---- The Sweet Life of Sweet Strokes ----

  Sometimes ponies do things they regret... Other times they just feel satisfaction as a result of their actions.  

His bright-pink hooves clicked on the cobblestones as he stalked away from the cheery looking store behind him, his angry mutters assuring that nopony else would get in his way.  "Just who does he think he is?"  His question was answered only by a nervous cough or two as the ponies around him quickened their paces.  "I can't believe he said that!"  His purple-edged mane tickled his eyes as he tossed his head in frustration.

"Hey there, Sweet Strokes!"  A excitedly waving mare trotted over to him and poked him in the side.  "How's it going?"

Sweet Strokes barely managed a weak smile to return the vibrant green-and-yellow pony's smile.  "Hi, Lemontwist.  It's going..." tears threatened to make themselves known again before he could blink them back, "okay I guess."  He winced as concern instantly flashed in the mare's eyes.  "What?  I'm fine."  The words sounded odd as they hissed past his teeth.

Lemontwist apparently thought so too, pulling the stallion closer to her as her eyes began searching his own, growing less and less satisfied with every second she stared.  "You know," she began as she pulled away to look at him with an uncharacteristic frown, "I always thought the phrase 'lying through your teeth' was just an expression."  The pony tapped his head firmly with a hoof, shaking her head all the while.  She wrapped up one of Sweet Stroke's hooves with a veil of magic and began pulling him down the road towards where her house was.  Each of his protests were ignored besides an occasional shaking of her head and despite his many attempts to free himself, Lemontwist didn't let go of her hold on him.

In a few minutes, he found himself staring up at a door with Lemontwist's cutie mark stamped onto the wood with paint that glimmered in the light cast off by her magic.  "No, really, I'm oka--"

"Shut up and go inside already."  A wall of magic collided with his flank, practically throwing him into the building and onto the couch, where he was swiftly followed by the green mare, whose eyes were still glinting with concern.  "All right, what happened?"