Max Taranis shoved his gloved hands deep into the front pockets of his heavy winter coat, fighting against the harsh winds as he trudged through the dense fog and thick blanket of snow that covered the ground. The hood over his head did little to shield his face from the stinging cold that chilled his bones despite the warm clothing he had on.

The human was exhausted, and more importantly, starving from the long, hard day of looking for work in the small town of Bloodstock. He managed to get a few odd jobs from some of the kinder pony folk that lived there, helping them with yard work, chopping wood, and other such menial tasks. It earned him enough bits to afford a warm meal and a few nights stay at the local inn, and that's exactly where he was heading.

One of Max’s temporary employers for the day recommended The Blue Ribbon Inn, saying how great of a place it was to get some good food and rest. The directions to the establishment could not have been simpler; follow the only road illuminated by the bright burning lanterns that hung from various tree branches. It was amazing to him that the fires inside the aforementioned lanterns could stay lit in this weather, but he quickly chalked it up to magic and never gave it a second thought. Everything in this crazy, equine-ruled world was influenced by magic in some way or another.

Suddenly, the winds picked up, nearly knocking Max off his feet, reminding him of the impending snowstorm that was about to descend upon the town. He picked up his pace, knowing there was little time, plowing through the snow with a renewed vigor as fast as he could. Soon enough, the glow of a blurry, glimmering light appeared in the distance, illuminating a large cabin-like structure.

“Please let that be the inn,” Max muttered through clenched teeth, hoping in the back of his mind that the inn served warm ale. He could really go for a relaxing beverage like that right about now.

Once he was close enough, his vision cleared and the once ambiguous, blurry light revealed itself to be a large, stained glass window which depicted an image of ponies galloping on a long race track. To the right of the window was a pony-sized door with a large wooden sign above it that read ‘The Blue Ribbon Inn’ in big, stylized letters.

The pleasant, yet familiar aroma of spiced potatoes invaded his nostrils as he drew closer, causing his malnourished stomach to growl angrily at him. The sounds of muffled conversations and laughter drifted out from beyond the window, putting a soft smile on his face. He might be the strange new outcast in this town full of ponies, but it was still nice to hear such happy sounds of life dwelling within the cozy inn.

Max stopped just before the entrance—which was slightly too small for him—and prepared himself for how the patrons inside might react towards him.

It was the same story in almost every new town he visited, and only seemed to get worse the farther away from Ponyville and Canterlot he ventured. It wasn’t that ponies were unfriendly or cruel towards him, but most of them could be quite skittish. They were used to seeing different kinds of beings coming and going, but he was more unique and rare than most things they had seen. A large and unfamiliar looking creature like him could frighten them easily and that was partially the reason why it was so difficult for him to find any work, making his search for new life outside of Ponyville extremely difficult.

With a heavy sigh, Max opened the door, causing a loud creaking sound to echo into the bustling inn. A warm breeze touched his chilled face as silence fell over the once lively room. Almost everypony in the inn stopped what they were doing to turn their heads and see who had just entered.

Max was greeted by a mix of odd and curious looks as he ducked his head under the doorway and slowly stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He pulled back his hood and scanned the room, focusing on no one in particular. He nodded towards all the somewhat apprehensive eyes facing him, receiving a few awkward smiles from the crowd in return. Most of the ponies went back to whatever it was they were doing while a few continued to stare, no doubt still curious about him.

The sounds of pleasant conversations began to fill the room once again as he slowly walked in, but it was noticeably softer than before. He took off his gloves and shoved them into his pocket, taking a moment to look around the inn. There were old horse shoes, helmets and racing goggles hanging on the walls, giving off a very sporty feel to everything.

‘Ponies here must really like their racing,’ Max thought as he looked towards the bar for a place to sit, finding all the stools empty except for one. A light, blue-green pegasus mare with a swept-back gold and amber striped mane sat there alone, slouched over the bar with her head over her drink. He also noticed what looked like a bright red scarf around her neck.

Dreading the thought of eating alone, Max made his way towards the mare. Even if she wasn’t the talkative type, he could still use the silent company if that happened to be the case. He just hoped his appearance wouldn't frighten her too much.

Taking his time and just enjoying the warmth of the inn, Max slowly weaved his way through the aisles of occupied tables, ignoring the few eyes that followed him as he did so. He walked up to the vacant stool next to the rather glum-looking pegasus, noticing she had a lightning bolt with three gold stars under it for a cutie mark. It was unclear to him what her mark meant exactly, but he thought it was pretty bad ass. If he could get a cutie mark, he would’ve definitely wanted something similar to what she had. He then noticed how festive her scarf was, seeing depictions of white snowflakes and candy canes that were mixed in with... lightning bolts? It was a strange pattern, but he thought it looked kind of cute on her.

Max cleared his throat to help get the mare’s attention. He didn't want to startle her after all. “Hey, uhh, is this seat taken?”

The pegasus lifted her head up from her almost empty glass, then lazily turned to look at the seat in question before glancing up at Max with gorgeous, yet dreary amber eyes. It was obvious to him that she was troubled, but before he could get a better look at her, she turned back to her drink.

“Knock yourself out,” she answered nonchalantly.

Max gave her a questioning look, not expecting her lack of surprise from seeing him for the first time.

“Ehh, right,” Max said awkwardly as he pulled the stool out, then sat down. Her lack of a reaction was unusual and only helped to raise a few questions in his mind. “You wouldn't happened to have seen others that look like me before, have you?”

The pegasus raised a questioning eyebrow at that before looking towards Max to give him a more thorough once over.

Max got a better look at those big eyes of hers when she did so. They were a glorious color of amber that glistened―almost hypnotically―in the torchlight of the inn, filling him with a friendly feeling despite having only met her.

Seemingly satisfied with her examination, the mare turned back to her glass, lifting it up to her lips before quickly downing what remained of her drink, then slammed it down on the counter. Her whole body shivered before she let out a loud and drawn out sigh, then slumped over the bar again.

“Sorry buddy, but you're pretty odd looking. I haven't seen anything like you before,” she said, staring forlornly into the now empty glass.

“Riiiight...” Max said, not satisfied with her answer. “And, my appearance doesn't shock you at all?”

The pegasus scoffed at that remark before looking up at Max with a challenging scowl. “Why? Should I be scared or something?”

“Well, I don’t know. Maybe a little. Everypony else seems to be,” Max said with hint of annoyance. “It’s just that most of the ponies I’ve met up here have more of a, ehh... reaction when they see me.”

“Yeah well, ponies up here don't see a whole lot of visitors like yourself,” she said, waving a limp hoof in the air to flag down the barmaid. “Me, on the other hoof, I’ve flown all over Equestria and then some. I’ve seen things that are a hundred times more frightening than you. To be honest with ya, buddy, you look pretty harmless. In fact, you look like some kind of balding minotaur without the horns, and I don't think those are muscles you're hiding under that thick coat you got on.”

Max blinked a few times, caught off guard by her insulting comment. He tried to hide the smirk that kept creeping across his lips and was about to reply, but a light grey unicorn mare with a jet black mane and a brown vest walked over, holding aloft a bottle of whisky within her magic.

The barmaid filled the gloomy pegasus’ glass, then set the bottle aside before turning towards Max. She paused and took a moment to study him, like most ponies did, then cleared her throat softly, taking a few steps over to him. He could tell she was trying to act like she wasn’t uncomfortable.

“W-welcome to The Blue Ribbon Inn, the name’s Moonshine. Is there anything I can, ehh, getcha, hun?” Moonshine said almost cautiously.

“Yeah,” Max replied, internally sighing to himself, knowing that the barmaid was wary about him. He knew it was best to just act normal in these situations and not try too hard to prove that he wasn’t some weird monster. “I was actually wondering if you served any warm ale here.”

Surprisingly, Moonshine seem to brighten up after his question. A soft and almost proud smile spread across her lips. “Hun, I’ll have you know that The Blue Ribbon Inn is well known for its home-brewed ales, and if ya want that served hot, then that's no problem at all. What's your preference?”

“Do you have anything sweet, like a brown ale?” Max asked hopefully.

Moonshine’s smile brightened even more as she nodded in confirmation. “Ya got some good taste there, stranger. That's a personal favorite of mine. Is there anything else I can getcha while I'm up and about?”

“I keep smelling something really good cooking here. It smells like spiced potatoes. Do you serve that here as well?”

Moonshine nodded again. “I got a fresh batch in the back right now.”

“Then I’ll order some of that with a loaf of sourdough bread. Oh, and can I get a fork to eat that with?” Max asked, knowing that most pony establishments don’t always serve food with utensils unless asked for them.

“You betcha, tall stuff,” Moonshine said with a wink, seemingly more lively and comfortable now as she walked into kitchen.

Max relaxed in his seat, feeling better now that the barmaid was seemingly more okay with him. What was even better though was the fact that he was going to get the ale he was craving, and a warm meal from his childhood that he hadn’t had in a long time. Thoughts of what the ale might taste like clouded his mind, but the pegasus next to him spoke up, pulling him back into the real world.

“Ale drinker, huh?” She said, taking a delicate sip of her whisky.

“Yeah,” Max replied, somewhat defensively. “What of it?”

“Lightweight,” she said mockingly, going in for another swig of her drink before letting out a pleased sigh. “Now this is a real stallion’s drink, not that fruity ale stuff you ordered. I bet you couldn’t even handle a tiny sip of this.”

“Is that supposed to be a challenge?” Max asked, raising a curious eyebrow at her.

“And what if it is?” she said, giving him a taunting scowl, placing her glass on the counter between them.

Without taking his eyes off the mare, Max picked up her drink and in one quick motion, he brought the glass up to his lips then quickly downed the rest of her whisky. Unflinching, he slammed the glass back down on the counter, giving her a cocky grin.

The pegasus’ eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at him for a while. “Damn... well, I stand corrected,” she admitted with a small grin of her own. “Honestly, I didn’t think you had it in ya. I’m impressed, but now I’m out of my whisky. You owe me one, bub. That stuff ain't cheap around here!”

“Sure,” Max said with roll of his eyes, figuring he had enough bits to buy the mare one drink, then turned to face her a little more. “I’m Max, by the way. Max Taranis.”

“Max... Tar-anus?” she said, sounding out the unfamiliar word. “So, is that like max as in... maximum power, or something?”

Max chuckled before shrugging. “Yeah sure, why not?”

“You got a weird name, Max,” she said, extending her hoof out towards him. “I’m Lightning Dust. It's a pleasure.”

Max gripped her hoof with his hand, giving it a firm shake. “So tell me, how does somepony make lightning dust exactly?”

Lightning paused, then let a soft smile spread across her lips as she thought about his question. She bit her bottom lip for a moment, obviously trying to hold back a laugh. “Huh... You know I’ve never gave that any thought before. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.”

“I'll hold you to that,” Max said, unzipping his coat to cool off before continuing. “So then, Lightning Dust. I believe you were saying before that you’ve flown all over Equestria? I take it that you're a pretty ample flyer then.”

The smile on Lightning's face faded into a small frown as she looked back to her empty drink. “Yeah... I love to fly,” she said with a hint of sadness, twisting the glass between her hooves, rattling the ice cubes around as she stared into it.

“You don’t sound too excited about that,” Max pointed out, wondering if something happened to her flying ability. It would explain why she seemed to be so down in the dumps. “Did something happen? Can you no longer fly?”

Lightning let her smile return for a short moment, turning back towards Max. “Nah, I can fly just fine, and still do,” she said, flexing her wings in and out, giving them a quick flap to show off her mobility before letting them relax at her sides again. “But...” she paused for a moment, then sighed before continuing, “let's just say I made some... mistakes when trying to take my flying career to the next level.”

Max frowned at that. “What do you mean?”

“It's a long and boring story,” Lightning said, waving him away with a limp hoof. “Don’t worry about it.”

Max wondered why Lightning didn’t want to talk about her mistake, but quickly shrugged it off. If she didn’t want to talk about that stuff, then it really wasn’t any of his business. He was about to change the subject when Moonshine returned from the kitchen. In her magical grasp, she carried over a warm plate of spiced potatoes with a side of sourdough bread and a large wooden mug that seemed to be overflowing with a layer of light-golden froth on the top.

“Here you go, hun,” Moonshine said happily, placing the plate and mug down in front of Max. “Care to give that ale a try? I’d love to hear whatcha think of it.”

Max nodded before placing the mug against his lips, taking a generous swig of the ale, letting some of the froth touch his nose. Instantly, his tastebuds were greeted with a soothingly warm liquid that coated his tongue in a rich nutty flavor with hints of what he suspected to be caramel. It was just the right amount of sweet to be enjoyable. Shockingly, it was one of the best ale’s he ever had the pleasure of tasting.

Letting out a delighted and refreshed sigh, Max set the mug down before looking towards Moonshine, who was patiently waiting for his appraisal with a happy and confident smile.

“You know, I have to hand it to you, Moonshine,” Max said, wiping some of the froth from his nose. “This is pretty damn good. It has a really nice flavor too it. What’s your secret?”

“Secrets are a secret for a reason, hun,” Moonshine said with a wink. “I’m glad you like it.” She then turned to Lightning Dust with a more concerned expression. “Is there anything else I can get ya, darling?”

Lightning smiled smugly, raising her empty glass towards her, giving it a little shake. “I could use a refill, courtesy of my new weirdo friend here.”

Moonshine raised an eyebrow at her and looked towards Max.

Max smirked and gave her a simple nodded in response.

“Alright darling, if you’re sure,” Moonshine said somewhat worriedly, using her magic to float a bottle of whisky over to Lightning's empty glass, filling it again. “Just take it easy tonight, okay? Your father would have a fit if he knew I letcha drink too much again.” She put the bottle away, then started to head back into the kitchen, but stopped just before the door to look back. “If you two need anything, don’t be afraid to holler. I’ll hear ya and come right out.”

Lightning tsked mockingly once Moonshine was out of sight. She took a large gulp of her whisky, then muttered something about drinking whatever she wanted under her breath.

Max could tell that this wasn’t the first time Lightning had been at this inn to drown out her sorrows, but shrugged it off, picking up the fork off of his plate. He pierced one of the potato-halves, then placed it into his mouth, letting the nostalgic flavor of one of his favorite meals overwhelm him, putting a soft smile on his face. He hummed in delight, letting all his stress and worries melt away as he relished in his simple meal.

“That good, huh?” Lightning said, with a smirk.

Max nodded, then swallowed before picking up the loaf of sourdough bread, taking a large bite of it.

“Sooo, Max,” Lightning said, her speech sounding slightly more slurred, grabbing his attention again. “What brings a, umm... ehh―”

“Human,” Max finished for her, biting off another piece of the bread, then chewed it thoroughly. “My kind are called humans.”

“Right... So then, what brings a hoo-man to Bloodstock? There really isn’t that much up here.”

“Exactly! It’s quiet,” Max said before enjoying another bite of his potatoes, then washed it down with a swig of his ale. “No obnoxious ponies trying to throw random parties every ten seconds. No ponies crashing into your newly installed windows when trying to deliver your mail. And more importantly, no random monster attacks every other week!”

“Geez, dude...” Lightning said in pity, frowning worriedly at him. “Where in Tartarus did you come from?”

“Ponyville,” Max answered before putting another potato-half in his mouth.

“Oooooh... Okay, yeah that makes sense,” Lightning replied knowingly before her eyes widened in sudden realization. “Wait! Do you know somepony there named Rainbow Dash?”

Max swallowed his food, then gave her a confused look. “Yeah... I do actually. Her and her friends helped me a bunch when I was living in Ponyville. She’s pretty cool, but how do you know her?”

“Duuuuude!” Lightning shouted excitedly, grinning up at him as she quickly sat up in her seat, almost knocking her drink over. “I was in the academy with her! That mare’s got a great ass!”

Max blinked a few times in surprise before smirking, holding back a laugh. He wasn't expecting such an excited and sudden outburst about Rainbow Dash's booty, but he couldn’t deny the truth in that statement. “Well, yeah, I can’t argue with that. Rainbow definitely has one of the best set of flanks in Ponyville.”

“She’s got the best flanks period!” Lightning corrected passionately, giving Max a playful shove. “They're so round and firm-looking,” she said while making a cupping motion with her hooves, as if she was holding something round and soft before continuing, “Like you could just lay your head on them and fall asleep. Fuck, what I wouldn’t give to go back in time when we were both in the academy together. I would’ve slowed down just so I could fly behind her.”

Max laughed loudly at that, relating to Lightning’s desires. “Yeah, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a few fantasies about getting to know Rainbow’s back side a little more. She’s pretty great all around.”

“She is!” Lightning shouted passionately. “I still think about her sometimes. I only knew her for a short time, but I might’ve offered to take her out on a date if I had the chance.” She let out soft, almost dreamy sigh before taking another sip of her drink, then looked back up to Max. “Soooo, I take it you had the hots for her, too, huh? Did you ever ask her out?”

Max’s jovial expression melted into a more neutral one at that question. “Yeah... actually I did once,” he admitted, pushing a potato-half around with his fork as he recalled the event in question.

“She wasn’t into it, huh?” Lightning asked knowingly with an understanding nod, picking up on his change in mood. “Well, there are plenty of other mares in the sea. Plus, I think Rainbow’s barn door swings the other way, if you know what I mean. So, I wouldn’t feel too bad about it.”

Max chuckled weakly at that, trying to seem more upbeat. He knew that Rainbow was quite straight and that wasn’t the reason why he was rejected. She just... wasn’t interested in a guy like him.

“Yeah, could be,” Max said, wanting to change the subject. “But I’m not losing sleep over it.”

“Hey, so, um...” Lightning started to ask, but hesitated as she gathered her thoughts. “What was your plan when you left Ponyville? And…” she stifled a burp before continuing, “...why did you come all the way up north to Bloodstock?”

“Well, it wasn’t my plan to end up here. I just heard it was calmer up here and there were a lot of opportunities to find work, so I gathered all the bits I had, then bought a train ticket to head up north,” Max explained, picking away at his meal. “Unfortunately, I’ve used up most of my bits going from town to town to try and find a place where I could settle down and start a new life. No such luck so far, and now I’m just trying to find any odd job I can to help pay for food and possibly a room to sleep in for the night. I might just have to call it quits and head back to Ponyville if I can’t find something more stable soon.”

“Damn, that sucks...” Lightning said, finishing off her last sip of whisky. She set her glass down, then arched her back and stretched her wings and forelegs out, yawning loudly.

Max couldn’t help but watch Lightning as she stretched out in front of him, noticing how extremely fit and surprisingly curvy her body was. Her blue-green coat glimmered brilliantly in the torchlight of the inn, strangely reminding him of how the sun reflects off the ocean. She truly was a beautiful creature to behold and had a good personality to boot, it was just a shame that she wasn’t into males. He would have kept looking, but she started to relax, putting her forelegs back down.

“You know what...” Lightning started to say at the end of her yawn, folding her wings back against her sides as she slumped over the bar again. “For a weird, hairless minotaur-thingy, you’re pretty alright.”

“Oh, umm, cool... I think?” Max said awkwardly, not really expecting the compliment... if that was one. “You’re pretty alright yourself.”

“I think you meant to say ‘awesome’, but it’s cool. We just met, so I’ll forgive you this time,” Lightning teased with a wide grin before nudging his arm. “Hey, if you want, I think I can help you out.”

Max gave her a confused look, not sure what she was getting at. “What do you mean? Help me with what?”

“You know, with getting a job and all that stuff. I know somepony in town who could really use an assistant,” Lightning responded, fluttering her wings almost excitedly. “You look like you could be good for the job, too. If you want I can take you to him tomorrow.”

“Are... are you being serious?” Max asked cautiously, skeptical of her state of mind with all that whisky clouding it. “You really know somepony that would let me work for them?”

“Yeah! I’m positive he’d hire you!” Lightning exclaimed confidently with a nod, then paused, furrowing her brow in deep contemplation. “Wait... at least I think he would... no, no he'd definitely hire you!”

“You don't sound so sure...” Max pointed out, trying to gauge exactly how drunk Lightning was. It was hard to tell because she was still pretty coherent, all things considered.

“Nah, trust me, he will!” Lightning reassured him, then hesitated, giving him a quick once over again. She rubbed her chin with her hoof, as if she was appraising him for something in her mind. “Unless you're too... weak... I mean, it can be a pretty physically demanding position. Not many ponies can do it.”

Max scoffed at that and rolled his eyes, knowing that he was stronger than most ponies he’d met. Whatever this job was, he was confident that he could manage it easily. “Tell you what. You take me to this place and I’ll prove to you that I can do it!”

“Well, you talk a big game, Max...” Lightning said with a challenging smirk. “But, I guess we'll just have to find out what you can really do tomorrow!”

“Don’t worry your sweet little tits, sweetheart! I’ll be able to handle it, no sweat!” Max boasted confidently before a more pressing matter entered into his mind. “Although... I’m not sure what I’m going to do about my housing situation... I don’t really have a place to stay yet. I think I only have enough bits to rent a room here for a few nights.”

Lightning hummed to herself in thought for a moment, then smiled even more. “You know, I got a couch you can totally crash on back in my apartment. It might be a little small for you, but you're welcome to it until you can get on your hooves.”

“What, really?” Max asked, baffled. He was starting to like this Lightning Dust mare more and more, so long as she wasn’t pulling his leg. “You’re serious about all this, right? I mean, you’re okay with letting a stranger like me into your home, just like that?”

“Yeah sure, why not?” Lightning said with a slight shrug of her wings. “You seem like you're on the level and you got great taste in mare booty,” she pointed out with a playful wink. “I can't keep you at my place forever, but my apartment complex has a lot of spaces available. Once you start earning some bits, then I’m sure you could get a place there. Maybe we could be neighbors then! That’d be awesome!”

“I...” Max started to say, but hesitated, not really sure how to express his gratitude. “I’m not really sure what to say.”

“You can start by admiring how truly awesome I am!” Lightning boasted with a cocky grin, closing her eyes while leaning back in her stool with her forelegs stretched out as if she won a major victory. She nearly lost her balance while doing so, but quickly caught herself, flapping her wings to help her stay on her seat.

Max chuckled at the drunk mare, letting a small smile spread across his lips. He was starting to think that he might’ve finally found his chance to build a new life outside of Ponyville.

“Well, you’re pretty awesome and I don't have any issues with admitting that,” Max said, then looked out of the large window of the inn, seeing the trees swaying back and forth in the harsh winds. “Hey, ehh... how will we get to your place? I’m sure that storm outside is going to be upon us pretty soon.”

“Nah, we got plenty of time,” Lightning reassured him, waving a dismissive hoof in the air. “Plus, I live really close by. We can head out when you finish your potato thingies and that fruity bitch drink.”

“Hey!” Max shouted defensively. “Ale might not be as strong as whisky, but I can guarantee you'd like it if you gave it a try. In fact, I bet I could convince you to drink it.”

“Yeah, keep dreaming, buddy,” Lightning scoffed, placing her hooves on the sides of her muzzle before shouting, “Yo, Mooooniee! We need checks out here for me and the tall weirdo!”

“I hear ya!” Moonshine shouted back from the kitchen. “I’m coming!”

“You know,” Max started to say with his mouth full of food. “From my perspective, you ponies are the weird ones. And that weird scarf you’re wearing isn't helping your case.”

“Yeah, no, you’re the weird one here, Max Tar-anus,” Lightning countered, poking him in the arm with the edge of her hoof. “Doesn’t matter how you twist it, I’m not the six foot tall ale drinker, and my scarf was a gift from somepony important to me, dickbag!”

Max chuckled and was about to ask who gave it to her, but Moonshine came trotting out with two small pieces of paper held in her magic. She floated the receipts down before them and they both dropped their bits on top of their respective bills. Max was the first to get up, causing Moonshine to look over at him.

“Be sure to come back,” Moonshine said with a soft smile. “I’ll have a nice warm mug of ale waiting for ya when you do.”

“You know...” Max said thoughtfully, feeling better than he had ever felt in a long while, thinking things were truly starting to turn around for the better. “I just might.”

Lightning turned on her stool and flapped her wings to try and fly off, but nearly lost her balance.

“Whoooa,” Lightning said, quickly stretching her wings and forelegs out to catch herself, sitting back on her seat. “Maybe I had a little more to drink then I thought.”

Max gave her a concerned look. “You going to be alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it, don’t worry,” Lightning reassured him unsuccessfully. “I just gotta get my balance, that’s all.”

“Umm, okay...” Max said as he watched Lightning slowly and awkwardly stand up on her stool, firmly planting all four of her hooves on the seat. He wasn’t really sure what she was trying to do. “Are you sure you don’t need help?”

Lightning didn’t answer him, crouching down like a wobbly newborn kitten getting ready to pounce. She flapped her wings a few times, sticking her tongue out of the side of her mouth while frowning in deep concentration.

Max had never seen a pegasus do anything Lightning was currently doing before taking flight. It was obvious that she was way too inebriated to fly, but before he could stop her, she launched herself into the air.

Lightning managed to fly a good several feet before her wings fell out of sync with each other, causing her to come crashing back down to the floor. She landed hard, skidding on her belly into an empty chair and knocking it over with a loud bang.

Everypony in the inn stopped what they were doing to turn and see what happened, embarrassing Max as every eye in the room instantly fell onto him. He sighed in annoyance as he walked over to the the fallen pegasus, zipping his coat back up before putting his gloves back on. He knelt down, then took the chair off her, setting it upright again.

Lightning rolled over onto her side, then looked up to Max with a sheepish smile. “Okay... maybe I shouldn’t be flying right now.”

Max shook his head before pulling his hood over, getting himself ready to enter back into the harsh winter outside. “And you were calling me the lightweight?” he muttered as he helped her to her hooves.

Lightning stood up with his help and got her balance. She tried to take a few steps forward and almost tripped over herself in the process.

Max caught her before she could fall again, supporting her with his hands. “How many glasses of whisky did you drink?”

“Just two or five,” Lightning said as if it was no big deal, wobbling on her hooves slightly. “I think... maybe six?”

Max sighed again before standing up next to her. “Here. You can lean against me if you want.”

Without a second thought, Lightning pressed herself against his leg and hummed softly. “You're warm,” she muttered happily, letting her eyelids fall slightly.

Max ignored the comment, wanting to get to her apartment as soon as possible. “So, where are we headed?”

“Just take a left outside the inn and walk straight. I’ll let you know when we’re close.”

“Alright,” Max said, placing a hand on her back for added guidance and support as he started to walk forward.

Lightning followed him, leaning against his side as they left the inn together and entered into the harsh and cold winter night.

The very next morning, Max trudged through the thick layer of fresh snow on the ground, courtesy of the harsh snowstorm last night. Lightning Dust was flying next to him, still wearing her festive-ish red scarf round her neck while holding her head in her hooves with her eyes squinting in pain.

They were able to reach Lightning’s apartment last night just in time before the storm hit. As soon as they got in, Lightning immediately ambled off into her bedroom and passed out, while Max was left all alone in the living room with the couch she offered him.

The couch itself was small, but reasonably comfortable once he cleared off all the empty fast food containers and random piles of blue-green feathers from it. She even had a few copies of Playcolt lying on top of all the garbage, which wasn’t a surprise to him. It was obvious that she had a pretty profound preference of the female form. Being the lonely guy he was, he would have been tempted to take a peek himself, but he was just too exhausted from doing yard work all day and quickly passed out once his body hit the cushions.

Unfortunately, Max wasn't able to get much sleep since he was woken up extremely early by a very cranky looking Lightning Dust. He was worried that she had forgotten why a strange bipedal creature was sleeping on her couch, but such wasn’t the case. She remembered everything from last night and even the job she told him about, which was exactly where they were currently heading.

Max looked towards the sky, seeing that the sun was barely starting to peek out from the mountain tops, causing him to wonder why Lightning woke him up so early. He turned his head towards the pegasus in question, seeing she was still holding her head in pain.

“How's the head?” Max asked, shoving his gloved hands into the front pockets of his coat.

“Still hurts,” Lightning groaned weakly as she rubbed her temple with her hooves. “But it’s going down... kind of...”

“That’s good,” Max said as he stared down the path they were walking. “So, I got to ask... why did we have to get up so early?”

Lightning only groaned in response, rubbing her temples harder.

“I mean, we could’ve slept in, and you could’ve gotten rid of your head―”

“Because!” Lightning snapped angrily, taking her head out of her hooves so she could scowl at him. She immediately noticed what she did, then sighed deeply, letting her head and limbs dangle limply as her wings kept her aloft in the air.

“I’m... sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you...” Lightning said tiredly, then lifted her head up. “It’s just important that we get there as early as we can. Just trust me on this, okay?”

Max didn't really have any other choice but to trust her, even though this whole thing was starting to seem more and more sketchy. He just hoped this job was real. He didn't care what it was so long as it wasn’t a phone sex operator...

On second thought, he figured a job like that might be kind of fun. He always thought he had a sexy voice and wouldn't mind talking to some perverted pony so long as it paid enough for him to live in Bloodstock.

Looking ahead, Max saw an old cabin like structure at the end of the snow covered road. Thick black smoke billowed out from behind the cabin, which perplexed him. It was way too much smoke for a simple fireplace to create and as they got closer, the smell of burning coal invaded his nostrils, followed by the muffled sound of steel banging against metal. The noise seemed to be coming from within the cabin.

Lightning flew ahead of Max, just before they reached the front entrance, then landed in front of him before quickly turning around with a rather serious complexion. “Okay, listen up. When we go in there, just let me do the talking, got it?”

Max gave her an odd look, raising a questioning eyebrow at her.

“I’m serious,” Lightning said flatly. “Don’t touch anything, don’t make an ass out of yourself, and most of all, don’t speak unless spoken to!”

“Geez... What kind of job is this, some kind of underground pony drug ring or something?” Max asked cautiously, second guessing his choice to follow her out here. “I mean, why can’t I even speak to the guy?”

“You’ll speak to him, just...” Lightning paused, groaning loudly before ruffling her feathers in annoyance. She took a deep, calming breath and massaged her temple again, then looked back at Max with a somewhat calmer expression. “Alright, look... I know I’m helping you out here, but this is really important to me as well. It might be hard for you to believe right now, but I want you to get this job just as bad as you do. You gotta trust me on this and do what I say, okay.”

Max couldn’t understand how this could be important to her, but he figured he came this far, he might as well see it through till the end. “Alright, whatever you say, Sugar Tits. I’ll be nice and quiet.”

Lightning smiled up at him in thanks, then turned back to the door and opened it before trotting inside. The sound of steel pounding against metal echoed out louder from the entrance as Max ducked his head and followed her inside.

The first thing Max noticed was the rows of barrels in the center of the room, all filled to the brim with scrap metal. The walls were a different story, displaying all kinds of unique horseshoes. There was even a small space on the wall dedicated to weapons that an earth pony might wield like saddle mounted spears and helmets with blades attached to them. There were also some hammers custom made for a hoof to hold as well as some large, tongue-looking tools, clueing him in on what this job might entail.

“Papa meow-meow!” Lightning shouted into the cabin, grabbing Max’s attention. “Your little thunder cloud is here!”

Max stared at Lightning oddly, wondering what the hell kind of a name ‘papa meow-meow’ was for a pony. And why did she call herself a ‘little thunder cloud’?

The sound of pounding metal suddenly stopped, followed by a deep booming voice that called from another room. “Kitten... is that you? I’m just finishing up in the smithy!”

“K-kitten?” Max muttered under his breath, shocked to hear such a macho voice utter such a word. He wondered if this guy was her coltfriend of something, but that couldn't be it.

“Okay, follow me,” Lightning said before taking flight, then gliding down a short hallway.

The sound of sizzling water could be heard as Max followed her down the hall. They reached a wooden door at the end and without losing her altitude, Lightning opened it and entered inside.

“Kiddo!” the deep, burly voice shouted excitedly as Max slowly followed her into the room. He stopped at the entrance, seeing Lightning Dust currently hugging a large earth pony stallion that was nearly twice her size. He almost had to do a double take when he saw him for the first time. The only other pony he had seen as big as him was Applejack’s brother from Ponyville, but this stallion was even larger than Big Mac. His coat was a deep brown, similar to that of a coffee bean, while his long, dirty-white mane draped down the sides of his head. His cutie mark was unsurprisingly an anvil with a burning flame behind it.

Max looked around as the two ponies hugged each other, seeing a large forge behind them that illuminated the entire room in a soft orange glow from the fire that burned within it. There was an anvil in the center of the room with a large hammer propped up against it. There was also a large tub of water in front of the forge that was still sizzling with whatever the earth pony was working on inside it. Scanning the walls, he could see even more horseshoes as well as some half finished projects and what appeared to be other metal shaping tools.

“This is a pleasant surprise,” the burly stallion said before ending his hug with Lightning. “I wasn’t expecting you to stop by today. It’s good to see ya, kid.”

“It’s good to see you too, Dad,” Lightning said with a warm smile, taking a step back from him.

‘That’s her dad?!’ Max thought in disbelief, not seeing the similarities at first, but quickly noticed how the stallions amber eyes matched well with Lightning’s. Although, Lightning’s were a lot prettier, while her dad’s just seemed to be frozen in a state of perpetual anger.

“So, kiddo, did you come by... to...” the stallion trailed off as he looked over to see Max standing in the doorway. A questioning and almost threatening frown crossed his features as he stared at Max, studying him up and down cautiously.

Max was starting to feel pretty intimidated by the large stallion, fearing in the back of his mind that this guy might think he was trying to date his daughter or something. He would have introduced himself and explained why he was there, but he followed Lightning’s instructions and stayed quiet, hoping the stallion wouldn’t start charging at him.

“Who's the weird looking minotaur in the coat?” the stallion asked in concern, taking his eyes off of Max to glance at his daughter for an answer. “Is he your coltfriend, or something?”

“No, Dad, he’s just a friend,” Lightning explained, waving Max to come closer.

Max did as he was told and walked up to them, trying to seem like Lightning’s dad didn’t scare the shit out of him. Her father’s eyes stayed locked onto him as he approached, carefully watching him through a furrowed brow.

“His name is Max Taranis,” Lightning continued with a warm smile. “Max, this is my father, Flint Steel.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Flint,” Max said, trying to sound as professional as he could, putting on a friendly smile as he extended his hand in greeting.

Flint looked down at Max’s hand curiously before slowly extending his partly cracked and blackened hoof, letting Max shake it firmly.

“The pleasure is mine, I’m sure...” Flint said flatly in a less than enthusiastic tone before taking his hoof back, then turned towards his daughter. “So... Why is he here?”

“Well, umm,” Lightning started to say, losing her nerve for a moment, but quickly collected herself and looked her father straight in the eye. “Max has traveled all the way from Ponyville and he’s looking for a new place to call home. He’s been from town to town, but no pony has been able to help him. So, he came to Bloodstock looking for work and―”

“Lightning Dust,” Flint said sternly in a deep booming voice, interrupting her as his scowl deepened. “We've been over this. I don't need help!”

Max sighed and shook his head, kicking himself for thinking that this job could have been the real deal. He should have known better than to trust a beautiful mare he just met, no matter how friendly she seemed. He was about to just walk out and start making plans to head back to Ponyville, when Lightning spoke up.

“No, dad!” Lightning half-shouted, stomping her hoof on the ground in protest, letting her wings flare out. “You do need help!”

“Kitten, please... Not this again,” Flint said tiredly with a deep and loud sigh of annoyance. “I’m doing just fine and the shop has never been better!”

“You know that's not true!” Lightning argued loudly, ruffling her feathers in anger.

Flint grunted something inaudible before frowning even deeper at Lightning. It looked like he was about to say something, but dropped his head down and looked away from her, snorting hot air onto the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

“Come on, Pops...” Lightning said in a softer voice, retracting her wings as she stepped towards her father. “I know you don’t like to admit it, but you’re getting older. You aren't making as many horseshoes as you were before, and the royal guard said that a few of the helmets you sent them came apart. You’re overworked and you need help, and I’m positive Max can do that for you. You just need to show him the ropes.”

Silence filled over the room as Max stood there with wide eyes, wondering what he got himself into. He didn’t know what to say or do, so he just stayed out of the way and waited to see how things were going to pan out.

Lightning got closer to her father and draped a wing over him before leaning her head down to his. “Just trust me... I have a good feeling about him,” she said in a soft whisper. “Give him a chance and see how he does, it couldn’t hurt…”

Flint said nothing for a while, letting his frustrated and angry expression melt into a more neutral one as his eyes slowly scanned his shop. With a heavy sigh, he lifted his head up, causing Lightning to step back and retract her wing. He looked at his daughter for a moment as she smiled at him, then directed his stubborn sights towards Max.

Max felt like a deer caught in headlights and didn’t know what to do, so he awkwardly waved at Flint before the stallion turned back to his daughter.

“Please, Dad... for me?” Lightning pleaded softly, keeping her soft smile and bright amber eyes focused on his, letting them glimmer in the fire light of the forge.

Max’s heart started to melt from the adorable sight. There was no way anypony could say no to those eyes.

“If you really want me to do this, then...” Flint started to say, but hesitated, putting on a more stern expression. “Then you have to apply for the academy again.”

Lightning's eyes widened in shock and her ears flattened against her skull at that request. Her eyes quickly darted over to Max for a moment, confusing him, then settled back on her father. “D-dad... you know I can’t do that,” she practically whispered.

“Nonsense!” Flint protested with a stomp of his hoof, causing the earth to shake slightly as the sound of metal banging against each other echoed into the room. “If you want me to hire some extra help around here, then you need to do this for me.”

“T-that's hardly fair, dad,” Lightning tried to argue. “You really do need the help, but I... I don’t need to reapply to―”

“Do not finish that sentence!” Flint commanded sternly, taking a firmer stance. “I never raised a quitter and I won't let you start quitting now!”

“But, I...” Lightning tried to protest, looking towards Max again as she bit her bottom lip, then let her eyes fall to the ground. She frowned deeply, seemingly trying to contemplate what she wanted to say. After a while, she sighed in defeat, then looked towards her father again. “O... okay, Dad... I’ll do it...”

Flint sighed in relief, then let a warm smile spread across his lips. At least it looked like a smile, but it was hard to tell. “Thanks, Kitten.”

Max’s eyes quickly darted between Lightning and Flint as the two ponies gazed at each other. He had no idea what was going on, but from the sounds of things, it seemed like he finally had a job. A real job! He was about to speak up when Flint turned towards him with a judgmental scowl, examining him up and down thoroughly.

“Max!” Flint shouted as he walked up, causing the human to jump in surprise.

“Ehh, yes?” Max asked awkwardly.

“You know what this place is, right?” Flint asked, not taking his eyes off him.

“Uhh, yeah,” Max answered as if it was obvious. “This place is a smithy, and you’re a blacksmith.”

Flint hummed in thought, before nodding his head. “That’s correct. At least you're not as dumb as you look, and you got here bright and early... I like that.”

Max raised an eyebrow at him, then looked over to Lightning, seeing her smirking at him with a very smug I-told-you-so look.

“I trust you understand how labor intensive a job like this can be, right?” Flint asked sternly, grabbing Max’s attention again.

Max scoffed at that, knowing he was in great shape and was confident he could do this job effortlessly. “Don’t you worry, Pops,” he boasted with a smug smile. “I’m no stranger to a hard day's work. I can handle whatever you throw at me!”

“Now you listen here, colt!” Flint half-shouted angrily, stomping his hoof on the ground, causing the metal in the room to clang together again. “If you want this job, then you're going to learn some respect! From now on you will refer to me as sir! Got it?!”

Max would have rolled his eyes at that, but he needed this job. Thinking he should just do what was requested of him, he figured he might as well put some enthusiasm into it. Plus, if Flint was anything like what his daughter seemed to be, then he might appreciate it if he put a little energy into his response.

“Yes, sir, Mr. Steel, sir!” Max shouted, standing tall with one hand pinned to his side while the other came up to his forehead, striking a proud saluting pose.

Flint gave Max an odd look before looking over to his daughter who simply shrugged, then looked back to Max. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Max was taken aback by that question, not really expecting a response like that. He relaxed his salute, starting to feel embarrassed by his actions. “I was just, you know... saluting you because―”

“Quit fucking around!” Flint shouted angrily. “We're here to work, not play jokes and act like assholes!”

“I wasn’t, I just―”

“Do you know what this town is known for?!” Flint shouted suddenly, interrupting Max while keeping his angry scowl fixed on him.

Max was completely thrown off guard from that question, having no clue what he was getting at. “I-I, umm―”

“Racing!” Flint finished for him. “Bloodstock is known for having some of the best and brightest racers in all of Equestria! And do you know what helps those proud athletes achieve their goals and win all those metals?”

Max was even more confused, having no clue what to say anymore. “U-umm, a lot of... push-ups?”

“Horseshoes!” Flint shouted passionately, ignoring Max’s comment. “Quality horseshoes made from the finest material that won't crack under pressure! That's what I make here! Not only that, but Princess Celestia herself comes to me to help fit her personal royal guard! I make some of the finest shoes, weapons, and armor that other ponies depend upon, and I expect to see the same quality of work out of you!”

“But, I don’t have a lot of experience with―”

“Catch!” Flint shouted suddenly, picking up a large hammer that laid against the anvil in the center of the room, then tossed it towards Max with his teeth.

Max’s eyes widened in surprise as the hammer came flying towards him. He opened his arms to catch the tool, catching it mostly with his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

“Your training starts now!” Flint commanded sternly.

Max blinked in confusion as he processed what Flint had just said. “W-wait, we’re starting now!? Like... right now, right now?”

“Did I stutter?” Flint asked, deepening his scowl. “And take that damn mare’s coat off! You won't be needing it when you're working next to the forge!”

Max looked over to Lightning for some assistance or help, but she was too busy holding her hooves over her muzzle, trying her hardest to stifle her laughter.

“Get your ass to that anvil, colt!” Flint shouted, gesturing to the anvil in question, causing Max to jump.

“Y-yes, sir!” Max said quickly, running up to the center of the room.

“See ya around, Max” Lightning said casually as she took flight and headed for the door.

“Wait!” Max called to her worriedly, causing her to stop and look back at him. “You’re not just going to leave me here, are you?”

Lightning giggled before waving a dismissive hoof at him. “You’ll be fine, don’t worry,” she reassured him before gliding through the door. She shouted back as she headed down the hallway, “I’ll come back in an hour or two to make sure you’re not dead!”

Max swallowed the lump in his throat and slowly turned back to the large, angry looking stallion in the room who was currently staring up at him with a wide grin.

“It’s just you and me now, colt, but don’t worry,” Flint said with a deep, menacing chuckle. “We’ll turn you into a real stallion by the end of the day!”

Taking his coat off and dropping it wherever, Max stumbled into Lightning Dust’s apartment, then quickly collapsed face first onto her couch. He groaned loudly as every muscle in his body screamed at him in agony.

Lightning quickly flew in after him, then closed and locked the door. Once the door was properly secured she glided over to the couch, then hovered in front of Max. “Wow, my dad really worked ya hard didn’t he?”

Max groaned into the couch cushion, never wanting to move again. He turned his head to the side and looked up at Lightning with a tired, worn out expression. “Your father hates me...” he muttered. “He said my arms were too weak to work the metal, so he had me swing around a twenty pound hammer and practice breaking rocks and coal all day!”

“Nah, he likes ya. I can tell,” Lightning reassured him unsuccessfully with a soft giggle. “He’s just trying to toughen you up.”

“I’m already tough...” Max pouted quietly, trying to defend his manhood, but failed completely.

Lightning cooed condescendingly at him as if she was talking to a small foal. “That’s so adorable! He thinks he’s a real stallion!”

Max painfully lifted his arm up and tried to throw his hand at Lightning in an attempt to smack her out of the air, but missed her completely, causing it to fall straight to the floor.

“Wanna try that again?” Lightning taunted calmly with a smug smile, still hovering in the air in front of him.

Max attempted to lift his hand a second time, lifting it up a few feet before giving up entirely, letting it fall back to the floor. “You’re lucky I’m so tired... I would’ve kicked your ass...”

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, hot shot,” Lightning said before flying above him, then gently perched herself on his back.

“Hey... Hey you can’t do that!” Max protested weakly, wanting to roll over to get her off, but had no strength or will left to do anything. “Come on, get off my back!”

“No way!” Lightning said, getting herself more adjusted on top of him before stretching her right wing out. “You’re a lot more comfortable than my couch, plus you’re on my favorite preening spot, so you’re just gonna have to deal with it.”

“Stupid... bird horse...” Max grunted angrily as Lightning started to gently nip at the feathers under her wing.

Silence fell over the two as Lightning continued to groom herself, but soon something light fell onto Max’s head, tickling his cheek. He turned his eyes to see what had just landed on him, seeing a blurry blue-green object obstructing his view.

“Are you putting your dead feathers on my head?” Max asked as a second light weight soon found itself resting next to his ear, giving him his answer. “Stop that!”

“Why don’t you get up and make me?” Lightning taunted as she continued to preen herself.

Max sighed in defeat, too tired to do anything and accepted his fate. He took a moment in his weakened state to look around Lightning's apartment, not seeing much of anything except some random garbage and a few copies of Playcolt on the floor.

“When I’m not so sore... we’re cleaning this place up,” Max said firmly, feeling another feather land on his head.

“What, why?” Lightning asked, looking up from her wing to scan over her apartment. “This place is already pretty clean.”

“This is clean to you?” Max asked in disbelief, trying to look up at her, but his body wouldn’t allow it. “You have porn magazines and old fast food wrappers on the floor, and your feathers are all over the place!”

“Hey,” Lightning shouted defensively. “Those were on the couch before! You were the one that put them on the ground, buddy, so you can have fun cleaning up your mess!”

Max rolled his eyes, then breathed a deep sigh before going back to being Lightning's new couch and feather dumpster. He laid there for a while, then remembered something that Lightning and her dad talked about earlier.

“Hey, Lightning...”

“Yeah?” Lightning responded, going in to start preening her left wing.

“Do you remember when you were talking to your dad about giving me a job?”

“Uhh, yeah! Of course I do,” Lightning answered as if his question was the dumbest thing she heard all day, nibbling on a few of her feathers again before continuing, “What about it?”

“Well that thing your dad asked you to do, something about... joining the academy again, or something... What was that about?”

Lightning paused in the middle of biting one of her primary feathers, going silent after he asked that. She took her head out from under her wing, then frowned as she looked off into a random corner of the room. Max was about to ask if she was okay, but she finally spoke up.

“Don’t worry about it,” Lightning said flatly, fluttering her feathers out a bit before folding her wing back against her side. “It’s nothing...”

“It sure doesn’t seem like it's nothing...” Max said, feeling ever more curious about what this academy thing was all about.

“Just... drop it, okay,” Lightning said with a hint of anger, laying sideways atop of Max’s back, getting herself more comfortable.

Max wasn’t sure why she didn’t want to talk about the academy thing and wondered if it had something to do with the mistake she mentioned at the inn yesterday. He figured it was best to just drop the subject for now. “Alright...”

Silence fell over the two once more while Max let his eyelids close slightly, getting himself ready to drift off into much needed sleep.

“Hey, Max...” Lightning spoke up, causing him to open his eyes.

“Hmm?” Max replayed tiredly.

“Thanks...”

Max paused at that, wondering what she was thanking him for. If anything he should be thanking her again for helping him find work and giving him a place to crash. “Umm, for what?”

“For accepting the job and helping my dad,” Lightning said before nuzzling her head between his shoulder blades. “I was actually kind of worried you would get scared and run off once you met my father and found out what the job was. I know he’s kind of a hard-ass and he always looks like he’s pissed off, but... he really is a good guy.”

Max thought about that for a moment, thinking about what he would have done if circumstances were different. It was true that Lightning's father was intimidating, and if he wasn't so desperate for a job, then he might have declined the offer and walked out. Although, if he was being honest with himself, he was kind of excited about becoming a blacksmith.

“Yeah, sure,” Max answered simply before adjusting himself as much as he could on the couch, getting more comfortable. He was about to just let himself pass out, but one of Lightning's Playcolt magazines on the floor caught his eyes. He grunted in pain as he lifted his sore arm and reached out to the magazine, then slid it closer to him.

A well-groomed and quite attractive looking earth pony mare on the cover stared up at him from over her shoulder with deep brown eyes. Her coat was a shiny light pink that matched well with her curly purple mane. The text around her head read, ‘Playmate of the year, Suri Polomare, speaks about sex in the fashion industry, with special guest and professional model, Night Glider. See them like you've never seen them before in this week's special edition!’

Max turned to the first page, revealing a larger shot of Suri from the front cover. She was laying on her side with her back end directly in front of the camera. Her tail intentionally covered her crotch in a tasteful but teasing way, taunting the viewer with what laid behind her silky wall of purple curls.

As he turned to another page, Max felt Lightning shift on top of him. She rested her head over his shoulder, letting her left foreleg dangle off the side of his body as she peered down at the magazine with him.

Max smiled and continued to flip through the Playcolt, seeing this Suri mare make every lewd pose imaginable, leaving nothing to the imagination. He stopped on one particular page with the light pink mare under a waterfall with her back turned to the camera and her forelegs held behind her head as she looked back. Water cascaded down her shiny coat in glistening rivulets, leading the eye towards her round and soft looking backside.

“I like that one,” Lightning admitted softly with a smile as she stared down at the magazine. “I really like how the water runs off her fur. That's my favorite part.”

“That is pretty nice,” Max agreed as he continued to gaze at the picture. “I like how the water pins her mane to her body like that. It's a really sexy look.”

Lightning hummed softly in thought, then nodded in agreement. “Yeah it is...” she agreed, taking a moment to enjoy the image a little more. “Hey, turn the page! The best mare in the whole magazine is coming up next!”

Max did as she asked, revealing a long, double paged shot of a midnight blue pegasus mare with a light blue and white striped mane, lying on her back on top of a cloud. She was biting her bottom lip as she smiled into the camera with captivating, light blue eyes. Her forelegs held a piece of the cloud she was laying on close to her chest, hiding the upper part of her body, but left her lower half uncovered. Her hind legs laid spread apart, leaving her more delicate parts completely exposed to the viewer.

“Oh, wow...” Max muttered softly, feeling his cheeks flush a bit.

“She’s pretty, right?” Lightning asked knowingly with a soft giggle.

“Very,” Max said as he continued to stare at the picture. The pegasus was indeed beautiful, but it only served to remind him of how long it had been since he was last intimate with anyone, causing him to frown. He sighed, pushing the negative thoughts out of his mind, telling himself that he’d find his special someone, or somepony one day. That is, if he can survive his new job and slave driver of a boss...

“Her name’s Night Glider,” Lightning continued excitedly, interrupting Max’s thoughts. “She’s one of my favorite models. I’ve used that picture of her a lot... and I mean a lot!”

Max chuckled at that, a smile returning to his face as he turned the page. Despite how lonely he felt and how scary his new boss was, he couldn’t deny how amazing the day has been. He finally had a real chance to find a new life outside of Ponyville, and it was all thanks to his crazy new friend. She was rude, offensive, and yet, still an absolute pleasure to be around. It might have been pure luck that he ran into her, but in the end, he was glad that that he did.

It was impossible to predict the future, but Max had a good feeling that things were finally turning around for him. But, no matter what happened, he just hoped that his new friend would be there to help him punch life in its face, then laugh it off and share a few drinks with him afterwards.

Max and Lightning continued to look through the magazine together until the events of the day finally caught up with them and they both drifted off to sleep.

Author's Notes:

Musical Inspiration.

So... How you guys been? Sorry this took me so long to get posted. Been working on a lot of art stuff lately, so I don't have as much time to write. I'm still doing art things, so I'm not sure when I can post the next chapter, but I will do my best to get it out soon. Chapter 2 will becoming within the next day or so. So you don't have to wait long for that one! There will be a time jump though... I hope you guys are okay with that lol. I wanted to write this chapter to show how they met and stuff, so the next one will take place when their friendship is more established.

Anyways, I hope you guys like this story. I'm trying really hard to change up my charters and not make the human seem too much like my other humans... So this is me trying to do a few things different with my stories.

I'm really excited about this story. I really like the idea and I'm having a lot of fun with it. I just hope you guys like it as well.

If anything is misspelled or seems to be missing, just let me know so I can fix it! I always love to hear your guys thoughts as well!

Happy Valentines Day! Hope to see you guys in the next chapter!