I was dragged out of sleep by Rose fidgeting while curled up against me. Don't get me wrong, it was certainly a pleasurable way to wake up with her naked form pressed against me, but there are certain priorities for guys on waking. Things that as much as I would enjoy staying in bed longer, would be made rather difficult. Grumbling softly, I crawled out of bed. With a glance backward, I went to get my day started. At least Rose felt comfortable enough to go to low alert status and do system maintenance on herself and backend systems. Plus it was kind of cute to see her 'sleeping,' if you could call it that.

Feeling somewhat refreshed after a shower and quick shave, I realized that Rose was still in bed. That was certainly weird, or at least I thought it would be. Figured she'd have woken up once I started using ship systems, or at least once the coffee was brewing. Considering my options, I eventually decided to do the most amusing one. Slipping back into bed, I wrapped an arm around her sleeping form. With an evil grin on my face, a hand slowly slipped between her thighs. Just as my fingertips were about to caress a rather delicate place, my tongue slid as deep into her ear as it could get it. That snapped her awake alright. In her thrashing, everything in my vision turned to red stars and then black...

After a bit, it all started blurring back together to reveal a very nude and annoyed AI standing over me. One hand on a hip, the other pointing at me, and leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. As much as I'd normally enjoy the view, my head was pounding far, far too much for that. Oh, she's yelling at me. That's what the noise is. Damn, my head hurts.

"Jerk. You probably have no idea how long it's going to take to clean your drool out of my ear. I can't exactly take the dermis off and scrub it you know. Oh, now you're paying attention instead of checking me out. Good to know that chewing your ass still gets your attention. By the way, you're fine. Your jaw might hurt for a bit, but no black eye. Kinda what you get for startling me awake like that. Take an analgesic and you'll feel fine. Now if you don't need anything, I'm going to go scrub your DNA out of... places. Normally I'd have fun teasing you with that, but it's in my fucking ear. Jerk."

Fuck my life.

At least she was in a cheerier mood after a curiously long shower with music playing far too loudly. After a bit of thought, it was decided that I was going to leave well enough alone for today. Pretty sure I knew what Rose was up to, considering she was significantly more perky. Almost choking on my coffee, I realized she was wearing a thin black leather collar with metal D ring on it. Normally I wouldn't care, but it was pretty visible given that Rose's flight suit didn't need to be sealed like mine.

"You know, it might be a bad idea to wear that when we see the Princesses and tour the town today. Just something to consider. Might give them the wrong idea about us and all."

Stepping close before sliding my coffee cup across the table, Rose didn't say a word. She gently put both hands on my shoulders before pinning me to the chair and straddling my lap with a grin.

"You already told them that you own me. What's the difference between it being a literal and romantic sense. Plus, I like the feel of it nice and snug on me. I'll keep it hidden though, but I want you knowing it's there all day. Tight against my skin, marking me as yours."

Her grinding on my lap certainly didn't help things, considering my mind was currently a bowl of jello.

"Fine, but we're talking about all this later. We'll see where it goes. Now will you please stop, you know it's cruel to do that. Tease."

Yeah, I'd definitely been a bad influence on her as a younger AI. The chassis was just spicing things up. Wonder if I'm going to robot hell for that one. Considering how she'd been so far today, I was at least going to the 'special' hell. You know, the one where they send people that talk in the movies and whatnot. The one where people that have a rather unhealthy attachment to their AI's go. Considering the giggle when Rose hopped off my lap, I am a bit less sure on the 'unhealthy' part of that thought.

Celestia and Luna had already set up their tea service outside of the Corvus, and were on their second, and third cups, respectfully, when the airlock finally opened. It was odd that the pair of aliens were late for their mid-morning impromptu meeting, but all seemed to be well. Rose was smiling widely in the morning sunlight, the golden rays appearing to light her hair aflame a touch more and magnifying the freckles across her skin. Or whatever passed for it in her case. Both princesses understood that she was artificial and apparently part of, or was the ship in a way. The exact details weren't exactly easy to translate though.

Alex on the other hand was a bit occupied trying not to drop the thin box he carried and adjusting the small mask and goggles he wore. There was a constant soft hissing as he breathed, with a small amount of vapor trickling out from one of the thin hoses attached to the mask. As always with the few times he wore the breathing device, a helmet was clipped to Alex's thigh. A 'just in case' thing, they assumed. Adjusting the box in a free hand, the display above his other arm lit up to show the familiar, but indecipherable information as always.

"Good morning Princesses. Sorry about the wait, we were trying to come up with something interesting as a thank you gift, but couldn't decide on what. We're rather limited on what we are allowed to give, so choosing was kind of important. I, we hope you like it though."

Setting the box on the small wooden table, Alex pulled the lid clear to reveal... well, they weren't sure. Metal cubes of a sort. While the royals were confused, their attention was grabbed by the softly chuckling Rose.

"Sorry... Sorry. It's really not that funny. Alex just kind of forgot to explain what they are. Don't mind him, he took a bit of a blow to the head by accident earlier this morning. Thankfully nothing severe, but he's a touch behind today. This is a sampler of different teas and coffees that we have onboard. Our supply isn't huge, but we felt it was something you could appreciate. Each variety is foil sealed, so it should last a rather long time. We do ask that you have your scientists check and make sure they aren't poisonous for you before trying it. The last thing we need to do is accidentally kill you two after offering us a place to stay. Kind of awkward and all."

Celestia reached forward to press the button on the 'speaker' only to realize it wasn't there. With a curious look at the pair, she mentally shrugged.

"If Alex is injured, we can tour Hollow Shades tomorrow if that is better. I'll be departing to Canterlot to resume my royal duties, but Luna will stay behind for a few more days. Hollow Shades is her home province, so she enjoys visiting when she can. Two questions though, if you don't mind. Least important first, what is this 'foil sealed' you mentioned about the tea and coffee? We thank you, by the way, and are looking forward to the experience. Most importantly though, how are we conversing without your device?"

Seeing a bit of a grin on Alex's face through the translucent mask, he passingly waved a hand at his compatriot while speaking.

"It's nothing. Just a slight headache, but I already took medication to get rid of it. Thank you for the concern though. And we thought you'd like the teas and coffee. Let us know your thoughts and we'll... dangit. One moment please."

Turning to Rose, he continued talking while shaking his head and laughing.

"You know, how are we supposed to know what ones they liked and didn't like. We didn't print any labels in their language. At least I have an excuse from my girlfriend bodily tossing me out of bed this morning. You'd think one of us, meaning you probably, would have thought of this though..."

Not quite bickering but more of an aggressive flirting, their conversation flowed back and forth for a minute or two before an uncomfortable look crossed both of their faces. Barely audible whispers were coming through the translator channel. The little bit Alex caught was something about being 'an interesting but cute couple," and how "Cadance would love to have a sit down with them."

Up until that moment, none of the parties knew an AI could turn that red. They were so deep into their conversation that neither of them had turned off the translation software.

A bit later, with new labels in Equestrian, the small group of ponies, human, and still blushing AI headed down the forest path towards Hollow shades. With a conspiratory wink at Rose, Luna stepped closer to the AI so she could whisper quietly to her.

"Interesting choice of jewelry, if I may say so. If it is anything similar to what we have in Equestria, I may have a few stores for you to visit."

Rose didn't speak to Alex for the rest of the walk into town, after she tripped on hearing that comment. Then again, he laughed so hard after finding out what was said, that his headache came back in full. Karmic justice in a way. Next Chapter: 25. The shade and the hollow <unedited> Estimated time remaining: 44 Minutes