The Way of the Cowboy

The Way of the Cowboy

Chapter 12

Big White led our entourage through the hallways of the enormous castle, while conversing with the other ponies in the group, but mainly with Purple. Meanwhile I was too busy gawking at everything, whether it be ponies in armor, or be it an occasional maid wearing the typical black and white maid uniform. The castle staff would either bow or salute, when Big White strolled by. The maids were strung about here and there, dusting, sweeping, wiping windows down and so forth. A unicorn mare with her horn glowing blue was cleaning some windows using her magic, and a simultaneously blue glowing cloth and squirt bottle was floating up on some ceiling high windows, to clean them.

The two guards held back when Big White led us into a large room that had a long wooden ornate table that stretched the length of the room, complete with many cushioned chairs going down both sides. Big White sat down at one of the chairs, everyone followed suit, leaving an empty chair, with Rainbow on the left and Big White Stallion on the right. Understanding the obvious, I took the available seat, but not without removing my hat first and hanging it on the back of my chair. Big White was directly across the table from me, with Purple on her left, who sat across from Big White Stallion.The dragon sat next to Purple, and Butterfly sat next to Rainbow. Shay and Lyra laid down behind my chair on the ruby red carpet.

Watching silently, I witnessed Big White's horn light up, then heard a little bell jingle. Immediately a door on the far side of the room opened, a trio of ponies entered the room, cantering up to where Big White was sitting. Two were unicorns while the third was a regular pony, yet it was the regular pony who spoke to Big White. They conversed a bit, glancing over at me a few times. One of the unicorns spoke up, suggesting something I presumed while trying to read their facial expressions. Seeming to like the suggestion, Big White nodded her head. The trio headed back through the door where they came from. The unicorn who had remained silent, strolled back through the door pushing a trolley cart towards our table with his magic. On the trolley, was a stack of bowls and a large container of steaming water and a tower of small towels. The unicorn grabbed the bowls with his orange magic, filled them with some of the steaming water, and placed one in front of each of us. I glanced around at everyone as they started to dip their front hooves in the water, I then looked at my hands and saw that they were a bit grubby. I placed both hands in the water and scrubbed away the filth.

After that whole ordeal, the bowls of soiled water and towels were whisked away by one who initially brought them in, and placed on the trolly, and strolled off, back through the door. A few seconds later, a multitude of trolleys with covered dishes and platters came rolling out the door. Everything was placed onto the table, using magic of course, everything from the food, fancy dinner plates, ornate crystal chalices, to the golden silverware…or would it be called goldenware?

Serving bowls with salads, steamed vegetables, and vegetable casseroles, and a few dishes looked like they had…grass clippings? There was some corn on the cob, and a dish with really fine green leaves with some tiny purple flower. There was also a lot of fresh fruit, apples, strawberries, grapes, and watermelon. There was a platter that also contained dinner rolls. Everything smelled great, for the most part, I sat idly watching the food be placed, that I failed to notice the drinks being poured. Ice water was given to everyone, but Butterfly, Big White and Purple opted for what looks like hot tea instead. Shay and Lyra were given a large bowl full of water, and a bowl full of what looked to be kibble.

Everyone promptly started digging in, platters full of food were disappearing and filling the void in every tummy present, including my own, although I steered clear of the hay and the grass clippings. That bowl with the green leaves and little purple flowers, had a “fresh cut” alfalfa aroma wafting from it. The ponies for the most part, just planted their faces onto their plates, and ate without the use of utensils. Big White and I were the only ones using the golden silverware. As dinner was beginning to wind down, dessert was being rolled out. Chocolate cake with pink frosting, everyone got a piece, and it was delicious.

When supper was over, it was starting to get late, the sun hadn’t yet set, but my internal clock was telling me it was about 7:30pm. There was a clock of some sort on the wall off the dinning hall. It looked like a regular clock, complete with minute and hour hands and 12 positions, but the numbers were completely foreign to me. Looking at the hands it was showing 7:45.

Our group left the dining hall, being led by Big White. Big White Stallion had split off of our group to head down a different portion of the castle, the other ponies were quietly talking in calm tired horse noises, while we walked down a long corridor in a different direction. I heard one of them yawn, I looked to see who it was, and it turned out to be Rainbow. She gave a sheepish look, before there was another yawn heard. This time it was Purple, then I felt the beginnings of a yawn of my own. I tried to hold it in but lost the battle, trying to stifle it with my hand. I failed. I let out a loud long yawn. Rainbow smirked and chuckled. “Damn those things are contagious” I spoke out loud while also chuckling a bit.

We were led through a large door that had guards on both sides. Inside was a circular room that had 7 doors. Apparently Purple, Butterfly, and Rainbow knew where to go. Each going to a different door, opening them and revealing bedrooms. “Ty Thompson nicKer NiCker” Spoke Big White, while walking to one of the doors and gesturing me to go inside. I grasped the hoof friendly door knob, and turned it to open the door, a luxurious bed room was revealed to me. There was a large bed, a small writing desk with a short stool. I stepped into the room to get a better look, Shay and Lyra following me, they too were curious and having a look around. I walked back to the door where Big White stood, she was watching with a questioning look on her face. I nodded my head at her and took my hat off and hung it on a coat rack that was standing next to the door. She smiled softly and nodded her head. She walked back to the center of the circular room, Purple was there to meet her. I walked out also. There was one other door that stood out from the others, it was bigger and was more ornate.

Purple, seeing where I was looking, gestured to me to follow her, she opened the door with her glowing horn, and revealed a much larger room. It was a bathroom, but not just your typical boring bathroom. There was an area that had a couple sinks and large vanity mirrors, large hair dryers, an area that had multiple showers, and there was even a large bathing hot tub, easily big enough to fit like 8 ponies at a time. I walked around, just taking it all in, silently wishing I had this setup back home. The toilets were a bit different though. In the stall on the right , that one was very similar to what I am used to, the typical throne style. The toilet on the left was basically a porcelain trough built into the floor that resembled the shape of a spoon.

Walking back out of the bathroom, Big White was patiently standing near the door that led back out to the main hall. Making horse noises to the other three ponies and then nodding to me. I nodded back and then she stepped out of the room. I looked at the three remaining ponies to see that Rainbow had a white towel draped over her withers and was headed into the bathroom. Purple looked at me and trotted into my bedroom, opened the wardrobe to reveal a single white towel, floated it over to me, I held my hand out under it, then she ceased her telekinesis hold on the towel, allowing it to fall into my awaiting palm. Purple then went into her own room and grabbed her own towel while Butterfly had already called my dogs over and led them into the bathroom, her towel resting on her rump.

Entering the bathroom once again, I hear some water splashing and glance over to the hot tub, and see Rainbow fully submerged up to her neck, a content look on her face. She dunked her head under for a second or two then resurfaced, shaking the excess water from her face. Purple and Butterfly both joined Rainbow in the hot tub. Butterfly coaxing Shay and Lyra into the warm water as well, both happily compiling. Not wanting to impose, I meandered over to the more private showers. Away from pony eyes, I kicked off my boots, took my shoulder holster holding my revolver off, set it on the bench I was using. I pull everything I had in my pockets and stuff it all in my boots. Pulling the rest of my clothes off, except for my underwear, I walk over to the showers, and set my clothes down, might as well try and hand wash my clothes while I take a shower. As soon as I was within the range of the shower, the water automatically came on at the perfect temperature. A comically large bar of soap-on-a-rope was hanging on a hook below the shower. I pulled my underwear off and started to hand wash them using the bar of soap, followed by my socks, then shirt and last my jeans. The soap smelled like vanilla spice.

With my body and clothes washed, I toweled myself off and wrapped the large towel around my midriff and tucking it in. Seeing a towel rack, I hung my clothes out to air dry, until morning. I could hear the five other bathroom occupants start to get out of the hot tub, I look over at them and as if on que, once they were out of the water, Shay and Lyra shook their bodies wildly to shed the water off. Then what happened next was quite comical. All three of the ponies shook their bodies as well, from head to tail. The mares then found their towels and proceeded to get even drier. Purple stepped over to the sinks and opened a drawer to reveal a variety of different sized toothbrushes. She grabbed one and took it out of a wrapper, turned the sink on to wet the brush and got set to brushing her teeth. “Hey Purple?” I questioned loud enough for her to hear.

Not turning around, she shifted her eyes to stare at my reflection in the mirror, and paused her brushing, one ear honed in my direction. I pointed at my own teeth and made a brushing motion. Purple nodded, horn lighting up, she opened the drawer of brushes again and floated a few different sizes out and set them on the counter next to her, then resumed her own brushing. I stepped up next to her and grabbed one that seemed suitable for my needs. With the brush out of the wrapper and in my hand, I turned the sink on and dabbed some water on the bristled head of the brush. There was no toothpaste, which I thought was odd, but looking over to Purple rinsing and spitting out a frothy white foam, I placed the brush in my mouth and started to brush my teeth. Immediately I tasted mint, the more I brushed, the more sudsy my mouth became. Purple was busy running a hair brush through her mane and tail by the time I got done brushing and had rinsed my mouth out. I was silently wishing I had my wood beard comb to run through my beard.

The sounds of a toilet flushing caught my ears, Butterfly, Shay and Lyra exited the toilet cubicle that had the trough style toilet. She was petting both dogs and cooing pleasantries, their tails wagging back and forth like crazy. Walking over to my where I had placed my boots and all the contents within, I Picked them up, grasped my gun and headed for the bathroom exit and called my dogs to follow me back to my bedroom. Just before I exited the bathroom I called out to the three mares and said “Goodnight you three,” before shutting the door.

I sat my belongings on the dresser, and pulled out all the contents and spread them on the table. I placed my revolver on the bed side table, next to the only light source on at the moment. The lamp was in the shape of a unicorn pony, It’s horn was glowing a warm yellow, that wasn’t to hard on the eyes and perfect for bedroom type lighting. I didn't see a button or a pull chain to shut it off, but when I reached over to touch it with my hand, it turned off. I touched it again and the horn started glowing again. “That's pretty neat,” I said to myself.

Crawling onto the bed and pulling the covers over myself, I motioned for Shay and Lyra to join me on the bed. I reached back over to the lamp and touched it once more, sending the room into darkness once again.