CHAPTER 14

Voyeurism and You

“Come on, Newbie! It was just a dream. Calm down!”

Huh?

“It’s Ok. You’re safe.” I felt something stroking my head. “You alright now?”

That was the question. The obvious answer would have been no. My eyes were burning and my throat felt raw. I hurt everywhere, though, as memories from last night came flooding back to me, I knew why.  My left wing was throbbing something awful.

“Dash,” My voice was raspy. “I am ok now. I am sorry.” I sniffed and began wiping the tears away from my eyes. I looked up into the face of the pegasus holding me. Even in the scant light of pre-sunrise, I could see the blood from her busted lip running to her chin. “Heh. Ponies are gonna think I am beating you.”

“Please Newbie, ponies know you couldn’t lay a hoof on me.”

“And yet you sit here with a busted lip.”

“Yeah well...Anyways, what was up with you? I thought somepony was trying to kill you or something.”

I wriggled out of her embrace. “I am fine. I just forgot about my little problem.”

“Problem?”

“Yeah. I get night terrors.” I began to stretch out, it quickly turning out to be a bad idea. “Owowow! I think Vinyl broke my wing last night. It hurts pretty bad.” Before I could react, Dash grabbed my wing and stretched it out. I cried out in pain but otherwise stood still.

“You didn’t break it. If you did, you wouldn’t have gotten up here this morning.” She felt up and down my wing. “Wow. She bruised you up good. It isn’t broken, though. Not even sprained. Stop being such a big baby, Newbie.” She let go of my wing, yawning. “So what’s this about night terrors? The Night Terrors I know of come from Tartarus but I ain’t dumb enough to believe that’s what you’re talking about.”

I chuckled as I gingerly folded my wing back up. “No. This isn’t a physical thing. Night terrors are a condition that is most commonly found in children. You saw what happens. I am one of the lucky few to have it follow me into adulthood.”

Dash frowned at me, backing away slightly. “So what? You have some foal disease?”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “It’s not a disease, Dash. It’s a mental disorder.”

“Really? But you seem pretty smart to me.”

I smacked my hoof onto my forehead. “Not that kind of disorder!” I glared up at Dash. “It’s sort of like amnesia or insomnia...those types of mental illnesses.”

Rainbow Dash just shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Look, Newbie, I am going to go take a shower. It’s almost sunrise so I’ll just get started on work early. Make some breakfast, ok?”

I watched as she walked out of the room. “Well then...cereal it is.” I sighed and looked over to my bed. I saw a small patch of red staining it. My hoof went instinctively to my side, touching the cut I had there. I hissed in pain as I pulled away from it. Fucking Vinyl.

That mare kicked my ass seven ways to hell last night. She is apparently going to teach me hoof to hoof combat as well. Her reasoning was, “To know the blade, you first must know yourself.” Utter bullshit.

She woke me up from my first knock out with a bucket of freezing water, simply telling me to try again. When it became obvious I wasn’t going to hit her, she told me that the nights training would be over as soon as I could successfully block just one of her blows. I think it was about three in the morning when I did that.

I’ll have to change that later. Right now I had to find something to clean and dress this cut with. Well, clean anyways. I could always just make a crystal band aid like before. Those things were nifty.

I made my way out of the room and towards the bathroom. As I got closer, I could hear the sound of water running. “Oh right. Shower...I forgot.” I went to go on ahead and start making some breakfast but something caught my eye. I froze as I noticed the bathroom door open slightly.

I swallowed as I crept up to the door, peeking in. There stood Dash. She had her eyes closed as she let the water flow over her. Dash’s technicoloured mane getting caught in the little rivulets that formed on her face and neck, all the way down to her back. She looked beautiful.

I mean, yes, technically she was like a horse but I couldn’t see her or anyone else like that in this world.  They had too much personality, too much life in them. They were too human for me to consider them animals. Plus, they didn’t completely resemble horses from earth. The basic form matched but there were a lot of other characteristics that set them apart.

I felt my wings twitch. How many characteristics differed though? I never really paid much attention. My eyes began trailing down Rainbow Dash’s form. Her nose, over her ears, down her neck, around her wings, across her flank...

“You’re doing something naughty.” I felt something run down my spine.

I yelled out, jumping forward and crashing into the bathroom. I heard laughing behind me. I turned my head around to see Daemon on her back, laughing her flank off.

“N-newbie...What are you doing?!”

I slowly looked over to Dash. She was out of her shower trance and was now glaring at me with her wings flared. I took notice of the crimson lighting up her cheeks as I opened my mouth to respond.

“Oh, she was sitting here watching you take a shower. Getting a good view too, the little voyeur.”

Damn that mare! I felt my face burning hot as I got to my hooves. “Dash...”

I watched as she began to work things out in her head. “Watching me...take a shower.” Dash’s face slowly became a deep red. “Get out...Get out!!!” She grabbed a bottle of shampoo and threw it at me.

I was too sore to dodge properly, the thing smacking me upside the head as I scrambled out of the bathroom. I closed the bathroom door behind me. I let out a huff and turned to Daemon. The mare was now past full out laughing and was now at the stage of doing that weird little silent laugh with tears in her eyes.

“Daemon! What the hell?! Where did you come from?”

She tried to quell her laughter as she spoke. “I...I came,” Another fit of laughter. “I came to t-tell you that...Ahahahaha.” I growled, walking over to her and pinning her down with my hooves on her chest.

“Tell. Me. What?!”

“Whoo.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Something came up. Luny won’t be here until sometime after lunch. She wanted to get the lessons started early so you could have the afternoon free but it seems like you have the morning free instead.”

I squinted my eyes at her. “You came just to deliver a message?”

“Eeyup!”

“Ok then, you delivered it. Now you can leave.” I got off of her, making my way to the kitchen yet again. I wonder if Dash had any painkillers. I would have to ask her once she gets out, if she isn’t still mad at me.

“Oh come now, Crystal. Don’t be like that. I haven’t even given you your present.” she said the last part in a singsong voice as she trotted up next to me. It didn’t surprise me that she was walking on the cloud flooring. She was a unicorn and there was a cloud walking spell.

I sighed. “What present?” I asked this reluctantly. I was almost afraid of what it was going to be.

“Well,” There was a clinking noise. “It’s your first pay!” I looked over to see her holding up a bag in her magic. I notice this was the first time I have actually seen her using magic like this.  Her magic aura was a deeper purple like in her mane, rather than the colour of her coat. It actually looked really nice.

“Oh.” I reached out and took the bag. “Thanks, I guess.” Wait, where did she pull that from? No...better not question it. I put the bag under my right wing, having forgot the crystal in my room. It was just big enough to make holding it like this uncomfortable. I continued walking, Daemon sticking next to me.

“So...Is that all you came for?” She nodded. “Nothing else?” Daemon shook her head. I stopped and frowned. “Then why are you still here? Don’t you have something else to do?”

She stopped with me. “Oh what? It is wrong of me to keep an eye on the pony who is using my things without permission?” She gave me an incredulous look.

“So absolutely nothing huh?”

She groaned, bumping into me as she kept walking. “I was so eager to set everything up for us tomorrow, I went and did everything too fast. Everything is set up and I have nothing to do. This is all your fault. Everything was set in a perfect routine to keep me entertained and you just had to catch Exitium’s attention. So yes, until tomorrow, I have nothing to do.” She turned around to give me a dull look. “So...What are you going to do to keep me...entertain?”

I chuckled as I brushed past her. “Nothing. I am not responsible for your boredom so I don’t have to entertain you. You do realize you’re in as much fault as Exitium for me being here, if what you say is true.” I made it to the stairs. “So, Daemon, I am going to go make breakfast just for Rainbow Dash and me. Oh, and thank you for that disaster earlier. I hope I can calm her down from that.”

I barely had the words out of my mouth before I felt something strike me in the rear. It was about halfway down the stairs that I realized Daemon had bucked me. I landed flat on my back, feeling one of my wings pop underneath me. From my position, I saw Daemon’s snarling face glaring down at me. “You...You are just an idiot!!!” She literally screamed at the top of her lungs before disappearing.

What the actual fuck?!

What just happened there? That mare is totally crazy!

I tried to move, only to have pain shoot through my body. Falling down the stairs...scratch that. Being bucked down the stairs did nothing to improve how I felt from after last night. I was literally stranded at the bottom of the stairs, it being too painful to move. My only hope was...There she is! Rainbow Dash.

Even from my position, I could tell from how she looked at me that she was still thinking about earlier. I watched from my limited as the pegasus walked slowly down the stairs, towel draped over her back. She calmly stepped over top of me and bent down in my face.

“Newbie, let’s set a couple things straight. When I am taking a shower, it means I want to do it alone! Next time, do you think I could take a shower without you and that other pony spying on me?”

I opened my mouth to answer her but only a squeak came out. This seemed to switch her mood from stern to worried. “Newbie? What happened to you? Did that other do this?” She began trying to help me up.

“Owow! Dash, that hurts! She kicked me down the stairs.”

Dash froze. “So...you got hurt falling down some stairs...made of clouds.” She struggled to hold in a laugh.

“Not funny, Dash. This really hurts!” With Dash’s help, I managed to get to my hooves. Dash’s hooves were all over my wings and back when I got steady. I hissed at her but she kept me in place.

“Yeah...I know what’s wrong. Put your wings out.”

“What?”

“Just do it, Newbie.” Groaning, I obeyed her, spreading my wings as far as they would let me. Dash examined them for a moment before nodding. “Now let them sag.” I obeyed.

Next thing I knew, Dash was underneath me, wrapping her wings and hooves awkwardly around mine. “Ow. Dash! Ow dammit! What are you doing?”

“Sorry Newbie. This will make you feel better. Promise!” She hefted me a bit. “Okay. One...”

“I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Two.”

“Dash, please. I am really ok!”

“Sorry, Newbie.” She didn’t sound sorry. I felt myself being bounced up into the air then then pulled down by my wings by Dash. The stream of obscenities that left my mouth as every bone in my wings seemed to pop and crack was impressive. I am sure I even taught Dash a new word or two. I stopped squirming and struggling long before Rainbow Dash finished stretching my wings. I just laid limply on her back as she finished.

“Why do you hate me?” My voice was just a whimper.

“Suck it up, Newbie. What was she doing to you last night? Swinging you around by your wings?”

I thought about last night, remembering Vinyl flipping me several time by the wings. “In a way...”

Dash smacked a hoof on her forehead. “Really? Other ponies just don’t understand just how sensitive these babies are...You can get off of me anytime, Newbie.”

I nodded. “I could but this option is much more favorable than the floor.”

“Newbie...”

“Fine.” I slid off her, bracing for the pain that was to come when I hit my hooves. My expectations weren’t met with as much pain as I thought I would get. There was still a general soreness but the sharp, stabbing pains were nearly all gone.

I bounced a bit on my hooves. “Oh wow. That does feel much better. Thanks, Dashie!” I folded my wings back up without much trouble. “I didn’t make breakfast though. I go-” I stopped when my hoof hit the bag of bits Daemon had given me earlier. I forgot about it. It seemed peculiar because it was just sitting atop the cloud and not falling through, like I thought it should have been doing.

“It’s fine, Newbie. My shower was cut shorter than I wanted it to be...You ok back there? What is that?”

I glanced up at Dash briefly before bending over and picking up the bag with my mouth. “It’s my first weeks pay.” I said the best I could. “We can count it at the table.” I trotted past Rainbow. We headed to the kitchen. I tossed the bag onto the table, hesitating to see if it would fall through. When it didn’t, I went to work on getting us some cereal.

I had just gotten the bowls when I heard the all too familiar sound of coins spilling out of something. I whipped around and stiffened at the sight of bits spilled all over the table. I watched as Rainbow Dash bent to pick up some that had fallen. “How...how aren’t they falling through?”

“Huh?”

“How aren’t they falling through the floor?” I bounced a little. Sure, the floors looked solid but that illusion is quickly dispelled when you walk on it.

Dash sighed. “You really don’t know much, do you Newbie? The floors and walls are made out of a special type of cloud that is more solid than other clouds. If you’ve noticed, Newbie, not everything in my house is made of cloud. I have to have some way of keeping it up here, right?”

“I guess that makes sense...”

Dash nodded. “Of course it does. Now hurry up with breakfast. I am starving here.” She ended with a little yawn before starting to count off the bits. I put the bowls down and went to get the milk and cereal.

“Wow...this is all yours, Newbie? I guess after what you went through last night, they are going to be making you work for it.”

I nodded as I began to pour her some cereal. “Yeah but fifty of that is for you. For me living here.”

“No way. That is way too much, Newbie. I am not taking that much.”

I shook my head as I poured her some milk. “No, you take it. I am not taking no for an answer,Dash.” I set the milk down and stared at her.

She shook her head. “Nope. Only thirty.” Dash wrapped her hoof around some bits and pulled them to her. I opened my mouth to protest but she cut me off. “But...I am training you in flying. I figure getting trained by the fastest flyer in all Equestria would at least cost ya twenty bits.” She pulled some more bits towards her.

I laughed and shook my head. “You and your stubbornness. I should have known you would have rationalized it some way.”

“Hey now!” Dash glared at me. “I am not stubborn, Newbie!”

“Yes you are.”

“No I am not.”

“Mhmm.”

“Nuh uh.”

“Eeyup.”

“Nope.”

“Yes.”

“No!”

“Yes.”

“No!”

“I have proven my point.”

Rainbow looked confused for a second before smiling. She did nothing more but take a bite of her cereal. I started making mine, a smile on my face as well. I put the milk and cereal up and sat down to eat. I eyed the pile of bit for a couple bites.

“Say, Dash. Is there somewhere I can store my bits? Like a bank or something?” I let my spoon clatter on the bowl as I dropped it.

Dash thought for a moment. “The closest bank is in Canterlot. Only really big towns and cities have them. Ponies in Ponyville don’t usually have a big enough saving to get a bank here in town. The only ponies who would that I could think is Applejack, Rarity and Filthy Rich.”

I winced at the name Filthy, remembering what happened yesterday. Wow, a lot of stuff happened yesterday, though when a war is threatened, you have to get stuff done quickly. Dash noticed my wincing.

“What’s up, Newbie? Know something about Filthy from one of your magic show things?”

I shook my head. “No...I kind of told Diamond Tiara off yesterday morning.”

“Uuugh.” Dash set her spoon down. “Why would you do that?! You need to go apologize.”

“What?! Hell no. The little brat deserved it. I am not apologizing for that.”

“Now who is being stubborn, Newbie? He is responsible for a lot of money stuff in Ponyville. Getting in bad with him won’t be good for either of us!”

I quickly shoved a spoonful of cereal in my mouth. I didn’t think of that. If I am going to be living with Dash, my decisions will affect her too. “I will apologize...” I mumbled reluctantly through my mouthful.

“Good. He isn’t a pony you want to make mad.” What was he? A mob boss. Dash and I finished the rest of our meal in silence. The whole time Dash kept glancing from the bits to me and back. We finished roughly at the same time, me only bites behind her.

Dash picked up her bowl and flew over to my side, putting her bowl with mine. “Newbie, I...” She shook her head. “Crystal. I have been thinking about what you said last night. About us going out.” I watched her blush and scratch the back of her head. “Well, I was thinking about it and I thought...Well, I know you aren’t Twilight and I am not going to think you are.” This was both adorable and painful to watch. “We both are living together and we seem to get along good. That is good, right? Wait, I think I said that wrong. We are-”

I put a hoof on her lips. “Rainbow Dash. Are you trying to ask me out?”

She pushed my hoof away and nodded. “If you think it will work.”

I sighed. “I don’t know. We don’t really know much about each other.” I watched her frown. “But that is what dating is right? To get to know the other person better. Rarity is all for it too.” I chuckled. “Oh Darling, we would make just the marvelous couple. The talk of the town is what we would be.”

Dash laughed at my Rarity impression. “Yeah. She’ll probably want to make some dresses for our first date too.”

I nodded vigorously. “I am sure she wants to put more in more than just one dress.” We laughed again. I picked up the bowls, eyeing Dash a bit.

“You think this is too fast though, Newbie?”

I shook my head as I flew over to the sink. “Since when does Rainbow Dash do anything slow? Other than nap?”

I landed behind her as she began scooping up the bits that were on the table, even the ones that were hers. “That’s true.” She set the bag on the table and turned to me. We stared at each other for a bit. It wasn’t awkward but it was hard to explain. “So, are we going out then?”

“I think so...” I flicked an ear nervously. “You think you could watch over me if I go in heat? That means keeping your hooves off me too.”

Dash blushed. “Of course, Newbie. I wouldn’t do anything like that unless you really wanted me to.”

I only saw Dash’s surprised expression for a split second as I lunged in and wrapped my hooves around her in a hug. I started to worry for a moment when she didn’t return my hug. I thought she was getting mad. “...Ugh. You better not tell anypony about this.” She wrapped her hooves around me and pulled me into an even tighter embrace.

I laid my head against hers. Dash really smelled nice. I felt like I could fall asleep in her hooves.

“Newbie.”

“Hmm, yeah?”

“You need to take a shower. You smell really sweaty.”

“I know...”