Chapter 13.

Regroup

As soon as I felt myself re-enter my body, my eyes snapped open. My body felt sore, and blisters popped on my hide. But I laid them no need as I jumped to my hooves quickly. The room was exactly how I left it, every pony was watching me with a worried expression, except Blackjack, who was slumped on the floor, exhausted but unharmed. I took all of this in in just a moment, before trotting over to Rogues bed. I wanted nothing more to check on Cherry, but the Alicorn was hurt worse. There were plenty of fresh wounds, some deep, others long and shallow cuts. But the burns on his hide were far worse. Ponies surrounded him, applying healing potions, and spells, but the damage healed far too slowly. I watched as his breathing slowly leveled out, and what was shallow gasps, became steady and deep breaths.

I hated seeing my friends in such bad shape, but I did feel some relief in seeing them again, even if they didn’t see me yet. Satisfied that Rogue was fine for the time being, I slowly approached Cherry's bed. Her entire left side was coated in bandages, some absorbing blood, but some turning a sickly yellow. I didn’t need to, or want to look under the bandages to recognize burns and pus. I felt at a loss, I wanted to grab her and hug her, never letting go. But another part of me wanted to turn and leave her there like she had done to me days ago.

It was then that Shady moved up beside me, and likewise joined me in looking at our injured friends while the doctors and nurses tried to heal them. “Moonshine. Take some advice from and old Mare.” Shady spoke softly next to me, and I looked at her in confusion. She rarely cared enough to offer advice when no pony asked for it. “hold her hoof while she recovers, and even then never let go. When she is strong enough to handle it, you hug her tightly. And you don’t stop until she begs you to let go. She loves you, and you love her. That’s all you need.”

I looked at her in shock, Shady was not even close to being the go to pony involving relationship advice. But the look she had in her eyes spoke to the immense regret and pain she was remembering from her time before being sold into slavery. “Alright. I'll try.” I said softly as I did as she instructed and placed my hoof upon Cherry's uninjured one. I may have been upset, hurt even. But I pushed those thoughts aside as I just sat there, being with a mare I still loved.

I don’t know how long I was there. Long enough for my armor to become uncomfortable, and a bat pony mare to bring me a plate of fresh fruit. I ignored the Apple though, only due to PTSD about wax apples. I used my wing to bring some of the food to my lips. All the while keeping my hoof on Cherry's. At one point, with care, I lifted a bottle to her lips and dropped a small amount into her mouth. It made me feel better as I saw her swallow and her breathing deepen.

At one point I must have fallen asleep, and the nurses told me later when they came to change her bandages, that my hoof never left hers. I wish I could say how long I was there, but the truth was, that with no windows, and only the halogen lights inside, time was impossible to tell. At some point, I was stirred awake, whether it was morning or not I didn’t know, but I did know Cherry's hoof moved, leaving mine feeling cold. When I did stir awake, and crack open my eyes, I saw one hazel eye looking at me in confusion, fear, and pain. Both physical and emotional at seeing me here.

Neither of us spoke, neither of us knew what to say to one another. But a little pony version of myself kicked my brain, and jarred something loose, and before I fully thought about it I pressed my lips gently against hers. While she was shocked at first, I felt it from her hesitation, she did eventually kiss me back, and through the connection, I felt her sorrow, her acceptance, and her apology. Through my own she experienced relief, joy, and pain, but also my forgiveness. Those who say actions speak louder than words were probably hinting at this very act.

When we finally did break the kiss, both of us with tears in our eyes, we still didn’t need to say what was on our minds, but Cherry wanted to any way. With a hoarse whisper, and a gentle look in her uncovered eye, she spoke. “Moonshine, I love you.” I smiled and wiped a tear from my eye with my hoof, and then looked back at her. No gimmick, none of the usual attitude I bore. With a full heart, and a genuinely happy smile, I simply replied, “I know.” Which elicited a quivering smile from the red mare, and a single tear to run down her exposed cheek.

Then the flood gates opened, and the tears kept coming. Her sobs turned into imperceptible gibberish, and for the first time I saw how hurt she was. But I knew it wasn’t all about me or even her physical pain. I glanced over at the med-x drip to confirm it. When I hugged her and gently shushed her until she calmed down, she finally spoke. “Moonshine In had a horrible dream. I think it was, but Justice was fighting Rogue, slowly killing him. Then you showed up. I saw you sparking with lightning and beating Justice back.” I remained silent far longer than I should have, and Cherry took notice. With slow dawning realization, she finally put the puzzle together.

“It wasn't a dream was it?” She asked, and I simply shook my head in response. “No, it happened. Rogue cast a spell on me or something that made me shoot lightning from my ass if I wanted.” When she didn’t even crack a smile at my lame joke, I realized how much this was actually bugging her. “Blackjack used some memory magic to load my consciousness in yours. I didn’t tell them why I knew it was happening in your head.” I explained, and she nodded. For some reason that tickled my funny bone, her pretending that this shit was almost normal for us. Then that thought sobered me up, because the realization was jthat right now, it was.

“Well shit.” I said softly, and Cherry just nodded in agreement. We remained silent for a short time, but then I spoke, deadly serious. “Well whatever. We’re back together, the whole group, and we are not splitting up like that again.” I said with such finality that Cherry didn’t want to argue about it. But she did anyway. “Moonshine, no. This almost killed Rogue, could have killed you, you got lucky." She said and I crossed my hooves.

“This almost killed Rogue because we were not there. I get that you want to protect us, and I respect that. But think about this. What happens when she gets out again, and we aren’t around to stop her? You think farmers with pitchforks and pipe rifles will stop her? Face it Cherry, we are the best equipped to handle the situation.” I countered, and I knew she didn’t have a good comeback. I stopped myself from pushing the issue further, and instead replaced my hoof on hers.

“Besides, I would rather die with all of us together, than find out that some raider got lucky and either killed you, or worse, found you after the magic wore off. At least this way we can keep you safe as you recover.” I offer softly before kissing her cheek. I could tell she wasn't entirely convinced, but the look in her eye told me should consider it.

“I think Moonshine offers a fair point.” Zakk said a moment later, and stepped fully into the room. Cherry audibly groaned, her dislike for the stallion was still in full effect. I looked the buck over, he seemed to have gotten some proper rest, at least he looked like it.

“Cherry, I know you don’t like me, hell no pony does these days. But that being said, whatever secret you two are hiding from the rest of us, you should at the very least tell us. If you decide to leave, fine it wouldn’t hurt to tell us. If you stay, it would help us understand why you keep burning out like this.” Zakk said somberly. A tone I really couldn’t get used to with him. Then I saw a single emerald eye peeking around Zakk's flank, and I knew Shady was there as well, spying on us, and probably had been for a long while.

“I think I can help with that.” Came a very tired, and hurt sounding Rogue from the bed next to Cherry's. While every pony else moved to check on the Alicorn, I noticed the look of wide eyed pain, and rage fill Cherry's exposed eye. It was something I wanted to hear about first before any explanation about Justice.

“Every pony wait! Rogue, tell me what happened between you and Cherry, and why she looks like she simultaneously wants to cry and rip your throat out.” I say in a low tone that made the entire room fall silent. For a time, all we heard was the bustle of the bat ponies outside, before Rogue finally sighed and began.

“A few days after we left the dam, Cherry’s magic went wild and almost started a wild fire. After making sure we were safe and out of the building storm, I….” he paused, one to take a drink of water, and to mull over his next words. An act that told me we would not like to hear what he was going to say next.

“He fuckin' mind raped me…” came Cherry's soft voice filled with rage and pain. At her words, and the fact that Rogue didn't try to deny them, or even bother explaining further told me that he knew what he did was wrong.

“Moonshine no!” Shady yelled, as I used one wing to draw my revolver, and stomp closer to the prone Alicorn. Shady tried to stop me, but I was so enraged at this news, I batted her aside with ease. Then Zakk tried to stop me as well, but I didn’t care. I knew where he was going to warp before he did it, and my rear hoof caught him in the family jewels before he could even lay a hoof on me.

I stepped over my fallen friends, and closed the distance to Rogue, his eyes looking up at me with fear. For the first time, I saw fear when some pony looked at me, and I hated it. But I shoved the thought aside, I was too angry at the moment to care. Before he knew it, the barrel was pressed to his forehead, just under his horn, when I locked eyes with him. “Moonshine please stop!” Shady shouted from the floor. I ignored her, as well as the groaning Zakk on the floor.

Then Rogue surprised me, instead of trying to move away or defend him self, he pressed his head against the barrel in a welcoming manner, like greeting an old friend. “D…do it.” He stammered, and my primary feather teased the trigger. I knew I didn’t have lethal rounds, But I did know from point blank it stood a chance of killing the stallion. “DO IT!” He screamed at me, which had the opposite effect, and made me hesitate. Then Rogue began to cry, a sight uncommon in the wasteland was a crying Alicorn. “Please. I cant feel my rear legs…” he sobbed, and startled me out of my rage, I looked down at his flank, and the unmoving limbs that could have easily kicked me in the head if he could really move them. Instead, he just sobbed brokenly as my pistol remained unfired.

Now that I was no longer so pissed that I was going to kill some pony I had considered a friend, I pulled the pistol from his head and replaced it in the holster. “Goddesses damn you Rogue. If I had known that you did that to Cherry, I wouldn’t have saved you. But now you may be crippled, and you brought that on yourself.” I growled lowly at him, before snorting with anger and turning my back on him.

Shady and Zakk, were just beginning to pick themselves off the floor by the time I stomped past them and out of the room. I didn’t want to leave Cherry, but I doubted she would want to see me like this after I almost murdered a pony we considered a friend. As soon as I left the room a single bat pony mare, who had been coming to check on her patients stepped by me. Without thinking I grabbed her hoof, and spun her to look at me. “training room, where is it?” I asked cooly, and the mare, looking both frightened and confused quickly gave me directions to the room, and told me that it would be empty at this hour. I really didn’t care at that moment.

Releasing her, I continued to walk. My hooves clomping loudly on the stone floor. I nearly walked passed the training room, my thoughts were just a maelstrom of anger at what Rogue had done, and at how I reacted if I am being honest. I walked into the room and seeing that the mare was right, and I had the place to myself, I stripped off my weapons and armor. The whole room was simple, a rack of weapons, from swords, to spears, to rifles and even a few spark weapons. There was a firing range, free weights, and finally, a set of dummies made of burlap and dried grass. If there was anything safe for me to hear the shit out of, it was a straw dummy.

I stepped close to one of the analog ponies, and gave it a single, half power slap across the head. It wobbled side to side, and returned to normal, just before I went to work. I started slapping, punching, and kicking the dummy, venting all of my frustrations on it, and allowing my mind to wander, and draw on everything that made me upset. Again and again, I beat down the doll, hitting it hard enough to rock the base it was attached to. Then finally, putting the poor dummy to rest, with a shout of rage, I ripped the burlap head from its body, and it was sent rolling across the floor, where it came to rest at a set of yellow hooves.

Looking up, I immediately recognized the mare who looked so much like Fluttershy in her youth. “well, if you were trying to kill a straw dummy, you did it in the most brutal way possible.” She said with a low laugh, before picking up the sack with a hoof and slowly walking toward me. She then set the “head" down between us, and then turned to face another unfortunate training dummy. “If I can give some advice via demonstration...” She paused and then reared up on her back legs.

“If you lead the attack with the edge of your hoof…” she started, before doing just that, striking forward with such speed and power I hadn’t seen before, that the edge of her hoof effortlessly cut through the fabric holding the head onto this dummy, before it joined its sibling on the floor. “…That happens. Makes the kill quick and clean.” She said softly, before landing on all four hooves.

“I don’t want to kill. Injuries heal, death doesn't.” I replied, and Whisper shared a small smile before turning to look at me. “listen, sometimes those who want to survive aren’t given a choice.” She explained, and I rolled my eyes. She was right of course, I had already done it twice before. When I told her as much, her eyebrow met her hairline in confusion.

I sighed and explained, that killing some pony was so normal and accepted in the wasteland, that death meant nothing. How was it a fitting punishment to die, when living was so much harder. We remained silent for a time, both of us taking a moment to come to terms with what I had just said, admittedly while angry, but did that give me an excuse, or were those my real feelings. “Well I don’t know what to say to that. Usually all I get is the usual “They gotta die they killed my family!” or some shit, but you… you’re different.” She said in a low and impressed tone. I just shrugged, and then moved to collect my gear. But, upon noticing my weapons, she stopped me, and looked them over.

“For some pony intent in being nonlethal, you do pack a lot of heat.” I then finally managed to choke out a dry laugh., then opening the cylinder, I dumped out one of the rounds into a hoof, and held it up to her. “Rubber bullets.” I said dryly, and then reloaded my gun.

“And those?” she asked pointing at my ballistic hooves.

“Blanks, just use them for the flash and the bang.” I said, and Whisper whistled lowly.

“So even your weapons are designed to be non-lethal, you are dead serious about not killing. And judging by the little twitch you get in your eye every time some pony mentions it, tells me you've done it.”? She whispers, all the while watching as I slide my revolvers into their holsters with my wing tips.

“Look, I appreciate you coming and talking with me Whisper. But you can tell Blackjack and my friends that I will be fine, just give me some time to collect my thoughts.” At my words however, I saw from the corner of my eye, the confusion she wore.

“Moonshine, no pony sent me to see you. After what you did to save your two friends here, I wanted to meet some pony who was so selfless that they would risk what they did. I mean sure, Blackjack did that a lot back in the day, but she was normally rewarded with sex and booze. What's your reward Moonshine? What do you get when you risk your life the way you do?”

I paused, mulling over the question. I mean sure, I got to sleep with Cherry once in a while, but I wouldn’t classify that as a reward. A reward was something meant to motivate you to do something. The more I thought about it though, the less it mattered. Finally I looked up at Whisper, and stared into her eyes. “I do what I do because I love my friends. No, scratch that. I love my family. I don’t fight for a reward, I fight so we can have a future.” I say deeply, bearing my heart to this yellow pegasus. Then I heard a small sniffle behind me, and I whip around to see my friends, Shady, Zakk, and Cherry propped up in a wheelchair, her uncovered eye shedding tears . In fact every one of my friends was either freely crying, or struggling to hold back theirs in the case of Shady.

I whirled on Whisper, who was busy hiding a small smile with a hoof, and I knew then that I had been tricked. “You bitch.” I curse, grumbling lowly as my friends moved in around me. And before I knew it, Zakk had his hooves around me, hugging me tighter until my back popped. “Aww Moonshine, we love you too!” He bawled into my chest.

“I take it back! I hate all of you!” I shouted, but truly I was happy that they cared enough to make sure I still did. When Zakk finally released me, and my ribs popped back into place, did I look at them. I remained silent, not knowing what to say after being tricked into opening up in front of them. Then Shady, ever the leader and diplomat, broke the silence.

“Moonshine, we had to know. Unlike the rest of us, you are not used to running around the wasteland, and getting caught in fight after fight. This whole trip has been so damn hard on us, but even worse for you. I mean have you even taken the time to look at yourself? You’ve changed so much since we left Respite, and not all of it has been good.” Shady says softly, and when the rest of my friends looked aside, pretending not to look at me.

“Blackjack.” Shady says loudly, making us all jump a little, but then the white unicorn enters the room, carrying a large mirror in her pale magic. “show him.” Shady orders, and Blackjack nods, before looking at me, and then holding the mirror upright and showing me my reflection. When I looked in the mirror, at first I thought it was a trick. But when I moved, the reflection moved with me. “Son of a bitch.” I exclaimed with a whisper as I moved close to the mirror.

The last time I had looked at my reflection had been in Respite, just before Shady and I went to that party. The pony looking back at me in confusion and a little fear was not the same who had left Respite. The bags under his eyes had gotten deeper, and there were now creases in the corners. The silver irises and whites of his eyes were outlined in deep purple bruises which extended across the bridge of his nose, which had been broken in multiple places, and bent at a shallow angle. One of his ears had been torn through on one side, and his mane was longer than it used to be. Not to mention wilder. Then there was the beard growing on his chin, a blue so deep it was almost black, save the few silver strands created from stress, and covering the scar In had gotten on the Sea Horse.
I turned and looked at my side, seeing more purple and yellow bruises under my hide, and a random splattering of blisters from the fight with Justice. I also noticed how healthy my belly looked, after all I had been eating better, but I also saw the toned muscles underneath the flesh. I wasn’t as well built as Shady, but there was a lot of definition going on. My chest was bulkier than it used to be, defined curves where the muscles had built up over repeated running, walking, and fighting. Even my legs were stronger, and the shoulders doubled in size every time I flexed or lifted a hoof. Put short, the pony staring back at me was not the pony I remembered being.

“Moonshine, your other side.” Shady whispered, and I hesitated. I knew what she wanted me to see, and In had purposely not looked since it happened. But now, What harm could it do to a pony who was no longer himself. Turning around, and glancing in the mirror, I saw the jagged scar on my ribs. It was where the round had torn through me in Respite. The closest I had come to dying. The entire wound was about the size of a hoof, and I could see where Velvet had used a combination of sutures, and staples to close the hole in my side. I was suddenly very happy I couldn’t see the damage to my insides. I was sure it was worse.

8When I finally looked away, Cherry placed her hoof under my chin, and looked into my eyes. She didn’t need to say it, I already knew she didn’t care how damaged I looked, because each scar or bruise was an indicator of what I was willing to do, to do what was right. I looked at all of my friends, and then finally, to Whisper. “Do you have any pony who can make me not look like a rabid raccoon?” I asked, and every one of my friends chuckled.

Whisper smiled and nodded, explaining that they had a barber, and one of the best surgeons in Equestria, well that was how she put it anyway. I nodded softly, and looked back to my friends, each one wearing looks of love for the youngest member of the crew. “Moonshine, it’s perfectly alright to take some time for yourself. You’ve done so much, and we all just expected you to be there no matter what. It wasn’t fair to you but I wanna make that right.” Shady said softly, before digging into her bags, and removing a smaller cloth sack from within, this one colored a deep blue.

Shady tossed it at me, and when I caught it, I heard and felt a large amount of caps within. “I’ve been saving those up for a while, just for you. I think it’s time you got to do a little of what you want to for a change.” She said softly, and the sentiment brought a tear to my eye. I knew I wouldn’t spend them all, not right now. But I did want to get cleaned up, and there was one thing I wanted as well. So I leaned into Shady, and whispered in her ear my desire. Her reaction was a mix of surprise, mirth, and a little bit of pride. “Yeah, I can do that." She promised, and I took a hoof full of caps for myself, and gave the rest back to Shady. “remember Shady, do what you can. Hell get whisper to help.” I said, and the yellow Pegasus looked at me in confusion.

Shady offered the mare a small wink, while every pony else looked on, unsure what to say. I then looked down at Cherry in her wheel chair, and gave her a small kiss. “I will see you in a bit.” I whispered, before looking to Whisper. “Take me to your barber!” I said enthusiastically, and she nodded quickly. Then with a wave to my friends, she turned and left with me right behind her.

As soon as I knew we were out of earshot, I asked Whisper to also take me some place where I could buy some clothes. At my words, she hit me with a curious look, but the twinkle in my eye gave her all the information she could need. With a nod and small smile she guided me through the halls. We remained silent, not needing to say anything else for the time being. A few minutes passed, and we found ourselves standing outside a small room however the walls had been broken out, and glass had been installed. The inside of the room was well lit, and there were a few swivel chairs and mirrors on the walls. I may not have been to a proper barber shop, but the aesthetic seemed to imply a universal design. “Head on in, they are a little unorthodox , but believe me you will appreciate their work.” Whisper said simply, before patting me on a shoulder and leaving me to it.

A little dented bell chimed out as I pushed open the door, and entered the shop. As soon as the bell let outs its soft chime, a young stallion moved from the back room, reeking of smoke and burned herb. He had an interesting mane style, and his slitted pupils were dilated and tired looking. I knew what he had been up too back there, but I didn’t care, he was a grown stallion, why shouldn’t he do what he wants. Not like he was hurting any pony.

“What’s up man, came to get a cut or you after somethin' else?” he asked cautiously, which gave me the impression that his little hobby in the back room wasn’t really allowed. “Uh I just want to get cleaned up. My mane and tail have gone wild, and I wanna get rid of this scruff under my chin.” I said, and the buck nodded softly.

“Yeah man, no problem. Just take a seat in one of the chairs, I"ll be right with you.” He said slowly, and went into the back room as I took said seat. Right on the counter before me were the tools of the trade, brushes, combs, scissors, the works, but there were also books and magazines with old mane styles. While I waited, I used a wing to flip open one of the magazines, filled with wild and different styles. But one managed to catch my eye more than the others. It was simple, but bold. I looked at my reflection again in the dingy mirror, and imagined myself with that style. It would be a huge change for me, but I didn’t hate it. Plus it would make wearing my helmet easier.

Making my choice, I waited for the pony to return, and when he did, he reeked even more of the herb, but he had a canvas apron on, and his own mane was now held back with a bit of twine. “I see you looked through one of my magazines, did you find a look you like?” He asked, and I nodded and pointed at the style I chose. “Oh man, I've been dying to try that one, good call. What about your tail?” he asked, and I shrugged. “I will think about that while you work on my mane and my chin.” I say, and he nods before setting to work.

The barber buck starts with my face, using a pair of electric trimmers to easily remove the goatee I was sporting, and to shorten the fur on my face as well. He then had me stand and move to a sink nearby, where he washed my mane gently, far more gently than I anticipated. It took a few washes before he was satisfied, and moved back to the chair. “Your mane is pretty thin which is good, there is just a lot of it.” He said, and I nodded softly but remained silent.

He took the hint that I wasn’t in a talking mood, and as he set to work, I closed my eyes. Mostly because it was relaxing, but also because I didn’t want to see my mane getting cut the way it would. I expected him to start with the scissors, but that was dashed when I heard the trimmers click on and with one deft stroke, I felt him run them along the side of my head, and I felt cool air hit my scalp. I felt a little panic. But squashed it down, it was too late to stop now.

And so it went, for half an hour the buck worked meticulously, making sure he didn’t take too much off the sides, and making them even. And the. He finally switched to the scissors and began working on the top. I felt large amounts of hair fall away down my back and face. The ends ticking my nose, before I had to reach up and brush it away. But through it all, I kept my eyes shut, not wanting to see. And then I heard him set the scissors down, and then I heard him using a small pump before his hooves ran through my mane, and a nice smelling goo was rubbed in. “alright, finished. You can open your eyes now.” He said, and with trepidation I did just that.

For the second time today, I didn’t recognize the pony looking back at me. But this time, I didn’t see a shaggy looking wastelander, I saw a determined, and strong stallion. His eyes still bruised, but his mane was cut very short on the sides, really nothing more than stripes of blue and silver stubble. The top was longer, but not as long as it was. There was a single wide row from the front of his forehead to the base of his neck. Blue all the way, with a single silver stripe running across the right side.

It was weird looking at myself, and referring to my reflection as if it were some One other than me, but it felt like I was looking at someone else. “wow, I cant say I have ever seen the sides of my head before, and I cant remember the last time I saw that side of my face either.” I remark, and the buck smiles.

“I doubt that style would work on any pony who doesn't have a striped mane like yours, but you pull it off well.” He said happily, and I nod in agreement. It looked exactly like I had pictured it, and I was not disappointed. “So what shall we do with your tail now?” he asked after granting me another minute to look at my new visage. I look down at my long tail, something I had taken so much pride in in the past, but now, it was a burden, I couldn’t keep it as clean, or free of knots and tangles. Besides, I usually found myself stepping on it in a fight more often than not. “Cut it short, just about to my back knees.” I said with a sigh, hating that I would be loosing a very special part of myself for a long time, but it would always grow back.

I kept telling myself that as the stallion had me stand, and then wrap my tail around his fore leg and pull it taught, before grabbing a single bladed tool, and with a swift singular motion. Sliced clean through it. I felt the ends of my tail hit the back of my leg, feeling so much lighter than I had before. As soon as I was free, I turned and looked at my rump in the mirror, seeing my shortened tail, and how the end had been sheared in a simple but obvious lightning bolt shape. I didn’t know of it was a mistake or if he did in on purpose. But I actually liked it. Well as much as I could what with half of my tail missing.

“Dude, I didn’t expect that to turn out as well as it did. But you look a whole lot better than when you came in.” he said, and I nodded. I felt weird, but at the same time far more free to move than before. “Thank you, its great. How much do I owe you?” I asked, and he paused for a moment, thinking about it, before telling me the amount. I didn’t even argue, it was a good price, so I counted out the required caps and placed them in his hoof. After the exchange, I asked him where I could find some clothes, and a place that could take care of the bruises around my eyes and nose, and he quickly drew up a small map, telling me the whole time, that the boutique not only did clothes, but also make up and scar concealment.

I thanked him once again for his help, and with a final wave, I left the barbers and headed for this Boutique. It took me five minutes, and moving up one floor before I found it. There was a small yet beautifully carved sign hanging over the door, simply saying “Boutique” I paused for a moment. And ran a hoof self consciously through that remained of my mane, and with a deep breath I pushed my way inside.

The whole shop was immaculate. There were soft purple and red lights, presumably to ease those who could see in the infrared spectrum into a gentle light. I paused to let my eyes adjust long enough to the lighting situation, that I began to take notice of a subtle movement in the room, a shimmer of changing color just off to my left. Immediately my senses went on high alert, and I fell into a defensive crouch. As soon as I did however, the motion stopped as well. I kept my motions slow and deliberate, letting my wing on the left side reach for my revolver, but all I got was my feathers brushing against my bare flank. I had forgotten to put my gear back on and it was in the training room!

Cursing my lack of paying attention, I pushed it aside and focused on the now. The only weapons I had at my disposal were my hooves, and hopefully anything I could wrestle from the invisible attacker. Then my vision went white, and I felt stunned. Did they use a flashbang on me? Nope, the lights changed from the purple and reds to a bright white, illuminating the while room with bright and colorful clothes. I only noticed this as I stumbled and fell into a rack of dresses. “Oh shit!” I shouted before becoming tangled up in dresses. I had a very tough time not being blinded by the lights that I was now forced to look up at.

A shadow fell over me, shielding my eyes from the glare, and I stared up into a pair of vibrant red eyes. “By ze stars are you alright?” they said. The voice was very feminine but the accent was so thick that I had a hard time distinguishing the words. I blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the figure above me. Besides their brilliant red eyes, I could see their fur was a An odd shade of light purple with a series of red stripes circling their eyes.

“Y…Yeah I’m fine can you help me get out of this mess?” I ask, figuring quickly they weren't a threat, or I would be dead already. Giving me a curt nod, and smiling the entire time as they help untangle me from the clothing. As soon as I was free, I jumped to my hooves and faced the pony. Then I froze. What I originally assumed was make up, wasn’t. The pony before me wasn’t a pony. They had red stripes all over their body, mixed with the purple of the fur. That explained why I didn’t see them with the red and purple lights.

At my shocked look their ears fell back, and the expression on their face changed. “You are not a fan of Zebras are you? They asked, and I was able to put together by the pitch of their voice that they were female. But the question caught me off guard, I hadn't thought of how I felt about Zebras before except for Xenith. Thinking on it now, I figured I didn’t know enough to judge, besides those zebras who we were at war with were all dead anyway. So I shook my head and cleared my throat. “No not at all, I just didn’t expect to meet one, especially living amongst bat ponies.” I explained, which made the mare perk up a little, still weary of me, but less guarded than she was a second before.

Feeling like this was going to be awkward no matter what I did, I knelt and began picking up the dresses I had been tangled in, and used my wings to hang them back on their hangers. “I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. My instincts took over.” I tried to explain, but the Zebra mare waved me off with a smile, seeing my act of helping clean the mess as a confirmation of my words earlier. “It is no trouble, I was only meditating when you came in. I also apologize to you, I just like to blend in once in a while, and ze lights help me feel like I can just disappear.” She explained, and I nodded, fully able to understand her desires to remain unseen.

Once we got the dresses put away, and managed to relax a little after scaring each other, did we get down to business. “So what can Gemengde do for you Mister pegasus?” she asked, gesturing to herself as she said Gemengde, which I assumed was her name. So I gently stuck my hoof out and introduced myself. “My name is Moonshine, nice to meet you Gemengde.” I said, and as if on instinct she bumped her hoof against mine, then looked down in slight confusion. “that is odd, I've never done that, but somehow know what to do.” She said, shocked. I shrug, it was probably just a reaction more than anything. So I told her as much, but she still seemed put off by it.

“Hey don’t worry about it, its just a thing Ponies do, and Zebras. Its not a big deal.” I say, but it seemed like my words had little effect on her. When I continued to remain silent, thinking of a way to get through to this mare, she spoke softly, almost too quiet for me to hear. “For me, there is no separation between Zebra and Pony, because in me, live both.” I tilted my head In confusion, but then it dawned on me, and I figured it out. “You are both, Pony and Zebra. You are…” I stopped before saying a word that could upset her.

“Mixed…” she said and dropped her hoof and her ears fell back. “I am mixed. It is such a hurtful thing, to be not one race but both, a product of love between two races that despise the other. My parents died when I was little, and I think they loved me, but it is hard to know when your name means mixed.” She whispered, but caught my confused look. “Gemengde in my language means mixed. Even from birth I was like a reminder, a stain between two races. Ze Zebras won't have me, and ze Ponies look down on me. I do not belong anywhere. Even ze bat ponies, nice as zey are, treat me differently.” She said solemnly and the look in here eye was one I often wore in the past until Shady and the others accepted me for me. “I hear you, I used to be the same way, an outcast with my own kind, until I met my friends that is. It seems that we are all misfits, and have managed to come together.” I said, which drew a look from Gemengde.

“Do you think I could meet these friends?” she questioned, a glimmer of hope entering her eyes. I only shrugged, not sure when we would get a good moment. I mean Cherry was still hurt, Shady was looking after her, Rogue was in the hospital, and Zakk was doing… well whatever Zakk does when I'm not around.

“Possibly, but now isn't a good time, we are all worn out and some injured.” I explained, not wanting to hurt her feelings, but I did also have a schedule to stick too.

“Oh, you mean like you are injured Mister Moonshine?” She asked, and my hoof immediately shot up to my bruised eyes and nose. “Uh yeah. That’s actually why I'm here. You see I am trying to get this covered up, even if it is just temporary.” I responded, and the Zebra listened closely, then paused for a moment and studied the effected area carefully. Getting a little too close and invading my personal space the entire time. She then moved back, a happy smile on her face as she tapped her fore hooves in place excitedly. “Yes! Gemengde can cover up these bruises!” She exclaimed, before jumping over the nearby counter, and falling behind it with a thud, before sliding on her belly beside the wall , until she came to a small box on the floor and dug through it for a minute, before jumping back up and running at me.

I tensed, thinking she was doing something harmful, but from my left eye I noticed that she was holding a color chart, and was best trying to find a shade that matched the color of my coat. It took a little time for her, but then she found the one she liked best, and then moved off to collect something, I assumed it was make up, which prompted another thought, and one I should have taken care of first. “Umm Gemengde, would you happen to have a shower I can use first, I um… need to clean up.” I asked, nearly pleading with her. She drew her attention back to me, a furious blush on her cheeks.

“Uh yes, Gemengde has a shower, it is in ze back room. Do you… do you want me to go in with you?” She asked, and the source of her blushing became known. Now I too blushed, the question catching me off guard.

“Uh no, sorry, but um…” I paused to figure out how to explain what Cherry was to me, but I stumbled over it because I didn't fully know myself. Luck was on my side though, as Gemengde relaxes and exhales in relief before hopping up and walking me back to the shower room. Just as she pushed me inside, I heard her chuckle lightly and just as she was pulling the door shut, I heard her last comment which hit me like a shovel.

“Gemengde understands, Gemengde has no issues with stallions being into stallions." By the time Ingot over the initial shock, and looked back, the door was already closed. Even after the initial shock passed, it still took me a while to come to terms with the words the Zebra had said. “I'm… I'm… I'm not gay.” I said to myself, before hanging my head and then began to take a shower.

While I was under the cool water, I couldn’t help but think about Gemengde and her peculiar thought process. Even still I pushed the thoughts aside and used a stiff brush and soap to scrub my hide. I wish I could say I came clean in just one scrubbing, but sleeping on the ground for over a week hadn't done my coat any favors. So with multiple washes completed and my face also clean. I used a little of her soap to wash my hair and tail as well. I wont go into the rest of my shower habits, mostly out of a want to preserve some semblance of privacy.

Once I was done, and had used a towel to dry myself off. I moved back into the main room, where Gemengde was laying out makeup, and other things. I saw small files and a series of brushes and an assortment of towels. “Uh Gemengde. Can I say something?” I asked, and the mare looked over her shoulder at me, an eyebrow raised but remained silent. “Um, I am not… I'm not into other stallions. I have a marefriend. That is why I am trying to clean myself up, for her.” I said, a bright blush lighting my cheeks. Why was I acting all weird about this? Its not like I had a problem saying it before, so why now?

Gemengde's eyes went a little wide, my words clicking with her and making her blush again as well. “Oh my, Gemengde is sorry if she made you uncomfortable.” She apologized, but I did also catch how she kept switching from referring to herself in either first or third person. But rather than say anything about it and drawing attention to it, I let it slide for now, and moved up next to her. The compounds she had picked out were a mix of greys and blues, ready to be mixed into the color that will match my coat. But there were other tools that had me more nervous.

“Um Gemengde, what are all the tools for?” I question nervously, some I recognized, and wasn’t happy with the concept. As the odd mare applies some pre-mixed color with a small pad, she calmly explains that they are to file, clean, and polish my hooves. The others were to trim and order the feathers of my wings. While I was nervous about this stranger messing with my hooves, her messing with my wings outright terrified me. As Gemengde applied the make up, she spoke softly, seeing or sensing my discomfort, and in her odd yet soothing voice she promised utmost care.

I won't go through the entire process of Gemengde applying the make up, it was a patient and tedious process, but as she kept wiping it off and mixing in more color, I grew confident in her eye for detail. By the time she had covered the bruises on my face, half an hour had passed. But when she held up a mirror, I saw myself as if I hadn't been through fight after fight. In fact I looked great! She then led me over to a seat, and had me lay back, before starting on my rear hooves. “By Ze stars, you have been on the move for a while. When was ze last time you gave your hooves some attention?” she asked in surprise, and I shrug. I could even remember if they had been looked at in Tenpony Tower.

She shook her head and bit her lip, before going right for the file. I grit my teeth, and had to avoid crawling out of my hide as Infelt it grate against my hoof, flakes of hoof material flaking away. I always hated this, the feeling and the sound giving me goosebumps. It was the same effect as hooves on a chalk board to me. “Oh stop being such a foal, this isn't hurting you.” She cooed, which did not help me relax at all. She then set the file aside and picked up a large pair of steel clippers that would trim my hooves to a suitable level.

That act was just as rough as the filing, each time the clipper snapped shut I felt the soft tissue around my hoof move, and it drove me mad. But that was all nothing compared to the pick, a small, sharp, instrument that was used to clean under the hoof, dragging around the perimeter to remove mud, rocks, or pockets of hoof material. I hated the idea of such a sharp tool only millimeters from the soft flesh inside my hooves. Through it all, I dared not move an inch for fear of her stabbing me. And yes I know, how silly to be afraid of a small poke after being shot, beaten, and hurt in almost every since of the word.

By the time Gemengde had finished cleaning my rear hooves, she knew I hated it, but, also knew it needed to be done. She then broke out another tool which I actually liked, a motorized buffer. She applied a cool gel to my hooves, and used the buffer to polish out any small cracks and grooves, and bring out a soft shine that normally wasn’t there. And like before, her eye for detail didn’t fail, and I knew that my friends would be very shocked when they saw me.

Like with my rear hooves, she did the same with my forelegs, and you guessed it, I hated almost every aspect of it save the buffer. That added another half hour to the total, and I knew I was running out if time, but still there was more to do. “Um, I appreciate the help, but I need some more Gemengde. I have… well something planned, but I need something for it to work.” In response to my nervousness, she leaned in closer as I whispered in her ear what I needed. As soon as her eyes lit up, I knew she understood what I was trying to do.

An hour later, with two paper wrapped packages on my back, I left the shop. Now I didn’t have to try and figure out where I was going, Gemengde had been nice enough to call Whisper, who came down to guide me to the room where every pony was staying. “Wow, I didn’t expect you to make such a change, but I would be lying if I said you don’t look good.” She said with a slightly flirtatious tone. One which I promptly turned down by explaining that I did it all for Cherry. Upon the mention of the red unicorn, Whisper gave me a genuine smile, one I could only guess at, but she did hit me with a nit of news. “Cherry was released from the hospital. Your caps went to a supply of healing potions and one dose of hydra to repair her hide. It will take a bit for her hide to regrow in spots, and maybe longer to come to terms with what Rogue did to her.” She said, catching up to speed.

“What about Rogue?” I ask, venom dripping from my words at the mention of his name. Whisper didn’t miss my tone, but sighed and told me that he was indeed paralyzed, whether it was permanent or not was yet to be determined, and that magical damage such as this was unpredictable. I nodded, still angry with Rogue, but not wanting to kill him now. But I decided to change the subject, and ask Whisper if she knew where my gear went.

“Shady took it to the room, she is in the process of getting Cherry ready for your plan, so I doubt she will be able to answer questions for a while." I nod, not worried about it, just hoping Shady was being gentle. I then get a spark of a thought, our conversation about Rogue knocking loose a question I suddenly had to ask the Alicorn.

“Whisper, actually can you take me by the room Rogue is in, and take a package to Cherry for me?” I ask, and while showing surprise, she nods, and without a word spoken we took a right, and within a minute or two, I found myself outside Rogues hospital room. I gave Whisper the package, and gave my thanks to the yellow mare as I stood outside, breathing and trying to reign in my wild emotions. Then satisfied, I let out a long sigh, and pushed my way through the heavy door to the room.

It looked similar to the one I had stormed out of, if only a little smaller. There was no pony here save me and him, and his amethyst eyes were locked on me, but there was a look of confusion as he took in the change of appearance. “Moonshine?” he asked, and I stepped closer.

“Yeah, it's me.” I said lowly, not hiding the fact that I was still upset with him.

“You look good, a little more dangerous with that mane style, but I guess that fits don’t it.” He said with a dry chuckle. One I didn't share. “Moonshine, I'm sorry. I…I was scared. When her fire went crazy, and almost hurt us, I wanted to know what I was dealing with. I didn’t know about Justice, I…” he stopped, and I could recognize the tears in his eyes as very real, and very very sorry. But sorry wouldn’t help him walk again.

“It's not me you apologize to. You need to tell that to Cherry. Now I am sorry I was about to shoot you, I was a mess of emotions, happy to see you both again, adrenaline from the fight with Justice, and then anger when I found out what caused it. Look, I am very upset with you over this. You know I love her. But its not my call what happens now. Whatever Cherry decides, that’s her call and I will honor it.” I explain, not loudly, but still expressing my anger at the situation. Rogue was only able to nod, I suppose the lump in his throat made it hard to talk. But I wasn’t here for that, I needed information.

“Rogue. I have a question for you, the… energy you gave me in the fight with Justice. What was it?” I questioned and waited for him to get control over his emotions enough to speak.

“Well, that place, its not like our world. Its more like a dream. If you have ever had a lucid dream, you are in that place, you can control the shape od that dream. The battle we had in that place was a representation of us trying to gain control over it. It was split fifty fifty between Justice and I. Cherry acted as a host for it. So, she didn’t count on the split. Then you entered and took thirty three percent of it. What I did was give you my third. Which gave you an edge over her.” He explained in as simple terms as he could. And I was smart enough to understand, if only just.

“Alright, so I won because I had more control there. What about out here, in the real world. Do I still have access to that power?” I ask, a little worried he would say yes, but also a little hopeful.

“No Moonshine, that was for all intents and purposes, just a dream. But that doesn't mean it didn’t change you in some way. But only time will tell what.” I nodded, remaining silent, having run out of things to ask him. Well that wasn’t true, not yet. Leaving Rogue in silence. I stepped behind a curtain, and quickly unpacked the package I was carrying.

Inside was a pristine navy-blue jacket with dark grey pin stripes along the sleeves and back. There was also a black shirt with buttons, and a cherry red bow tie. And matching kerchief. Quickly but carefully I slid on the shirt, and struggled with the buttons, using my wings to help. Then I slid on the jacket and tucked the kerchief in the chest pocket like Gemengde had shown me.

I tried to tie the bow tie last, but never did remember how Shady had done it back in Respite. Having spent more time on it than I would like to admit, I gave up with an exacerbated sigh, and pulled the curtain back before approaching Rogue. “Hey, I could use a hoof with this bow tie.” I say tersely, and without a word, Rogues horn alights, and effortlessly tied it around my neck, leaving the perfect amount of room for my neck without strangling me.

“So. How do I look?” I ask the Alicorn, and he gives me a quick once over, before returning his gaze to my own. “Like a prewar mob boss.” He said with only a ghost of a smile, and I had to remember that the Alicorns were, in a sense, survivors of the great war. Well, give or take a little Unity.

I give Rogue a half-hearted grin at the attempted humor, it was hard to believe that just a little while ago I was going to shoot him in the head. Albeit with rubber bullets, but I think at point blank range they could still be lethal. Pushing those thoughts out of my head, I looked back to the door. Now I just had to wait, Shady knew what I wanted done, and I didn’t doubt her capabilities. I just hoped the time frame worked out. I knew what I wanted was simple, but given the current circumstances, it may as well have been the most difficult.

“Why are you nervous? I've seen you leap at monsters, and fight ass holes in power armor and not even blink, yet now you are sweating bullets. Are you trying to get married or something?” Rogue askes, concern in his voice. I must have looked like I was about to pass out, because I sure felt like it.

“N…No, not getting married anytime soon. But uh, well I got asked what I wanted for a change, and it really threw me for a loop, and the first thing I wanted was to get cleaned up, but then the thoughts just escalated. So… I guess now I am waiting for Cherry to get ready, because… well, I wanted to have a date.” I explained, all the while fidgeting in place and pressing my hoof tips together.

Rogue, despite being one of the most stable minded of us all, just blinked rapidly. I saw him work his mouth, but the words he was trying to find just weren't there. So, I waited patiently, and after a time, he got his mind restarted and cleared his throat. “Ok, so somepony asked you what you wanted, could have been caps, or a home, or seventeen virgin mares. But you asked for a date. A date I point out that scares you so much you look like you might piss yourself. That about the gist of it?”

I nodded silently, he had hit the nail squarely on the head. To be honest, I hadn’t given much thought about what I wanted in a long time, it had just been about surviving, or trying to handle a situation that we felt some responsibility for. “Well, I can't say that’s a choice many would make, but what the hell. If it makes you happy, then what the hell. Could have been worse.” He said and glanced down at his unresponsive back legs. And I knew if the powers that be were listening, they would hear his pleas and fix him. I knew that’s what he wanted. But he also knew, no pony in our group would be asking him that anytime soon.

I held my tongue for only a minute, giving the Alicorn time to reflect on his choices, before softly coughing into a hoof. When his lavender eyes met mine, I rubbed the back of my head with a hoof and looked aside. “Umm sorry to ruin your internal thoughts, but do you know where a bathroom is. Really think I might piss myself.” I said with embarrassment clear on my face. Rogue snorted, and tried not to laugh, but failing that, just used a hoof to point at a small door set into the stone wall. “In there I think, saw one of the nurses go in there.” He said while trying not to giggle. Glad he thought it was so funny.

“They say laughter is the best medicine, maybe you'll laugh enough to walk again.” I said sarcastically, then winced. The jab sounded a lot better in my head, but after saying it, and hearing his laughter die with a choke, I hung my head. “Shit sorry… that was way to soon.” I apologize, but Rogue remained silent, pointedly looking away from me. I sigh softly, and move to my hooves, before silently trotting to the door. I would try and apologize again, but only after I wasn’t about to have an accident.

I stepped into the room and scrunched up my nose. It smelled like a bathroom, but not a clean one. Using a wing to flip on a light, I soon saw why. There was a hole in the ground, nothing else, just a hole. And a sink. It honestly looked like some ponies used the sink to… well you get the idea. I had a hard time not retching from the stench, but when I blocked my nose, and tried to breath through my mouth, I could kind of taste the horrid air.

You know what they say, about beggars can't be choosers? Well this certainly didn’t apply. There was no way I was hanging any bit of myself over that pit, and like many others before me, opted to use the sink. Gross I know, but if you were me, and smelled what I did, you would have as well. Stop judging me.

Just after I finished, and was in the process of washing my hooves, the door was pulled open, admitting Shady, I jumped and looked at her in shock for a moment, and it took her exactly that long to recognize the stench coming from the room, and her nose wrinkled just before she covered her nostrils with a hoof. “Sweet Celestia Moonshine, what were you doing in here!” She exclaimed with a nasally tone. I turned off the water and moved out into Rogues Hospital room, where I finally took a breath since I had been holding it the entire time I was in the rest room.

I said nothing further about that room, and subconsciously rubbed any wrinkles from my suit jacket. Shady, giving herself a moment to clear her nose of that horrid stench, finally took in my change of appearance. I saw her looking me over from the corner of my eyes, and I stood straighter and looked her in the eye, and it hit me like a ton of bricks, just how familiar this was. It seemed like we had done this only yesterday before that damned party, but it also felt like a lifetime ago as well. Had I really changed that much in such a short time?

“Wow, Moonshine if I didn’t know you, I would say you really are a posh…” I cut her off with a wave, interrupting her before she could say the last word of that line. Apparently, she had also recognized the similarities of the situation. “Shady you do know me, and I never want to be compared to those who look down on the rest of society. But I appreciate the sentiment.” I said allowing a hollow smile to grace my lips. Shady likewise smiled and moved closer to readjust my bow tie.

“Ya know, you have grown so much, I remember you as the closed off and scared pony I knew for so long, but ever since respite you’ve…” She stopped, the memory making her choke up. I nod softly and grit my teeth for a moment.

“Seeing a child get shot in the head will change any pony.” I remark, no humor or even a trace of sarcasm, just cold fact that I had grown so accustomed to over the last few months. But even still I felt the familiar tingle of rage and pain at the freshness of that memory. I shook it off, I had something more important to deal with tonight. But the thought of the foals sparked a question I had to ask Shady.

“Hey, did you guys recover my gear from the training room?” I asked, worried they hadn’t despite being told by Whisper that they had. Shady nodded and opened her bag to show that my gear was safe and sound. I sighed contentedly before reaching in with a wing and taking hold of the heavy and familiar grip of the first revolver, the one with Cobalt etched into the barrel. I also removed one of the holsters and strapped it around my flank as was normal and slid the pistol into its home. I knew I wouldn’t need it inside this castle, but I had seen so much and been through so much to take that chance. I was relieved when Shady didn’t question my choice either.

“So, how do I look?” I ask, and Shady smiles and ruffles her hoof through my short mane.

“I like it, it reminds me of the style you had when we first met.” She said, and I smirked. The only reason I had it that short back then was to blend in better with the adults in the mines. It was out of practicality, just like it was this time.

I chuckle and fix my mane back to how I had it and roll my shoulders. Despite the many changes I had undergone, and all the shit I had done, I was nervous. “Well good to see something don’t change.” Shady said with a soft smile and looked me over to make sure I was ready.

I shake my head and bite my lip, not sure what I should do next. I mean I was excited to have a fun and simple night with Cherry, but I didn’t know what we would be doing, I had left it up to Shady to figure all of that out for me. “Nervous?” She asks, and I nodded, feeling like a shy and awkward foal confessing to his crush for the first time. I didn’t think I looked that nervous about it, but this was Shady we were talking about, she always could see right through me. “Don’t be, just relax and be yourself, Cherry isn’t expecting you to be different than you normally are, and honestly…” She paused and wrapped a hoof around my neck and whispered in my ear. “I don’t think she would want you any other way.”

I blushed at the sultry tone Shady used, which spoke to me about what her and Cherry talk about. Sheesh can any of the Mares in my life not talk about me like that, it was weird. I scrunch up my Muzzle and shove my friend off me, but she knew it was playful and I grinned too. I knew what she was doing, she was helping me relax and not be a dumb ass. “Now, Go get her Stallion, show that Mare a good night, she knows what you two are doing so just follow her lead.” Shady coached, and I nodded, and beamed a little at the fact that Shady had outright called me a Stallion, not in a seductive way which was normal for her, but in a proud way, as if she were bestowing upon me the right to call myself such.

I nod and grin, confident and more relaxed than I was earlier. “Where do I find her?” I ask, and Shady pointed toward the door leading to the hall. “Just out there, waiting for you.” She explained, and I nodded.

“Alright, now I have one more favor to ask you before I leave.” I said, and Shady leaned her head to the side and furrowed her eyebrows, indicating she was listening.

“Keep Zakk on a short leach will ya? Last thing Cherry needs right now is him messing with us.” I whispered, and Shady smirked and issued me a soft wink, don’t worry about him, I got it taken care of.” She purred. Purred. Suddenly I was very glad I wasn’t Zakk right now, I knew all to well what that voice of hers meant, and it was never safe. In fact, I doubted safe was even in her vocabulary when she used that tone.

With that sobering and somewhat conversation over with, I shook the thoughts of what she was doing to Zakk from my mind and left the room with only a curt farewell to Rogue. Closing the door behind me, I looked around the hall, letting my eyes adjust to the darker light, before spotting the red Unicorn sitting patiently upon a soft cushion. Her mane had been tied back in an elegant bun, braided I assumed by Shady, and her tail was likewise styled, braided on the rear and forward edges but left loose in the middle. Her burns were mostly healed, and her cuts and bruises were gone as well. Even the missing patches of her fur were almost imperceptible unless you were looking for them.

She had a dark blue eyeshadow, highlighting her hazel eyes, and a deep crimson sequin dress that showed just the bottom edges of her flank, which I knew was a detail picked by Cherry herself just to tease me a little. “Wow!” We both said in unison, looking each other over and very surprised by how well the other cleaned up. With just that one word shared between us, neither one of us could properly put to words just how much we were enjoying this. So instead, finding my confidence within easy reach, I moved closer to her, keeping my silver eyes locked with hers.

Her gaze never left my own, though I could see just the feintest quiver of her lips right before I pressed mine gently upon hers. I felt her tense for a moment, but that quickly was washed aside, and her hooves wrapped around my neck as she kissed me back a little harder. It was at these moments, where words were worthless, and we could understand every thought and fleeting emotion through the simple contact. The adrenaline, the apprehension, the fear, and most importantly, the love. * I placed a hoof to her neck and felt her pulse calm yet powerful, but most importantly she felt so…alive! Like every thought and feeling she wanted me to know was carried by her very blood, and I knew exactly what she was communicating to me.

As soon as we broke the kiss, and she fixed me with half lidded eyes, I felt the iciness that had grown in my heart lately melt away. “Compliment accepted.” She whispered, and I smiled, matching her expression and I softly pressed my forehead to her own, the warmth and tingle of her natural magic warming my scalp. Both of us closed our eyes, a wall of intimacy washing over us both in a way that sex could not convey. This was pure, this was powerful. This was love. We remained like that for a time, occasionally breaking the stillness between us to steal small kisses. I admit, I was curious about what our evening consisted of, but I would not rush this even if the world was at stake. But Cherry had the opposite thought, and slowly pulled back from me, though I could see in her eyes she hated it.

“Are you ready to go?” She asked in a whisper and I nodded but blurted out my question. “What are we doing?” I asked, and Cherry snorted and giggled a little. I suppose she found my ignorance cute or something.

“Shady told me you would ask that and told me to tell you not to worry about it.” She said, a hint of teasing in her voice that stung, but in a weirdly refreshing way. Smiling and taking my hoof in hers, she pulled herself into a standing position, and leaned on my side, partially for support and partially just to be close to me. “This way.” She said and turned us around and together we headed off to an unknown destination.

*page break*

Cherry and I had spent a little time walking the halls, neither one of us breaking physical contact for more than a few heartbeats at a time. Not much was said either, neither of us wanting to break the calmness surrounding us. Cherry leaned on me, both for comfort, and to take some of the weight from her hooves. She was after all, still weak from the last few days. We continued to wander for around half an hour before Cherry pulled up short and glanced at the door to my right. I too looked, and noticed only a small sign, indicating a restaurant. I looked back to Cherry, who looked like she was imaging all the food inside and a place to sit and rest.

“Umm Cherry, are you hungry?” I asked quietly, which made her snap her attention back to me. With a quick chuckle she waved a hoof. “Nah, I had some food when I was getting…” She paused as an epic growl that would do a manticore proud emanated from her belly. She blushed, and looked away, pretending not to be caught in the lie. I couldn’t help but smirk as I took her hoof wordlessly and pulled her into the small restaurant.

A wave of sensations washed across us as we entered, smells and sounds assaulted our senses and made it hard to focus on any one thing. Not that it was bad, on the contrary in fact. Cooked foods and seasoned dishes flowed around like water, and smooth jazz played from the corner, a single pony blowing his heart out on a trumpet gave me goose bumps under my fur, and my heart pulse in time with the gentle yet powerful boom of the drummer. There was a certain energy around us, despite the calm nature of the establishment, and admittedly, it made me feel at home.

Glancing over at Cherry I too could tell she was feeling content and happy. With a small smile, I grab her hoof, and move us off to a table near the band. Once we took our seats, A pony carrying a tray of cigarettes and cigars moved by, and suddenly I remembered the last time I had a proper cigar, and felt a craving for one, so I waved them over silently, and casually slid the required caps onto their tray, before taking myself a cigar, and offering Cherry to take her pick. She smiled and took a long-stemmed cigarette holder with a horn rolled cigarette already mounted in the tip. I placed my cigar in my mouth, before leaning over and lighting her chosen smoke with the very gold-plated lighter Cherry had given me so long ago. She took a long pull on it and exhaled a ploom of grey smoke through her nostrils, all the while, fixing me with the most seductive look she had ever used on me. In fact, it was so effective, the cigar fell from my lips, and even the other stallion in the room, whether they were looking or not, focused on her for the briefest of moments. They were all outside the radius of the look, and therefore safe from its effects. I however was hit by the full force of it.

It took a moment, until Cherry let out a small chuckle that the little me in my head managed to take a hammer to the busted ass terminal that was my brain and get it working again. I shook my head, trying to clear my head and get it working right again, and picked up my fallen smoke. I took the few moments it took to light it to let my mind reboot. I took a puff of the pungent tobacco to hold the heat, and then moved it to the corner of my mouth. “Please, do me a favor and keep that weapon holstered in public.” I joke softly, making her eyes narrow playfully and the corner of her mouth turn up in a smirk.

Then I felt her rear hoof press against an area hidden from the view of every pony, and I had to hide my blushing cheeks from view. “You’re one to talk about keeping weapons holstered.” She teased, no taunted as her back hoof gave my privates a little rub. My eyes widen, and I bite my lower lip, trying to remain quiet and casual despite the lewd acts Cherry was performing on me. Then, as fast as it began, she pulled her hoof away and acted like nothing was wrong at all. Meanwhile I was sitting there practically squirming and trying to hide my arousal. I seriously doubted this would be the kind of setting where that kind of thing would be acceptable.

I took a few minutes to regain control of myself, using the hot smoke from my cigar as a distraction. When I did get under control, I noticed Cherry smiling at me, gone the sultry look, and in its place, the playfulness and happiness I so rarely saw on her face. It amazed me how effortlessly she could change her appearance just with her facial expressions. On one hoof I had the seductress and quite mature Cherry, and with the flip of a switch, she would be her usual self, more restrained and interested in everything she witnessed. I couldn’t get over how easy she made the switch, but then again, she wasn’t exactly alone upstairs either. Until that point, it had never occurred to me that the sultry side of her could be Justice at work.

“I see you finally figured it out.” She said and sighed before fixing me with a small yet worried smile. As if the fact that she had two sides to her personality could ever make me stop loving her. Her eyes reflected that thought, and the desire for me to not love her, but also the hope that I still did. Most ponies would have to think on it for a time, and normally I would have taken the time right then and there to do so, but I had a lot of time to think on this since she left us at the dam.

I also had time to think of the many things I would say to her given the chance, but now, sitting here in front of her, I knew the words were useless to some pony like her. So I threw caution to the wind, and carefully sat my cigar down before looking into her eyes intently, her expression changed to one of confusion, but I wasn’t going to give her time to utter a single syllable. Instead I quickly placed my hooves to her cheeks and pull her face close to my own. With only a surprised squeak from her, I pressed my lips to hers and kissed her with such a depth of passion and heartfelt love that I felt her hooves curl in toward her belly, but it was my turn to have some fun at her expense, and used my rear hoof like she had, moving her dress aside as my hoof tip pressed gently against the one spot I knew would elicit the biggest response from her. I was rewarded with a moan which was drowned out by the music and my lips, and like she had done to me I too just stopped, letting her go and sitting back in my seat and took my cigar once again. Cherry though, was so frazzled and a mix of emotions that she hung there for the briefest of moments like an old cartoon. I couldn’t help but smirk as she opened her eyes and looked at me, bewildered and excited all at once. Then she realized what a position she was in, and quickly sat back, and placed a hoof to her lips to either hide her embarrassment or to reimagine the kiss I had just laid upon her.

“That… That was pure evil.” She growled, and I just laughed. I knew she didn’t mean that, I just knew she wasn’t happy I stopped like I did. So, I responded in the only way a full-grown stallion of age and maturity could. I stuck my tongue out at her and crossed my eyes. All the while trying to hold back my laughter. Cherry however didn’t appreciate my response and furrowed her eyebrows before leaning in and growling, “Oh you are just asking for it…” She said lowly but playfully. And I to replied in kind.

“Well then, square up girl, lets see if you have what it takes.” I whisper, making her lean back, her eyes wide and clear surprise in her eyes. Clearly our little game was done now, but I didn’t know why. “When…” Cherry paused to clear her throat and set her cigarette off to the side. “When did you get so…gutsy?” She asked, and I knew for sure that our game had ended. So, I just sat back, and took a puff on my cigar.

“A lot happened when you left, I did a lot of thinking and self-reflection on the long walk here. I thought of all the mistakes I made, and all the things I should have done differently. I was crushed when you left, hurt in a way I couldn’t understand. And this is coming from a Stallion who got shot in the chest. The pain of a bullet tearing through me was a splinter compared to how my heart felt. I guess that kind of hurt would inevitably change a pony.” I paused and set my cigar down yet again and looked her in the eye.

“With all that hurt, I still wanted to see you again. And I got my wish. You were stuck in that mind spell, and I just couldn’t let anything happen to you, I had so much I wanted to say. So, when the moment came, I knew I had to help. That’s why I had Blackjack put me in there. I didn’t care if I succeeded. All I knew was that I would have rather died with you, than go on without you.” I finished, and fell quiet, my eyes never leaving hers.

Cherry on the other hoof, listened intently, her eyes wide but misty with tears, and her ears unable to decide whether they should hang from sadness or stand tall in surprise. Her lips quivered, and likewise couldn’t decide between smiling or breaking with sorrow. “Moonshine I’m…” I cut her off with a hoof to her lips, a gentle yet powerful act. “Don’t say it Cherry. I already know.” I said before moving my hoof to her cheek. “I don’t care about the past. If it meant staying with you, I would go through all of that again a thousand times over. I would suffer all the pain of every doomed soul in hell if it meant I could spend just one day with you. And you can apologize every time you make a mistake, but you would never have to because I would already know, and I would never stop loving you like I do now.”

I fell silent one more, but left my hoof against her cheek, which she had pressed harder into. Her eye lids fell halfway closed, and a single tear fell onto my hoof, just hat one drop, and I felt every thought she had in her mind. But rather than voice them, she let the tears flow freely as she pressed her cheek harder still to my hoof and whispered with a cracking voice. “Thank you…” and then no more needed to be said after that. Neither of us had the need or wanted to. So instead we just sat, comforting each other with even more of the intimate contact.

(Now I know whoever is reading this is thinking perverted thoughts right now, but intimacy is not the same as sex, you can just be close and intimate without it being sexual.)

We both sat like that for a few more minutes, before waitress mare with a bubbly personality came over with a note pad in her hoof and a pen behind her ear. “Good evenin’ Sorry I didn’t come over sooner, I saw you two havin’ a moment, and thought I would leave y’all be.” Cherry smiled, and finished wiping her eyes with her napkin, and smiled genuinely at the mare. “Thank you, I am sorry if we caused a scene.” She said, and I nodded as well, seconding that.

“Oh, it’s no problem, we get couples in here all the time. More often than not it ends up with the buck getting’ slapped and his date leavin’. It’s quite refreshin’ to see a couple who are so… Oh what’s the word…? She paused, and I threw out a word, trying to help. “Happy? I said, and Cherry at the same time offered “In love?” she said, but the mare shook her head and smiled, coming up with it herself, “Balanced. You two are balanced. You both know exactly what buttons to push and how to push em’” She said with a knowing smile that made both of us flush in embarrassment. I took up my cigar and puffed on it, pretending I didn’t know what she was talking about, but obviously looking anywhere other than at her. Cherry though, subconsciously began to play with her mane and gave the mare an apologetic look.

“Oh uh, you saw that huh?” She asked, for the first time getting shy.

“Oh yeah, most of us were actually placin’ bets on whether or not you two would start ruttin’ right here.” She said, and the embarrassment of her words made my choke on my cigar, and Cherry even let out a surprised squeak before hiding her face with her mane. “Oh don’t be like that, we are all rootin’ for ya’, besides, I made a good two hundred caps of y’all so don’t worry about it.” She offered kindly, as if her profiting would make this all better.

“Anyway, what will y’all be havin’?” Asked the mare, and I coughed into my hoof, trying not to let my voice break like Cherry’s had. “I’m gonna have a hay burger with fries and a beer.” I said, and then Cherry placed her order “I’ll take the fruit salad with apple slices, and I’ll have a beer as well.” Cherry managed to squeak out. Which made the manager giggle and give the red mare a comforting pat on the back. “Now now, don’t be like that, even worse happens here on a nightly basis, and speakin’ of which, y’all might wanna keep your caps hidden soon, things are gonna get dark.” She said and walked away before we could even ask what she meant.

I glanced around to the other patrons sitting nearby, and noticed they were putting their belongings away and finishing off their drinks or cigars in quite a hurry. Cherry and I shared a glance, and with a shrug we decided to play along, if only out of curiosity. Cherry finished her cigarette, and I took as many puffs on my cigar as I could manage, but when I started to get light headed from the amount of nicotine in my system, I squashed the burning end and extinguished it.

Just as I finished, and the smoke dissipated from around us, the band changed gears, and began playing a slow and soft tone, very low in pitch and at a near whisper. Then a bat pony wearing sunglasses and smoking on a cigarette stepped to the microphone and in a very low and gravely voice announced, “Mares and Stallions, we reach the part of the evening that you all came to see, well, experience might be a better word ha ha.” He chuckled, a sound akin to rocks in a coffee can coming from his mouth.

“I hear tell we got a few outsiders among us tonight, ponies who haven’t lived like the rest of us. So, let’s take it slow tonight, and extend a welcoming hoof to our guests by showing them our world.” He said kindly, before pulling down his sunglasses as her looked right at Cherry and I. at first, I was confused by his words, but then I saw his eyes were entirely coated over in cataracts, leaving him blind. My face blanched when I looked around the room again, and most of the staff I had seen before were replaced with more ponies, all wearing the same sunglasses as the stallion on stage.

Cherry and I looked back to each other, both of us finally realizing what was about to happen. Neither of us were afraid of the dark, but neither one of us liked being singled out and then plunged into the dark in a room full of strangers. Wordlessly I motioned to the pistol on my flank, letting her know I did have some protection. Cherry nodded and then lifted her bag so only I could see the grip of her forty-five stashed inside. Feeling better, if only a little, we waited patiently.

Then, ever so slowly, I noticed the lighting in the room growing a little darker, but at such a slow rate that it was nearly imperceptible. Despite wanting to relax tonight, I felt my adrenaline spiking and my ears stood on end, even though I could still see. I suppose it was just my mind conjuring all the possibilities that could occur. The stallion two seats over looked a little more menacing in the dim light, and the two mares off in the corner began to take on the appearance of threats as well. More than once, I caught myself reaching for my revolver, even going so far as to nearly cock the hammer back.

“Moonshine relax you’re jumping at shadows.” Cherry whispered softly, before placing her hoof on my own. When I looked back in her eyes, I saw she still had a small amount of worry, but also a reassuring expression that told me that even if it was a trap, we were a little more experienced than most ponies in the wasteland. I nodded, and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and allowing myself to relax.

I locked eyes with Cherry, and then, just before the lights were entirely out I moved over to sit by her, making sure to keep the side I wore my revolver on was opposite her. Sensing my intentions, she gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and smiled, before leaning on my shoulder. Then, like suddenly becoming blind, all color and light was ripped from my senses and replaced with impenetrable dark. I felt my ears stand on end, listening to everything around us.

Despite the dark, the band continued to play, not missing a note even once, and the gravely voice of the old stallion on stage came back in a whisper, but I heard it clearly. “Alright, Mares and Stallions, the staff have asked me to pass along that those whom ordered a meal shall be receiving their order momentarily. For those new here tonight, there is no magic or light allowed at this time.” He said lowly, and I felt Cherry gently nuzzle into my neck, and despite the blinding dark, I could tell she was smiling.

It didn’t take me long to wonder why, as a whisper sounded beside us, very low but obvious. “Sir, Ma’am, your order is here.” Came the voice of a very stoic sounding stallion off to my left, my wing reaching for my gun once more, before I stopped myself as the sound of plates being set before us caught my attention. The smell of cooked vegetables and fresh fruit assaulted our noses and made our mouths water. The I heard two more clinks as our beers were set before us, the scent of yeast and hops complimenting our chosen meals. It smelled like a lager, and when I took a sip, I confirmed it with a satisfied smack of my lips.

Cherry too took a sip, and I felt her tense body relax a touch and a small purr of contentedness snaked up her side. She then surprised me with a motion, by reaching across me, and picking up a fry with her hoof, and gently pressing to my lips. The salt and the frying oil filling my nose as well-cooked potato. Hesitantly, and with a blush that heated my face, I took the offered delicacy and chewed. Never in my life had I tasted a single fry that was as epic as this. It would have been nearly enough to bring a virgin to orgasm.

I tried to swallow but found that the act made a very uncomfortable sound, something no pony would every pay attention to now sounded like a gunshot to me in this stillness. Sensing my sudden self-consciousness, Cherry giggles lowly before kissing my cheek again. “It’s alright Hon’, It’s not just you.” She whispered, making my focus again on the rest of the room, and from many corners I heard ponies eating quietly, but the noises were obvious when you listened to them.

Feeling a little less bothered by it, I wrapped a wing around Cherry’s back, and being as gentle and careful as possible, I found a fork sitting beside her plate of salad, and with as much precision as a toddle treading a needle, I picked up the utensil and searched for the plate. When I did locate it, I slowly began working the fork around the dish, until I felt something bump against it. With all the care of an axe wielding barbarian I stabbed what felt to be an apple slice, and slowly guided it up to where Cherry’s mouth should be.

Now in my defense, I was still not entirely in control of my wings, and a slight shake in the undeveloped muscles caused the end of the fork to wave around more than I thought, and when I tried guiding it to Cherry’s mouth, I accidently ended up poking her in the cheek. Cherry jerked in surprise and bit her tongue to keep from making a loud noise. “Shit sorry…” I whispered in her ear as I pulled the fork back. I felt her move against me, and then a slight rubbing sound, and I assumed she was rubbing her cheek where I poked her.

“It’s alright, just hold it out, and I will take it from there.” She giggled after a moment, before slowly leaning out toward the table, and slowly moved her head around until she bumped the fork, and then delicately wrapped her lips around it, and pulled her bite free. I then heard a crisp crunch, flowed by a small moan from her. The taste must have been as good as I had figured, but I doubted that it was special food, no pony could afford it if it was. That was when the idea behind this place fully hit me.

“Cherry, this whole gimmick is to make everything about eating into a more intense experience. By depriving us of sight, our other senses are overcompensating. Sounds, smells, taste, it’s all far stronger just because we can’t see.” I explain, and I feel Cherry chuckle lowly before kissing my cheek again, the smell of apple on her breath. Good to know my guess was right.

“Hmmm if that is true then the sense of touch must be heightened as well.” She whispered tauntingly in my ear, and I tensed, knowing what was coming next. Well I thought I did, but when she slapped my butt playfully, I jumped. Not just from the surprise of it, but also the sharp sting in my flank. “Oh, turns out my guess was correct.” She whispered, unknowingly mimicking my thoughts. I furrowed my eyebrows, but smiled, getting dangerous thoughts of my own, but decided to hold off on my revenge, at least until the meal was over.

Over the next half hour, Cherry and I took turns slowly feeding each other in the dark, every bite was more powerful in its effect than the last. Through it all, the band continued its soft playing, and every pony around us continued to eat and whisper to themselves. Eating my hay burger took some careful coordination so I didn’t chomp down on Cherry’s hoof accidently. When the food was completely gone, and our beers a fading memory, I pulled Cherry close to me, my wing hugging her to my chest as I rested my chin atop her mane, the scent of her shampoo filling my nose with strawberry and some sort of melon.

We remained like this for a short while, both of us just remaining in the embrace, letting the scents of our meals and soaps filling our noses. Then I felt Cherry shift again, and I eased up on the tight hug I had her in, thinking I was making her uncomfortable, but no, it was so much better and worse all at once. What was mild concern quickly turned into embarrassment and shock as I felt her hoof move to the place she had teased earlier.

I L et out a small gasp, but in the quiet room, every pony was surely alerted, or they would have been, had Cherry not thought ahead, and pressed her other hoof to my mouth and stifled even the small gasp. “Shhh just let me have this.” She whispered in my ear, before nibbling on it. I blushed even more, sure that the red mare could feel the heat from my face through her hoof, as her other slowly traced circles around my genitals. I heard Cherry giggle softly, before slowly coaxing me to arousal, a sensation made even more powerful given the heightened senses.

Despite the feeling she was causing in my lower half, I kept my ears open, just in case some pony caught on to what Cherry was doing. But to my dismay, it sounded like others around us were doing the exact same thing, or at least close to it. I heard stifled moans, and other lewd sounds around us, signaling that we weren’t the only ones having fun. Unable to stop Cherry from what she was doing, I gave in to my fate, and leaned back. Unintentionally giving her even more to work with.

I bit my lip to keep silent, even holding my breath to keep from even exhaling loudly, which would give us away immediately. I tried so hard to focus on not being caught, that I was only dimly aware of me throbbing against her hoof. Then, to further my embarrassment, Cherry did something she hadn’t since our first time. When she moved, I thought she was trying to readjust or something, and I wasn’t too far off, but was still shocked into silence as I felt her hot breath against my member. She then paused, and such a soft whisper came from her that even with the heightened sense of sound, I barely caught it. “Keep quiet.” She said, and I knew from that tone that it was not a request. Without thinking about it, I merely nodded, forgetting that she couldn’t see me. But she took my continued silence as confirmation and began.

(( I am going to try to keep this as… well, I cant say family friendly now can I. Cherry and I have talked this over, and she is alright with me writing this down, but I dislike the terminology used to describe something like this, so in order to write this down without all of the horrible words so many would use freely, I will just be referring to the part of me she was giving attention as simply me. So if you want to read it go ahead, if not skip it until you see the big bold words SAFETY. With that in mind, I will continue. Read at your own discretion.))

I felt her hot tongue first, followed by another of her warm breaths. Blushing deeply and struggling not to squirm, I continued to bite my lip. I half expected her to just take me into her mouth, but this nightmare was only just beginning. With exaggerated slowness, she placed her tongue near my base, and dragged it upward. I tensed, the sensation so strong from my heightened sense of touch that even though it had just started, I felt that she would drive me insane before she was satisfied. Panting softly against me, and heat radiating from every inch of her body, she continued teasing me at a snail’s pace, taking her sweet time, and acting like a wine connoisseur she would only give small licks, before pulling away again.

“Are you ready?” She asked in a hushed tone, and once again I nodded, my mind going entirely blank. And then my eyes popped open, and I felt such an intense sensation as her mouth wrapped around me, taking it in only an inch at a time. Unable to sit still, I placed my hooves on the table, and used it to support me as I was starting to feel weak.

I knew she was dragging this out, both for her own enjoyment, but I knew what she really wanted, and it wasn’t just teasing this time. When she did take just a moment to pause, I slowly let out my held breath, but Inhaled once again quickly as she took more of me faster. She knew I was waiting to breathe, but rather than just let me, she used it to her advantage, an act I would not soon forget.

This continued on for a time, her keeping it nice and slow, but very enjoyable, if only to build me up as much as possible. Then it got even harder to contain myself as she rapidly took all of me, her throat tight and warm, constricting and opening slowly. I began to pant softly, taking any moment to breathe that I could as I slowly felt my mind slipping away, and any amount of self-control I had built up. Trying desperately not to moan out, I place my hooves on the back of her head, unsure what I was doing, but unable to care as I squirm. Using my belly and rear legs, I was able to move my hips, pushing and pulling myself in and out of her mouth.

I expected her to resist, or even stop me entirely, but when she placed her hooves on my legs and relaxed, I knew she wanted me to continue. And so, I did, giving myself to her again and again, trying not to release too early. But with everything stacked against me, I knew I couldn’t last forever. With a powerful shiver down my spine, and goosebumps rising on my hide, I grit my teeth and snort softly as I finish, unable to stop the sudden flood pumping into her belly.

When the sensation finally passed, I slumped back, releasing the mare, who stayed a moment longer, using her throat muscles to squeeze every last drop from me, before slowly pulling off. Her breathing was fast yet quiet, and from the rest of her body I could feel that her heart was as well. “That was…intense.” She whispered as I sensed her wipe her mouth with a napkin, and then giggle before kissing my cheek once more. “Thank you.” She whispered, before I turned toward her, and press my hooves to her side.

“If you think we’re done, you are sadly mistaken.” I respond just as quietly. Still unable to see her, I couldn’t judge her facial expression, but I could feel her tense up, but when no denial came I silently moved back from her and eased her onto her back before moving the dress aside. I could feel Cherry shivering lightly under my hooves, but still no objections came, so I continued as planned, and lowered my head between her rear legs. Being this close, I could smell her lust. If her previous act had done this to her, I could only imagine what my next act would do to the horny mare. ((Ha get it, it’s a unicorn pun.))

With a lick of my lips, I closed the distance, pressing my tongue to her apex, but encountered resistance that I had seen and read about, but never expected to encounter personally. Cherry was wearing what felt like a set of lace panties, though warm and wet. Despite my curiosity surrounding the garment, I pushed the thought aside, before gently biting the edge, and peeling them aside. With careful positioning and gentleness (Thanks Cherry for guiding me with your legs) I slowly ease in and kiss her other lips.

Cherry, despite her usual composure, finally understood why I was struggling earlier. With a smile on my lips a kissed her there again, before letting my own tongue slide free of my mouth. The scent, and now taste of her arousal was too much to ignore, so with careful grace, I moved back in and pressed my tongue to her slit, and slowly dragged it up, just like she had done earlier. When I heard a soft squeal come from her, I know I was doing it right as a I felt a small nub glide across my tongue.

Cherry, for all her self-control, which was usually pretty poor to begin with, was now struggling to keep from even making a single noise as her hooves shot to my head, and pulled me tighter against her, making my tongue slide inside of her, parting her silky walls and sliding even deeper with almost no resistance. Cherry, the unfortunate mare, was fighting a loosing battle, and eventually a small moan left her maw, making her and I tense, and stop what we were doing to listen. But with the other lewd sounds around us, it was inevitable that some pony would make a noise. Sensing that no pony was even aware, I continued even slower, if only to prolong her torture.

Like me, she knew with her heightened senses, that she wouldn’t last. But that wasn’t a surprise, I had done this to her before, and she usually didn’t last long then, so I expected that now she would climax very soon. And I didn’t have to wait long as she tightened her hold on my head, and squirmed against me, her limit finally broken as she came. I blushed brightly as she basically grinded herself against my head and soaked the fur around my muzzle.

I chuckled despite my predicament, and then did what any gentlecolt would do, and licked her clean. Once I finished my duties, I sat up, and helped my marefriend to do the same. But before I could even grab a napkin to wipe my muzzle, she wrapped her hooves around my neck, and pulled me in a deep and passionate kiss. My eyes widened as a wash of sensations assaulted me. I could taste both her juices and my own mix together with our dinner, creating a powerful, yet somewhat enjoyable taste.

I felt odd, kissing her after what we had done, even though it wasn’t the first time for that either, but this was stronger. As if the built-up need and enjoyment from having our senses strengthened made even our orgasms more intense.

Cherry and I held the kiss for a little longer than I would have liked, but in this case, I didn’t care. I was so happy to not only have had some fun, but also done it with the one mare, whom I loved so much. When we did finally pull our lips apart, and managed to regain our breath, neither one of us could speak. After all, what words were there to share after something so… powerful. Cherry must have had similar thoughts, and rather than break the silence, she instead pressed the end of my cigar into my mouth and got herself a new cigarette before lighting them while I covered the intense light as best I could, though in such darkness, I was sure a spark would look like a firework.

SAFETY.

After finishing our fun and having carefully lit ourselves a cigar and cigarette respectively, I pulled Cherry back to my chest, and wrapped her in my wing as the two of us rested and just enjoyed each other’s company. Neither of us had to speak, because our actions earlier proved again just how much we meant to the other.

And so we continued to sit there like that, just letting ourselves come down from the afterglow of such a magnificent act, and by the time the lights slowly filtered back on, despite being only a flicker, every pony was squinting at the brightness, but even through the almost blinding light, I was able to see all of the mares and stallions in the bar had disheveled manes and wrinkles in their clothes that weren’t there earlier. I was sure that we looked just as messy, but no pony even glanced our way.

With the brightening of the lights, the bad slowly wrapped up their soft tempo, and the old stallion grabbed the mic once more, and spoke again in his deep growling voice. “Mares and Stallions, we are, as ever, grateful to all of you. We hoped you enjoyed your meals and any other bonding you and your partner may have had. As for the two new ponies here tonight, give them a round of applause for making it through without freaking out.” At his words, a few of the ponies around us, looked at us with knowing grins, and softly stomped their hooves, making Cherry and I flush with color and look anywhere else.

Shortly after, the event began to wind down, many of the patrons gathering their belongings and making for the door. After another awkward encounter with out hostess, and an exchange of caps, Cherry and I left as well. Neither of us had any plans after that, but neither of us were ready to call it a night. So, with her leaning on me again, we just randomly wandered the halls of the ancient castle. Like before, neither of us needed words, and were just content with being together.

Our random walking didn’t last long though, before we both stepped into a large courtyard. There were trees which looked to be capable of growing fruits, and planters filled with bushes and veins used to grow tatos. It looked like we had stumbled upon the castles farm, where all the fresh produce was grown and harvested throughout the year. I looked up as well, seeing the open sky and the shining stars, and a half moon just of to the left. Judging by the light and the coolness in the air, I assumed it was around two in the morning, and because of that, the entire place was deserted.

Hoof in hoof, Cherry and I moved over to the fountain, which had been converted to supply water to the crops in a fine mist. Together we took a seat on the edge, and looked out into the distance, seeing the star light glimmering off the old glass and scuffed metal down below. Cherry rested her head on my shoulder and sighed contentedly. “This is great, I could live like this forever.” She said before nuzzling my neck, and I couldn’t help but agree. However, I knew it wouldn’t last.

The sigh that escaped my lips alerted the red mare to my feelings and made her look up into my silver eyes. “I know, you need to continue, you won’t be satisfied until you avenge your recent home.” She said, and for a time I remained silent, mulling over my next words carefully.

“Cherry, I’m not doing it for that. I mean it hurts, every day I feel remorse for Respite. I carry a gun with the name of a foal I saw murdered, and I am beyond pissed for what happened. But I don’t want revenge. I don’t even want to kill Phanes. All I want to do is ask him why just before Shady takes her justice. I don’t care what happens to him, Luna knows he deserves worse than even Shady can do to him, but I won’t do it.” I say, and the mare just nuzzles me in response.

“I know, and that’s what I love about you, you just don’t want to kill, even if you have to, it tears you apart, but that just means you have a heart that is too pure for the wasteland. If I had my way, I would take you somewhere where this place could never try and taint your golden soul.” She whispered softly, her words bringing a tear to my eye. When Cherry looked up at me again, she saw the tears glistening, and with a soft coo, she leans up and kissed my forehead.

“Cherry, this journey, it has been hard, and may get even worse, but it’s because of this that I met a mare like you, so I can be thankful for that, and Shady has been there for me from day one, how could I ever turn my back on her when she needs me. I want to stay here, sweet Luna I really do, but I have to continue.” I said sadly, knowing that Cherry wouldn’t be coming with us.

“Moonshine, you loveable idiot, if you think for a second that you all will be leaving me here, I will kick you ass off of this castle.” She said jokingly, but a small tear filled her eye which I quickly kissed away. I knew she didn’t like the idea of going back out there, but I knew she would rather be by my side and in danger, than alone in safety. If only I had a word to properly describe how much I loved her, I would sing it from the rooftops despite the fact that I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.

We sat together in silence for a time after that, just watching on as the night grew darker. The tone had changed, and I knew we were both thinking about the future. Well I was partly, but my mind kept flashing back to that critical moment, where I almost shot Rogue. I knew that wasn’t me, we all did. But that didn’t change what happened. “Cherry, can I talk to you about something?” I asked, and she looked back to me with zero hesitation and nodded.

“Am… Oh how do I start. I feel like I messed up badly earlier. I mean if I didn’t carry rubber bullets, if I had pulled the trigger earlier… what would have happened to me? Would I still be me?” I asked, and I knew I upset her by bringing up Rogue, but the feeling of anxiety just would not leave me since it happened. Cherry remained silent for a while, letting her thoughts organize before she spoke.

“I… I don’t know. Part of me was upset that you lashed out like that, like you were just waiting for something like that to happen. But another part of me…Kind of hoped you would do it. What he did… it wasn’t right, and it makes me so mad when I think about it. But the logical part of my mind tells me that he acted out of concern. I almost torched us both when my magic went haywire, hell, if I were him, I would want to know what was going on too. But… that doesn’t make it ok.” She said softly, and I could tell she was as much if not more upset about than I was.

“I like Rogue, He is a good pony, and I know he made a mistake. I want to forgive him, but my heart is so hurt by what he did. Maybe it’s anger, maybe it’s guilt that he may not walk again, but I just can’t seem to figure out what I should do.” She said, looking at me, her hazel eyes searching for an answer, or a reason, anything to help heal her pain.

“Cherry, I can’t imagine what you feel right now, but I would forgive him. Yes, me messed up, but he never meant any of us harm, hell he saved our butts more than I can count and has always been accepting of every mistake we made. I think it’s only fair that we do the same for him. If there was a price to be paid, he is paying it with the fact that he can’t even stand. And if you can or if you can’t forgive him, I think he at least deserves to hear it from you.” I said, giving her my thoughts and feelings about it. And I knew from her expression of love for me, that it was exactly what she wanted me to say.

“Alright then, let’s go do it. I don’t care if he is sleeping.” She said, and hopped to her hooves, before stumbling before my wing snapped out and caught her. She managed to get her hooves back under her and shook her head. “Right, no sudden movements, got it.” She said, more to herself than me before she leaned against me again, and with her leading the way, we made a path back toward Rogues room.

The walk took a while, mostly due to the size of the castle, and nothing to due with the fact that neither of us knew how to get back. (It really did though)) and by the time we made it back to the hospital wing, we were sure that the sun was beginning to climb over the horizon. When we pushed open the steel door, we found Rogue already awake, though still bleary eyed. When we entered, he turned to look at us, and immediately latched on to the fact that neither of us had slept yet.

“You two look like… well, like you had an exciting night.” He stated, before rubbing his face with a hoof. Cherry and I managed to not look that embarrassed before we moved over next to his bed and sat down together. “Yeah, we really needed the change of pace.” I said, before Cherry nudged me in the ribs, letting me know that this wasn’t the moment for idle chatter.

“Rogue, I want to know only one thing. But I want you to answer with only one word.” Cherry said sharply, which made me shut up, and Rogue focus on her as best her could, before nodding. He knew this was important, and I could tell he knew that his one response would either make or break Cherry’s opinion of him. “Are you sorry?” Cherry asked bluntly, staring hard into his eyes, making it clear that she wasn’t even close to playing around. I watched as Rogue moved his mouth, before stopping it and thinking hard of the one word he could respond with. He could say yes, or of course, but he wanted to pick the one word that would encompass all the emotion he felt and the sorrow he had at what he had done to her.

We waited in utter silence, patiently awaiting his response, before he looked back into her eyes, and with supreme sadness in his purple yes, he spoke. “Cosmically.” And I knew what he meant, and so did Cherry. With a single nod, Cherry stood up and placed a hoof on his, and looked him dead in the eye.

“I forgive you.” She whispered, and I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding in relief. Rogue didn’t need to speak again, and instead his eyes broke like a dam, and poured tears onto her hoof. The were tears of pain, sadness, and of relief. And I couldn’t help but shed a few myself as Cherry pressed her lips gently upon the top of his head, and I knew then that he was fully forgiven.

We remained like that for a time, all three of us were a bundle of nerves, and we went through the entire spectrum of emotions. Before finally Rogue broke the silence. “I know this is a bad time, but do either of you have coffee on you?” He asked, and Cherry and I looked at him with deadpan glances, seeing as he knew we weren’t carrying anything with us. “eh, here was to hoping.” He said, just before Shady walked in, a tray of steaming mugs on her back, and bags under her eyes.

“Ask and ye shall receive” Shady said tiredly and came in before setting the tray on a table and taking a cup for herself. What was odd though, is that there were enough cups for all four of us. “’How did you know to bring four?” I asked as I took one, and so did Cherry, before giving it to Rogue, and then taking one for herself.

“I saw you two idiots walking in earlier, and I knew neither of you slept, so I went to go get some proper go juice.” She said before taking a sip of her drink. I chuckled and did the same, and the room fell silent again save for the occasional sips from a mug.

“seriously though, sleep sounded like a fantastic idea, I can’t even properly remember the last time I slept in a place that wasn’t a boat or on the ground.: I said with a tired laugh, one that Cherry shared with me. Shady then tossed a key at me, and looked pointedly at us both.

“You two go get some rest, the room is down the hall to the left, take the third right, then down two flights of stairs, and then turn right, and head down the hall, turn right again, and it will be the fifth door on the left.” She said so fast that I didn’t even catch half of it, luckily Cherry did though. And after saying our good bye’s and good nights, we both left the room. But before I could fully close the door, Shady shouted behind us, “And don’t fuck in my bed again!” just as the door closed, making her voice echo down the hallway, and make us both blush deeply.

Cherry, having Shady’s directions, led us without error to the room, and once inside, I found all our gear was nicely stored and it looked to have been cleaned. Even Cherry’s and Rogues gear was present. I felt good knowing my stuff was close by, but even better when I saw the double beds big enough to hold both Cherry and I comfortably. I knew that both of us were so tired we couldn’t even begin to think of trying to have some private fun, and before we could fall asleep where we stood, we both stripped out of our dress clothes, and silently fell into bed together.

We both snuggled up close, my back to her belly, and she wrapped a hoof around my torso as she laid her head above my own. most Stallions would hate being the little spoon, but with Cherry here, I couldn’t care less. Instead I kissed her hoof softly, and nuzzled against her happily, before she pulled the covers atop us. But just as we were both beginning to drift off, I heard Cherry whisper lazily into my ear, “I love you.” Which I responded just as tiredly with.,

“I know.” And then, like somepony flipping a switch, we both fell asleep.

Level up, New perk.

Lovers Embrace: you and your partner… well you see when two ponies love each other… Look you know what you did. You now have the ability to use a team-based attack that deal twice the damage once per day. Additionally, you gain a 15% experience boost for 8 hours.