Same Heart, Different Days

Just as the sun came through the windows of the barracks, a loud horn blared and roused every soldier in the camp.

Rain opened his eyes and stared at the tall metal ceiling. As he got his wits about him, a twinge of sadness grew in his chest. This would be the last he’d be seeing of this ceiling for quite a while.

“Alright, soldiers! Time to wake up.” The familiar sound of the captain of the barrack was all the ponies needed to spring to action. Most were immediately able to slip out of bed and get to their hooves, while others needed a few moments to wake up. Within a minute, everyone was standing at the foot of their beds. The captain let out a satisfied hum, then nodded. “I want everyone up and ready in 15, alright?”

With a groggy “yessir”, the captain left the soldiers to their routine. Making their bed, freshening up, and a quick trip to the showers were all commonplace for the mornings. Though Rain had a bit of trouble, considering most of his things were all packed away in a small saddle bag.

After those 15 minutes passed, Rain returned to his bedside. Normally, he would report to Drill Sergeant Grills, but now he was to report to his normal scheduled unit. Since the decision was so sudden, there was a bit of a hiccup. Thanks to that, he spent one final day among the ponies of the barracks. But, as he stuffed his toothbrush, rag, and towel back into his bag, he was ready to leave it all behind.

“Officer Rain.” At the call of his name, his ears perked up and he turned around. Standing there was the captain, a complex look on his face. “I heard about your promotion. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, sir.” Rain stood at attention, showing the senior pony respect. They hadn’t had many opportunities to interact with each other, but he seemed friendly enough. He approached Rain, putting a hoof on his shoulder.

“Today’s your last day with us, right?” he asked. “Commander’s throwing you to the wolves? Well, there’ll always be a spot in my hall for ya.” He patted him a few times, then laughed. “If you come back in one piece, that is.” Rain narrowed his eyes.

“I appreciate that, sir.” He looked down at the duffel bag, then back at the captain. “I’m supposed to report to my new quarters soon, so if you’ll excuse me…”

“Oh, right.” He pulled back and turned around. “Keep yourself safe out there!” With another laugh, he was gone, leaving Rain and a few other soldiers alone in the building. Rain picked up his bag and slung it over his back. After adjusting to the weight, he followed after the captain and broke out into the open air.

The barracks were a huge part of the camp. Lots of rows of large, metal box buildings, positioned on each side of a large clearing near the north. One side was for ponies, and the other for griffons. Plenty of both were making their way down into the camp to report for duty. Instead, Rain made his way over to the opposite side.

“Barracks 13…” Rain recited. The instructions delivered to him the day before mentioned his new living quarters. Unfortunately, the numbering at the top of the buildings had long since faded away. “Guess I better ask some—”

“Hey.” Rain flinched. He hadn’t even noticed their approach until they were close enough to grab him. He whipped around and spotted the speaker. It was a griffon he’d never seen before, with rosy-red hair and feathers. Her colors started to fade as they reached her paws and wingtips, turning to a calm peachy pink. She raised her claw and Rain turned his attention back to her striking red eyes. “You lost?”

“Y-Yes, actually.” Rain chuckled, then pointed at the barracks next to them. “I’m trying to find Barracks 13, but the numbers are all gone. Any chance you know which one that is?” Instead of answering, the griffon stared back at him with a blank stare. After a long pause of silence, she pointed at him.

“You’re Grace’s guy, ain’t ya?” Rain blinked.

“Y-Yes, Grace is my mare friend,” he answered. “Do you know her?” Immediately her face darkened. Rain flinched from her intensity, but recovered as her face returned to normal. She took a deep breath, then completely changed her expression. Now, she was smirking as she thrust her talon behind her.

“It’s the one near the end, third to last.” She opened her wings, then took off without another word. Rain watched her fly off, speechless at the interaction. There was a lot to take in, but he didn’t have much time to dilly-dally. He made a mental note to thank that griffon if he ever saw her again, then went toward his goal. Silently, he hoped that the next griffon he came across was a bit less odd.

Now that he knew where to go, finding the right building was a cinch. Without wasting another moment, he made his way there, stopping at the front. After taking a deep breath, he stepped through the walkway and entered the building.

“Ah. You’re here. Finally.” Before he could take two steps, almost every eye left inside the barracks was on him. Some were at his side, about to leave for training. Others were deeper in, near their beds, and rearranging their things. The one that called to him was part of the former group, waiting with a scowl on his face. “You’re Rain, right?”

“Yes, sir,” called Rain, fixing his posture. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said nonchalantly. He walked around Rain and to the door. “Follow me, I’ll show you where you’ll be resting your head.” Though confused, he didn’t say anything and followed the order.

Back outside, the griffon led them further north up the camp. They were fast approaching the back wall when he finally saw it. His eyes went wide as he noticed why the captain had taken them outside.

“Here it is.” Near the rear wall of the camp was a small personal tent. Rain was familiar with them, as they’d sometimes have to pitch them on long marches. Through the flap, he could see a bedroll lying on the ground. “Thought you’d need something to hold your stuff, but it looks like you’ve got that all covered.”

“W-Why am I out here?” asked Rain. “Shouldn’t I be assigned a bed like the rest?” The captain snorted.

“Sorry, but we don’t have the space.” The captain jabbed his talon behind him, at the barracks. “And none of the other ones have space either, so don’t bother them about it.” He turned away with a smirk. “Take it as a learning experience.” Without another word, the griffon returned to the building. Rain wanted to call out and argue, but he knew it’d be useless. It wasn’t a mystery why he’d been placed here. Instead of wasting energy thinking about it, he turned and headed inside.

It was just as barebones as he’d thought from the small glance. A bedroll, stool, and small, portable magic lamp were all he’d been provided. At least it was relatively spacey for a single soldier. He looked over at his new home and sighed. As disappointed as he was, he couldn’t dwell on it for much longer. He had a new station to report to as well.

After wrapping the saddlebags around the stool (about as much security as he was going to get), he took off. His destination was one he’d passed plenty of times on his way to work for Crimson Cross: the griffon hospital. It was a large set of connected tents filled with medical supplies, beds, and anything else they'd need.

As Rain landed in front of them, he heard a deep voice muffled by the tent coming from the other side. With a few calming thoughts, he found the courage to part the tent’s entryway.

On the other side was a small group of griffons facing him, lined up and standing at attention. Between Rain and them was a single griffon that stood out from the rest. He turned to face Rain as he entered, giving him a full view of his features.

He was an older griffon with a pitch-black coat and beige head feathers like the color of wheat. One eye shone bright silver, like moonlight, while the other was a faded white. Rain guessed the cause was the scar running from his cheek up to his forehead. His gaze shot through Rain like a magic bolt. He stepped forward, freezing Rain in place with his presence.

“I assume that you are Rain Remedy.” Rain blinked, regaining his wits in an instant. He stood at attention, like the rest.

“Y-Yes sir.” Rain stumbled over his words trying to keep his composure intact. “Rain Remedy, reporting for duty, sir!” The griffon watched him in silence with a blank expression. After a few more excruciating moments of silence, he finally opened his beak.

“I am Gideon,” he said. “And you are late.”

“My apologies, sir.” He answered quickly. “I got lost finding my new quarters.” Gideon narrowed his eyes.

“Listen well, Rain Remedy. I am unsure of how you’ve carried yourself before now, but here, it will be different." He looked behind him, at the other griffons. "This is a group for elites. Not halfhearted whelps. I have no use for those who aren’t willing to become the best.” He returned his gaze to Rain. “I have no clue what the commander is playing at by sending me his problem children. But, there will be no tomfoolery here, understood?”

“Yes, sir…”

“Good.” He turned back to the crowd and pointed. “Join the group. I have an announcement you need to hear.”

“Yes, sir.” With a nod, Rain scampered to the back of the group, falling in line with the last row of griffons. Once he’d reached the back and stood like the others, Gideon spoke up again.

“As I was saying… Tomorrow will be the start of the camp’s Forest MilSim. As the camp’s only griffon medical unit, our attendance is mandatory.” Rain’s ears perked up. He’d heard of the military game in the past but assumed that it would have happened already. “This will be held over the course of two weeks, in which we will march to and from the site every day. Be prepared for those trips. That is all.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, the griffons turned around and began making their way into the tent. They moved like machines, never wavering from their goal or pausing in their actions. They mesmerized Rain until he felt a heavy claw on his shoulder. Turning to it, he met Gideon’s glare.

“Here is my first order for you.” Rain was still a little startled by his voice, but he forced himself to get used to it. “Today, you will observe. I cannot have the team’s rhythm thrown off by an inexperienced troublemaker.”

“Yes sir, but…” Rain regained his confidence and spoke clearly. “What if there’s a wing injury? Shouldn’t I take care of them?” His face darkened, then took his claw off of his shoulder.

“You have your orders. Follow them.” He grunted. “Let’s see if following them proves too difficult for you.”

Without another word, he made his way to the back of the tent, exiting to a part further in. Rain watched him go in silence, an unsatisfied feeling building up in his chest. He dispelled those thoughts with a shake of his head.

“I already knew this wouldn’t be easy,” he said with a sigh. “So… let’s take this on the chin.” With a new pep in his step, Rain walked further into the tent, searching for a place he could follow his orders.

Though he was skeptical, Rain found himself learning a lot about the griffon medical unit.

In the beginning, it was nearly identical to pony medical proceedings. Someone would enter and be handled by a doctor tasked with that procedure. Several griffons came in for checkups, or to receive medical attention or advice. Everything moved smoothly.

The first thing he learned was how scarily efficient they were. Griffons were spending very small amounts of time here before returning to duty. The confidence behind their actions was no joke, either. It wasn’t like the ponies were lazy, but compared to these griffons, their work ethic seemed lacking. Rain couldn’t help but be impressed.

It took quite a while for a freshly wounded soldier to hit one of their beds. Dozens of scratches and cuts as a result of a hasty, sloppy landing. One of the griffons began working immediately, preparing bandages for the wounds. Rain watched as he was wrapped up quickly, with a firm tug on the bandages to keep them in place. His eyes went wide.

“Shouldn’t you disinfect it first?” He blurted it out without thinking and grabbed the attention of the pair. Too late to turn back, he continued. “And tying the bandages too tight can restrict his airflow, no?” The two stared at him without a word for quite a while. The doctor was the first to break eye contact, getting back to her work.

“There. If the pain gets worse, come back.” She replaced her gauze and then immediately returned to her prep work. The griffon slinked off of the bed with a wince, then turned to Rain.

“I’m no pansy, pony.” He turned away with a grunt. “Keep your beak in your own business.” With his tirade coming to an end, he made his way to the next tent, eventually leaving them completely. Rain watched him as he went, noticing his limp and small flinching with each step. He turned back to the doctor in time to catch a side eye before she returned to work.

The second thing he learned about these griffons was their stubbornness.

As he had during his entire stay here, he took the experience into himself and kept calm. It wasn’t like he could blame them for being cautious around him. He hadn’t done anything to prove that he was any different from the ponies they’d come to know.

Rain retreated to the small space he’d made for himself. Like the other griffons, Rain hovered around a medical cart alongside a bed. These seemed a little barebones compared to the ones he was used to working with. With only a few basic medical supplies, it was a miracle that these griffons were as well practiced as they were.

As he set off to organize his cart for the twelfth time that day, he heard a loud swoosh of the tent flapping behind him. He paid it no mind since a griffon passing by was a common occurrence. What he did pay attention to was a few taps on his shoulder. Turning around, there was a new griffon there. A griffoness with a bright expression.

“Hello.” The griffoness greeted him with a bright smile that caught Rain off guard. Even a normal greeting was enough to take him by surprise, it seemed. He cleared his throat and responded.

“Yes, hello?” he asked. “Erm… can I help you?”

“You’re Grace’s guy, right?” Being asked that by two different griffons in one day was odd for Rain. Ponies normally pointed and stared, or paid him no mind. “Um… Robin?”

“I’m Rain Remedy, yes,” he said, smiling back. “Can I help you?” His eyes flicked off to the side for a bit before returning.

“Sarge says I gotta get a checkup,” she said with a chuckle. “And I heard that you were gonna be here, so I thought I might as well, hehe.” Her eyes went wide, and she put her claw up to her face. “Oh, I’m Gianna, by the way. All my friends call me Gigi, though!” Rain blinked again. She was like a storm. He regained his composure, then cleared his throat.

“Um… nice to meet you, Gianna.” Rain put up his hoof as a meager defense. “But sorry. I’m not the person to go to for checkups. If you head in a bit more, you’ll find—”

“Aw, come on! Can’t you do a little checkup?” Gianna pushed through his sentence and approached him. There was little he could do to stop her from climbing on top of the bed next to him and stretching out. “It’s just me and you in here. Nobody’s gonna know.” As Rain checked behind him, he realized the other doctor had left. He turned his attention back to Gianna and nervously chuckled.

“I guess I can do a quick checkup if you’d like.” Rain hummed as the words left his mouth. Somehow, he knew that fighting her wouldn’t be very fruitful. The best thing he could do was quickly get this over with. Besides, he couldn't deny that he was getting a bit sad to be of no use. “But you still have to check in with your normal doctor after this. There’s a procedure for this kind of stuff.”

“Fine by me.” She grinned, then sat still atop the bed. Rain picked up a stethoscope.

“I’ll start by checking your heart rate for any irregularities.” As he spoke, he lifted the metal up to her chest, feeling around for the strongest heartbeat reaction. “Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary when you’re training? Any chest pain or unnatural spikes in heart rate?”

“Uh, no? Don’t think so.” She chuckled. “Can I ask you a question, doc?” Rain perked up. It was nice to be called a doctor after so long.

“Sure. Go ahead.” She chuckled again, then narrowed her eyes.

“How big are you?” Rain froze in place. Looking up, he noticed her eyes were shining with excitement. “They say that griffons have better stamina, but you ponies are huge!” Rain paused.

“Um…” His brain started moving slower than normal. “I… I don’t understand?” Gianna mimicked his confusion as if she didn’t understand what he was confused about.

“I’m talking about your dick, obviously.” Again, Gianna chuckled, sending a shiver right down his back. “So what is it? 12 inches? 13!? That’d be crazy!”

“I don’t think this is… appropriate.” Rain pulled the stethoscope from her chest and placed it on the cart again. Giana looked down at him with a pout.

“It’s a medical question!” she whined. “Alright, how about this? How do you ponies jerk off?” She raised her claws and showed them off. “Us griffons make do with what we got, but it’s not exactly the best. You’ve got no clue how many times I’ve poked myself on accident trying to get a little relief—”

“This checkup is over.” Rain turned to the cart and began organizing it again. “Please report to your proper doctor, please.”

“Aw, c’mon!” she whined again. “It was a joke! I won’t do it again!”

“Please, I need to get back to this.” He could hear her growl behind him, but he ignored it. What he didn’t hear was Gianna budging an inch. “Listen, if Gideon sees you here, we’ll both be—”

Suddenly, there was a sharp, thin feeling near his flank. It slink behind his tail and down to his crotch before he reacted out of instinct. His hind hoof reared up and bucked, making a loud clattering noise as his hoof collided with the bed.

Gianna let out a yelp but managed to catch herself before crashing to the floor. But, before he could turn to check on the state of things, the curtain flipped open. First came the griffon doctor who’d left earlier. After her was Gideon who didn't look too pleased. Rain froze in place as their eyes met.

As he scanned the scene, Gianna landed on the ground. A quick glance at her revealed that Gideon’s harsh glare intimidated her as well. After a few moments, he closed his eyes and sighed.

“You know… I believed that you were at least capable of at least doing nothing.” He opened his eyes. “But it seems that following simple directions really isn’t a part of your skillset, hm?”

“A-Apologies, sir.” Rain’s ears drooped, and he bowed his head. Excuses wouldn’t take him far here. He had to show his sincerity as best as he could. “I… overreacted and lashed out in surprise. This is my fault.” Gideon didn't respond. Instead, he turned his attention to Gianna, who was standing behind Rain.

“A doctor has been waiting to see you for your checkup,” said Gideon. “Do not keep them waiting.” Gianna’s eyes went wide.

“Y-Yeah, I-I mean, yes sir! Sorry about that!” Immediately, she sprung into action, heading toward the curtain Gideon just left. Once she was gone, he once again focused his glare on Rain.

“You. Follow me.” He turned on his paw and headed through a curtain. Rain scrambled to follow behind him.

They walked for a bit, passing by griffon doctors and patients in a hurry. A few even spared them glances. Soon, they reached an isolated section of the hospital far from the hustle and bustle of the main rooms. An office, complete with a desk and inkwell with paperwork stacked high. Gideon took his spoke on one side and sat down on the cushion there.

“Sit.”

Rain did as he was told, taking a spot across from the desk. There wasn't much else to focus on. The desk and a magic lamp were all the furniture around. As he looked around, Gideon stared at him with ferocity. Rain could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead as the silence dragged on. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Gideon spoke up.

"Your orders." He tapped the desk in a rhythm. "What were they?"

"To observe, sir."

"Why did you disobey them?" Rain gulped.

"I have no excuse for—"

"Give me one." Gideon's tapping picked up speed. "Anything." Rain blinked in surprise, then gathered himself.

"I wanted to be useful," he answered. "I want to show that ponies and griffons don't need separation. That I can be just as effective as a griffon medic." Rain looked up and met Gideon's gaze. "Sir." Gideon's tapping stopped.

"A personal conviction, yes?" he asked. Before Rain could answer, he followed up with another sentence. "Is this the same conviction you had that day, Rain Remedy?"

"Huh?" Gideon grumbled.

“If I’m not mistaken… I have you to thank for patching up one of our own in the last full-scale battle.” Rain’s eyes widened.

“That was me, yes.” Rain spoke slowly, careful not to say something to dig his hole deeper. "And... yes. I believed that Grace being a griffon didn't matter if she needed help." Gideon hummed at his answer.

“As you could probably guess... I was also present that day.” He lowered his gaze, and his tone shifted. “Hearing of Gael’s death sent my team into disarray. There was no one who could deal with that griffon’s injury with any degree of confidence.”

Rain pursed his lips as Gideon spoke. This was the first time he’d heard the deceased medic’s name. Though it wasn’t much, Rain felt compelled to bow his head in respect.

“When she suggested that she’d seek help from the ponies, I was against it, but had no way of stopping her." Gideon looked up again. "Thankfully, she met someone willing to help.”

“O-Of course I’d help!” he responded. “She’d be crippled if I did nothing.” Gideon put up his claw again, stopping his words.

“I’ve heard the story many times. For that, I am grateful,” he explained. After a short pause, he narrowed his eyes. “But… you disobeyed direct orders with your actions.”

“Yes, that’s true, but—”

“Let me finish.” Rain quieted down and Gideon continued. “The outcome this time was good. But allowing someone who breaks rules like you did invites disaster. This time, it was a minor infraction, and you happened to save a life. Next time, it may be major, and you could endanger lives instead.”

He looked down at his desk once more with a complex expression on his face. Rain wasn’t sure, but thought he could see his scarred eye twitch.

“The rules are there to protect. They are there to guide. Should you show no respect for them... there will be nothing but death in your future.” Gideon tapped the desk again, regaining his composure. “I cannot... will not allow a rule breaker to run rampant in my unit.” Rain pursed his lips and furrowed his brow. “Am I under—”

“But… what if the rules are wrong?” He shook his head and collected his thoughts. “I know my actions have consequences for those around me. But… It's my belief that everyone deserves a chance to be saved. No matter if they’re griffon, pony, or anything else.” Gideon looked up at him, his gaze piercing Rain’s own. Rain kept firm, and continued. "The current rules do not allow this."

“You'd break the rules to push your own personal convictions?” Gideon gripped his claws together. “Nothing but foolishness.” Rain bit his lip.

"If being a fool is necessary to bring about equality, then I will be that fool." Rain's eyes burned with conviction. Gideon's glare seemed scary, but backing down here frightened him much more.

For a long while, the two sat in without exchanging a word. Yet… something was different now. The way Gideon stared at him wasn’t in annoyance or fatigue. Behind his eyes, he could see the inner workings of the old griffon’s mind. His words were turning gears. Gideon hummed wistfully and closed his eyes shut.

“Naive optimism…” Rain almost couldn’t believe his eyes as he saw the corners of his beak turn up with a smile. “Is something I haven’t seen in a long, long time. It’s… a bit refreshing, really.” As quickly as it appeared, his smile dropped, replaced by his signature frown. “You are a fool, but… your determination isn’t something I can just ignore.” he raised his claw and waved him away. “I’ll be keeping my eye on you from now on, Rain Remedy.”

“O-Oh, yes! Yes, sir!” Rain excitedly got up from his seat. Gideon grumbled.

“Ah... One more thing before you go.” He pulled out a part of his desk and started sifting through folders. “The griffons of this unit saw Gael as a brother. Petty words and vague ideals such as yours won’t be enough to get through to them. You’ll need results.” Finding the folder he was looking for, he placed it on the table. “From now on, you’ll be in charge of everyone in this folder, got it?”

Rain’s eyes widened, and he pulled the folder off of his desk. He flipped through it quickly, spotting a few familiar faces among others. Grace! Gianna… and the pony he’d met earlier with the red feathers named Gina. Rain looked up with a sheepish grin.

“Um… is it possible to have Gianna removed from here?” He chuckled nervously. Gideon’s glare made the answer quite clear.

“Hard times breed better griffons, little pony.” He chuckled darkly. “Or at least, that’s what my father used to say. Now scram.” Rain sighed, then nodded his agreement.

He left the office in a hurry to avoid any potential wrath he might have faced. As he made his way back to his station, his mind raced a mile a minute.

Gideon was different than he expected, once they sat down and spoke. Rain could feel his words have an effect on the old griffon. In fact, it almost felt like he was telling something to someone who already knew all about it.

Once he returned to his post, he placed the folder down on the tray. Despite the awkward situations sure to arise, Rain couldn’t help but feel giddy. Now that Gideon had given him a fair shake, he was more than excited to prove himself soon.

The sun was still out as the day came to a close for the medical unit. Gideon called every griffon on duty up to the front for a closing talk, before sending them on their way. As intimidating as he was, Rain could feel the connection he felt to his team, and the trust he placed in each member. Rain stuck out like a sore thumb but silently vowed to do his best to fit in soon.

Now, he was making his way back to his quarters. Thankfully, summer nights didn’t get too hot. Sleeping underneath the stars would be difficult, otherwise. For now, he was just off to retrieve his toiletries to shower and close out his day.

Heading past all the barracks, he realized just how isolated he was from the others. Out here, he could barely hear the buzz of movement and conversation in the barracks. It felt a little lonely, but the quiet was also comforting, somewhat.

As he closed in on his tent, a small rustling sound stopped him in place. His first thought was that an animal had somehow gotten into the tent. Yet, the figure's shadow revealed that it was much bigger than that. Rain cleared his throat, then called out to it.

“Anyone there?” he asked. The silhouette stopped in its tracks. Rain gulped, then called out again. “Erm… Sorry, but this isn’t an open tent. It’s where I’m meant to sleep.” The figure reached for the tent’s entrance and parted it. As soon as Rain spotted the golden feathers poking out from the entrance, his unease faded. “Oh! Grace?”

“So it’s true.” She leaned out enough to show her face and looked at Rain with a frown. “They really kicked you out of the barracks.” Rain chuckled nervously.

“Y-Yeah. They said that they didn’t have room for me, so there wasn’t much I could do.” Grace looked at the ground with an annoyed glare. Rain approached the tent, ducking inside to have a seat next to her. “At least there’s plenty of privacy here, right?”

“Hmph.” Despite her dissatisfied expression, Rain couldn’t help but smile as he sat across from her. The two of them could barely fit on the bedroll, but, sitting across from Grace gave him a fuzzy feeling. “How was your first day?” Rain hummed.

"Odd... I guess that's the best way to put it," said Rain. "Let me tell you about it."

As the sun continued to fall, Rain recounted the details of his day. The more he spoke, the more invested Grace seemed. He would have never guessed that having a conversation could feel this refreshing.

“—but he told me not to do anything. Just to watch.” Rain raised his hoof. “And I did for a while, but I knew that I should at least get somewhat familiar with the job if I was going to be there for a while.” Rain rubbed his chin. “But as I was getting myself set up, a griffon decided to come to me for a checkup for some reason.” Grace raised an eyebrow and spoke up.

“A checkup?” As soon as he heard her concern, the events came back to him like a cold wave. He pursed his lips and froze up, something Grace didn’t miss. She narrowed her eyes. “Who was this?”

“A griffon named Gianna,” answered Rain. “But she wasn’t hostile or anything? She was just… a bit weird.” Despite insisting on it, Grace still didn’t seem convinced. Her gaze narrowed even more.

“What happened during the checkup?” Rain hummed.

“She asked me some… inappropriate questions,” he answered. “Like how uh… big I was and how I masturbate.” He shook his head. “After I refused to answer she tried to… feel me up a bit.” Rain’s eyes widened as he realized Grace was clawing at the dirt.

“That bitch,” she growled. “I’ll fucking kill—”

“Wait, wait, it’s okay!” Rain put his hooves on her shoulders, grabbing her attention. “T-There’s no need to go that far. I’m okay, and I’ll be more vigilant! I'll make sure that nothing happens from now on.” His words seemed to have some effect on Grace, whose expression softened again. Her face returned to normal with a sigh.

“Okay. I trust you.” She nodded her head. “But tell me immediately if anything like that happens again, okay?” Rain smiled, which seemed to put her at ease once again.

“Of course. You’ll be the first to know.” He pulled his hooves back from her shoulders. In the next moment, a thought crossed his mind. Without thinking about it, he opened his mouth. “Um… Grace?”

“Yeah?” Rain gulped. He couldn’t really turn back now.

“Those questions were inappropriate, but they did make me realize something. Do you… hmm… how do I ask this…?” He felt the heat rising in his cheeks as he raised his hoof. “ Erm… does it hurt to masturbate?” Grace’s eyes widened and he could feel the embarrassment creep along his body. "A-As a medical question, of course!"

Rain felt a little lame using the same excuse Gianna did, but it helped to justify asking. Instead of responding, Grace leaned back as far as she could, until her back hit the walls of the tent. Steadily, she opened her legs, giving Rain a full closeup of her pussy. With her talon, she pressed against her clit, then took a sharp breath.

“If I sharpen my claws, I might, but… I only do this sparingly anyways.” She rubbed herself along the length of her lips, then returned to work on her clit. As he watched with bated breath, Rain could see her begin to shake. “Come on, now. I don’t want to be the only one exposed.”

“O-Oh, right.” Rain hurried to get into position before exposing himself. He was at half chub just from watching her and after a few strokes of his hoof, he was standing as straight as an arrow. The pleasure began to build, and he took a deep breath. Grace giggled as he reached full mast.

“How big are you?” she asked. She ran along the line of her lips one more time before pushing past them with a small moan. “To think something like that even fits inside that sheath, let alone me.” Rain laughed nervously, then began stroking.

“Well, I haven’t measured it in a while, but… I think it’s about 15 inches?” He took a deep breath. “I’m not sure if that’s big or not… I don’t have anyone to compare to.”

“It’s more than big enough for me.” Grace slipped another talon in, letting out a sweet, low hum. “Do you know how much you stretch me out when you put it in? It drives me crazy.” Rain can feel goosebumps form along his coat and his dick twitched.

“S-Sorry,” murmured Rain. Grace giggled again and picked up her pace. A thin stream began to leak out of her.

“Don’t apologize. I love it.” Rain twitched as a jolt of pleasure traveled up his back. He quickened his strokes, just as Grace had. She let out a long, flighty moan, and craned her head back. “Mmm, Rain…”

“Huh?” he called. Grace looked at him in silence for a few moments, a faint blush blooming on her face.

“Kiss me.” Rain’s eyes went wide, while Grace’s narrowed. “Like ponies do… I want to try it.” Rain gulped, then nodded his head in agreement.

He leaned in until he hovered only an inch away from Grace. Rain looked deep into her eyes, finding an overwhelming feeling of passion behind them. She closed them as he approached, patiently waiting for him to make his move.

Rain pressed his muzzle to her beak, then pecked it with a kiss. His heartbeat rocketed as he pulled back and Grace opened her eyes. Judging by the redness of her face, her heart was in a similar place.

“W-Wait.” She blinked a few times. “One more time. I was too nervous…” Rain nodded, then went in again. He kissed her a bit further up her beak, then withdrew once more. This time, her spare foreleg wrapped around his back and kept him in place. “One more time… for good measure?”

Before long, the two started to lose themselves. Grace pulled him in, wrapping around him with her entire body. Her talons down below hadn’t stopped going for a second. Rain’s erection was stuck between his stomach and Grace’s warm, soft chest feathers. He moved his hips a little bit, mimicking the stroking he’d normally do with his hoof.

But neither paid themselves as much attention as they did the other. Rain delivered kiss after kiss on Grace’s beak, eventually moving to the rest of her face and neck. He nuzzled into her, savoring her warmth and size with his entire being. Only after he felt a familiar heat bubbling up in his lower half did he pull away.

“G-Grace,” he called, panting. “It's coming...” With a small grunt, a thin jet of cum shot past them both, landing on the ground between the bedroll and the tent. Rain pulled away to get as little of it on Grace as possible, but the damage had already been done. “Uh, s-sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“It’s okay,” she said with a small moan. She pulled her talons out of her pussy, stained with wet, sticky juices. She brought them up to her face, then looked at Rain. “Got something to clean up with?”

“Ah, yeah.”

Rain left Grace's embrace, then dove into his saddle bag. He’d completely forgotten that he meant to only stop by for a bit to grab his stuff. Now that lights-out was creeping closer, he’d have to do it tomorrow. Grabbing his bath towel, he handed it over to Grace, who began to clean herself.

“Hey, Grace?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you taking part in the MilSim?” Grace looked up at him.

“Yeah,” she answered. “You’ll be there too, right?”

“Yup. Medical units are required to attend these kinds of things.” He paused for a moment, then looked up at Grace with a curious glance. “It’s going to get pretty hectic, so we might not be able to see each other much for a bit.” Grace handed him back the towel and grinned.

“I’ll make some time. No matter what.” Standing up, she flicked her tail back and forth, then waved a claw goodbye. “I look forward to seeing you out there…” Rain watched her leave with a wistful smile.

Silence returned to his tent, alongside a small wave of loneliness. The buzz of the barracks had dimmed significantly. Soon, the lights-out horn would blow, and all soldiers would need to go to report to their beds. Rain held up the towel Grace used, and held it to his chest. This way, he felt slightly less alone.

He laid down on his bedroll and closed his eyes. The exhaustion from the day came crashing down on him all at once. With little effort, he willed himself to sleep with thoughts of Grace taking over his dreams.