Author's Note

new chapter finally. sorry for making you guys wait

Closer Yet Farther

Canterlot, Gears Condo
1828 Hours, March 21, 1980

Red Harvest looked around the room she was in. The walls had red wallpaper with a regal design etched into it. She saw a few photos on the wall. That was just Gears with the military battle dress on and another wearing a black and red tactical camo suit with a black AR500 level 3 body armor plate carrier. He also had a recon/sniper chest rack with a ghillie suit and a heavily modified MK13 Rifle. Harvest proceeded to get out of bed gently so as to not hurt her injured leg. She trotted to a desk that was next to the only window. When she got there, two photos were on the desk’s surface, a purple pegasus mare and a blue box next stood next to Gears, and another with a Green earth pony mare kissing him on the lips.

“Who is she?!” Harvest asked out loud, not expecting an answer

“Her name is Granny Smith. A mare I was close with.” Gears said, making his presence known

Harvest turned around, surprised at getting caught. “Um haaay Gears, you're looking very handsome, I mean good today!” ‘crap, crap, crap I must seem like some jealous weirdo to him now.’

“Thank you, I think you look gorgeous as well.” he said playfully

“Uh thanks, so um, what happened with you and her if you don’t mind me asking?” she recoils at her question, not wanting to bring up any bad memories.

“Her family made her choose between me or them. I didn’t want her to make that decision, so I ended things. I don’t want to be the reason a family is torn apart. (Not again)” Gears said, the last part under his breath.

“So you made it for her? Why?” Harvest question not know why she cared so much.

“Losing family is the worst thing that can ever happen to someone. Even if you choose it, it'll break Them in ways they won’t understand till it's too late.” he walked up to the photo with a faint smile.

“But what gave you the right to make that choice?” Harvest prodded, waiting to see his response

“I was her boyfriend and my father raised me to take care of my mares even if they don’t like it.” Gears said with conviction on his face.

“So the best way to take care of her was to let her be with her family.” Harvest looked at Gears with both newfound respect and slight annoyance. She moved closer to Gears and grabbed his head. She moved his head lower and kissed him on the forehead, just under his horn. When she pulled away, she blushed ever so slightly as what she did sank in.

“Well, that was adorable.” Gears turned her toward him and, without wasting time he brought his lips to hers. He pulled back and gave her a wink. Her blush was more pronounced at this point. Gears opened his mouth but was stopped when Blueblood ran into the room.

“Mister Gears, Ms Harvest, the brownies are ready, the brownies are ready!” Blueblood shouted in joy as he bounced up and down. Gears and Harvest gave each other a look and both burst out in laughter. Blueblood looked at both of the adults, confused.

“What's so funny?” Blueblood asked, not knowing what was going on. Harvest patted Blueblood on the head as her response.

“Come on you two, let's get some brownies.”

“Yay!” Blueblood shouted

“Sure” Harvest smiled.

Canterlot, Gears Condo
1900 Hours, March 21, 1980

Gears pulled out the brownies from the oven and placed them on the dinner table. Blueblood quickly grabbed a brownie and tried to eat it, only to burn his mouth. Blueblood spits out the hot brownie on the table, making a mess on said table with hot fug, spilling onto it.

“Blue, you should really wait for a little before digging in. Also mare first.” Gears chuckled.

“No, it’s stallion first” Harvest looked at Gears with a confused look on her face

“For you, maybe” Gears gave her a wink. Blueblood looked at the scene in front of Harvest, smiled, and rolled her eyes, all directed at Gears. Blueblood giggled at the two.

Harvest looked at Blueblood with a raised eyebrow. “What's so funny?”

“Sorry Ms. Harvest, but I think you and mister Gears are cute together!” Blueblood giggled more. Gears chuckle, trying to distract attention from the blush appearing on his face. Harvest took a more directed approach, tossing her mane over her face. Gears looked over at her and laughed louder as he looked at her.

“Yeah, yeah laugh it up, mister Hornyhead.” she snapped at him

“Oh, come on, your adorable that way.” he said, wrapping his foreleg around her. She blushed as she felt his clawed hoof on her shoulder. ‘Damn it Gears! Stop flirting for one moment, Twilight damn it, I’m a dusk guard, I should be more professional than this.’ she mentally shouted. Gears gently, ever so softy, lowered his hoof, and caressed one of her wings.

Harvest's wings flared in an instant as she quickly stood up and practically sprinted out the door. Blueblood and Gears looked at the door as it closed. “I’m Sorry.” Blueblood said as tears filled his eyes.

Gears snapped out of his shock as he heard his son’s apology. Hw turned to Blueblood and gave him a hug. “There is nothing to be sorry about, Blue this is my fault.”

“But but-” Blueblood stammered

“No, but, now let's get you to bed.”

Canterlot, The Rising Dusk
2000 Hours, March 21, 1980

Green Day was sitting at the counter at the local bar, and he had a cosmopolitan cocktail in front of him. He looked around the bar, seeing a couple of mares flirting with stallions of all varieties. Green Day huffed in annoyance. ‘Mares are so pushy.’ he thought as he finished his drink. A mare with a pink coat and a hot pink straight mane approached him with an overconfident grin.

“Hello sweetie~” the mare said showing stand yellow teeth

‘Oh buck me’ Green Day faked a smile and turned towards the mare “Hello”

So what is a handsome colt like you doing all alone here?” The mare got closer and closer to Green Day, making him feel uncomfortable. The mare places her foreleg on his back leg. Green began to hyperventilate, as the mare got closer to him, then somepony came to his rescue.

"There you are Green, who’s your friend?” a gruff voice cut into both ponies' ears and caused the mare to back away from Green. The mare saw the owner of the voice is, a large stallion with dragon scales going over his form wearing a pink button up and black slacks

Gears got in between the two as he ordered an apple family whiskey, dry, for himself and a sweet sugar surprise for Green Day. Green pick up on what Gears was doing and wrap his foreleg around Gears'

There you are sugar!" Green in a mock sweetness

The mare walked away "I'm here for a stud, not a fruit"

As the mare got out of earshot. Gears pulled his foreleg away from Green. Gears with an eerily calm expression looked at Green and said: " call me sugar again and I'll break your legs."

"Uhm-um okay got it, sorry I thought that was how we were playing it."

After a long silence, Gears chuckled "back then that would have gotten her more interested."

"Really? mares hate colt cuddlers!"

"That's what ponies call it. Us dragons just called it gay"

Us dragon- ho, you identify more as a dragon male than a stallion, that makes sense."

"I identify as myself, and man that's the word you're looking for."

"Dragon males call themself men. It happened after the founding of the church about 5,000 years ago." As Gears finished, the two drinks were given to them.

Green looked over to the calendar, not making sense of the year numbers. "Hay Gears Equestria flipped to the dragon calendar, but what did it start from?"

"The death of the first dragon king. His name was King Spike the Brave and virtuous. He founded the church, bound peace between the ponies and dragon, and defended the first changeling royal from the Crystal Empire." Gears' eyes seemed to glimmer with admiration.

“You seem to really like him." Green chuckled as he sipped his beverage.

"It's every whelp's dream to be like him."

“Well, that must be nice to have somepo- or somedragon to look up to. I never had that, any stallion role model, just my mom and her stallion toy of the week.” Green looked down, tears filling his eyes. Gears looked at Green with pity. He wrapped his foreleg around Green.

“It’ll be alright, you're going to be Okay.” Gears said, trying to comfort the crying stallion.

“Sorry, I probably look pathetic to you.”

“Doesn't matter, not now. Everyone deserves a father, but not all of us could have that privilege. Look, you may not have had one, so I recommend you be that for someone else.”

“Is that what you are doing for that colt? Being something he doesn't have."

“Yeah, he has so much potential. I need to help him find it as a father should." Gears looked at the bottle of whiskey behind the counter.

“Well, I wish you luck with that, I mean, you have a colt and a mare who loves you. You clearly doing something right." Green downed the rest of his drink. Gears ordered another round of drinks.

"Well I don't know about all that but thanks."

“Come on you and Sergeant Harvest it's clear you both like each.”

“Yeah well, it's just complicated between us. Now let's just have a drink and relax."

"Um-Okay" Green took a sip of his refilled drink

Canterlot, Harvest’s Residents
2100 Hours, March 21, 1980

Harvest shut the front door, her wings finally lowering to her sides. As her bandages got a darker red from the Bloodloss caused by reopening her wound, she finally felt a sting in her leg. She walked over to the sink and unbandage it. She had reopened her stitches but was not under threat of permanent damage. As she reached the top shelf, she heard hoof steps come from the living room. An older stallion turned the corner. He had a graying mane and tail, his coat was a darker shade of orange and his eyes were a bright blue.

“Harvest, Hun you came home later than you said you would I was getting worried.” the stallion said with concern.

“Sorry dad, something came up. So How’s Aurora?”

“She’s Good I just put her to bed” the stallion walked up to her.

“Dad don’t come over-”

“In Princess Twilight’s good name what happened hon?” he saw the massive cut on her leg and immediately got the med kit from the draw. He motioned her to move to the couch and ss soon as the two sat down. Her father began to bandage her leg.

“Thanks, dad”

“No problem but tell me what happened”

“Oh just your daughter being an idiot.” she snarks

“What happened?” he said, deadly serious.

“I was trying to defend a stallion who clearly didn’t need help.”

“Hon, you should really be more careful I mean what if got killed? It's bad enough that poor Aroura has to grow up without a father but without a mother!” he scolded.

She sighed “I know I’m sorry I just really thought he need the help.”

“Well, I hope he was worth it because this is going to take some time to heal."

“wouldn’t matter I screwed it up anyways."

“What do you mean hon?"

I ran out like a little filly the moment he touched my wings."

“In what way?"

“A flirty way and instead of going with it, I ran."

“And you're leg?"

“He patch me up and I ran on it that simple."

Well I'll get a friend of mine to come over tomorrow and look you over and also keep an eye on you so you don't hurt yourself anymore"

"Okay, dad." 'You have to be messing with me dad' Harvest lay down on the couch and fell asleep waiting for a dreadful old colt to treat her like a little filly tomorrow.