TD: I know it's a bit too early to be saying this, but Happy Hearts Warming Eve Equestrians! And Merry Christmas too!
Hearts Warming Eve was approaching, and the pleasant feeling to celebrate this day with another individual in John's heart was also going higher and higher, as he got the scarf gift wrapped for Eden. Never had he felt this excited for a holiday- heck, he never felt excited for holidays at all for many previous years. John's heart was jumping with a mixed feeling of curiosity and joy, thinking about how would she react to the gift. Though it was a very simple gift, he knew that it didn't matter much to her whether it was a cheap excuse of a gift, or some other highly expensive goods. It wasn't either, because he thought she was too naive; not because she was too kind, but he had a feeling that she was the kind of person who just understood how much he actually cared for her, so she could accept his gift no matter how humble it was.
"I know she'll love this," John said to himself. As he started the finishing touches, he could hear a cute yawn that he knew belonged to her coming from the living room where she had been sleeping the night before. She was waking, and would soon be up and about.
"Looks like she's up," John muttered to himself as he looked towards the gift he had prepared for her.
"John?" he heard her call with another yawn. "Are you up already?"
John quickly hid away the gift in a nearby small drawer.
"Yes, Eden." John replied and then headed towards the living room to greet her in the morning. "Good morning."
"Good morning," she greeted cheerfully, fiddling around with his Rubik's Cube while speaking to him. He couldn't help but notice how quickly she was moving her hooves around to do this, and in just a short while it was completed fully.
"Wow," John said to her in wonder. "You're truly a natural at this."
"Thanks," she said with a small giggle. "It's one of the few things I actually enjoyed at Master's place; solving puzzles. They always kept me entertained, and I quite liked the challenge they provided."
"That's a part of the reason why I bought this," John told her as he went closer and gently took the cube from her hooves to inspect it. It was solved with 100 percent accuracy, without any single error. "I thought solving puzzles would keep me entertained for the time being..." Then he returned the cube to her and took a sigh while sitting on the other side of the couch. "But... I eventually lost my interest..."
"Why'd you lose interest? Was it too hard for you?" Eden asked with curiosity.
"Somewhat," John explained. "I mean, solving a Rubik's Cube isn't such a big deal if one knows the right algorithm..." He gave a light chuckle at this. "I once really loved to solve puzzles, but do something over and over again, and you'll end up making them too boring for you..."
"Oh, I see. So if I do the same puzzle over and over again, it becomes boring?" Eden remarked.
"Yes, it pretty much becomes, so as watching the same episode of a show again and again, eating the same food, and... and maybe almost everything I guess..." John explained to her.
"Everything?" she asked, now looking a bit shocked. "Even... friends and family?"
John looked at her a little surprised and that made him question his own statement.
"Well... I take that back. Not everything, and especially not friends and family... at least not for a being with a beating and understanding heart..." John told her and then smiled. "And, I am sure I have pretty much one of them, so do most people… So... I am pretty sure we won't see someone dumping their friends to make new ones..." Though that was intended for humor, once he thought about it he realized that this was far from being merely a humorous statement. "Well... I guess that might not be entirely true, as their are people who befriend others for benefits they can get from their friendship, and once their benefits are over or they don't see their desired results, they... can go low enough to dump them like they never meant anything to them..."
Eden managed a small smile at this, although inwardly she did feel a bit uncertain considering what he had said about having a beating heart and the fact that she technically didn't have a heart... or a real one, at least. Still, she managed to keep this from surfacing enough for him to notice and asked another question.
"Did somepony ever do that to you? Just leave you after getting some benefit from you?"
"Well, not personally to me, but I know few such persons, who have been through this..." John told her
"Who?" Eden asked. "Who had that happen to them?"
"One of them is my little brother..." John told her looking towards his image on the wall once again. "Swirly Seas wasn't his first wife..." John said, feeling his mood getting bitter thinking of that witch (though he wanted to put something better at the place of "w" in that word). "Her first wife was a human girl. She seemed to be really nice and loyal at first, but then..." John told her how she eventually started to treat his brother like garbage, and insulting him at every small little issue. That was until one day, when she was eventually caught cheating on him when he saw her... "That-" he controlled his urge to curse. "That pervy monster was sucking another brat's face!" Truly that was nicest way to explain how she was cheating on him, and to see what she was doing while kissing her one of her husband's old friends. "That broke him inside, send him to the verge to depression and trauma. Worse of all, instead of being ashamed about it, she insulted my brother for not being 'good' enough for her! I would almost end up killing her for what she did to my brother..." John was now almost breaking into tears.
"Oh... that's awful!" Eden replied, then with some anger, "That girl was nothing more than a monster. I'm glad she's no longer in his life." She then noticed his condition and her mood softened. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up such a bad experience."
"It's alright, it's not your fault..." John reassured as he wiped his tears. "Besides, that... jerk of a girl left my brother's life. A few years later, my brother met Swirly Seas. They eventually fell in love, and now they're living happily as husband and wife back on Earth."
"Ah, isn't that sweet?" Eden remarked. "I'm glad to know that they got a happy ending."
"I'm glad too," John nodded in agreement. "Ben was lucky that he met Swirly, otherwise I was afraid that he'd... well, I'm just glad anyways."
Eden nodded, then after a moment's pause she said, "Well enough of the sad stuff. Today's a day to be happy, right? Holiday cheer?"
"Oh, you're right," John smiled at his own silliness. "I think I got a little carried away." He chuckled for the moment at his silliness, and then said joyfully, "Holiday cheer!"
"Yay!" Eden cheered, then asked, "What should we do first?"
"Well... how about decorations?" John suggested. "What do you say?"
"To make the place look pretty? Yes!" Eden agreed, bouncing up and down in her excited manner. John couldn't help but smile at her excited attitude.
"Yeah, so I suppose, let's have some breakfast and then we can start. I'm feeling so excited already!"
"So am I, and I haven't celebrated this before!" she cheered, bouncing into the kitchen. John followed after her in the same direction, as a cheerful thought came to his mind.
I guess this has to be the best day of life, because I've never felt this happy or excited before, and it's all thanks to her, even if it's been such a little time since I've known her!
Breakfast was over rather quickly, or at least compared to most times they'd eaten breakfast, and soon Eden started to help with decorations, which John provided from a few boxes in the bedroom. She seemed to be rather efficient at this task, and rarely required any help; the only exceptions being at some points high up that she couldn't reach. All in all, her excitement seemed to grow with each new ornament or decoration put up, and it truly made her seem very childlike and adorable, so much so that one couldn't help but smile at the sight.
At one point, while hanging up a few lights along the walls of the apartment, John happened to look out the window and noticed a figure passing the window that seemed familiar, alongside a smaller figure. At first he didn't recognize them, until the younger spread her bat wings and flew circles around the older, who seemed to be her mother.
"Rose...?" John thought to himself and he looked towards Eden. "Eden, I'll be back in a minute. I think I saw a friend out there, and I'd like to call her in," John said and went towards the door.
"Okay," Eden nodded, seemingly too caught up in her work to give a more proper answer. John went outside and looked towards the thestral mare and her filly, before calling out to her.
"Rose!"
The two thestrals stopped and turned towards him, the older's face lighting up with recognition. Around her neck was a familiar scarf that only helped confirm who it was.
"Johnny?" Rose Charm was joyfully surprised. "What a pleasant surprise! How are you?"
John passed her a smile at this as he greeted her. "I'm good so far. It's quite a surprise to see you here as well," John said with a tone which confirmed that he was also very surprised, and then noticing towards the scarf he added, "And it's nice to see that you liked my gift."
"Well, what can I say?" she replied with a playful smile. "It helps keep me warm, and on a day like this, how could I not wear it?" She then seemed to realize something and said, "Oh! Johnny, I'd like for you to meet my daughter, Joyful Dream."
"Hi," the little filly greeted with a small wave and smile. Now that they were closer, John could get a better look at her. She was grey with some occasional silver stripes on her back, and had a silvery dark mane and tail. Black bat wings sprouted from her back, and her eyes were a lovely violet color.
"Hey little girl," John greeted in reply, aweing at the cuteness of the little filly and her adorably large eyes, which really suited her rather stereotypically thestral features. "It's nice to meet you. My name's Johnny."
"Hello Mr. Johnny," Joyful Dream greeted in a cute manner. "Mommy has told me a lot about you."
"Oh," John smiled and then told them, "Hey Rose, if you two aren't going anywhere else, I think I've plenty of room for two more friends here. So... what do you say? Would you like to come over?"
"Really?" Rose asked. "Are you sure? I mean, we didn't have anywhere in particular to go today, but I don't wish to be a bother..."
"It's no bother at all Rose," John reassured them. "And to be honest, I wouldn't mind a little more company here."
I'm sure, she'd love to see more nice ponies as well.
"Well, if you insist," Rose nodded, then looked to her daughter. "What do you say, Joyful Dream?"
"Yes! I want to know Mr. Johnny," she agreed.
"Then it's settled," Rose chuckled. "Alright Johnny, we'll take your offer."
John smiled and stepped away from the door as he invited them in. "Then, please come in."
The thestrals obliged to his request and when they did, the first thing they noticed were the decorations that had been placed up and the mare who was still busy at it. When she noticed them, however, she got a curious expression.
"John, who are they?" she asked the human. "Friends of yours?"
"Yeah," John nodded to reassure her, and then began to introduce them to each other. "Eden, this is Rose Charm and her little filly Joyful Dream." He then looked towards the thetrals and told them, "Rose, and Joyful, this is Eden Leaf."
"Nice to meet you, Eden Leaf," Rose Charm greeted.
"Hi," Joyful called with a little wave.
"Oh my gosh, she's adorable!" Eden exclaimed aloud, making the little filly look a bit embarrassed to be called that. Rose Charm looked surprised at her joyful outburst, but also seemed to be a bit amused at her energy.
"Yeah," John giggled to see this, and then asked them, "So, would you guys like something for a quick brunch?"
"Yes please," Joyful nodded.
"Sure, we could go for something right about now," Rose agreed.
"Oh, you won't be disappointed," Eden told her. "John makes the best of foods!"
"Really?" Rose gave John a smirk. "My, there's more to Johnny than meets the eye, it would seem."
John smiled sheepishly at her compliment and then shrugged naively at this.
"Yeah, so... I'll be back in a while," John said as he head towards the kitchen.
"Don't be gone too long," Eden called to him. "I want to show you something I made!"
"So darling," Rose started to speak to Eden while he was gone, "How exactly do you two know each other?"
"Well..." Eden then told her all about them meeting each other. Well, most of it. For obvious reasons, she left out anything that detailed her true origins and therefore her actual being. When she was finished, both thestrals looked very sympathetic.
"Wow, Johnny sounds really nice!" Joyful exclaimed.
"He certainly does, and I do feel your pain in some way," Rose told Eden. "I too have been dumped and cast aside before."
"Oh... that must've been terrible," Eden noted.
John meanwhile was preparing some brunch for his thestral friends. Thestrals, unlike other pony races, weren't completely herbivores, and that much was obvious due to their fangs, which served for many purposes; from sucking the juice from a fruit, biting of the flesh, and in some cases they served as- well anyways, John fixed some scrambled eggs for them along with some apple juice, a few sandwiches and yes, he also had enough rose-butter pudding remaining from last night for a dessert for them afterwards.
"Mr. Johnny?" a young voice suddenly asked him from behind as Joyful Dream walked inside.
"Hmm... yes?" John said as he looked towards the little filly, and couldn't help but mentally awe at her adorableness once again.
"I uh, just wanted to ask if you needed any help," she said. "You seemed to be taking a while, so I wanted to check up on you."
John raised an eyebrow at her statement passing her a light chuckle.
"It's alright Joyful. I'm just done with the finishing touches. Still, it's so nice of you to ask," John said to her in gratitude. Joyful smiled, then her expression got a little more serious.
"So, what do you think about Mommy? And your little friend?" she asked, suddenly looking slightly cheeky.
"I think your mommy and my little friend, as you put it, both are my very good friends, and they both are really nice ponies," John replied with an obvious manner, not entirely sure how she was implying this.
"Well, that works I guess," Joyful nodded, then she said, "Ever consider asking one or both of them out?"
John felt a little baffled, if not more, at the filly's question, and his expressions turned to a thoughtful smile. "You're one sharp filly, aren't you?" John chuckled for the moment, then he replied to her earlier question. "But to answer your question, I gave a little thought to ask one of them out, but quite honestly I'm not sure how would she feel about this."
John then put the freshly prepared meal in a couple of trays, along with filling two bowls of remaining pudding from last night.
"I don't see why you shouldn't ask them," Joyful remarked. "Look... John, both Mommy and your friend are at a bad point in their life. They need somepony who will care for them, love them for who they are, and not just for their own benefits. You may not be a pony and I don't know what you can do exactly... but you have a golden opportunity to help them out. So why don't you take it?"
John noticed how serious she was as she said that, and couldn't help but give her statements a thought.
"I really wanna help them," John replied her. "I really do, trust me," he took a sigh "But... tell me, do you really think that would help?" he asked and then paused for the moment. "If you really do, then I guess I wouldn't mind at least trying."
"I never said it should be immediate," the young thestral giggled. "I'm simply saying that you shouldn't let the opportunity slip past you so easily. They clearly need someone looking out for them, and you are the first creature that has been extremely kind to them both." She then smirked. "Besides, maybe it could win you the relationship you've been searching for. Two birds, one stone." At his confused expression, she gave a small laugh. "There's a lot everypony assumes I don't know. Especially Mommy, but I don't blame her. If I were in her hooves... I wouldn't want my daughter to be aware of everything in my personal life either."
"So, you do know that..." John wasn't much surprised now, as he had already come to a realization; that Joyful knew more than one may consider she possibly would. "Well, it's a pleasure to know you, Joyful Dream. And thanks for being so... motivational," John said to her as he picked up the trays. "Now, you can help me." John told her looking towards the jug filled with apple juice. "Would you bring that back to the living room?" he asked her, as he already had his hands full.
"Gladly," she replied, taking the jug in her front hooves while flying by use of her bat wings and carrying it to the living room. John went after her along with the freshly prepared meal, and was finally arrived there shortly with the brunch, and placed the trays on the table.
"Thanks, Joyful," John said to her sincerely.
"Anytime," the thestral replied.
"Glad to see you two are getting along," Rose Charm noted with a smile.
"He seems to get along with anypony. Well, except for the ones who are pigs. They don't get along with anypony," Eden remarked, earning a laugh from the older thestral.
"Now that is something we can all agree with," she chuckled. John mentally felt a little relief, as they both were seemingly getting along very well. Well, Eden had the ability to grow on any one for a fact, for her sincere, honest, and sometime child-like attitude. Now, for one thing he was sure about was that thing might turned out better than he would have expected, if he followed what Joyful Dream told her.
A man can always hope.
"So, I suppose you two talked to each other?" John asked.
"Of course," Rose Charm nodded. "I was just telling Eden a bit more about myself."
"She's really nice. Too bad that one pony had to be so mean to her," Eden said. "I personally would have loved the idea of becoming an actor. It sounds great!"
"Well..." Rose Charm chuckled. "It takes a lot of work, but it can be fun in the end I suppose."
John smiled and brought a chair beside the couch and sat on it, due to the couch being almost full with two mares and a little filly sitting on it. John, as he gave this a thought, realized that both of the mares, even though they were so different, in some cases weren't much different from each other at all. Supposedly, both of them were far from the places they originally considered their home, and both were abandoned in one way or another. The only difference he could see was what Rose had gone through, and in some cases was still going through some horrible experiences, while Eden never knew. He prayed that neither she nor anyone else, or anypony for that matter, would ever have to go through.
There was a long silence as they ate what was provided them, until Eden made a small burp. She gave an embarrassed giggle when that happened.
"Sorry..." she started, but then Rose Charm stopped her by making a burp of her own.
"That's how you really do it," she said. Eden laughed at that, and so did Joyful who though her mother was being rather silly. John chuckled lightly at this.
"Well, if we're doing this," John chuckled and then gave his throat a few movements for the moment, which seemed to be akin to inhaling air, and swallowing something at the same time, before giving out a comparatively long and louder burp. "Now, that ladies… is what you call a burp!"
The two mares and the filly all burst out laughing at him.
"Oh, John you're so silly!" Eden laughed.
"I know," John soon burst into laughter along with them. "I didn't think I would ever do that again... but I couldn't help myself."
"Well, now's the time to let loose and enjoy yourself," Rose Charm told him. "It's a cheerful time of year, after all."
"Hmm," John nodded in agreement. "You're right about that, my friend."
"So Johnny, did you get any gifts for somepony, or have anypony in mind to give a gift to?" Charm asked him, and while Eden didn't notice it, it was clear the thestral was hinting towards the earth pony beside her.
"Oh, right," John said as he got up and went towards the bedroom. "Thanks Rose."
"What is he doing?" Eden asked with confusion.
"You'll see," Rose Charm giggled. "Be patient."
In a moment, John was back with a carefully wrapped gift, and went towards Eden, kneling to her level and held out the gift towards her.
"Happy Hearts Warming Eden."
Eden gave a gasp. "What is it? What is it?""Open it, and find out," Joyful encouraged. Eden nodded, then took the gift and started to unwrap it. She didn't seem to care for much save the ribbon, which she was careful not to destroy. Still, she opened it rather quickly and when she saw the scarf inside, her face lit up with a smile.
"What does it do?" she asked while looking at it.
"Let me show you, Eden..." John got up and picked up the scarf from the box, before carefully wrapping it around her neck, and keeping it loose enough to avoid any kind of pressure around her neck. "This is a scarf, and this is worn to keep ourselves warm enough during the winter."
Eden looked to the scarf and was too happy to speak for a moment. When she did, it was a tearful, almost whispered voice.
"John... This is- I don't know what to say... Thank you..." she managed, while looking at him. "I don't know if I can ever think of taking it off now..."
"I'm glad you like my gift..." John was having an urge to grab her in a hug upon hearing this, and after hesitating for a few moments, he end up doing so, but gently and decently enough to not cause her any discomfort. "Happy Hearts Warming, once again!"
Eden smiled brightly and hugged him back tightly, while Rose Charm and Joyful Dream both looked on in awe. Then Eden released him and said, "I've got something for you too! I made it inbetween decorating. I'll be back!"
She darted out of the room like a bolt of lightning while Rose Charm laughed.
"Sounds like someone made her day," she remarked.
"You really think so?" John asked with a hopeful tone. "Thanks, I'm just trying my best to make her feel safe as much as I can..."
"Well you're doing a good job so far," Rose told him, then Eden rushed back just then and held out what appeared to be some paper cover with cutouts on it.
"Put this over a lamp or lightbulb," she said. "I think you'll like it."
John took the cover from her and inspected it carefully, and then put it over a lamp as she had told him to do so. The room darkened a bit and Eden closed the blinds on the windows for better effect, and when they looked, they saw that the light shone through her cutouts to create a kind of scenery all around them. There were snowflakes, animals, trees, and other pretty pictures being made by the light shining through.
"Whoa..." Joyful breathed. "That's amazing."
"You're quite the natural at crafts, Eden," Rose Charm noted with a smile.
"This is... beautiful," John said as he looked towards the images all around them. "Eden... this- this is the most wonderful of the gifts ever! I don't know what else I can say..."
Eden smiled. "Happy Hearts Warming, John. I'm glad you like it."
"I like this more than 'like'," John said as his smile widen and wiped a couple of tears from his eyes. "It's my best Hearts Warming... EVER! And having friends like you guys with me to celebrate this is so great of a gift to me!"
"Oh John... you're crying again," Eden said, then gave him a hug.
"Group hug, anyone?" Rose joked, then joined in with Joyful.
"Happy Hearts Warming, Mr. John," the filly said. "This is the best day ever for all of us."
John returned the hug, as a smile of pure relief and comfort came upon his face. The emotions he felt right now were something beyond his ability to explain, and he doubted anyone else could explain them either. It was then, when he realized that, this was the feeling of satisfaction; the feeling to actually belong somewhere, along with the joy of having such understanding friends, no matter what they were and how others might feel about this. For all he cared, anyone who'd ever have a problem with them could go buck himself to hell. There was only one thing that came to his mind now as they hugged.
I wish, there'd be a way for this moment to never end.
When they finally released each other, Rose Charm gave them an apologetic look.
"I know this was fun and all, but Joyful and I really need to go now," she said. "I have... work tonight and there's still a few things we were planning on doing today before the sun set."
"Ah... alright Rose..." John knew that how much that killed her inwardly each and every time she said that. Even if she didn't show it mostly, John still felt her pain. John then looked towards the filly, passing her a look of understanding which was clearly something only the two of them understood. Then as if to confirm this, he said to her, "Joyful, you're a really nice filly. I hope we'll see each other again soon."
Joyful gave a nod. "I hope to see you again soon, John."
"Goodbye you two!" Eden called back. "It was nice knowing you!"
"And you too, Eden," Rose agreed. "Goodbye."
The two thestrals walked out of the apartment and then trotted down the street, with Eden and John watching them go the whole time. It was after they left that Eden spoke.
"I feel bad for her, having that kind of job," she said suddenly. John gave a nod of understanding.
"I know..." he said before mentally adding, "I just hope I'll be able to help her get out of this, and to start a new and better life for herself."
Silence fell upon them, then Eden asked, "So, what should we do now?"
"I don't know..." John told her and sighed. "What do you think, Eden?"
"Well... maybe we could watch a show? Or play a game?" she suggested.
"A game?" John asked curiously "Alright, what game do you wanna play?"
"Anything you can bring up. I didn't get to play very many games with Master," she replied.
"Well... do you like board games?" John asked her. "I used to play those a lot..."
"Ooo! Yes please!" Eden answered. John passed her a smile as he went towards a closet and began to search for supposed a board game.
"I have a game-board... here!" John said as he drew out a device which seemed to be a large, square-shaped display screen. John placed this device between them as they both sat on couch. Then he pressed a small button on the side, and the screen lit up, and in a moment many board game options were seen clearly.
"Hmm... how about Checkers?" he asked as he touched an icon that got larger until the checkerboard icon was clear on the screen. Eden smiled at this and nodded.
"I bet I'll beat you easily," she said with a confident tone. "You won't even know what hit you."
"Oh yeah?" John said with determination as he pressed the icon and suddenly the screen was covered with a checkers board fully, along with all the pieces in their places, ready to play the game. "We'll see about that!"
Later that night, Rose was finding her cheerful mood to be a bit sour. Herself and several others who worked the brothel had been called in by the boss for a last-minute shift of sorts. She had snorted when she had heard that, for it meant ruining part of the holiday spirit for her. Thankfully, her shift wasn't that long, and no customers (she gagged at using that term) had approached her. Now, she was getting a few drinks at the bar on the ground floor before taking off for the night.
Now, Rose wasn't much of a drinker and she certainly not an addict. The few times she had drank, it was only one or two glasses, and even then she had been laying off of it mostly for Joyful's sake. But tonight, she was feeling a little depressed, so she ended up taking an extra today; not enough to make her drunk, but just enough so that she was perhaps a bit tipsy. In the past, she had been afraid of getting drunk around the brothel for fear of someone having their way with her in her drugged state. However, due to a rather messy incident that had occurred once before she had been "employed" there, the boss had installed a special policy rule that no customer was allowed to bother anyone off-duty, or else they'd be escorted off the property or arrested, depending on the severity of the situation.
The only decent thing these pigs have done around here, Rose grumbled in her mind. It was honestly the only rule about the brothel she felt secure about, knowing that off-duty she was safe from undesired company. But the rest of the Blooming Buds and its management staff could die in a hole for all she cared.
Around that time, a pony entered the brothel and trotted over to the bar. While the black cloak he wore hid most of his back and legs from view, it didn't entirely cover up the gleaming metal limb that he had in place of his right foreleg. Rose immediately didn't feel like she'd like this guy, so as a precaution and a way of showing her sour mood, she said to him, "I'm off-duty, so piss off."
The pony glanced at her, revealing his piercing blue eyes. He raised an eyebrow, before chuckling.
"I ain't here to get in a fight, Miss," He said politely. "I just came to get a drink."
"That's what they all say," Rose muttered, still keeping her eyes on him.
"You sure are friendly," The pony remarked with a sigh, before he turned and tried to catch the bartender's attention.
The bartender noticed and asked politely, "What can I get for you, sir?"
"Apple cider, spiked." The pony said, smiling slightly. The bartender nodded and left to do so while Rose gave him a raised eyebrow.
"That's pretty strong. Are you sure you can stand that?" she asked, only half-caring.
"I can handle it," The pony said, glancing towards her with a small smile on his face. "Name's Shield, by the way. What's your name Miss?"
Rose mentally wanted not to answer, and even outwardly that was apparent. But unfortunately, off-duty or not, another policy was to introduce yourself to the customers. The policy wasn't enforced, but it did grant bonuses at times to one's pay, and at this point in time, Rose wanted to stay on her boss's good side for now.
"Charm. Rose Charm," she managed with a strained tone. The pony nodded, before he raised an eyebrow.
"You seem… uncomfortable." He noted. "Something wrong?"
Rose snorted. "I was called on holiday break back to a place I despise. What else would you expect from me? A smile? Maybe a song?"
"Ouch," The pony said, wincing slightly, before thinking for a few seconds before adding. "If I'm making you uncomfortable, I can move somewhere else."
Rose honestly wanted him to leave, but at the same time she was feeling rather saddened inside. Since this newcomer was not attempting anything yet that would make him suspicious, she at best wouldn't care that much, even if he stayed.
"I… I don't care either way… stay or leave," she said a little sourly. "But if you try anything..."
"If I try anything, you can be the first to punch me," Shield said with a laugh. "I won't try anything, I promise."
Rose seemed satisfied with his answer and shrugged slightly, and after a moment speak up again.
"So… what brings you to this side of Neighyork?" she asked, a little warily. "This isn't exactly the most desirable place to be in."
"Business," Shield said with a small grin. "I got a job that's got me working out of here currently. Hopefully, it doesn't wind up to no gain on my part."
"And, what job is that?" Rose questioned.
"I'm investigating a private case on behalf of an employer who wishes to remain anonymous," Shield said with a chuckle. "I wish I could tell you more, but per my contract I'm not legally allowed to discuss their identity."
"I see..." Rose said thoughtfully.
"So, what about yourself?" Shield asked, smiling at her. "Anything you want to just talk about?"
"Nothing you'd want to hear," Rose stated bluntly. "My life is just living hell at this point."
"Surely there's something good in it?" Shield said, raising an eyebrow.
"A rule that prevents me from getting raped when I'm off-duty. Yeah, totally something good," Rose grumbled, obviously sarcastic. Shield raised an eyebrow, before looking towards where the bartender had gone.
"Hey, where's my drink at?" He called, slight impatience evident in his tone.
"Sorry sir," the bartender apologized, handing him his drink. "We ran out of the cider at the counter, and I had to get some from the reserves. This is on the house to make up for the time it took you."
Shield let out a grunt in acknowledgement as he took the drink and drank a long sip. After a few seconds, he lowered the cup.
"That's some good stuff," The stallion said with a grin.
"You can actually handle that...? The last one passed out after a few seconds."
It wasn't a compliment Rose was throwing out, but genuine surprise. She had never seen anyone actually last against so strong a drink.
"I'm a bit tougher than most stallions," Shield admitted with a chuckle.
"Careful with that pride," the thestral warned half-heartedly. "That's caused more harm than good as far as I've seen."
"I'm not that prideful," Shield said with a smirk. "I have a healthy dose of humility."
"That's what they all said... well, except for one but he's gone now," Rose commented.
"I'm also not like all other stallions," Shield said with a chuckle as he took another sip of his drink. "I'm pretty certain I'm going to be fine."
"Famous last words," the thestral chuckled, a bit of her sourness fading. Maybe talking to this stallion had helped with this, or perhaps she was simply amused that he was pretty much acting like all the others she had met before. She didn't know which, but she was at least thankful that she could find something to laugh at, as those moments seemed few in this place.
"I've been told that a lot as well," Shield said with a wide grin directed towards her. "And I'm still here, so they all have seemed to be wrong."
"Or karma hasn't caught up to you yet," Rose pointed out.
"So... anypony new around town lately?" Shield asked nonchalantly as he took another sip of his drink.
"Well... there's this one human whom everypony considers to either be very odd or a creep," Rose said.
"Really?" Shield asked, raising an eyebrow. "What's his name, if I may ask?"
"Danielson, and he's kinda odd..." Rose admitted. "But not in a bad way... I mean... he sounds like he's getting a lot of pressure put on him for having a social attraction to ponies, but I think he's just misunderstood." A small smile crossed her lips as she remembered her encounters with the human. "He certainly was more decent than anypony I've ever met. Hell, I'd even say the ONLY decent creature I've met."
"I've heard of humans who are attracted to ponies, but I never really understood it," Shield grunted as he took another sip of his drink, leaving a little left in the cup. "So... are you and him friends?"
Rose gave a slight frown. "I've barely known him for a little while. What makes you think I'd be his friend?"
Even though she had said it because she didn't like the question, Rose also felt a pang of guilt inside from saying that. But her tipsy state didn't allow her to think much on the topic any further than that.
"It was just a question," Shield said, his tone apologetic. "Sorry if it was one you didn't like."
"Of course I didn't like it," Rose stated. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have reacted like I did."
"Like I said, I'm sorry," Shield said once more. Rose took a few moments to calm herself, deciding to stay quiet for now.
"So, Danielson..." Shield said after a few seconds. "He have any friends?"
"He brought some mare into his home from off the streets. But otherwise, I think he lives solo," Rose remarked, not too sure why she had said that. Perhaps the alcohol had finally started to catch up fully to her.
"Really? What did this mare look like?" Shield asked, seemingly out of casual interest.
"White. Green mane, and blue eyes. Oddly enough, she doesn't seem to have a Cutie Mark," Rose replied, sounding a bit confused about the last detail herself.
"Interesting," Shield said. "What's her name?"
"I'm... not sure right now..." Rose said, putting a hoof to her head. "It's a bit fuzzy at the moment."
"Looks like somepony had more to drink than she could handle," Shield said with a small grin.
"Shut it, or I'll knock your face in," Rose growled.
"Alright, alright, sorry." Shield said, falling silent for the second. The thestral gave a nod of approval, then laid her head on the counter with a groan.
"Why does life have to be so cruel to me?" she asked aloud, not talking to Shield at the moment. "All I wanted was to follow a dream, and somehow I end up in the last place I wanted to be in."
Shield, whether because he had nothing to say or was still cautious about the possibility of Rose punching him, stayed silent. Eventually, Rose turned her head to him and snorted.
"Thanks for the chat," she said as if thanking him, before her face turned to a frown to show that she was being sarcastic. She then added, "Don't come back."
"Wasn't planning on it," Shield said as he finished the last of his drink.
"That's a load of BS if I've ever heard it," Rose scoffed, then turned her head away from him. Shield snorted, before he turned and trotted to the door of the brothel, pushing it open and stepping outside. As soon as the door had closed behind him, he turned and started walking own the street as his robotic eye decloaked and his coms unit activated.
"This is Shield, with a status report," He growled softly, glancing around to make sure nobody was nearby. "I think I may have located the asset."
A/N:
"TD here. So, we had a lot of problems in regards to the final scene of this chapter, and it was (admittedly) my fault in many regards, as well as Dark's. The scene caused us a lot of grief and strife, but we finally decided enough was enough and rewrote the entire scene. As I'd like to see it put by quoting a VeggieTales movie, "Nineveh is where I draw the line!" Apologies to any who felt this to be an inconvenience, and hopefully we can avoid such crises in the future. Thanks for reading."