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One for the Road [Finished]


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[[ A continuation of this RP. ]]

 


Bakery, bakery.

Where the buck was the bakery?

Since arriving in Appleloosa, Inkbrand had done nothing but wander in circles, become increasingly dehydrated, and partaken in somewhat one-sided conversations with ponies, mollies, and one rather interesting griffon with a penchant for shedding feathers at inappropriate and inopportune times. Still, he now had a green mare sufficiently broken to his will following along as his side, which the grey stallion supposed was as good as anything else. Especially considering that, for all his griping and complaining, Flora Bloom really was allowing him to stay the night at her…place. Saved him the bits for a room at the local inn, and gave him enough left over for the train ticket back to Manehatten.

Though, Inkbrand still couldn't say how much he was looking forward to sleeping out in the desert. Flora better have a deluxe suite set up with a four-in-one heating system.

"Bakery would be great if we could actually find one," the tattoo-clad stallion groused, head twisting this way and that as he watched ponies going to and fro about their business, "or maybe they'll have 'em down at the orchard? Don't suppose your little hiding spot has…er…" Inkbrand slowly trailed off as he happened to glance back at the green mare, only to find pretty much her entire face shrouded in green mane, like she was actually trying to provide a barrier between the two of them. Something he had noticed her doing several times, in fact, but with just the two of them together, seemed an added insult over inane shyness.

Buck. Couldn't be having that.

"'Ya know," Inkbrand drawled out loudly, sliding over in one smooth movement and sticking his muzzle directly in her face, "in most cultures, it's generally accepted social behavior to make eye contact with the pony you're talking with." One grey hoofed raised to carefully but rather messily tuck the fallen green strands away from Flora's face and behind one ear, effectively clearing up the area to reveal - green eyes. Bucking of course. Still, much better, and a self-satisfied smile spread over Inkbrand's face, even as he remained exactly where he was. "There, better. See? I'm not so ugly you have to shield me from your gaze, now am I?" he teased, with a coy wink.

He knew he wasn't anything to scoff at, but if Flora Bloom needed some help in figuring out what she was missing behind her hair, well. Dr. Inkbrand was here to enlighten.
 

 

 

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Well, today had been... interesting... It had started out with a simple delivery to Appleloosa and a decision to stay the night. Then she had seen many nice ponies, and met a molly who was really nice as well. That stallion though, he made her nervous for some reason. Maybe it was his attitude, who knows? Whatever the reason, she was questioning why she had offered to give him a place to sleep, especially since she had planned to sleep out in nature and he didn't look like the type to really enjoy that sort of thing. At least, he didn't look like that at the moment.

Oh well, she had given her word, it was too late to take it back now. Plus, she felt better about this than she probably would have simply letting him force himself into the molly's home. She followed along silently behind Inkbrand, hiding behind her mane so that she wouldn't have to see the glances and looks others were probably giving the pair of them. She didn't like being the center of attention. She would much rather be in the crowd than up on stage.

Flora gave a little hum in response to his words about finding a bakery, looking over at the nearby buildings. None of them looked like th- And there was a stallion in her face. She took a small step back in surprise, a little squeak escaping her lips before he continued speaking, eventually brushing her mane behind one of her ears with a hoof.

"N-no, of c-course not." She stammered out in response to his question about her shielding her eyes. She gave another slight squeak as they both stayed where they were, extrememly close to one another and looking into each other's eyes, green meeting gold. "Ummm... y-you look n-nice." She squeaked out, as if trying to dispel what he had said earlier about being ugly, even though she knew he hadn't actually thought that about himself.

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Well that had worked out swell. If anything, Flora seemed to retreat further under his gaze, as if she were trying her very best to implode inward on herself.

 

Which, normally Inkbrand didn't all that much mind - it was always rather fun, seeing who could make the shy girl faint from blood loss first. But with only the two of them, he didn't exactly want her to keel over in the middle of the dusty street, because that would leave him stranded alone, without a pie, or company, or a place to sleep.

 

And worst of all, bucking bored.

 

"I know I do, dollface," Inkbrand said carelessly, finally stepping back to wave his hoof through the air, "point is - you're missing the point, is the point!" Point made, the grey stallion lay off of Flora for the time being, instead turning his attentions back to the most important part of the day - finding a bucking apple pie. Other ponies continued milling about their business, even though the town seemed mostly quiet - Inkbrand supposed near everypony was meandering over by the orchards, preparing for the rush of stampeding hooves - but nopony showed any signs of pinkly-wrapped deliciousness upon their pony persons.

 

Starting to actually grow frustrated at his failed endeavors, Inkbrand continued on his path to nowhere, glancing into the shop windows they passed by, as if one store might be teasingly hiding a pie on a window sill. Or maybe somepony's grandmother could be setting one out the window to cool, that he could just swipe up? The silence didn't last too long as Inkbrand glanced from the corner of his eye back at Flora, the nagging suspicion that had been tingling in the corner of his mind since their meeting raising up full force.

 

"Alright, I give up," the tattoo-clad stallion spoke up abruptly, not slowing down in his languid walk even as he cast another appraising glance towards the green mare at his side, "nopony's around, nothing to hide here. Why'd you invite me to your place tonight, really, huh?" This time, Inkbrand did stop, swiveling around mid-sentence to get back into Flora's muzzle. Anypony's watching them from the sidelines would have probably found their start, stop routine on the road rather comical, but Inkbrand could have given a buck what anypony else thought of them at the moment, too focused on getting some straight answers from the mare.

 

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It was an uncomfortable couple seconds before Inkbrand broke the silence and moved away from her. Flora breathed a silent sigh of relief as he turned away, though her expression became confused as she thought about what he had actually just said. The point was that she had missed the point? That... That was incredibly confusing. And it only lead her mind in circles when she tried to think about it. Shaking her head to try and clear it, she noticed Inkbrand had moved off without her, and she scurried to catch up.

She reached him just in time for him to speak up, saying he gave up on something. She raised a questioning eyebrow at him just before he continued, asking why she had invited him to her 'place'. She jerked backwards in surprise as he once again shoved his muzzle right up in front of her own. She ended up losing her balance, and sat down to avoid falling over completely. Flora remained silent for a little bit, trying to think of how to word it.

"W-well, y-you needed a p-place to sleep, and w-we were b-both going to s-see the stampede anyways, s-so... I thought it would b-be better f-for you to stay w-with somepony that would be with y-you the whole time..." Flora said slowly as she sat there, her gaze locked on his.

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What a load of bull rot.

 

Not for one second was Inkbrand buying this whole, self-sacrificing kindly neighborhood pony act, and he knew exactly why he wasn't, too. Ponies just weren't that nice, not enough to put themselves at total risk with a complete stranger. Inkbrand was still banking on the whole hero martyr complex - save the innocent little molly from having to put up with the Big Bad Stallion, by sacrificing her comfort and serenity instead. No matter Flora's excuse, Inkbrand didn't believe for one second that she had offered him a place to stay simply out of generosity and the want to do something genuinely nice for a random stallion off the street.

 

What he didn't know, confound it all, was why he was grinning so widely.

 

"So you were planning on watching the stampede with me," Inkbrand stated victoriously, pouncing on Flora's muttered words with all the ferociousness of a hen on chicken seed. "Sneaky little filly, too shy to say you wanted to spend the evening with good 'ol Inkbrand, huh?" A bark of laughter escaped his lips as Inkbrand threw his foreleg back around Flora, giving her a small shake even as shook his head slightly. The tattoo-clad stallion was fairly sure that that hadn't been what the green mare had actually said, but meh.

 

Technicalities.

 

"You can easy up on the shy meter 'round me, baby," he said, a lecherous grin flitting across his features as he loomed over the green mare slightly, "don't have anything to worry about here." Buck, this was just too fun. Maybe now Flora would high-tail it to the hills, or back to the blue mule's place, screaming at the top of her legs and allowing Inkbrand to get a fabulous view of her backside. Or maybe not. It was a bit strange to think this painfully shy mare could stand her ground so well when she was clearly uncomfortable - and, more importantly, that Inkbrand could stand to be around her for more than five seconds. Maybe because she could still hold an actual conversation, even if it came with stutters and stammering and blushes to high Celestia?

 

Whichever it was, Inkbrand was having fun, and the night was still a long ways off. Lucky for him, probably not so lucky for Flora.

 

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Flora's mouth opened slightly as Inkbrand spoke, though it closed as soon as he continued. After a second, her eyes widened slightly and a blush appeared as his meaning sunk in. No! That's not at all what she meant! She squeaked as a foreleg was thrown around her, freezing up from the contact between them. Inkbrand was an interesting stallion. She didn't feel like he meant her any harm, but he still made her uncomfortable. Probably because of the overly familiar way he was interacting with her. She would get used to it though... hopefully.

She opened her mouth again as Inkbrand finished talking, though nothing really came out, and she closed it again after a moment. Maybe he was right, that she should relax a bit, though it was a little hard with everything that he was doing and the fact that they were in public in plain view of anypony that may still be wandering around.

"M-maybe we should get a s-spot to watch the stampede now..." Flora said quietly, relaxing a little bit as she grew a little more used to his presence. She liked to acclimate herself to new ponies over time. Inkbrand just seemed to like to jump right in. Or at least he seemed to be like that around her, maybe because she was being so shy.

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While the feeling of a mare relaxing in his grip, will sufficiently broken, was a victory in and of itself, feeling it from Flora was a downright triumph, considering the mare had seemed liable to melt into nothingness at a moment's notice. Inkbrand supposed maybe she had just gotten tired of fighting him, but he liked to think the green mare was just coming to appreciate his sparkling charms.

 

Right.

 

Any sparkling feelings he might have had were quickly dashed at Flora's next suggestion however, causing Inkbrand's eyebrows to furrow dangerously low on his forehead. "Buck that!" he explained loudly, releasing Flora to slam one hoof on the ground in an adamant display of denial. "I came here to buy a pie and eat it while watching the buffalo stampede - I am getting a bucking pie and eating it while I watch the buffalo stampede!" A loud huff of breath followed his exclamation, along with several stares form dead-stopped ponies, but Inkbrand couldn't care any less as he, once again, grabbed at Flora. "C'mon then, there's a bundle of shops up ahead," he commanded, and did little more explaining as he prodded the green mare to follow him at a slow gallop, the ever ticking sun serving a constant reminder that time was running out.

 

The sudden dash proved worth it, however - within a few minutes, a shop caught Inkbrand's attention - and more importantly, the baked goodies standing displayed in the windows. The tattoo-clad stallion wasted no more time as he shoved open the door unceremoniously, trotting over towards the empty counter. "Hey hey, shopkeep!" he hollered, smacking one hoof against the countertop, "can we get an Appleloosa Apple Pie over here, pronto!"

 

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Flora looked up at Inkbrand slowly, eeping as she saw his expression. Was it something she had said? She remained where she was as he slammed a hoof into the ground with his proclamation. Apparently it was something she had said, as he insisted they go and get a pie before watching the stampede, despite their continued failure to find any pies around. Flora smiled sheepishly at the ponies looking at them, squeaking again as he grabbed her and set her off at a slow gallop behind him.

She knew he wanted his pie, and she wasn't going to stop him from getting one, but she was a little worried that they would never find a pie and miss the stampede altogether. Luckily, they found a shop after a bit of running, and Inkbrand barged in without a second thought, leaving Flora to follow him inside sheepishly. She glared at him for a moment due to his rudeness, then looked at the pony behind the counter apologetically.

"S-sorry, he just r-really wants a pie. C-can we have one please?" Flora asked, trying to repair any damage Inkbrand may have caused with his attitude. "I'd also appreciate it if you would hurry, please. W-we are trying t-to catch the stampede."

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Inkbrand supposed he should have been grateful not to have thrown out on his sorry flank.

 

Far from it. The shopkeeper, though seemingly put out by his sudden appearance and hollering, instead look so nightly pleased at the grey stallion's insistence for an apple pie that somepony might have just told him he had one a million bits in the local lottery. Apparently misconstruing Inkbrand's urgency for a deep-seeded, overwhelming want for a famous Appleloosian Apple Pie, the shopkeeper only flashed them a mega-watt grin before bouncing into the back of the story, to presumably pop a pie fresh into the oven.

 

Well. On a normal day, Inkbrand might have been quick to dash the joy and dreams of a random pony thinking his pies were better than any others, but not today. Today was stampeding day, buck it.

 

"That's how you do it, sweetheart," Inkbrand snickered, reaching over to give the mare a rather stallion-esque shove of one shoulder, "no tip-hooving around it. Shop's here to sell pies, I'm here to buy one - buck, he needs to be appreciating our business than use appreciating a pie." Wisdom imparted, Inkbrand glanced around the shop a little, tail flicking idly as he did so. "Really appreciate us," he couldn't help but add, taking note of the few tables in the store and lack of any other customers in the notable area. Of course, the harvest season might have had something to do with that, but still, one would expect more customers at this, afternoon-turn-dusk time of day.

 

Unicorn magic must have been speeding up the process, because it couldn't have been more than five minutes later when the shopkeeper came back out, proudly levitating a steaming apple pie. Inkbrand hastily leaned against the countertop, eyeing the pie with a voracious hunger that might have indicated near starvation to anypony else - but no, not yet. Not until they were up no the ridge.

 

"Thank you, and thank you," Inkbrand acquiesced as he tossed the required payment onto the counter, before snatching the apple pie in its hastily wrapped pink box. With the package safely dangling between his teeth, Inkbrand whipped his head around towards Flora, eyes boring into her own green ones. "Which way to the ridge above the valley, Flor?" he demanded, words only slightly muffled by the strings clenched tightly between his teeth. Sunset was only a few hoofbeats away by now - they needed to be there yesterday. And fast!

 

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Flora smiled at the stallion faintly as he went into the back of his shop and out of sight. She then looked over as Inkbrand spoke, giving her shoulder a slight shove while saying that the shop owner should be happy that they were even there. While that much was true, it doesn't mean they should be rude.

"That's no excuse. You still shouldn't be mean, no matter how much you feel they should be appreciating your visit." Flora said, keeping her gaze on Inkbrand as she spoke. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Just about then, the unicorn came back with the pie, and Inkbrand leaned in as if he were trying to get over the counter to get to the pie. At least he thanked the unicorn for the pie as he put the money on the counter. Flora blinked a couple times at Inkbrand's question about where the ridge was.

"Umm... That way, I th-think." She said, pointing off in the direction she thought the ridge was.

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It was really happening, wasn't it. A lecture from Flora bucking Bloom, of all ponies.

 

What in Equestria was the world coming to?

 

"Yeah, funny thing about that," Inkbrand stated airily as they set off at a somewhat hurried pace, parcel still clutched protectively in his teeth. "how all ponies don't share your same sentiment. The buck should I be all, sensitive and polite as when a mare's going to run screaming into my face 'bout some random piece of rot? Or a guy's gonna lay into me for bullying some mare I don't even know, huh?" he questioned aggressively, not slowing down in his pace one bit as the pair passed the town outskirts to begin their ascent up the ridge.

 

And it was, in Inkbrand's opinion, a valid question. "Do unto others what you would have them do to you", please. What a load of rot. If a pony like Flora didn't mind getting pushed and shoved around by ponies ignoring said motto, then that was her own business, but Inkbrand would be kicking it back with JavaSun before he allowed somepony else to dictate the way he lived his life. Plus, now that he thought about it, he sort of already followed that saying anyways, to an extent. Buck no, he didn't need or even want ponies to be tip-hooving around him with polite, mannered airs and cordial greetings. That was boring as. Give him somepony with a little more spark, for Equestria's sake.

 

Which, again, raised the question why the buck he was even putting up with Flora Bloom. The almost painfully shy mare was everything he despised in a pony - hard enough to interact with, yet someone had the presence of mind to try lecturing him like a little colt. Maybe it was a testament to his social skills, that she was opening up more towards him? But even still, Inkbrand hated other ponies that attempted to enforce their world views on him, like they had it all bucking figured out.

 

Buck. Maybe he was just desperate for the company. This visit to Appleloosa, watching the stampede with an apple pie, hadn't been a one-pony excursion during its planning stages, after all. Inkbrand had simply gotten carried away, and resigned himself to a one-pony show upon his arrival.

 

Cue one green mare.

 

"Point is," Inkbrand continued after a moment, finally slowing down as the slopes became sharper and steeper, heading ever onward towards the high ridge overlooking the valley, "not like everypony's shown me the same courtesy - and honestly, I could give a flying buck that they did. Don't see why I should have to." The slope flatted out for a short moment, and Inkbrand took that time to set down his precious package, craning his neck slightly, before twisting around to make sure Flora Bloom hadn't slid off the edge of the ridge while he'd been rambling to himself. "Doing alright there sweetheart?" Honestly, the slope wasn't too steep, but Flora looked like the kind of mare that would topple over at the slightest breeze, let alone an incline up the side of a ridge.

 

Buck. Who did that remind him of, exactly?

 

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Flora sighed slightly at Inkbrand's response as she followed him towards the ridge, traveling at a quick pace. He was right that not everypony followed that rule, but it was one she liked to keep in mind. She didn't like when others were mean to her, and she didn't suppose most ponies would want her to act like that either. Not that she wanted to be like that either.

"Well, acting like they are tends to only escalate the situation into something far worse. Sometimes you just have to be the bigger pony and not go to their level." Flora said, demonstrating her own point with her calm voice and demeanor in the face of his aggressive response.

Something told her they weren't getting along all that well. Maybe it was their almost completely opposite personalities clashing. She was usually pretty laid back once she got used to a pony, but there was something about Inkbrand that compelled her to talk to him like this.

She was thankful when he slowed down though, as the slope was getting steeper and it would've tired her outif she had to go up the whole thing at their previous speed. Gardening didn't provide that much exercise, and definitely not cardio. She still tried to do some in her free time, mostly in the way of walks through nature, but the free time she had to do this in wasn't all that much.

Inkbrand spoke some more during the climb, causing Flora to sigh again. Perhaps they didn't show him the courtesy because of his attitude towards them. Soon enough, they reached the top of the ridge, though she had been lagging behind a little bit. She looked up at his question and smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks." She said, coming to a stop next to him and sitting down.

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"Good," Inkbrand stated succinctly, watching as the green mare sat herself down along the top of the ridge with him, "wouldn't want you to pitch off the side before the show even started." The grey stallion chose to ignore Flora's words from earlier, as they were clearly going to end up in one of those, "agree to disagree" pact things. Flora Bloom could go right on acting like the world has a set of rules that made everything right and hunky-dory, but not Inkbrand. He played by his own rules.

 

Or, something equally rebellious but not quite as lame.

 

The tattoo-clad stallion was forestalled from thinking up something better, however, as the sudden distant rumbling of a thousand hooves reached his ear, causing the male to abruptly whip around towards the edge of the ridge, leaning forward slightly. "Hey, it's starting Flor!" Inkbrand exclaimed unnecessarily, and spit the stringed package out of his mouth to seat himself fully on the ridge, hind legs extended over the side. Not exactly the safest position to be in, but the grey stallion could have cared less as he eagerly set the package between the two of them and unlaced the strings, pulling apart one slice to take his first bite of apple pie.

 

Which was good enough by itself, but seemingly all of a sudden, the herd of buffalo came stampeding out of the orchard, pink dots that were probably apple pie packages spread throughout the misty cloud. Inkbrand guzzled down one slice with little thought, letting the taste and flavor meld with the sound and sight of the dust cloud passing through the green trees and heading into the distance. The glow from the sun, halfway below the horizon, cast the entire area in a brilliantly scarlet hue that seemed to drown everything except the moment out, Inkbrand watching intently as the dark forms within the dust cloud got fainter and fainter.

 

For once, no sharp comment or sly utterance came forth from Inkbrand's lips. He only watched the stampede with an intensely focused look, vaguely aware of the green mare by his side as the cloud of dust slowly disappeared into the horizon and beyond.

 

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(Awesome picture, good job on that.)

Flora smiled faintly to herself as Inkbrand revealed his concern for her. At least, that's what she liked to think that was the reason he didn't want her falling off the ridge. She gave no real response to that besides a small hum as she continued looking out over the view. The argument seemed to be over, which either meant Inkbrand conceded, or that he just didn't want to deal with it any longer. Either way, she was just fine with the turn of events. Everypony had the right to their own views, she just felt she had to share her own with him.

The green mare's ears twitched when she heard the pounding of hooves in the distance, turning her head towards the sound as Inkbrand pointed out what she had heard for herself. Not that she minded, of course. Casting a glance back towards the stallion, she worried a little about him falling off the ridge himself with the way he was sitting. She turned back as the stampede came through, smiling slightly at the sight as she picked up a slice of pie as well and began to eat it.

It was a beautiful sight, the stampede traveling along the path between the trees as the setting sun cast the whole scene in a reddish light. She sighed happily as the figures became smaller, eventually disappearing over the horizon. She remained silent as she finished up her slice of pie, smiling at the moment she had just experienced.

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It felt like a long time before the dust cloud fully disappeared into the sinking sun, but in truth, only a few minutes passed by. Still, Inkbrand maintained his position on the ridge, neither acknowledging Flora Bloom nor the splayed red and gold all across the landscape, that slowly begin dipping into dark blues and purples as the sun slipped behind the horizon. As seemingly quick as the buffalo herd had come and gone, the sun waved goodbye with the last vestiges of light, leaving the two ponies behind in the low dusk of twilight in the desert.

 

For once, the tattoo-clad stallion was disinclined to break the starlit silence with words and sounds and generally annoying noises, instead basking in the quiet of the desert. The taste of apple pie was still strong in his mouth, and Inkbrand leaned back lightly, letting out a short breath as he looked upwards, taking in the sight of a million stars slowly coming into view.

 

How long had it been since he'd just…laid down and watched the stars come out? Probably not since the creek bed.

 

Abruptly, Inkbrand flung himself fully onto his back, one leg crossed carelessly over the other while he crossed his forelegs behind his head, giving himself a full view of the night sky. The stars above grew ever more radiant as the sun fully sank under the horizon, painting the sky in a myriad of different patterns. If he looked hard enough, he was sure he could see a pattern of stars that resembled a certain princess pony of the night. It seemed only fitting that she would have an arrangement of stars solely for herself.

 

Aside from his short breath taken earlier, not a single sound escaped Inkbrand's lips as he continued staring up into the night, seemingly oblivious to the dropping temperatures the desert would soon bring. Flora Bloom was also quiet - more so than usual, had she fallen asleep? - but in all honesty, Inkbrand couldn't really bring himself to turn his head and actually look, too content with the apple pie resting in his belly and the fading sounds of hoofbeats still ringing through his imagination.

 

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Flora smiled to herself as she watched the sun set over the desert. Sure, she had watched the sun set many times back home, but this was different, and not just because of the change of scenery. She was glad she got to share a moment like this with somepony, even if they were as crude as Inkbrand was at times.

Speaking of the tattoo-clad stallion, he had been surprisingly quiet ever since the stampede started. By the time Flora looked over to check on him, he was on his back, looking up at the stars. The florist smiled faintly before following his lead, laying down on her back and looking up at the twinkling stars above. She always liked the stars, they had always been quite pretty to look at.

Considering the trip to the ridge, the actual event was quite pleasant, and something she had enjoyed watching greatly. She kept her eyes on the stars, ignoring the cold that was slowly seeping in as she enjoyed the silence and the beauty of the moment.

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Eventually, the cold began seeping into Inkbrand's senses, though still not enough to stir him from his silent contemplation of the sky. He'd always had a rather high tolerance for the cold, anyways - and it was a lot better than the heat of the daytime. Still, Inkbrand didn't fancy staying out here for too long after sundown, and considering the sun had already "downed" quite a few minutes ago, time was already ticking before the semi-uncomfortable night breeze became Holy Tautarus in a frozen hand basket.

 

Still, the grey Earth Pony couldn't help lingering a bit longer, no longer thinking of anything, really. Just, looking ever upwards. Out in the wilds, the stars were suppose to burn the brightest, away from the city lights. Or so he'd always heard. Perhaps the sun was still too close to the horizon for the stars to really start their overture.

 

"This was nice," Inkbrand stated abruptly, and then paused, the sentence having seemingly come out of nowhere. "I mean," he started again a bit aggressively, head turning a bit from his comfortable position to face Flora - who, he noted, had assumed the same position as himself.

 

"This whole, pie and stampede thing," Inkbrand clarified, too lazy to do anything more than wave a vague hoof through the air, "got a load off my chest." The tattoo-clad stallion stared a moment longer, eyebrows furrowing as if trying to figure out exactly where he was going with his statements. Eventually, he could only shrug one shoulder. "Thanks," he stated, settling on the one-word phrase that could carry a thousand different meanings if he chose to put the thought and effort behind it. That required thinking though, and feelings, and other mare-ish stuff that wasn't really his forte, so Inkbrand simply turned his head back towards the stars, contemplative frown still firmly on his features.

 

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Flora was enjoying the stars. They weren't shining fully yet, due to the sun's lingering influence, but they were still beautiful to look at. It made her understand, somewhat, why Princess Luna had wanted ponies to see the night sky so much. It also made her wonder how much control the princess of the night had over the night sky. She raised and lowered the moon, but what else did she put her touch on? However much she truly did to make it look the way it did, it made Flora want to thank the princess for her work.

The florist jumped slightly as Inkbrand spoke suddenly. Honestly, she had almost forgotten he was even there. She looked over at him as he seemed to struggle with what to say. She could sympathize with that, it happened to her from time-to-time as well. She smiled slightly as he thanked her. She kinda liked this side of Inkbrand, too bad it wasn't out more often. Not that there was anything wrong with the way he usually acted, it just seemed to... clash with her personality.

"It was no trouble. In fact, I'm glad you came. It was nice sharing something like this with somepony." Flora said before looking back up to the stars as well. It was getting a bit chilly, but she didn't really mind. It wasn't too bad yet.

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Inkbrand thought he made some sort of noncommittal grunt at Flora's answer to his grudging thanks, but it was getting a little bit difficult to focus, what with the stuffing of his face and subsequent drowsiness brought on by a good meal clambering for attention. The dropping temperatures should have probably kept him alert and hyper-aware, but in reality, they almost seemed to work the opposite, sending a light chill throughout his body that numbed him to other senses. A fully belly and quiet night - the perfect conditions to lull Inkbrand into a drowsy sleep.

 

Or might have, if a sudden gust of cold wind hadn't chosen that moment to suddenly blow on by. "Buck!" the tattoo-clad stallion exclaimed, shooting upright from his lounging position to clasp his forelegs around his body, futilely rubbing himself in an attempt to warm back up. Yeah, sleeping out in the open desert, not a good idea. Hadn't he said that earlier, when the two of them had been back at the molly's place. "Real nice," he continued after a moment, a somewhat wry grin on his face as he glanced down towards Flora, "though I bet it'll be a lot nicer at this hidey hole of yours, now."

 

Which, he had still heard no real mention of. Flora hadn't been serious about sleeping outside under the stars in the desert, had she? For Equestria's sake, she had better have enough fluffy blankets to cover at least fifty chilled ponies to ward off this desert evening.

 

"So let's go before we both freeze our flanks off," Inkbrand demanded, only a tiny shiver interrupting his words as he picked himself fully off the cliffside, absently brushing the dirt from his hindquarters. The grey Earth Pony couldn't help fixing Flora Bloom with a Look as he did so, one eyebrow raised. "You did say you have someplace warm to sleep tonight, yeah?" he questioned, with only the slightest hint of a leer and suggestion. Buck, temperatures were really dropping now, even for him. Flirts and jokes could come later, he wanted the warm right now.

 

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Flora was getting kinda sleepy. Between the pie and the peaceful surroundings, she was drifting off. She probably would have fallen asleep if it weren't for the sudden curse from Inkbrand jarring her awake. She stared up at the stars with a small frown on her face. It wasn't that bad out here. She had been through worse while traveling with her father. She turned her gaze on him as he said they should get going to where they were going to sleep. She supposed it would be better to not be out in the open, at least. Especially since he didn't seem to be able to take the temperature quite as well as she was.

She sighed quietly as she stood up, shaking herself off somewhat to get the dirt off of her, then shivering slightly at the temperature. It was a bit colder than she had anticipated anyways. Good thing she wasn't completely unprepared though. She began to head back down the ridge, walking towards her current destination where she had left some stuff in case she needed it. Maybe they could find someplace to hole up, like a cave or something. Judging by the fact that Inkbrand had been looking for a place to stay, either he was lazy or there were no room in the inns. She was going to assume the second one unless she was proven otherwise.

"I... sure. J-just have to get some stuff first." She said, finally answering his previous question.

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It seemed he had done a successful job in getting Flora's flank in gear, and the green Earth Pony wasted no more time leading the way back down the ridge, heading towards…well, hopefully towards a stash of warm blankets and someplace warm to spend the night. As he followed behind Flora and idly watched the bounce in her flank as she made her way downwards, Inkbrand had to admit he was a bit impressed. Just a bit. Most mares he knew would be hesitating and carefully picking their way down the rocky and, in some places, steep slope, but not Flora. She seemed to wind her way downwards as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Kind of strange, really, for a mare that seemed liable to be bowled over by a rampaging bunny rabbit.

 

Or maybe his expectations were just not as clear cut as he'd thought them to be.

 

Well, until he was proven thoroughly wrong - which he hadn't been yet - Inkbrand was going to go right on expecting Flora Bloom to behave like the shy, stuttering pony she obviously was, and the grey stallion took that time to edge up behind her, bringing his head to rest over one green shoulder so he could peer at whatever the Earth Pony was looking at. "Fine by me," he stated, even though he was sorely tempted to pick Flora Bloom off the earth and carry her to wherever she was spending the night, because buck the desert dropped to freezing temperatures at night. "Just so long as I get to use your stuff too," Inkbrand added further with a hint of his cocky leer, one that Flora probably couldn't even see with his head hanging over her shoulder as it was.

 

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Well, this was a lot easier going down than it had been coming up. Flora was making good time down the ridge, though she was still being careful not to fall as she weaved her way down the ridge. Her eyes were moving from side to side as she scanned the ground for her next hoof-hold, not even thinking about what she was doing and simply letting her subconscious take over. She had been hiking before, and she knew, mostly, how to go down steep slopes like this fairly efficiently.

Eventually, she felt Inkbrand come up very close behind her. So close, in fact, that he was peeking over her shoulder and her rump was practically touching his chest. The proximity was a little uncomfortable, especially since it was a stallion this close behind her, and one that was as crude as him to boot.

And speaking of crude, there was an undertone to the stallion's statement that made Flora frown as she continued down the slope. What exactly did he mean by that? Obviously he wanted some use of her supplies, which she was happy to provide, but it kinda sounded like he had meant something else as well. Oh well, that was nothing to really worry about.

"Of course, wouldn't want you going without anything to help keep you warm." She replied simply, continuing on her way. She had packed more than one thing, hadn't she? Oh well, even if she hadn't, she seemed more resistant to the cold than him anyways.

Once they were fully down the ridge, she paused for a moment to get her bearings before heading off towards where she had hidden the stuff.

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Oh, right. Shy mare, probably as dense as a rock. Or that molly from earlier.

 

…Buck, what was her name? Inkbrand couldn't remember that far back. Some sort of flower, he thought.

 

Whatever her name was, she was way on the other side of town, and he was over here, and currently freezing his flank off. Which was rather amazing, Inkbrand thought a little sourly as he studied Flora's back, considering that he was usually more resistant to the cold than most of the ponies around him. Who'd figured a delicate littler flower like Flora Bloom would be better off than he was in the desert night? With her name being floral-based as it was, the grey stallion had pegged her for a gardener or some rot, surrounded by blooming daises and twittering birds and springtime sun. None of which brought to mind shivering temperatures that the mare could easily stand against.

 

Still, Inkbrand couldn't find it in him to complain. At least there was one mare in Equestria who could hold her own stuff. Which, by the by, he hoped she would be getting a hold of soon. If she was sleeping outside this evening, where had she stashed her supplies? Out in a cave somewhere? Buck, and she thought she was being kind to invite somepony to spend a night in a cave rather than the nice, cozy home of a mule?

 

"'Ya know," Inkbrand voiced rather loudly as he quickly followed behind the green mare, one eyebrow cocked as he kept pace with her, "you never did say where your crash pad was." There was no question in his tone. In truth, Inkbrand was a decent fan of the great outdoors, but that didn't mean he'd take a hard rock over a soft pillow. Buck that.

 

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Well, that seemed to be the end of that conversation. Oh well, she had never been good at holding them anyways. She continued on in silence, shivering slightly in the cold breeze. They were almost there... Probably. It was hard to tell when it was so dark out. The desert looked very different during the night. It probably didn't help that her mind kept drifting to thoughts about Inkbrand. She wanted him to be comfortable, yet at the same time she didn't care. It was a strange feeling, not really caring about how a pony felt, but his attitude was getting to her somewhat.

She glanced back at him as he spoke, though she didn't respond at first, debating how she should respond. She decided to tease him a little bit with her response.

"Good job, you noticed." She said in response, looking around again as she walked. She would tell him after a moment or two. Or that was the plan, at least. Before she could truly answer his unspoken question, she was distracted by spotting her hiding spot for the gear. She smiled widely, walking over to the bushes and poking her head through them to search for her bags. After a few moments, she found them and brought them out in her teeth, throwing them onto her back and bending her knees to absorb the impact somewhat, nodding to Inkbrand before heading off to look for a good place to hole up. Honestly, she had forgotten about Inkbrand's 'question'.

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Alright, now Inkbrand was interested.

 

Well before, he'd been, but just a little. Now he was actually interested.

 

From shy to stern, to serene to sarcastic. Flora Bloom was either the greatest actress in the world who had just lost her cool, or she had difficulty settling on one personality. Wasn't there a name for ponies like that? Chameleons, or something? Ponies that reflected a personality back towards another because they thought it would get them the best result, rather than staying true to themselves. Inkbrand knew for certain that he'd met one before - a seemingly shy Pegasus back in Ponyville that had turned out to be a real pain in the flank. Buck, what a terror Aurora had been. A blushing stammering mess, to a crying and sobbing victim the minute he'd turned his snout away. And then suddenly showing up decked out like a show pony and batting her eyelashes at him -

 

Inkbrand couldn't help the slight shiver that ran down his frame, entirely separate from the cold night breeze. If he never met another mare like that for the rest of his life -

 

Though apparently, he had. And had actually chosen to spend the night with her, buck. The grey stallion stared intently at Flora Bloom's back as she retrieved her gear, idly wondering if he should just throw up his hooves and cut this contradictory situation out of his life right then and there. Equestria knew he didn't another terror like Aurora on his hooves.

 

"Buck yeah I did," Inkbrand finally settled on saying, trotting after Flora Bloom blithely, "but from your lack of response, I'm guessing it's a surprise. Going to wow me tonight, huh?"

 

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