Canterlot A Lesson in Love [FIN]

[Zeig]

 

 

 

To say Inkbrand was happy right at this moment would have been…just a bit of an understatement.

 

After all, it wasn't often he got this sort of alone time with a mare of such standing. When her brother had mentioned her, the grey stallion hadn't thought anything of it, just a family member of an acquaintance mentioned in passing. Meeting the mare in question herself, however, had had him thinking about little else.

 

Which, made Inkbrand abruptly realize that he was thinking entirely too much for a stallion in his position.

 

"Alright there, doll?" he murmured lowly as he pressed himself a little bit closer, not really doing anything in particular as opposed to simply dominating the space he had her trapped in. Not like she had anywhere else to go - even a trained mare like her couldn't push through the solid wall Inkbrand held her against. The tattoo-clad stallion slowly dragged his mouth against the side of her head, intimately rubbing cheek against cheek as he trailed up to breathe lightly against her ear in a teasing fashion, delighting in every shiver, quiver, and gasp he could rile from the gorgeous mare in front of him.

 

Oh, yes. He could happily stay like this for the entire evening.

 

Which he wouldn't, of course - they did have their night on the town to attend to, after all. But that didn't mean Inkbrand would give up their cuddling beforehoof. Who knew, maybe she'd want to skip the entire evening and simply stay indoors, because she was just so entranced by him. The thought made Inkbrand's eyes heat up as he pulled back slightly, to press a - so far - chaste kiss to the corner of her lips, light and feathered.

 

 

[RarityDash]

Radiant Steel wasn't entirely sure what she had gotten herself into.

There she was pinned to the wall by a handsome stallion nuzzling and kissing her and calling her pet names Her mind didn't feel as if it was moving fast enough to keep up with it all. Her flush cheeks were almost as red as her mane. She shook with anxiety over what the strange stallion might do with her next. She worried for her self and for what she was doing, how she was reacting. Would it satisfy him? Would it be enough?

It was hard to remind herself that she wanted this.

"I-I... er..." she started, looking away shyly. Her mind went blank as it searched for something to say. She felt somewhat faint. She made mistake of looking back up and for a moment met his eyes again which caused her to, in a panic back into the wall.

What was she supposed to say in a situation like this? She was an Corporal in the REA. She had received special medals because she knew how to handle herself with a wounded superior during a changeling invasion. Dealing with changeling invasions, it seemed, was a much simpler thing for her to grasp than romance. That disparaging thought made her question why she was a mare at all. It all just seemed to difficult to her... and yet she knew that the stallion in front of her was expecting something.

"Ummm..." she gulped down some air and then moved her head forward. She stilled her nerves and trembling and then just went for it, placing a light kiss on Inkbrand's cheek. "M-maybe we should go now...?" she started then, hoping this would become somewhat easier once they were out in public.

​

[Zeig]

 

The thrill of those hesitant lips ghosting over his cheek caused a spike of pleasure to arch through Inkbrand, brought on by fierce triumph of causing a reaction than the actual action itself. The grey stallion hummed lightly under his breath at her questing touch, looking for all the world like an attentive and loving coltfriend sharing an intimate nuzzle with his girl. The blushing and stammering had been a bit of a let down when he'd actually first gotten through her REA guard - Inkbrand had rather been looking forward to a tough as nails, assertive girl to sink his teeth into - they hadn't change the fact that he, Inkbrand, was turning a Corporal, who'd probably faced down every which disaster in Equestria, into a lovely pile of sap right at his hooves.

 

And well. That was bucking hot as.

 

Too bad it couldn't last however, and the tattoo-clad stationed stiffened slightly at Radiant Steel's question, before letting out a small groan and pulling back, annoyance clear on his features. "Wrong, wrong wrong," he tut-tutted, like a school teacher attempting to explain a vexing puzzle to a particularly dull student. "You don't try and steer the guy away from you, doll, ruins the mood! Seriously," he added under his breath, before stepping back again to give the Pegasus more room, forelegs crossed in front of his chest. "Makes him think you're not interested in what he's doing - like you can't wait to get away from him, yeah?"

 

Radiant Steel appeared to be processing this little tidbit of wisdom, giving Inkbrand time to process her more fully. He hadn't exactly asked questions when Steel Dagger had approached him and introduced the two of them - again, hot Corporal in the Royal Equestrian Army and all - but maybe he should have. Mostly though, Inkbrand was just rather flattered that his…hmm, reputation proceeded him enough to have mares coming to him for advice. Speaking of…

 

"Yeah alright, let's head out," the grey stallion agreed with a slight sigh in his voice, moving around to grab some bits and a few other items. So much for spending the night in with a hoof-ful of smoking mare - though, the night was far from over. "Cafe and desert shop - casual enough to keep him relaxed, and show him that you're not into breaking his budget." Not that all mares he'd dated had insisted on fine dining and fancy clothes, but Celestia knew a few of them had been raised with the expectation of having anything and everything they wanted. Buck that.

 

"Who's this guy, anyways?" Inkbrand questioned suddenly, turning to affix Radiant Steel with raised eyebrows. "Must be pretty serious for you to take lessons, huh?" An exaggerated waggle of his eyebrows followed the statement, but in all honesty, Inkbrand was actually curious. Somepony famous maybe, or crazy rich with a whole bunch of mares vying for his wallet - er, his affections? The light grey Pegasus in front of him didn't really seem like a gold digger, but it was hard to believe a knock out like her was having trouble grabbing this guy's attention for anything longer than a passing glance.

 

[RarityDash]

"Wrong, wrong wrong,You don't try and steer the guy away from you, doll, ruins the mood! Seriously, Makes him think you're not interested in what he's doing - like you can't wait to get away from him, yeah?"

"Well it's not like that's inaccurate in this case!" Radiant might have said if she were more capable of speech at that moment through her mix of embarrassment and shame. No, this wasn't the stallion she was interested in. This was just a silly, bad idea. Dagger had teased and messed with her her entire life and yet Radiant still was so quick to go along with his ideas. She was a silly fool, too naive to understand how uncomfortable this sort of pretend romance with a stranger would be and yet too in her own head and completely lost when it came with Flash to do anything but agree to do it.

Now she was just confused. The way Inkbrand looked at her was too serious. This was supposed to be practise, which was exactly why Radiant had agreed, but how could she convince herself that that's all it still was when he was so serious? Her brain just did not know how to process any of it. She felt as if she would overheat and explode before the night was through... and yet there was still some naive part of her that hoped that doing as this stallion said would help her with Flash. Ultimately it was this part of her that somehow won out.

"I-I'm sorry! I'll try and do better, sir!" she said with a strange mix of awkwardness and military discipline, her face entirely red.

​

"Yeah alright, let's head out Cafe and desert shop - casual enough to keep him relaxed, and show him that you're not into breaking his budget."

Radiant nodded. A cafe that sold sweets was actually probably a better way to her heart than some fancy restaurant. Sweets were one of her greatest weaknesses. Her tastes ultimately were simple, often times too so. Dagger often told her that she had the palate of a foal. Whatever the case, she didn't think she had to worry about this concept. All things considered, she was probably a pretty cheap date... Thinking that, however, made her feel a little sad for herself.

​

"Who's this guy, anyways? Must be pretty serious for you to take lessons, huh?"

Radiant gulped and looked away as she followed after Inkbrand. She glanced away when he looked at her and then closed her eyes in thought. How did she explain Flash and how great he was? It wasn't like he was someone actually very special. He was actually lower in rank than she was after all... but ever since that dance they had shared at the REA Ball he had just come to mean so much for her...

"He's really special. He's kind and warm, and he's an REA soldier like I am," she said with somewhat sweetened words. "It just seems like he doesn't notice how I feel... and then I hear all these rumors about him being seen with princesses and models and stuff and I just don't know what I'm even doing..."

​

[Zeig]

 

Buck, that sounded serious.

 

Inkbrand did not do serious.

 

The grey stallion nodded absent-mindedly as he led the way down the glistening streets of Canterlot, not really paying attention so much to the words as Radiant's tone of voice. It seemed rather wistful and longing, and given the mares apparent feelings, it wasn't all that surprising. Inkbrand had to vaguely wonder how desperate she was, seeking out advice on how to attract this stallion from another guy. Or maybe she was just so completely inexperienced and over her head that she hadn't had the faintest clue where to start?

 

Either way, Inkbrand wasn't really complaining, not when he was walking hip to hip with a gorgeous, if a bit severe looking Pegasus at his side. Which, might actually call for a detour, if the shop he had in mind was still open. As it was, the grey stallion continued nodding his head in what he hoped was understanding rather than flat out confusion.

 

"Well have you told the guy?" the tattoo-clad stallion asked bluntly, eyeing the passing shops as he continued leading his date around the city. "Can't really expect a stallion to "notice how you feel" if you're just stammering and blushing in the background, 'ya know." And sweet Celestia wasn't that the truth. Inkbrand couldn't even remember how many mares had played that blushing, shy, blubbering wall paper role behind his back, only to blow up in his face after a while about how completely insensitive he was to their feelings. Buck, he wasn't a bucking mind reader! "You want 'im so bad, you gotta take the initiative every once in a while. Get aggressive, get in his face, get - ah-ha, here it is!"

 

Without any explanation for his sudden interruption, Inkbrand unceremoniously herded Radiant Steel into the building that was decidedly not a cafe, but instead a parlor. A glitzy looking unicorn looked up from her magazine at the counter, surprised and probably a bit annoyed to be getting customer this late and assumedly close to closing, but she smiled nonetheless, immediately moving forward to guide Radiant Steel towards a seat.

 

"Hope you don't mind a quick pitstop," Inkbrand said as way of explanation, turning his gaze from the beautician's shapely backside and back onto the Pegasus, an amused smirk crossing his face. "But first things first - before you can grab a guy's heart, you've got to grab his attention." The tattoo-clad stallion circled around Radiant Steel as if he were the parlor owner, a contemplative frown on his face as he reached forward in an attempt to let the Pegasus' cropped hair flow over his hoof. "This 'straighter than straight' style has got to go. I'm thinking…I dunno, windblown, little bit of a curl to 'em. Just got out of bed look, yeah?"

 

[RarityDash]

"Well have you told the guy? Can't really expect a stallion to "notice how you feel" if you're just stammering and blushing in the background, 'ya know. You want 'im so bad, you gotta take the initiative every once in a while. Get aggressive, get in his face, get - ah-ha, here it is!"

Radiant truly didn't know what to make of this Inkbrand character, but he certainly could be quite blunt with his speech. He made it sound like such an easy thing, but it just wasn't, even if Radiant wasn't entirely sure why it wasn't. Saving companions during a changeling invasion was something she had done with relatively little thought... but telling Flash how she felt--it just seemed impossible.

She supposed she felt inadequate, both as a mare and as an adult. She was brash and plainspoken; a soldier. She lacked for grace or gentleness or any of the traditionally feminine qualities she saw in mares she looked up to like her mother and Princess Celestia. Moreover, she often still felt so much like the confused, awkward child drawing rebukes from her father and teasing from her brother. It was hard for her to see Flash wanting to be with a mare like her, which in turn had made her feelings for him seem like something to be repressed.

"I-I can't do that!" she stammered, blushing intently. "He'll reject me if I just say it..." she added, well looking at the ground and following the stallion absently

​

"Hope you don't mind a quick pitstop, But first things first - before you can grab a guy's heart, you've got to grab his attention. This 'straighter than straight' style has got to go. I'm thinking…I dunno, windblown, little bit of a curl to 'em. Just got out of bed look, yeah?"

The pegasus looked up then and then looked around around with a shocked. What she was seeing sure didn't look like any cafe she had seen before. She didn't know what it looked like--not any place she had ever been to before. There was a pretty mare who looked like she came from an entirely different world from Radiant sitting at a counter reading a magazine. She approached them and then started to silently nudge radiant toward a seat.

"Wait. What is this place?" she started with a hint of fear.

"Style...?" she started as her mind rewound to retread Inkbrand's words. This was some kind of beauty parlor, wasn't it? "Oh, no, we can't do this. Unnecessary flourish is unwelcome in the guard. Standing out is the last thing wanted for the profession. A true royal guard is stalwart and immovable." She gave a gulp, more anxious than ever as strange ideas pulsed through her mind. "What would Colonel Pummel say if he saw me show up to a post done up like some fashion mare?"

​

[Zeig]

 

'Twas a sad, sad day in Equestria, when he, of all ponies, had to teach fashion to a flank-tastic mare.

 

Seriously. What did they even teach mares in schools these days?

 

"It's called styling, baby," Inkbrand said in his best 'Don't you know anything?' voice, "a staple for any mare looking to attract more than just a passing glance. You puff it up all sexy-like on your off-duty hours, then wash it all out and twirl it up in a bun or rot." The hair-dresser was nodding along half-heartedly, still looking a bit peeved with having customers in so late, but Inkbrand ignored her, too busy slipping into fantasies of models in uniform. Personally, in his own humble opinion, the grey stallion thought it'd actually be kinda hot to be standing guard next to a poster pony in the midst of cropped manes and cleaved tails - Inkbrand doubted this, Colonel Pummel's reaction would be anything other than a sudden loss of blood in his lower jaw.

 

Though perhaps the good 'ol Colonel was just an old son of a gun who didn't remember the appropriate reactions to a smoking hot mare anymore. Utterly tragic.

 

Patience worn thin, Inkbrand intervened in the stylist's attempts to manuever Radiant Steel into a seat and grabbed hold of the army pony's shoulders himself, forcefully pushing her down into one of the chairs. "Besides, if you're too scared to straight up come out with it, you're going to need a catch to draw him in, right?" he compromised, stepping back to run a critical eye over the dark red locks spilling down the Pegasus' back. "Army regulation obviously isn't working out too well for you, is it." Blunt, but hopefully it got the point across. If Radiant Steel wasn't willing to just talk to the guy - seriously, bucking mares sometimes. Enough with the mind games, just say it already! - then what other option did she have but to appeal to his eyes?

 

Well…she could just continue to wallow in self-pity and doubt and watch sadly from the sidelines as her guy walked off into the sunset with another mare, but Inkbrand supposed she wouldn't be here this evening if that was the option she had been gunning for. Speaking of.

 

"Look, babe," the tattoo-clad stallion hazarded again, leaning one elbow against the back of the chair, "you came to me for a reason. Just try it out! One evening, then take yourself home and rinse the buck out of your hair. The curls will fall out like nopony's business, and you'll be able to style it again when you're ready to look like a total knockout again," Inkbrand added, flashing a lascivious grin at Steel's reflection in the mirror. One evening to dress up and be a mare for Equestria's sake - wasn't too much to ask for, was it?

 

[RarityDash]

"It's called styling, baby, a staple for any mare looking to attract more than just a passing glance. You puff it up all sexy-like on your off-duty hours, then wash it all out and twirl it up in a bun or rot."

Radiant continued to blush profusely. Was it even physically possible for her to do these things? She wasn't even sure she understood what to "puff it up all sexy-like" really meant. She just felt anxious. Were these truly the kind of things needed to get the attention of a stallion like Flash? Inkbrand did seem to know what he was talking about....

​

"Besides, if you're too scared to straight up come out with it, you're going to need a catch to draw him in, right? Army regulation obviously isn't working out too well for you, is it."

This was true. It had to be. She wasn't good enough as she was. Flash had been seen with models. He was known to have exchanged words with the new princess herself on multiple occasions. A straight-laced soldier like Radant wasn't going to get his attention as she was. She had to do something. She had to try. If she continued to do nothing, he was just going to slip by...

​

"Look, babe, you came to me for a reason. Just try it out! One evening, then take yourself home and rinse the buck out of your hair. The curls will fall out like nopony's business, and you'll be able to style it again when you're ready to look like a total knockout again,"

"I understand," Radiant said, her mind made up. "For the sake of this mission, I will comply," she added awkwardly, blushing intently again. She still held some worry about somepony like the Colonel seeing her with some ridiculous hair style... but she'd have to risk it. For Flash, she had to, didn't she?

"I just worry if it will be enough..." she added more quietly. "Even if I have my hair done up, how is a mare like me going to compete with fashion mares and princesses?"

​

[Zeig]

 

Inkbrand was rather proud of the fact that he managed to wait until Radiant Steel had been faced back around towards the mirror to deliver a victorious foreleg pump into the air. Granted, the mirror spanning the entire wall of the salon would probably give him away in a heartbeat, but buck, he could care less.

 

And some ponies said he had no self control!

 

"You heard the mare," the tattoo-clad stallion crowed, rubbing his hooves together as he leaned over the back of the chair slightly, "get the sexy puff-upping going!" And with that, Inkbrand was unceremoniously shoved out of the way by a rather annoyed looking salon owner, who, nonetheless, turned towards Radiant Steel with an expression of intense concentration and consideration on her face. Perhaps figuring out the best way to style the Pegasus' mane and tail to achieve the desired outcome of sexy poster-pony perfection? And by best way, she was probably looking for the fastest way.

 

Well, whichever. So long as the Pegasus came out looking a bit better than a stiff-legged commando who knew only "regulation" and "guidelines", they'd be good. Inkbrand hummed a little under his breath as he made himself at home across one of the waiting couches, immediately grabbing a magazine and flipping through the pictures. Various models stared back at him, though all decidedly of the male kind, and the grey stallion leant in a bit closer, studying the side-swept spikes on one stallion with a critical eye. Huh. Maybe he should get his mane done while they were here, too. It'd been a while since he'd tried out somepony new.

 

Something new. Whatever.

 

Another time though, with a hairdresser that didn't look ready to punch his lights out for asking her to do her job. Still, it didn't seem to take too long - the last rays of sunset were still coloring the night sky with purples and and faint reds by the time Inkbrand looked back up, just in time for the salon owner to slowly spin Radiant Steel back around in his direction.

 

"Now that's what I'm talking about, baby," Inkbrand breathed, a low wolf-whistle leaving his lips as he tossed the magazine carelessly onto the table in favor of standing up, slinking back over to the pair, "army regulation's got nothin' on you now." Exactly like he had envisioned it, Radiant Steel's brown-red mane was now artfully mussed, an organized sort of messy that drew back to the classic, "just got out of bed" look without being overdone. Her tail was in much the same state, and Inkbrand could tell right away that the salon owner had trimmed the edges to get away from the "flat across" cut the Pegasus had been sporting before.

 

"Nice," the tattoo-clad stallion stated, as if his approval might not have been discerned before, and threw a cheeky grin at the salon owner as he handed over the required bits, "little extra for the stunning job, doll." The hairdresser looked as unamused as ever as she quickly pocketed the bits, before shooing the both of them out and back onto the night street.

 

The cafe was only a few blocks away now, and they should probably get a move on before it closed for the night as well, but Inkbrand couldn't help lingering outside the now locked salon, taking the time to give Radiant Steel another look over as he strolled around her, inspecting her critically. "Well, how do you feel?" he eventually asked, a rather proud grin on his face as he waited for the obvious answer. "Don't think I need to tell you how 'ya look, babe."

 

[RarityDash]

"Now that's what I'm talking about, baby, army regulation's got nothin' on you now."

 

Radiant blushed intently as she burned with curiosity for what she looked like now. She could tell some things without seeing. Her mane, usually combed  exactly 17 times every morning until it was perfectly straight, was now a complete mess. Some hair had in fact been snipped, which troubled her. Her long mane and hesitance to wear her helmet already caught her some flack. Having that mane be unruly too though? Wouldn't that just be unseemly? She really began to hope that no one she knew would see her like that.

​

 

"Nice, little extra for the stunning job, doll."

 

Before Radiant could search out a mirror, Inkbrand was already paying the hairdresser, who, as soon as she had her money, was pushing them out of her business. Radiant, desperate though she was to know what had been done to her, could not fight and soon they were bad outside. She gave an awkward sight before looking toward Inkbrand.

​

 

"Well, how do you feel? Don't think I need to tell you how 'ya look, babe."

 

"Ummm... I didn't really see it..., does it really look good?" she asked, somewhat unsure what to even think as the stallion looked her over searchingly, again and again, making her feel increasingly awkward with each moment he did so.

 

"It feels... strange and kind of messy..." she admitted. "Are you sure it's good like this?" she asked, her doubts plainly visible.

​

[Zeig]

 

Buck, this mare had serious issues. How could she not feel those smoking curls against the nape her neck and not want to strut her stuff down Canterlot's streets?

"Pos-i-tive-ly, baby," Inkbrand affirmed, with a last up-down of the mare's overall look, "your colt's going to be falling all over his tongue once he catches sight of you like this." Or he could be completely unaffected, in which case nothing Inkbrand or Radiant Steel did could help her cause. If that happened, perhaps the grey Pegasus would come galloping back to him to drown all her sorrows over a mug and a salt cube. Which, in turn, would just…open possibilities.

Though honestly, Inkbrand had the sneaking suspicion that if her stallion was indeed unmoved, the Pegasus would end up alone for all time. He didn't believe in end all loves that ruined a pony for all others - but some did, and Steel hadn't spoken about her stallion with the casualness of a passing interest.

Well, that would be then if it ever came, and this was one. Inkbrand simply slung a foreleg around the other pony, once again leading the way down the darkening streets that nonetheless glittered with all of Canterlot's nightlife. "Now that the looks are out of the way, time for your next lesson," the tattoo-clad stallion stated succinctly, eyes traveling over the passing shops before his goal, perking up a bit. The lights were still raring and blaring - the cafe would undoubtedly be open for a while longer, long enough to enjoy something…sweet.

"Too late for a dinner, so desert will have to do," Inkbrand instructed, leading Radiant Steel up to the counter where a friendly looking stallion was waiting expectantly for them. The grey stallion released his hold on the Pegasus to lean an elbow against the counter, a smug grin tilting his face as he caught the cashier casting appreciative glances towards his "date", before returning his golden gaze onto Radiant Steel, waiting to see what sort of order she would make.
 

 

 

[Zeig]

 

 

Hnnrgh, okay, yeah, he hadn't thought it'd be this much of a big deal. 

 

It clearly was, however, and for whatever reason. Radiant Steel's reluctance throughout the entire evening had always been bubbling beneath the surface, but so far she'd beaten it back quite admirably. For some reason though, it was now threatening to burst forth like a wave on the shore, or a bucking punch to the face, and it wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling. Honestly, Inkbrand didn't think it was too far-fetched to believe that mares actually liked being around him if they'd, at some point, agreed to go on a date with him.

 

...Er. Never mind that this particular date was as fake as pro-wrestling, anyways. 

 

"Ex-nay, on the dessert-ay," the tattoo-clad stallion abruptly sighed, picking himself up from the counter and away from the confused cashier as he steered the Pegasus back out of the shop, almost as quickly as they had come in. Bummer. Earlier that evening, he'd wondered how any stallion with eyes could ignore a sleekly cut mare like Radiant Steel. And now he knew. 

 

What a drag.

 

"No biggie," the Inkbrand stated succinctly, inexplicably tired all of a sudden as threw a casual and rather half-hearted wink at the other, "getting pretty late anyways. Just, remember what I said." What had he said? Really, the biggest lesson the grey Earth Pony had given the entire evening had been, Don't Be Afraid to Let Your Hair Down, which should have been a bucking no brainer for anyone with half a brain. Be Aware of Your Stallion's Finances? He hoped that lesson had gotten through - bucking mares demanding things left and right. 

 

With another sigh, Inkbrand tossed his head and began leading his 'date' back towards the upper district so he could drop her off. At the end of the day, nothing he said would ultimately make Radiant Steel into her stallion's dream gal. Help grab his attention, yes, but in the end, she'd have to figure out how to break out of her shell on her own.

 

That wasn't bucking something that could be taught. 

 

[[ End ]]