Midnight

"Ew, these are really dirty." Starla wrinkles her nose as she takes a look at her work thus far.

"Guess that's a good thing, right? Otherwise, you would be doing all this scrubbing for no reason." It's a very stupid comment, but I get a snort of amusement from Starla anyway – even as she rolls her eyes. Midnight may be rubbing off on her with a reaction like that...

"No, I mean – they didn't appear too bad when I started, but through before and after is – well, look!" She points a wash mitt–equipped hoof at the contrasting spots of leather. The original creamy ivory color of the seats is reappearing from the dingy brown-beige that had taken over with time and grime's tag-team work.

Starla was keen to have her own project while Midnight and I fussed over the engine bay; with a bit of brainstorming and a wash mitt that neatly fit over her hoof, Starla set to work on seeing how much life could be brought back into the upholstery.

As of now, it's looking far better than I ever anticipated. Considering all loose debris had been swept up, it left what had been essentially baked or ground into the material. The leather cream I bought appears to be just the trick – along with Starla's enthusiastic drive and energy.

No, they still won't be perfect or like new – but they will be more than presentable and comfortable. I'll gladly hold off on having them recovered if the rest of the cleaning goes this well. Cleaning and scrubbing interiors isn't high on my enjoyment list, but the effort Starla is putting into it and humming all the while proves that aversion doesn't exist across the board.

However, satisfied that Starla has a good rhythm going and having no issues, I return to the front of the car to check on Midnight's progress in the meantime. She's still set up in the engine bay, occupying the empty void where the Hemi would reside. Her hardened gaze and clenched jaw reflect the determination to get every last bit of dust, grime, and cobwebs out of the nooks and crannies. However, some of that debris has found its way into her coat and hair, making it look like it's more of an exchange between car and mare.

"You know, this would have been a lot easier if we had just power-washed the engine bay," she mutters as her icy blue eyes momentarily flick to me.

"I know, and I considered doing that instead of manual labor like you're doing," I concede, resuming my own work scrubbing the radiator support with a rag. "But the problem is that can lead to electrical problems if you have old wires with brittle insulation. You enter high-pressure water into the equation, and it's going to find any weak spot it can and foul all sorts of things up without any real visual clues. I already don't know what does and doesn't work – I don't want to add to the unknown."

"I know," Midnight sighs. "I just don't enjoy this kind of tedious work. I mean, yes, I agreed to it, and it needs to be done – but I would much rather be assembling or disassembling something."

"Hey, I told you to pace yourself on replacing suspension bushings, didn't I?" I chuckle.

She turns her head to give me the full appearance of a frown upon her muzzle. "That wouldn't change anything. This still had to be done sooner or later."

"Very true. Just giving you a bit of shit – I know you wouldn't have it any other way."

At least that gets a snicker and a bit of lightness back into her expression. "How is the interior looking so far? I've tried taking a couple of looks over the cowl, but I'm guessing she's focused on the seat bottoms rather than the backs."

"You wanna take a look? You can climb out of there and take a break, you know."

To my surprise, Midnight shakes her head and returns to scrubbing at the driver's side inner fender. "I want to at least get this side done before getting out of here. There's no guarantee once I hop out, I'll get back in here tonight."

"There's nothing wrong with that," I assure her, reaching in to give her an affectionate pat. "You and Starla are doing damn good work, and every little bit counts as progress."

"I think you need a skirt and pom-poms in order to be a proper cheerleader, John," she scoffs.

"What if I already have those in my closet for a rainy day?"

"...I'm not convinced that's a joke with how quickly you responded, sicko."

Our short verbal sparring session dies off as Midnight hunkers down and sets her attention fully upon cleaning. I take her hint and continue bringing back the black paint of the radiator support back to life.

Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised at how well this experimental sleepover has gone. We're nearing the third evening now after a second full day of work – and Midnight and I are still on schedule with said work. In fact, with Starla's help, we're completely evened up with orders as of the last time I checked the computer.

But it's more than that. I've enjoyed getting to know Starla as more than Midnight's friend, and those two having one-on-one time has led to a closer bond and a better understanding of each other. I never expected this endeavor to go sour, but I was hedging my bets on a few more bumps in the road here and there. After all, it's one thing to speak with one another through a screen regularly – quite another to be face-to-face and share a living space for days.

I never doubted Midnight though – she's smoothed out her edges. She knows when to let up or take a step back for a breather. She's willing to listen – and like this car, those little lessons over time have shown to be a stunning change over the months since we first met.

"What are we doing for food tonight?" Midnight breaks the long-held silence as she stretches and tosses away her cleaning rag.

"I dunno. What are you and Star planning to cook up tonight?" I propose back to her, flashing a cheeky grin even as her eyes narrow at me.

"Nope – last night was us. Now it's your turn," she replies in a surprisingly cool manner. She shakes her head at the same time, allowing a bit of cobweb that had stuck to her mane to float away freely.

"But we still have stuff from Starla's list in our fridge and cupboards."

"Yeah, and we still have another day or two with her here at the very least, dillhole" Midnight argues back.

I'm not going to win this 'argument,' so I resort to a long drawn-out sigh as my initial white flag of surrender. "I suppose that gives me a little time to buy you a cute chef's hat before the next cooking escapade, huh?"

"Are you looking to get bit tonight?"

"I take it that's a no then? Darn. Not sure where I'd go to buy a chef's hat anyway," I jest, before getting down to serious matters. "Since it's up to me, what do you want for dinner tonight?"

The answer I get is hardly unexpected – a deer in the headlights sort of gaze, and a shrug of the shoulders.

"At least that narrows it down. Thank you for the suggestions, Mid."

My jab back at her doesn't get a reaction – instead, she motions me away from the front of the car where I'm working. Once I've taken a couple of steps off to the side, Midnight tests her footing on the radiator supports with her front hooves. Using that 'step' as leverage combined with her footing on the K-member down below, Midnight leaps up out of the engine bay and over the support in one swift motion. Her hooves hit the concrete with a sharp clack, drawing Starla's attention from the interior of the Chrysler as her head darts up.

While Starla twists and works her way out of the car, Midnight takes a step toward me, her eyes lit up with a sudden burst of inspiration. "Hey, I got an idea – why don't we head to that drive-in diner we visit on occasion? They got good food, and Starla admitted to me she doesn't get out into the public much. I bet she's never had it."

The initial idea she proposes is a sound one; however, the reasoning she unravels for me gives me pause. Starla happens to join our huddle just as Midnight finishes her proposal, and while Midnight hardly speaks in hushed tones, Starla's expression is calm and patient, waiting to hear what's being schemed.

That's Midnight's cue to turn and ramp up the enthusiasm. "Hey, Star – I was just suggesting to John tonight we ought to all go out to the local drive-in joint for food tonight. What do you think?"

Starla takes an uneasy step back from Midnight, her face showing concern. "I don't think that's a good idea, Midnight," she answers reluctantly."

"What? Why not?" Midnight spouts back, taken aback by Starla's reaction. "You said so yourself you don't get out much – it's perfect."

"I told you the reason why I don't venture out much, Midnight," Starla offers as a rebuttal in an uncharacteristic sharp, disapproving tone in addition to her creased brow.

Midnight's eyes focus downward on the concrete, taking stock of what her next move is in this minor debate of ideals. "Is it because you don't want to, or because normally you wouldn't if Teddy were here?" she asks with care, lowering her head and her ears as if encroaching on hostile ground. "Because we won't leave the truck, we'll just—"

"Middie, it was a fair idea, but I don't feel good about going through with it either without Teddy's permission," I interrupt. Judging by Starla's tense posture and pursed lips, I think it was better to end it here now than make Starla ever more uncomfortable.

"Alright. Sorry," Midnight mumbles in disappointment. "I guess I got a little too excited."

While Midnight may be right in her fault, I'm still surprised at Starla's staunch opposition. Other than when she broke up the argument between Midnight and me last night, I don't think I've ever seen her this flustered. But fortunately, my stepping in and shooting down the idea permanently has allowed Starla to ease back just a bit and breathe.

"Before we do anything with food, you need to clean up," I instruct Midnight, waving a hand to direct her attention to her own hair. "You look like you've been rolling around in an ancient crypt."

Any remaining tension in the air dies off with my light-hearted comment with Starla humming in amusement and accompanying smile as she nods her head in agreement.

Midnight makes a half-hearted effort to flow a cobweb away that clings to her bangs, but to no avail. "Yeah, but you can't say I half-assed the cleaning of the engine back," she responds, sticking her tongue out at me. "Just don't eat without me, whatever gets decided."

"I can assure you nothing we'll be making is going to be done before your shower is over – unless you spend two hours in there." Just like that, Starla returns in full with a light teasing jab toward Midnight.

"Fine, fine," Midnight dismisses her, turning and heading to the bathroom at a trot. The door scarcely has time to close before I feel the need to pipe up. "You alright, Starla?"

"Yes, of course!" Starla belts out with enthusiasm... perhaps a little bit overdone, at least according to my gut. "I'm fine – are you okay? You seem concerned."

"I'm fine – I just couldn't help but feel like Midnight's suggestion and her attempts of persuasion didn't sit quite well with you. That's why I ask."

Statla hesitates for a moment, biting her lip as the sunny facade retreats. "Yeah, I guess I'm just a bit tired. We had a discussion earlier that I felt like she completely forgot... maybe I was just a bit short with her."

"Nah, you weren't that bad. And I think we're all a bit tired after another day. Why don't we head upstairs and relax while Midnight's soaking up all the water?"

"Yeah... I – could I talk to you about something?" she asks. If the uncertainty pushing her voice didn't grab me by surprise, the sudden flash of anxiety in her eyes certainly has me tripped up.

"Of course," I assure her. We head up the stairs with me in the lead, allowing me to push open the door and allow Starla through without missing a step. She's halfway to the couch when I walk in, closing the door behind me.

That click of the latch is the catalyst for Starla to stop and turn toward me. "Do you think Teddy is a bit too protective of me?"

Oh boy, I wasn't expecting something like that for a discussion. Perhaps it's a bit precarious to comment on things I know little about, but Starla wouldn't be asking me such a thing if it wasn't bothering her. "Well... is there such a thing as being too protective, Star?"

Strala smirks at my wishy-washy sort of initial answer as she hops up on a bar stool at the kitchen island on the opposite side. "I promise I won't use any answers against you – or use them for evidence in a debate."

That reassurance doesn't do much to alleviate the concern I have with this discussion. The last thing I want to do is be a home wrecker or start an argument between Teddy and Starla because of my opinions. It's easy to say one won't reflect back on something like this – quite another when push comes to shove.

I feel like this would normally be a question for Midnight. Yet by the standoff downstairs, I can only assume it was Midnight who antagonized Starla into this current thought exercise. "To be fair, I'm out of the loop on where exactly this is coming from. And I don't really know how you and Teddy live; I guess I'm a bit lost on how to even answer something like that."

"Yeah, I understand when you put it that way," Starla replies, bowing her head as that smirk dissipates. "That's not fair of me to ask something like that."

"I'm more than happy to lend you an ear, Starla," I assure her, taking a seat on a stool so I'm directly across from her. "But that being said, I do need a little bit of background."

At the very least, I manage to perk up Starla enough to raise her head and look at me again. "Well, Midnight already said it – I don't get out much. Not like you and Midnight do."

"Hey, you know she's prone to embellishment things," I remind her with a chuckle. "Whatever she's told you in the past, let me be the one to tell you we aren't social butterflies by any stretch of the imagination."

"No, she's always played it level with me, and I don't mean social gatherings or anything like that," Starla answers, backtracking a bit to straighten her point. "It's the little things you two do. I rarely go out into the public eye and interact. There are cruises in the convertible out in the middle of nowhere, once in a blue moon a late-night grocery shopping excursion so I can see what's available – that's about all I see of the world. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy Teddy is looking out for me and doesn't want anything to happen... and I guess I never thought about it before, either. At least, not until Midnight came along."

"Do you think it's just a matter of being overcautious on his end, or this there another reason behind that?"

"I'm sure some of it has to do with me being the exact opposite of Midnight."

"...I'm not sure what you mean by that," I admit, scratching my head.

"I'm not suspicious of people or ponies I've never met before – I'm open to meeting anyone and everyone."

"Ah. That makes more sense as to why he's more careful. You don't want to open up to the wrong person."

Starla solemnly nods her head. "I can't help it – I just have a hard time fathoming someone could be... bad. Granted, other than some altercations with volatile ponybots, I've never found trouble. But the risk remains there, even I can't deny that."

"I guess if there ever was a sort of silver lining to the hell Midnight has been through, it's that she's seen the dark side of humanity," I comment. "That knowledge didn't come easy."

"I know, and I wouldn't want to go through what she did to see more of the world," Starla sighs. "But Teddy and I moved away from Georgia to get rid of the nagging fear of getting caught, hoping to get out more. It's the same reason I have this necklace. And yet... not much has changed, to be honest."

"So what Midnight said wasn't... it wasn't as callous as I thought it was."

"No – I'll be honest, I'm just as protective of Teddy as he is with me. We only have each other after all, so when Midnight spoke up..."

"It sorta felt like a personal attack," I finish for Starla as she trails off.

She nods her head at that, humming with the slightest hint of a smile. "I guess we're two of a kind then – Teddy and I being overprotective of each other," she muses. But Starla's face grows cold and serious again. "But it doesn't have to be that way, does it? We could – that's something that could be worked on. I would be willing to try to hunker down and be more reserved. It might take a while, but setting some boundaries from the get-go and a goal... just staying cooped up doesn't fix anything."

"It sounds to me like maybe you should talk with Teddy about it – if only to get your feelings out there that he may not know about," I suggest. Internally, I feel a bit ill proposing such a thing, for fear it could be a topic of argument down the road. But staying silent certainly isn't going to solve anything in this situation.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I don't want to put him in an uncomfortable situation – but I've never really stated a desire to go out and about, either. Maybe he really doesn't know I'd like to do more things outside of the house – up to a certain point, of course."

"And that sounds like the best way to frame it. After all – if I hadn't dragged Midnight out from beyond the gates of the junkyard for food and grocery runs, I think she would have been content with never leaving the property. That expanded her horizons to getting out once in a while with the occasional car show, too."

"Hm, funny you mention that – I know Teddy would like to take the Cutlass to car shows now that it's on the road. Maybe he's hesitant to do so because he doesn't think I would want to go. But that's also a big step beyond what I'm after, too," she concedes.

"All you can do is be honest and patient when talking with him – though he doesn't seem like the type that would snap at you."

The atmosphere in the room lightens dramatically with Starla's laughter. "You're right about that, he's a big softie. He's not one to get angry or upset about things, either. Even so, you're right – I'm just going to share my thoughts and see what he thinks. Maybe tonight when he calls, I'll float the thought to him to at least get it off my chest. But that's far from a priority – and probably best left to private discussion face-to-face for anything more than a brief mention."

It strikes me now that we haven't heard from Teddy since the evening he departed. Yet Starla senses my sudden clarity – or some visual cue I give off as she waves a hoof. "He almost never calls until the second night," she speaks up. "It's more of a surprise or concern when he does call the first night away."

"Alright then. Though I have to admit, I know you two have a routine for phone calls, but uh... well, I should have written it down."

"No sweat – I know it like the back of my hoof," Starla gushes with confidence as things begin to settle back into a more joyous and positive mood.

"I guess when you're used to it, you don't have to have it written down – but that was a lot for me," I admit with a chuckle. "But yeah, if you want to have a private chat with him tonight, just let Midnight and I know, and we can head downstairs."

"Cool, so you're heading out for food now?" Midnight's voice rings out just as the door behind me swings open. That was a quick shower, and turning to look at her, I can see her hair and mane are still damp just by the lack of normal volume.

"Blow dryer not work?" I suggest, amused as Midnight shuffles in to join Starla on the other side of the table.

"Meh, I wasn't feeling it," she responds in relative disinterest. "Figure the longer I take, the longer it will be before we settle on dinner. Where are you going to get food, anyway?"

"Hey, who said I was doing a food run?"

"Yay, John's doing a food run!" Starla exclaims, clapping her hooves with mischievous delight.

Whether this was a planned tag-team or spur of the moment isn't particularly clear. But Midnight is pleased by the reaction she gets from her friend while she shoots me a snide smile. "See?"

"I feel like I'm being ganged up on here, and I don't like it."

"Maybe, but we still appreciate you," Starla sings. She gives me a wink of her eye, an indication that appreciation is not just for possibly going out for fast food.

"Ugh, fine – Midnight, you're a bad influence," I point while scolding her. "Get your laptop, let's figure out where I'm going and what we all want."