Day 19

It was raining. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised; it was spring after all, and it’d been awhile since the last storm. Even being somewhat of a pain, they are necessary for the crops.

Of course, it wouldn’t hurt for them to put out a forecast for us grounded folks. One they’d actually follow.

There was probably a reason it was on a Friday. Probably because the weekends had to be clear, and they procrastinated the rest of the week. Just a guess.

Right now, the weather had more important implications for me. Mainly, that the muffins that I had just put in were now not going to be eaten by their intended pony this morning. I should make it a habit of looking out the window before making any decisions that could be affected by the atmospheric conditions.

It was just as well, I suppose. I kinda burnt them. Again.

While I was chewing on my failure, literally, I sat down in front of the window. Across the way, Lyra waved from behind her own window. As I clicked the window open, the sound of the rain splattering on the hard surfaces and gurgling in the gutter increased. Lyra mirrored my actions.

She said something, but I couldn’t make it out. “What?”

She shouted over the environmental noise. “Some rain we’re having, huh?”

This isn’t ideal. I closed the window, heading to the door. I probably had an umbrella somewhere, but as long as it would take me to dig it out, I’d rather just get wet. Then what’s the point of having all that junk? I filed that away, as overhauling my physical burdens sounded like a rainy day project. Heh.

I dashed out the door, barely taking the time to close it behind me, crossing the short distance between our houses in a matter of seconds and crashing through the door, which (very luckily) was already unlocked. I shook myself dry, remembering what Ditzy had taught me about shaking my rump too, to get the tail dry. Lyra appeared shortly from the other room.

“I didn’t mean for you to... oh! And there certainly wasn’t any rush! You could’ve snagged a slicker or something.”

“Na, don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal really, just a bit of water. Anyway, what are you up to?”

“Oh, I was just... eating... breakfast...” Her eyes drifted toward the squeezed, soaked, half-soot I was still holding. “Is that...?”

“Um, yeah. It’s really not all bad... when it’s not soaked.”

“Perhaps you’d like to sample mine...” She started towards the kitchen. I really wasn’t that hungry, but I’d be polite... and I was sure it would be good like always.

I looked around as we entered. “Hey, where’s Bonbon?”

“Still sleeping. She always sleeps like a log after a few drinks.”

“Speaking of... I trust your fun went well last night?”

Lyra rolled a grape between her hooves. “We, um, actually... went out last night.”

“Out... as in, on the town?”

“Out for dinner.”

“Ah... a nice change of pace.”

“Yeah... after what you said about physical relationships and her reaction, I decided a little reminder was due. So I did the whole candlelit dinner and champagne thing. She really knows more about that stuff than I do; I just hope I got everything right.”

“I’m sure it was splendid; I wouldn’t worry about that.”

“And what about you? Any excitement with Ditzy recently?

“Well, actually it sounds like my last night went about the same as yours. Except a good deal less formal.”

“Well, love was in the air, apparently. Carrot?”

I passed. “And... I did make it clear I wasn’t talking about you girls when I said the stuff I did, right?”

Lyra nodded. “Yeah, but... it couldn’t hurt. Don’t worry, you didn’t say anything wrong.”

I looked up, something catching my attention as it moved past the window. Lyra followed my gaze, both of us moving closer to see what it was.

“Is that...?”

“Yes.” I sighed. “That’s Rarity. I guess I’d better go take care of this.”

“Sure. Talk to you later, then,” Lyra replied, putting some water on to boil.

“Tell the sleepyhead I said hi,” I said, stepping back out into the rain.

Trotting over, I found Rarity knocking on my door. Despite the glum weather, she had managed to dress for that too, complete with a saddle-supported umbrella, coat, hat, and hoofwear. I would call it rain gear, but it was just not quite the same. Too much style to be a raincoat.

She knocked again. “Whooves, darling, hurry up! It is raining out here!”

“Yeah, I kinda figured that out for myself.”

The fashionista jumped at hearing me behind her, causing her umbrella to wobble. “Oh! There you are! Why, what in Equestria are you doing out in the rain?”

I coughed conspicuously.

“Oh!” She moved out of the way, allowing me to open the door. We both entered quickly, Rarity bringing the door shut with her telekinesis behind her. I shook again, spraying water across the entryway. It was fortunate that Rarity hadn’t removed her own rain gear yet.

When she was sure I was done, she did step out of it and follow me into the next room. “What can I do for you? Only something urgent would drag you out on a day like this.”

“Well, since you ask, yes. There has been a most regrettable development in the spa social stigma saga.”

“Mmhmm...” Of course there has. I finished up my breakfast with another muffin, holding out the half-empty tin to Rarity. “Muffin?”

“No, thanks,” she replied with a sheepish smile and a worried look at the confections. “As I was about to say, the reservations I had set up for tonight-”

“Sorry to interrupt, but did you say tonight?”

“Uh, yes. Anyway, the reservations were canceled–something about a premium member needing it for an important gemstone trade-off–and now I have to find something before tonight!”

“I really don’t see what the big deal is. So what, we don’t do it tonight. It’ll wait, right? I haven’t actually picked out anypony yet anyway...”

Rarity blinked, but said nothing.

“...you told Aloe and Lotus it was tonight already, didn’t you?”

She nodded. I facehooved. “I hope you’ve learned something by now.”

“I was... ambitious.”

“Yeah, yeah. And now I’ve got to figure out how to take care of this.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I’ll figure something out.”

Rarity looked at me skeptically.

“I’m good for it! Don’t worry. When do I pick them up?”

“Seven.”

“But... that’s like after supper.”

She rolled her eyes. “I thought you said you lived in Canterlot.”

“The only thing bigger than that city are its lies. In any case, I guess that means less waiting around time after the meal, right?”

“...that kind of defeats the point. In any case, best of luck.”

...Luck.

Rarity looked up from pulling on her galoshes, magically setting the umbrella-saddle on her back. “And don’t... uh... forget...” She shook her head and started fresh. “Whooves, why do you have that stupid grin on your face?”

“Don’t you worry about tonight. I’ve got this covered.”

“Oh... I see. Well, I guess I’ll leave you to your planning... whatever evil plot it is you are setting up.”

I watched Rarity head back to her Boutique in the rain. Well, that takes care of tonight. The rest of the day might be shaping up to be pretty boring, though. A flash of lightning laced the clouds for a moment.

…nope, never a dull moment.

The particular frequency and pitch of Rainbow Dash’s voice hit me, increasing as the doppler effect made clear that she was approaching fast, and yelling like the devil was behind her.

“Somebody get me a lightning ro-” Her frantic message was lost as she clipped the gutter, sending her into a tumbling spin. A moment later, a floating ball of light, strings of electricity arcing to nearby objects, sped around the corner in hot pursuit. From her upside-down, mud-covered position, she never had the chance to dodge.

“Aw shoot.” The orb struck, sending Rainbow into the side of Lyra and Bonbon’s house with a zap and a sharp yelp from the recipient. I cautiously tip-hooved over to the pegasus, keenly aware of the smell of ozone and burnt fur.

“Uh, Miss Dash? Are you okay?”

With a dull pop, she dislodged herself from the siding. “...I swear it’s like that stuff hates me,” she said, dusting herself off.

“Yeah, speaking of which, what exactly was that?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

Lyra interrupted, having just stuck her head out the door. “Hello, can I... oh!” She looked from the smashed wall, to Rainbow Dash, and back again. “Perhaps you’d like to come in out of the rain? What happened?”

Rainbow Dash, still feeling unsteady, lurched into the house, strictly refusing any help from both Lyra and me. “I was getting to that. Twilight calls it ball lightning; likes to follow power lines, railroad tracks...”

“...gutters...” I added.

“...stuff like that. Nasty little buggers. Comes from trying to use Everfree clouds to supplement our Cloudsdale allotment.”

Rainbow Dash annoyedly yanked her tail out of Lyra’s grip and waiting brush. “Your tail really got singed in the blast,” explained Lyra.

“Don’t bother. It’s always blackened for a while after it gets shocked.”

“You’ve had this happen before?” I asked.

“There were more than a few close calls with your marefriend, actually.”

“But... Ditzy’s not on the weather team!”

“Not anymore.”

“Oh...”

“Thanks for the help,” she said, standing. “But I should go keep an eye on these unruly clouds.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Lyra held the door open, Rainbow Dash shooting out and up into the stratus layer, leaving as quickly as she came.

I looked at Lyra, who just blinked. “She doesn’t stop, does she?”

Lyra snapped back into reality mode. “What do you mean? She takes naps and stuff all the time.”

“But, doesn’t she have a weather team to take help take care of the clouds too?”

Lyra nodded, seeing my point. “Despite being a bit of a procrastinator, she’s got one of the best work ethics in Ponyville.”

“Excepting Applejack, maybe.”

“I’ve heard good things about Sweet Apple Acres, yes,” hummed the unicorn.

We sat in a thoughtful silence, as the rain splattered against the ground outside the door.

“Ugh, I need a cup of coffee,” started Bonbon, causing her significant other and me to turn. She had apparently just emerged from the bedroom, still holding her head with a hoof. “I mean, I appreciated it very much, but I’m not used to eating that much in one sitting.”

“Aw, hon, did you get stomach ache?”

“No, I just need to wake up ‘tis all.”

“Come on,” I interjected, awkwardly hoisting one of their umbrellas. Maybe I should think about putting mine by the door too. “Let’s go have something on me.”

My usual standby for coffee was a tad bit exposed, considering the conditions. Instead, we opted for the first decently roofed place we found. The tender was surprised to see us–his business was very slow today. Looking around, I only spotted one other customer... a familiar blue-toned mare.

“Colgate?”

She looked up from her Double-Mocha Caramel-Latte. “Hey!”

“Where’s Lucky?”

“Sleeping. Had work last night, and another big pot coming tonight.” She smirked. “I hope it’s okay for me to wander on my own?”

“Yes! Of course!”

Colgate laughed. “What brings you out in this?”

“Just waking up Bonbon over here. And partially out of boredom.”

“Friends of yours?”

“Neighbors, yeah. Sorry, Colgate, this is Lyra and Bonbon. Lyra and Bons, Colgate.”

Colgate took a sip and nodded. “And you two are...?”

Bonbon was too involved in her newly acquired cup of tea to respond, but Lyra blushed and nodded in reply.

“Cool.” The unicorn went back to her beverage.

Bonbon set her cup down with a decisive clink. “Goodness, Lyra. Still blushing after all these years? I thought that was my job.”

This, of course, just caused Lyra to blush harder. Colgate’s ears pricked up.

“Years? Plural?”

“Um, yeah.”

Colgate put her head in her hooves, leaning on the table. “What’s it like?”

I sat back with my Double-Caramel Mocha-Latte and watched Colgate closely.

“What’s what like?” returned Bonbon, slightly confused. I knew what Colgate was talking about, of course, and it was good to see her so enthusiastic.

“Y’know... being an item for that long. Don’t you get irritated with each other, or just plain... bored?”

Lyra chuckled, a rather sharp contrast from her previous attitude when the subject was brought up. While Colgate was mostly a stranger to her, it seemed she trusted my trust.

“Oh, we’ve had our share of rough patches, but we always make up and out afterwards, which keeps things lively.”

Colgate coughed into her cup, biting down on the straw to keep from laughing. Bonbon turned slowly from her tea and gave the mint-green unicorn an overly-mortified expression.

“You did not just say that in public.”

“I for one will always have a new concept attached to ‘up and out,’” I said. Colgate tried unsuccessfully to hide her mirth by burying her muzzle in her cup.

The earth pony mare stood up. “Come along, Lyra. I think it’s high time I show you a little something Whooves gave me a while back.”

Lyra looked at me, hoping for an explanation, before her suspiciously calm marefriend drug her out of the coffee shop.

“Aw, they’re so cute together!” said Colgate as she watched them disappear in the limited visibility of the weather.

“Mhmm. Still on cloud nine too, apparently.” I held up their umbrella, which had been left behind.

“Umm... should we take it back to their house?” she asked. It was the obvious thing to do. Under most circumstances.

“Maybe later.”

The tip of her hoof traced the rim of her cup as she hummed contentedly.

“You seem in a good mood.”

“Huh? No more than usual. I mean, it is nice to see couples like that. Still happy, still working, still active...”

“You like it, don’t you?”

“I... I...” She hung her head. “Yeah, okay, I’m a little jealous.”

“Hey, why the long face?” I thumped her heartily on the back. “I’d say it’s healthy to want a enduring relationship like that.”

“I... guess...”

“Trust me. Stayin’ put relationship-wise is always going to have less heartbreak than being a gypsy.”

“I know, I know.” She tried to sink into her cup, but was disappointed when she found it empty. The rain’s monotone continued outside.

“Hey, Col?” I asked, after a few minutes. She looked up, listening. “You said Lucky was working tonight?”

She nodded her affirmation.

“Think he’d mind if I brought two friends and came along tonight?”

“Of course not. You really think you’d go for his business?”

“No... it’s more of a situational convenience actually.”

“Whatever that means...” She rolled her eyes.

“This might seem like a bit of an obvious question to you, but... where does this happen?”

“Oh, it’s a really easy route. Y’know our apartment building?”

“Yes...”

“Cool then. Just head to the basement instead.”

I facehooved. “I was expecting something a little more dark and mysterious.”

“Save your comments till after you’ve seen it.”

“Mmm... I should be getting back.”

Colgate looked out the window, double checking to make sure it was still raining. “And do what?”

I shrugged, causing her to raise an eyebrow. “Can you play cards?”

“I think I played ‘go fish’ once.”

“Well, unless you plan on standing around all night, I think I’d better get a deck of cards.”

“To tell the truth, I actually don’t gamble-”

“Shut up and deal,” she interrupted, retrieving a deck from the owner, who was more than happy to oblige at the chance of having ponies stick around and possibly buy drinks.

“What the...?” I fumbled with the stack, trying to shuffle. Needless to say, it didn’t work. “You’re the unicorn; why don’t you do it?”

“Lucky’s an earth pony too,” Colgate commented, gathering the cards into a nice straight stack with her magic. She smirked as I drew a blank.

“Huh.”

After shuffling (which took more concentration than she liked to admit), she dealt and started explaining various games. We started with simple five-card poker, moving on to Texas Hold ‘Em and covering Blackjack and Hearts later. It was well past mid-day when she finally let up, cracking her neck.

“You’ve really been spending a lot of time with Lucky, obviously,” I noted, setting down my Chamomile (I thought it best to switch from my usual after the third cup).

“I’ve played some of this before I met him–or you, for that matter. But yes, he knows a ton more than anypony in... well, than anypony in Ponyville probably.” She yawned.

“Maybe you should follow Lucky’s example,” I said. “I’m pretty sure you’ve been staying up as long as he does. You should consider getting some sack time.”

“Of all the ponies to lecture about slee-” She broke off in another yawn. “What I meant is, you don’t have to tell me. I was just thinking about it. Hence the yawn.”

“Hence the yawn,” I chortled in agreement. “See you tonight?”

“Yeah, see you there.”

“Want the umbrella? I’m sure Lyra and Bonbon won’t mind.”

“Na, you know them better, and live closer. Besides, you can’t do this!” With that, she levitated an unused garbage bag above her, forming a crude but effective poncho-umbrella cross. She winked, trotting off into the rain.

I paid the bored tender and awkwardly unfolded the umbrella with my hooves, making a beeline for my own residence. It wasn’t exactly a day conducive to exploring or talking to random ponies in the streets–the latter mostly because there were no ponies in the streets.

Back at my home, I took a few minutes to let my coat dry, while listening to some music. I also decided today was about the likeliest day I would get, where use of an umbrella was concerned. Consequently, I began raiding any of the boxes and wrapped packages that had been shoved on a shelf in the wake of my initial move here. My living room, bedroom, and part of the hall were a complete disaster before I found them.

I shuffled my hooves, experimentally flexing the newly uncovered rain-impeding device. My stomach growled, prompting me to look to the clock. Still an hour to seven.

A small basket of strawberries in my icebox disappeared mysteriously. The fact that I never went for Canterlot’s late meal schedule (at least, not realistically) is not related to the disappearance at all.

But the spa isn’t exactly close, and an hour is easy to burn. After discarding the first umbrella due to material deterioration, I started on my way to the spa with a second.

The blue and pink mares were waiting at the door, looking out worriedly at the unrelenting cloud canopy. I imagine their day was as slow as the coffee shop was. To my surprise, they had opted for raincoats in favor of umbrellas. As always, they matched.

“Doctor! We twas worried zat ‘is ‘orrid rain would interfere,” said Lotus through her accent.

“Don’t worry,” I replied, my cover propped in the crook of my foreleg. “Where we’re going, the weather doesn’t really matter much.”

“An’ where are we going?” asked Aloe as we started off, myself in the lead.

“I haven’t actually been there before... but I’ve got good friends there. Fair warning, though: it’s probably not what you were thinking.”

“Ah, sir, we do not know what to expect in ze least.”

“Well, that’s good. When the bar starts low, it’s easier to raise it, right?”

“Bar, sir? What bar?”

“Nevermind.”

“Are you sure zis is de right place?” Aloe asked as we approached the apartment building.

“Yeah,” I replied, inspecting the buzzer box, noticing a distinct lack of a basement button. “But I’m not sure exactly how to get to the lower level.”

“De basement? Why are ‘ou looking on zat, when it tis public?”

“What gives you that idea?”

She pointed to a descending stairway. “Oh, right.”

The darkness of the advancing evening, combine with the extra layer of light-filtering clouds, made the yellow streams coming from the four-panel window imbedded in the door seem all the brighter. The mares glanced nervously at each other as we trotted down below ground level, where I held the door from them. Nevertheless, despite the somewhat downtrodden entrance, the inside seemed inviting and homely. I even thought I heard a tune playing.

A sudden gust of wind shoved all three of us in, forcing the door inward till the spring caught it and whipped it shut again.

The tides of conversation–which admittedly had escaped my explicit notice at first–ceased.

“Ahehe... hello, everypony.”

One pair of the dozen or so eyes in the well-lit room blinked.

“Hey, Whooves! Colgate said you’d be here.”

At that, the rest of the ponies went back to their cards, chips, and pretzels. I hung up the dripping umbrella next to the spa sisters’ coats, which they had removed as well.

“Hey,” Lucky said, temporarily removing his visor as he trotted over.

“Hey.” I hoofbumped him, and turned to my charges. “Aloe and Lotus, this is Lucky. Lucky, dido.”

The mares dipped their heads almost in sync. “And... what tis zis place sir?” asked Lotus.

“Call me Lucky.” The gray stallion looked at me. “Are you saying this is their first time playing?”

I examined a knot in the floorboards. “Yeah... mine too...”

“Oh, huh...” He thought a moment, before placing his visor back on his head. “Then allow me to introduce you to the greatest leisure activity of all time, and for all types of pony! For this very pastime, nay, this very sport is a gentlecolt’s game enjoyed in the highest towers of Canterlot, and yet maintained by even the humblest of miners in Appleloosa! Here at-”

His well-prepared welcome speech was cut short as the door banged open. An intensly pink mare kicked the door shut behind her with a rear hoof, flicking a sopping wet jacket to the floor. “Cut the spittle, wise guy. Get to the tables, or I’ll tell that actor in the room over you’re stealing her lines.”

“Hitting the cider early, are we, Berry?” replied Lucky, less than enthusiastic about the interruption.

“I don’t hit it,” she said with a small hiccup. “That would make it spill, dingy.”

“Just find your way to your seat, if you can.” He turned to me, before continuing. “Sorry ‘bout that. Anyway, just seat yourselves. I’ll be over after I finish this round.”

We found our way to one of the many deserted tables about the place. The sisters took their chairs, unsure of exactly what they were supposed to be doing, not unlike myself. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

...well duh, Rarity’s whole plan in the first place was a bad idea.

A thump hard enough to shake the table pulled me out of my thoughts. Colgate was staring at me with a grin wide enough to break her face.

“Look who decided to show their faces,” she said, enthusiastically pounding the table again. “And brought the spa twins to boot!”

Both of the aforementioned mares sat stiffly with their backs straight, watching Colgate.

“You two just don’t seem like the type, that’s all. No offence.”

“What about you? Where’ve you been?” I asked. It was only fair to return the question, after all.

“Keeping the landlord busy, as usual. Kinda my unofficial job now. But enough of that! I expect you’ll be wanting something to eat, and more importantly, something to drink!”

The three of us first-timers nodded. More for the food on my part, but it didn’t sound like she was giving us much of a choice anyway. I smiled at Lotus, who tried to manage a sheepish one back. I could tell her confidence in the situation was waning.

“Alrighty! Chips, salsa, and- HEY! Who left Ozzy in the jukebox? Sheesh.” Colgate set down the tray and four mugs of frothy cider, before excusing herself to go kick the jukebox. Aloe caught a bit of the liquid up on her hoof, unsure what exactly it was.

“Um... Whooves? What exactly is zis?”

I nearly choked on my own cider, clearing my airway before replying. “Do you mean to tell me that you’ve lived in Ponyville all this time, and never once tried cider?”

“Yes, zat would be correct.”

“Drink up. I understand this place is a little outside your comfort zone–hay, it’s a bit outside mine–but cider is a first time addiction. For anypony.”

In the meantime, Colgate had kicked on some reggae and meandered back to our table. She and I clinked our mugs.

“Cheers, mates,” said the unicorn, holding her cup out toward the spa sisters. They politely tapped theirs against hers, albeit with much less force. They looked at each other, and lifted the cider to their lips.

This is either going to make things a lot better, or a lot worse. I waited to see their expression, but was forced to wait longer than I expected to.

When the nearly empty mugs came back to the table, Aloe and Lotus both had half-lidded eyes and their tongues hanging out.

Colgate nudged me in the side. “Reminds me of my first taste. ‘Course I was a good bit younger than them... I’ll get another barrel.”

The spa sisters found themselves much more at ease. They tried salsa (also new to them), listened to new genres of music, and by the third mug down nearly an hour later, Colgate deemed them ready to venture into the world of cards. I leaned back in my chair, putting my rear hooves up on the table as our unicorn dealer explained the rules of five-card to the sisters. At the other table, I glimpsed Lucky busily multitasking, still caught in the group of washed up stallions (and one pink mare). He gave me a shrug and went back to work.

Aha! This is where all the stallions are hiding.

“Hey! Equestia to Whooves. You in?” asked Colgate, bringing me back to the table I was at.

“What? Uh, no, just deal me out.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot. Little mister righteous.” She leaned forward. “...or maybe you just can’t play.”

“I don’t have a problem with cards, or gambling for that matter,” I clarified. “Just accept that the money spent on it should be counted as spent on entertainment.”

“Hmm...” Colgate contemplated me with a squinty eye, before flicking a tortilla chip to the center of the table. “Ante up!”

Two hours later, Aloe and Lotus were both out, migrating toward the jukebox with a pile of bits and cider on tap, cycling through the songs. Colgate and I were down to a hooffull of chips each, and the pot was over half a bag.

Colgate peeked at her cards once more. “How many?”

“Hold on,” I replied, grabbing a napkin and scribbling down some numbers.

“What are you doing?”

“Chill...” I did some final subtraction on my calculations.

“Are you seriously trying to calculate your chances? I’m telling ya, it’s all about gut instinct.”

“We’ll see. Two please.”

She dealt them, and three for herself. “Dealer takes three... all in.”

I matched her move. She grinned wickedly and laid out her cards, one at a time. Mi Amore Cadenza... Luna... and Celestia. Three of a kind. “I’d rain on your parade if I could, but the weather team has been doing that all day anyway.”

Too bad for her, I had a flush. “I’d attribute this outcome to your gut instinct being sick... judging by the look on your face.”

“Screw your math.” She stole a chip and ate it. “Pass the salsa.”

Over at the other table, the other crowd was beginning to devolve. Stallions donned their rain gear, pulling on ponchos and coats before trudging out into the rain. Finally, only Berry Punch was left, cheating herself at a game of solitaire. Lucky tossed his visor on the table as he sat down.

“...and that’s the game. How was yours?”

Colgate groaned and levitated the deck of cards up, sending them into the air in a shower. Lucky just chuckled.

“How was Berry doing?” asked Colgate.

“Inebriated, as always.”

“Still hate my guts?”

“Near as I can tell.”

I looked over at the aforementioned mare, who was still absorbed in her own little game. “Was there a falling out? I thought you two used to hang out.”

“Yeah...” Colgate rubbed the back of her neck. “She got a bit irked after the... incident. We were kinda... unofficial friends with benefits before...”

Colgate reached a hoof out to Lucky, who got up suddenly. “Lucky...”

“Shh...” His nimble hooves touched down on her back, moving in small circles. She sighed and planted her face on the table. He pushed harder, giving her back a fair bit of tension release.

“Anyway, after our little talk, and more recently with Lucky here, she’s been a bit more depressed and intoxicated than usual. Feels like I dumped her or something.”

I tried to ignore her slight moans as Lucky moved down her back. “Studies show that physical involvement is almost always accompanied by some level of emotional involvement as well, whether intentional or not.”

“Hey, maybe you should give her the talk you gave me? She’s in a similar rut.”

“I suppose I could... but I don’t think I’m in a position to make it do any good right now.”

“Meaning?”

“You had nobody at all. Period.”

“And?”

“And she has–or had–you.”

“You know I can’t talk emotionally and stuff.”

“Course you can. You’re a mare. I’m just a stallion with a thick skull, remember?”

Lucky looked at me oddly.

Colgate groaned, starting to get up. “Ugh, fine. You win. I’ll try.”

“Hold your horses, Nelly,” I interrupted, spying Berry snoring over her cards, gracelessly drooling. The spa sisters were leaning on each other against the jukebox, sleepily bobbing their head to a beat. “Maybe it’s about time everypony here hit the sack.”

“At last, something I’m good at,” replied Colgate. With Lucky’s help, she got the place’s last guest to her feet and on her way out the door. I gathered Aloe and Lotus, distributing their raincoats. They reluctantly let the cider mugs go and zipped up.

“Hey, Doc.”

I stopped and looked back at Colgate who was heading back up the stairs with Lucky, each to their apartment.

“Good game. And goodnight.”

“Sleep well.”

Outside, the rain was cold. It was pitch black, the only exception the flickering light provided by the occasional streetlight. By the time I’d reached the spa, the wind and water against my face were enough to wake me up a bit.

At the door, Lotus spoke up. “Why don’t ‘ou come in...?”

“No, I really should be getting home. Gimme a raincheck.”

“Danke, Doctor. Tonight was not what I was expecting... but twas good,” responded Aloe over the drizzle.

“Ze cider...” added in the blue mare.

“Ze music...” continued her sister.

I rolled my eyes. “Not to mention the games.”

“Ze what? Oh, of course.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Goodnight...”

During the trot home, I nearly became lost in the darkness, but managed to get back in a reasonable amount of time with only a few detours. I left the soaked umbrella by the door, grabbed a towel and a cup of tea, and....

…well, here I am now. Up way later than I should be.

I’ll make this my last goodnight for tonight.

Goodnight.