Author's Note

Yahallo! I'm sorry this took longer than usual, I've been working on a lot of projects and this chapter I was very hesitant to write because it could go very wrong in a lot of directions. Anywho, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments and tell me if you spot any issues, and thanks for reading!

Chapter 45: The Morning After

The world was blurry, disfigured, and racked with pain.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, without experiencing agony rupturing throughout my body. Every blink was like the blood in my very veins turning into ice, every movement like my bones were turning into wood.

The pain sat in my brain, spreading to my senses and souring all of them like spoiled milk.

I was hungover.

Or, at least, that’s what Brash told me I was.

Ever since I woke up, I’ve been trying to force myself back to sleep; only for my bladder to yank me back to reality every couple of minutes. I’ve never been as dehydrated as I was today, no amount of water ever felt like enough.

Which was saying quite a bit considering I asked for Brash to bring them by the bucket full.

“Ughhhhhhh.”

I wanted to move, my back sore from laying down for so long. Everything was hot but my body was cold, chills like I was on the train all over again.

The door opened, its creaking amplified a thousand fold.

“I’m back with the potion!”

Brash, being much more considerate than I would have given her credit for, entered the room speaking in a whisper and closing the door at an almost painfully slow pace. Despite her attempts at being reserved, the door shutting made me want to put cotton balls in my ears and never hear again.

As she made her way to my bed, I gripped the sheets for dear life and forced myself to get up, groaning and creaking with every movement. I’ve experienced death itself several times, but this was an agony in a category of its own.

By the time I managed to sit on the edge of my bed, it was like I’d ran miles. Fatigue in every muscle and thick like molasses, mixed with sweat that drenched me so thoroughly I could smell myself, I’ve never wished I was a spectre more in my life.

“Now, Chara, I need you to promise me you’ll never drink again.” Brash started as she hovered in front me, tossing the bottle in the air and catching it over and over again. “Otherwise, I’ll just leave you to go through this on your own; it's the only way you’ll learn.”

As much as I wanted to tell her how horrifically wrong she was, my track record showed she was dead on.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach, a twisting feeling in my stomach as if my intestines had become a pretzel.

“Oh, believe me, I don’t plan on—” I tried covering my mouth, pushing down the bile so I didn’t have to taste it again. That was pointless, of course. I grabbed the trash can and vomited, tears rolling down the side of my face as I tried to breathe through my nose. “It. But, I don’t know if I can keep anything down right now.”

“Well, manage to keep this down for thirty minutes, and you’ll feel good as new.”

“Hmmm,” With a shaky hand, I grabbed the bottle, spinning it to the back and skimming through the ingredients. Which, as I should have guessed, was pointless considering pretty much everything there were plants or materials I wasn’t familiar with. “Does it taste like medicine?”

“Nope. Tastes like, uhm,” She lowered herself to the ground, wings tucking into her sides. “Pink? I don’t know how else to describe it. It just tastes like the color pink.”

I opened the bottle, bringing it to my nose in a trembling grip. It didn’t really smell like anything? It was clear, so clear I could see my reflection in it if I brought the bottle to my eye.

My stomach grumbled, either hungry or trying to void itself only to find nothing was left.

Here goes everything I guess.

I brought the bottle to my lips, taking a tentative swig before consuming the entire thing. The texture was like water, and the taste was…fruity? Not strongly so, but with a much more intense aftertaste.

It really did taste like the color pink.

Out of fear of upsetting my stomach further if I drank too quickly, I consumed it in sips. Brash waited patiently, wandering around the room and examining every inch of it like she hadn’t done so half a dozen times before.

With each swallow, I felt it travel down my throat and hit my stomach. It hurt a little, but the relief it arrived with made it worth it.

“Ok, I’m,” I burped a bit, setting the bottle on the counter. “Done. Now what?”

“Now, you take a shower. You stink.”

My cheeks burned more than my throat did, crossing my arms as I tried to make myself smaller.

“I know, but,” I grabbed the edges of my bed, forcing myself onto the ground with as much hesitance as if I was jumping off a cliff. The ground hurt my feet, moving hurt my body, and I could barely take a step without using a post for weight. “I don’t know if I can take a shower right now. Doing anything is a lot.”

Brash walked over to me, extending her wing to me.

“I could help you get there if you want. You should be all better by the time it's over.”

It was a genuine gesture, and kind; on the surface at least.

I was well aware of what she was actually asking. That, at least, was obvious to me.

I stood there, wobbling and moments away from losing my balance.

There wasn’t really much choice, was there?

“Ok.” I begin making my way to Brash, not letting go of the bed for as long as I could. “But just with your wings.”

“That was the plan.”

She stretched her wing, wrapping it around me just enough to touch both of my shoulders and the back of my…well, back. Brash kept as much distance as she could, escorting me to the bathroom and opening the door for me.

“Do you need me to help you take off your clothes?”

“Probably, give me a second.” I took the necklace off, setting it on the sink. I went to take off my shirt, my hand scraping against a weight in my pocket I forgot was there. “Oh, this thing.”

I lifted the azoth sword from my pocket, setting it right beside the faucet.

“Woah,” Brash leaned towards it, getting as close as she could while keeping me within her wing. “Shiny. What is that?”

“Magic dagger; Luna gave it to me.” I folded the last of my clothes, leaving only my bra and underwear. “Can you get my backpack? It has my clothes in it.”

“Huh. Cool.” Brash moved towards the door, hesitantly retracting her wing while tensing up. “Yeah, no problem.”

As soon as the door closed behind her, I took off the rest of my clothes, adding them to the pile. I managed to use what little strength I had to to turn the valve for the shower, only to immediately reverse it the second I felt the hot water touch my skin. It was like I was wearing leather that didn’t fit quite right, and every drop made it tighten on my body.

The cold water wasn’t exactly a good alternative. Every drop was like a sharpened icicle stabbing into my skin, embedding themselves into my very skeleton. I spent what felt like an eternity just adjusting the valve until something tolerable was raining on me, and even then it was only tolerable to a point.

I began to drink some of the water, quenching the irritation in my mouth for only seconds at a time. If nothing else, it sustained me for a few moments. The soreness was overtaken, the headache was dulling, and fatigue was easier to ignore.

Issue being, now that my senses weren’t prioritized on not dying, other things came to light; like my tongue.

It didn’t feel right in my mouth.

It wasn’t too wet or dry, that wasn’t the issue. No matter where I placed it in my mouth it never fit, on the left or the right or in the center, some part of it didn’t feel quite in place. It reminded me of doing a jigsaw puzzle, except the piece I found just barely didn’t fit with the other one.

I didn’t even realize how long I’d been fumbling with the organ in my mouth until I saw my skin pruning, resembling a turtle more than my appendages.

Brash entered the room, placing what sounded like the backpack on the ground. I then heard her hoofsteps, sounding like they were approaching the sink. The sound of something clattering, and then yelping.

“What the fuck?” Something heavy clattered on the ground, followed by Brash taking deep breaths in between hissing, blowing heavily and loudly on something. “What kind of shitting sword burns its wielder?”

Panick riddled my lethargic body as I was tempted to yank the curtain to the side

“What happened?”

“I wanted to see how your sword feels, and it burned me!” She shouted from the other side, hissing and taking loud steps.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not that bad. Just take your shower, I’ll be fine.”

I heard the sound of the door opening and closing, then Brash taking steps away from it. A few moments later, I turned off the water and dried myself, seeing the sword had landed on the ground as I put on my clean clothes.

I approached the sword, a morbid curiosity to touch it tickling me; even if I knew what the worst outcome would be. Yet, the question wouldn’t stop pestering my brain; why didn’t it burn me?

Piercing cold air stayed in my lungs, my entire body dripping with a similar chill. Despite all of that, all I felt was this warmth in the center of my hand, drawing me to the handle of my blade.

I picked it up.

And it was as cold as the water I was just showering in.

I moved it around in my hand, looking for anything that might have been hot or looked like it’d burn. Nothing did, it was as cold as the blade itself.

“Maybe it's enchanted? It’s not burning me.”

I placed it back on the sink, turning to the door.

A bizarre nausea came over me that condensed in my brain, causing the world to tremble as I nearly fell to the floor I gripped the edges of the sink, leaning forward and preparing for another stream of bile, that familiar sourness on the inside of my cheeks were sign enough of that.

I felt it rising, crawling up my neck, its vile taste passing over my tongue and out of my mouth. And then…

A bubble.

A pink bubble, at that.

It sort of just…floated in front of me, hovering in my face like it was waiting for something. I raised my pointer finger, poking at it tentatively with a little more strength each time until it inevitably popped.

I stood there and waited, half-expecting another bubble to climb its way out of my throat. Soon enough, the dizziness dissipated, and I could let go of the sink again.

I took one wobbly step, which wasn’t as difficult as I feared it would be. I found myself counting each step to the door, and then the bed, expecting to lose my balance at any moment. Before I knew it, I was lying on it, where the only obstacle was my drying hair getting in my eyes.

I looked around the room for a mane tie, finding some of them hanging off the edges of the wardrobe. I was about to go and grab one, but Brash followed my line of sight and flew over, grabbing a couple in her wing and hovering over to me.

“Want me to braid your mane?”

I glanced at her, briefly noticing the bandages that had been wrapped around her horn.

“You know how to braid hair?”

“Look,” Brash’s face flushed a little as she moved behind me, placing some of the bands on the bed beside me. “Every mare’s had their phase where they wanted to look the prettiest they can for a certain stallion or mare. Some skills just tend to stick.”

“Did it work out for you?”

A pause, though she didn’t stop braiding my hair from what I could tell.

“No.” Brash cleared her throat, picking up one of the bands. “What about you? How’d your cute little date go last night? Assuming you remember it.”

I pressed my lips into a fine line, skin on my face stretching as I struggled to recall what I could.

“Bits and pieces.” Everything up to the bar itself was clear as any other memory, then afterwards it was like trying to recall a dream. Except, with this, all the feelings were still there, for better or worse. “I remember cuddling against something really warm and soft, and walking around a lot. Then everything smelt weird, there were stars on the floor and books everywhere, and I couldn't move? And then…”

What happened next was more vivid, maybe because it was later in the night, or just the whole ordeal was so intense it sobered me up. But I remember the important moments.

Me trying to kiss Dark.

Him telling me I was drunk.

How hard it became just to breathe.

The wetness of the grass against my knees.

How cold it was.

How tight my chest was.

Thinking about it now, I could almost feel it again in my heart.

“Brash, why do people drink if it makes them do horrible things?”

“What kind of horrible things?”

“Like,” My hand went to my side, holding it and counting my ribs just to make sure they’re all there and whole. “Hurting people.”

Another pause, this one much longer. She even stopped braiding my hair. I heard her hooves creak against the floor, her wings rigidly pressed against her sides.

“Chara,” she shook her head. “Alcohol doesn’t do that.”

“It doesn’t?” I couldn’t help but think of him, chugging from his chalice of frothy poison. “Are you sure?”

“Hundred and twenty percent. I’ve been around a lot of drunk ponies for a lot of reasons, and while they sometimes do and say stupid shit, it’s never been malicious. Sure, sometimes people do hurt others they shouldn’t when they drink, but that kind of pony…”

She tugged my hair a bit harder than I would have liked, eliciting a yelp out of me that was girly enough to be shameful.

“They’re just looking for an excuse to hurt others; usually because they’re hurting themselves. Not to say that ever makes it right. Drinking just,” she was close enough for me to hear her grit her teeth. “Brings out more of a person, for better or worse.”

“Oh.” I pulled on my necklace, forcing it to tighten around my neck. The cold metal was icier than normal. “So, if I get drunk and hurt someone, then I was already going to—”

“Shut up with that.” Brash’s voice was stern, lacking that underlying playfulness that carried every word. “I don’t care what you did or said, you aren’t the type to hurt someone intentionally. For Celestia’s sake, you flinch when someone swears. Whoever you are when you were drunk is just as much you as the you that's sitting in front of me right now, just less stuck in your own head.” Brash grabbed the final band, twirling it on the tip of her wing as she took a few steps back. “Done. Nothing fancy, but it shouldn’t be getting in your face anymore.”

I instinctively reached the back of my head, running my fingers over the bundles of hair they’d been arranged in. I just as quickly got to my feet, moving around a bit to make sure none of my bangs would get in my eyes.

“Wow, thanks a lot.” It felt just like when I tried putting my own hair in a ponytail, though admittedly my hair was much longer at that point. “For everything, Brash. Really.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m a mare of many talents and skills; comes with being single.” She moved around the front of the bed, placing the band on her wing back on the wardrobe. “What’s on the agenda for today? Princess Celestia mentioned you’re more than welcome for breakfast, but she understands if you’d prefer not to. Otherwise, you have the whole day free; even let the chariots know you might want to go back to Ponyville if you like.”

As tempting as that was, I couldn’t say if I was ready to go back there quite yet.

Not to mention I wasn’t sure if Dark was ready to go back, or if he even wanted to.

I wasn’t ready to have any conversations with him just yet.

Or anyone, really.

“Are there any plays in the theater today?”

“Today? No, just later tonight.”

I tapped my fingers against the air, an energy in them that I was all too familiar with.

“I’d like to play the piano. It feels like it’s been forever.”

It wasn’t there.

Because of course not.

In its place was a dusty outline of the piano, though all the other instruments in the backstage were still there.

What a day this is turning out to be.

Instead, I decided to make my way to Luna’s room. I was a bit curious about the azoth sword, as well as hopefully getting an update on the decoding stuff.

Admittedly, I was getting a little interested in whatever ‘surprise’ she had in mind for me. Of course, there was no chance that she’d actually tell me what it was even if I did my best.

On our way there, Cadance turned the corner, shuddering at the sight of me which she tried to cover by stretching her wings.

“Chara! What a pleasant surprise, I just ran into Dark not that long ago.”

Brash bowed out of the corner of my vision, not raising her head until Cadance gestured for her too.

I wore a shaky smile, leaning against a wall rather than standing directly in the middle.

“Really? How was he…” No, too obvious. “What was he doing?”

“Catching up with some friends. He apparently knew some of the royal guards while he was in college. Although,” her smirk fell, glancing at Brash and then back to me. “Can I talk to you in private for a moment?”

“Uhm,” There’s at least half a dozen things that came to mind, none of them were things i wanted to talk about today, or ever. “Sure. Brash, could you leave us?”

“Of course. I’ll be waiting for you at Princess Luna’s door.”

Cadance followed Brash with her eyes, waiting until her hoofsteps couldn’t be heard before directing her attention back to me.

“What happened on your date last night?”

That…was not one of the half dozen.

“How do you…” I clasped my arms, holding my elbows tight at my sides as I ducked my chin. “Can you read minds?”

“No, just emotions. Even then, it’s just vaguely. It’s…” She copied my posture, leaning against the wall using her wing as a cushion. “More of a curse than a blessing, to be honest. You know that smell when its about to rain?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s like that, sorta. Nevermind.” She shook her head, waving with her free wing. “I heard about your date with him, and when I brought you up at the cafeteria he got really…” She bit her lip, placing the tip of her wing against her chin. “Upset. I didn’t push him on it. I wanted to ask you at least. But if it's none of my business, I’ll leave it alone.”

I didn’t say anything for a long time, tapping my fingers against my elbow to a mute melody.

“I don’t really know what happened, exactly.” I ran a hand up my neck, scraping across my rapid pulse. “I don’t remember a lot of it.”

“You don’t remember a date? What, did you get blackout drunk or something?”

Her chuckle cut off as soon as my chin fell to my chest.

“Oh, Chara. Tell me you didn’t.”

“I didn’t…on purpose.” My body was getting hot. “I don’t remember saying enough that made him too upset, but we did go to see his parents and they aren’t on the best terms. Maybe he was upset about that?”

I had this sinking feeling in my stomach, made only worse by not knowing why it was there.

“No, it wasn’t that. Well, it wasn’t just that.” Cadance scrunched her muzzle, eyes darting back and forth as she sucked on her teeth. “I didn’t take you as a drinker.”

“I’m not.”

“Hmm.” she closed her eyes, shuffling her hooves like she was unable to sit still. “A topic for another day then. Regardless of what happened, you really should go and talk with him at some point. There’s nothing a couple can’t get through with proper communication. What were your plans for the day?”

I couldn’t help but search for every sign of unease in her body; never looking directly at me, swallowing hard every few seconds, eyes going concerningly long without blinking. It was a little better each time, and some part of me hoped that I wouldn’t notice it anymore.

“I was going to talk to Luna, then Dark. After that, maybe catch up on some reading? I don’t exactly feel like doing a whole lot.”

“Yeah, if you got that blackout I’d imagine you’re still mostly hungover.” she pushed herself off the wall, taking a few steps to the left and turning her back to me. She brought the tips of her wings to her chest, just standing there and breathing before facing me again. “Auntie Celestia and I are supposed to meet in the garden, after that Shining and I have the day together if you need anything. When are you going back to Ponyville?”

“I don’t know.” I tried to picture a list of things I needed to do before going back, imaging a floating pencil checking the boxes beside the ones I’ve already done. “Tomorrow, maybe?”

“A bit soon, but I can’t blame you. There’s not a whole lot to do in Canterlot. I’ll make sure Lumi is ready.” Cadance started walking away, stopping as her head jerked back. “Oh, and Chara?”

I was still leaning against the wall, clenching and unclenching my fist. I pushed myself off it, my feet scraping against the floor as I briefly met her gaze.

“Yeah?”

“I love your mane. You look cute.”

She said with a wink.

Lethargy returned to my body with a vengeance.

“Luna?”

The door was left open, all the curtains were closed and there were only occasional patches of light. Though the room was mostly shadows, it wasn’t nearly as dark as the last time, and I was able to immediately tell where the princess of the night was.

Sitting on the bed in moon and star pajamas, laying on her stomach and reading a book. I managed to glimpse the title, ‘It Can’t Be Taught.’

“Are you reading?”

She closed the book, placing it on top of her pillow and standing up from her bed.

“I was, yes.”Luna walked around like she was dancing, avoiding every spot of light in her room. “What did you think I did in my free time?”

I laced my fingers together, awkwardly tapping my knuckles.

“Princess stuff?”

“Well, usually I would be busy doing ‘princess stuff’, but daytime is when I am at my least productive. Not to mention that Tia has informed me she’s quite busy today and wishes to not be bothered, so I can’t do very much today. That being said,” Luna closed the door behind me, placing a hand on her wing and running it from the top to the bottom of her wing as she extended it. “How may I help you today?”

“I…” I moved away from the door. “Brash can’t hear us, right?”

“Correct. I had this room sound-warded the day I returned.”

“Alright, then,” I took off my backpack, placing it by the wardrobe. “I want that sample now. I need to know what I’m getting into first.”

“Ah yes. That would be wise. One moment.”

There was a pop, one I’d come to expect, as Luna vanished. I took a few seconds to open my backpack, getting my journal and opening it to the page where I was using my pencil as a bookmark.

As soon as I turned around, Luna was back again, holding a few pieces of paper that was about as large as her head.

“Here. I got the closest few I could find.”

I took it from her, scanning over the lines of wingdings as I placed it on the bed.

“You just…took it?”

“No. I asked for a random sample from the first pony in charge, then they sighed and handed me a few from the stack”

“Oh.” I moved on the bed, slotting the wingdings page in the left page of my journal and starting the translation. “Uhm, can I ask you something before I start?”

“Always.”

“The sword you gave me, it burned Brash whenever she tried to touch it. Is that something its supposed to do?”

“If she tried to wield it, yes.”

“But it doesn’t burn me?” I straightened the papers, organizing them in order from longest to shortest.

“Correct. It burns anyone who tries to hold it that isn’t the one who took the oath.”

“...huh.”

That was good to know at least.

I placed my journal on the pillow, resting the papers on my lap.

“Should I write all of it down?”

Luna retrieved a chair with her magic, placing it in front of the bed and sitting down.

“Please do. It will make persuasion much easier.”

I started with the shortest one.

“‘You equipped the glasses!’’

What.

“What?”

Luna voiced my thoughts exactly.

I took a moment to try to process that, before placing the paper at the bottom and reading the next one.

“‘You reached maximum hp!”

I creased my brow, reading it again under my breath in the hope it’d make sense.

Judging by Luna’s scowl, she was just as confused as I was.

I sat up, placing it on my lap and placing a finger on the first letter. “‘Snow can always be broken and rebuilt into something more useful.’”

Luna squinted, wings flapping once as she pursed her lips.

“I don’t get it.”

“I don’t…”

Something clicked.

It started as a prick in my mind, spreading to the front of my head and condescending into a bubble of realization that popped.

I said that.

Not just now, but six years ago; countless times.

This was narration, my narration.

“Either.”

This time, getting an answer was worse than the question.

“Was there any sort of hidden message? Or indication that the other messages might contain one?”

I didn’t answer at first, my finger hovering over the ‘r’. For some reason, it was red. In wingdings, that meant nothing; it was the same as highlighting. However, above that was a number, which was more than just a peculiarity. Numbers worked normally in wingdings, but above a letter like that?

If that served a purpose, Gaster certainly never told her such.

“Chara?” Luna asked again, leaning down just a few inches away. “It’s rude to ignore someone when they’re speaking to you.”

I tried not to jump this time, slamming my journal shut instead.

“I’m sorry.” I placed it on the bed next to me. “There was a highlighted letter with a number above it, but I don’t know what it’s for. I might need to see more of them?”

“That’s,” she slowly closed her eyes, chest rising and falling as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “What I was afraid of. Fine, I’ll arrange to have some sent to you every week; which will include paperwork. Paperwork for paper, what hath become of this nation?”

She shook her head, stepping away from the bed and opening several drawers with her magic.

“I’d rather get this done and over with. When do you depart?”

“I’m not sure yet.” I placed my journal in my backpack. “Tomorrow if nothing else comes up?”

“So soon? I understand; there’s little to do in a castle this large when the nation is not on the cusp of collapse.” paper circled Luna, multiple pencils wrote on them at different speeds. “Then I would request you depart. The more I concentrate, the sooner this will be finished.”

“Oh, alright.” I wrapped the straps around my shoulders, pushing the translation to the back of my mind for now. “Thank you for, well, everything.”

“Of course. And thank you for braiding your mane; you should be as proud of your beauty as any mare.”

“Why do you and Dark keep saying that? I’m not…nevermind.”

Luna only responded with a smile, which quickly faded to a grimace as she eyed one of the pieces of paper.

I opened and closed the door as quietly as I could, pressing my back against it and just breathing. Maybe it should have bothered me more, left me as shocked as Shadow did. For whatever reason, it just didn’t.

Was there something wrong with me?

“You alright?”

“Yeah,” the back of my head rubbed against the door, some part of me missing when I was just hungover. “Been a long day.”

Dark’s door was left slightly open.

I stood outside it for an uncomfortable minute, stealing glances inside to see what he was doing. I knew I should just knock, or open the door, or do something other than waiting for nothing to happen. I told Cadance I’d talk to him, and I did want to, there was just this feeling that it would be too soon or I wouldn’t know what to say.

If I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t sure more time would even help me with what to say.

Brash didn’t say anything, instead her attention was much more locked on my right hand.

I pulled it to my chest, tugging at the end of my glove and scratching the edges.

I saw Dark walk past the door from the creak I was peering into, not noticing me standing there.

I eventually brought myself to push the door open, breaking that tepid silence with a creaking that echoed through the hallways.

He was standing at the edge of his bed, an open luggage case sitting on it that he was folding clothes, humming a tune with a barely noticeable smile.

His eyes darted to me in a glimpse, the skin around his eyes bunching together before just as quickly relaxing.

“Hey Chara! I thought you’d be in bed all day. You got pretty plastered.”

I closed the door behind me, walking a few steps in the room before taking a look around. The room was identical to mine, only mirrored. There was nothing in the room out of place, making me wonder if he cleaned up or hardly even used it in the first place.

“Plastered? Oh, yeah, I guess I was. I don’t really…remember most of it. Did I,” the tension in my body was like a drying coat of paint coated on my bones, making me question every movement before I made them. “Say anything that made you upset? I remember you being upset about something.”

“I mean, I was and still sorta am. Just,” he placed a folded shirt into the luggage, letting out a sigh. “You don’t remember what you said, do you?”

“Not,” My memory wasn’t any clearer, no matter how deeply I dug. “Exactly.”

“Chara,” he turned to me, his shoulders slumping as his lips pressed to the right. “You told me you might only be dating me because you want to learn about relationships.”

It felt like I swallowed my tongue.

“I…I d—didn’t mean to—”

“But, you also said that you did genuinely like me.”

I choked on my words, my half-baked apology never leaving the oven.

“I did?”

“You did.” he nodded. “You said and did a lot of things, it was kind of cute. Would have loved it if we weren’t also seeing my family.”

I cringed, pulling my sleeves over my wrists.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, I shouldn’t have taken you to a bar. It’s more my fault than anything.” He placed the luggage on the ground, sitting on the bed while holding the edges. “Do you at least remember when I told you that my family invited me to stay with them for a bit.”

“Vaguely.”

“Well, I’m taking them up on that. For a few days, at least.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

He looked away, puffing up his cheeks. “Not really. But if I go back to Ponyville, it’s going to bug me for months. I mean, what would you do in my position?”

I’ve thought about that so many times.

If I had the chance to go back and live with the Dreemurr family, leaving the life I’ve made here in exchange, would I take it?

I had an answer.

“You should go.”

“Really?” His eyes flickered, rising to meet mine. “You’re not going to try to convince me to come back to Ponyville with you?”

“No,” I shook my head, copying the patient smile Fluttershy’s given me so many times. “I’m the same way. If you want to stay with them a few days before you decide to move back, then I understand.”

“Huh. I uh, I expected you to try to convince me to come back to Ponyville. Alright then.” He rubbed the back of his head, getting to his hooves. “I think…I think we could use some time apart anyway. I have a lot to think about.”

The corners of my lips shook, barely holding.

“I get it. Last night wasn’t exactly the best date, from what I can remember.”

“Don’t blame yourself. All alcohol does is make you honest, and I appreciate honesty. Just,” he half-opened the bag, reaching in and grabbing a bundle of clothes. “I’m gonna take a shower. I can write you letters if you like while I’m there?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Neither of us had much more to say, so I opened the door behind me and left as soon as he entered the bathroom. I didn’t stand outside of the door this time, walking down the hallway with no direction or goal in mind. Brash followed behind, doing a terrible job of hiding her curiosity.

“Where we going, boss?”

“Back to my room.”

“To do what?”

I stopped, the smile dropping from my face.

“I don’t know.”

She didn’t ask any more questions after that.