It was a busy Friday afternoon. Some businesses had gotten off early which meant employees came looking for things like an afternoon slice of cake or pie. Tips were always light for those customers since it was cheap for a slice.

In between tables, Golden Dawn was helping prepare the diner for the late rush. The community center’s play had finally arrived. One show on Friday night and another on Saturday Night.

Plenty of families would continue the evening by coming out to a diner for dessert. Many would buy a whole one to go, to avoid the crowd. Every spare second she was making some form of dessert to be baked as soon as the oven was ready for it.

Mrs. Diner came into the back as the bell was rung for Golden Dawn’s table.

“You have a visitor at the counter,” She informed Golden Dawn.

Golden Dawn nodded in reply as she picked up the tray of food and brought it out to her table. She bussed a table on the way back and got them their drink refills. The bell rang again and Golden Dawn had to take food out to another table and then pick up payment from another so they could go.

“Golden Dawn,” Mrs. Diner said as Golden Dawn stepped into the back again. “The front counter.”

“Right,” Golden Dawn nodded as the bell’s “ding” sounded.

“I have this, you go talk to your friend at the counter.”

Mrs. Diner took the food out and the telephone rang before Golden Cloud could head out.

It was Sea Shell. She was sick with the feather flu that had been going around. There was no way she was faking it. Mrs. Diner came back and Golden Dawn explained the situation.

“I will just pick up her shift,” Golden Dawn finished.

“No,” Mrs. Diner said. “We will close down early. You just worked three doubles.”

“And I can work another one,” Golden Dawn shrugged. “You know how important these nights are for business. We worked our flanks off baking all day, just to shut down because a single server had to call in sick? No. Not while I work here.”

Mrs. Diner didn’t answer, but picked up the phone and called out.

“Okay,” Mrs. Diner said. “You can work tonight. My Sister’s diner has two who volunteered to come over to cover tomorrow. You are off tomorrow. All day. We may be short staffed, but you are working too hard. It is my job to worry about staffing, not yours.”

“Now, the counter. And take a break before the dinner rush. And that includes eating a meal.”

“Right,” Golden Dawn nodded and headed out.

Golden Dawn walked over to the mare at the counter. It too her too long to recognize Shining Ire.

“Hey,” Golden Dawn smiled. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, you gave us your number, but you haven’t answered in three weeks. So I decided to come hunt you down. There are not many diners in the area. I know you are off soon. So I am here to make sure you come out with us for a bit.”

“I have to work,” Golden Dawn sighed.

Golden Dawn slid down the counter to grab glasses for pop.

“Look, we had the only other server call in sick with the feather flu. Tonight is a major night for the diner. The night of community center events always are. They end early and we get a lot of dessert business after. I have been helping bake all day. Pies, cake, fritters, we made it all. Even our hoof made ice cream for topping.”

Golden Dawn leaned against the counter for relief. “But tomorrow I am off, all day. I promise.”

Shining Ire grinned. “Then I will be over bright and early to get a day of fun started.”

“I have to do laundry,” Golden Dawn added. “Or else I will be wearing dirty clothes. To work anyway.”

“But,” Golden Dawn said standing back up. “I was ordered to take a long break and eat. Want anything?”

Shining Ire shook her head. “No. The schedule has me eat a late lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I am not hungry yet.”

Golden Dawn came back out with a quickly made sandwich. She sat on the customer side of the counter.

“So, when you said diner, you were not kidding,” Shining Ire stated. “This is not what I expected. I expected more of a restaurant and certainly didn’t expect a counter to sit and eat at.”

“We don’t have time or the bits for more upscale. We just need good food, fast.”

“I am positive that is what you serve, but I still am shocked. Speaking of service.”

“I am waiting for a reply,” Golden Dawn shrugged. “Application is in.”

“Why do I get the feeling you didn’t sleep on it?”

Golden Dawn sighed. “Because I didn’t. I didn’t need to. Finding out what the military does and means for the Pegasus race made me feel exposed. I realized how unsecure we are and didn’t want to just let others do it. I can guarantee that security for myself, my family and my friends by my service. Even just a few for a few years. That is why I put my application in.”

“Noble,” Shining Ire nodded. “I couldn't do it. Even for that.”

“And that is why I must go,” Golden Dawn stated. “For those that can’t.”

“When would you leave?”

“The next open Basic Training is in the Fall. Late fall. When you dad starts dealing with the harvest, that is when it happens. After so that farmers can go when they are not needed. I should know soon. They have to hoof deliver it, to my hooves only. So it’s coming here, not my apartment.”

“That will be a big change,” Shining Ire stated. “Especially from going from the kitchen to the machine gun. Does you boss know?”

“Mhm,” Golden Dawn nodded. “I may be a key element here right now, but they have always known I have been looking, or trying to look, elsewhere. They are supportive of the move. When I went to the gala, I was let off of work a bit early and given a soft start in the morning. If I was a bit late, okay. They wanted me to have the night I deserved.”

“And what a night it was,” Golden Dawn sighed contently.

“It was a great night,” Shining Ire smirked. “But tomorrow I will make sure that we show you what else there is to do. The fun that can be had, outside of a gala or event.”

“I look forward to it,” Golden Dawn grinned. “As much as I can being this tired.”

“I’ll get out of the way and let you get back to work. How much for the pop?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Golden Dawn replied.

Golden Dawn leaned in close to whisper. “It’s quite cheap for a restaurant to serve it. That is why refills are free. A good profit is made off of it, but other places the profit margin is low. Restaurants are not good to make a lot of quick money off of.”

It was a long shift because of the late night attraction. It was good to see all the smiling faces, many she knew from growing up. Nopegasus even seemed to notice or care it was her.

As soon as Golden Dawn got back to her apartment, she tossed her uniform onto the pile with the others. Golden Dawn washed her hair in the sink and brushed it out. She couldn’t turn off the lights with the mountain of dirty uniforms at the foot of her bed.

Golden Dawn scooped them up into a laundry bag with the cleaning supplies and trudged all the way down to the basement where the machines were. She tossed them into a washer and set it to work. Golden Dawn taped a note onto the door, asking for forgiveness for the overnight use. She would be down as soon as possible in the morning to finish drying them.

Golden Dawn gurgled awake when her alarm went off. She rolled out of bed onto the floor. She was protected by the blanket that had been kicked to the floor overnight. Golden Dawn untangled herself from the sheets and stumbled to the door to finish the laundry.

She snoozed on the ground next to the dryer as he clothes were finishing up. When it buzzed she jumped to her hooves and then blushed. She wasn’t the only Pegasus in the room using the machines.

Golden Dawn groaned as she locked her door behind her. She wanted more sleep but laundry and then Shining Ire would be knocking on her door soon enough.

Golden Dawn was almost done taking care of the laundry when the phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Golden Dawn, a soldier is here with a letter for you?”

“Shit! I will be right there!”

Golden Dawn didn’t even get the phone all the way on the unit as she grabbed the essentials, careening out of the door. She took off down the hallway as fast as possible. As she neared the main atrium a mare stepped into the hallway. The mare had to flatter herself against the wall to avoid a collision in the tight hallway.

“COMING THROUGH!” Golden Dawn announced. “Sorry!”

Golden Dawn ignored the safety signs, hopped over the railing and fell down the ten stories, announcing herself on the way down. She was breaking the safety codes that were in place to avoid collisions in tight spaces like these atriums. Only emergency responders could use them. She was out the door and bolting to the diner as soon as she touched down.

The diner door was opened up rather harshly as Golden Dawn arrived.

“I’m here!” Golden Dawn gasped.

“Record time,” Mrs. Diner smiled.

“Don’t expect it to happen again,” Golden Dawn panted as she walked over to the counter. “I didn’t have to worry about, my mane, makeup, or uniform.”

Golden Dawn smiled at the soldier. A glass of half drunk pop was by his side. It was not the same one she had talked to at the recruiting office. “Thank you for waiting.”

Her mane was a mess but he verified her with the photo and passed the envelope off to her. Golden Dawn slapped it onto the counter and just leaned against it, catching her breath for a bit.

The door opened and Golden Dawn almost greeted them as their server, but she remembered that she was off.

“You’re not supposed to be here.”

Golden Dawn opened her eyes and sat up.

“Shining Ire? Why are you here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Shining Ire said with an eyebrow raised. “You almost knocked me down as you tore down the hallway. I didn’t bother trying to track you. You only go one place.”

Golden Dawn held up the envelope. “This came. On the one day I am off. But lets get back to my apartment. I don’t want to open it here. The longer I am here, the more I want to bus that table in the back.”

Shining Ire just shook her head and they left. It was a silent flight back to her apartment.

“You have no windows?” Shining Ire asked as she entered.

“Nope,” Golden Dawn nodded. “I get a much better price because I don’t. I am not here much.”

“It still is depressing. And messy. Your floor is almost entirely covered in clothes except for the obvious path!”

Shining Ire opened up one of her dresser drawers. “And your drawers are empty!”

“I am not neat,” Golden Dawn chuckled. “My life isn’t neat. But I got my laundry done.”

“Yeah, and your uniforms are neatly stacked. On the only chair!”

Golden Dawn just sat on her bed with a smile, still trying to get everything to settle in her head.

“Did you half strip your sheets to be cleaned?”

“Huh? Oh. No. They came undone last night. Not an uncommon thing for me to wake up to. Even made up right.”

“You are a mess,” Shining Ire said sitting next to Golden Dawn.

“But I am alive and healthy,” Golden Dawn said proudly.

“What’s in the envelope?” Shining Ire asked, switching gears.

Golden Dawn popped it open and read it out loud. It was an acceptance letter to the military and for becoming a light trooper. It had an approved items list, when she could pick up her bag to carry her stuff in, and it told her when to assemble and where she would be going. The graduation date and information for family was also listed.

The last one was a surprised. A small signing bonus check. She wasn’t expecting one. As small as it was, it was two weeks pay, without tips.

“Now I feel like I should head back so I can tell them the details, for hiring new help. But that can wait for tomorrow. Today is fun.”

“And now a celebration,” Shining Ire smiled. “Gilded Heart and Red Star will be happy to hear.”

“My Parents!” Golden Dawn yelped.

She had completely forgotten to tell them anything. She grabbed the phone. It was Saturday, so they would be off.

“Hey mom!” Golden Dawn said. “Can I come over for dinner tomorrow. I need to talk with you guys… I will see you then! Bye, love you!”

Golden Dawn looked at Shining Ire on her bed. “Dinner with them tomorrow night. Today though, what is planned?”

“Lunch,” Shining Ire smiled. “To start. And not at a diner. After that, I told the guys we would be going cloud bowling. They will meet us at that bowling alley. I figured you had never done that before.”

“Nope,” Golden Dawn shook her head. “Heard about it, but no. I hope it doesn’t cost too much.”

“I got you covered,” Shining Ire smiled. “We all do. Do you really make that little?”

Golden Dawn quickly worked Shining Ire through the basics of her finances.

“Why don’t you drop your lease here and move in with me? I own my place. Sort of. Still paying it off, but it is mine. I am not under a lease.”

“Because if my parents found out, they would go ballistic. They would insist I move in with them. To care for me.”

“And the problem with that would be?”

“They are about to downsize their living arrangement and are setting up for a good final run at working before they retire. The foals are moved out, they both work. They are going to put some extra effort into their jobs so they can retire and stay retired. Get out and not worry about things. They don’t just deserve it, but need it.”

“I have to make it on my own so they do not worry. My mother can’t take any more problem with her foals.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

Golden Dawn sat back down and explained her younger brother.

“So then, move in with me and pay rent to me.”

“No,” Golden Dawn shook her head. “Then my parents would want to help me financially.

“You are a lot more stubborn than I realized.”

The two of them cracked up.

Shining Ire got serious. “A foal who is making it on their own, but struggling, is more of a stress on their parents than a foal who is working hard and living at home to make sure ends meet. I can guarantee you that.”

“At home or with me, they will be content knowing you are doing all you can and making good, healthy choices. Besides, you are only talking a few months now.”

“A few months is a lot of time,” Golden Dawn replied. “A lot to support me.”

“Well, this won’t be won right here,” Shining Ire sighed. “Let’s go. I’m getting hungry”

Golden Dawn nodded and they headed out to lunch.

The cloud bowling after was exciting. It was obvious Golden Dawn had never been before. Her score card was a lot of 0s and 1s. But it was fun. Golden Dawn had forgotten how it felt to actually be relaxing with friends. She had forgotten how important it was.

Golden Dawn told the others she was accepted into the military as they went to an early dinner.

“I can’t believe you turned down a chance as an officer,” Red Star said as they waited for their food.

“I just want to serve and protect,” Golden Dawn reiterated. “After the class president fiasco, I know for a fact that I can’t lead.”

The two of them coaxed that explanation out of her.

“I still don’t get it,” Gilded Heart stated. “I still think you would make a great leader. Politics is screwy. Yeah, you got whooped on the ballets. But its a lot different to run for class president than it is to be an officer. There is always bull shit to deal with, but its more straightforward in the military.”

Golden Dawn just shook her head. “I don’t want anything to do with leading. I want somepegasus to tell me what to do. I don’t want to make those decisions.”

There was no winning the argument, so they moved on and enjoyed talking about the guys’ jobs.

After dinner, Gilded Heart and Red Star split and Shining Ire convinced Golden Dawn to head to her apartment for a bit.

The main living area was easily twice the size of Golden Dawn apartment with cheery, yellow walls. The main room had two windows and the master bedroom had another.

It was a family condominium, so it had two bedrooms off the other side of the living room. Unlike the apartment she grew up in, this had a bathroom that connected the two side bedrooms, and a master bathroom as well.

Shining Ire’s couch was more comfortable than Golden Dawn’s bed.

“Now do you feel like you are missing stuff?” Shining Ire asked from the other chair. Golden Dawn was unapologetically stretched out on the couch and examining the ceiling fan.

“Yeah,” Golden Dawn shrugged. “But it’s life. And soon I’ll be off, in uniform. I have no idea what their housing will be like, except that it’s free and I can have a family.”

“Of course that is all you care about,” Shining Ire giggled. “Have you had time to think about family?”

Golden Dawn sighed, losing a bit of her good mood. “There is always time to think about that. Even when I am trying not to. It plagues my mind. Lurking, always there. I just… I am not in a place that it can be more than a cookie cutter fantasy with no real details. Its better to leave it alone than bring myself agony.”

“Its not a big deal,” Golden Dawn shrugged. “I’ve never done anything, so I am not driven by that madness.”

“Wait,” Shining Ire stammered. “You haven’t done anything. Stallion or Mare?”

“Nope,” Golden Dawn happily replied with a grin on her face.

“Then how do you know? And more importantly, why did you ask her to dance? I thought it was the public show that caused the problem.”

“Stallions have never been appealing,” Golden Dawn stated. “I can’t explain it more than that. I get giddy over mares. As to Orchid Strawberry, she definitely is a filly fooler. I would bet a year’s wages on that. But the school dance was too public.”

“What makes you say that?”

“She was never, even younger, interested in a single colt. She was like me, just calmly going through life. The fillies at my school talk. So do the colts.”

“Marriage in our community is a big deal, because it sets the mood for your future job. You have to be aggressive to get the job you want, or need, to care for your family. It can be cut throat. But if you marry somepegasus who wants to also work, the job hunt gets easier, but you need to watch work hours. Or, perhaps you really want a pegasus who cares for their foal, stallion or colt, and raises them. You need a better paying job.”

So, I learned how to hear it all, and help some friends out along the way, by quietly passing them the news they needed to hear. The fact that she skillfully avoided those conversations is odd. It was just like me.”

“So, that night I put myself out there, and it wasn’t Orchid Strawberry who shot me down. It was her best friend, Misty Perfection, who made the fuss that started everything. Yes, it was awkward, but I am positive that it was only because Misty Perfection raised a stink.”

All that Shining Ire could say was, “Wow. You guys a whole lot of complicated.”

“But you were getting at something,” Golden Dawn stated. “What’s up?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Shining Ire said, he cheeks getting a bit pink.

Golden Dawn rolled onto her side. “Spill.”

“Well,” Shining Ire stammered.

Shining Ire pulled her legs up into her chest.

“Its just… let me just say it all at once…”

Shining Ire took a deep breath before launched into it as fast as possible.

“I love being friends with you. And I don’t want to lose that. Ever. The gala was the best night of my life, but since, I have been caught up on you, in a not so friend way. Stallions were okay, but nothing special. I don’t know what the other side is like, but my mind keeps wanting to go there. With you. I can’t help but want to explore it.”

Golden Dawn laughed from her gut. It only made Shining Ire blush more and curl up tighter.

“Relax,” Golden Dawn gently said. “Its okay. And its better to just get it out like you did. I don’t want to lose you as a friend either. You are very special to me for being the first Pegasus who cared about me post event. And who didn’t give a shit about my preferences.”

“But its perfectly natural that it would spark those questions in your mind. I get the feeling you have never gotten to know a filly fooler before.”

Shining Ire relaxed a bit. She shook her head and they pulled some of her mane out of her face.

Golden Dawn rolled off the couch and then plopped onto the chair, shoving Shining Ire into the side. It was built for a single pegasus.

“Does being this close make you uncomfortable?” Golden Dawn asked.

“No,” Shining Ire said quietly, still pulling away.

Golden Dawn slowly leaned in a planted a quick peck on her cheek. She spoke quietly, only pulling away a tad. “How about that?”

“I. I. I don’t know,” Shining Ire said.

“Okay then,” Golden Dawn said standing. She smiled warmly at Shining Ire. “It is only going to be awkward if you keep it awkward. There is no reason why this has to change anything. You questioned, you got your answer in a safe manor.”

“You,” Shining Ire hesitated as she relaxed a bit more. “Did you kiss me just for my benefit.”

“Well,” Golden Dawn said turning to sit on the couch.

Shining Ire softly grabbed her before she could take a step. Golden Dawn smiled lovingly at Shining Ire and sat back down on the chair. Shining Ire was a lot more receptive of the close proximity.

“As much as I want us to be good friends, and cherish that, the past week my mind hasn’t been able to not wander down the trail of ‘What Ifs.’ I got used to being around pretty mares without getting worked up. Because friendship matters much more. But, the mind sometimes makes you listen to your heart.”

Shining Ire blushed again. Golden Dawn slowly leaned in an gently kissed her on the lips.

“How was that?” Golden Dawn whispered to her, their faces almost touching. “Was that okay?”

Shining Ire closed the distance to kiss Golden Dawn on the lips. It was longer and deeper.

“Yeah,” Shining Ire said when she finished. “Yeah. That felt safe. And good.”

“We can go as slow as you want,” Golden Dawn reminded her.

“Fuck slow,” Shining Ire grinned. “It’s too late for that. About two weeks too late for me.”

Shining Ire wrapped Golden Dawn in her arms and wings as she brought her in for the deepest kiss she could in the chair.

Shining Ire smiled coyly. “I’ve never taken a stallion into any of my beds.”

“Lead the way,” Golden Dawn smiled back. “Lets see how deep our friendship can go.”

Still more to come!