"Nondis..."

"Yes, Melanie?"

"Uhhh.... what the hell is this?"

The butterflies in my stomach... I think I'm gonna vomit.

"Nondis, what the hell!? I thought you locked the door!"

...what?

Due to my confusion, I finally gave myself the courage to open my eyes and see what was in front of me. But what I saw was quite a shock to behold.

"Oh my God! Did they take anything? And why is the couch laying longways against the wall?"

Yeah... I'm just as confused as she is at this point. But who am I kidding? I was like three milliseconds from my heart punching me in the gut, causing me to spew chunks, all of it in a not-so glorious sequence of a Rube Goldberg project. At one given point, I felt the acid in my stomach bubble a little bit and reach the back of my throat. Upon swallowing I felt disgust at the taste, but I also felt the exuberance of not seeing a single equine in my living room.

Naturally, I decided to roll with it. "Oh man, did they take anything?"

"Go see if they took anything in your room, for the most part it looks like they did a bit of rummaging through everything." She suggested.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna look around and see if I can find any clues."

"Okay, you check in here while I go take inventory."

As she continued to slowly look around the living room for any hints or clues, I quickly darted to my room as any victim would. I ran inside my room and shut the door. With my back against the wall, I sighed in relief and quietly pumped my fist with jubilation. A big smile formed on my face as I slid to the floor. But in a few seconds, my smile then dissipated as I saw that my once-tidy room was what appeared to be a war zone. Obviously the girls were here at one given point, but I'm still confused as to why they decided to tear my room to shreds. Even my computer desk was in complete disarray.

I walked over to the computer and saw that there was a few tabs open on my Internet Explorer browser, a browser that I hardly even use anymore. With an eyebrow raised, I investigated what was on the tabs and also opened my internet history. As I looked through the tabs, I saw that one was set on the google maps page, pointing out the address to my fraternity's on-campus home. Another tab showed a local news site with a video asking if I wanted to rewatch the video. But as soon as I looked at the header above, I saw that it was about the investigation of my disappearance. Another three tabs had something to do with human media, weather patterns, and... a search page of human sexual positions?

I did not search for that.

If anything I would do my porn searches on my laptop, that's why it's here and locked. But my attention was now brought to the glaring thing that seemed to have shone brightly on my computer, four notifications from Steam. As I pulled up the application, I had gotten three recommendations for what to buy. One game was called I Am Bread, another one called Kernal Space Program, and a final one that seems to be an often reviewed game called Five Nights at Freddy's. My curiosity getting the better of me, I decided to see what was this was all about.

I did a short search of the game and the first thing that came up was a video with a large purple... dog? Otter? Whatever it is, it had it's mouth open and breaking the fourth wall. So I clicked on the video and waited for it to load, as I watched, there was just a person clicking on a few buttons while sitting in a room. The room was pretty quiet except for the rapid clicking noise the 'door' button made. Suddenly, a screen popped up in my face, showing me several cameras and lots of static. The display fell down and then...

Out of instinct, I shoved my hand against my mouth and jumped back as the screamer of a purple... something just eating away at my screen. My heart was going at a marathon's pace while I had already started to feel the small dose of adrenaline surging through my veins. Immediately afterwards, there was a brief screen of static before there was a pitch-black screen with that purple thing staring back at me... sans eyes, producing a static-filled screeching sound.

Oh hell naw.

I looked away for a moment and hoped that the screen cut off, but instead all I was was two white beady eyes and A HUGE ASS ROW OF FUCKING TEETH SMILING AS IF IT WAS GOING TO DEVOUR MY SOUL! The noise became even more distorted and louder. Afterwards, I could see a menu of what appeared to be a bear, a duck, and that purple thing just motionless... except for the occasional head tilts and static flashes.

No. Not even gonna touch this shit. Not even once. I've had my fucked-up experiences yesterday, last week, and every other time between. Before I could click away from the video, I heard a light brushing noise from within my closet.

That was the last thing I needed to hear, strange sounds emanating from my closet. I swear if I see something purple come out at me, I'll be punching it in the face. When I walked up to the closet, I balled up my fists tightly and slowly reached for the door. Without warning, the door swung wide open and out came a purple pony who ungraciously fell on her face.

"Ow... Last time I'll ever stuff myself into a closet."

You know, purple is the last color I'd wanted to see right now, at this immediate moment. But considering that it's Twilight... yeah this is probably even worse. "What are you doing in my closet?"

"Well, you're the one that sent Sunset the text that we should hide." Twilight whispered.

Did I send out a text? Last I checked I was too busy panicking over Melanie trying to get into my apartment to worry about sending out text messages. I don't remember sending out one in such a short amount of time. Pulling out my phone, I saw that my screen was on the conversation between me and Sunset. Inside of the room was only one text.

Sent to: +1-(929)-284-1323
Melanie is coming upstairs, hide and don't come out until I say so. Will explain later.

Discord, you cheeky dickwaffle. "Yeah, I did send out a text." I lied. I owe Discord this one. "But I do have to wonder why you are here in my world... again?"

Sunset removed herself from underneath a pile of clothes as she whispered. "Well, we wanted to make sure that Discord wasn't here."

As she stood in place with a pair of black boxers on her horn, I shook my head and face-palmed. "Sunset, why are you in my clothes?"

"It was the only place I could hide in such short notice. When you and her were coming through the door, I was still shoveling these over my head."

I tried my best not to laugh as I informed her where she was hiding. "Well if you would be so kind as to not hide in my dirty laundry next time, I would greatly appreciate it."

Sunset looked at the boxers on her horn and covered her muzzle as she shrieked. Rarity jumped out from beside her and they both proceeded to levitate the clothes off of their bodies. Pinkie simply hopped out with a smile as she quietly screamed 'surprise' at me. The other ponies looked at her strangely as she finished. "What, was I too late again?"

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy came from within the bathroom as the timid pegasus spoke. "Pinkie, I think our concern should be on the location of Discord. We can't just let him roam around here so freely, or it would cause a lot of trouble for Nondis."

"Can't see how, he's already in trouble as it is. Melanie knows we were here." Rainbow stated while holding my deodorant, teeth marks noticeable in the powdered stick. "Hey Nondis, your human salt licks taste like shit."

Okay, remember that day when Twilight shoved a pillow full of semen on her face in front of her mom and dad? This is getting close to it.

"Plaaah!" She blurted out in disgust as she brushed her tongue to get something off. "And seriously, what's with all the hair? This is like the fifth one I ran into."

On second thought, it's right up there with it.

Sunset looked on mortified of what the rainbow-maned pony had bit into. Her mouth dropped as she watched the pony starting to bite once more. I quickly intervened, grabbing the remains of my deodorant from her. "Rainbow, brush your teeth. That 'protein bar' was actually deodorant, I rub that under my arms to keep from smelling bad."

I think I had actually seen all the color drain from Rainbow's mane and coat as she stared at the thing I held in my hands, zoning out into a thousand-yard stare. "There is no greater sorrow then to recall our times of joy in wretchedness.”

In speaking of which, I now recall that time she and Applejack made me wear a dress all through the town. I had to pretend I had no problems wearing that thing when the panties I wore with it rode up the crack of my ass...

Eat it up, Dashie. Eat it all up.

The prismatic pony hopped up to her wings and bolted into the bathroom and proceeded to run the water to brush her teeth with as much toothpaste as possible. Sunset sank her head in disgust as she brought a hoof over her face. I decided to shrug off the image of what had just transpired and place my attention back to the purple princess in front of my closet. "So, why do you think Discord is here again?"

"Well I had a conversation with him just before he left. I was talking about how everything was so different in your world compared to ours. But when I said that my magic goes unchanged when I come here, he decides to run off somewhere. He made the excuse that he would be going to Fluttershy's for..." Twilight's cheeks started to turn pink as she glanced over to the yellow pegasus. "...reasons that shall remain undisclosed."

Not even gonna ask.

"NONDIS, COME HERE!"

As Melanie's voice boomed through the apartment, I felt a familiar sense of urgency take over my mind. I turned to the group of ponies and whispered. "You guys, can you all quietly get back to Equestria?"

The ponies agreed to comply with my request, but it didn't come without additional commentary. "But what about Applejack?" Sunset questioned quietly to Twilight.

"What about her?" I asked, overhearing their question.

"Well, she was somewhere in the front room when we all had gotten the text you sent. None of us have seen her come in here."

That means she's in the front... SHIT! "What do you mean, she isn't with you!?"

"NONDIS!" I heard her call from somewhere down the hall, her footsteps growing even closer to the room. The girls went back into hiding, much to the misery of Sunset and Rarity. Pinkie didn't seem to mind too much about hiding in my soiled apparel, then again I have to keep in mind who I'm talking about. Nevertheless, I walked out into the hall and quickly closed the door behind me. Just a few feet away stood Melanie. "What took you so long to respond?"

"I was kinda distracted by something, sorry."

She scoffed at my answer. "Well next time say something, I thought the intruder was in your room and had gotten to you. You didn't say anything while I was in here looking around or when I called your name."

"Okay, I won't scare you like that again." I apologized. "So what did you find?"

"I found that someone had been going through your drawers in the kitchen. And apparently there's a strange set of tracks on the floor."

Uh-oh... "Let me see what you're talking about."

We walked from the hall and into the kitchen, where there was a pair of hoofprints on the floor, highlighted by my crushed stash of Zebracakes. Damn, I was looking forward to eating those, shit... I looked at the floor with dismay as I stared at the cream filling being violently spewed from within a crushed cake. Such violence implemented against a delicious snack. Pinkie Pie would surely assist me in my mourning...

PINKIE, YOU CRUSHED MY ZEBRACAKES!

"Well... there goes my snack." I announced in deadpan.

She pointed out the unusual oval-shaped prints on the box as well as well as an adjacent pastry. "These don't look like they were stepped on, but almost like they were hammered in by something. Whoever was in here really doesn't like your choice in snacks."

Rather they did, but was careless in their─Pinkie's─indulgence. "Well fuck you too, strange person who invaded my place of dwelling."

"Well I'm gonna get this taken care of, right now." Melanie didn't make any further issue of it as she pulled out her phone.

"Um... Mel, what are you doing?" I inquired while growing concerned.

"Calling the police, what else?"

"No no no no no no!" THAT'S EVEN WORSE! "Uh, don't do that."

"And why not?" She questioned, placing a hand on her hip.

"Because I'm stashing over here. You know, those guns I bought from Rickey, some of them are here and I haven't exactly been able to get rid of them yet. I can't exactly have the police snooping around unless you want me to get arrested!" I made up, knowing that all of the weapons were far from in this apartment.

"Nondis, some idiot just broke into your apartment, went through all of your shit, and now you're just telling me that they could be armed to the teeth?"

"No! I'm just saying that the police would arrest me on the count of possessing illegal firearms without a license. And if you're here, then that makes it probable cause for you to be taken in as well."

She rolled her eyes in response to my argument. "How the hell would they even have probable cause?"

"I don't know, perhaps your ex-boyfriend─who just so happens to be a criminal justice major─could have ratted us out about the weapons. And if I was a vengeful sonofabitch, I would drag your ass along with it just because you said that you were done with me!" I may have been on my off-game when it comes to lying lately, but this one was definitely legit.

Melanie thought about it for a second before hanging up the phone. "Well since you put it that way, he probably told on us by now. I'm just surprised that I haven't gotten a knock on my door yet. The most I've ever gotten was a phone call in regards to my case."

For the first time today, one of my own lies actually worked out in my favor. "Exactly, so don't call the police. We don't need the extra attention right now. At least let me get rid of the remaining stash and then we can talk about involving law enforcement."

She nodded quietly as she put her phone away. "So, what do you insist we do next?"

I began to scratch the back of my head as I thought aloud. "Well I guess I could clean this place up a bit. I'm kinda embarrassed that you walked in on it looking like this earlier. A second time is kinda brutal, don't you think?"

Melanie smiled a bit as she poked at me. "Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes."

"Then, you're gonna be okay?"

"I'm not dead, so yeah. Plus I'm armed, if anyone decides to walk in here and come at me, they'd be in for a rude awakening. Not really much of an awakening as it would be getting a permanent Ambien inserted into the skull."

Mel giggled a bit at the dark humor and walked towards the front door. I escorted her along the way down towards her car, where she gave me a final hug. She asked once more if I was in need of help, to which I graciously declined... again. But after we hugged, I had noticed that she hadn't took off yet. Instead, she was still standing in front of me, almost waiting on me to say something.

"You okay?"

She pulled out her phone and started tapping away at the screen. "Well, I remembered that you said you had a gift you wanted to give me this upcoming weekend."

I did say that, but in a blind panic. "I... guess I do."

"You guess?"

"I mean, I do, but... I don't know what it is yet."

"...So, if you're giving me a gift, then would it be safe to say that you're open this weekend?"

Oh dammit. "Sure. I don't mind going to a movie or something. We can hang out for a bit before I head back to work."

"M'kay. Then let's do my place at five."

Your place? "Why your place?"

"Just like you said, we're hanging out... Unless you wanted it to be a date or something, which I'd be kinda cool with."

I totally walked into this, I should've just left it at 'her place'. "Okay then, hangout at your place it is."

She smiled as she walked up to me, pulling at my shirt as she yanked me down and wrapped her free arm around my neck. The only thing I felt next was the gentle sensation of her lips softly pressed against mine. My heart began to jump throughout my chest, my stomach began to feel light as her right hand unhooked from my shirt and joined with her left arm in cradling my neck down to her. When I tried to back away, she leaned in on me, pulling me in even more as her lips parted and her mouth released a heated vapor against my lips. A soft gasp sounded as she tilted her head and pressed in for more.

Nervously, I started to move my hands to her chest to separate us, but she used her left hand to place my hand against her waist, moving it back towards the back of her jeans. On her next assault, she dipped her head slightly and shoved herself back in, using her lips to separate mine as her tongue secretly snuck in to greet mine. That bit of our exchange was brief, but it was definitely memorable. When she pulled off, she smiled and whispered.

"That... was my way of thanking you for getting rid of Jasper."

"Melanie─" I offered to speak but was silenced by a simple peck on the lips.

"I'll see you this weekend."

For the longest period of time, I was petrified. I could only watch as she walked over to the driver's side of the car, start up the engine, and pull off. As she left me smelling the gas from her exhaust pipe, I couldn't help but bring a finger to my lips. Eventually, my mind had finally caught up to the fact that she had actually kissed me.

Melanie kissed me. Melanie, my crush since high school, my sole desire throughout college, my downfall into drugs and despair, the beacon that spoke of my existence long after my absence, had actually burdened my lips with her own. Of course I would need a moment to process that.

Slowly but surely, I walked back into my apartment. Upon closing the door, I could already tell that my mind was awash with a mix of emotions. One such feeling was none other than excitement, I-I-I just kissed Melanie... no, she kissed me! The peach-mango lip gloss she wore, I could still taste it on my lips. I could still memorize the feel of her tongue brushing against mine. And I could even feel the blood rushing through my veins and my manhood growing. I just got a kiss from the girl I liked...

But that's when the truth of it all came crashing down. I just got into a full-fledged make-out with the girl I liked, as in past-tense. I let her sink her lips into mine and... I felt the warmth of her hips. She pulled my hand closer to her rear-end. She's hoping for a date, she openly kissed me, she's constantly asking what I am doing on X-day. She's attracted, thoroughly! Oh no, I can't have that! I've already been involved with three others, and I've got a date with one of them tomorrow. Another one had openly expressed her desire to sleep with me, and the third is already my FIANCEE, A FUCKING PRINCESS OF A NATION!

...Inhale. Exhale.

Okay, maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. Instead of going into an absolute blind panic, I should focus on the fact that Twilight and I have already made our qualms with the current situation. We've already expressed that we're in the midst of a break and that we would explore our options. We BOTH agreed on this, Rarity knows it and furthers that fact by asking me out on a date. Melanie knows it and furthers the fact by implying that we'd have a date.

And I told myself that I would try to prove that I could move on if things had gone wrong. I should go into my room with the thought process of having options rather than feeling as if I have committed a cardinal sin, because I haven't. And if I do go in here with a guilty mindset, then I won't be able to face Rarity on our date tomorrow.

I need to stay true to my word and treat this as it is; a legitimate break to our relationship, a chance to tread the waters before making my way back onboard.

Okay, I'm at peace.

"SHIT!" I screamed while looking around the room, only to find an orange pony laying beside a sideways-lying couch. As I looked closer, I could see that the thin cloth mesh used underneath was ripped wide open.

"Applejack..."

She looked at me with a nervous smile, rubbing the side of her head. "...Heh heh... sorry."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

I suppose I should ask her a soulful question. "...Hwhhhhaaaaiiii the fuck... are you in my couch?"

Shortly after a much-needed sprucing of my apartment and ordering the girls to fix what they had messed up, I finally gotten a more in-depth explanation of the matter. Thankfully, they weren't lounging about for too long, probably around thirty minutes prior to me and Mel's arrival. And I even manage to get a decent explanation on why Applejack decided to rip open my couch and hide inside of it. Apparently, she was busy trying to clean frosting off of the floor to prevent Melanie from seeing a sugar-coated trail of evidence leading into my room. So she decided to take one for the team and clear the floor until I had started fumbling with my keys at the door.

In hindsight, my foolishness did manage to buy her some time. So I guess it wasn't a total loss.

After our departure from the human world back into Equestria, I proceeded to find some way to mask Discord's disappearance. So I released him just outside of the Everfree Forest, and performed a quick check on my phone to see if anything had changed much. The only glaring thing that made me upset─despite being a trivial matter─was the fact that Discord had beaten the high score Melanie put up. And by beat, I mean completely eviscerate her score by an outstanding margin.

There was no way in any variation of hell I was going to beat nine-hundred sixty-nine pipes. Fuck that, I'm deleting this app.

But the thing I didn't know about was that Sunset had gotten a hold to Rickey in order to get my number, and it was Rickey who informed her that there was some strange abomination roaming around the frat-house, freaking out the visitors and frat members alike. So it was apparent that they had already knew that Discord was in the human world, hence why they all showed up at once.

I guess I can say to him that I tried my damnedest to keep him in the clear, but it's too bad I won't be able to say much to him now that Fluttershy has him under lock-and-key in a cage tied to a short leash. She was beyond pissed at him, mainly for disclosing what they were going to do later on, but also wrecking havoc in the human world. He did explain that he was only going to observe rather than partake in the chaos of my world.

It wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter. They would've chopped him up had he revealed himself to the wrong crowd.

When I had gotten back to the apartment, I threw myself into the bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what all had happened today. My thoughts accumulated on the many tasks and findings that I would have to sort through. The first big one is that I have a week-and-a-half before I get Twilight to introduce herself to my folks. Then there's the situation of how Discord can use my world's media to transport himself, meaning that he could even use the internet or satellite signals as a bridge to get him virtually anywhere on the globe. And to add on top of that, there was the big thing that I never would've expected in a million years; Melanie kissing me.

That kiss was the main thing on my mind, it shocked me to know that I was still smelling a light hint of mangoes and peaches. It has been several years since I fantasized of planting my lips on hers, and often times in her discomfort, I foolishly tried to make a move to accomplish that. Regardless, my excitement was secretly building within me.

You again?

Dammit, I know. Don't you think I tried that?

But I specified that our get together was going to be a 'hangout', not a date.

Okay, so I'll just break it down for her the next time we meet, and specify that we are to remain friends. I know that she'll be hurt for a while but I gotta do this. Besides, her personality and situation is quite resemblant to Pinkie.

Oh fuck... I didn't think that she'd just openly swap spit with me! How am I supposed to predict these kinds of things?

I honestly don't know if I could do that. I'm terrified that she might see me differently, and not in a good way.

...I know.

Understand!? How do you understand THIS!? Hi mom and dad, I've been spending my time in an alternate world. Don't know how the fuck I got here but here's my not-human pony girlfriend, who I fucked on one occasion and got into some shit over it. Now I'm fighting horsey-parasites with a shitload of illegally-obtained weapons that cost me next year's tuition. But who gives a fat, flat, faggotty, flying fuck for that when I'm crowned prince in a MAGICAL LAND THAT GOES AGAINST EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS!? I KNOW YOU'LL DISOWN ME LATER, BUT AT LEAST I TOLD YOU THE TRUTH! SEE YA! I HOPE YOU CALL ME WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT, WHICH WOULD PROBABLY BE NEVER AGAIN! YOU'LL PROBABLY THINK... you'll probably think I'm a total disappointment, like you went completely wrong in raising me. You'll praise my brothers... as usual. You'll call them your pride and joy... while your fucking shame in-between it all does nothing but infuriate you... just like it's always been. The deviant you always shamed for being locked in his room... the one you called different... he made it. And you won't give a fuck, even if I'm having to carry the whole goddamn world on my shoulders...
You'll never love me like you love them...
...because of what I am.

Go fuck an imaginary cactus.

...Just go away, please?

...

...In the silence of my room, I thought about that verse. It used to terrify me when I was younger, but later in life it just infuriated me.

And now, I'm scared of it again. I'm gonna be up all night thinking about that shit now.

Good morning, I wish.

My night was harsh on me. I couldn't even get any sleep until about five in the morning, and even then my alarm was set to seven. So after getting what could be explained as a late-night nap, I hopped in my shower and gotten everything prepared in advance for later this evening. The clothes I set aside to wear were none other than Rarity's own designs, which would probably be bonus points for her.

But the thoughts from last night still plagued my mind, even as I was trying so hard to think about other things like how I was gonna go to Canterlot tomorrow and show those politicians what for. I might even bring Cliff and Rickey along just to piss them off even more. I just hope none of them resort to calling us monkeys. I really don't wanna see Cliff get tossed from here because he beat the shit out of some old fart who couldn't comprehend basic decency or lacked the tact and consideration.

Then again, Shining might make provisions for future visitations if that actually happened.

I walked over to the door and looked through the peephole to see a pink alicorn eyeing back at me. With a shrug of my shoulders, I opened the door and allowed the princess to enter. "Morning, your highness." I said in a bit of a raspy tone.

"Oh wow, you sound exhausted. How did you sleep?"

"Shitty." Best word to describe it.

As she walked into the room, she quietly levitated the door close. "I guess you must've had a lot on your mind, huh?"

"I did." I confessed with a yawn.

"Well if you're this tired, then you should get some rest. I have a pretty important task for you to run this evening."

I blinked for a second before rubbing my eyes. "I'm sorry, this evening?"

"Yeah, I need you to fill out some paperwork pertaining to the operation in Everfree. There's quite a bit of documents that require your signature."

Oh boy, a schedule conflict. "Um... I'm afraid that I'm booked for this evening. Is there any way I could just get it out of the way now?"

Cadance shook her head. "The only time I would be able to get those documents in to you would be later this evening. I'd say they should be at your door by around six."

"I'm not gonna be able to do it at that time, I cleared my block from five to ten this evening." I informed her while stretching my arms.

"Well I can't let you have this stuff pile up. You have well over two-hundred letters to sign and you also have at least thirty more files to sort through."

Don't I have a secretary for this? Well I'm appointing one. "Could I kinda let the pony at the front desk hold on to it until I get back? I'll finish everything by late tonight."

"I'm going to need those papers by late tonight." Cadance stated.

"Any reason why?"

"Because we can't let the victim's families go on without a confirmation of their loved-ones' status. This was supposed to be given to you yesterday afternoon, but I found out from another source that you had left to your world on what was to be called 'family affairs'. I wasn't going to let your day get spoiled by this, so I just need you to fill this out today and make up for what you missed yesterday."

Yeah, I'm calling bullshit on that one. Celestia made it a royal order that I'd not do any official business until I have returned to Canterlot to make my findings in regard to the changelings known to the parliament. Then I can start doing paperwork again. This is not in compliance to her orders, so... "Sorry, no-can-do. Princess Celestia made it clear that I was to take my time to get my thoughts in check, and get as much rest as possible."

"Then what's this prior engagement you have?" She questioned aggressively. "If you're supposed to be resting, then why are you trying to book something in that time-slot?"

Aannnd I get it now. "Okay, I'm going on a date." There, it's out in the air. No point in lying about it now since she already had an idea of what's going on before she even came in.

"A date? You mean with another mare?" She inquired.

"Cadance, you know that Twilight and I had already established that this was what we were going to do. I'm not gonna stop her from dating other stallions, that's clearly her choice. The point of this break is─"

"I know what the break is for!" She stressed. "But why are you dating another mare?"

"That's the purpose of this date, we're trying to see what we want. We talked about this, several times now."

The pink princess shook her head with disapproval. "I can't believe you're dating another mare before you'd even gave Twilight the first go!"

That's true, we never did go out on a date. "I understand your frustration with that, but don't just start throwing shit at me when you don't like it. I agreed to help you and the others with your political problem, don't make my life any harder than it needs to be just because you don't like that I'm going with someone else. It's a date, and it's within the realms of the Saving Grace clause."

"You mean that thing that Twilight explicitly asked you NOT to use?"

"Cadance, we're not gonna be fucking each other's brains out all night, if that's where you're going with it. It's just a little outing, nothing else."

An exasperated sigh fell from the pink mare's muzzle. "Nondis... Okay. Okay... Okay."

"Okay what!?" I am not in the mood for games. I am cranky as hell and have had no sleep. If she came in here to play games, I am going to ask her to leave.

"I mean okay, you can do whatever you want." She replied with an attitude. "Just who is this mare, how long have you two known each other?"

"Since day one." I answered dismissively.

Cadance's jaw fell to the floor as she stared at me wide-eyed. "One of Twilight's friends? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR CELESTIA-DAMNED MIND!?"

"To clear it up, she challenged me to a duel. The wager was that if she won, she'd have me for a date. She kicked my ass in a best of five and now I have to go with her. I am merely fulfilling my end of the bargain, there's nothing else to it."

"I can't believe you're doing this. Do you have any idea as to what this does to not only your reputation but the bond between Twilight and her friends?"

"This was a thing long before Twilight and I even started messing around. And yes, this pony did make legitimate advances towards me prior to anypony else. If anything, this is merely to get it out of the system and to close that chapter for good. I've already shut down one, I am going to get the rest out of the way."

"No, you're not. You're not closing anything as much as you're opening the floodgates to a complete disaster! You need to call this one off before it gets ugly."

"Cadance─"

Before I could say anything else, she walked towards the door with an angry scowl on her face. "You are making a huge mistake, and I might not be able to save you from the consequences. Keep that in mind, captain."

"You're acting as if I have intentions of sleeping with the girl!"

She didn't turn around to face me as she spoke. "Twilight hasn't been too happy with yesterday, and from what I heard, I wouldn't be happy with it either... The paperwork will be here at around 4."

Those were her last words before she walked off down the hall and out the front door. Instead, I was left waiting for a bunch of papers that I wasn't supposed to sign on until tomorrow. Perhaps her reason for being so aggressive was from an issue dating back to yesterday. Now that I think about it, since I had gotten back I had noticed that Twilight hadn't looked at me since. Perhaps she was upset that I was with Melanie again, which I would kinda expect to happen.

But still, I had made my intentions known. I am going on this date for a number of reasons. The first is to tread the waters, the second is to clear the air with Rarity, which I thought I had already done before. I guess this time was to make sure that it would stay that way.

I hope nothing bad comes of this.

Several hours have passed since my run-in with Cadance, and the paperwork came to my door like clockwork. But it didn't take me but forty-five minutes to scribble my name on everything, and it only left me with a light cramp in my right hand. My frustration had all but disappeared when she left, causing me to think more on what I could do to clear the air. It's obvious that I'm doing something that I shouldn't be doing, considering that Twilight herself ordered me not to get close to Rarity. But at the same time, I could tell that when she said it, it was out of jealousy rather than it being a request. She even went into detail as to why a relationship between the two of us wouldn't work. She highlighted the most problematic issues with Rarity, while glossing over the fact that those same issues would be more frequent with her.

And I know the dating a friend thing isn't exactly playing nice, but I can't simply ignore the fact that this mare has been very frequent in her advances. And Rarity does have a solid point about Twilight; she's naive and would be eager to lock it down with the first stallion she got close to, and that would be me... except for the stallion part.

Upon pressing the door bell, I heard the bright tones that resembled the Westminster Chimes back on my world. It only took me maybe four seconds of waiting before the door swung open to reveal a gussied-up Rarity. She wore the usual blue eye shadow while lining her eyes in a darker blue, her mane partially hiding the left side of her face. She had on a black satin dress with silver highlights swirling towards the rear. Her shape became more pronounced as she turned to the side. Part of her tail hid underneath her dress to give her the appearance of a plentiful posterior (which was already plentiful enough). Her jewelry consisted of Alexandrite earrings, a silver necklace, and an odd addition to the tip of her horn consisting of silver and pearls.

"Um... Did I underdress?" I questioned, beginning to feel as if I hadn't followed Rarity's orders to dress casual.

"No, my dear. You look stunning, now come on in!"

Initially, my feet had lost the ability to move, my legs frozen in place. But as she grabbed my hand with her hoof, it zapped a current in my system that allowed my legs their full range of motion. Eagerly, the unicorn mare pulled me into the foyer of her home and quickly closed the door.

"I know that I don't have to tell you to make yourself at home, so do as you'd please. I will be upstairs making some final adjustments. Call for me when the cabby shows at the door."

I guess I could chill out for a while. "Sure. I'll keep an eye out."

I walked over to the platform with the three upright mirrors and stood before them. Of course I really didn't get a good look at myself from them considering that they were all shorter than me. So I had to stand away from them a bit so that I could get a better look at my entire getup.

I also got a closer look at my face and saw that there was a booger at risk of popping from out of my nostril. Thankfully, this was the time to ensure that my appearance was devoid of filth, so I rid myself of that and quietly walked towards the front door to keep a lookout. The carriage showed up a few minutes later. I pulled out my phone and looked at the time, seeing that it was no later than 5:50. These guys sure do show up to be on time, I'll give them that.

"Hey Rarity, the ride's here!" I called to the upstairs rooms.

"Okay, I'm on my way down!" She called back, not even giving herself a few more minutes before trotting down the stairs. As she stood in at the bottom of the stairs, she gave me a wink and struck a pose. "So... how do I look?"

I had noticed that the thing she had on her horn had disappeared. "Didn't you have a little... thing on your horn?"

"I did, but I figured that I was doing far too much for a casual outing."

Really, and your current look doesn't give that off? I feel vastly underdressed to the point where I'm butt-ass naked. "That begs me to ask, what is 'too much' to you?"

"Wearing earrings, horn accents, ribbons on the dock, glitter on the cheeks, a light spray of Amor D'Bacchu's─which is a guilty pleasure of mine, hiked-up tails, and false eyelashes."

You know, of that entire list, I can see and smell up to four of those violations. Her tail is hiked, she has on earrings, she's wearing that perfume, and of course... "Don't you always wear false eyelashes?"

"Shush up and get in the carriage, Nondis."

Throughout our ride, the drivers─the stallions at the front end pulling us along plus the one mare holding the reigns─took us through the more scenic locations of Ponyville. Slowly, we were taken by the park, the central plaza, and the riverside, over the bridge to the other side of Saddle Lake. There, we were brought to a pretty sleek restaurant that would almost resemble something from my world. As we came to a stop, I couldn't help but notice that all the windows of the restaurant, as well as the outside eating area, was exposed to Ponyville itself. The water was just a few feet away from the open-air dining area and in front of it were several paddle boats shaped like swans.

Since when was all of this here?

"I know what you're thinking, Nondis. And I can completely agree that your frustration would be warranted upon finding that this location was hidden from you throughout your stay. To be honest, I thought that you would already know of it."

"Yeah, so... what is this place?"

"Maison du Fleurs, it's Ponyville's hidden gem. Quite the bold little establishment, and often a place of interest for those of the... canine-gifted."

"You mean as in the dog or─"

"Teeth. Meat eaters, dear."

"Oh." I guess that makes this a good place to have a pork chop or two. "Okay, I can't wait to see what they have."

"Don't be surprised, darling. I am going to warn you in advance that the prices have been removed from the menu. So the bill would be quite high."

And I guess that I'm paying for it. "Oh, well I'll just try and... ease my appetite to something small."

Rarity looked at me with a disapproving glare. "If I'm paying for the both of us, you better take advantage of it."

Seriously!? "Well, shouldn't we kinda split the bill?"

Rarity giggled as she grabbed my arm to pull me inside. "Darling, let's get inside."

It didn't take us very long to have a trio of waiters bowing at us, nor did it take them any time to secretly question my apparel. But they all guided us to our table next to a large stage where four musicians stood next their instruments, ready to play their first piece for the conductor. However, it appeared that the conductor was nowhere to be seen for the time being, so they just sat there. The only exception was a gray earth pony mare who appeared to play the cello, she waited until Rarity and I were seated before coming over.

"Rarity Belle! I thought that was you strutting through the door."

So... Belle is her surname? Okay, that's new. I thought it was just Sweetie's name that ended in Belle. Perhaps there was more to equine names than I originally thought... or perhaps she was a special case.

Rarity stood from her seat and embraced the smokey gray mare. "Octavia, my dear! How has everything been?"

"Oh, well you would not believe this, but Lyra isn't here yet! And to make matters worse, our conductor has practically disappeared since earlier this afternoon. We all left to take a Saddlewood luncheon, but since we came back about an hour ago there's been no signs of him. Can you believe it!?"

"Oh my, that is quite the predicament." Rarity responded while looking to the stage.

"Yes, so for the past hour we've been taking requests from the audience. Unfortunately, we haven't had much of a selection due to Lyra being missing."

"Doesn't she play the lyre?" Rarity questioned.

"Yes, but she's the only one that can play that piano she requested. It's a custom-made grand piano, the keys are far too narrow for Twelve Tone to play, being he's an earth pony."

I eventually became uncomfortable just watching the two go at it, so I entered into the conversation. "So what's the purpose of narrowing the keys?"

Octavia, I believe that was her name, she lightly gasped as she shook my hand with both hooves, trembling as she did so. "Why I can't believe that the famed captain has made his presence here at our establishment! To be honest, I was quite eager for the day you'd walk through the door. It's a tremendous honor to meet with you, sir!"

"I'm flattered..." And at a loss of words over how giddy she was. "My name is─"

"Captain Nondis P. Haines, you currently hold the prominent position of being the captain of her majesty's royal guard, as well as hero of Ponyville, saint of Everfree, and consort of Princess Twilight Sparkle!"

"Eh..." I hated it when they used that word, it just made the whole thing feel a bit awkward to me. But let's not focus in on that, where did the 'saint' part come from? "Saint of Everfree? Whaaa?"

"Oh the numerous accounts of your deeds performed just earlier this week and last week, along with the little-known fact that the first place they found you was just outside of the Everfree Forest, practically landed you that little moniker. And from what I heard, you were quite the fighter!"

"He's alright." Rarity stated dismissively. "He's a little sweaty behind the ears, but he'll catch on."

Octavia smiled as she nodded at me. "Ah, such high praise from a natural-born fighter. I'm am quite stunned that you haven't gotten that as your mark."

"Oh no, my heart is right where it should be. Fighting is a bit exciting, but the looks on others faces when they see my works of art and wearing it as their own, THAT is what thrills me the most." Rarity answered with a squee.

"Oh, well not to take the attention away from you dear, but my ensemble could use a request or two to keep us busy. Do you happen to have any that would interest you?"

"Um... try Sforzando's 9th?"

"Excellent choice. I do hope that the both of you among many others would be entertained by our performance."

The gray mare walked off to the stage and proceeded to whisper to the other musicians, each of them gave her back a nod and waited for the drop of Octavia's head to begin playing. As the music began to fill the air, the other patrons began to either sit and listen or speak a little louder. In either case, the restaurant became significantly livelier. In speaking of lively...

"Hey Rarity, just how long have you been fighting?" I questioned the fashionista.

"Since about nine years old. My mother and father has been very demanding that I'd take a self-defense class if I was to look after Sweetie Belle. So it goes without saying that I trained in martial arts for as long as I could throw a hoof. As I told a dragon who threatened Spike at one given time, 'Fighting's not really my thing, I am more into fashion.' But I did let him know that I was going to tear the scales right off his body."

Damn, that's violent. "Can you actually do that?"

Rarity returned to me a sideways glare with a stern expression. I was not willing to go through dueling with her again, no thank you.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"My dearest Nondis, I may be a unicorn who's looks paint a picture of my being frilly, fashionable, and fragile. But believe me when I say that 'momma's got it'. And if any stallion in town knows who I am, then they know not to act fresh with me."

She's not bossy as much as she is assertive, but I'll be damned if she doesn't like being the boss. That's just who she is, and she doesn't like it when others look down on her. Meaning that she's much smaller than me, doesn't give me the ability to say anything over her... I wonder if she's the type who likes to put collars and ball-gags on stallions... Let me stop.

"Yeah. So if I may ask, why do you like me?"

Rarity watched as a waiter presented her with two bottles of wine, she pointed at the one in the staffer's right hoof and ordered glasses for the both of us. "Why wouldn't I? You're positively amazing. You're very-well spoken, but your crudeness gives you a certain kind of... it's hard to say."

"Edge?"

"No, I was trying to think of a less-vulgar way of saying how my... self pines for you. You give off a rather curious scent that most mares wouldn't recognize upon the first few meetings. The scent you carry is unique, and it does end up exciting me along with several others."

"Would your 'pining' have anything to do with the conversation you walked in on yesterday?"

"When you and Pinkie were speaking? Well not really, it did ruin some of the suspense I had building for you. But I suppose that the suspense could be equally contributed to on the other end."

"Beg your pardon?"

"I'm saying that I have secrets that very, VERY few stallions know about me."

This conversation quietly trailed into the saucy direction. "What would those be?"

"Well it depends, do you wish to find out?"

Not gonna lie, I've had some thoughts about it. "Well... I'm not exactly sure."

"Why not?"

"Because my wanting to know those secrets could lead to my getting in trouble."

Rarity quietly levitated her chair next to me as she walked from one side of the table to the other. As she sat down, I could feel every consonant bat against my ear with the force of a warm summer breeze. Very quietly, she whispered into my ear. "That is why they are secrets, nopony is to know about them."

"Well I would know about them."

"...There a certain part of me that's not like the rest. As for the reason why, well let's just say that I was born with it."

"What is it?" I questioned, letting my curiosity exceed my better judgement.

Suddenly, I felt a light tug against my earlobe, a set of teeth lightly pulled against them as warm words began to stir into my thoughts. "You'll have to work for it. You see, it's like the fine wine I ordered, you don't let everyone get a taste. With enough care and oversight, it starts to transcend from a simple thing to an unforgettable experience, one that requires several years of work and experience to hone."

At that point, judgement had taken a back seat while excitement was having a turn at the steering wheel. My hand began to slowly slide over to her chair, my fingers feeling the warmth that radiated from her body. When she yanked at my ear again, my toes curled and my fingers flexed to their limits. Her lips lightly singed the bottom of my ear, trailing down my neck. "I have the sentiment that you're talking about something... concupiscent." I said in a low voice.

"And I have the feeling that you're becoming titillated whilst my words are sung sweetly into your ears." She said with a more seductive tone. "Perhaps it would be best to restrain yourself before your excitement proceeds you."

"Pro-tip: I'm not a stallion." I whispered, my hand slowly working up the side of her haunches, lightly brushing against the alabaster fur.

"Word to the wise: that was not a suggestion." She said, pulling off from me. As she removed herself completely, she used her magic to hold my hand in place as she levitated her chair back to her side of the table. Her devious smirk indicated that she knew what she was doing, as well as knowing what the end result would be.

I'm not even going to lie, but I was pissed when she just left me like that.

A waiter showed up to the table and pulled out a notepad as he spoke. Rarity folded her menu and magically pulled mine down. When I looked at her, she continued to place innocently by focusing her attention at the waiter. "Have you two decided on what you were going to eat?"

Honestly, I don't think my hunger quite matches up to my thirst tonight.

"So then after this, she goes out of her way to make an entire line out of my fabric. She does absolutely nothing but make the dresses out of them, knowing that they were only supposed to be highlight material."

"Wow, seriously?"

"And you would be amazed at what all I had to do to pull the competition in my favor. In a single night, I grabbed whatever was in the hotel room and created a brand-new line from a bed-spread, some keys, a few bars of soap, some of the curtains, and a lampshade!"

I started to laugh at the hilarity of the situation, knowing that if she did this in my world, she'd be arrested on spot. "Wow, that is crazy as hell!"

"I know, looking back at it I could actually laugh! So when I had gotten the news from Suri's former assistant, Coco Pommel, that I had won the show, I was completely at a loss for words."

"I would be too. At least you can say you beat her using the crappy stuff they have at the hotel rooms."

"Now let's not go too far, the stuff in the hotel wasn't that horrendous. In fact, I made most of it work."

"Oh, well you still beat her when she stole your stuff. So... win for you."

"Yeah, but I can tell you of this one village I went to that had absolutely NOTHING that I could work with. Like... it was bad, Nondis. It was really bad, unfathomable even. The only thing that they had in fashion was this cloak made from a potato sack."

I chuckled as I took a sip of wine. "There are some things that they just can't do like you, Rarity. Ponies don't have your ingenuity."

"Ugh, I know that there was this one time where I was said to have created mountains of clothes, outfits for a full fifteen seasons, that's almost four years. And then I started turning the town into crystal and paving the roads in gold!"

Considering that massive castle Twilight lives in, that would kinda help get it to blend in. As for now it does stick out like a sore thumb in comparison to the thatch roofs and brick houses. "Honestly, I'd kinda want to see what that would look like."

"Twilight, Princess Cadance, and Princess Luna wouldn't be too fond of your opinion. They had to undo all of the magic, thanks to an enchanted grimoire Spike had me read."

"Oh, well what happened to the grimoire?"

"He ate it whole. I didn't even question him on the other half of the process."

Ouch, that sounds like he got more than his fair share of fiber. He must've shat out coal from that. "Eeeyeah, I wouldn't either."

Rarity poured herself a glass of wine as she stared at the bottle. For some odd reason her smile seemed to have waned, in its place remained a somber frown. She took a sip of her wine before pulling the glass from her lips and swirling the contents around. She gave out a quiet sigh as her ears folded back a bit.

"Is something wrong?"

Rarity was hesitant at first, but finally opened up after another swig. "...I'm questioning if I did the right thing with Spike. I haven't seen or heard from him since he left Ponyville. I know you said that he was doing some work in Canterlot, but I didn't think that he would be there for so long."

"Yeah, it turns out that he does a lot of stuff for the politicians. He's quite a helper to the ponies in the parliament, they even give him an occasional praise. He's doing pretty fine on his own."

"Well, that does ease me a bit. But I still feel as if I've drove a wedge between the two of you. I felt as if the two of you would've gotten along hadn't it been for the circumstances being what they were."

There was no such thing as driving a wedge in something if that thing didn't exist in the first place. "I'm not too sure. But I know that Spike doesn't like me at all, he even tried to get me to carry out the changeling commander mission, albeit I can rub the results in his face now. And even in the beginning, Spike had threatened me whenever it came to you."

Rarity's head arced back as she expressed her disbelief. "Seriously? I thought that you two were always on dicey terms, but to hear that he threatened you?"

"Yeah, he grabbed one of your broken mannequin stands and welded it back together as a means of telling me to 'treat her with more respect or he'll weld my lips to my toes'. Crazy, huh?"

Her jaw dropped at the words I spoke, she could only shake her head with denial. "My Spikey-wikey said that to you? Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"I guess I wanted to protect his image. But after the stunts he pulled these past two weeks, I'm feel at liberty to express what I've been feeling about him. And to simply say it, I don't like him."

Rarity felt saddened as she heard my confession. "I... I didn't know that you and he were on such uneven terms. I'm so sorry."

I started playing with the very little food on my plate. "Even that one morning he told me to screw myself in front of everyone, I was doing everything in my power to not give him a solid kick in the ass. My arm and shoulder was messed up so I couldn't get away with punching him."

The fashionista grabbed my hand as she used her magic to pull my chin up to face her. "Don't you ever go through that kind of bullying and not tell me what he's been up to. Do you hear me?"

"Oh I know that now. As I said, I'm not gonna hold any punches with him. He's going to get every piece of my mind."

"But I am going to make a request that you are not to hurt him under any circumstances. You either let me or Twilight deal with him, do I make myself clear?"

I cringed at the request, thinking that it was a bit unfair. "Even if it requires self-defense?"

Rarity didn't stutter when she spoke. "You look for me or Twilight. Call for us, we know how to deescalate the situation with him. He'll listen to us regardless of how he feels, and we will put him in his place."

Still, I think that agreement is kinda shitty. "No promises, I can't do those. If he hurts one of you, I'm not going to keep calm and just let him do as he likes. I don't care if it's emotional, verbal, or physical assault, I will physically put him to sleep."

"Well I can give you my promise that nothing of that sort of thing will happen." She answered while rubbing my hand with her hoof.

"Okay, then we have an agreement. As long as the two of you aren't hurt, or anyone for that matter, my hands are tied." I hate making this agreement, but I really don't want to break anyone's trust. It's not like I haven't done enough damage as it is.

"Well then, we have an accord." She said as she magically raised her glass while filling mine. "Then, a toast?"

This would probably be one of the most bitter toasts I'll ever have the displeasure of partaking in. I have a feeling that this won't end well. "A toast to friendship; let our ends be favorable and our bonds strong."

After our glasses clanked together, Rarity stopped herself short of a sip as she exclaimed. "Wait a minute, I almost forgot to ask you something!"

"Hmm?" I said with my glass up to my lips, my mouth full of wine.

"I have a small proposal for you. Actually it's quite large to me."

Pulling the glass from my lips, I swallowed the wine to speak. "Go on."

"I need you to model for me sometime next month."

Wow, just throwing it out there, huh? "That's a bit bold of you to ask."

Rarity whined lightly as she playfully pouted. "I know, but I need you to do this for me. Please?"

Okay, I'm gonna need more information before I deny or agree to anything else. All of this agreeing to shit is going to overrun my schedule. Guess I'll have to make this a lightning round, just to make it a bit more fun. "What for?"

"What?"

"Lightning round, Rarity. What for?"

"Um... well─"

"You gotta throw it out there! What for?"

"G-g-global premiere of my line."

"How big is it?"

"Held at the Canterlot Unity Center."

That's pretty big. "How many guests?"

"Hundreds. All of the Canterlot elite will be there."

"How big is this to you?"

"Mountain-sized."

"Got a DJ?"

"Octavia's roommate. She's good."

"I want Justin Timberlake."

"What?"

That went over her head. "Human music, I want human music behind me."

"Bring the songs and we'll try to play them."

"Vinyl disk or cassette tape?"

"Cassette."

I could buy a cassette adapter for mp3 players and use the song on my phone. Or better yet... "Sound system?"

"Enormous, professional."

"DJ contact info?"

"Will send to you later."

Lightning round over. "Done deal."

"You'll do it!?" She asked with excitement.

"Sure, if it doesn't conflict with anything in the schedule."

The alabaster mare jumped from her seat and galloped around the table to tightly wrap her hooves around my neck, hugging me as she constantly kissed me on the cheek. "Oh! Oh thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou! THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH YOU ADORABLE HUNK OF STALLION!"

"Choking... not breathing." I whispered lightly, tapping against her hoof.

"Sorry!" She said as she immediately released me.

After she was done blushing for a bit, she started to erupt into a giggle fit. Of course it became quite contagious as I smiled and poked fun at her for acting like Sweetie Belle did when I told her that I first told her that I would go crusading with her and her friends. I suppose that juvenile exuberance never really did disappear when they get older.

"Now we can have a toast." I stated as I rose my glass.

"To Rare Couture; may our future be bright and our fashion lines unforgettable!"

Again, our glasses collided and we took our drinks. Rarity continued to sip away at her wine while I playfully indulged in mine. As we finished, the ensemble finished their latest piece and the cellist walked up to our table once more.

"So, would you two like for us to play anything? Unfortunately, we're not getting very many suggestions tonight."

"But didn't I call in two requests earlier tonight?" Rarity questioned.

"That's the thing, Lyra isn't here. We were informed not too long ago that she and the director had ate something somewhere and ended up with a bad case of the trots. So we'll be without them for the remainder of the evening... unfortunately" Octavia whispered.

Actually, I wouldn't mind making a request of my own. In fact, I think I'm going to make things a little more interesting. "What's the deal with that piano that nopony can use it?"

If I showed you, you'd probably think I were to be insane. But the keys are all narrow, for what Lyra calls 'wanting to do something different'. She took a lot of inspiration from the griffon composers, and as a result she narrowed the keys to what their talons would normally be able to play on without an extreme amount of stretching."

"Oh, I forgot that Spike does play a little bit." Rarity added.

"How many keys?" I questioned.

"A lot. I heard of custom models such as this used in the Griffon Kindom, but never have I seen one so closely."

I stood from my seat and cracked my knuckles, stretched my fingers, and popped the joints within. With a somewhat nervous stride, I looked to the piano onstage. "So, is that thing in-tune?"

Both Octavia and Rarity tried to stifle a laugh as they looked at me. "Dear, that thing up there is not a toy, nor is it something that's playable without a horn and magic." The gray mare warned.

"Spike, and your traditional griffon has four fingers, I work with five." A thumb is not a finger, but I'm sure they can roll with it.

As I proceeded to walk up to the piano, Octavia trailed right beside me, continuing to express what was on her mind. "Sweetie, do you have any idea on how to play that?"

"I can't sight-read worth a damn. And I often dabble around when no one's looking. I suck in comparison to the professionals in my world. But I have an idea."

Rarity galloped after us and tried to convince me in not playing. "Sweetie, I'm sure that you can bang around whenever you please, but could you not... here? There are a lot of high-profile members of Ponyville here, and I really don't want you to be embarrassed."

With a smirk, I sat on the seat and lightly slid my hand onto the keys. As I looked to the left end of the board, I could see that it started on an A, a difference in the usual C that most pony pianos start in. Also, I could count that same A up to the C eight times in the keys, meaning that this was a full-size piano. Placing my fingers on the wooden bars, I could see that they were made with griffons in mind, but even then the resemblance to a human instrument was strikingly familiar. They were a slight-bit wider, but they were very comfortable to play on. "Hmm, almost just like the one in my room." I quietly mumbled, earning a slight gasp from both.

"You don't." Rarity stated almost defiant of the idea.

As I started to pick out the chords in B♭, I started singing the words in my head.

The two mares stared at me, slack-jawed as I smiled right back at them. "This one is called Bohemian Rhapsody, written by Freddy Mercury. It's a timeless classic in our world."

Taking a deep breath, I let my fingers sing the words within my head, fill in the orchestration as I highlighted the melody, and let my imagination take me back to the song as it was first conceived.

As I came from my miniature climax, I slowed down to carefully capture the melody in a more intimate nature. Rather than making it sound like the power ballad it was written as, I decided to make it more classical. The room grew all the more silent as I continued to play, I closed my eyes and pretended that I was still in the confines of my hotel room, playing the MOTIF just in front of the window. When I calmed down, the words continued to flow from within.

With a crescendo, I transitioned into the key of E♭, my chords becoming more robust and open, as if to express the sadness of the young man singing to his mother.

After the chorus, I switched back to the first key, taking it as if there was a repeat written in the sheet music. As I continued to play, I could hear the two mares bickering at a whisper.

"Were you aware he could do this?" Octavia questioned.

"No! I heard things from Sweetie Belle, but not this!" Rarity quickly answered.

"You've been hiding out on me again, haven't you?"

"He's been hiding out on us!"

I decided to ignore the rest of their conversation as more of the words fell from the top of my mind.

As the guitar solo approached, I pretended the keys of the piano were the notes being strummed on Freddy's guitar. My mind began to paint a vivid picture of him wearing his red Captain Crunch outfit, rocking out while hunching and nodding his head at each and every note he sustained. I could even see him biting his lower lip as he shook his head slowly at his best riffs. And when the time came for the bridge, he would kick his leg and dip his head at the imaginary band behind him.

That image broke when it came to the most technical part of the song. My hand became light as I bounced on a B♭ Major chord, keeping the notes short and staccato.

Then came the part I liked, the part that would throw off the listener.

By this point I too began to bang my head a bit on the rhythm. Instantly, I began to feel the excitement running through my body as I took on the next portion of the son. WIthout any sign or warning, I revised the role Freddy would have in writing this portion of the song. A harsh smile came on my face as I vibed with the notes in my head.

When I had finished the next few solos, I started to feel the sweat drip from my brow, saturating my eyes as I played. The light stinging sensation didn't exactly register as I was still playing out the song. My motions then toned from aggressive and powerful to soft and quiet. I knew that I was getting to the end of the song when the next few words played out in my head.

And as the song came to it's quiet resolution, I worked into it's final key. The somber coda came into a soft-spoken F Major chord progression. The final line of the song echoed as my fingers struck their final notes.

Upon finishing, I had realized just how much energy I exhausted from playing a six-minute piece. I had an airy demeanor when I looked to the ceiling took a deep breath. My hands fell from the board quietly, careful as not to disturb the silence.

Not that it mattered when the whole restaurant exploded in cheers and whistles. Cries of an encore ensued as the other musicians applauded my performance. When I had looked to the audience, I had saw cooks and waiters lining up throughout the restaurant. Even the carriage drivers stomped their hooves with delight. Both Rarity and Octavia shook me me wildly with excitement as they displayed their thoughts of my first public performance.

"I've NEVER heard that one!" Octavia screamed to the top of her lungs. "Please tell me you have sheet music!"

Before I could answer her, Rarity used her magic to forcefully turn my head to face her. Within the fraction of a second, she mashed her soft lips against mine. My eyes broke wide open as the mare continued to latch herself onto me. In a second or two, she broke out with an audible 'mwah' and roughed up my hair with her hoof. "You've been hiding this from me! How dare you!"

"You hid your swordplay from me, we're even!"

The carriage ride home was filled with the sounds of the stallions in front whistling bits and pieces of the song I played. Even Rarity joined in on the fun. They all decided to hum really loudly along the way, some hitting notes, some missing notes. But my performance was something memorable to them, compared to a much-more jaded audience of humans, they've heard this stuff dozens of times and there are videos of it on YouTube. But here, there was no exposure to the music I just provided, to them it was something fresh and thought-provoking.

When we were dropped off at Rarity's boutique, the carriage and it's drivers bode us farewell and congratulated me on the performance. Rarity pulled at me gently, guiding me to the front door with an immovable smile on her face. The fashionista continued to shower me with praise, making me blush all the while.

"And when you finished, I was just left with tears in my eyes! You really didn't have any means of telling me that you were capable of doing that?"

"Well, not really. I don't like to record myself playing nor do I really give out performances, per se. To me, that wasn't really a performance as it was just a revisualization of another's work. I don't make this stuff up."

"Well it was certainly new to me." Rarity said while lightly shoving me with a hoof.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." I answered with sincerity, feeling as if this had turned into a really special night.

I walked Rarity up to her door and awaited her to unlock it. And thanks to her magic, she could do so while giving me her full attention. "I truly enjoyed myself tonight. To think that you too had a hidden talent you failed to reveal, after all of this time of our knowing one another."

"Playing piano is more of a hobby to me, much like a few other things."

The locks of her door clattered as she turned the key, the door creaked open as she stood motionless. "You... I..." She struggled with her words as she started to play with her forelegs. "There's probably a chance you wouldn't even want to do this again, is there?"

"Personally, I don't mind. I want to..."

Oh shit, wait a minute. "Uh, I mean... You and me, we could... hang out more often. Yeah, we could hang out like we did tonight. I-I had a lot of fun and I don't think I've had this much fun in a long time, especially with a girl─I mean especially with you. Cause you are... amazing... an amazing friend."

I have no idea what my heart is saying anymore. I've never been this confused. Not once have I had the chance to fall in love or go out with someone on a date. I didn't really have anything like this in high school or in college. Hell, since I've been here I have never had an experience quite like this one tonight. I haven't had a one-on-one with ANYONE like I did with Rarity. And in doing so, I feel so... happy. I shouldn't feel this way but I do. This night was beyond my expectations and Rarity is actually... amazing. We get along, we kinda know each other but at the same time we don't know everything about one another. She and I shared so many laughs, and she's really... different.

It's terrifying, but it's so wonderful.

"Nondis?"

My cheeks burned a bright-hot red as I tried my best to avoid looking at her. "Yes?"

"Could you face me?"

While I was thinking about whether I should or not, she simply turned my head for me. And in the pale moonlight, I saw exactly what I didn't want to see.

I saw a mare that made me want to seek her, to know more of her, to truly know her. It scared me seeing her in such a way, knowing that this was already pushing it. I wanted to speak, I needed to talk to her. I had to talk to her, under no circumstances am I to become captivated like this. It shouldn't work. Even my body acted on it's own accord, dropping to my knees and facing her. I tried to look away, but there was something within me that directed my right hand to clasp at her cheek and pull her towards me.

Our lips met, parting immediately as an unknown desire guided me to seek her. My tongue became the very thing that violated her. The only thing I kept thing about was the feeling of her lips pressed against mine for the first time. The moment where I was at my peak, she thrusted me even further into the stars, shoving me along until I had reached a destination that I didn't even know could exist. Her hooves didn't deny me, as they pulled me in. We separated for a quick breath, our tongues assaulting one another. A sloppy separation caused a bit of saliva to fall upon my chin. Her greed drove her to clean me with the pink fleshy organ that hung haphazardly from her maw.

She looked at me with half-lidded eyes. My breath became short and unstable. My heart danced uncontrollably when we looked at each other, realizing what we had done. She was the first to speak.

"We should stop."

"Yeah, I know. Your door is like wide open." I said, trying to get her to go inside before something else should occur between us. And at this very moment, my mind was filled with ideas.

"Yes, I'm aware. I'm letting in all sorts of little critters, aren't I?" She whispered to me quietly.

"Yeah... you should really watch what you let in, Rarity."

Our heads quickly jerked to the direction of the open door. In the darkness was nothing but a voice... a familiar one that started to make me tremble. A dim bulb started to give light in the darkness, gradually getting brighter. And as the light proceeded to illuminate into a bright magenta glow, we could see the indigo bangs that covered the crestfallen eyes of it's caster. The pink highlight showed brighter than anything else. The wings behind her unfurled slightly as she looked up to me with tears streaming down her cheeks, a stoic expression on her face.

"Twilight..."

I'm exhausted. For the record, I am not sorry for this cliffhanger. You will have to wait, but in the meantime feel free to take one of the sacks of small woodland creatures and drown them in a tub, club them, or take them home and have them as pets until the next chapter rolls out (which shouldn't be too terribly long of a wait). I hope that the chapter was appealing to you. I had a bit of a giggle fit writing the first portion of it.

Also if I could get an artist's rendition of the final scene, that would be freaking epic. I would throw money to the first volunteer.