Gel woke up, blinking in confusion. ...it shouldn't be this dark...why did I fall asleep so early? She lays on the bed silently for a few moments before bolting upright, eyes wide. ...w-wait...m-my memory...it's still there! She grins widely, carefully getting off the bed so as to not wake Rhino, glancing at him for a moment before sneaking out into the streets, her journal following her as she writes and walks.

She steps out into the street and glances around, curious. She ducks into the forest behind their house and shifts into her original form, blushing softly when her panties became a little loose. ...forgot I had those on. She shakes her head as she removes the clothing before taking to the skies, her journal following her as she surveys the town. First stop, Mane Street.

The town itself is as quiet as one might expect in the middle of the night. As she head down the road, she soon arrives at one of the most recognizable silhouettes in the village, city hall. The fair height and large space all around make it an excellent vantage point.

Gel stares quietly at it for a few moments, admiring the design before moving to the highest balcony. She lands, looking around at the streets below. ...it's so peaceful...maybe I should fly around here at night more often... She quickly scribbles some notes down before a thought occurs to her. ...I've seen parts of the city during the day...but what is Ponyville's nightlife like? She taps a hoof, concentrating. ...what would there be to do this late in a small town like this?

She glances at a clock, noting the time. Eleven twenty-one...definitely in the night-owl time period... She circles along the top of the building, looking around curiously. "...maybe Ponyville just isn't that active at night...but it is the weekend, isn't it?"

Suddenly, her ears pick up a slight spike in sound. One of the few buildings with lights on has it's door open and two ponies spill out. Both are stallions, one a caramel colored earth pony and the other a blue unicorn, and by the slight sway in their walks, both are a little drunk. They seem to be the fun kind though, as they laugh together while heading to the more residential district of town. They even start up a little song of their own, though their words are so slurred it's impossible to tell what they are saying.

She blinks, slowly nodding in understanding. "...that must be a bar, or maybe even a club..." She frowns, scuffing the floor beneath her with a hoof. "...either way, I'm too young to have fun in there..." She sighs, flitting down to the building, landing on the hoof and listening. ...can't hear anything...maybe it's a soundproof spell? She glances at the stallions and, after a brief deliberation, decides to ask them about it.

She quickly glides over to an alley ahead of them, changing back into Angel before stepping out into the street. She smiles kindly at them, waving them over. "H-hi, there. Um...m-may I ask you two something?"

The unicorn chuckles as he nudges his friend. "Hey Caramel, you seeing the same thing I am? Must've drank more than we thought to start seeing mares come out of nowhere. What do you wanna ask us, Miss Illusion?"

"..a-actually, I'm Angel...Angelic Grace..." She coughs softly before motioning towards the building they just exited. "W-what kind of place is that?"

"What, the Watering Hole?" He looks back at the building. "It's a nice little old place, good for drinking, but it ain't like one of those rough and tough places. Barkeep keeps it civil. All about laughing, playing, and having fun."

Caramel speaks up as he sways. "And the booze is good, too."

She puts a hoof on her chin, thinking a bit. "...so...there's fun stuff to do there, even if one's too young to drink?" Maybe I can witness this town's nightlife for myself...

Caramel scratches his head. "Well, there's darts and cards and such, but most of it is usually done with a drink in hoof. It ain't the liveliest place in town at night, but it's the one we like, ain't that right, Pokey?"

The unicorn nods. "Yep."

...or not. She sighs, smiling softly at them. "...sadly, I'm only eighteen...thanks anyways..." She turns around, waving at them over her shoulder. "...I hope you two have a good night..." She heads down the street, looking for some other places that she might be able to experience and write about in her journal.

She walks around town for a little longer, noting down a few things, when a suddenly shift of light around her causes her to look up and see a pegasus moving a cloud. It had crossed the moon a moment, which is why it drew her attention. The pegasus shifts the cloud until it seems to have it perfect before darting off once again towards another batch of clouds.

Why is somepony moving clouds this late at night? She sits down on the ground, calling up to them. "Hello? What are you doing?" ...I'm still Angel, right? She holds a hoof up in front of her face, noticing the bright color of it. I think I am, yeah.

The flying form stalls at the call and starts heading towards her. The familiar form of Thunderlane is revealed as he closes in before hovering in front of her. "Hey Angel, just pulling the night shift. What brings you out so late?"

"...um...I-I couldn't sleep..." She blushes brightly, shyly smiling at him. "...s-so...why do you have the night shift?" She giggles, giving him a playful wink. "...I'd have thought having Rainbow as your marefriend would make your job easier..." She scribbles in her journal as she waits for his response to her teasing.

He chuckles. "She's not my marefriend, she's my friend and boss. If anything, I'd expect she'd work any coltfriend of hers harder than anypony else. I'm just on the night shift because that's just the way it worked out this week. I don't mind, it means I get tomorrow off and I'm exempt from doing it again next week."

"That's good for you...Lane was it?" She smiles kindly, moving to pass by him. "...I'll leave you to your work, now...enjoy your day off, tomorrow..." She smiles, glad she learned something new. She quickly writes it in her journal, following the lonely street.

She continues walking through town, noting things of interest. Finally, she finds herself at the base of the town clock tower. As if it had been waiting for her, the minute hand finally completes its journey back to twelve. The tower chimes out twelve deep tones to signal the midnight hour.

As the final chime sounds, her mind goes blank, her journal dropping unceremoniously to the ground. Her eyes glaze over as she stands silently, facing the tower but not recognizing it.

After a couple minutes she blinks, shaking her head to clear the fog in it. She glances around in confusion, brow furrowed. "...what...what am I doing out here?"

She notices her journal on the ground.

She picks it up, opening it carefully. "...I couldn't sleep? Why couldn't I-" She stops seeing the earlier segment. Her cheeks flush with color as steam trails off the top of her head. "...o-oh...m-maybe I should head back home...wherever that is..." She glances at the address in the front of the book, carefully navigating the streets before finding their house.

She walks inside, sighing softly as she enters Rhino's bedroom. "...there he is..." She approaches the bed, tentatively pulling back the covers to his lower stomach before stopping. She momentarily considers pulling it down further but shakes her head. "...p-probably better to wait...a-at least it'll be over in two days..." She climbs into the bed, laying belly-to-belly with him.

As her fur brushes against his own, his body makes it usual adjustments. A foreleg stretches out and brings her closer as his tail winds itself around hers. As he snuggles against her, he lets out a content sigh.

She giggles, placing a hoof around his back. "...absolutely perfect..." She lays her journal on the bedside table and nestles her head under his chin, smiling softly to herself. Right before she drifts back off to sleep, she whispers quietly to him. "...I love you, Rhino..."

***

Gel enters the kitchen, rubbing her eyes as she groggily opens the fridge. I really wish I didn't wander around town last night...I didn’t want to wake up this late... She grabs a glass and gets herself some milk, looking at it skeptically. ...might as well see why he likes this, so much... She raises the glass to her lips, psyching herself up for her first taste of the white liquid.

Rhino, who had lain awake for a while but had simply chosen not to get up until she did, watches on. Seeing exactly what she is about to do, he puts on an expectant grin and crosses one leg over another as he leans against the kitchen doorway.

She takes a tentative sip and pauses, letting the flavor sink in. ...interesting...I prefer apple juice, but this is just fine, too... She looks up at him, smiling softly. "...I like it..." She pushes her glasses back up her nose, blushing a bit. "...and I can see why you like it, too..."

"Well then..." He pours himself his usual tall glass of it and holds it out to her glass. "Cheers to the white stuff." He gives a cheeky smile.

She blinks before shyly averting her eyes, clinking her glass against his. "...w-we're talking about milk, right?" She drinks the rest of her beverage, hoping to hide her awkwardness.

"Of course." He quickly chugs the entirety of his glass, the liquid flowing down his throat. "What else would I be talking about?" He blinks as her appearance hits him. "Ok, clarification is needed, that was a toast to the cold white stuff." He raises his empty glass into the air. "Clink. That one was to the hot white stuff." He looks pointedly at her, still with a grin.

She chokes on the last of her milk, not expecting that. She coughs, hitting a hoof against her chest in an attempt to clear her airway. "...w-wow...I-I didn't think you would say that..." She breathes softly, recovering from her little episode, staring up at him, her cheeks beet red. "...t-thank you, Rhino...”

He smiles, walking up and nuzzling her. "You're very welcome." His eyes focus on her glasses and he chuckles before flicking her lightly with his tail. "You do seem to like your outfits, don't you?

She squeaks, blushing a bit more from his actions. "...w-well, you seemed to like it...s-so I thought I could wear it for you, today..." She leans up and kisses him softly, giggling a bit. "...I want to make you happy, after all..." She flutters her eyes at him, playfully smiling.

He gives an almost rumbling laugh. "So I've learned." He softens his eyes to an almost half-lidded state, even with a playful smile. "Of course, you know I want to make you just as happy." He wraps a hoof around her and brings her close.

"...you've done plenty for me, yesterday..." She bites her lip as her gaze trails up and down his form for a moment. "...I want to return the favor, sometime soon..." She winks, placing a hoof on his chest, gently rubbing circles in his fur. She moves closer, her muzzle mere inches from his ear. "...I was thinking tonight...if you feel up for it, of course..."

The fur along his spine flares upward for a moment as a shiver runs down his body. His face flushes as he answers. "W-well, you know... you have to feel up to it too of course..."

"...oh, I'm certain I'll feel up for it..." She sits down in front of him, staring down at her hooves in embarrassment. "...I need to make up for blue balling you twice..." I still can't believe I just went to bed after that...I don't want to look selfish...

He nudges her with his nose. "You don't have to make anything up to me..."

"...you say I don't...but I want to..." She tenderly nuzzles his cheek before pulling back to look up at him. "...please..."

A knocking at the door interrupts any answer he might have had. Rhino looks toward the door curiously. "Now who could that be?"

"I-I'll go check." Thank goodness I'm just wearing the spectacles. I can't even remember what happened to my panties... She walks over and opens it, smiling politely. "Hello?"

The form of her boss answers her. "Good morning Angel! I hope you don't mind me dropping by, but since you took off work, we never actually discussed when we were going to the spa today."

"Oh!" She blushes brightly, embarrassment quickly settling in. I can't believe I didn't think of that detail. Good thing she came by! "...um...w-we could go now, if you'd like...I'm ready to go..."

Silk tilts her head with a small smile. "Got your 'spa going' glasses on and everything?"

"Oh, these?" She flicks her head to the side, flinging the glasses onto a hook by the door. "N-nothing to worry about. J-just forgot I had them on." She steps out and closes the door behind her, glad she kept her journal on her at all times, now. "L-lead the way, please."

The yellow mare blinks. "Wow, you must have been really ready to get out of the house..." She turns and starts heading into town. "Ah well, just more of you for me I guess."

Gel stumbles, surprised by her words. "...um...I-I'm sorry?" Damn my mind! She shakes her head, trying to cover her little slip-up. "...I-I just really need to relax..." She nervously giggles. Please just accept my sad excuse.

Silk nods as they continue walking. "Oh I bet you do honey, don't worry, it's not far. Just look at how tense you are, and I bet that heat doesn't help either."

"...you're definitely right about that...but..." She smiles, her eyes looking off into the distance. "...I did get a little help, yesterday..."

"Ah, some nice steamy stallion action eh?" The pegasus giggles. "Best cure there is." The two walk along for a few more minutes. "Ah, here we are, Ponyville Day Spa. Come on in!" Silk opens the door and makes her way inside.

The white unicorn follows her inside, staring at the decor. "...this place seems...interesting...w-what do you think we should do first?" She turns to her friend, smiling shyly.

The other mare looks over the board. "Let's see... they have saunas, mud baths, hooficures, massages, seaweed wraps, mineral water baths... I believe I know the order." She looks to the blue mare behind the counter, "Start us off with the sauna please."

The spa pony nods eagerly as she waves them both back towards the spa itself.

Gel tilts her head, confused. ...sauna? What's a sauna? She quietly walks into the spa section, unsure of what to do. Why didn't I study this? Or even have a previous ponysona that went to a spa? She bites her lip, fidgeting nervously as she looks around.

Silk nudges her. "Relax dear, the spa isn't going to do you any good if you go and get tense about even being here. Just follow my lead and enjoy yourself." They near some racks of various fluffy robes. "Robe?"

She nods, taking a vibrant blue one and putting it on. Glancing at the cyan mare in front of them, she leans over to the pegasus and whispers to her, too curious to resist. "...I-I know this may sound strange, but...w-what's a sauna?"

As they reach a wooden door set in the wall, Silk whispers back. "Steam room, hon." This statement proves true as the door is opened as steam billows out of it. The spa pony and pegasus both walk in, gesturing for Gel to follow.

She does so, sitting on a ledge that she assumes is a seat. "...I see...or, I would, if...n-never mind, that's a bad joke..." She coughs, trying to change the subject. "...s-so...y-you know a bit about my personal life...m-may I ask about yours, Silk?"

"Sounds fair to me." The pegasus stretches out her wings as they sit. "What did you want to know about little old me?"

"...um..." She taps a hoof on her chin for a moment before a question comes to her. "Oh! H-have you had any coltfriends?" She sheepishly smiles, a small 'squee' coming from her as she does.

Silk nods. "Oh, I've had a few before, none of them ever really seemed to stick though. I've actually got my eye on another one now for the first time in a long time and he seems like a keeper."

Gel giggles, playfully pushing her with a hoof. "That sounds great! I hope you'll be happy with him!" I wonder who she's interested in? That Caramel stallion I met last night? Thunderlane? She shakes her head, smirking slightly. I suppose it'll just be a surprise. I don't want to impose on that subject any further.

Soon enough, their time in the sauna is over and they move on to the next portion. "Massages next." The blue spa pony nods and has her pink counterpart get them ready. She guides them over to a pair of tables, where she directs them to lie down. As they do so, she picks up a file in her mouth at points it at Gel's horn. "Horn filing miss?"

She blinks and nods, confused. "...um...s-sure..." ...if the professionals are offering it, who am I to argue? She rests her head on her forehooves, glancing over at Silk to see how she's doing.

The mare in question is speaking to one of the other employees about her massage. After a moment, they both nod and the pony moves to her side. She starts using a great deal of force to bear down on the knots and Silk seems to love every second of it. Meanwhile, the pink spa pony has started run the file across Gel's horn at a moderate speed, it's tiny teeth grinding across the protrusion.

...good thing my horn isn't sensitive without magic in it...otherwise I'd be moaning like all get out... The white unicorn sighs softly, letting herself get lost in her thoughts. I can't exactly ask about Silk, right now, since she's in her own little world at the moment...maybe I could write in my...no, that would require magic, and I can't use that, at the moment... She closes her eyes, unsure of what to do, even as her hindlegs press closer together as she subconsciously tries to hide her heat.

The filing soon stops and the mare addresses her again. "Alright miss, do you know what kind of massage you want? If you don't know the names, just tell us relatively how hard or how soft you want it."

She looks up at her, smiling kindly. "...c-could I please have a...medium-soft massage, Miss?" I sure hope that's a thing...

"Certainly." The pink pony motions to her blue counterpart who walks over and stands next to the prone mare. She rears up onto her hindlegs and half-closes her eyes in concentration as she places her hooves on Gel's back. She begins working in slow circles on the muscles, applying a little more weight than just setting her hooves on them would do, but working them at all the right angles to do what she needs to. She begins working towards the shoulders, plying her craft.

She coos softly, enjoying the sensations of her first massage. ...this is wonderful...I should learn this for Rhino... A small smirk forms on her lips. ...I bet I could make it even more enjoyable for him than it is for me...

The masseuse then begins working her way back down the mare's body. She passes the point she had started at and begins working the lower muscles.

Her hindleg twitches at this, but she makes no move to stop it. ...I had no idea somepony could cause this...pleasant feeling without touching an erotic area... She practically melts into the table, unable to think any more from the bliss the blue mare is giving her.

The blue pony ends her downward journey just above the cutie marks. She works that area for a time until she slides her hooves off the body and gently grabs one of Gel's hindlegs, extending it to the side. She then begins working the muscles of the limb itself.

This grabs the unicorn's attention, a bright blush adorning her face. Please don't touch my inner thigh...I-I don't know if my response would be welcome... She bites her lip, silently bracing herself just in case.

Luckily, the pony working on her doesn't ever go that far. She kneads her hooves all over the top and side of the leg, but never goes underneath. After a while, she finishes and begins to repeat the process with the other hindleg.

Gel sighs in relief, relaxing completely. ...thank goodness...what was I worried about? These mares wouldn't do that...they're professionals... She glances over at Silk once more, curious as to how her friend's massage was going.

Her boss is currently in a world of her own, a goofy smile on her face as her masseuse works the area around her wing bases. As Gel watches, the pony slowly extends the wings and begins to preen them, setting each feather where it should be.

Gel giggles, seeing the silly look on the pony's face. That must be one hay of a massage...did I look like that? She brings her journal up, writing down her experience so far. Maybe I should bring Rhino here...yeah, probably not...I got jealous when I saw his coworker...who knows how I'd act if another mare actually got hooves-on with him... She shakes her head, frowning slightly. ...maybe I could just replicate the more pleasurable aspects of this for him later...yeah, I think that's a good idea...

They finish up their massages and the pink mare, who Silk finally has the mind to introduce as Aloe, leads them to the next area. She stops next to two bins, one of seaweed and the other of green goop. “Alright, now before we get you into the mud baths, did either of you wish for a facial or seaweed wrap?”

The white mare blinks, unsure. She looks to Silk, sheepish. "...um...w-what do you think?" It's time like these that I wish I studied stuff like this more often...maybe I could find a book on spa services at the library?

Silk shrugs as she gestures to both bins. "Why not go for the full treatment? Might as well, right?"

"...i-if you say so..." I hope Rhino likes this. Of course, this is also time to spend with one of my few friends here... She smiles softly at the pegasus. ...so I suppose I can stand to do what she wants me to...

Given the go ahead, the spa workers immediately slather on a nice layer if facial mask on their faces, topping it off with cucumbers on the eyes. They then wrap seaweed on almost every inch of the two mares' bodies. They even add little bows of seaweed at the bases of the tails, though that was probably just for fun. The two mares are then led by hoof to edge of the mud baths, one hoofed placed in for them, but nothing else so they are free to go in when they wish. A squelching sound from her side lets Gel know that Silk has already decided to take part.

Gel decides to follow her friend's example and steps in, shivering slightly at the sensation of mud around her body. ...this seems really counterintuitive, to me...why would one get dirty to get clean? Or is this just for relaxation? She sighs, abandoning her train of thought before she became any more confused than she already was.

The pegasus mare lets out a relaxed sigh as they lay in the mud. "So, anything on your mind, Angel?"

"...w-well..." She tilts her head to one side, thinking a bit. "...I-I was wondering...how often do you come here?"

"Oh, not too often. Not much fun to come by myself. I only come in every other month or so for a hooficure, maybe try another service while I'm here. This is only the second time I've done the whole package." Since her eyes are covered, the mare doesn't bother turning her head to Gel, since neither of them would get anything out of it.

"...I see...t-thank you for doing this with me..." Gel giggles softly. "...I have to wonder if stallions ever come in here...what do you think, Silk?"

The mare thinks before answering with a laugh. "The way I hear it, most stallions stay clear of places like this. There might be some that don't, but I haven't met them yet. I think most of them just see it as too girly."

"...oh...t-that's interesting..." She smirks, even though she knows her friend wouldn't see it. "...I believe my coltfriend offered to join us...but I didn't know if you wanted him here..." ...I may be remembering that wrong...oh well...

Silk giggles. "Well, I would suggest coming here with him alone first. Be sure to tell me how he reacts to everything though, I'm very curious what a stallion's perception of all this is once he gives it a chance."

"...I'll be sure to do that..." She hears the sound of hooves approaching, smiling softly, unable to help but feel relieved to get out of the mud.

The spa attendants carefully lead the out of the tubs. The goopy masks are wiped away, and the mud comes off with the seaweed. The mares are lead to one of the final parts of the treatment: a nice giant tub of steaming mineral water.

Gel blinks, looking at the tub in front of her. ...well, at least I don't have to worry about causing it to get hot, or anything...I hope it's not too deep, though... She carefully steps into the tub, sighing softly. ...this is amazing...

The water comes up to about neck height. Silk spreads her wings and waves them slowly through the water to get them clean, causing some small waves as she does so. "If I know spa etiquette, and I have no idea if I do or not, I believe this is where most of the chatting happens. Since we've been doing that pretty much the entire time though, anything else we should talk about while we're alone?"

"...w-well..." She puts a hoof to her chin, thinking a bit. "...maybe you could tell me...w-where you're from? I-I've been curious about that, for a while..." Her notebook floats behind her, ready to jot down everything that's said. ...come to think of it, where did I say I was from? She tilts her head to one side and smiles softly, keeping her inner monologue to herself for the moment.

The pegasus dunks her head in the water and comes back up, flicking it out of her face before answering. "Oh it's not all that interesting. I'm from the land of poofy whiteness incarnate, Cloudsdale."

"Cloudsdale?" Gel smiles brightly, clapping her hooves together. "I hear that place is absolutely stunning! Oh, I'd do almost anything to see it, myself!" She stops mid-gesture, blushing brightly at how eager she'd sounded. "...um...s-sorry about that outburst..."

Silk tilts her head. "Perfectly fine, but why so interested?"

"...I-I just...want to know what it's like to walk on a cloud, I guess..." She turns her head away, embarrassed beyond words, now.

The other mare smirks, splashing a little bit of water onto Gel. "If that's all you wanted, just talk to a unicorn that knows the cloud-walking spell and then talk to somepony on the weather team. It seemed to me like a bit more than just wanting to walk on clouds though."

"...w-well..." She taps her forehooves together, hesitant. "...I-I heard that a famous author lives there...b-but the main reason..." She sighs softly, turning to look at Silk once more. "...i-is to see how a sunset looks from there...w-with my love...I-I figured it would be so romantic, you know?" She sheepishly smiles.

Silk's smirk softens to a smile. "Ah, romance fantasies... A sunset is a good thing to take in while you're there, they seem to look different in every city." She leans back to where she is partially floating in the water. "Ahh..."

Gel sits quietly, looking over the other mare's form for a moment. "...Silk...have you ever...y-you know...been with a stallion?"

"Ah, at that point in mare talk are we?" She flips up so that she can face the mare. "To answer the question, yes."

"...I-I see..." She bites her lip, clenching her hindlegs together slightly. "...d-did you love him?" Why am I asking this?

She shakes her head. "No, we were a couple and decided that we would do that. No feelings really came of it and we had a mutual breakup a few weeks later. I don't regret it," her feathers ruffle, "woo, do I not regret it... He wasn't my first, but he was my last."

"...oh..." The white mare sits quietly, her pen still blazing words across the pages. ...I don't know what to think of that...she didn't have a stallion as her first? Gel shakes her head, smiling softly. "...t-thank you for sharing that...especially since you didn't have to..."

As she turns to see that spa ponies returning, Silk smiles back at Gel. "Hey, no problem. Now, what do you say we get to the final part?" That mares are lead out of the tub and to some cushions. "Hooficures!"

"...um...s-sure?" She carefully lays down on one set, wondering what this one will be like. ...I guess I'm about to find out, huh?

The attendants each take one hoof from each pony and brandish files similar to the one used on Gel's horn. They begin smoothing out the edges and any imperfections on their hooves.

...well. I worried for nothing. This is actually quite relaxing. She closes her eyes, sighing softly as she lets the mares do their job.

It seems Silk is equally relaxed. As the spa ponies work through each hoof, not a word is said. The comfortable silence persists even as they apply a small bit of oil to give the hooves a bit of protection from chipping while making them glossier. Soon, the treatment is done and the two mares are lead back up to the front.

"...thank you again for coming here with me, Silk..." She giggles, playfully bumping her side with her own. "...I don't know if it would've been as fun without you..." She glances at the attendant, hoping they didn't take offense at that.

They didn't, the spa pony smiles at them, cheerfully exchanging pleasantries as they each pay for themselves. As they exit the building, Silk turns to the young mare. "Alright hon, think you can make it home to that stallion of yours by yourself?"

"...I-I think so..." Gel smiles softly, holding out a hoof to the older mare. "...have a nice day, Silk...and good luck with that stallion you have your eye on..." She winks teasingly.

The Pegasus smiles as she shakes the offered hoof. "And good luck not jumping the stallion you already have." She winks before spreading her wings and flying off.

The white unicorn stands there for a moment, a bright blush on her cheeks and steam rising off her head. "...h-he'd be sure I wouldn't..." She sighs, turning and heading off to return home. ...I wonder what Rhino's doing... She stops mid-step, eyes wide in shock. ...I forgot to tell him I was leaving...

By the time that thought went through her head, she was already racing to get back home to her stallion.

When she arrives home, she immediately bursts in the door. Rhino teleports in front of her almost instantly and grabs her in a hug. "There you are, I was worried about you!" As he hugs her, small signs of his distress can be seen. A particular section of carpet looks as it it was walked on excessively, a plate and glass can be barely seen on the kitchen table, both seemingly used multiple times, and finally, there is a tired look in his eyes.

Seeing him in such a state, she hugs him back, trembling softly. "...I-I'm so sorry, Rhino...I should've told you I was heading off to the spa..." She gingerly strokes his cheek with a hoof, smiling reassuringly up at him. "...I'm here, though...so you don't need to worry any more..." She kisses the tip of his nose.

He cracks a small smile, but it is difficult to tell the emotion behind it. "I remembered you saying something about the spa, so I hoped that was where you were..." He hugs her tighter. "I just didn't know for sure... I told myself that I needed to just wait and see if you came back... but I had to find ways to distract myself from going insane in the meantime..." He gives her a passionate kiss. "I'm just glad you're safe..."

"...thank you for being so concerned..." She kisses him back, sighing softly. "...I-I still feel bad for causing you...so much strife..." She looks up at him, her eyes shining with love and concern. "...i-is there any way...I can make it up to you, Rhino?" She puts a hoof on his lips before he can say anything. "...before you say that I don't have to...I want to...please, tell me what I can do..."

He brings her back in for another hug, whispering into her ear. "Just... stay near me... at least for a little while..."

She smiles softly, whispering back. "...I can do that...I'll stay near you as long as you want me to..." She gently embraces him, resting her head on his shoulder.