The Winning Pony and the Templar

Cloudkicker jerked slightly from her idle doze, temporarily forgetting where she was. Looking around, in the semi-dark gloom, she began to recognize the walls. She was back in her house. Feeling something shift next to her, she looked back to her bed. Oh yeah, Blossomforth came over last night. Looking over her friend, a slight frown of annoyance in place, the mare considered waking her sometimes lover, but the look on Blossomforth’s muzzle quashed that sentiment.

Tilting her head, Cloudkicker gazed thoughtfully at her current bedmate. She didn’t love Blossom like she did Derpy, but… still, the green and lavender maned female was important to her. The night her mother died, the first time they slept together, afterwards… Blossomforth had cried. Of course, Cloudkicker had heard of this sort of thing happening when one lost their virginity, but seeing it was another matter. Later on, in a fit of an argument over something stupid, Blossomforth yelled she wished she’d given herself up to someone as worthless as Cloudkicker. She apologized profusely later, when she saw what her words had done, but still, the damage was done.

That night… was a mistake. Cloudkicker would never tell Blossom that, but she shouldn’t have slept with anyone that night, never mind a virgin. That night should have been special, should have been with somepony who loved her as much as she loved them. Instead, Blossomforth’s first time was with a emotional wreck. Laying her head back down, Cloudkicker rested her chin on the mare under her.

“Sorry…” she didn’t love Blossomforth, and never would. But… still, it was nice to have somepony who loved you regardless.

……………………………………………………………………….

What felt like a few moments later, Cloudkicker jerked awake again. Judging from the cheery light and the sweet songs of the birds outside, Ponyville’s local playmare cleverly surmised it must have been morning. Looking back down to the bed, she giggled. Laying on her back, forelegs tucked to her chest in a doglike look, Blossomforth slept. For such a cute and

demure mare, she snored loud enough to wake the dead. And drooled.

Sticking her tongue out in mock disgust, Cloudkicker nudged her with a hoof.

“Hey! Get up.”

Blossomforth’s right leg gave a twitch, but that aside, the mare gave no other indication she heard.  Rolling her eyes, the lavender mare gave her another poke.

“Damn it, get up. I’ve already got wash these from your other fluid, I don’t need you slobbering on my pillow.”

Blossomforth groaned, and shifted in her sleep. Grinning mischeviously, Cloudkicker turned, and opening a drawer with her mouth, took out a air horn. Turning back, she pressed a hoof to the top… Blossomforth screeched as she leaped into the air about to feet above the bed, and after thumping back, rolled onto her stomach, wings flared out in shock. Cackling and ducking under the extended wing, Cloudkicker chirped cheerfully, “Morning!”

Folding her wings back and blushing furiously, Blossomforth hissed “What the buck Cloudki…mmmpphhh!” the rest of her tirade was blocked with a swift kiss. Moaning, the mare leaned into it, until her companion pulled away, still grinning.

“Sleep well?”

Blossomforth nodded, and stretched her wings out again, yawning.

“How about you? Wings give you much trouble?”

Shaking her head, Cloudkicker clambered out of the bed, and walked towards the bathroom. Stopping, she looked behind, and seeing her friends wings once again flat against her sides, got another idea.

“Care to join me in a shower?”

For a moment the two mares looked at each other, then…. Whumpf! Blossomforths wings shoot out again. Grinning eagerly, the green and purple mare bounced off the bed and followed Cloudkicker into the bathroom.

………………………………………………………………………..

Cloudkicker winced as she reflexively stretched her wings out in preparation for flight. Looking back, and remembering suddenly the last few days, she folded the traitorous appendages back with a grimace. Ears flicking towards the sound of flapping, she looked up again, and scowled out the polychromactic mare above her.

“Who snitched?”

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash landed, and said muffledly through the sac cloth in her muzzle “I aim it or ‘its.”

Cocking a brow, Cloudkicker replied, “You came on my tits?”

Spitting out the sac, which clattered to the ground in a golden clink, Rainbow blushed furiously.

“No! I came with your bits!”

Nudging the sac forward, she continued, “Your pay for the next couple of weeks,”

Looking down at the bag, Cloudkicker sniffed, then looked back up, eyes tearing up.

“You trying to get rid of me boss?”

Smirking, Dash shook her head

“And you can stop the waterworks there honey. There not as effective as you think they are.”

Scowling, Cloudkicker flopped down on her belly, wings splaying out across the ground as she muttered darkly, “Buckin’ killjoy…”

Snickering, Rainbow patted the lavender mare on the head.

“I’m the boss, CK. I get paid the big bits to be a meanie.” Seeing the mutinous look in her second in commands eyes, the cyan mare sighed.

“Cloud, your no good to me right now. You’re a hard worker, and definitely one of my best, but right now…” in a uncharacteristic gesture, Rainbow nuzzled the top of Cloudkickers head, and continued in a softer then usual tone, “Just… take some time off. Just for today, go to lunch, the spa, go see a movie.” Grinning, she snarked, “Maybe go and pay a visit too that cutie Garret.”

Getting up, Cloudkicker chuckled.

“So you noticed too, huh?”

“Honey, I may be the definition of butch, but even I can tell he’s gorgeous.”

Snorting, Cloudkicker rolled her eyes.

“Well, if a mare muncher like you can call him that, that’s truly a testament to his genes.”

Smirking, Rainbow Dash followed the lavender mare as she walked into town.

“So… come on, spill! Perhaps the most elegable and handsome male in Ponyville, you gotta have a few tales…”

Cloudkicker shrugged.

“Nah, not really. We’re just friends.”

Rainbow gaped. Seeing the look out the corner of her eye, Cloudkicker sighed, and scuffed her hoof on the ground.

“Theres definite interest… It’s just…” she smiled, and looked up. “I don’t really want another warm body between the

sheets, you know? I don’t need a good rutting or something like that, I’m just happy he calls me his friend.”

Looking back at Rainbow, Cloudkicker frowned, brows knitting together in confusion.

“What? What’s with the look?”

Shaking her head, Dash replied, “Nothing… Just, enjoy your day off, ok?”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Cloudkicker took the glass of water between her hooves, and sipping, cast her gaze skywards. Mood darkening, she lowered the glass, and muttered, “Oh, those bucking morons…”

“You noticed too, huh?”

Looking to her right, she nodded at Garret as he walked up.

“Yo.” As she sat down, she looked back up again, then with a amused smirk, looked back at the human across the table.

“So, tell me, Garret, what have you noticed that you think I’ve noticed?”

Looking up, the human drew invisible lines in the air as he spoke.

“Well first off, today was scheduled for a light shower to keep the park and fields green and to keep the air from getting too dry. Second, those cumulus clouds were placed at too high of an altitude; they’re getting caught in the trade winds, which means that the cloud pushers are spending too much time keeping them in the town limits and away from the Everfree instead of setting up the rainclouds. It also means that some clouds are being lost, which means the pegasi can’t recycle the water for rain. The height also means that unicorns and earth ponies aren’t getting the optimal amount of shade from the cloud coverage, which also means that the temperature is a bit higher than usual for this time of year.”

Cloudkickers jaw threatened to snap with its sudden drop.

“Careful CK… you keep making that face, its gonna stick like that.”

Cloudkicker snapped it shut, and continued her incredulous look.

“A ground pounder…. I mean, you keep track of that stuff?”

Garret shrugged, lacing his fingers in front of him on the table.

“All my people do. Its basic education for our children, and expected as an almost second hand knowledge among the adults. Anyone who doesn’t keep track is considered either lazy or an outright fool. Why, don’t unicorn’s or earth ponies keep track?”

Snorting, Cloudkicker took a bite of her daffodil sandwich, and after a moment of chewing, then swallowing, shook her head.

“Please, the only time they take any time out of their to notice is to complain.”

“How so?

Sighing, Cloudkicker laid her head on the table.

“I don’t want to complain…. But its just not fair. All we hear from them is how lazy and incompetent we are.” Raising her pitch to match the words running through her head, she relayed, “Oh, theres too much, we’re getting flooded! Oh theres to little, the flowers in the park are wilting!” Never mind the gripes we get during the dry season when Cloudsdale rations the water we get. And do we ever get a thank you? A “good job” for shade or keeping twisters and hurricanes from really beating the shit out of everyone? Hay, look at Everfree! Half my job is making sure the rogue storms that place cooks up don’t fry half the town.”

Garret smiled, and leaning forward, patted the equines foreleg.

“Well, if you haven’t heard it before, you’ll hear it now: thank you. We humans may not always say, but we do appreciate the hard work you do.” Leaning, back, he sighed.

“But…” at the word, Cloudkickers ears perked, “… And don’t get mad, but maybe…. Maybe you can’t blame the others for their actions. I’m not saying its right, but pegasi can get a little….”

Cloudkicker chuckled, “Pig headed? Stubborn?  Hedonistic? Rowdy?”

Garret rolled his eyes.

“Well, pegasi are, in all honesty, no worse then my people in that regards.”

Grinning, Cloudkicker raised her head, and nodded sagely.

“Why do you think we let our yearlings and yours play together so much?”

Garret tilted his head.

“Huh?”

“Well, we can get a little rowdy, especially as foals. Humans are really the only ones who can keep up. Unicorns cheat with their magic, and earth pony’s take fights to personal.

“So… we’re just punching bags?”

“Eyup!”

........................................................................

Meanwhile across town, a small crowd had gathered outside of Bon Bons shop, watching the duel inside. Scowling at the human across from her, Bon Bon shook her head.

“Nonsense. Pure and simple.”

Crossing his arms, Eli said evenly, “All I am saying ma’am is that your statement there being no such thing as god is as

much a statement of faith as mine saying there is.”

Snorting, the white coated mare rolled her eyes.

“I suppose, good sir, you are familiar with the parable of the invisible gardener?”

“I am. A equine philosophy professor told it, then stated “The faith of humans died a thousand quilifications ago.”

The mare nodded.

“Exactly. Your Elohie, your so called god, is nothing but a fairy tale.”

“Like Nightmare Moon? Or perhaps Discord? And lets not forget that place that just popped up. You might of heard of it, it was in all the papers…”

Bon Bon stamped her hoof to the floor, and fumed, “Facts! All  those place and beings are real!”

Again, Eli shook his head.

“But you didn’t know that until recently. Don’t you think its possible, even quite likely, the universe, and all the worlds in

it, are the product of not neccesarily a divine hand, but very well might be the product of Intellience of some sort?”

And again, Bon Bon scoffed.

` “Other worlds, meh! Now you good sir travel into the realm of fantasy!”

Not to be deterred, Eli continued firmly, “And lets not forget that my people, humans, for the longest time were relegated to be the boogey mare under your foals bed or in their closet. And yet, though many scoffed not a year ago over my peoples existence, now here we stand. Wouldn’t you say that the existence of Elohie be just as real?”

Bon shook her head vehemently

“Prove it!”

Eli shook his head.

“It can’t be proven.”

“Precisely! Anything that one cannot study, touch, feel, and taste, is nonsense!”

“Ah, in other words, not only is God ridiculous, the very concept of ones soul is ridiculous.”

Bon Bon nodded sagely.

“Now your getting it. Theres hope for you yet.”

“Hopelessness maybe…”

“Call it what you will….” The mare said with a dismissive shrug

“No madam, hopelessness is how it shall end if one chooses to believe as you do.”

The mare blinked, and chuckled.

“Choice? My dear sir, what I say is merely the cold cruel facts of life.”

Eli shook his head.

“Please, madam. You know it true that the nonexistence of god cannot be proven any more then god’s existence. Your statement of “there is no god!” is as much a statement of faith as my “there is a god!”.”

“Don’t be a foal! All I’ve said is a statement of fact!”

“That’s what you believe- there’s nothing to believe in. But atheism rests upon the belief that it is true- not actual proof. By your own definition, doesn’t that make it ridiculous?”

Bon Bon chuckled.

“An excellent point. Your belief in god and my atheism, as you call it, are more then likely based on emotional reactions. But in that case, because of lack of proof, it would be better to call yourself an agnostic?”

“But I already call myself that?”

“Oh?”

“I’m a believing agnostic. I wasn’t there in the beginning, I did not hear Elohie as he spoke. But as our script says when Elohie spoke to our people, “Now thou hast seen me, thou believes? Blessed are they who have not seen, but believe.”

Bon stamped her hoof again.

“Damn stubborn human, of all the ridiculous things said today, that one takes the bloody cake! Seeing is believing, everypony knows that!”

“I don’t.”

“Because you’re a fool. Look at the world, what other people know!”

“So, now the truth can merely be established by a vote?”

Bon Bon and the human spent a few moments looking at one another, then with a sigh, the mare turned back to her kitchen, and without another word, left the crowd behind. After the humans and pony’s filed out, the only ones left were Swiftblade, Alula, and a clapping Lyra.

“Well done!” the mint unicorn exclaimed.

“I beg your pardon?”

Grinning ear to ear, the unicorn walked past Eli, and said “Its been awhile since I’ve seen Bon have that much fun. Come back again, that was entertaining as hay!”

Turning back to his family, he shrugged at the look on his wifes muzzle.

` “What?