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Chapter Ten: Awk…ward

I sat down on the couch in front of the fireplace and jerked when instead of sitting down in the chair in front of me Twilight plopped down right beside me, her fore hooves brushing my side, "Well hello to you too Ms. Sparkle" I said trying to make light of things even though I was blushing.

She laughed and placed her hooves in my lap, "I told you, we are physical creatures, on a daily basis we bump into or touch each other almost constantly, we love to feel companionship" she started fidgeting while she was looking at my hands, which were raised since I didn't know where to put them, she was wiggling her lower body like a serpent, it was cute.

"I'm sorry but Stiles what do you call your…your….hooves?" Twilight asked blushing furiously, I started laughing so hard I lost my breath, she was blushing all the more, "It's not funny, are they talons, no they don't seem sharp….claws…again no long nails….what are they?"

"H-hands" I wheeze out before taking a deep breath, "They are called hands and these…" I said wriggling my fingers in front of her wide eyes, "are fingers" I smile as I see her take mental notes.

"Wow….ok so take your h-hand and place it on top of my head and stroke down till I say stop ok?" She said closing her eyes and blushing.

I comply trying to ignore my own burning ears, her mane was soft and silky with no knots or tangles hanging to one side of her long neck, when I reached her shoulders her mane ended abruptly and a fine coat of fur started. It was soft and fuzzy and not at all long, maybe a centimeter or two. Not meaning to I started working my fingers through her coat and I felt her shiver then relax against me letting her head fall in her hooves. Which were in my lap….

"S-stop there" Twilight said as I reached her mid back, "Past there it's considered to be an advance toward us as you've experienced with Applejack"

I chuckled at the memory rubbing my jaw, "Yeah, she sure can kick" I said bringing my hand back up to her neck and patting it, "So this is friendly interaction then, along with hugs and such, if I were to mean this in a "more than friendly" way would it be like this?" I traced her hair line and down her jaw like I would my nonexistent girlfriend.

She shivered again and I could feel her tense up, "Y-yes just like that" she said almost glowing in the face now.

"Hmmm" interesting it seemed to me that most of the interactions between each other were similar to my species, at least in some ways; I wonder what was different… "So if I were to touch your horn or ears how would that go over?"

Twilight jerked out of my lap and easy reach almost too quick to follow, her eyes were wide and her blush had seeped into her neck, "That bad huh?" I asked, I couldn't help the grin I had, her reaction was too comedic.

She nodded rigorously with a very stern look, "Oh yes…only our most trusted are allowed to do that, anypony were to ever do that to somepony without their explicit consent it would be as bad as….." she seemed to struggle for the right word.

"Rape" I finished softly looking away, "Good thing I asked cause all I've wanted to do since meeting you is rub your ears" I laughed softly, "So same thing with pegasi wings I'm guessing right?"

Again she nodded before snuggling closer again, "Other than that I'm sure it's the same between us, a soft touch on the foreleg can range from friendly to loving, depending on how long the contact and intentions, same with nuzzling" she fidgeted with her hooves not looking up at me, "If I were to nuzzle your cheek it would mostly be out of friendship, but if I were to do it under your ear or on your neck it'd be as an invitation for more"

I just nodded my head and found myself stroking her mane again; it was such an interesting color, purple…on a pony…odd if you think about it. "So being this close to me isn't a problem, I mean you're practically on top of me, to us it would be seen as an advance"

Twilight bolted her head up from my lap, "OH MY!" she scrambled backward almost falling off the couch, "I AM SO SORRY!"

"Hey…no…no…it's fine, I just thought I'd share, I was rather comfortable where you were, c'mon back" I said waving my hand toward me, "It's been a very long time since I was able to just….touch another living being"

Twilight eased back next to me and placed her hooves on my leg but she didn't rest her head down again instead she seemed to be thinking about something, "So tell me, what is ok for us to do around you, what are some of the customs of humans?"

I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "Well let's see…." I thought about it and decided to start with what not to do, "Ok so you see that I'm always wearing clothes and ya'll are not right?"

"Mmm-hmm" she said nodding staring right at me.

"Well that's because we have no fur or other things to cover our body, which are rather fragile, a harsh wind or a little bit of cold could damage us, but it's also for decency in company" I chuckled as I remembered some guys who streaked during some high school football games.

"What do you mean decency…we don't wear clothes all the time and it's not considered indecent or anything" Twilight said oh so innocently, but I think she had an inkling if her light red cheeks said anything.

"Well like I said, we don't have any type of fur that covers our body proficiently, without these clothes I'm pretty sure it'd be the same if someone lifted your tail straight up, all of your private bits for everypony to see!" I said laughing as she looked away and tucked her tail closer to herself, "Speaking of which….in my culture it's impolite to stare at another's backside without consent or by means of compliments, what about ya'll, I mean your Cutie Marks make it hard for me not to look"

Twilight nodded her head and with a little coaxing from my hand she relaxed and laid her head down again, "Yeah, its ok to glance, maybe ask what their Cutie Mark means and what not but long and blatant staring is uncomfortable and embarrassing to us, though it can be seen as a sign of interest as well"

"Really, heh just like us" I started to stroke her back like I used to do to my pet dogs, "So what else are signs of 'interest'"

"mmmhmm I haven't felt this relaxed in a while" Twilight sighed and seemed to just fall into herself, "Well for mares if we are interested into somepony our tails twitch back and forth slightly, we can't really control it and its general rule not to acknowledge it to save embarrassment and misunderstanding" She took a deep breath before continuing, "For pegasi when they get excited, surprised or see somepony they like their wings pop open all ridged and stiff, its rather funny and harder not to notice but again to be nice no one says anything unless the attention is wanted" She sighed as I started to massage her neck.

I let that all sink in for a moment before shifting so I Twilight had a little bit more of my leg as a pillow, "Hmm….things like that happen to humans though we don't have wings….." I started blushing a little suddenly feeling very awkward with Twilight lying in my lap of all places…first female to be this close to me since ever really…

Nope….Nope not going there, "Anyway Twilight, it's a little late mind if I set up my room?" when she didn't say anything I looked down only to see her fast asleep.

I slowly lifted her up and wriggled off the couch before putting a pillow under her head, I eased my way up the stairs and started to look for a proper closet. I found one that only had a mop and broom in it and took the folded piece of paper from my pocket and unfolded it. Placing it in the door way I once again saw it as it was, a room full of my magically made things. I closed the door and put two locks on it, one on top when turned opened the closet, the bottom which could only be turned by me and I alone would open my room.

Nifty little spell, it only activates when a particular soul tries to use it, doppelganger spell, aura copy spell; nothing can fool it because it reads the very soul of the caster and attunes only to it. I'm very paranoid as you might be able to tell. I developed it myself and I don't know if I'll teach it to anyone….in the wrong hands it could prove….troublesome.

I opened the lock and stepped into my room, when I closed the door I heard the lock click back so that no one could barge in unannounced. I smiled as I looked around, save for the technology I might be able to replace the furniture with real stuff now. Like I said anything can be made from magic, it just loses its….authenticity I guess. A magically made bed, for instance my four post bed over by the wall, would feel like a soft grainy pillow while the real thing would feel like clouds. Which would you have?

I plopped down on my bed and rolled over facing the wall and closed my eyes, I'd been up for nearly twenty six hours, saved a princess, a Pegasus, and fought Void….it's been a full day. Sighing deeply I slowly opened my mind up to the five creatures that had been buzzing in the recesses of my mind and the first thing I heard was Sky, telling my all about how upset I made her with my comment in the clearing.

"Stiles!" she said loudly, "I thought you considered me your friend why would you say we aren't"

"Tell us boy!" came Earths booming voice.

I could feel Space and Time pouting while Void was stoic, waiting for me to say something.

"I'm sorry, but when was the last time any of you asked what I wanted?" they all seemed to stop what they were doing, "When was the last time you asked yourself 'Hey maybe he needs a small breather?' never it's been training day in and day out every day for the last six years!"

I threw myself out of bed, "Given that this planet is thirty percent larger than mine, it takes nearly twenty eight hours to complete a day, meaning instead of three hundred sixty five days there is three hundred eighty six days to a year times that by six and you have….let's see…."

"Two thousand three hundred sixteen days" Void said impassively

"Yes thank you, two thousand three hundred sixteen days of nonstop training, being beaten down physically, mentally and spiritually without pause!" I threw my hands up, "You do not do that to a friend!" I sank into my lazy boy holding my head in my hands, "I've asked for nothing, I've given everything, and I don't even get a 'hey thanks sorry for ripping you from your home to battle some immense evil that has nothing to do with you', that's not a friend, that's a….."

"Slave" Void said again, in my mental eye I could see him almost fade into shadow, a look on his face I'd never seen before.

"Yes a slave so don't wonder why I don't feel very chummy with ya'll right now, I'm tired, irritated and I just want to sleep for the next few hours" I reclined in my chair and taking the smallest remote from the small table next to me turned on my stereo and soft music by Kevin Macleod eased out of the speakers located around my room surrounding me in soothing melody. "Goodnight everyone, sleep well"

No one answered, no one ever did.