The Equestria Games. It’s good to see you again.

Last year, I arrived in a state of stress. With everything being done at the last possible minute, I could barely sit through the games without the urge to fall asleep because I was so exhausted. Now, this year I’m relaxed and happy. Not only did we get everything ready well ahead of schedule, but I’m at the side of Ms. Harshwhinny, soon to be Mrs. Harshwhinny, once we decide to officially tie the knot. The two of us stand together in the middle of the stadium, where events such as the triathlon, log toss, and the hundred meter dash are due to take place.

At the microphone, one of the board members is playing up how these games are the best he’s seen; practically reiterating what was said last night. Before us, are the various athletes that will compete in the games. There are definitely more ponies that humans here, but that’s to be expected, as we are not the dominant species, nor should we be. This is Equestria after all.

Honestly, I’m not paying much attention to what he has to say. All I’m thinking right now, is that I’m going to be relaxing in a VIP suite with Ms. Harshwhinny, watching the games from afar. The suites we'll begging to will give us a perfect view of the the various stadiums, and there are a couple flat screen televisions on the sides, just in case we would like a closer look. Each stadium that will host a different event has the same amount of suites. A maximum of ten. These spots are reserved mainly for board members, but Ms. Harshwhinny was able to pull some strings to allow Kevin and Crystal to get their own suite. Of course, when I asked her how hard the string pulling was, she smiled and told me that it took no convincing at all.

The music blares from the loud speakers, as Fast Pass comes running into the stadium, holding the flaming torch in her hand. Her running is obviously fast, but her back is straight, and she looks like she’s not even sweating. A part of me kind of wants her to trip and fall, setting herself on fire, but that would be a bit much, even for someone as rude as she.

Fast Pass gets to the top of the stairs leading to the giant torch. She throws the fire inside, and a bigger, more incredible fire shoots upwards, lighting to torch in all its brilliant glory. The crowd goes wild.

The speech is done; finally, now we can get off this platform and into the suites. It’s strange to be standing in the middle of the stadium, with millions of ponies and people watching me. Well, they’re probably not watching me, but it sure feels like it.

Ms. Harshwhinny and I move out of the field, and through the large open gateway that leads into a hall, where we get past the row of food vendors selling tasty snacks, as well as the merchandise store. We go to the elevator, and ascend all the way to the top floor, leading to another hall.

Room five…..room six….here we are….room seven. I open the door with my keycard, letting Ms. Harshwhinny in first, and then I enter, closing the door, which locks behind me.

“Finally…” Violet exhales her exhaustion out “I’ll never get used to those opening ceremonies.”

“You held your own quite well.”

“True. A mare such as myself learned to compose myself at an early age.” she sounds proud at her achievement to maintain her professional poise. “Still, all those eyes staring at me. I may like the attention every once in a while, but that was way too much attention. Especially Fast Pass. She was staring at me from the top of those stairs.”

“I didn’t notice. She was too far.”

“I did, and I did not like it one bit.” Violet shudders slightly at the remembrance. I walk up to her from behind and wrap my arms around her, pushing her back against my chest. She chuckles as I nuzzle her neck. “Is this the part where you say you’ll protect me?”

“Maybe.” I tease her with another nuzzle.

“I can handle her, but having you around is much appreciated. I may be fit, but violence is not my thing.”

“What makes you think violence is my thing?” I ask, not offended, but curious.

“I mean no offense, I assure you. It’s just…” she caresses my left forearm affectionately “…you always struck me as someone who can handle himself.”

“I like the vote of confidence.” I playfully squeeze her tighter “But I’ve only been in a couple fights back when I was on earth.”

“Who won?”

“I won the second fight.”

“A fifty-fifty chance? I like those odds.” The both of us let out a chuckle. I turn her around to face me and plant another kiss on her cheek. My hands go over to her right hand and I lift it up to my face. I carefully inspect her fingers, namely her ring finger. “Not that I object to this, but may I ask what you’re doing?”

“Just inspecting your ring finger. I want to get the measurements right so that I don’t mess up getting you a ring.”

“Oh…” her cheeks glow that memorable red “I-I see…well…I appreciate the thoroughness. I realize that your trips to the jewelry store never involved getting me a ring, so of course you wouldn’t know my size.”

“Yep. That’s why I’m doing it.” I smile “So, what kind of a ring do you want?”

“You want to know?”

“Yeah. I don’t want to get you something you don’t like. Something tells me you’re not much a diamonds mare. Correct me if I’m wrong.”

“You’re not. I don’t like flashy jewelry. I’m more simple. A gold ring would be preferable.”

“I figured. How much would you mind if I have our initials engraved in the ring? Or a saying?”

“A saying? What in Equestria would you put in there?”

“Umm…’Get back to work?’” I say in jest. She laughs and teasingly pats me on the cheek.

“How about you surprise me with that one? I don’t want to know everything about my ring before you give it to me. Now that you’re doing this.” she takes my right hand “I suppose I should do a measurement of my own.”

“What are you…” without warning, Violet puts my ring finger in her mouth, caressing it with her tongue. This is the first time she has ever played with my finger, and I’m confused and aroused at the same time. After a few moments, she releases my finger from her mouth.

“I think I got it.” she whispers seductively.

“Really?”

“Not really. I just wanted to do that.” her seductive tone turns into a mischievous one, and I laugh in response.

“You can be so sneaky, Mrs. Harshwhinny.” I say as Violet lets my hand go. I look over at the nearby table at the end of the room, spotting some fine place settings, with fancy looking plates, and a variety of silverware and cutlery. “Looks like we’re going to get the five star treatment with the food.”

“Yes. A step up from last year’s games over in Applewood, where it was more of the four star variety. Still good, but slightly below expectations.”

“That might have been my fault.”

“Nonsense. My previous assistant was the one who set up the catering. It was my fault for not catching that they weren’t as good as advertised.”

“You know, there has to be a time where something is my fault. You can’t just lay any mistakes on your part.”

“I’ll let you know when you make one.” she chuckles. “At any rate, while I’m confident the dining here will be more than satisfactory, I do want to indulge in…shall we say…more junky fare.”

“You mean like something from the concession stand downstairs?”

“If you don’t mind. I’m feeling a bit adventurous today.”

“I can see that.” I smirk “What would you like?”

“I am curious about those tofu dogs. I hear the ones made in the Crystal Empire Stadium are the best in Equestria.”

“Now my interest is piqued. I’ll get one, too. You want some popcorn and soda to go with that?”

“That would be preferable. Apple Cider is my drink of choice. The regular kind, not the hard stuff. I’d like to watch the games with a bit of sobriety.”

“You got it. I’ll text you when I’m on my way back.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

I head back to the elevator and go down to the area where all the concessions are. There’s a line of people and ponies waiting to get their snacks, but I don’t mind. The next event coming up is the race, where Fast Pass is competing with humans and ponies in the mix. After that run to the torch, I wonder if she’s tired at all, but given her reputation, I’m sure she’s fine and dandy. I personally don’t care to see her race, and am actually more excited about sharing junk food with Ms. Harshwhinny.

Minutes go by, and I’m already halfway to the front of the line.

BANG!

There goes the staring gun, and the crowd roars in enthusiasm, as I’m sure the race is fast as it is furious. Whatever, I’m almost at the front.

I’m at the front within a couple more minutes. Once I’m there, the crowd roars in applause. I suppose someone or somepony won, and I’m sure it’s Fast Pass. Good for her, I guess. I make my order, and within a minute, two tofu dogs, a bucket of popcorn, and two large cups of ice cold apple cider are within my reach. I pay for it and head back to the elevator.

The elevator had gone back up. Guess a board member used it when I wasn’t looking. Ah well. I don’t mind waiting a few extra seconds.

BUZZ BUZZ

My phone gets a text. Carefully balancing all the food and drink contained in a cardboard tray, I look at the text.

“Fast Pass is inside.”

My eyes go wide in an instant. If Violet is texting me, it must not be good. Well, Fast Pass being inside the room isn’t good just because it’s Fast Pass, but I can tell the tone of the text is worrisome. The elevator door opens, and I step inside. Just a few more seconds.

The ride up feels like forever, and it finally opens. I walk quickly to the door, noticing that it’s open. I hear Fast Pass’ voice bleed through the open door.

“Come on, you got to have been impressed with that race.” her smug voice rings out. “You saw how fast I was. I dedicated that race to you. You’re my personal muse.”

“I was impressed, but I’m expecting my assistant. Can you please leave?” Violet sounds annoyed, maybe even concerned. “We can talk about this later.”

“Come on, Ms. Harshwhinny. You must have noticed something between us. Your assistant can wait a couple minutes.”

“There is nothing between us.”

I look through the crack in the door. Fast Pass has Violet up against the wall, her hand pressing on the glass in an act of aggression. My blood boils in an instant.

“There’s no need to be coy with me.” Fast Pass giggles “I know what you want.”

Violet looks past Fast Pass, and notices me watching them. She looks relieved that I’m just a few steps away, but also concerned. I would be too if I was cornered. I see Violet’s hand gesture me to stay back a bit. I know Violet said she can take care of herself, but…

“You don’t know what I want, Fast Pass.” Violet growls “I don’t know what you think this is, but if you don’t leave…”

“Stop lying!” Fast Pass says in anger, pushing herself against Violet and grabbing her behind.

Okay, Fuck this shit.

I burst into the room, and within a fluid motion, put the food down, grab Fast Pass by the shoulders, and pull her away from Violet, pushing her towards the door. I stand between Fast Pass and Violet, acting like a human shield. Fast Pass looks at me with surprise and anger.

“How dare you put your hands on me?!” she says like she’s offended. You don’t get to play that card, Fast Pass.

"Are you okay?" I ask Violet, not paying any attention to Fast Pass. "How did she get in?"

"I thought you forgot your key. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's okay."

"Hey!" Fast Pass ruins our moment "I'm talking to you!"

“Get the hell out of here!” I scream at her, taking Fast Pass aback. “I’ll call security and have you thrown out of this place!”

“You wouldn’t dream of it! Who are they going to believe? You or me?”

“They’ll believe me.” Violet says with authority. “Fast Pass, your actions have caused me to rethink my offer. With one phone call, I will tarnish you reputation, have you removed from the games, and make every sponsor pull out. You’re going to lose a lot of bits for this offense.”

“What? No! You’re the one who has playing games with me, Ms. Harshwhinny! I know how you really feel!”

“You don’t know shit about her!” I seethe. If she doesn’t back off, I’m going to get violent. I really should, but I have to try to remain levelheaded, even if I don’t have much of a reason to.

“Oh please!” Fast Pass laughs. “I know how she really feels about you. You don’t matter to her. She doesn’t like you. So stop playing the knight in shining armor act, and back away.” she looks past me to Violet. “Tell him, Ms. Harshwhinny. Tell him what you told me that night at my house.”

Violet pauses. Her serious face never subsiding. She walks past me and is now between me and Fast Pass. She looks back at me, with the face of regret and shame.

“She’s right. I did say things about you. I said you were nothing but the help, and useless.” Gradually, I see that face of sadness turn into a gentle, beautiful smile as she looks back at Fast Pass. “In actuality, I didn’t mean a single word. I thought that by playing to your prejudices, that you would agree to our deal. While I was successful, I was ashamed that I sacrificed my true affection for my assistant. You see, Fast Pass, my assistant is not someone to trifle with. He’s not someone you can just bully and insult in my presence, or even when I’m away. That’s right, I heard what you said to him at the Gala last night.”

“So, you know how he feels about you.” Fast Pass grins in some kind of smug satisfaction like I’m somehow the one in trouble. Yeah, keep dreaming.

“I know. I’ve always known. He’s felt something for me for a very long time. But I know something you don’t, Fast Pass. I feel the exact same way.” Violet says, making Fast Pass’ look of confidence instantly shatter before our eyes. “He’s not just my assistant….he’s my husband, and I love him dearly.”

Within that one second, I see Fast Pass’ world explode in spectacular pyrotechnics. Violet’s news rocks her to her very core. I look upon Violet with pride and affection. I don’t even have it in me to tell her we’re not married yet, but knowing that she fully intends to go through with the marriage is enough to make me swoon.

The swooning will have to wait, as Fast Pass’ look of shock turns into one of anger. I have to prepare myself for the worst.

“You…love him?” Fast Pass’ tone sounds heartbroken. I think I could hear her psyche break from space.

“Yes. I do. I’m done rethinking my offer, Fast Pass. As of now, you are hereby stripped of you status as the face of this year’s Equestria Games. I’m going to make all the sponsors take the money they gave to you back, and I’m going to take you to court for sexual harassment and assault. It’s over, Fast Pass. Everything you worked for will be gone overnight.”

“No…you can’t do this to me!”

“I can and I will.”

“You…” Her tone of sadness is soon replaces by one of rage. I see her hand move to the table behind her. Wait, isn’t that where the…Uh-Oh. “….you BITCH!” she roars that obscenity with all she has.

My mind races when I see Fast Pass grab one of the knives from the table, and heads straight for Violet. She’s really going to do it. She’s going to stab her for loving me! Hell no! No one stabs Violet!

I take Violet by the shoulders and move her out of the way, just as Fast Pass raises her arm up to swing the knife. I’m not going to take this lying down. I’m not going to let her get away with trying to murder the one wonderful thing in my life. I’m going to knock her god damn lights out. I don’t give a shit what the consequences are. I don’t care if I go to jail for hitting her. This bitch is going down.

Within a blink of an eye, my right fist collides with Fast Pass’ muzzle in violent fashion.

I hit her. I hit a celebrity. I hit a Equestria Games gold medalist. I hit her so hard, that I can feel my fist break something within her. I hit her so hard, that I’m sure I fractured my knuckles. I hit her so hard, that Fast Pass is visibly knocked out before she even hits the floor.

I hit her so hard… that I don’t notice that she stabbed my chest a millisecond before my fist got to her.

“NO!” I hear Violet scream.

Everything happened so fast, that I don’t feel any pain, even as Violet rushes to me with tears in her eyes. I don’t think Fast Pass hit anything vital, but now I don’t feel very good. Security comes rushing in, seeing the bleeding and twitching Fast Pass on the floor, and then finally noticing me with a knife in my chest. I’m not sure what surprises them more. One goes to Fast Pass, while the other goes to me.

“Sir, I need you to lay down.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m positive. We’ll have you carried out to the hospital.”

“Um…okay.” Seriously, while I feel a bit woozy, it still doesn’t feel like there’s a sharp object inside of me.

“What happened?” the guard looks at Violet.

“Fast Pass tried to attack me. My assist…” she looks back at me “…my husband…saved me.”

“Your husband?” the guard quickly shakes his head of the news, realizing there are more pressing matters. He looks at me. “Sir, can you tell me your name?”

“Yeah, my name is…” my voice trails. I suddenly feel very sleepy. Oh shit. Come on! I don’t want to pass out. I was just going to tell him my name! It’s a super cool name, too. “…it’s….”

I black out. Really? Lame.

I awaken in an unfamiliar room. This must be the hospital. The heart monitor gives it away. That, and the bed definitely looks and feels like a hospital bed. Soft, but not too soft, and the pillow is a little on the spongey side. I feel a bit groggy, but I don’t feel ill, or at the very least, feel that there’s a knife in my chest. Still, there’s something else on my mind. Where’s Violet? Is she okay? Is she back at the stadium, watching the games? If she is, I can only imagine her not paying much attention, due to what happened.

The door to my room opens, and a human nurse comes walking in. She takes a look at me, stepping back in surprise that I’m awake.

“Oh, you’re awake.” she says “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good, all things considered. How bad was it? My injury.”

“It could have been worse, believe me. The knife was only an inch away from your heart. A little bit to the right, and the possibility of us having this conversation would have lowered.”

“Thank goodness for Equestrian medicine, huh?”

“Yes, quite.” she smiles, but then looks at me with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to put this on you so soon, but there is someone here that has been waiting for you to wake up for quite a while.”

“Ms. Harshwhinny?”

“No. A Mr….umm….Mr. Jeffery Caldwell, from Pony and Human Resources.”

“Jeffery Caldwell?” What’s he doing here? Maybe he wants an account of what happened. “Um…sure. Send him in.”

“I can have him come back if you still need to recover.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. It’s a good time as any.” Honestly, I do feel great, if a bit tired.

The nurse leaves, and within a minute, Jeffery Caldwell comes inside with a look of concern and curiosity. Once he sees me awake and fine, he smiles, fully walking into the room with a briefcase in hand.

“Glad to see you’re up and about.” he says with relief.

“How long were you waiting for me to wake up?”

“Not long at all. I got word of your attack yesterday, and immediately went to work on the investigation before coming here.”

“I’ve been out for a day?”

“Well…a day and some change. Honestly, I’ve only been in the hospital for a little over and hour. The TV is showing the games, though it does mention your attack every once in a while.”

“Well, you can tell them I’m fine.”

“They already know. Equestrian medicine healed you in no time. The reports are more about Fast Pass, anyway.”

“Where is she?”

“Before I get to that…” he opens up the suitcase, pulling out a stuffed folder. He takes a seat on the chair next to my bed. “…I want to close the book on the investigation. Do you mind recalling what happened?”

“No, not at all.”

“Good.” he pulls out a pen from his breast pocket, and opens up the folder. I can barely see the pages he’s looking at, but I do notice a couple of highlighted areas, though it’s hard to tell what has been highlighted. “According to Ms. Harshwhinny, you left for the concession stand, correct?”

“Yes. Ms. Harshwhinny had a craving for concession food, and I went downstairs to buy some for her.”

“What happened next?”

“After I got the food, I received a text message when I arrived at the elevator that Fast Pass was in the room. I got worried…”

“You got worried?”

“Yes. Out encounters with Fast Pass had been…less than ideal.”

“Explain.”

“You’ve heard the rumors that she harbors some anti-human sentiments, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, they’re true. During our meetings, Fast Pass had been a bit rude with me, which made Ms. Harshwhinny notice. When we went to Fast Pass’ estate, where made the deal for the sponsorship official, Fast Pass refused to give me a room, and forced me to sleep on the couch.”

“That’s troubling to hear.”

“There’s more. At the gala, when I accompanied Ms. Harshwhinny to the restroom, I encountered Fast Pass trying to get inside the restroom as well. When I told her that Ms. Harshwhinny wanted her privacy…let’s say that she had some…choice words for me.”

“I see…” Jeffery looks at his notes, nodding his head. “Anyway, about the attack.”

“I went to the room, where I saw Fast Pass being very aggressive towards Ms. Harshwhinny. I pulled Fast Pass away, and told her to leave, but she wouldn’t budge. That’s when she tried to attack Ms. Harshwhinny, but I protected her.”

“That was very brave of you. Ms. Harshwhinny said as much.”

“No one tries to hurt Ms. Harshwhinny.”

Jeffery doesn’t verbally reply. Instead, a small smile creeps on his face, as he looks down at the folder. He flips a couple more pages, and I see him stop on my employee profile. I know because I see the identification photo that was taken of me for my badge. I had a stupid cowlick on the back of my head that day, and a bit of it can be seen in the photo. I remember when Ms. Harshwhinny noticed it after the picture was taken. She was nice enough to let me know about it, but refused to let me take the picture again. I wonder if she secretly thought it was cute or something.

“Let’s talk about you and Ms. Harshwhinny.” he switches topics, snapping me back to him.

“What about?”

“For starters…let’s talk about how long you two have been seeing each other.”

I tense up immediately. He knows? How did he know? Was it the news of Violet’s reveal that I was her husband that made its way to him? If not, then did he always know? Of not always, then for a certain period of time? How on Ear….I mean Equestria, did he ever find out?

“I…I…” is all I can get out.

“Relax.” he says calmly, like I’m a good friend he’s not currently questioning. “This is an inquiry, not an interrogation.”

His friendly demeanor calms me a little bit, enough for me to relax and say “Since Hearts and Hooves day.”

“Since Hearts and Hooves?” he tilts his head to the right “That wasn’t very long ago.”

“Wait, how long did you think we were seeing each other?”

“From the employee evaluations, we thought you two had been together for over nine months.”

“We?”

“I’m sorry, let me go back a bit.” he takes a deep breath “When I read the third evaluation in a row that praised your work ethic, I got a bit suspicious, since her words were…unnaturally enthusiastic. I took my suspicions to the board, and they had a decision to make. Either confront the mare who is the face of the Equestria Games for fraternization with an employee, or…we let it continue to see how it affects her overall work performance. You can guess what option was picked.”

“I can.” I nod. “The first option.”

“What? No. The second.”

“Sorry. Bad joke.”

“They can’t all be winners, I guess.” he chortles “Anyway, when it came time to put together the next Equestria Games, we saw that not only was Ms. Harshwhinny’s work ethic not affected in a negative way, but we saw an increase of productivity. The two of you managed to get months of work done in significantly less time. When reports of the two of you working in such synchronicity reached me and the board, we decided to let it slide. Besides, if the board did want to pursue serious action, there would have been potential legal troubles.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the two of you are in a relationship that is one hundred percent consensual. However, the rules dictate that both parties would be punished severely if found out. Easy enough, but with the position that Ms. Harshwhinny is in, she is protected, but you aren’t. If the board was to fire you and not her, you have a case for unfair termination.”

“Jeffery, I would never attempt to go to trial…”

“Look, we’re saying that you’re off the hook. Ms. Harshwhinny is happy, you’re happy, everyone is happy.”

“Oh…” all this information is coming at me in every single direction. I’m having immense difficulty processing it. “So…what does this mean for the rule? Is the board considering taking it back?”

“Of course not. The rule against fraternization was also put into place to combat potential instances of sexual harassment or worse. All this means is that any case that comes our way will be investigated, rather than passing immediate judgment. If the board deems the work ethic of the employees in a relationship to be satisfactory, they will be able to continue seeing each other with no hassle. If not, then they’ll be given a single warning, and if they continue to perform in an unsatisfactory performance…THEN they’ll be fired.”

“Huh…that’s not bad. Why did you tell me all that?”

“Just in case you know anyone else with secrets.” he winks. I’m getting the feeling that he might be clairvoyant. “I also wouldn’t worry about Fast Pass anymore.”

“What happened?”

“Other than you breaking her muzzle and knocking her out cold? She tried to sue you and the company for hiring you. She called you…and I quote….a criminal thug who deserves to be put in jail.”

“Anyone or anypony take that seriously?”

“There were some internet pieces that took her side first; calling you a sexist, misogynistic racist, and that the Equestria Games was covering up for you for unknown, but possibly uncouth reasons. Then, an anonymous tip leaked out audio recordings of her being prejudiced towards humans.”

“Anonymous, huh?” I smirk. Elizabeth must have heard about the attack and took the opportunity to take Fast Pass down. “What happened after that?”

“When the tapes broke out, many humans, and even ponies came out to accuse her of racism and harassment. The news spread like wildfire within minutes, and the authors of those articles damning you had to apologize, though a couple of them were reluctant, but that’s the way it is.”

“Yeah.” I wave it off. “No surprise there.”

“All that being said; with the combination of the tapes, Ms. Harshwhinny’s testimony, and all of the other news breaking out, every single one of Fast Pass’ sponsors backed out, and are demanding that she give the money they gave her back, or face prosecution.”

“Yikes.”

“Yikes indeed. With the money she’s giving back to the sponsors, the money she has to give to our organization, and the money she has to give you…”

“Wait…I’m getting paid?”

“You got stabbed trying to protect Ms. Harshwhinny. Of course you’re getting paid. Ten million bits, to be exact.”

“Ten…Ten million bits?!” My eyes threaten to pop out of my skull, while my heart rate goes nuts, causing the heart monitor to spike.

“Calm down, man.” Jeffery points at the monitor. “You don’t have any heart problems I should know about, right?”

“No. None that I’m aware of.” I calm down “But it’s not every day that you’re told that you’ll be receiving a large sum of money.”

“It was at the behest of Ms. Harshwhinny. The initial compensation for you was to be two million, but Ms. Harshwhinny was the one who multiplied it. Guess you two must have a special relationship.”

“We’re getting married when we get back to Manehattan.”

“Oh.” his eyes go wide for a brief second. “Congratulations. How is the last name process going to go? Equestria doesn’t normally do the last name thing.”

“I’m partial to Mr. Harshwhinny.”

“I like it.” he smiles, then is back to business “Anyway, with the money she’s giving back, she’ll be lucky if she has anything left when all is said and done. Given her celebrity status, I assume she’ll still be well off, but it will be a long time, if ever, that she’ll be let into the sports world again.” Jeffery closes up the folder, puts it back in the briefcase, and stands up. “Well, our business is done. I’ll leave you to recover further. Whenever you’re ready, you may return to see Ms. Harshwhinny, and the two of you are free to do whatever you like.” He turns to the door, stops, and looks back as if remembering something. “Just keep it behind closed doors.”

“We already do.”

“Right.” he nods. Jeffery makes it over to the door, and turns back yet again. “By the way…who made the first move?”

“I asked her out first.”

“I’d say you’re a brave man, but where you are right now, I don’t need to state the obvious.” he smiles “Good day.”

And just like that, Jeffery Caldwell has left the room, leaving me all alone. I suppose staying a few more hours in the hospital won’t hurt. After all, I just woke up, and I’m still a bit tired. Violet is probably worried about me. Maybe I’ll go see her at the hotel, or leave in an hour and meet up with her at the stadium. If I leave soon, I can still catch the aerial race, which is always a lot of fun to watch.

This bed has gotten pretty comfortable, though, so maybe I’ll watch a bit of television first.

I find the remote next to my bed and turn the television on. The first thing I see is a group of mares on a talk show talking about Fast Pass.

“I can’t believe she would be capable of such things!” one mare says.

“My daughter was crushed to hear about the news. Fast Pass was one of her idols!” says another.

That honestly makes me a bit sad. Never a good thing to hear that those you admire have been revealed as terrible people, or ponies in this case. The mares look distraught about the whole thing. Just then, the mare at the far right end suddenly beams in a smile.

“But let’s take a look at the man who saved Ms. Harshwhinny, shall we?”

A picture of me shows up on the giant monitor behind them. It’s a picture of me with Violet at the Gala from the other night. While it’s hard for me to take my eyes off of Violet, mainly because of that dress she was wearing, I do notice that I don't look too shabby myself.

The crowd woos and makes a few catcalls at the picture. Are they…?

“Mmmmhmmmm!” the center mare grunts in appreciation, “Now that looks like a man who will defend his mare to the death!”

Woos and applause burst from the crowd that is a mixture of women and mares. The hosts nod in agreement. This is kind of weird. I’ve never had this kind of attention before. I’m not sure if I like it or not.

“News came out that these two were in a secret affair, and are now getting married!” the mare on the far left says. The audience lets out an “awww” in response. “He’s a lucky guy.”

“More like she’s a lucky mare!” the one on the right blurts out, causing the audience to go crazy again. “With the dress she was wearing, I bet the sex they have is crazy!”

“Not that crazy…” I say to myself. “Wait a second, am I talking to myself?” Yeah, I am.

“I can only imagine what that’s like.” the mare on the right continues “His strong looking arms wrapped around my body. Lifting me up and throwing me onto the bed before he…”

I shut the TV off. Screw this, I’m going to see Violet.