I sat with Jewel and Darcy in a park by the lake. "You know, ponies are still talking about what you said to Cider."

I rubbed my face, time spent with Darcy and Misty had just about gotten me past all that, yet she always found a way to bring it up. "Darcy, its been a week! Really...how many times are you going to shoehorn it?"

She shrugged. "How many times is Misty going to tell you to date?"

I rubbed my arms. "I hate how worried about it she is." I watched Jewel run up to the shore, a bunny eared hat on her head. "I just want you to be happy. What does that even mean?"

Darcy sighed loudly. "Probably exactly what it sounds like." Darcy bounced her leg on her knee. "If you couldn't tell, she likes you."

I sighed. "Ya think?"

Darcy shook her head at me. "No, I mean-- Probably plutonically...she's in a relationship."

"What!?" I turned to face Darcy with a snap, nearly flinging myself from my seat. "Is that a--"

"Rainbow Dash's son, he's been in Cloudsdale visiting family I think." Darcy smiled, not at me, but at the lake.

I rubbed my face. "Satyr?"

"Mmmhmm."

I groaned loudly, bitching at the trend. "Like everyone else I'm going to meet?"

Darcy cocked an eyebrow. "He's got a few pony siblings...."

"God damn it!" I hopped upright and turned to face Darcy. "What is that!? Why first one satyr, then ponies? What happened?!"

Darcy's face twisted slightly, into something sad, something rough. "Do you not know? I figured everypony knew." She uncrossed her legs and scratched at the grass with her boot. "Hybrid policy, about eighteen years back, or...something like that. Said that if you had a hybrid, satyr, drake, hippogryph, mule, half-elk, you'd get a tax cut and some assistance raising the kid." Darcy shook her head. "Heck, even people that didn't want kids had them, just to put them up for adoption and get the break."

I felt my heart sink. "What?"

Darcy shook her head mournfully. "It was about the same time you were seeing Thestrals too. I guess it worked, there was a boom, but still...I don't know if it worked better than if they'd just left it." Darcy rubbed her nose. "Bolt wouldn't be around, Mason wouldn't be around," her eyes grew slightly teary, "Hann wouldn't, Misty wouldn't, Mumble and Pogo...Nero...."

"Me." I pressed my hand against my heart. "Oh god... I- I--" I looked down to my hands, a sick feeling settling in my arms. "Oh god...." It felt like someone had kicked my stomach straight into my ribcage. "Celestia...why?" I felt like someone was ripping open my ribs. My mind flashed to my parents, who I thought of as my parents. My mother, my father, my brother, who was what? Was I just some donated sperm baked into my mother? Was I some botched night on potions?

Darcy looked up at me. "Glass, you okay? You're grabbing your chest, do you need help?"

I took a deep breath, my heart trembling as I pulled it back. "I'm okay. I think I'm okay." I let out a soft whimper. "I felt better when I didn't know about all that." I rubbed my chest. The prospect of my life in exchange for money sat sour in my stomach. "I think I need to make some calls." I turned to Darcy, still glancing back to Jewel, now playing with her friends. "Darcy, you?"

Darcy shook her head. "No, I asked Mac, he said no. I asked momma, she said no too. Said they knew each other way before, and that.... I mean...most of us were accidents." She rubbed her arms, watery eyes lowering to the ground. Beautiful green broken and tired for only a moment. "Nobody knew it was gonna happen.... Jack-- Armin, they knew." Darcy rubbed her cheeks, hiding a small smile with her fingers. "It feels weird, right? Thinking about where we came from."

"Darcy stand up." I looked over to Jewel. "Jewel, come over here!" The filly spun around, chasing her tail for a bit before dashing over.

Darcy stood, towering over me, tall as ever. "Glass, what's up?"

I bit my lip, making sure Jewel was close and safe. "Don't make fun of me." I walked up to Darcy, keeping my eyes on Jewel. "Just don't make fun of me." I wrapped my arms around Darcy, pulling her against me. My head landed against her cheek, Darcy's arms held out at her sides as I pulled her tight. "It does feel weird...."

Darcy's hands slowly fell against me. "Glass...are you--"

"Hugging people...I'm not sure I like it." I chuckled softly. "Better than being hugged I suppose...but not by much." I broke it off quick, escaping before Darcy could hold me in place. "Now...this-- what you said, I need to ask some ponies a few questions."

Darcy frowned hard. "It really bothers you, doesn't it?"

I looked back towards Jewel. "You know, it bothers me more that I don't know. And I mean, nothing certain, but I'd like to know for sure one way or the other." I rubbed my face. "Damn.... I know it shouldn't bother me, they love me, I know. I just, I think I need to know."

Darcy stood there, soft in her stance. "I get it." She looked across the grassy expanse leading down to the lake. "We should probably--"

"Darcy...are we dating?" I asked outright, turning to face her dead on. "This is a date, isn't it? Misty's been telling me to ask you...I just-- It is, isn't it?"

Darcy's eyes went wide. "Um...is it?"

I stuffed my hands in my pockets. "I think it is...."

Darcy chuckled nervously. "You seem disappointed."

I huffed sharply. "Not disappointed, exasperated in myself I think. I said I'd hold off, and here we are, trading fucked up stories, watching a filly play while we sit and talk on a bench." I rubbed my hands together.

Darcy's face fell from a blushy smile to a frown. "It doesn't have to be a date...we're friends, it--"

"Yes, and dating just means there's a mutual attraction...right? Two friends, who happen to want to attempt something more. Right?" I stretched out. "I'd- I-- Uuugh, didn't used to be this difficult."

Darcy smiled at me, one side of her lips raised. "You said you--"

"Darcy, go out with me?"

Darcy covered her face with her hand. "Wow...I didn't think you'd actually just ask like that."

I felt my cheeks burn. "Like I said, you see something you like, you go after it. Too much pissing about and you might lose your chance."

Darcy laughed into her hand. "You know, coming from anyone besides you or Tech, I'd level them."

"What makes me different then?" I looked down to Jewel, the filly racing between my legs in a figure-eight.

Darcy turned away, sliding her hand against my shoulder and down to my hand. Her palm was soft, warm, bit with firm grip. She turned to me with a smile. "Honesty. I don't think you've told a lie since you've been here." Her face was kind, expression warm, grip tender, eyes shimmering like polished emeralds.

I stretched my neck, my hand now confined to Darcy's for eternity, or at least until she let go. "Honesty is always the best policy, easiest way to avoid making enemies and easiest way to make friends." I laughed to myself as Jewel peaked up at me, smiling. "I suppose I could start lying, cant imagine I'd have much use for it now though."

Darcy laughed and tugged me along towards the town proper. "Glass, you can be honest, maybe just don't say it. Like with Cider I mean."

I cocked my eyebrow. "Are you saying she's not fit? That mare has a body you could bounce coins off of."

"And I don't?"

"Well I haven't seen." I pinched my nose with my free hand. "I suppose I'll find out soon enough."

Darcy laughed and slowed down, forcing her fingers between mine and tightening her grasp on my hand. "If daddy doesn't kick you to death."

"Ha--ha, that's a joke, right? ... Darcy? That's a joke, right? Right? Right!"

Darcy giggled, something that shook me to the core. "I don't know. Techno made it out alive, more or less."

"That's not funny!" I looked down to Jewel, her airy laugh filtering through her hat, drawn over her mouth. "You're a little monster, mute little turd!"

Jewel pulled her hat back on and stuck her tongue out at me. Darcy pulled me close to her. "Glass, don't fight with a filly."

I turned to Darcy in a flash. "I'll fight you! I'll...fight you somewhere.... With some--"

"Are you making a sex pun?"

"An attempt.... A very, very bad attempt."

Darcy frowned at me. "It is pretty bad."

I shook my head. Thoughts of a penis in boxing gloves flashing through my head. "Imagine if a penis actually had to fight a vagina? Bloody frightening."

Darcy whimpered, drawing in a raspy gasp before turning away. "W-h-hat?"

I pulled my hand free. "Like, if that's what sex was! Like a literal punch up between a penis and a vagina!" I let out a sharp sigh. "Man...why did you not stop me sooner? Could have stopped me from making a fool of myself at any point there."

Darcy shrugged. "Because it was funny? Not the joke. Watching you defend yourself, like a cat when you scare it."

I groaned loudly. "You know...Misty asked me if I liked you, I said yes. I thought she was asking if I was single, I guess she was." I rubbed my nose, making sure Jewel was still around. "She kept telling me how pretty you were, like, shoving me towards you whenever I tried to work."

Darcy muted her expression. "She's always been a little weird, if you couldn't tell from the eyes."

I shook my head. "She's worried about me I think...and I don't know why." I looked up to Darcy, her red shirt finally fixed, her shorts still tight as ever. "You know, she's right though."

"About?"

I slid my fingers across her wrist and down against her hand. "You are cute."

Darcy blushed, then let it fade almost instantly. "Wait...Misty said I was cute? I'm not sure I like having another girl say I'm cute...."

"Yes, well, I don't like being hugged or carried around. We all have issues."

Darcy pulled me closer. "Yeah well...somepony needs to get over his."

"Maybe.... Getting bear hugged by a six foot mare isn't going to help--"

"Too bad, you just signed up for more."

I watched Jewel run along the green path into town. "What can I say, ever since I've been here I've been a glutton for punishment." My mind shot back to Misty. She'd been nudging me and prodding me back towards my normal operations, albeit in an uncomfortably Ponyville way. I needed to go talk with her. I needed to talk to my family. "Darcy, do I need to meet your dad? I did already, I think--"

"You can come over for dinner, I'm sure Rarity won't mind."

"You know, I'm starting to wish she would mind a little more!" Next Chapter: Misty Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 4 Minutes