeted me. "Hold on to me." She did as I instructed, seeming to understand where I was going with this. She placed both fore-hooves around my shoulders as if hugging me from behind. I stood up, making sure to stabilize myself with the extra weight on my back. "This work for you?"

Rainbow slightly nodded. She rested her head on my back as she held on tightly to my shoulders. I felt her warm breath traveling through my shirt and along my back. My spine tingled from this feeling, sending goosebumps along my body.

"So, let's freshen up and see what's for breakfast?" I suggested.

It was quite a struggle helping Rainbow while her legs were somewhat paralyzed. I had to sit her on the sink counter to brush her teeth for her. She kept on trying to tell me that she was capable of performing this simple task, but I insisted that I help her. Brushing a pony's teeth, especially a feisty one is not an easy task. I had to make sure I didn't brush too long that too much spit flooded her mouth or that I didn't move the brush too far down her throat, which happened so many times that I lost count. I had to do all of this while brushing my teeth as well, by the way.

Then there was the situation with using the restroom. Since Rainbow Dash couldn't sit properly, I had to hold onto her while she went on the toilet. It was a situation I hope doesn't repeat itself any time in the future, distant or near.

The shower wasn't so bad. We were able to clean ourselves with ease. I did have to scrub Rainbow's back, though I do believe she could've done it herself and I was just spoiling her.

After our morning routines were taken care of, we headed down the elevator and into the dining room...where there was no breakfast waiting for us. What a shocker. "Hey, Dash?" I asked.

"What's up?"

"I guess we--I'll be making breakfast today. What do you want?"

She thought about it for a moment before coming up with her decision. "Maybe just some cereal would be fine. I'm not feeling that hungry now." I nodded in compliance with her order and sat her down at a table as I made my way to the kitchen.

The kitchen was pretty spacious. Knives, tools, pots and pans, and food were organized and set into their respective sections. I looked around the large area for where they kept their cereal and milk. Just when I thought this place was too fancy to have something that would be considered part of a nutritious breakfast, I spotted a box of Rainbow Loops sitting with a group of its siblings.

I grabbed the box along with a carton of fresh, cold milk and two bowls and spoons. With all of this stuff, my arms were already full and it was pretty hard to maintain balance while carrying everything. I moved slowly and carefully through the dining area as most of the objects in my arms were obscuring my vision. I set everything down on the table and sat down next to Dash with a satisfied grunt.

"Huh, I was doubting someplace like this would have cereal," Rainbow said as she pulled her breakfast towards her. She poured a mountain of loops into her bowl and doused it with almost half of the carton of milk. I just stared at her, which must have gotten her attention. "What?"

"What happened to 'I'm not feeling that hungry?'"

She looked at me with one of her frustrated faces that always made her look cute."W-well, I changed my mind. I'm pretty hungry now because you were taking so long to get breakfast." It was only for two minutes.

"Whatever." I poured myself a bowl of cereal that just barely reached the of the bowl. We ate in silence, with the only sound being the air conditioner and our teeth crushing the Rainbow Loops. "Hey, Dash?"

"Hm?" She looked up at me with milk and cereal all over her face. I wanted to make a comment but decided to keep my mouth shut out of fear that she'd throw the bowl at my face.

"You wanna go out later today?"

She swallowed the cereal that was stored in her mouth so she could speak clearly. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we've just been spending our time in the resort, so I thought we could spend some time in the city. See some attractions, visit some places, live a little?"

Rainbow pondered this question for a while. I'm sure she'd rather stay in the resort, but spending 24/7 in here isn't healthy. "I guess. If my legs feel any better we could go. I don't want everypony to see me being piggybacked everywhere.

Right, it would be weird for everyone to see a five-foot, six-inch bipedal creature carrying a four-foot pony on his back across town. Suddenly an idea popped into my head. "How about a therapeutic massage?" I suggested. Rainbow looked at me with confusion, like How is a massage supposed to help my legs if I can't move or feel anything? "Don't worry," I explained, "we do this all the time at the Ponyville Day Spa. Just some stretching and massages should help your legs out just fine."

"Alright, you're the expert," she replied. I think I saw her blush a little bit. Getting a personal massage by me is going to be quite the experience for her.

I let her finish her breakfast in peace before we went to the spa.

As soon as I opened the doors to the spa, a rush of smells flooded my nostrils. I could smell lavender, cinnamon, fruit, and candy. As much as I just wanted to revel in the scents filling my lungs, I needed to help Rainbow, otherwise, we're going to be stuck in this resort for a while. I laid the weak pegasus on her back onto one of the massage tables. "Alright, let's begin," I said. Rainbow’s face glowed a deep shade of red. I wouldn't blame her. If the roles were switched, I'd be blushing from embarrassment too. I gave her a reassuring smile, and she smiled back.

I placed my hands on her right hind-leg and went to work, gliding my hands along the leg until I reached her gaskin. I pressed firmly on the top of the tense muscle and worked my way down in a straight line, pressing every muscle and tendon that I came across until I made it to the hock. I repeated the same actions on her left leg. I then used my elbow to dig into her flank. She groaned from the pressure, but I assured her its okay to feel that because then she can at least feel something. I performed the same action on the other side. These actions are to make sure she can feel the pressure in her legs and release the tension that’s squeezing around her nerves. "Okay, try and move them now."

The pegasus proceeded to move her leg up and down. She was a little shaky, but I managed to help her move it with ease. Now there was the part where she had to stand. I picked her up and gently set her on the floor, hooves clacking on the marble floor. Her hind-legs trembled as she attempted her first few steps. I held my arms around her in case she fell, but luckily she was able to get through it like a champ. She went from baby steps to trotting, then to galloping, then to full-on running around in circles. She leaped into the air and spread her wings, flapping them and flying through the air. I cheered for the amazing pegasus and her determination.

"Alright, Dash!" I cheered in excitement. She looped around and twirled through the air through the hanging lights. She flew towards me and I extended my arms, ready to grab hold of her. She slowed her decent and gracefully landed in my arms, resting her face on my shoulder. "I knew you could do it," I whispered.

"Well, not without you being awesome at massaging," she replied. "I love you, Luke." I held her tightly and kiss her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

"I love you too, Dash. Can we go out now?"

She pulled away from me and landed on the floor, tapping her hooves on the marble floor. "Why not? What's stopping us?"

I smiled with joy. "Nothing now," I answered as we walked back to our room to change.

Ponies stared at us as we walked through the streets for some interesting sightseeing. I don't know if it was my choice in outfit: a jean jacket over a faded pink shirt, black jeans, and tortilla brown shoes, or just me? I'm going with the latter option. As I felt everypony's eyes boring into me, I tried my best to push their thoughts and gazes out of my mind and focus on why I'm out here: to have a pleasant time with my mare-friend.

"Luke, you okay?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Rainbow Dash flying beside me. She had a worried look on her face and I hate having her worry. "Sorry," I said with an exhausted tone. "It's just the staring. I'm trying to get my mind off of it, but it's almost impossible."

"Hey, don't worry about it. If you want to go back to the resort we can--"

"No, no! I want to see what the city has to offer. I want to experience some new things in my life than sit inside and play video games all day."

Rainbow Dash let out an exaggerated gasp. She got up in my face, preventing me from moving any further along the sidewalk. "You don't want to play video games all day? Are you crazy?" Her melodramatic act attracted the attention of a few bystanders who stared at us even more awkwardly than before. She must have realized what she did because she looked around and blushed a little. "Oops."

I chuckled at her silliness. "Well, what do you say we maybe see a movie or some shopping?”

“I’m down for a movie. Shopping on the other hoof...that’s for prissy ponies with nothing better and exciting to do.”

Two random mares plastered in jewelry and makeup, who just so happened to be walking along the opposite direction, lifted their muzzles to the sky, and gave dissatisfied humphs. Rainbow and I just laughed at the coincidence. “Kind of like them?” I asked with a cheeky grin.

“Hah, yeah. So what movie do you want to—“

“Rainbow Dash!” A loud, obnoxious sounding voice came from behind us, cutting Rainbow Dash’s sentence. We both looked behind us to see a pegasus headed our way. His coat was the color of chewed up spearmint gum and his mane looked like a ball of ramen noodles. He had some stubble around his muzzle that made him look like a cartoon character that hasn’t slept in weeks. I saw Rainbow Dash getting tense and agitated at the same time. Something tells me she and this pony don’t have a good history. The stallion finally approached us, but before I could say anything or introduce myself, he wrapped a hoof around Rainbow’s neck, bringing her in for a hug, but she pulled away before she could even touch his chest fluff. “Aw, come on Rainbow Dash, I haven’t seen you in months and this is how you greet me?” He asked. His voice sounded like a hippie, which now that I think about it, he kinda does look like one.

“I wasn’t expecting to run into you here Zephyr,” Rainbow grumbled.

“Oh come now, I’m building my new hair salon business here as soon as I get enough moolah, so of course I’d be here.”

I just sort of stood there, unsure of what to do. “Um, excuse me?” I finally intervened. Rainbow Dash moved behind me a little bit. Zephyr looked at me with a questioning look.

“And who are you supposed to be, ape?” he asked in a condescending tone. Oh, this guy was definitely asking for a punch to the face. But, I kept my cool. I didn’t want to be arrested in the middle of the street.

My facial expression became hard and serious. I think I might have scared the stallion a little bit because he suddenly shrank in size. “I’m Rainbow Dash’s boyfriend,” I said in a deep, menacing tone. “And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call me an ape. I’m a human, so put that in your brain, before my fist does.” I showed him my tight, balled-up fist, which he immediately backed away from.

I felt something tugging at the base of my shirt and looked down to see Rainbow Dash shaking her head as if to say, He’s not worth it. We moved away from the stallion who was left in shock and fear.

“What was that all about?” I asked, my temper finally going down.

Rainbow Dash didn’t seem like she wanted to talk about it but she took in a deep breath and decided to tell me anyway. “His name’s Zephyr Breeze, an annoying pony who keeps trying to flirt with me no matter how many times I tell him no.”

“Well, if that’s true, why didn’t you let me punch him?” I asked. My fist felt jittery like it really needed to punch something or someone.

Rainbow took a long pause before answering. “Because...he’s Fluttershy’s little brother.” My eyes widened at the sudden reveal. I would never have guessed that that outgoing, obnoxious pony was Fluttershy’s brother, let alone the younger child.

“Well, now I’m conflicted on whether I should punch him or not. I want to just for you, but now I don’t since I know he’s Fluttershy’s brother.”

“It’s best to just let it go. Besides, you have no idea how many times I've wanted to buck him through a window or a wall.” We laughed over Zephyr Breeze and his simping personality.

Suddenly, we came across a cinema. It looked like any other cinema from around the ’90s with the classic red outlines and style, the boards naming what movies are playing for the day, there was even a big pillar on the roof that read: CINEMA in big, red, glowing letters. “Shall we?” I asked.

“We shall.”

The cinema itself was pretty classy looking. The smell of buttered popcorn, caramel, soda, and candy washed over me, making me remember some good movies that I used to watch back on Earth. We walked through the lobby and stood in front of a line for our tickets while we scoured the screens above for a good movie to watch.

“Any recommendations?” I asked. I had no idea what good movies ponies would watch.

Rainbow took some time to find a movie that she found interesting. “How about Pony Springs? I heard it’s a good movie.”

“I guess. I haven’t watched a lot of movies in this world so I wouldn’t know what’s good and what’s not.”

“Dang it, I was going to try and trick you, but the build-up didn't go as planned. Pony Springs is a romance movie.” Rainbow chuckled, most likely imagining what would happen if I had said yes to such a stupid, mushy movie.

“Heh, well thank my lack of knowledge in pony culture for that. How about The Relic? The name reminds me of a thriller movie from my homeworld.”

“A thriller? You mean, like a horror movie?” Rainbow’s voice cracked with fear. I’m guessing she doesn’t handle horror films very well.

“Well, if you don’t want to watch this then—“

“No, no! I can handle it. I’m Rainbow Dash, remember? Nothing scares me.” I loved it whenever the little pegasus tries to act brave whenever she’s scared.

I shrugged. Eh, whatever she wants. I bought the two tickets for the movie and headed over to the concession stand to buy as many snacks as the bits in my pockets could get me. We stumbled over to our designated movie and sat down in our designated seats...near the very back.

“Sorry I couldn’t get us closer seats, Dash.” I felt guilty for not looking at the tickets beforehand.

“Hey, it’s no problem. I’m just glad I’m next to you. And it’s closer to the aisle in case I want to leave if the movie’s boring.”

I shot her a questioning look. “If it’s boring, or it if it’s scary?”

“Make another remark like that and I’ll dump this soda down your shirt ya big ape.”

We laughed at each other’s mockery, but it subsided not long after as we saw a familiar face through the dim light of the room—Zephyr Breeze. Shit. As he was coming closer I wanted to say something like "Oh, you're approaching me? Instead of running away, you're coming right to me?" But now was not the time.

“Hey, you two! I didn’t know I’d see you guys watching this movie too,” he said with that obnoxious hippie voice. He moved over to the seat next to Rainbow Dash and plopped himself down, making the little pegasus even more uncomfortable.

A pony couple came over to the row we were in and grimaced at Zephyr. “Uh excuse me,” the mare said, trying to get Zephyr’s almost nonexistent attention. He just looked at the couple nonchalantly. “Is that row F, seat 3?”

“So what if it is?” he asked rudely.

“That’s our spot pal,” the stallion said in a gruff voice, though his stature didn’t fit with it. He was scrawny, almost as scrawny as me.

“Sorry, but can’t you see I’m with my mare-friend? So if you two could just—“

I had enough of this guy. I stood up from my chair, startling both the couple and Zephyr. I glowered down at him. “Rainbow, do I have your permission?”

She stayed silent for a minute before responding with a firm “Yes.”

I took a deep breath before beginning my tirade. “Listen, Zephyr,” I began, “you should learn when to take no for an answer. If Rainbow Dash doesn’t want to be with you, then that’s your loss man, not mine, and most certainly not hers. Stop harassing her, flirting with her, stalking her, and doing whatever else you do around her, or so help me God...,” I lowered my voice to a harsh whisper, “I will tell Fluttershy about how you’ve been treating two of her close friends and the rude attitude you’ve been using around other ponies. I know she’s a lot more assertive now, do you really want her to know what you’ve been doing when she’s not around?”

His face was pale and his mouth was agape. I think I got the message through. He slowly got up and walked past me and Dash and the couple waiting for their seats. I waited for him to leave through the exit before I sat back down.

I was trembling as I tried to calm myself down. I gripped the armrests to control the vibrations but it didn’t help. My breathing was deep and slow. Whenever I lose my temper, I feel a huge rush of adrenaline, but whenever the rage subsides and the adrenaline disappears, I get small tremors that are hard to stop. I felt a warm, wet spot on my cheek and looked over to see Rainbow Dash kissing me. She wrapped her hooves around me in a gracious hug. Suddenly, my tremors subsided and I felt at peace. My heartbeat began to slow down and my breathing began to regulate.

“Thanks for that, Luke,” Rainbow said with a thankful smile. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her into my side, letting her head rest on my chest.

“Anything for you...my Rainbow Sunshine.”

Rainbow chuckled. “I’m so gonna kick you through a window when we leave.”

“Ahem!” My attention shifted from the pegasus cuddling on my chest to the couple just standing in the aisle. “Can we have our seat now?” the stallion asked impatiently.

“I mean, it’s right there for the taking.” I gestured my free hand to the two open seats for them In case they didn’t notice in the first place.

They disregarded my sarcasm and sat down in their desired spots, waiting for the movie to start. The lights dimmed until the only lights piece was the light of the camera and the screen coming to life.

“That was shit,” Rainbow said as she tossed away her empty popcorn boxes and soda bottles. The movie was sooo cheesy. The jump-scares didn’t even make anyone jump, the effects weren’t anything special, and the acting was so bad that a rock could have had more emotion on stage than those actors. Ponies either left the theater early or fell asleep.

“Worst twenty bits spent ever,” I added. The sky had started to darken and the street lamps were beginning to light up the streets. “Well, I guess we can head back to the resort now. You hungry?”

Rainbow looked at me as if I asked a ridiculous question. And in all honesty, it was. “Uh, after eating the whole movie theater? Uh, no thanks, I’m good.”

“Just making sure.” We left an awkward moment of silence between our conversation. I thought I’d ask a little question before I forget. “So, no heat today?” I looked over to Rainbow Dash who I could see blushing when we passed under the light of a street lamp.

“Maybe, maybe not. You know you did a good job of calming it down yesterday. Maybe I won't have to suffer through it tonight.” She blushed even harder but I could see a smile forming on her face. I felt an iota of pride welling up inside me as I thought about last night.

"Well, whenever it comes, I'll be ready to destroy your legs again." We laughed through the night as we headed back to the resort.

Author's Note

Edited to fix some simple errors, and add a little surprise.

Quick FYI, I know nothing about therapeutic massages so the only thing you can blame is my lack of knowledge on the subject.

Was that a JoJo reference somewhere in the middle?

Any help or feedback would be appreciated. I felt like I rushed a bit on this chapter, so some things may not be grammatically correct or somethings may not be as detailed or written well. Please give some good feedback. Thank you!