A Troublesome Life

Chapters

Ch. 3: Jobs
Ch. 16: New Enemies, New Friends
Ch. 17: Pranks and a Date?
Ch. 18: The Date & The Aftermath
Ch. 19: Getting Down to Business
Ch. 1: Beginnings
Ch. 2: Parties
Ch. 4: Injured by Wood
Ch. 5: New Jobs
Ch. 6: Rivalries
Ch. 7: Baking Troubles
Ch. 8: Philosophical Shit
Ch. 9: Meeting new Ponies
Ch. 10: Love-Struck Strum
Ch. 11: Typical Day
Ch.12: Meeting Ponies' Heroes
Ch.13: Dealing with Business
Ch. 14: Swimming
Ch. 15: Nightmares

Ch. 3: Jobs

I woke up to a bucket of water being poured onto my face (Oh, and about my dream; I was dreaming of cheese. It’s a reoccurring dream that I have sometimes). I spluttered and coughed, and sat straight up. I looked up at the grinning face of Rainbow Dash.

“What the hell?! What’s your damn problem?!” I yelled at her. She began to laugh. My hoof went to the handle of my guitar case, as it could be used as a weapon when the time came.

“Why are you sleeping on a bench? And what’s up with your face?” She asked, still snickering.

“Oi! I had nowhere to stay! And my face? There’s nothing wrong with my face!” I yelled back. And, about the ‘oi’, it’s just something I’ll say to get someone’s attention, or when I want to yell at them. She laughed again.

“I don’t think you noticed, but check your reflection.” She said. I looked down at the new puddle, and saw my reflection. Someone had drawn on a fake mustache, glasses, and buck teeth. I rubbed it off, as the water had made it pretty easy to get off. I snarled, literally, as if I were a werepony. Dash laughed again.

“You don’t take jokes too lightly, do you?” She said, hovering in front of me. I looked up at her.

“When you’re on the receiving end; it’s usually hurtful, and PISSES ME RIGHT THE BUCK OFF!” I yelled. She flew back a bit in surprise at the last yell. A few ponies looked at me, my face grew hot, and I lowered my tone.

“No, I don’t take to jokes too kindly.” I said sternly. She laughed a bit more. I started to smile a bit. It was a bit funny. Okay, it was pretty funny. We laughed for a bit. I stood up, grabbed my bags, checked my things, and hauled it unto my back.

“Well, this is where we part ways, and I look for a job.” I said. Dash looked at me.

“You seem like a pretty strict guy, Strum.” She said, smiling. I let out a little sigh.

“Yeah, sometimes, but other times, I’m a cool dude.” I said, though, I sounded like a stoned skater. She laughed at me, and I laughed with her. I trotted off towards city hall. When I got inside, I instantly started to look for some sort of job board. Oh online games, you’ll always make me believe life is that easy. I wandered around, quite like when I first arrived.

“Uh, may I help you?” asked a mare’s voice. I turned to face a mare with green eyes, a white coat, and a long mane and tail that where a few shades of very light blue. I must say, she was quite attractive, but, I wasn’t here to get a date, I was here to get a job.

“Yes, I am looking for any open jobs, can you help me?” I said. I must say, that went well; I didn’t stutter, and I spoke fluently. I suppose my ego has caught up with my way of speech.

“Sadly, no, I can’t. You can go to a few stores and such around town and ask.” She said.

“All right, well, thank you for the help.” I said, and walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, I asked a few shop owners, and a few others, and they all turned me down. The thing is: word got around fast that I’m a homeless man, and that I sleep on benches. I was quite sad, as the only places to turn to were A) Rarity’s boutique or B) the spa. So, I thought, I either work at a place where dresses and suits are made, that’ll probably pay handsomely, or I work around a few beautiful mares for an exceptional pay, and having to tend to others. I thought long and hard. The chances were that I’d not get the job at the spa… The spa was hiring, and I had no clue if Rarity needed any help. I thought about who to try for first. The spa was my instant thought. All right-y then, was my reply. I trotted to the spa, with quite a high confidence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My confidence drained, as, when I walked in, a few of the people started to whisper and giggle as I passed. Not off to a good start, but stay optimistic! I thought. I walked up to a mare with pink fur, and a blue mane with a band in it.

“Uh, hello, I’m here about the ‘help wanted’ ad?” I said politely. I was nervous, to say the least. I was applying for a job, after all. It was stressful, as many can guess.

“Yes, and you wanted the job?” She asked, with a slight Swedish accent. She didn’t bother to look at me, and I felt a bit offended.

“Indeed, I am. Now, will I need to fill out an application, or, wha-“

“Follow me.” She said, cutting me off. I blinked a moment.

“Okay” I said reluctantly. She walked into a door, and I followed. The room we entered was similar to the previous, only much smaller. There were a few massage tables lined up, a small wood and paper panel, and a window up high. I walked in, and set down my bags and case.

“So, you want the job as a masseuse? “ She asked. I paused a moment. A masseuse? I thought, I thought there’d be something else… something cooler.

“Well?” She asked. I realized I’d been standing there.

“Uh, yes, that’s it.” I said. She looked at me with a cold look in her eyes.

“Do you have any experience with the job?” She asked. I blinked a moment. The only time I had given massages were… well… I’d rather not go into detail, for the sake of the children. ‘You could say that’ would’ve been my reply, but I thought up another:

“Yes, I have given a few massages before, and I’ve been told I am very good.” I said. Once again; that ego taking over what I said. She nodded a moment, and wrote something down on a pad of paper.

“Why do you feel you should get this job?” She asked. I knew there’d be an interview, but I didn’t expect it this soon.

“Well, I have experience with the job, and I-“

“And you need money, because you are homeless.” She said coldly. The words cut into my head, and stuck there a moment. Rage began to boil up, but I restrained it.

“Yes, to be truthful, that is the main reason.” I said. I was short to the point, and my anger was held. “And frankly, I would rather not waste my time with an interview on such short notice, so may we cut to the chase?” I said, rather coldly, if I may add.

“All right then.” She said. She had the slightest hint of a smile on her face. She sat down on one of the beds, and rolled onto her front. I was confused a moment.

“Well?” She said. Then I realized what was going on: She wanted me to show what I knew. I walked over to the side of the table, and lightly placed my hooves against her back. I slowly began to go to work. For not doing it for a while, I was pretty good. She moaned a few times, which, I must admit, was awkward, but I took it as a sign that I was doing well. When I was done, I stepped back, and let her stand.

“Well, it is obvious you are good at the job.” She said, smiling. I smiled back, and I got a warm feeling in my stomach; the one you get when you know what’s about to come next.

“You got the job.” She said. On the outside, I was calm, and smiling. On the inside, I was cheering.

“You’ll start at noon, is that all right?” She asked. I nodded, picked up my bags, and walked out. I checked the time. Ah, shit. I thought, noon is in twenty minutes. I went to Twilight’s library, and knocked on the door. A small dragon opened the door. I looked down at it. Not the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen, I thought.

“Hello, is Twilight around?” I asked it. It looked at me with curiosity. I smiled.

“Twilight! Some guy is here to see you!” He yelled behind him. The figure of Twilight popped up behind him.

“Hello, Strum.” She said happily.

“Hello, Twilight, I came by to ask you a favor.” I said.

“Sure, what do you need?” She inquired.

“Can I stay here for a few days? Until I can get my own place?” I asked her.

“Sure, I don’t see why not!” She said, “C’mon inside.” I walked inside, and set my bags down. I checked the time again.

“Shit! I’m gonna be late for the first day on the job!” I yelled, then ran out the door. I ran straight to the spa, and ran into my boss.

“Gah! Sorry ma’am! Won’t happen again!” I said hurriedly. I was very nervous and probably sweating a little. She told me to go to the massage room, and get ready. It was a pretty easy first day; all I had to do was give a few mares a massage. I must say, it was also a good day. I was pretty lucky that I hadn’t had to give any stallions massages; because frankly, I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it. Near the end of the day, I had to give a mare a massage, and it got… awkward. She started to flirt a bit… and asked for a… ‘happy ending’. And, what else to do but politely turn her down? She didn’t take to kindly, and tried to tell my boss that I sexually harassed her, and she wanted a refund. Luckily; my voice was heard, and the woman was escorted out. She was kicking and screaming, but I couldn’t help but laugh. Anyways; it was a pretty fun day.

Ch. 16: New Enemies, New Friends

When I arrive, there was a bit of a commotion. I walk to the center of attention. There was a griffon from yesterday standing over a shaking Fluttershy. The griffon was yelling some mean things at her, to say the least. I felt anger grow inside me. I walk up and tap the griffon on the shoulder. She turns.

“Wha-” She begins angrily, but, as she turns, I connect my hoof to her beak. I was surprised, and a bit scared, when I see her head move a little, and then look back to me fuming. My ears flopped down and my lip quivered a bit. She grabbed me by the neck and raised me up. I scrambled for air. I connected a flailing hoof with her head. She dropped me, and I stood up, readying myself to fight her. I look over to where Fluttershy was, but she’d moved behind cover. When I look back I got a punch to the muzzle. I swayed to the side, and fell. As I fell, I though ah shit. I then hit the ground. I winced at the flaring pain in my face. I looked back up and got another punch. I shove the griffon off and stand up. I look at her as she gets up as well, fuming. I could taste blood, but, I didn’t care; I was going to show this griffon her place. I lunged at her, taking her by surprise. I put momentum, weight, and force into my punch. When it connected, there was a crack! She fell to the ground, getting up, shaking, with what was probably anger. She looked at me, her eyes showing no mercy. Her beak was cracked. I smiled a bit.

“What’s wrong? Big tough griffon can’t handle a scrawny pony?” I ask, amusing myself and the crowd. She snapped. She came at me with large arcs of punches. It was easy to see them coming, so I managed to dodge them. I blocked one of them, grabbed her arm, went around her back, and put my other hoof against her shoulder. I slowly began to push her down. Each time she tried to fight it I would tighten my grip and bend her arm at the odd angle, making her let out a cry each time. I pushed her to the ground and sat on her, holding her there. A few ponies cheered for my submission. The griffon squirmed underneath me. Twi, Dash, AJ, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy came running/flying to me. I smiled to them, feeling something drip out of my mouth, which I hoped was not blood.

“Hey.” I say to them casually, as if this was normal. Dash flew to the griffon’s front and scowled at her.

“I thought I told you to just leave, Gilda! Why do you keep coming back?” She yells at the creature under me. The griffon, apparently named ‘Gilda’ didn’t say anything. I bend her arm and she lets out a shriek. Dash scowls at me and I let go of Gilda, stepping off her. The griffon shoots into the air, yelling a few swears back at us. I watch the humiliated griffon fly away. I look back down to the company.

“Someone’ll have to fill me in on that later.” I say to them. I begin to trot off when I’m interrupted by Dash in front of me.

“How the hell do you make the worst of enemies?!” She yelled at me. I looked at her, brow furrowed yet again.

“I really don’t know… doesn’t matter, that ‘Gilda’ is gone now.” I say matter-of-factly. I walk around Dash to be stopped this time by Fluttershy. I thought it’d be about the squirrels. She hid behind her hair and muttered something. Her face was red.

“Pardon?” I ask. She cowers a bit, but repeats herself a bit louder.

“Thank you.” She said in barely more than a whisper. I think about it a moment, offer a smile, and trot off. I go to my room in the boutique and relax myself with a bit of my guitar.

Ch. 17: Pranks and a Date?

A knocking came at my door. I got up, setting the guitar aside. I opened it to meet Fluttershy. I was confused as to why she was here.

“Uh… Hi, Fluttershy. What brings you here?” I ask.

“I… um… wanted to say thank you again…” She said in her whispering voice. I took a moment to piece together what she mumbled. I smiled to her.

“You really don’t need to keep thanking me.” I said kindly. She remained quiet, not making eye contact. Once more it seemed awkward. We stood there, in silence. I looked past her to see Rarity hiding around the corner. I gave her a ‘really?’ look. She went out of my view and I looked back to Fluttershy. Her face was red, as per usual. I got a crazy idea and decided to not go through with it until Rarity was looking again. So, I stood in silence, glancing over time-to-time. I offered a smile to Fluttershy, who was still looking at the ground behind her hair. I looked over again, and saw some of Rarity’s head. I looked quickly back to Fluttershy, put my hoof under her chin, lifted her head up, and leaned in. Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell agape. Her entire face grew red as well. I just stood there, my face only an inch from hers. From Rarity’s view, it’d look like something more. I looked over, and saw Rarity standing, in full view, her jaw dropped and eyes wide. She had a slight blush on her face. I looked back at Fluttershy, who is just standing in shock. I raised myself up, laughing at Rarity. She just stared at me, shocked. Fluttershy stood there, still the same. My smile faded and I waved a hand in front of Fluttershy’s eyes. No response.

“Huh… I think I went too far with my joke…” I said a bit worried. Fluttershy’s eyes looked to me. It was a start. I smiled to her. She just looked at me, her red-face fading down into a blush. Rarity looked at me.

“I can’t believe you’d do such a thing, Strum!” She scorned. I smiled to her.

“I didn’t actually do it.” I said. She seemed to take this as the truth, but still trotted off in a huff. I looked back to Fluttershy.

“Sorry about that; I was just trying to pull a prank on Rarity.” I told her. She nodded, seemingly in a bit of a trance.

“I-I-I… um… I-I understand.” She stuttered out, her face growing redder. I was guessing that she didn’t. I offered a smile, and she just remained silent, as always.

“Well, thank you for coming by, I suppose.” I said kindly to her. She gave me a slight squeak, and she turned and flew out. I chuckled and decided to go for a walk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walked around, the sun still high in the sky. I smiled to myself with my witty little joke. My eye drifted to the house of Octavia I was passing. There was the sound of a heavy bass coming from within. I walked up to the door and knocked on it. The door was answered by the DJ.

“Hey there, guy!” She said, recognizing me, obviously.

“My name’s Strum.” I said reluctantly. She waved her hoof, levitated a remote, turned down the speakers, and called back into the house.

“Hey! Tavi! That one dude who likes you is here!” My face grew red.

“Hey! Now, wait a minute!” I contested. She smiled at me, and walked away, Octavia soon filling the doorway.

“What do you want, Mr. Chords?” She said formally. I decided to not say ‘please, Mr. Chords is my father, call me Strum’.

“Well, I was wondering what that bass was.” I said. It was true; I was more wondering about that than about what Octavia was up to… Okay, just as curious… Okay, more curious about Octavia, what else do you want?! She looked at me with a bored expression.

“Vinyl always plays this music… Every day.” She says, giving a slight hint of despair in her voice. I felt a bit bad for her for a moment. The music was good, at least, but it was also ear-blasting. I smiled at Octavia, and she remained with her poker-face.

“So, ‘Tavi’…” I said. She scowled.

“I don’t like Vinyl calling me that, and I despise it when you say it.” She says coldly. Ouch, I thought. I still smiled, and she still scowled. I tapped my foot, feeling that familiar awkward air. Do it, said a small voice in my head. I realized what I had subconsciously thinking of. I took a deep breath.

“Octavia-“ I stopped myself. I had no clue how to do this! I hadn’t done it in the past, I’ve had the mares come up to me. I just stood there, thinking of how to do it. She stood there, waiting.

“Well?” She asked expectantly. I sighed, and just went with the blunt of it.

“Would you like to go on a date?”

“No.” She said plainly. Ouch V2, I thought. My ears slumped at how fast she’d made up her mind. I decided to push a bit further.

“Why?” She was taken aback.

“’Why’?” She repeated. I nodded my head to confirm. She thought a moment.

“Because I don’t like you.” She said. Ouch! I decided to act like a child once more.

“Why?” Once more, she was taken aback. She pondered again.

“You’re annoying, insensitive, and flat-out un-interesting.” She stated matter-of-factly. Ah! My heart! I stood there, shocked at how cruel that was. Didn’t change my opinion of her, though.

“I can prove you wrong.” I say, still a bit off. She raises a brow.

“I doubt that.” She says coldly. I smile, a great plan forming.

“I bet I can. Let’s go on a date, and I’ll prove you wrong, and I won’t act! I promise to act like myself.” I said. She tapped her chin.

“I’ll think about it.” She said, closing the door as she went back inside. My brain processed, did a back-flip, and cheered for joy. I trotted off, happy as hell. I looked at the sun; still high in the sky. While I was walking I began to whistle the happiest tune I knew. As I was walking I saw Fluttershy.

“Hey, Fluttershy.” I said to her. She did the same routine; hiding behind her hair, mumbling a greeting, face red. I trotted along, still happy. Nothing could ruin my mood.

Ch. 18: The Date & The Aftermath

I awoke with a smile on my face. I had barely slept, but, who cared? I had a date with Octavia! At least, I think so. I hopped out of bed, took extra time to get ready for the day; washing my mane… twice. I brushed my teeth… twice again. And I made sure my coat didn’t have a speck of dirt on it. I pondered whether I should wear that suit from before. I went against it; she was expecting me to be myself. I smirked, and walked out the door, happy as could be. While I was walking, a smile upon my face, Twilight flew into my view. Well, she came in a flash, literally, then flew in front of me.

“Strum! Good to see you! I need you for a spell!” She said. Before I could reply a light-purple aura enveloped me and carried me off.

I was told to stand perfectly still, and wait for the results. Twilight’s horn shone.

“STOP!” I yelled, worried for my self-being.

“What is this spell anyways?!” I asked, worriedly and hurriedly. She laughed.

“It’s just an advanced wing spell that I’ve been working on. Last time I tried one, Rarity nearly fell to her death.” She said, almost… comically. That did not help the situation. I decided to do it anyways. Wings; they’ll make me less scared of heights… right?

“Okay,” I began, “ready!” I stood stock-still, and watched the magic envelope me. I was lifted off my hooves, and I felt something rip out of my spine. It strangely didn’t hurt. I then fell face-first into the floor. That hurt. I stood up, rubbing my face. I looked up to a grinning Twilight. She was looking past me. I looked up to see a pair of wings. I felt relief that I was fine, but, I was a Pegasus!

“Well, that’s cool!” I said. She did a few tests, making me move them, which, was odd; it was like having two new legs. She tested them, seeing if I could feel things. She pricked a few feathers, which hurt. I walked out after the tests were done. She told me to do a few more tests by myself, record them, and give them to her. The spell would wear-off in a few hours. I thought a moment; a few hours. I panicked. Octavia and I would no doubt be on our date! I ran in circles, thinking about what to do. I un-furled my wings, and tried to fly, but could only get off the ground an inch, then fall. I ran as fast as I could to Octavia’s home and knocked on the door. I hid my wings the best I could, which was just keeping them to my sides. Once more, Vinyl opened the door.

“Hey, Vinyl, I-“ I began before she cut me off.

“Hey, Octavia! He’s here again!” She yelled back. My ears drooped. Was she always this… awkward? I thought to myself. Octavia took her place yet again. She looked at my sides, and her brow furrowed.

“Weren’t you an Earth Pony?” She asked, genuinely curious by the sound of it. I scratched the back of my head.

“Well, yes, but my friend tested out a spell, and I-“ I began, but as I looked her in the eyes my wings unfurled with a pomf. I had seen this before in some mares in my past and my face grew red. Her face grew red as well. I smiled nervously, my ears drooping again, and I tried to force them back down.

“Well, anyways, aside from that, where’d you like to go? Would you like to go to Brunch?” I asked, awkwardly trying to push my new appendages down. She just stared at me, struggling to not laugh by the looks of it. My face grew redder, and I tried harder to push them down. Eventually, I gave up, and gave a smile to her, wishing I could cut those things off. Where’s a bone-saw when you need one? I thought.

“So, where’d you like to go?” I asked, ignoring my wings. She grew serious.

“I never said I had accepted.” She said. I blushed more, embarrassed further.

“Oh… Well… I just thought that you’d agree…” I said awkwardly. She looked at me with a bored expression.

“Fine, but I choose where we eat.” She said, closing the door behind her. I smiled widely and she gave me her dull-expression. My smile faded a moment. I gestured for her to take the lead.

I walked behind her, pointing out restaurants I had eaten at in the short time I’d been in Ponyville. I told her my own personal experiences, a few of them altered to be more comical. I got a couple of smiles and snide remarks. It was progress, I thought. While we walked through the town, I saw a few ponies pointing and laughing at me. I realized my wings were still up. My face grew red. I managed to put them down without using my fore-legs. I walked along side her, silent. She pointed to quite the fancy place. By the looks of it, I felt I’d leave with an empty bit-bag. I still walked inside, we got a few seats, and sat there, looking at the menus. The color must have drained from my face, because I felt dizzy when I saw the prices. I looked up to the mare across from me.

“Are you sure we can’t eat somewhere… cheaper?” I asked, a bit fearful of the reply. She looked up from her menu.

“Yes, I’m sure.” She said, looking back down at the menu. I looked down and read a few of the choices. I decided to order the cheapest, yet, probably enjoyable food. I hadn’t a clue how to pronounce it, and I didn’t know the ingredients, so, it was going to be a fun little food-test. When it arrived, Octavia put a napkin in her neck-tie’s place. I left my napkin on the table. I looked at the assortment of spoons and forks in front of me. I looked up at her, and she had selected her silver-wear already. I tilted my head.

“I never learned the proper silver-wear to use.” I said bluntly. She looked up from her food, and gave me another dull look. She pointed out what the different spoons were for, as well as the forks. I thanked her, and picked up the fork I believed was appropriate. She let out a small laugh, probably because I chose the wrong one. I stuck it into the food and cut out the piece with my knife. I placed it in my mouth, tasted it a moment, and felt like spitting it back out. I had paid for it, and I wanted to get my money’s worth, but it wasn’t worth it. I spit the piece onto my plate, grimacing.

“This food is expensive and awful.” I said, scowling at my plate. I looked at her enjoying her food. She looked at the food in front of me, and then to me.

“That’s a pain aux raisins. It’s a typical breakfast item in Prance.” She said, going back to her food. I furrowed my brow.

“That means nothing to me. I do not enjoy it, yet I’m sure others do.” I said plainly. She smiled at my comment. My wings hit the back of my seat. I put them back down, blushing. I looked at some of the other ponies in the restaurant. Most of them were overly-dressed in pricey-looking clothing. I looked back to Octavia, admiring her. She looked up at me.

“It’s impolite to stare.” She said. My face grew red.

“Sorry.” I said, looking down. She let out a slight laugh. I poked at my food, and realized the cognate in it. Pain aux raisins… raisin… I looked closer. It seemed to be a sort of bread. Raisin bread… I sighed, remembering that I hated raisins. I looked back at Octavia, who wiped her mouth with her napkin, and crumpled it up, setting it on her plate. I looked at her half-eaten food.

“You only ate half of your plate… Isn’t that a waste of money?” I asked her. She looked up.

“I can’t eat it all, and, it’s a good thing you’re buying it.” She said with a smirk. I let out an ‘urk’ sound.

“Wait, what?! I never agreed to buy both our meals!” I complained. She raised a hoof before I could say more.

“It’s proper manners for the gentle-colt to buy a lady her food when they eat together.” She gave me a sly smile. I knew I wouldn’t win, so I took out my bit-bag.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We left the restaurant, my bag sixty bits lighter. I walked along side Octavia. I decided to strike up a conversation.

“So, you play the cello? I shoved one of their bows up my bum one time.” I said, laughing. I never did that, it was just a joke.

“Oh, good, I’m not the only one.” She said, smiling.

“I… was joking.” I said, a bit fearful.

“So was I.” She said, smiling to me. I laughed with her. I imagined the image of that and my wings sprang up again. I ignored them, but she looked at them, and her face grew red. She smacked me.

“Ow! Sorry! I can’t help it!” I said. She looked forward, but, she was smiling. I hung my head a bit lower, and put my wings down. She looked at them again.

“So, you said your friend used a spell to give you wings? Does that mean you can feel them?” She asked. I looked over.

“Yeah; it’s pretty odd: Feeling a new appendage and working them around.” I explained. I extended my wing nearest to her and showed her by me flexing it. She grabbed it and yanked on it. I let out a sort of ‘whimper’. She looked at me, smiling.

“Did that hurt?” She asked.

“Yes! Why would you do that?!” I yelled. She laughed.

“You weren’t much of a gentle-colt.” She said, letting go of my wing. I rubbed it. I looked at her, fearing she was some sort of sadist or something. I looked forward once more, walking in silence.

After a few minutes, my wings expanded and went back into my spine in a second. It was cartoon-y, funny, and painful. With my face in the ground I looked back, happy to see no extra appendages. Octavia had stopped and waited for me, smiling. I got up and went back to her side, continuing the walk.

When we arrived at her door I opened it for her, waving her in. I nodded to her, and was about to walk away, when…

“Where are you going?” I heard her say behind me. I turned back around, confused.

“I figured we were done and you’d want me out of your mane.” I said. She waved me inside, laughing a bit. I went into the home. It wasn’t as I imagined it would be. I would’ve thought it’d be much… fancier. It was very average, aside from the large turntable in the living room, and an odd-looking dishwasher in the kitchen. I saw Vinyl sitting on a couch in the living room. She looked over and smiled.

“Hey, lovebirds. How’s it hangin’?” She inquired. My face grew a bit red, and I heard Octavia mumble something not-very-ladylike. Vinyl walked over and poked my chest.

“Did ya kiss her?” She asked, snickering. I smacked her hoof away.

“No, I didn’t.” I said calmly. She laughed. Octavia was blushing, which surprised me.

“Well, I’ll leave you two alone~.” Vinyl sang, walking up the stairs, although, I could see her head peak out. Octavia sat on the couch, and as did I. We sat there, silently. Vinyl let out a groan.

“You two are boring.” She said. I heard her hoof-steps up stairs, and a door closing.

“I hate her sometimes.” Octavia said as soon as the door sounded. I chuckled.

“Likewise, and I haven’t even talked to her that much.” I said.

“Try living with her.” She said, smiling. I laughed and went quiet for a bit. We sat there, in the silence. Thank Celestia it wasn’t another awkward one. I stretched and stood up.

“Well, Octavia; I had a very nice time.” I said smiling. She nodded to me.

“I did too, and, you win the ‘bet’ we established.” She said, smiling a bit. I felt like grinning, but went against it. With a final goodbye I headed out the door and back to the boutique.

Ch. 19: Getting Down to Business

It was around noon now and there was plenty left to do. I smiled. I had achieved one of my goals so far; go on a date with Octavia. There were a few more goals I had that had to do with her, but those’ll come in later in the story. Another major goal; get a few gigs and become, hopefully, famous. Whether it be within the town, or all over Equestria, I didn’t care. I decided to see if any places needed any music. So off I went to the nearest place that I could imagine needed music.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walked out of the fifth building, empty-hoofed. I began to think no one had a taste for musical art in this town. A while later I decided to head back to the boutique. When I went in I saw the usual sight; Rarity going here-and-there.

“Hey, Rarity: You got a second?” I asked, watching her scuttle around the room, rushing here-and-there with fabrics of many kinds.

“Not now, Strum. I must finish this project soon!” She said, still running around. I looked at what she was creating. It was… odd. I will never understand modern fashion. I walked past her onto the stairway. I walked up to my room and set down my things. I plopped onto the bed with a sigh. I just lie there a few minutes, thinking of what I could do.

A few minutes later my thoughts were interrupted by the bedroom door opening. I glanced over to see Rarity.

“I’m so sorry, darling. I was just so busy. So, what is it that you needed?” She asked. I sat up with a slight groan, and smiled.

“Ah, well, it’s about trying to book a gig. Do you know anywhere I could actually play and… well, get paid for it?” I asked, gesturing to my guitar a few times. She looked at me with a bit of melancholy in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, but I really don’t know anywhere.” She said simply. I frowned a bit, but reluctantly thanked her for trying to help. I took-up my guitar again and trotted out the door, still having hope to find some place. I decided to try Octavia, as she, no doubt, was a fantastic musician. I knocked on her door as I arrived, and it was answered by Vinyl yet again.

“Hi there, guy.” She said. I chuckled.

“I told you last time; it’s Strum.” I said. I could hear faint music in the background. Not the usual ‘wub wub wub’, but the sound of classical music. It was beautiful. Now doubt it was Octavia practicing. I returned my attention to the mare in front of me.

“Can I talk to Octavia?” I asked. She shook her head.

“Sorry, Tavi’s practicing.” She began, “She takes her practicing really strictly. She does NOT want to be interrupted. Last time I tried, she shoved her cello-stick-thing-y up my-“

“Vinyl, I have to stop you there.” I interrupted, “But I really want to speak to Octavia.” She shook her head yet again.

“She really be in a bad mood if she’s interrupted.” Seeing as I would get nowhere, I just sauntered off. I wondered, my pack on my back, the sun still high in the sky, and an optimistic and stern attitude. I was going to book a gig, whether for better or for worse! Well… mainly for better.

While walking I heard a few woosh sounds over-head. I looked up to see streaks of rainbows in the sky.

“Hi, Dash.” I called upwards. She flew into view, and gave a small wave before streaking off again. An idea popped into my mind.

“Hey, Dash, can I ask you somethin’?” I asked. She flew back into view.

“I don’t know… I’m kind of busy right now… Meh, go for it.” She said, as if she didn’t want to help. I could tell that she was just trying to seem tough. She didn’t hide behind it too well.

“You know any places where I can play?” I asked, gesturing to my guitar again. She perked up a bit.

“Hey, uh, Strum; are you able to play rock?” She asked, seemingly interested. I smiled a bit, thinking she may know some place.

“Yeah, actually. I’m pretty good at it too.” I said, smiling a bit wider. She smiled as well.

“How would you like to play for the fastest flier in Equestria?” She asked, smiling wider and looking at me expectantly. My smile faded. I got my hopes up.

“Eh… But, I need to do this for money…” I stated. She frowned a bit.

“Yeah, but I’m pretty famous here in Ponyville. I even have my own fan-club who come and watch me fly and perform stunts.” She stated, smiling confidently. I must say, I was interested now. A fan-club as well as her being famous here? No doubt people would show-up and listen to the music whilst watching her stunts.

“Alright, I’ll take it!” I said, grinning from ear-to-ear. She congratulated me on the accomplishment of playing for, yet again; the fastest flier in all of Equestria. I asked when my first gig would be. She acted to check a watch (which she did not have).

“Right now!” She stated. I blinked, but quickly got out my guitar, expecting something to happen. I readied myself. She flew up into the air, and gave me a little signal. I took it as a signal to start. I played a power-chord. I then began to play a melody to an old Irish tune I knew. It wasn’t necessarily rock, and my guitar didn’t have distortion or treble, but, still. I played it as if it were rock. Obviously Dash was fooled, as she kept giving me encouraging gestures as she flew by. I heard a few voices and cheering behind me. Must be her fan-club, I thought to myself. I glanced back, still playing, to see a group of kids with merchandise that no doubt boosted Dash’s already colossal ego. The thing that really bothered me; they were kids. I can’t take money from children. I summed it up to that they could tell their parents about me, maybe one of them is a restaurant owner that would like my skills in their place of business?

I realized that I had played quite a few songs when in-thought. Some of them weren’t even rock, but blues. I looked up at Dash, who seemingly didn’t care. I went to doing some power-chords in an attempt at metal. Without distortion, it doesn’t sound too much like the sought-after genre. It sounded more like soft rock. No matter the case, I still played-on.

About an hour or more later, my hoof was killing me from dragging along the strings so much. I’m sure I’d have blisters, which is odd, because I haven’t had any since I started playing years ago. Dash landed next to me, panting and sweating. She clapped me on the back.

“Nice job, Strum! Still can’t compare to my awesome flying skills, though. I’m sure if you keep playing for me, it’ll rub off on ya.” She said, laughing a bit. I chuckled a bit and packed-up my guitar. I was still a bit sad due to my expectations being Dash-ed (pun totally intended), but, it was fun. I was about to head back to the boutique, but Dash stopped me.

“So, when are you gonna play for me next?” She asked, obviously liking the musical-aid. I chuckled once more.

“Tomorrow, I guess.” I replied. She smiled. I continued to walk-on. I glanced to the side. Through the buildings I could see the Everfree. I felt an urge to go into it…

Ch. 1: Beginnings

“Agghhh… my head…”

Okay, maybe I should start from the beginning: My name is Strumming Chords, but, everyone calls me Strum. Um, well, I have spiky, blonde hair, that is, more or less, a bit green. My eyes are a bright blue. My fur is a pale shade of beige. I… think that’s it.

Well, anyways, I used to live in Canterlot. I know, I know, you think “Oh, one of the rich, spoiled kids, eh?” Well, no, rude-thinking-person. My mom; Viola, my dad; Lute, my brother; Fret, and I were a… middle class family. We usually got money from our little family band. Oh, I forgot to mention, my cutiemark is a guitar, because, well… I love the guitar.

Wait, okay, I’m trailing off. Anyways, when Canterlot started to get a bit old, what with the rich folks all around, and the same old boring routine, I decided to move. I could’ve moved to say, Manehattan, or, Las Pegasus. But, hey, I grew up in the freakin’ capital of Equestria: I’d had enough of big cities. Well, I ended up deciding to move to Ponyville.

And… then I was pick pocketed on the train. So, what else to do but go ape-shit on the guy? Yeah… I’m pretty quick to anger as well… Anyways, I beat him down with my guitar case… and… tried to… gouge his eyes out. I got my money back, but… I kinda… blacked out. Y’know how sometimes you might get so angry, so worked up, that you kinda pass out from anger? Yeah, I think that’s what happened.

Anyways, I woke up at the train station. I had no clue who had helped me off the train, but, I wish I could thank them. Oh, also, I hate to be mean, unless the situation calls for it. And, that’s where this story shoots off:

“Agghhh… my head…” I groaned. I looked around. This must be Ponyville, I thought. Then I remembered what happened. I immediately checked my saddle bags. Good, everything’s still there. I looked to my left, and I saw the familiar shape of my guitar case. I let out a sigh of relief. I stood up, a bit groggily. A ringing hit my ears. I looked to the ground. Some bits had fallen off of me. Great, people thought I was some sort of homeless guy, I thought. Still, though: There must’ve been twenty bits. I picked them up. I mean, seriously, who’d leave them there?

I stood up, and lugged my case unto my back. I looked around again. Then I realized, how’ll I find my way around? I looked around for anyone who could help me. There weren’t many people around, and the ones I did talk to thought I was… a homeless man. I let out a sigh of frustration. I walked away from the train station, and wandered aimlessly.

“Are you lost?” Asked a mare’s voice. I turned to face a lavender mare with dark purple hair with a pink streak in it. I realized that she had wings… and a horn. Then I bowed down. How’d I not recognize princess Twilight Sparkle?

She looked a bit confused. I stood up, and apologized. She asked me again.

“Uh… heh, yeah.” I said, a bit stupidly. She laughed.

“I’m guessing you’re new here?” She asked

“Uh, yeah… this is Ponyville… right?” I asked, a bit worried that I ended up somewhere completely different. She laughed again.

“Yes, this is Ponyville. I’m Twilight Sparkle, nice to meet you.” She said.

“Strumming Chords, but everyone calls me Strum.” I said automatically. Whenever I meet new people, I say that. It’s become an automatic function in my mind. When you’re in the music business, you meet a lot of people… well, I wasn’t THAT famous.

“Well, Strum, maybe I can show you around?” She said, cutting off my train of thought.

“Yeah, that’d be gre-“

“Twilight! There you are! I need your help over at Sweet Apple Acres!” Yelled a mare’s voice with a southern accent.

I looked past Twilight to see an orange mare with a Stetson. She had a blonde mane, tied in a (wait for it) a ponytail. Her tail was similar. She ran up to Twilight, panting. I stood for a moment. Obviously, these two must be friends… or… Twilight’s the ‘go-to-gal’ for people’s problems. The latter seemed a bit ridiculous.

“There’s… somethin’… terrible…” The orange mare panted. Twilight seemed to be worried.

“What is it?” She asked her. The orange mare was still gaining her breath.

“Sheesh, it’s like you just ran a few miles… sorry.” I said. I had apologized, because I felt it was a bit rude. Ah, yes, about that; I try to be as kind as I can, and I am a bit… shy. That’s usually why I stutter around new people.

Got off track again. The orange mare looked up to me. She laughed a bit, and regained her posture.

“Howdy, there. I’m Apple Jack.” She said with a smile. She held out her fore-hoof, and I shook.

“I haven’t seen you before, you new around here?” She asked.

“Uh, y-y-y-yeah, I-I-I a-am.” I said. I wasn’t stuttering, it’s just that the force of her hoof-shake was making me bounce up and down.

“Nice to meet you… uh…” She said.

“Strumming Chords, but everyone calls me Strum.” I said. There was that damn introduction function.

“Nice to meet you Strum.” She said, smiling. That smile disappeared, and she turned back to Twilight.

“Twi, you need to come with me.” She said, sternly.

“Oh, well, okay, but I was about to show Strum arou-AAGH.” Apple Jack had grabbed her, and started pulling her. I didn’t know what to do, so I ran after them. Hey, I said earlier, I try to be kind, and, I thought that I may be of service to this problem.

~~~~~~~~~~

I was panting and huffing when we got there. Hey, I’m not the fittest of people. Anyways, when we got there, I saw a few more people around. There was a white unicorn with curled purple main and tail, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow main and tail, a butter-yellow Pegasus with light pink hair, a pink pony with pink, cotton-candy-like hair, a large, red stallion with blonde hair, and three fillies who didn’t have there cutiemarks. They were crowded around something. We ran up to them, and they made way. We looked at what they were crowded around.

An apple.

I laughed so hard. I thought I would start crying. Twilight looked confused. I continued to laugh. I then realized that everyone was giving me cold glares. I coughed a bit, and said, “Sorry,” a few times. Twilight asked a few questions to them, as to why it was such a problem.

Okay, so, here’s the problems with the apple: 1) It’s not one of theirs 2) It’s relatively large for an apple, and 3) It just ate a squirrel. I laughed a bit at the part about the squirrel, and apologized again. Twilight’s horn shone and the apple… thing, shone with a pink-ish aura. It’s mouth opened, and showed two rows of razor-sharp teeth, and a long, slug-like tongue. It gnashed at us, and I jumped back a bit. It made a sort of screaming sound. I then realized what it was. And I giggled a bit excitedly.

“I can’t believe I’m seeing one in real-life! This is SO AWESOME!” I yelled. Everyone turned to me confused. They looked at me as if I were a lunatic.

“Uh… what?” Asked the cyan Pegasus.

“Do you know what this is?” asked one of the little fillies. I looked down to meet the face of a yellow filly with a large red bow in her hair. I looked back to everyone, a huge grin on my face.

“It’s a mimic! They’re creatures that take form of every-day objects, and catch pray that stray close to them! They’re so cool! I never thought I’d see one in real-life!” I said, letting out a few more excited giggles. Again they looked at me as if I were insane. Twilight’s face then turned to an expression of understanding.

Oh, another thing. How’d I know about this? Well, my uncle had traveled Equestria, and had taken notes on all of the creatures and plants he found. Somehow, he fit it into a small journal… well, I think magic was used, he was a unicorn, after all. Anyways, he gave them to me when he finished his travels. He had retired from his hobby. He’s a great hero in my eyes. I read the journals almost all the time, and re-read the entries I really liked, like, the Colossi myths. My mom had made sure what I was reading was appropriate, and wouldn’t let me read s a few entries, like, the succubus, or the Mata hemlock plant.

Anyways, Twilight used a few spells, and put the mimic in a four-boding forest. I took out my uncle’s journal, and wrote on an empty page: DON’T GO INTO THE EVERFREE. I did that more-or-less for my future children, or, anyone who found it.

“I’m happy that’s dealt with.” Said Apple Jack.

“Eeyup.” Said the large stallion.

Then they all turned to me.

“How’d you know what that thing was?” asked the cyan Pegasus. I looked up at her, and smiled.

“I have a source in which would melt the weak’ s eyes, and make the strong cower.” I said in a dark tone. Her eyes widened as if in terror, then went to a look of a challenge.

“Oh yeah? Well, what is this source, and, can I see it?” She said. I laughed pretty loudly.

“I was kidding. It’s all in this journal.” I said, opening my saddle bag, and producing the small, tattered, brown book. She snatched it up, and started to read. I was about to… well… in all truth, beat the shit out of her. I hate it when people take things dear to me, and treat them with the slightest care. If she had ripped a page, it would’ve been the last thing she’d seen. She handed it back to me, with a bit of distaste. She looked into my eyes, and, she froze. I realized that I was literally giving her a ‘death look’, you know, the one you give to people you want to kill. I took the book, put it back in my saddle bag, and regained my composure, as; I had also gotten ready to pounce on her. I cleared my throat.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that the journal is very precious to me.” I said. The cyan mare flew back a bit. A few others took a step back, as well.

“Anyways, I suppose I should introduce myself: Strumming Chords, but everyone calls me Strum.” Again, it was automatically said. Almost all of them introduced themselves. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Big Macintosh, Applebloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo. And, all except one had introduced themselves. The only one who hadn’t was the butter-colored Pegasus with pink hair.

“And how about you?” I asked with a smile. I was just trying to be friendly. She was hiding behind her hair. She avoided eye-contact with me. My smile faded a bit. I never thought I’d meet someone more shy than me. The others looked at me, and I started to feel a bit awkward. I shifted my hooves, and she kicked at the ground. I coughed, and looked to the others.

“Um… can you please stop starring at me? It’s… uncomfortable.” I said. Apple Jack spoke up.

“C’mon Applebloom, Big Mac, we gotta get back to the barn.” She said.

“Eeyup.” Big Mac said. Sheesh, did he know any other words?

“I gotta get back to work.” Said Rainbow Dash, as she stretched and yawned. I had a feeling ‘work’ meant sleeping on the job.

“Well I-OOF” I said while the wind was knocked out of me. Pinkie had jumped onto me, and gave me a bear-hug. I swear I felt a few ribs crack and pop, as well as my life flashing before my eyes. Huh… so that’s where I left my favorite toy when I was five… Anyways, she yelled something, but it was faint and far away. I heard another voice, and then I fell to the ground, gasping for air. I stood up, coughing.

“What the hell!?” I yelled “Do bears even hug that hard?!” Pinkie gave me the ‘puppy-dog eyes’. Frankly, I haven’t seen a pony be able to pull it off. Somehow, she managed, and it made me feel bad.

“Sorry.” I said. She gave me a huge grin, and started talking about a welcoming party. I started to get a head ache. She hopped of… literally, hopping, and continued to talk to herself. I looked to Twilight, Rarity, and the butter-colored mare.

“Is she always like that?” I asked, moving around a bit to make sure my ribs were all right.

“Yes” Rarity and Twilight said in unison. I looked to the butter-yellow mare.

“So, what was your name, again?” I asked, smiling. She mumbled something that sounded like “butter pie”. It suited her fur color. To be sure, I repeated what I heard.

“Sorry, but, did you say ‘butter pie’?” I asked, still smiling. She hid a bit behind Rarity, and made a ‘squee’ sound, like a tiny scream. It was adorable, and heart-breaking at the same time. I felt like saying ‘bawwwww’, but held myself.

“It’s… fluttershy “ She said… or… whispered. I tried to put it together, resulting in an odd silence between us all.

“Fluttershy?” I said.

“…yes…” She whispered. Well, I suppose the name suits her personality. I smiled at her warmly. Her face was already red, and it turned a darker hue of said red. Wow… I thought I was shy. She seemingly can’t talk to me. I held out a hoof for a shake. Her hoof stayed on the ground. I put mine down awkwardly. She still didn’t make eye contact. I rubbed the back of my head. This was really awkward. Twilight and Rarity were suppressing smiles, though, not too well.

“Well, I need to get back to the boutique.” Rarity said. She trotted off. I felt a bit more uncomfortable. Twilight looked to me.

“So, would you like a tour around Ponyville?” She asked. I looked at her, and smiled, a bit relieved that the silence was breaking.

“Heh, yeah, that’d be great.” I said enthusiastically. I looked back at Fluttershy. For a moment, her eye darted from me, back to the ground, and once again, she hid behind her hair. Again, I felt like ‘bawing’ because, once again, it was an adorable gesture. Usually I don’t find full-grown mares adorable, but, she pulled it off. I looked back at Twilight.

“Allons-y” I said… I never really knew much French.

Ch. 2: Parties

The tour ended with the library. I must say, this is a nice town. The library was amazing; a tree hollowed out and made into a three story home, with a basement! When we walked in, I was hit with the aroma of old books. I liked that smell, to be honest, but this was too much. I swore I would’ve almost choked on the air. Afterwards, Pinkie somehow managed to get in, grab me by the tail, and drag me to Sugar Cube Corner. When I went in, there were the people I met, and a few others. I was hit with the sound of a bass, and the aroma of pastries. Here’s how to explain it: You probably know the inside of Sugar Cube Corner, yes? Well, there was a small stage set at one end of the room, with a white unicorn with blue. spiked hair, and glasses at a DJ table, playing dubstep. There was also a small dance floor set up. A few ponies were dancing. And, there was a cake that read ‘Welcome to Ponyville, Strum!’

I looked around in shock. Pinkie asked me if I liked it all, but I didn’t say anything. Frankly; no one had ever thrown me a party. Sure, I had a few birthday parties when I was little, but when I was six, I stopped having parties. Also, sure, I went to a few parties, but they’d never really been happy experiences. Pinkie was waving a hoof in my face saying ‘Helloooo, Pinkie to Strum, can you read me?” I wasn’t paying attention, I was lost in thought, and, well, amazed. (Please forgive the cliché)

Then… I laughed.

Then, it was my turn to hug her. I started to thank her. I told her I loved it, and I… well… tried to dance. Two things; 1) It’s hard to dance while you have saddle bags, and a guitar case on your back, and 2) I can’t dance. I set down the saddle bags, and the guitar, and… well… attempted to dance. A few of the ponies laughed at me, and I laughed with them. We ate cake, and other pastries. I was surrounded by friends, laughing, and having a great time.

After the party was over, I was pretty sad. It was like when you have a fantastic dream, and then you wake up. But, I was still content. When I walked out of the bakery, I stopped, and just stood there. I had no place to stay. It hadn’t even crossed my mind, as I was caught up in all this shit. I just stood there, thinking; where was I to stay? Where am I supposed to even live? Do I have enough money for a home? What about furniture? What about food and water?! What about electricity?! What about-

“Uh, Strum?” said someone, cutting off my train of thought. I turned to Twilight. She looked at me worriedly. I realized I had fallen to my knees and was grasping my chest. I stood up, cleared my throat, and looked her in the eyes.

“Yes?” I said, trying to forget about my small anxiety attack.

“Are you all right?” She inquired.

“Just fine.” I lied. She looked at me with worried eyes. I began to feel uncomfortable, and shifted from hoof to hoof. Hey, I’m not the most honest stallion, nor am I the greatest liar. I could tell she saw through my lie.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, most likely ignoring my lie. I let out a silent groan of surrender.

“Well, I don’t have anywhere to stay.” I said reluctantly. And, hey, I might as well tell the truth, albeit, not the whole truth, but, hey, it’s better than nothing.

“Oh, well, I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” She said, smiling at me. And, she was right; I did figure something out: I slept on a bench. No doubt I really will be viewed as a homeless man now, I thought.

Ch. 4: Injured by Wood

The few days, I couldn’t help but think what it’d be like if I had gone to Rarity’s first. I’d probably have gotten the job. Then, I remembered: I didn’t have the spa job full-time. I got a good salary from the spa; but still. I decided that before I went to the spa, I’d ask Rarity if she needed any help. I trotted towards the boutique. As I was walking, I hummed a little tune. I stopped when I saw something odd out of the corner of my eye. I turned and… well… how to explain this without scaring the youth? Hm… bah, screw it, I can’t. I turned, and saw a pack of timber wolves eating… something. I couldn’t tell what it was, but they tore the flesh from the bone, and ate it as if it was the tastiest morsel. I saw it, and instantly felt fear. What if they’ll come for me next? I remember it saying in the journal that timber wolves can regenerate when they are killed or disassembled. I had no clue how to face them, so I tried to keep my distance. One of them turned to me. I instantly hauled ass and ran like hell. I could smell its foul breath, and I could hear its steps behind me. I heard a few of them roar, and I could hear more join the one behind me. I know two things: 1) Sure you could dismember it, and slow it down, but 2) the timber wolves will remember you, and come back for you. I tried to think of ways to get rid of them. Shit, shit, SHIT! I thought. Let’s see, I can dismember some of them, but it’d take too long, and another would pounce… maybe if I tantalized them… what do they like more than meat? The thought struck me, and a wave of hope came down. Zap apples! They love zap apples! Then the hope drained as I realized zap apples weren’t even growing anymore… they were old, and grew a while ago, but, due to the taste, most ponies ate them until no orchards were left. I continued to run.

I remembered something; yelling. It gets ponies’ attention, and makes them look for what’s going on.

“SOMEBODY, HELP ME! PLEASE!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. My voice cracked a bit, but who gave a shit?! My life was on the line! I heard a CRASH and a clattering. I made the motion of looking behind me, and saw one of the timber wolves was missing its head. It dropped, and fell apart. A wave of relief hit me… and then oaken teeth sunk into my rump. I bucked at it. I heard a crash and clatter. Two down, four to go, I thought. Then the pain hit me, and I fell to the ground with a yell, holding my flank where the wolf sunk its teeth into. The bite was deep and it was quite heavily bleeding. I looked away; in an attempt to not go into shock. Okay, it’s not so bad, you’ll be fine. Only a little bite, like that one dog gave you when you were little. It’s only a scratch, you’ll be fine. I kept trying to reassure myself, and then I remembered the other wolves. My head shot up, and I looked in the direction we had come from. There was a pile of twigs, branches, leaves, and sap. At first I was confused, then I tried to stand. Pain shot up my back, and I fell back down with another yell. I heard another clatter. I looked up, and my eyes widened in horror: for the piles began to glow an ominous green, and went into the forms of six timber wolves.

“Well, it was a nice run.” I would’ve said if I were a much braver, and more witty stallion, I yelled something more on the lines of “F***! AH F***, F***, F***!” And, I usually don’t use that word unless I’m really angry, or I’m extremely terrified. One of them got up, and jumped unto me. I tried my best to keep it at ground, but it bit into my left fore-leg. I yelled in pain, and kicked it. My vision began to swim at the sight of my blood pouring from my for-leg. I tried my best to fight it off, and gave it a hard head-butt. My vision swam, and my head throbbed. The wolf’s head blew apart, and the rest of it clattered to the ground, and on me. My vision began to go as the others crowded around me, growling, and giving me some eyes that I could only think was hunger. Then it went black.

~~~~~~~~~~

Well, when I was in this blackness, I had a few thoughts; where the hell did those timber wolves even come from? What was it they were eating? Where am I? Am I dead? Am I in purgatory? Hell? Heaven? Nirvana? Am I waiting to be reincarnated? Which of these are the real after life? Where will I end up? I wonder if I’ll be a bee, or maybe a dragon.

After hundreds of thoughts, my eyes began to open, and a relief hit me that I’m not dead. I heard the sound of a constant beeping. I tried to move, but only twitched a bit. I tried to open my eyes more, and a harsh light blinded me. I shut them again, and slowly opened them, trying to get them to focus.

I looked to my left; a heart monitor, and to my right, a window, and a nurse. I realized my left eye was covered with… something. My hoof began to rise to it, and pain shot up my fore-leg. I let out a yell, and dropped my hoof. The nurse must’ve jumped at the sudden noise, because I heard a gasp, clatter, and a thud. I looked over, and confirmed my suspicions; the chair was tipped over, and the nurse was on the ground. She looked up to me, and smiled.

“So, you’re awake?” She asked. I looked around, and looked down at my body. I had a patient’s gown on, and my body was bandaged and wrapped in a few areas. My head thumped against the pillow, and I let out a grown.

“So, what happened, why is my head bandaged, and who saved me?” I asked. She looked at me in surprise. I suppose she hadn’t really known what happened.

“Well… uh…” she checked a clip board.

“You had multiple bites that were very deep, and you’re left fore-leg was broken from a large amount of pressure that we could only assume was from the creature that bit you. “ She read from the clip board.

“And, my eye?” I asked. I was truly curious to why it was patched. I wasn’t conscious when it happened, obviously.

“Well, you had a large bite across the left side of your head, and there was a large amount of bleeding.” She looked up from the clip board, and saw my terrified face.

“Don’t worry, your eye is fine.” She said with a reassuring smile. I let out a sigh of relief, and slumped my head back unto the pillow. Then I went back to my earlier question.

“And, how about who saved me?” I asked her. She looked up, and smiled.

“There were three ponies who brought you in.” She said. I thought of who they could’ve been. I was near Rarity’s, so maybe she was one of them? Also, someone fast… fast enough to destroy those timber wolves… Rainbow Dash? Probably. Who else? I was stumped on who the last could’ve been. Oh well, I’d find out soon, no doubt.

“How long have I been unconscious?” I asked. After all, I was very curious. She checked her notes.

“Let’s see, they brought you in at 9:00 a.m. … so…” She did a few calculations, and checked the time.

“Two days, and three hours.” She said perkily. My eyes shot open, and I jolted up-right.

“TWO DAYS?!” I screamed in disbelief. Again, she fell over. After all, to find out you’ve been in a slight coma is very shocking news. I started to wonder if my payment was docked, and how worried I’ve made everyone, and how much time I’ve lost! I once again seemed to grab my chest. I was about to go into shock, then I felt the nurse’s hoof on my shoulder her. I turned to her, and she was looking into my eyes worriedly. I started to breath slowly, and tried to calm myself.

“Sorry, it’s just… it’s very shocking.” I said. She smiled at me, and it made me feel better. You know when nurses act nice to you to try and make you feel better, and it usually never works? Well, it worked this time.

There came a knock at the door, and a few ponies entered; Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie. They all had faces of worry, then faces of relief when they saw me… and then back to worry. They started asking me if I was all right, and they asked the nurse the same question. Pinkie gave me a ‘get well soon’ cake, which, I haven’t a clue where she got it from. Of course, we all ate it. Who doesn’t like cake? After a while, I decided to ask them the important questions:

“Who saved me?” I said it so grimly that everyone stopped and their smiles faded.

“What?” asked Twilight. I took a deep breath

“I said, who saved me?” I repeated. Dash flew onto the end of the bed, and stood triumphantly.

“I did! I was the only one fast enough to take out those timber wolves while they chased you! Oh, by the way, not only did you run pretty fast, but you screamed like a little filly.” She said, laughing. My ears slumped, and I think I may have blushed. Do I really scream like a filly? I thought to myself.

“Well, thanks.” I said. Somehow, I think the only reason she saved me was so she could be in the spotlight. Either that… or she’s just willing to help out friends. Wait a second, she’s the element of loyalty, of course she’d help out friends. Another question that had some significance:

“And, where’d the timber wolves come from anyways?” I asked, in a bit of a lighter tone. Twilight was the one who spoke up.

“Well, there is a large amount of timber wolves in the Everfree Forest. Sometimes they’ll leave the forest… but mostly when following prey, or during zap apple harvest.” She explained. I laughed a bit at the zap apple part.

“But, sadly, zap apples haven’t been around for years.” I stated. Twilight’s head tilted.

“Actually, Apple Jack has a whole orchard of them. Sweet Apple Acres is the only place in all of Equestria with zap apples.” She said. My jaw dropped, and I closed it. This was new news.

“So, they followed prey… I suppose that’s what that carrion they were eating was.” I said. Dash looked confused.

“Carry on what?” She asked. My shoulders slumped, and my ears did too.

“Dash, carrion, not carry on. Carrion is-“ I tried to state, but I was cut off by Twilight.

“Carrion is usually a corpse, or some sort of carcass of an animal… or… pony.” She said, pondering the last part. We were all thinking about it. We didn’t know what to say.

“If you don’t mind” I began, “can you please go and see what it was? I am very curious, and-“I gestured to my body, “-I cannot go on my own.” I stated. Twilight nodded her head, and Dash flew out of the window. We waited for her to get back. We chatted amongst ourselves for a few minutes, and Dash flew through the window.

“Good news and bad news.” She started. “Good news; it’s not a pony. The bad news; Fluttershy will be sad about a missing chicken.” She said. We all let out a sigh of relief. I smiled and looked up.

“Well, I wish I could leave but I-“ The nurse spoke up.

“Actually, you can leave. You’d just have to be in wheel chair.” She stated with enthusiasm. I perked up at this. I looked to my friends with pleading eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I was rolled out of the hospital in an un-spectacular wheel chair. I was being pushed by Dash, who, I could tell wasn’t enjoying it. It made me feel a bit better, though, I’m not sure why. Every once and a while, a pony would walk up to me and her, and ask what happened. I decided to speak up to Dash.

“Hey, Dash?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.” I knew that I’d never be able to thank her enough. She’d saved my life.

“Eh, it’s fine.” She said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. I knew it wasn’t, but I wouldn’t push it anymore.

“Also, take me to the spa.” I said with a small smile. She looked at me in a bit of disbelief.

“The spa? Really?” she said. I turned to her and smiled.

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“Well, it’s just that I wouldn’t see what I guy like you would need to go to the spa for.” She said. Wait a moment…

“What do you mean a ‘guy like me’?” I was truly curious. She blushed a bit.

“Well, it’s just that you seem kinda… cool.” She said. Well, this was new news. I laughed, and decided to tease her.

“The great Rainbow Dash: admitting someone else is cool.” I said sarcastically. She punched me in the shoulder. I laughed, and she did too. Then we went into the spa.

I asked my bosses about my pay. And sadly; I will not be payed while I healed up. And, I had decided; if I get a job at Rarity’s, I am going to quit the spa. It wasn’t a place that I liked, after all. The work hours were good, and I got to hang around mares, but, the thing is, the pay wasn’t good, and, frankly, my bosses where… well… bitches. I don’t mean that harshly, it’s just that they are very mean to me, and wait for me to mess up so they can punish me. I hated it, to be honest. A few days of working there, and it was almost un-bearable. So, I then told Dash to take me to the Carousel Boutique.

Ch. 5: New Jobs

I had talked to Rarity, quite my spa job, and decided that when I get better, I’ll get right to work with my new boss. It went better than expected. It is estimated it’ll take me about a week to get better. And, I know, that seems too impossible, but, hey, magic does wonders.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, I felt great. The bandages where removed, there were no scars. I felt relieved to have the freedom to move… well… freely. Well, I couldn’t wait to do anything. I went straight to Rarity’s boutique to get work started. I walked over, and knocked at the door. It was answered by Sweetie Belle.

“Hey, Sweetie Belle. Is Rarity around?” I asked her with a smile. She giggled, and ran. I heard her talking to Rarity, and, I heard a few words that sounded like ‘boyfriend’ and ‘k-i-s-s-i-n-g’. I heard hoof steps, and Rarity came to the door.

“Hello, Strum. It’s nice to see that you are better.” She said, smiling. I smiled back.

“It’s great to be walking around again. Anyways, I came here to begin my first day.” I said cheerily. She paused a moment, pondering something, obviously. Then she smiled, and told me to make myself at home. I must say; it was a quite impressive boutique. Dresses and suits of all kinds, and quite a bit of materials and fabric around. I’m pretty sure I also spotted a few gems. Rarity began back on what I could only assume what she was working on before I interrupted. All I did was stand there, like an oaf, if I may add. She grabbed what she needed with her magic, and, she didn’t need anything from the market place. I was about to ask what I should do, when Sweetie appeared in the doorway. I looked at her, and she had a devious smile on her face.

“Hey, Sweetie.” I said in greeting. She still had that eerie smile. I knew something would turn wrong soon. She darted up to me, and looked up into my eyes. I couldn’t help but back my head up a bit, and raise my hoof, as if ready to defend myself.

“Um… what?” was all I could think of saying. She gestured to me to come closer, so I leaned in a bit. She gestured me again, so I leaned further in. She gestured again, so now my face was right in front of hers. It was uncomfortable that I had to lean in this close. She put her mouth near my ear, and put a hoof next to it.

“I know you like Rarity.” She said, with a huge shit-eating-grin on her face. I raised my head up, and looked at her in confusion. She continued to smile. I waved it away as a little joke. She darted up to Rarity, and made the same gestures. She whispered something, but I couldn’t hear. Rarity’s cheeks turned red, and she looked at me a moment, and then looked away, and went back to her work. My eyebrow raised in suspicion. Sweetie might’ve said the same thing she said to me, or, maybe, she said that I liked her. It was a bunch of shit, if you ask me. I only saw Rarity as a friend.

I had been humming for a little while; when Rarity said she needed my help.

“Finally, something to do!” I said. She laughed a bit at this.

“Please go onto the small stage in the center of the boutique.” She said to me. I had a bad feeling about this, but I reluctantly went along. I stepped onto the small stage, and stood there. Rarity came out with a suit, and put it on me. I must say, it is odd to be fully-grown and have someone dress you. The suit was a bit snug, and tight in… some areas which I’d rather not go into detail. It was also tight around the neck. The thing was; I’m not the biggest, nor am I the smallest. If anything, my frame is slender compared to most stallions that have more muscle. So, I stood there, and waited for her to finish the few areas that were still off. When she was done, she stepped back to admire her handy-work.

“How is it?” She asked, smiling. She looked at me expectantly. I sighed.

“I know you can take it, so; I’ll tell you the truth: The… nethers… is too tight, so are the fore-legs, and also the neck and chest. Also, the colors don’t match too well, and the stitching you used in the back is uncomfortable.” I stated. She nodded at my comments.

“Well, there are a few ways that may be in the way.” She said, rubbing her chin.

“And… those would be…?” I said.

“Your fore-legs may be… a bit… pudgy, your chest may be… well… more prominent, and your neck may also be pudgy.” She blushed a bit, “And as for… that… well…”

“I get what you’re saying. Here are a few things, however: My figure is slim, and not very… pudgy in any areas. And as for… that… Well… I will not go into detail.” I said.

“I see… well… I suppose it will need to be worked on.” She said, while her magic enveloped me, and levitated the suit off me. She thanked me, and I stepped off the stage, and followed her into the initial room we were in. Once again; there I stood, and there she worked. After a while, there was a knock at the door. We heard it open, and heard three voices.

“Now, who could that be?” I asked mostly myself, but Rarity answered.

“Oh, Sweetie invited her friends over for a sleep over.” She said. I looked at the clock, and received a shock; it was already 8:12 p.m.

“Damn, it’s gotten late.” I said, “Well, I’m good with pulling an all-nighter, how about you?” I said, turning to her. She tapped her chin and smiled.

“That’d be fine.” She said. When she finished, three figures appeared in the door. The Cutiemark Crusaders, nonetheless. I turned to them, and looked at them. Sweetie and Applebloom giggled, and Scootaloo had a large grin on her face. I decided to settle this.

“Sweetie, Scootaloo, Applebloom; if I may have a word with you?” I said, more than asked. I walked to them and led them into the main room. I looked them in the eyes.

“Sweetie, I know you think Rarity and I are… well… er…” Well, I hadn’t thought too well on how to go about this; I just wanted to settle this.

“Bah, you know what I am saying. Anyways, we aren’t.” I said sternly. Nice and to the point, I thought. She smiled wider. I had a feeling I was in for quite the explanation in the future. She whispered to her friends, and they ran off into the room Rarity was in. This won’t be good, I thought. I waited, and they came out pushing a blushing Rarity. They pushed her right in front of me, and I looked her in the eyes. She returned the look, but she was still blushing. We stood there while the CMC watched from their vantage-point behind a box. I looked to them, and then back to Rarity. I leaned in close, and whispered into her ear.

“Look, you and I both know that Sweetie is mistaken, so, how about we humor them?” I said, with a devious smile. Rarity’s blush began to fade, and she had much the same smile. I began to start to think of ways to go about this, and I could tell she was too. I had a brilliant idea: I knelt down, and looked up to her.

“You’re as radiant as Celestia’s sun, and more beautiful than that of Luna’s night sky.” I said, trying to sound as love-struck as I could… without laughing, of course. Rarity blushed a bit, but went along, acting surprised, and much the same way. I heard excited giggles from behind the box, and grinned. I got up, and leaned very close to Rarity. I couldn’t hear anything from behind the boxes, but I somehow knew they were watching, and waiting, for, no doubt, us to kiss. I whispered into Rarity’s ear.

“Now, then, I have no clue where to take this. Perhaps stop here, and tell them? And, I know you don’t want to kiss me, so, we can also turn it in a direction they were not expecting at all.”

“Perhaps we could do the second, and then tell them?” She whispered back. I smiled deviously, and backed my head away. For the sake of children, once again, I will not go into detail of what we said. Rarity said some very un-ladylike things… some that had to do with ropes, and I said some things no gentleman would ever utter. We heard some odd sounds behind the boxes, and I supposed it was them gagging, or, perhaps, vomiting. We both walked over, and, I was correct. I broke out laughing, and Rarity did the same. After we had our laugh, we told them we were messing with them. They didn’t take it too kindly, and they left the room to Sweetie’s room. I laughed a bit more.

“Hahaha! We are probably the best actors in Equestria.” I joked. Rarity laughed as well.

“I wouldn’t be surprised, it was very good acting, especially on your part.” She said. I laughed again.

“Oh no, what about your little request about ropes?” I couldn’t suppress any laughter while talking. She laughed as well, and blushed.

“I can’t believe I said such things.” She said, and I couldn’t help but laugh with her.

“Well, let’s get back to work.” I said. We walked back into the room, and got back to our stations. After about an hour; I began to droop a bit. I walked over to see what Rarity was doing. To my surprise; she was asleep. I nudged her, and she jumped a bit.

“Oi, what happened to the all-nighter?” I asked. She yawned, and covered her mouth with a hoof as she did so. She looked at me, still half-asleep.

“I’m sorry, I was so tired.” She said. I nodded, and yawned as well. I sat in another chair at the small work station. I began to nod off. I closed my eyes, and nearly fell asleep. I would’ve fallen asleep if it hadn’t been for something hitting me in the nethers. I let out an ‘oof’, and my eyes shot open. I looked down, and saw Rarity had fallen over onto me. I didn’t want to wake her, so I just left her there. I closed my eyes once more, and I drifted asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up to a gasp (I dreamed about cheese again). I opened my eyes, and looked over at Rarity. I smiled and said good morning. She had a slight blush. I was confused, but stood up and… well… went to the bath room. When I went to the bath room, I realized what had spooked Rarity. Well, shit, was all I thought. I was tired, and just woke up; my brain wasn’t fully-functioning yet. I walked out, and Rarity handed me a few bits.

“What’s this?” I asked. She looked at me and smiled.

“It is your pay for this week.” She said kindly. I took the bits, and put them in my bit-bag. I sat down on a red couch, and just sat there. Rarity walked up to me.

“What are you doing?” She inquired. I looked up at her.

“I really don’t know.” I said with a slight chuckle. I stood up, a bit shakily, and walked over to the door.

“Well, I’ll be on my way, and I’ll be back at noon to begin work.” I waved and walked out. As I was walking, I looked over at the clock tower. Great, another wake-up at ten. I continued walking, and went to a restaurant. I ordered a daisy sandwich and a cup of coffee. While I sat there, I saw Apple Jack sitting at a stand. I finished up my… well… breakfast/lunch, and walked up to her.

“Hey, Apple Jack, how’s it hangin’?” I asked. She smiled.

“I’m all right, and you?” She asked.

“Just fine.” I replied. It was quite the one-sided conversation.

“Can I interest you in buying some apples?” She asked. I looked at the apples. They looked ripe and fresh. My mouth was watering a bit from the thought of eating one… the juices exploding in my mouth (Shut the hell up, dirty-minds!). I checked my bit-bag. Yes! I took out a few bits.

“How much per apple?” I asked excitedly.

“Three bits an apple.” She said happily. I gave her thirty bits, and happily jumped off with my bag-full-of-apples. Oh, one thing I should add: Apples are the best of fruits in my opinion. Actually, they may be my favorite food, period. I would eat them with almost everything. Anyways, I happily munched on a couple apples while walking to the library. I got there, knocked on the door, walked in, and grabbed my bags and case. I told Twilight that I’d look for another place to stay. After all, she was usually studying or reading, and wanted silence. I didn’t want to be a burden. I went to the boutique, and knocked on the door. Once again, Sweetie answered. We chatted while I set my stuff down. Well, it was more of ‘hello’ and ‘how are you?’ I talked to Rarity, and, we decided, that I’ll just stay here. While I was setting up my temporary abode; I tuned my guitar and played a bit. I then set up everything else, sat down, and read my journal. I waited for Rarity to need my help, mostly, but, I was also curious about the entries my mother never let me read…

Ch. 6: Rivalries

Well, the entries were not what I expected at all. I thought they’d be gorey, or, perhaps, too scary: This wasn’t the case. I was surprised that my uncle knew about these, and gave this book to me in the first place. Well, it doesn’t matter. I have it, and that’s the end of it.

Anyways, after a bit of reading, Rarity piped up.

“Can you go and get me a few supplies?” She asked as she handed me a long, long, list. I grabbed it, and shrugged. I walked out the door, and was greeted by the little dragon again. He looked a bit angry, and a bit sad, at the same time.

“Hey there…” I had no clue what to call him. I think Twilight called him ‘Spike’ a few times. He looked at me, his arms crossed.

“What are you doing at Rarity’s so often?” He asked. I looked at him in confusion.

“I work for her, and I live here.” I replied. He must’ve thought I was lying, because he became angrier.

“I’m not buying it.” He said. Instantly, I knew we’d have a little fight, so I decided to not delay the inevitable.

“Well, I ain’t sellin’ it.” I said, with a hint of a smile. He grew angrier, and he balled his fists. I laughed at this.

“Look, little guy, I don’t know what your deal with Rarity is, but jealousy is clouding your thoughts, and not letting you hear reason.” I stated, “And, when I was little, I used to think the same way. So, that concludes that you are very young, yes?” He became a lot angrier. The next thing I knew; I was enveloped in green fire, and I was on top of somebody. I looked down, made a ‘urk’ sound, and hopped off the Princess of the Sun. I bowed down and apologized. I then told her all that happened. She seemed to know Spike, and let the royal guards escort me back to Ponyville. I must say; riding in a golden carriage like royalty will shut all the people who thought you’re a hobo up. I instantly starting looking for the little bastard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I never found him, but I did get the things Rarity needed. I headed towards the boutique. When I got there, I opened the door, and saw Spike going here and there, grabbing things for Rarity. When he handed it to her, I saw a look in his eyes. It made me want to crack up. Really? This little guy thinks he has a chance to get a girl of another species, that’s also probably ten times his age? I thought to myself. I didn’t know how old Spike was, but I was guessing two or three. I was probably wrong, but, hey; I don’t have much information on dragons. Even Gusle (My uncle) wasn’t brave enough to get close to them. All I knew was that he was WAY smaller than fully-grown dragons. I decided to pipe in.

“Hey, I’m back.” I said. Spike turned and his eyes widened in horror. Rarity turned and smiled.

“Oh, what took you so long?” She asked. I looked at Spike, and scowled.

“Ask the lizard that looks ready to piss himself.” I said coldly. She turned to Spike in confusion, and his face grew red, and he looked ashamed of himself. I smiled a bit.

“You know, I don’t know how, but I was sent to Celestia’s bed chamber.” I started, “She could’ve executed me, or, banished me. And you meant to… what exactly? Burn me to a crisp? Or did you know that I’d be sent to Celestia?” I said. He still had a look of terror. He slid in front of me, and began to beg on his knees.

“Please, please, PLEASE don’t tell Twilight!” He said, “I’ll do anything you want! Just don’t tell her!” I looked up at Rarity, who still looked confused. I looked back down at the begging dragon. I began to ponder how I could blackmail him. Although, it’s a bit harsh, he is just a baby. I let out a sigh.

“Look, I don’t want to black mail you, so, I swear not to tell Twilight that you sent me to Canterlot via fire-travel.” I said with a little smile. He thanked me… a lot. He also hugged my fore-legs tightly. I rolled my eyes, and gently pushed him off.

“Uh… yeah… I think you’ve thanked me enough. Well, here’s the stuff anyways Rarity.” I said. Rarity took the things with her magic, and rummaged a bit. Spike looked at me. It was an odd look he had. It was a look of a mix of both hatred and thankfulness. I didn’t know I look was possible with such different emotions. I looked at him, still a bit confused. Then it hit me: I was sent to Canterlot and I still got Rarity the things she needed. It made me look completely un-self centered, and that I’d do anything for her. Though, it’s not true. I am a little self-centered, as I don’t always do things for what I want. Also, I wouldn’t do anything for Rarity, or anyone. To say the least; I’ve trailed off in my own explanation.

I laughed a bit. The entire explanation went through my head in a millisecond. He looked at me, the thankful look fading, leaving just hatred. I knew that him and I would constantly fight in the future. Perhaps I could settle it in a way. Get very close with Rarity, and hook them up, was a thought I had. I knew it’d be impossible, but, maybe I could try. I leaned in next to Spike.

“Hey, maybe in the future; I can try and hook you up with Rarity.” I whispered, and leaned back. He had that look of thankfulness again, and he gave me a huge grin.

“You’d do that?!” He asked in a pretty loud whisper. I looked to Rarity, who was at work again, then back at Spike. I gave him a wink, which, I’d never been able to pull off a wink. He hugged my fore-legs again, really freakin’ tight; if I may add. Once again; I pushed him off. I walked up to Rarity.

“I’m gonna take the day off; it’s been pretty crazy.” I said, and then walked out the door. I quickly went back in, got a couple of apples from the bag from earlier today, and walked out again.

I was happily munching on them when a rainbow blur hit me off my feet, and crashed into the side of a building. I was disorientated, and just laid there. I was looking up at the sky. I spit out the apple, and stayed where I was. It was a nice day; the sun was shining, there were puffy clouds here and there. I never noticed it this morning. Meh, I thought. I stood up. It was a beautiful day, indeed, but I wouldn’t spend all day admiring it. I looked at Rainbow Dash, who was in a crumpled heap next to a building. I trotted over, and looked down at her.

“It’s pretty amazing that you don’t even have a cut or broken bone.” I said. She stood up as fast as she had hit the building. She gave me a triumphant smile. I gave her a smile that wasn’t one of amusement, but more of a teasing gesture.

“So, were you planning to crash into that building, all-the-while knocking me over?” I asked. I looked back at the half-eaten apple and the other’s core. I looked back at Dash, who, didn’t seem as jokingly as I did.

“No, I wasn’t planning on it.” And then her smile came back, “But, you have to admit; I was going very fast!” She said. I rolled my eyes. I walked away, chuckling to myself. What to do… I thought to myself. Not doing work; Spike is no doubt covering for me… maybe I can ask Apple Jack if she needs any help. And so; I trotted to Sweet Apple Acres.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I got there; I nearly got flattened by a rogue cart full of apples. I didn’t dodge it, if that’s what you thought. It hit me, made a thump sound, as a loud pop came from me. The cart’s front fell apart, and the rest of the cart followed as it hit a tree nearby. Once again, I was on the ground, looking at the sky. I laid there, admiring it again. I was in a bit of pain, as it had probably dislocated my leg. I heard foot-steps, and looked over at Apple Jack and Big Mac with worried expressions.

“Hey.” I said. They looked at me, in surprise. I pointed at the cart with my good leg.

“Your cart broke, sorry about that.” I said. I tried to move the other leg, but it hurt quite a bit. I looked to them.

“So, can you two help me push my leg back into its socket?” I asked kindly. It sounded so non-chalant, that it was almost hilarious. Big Mac grabbed my leg, and forcefully pushed it back in. I probably yelled a few words that would get a little filly or colt grounded for a long, long, time. I got up, tested my shoulder, and thanked Big Mac.

“Eeyup.” He said. I looked to Apple Jack.

“So, do you need any help around here?” I asked. She smiled.

“We could always use help.” She said.

Ch. 7: Baking Troubles

So: You’d probably expect us to be bucking trees and pulling plows in the blink of an eye? Well; that’d be over-exaggeration, and you’re wrong.

It took me probably five bucks a tree, as it took Apple Jack one. It was quite hurtful. I mean that both mentally and physically. On one hand; I was shown that I truly was weak. On the other; my muscles were aching like a bitch.

After I’d had enough; I said goodbye to Apple Jack and Big Mac, and declined pay. I trotted through the streets once more. I thought about how my other friends may need help, when I heard a scream from Sugar Cube Corner. I ran into it without thought. I saw Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. At first glance; it looked very wrong. Dash was on top of Pinkie, and pressed against her. When, if you paid attention to detail; you’d notice that the ceiling was broken, and there were pieces of it around them. I walked over, and helped them up. I looked at Dash.

“If you want to practice flying without crashing; go to that one race track in Cloudsdale: It’s high up, and it is meant for going fast.” I said to her. She rubbed her chin, smiled, and darted through the hole she had come through. I looked to Pinkie.

“So, do you need any help around here?” I inquired. She smiled brightly, grabbed me by the fore-leg, and dragged me near an oven. She started handing me ingredients and such. I looked at her; my fore-legs holding quite a few things.

“Uh… Pinkie… I don’t know how to bake.” I said. It was true. The most complex thing I’d ever baked was a cake… when I was eight. It was burnt, and rotten. I didn’t fruit, or anything that could be rotten. How’d I managed that; I hadn’t a clue, and still have no clue. I had also used salt instead of sugar as well.

She looked at me, with a big-ass smile.

“Oh, goodie! I can teach you how to bake! This’ll be so fun!” She said, literally pumping her hooves in the air. I had a feeling this’d be a really bad idea. She grabbed me again, making me drop the ingredients. She put me in front of a counter, and placed a bowl, and many baking supplies. I looked at them, and all the ingredients from a second prior dropped next to the supplies.

“Are you ready?” She asked, almost yelling in my ear. I looked at all the stuff.

“Yeah… I suppose.” I said. I looked over, and she had copied the lay out to the precise tilts and angles that my little station was. I hadn’t a clue how she managed it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a few minutes; Pinkie had told me everything she knew about baking. Somehow; my brain had been able to catch it all, and I memorized it. How she managed to say it all in a few minutes, and me to be able to catch it all, was quite the anomalous event. Anyways, we then baked two cakes, two baker’s dozens of cupcakes, and two baker’s dozens of what Pinkie called ‘baked bads’. I hadn’t a clue who’d eat them. Although, she said a few things about Apple Jack and Spike while we made them. We also made many other pastries that I hadn’t even thought about before.

We tried each other’s pastries. One bite of Pinkie’s; and I was almost drooling a river. It was really, really, f***in’ good. She tried mine, thought a moment, and turned to me with a smile.

“You need to use a bit more sugar, but, other than that; it’s great!” She said. I felt good about myself. I learned a new, important, skill. I smiled, and thanked Pinkie. I was about to walk out, but Pinkie had her hoof on my shoulder.

“Wait! We’re not done yet!” She said. I turned to Pinkie, very surprised. We had baked hundreds of pastries, it felt. Her smile was a bit smaller. I felt I needed to ask a question. It was probably one of the most important questions anyone could ever ask. It could be asked in any context, at any time:

“What?”

She looked at me, smile widening a bit. I had a very bad feeling about what would happen.

“I have something I want to show you!” She said. She bounced to a door, and whipped it open. A stair-case leading down was apparent. I had heard a few things about Sweeny Todd, and was fearful about the basement. She bounced down. I followed reluctantly. Pinkie flipped on the lights, and what I saw; I was terrified of: There were many surgical supplies, and a table made of bones and skin, and disturbing, organs everywhere, and a streamer with ‘life is a party’ written on it in blood. Not really. I was terrified of it, nonetheless. What was really there was a bright room, with a lot of… things. I hadn’t a clue what they were. They made me feel uneasy.

“Ta-da!” She said as the lights flipped on. I looked at one of the objects. It looked very odd. Pinkie grabbed it up, and chucked it behind her. She had a blush on her face, and a nervous smile. I took it I wasn’t supposed to see whatever that was. I shrugged, and looked around. It was a nice little room, and it had a couch with a… TV in front of it? TVs were extremely rare, as it required power, whether it be electrical, or magical. There was also a bed opposite to it. Logic dictated this may just be some sort of “Guest room”. I looked at Pinkie.

“So, what exactly is this room?” I asked to her. She looked at me; her smile wide.

“I come down here some times when I’m bored.” She said. I knew that she lived above Sugar Cube Corner, but she had another living space down here? I was confused, but, hey; this was Pinkie Pie.

“I’m usually not bored, but sometimes I’ll come down here with Dash.” She said, still smiling. I still looked around. The pink of some of the objects and furniture was beginning to hurt my eyes. I decided to ask another question.

“What exactly do you do? Watch TV? Sleep?” I asked. She giggled a bit.

“Yeah, sometimes I watch TV. I’ve never really slept in here though.” She said. The bed confused me now. Maybe she had originally planned to sleep in here? I looked to her.

“So, what’s the deal with the bed? And…” I looked at all the odd objects and such. “Those.” Her smile widened more, which, seemed almost impossible.

“This is a party room! And those are party favors!” She said. I looked at the bed again. It hadn’t answered my question about the bed.

“Uh… what’s the bed got to do with anything?” I asked again. She continued smiling, and bounced to the edge of it.

“You know how my parties are tiring?” She said perkily, “Well, this can be for sleep-overs or for whoever is really tired… or, another reason.” She said. How she said the last part scared me. I had a slight feeling of what those other reasons could be. I coughed, and decided that I’d get out of here.

“Well, Pinkie, thank you for teaching me how to bake, and thank you for showing me this basement. I’ll be on my way now.” I said. Pinkie hopped onto me, knocking me onto the floor. My head whipped back, and pain went through my skull. My vision swam for a moment, but returned to Pinkie; who was now towering over me. I was terrified, because her smile was very unnerving, and she looked at me with her same happy, and crazy, eyes. I was shaking, and was scooting for the stairs. She put a hoof on my chest, and it managed to stop my slow crawl to salvation. I let out a few curses under my breath. Pinkie grabbed one of the party-favors off a dresser, touched her mouth to one end, and blew. Confetti blew out of it, and into my face. Frankly, things that are fast, and unexpected will scare anyone. I, for one, am terrified beyond belief by said things. I jumped, and knocked Pinkie over. I realized that I was free, and ran for the stairs. But, she hopped onto my back, knocking me onto my chest. I let out an oof. Pinkie put her mouth close to my ear and whispered something that I’d rather not put here (For the sake of hilarity). I’ll tell you it had to do with her, Twilight, and I with frosting, and a pie. My face was hot, and I shoved her off of me, and darted up the stairs at a speed that would make Rainbow Dash jealous. I then remembered Pinkie’s comment about her and Dash down there. I lost respect for both of them that day.

I burst out of the door of Sugar Cube Corner. My face was redder that a tomato, and sweat making my mane flat, and said sweat running down my face. I ran all the way to Rarity’s boutique, darted up the stairs, into my bed room, and fell to the floor. I was panting heavily.

Ch. 8: Philosophical Shit

Now, most of you sick minded people would think of this to have to do with fornication, but you’re wrong. I mean, at first I thought so too, but when Pinkie whispered into my ear, I found out what it was about. It was actually all about pranking. I despise pranking, because it can hurt people quite a bit. I didn’t want to hurt anyone for my own amusement. Why was I blushing? Well, if you had a mare on top of you, whispering into your ear, wouldn’t you blush too? Why was I sweating? Because I ran really f***ing fast and hard! Also, about the ‘other things’ Pinkie did with that bed; I still don’t know the answer. It’s probably exactly what we all thought. What Pinkie and Dash did in that room I wish is only planning pranks.

A knocking came at the door. I was still on the floor, panting. I looked over at it. I couldn’t manage to say anything. I couldn’t think of anything to say anyways. I felt completely drained. Again; I ran extremely fast. Why I ran so fast? I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’d seemed to get more physical activity since I came here. Also; why was this town so crazy? There always seems to be something happening: Whether it is for the better, or worse. The knocking was louder, and words accompanied it. I wasn’t paying attention. I was thinking of all these questions. I can comprehend the most scientific mind-fucks without much trouble, but this was hurting my head. Didn’t I come here for less excitement? Did I actually come here for excitement? How did I become a friend of the Elements of Harmony so fast, and not other ponies? I suppose I should talk to more ponies. Why not delve into little pranks? Pinkie isn’t cruel enough to do things that would hurt people too much, would she?

The door busted open. Rarity, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike were there. I didn’t pay much attention, as I was still thinking. I just looked up at the ceiling, no longer panting. I must have been lying there for quite some time, as Rarity would’ve had to go get them. I knew if something didn’t happen soon, I’d probably begin to ponder my, and everybody’s existence. They went around me, and asked questions that went through my head, and out again. When I start to think; I shut out the world around me, and pay no attention to anything but my thoughts. This is how I can be creative, as nothing will distract me. The problem is; I will have to force myself out with will power. This time; I didn’t feel like forcing myself out of it. The only way someone can get me out of it is with physical trauma. So, I lie there, pondering my life here in Ponyville. I felt something touch my head. I didn’t stop thinking, but I did look at what it was. It was Twilight’s horn. It was glowing. I was still thinking, but also wondering what she was doing. I began to slowly force myself out, directing my thoughts in the direction of the present, and what she’s doing. It seemed easier than usual. Maybe that’s what she was doing? I sat up, and looked at everyone. They looked worried. Time for the eternal question:

“What?” I said with the wholeness of my wisdom, and the universe’s eternal life span, and the ethereal world’s… screw it, I said it as if I were drunk and just waking up. They all started asking what had happened. Frankly; I didn’t know this’d spark such a philosophical debate on my life in my head. I was surprised when I realized it. I stood up, not saying anything, and walked out. They still followed me, asking me if I was alright. I just continued walking, with a purpose in my mind that could not be broken. I felt something on my chest and my back. I realized that I had been tackled to the ground by Dash. She was yelling into my ear. I stood up, literally carrying her on my back. I continued to walk to Sugar Cube Corner.

~~~~~~~~~~~

When I got there; I was carrying Dash, Twilight, Apple Jack, and Spike on my back. How I had managed it is a mystery. When I began to feel their weight, I stood on my back legs, making them all fall off. I walked into Sugar Cube Corner, and walked up to Pinkie, who was sadly eating the pastries we made. She looked at me when I walked through the door.

“Strum? What are you-“ She was cut off as I laughed. She was confused. I just laughed. I began to laugh harder. Everyone else ran through the door, and their questions stopped as I was continuously laughing. I must’ve looked like a complete psychopath to everybody. My head bent back, and I laughed. I laughed like a psycho as well. My usual laughter was as low as my voice: This laughter was as high pitched as when my voice cracked. My face began to tingle. My laughter died down to a slight giggle. Then I stopped. There was utter silence, and I had the biggest of grins on my face. I walked up to Pinkie.

“Why not?” I said. She smiled wide. She took a pie out of the oven, and grabbed some frosting. I laughed some more, and so did she. Oh, and, why did I decide to change my mind? Because I liked my new life here, and I decided that, how much could the prank hurt someone?

“What the hell is going on?!” yelled Twilight. We looked at her. She seemed really angry. I took the pie and threw it at her; Pinkie went up from behind and put frosting on her head. There was utter silence once more. Then we all laughed, Twilight included. It was pretty damn funny. I was happy that all that philosophical shit was over.

Ch. 9: Meeting new Ponies

The next day, I picked up on pranking with Pinkie. Even the pranked had a good laugh. I said goodbye to Pinkie around noon, and went on my merry f***in’ way. I walked around a bit. And saw a hobbling mare struggling to open a door to a candy shop. I was wondering what was wrong. I decided to help her out. It was odd for a mare her age to be hobbling, but, what do I know. As I got closer, I heard mumbling. She was saying things about a ‘Bon Bon’ something about a ‘f***ing door’ and ‘hinges’. I walked up behind her, and decided to ask the sacred question:

“What?” She looked at me a moment, and turned back to the door. That was rude, I thought. She used her magic to open the door, but she accidently used too much force, and launched the door fifty feet behind me.

As it turned out; it hit an un-suspecting Big Macintosh, knocking him out instantly.

A crazed mare that had an odd mane ran out, screaming at the green mare.

“Damn it, Lyra! That’s the fourth one today!” She yelled in a nasally voice.

“I can’t help it! I need you!” the ‘Lyra’ contested. I decided once more to ask the holiest, and most sacred of questions.

“What?” they turned to me. The one I can only assume to be ‘Bon Bon’ spoke up.

“Oh, are you a customer?” She asked, her voice different from the last time, it seemed to now be the voice of a sarcastic hipster. It seemed to have a hint of seductiveness in it… It didn’t work on me.

“No, but I could suck on your candy, if you like.” I said jokingly. Frankly; I didn’t mean anything of it, just a joke. Lyra, picked me up in her magic.

“She’s mine, ass hole.” She said angrily. Bon Bon leant in, and whispered something in Lyra’s ear. She dropped me from the green aura, and smiled at me. I looked up from my comfy spot on the hard road.

Meanwhile, across town, Big Macintosh regained consciousness, and began to act like a dog (perhaps it released inner feelings). He ran up to the school teacher, Cheerilee, and licked her.

My tail was enveloped in magic, and I was dragged into the store behind the two mares. As my back was being skinned, I couldn’t help but hear a mare’s voice ranting about a ‘great and powerful Trixie’. I was dragged into a back room, which looked like a small home.

“Fjord.” I said. I wasn’t sure why; but it seemed like no word I knew could explain the feeling I had right now. I was very, very fjord right now. I don’t even know what a ‘fjord’ is, or who it is. I was dragged onto a couch. I looked around the room. It seemed like a comfy little abode. I realized, that I had someone on top of me. I turned in time for Lyra to lick my eye. I decided to ask the most universally powerful word that one can use at anytime, in any dimension.

“What?!” Again, I feel very fjord. Lyra pouted.

“What? You don’t like it?” She asked, with bedroom eyes. I was utterly confounded. Her eyes closed, and she leaned in close. I put my hoof on her face to stop her movement. Her eyes opened. Then, seemingly out of f***in’ nowhere: a thought went through my mind like fire-works exploding in a box full of epileptic kittens. She was attempting to ride me. I raised the pressure in my fore-leg, causing the mare to fall off the couch. She landed on top of the one called Bon Bon. My lap seemed oddly wet.

“Thank you for the offer, but I must decline.” I said in the most gentlecolt-like voice I could muster. As I stood up, and began to trot, I felt my tail get pulled back. I fell onto my face, my flank in the air. I felt something against my rump. I turned to see Lyra on it. She had a hungry look in her eyes. I’m sure my eyes showed terror. She dragged me back into the room. The door closed, and I heard the sound that sealed my fate.

A dull click.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The door opened, and I stumbled out, with two mares smiling and waving to me. I felt ashamed. I needed to take a shower…

Ch. 10: Love-Struck Strum

And then I woke up. The first thing that I realized: It was a dream. The second thing; it was that kind of dream. I groaned, and got out of bed. I took the sheets, and walked downstairs with them. I saw Rarity and Sweetie eating some toast.

“Oh, hello Strum… why are you carrying the sheets?” She asked. I looked at the sheets. My face grew hot, and I looked back at Rarity: I really hoped she understood so I didn’t have to say it… especially in front of a little filly. Her face grew red, and she nodded in understanding. I trotted over to the closet and put them in it. I hadn’t a clue what to do with them. I decided to go outside.

While I was walking to the market place, I saw those two mares from my dream. I shuddered, and continued walking.

Suddenly, there was a loud CRASH. I jumped, and swerved around, just in time to dodge a speeding brick.

“And don’t you ever come back!” yelled a grey mare with black hair. The DJ from the party was running away from her. I was utterly confused at what had happened. I walked over to the mare.

“You just nearly bashed my skull in with a flying brick.” I said, with a smile. She didn’t return it, and looked at me angrily. My smile faded a bit. I decided to ask another of the most important questions:

“Who are you?” I could have worded it better. But, hey, it was to the point, and I had shopping to do.

“What is it to you?” She asked. She had a bit of the ‘Canterlot accent’. I had never developed it, even with living there for twenty-some years. I rubbed the back of my head. What was it to me? I was truly wondering why.

“Well, I’m not too sure.” I replied. She still looked angry. I remembered that one saying; ‘Hell hath no fury like a mare In scorn’. I don’t remember who said it. I looked at her. She had a pink bow-tie. Her cutiemark was a treble-cleft. I realized my mistake as I got a hoof to the face. My hoof rose to my cheek.

“Ah! Sheesh!” I exclaimed. I was about to get angry when she shouted at me.

“How dare you stare at my flank!” I was flustered. I had no clue what to do. I didn’t really want to do anything wrong to get even more on her bad-side. I decided to take a lighter approach.

“Perhaps we got off on the wrong hoof?” I said, thinking it’d hopefully get me through it… It didn’t.

“Yes; we did, now, please leave.” She said coldly. I rubbed the back of my head. My face was growing hotter. My ears drooped. I gave a nervous smile. She looked at me with anger, then, some sort of… interest? She looked at my flank. I felt a bit awkward. She made it so obvious… was she… teasing?

“H-hey!” I said. I moved my back so it was out of her view. She smiled at me. Good, a smile: That’s good progress, I thought. I decided to ask another question;

“So, wha-“ I was cut off my a sharp pain in my groin. I fell to the ground, holding down there with my fore-hooves. My eyes were tearing up. I looked up at the mare who had just delivered the blow. She was purple, with a darker purple mane. She seemed highly intoxicated, and laughed as she ran away. I let out a whimper as I tried to stand. A sound came to my ears: The sound of a mare’s laughter. Not the drunk one; the one in front of me. I looked at the grey mare clutching her ribs, laughing. Well; that broke the ice… wait a second:

“Did you pay her to do that?” I said; my voice much higher than usual. She continued to laugh, but between breaths said something that I made out as a ‘no’. I couldn’t laugh; I was still in pain. What the hell is wrong with that purple mare, I thought to myself. The grey mare seemed to stop laughing. I decided to ask the question I meant to earlier. I cleared my throat.

“So, what happened with you and that DJ?” I asked. My voice was back to normal: Good. She regained her posture, and cleared her throat as well. Her face was stern, and so was her voice.

“None of your business.” She said. I shrugged; might as well not pry too much into it. I decided that if I wasn’t going to find that out; why not find out a few other things?

“So, your name was…?” I inquired. She looked at me, a bit surprised. She hid her emotions well, I must say, because she instantly hid it again.

“Octavia.” She said, with the same stern-ness as before. I held out my hoof to shake, and she shook it… daintily. Usually; you can tell what kind of pony they are by their hoof-shake. From her’s; I could tell she was a lady-like… that was about it. And, from her cutiemark; I could tell that she was also into music. I decided to ask her about it.

“So, are you into music?” I asked, and, this time; she wasn’t fazed.

“Yes.” She said. ‘Yes’? That’s it? Not even going to talk about it? I thought. I looked at her. She gave me a cold look back. I decided to elaborate on my question.

“Are you a composer of sorts?” I asked her. She, again, replied sternly.

“No, I am a cellist.” She said. I decided that if she wasn’t going to go much into the conversation; I would.

“Well, we have a bit in common: I play the guitar.” I said. Once again; the reply was a cold stare. I decided to just give up, and move on.

“Well, it was nice meeting you Octavia.” I said. She actually spoke a bit more than she has.

“It wasn’t that nice of a meeting. And, your name was…?” Well, that was more a response I hoped for earlier, I thought. My body was a head of me, as I didn’t even realize I had all ready said my auto-intro-sentence.

“Well, goodbye, Strum.” She said, as she walked into what I guessed was her home. I couldn’t help but feel it was very awkward. I walked away. Why do I care so much? I thought, what is it with that mare that made me want to talk to her. Then a thought popped into my head; I may have a little bit of a crush. I laughed a bit at the thought: A grown stallion, having a crush. I decided to continue to the market.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Throughout shopping; I couldn’t get that damned mare out of my head. The thoughts were mostly questions. There are too many to list, so I’ll spare you the time of saying a few: ‘Is she interested in me? Does she hate me? Is she a…’ and they go on and on. I decided to delve into the present, and pay the stallion for the cherries. He had been yelling at me for a minute or so, because I was just standing there, looking into space.

I began walking again, still wondering about Octavia. I shrugged, and continued walking. I began to think about something else: How can I kick-start my guitar career in Ponyville? I tapped my chin. I’ll need to book gigs, and, of course; I’ll need others as well. Not many ponies these days seem to be into rock. I thought of many different genres I could do. I knew quite a few songs from almost every genre off the top of my head. I smiled at a thought: Classical. Octavia seemed to be into classical, judging on her personality and the instrument she plays. I had realized I began thinking about her again.

Ch. 11: Typical Day

I was lying in bed, still thinking about that mare. She took up all my thoughts. I smiled. Is she really that irresistible? Probably not: Strum; get a hold of yourself, bro. I sat up, and went to the door. When I raised my hoof to open it a knocking stopped the process, and made me jump back a bit. I opened the door to see none other than Octavia. I was utterly confused. The world shifted a moment, and I realized something:

I took Excalibur out of mid-air and killed a dragon that was seemingly there.

My eyes opened, and I smiled at my own cleverness. Deduced a dream and took control; nicely done. I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and heard a knocking at the door. I tried to pull the same thing I had before, with no such luck. I cleared my throat and said come in. The door opened, and Rarity walked in.

“Hey, Rarity. What d’ya need?” I asked her. She cleared her throat.

“I need you to try on a suit.” She said with a smile. I rubbed my eyes again, and looked at the time. I had slept ‘till noon. My head hit the pillow, and I let out a groan. Rarity looked at me, with a hint of anger.

“Is it that much of a hassle?” She asked. I shot up, and apologized.

“It’s just I hate to wake up around noon.” I said. Frankly; I prefer to wake up early. Y’know that old saying ‘the early bird gets the worm’. Why had I woken up so late? Probably didn’t sleep much. Octavia was on my mind, and, at one point, I must’ve blacked out from the fatigue of the day.

I stood up, and got out of bed. I tried to put my mane down, but it popped back up. With a sigh, I walked out the door. I went down the stairs, and stepped up onto the walkway. I stood there, as the suit was put on me. When it was fully on, I took a clear look at it: It was classy and not uncomfortable in any areas. It was a bit loose in a few, but, it wasn’t too loose to make me stumble while walking. I told this all to Rarity. She told me to strike a few poses. I tried it out, as, I’d never modeled before. She laughed at me a bit. I must say; I must’ve looked ridiculous trying to pose.

The bell on top of the door ringed, and a certain shy Pegasus came in.

“Oh, hello Fluttershy.” Said Rarity with a smile. Fluttershy was about to say something, but saw me, and went silent. I physically slumped with a ‘not this shit again’ look. I hopped down from the walkway, and over to the ‘workshop’ door. I walked inside, and sat there while the two chatted. I heard some things about the spa, and some things about me. I couldn’t make out most of it, but some was about ‘weekly spa visits’, and ‘letting Strum come along’. Rarity and Fluttershy’s head popped in the door way. I lifted my head from my hoof, and looked at them.

“Strum, how would you like to join us at the spa?” Asked Rarity. Fluttershy didn’t maintain eye-contact with me. I stood up, and took off the suit, folded it, and set it down on a table.

“Sure.” I said simply.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I sat there, awkwardly. This time; no one whispered about me being a hobo. But, they still whispered and giggled. I had a feeling it had to be about me coming in with two mares, and about the carriage-ride. I smiled a bit at first, but the eyes some of the mares were giving me were a bit un-settling… Although; my self-esteem was at an all-time-high.

First, we got massages, then we sat in the hot tub. I sat there, feeling uncomfortable. One of the other ponies in the tub scooted next to me. I must say; I didn’t expect to see another stallion here. The only thing he said to me was to ‘buck off before he hurts me’. Turns out he was here with his girl-friend, and she was impressed with my… well… many things, to be honest. In my opinion… heh, well, I think I’m a handsome stallion. Also, with that carriage ride, and walking in with two mares; I must’ve made quite the impression on some of the residents of Ponyville.

I decided to just go, but Rarity insisted that we’d get mud baths.

“As much as I’d love to bathe in mud; I really must be on my way.” I said. I walked out, and decided to head back to the boutique. I went to my room, and opened my bit-bag. I counted how much I had. It was enough to buy quite a bit of stuff… maybe a new guitar. I looked over at my guitar. I thought of what it’d be like if I would get rid of it, and got an empty feeling in my chest. I didn’t want to get rid of old memories; this was my first, and only, guitar.

I realized that I may be able to afford a home in the near future. The thought made me smile; my own home, and a way to do whatever I wanted. I felt it’d be a bit lonely of a change. I’d no longer be living with two other ponies. I sighed, and packed up all the things I took out.

I decided to head out into the marketplace. Interesting things usually happen there; and, I wanted excitement. And excitement is what I got.

Ch.12: Meeting Ponies' Heroes

I was crashed into by a blur of cyan and rainbow. I groaned as I felt the object move on top of me… or, pony. I looked up into the face of Rainbow Dash. She gave me a cocky smile, and I laughed. What she was smiling about? No clue; probably just trying to make me think she meant to do that. Why would anyone want to crash into someone else? I laughed at the thought I had.

“So, still trying out that trick?” I asked in a restrained voice. She was pressing all her weight onto my chest, and it was hard to breath. I let out a wheeze, and she laughed.

“What? Can’t handle a little weight?” She pressed down harder, and I began to wheeze. My vision wasn’t swimming, but I felt ready to pass-out. She put her mouth to my ear.

“You’d better get used to it, lover-boy.” She whispered, with a grin. That comment hit my like a cinderblock to the groin. She looked in the direction where I met Octavia. That was obviously her house. My face grew red, and Dash laughed at me. She stood up, and took off. I got up, and filled my lungs with air.

A stand caught my eye. I walked over to it. I hadn’t a clue what they were selling. They looked like little figurines of some pegasi. They were all wearing the same outfit, but they were all different stallions and mares. They were extremely high priced, and, I wondered; Who the hell would buy these? I was about to touch one of them when a mare came out of nowhere, and slapped my hoof away.

“Watch it! These are priceless collector’s items!” She said. She was wearing what looked like a make-shift one of the suits. I looked at her, with quite a bit of interest. I looked back at the over-priced figurines.

“Uh… what’s so special about them?” I asked. She gasped, and took a step back in surprise. She then darted forward, and pressed her muzzle against mine. She had a look of hatred in her eyes.

“How could you not know the Wonderbolts?!” She yelled. I looked at her as if she were crazy. I put my hoof on her, and pushed her back a bit.

“I’m sorry, but, I’ve never heard of any ‘Wonderbolts’.” That was, actually, a bit of a lie. I heard about them when I was little, and, never really knew the big deal about them. I knew they must’ve been some sort of air-force, but, again; not really seeing the big deal. The mare gasped, and slapped me. I let out a ‘gah?!’ when it happened.

“You are one of the biggest idiots I’ve ever met!” She yelled, “The Wonderbolts are only the best fliers in all of Equestria! They have style! They have skill! They have everything that every great flier should have! And these-“ She picked up one of the figurines, “-are some of the rarest merchandize they have!” I took another look at the figurines. They looked pretty realistic. The ponies were all in heroic poses. I looked back at the fan-girl, and sighed.

“Seriously? They’re a bunch of glorified fliers? So, they’re just big stars. Nothing special about that.” Again, I was rewarded, but, not with a slap, oh no, but a kick to the nethers. I collapsed to the ground, whimpering. She was fuming, and looked ready to stomp my head in. I stood up, and looked her in the eyes. She was about to slap me; I could tell. She then let out a gasp, and looked awe-struck. I let out a laugh. Then, I realized, that she wasn’t looking at me anymore, but something behind me. I turned around, and saw the same ponies that the figurines were based off of. I heard a thump behind me, and turned to see the fan-girl had fainted. I looked back at the ponies. I was right; glorified fliers. They walked around like big stars, and quite a few ponies were trying to get them to sign autographs. I laughed at how many ponies over-reacted. I even saw Dash in the group surrounding them. I decided to see how many ponies I could get to hate me:

“Oi! Who are these ponies?” I yelled out. There were a few gasps of surprise, and Dash flew up to me.

“You don’t know who the Wonderbolts are?!” She yelled in my face. I gave a sly smirk.

“Well, from what I’ve heard; I can deduce that they are just glorified fliers, and don’t have much real skill.” I said. Once again; a few more surprised gasps, and a few growls of anger. One of the pegasi in the center of the group flew out with amazing speed, and landed in front of me, knocking me to the ground with a hoof. I grabbed my now bleeding muzzle, and looked up at the attacker. She was an orange mare, with wild orange hair. She was wearing goggles, and one of the Wonderbolt’s uniforms. I stood up. Dash was saying ‘oh my gosh’ pretty fast, and pretty often.

“Oi! Who the hell do you think you are?!” I yelled. I was fuming. The other mare gave a smirk, and punched me again. Again I fell. I got back up with a slowly swelling eye.

“I’m Spitfire, leader of the Wonderbolts.” She said. She said it like it was supposed to threaten me… it didn’t. I laughed in her face, making her give a confused look.

“As if that means anything to me!” I said, with some more loud laughs. A few ponies in the group were yelling ‘kick his flank, Spitfire!’ and ‘wipe the floor with him!’ I laughed at these remarks, as, I wasn’t scared of this Spitfire. Spitfire herself seemed pretty mad. I looked her in the… well… goggles, and got a mischievous idea to get back at her. I grabbed her goggles, stretched them back, and let go. They snapped back, and hit her face. She was knocked over in surprise. She shot into the air, and flew straight at me. My expression said ‘oh shit’ but in my mind I knew that I’d be hated. I didn’t care.

Another thought went into my mind: Why? Why did I do this to make ponies angry? Was it for the adrenaline? Or perhaps it was for the attention? I was never an attention hog, though.

My thoughts were cut short as the mare went into me, and knocked me onto my back. She sat on top of me, and put her hoof on my throat. A few of the fan-boys fainted at the sight, no doubt wishing it was them who had Spitfire on top of them. I couldn’t breathe. Her vise was sucking the air out of me. My vision swam. My back legs were kicking, trying to shake her off. Everything began to grow dark.

And then; I laughed. The grip lightened a bit, and my laugh was no longer a choking sound. I was laughing and wheezing. My vision began to come back, and I saw an expression of confusion on Spitfire’s face. She punched me with her free hoof, and I laughed more: I was enjoying every moment of this!

“What the hell? Do you get off to this, you sick freak?” She said, as she delivered another punch. I laughed again, and gave her a bloodied grin.

“Of course not!” I wheezed. Once again, she gave a confused expression. I pointed over at the group.

“You’re ruining your reputation right in front of your die-hard fans! No doubt they looked up to you, but, now!” I let out a few more laughs. She looked worriedly at her fans. A few of them said that they actually thought better of her for defending herself and her team. My smile faded, and hers grew wide. She looked back at me, and lifted up her goggles.

“So, what were you saying?” She asked sweetly. I spit a bit of blood onto the ground, and smiled again.

“I don’t care; I’ve taken worse beatings.” I said. She punched me again, and I laughed again. I put my hoof on hers before she could hit again. I used my other free hoof to grab the back of her head. I pushed her face close to mine, and put my mouth to her ear.

“I don’t care how much you hurt me; I’ll never let up on my opinion.” I whispered. I moved my head back to the ground, and got quite the idea to stump every one. I brought my face closer to hers. She smiled, and brought her muzzle to mine. Frankly; that wasn’t my idea. Mine was to just head-butt her. I had no clue this was going to happen. My eyes widened in surprise, and so did every fan’s. Even Rainbow Dash was surprised, and her mouth hung open. Was she drooling? Probably not. I looked back at Spitfire, who, seemed to really be enjoying it.

She pulled back, and gave me a wide smile. She stood up, went back to her group, and they all flew off. I lay there, on the ground, looking at the now distant figures of the Wonderbolts. I smiled, and stood up. I spit out some more blood, and looked slyly at the fan-boys who had regained consciousness.

“That, my friends, is how to win the heart of a Wonderbolt.” I said with a wink. I bunch of them crowded around me, asking what I’d whispered to her, and what my secrets were. Even a few of the fan-girls were asking as well. Rainbow Dash picked me up by the tail, and carried me onto the top of a roof.

“What the hell did you just do?!” She asked. I looked at her, and smiled.

“I haven’t a single f***ing clue.”

Ch.13: Dealing with Business

I walked through the door of the boutique, and collapsed. I still had a huge grin on my face. Dash had walked me back here, as, I couldn’t walk straight. Did I have brain damage? Probably; Spitfire punched pretty damn hard. Dash wasn’t able to support my weight when I fell, so, she let me go. I laughed a moment, and tried to get up. I ended up licking the floor… I haven’t a clue how I thought that was my fore-legs. I tried again, and ended up putting my flank in the air. Good, I thought, this is progress. I tried for my fore-legs again, and did it right this time. I pushed myself up, and stood shakily. I smiled, and looked to Dash.

“Okay, Dash,” I began, “Now that we’re here; take me to the hospital.” I had a dumb look on my face, no doubt, showing that I was probably brain-dead at the moment. It was as if I were drunk, except, with a concussion as well. I fell again. Rarity walked out of the workshop from the noise, and saw my blood-covered face. She gasped, and ran over to me, asking me if I was all right. Her questions were either answered with a ‘uughhh’ or a ‘nope, heheheh’. I was then taken to the hospital.

There; I was tested and got back good results: I wasn’t brain-dead. I wasn’t suffering from a concussion either. How’d I end up so bucked up? Not a clue. They said it may have to do with my blood loss. They cleaned up my muzzle, and adjusted a few teeth. I left there with a smile on my face and a body full of another pony’s blood.

I decided to humor myself, as, I was still feeling a bit stupid. I went up to the house of Octavia, and knocked on the door. It was answered by the DJ pony. She looked at me, and tilted her head. I was giggling uncontrollably, and my hair was a mess. I had a crazy look in my eyes. I told you I was still feeling ‘stupid’. It takes a bit longer than I thought to get over blood-loss. Also, my mind tends to exaggerate things at times. The DJ spoke up.

“Aren’t you that guy who went up against Spitfire?” She asked. I stopped giggling.

“Heh, yeah.” Is what I said, and then began to giggle again. She lifted her glasses, and smirked at me.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Are you insane or something? Are you sure you shouldn’t be in the nut-house? And, finally; what’d you say to her that made her kiss you?” I cleared my throat, and stood straight; trying to act serious, but burst out laughing again.

“Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I am not insane. I shouldn’t be in an asylum, and, I don’t know why she kissed me.” I said, still laughing. She joined in.

“I like you, guy. You’re pretty awesome.” She said. An angry yell came from behind her, and I looked around her to see who it was. It was Octavia, looking like she just woke up from a nap. I waved like I was still brain-damaged, all though, I was quickly recovering. She gave a disgusted look at me.

“Are you intoxicated?” She asked. I laughed again, and said no. She looked at me again. The DJ whispered something in her ear. She looked at me, and smiled. My brain began to function normally, and I began to wonder why I was here in the first place.

“So, you’re the idiot who fought the leader of the Wonderbolts?” She asked. I nodded. I began to think to get out of there now. I didn’t have enough ego to do this. I didn’t have enough self-esteem to do this. Why couldn’t I keep all that from when I felt drunk!? She walked up to me, and looked at me. My eye was a bit swollen, and so were a few more bruised areas on my face. She laughed. I felt it as a mocking gesture, and decided to up and say it, no matter how much pain it’ll cause me.

“Look, Octavia,” I began, “You… you’re…” the words clung in my throat, and I began to just give up. I was about to just walk away, when she asked that question. That question that is the bane of some, and the salvation of others. The question that will save all, and destroy some.

“What?” She said. I felt it hard to maintain eye-contact, but managed. My face felt hot, and I began to turn around.

“Forget about it!” I said. She laid a hoof on my shoulder. I turned to face her. She had a smile on her face.

“What were you going to say?” She asked. It wasn’t a kind smile; it was a mischievous one. It made me even more uncomfortable. I let out a sigh. Man up, the voice in my head told me, you can do it, just tell her, tell her, TELL HER!

“Octavia, you’re…” once again; words like glue: “You’re one of the most beautiful mares I have ever seen, and I’m sure your personality is just as… well… for the lack of better words; wonderful.” Huh… that was a bit easier than expected… oh shit! Said my thoughts as I realized that the rejection was in-coming. Octavia looked surprised, and then back to an expression that showed no interest.

“Well, that is very nice of you to say. I am sorry to say I do not feel the same way.” She said. And, that’s when a small part of me died. I decided to keep my dignity while walking away. I nodded, walked a few feet, and lashed out on myself while Octavia wasn’t looking. Stupid! You shouldn’t have said that! You should’ve waited longer! You should’ve gotten to know her! I punched my head as I walked to the boutique. I opened the door, went to my room, and fell on the bed. I looked outside. It had gotten late, and I decided to just go to sleep.

I lie there, in bed, for what seemed like hours. I smiled: I was happy to get all this love-struck stuff out of the way. After all; I’d kissed the leader of the Wonderbolts… I had a feeling it’d be easy to get mares around here. And with a slight smirk, I closed my eyes, and fell asleep. (I then dreamed of cheese.)

Ch. 14: Swimming

So, I woke up, headed downstairs, and ate a breakfast Sweetie Bell prepared for me and Rarity… I then questioned if I needed to get my stomach pumped or not. She made us toast… which was just grey slop in a bowl. It tasted like the first cake I made. No wonder Rarity acted like she was eating, and enjoying, it. I just acted. It’s hard to smile when you feel like vomiting. I must say; if playing the guitar, or being a handy-stallion doesn’t work out, then I’m definantly going to go into acting.

I walked out, went to a tree, and puked into the knot-hole. I must say; the squirrels weren’t happy about it. They chased me as I ran from them. Who knew acorns could hurt so much? It must’ve been pretty comical, to see a full-grown stallion funning from a few rodents hurling acorns. While I was running I was wondering who could help me. I took in a deep breath and ran towards her house.

“Fluttershy!” I yelled. “Help!” I ran up and began to pound on the door. It opened, and the top of the mare’s head peaked out. I was panting when an acorn hit me in the side of the head. I was dazed with surprise, and turned just-in-time for another volley to pelt me in the face. I fell down, and felt a few tiny-claws on me. I looked down and saw the little squirrel that ran in front of the others. He began to yell… or… squeak at me. I tilted my head and furrowed my brow. He took this as an offense, and began to ‘yell’ in an angrier tone.

I looked back at Fluttershy, hoping for some sort of help. She just stood there, in her doorway, watching the little squirrel yelling. I then realized that the squirrel was tiny, and picked him up by the scruff of his neck with one of my hooves. I stood and held the squirrel to Fluttershy.

“These little nut jobs are pelting me with nuts.” I complained, smirking at my little pun. The squirrel squirmed. I became aware of the horrible smell emanating from it. I realized that it’s my fault it smelled so bad. Fluttershy looked a bit angry. She’s very shy, obviously, but she looked very threatening. Her eyes were giving me a cold stare, and I gave in.

“Okay, so, I may have… eh… thrown-up into their knot-hole…” I said, defeated. She took up the little squirrels and comforted them. I looked at the ground and kicked a hoof, feeling ashamed. I looked back up to see a closed door. I slumped my shoulders, turned, and trotted off.

While walking through one of the busier parts of town I noticed how hot it was. A lot of ponies were sweating and fanning themselves. It was also apparent that it wasn’t as busy today. It must’ve been too hot for anyone to want to go shopping, I suppose. I began to fan myself, trying to ‘beat the heat’. I saw Applejack with Applebloom at their stand. I trotted up.

“Hey, AJ, Applebloom.” I said, nodding to them both. Applejack was fanning herself with her hat, and Applebloom with her large bow. The nodded back in reply, obviously having been out here for a while, and too hot to think. I chuckled.

“Hot today, yeah?” I asked with the same reply as before; two heads nodding. I laughed at them, and trotted off, obviously not going to have a conversation. I saw a few ponies walking and talking about swimming. I smiled at the thought of cool water. I decided to follow along as they led me to an alley. I realized they had probably figured out I had been following them. They turned and faced me, glaring. My face grew flushed and I began to deviate from looking them in the eyes and the ground.

“Can we help you?” The mare on the left asked. She was a Pegasus with white fur and a light-blue mane. I felt like I’d seen her before, but I could’ve been wrong. The mare on the right was a unicorn with a pink mane and magenta fur.

“Uh… I… Well…” I tried, but was silenced.

“Why the hell have you been following us?” The mare on the right asked. I kicked the ground with a fore-hoof, and looked at the ground.

“I… I-I heard you talking about swimming… And… uh… Well, I’m relatively new to town, so I don’t know where I could go to cool off. A pool or beach sounded like a wonderful idea… So I followed you for guidance.” I said. No use in coming up with a lie, right? The truth is usually better than a lie. They seemed to understand.

“Come on, then. We’ll lead you there.” The one on the left said, waving a hoof to come near them. I reluctantly went up and followed along-side them. It was awkward. Very awkward, actually. I decided to try and break the ice.

“My name’s Strum, by the way.” I said, sounding a bit stupid. The magenta mare kept looking forward, but the white one gave me a little smile.

“I’m Eve.” She said simply. I gave an awkward smile back, and looked forward again. We arrived at a good-sized lake with ponies around it and in it. Some were sun-bathing and others were swimming or chatting amongst themselves. I smiled and nodded thanks to them. I trotted up to the water’s edge. I slowly stepped into the water and began to shiver at how cold it was. I submerged myself; a little trick to get used to the water’s temperature faster. I came back up, and took a breath, smiling. A beautiful day, swimming, and, not to mention, there were quite a few mares here. I splayed myself on my back, and put my fore-hooves on the back of my head. I floated gently across the water, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness. I looked at some of the others. Rainbow Dash was sitting, sun-bathing with Pinkie chattering next to her. I looked back up at the sky, looking at the few clouds floating gently across the sky.

I then got an eye-full of water, and the feeling of submerging. I breached the surface, coughing up a bit of water. I looked over and saw the two mares who escorted me here laughing. I chuckled, and splashed back at them. I felt like an idiot; having a splash-fight at my age. But, who cares? I would submerge whenever they tried to splash me back, and then come up for a counter.

“Truce!” I exclaimed, holding my fore-hooves up so they got the message. We laughed and they left the water. I went back to gently floating and relaxing. A few minutes later, I was aware I was no longer in water, but screaming and being carried through the sky. I had been snagged out of the water by a griffon, and I think I’ve said before that I’m not fond of heights. I was yelling at the top of my lungs, voice cracking, calling for help. I was then dropped. Now, about heights; it’s not the fall that scares me, just that I get nervous when around high areas. I felt the cold water, once more, envelope me. I came up, coughing and spluttering, hearing the laughing of my assaulter above me. I swam to the edge of the water, gasping and panting, dazed by what just happened. I just lay there, looking at the sky. I see the griffon’s head come into view, a grin on their face.

“Man; you’re such a big baby.” It said. I could guess by its voice it was female, but, I’d never met a griffon before, so I wasn’t too sure. I was sure I wouldn’t want to meet another if they all were like this. I remained silent, still processing and taking in air. She was laughing and insulting me. In time, I stood, cleared my throat, and looked at her.

“I’m going to shove a jagged piece of wood through your heart, you harpy bitch.” I stated casually. She blinked a moment, registering the insult, then shoved me with her talons.

“Watch what you say, or I may do the same, prick!” She yelled. I remained relatively calm, trying to keep my temper.

“I’ve been called worse by better.” I stated casually once again. She pondered it a moment.

“Was that an insult?” She said angrily. I smirked.

“No~, it was a complement.” I said sarcastically. Another shove, this time I fell into the water. I swam up to the surface, and looked at her, smiling. This seemed to make her angrier, as she was fuming. I looked around. A few ponies were silently watching the encounter. I turn back to the griffon.

“You’re making a scene, miss.” I stated, still smiling to piss her off. She let out a sort of growl and lunged at me. I went beneath the water as she smacked into it, going under as well. I came up slowly. I felt something fast and hard hit my gut, then felt something hard hit my back. I was now on land, breath knocked out of me, with the fuming griffon above. She raised one of her talons, and readied to swipe. The griffon’s form then disappeared in a swish. I looked up and to my left, seeing that Dash had tackled the griffon. I stood, brushed myself, and walked away.

Interesting day, to say the least. I went back to Rarity’s boutique, went to the guest room, laid on the bed, and just went to sleep.

Ch. 15: Nightmares

I opened my eyes to find myself in a dark room. I looked around. There was a barred window. I sit up, and look around. The room was padded and the door made of some sort of grey metal. I looked around, and tried to stand, falling to the ground with a muffled thump. I tried again, falling onto my muzzle. I sat against the bed and looked down. I was wearing a straight jacket. I… smiled. I began to laugh hysterically, rolling around and convulsing.

Then I woke up with a start.

I shot up and looked around, panting. I was back in the boutique. I sighed.

“What a ridiculous nightmare.” I said quietly to myself. I stood up and looked outside, the early morning sunlight blinding me. I closed the curtains again, and rubbed my eyes. I went through my daily routine, the nightmare still on my mind. What did it mean? I decided later I’d go check if Twilight had a book on it or something. I looked in the mirror. I had dark rings under my eyes, and my eyes were bloodshot. I furrowed my brow in confusion. I had gotten plenty of sleep, yet I looked as if I was up all night. I sighed and let it slide. I walked down and was asked if I had slept well. I merely waved a hoof and said ‘fine’.

I walked out the door, feeling more awake and more confused about the nightmare. I had began to get a bit paranoid, yet, I’m not sure as to why. The nightmare wasn’t the least bit scary, just… unnerving. It was creepy, but, it seemed like my paranoia was a cause of, perhaps, a deeper meaning? I continued to walk on to the library, hoping that there might be a book on dreams or psychology that could help me.

I knocked on the door and waited. I stood for a couple minutes until Spike answered the door, rubbing his eyes with his claws. I offered a smile and he scowled.

“May I come in?” I asked politely. He continued to give me a glare. I just walked past him. I began to look at the books, confused as to how they were organized. I thought they’d just all be alphabetically laid out, by author or title. I found out later that it was by genre, title, sub-title, author’s surname, and then by pages. It was confusing, and I couldn’t find a thing. I thought back to times in libraries where I was never able to find a book I wanted. Same thing happened here. After a few minutes I gave a frustrated sigh. I looked back at the little dragon.

“Can you help me find a book?” I asked. It was more of an order, as I didn’t want to deal with any bull shit. He nodded and walked up to me.

“What are you trying to find?” He asked simply. I looked at the books, seeing if I could find it by a glance. No dice. I looked back at the lizard.

“A book on dreams and nightmares, or one on psychology. I prefer the prior.” I say, casually. He raises a brow, but still goes to a shelf. He takes down a couple books. I take them, and read some of the titles. I nod, pleased. I flip through one of the books, seeing if there’s anything on my predicament. Nope, next book. I read a few books on sections that were related. Finally, I looked in the final book of the pile, hope nearly lost. It was about what things could symbolize in dreams. I looked for laughing. It meant I’m an optimistic or relatively happy individual. I furrow my brow. That wasn’t at all what it seemed, but, okay. I continue looking for the little things that were in the dream. Lots of movement; energetic. A sort of cell or imprisonment; you feel trapped. I scowl. None of this is helpful. None of it makes sense when you put it all together. I close the book, and put them on a nearby table. I let out a sigh of defeat. I checked the most helpful of books once more. Still nothing in it helped.

The door clicks, I look over and see Twilight walk through the door.

“Oh, hi, Strum.” She says, a bit surprised, no doubt, about me being here. I nod to her and stand.

“Hi.” I say, groaning a bit as I stand up. She looks at me, seemingly a bit worried. I decide to ask The Question, the most important of questions; the one I’ve given much praise.

“What?” I say, confused as to why she’s staring at me.

“You look terrible.” She says simply, with a hint of worry in her voice. I wave my hoof.

“I’m fine.” I say, a bit rushed. I speed over and hide the books from her vision with my own body. It wasn’t an embarrassing topic, it’s just that I don’t want to answer her questions or become some sort of lab rat for psychological tests. Done it once before and it didn’t turn out well. She tilts her head at my rash actions. She levitates the books from behind me.

“No!” I yell, hopping up onto the books, knocking them out of her magical aura. I fall with a thud. It hurt a lot more when it was on wood and not a padded floor. I regain my lost breath, and look at her reading some of the books’ titles. I drain of color and hop up. She looks at me, confused. I sigh, and awkwardly try to walk out the door. I get dragged away by magic and the door closes with a click. I can’t help but think back on that one dream with the two mares. I get held up by my tail, and levitated face-to-face with Twilight. I look at the ground, feeling a bit of panic. Any small height can scare me, even this one. I’m taller than Twilight, but this still scared me.

“Explain.” She says simply, levitating one of the books into my view. I rub the back of my head.

“Well, I had a nightmare and wanted to see what it was about. It was unnerving and made me a bit paranoid, so I wanted to check and see if it had a hidden meaning.” I said. Again; the truth is better than a shit lie. She looks at me, still a bit worried. She hovers me back onto my hooves. I feel more at-ease being planted on the ground. I look at her, worried if she’ll hook me up to a machine.

“If you’re having problems, I’m sure you can just talk to your friends about it, I’m sure they’d understand.” She states, still a bit worried. I blink a moment, not at all expecting that.

“Well… uh… thank you.” I say awkwardly. She offers a smile, but I just still stand baffled. I swear she was looking at me expectantly. I clear my throat.

“I’m sure I’m fine, so… yeah.” I say. I can only imagine her mentally slumping. I smile to her, trying to show that I’m all right. She came closer, putting a hoof to her chin. She squinted, examining me. I moved my head back a bit. I give a nervous smile. She looks me dead in the eyes. I try for a wider smile. She leans in, still looking me in the eyes. I move back more, smile wiping off my face. She moves closer yet again, and I move back. Bad thing; I lost balance and fell backwards. I rub my newly throbbing head. I look up, and my eyes widen seeing Twilight towering over me. She brings her head down, still staring at me. I hold my legs close to me.

“Uh… I’m uncomfortable.” I say simply. It was the truth… Well, most of the truth. She brings her head up and steps back, blushing.

“Sorry.” She says. I stand up, thinking that she probably wasn’t sorry. I brush myself off, and say goodbye, leaving the library. I begin to walk to the market.