I woke up, feeling so relaxed, so relieved, so... I can't put it in words, truly. My body is numb, but pleasantly so, basking in the softness and warm glow, wrapped in the smoothest of blanket, feeling its silky touch upon my skin. Well, this is the best way I can poetically describe this, and I'm not a poet in any way.

I haven't felt so good in ages, maybe even since I was born. All of my accumulated tension has gone away, left without a trace, replaced by the feeling of huge relief. It's like having an enormous workload finally complete.

I opened my eyes. I blinked a couple times to clear the blur of restful sleep, and then turned my head to the side. There, I saw Glide. She was drinking what I think was tea while reading some sort of a book. Her eyes raised and looked at me.

"Oh, you're awake." she said cheerfully, closing the book. "How do you feel?"

"..." I gathered my words to speak. "Wonderful." I smiled. A simple word can sometimes work better than a lot of metaphors or whatnot.

"Very well, I am happy you feel relieved." she smiled back.

"What time is it?" I asked. I still remember I have to be back home for the morning. I still have school to attend. Moonshine might be nervous about me being away for so long, too.

"About seven in the morning. You've been sleeping for a little bit more than four hours, and we felt it will be good for you to wake up on your own. Thus, we let you rest here." Glide explained to me. "Your clothes were thoroughly washed and dried. Do you want them to have any scent?"

Mmh, maybe. Which one? Hm... Roses or mint. Yeah, I think the mint one will do nicely.

"Mint, please." I answered. "I like its fresh scent and cool feel."

"Alright, will do it in a jiffy." Glide nodded. "For now, rest. There is a visitor that would like to talk to you."

Luna?

As soon as that thought appeared, a figure stepped into my field of view. Yep, Luna. I knew it was her. Who else could it be?

"Good night, Flame." she greeted me, casually walking up to the bed I lied on.

"Hello, Luna." I replied with a small smile on my face. In the corner of my eye, I saw Glide leaving with my clothes in her mouth. "How is your night going?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing, actually." Luna laughed softly. "Everything goes smoothly. 'Tis a calm night. And you?"

"I'm certainly relaxed." I replied. "Thank you for providing me with this. I'm really grateful, and I hope I will be able to repay you someday."

"Oh, you don't need to." the alicorn of the night replied. "'Tis a pleasure to see you so relaxed. It brings warmth to my heart knowing that you relieved all your stress. Keeping it long could've resulted in something very unpleasant."

"Yeah, I feel good about it, too." I nodded slightly. "Do you come here often?"

"Yes, for royal duties are very stressful to fulfill." Luna sighed. "Sometimes, listening to nobles, their claims and demands, can be very tiring. After such a stressful ordeal, rest is in order, most certainly. I come here for it, and Glide with Rosy and Bluebell do their job well."

"I can agree on that." I chuckled. Then, I stretched my limbs. I need to get up and get home, after all. "Well, time to go home."

I stood up on my legs. I feel alright, full of energy as if I had at least twelve hours of good sleep. I saw a mirror and looked at myself.

...

I'm fabulously handsome. My messy mane is now straight, nothing looks off. My fur seems to shine in its white glory, my hooves look polished, and, overall, everything looks great.

If my mirror image were female, I'd have sex with it. That's a great self-compliment, I suppose.

What's that rule that states there's your twin of opposite gender somewhere? Rule 63? You know, I'm not against self-cest or whatever it's called. I mean, how can I refuse myself? Certainly, I could very well do this weird incest-masturbation combo.

Uh, maybe not.

Then, Glide returned. After giving my stuff back to me, she opened her mouth to say something.

"In your right pocket, you'll find a list of mane and fur care products that we advise you use on daily basis. Also, there is a list of food you'd like to eat to keep yourself healthy and fit. You necklace is in your left pocket."

I put on my hoodie and pulled out the necklace from the pocket, and then clasped it around my neck, hiding it behind my clothes. I made my wings disappear under the hiding magic of the necklace.

"I'm good to go." I said.

"Very well, I can teleport you back to your home." Luna told me. "Is it alright to you?"

"I think so." I nodded. Well, I can teleport without feeling sick, so why not?

"Good luck." Glide told me.

"Indeed. I wish you best of luck, dear Flame." Luna smiled, and then her horn glowed.

In a moment, I found myself standing in the apartment I share with Moonshine. Teleportation went well.

Alright, it's already seven in the morning, which means Moonshine wakes up soon.

Wait a minute... There's something in my left pocket that wasn't there before. Let me see what it is...

Oh.

...

It's a rose and a note.

Good luck with your relationship.

L.

I guess I should give this rose to Moonshine. I've never thought of giving flowers to her... Duh, I'm so dumb! I mean, how could I forget this? I should've already given her flowers!

Luna made me feel embarrassed. Oh well, I will fix it as soon as Moonshine wakes up. This rose will go well with her mane. It has the color of my mane, too, which makes this rose even more important and meaningful. It doesn't have any thorns, too. Beautiful, just beautiful. It's a small gift Moonshine certainly deserves.

Well, I should wait until she wakes up.

***

About twenty minutes passed before Moonshine stirred from her sleep. She yawned, then stretched, accidentally throwing off the blanket, exposing herself.

Uh, what a sight to see. I'm about to have a sort of romantic moment with her, and, well, I see her privates the first thing in the morning. Great, isn't it?

She opened her eyes and saw me.

"Good morning, Moony." I greeted her. I saw her face becoming red after she heard how I called her. In my mind, it's rather sweet. Maybe. I don't know anything about relationships besides how to make a child. But I'm trying my best to be romantic... somehow.

"Uh, hi." she replied with a small sheepish smile. She rolled on the bed, set down her hooves on the floor, and stood up. Then, she eyed me from head to hooves, her blush becoming bigger. "Oh, you look... good." she said awkwardly.

"Thank you. You look good as well." I replied, levitating a brush. "Though, you need just a bit of gentle touch to make yourself look better. Let me help."

So far so good. I don't think I'm doing anything inappropriate or creepy. I just want to be careful, that's it.

"You don't have to..." she replied quietly. "But if you really want..."

"I do." I nodded. Then, I walked to her and sat on her bed. "Now, let me help you." I levitated the brush to Moonshine's head. She nodded slightly and sat on the bed near me, facing away from me. I suppose that is how it goes.

Now, I need to carefully brush her mane. Um... I think I remember seeing an advice somewhere. Brushing from the ends to the roots? Something like this. It avoids hair damage, as far as I know.

I levitated the brush and started following that advice. So far so good. I heard Moonshine exhaling a relaxed sigh as I brushed her mane. I'd love to run my fingers through it, but I now have no chance at it simply because I don't have them anymore. Oh well, I suppose I can do without them.

I always wanted a girl. I always wanted to have a special someone I could do nice things to. Now is the perfect chance to fulfill my dream of having someone I can truly love. I want to do so many nice things to Moonshine, to carry her around, to... there are so many things I want to do just to make her happy. She's been through some bad stuff, considering how she was treated by her parents. So unlucky... Maybe this is why I want to help her so badly? As someone who had just a small taste of love in my entire life, I see myself in her. And I don't want her to feel like I felt during those years. I was in a depression, and... well, it could've gone so wrong on so many occasions I wonder how am I still alive at this point. What can be more painful than the absence of love and care?

I want to show Moonshine that she is loved. I care about her. She's beautiful, sweet, and yet so fragile... I suppose I was like her in some way. Maybe less fragile, but still damaged by trying to find love. I don't want her to suffer like I had to.

"You smell nice." I heard Moonshine saying. I guess she discovered that smell of mint on my hoodie.

"Thank you." I replied with a smile. This love has really changed me to the better. I never knew I could be this gentle to anyone.

While I like sex and think of it a lot, I want my relationship with Moonshine to be more than mutual physical pleasure. I admit that, um, when she grows up, I'd like to have sex with her. It's a part of a relationship, it can't be denied. But I don't want it to be just that, sex. I want it to be more, something I'd love to keep in my mind forever, a memory to be remembered. I hope Moonshine feels the same way.

When I finished with her mane, I moved to her tail and started brushing it.

When I am near Moonshine, I feel myself better. Since the first day we met, I've been feeling this strange pull towards her. Was it love from the first glance? I have no idea. Love works so differently here than it does in my world. I had no idea at that time that I could love someone who wasn't even half my age. But I understood that age doesn't matter when it comes to love. Sure, there are some borders, but they're vague. Besides, ponies age faster. It's no surprise I saw Moonshine as someone to love. After all, I am a child again.

This is a kind of new life I've never thought about, truly. But it came to me that it's the best way of having a new life. It's turning a new page not only in what surrounds you, but inside yourself as well, changing with the environment. Thoughts change, priorities shift, moral compass redirects...

I went philosophical. Well, I guess it's what love does to you.

I finished with the brushing and put the brush away. Then, I levitated the rose and put it behind Moon's ear, surprising her.

"Do you like it?" I asked her.

She levitated a small mirror to herself and looked at it.

"Flame..." she turned to me. "I can't express how much I love you. I love roses!" she leaned in and kissed me on the lips.

This is the great beginning of a day.

Author's Notes:

Short and sweet chapter full of love.

You might want to check out the cloppy what-if scenario: What if Flame Metal agreed to have sex with three lunar pegasi mares? It's long and full of sex, some of you might like it. You don't need to read it to keep up with the current story. I just wanted a practice at writing clop, and one person suggested I should write a side-story full of it. So, I decided to go with a hilarious formula — turning T-rating into M-rating and throwing Flame in various situations that might've gone too far. Nevertheless, he enjoyed them.

If you can't access the what-if chapter, wait some time and then try again.