The Physics of Gyro Scope

Chapters

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Nine

Chapter One

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Midnight.

That's how late I am up. Nobody knows except for a good friend of mine, Gage. I always stay up every night, doing stuff on the computer. Watching My Little Pony, playing a game, other stuff. It is raining like hell outside. If it floods, I'm gonna be the first to know. My room is right above the basement, so I it would not end well for me. Lightning is everywhere. Thunder rocks the house and I can hear it, even with my headphones on. I hear scratching across my hardwood floors on the dining room and living room. My cats are freaked out by the storm. I got three, one on my insistence when I was younger. Koosa, Trouble and Cookie. We got Trouble when my first cat, Ming died a few years back. Cookie was something that Mom had found out about when I was not as old as I am now. After my dog Jack died, she had been almost his counterpart. I'm Aidan. I'm a Brony (obviously) and I'm about 14. Ugh, do the cats have to make such a racket? Lightning strikes, nearby this time and I jump as the thunder echoes across the neighborhood. I resume playing. Lightning strikes closer than last time. It hits a metal pipe on my roof and I see electricity arc across the house. I sigh for a moment, because my bed isn't metal in any place. My relief is short lived. My wood paneled laptop shocks me and I stifle a curse. I shook a hand and put the computer down. It shocked me again and kept doing it, even though I wasn't anywhere near the laptop. My vision starts to dissolve. Damn computer. What the hell is happening? I think, trying to get my bearings when my vision turns black. I start to loose feeling in my hands and feet, as if they are no longer there and the ground doesn't feel solid. I squeeze my eyes shut. If there's anything I hate, it's the dark, silence, and spiders. I open my eyes just a crack as I feel the ground solidify beneath my feet. The world was strangely familiar. I inhaled sharply as I recognized this place. It was Sweet Apple Acres, home of the Apple Family from the pony world. Did I just get drugged? I hear a familiar Southern accent behind my back.

"Uh, who are you, sugarcube?" Asks AppleJack, the farm pony. I blink a few times and shake my head, not believing what I am seeing. I accept that this is real and decide to tell her my name (I can believe things I see easily) when I stop. 'Aidan' isn't really a pony name. What's a good name? I go through a few choices when I decide the one I like the best.

"I'm uh, GyroScope." I say nervously.

"You jus' kinda appeared out of nowhere," She replies suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at me, "Ah think you might wanna talk to Twilight." I knew that name. Twilight was the main character of the show, now a Princess, just recently. I try to stand up, but find it difficult. Looking down I am very surprised. I have hooves. . I am charcoal colored, and I guess I have an ash gray mane. I turn my head and see a silver gyroscope. I turn my head back to AppleJack.

"What's the date?"

AppleJack gives me an odd look.

"I really don't know."

"Who are you?"

I take a deep breath.

"When Twilight went to that other world, did she describe it?"

"Yes. Said there things called 'humans'."

"Exactly. That's where I'm from. That world."

"You don' look like a 'human'. You look like a pony."

"And don't know why!" I yell, frustrated. I don't know how the hell I got here and I don't know what to do.

"Wait a minute. How'd you know Twilight went to that other world?"

"I have my sources."

A voice interrupts the argument.

"Uh, AJ? Who is this?" Asks Rainbow Dash. I yelp in surprise.

"Some crazy pony. Says he's from the world that Twilight went to."

"Just like that other one." She replies, rolling her eyes.

"Other one?" I question.

"Says his name is 'Gage'. What kind of name is that?" AppleJack scoffed. My eyes widen. Gage. I know that name. "Guess we'd better put him in the town hall with the other nut-job." The two grab me roughly by the shoulders.

"Hey!" I protest, "Let me go!" struggling doesn't help. I growl and flare my wings. I didn't mean to do that, but right now, I need to get out of here. I gallop off, as well as I can. I sigh and turn around to see if anybody is following me. Thankfully, nobody is. Since I have turned around, I don't see where I'm going. I bump into an oncoming mare. Facing them, I see a yellow Pegasus with a long light pink mane. My eyes widen. I turn to the side and run off. If I recalled correctly, Fluttershy was a close friend of Rainbow Dash. I find my way to the EverFree forest. I may be a computer geek, but I know how to survive in a forest. I ran in, not to far, so I could keep my distance from the outside, but so I wouldn't get lost. I look out for poison joke. I'd seen the effects of it and didn't want to go through the same thing. A thorn scratches me on the side of the face. I stifle a curse I think for a second and then decide I must find Gage. I felt something on my back. Twisting around to see it, I see the staff my grandpa had given to me a year ago and black saddlebags emblazoned with the United States Air Force logo. Technically, the staff is a sword, but it is long enough that I use it for a staff. Bamboo, almost four feet long, (I call it vondr. It means 'long thin wooden stick in a language from a book series I used to read.) it is my best shot. I take it out of the sheath with my magic and sneak out of the tree line. A shout echoes across the field. I see Rainbow Dash and AppleJack storming towards me, angry looks written across their faces. I twirl the staff and strike a defensive pose. An apple comes flying towards me. I barely deflect it. The next one nails me in the shoulder. That's gonna bruise. I think grimly. "What the hell do you want?" I demand, ducking as another apple sails over my head. The two are silent. They would have bombarded me with more apples, but I am saved by a certain petite mare. Fluttershy comes up and stops the two. While they are talking, I slip away and head towards the Town Hall, where they said that Gage was being held. I sneak in, hardly being noticed. I ask a few questions and find where he is. The door to the room he is in locked. I pound on it repeatedly with my staff until the door opened. In it, a mint green Unicorn with a turquoise mane and evergreen tree branch cutie mark sits, looking miserable. I guess this is Gage as a pony. He looks up.

"Another interrogation?"

"Nope. It ain't another interrogation. It's me, Aidan. I'm getting you out of here."

"Aidan?! Only you talk like that. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I don't know, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Valid point." Let's stop wasting time and get out!"

Gage and I gallop out of the room. A sharp bit of metal chips off part of my left ear as we escape. It doesn't hurt to much but blood keeps dripping down onto my face, which is kind of annoying.

"So, do you have a pony name? 'Gage' isn't really one." I wonder

"Hmmm. I was thinking, 'Adamant Shadow', but nah. How about, 'Evergreen'?"

"Okay, that would fit." I say, opening my saddlebags. I find my phone and phone charger, iPod Nano, headphones, (just earbuds.) the laptop, a DVD, the charger cable for the laptop, and a mouse as well as a mouse pad. I check my phone. No service. Great. Stuck in a land full of colorful ponies and no way in hell to contact anybody. This day is getting worse and worse. What next? Timber Wolves, Poison Joke, Parasprites? Ugh, I am confused. Also, my bags still have something in them. Two dark denim cloaks/lab coats. Basically a lab coat with a cloak on the top.. I toss one to Gage (or Evergreen, whatever.) and rip off a length of cloth from the hem of mine and wrap it around my ear, stopping the blood from dripping onto my face and wipe it off. Well, better find a place to stay. Surely AppleJack and Rainbow Dash have spread the word, so we couldn't stay in a house. My thoughts are interrupted by three energetic fillies. Me and Gage shoot each other cautious looks. It's the Cutie Mark Crusaders, the group of three friends who don't have their cutie marks. We quickly toss our hoods over our heads as they bombard us with questions.

"Are you the two ponies from that other world?" Sweetie Belle asks,

"What's it like?" Scootaloo wonders,

"Do y'all think we could all get our Cutie Marks there?" Apple Bloom says energetically. I shake my head, confused by the speed of their questions.

"Okay. I'll answer your questions in order. One: Yes. Two: Uh, I'll describe it later. And three: No. You three are already there in your version of that world. It would rip a hole in the Time Vortex and the Space Time Continuum and would probably cause a paradox." I reply. Gage rolls his eyes.

"And for those of us who didn't pass our Doctor Who test?" He asks sarcastically.

"It would end really badly. Maybe destroy this world." I reply, glaring at him. The Crusaders looked confused.

"What now?" Apple Bloom tries,

"You can't go to the other world."

"Awww....." The Crusaders all sigh. Scootaloo's ears prick up.

"How'd you two get yours? Your cutie marks I mean." Me and Gage glance at each other again. We didn't really know.

"Uh..."

"Sweetie Belle!"

"Apple Bloom!"

"Scootaloo!"

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and AppleJack approach us. Gage and I throw each other worried looks. We both knew this look. We'd used this look ever since we met. This can't end well. Gage and I throw back our hoods and look sheepishly at the six ponies. Rainbow Dash and AppleJack glared at us. I loosen Vondr in its sheath, wary of an attack. The weather pony and the farm pony advance and the two of us back up. I pull out Vondr completely. One of them says something, but I don't hear it entirely because of the bandage.

"Uh, what did you say?" I ask cautiously, backing away from the glares of the two friends. I'm not exactly brave.

"Oh ignoring us now are ya? I ain't too keen on you two." AppleJack growls.

"Bandage on the ear? Can't exactly hear you." I say, pointing to my left ear.

"Ah said, who the hay are you?"

"Uh, AJ, don't swear in front of them." Rainbow Dash whispers, pointing to the trio of young ponies.

"Whoops, let tha' one slip. Anyhow, who are you two?"

"Like we said earlier, we're from that other world."

"The truth." AppleJack says calmly,

"That is the truth." I shoot back,

"The real truth!" She replies, getting angrier. Gage interrupts us.

"Stop talking in italics!" He yells. I'm not surprised. Gage has a tendency to interrupt arguments. The corners of my mouth twitch. Unfortunately, his interruption is met with a hoof to the face from Rainbow Dash. He isn't hurt. He once got hit in the back of the head with a college sized football and he felt nothing. Rubbing his red cheek, he gives Rainbow Dash an evil-overlord-burn-you-up-with-lasers kind of look. He is an expert at those. Rainbow Dash glares at him right back. The two have a sort of stare off. I wave a hoof in between the two. They blink and glare at me.

"Hey, I'm not the one who started it." I say defensively, flicking Vondr as fast as I can in front of my face. Gage stops his death stare but Rainbow Dash doesn't. "Uh, you can stop glaring, we're telling the truth." Still she doesn't stop. Ugh, I hate being glared at when I don't know what I've done wrong. AppleJack whispers something in Rainbow Dash's ear and she stops. Gage and I glance at each other. Another look we both know. What just happened? Rarity approaches us with the CMC at her side. I try to look calm, but it isn't easy, considering me and my friend have nearly been attacked by two colorful ponies. I turn to Gage. "Can I speak to uh, Evergreen for one second?" I ask, turning my gaze from one mare to another.

"Fine," AppleJack says reluctantly. I motion to Gage as we turn our backs.

"I guess we're here for a while." I sigh

"Why? Can't you just call 911 or something?"

"There are a number of problems with your brilliant plan. One is that there is no service. Two is that they've barely invented the projector. A cellphone would be way beyond them. Three, who would we call? If we were to call the police, they would think we were crazy."

"Hm. Good point."

We turn back to the six ponies. Half seem suspicious, half seem excited. Of course, the excited half is the Crusaders. They all look up at us, eyes wide with wonder.

"I suppose y'all are gonna need a place to stay," AppleJack sighs, giving me a look I don't understand, "Winter is jus' a few days away." Sweetie Belle gasps.

"Can they stay at Carasol Boutique, Rarity?" She asks excitedly, turning to her older sister.

"Ooh, I don't know. We don't have many rooms." The lavender maned Unicorn said, putting a hoof to her chin. The little filly's face dropped.

"Aww......"

"If it's not to much trouble, me and Evergreen can just sleep on the floor." I say. Countless sleepovers and falling out of bed and sleeping there had given us experience of sleeping on hard surfaces. Sweetie Belle turns the Rarity.

"Can he?" She asks again,

"If it's not too much trouble." I repeat.

"Oh very well." The alabaster mare replied, giving in to her sister's request.

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

Winter came very quickly for me and Gage/Evergreen. It was pretty cold for some, but, I'm not really cold most of the time. When it's about twenty degrees, I'm wearing a thin black windbreaker with a hood. The cold doesn't affect me that much, so I just wear the cloak that I found in my bags. Me and Gage eventually get used to walking on four legs and holding things with our magic. One day, I am taking a walk in the snow. It is sunny, but a bit chilly, like those days that are perfect for skiing. I trip on root. Using Vondr to steady myself, I regain my balance. The wind whips through the streets, chilling my newly healed ear, where the fur is still re-growing. It's still missing that one chip, but I don't care. I hasn't affected my hearing. Not yet at least. Clouds gather above me slowly and I feel snow start to come down. I need to get back to Carasol Boutique before it starts to blizzard. I flip my hood up and put my head down so snow doesn't get in my face. Making sure my saddlebags are secure so snow doesn't get my laptop wet, I trudge through the ankle-deep snow as it starts to really come down. I see Sweetie Belle backed up against a wall facing away from the wind, wearing just a scarf.

"Sweetie Belle! What are you doing out here? It's freezing!" I call, heading towards the little filly. She looks up at me. I see that she has been here for a while. I don't know why, but I don't ask. Nearing her, a flare red aura coats my cloak and I put it over the freezing filly. Her eyes are filled with gratitude.

"Aren't you going to be cold?" She asks, looking up at me.

"Nah. Maybe. Carasol Boutique isn't that far away, I'll make it." I reply, grinning. I'm already starting to shiver, so I lead the younger Unicorn away from the wall and have her facing away from the wind. I open the door to the dress shop and stumble in. "Brr." I say, rubbing my arms. Rarity comes downstairs and scolds us.

"What were you two doing out there? It's freezing!" She says sternly, looking at the two of us the same way.

"We got caught in the blizzard. It came out of nowhere." I reply defensively. Rarity looks at the two of us suspiciously.

"Oh very well, I believe you two. Do you want me to make you two some soup?"

"Hm? Oh no, you don't have to do that. I can make some pasta for all of us here." I say, gesturing towards the kitchen. I can usually just get myself something to eat without cooking, but I can cook if I want to. Pasta's all I can really cook though. Rarity thinks for a second, then sighs.

"Fine, you can cook."

I ready some water in a saucepan, about 3/4 of the way up and put some pasta shells in over the stove. I wait for about five minutes, moving the saucepan every so often and then ready some pasta sauce for those who want it, and another kind of butter and garlic sauce that my mom taught me when I was about eight. All I did was melt some butter and put garlic in it. Me and Gage had that. We didn't really like tomato sauce. Rarity insisted she help. I finally relented and she cooked a loaf of garlic bread. Setting the table, I wondered if ponies had it set up the same ways humans do. Fork then plate then knife (Which I assumed they didn't use, considering they were vegetarians) and sometimes spoon. I assumed it was our way so I put a spoon on the right. Shells and roundish ones you use a spoon. Rotini, elbows, bowties, the longer, straighter ones, you used a fork. That's my opinion at least. We all sit down and begin to eat. For the first time in a while, I get good compliments for something that I have made. Sweetie Belle gets pasta sauce over her top lip like a mustache, yet doesn't notice.

"Uh, Sweetie, you got a little something on your face. I think you've grown a mustache." I say, trying not to laugh. Sweetie Belle goes cross-eyed looking down her muzzle and then wipes it off with her napkin. Giggling, she looks at me.

"Uh-oh, hope I don't turn into a colt." She jokes,

"Well, that would be kinda awkward." Gage replies, biting into a piece of garlic bread. He suddenly gets a mischievous look on his face. "Are you two a couple yet?" The effect is immediate. I nearly spit out my water, Rarity looks scandalized, and Sweetie Belle's eyes widen. The green stallion hides a laugh and then broke out in a fit of laughter. "You should see your reactions!"

"Don't do that. And you know what I mean." I growl coldly at the laughing pony. He stops in recognition of a certain moment from my past. He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly and looks down.

"Sorry." He apologizes, not looking me in the eye.

"What were you talking about?" Sweetie Belle asks,

"I'd rather not talk about it." I reply, softly at first.

"Whatever is it, dear? If you need romance he-" Rarity is soon interrupted by a glare colder than ice from me and a look of caution from Gage. We finished our meal in awkward silence. I cleared the dishes and stacked them neatly on the counter. Trotting into the living room where my computer is set up, I go to Netflix and begin to watch a movie. Well, more of a two part marathon. I watch it about a fourth of the way through when Sweetie Belle comes in.

"What are you watching?" She asks, coming down to where she can see the screen.

"Just a TV show." I reply, turning the screen so she can see. Right now the main character was using his ship to go and find his almost sworn enemy, a guy known as 'The Master'. From Sweetie Belle's point of view, it was just a blue police box from the 1950's that was slowly disappearing with a, whreeorh, whreeorh, whreeorh. Sweetie Belle looks at it in awe. I guess ponies don't have special effects like this. The first half ended with: "And this day, the Time Lords returned." Sweetie Belle scrunched up her face in thought.

"Uh, who are the Time Lords?" She asks and I explain.

"Do you want to watch the second part?" I say, glancing down at the alabaster filly. She nods and I go to the next one called: "The End of Time: Part 2" Again, she is silent through almost the whole thing. I'm afraid it's boring her. Thankfully, that's not the case. She seems to like it. After the episode, Rarity comes downstairs.

"Sweetie Belle, time for bed." She calls.

"Aw, Rarity, can't I stay up a little bit longer?" Sweetie Belle asks,

"No, not tonight. You have school tomorrow." her older sister replies sternly,

"Plus, you need your rest kiddo," I say, "I've stayed up to late once and had to go to school the next day. Miserable the entire six hours."

"Awww....."

"Besides, tomorrow is Friday. It'll be nice out, even though it's winter. We can play outside. You don't want to be tired." I say, tousling the younger Unicorn's mane.

"Okay..." Sweetie Belle walks upstairs and turns on the lights.

"How are you so good with the younger ones?" Rarity asks,

"Oh, I used to work with kids her age a while ago," I reply, "I get along with them pretty well."

"I see. Well you'd better get some rest as well."

"Are you kidding? I can stay up all night if I want to." I say, "I did once."

"How?"

"Oh, I have my ways."

Chapter Two

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That Friday, the rest of Rarity's friends gathered for a dinner party. I'm kind of nervous. I may be able to work with younger kids, but I am not really good with others my age or older. I mostly stay outside, whacking a snowman with the staff. I had poured water on it, so the thing was ice. Every five hits or so, a bit of ice chips off. Eventually the head cracks in half and half slides off, shattering on the cold hard ground. I hear the snow crunching behind me. Somebody is approaching me. I turn around to see Rainbow Dash wearing a scarf.

"What're you doing?" She asks, looking at the half dead iceman.

"Uh, training. Sorta. Not really." I reply, glancing at dented and chipped figure.

"Training for what exactly?"

"Don't know." Rainbow Dash is silent, then asks me a question I dislike to answer.

"So I've noticed you don't really look at Pinkie Pie the same way as us. You don't seem to trust her or like to be near her. What's up with that?"

"I've.....seen things that will never be forgotten about her. Nightmarish things."

"Like what?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't look at her the same way either."

"Just tell me."

You really don't want to know." I hear a sound nearby, like that of three little fillies. My chipped ear twitches. I turn around to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders, wearing little dark red capes with a blue and gold emblem on the side. They seem excited.

"So what's the world you come from like?" Scootaloo asks, looking up at me.

"Uh, nothing like this world."

"What d'you mean?" Apple Bloom says,

"We're not peaceful. We are a world of war."

"Why on earth are y'all like that?" AppleJack demands, coming out into the open.

"I don't know! We just are!"

"Surely you're not like that."

"I don't know what I'm like. Ponies are peaceful. We're not so peaceful. In the year 1939 in our world, the biggest war of the time being started. World War Two. My country, the United States of America, didn't want anything to do with it. But in 1941, one of the enemy countries, Japan, bombed us, killing hundreds of innocent people. The Germans, the big leaders of the bad side, were knocking down countries, one by one. Almost nothing can stop it. But then a group of small little countries says, "No." We launched two attacks on Japan, dropping our most secret weapon. The atomic bomb. We destroyed to Japanese cities and eventually won, along with France, Britain, and a few other countries." I explain.

"What are bombs?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"Imagine a metal capsule big enough for all six of you guys, that when it hits the ground, it explodes. The atomic bomb was the most destructive one ever made. When you split an atom, it create a huge wave of energy, like when you break something like a stick, is makes a 'crack' and sometimes hurts when you break it. The atomic bomb was more than a trillion times that powerfull. That's what the atomic bomb did. Devastated two whole cities."

"Why did you do that?" Sweetie Belle asks incredulously

"Revenge. If you go to the place where I'm from and go to another state, you can see the wreckage the Japanese caused to our country. Do you understand why we did this? It was for the innocents they killed." I reply grimly.

"He's right y'know." Gage says, coming outside.

"Well don't start any wars here." AppleJack growls, pulling her hat lower just to make a point.

"Why would I? I've got nothing to gain!"

"Shut up!" Gage yells, getting up on his rear hooves. AppleJack glares at him but is silent. A blast of bitterly cold wind blasts over us. We all shiver and retreat into Carousel Boutique, where we all bundle up under blankets. I notice that most of the ponies stay away from me, aside from the Crusaders. Actually, one third of the Crusaders. Only one of them seems to not hate me and all humans, and that, to my surprise, is Sweetie Belle. She lightly grabs a blanket in between her front teeth and pulls it over me.

"Oh, thanks Sweetie!" I say, tousling her pink and purple mane. I see Rarity shoot her sister a concerned look. The little filly doesn't notice and puts a blanket around herself, close to me. We eventually all fall asleep to the rattling wind.

Hearth's Warming Eve (or Christmas, whatever) is just around the corner. I see decorations start to come up, such as lights, trees, wreaths and, (for some reason) giant candy canes. Ponies apparently have the same décor as humans. This year, all six are staying in Ponyville. I suspect they don't trust me. Not after my peaceful speech. Only two ponies really respect me. Gage and Sweetie Belle. I find out that ponies aren't like us this time of year. They don't get presents for each other, but that doesn't stop me. The eve of the winter holiday, I come home to Carousel Boutique to a surprisingly warm welcome. I sling my saddlebags off. They're heavier than normal today. I see that the kitchen has been set up for eleven ponies. I smell fresh bread, apple products, and salad. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are bouncing around the dress shop, looking very excited. Hiding my saddlebags, I pull out my laptop and some speakers I had borrowed from the local DJ. Setting it up in an area where the sound carried the best and put on some Christmas music. It reminded me of home and made me sad, thinking of the holidays I would never have with my family. Walking downstairs, I see Gage holding a package, about the size of a small box, about the height of a picture frame, wrapped in a familiar pixel wrapping paper. It seems familiar. Gage hands it to me.

"Look at who it's from." He says seriously. I look at the tag. In familiar, neat, curved handwriting (I say handwriting, because this was wasn't written by a pony" it says:

To: Aidan, From Aspyn. I know we haven't talked in a while, and I wanted to say goodbye, because the police and your parents say you aren't coming back. I wish I'd gotten to know you better.

Love, Aspyn.

I nearly drop the package. I remember that name. Along with the feeling of almost every negative emotion there was. I look directly at my friend

"How the hell did this get here?" I growl at the turquoise maned Unicorn. He looks down.

"It just appeared on my way here. Fell out of a tree," He says, "Go on. Open it." I do and a pair of steel steampunk-type wings with gears at the base on a pedestal a familiar crest in the middle. It was the symbol that was a v crossed with a capital a without the crossbar, an I in the middle. I recognized this crest and so did Gage.

"Remember this?"

"Yup. Sixth Grade, Tech Ed. Paper stages, we failed. This was our logo. Ironclad Inc. was the name of our company." I reply, a glint of sadness flickering across my face. Aspyn was the girl I had crush on for a while. Years later, she'd found someone else. Sad? I think so. This letter changed my personality for a while. I keep hold of the statue and walk away, face blank, but mind racing. I feel lots of things. I feel, off. I've never felt like this. I walk up to the laptop and place the statue six inches from the wood-paneled machine. I feel a tap on my foreleg. Looking down, I see the younger Unicorn looking up at me.

"Is something wrong, Gyro?" She asks,

"No."

"Oh, come on. I know an upset pony when I see one. You can tell me!" the little filly says, her emerald eyes filled with thought, moving so quickly that I can barely follow them.

I give her a reply of silence. Silence and that's it.

"Oh, okay. You don't have to talk." She says, looking back down to her level. I click on a song that starts to play and I hum along. "Come All Ye Faithful" was a bit religious, but I liked it. Sweetie Belle looks up at me in confusion. Ponies don't have the same religions as humans. I change the song to something a bit different. Not Christmas related but still a good song. Kid appropriate, unlike some of my other songs. It was Demons, by one of my favorite bands, Imagine Dragons. I sing along to it softly and look out over the laughing ponies. That used to be me when I was little. Now, I had changed and I wasn't really the festive type. Rarity approaches her younger sister.

"Sweetie Belle! What did I tell you about /him/?" She keeps the last word quiet so that I couldn't hear. I also hate people talking behind my back or saying things about me that I don't know about.

"What about me?" I demand, normally calm eyes narrowing.

"Nothing, nothing!" The older Unicorn says.

"You are a terrible liar." I growl, grabbing Vondr with my mouth.

"You are dangerous."

"Me? I can't say I haven't defended myself under extreme circumstances, but I wouldn't go to dangerous." I reply defensively, Vondr sliding back into place just to make a point.

"You talk about these wars, and bombs as if you know them."

"We studied it in school!"

"You studied violence in school?!" Twilight asks, seeming scandalized. She had flown up (with difficulty) to see what this argument was about.

"Yes we did, because we need to defend ourselves. My kind live in a cold world. Not everybody is nice. If you'd seen the news a couple years ago, you'd know," I say, raising my voice for this first time in a while, "So don't think I'm violent."

"Quiet!' Sweetie Belle pipes up, her loud voice carrying throughout the dress shop, "All of you! This is a time for kindness. not anger and blaming! We need to not argue and we need to be nicer to each other!"

"Very inspiring, Sweetie." Rarity replies dryly.

"I agree with Sweetie Belle. We shouldn't argue." I say, then under my breath, "Much less over me."

"Thank you!" Sweetie Belle replies in an exasperated voice. I smile and hide a laugh. Rarity sighs and walks downstairs, along with Twilight. After dinner, I have all of the ponies in the house gather in the living room. I hand out wrapped packages to each of the ponies.

And Christmas came to the household

Chapter Three

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Another holiday passes. A pointless one for me. Hearts and Hooves Day. Ugh. Do I sound like the kind of guy who likes all that 'will you be my valentine?' crap? Nope. I don't expect any gifts or nothing. Nada. Am I wrong? No, no I am not. I wake up on the fated day to find pink heart decorations all over. Ugh. Walking outside, I already see couples at cafes and restaurants. Ugh, again. I don't recognize any of the ponies. Slipping on my cloak and Vondr, I walk out into the sunny yet chilly day. I get a lot of scared looks from the nearby ponies. What the hell is this about? I feel a tap on my shoulder. Rather hard, almost like this pony is angry. I turn around to see an angry teacher, Cheerilee. She looks, like I predicted, angry.

"Don't you dare hurt any of the fillies here!" She growls.

"Why on earth would I do that?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know. I've heard the stories."

"What do you-?"

"Well don't get any ideas." The angered teacher interrupts and stalks off.

"What the hell was that all about?' I murmur under my breath. I then recall that she said 'stories' and I fume at the thought that somebody spread rumors about me. And I think I know who. Storming back to Carousel Boutique, I fling open the door and slam it with Vondr. I see a guilty looking alabaster mare.

"Why the hell did you do that? I thought you learned your lesson after the Crusaders joined that gossip column." I growl, swearing for the first time in front of a pony besides Gage.

"I-I just-"

"Just what? Now almost everybody here thinks I'm a dangerous criminal!"

"But you are!"

"A dangerous criminal? What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Well, you talk about war and violence like it's normal!"

"Well maybe you're right! Maybe I am just a violent guy! Maybe I should leave!" I yell,

"I didn't mean that." Rarity replies softly,

"What did you mean?"I storm off haughtily, smacking Vondr against trees and poles, chipping pain and bark off them. Not looking where I'm going, I stumble off of a ledge and tumble downhill, Vondr falling out of my grip. I feel pain shoot up my forehoof as I land. Grimacing, I get up. Putting pressure on my leg, I yell as pain bolts through my right leg. Ow. I search for the bamboo shinai, which has fallen under a bush. According to my knowledge, this is the Everfree Forest. I've read enough on this place that I do not want to be in here very long. And just as luck would have it, a growl, followed by a foul stench that was like rotting meat comes from my right. A pair of glowing green eyes appear and a Timber Wolf steps out into the light. I need to get out, quickly. Timber Wolves don't travel alone. Usually in groups of three, so I need to get out. I see its jaws, stakes of wood dripping with saliva and back away slowly. Pouncing, the Timber Wolf slashes at me with its claws. I yelp in pain as they connect along my side, leaving a scar all the way across my left side. Vondr won't do too much good. I remember that one tiny stone once killed a massive one. But that was sheer luck. I don't have too much luck, so that won't work. The wolf made from wood and other types of plants prowls around me. I don't let my eyes off the monstrous beast. It pounces again and I jam Vondr in its mouth and pin it to the ground. The Timber Wolf struggles and I push it in farther, slowly breaking the wooden wolf. It shatters and I step back, examining my scar. Maybe they were right. Maybe I am just a violent pony. I think glumly, looking down at the pieces of wood. I struggle up the hill, using Vondr as a crutch. When I get to the top, I see Sweetie Belle standing and looking down at me, confused.

"Gyro Scope? Are you okay?" She asks,

"No."

"What's wrong?"

Silence.

"Oh, another thing you don't want to talk about?"

Silence.

I realize Gyro is dizzy and faint. I see a huge gash on his side. He's losing blood. He leans to the side and his eyes are half closed. He faints and collapses. Struggling to pick him up, I walk slowly towards Ponyville, straining under that weight of the stallion on my back. After what seems like an eternity, I come across my older sister.

"Sweetie Belle, what on earth are you doing?" She asks, seeing Gyro Scope.

"He's hurt Rarity! We need to get him help!" I say, showing her the gash on his side.

"I bet he got himself into a fight. Well, he deserved it."

"Rarity!" Gyro is starting to get cold. "He's dying!"

"Of all the ways to spend Hearts and Hooves day..." Rarity says and a blue aura coats the ash bat pony and rushes him to the hospital.

I wake up in a hospital bed, eleven ponies surrounding me. A doctor, Gage, the CMC, Twilight, Rarity, AppleJack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy. Sweetie Belle hugs me.

"You're alright!" She says. I feel lightheaded and dizzy.

"Please, this pony needs rest. I'm gonna need to ask you to leave." The nurse interjects.

"Can I stay?" Sweetie Belle asks,

"Yes, you may stay." the nurse replies,

"If yer stayin', then we're stayin'." Apple Bloom says.

"Yeah, we're not lettin' you stay with that guy." Scootaloo joins in, gesturing to me. I'm too tired to protest. The seven ponies exit the room, leaving the Crusaders and Gage. Either it was the time of year or the situation (I guessed it was the latter or something else) but Sweetie Belle stands up to her full height and plants a kiss on my cheek and hugs me. My cheeks are soon tinted red and I'm looking down, not meeting the eyes of anybody in the room. She climbs up next to me and stays quiet. An awkward silence follows. I keep my face hidden and my voice off so no emotion escapes me. Not when I'm feeling like I feel now.

I leave the hospital with stiches and a bandage around my entire midsection, restricting my movement. I feel sleepy and slow. I decide to get some rest. It's been a long day, and I really don't have anything to do. Curling up in a corner, I turn on my iPod and crank up the volume. I fall asleep to the All-American Rejects and don't wake up for at least ten hours. When I wake up, it's about 3:00 in the morning, nobody is up. Nobody at all. I switch on my laptop and begin to play an arcade game, headphones in so I don't wake the others. I level up in the game and unlock a new character, the paladin. The game saves and I close the window. I click on the Internet Explorer icon and open up Flickr. I see pictures my dad has posted. I feel, for the first time, homesick. I miss my mom and my dad. My family. The Christmas dinners that I won't ever attend, the Super Bowls that I can never see. All gone. Forever. I put the computer on sleep mode and lay my head down. Sadness engulfs my thoughts. My eyes begin to tear up and I cover my face. Arms come around my neck and a little filly comes down to my level. Sweetie Belle sings softly and beautifully to me and comforts me. One of her melodies, she must've learned from me.

"Far over the Misty Mountains cold

To dungeons deep, and caverns old

We must away, ere break of day,

To reclaim our long forgotten gold"

I soon fell asleep to the soft voice of the pretty emerald eyed filly next to me. We wake up an hour later to the sunrise. I convince Sweetie Belle to come outside with me and see the oranges and yellows and pinks of the new day. We sit on a hill where we can see the skyline. I put my arms around the alabaster filly and she puts hers around me. The sun rises and warms the two of us. A spark of happiness ignites in my heart.

"I love you." Says the little filly, so quiet I can't hear. I don't ask what she said, because I know she didn't really want to discreet it. A thought crosses my mind and I remember the negative feelings I felt that fateful day.

Weeks pass and I begin to realize, I'm not wanted here. I need to leave. I plan to leave in the middle of the night. Shinai, laptop, phone, iPod, cloak, and cords. I open the door, knowing this will be the last time I see any house for a while. A soft voice comes from behind me.

"Where are you going, Gyro?" Sweetie Belle asks.

"........I don't know. I can't stay here. I'm not accepted here." I reply, kneeling down to her level.

"I know I can't persuade you. And I won't. But can you stay for just a little bit more? I don't want to say goodbye this early." She asks.

"Of course Sweetie." I say, walking back to where I slept, she at my side. I pull a blanket over myself and Sweetie Belle. She plants a kiss on my forehead and murmurs something similar to what she had said earlier, also undecipherable. Hours pass and we sit, talking softly about plans for the future. I don't really have any, so Sweetie Belle asks what I would've done in my world.

"Animation." I tell her, "What would you do?"

"I don't know. No Cutie Mark, so I can't really think of anything." she sighs.

"Well, you do have an awesome singing voice." I suggest. Hoofbeats come down the stairs. "I need to leave." I whisper. "I don't know when I'll see you again." I get up quickly and begin to walk out the door.

"Aidan?" Gage asks, "Where are you going?" an understanding passes between me and Gage and he gets what is happening. "Do you want me to leave you two alone?"

"Never. Stay with us." I say. Walking out the door into the cool winter night, I look back at my friends. "Goodbye." I say. Sweetie Belle hugs me.

"Goodbye Gyro. I won't forget you."

And with that, I leave Ponyville.

My ears droops sadly as I watch the bat pony walk away. The door behind me opens and Rarity comes out.

"Sweetie Belle, what are you doing out here so early?"

"We came to see Gyrooff."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Your rumors made him leave! Nopony accepted him for who he was except for me and Evergreen!" I yell at my older sister, "I love him."

"What was that?" Rarity replies, already knowing what I had said.

"I said I love him."

"I don't think I quite heard you." She says, smirking.

"Oh, you know what I said!"

"I know what you said and that still doesn't change the fact that he's gone."

"Fine! Just leave me alone." I shriek and stomp off to my room. Slamming the door and locking it, I start to cry.

Chapter Four

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

I am gone for years, traveling from towns and forests. I travel alone, no matter what the circumstances. I don't make friends and try to stay as unnoticed as possible. Mostly living on zap apples, (the only free fruit I can find) they start to affect me. Streaks of all kinds of color dust my mane and I feel like I age less. After what has felt like only a few years, I'm in Manehattan. It's about 3:00. Sound falls upon my tired ears. A familiar, beautiful voice echoes hauntingly through the area I'm in. Following the source of the voice, I see a alabaster Unicorn mare, with a pink and purple mane, emerald eyes and a silver bell Cutie Mark. After she finishes the last line of her song, I speak to her for the first time in years.

You've changed."

The mare whirls around and sees my face, covered by a hood.

"Your voice, it sounds so familiar." She replies,

"Well, it would. We haven't met in years."

"Who are you?"

I throw back my hood.

The mare gasps.

"Gyro Scope?"

"The one and only." I say.

"Is it........is it really you?" Sweetie Belle asks, all grown up.

"What do you think?"

"Oh it is you!" She says and tackles me with a hug. Still standing, I return the affection shyly.

"Okay, tell me the truth. How long have I been gone? Do I look overgrown?"

"'Overgrown' isn't the word I'd use. 'Shaggy' would be better."

"Hmm." I look up and see that my mane is messy and long, as well as my tail. "How long have I been gone?"

"Twelve." She studies me, "You don't look a day over twenty-two."

"I'll explain later." I say. Sweetie Belle touches my cheek, where a long scar marks my face.

"What happened? Do you want me to heal it?"

"Nah. I'll keep it. It's a battle scar, makes me look fierce." I chuckle.

"Yeah, you're so fierce." She replies sarcastically. She looks down. "Gyro, I need to tell you something."

"Tell me what?"

"I love you." She says. I don't understand her fully, but I have a pretty good idea of what she said. Years of attacks, ambushes, and accidents have sharpened my senses and reflexes. My hearing and seeing are very skilled. Movement catches my eye and I hear the slight sound of hooves. Whirling around, I see an ash gray Earth Pony with a mane the color of blood. A malevolent look marks her face. A large branch, with a diameter of two inches is coated in an ice blue aura. A moss green Unicorn and a navy blue Pegasus are at the Earth pony's side.

"Well? Your money, now!" The Pegasus barks. Sweetie Belle is about to hand over a bag of bits but I stop her.

"Gyro, they've got a stick. A very large stick." She says. The situation is perfect for what I'm about to say.

"That's not a stick," I say in an Australian accent, taking Vondr out of it's sheath faster than they trio can react, "That's a stick." the trio all look at each other, and the Unicorn comes over and whispers something in my ear.

CRACK!

I whack her head as hard as I can. She collapses and the other two grab her and run away.

"How did you-?"

"I can be very persuasive." I say. Yawning, I slide Vondr back into it's sheath. The sun is setting. A terrible setting in this situation.

"Gyro, do you know what day it is?"

"No."

"The day before Hearts and Hooves Day." She replies. I look away. My heart had become a ball of ice over the years and I hadn't developed feelings for any of the ponies in my life. But Sweetie Belle..... I was unsure of how I felt for her. I am silent. "Rook, why don't you like romance related things?" I turn away.

"I..........don't want to talk about it." I reply, my stone green eyes softening the slightest bit. An awkward silence passes in between us.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Sweetie Belle asks.

"No." I say, looking up at the stars.

"Oh." She replies, "Well, you're always free to stay with me for a little bit until you get a job." another uncomfortable silence follows. I don't know how I got my Cutie Mark, so I don't know what I'm good at.

"Y'know what? Let's stop worrying about all of this. We should just relax. It's been a long day for me, and I don't know about you, but I'm tired." I say, laying down on the grass. My the cape on my cloak is like a blanket under my back. Sweetie Belle looks at me with her emerald eyes that are filled with thought. She may be all grown up, but she still has the eyes of a filly, filled with ideas and sometimes wonder. She lays down about a foot from me and looks up at the stars, bright and small. I try and make out the full shapes that the Greeks had made all those years ago. I can only make out Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. The faint shapes of bears light up the sky. I look left, then right. Seeing that nobody is around, I put a hoof around Sweetie Belle's shoulder and pull her closer. Only because it's cold. Nothing else. Okay, maybe, just maybe something else. A tint of red appears on the white mare's face. My curved horn flickers tiredly. Sweetie plants a kiss on my cheek and returns the hug. I blink in surprise. My brow furrows. In a normal situation, this would be kind of awkward and I would be.............walking away? Telling her I'm not interested? But this is different. It just is.

"I know we haven't had a chance to talk, just the two of us," Sweetie Belle says, "Would now be a terrible time?"

"No, not at all." I reply, "What do you want to know?"

"What was your family like?"

"We were half farmers and hard workers, half techies. My dad's side were the workers. My mom's side were mostly techies. When I was six, my mom and dad divorced. Mom started dating this one guy, and he was a nice guy and all, but his son, I didn't like his son."

"Why?"

"He stole, lied, cheated and always threw fits whenever he didn't get something he wanted."

"Oh."

"The rest of my family, I had yet to find out about. I got an eidetic memory from my mom and I can repeat lots of thing. My reflexes are from my dad. Years of crashes gave me experience to be careful and very cautious. Then again, I've been more cautious than anything since I was born. Never went on any dangerous looking amusement park rides, never liked heights, never liked anything dangerous." I say, "Except for speed. Back where I'm from, we have these things called dirtbikes, they're almost like a scooter, but with two wheels and a motor. I used to crash sometimes because I was going so fast. Once, I crashed into a patch of cacti."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, it didn't feel good."

"Did you ever have a crush or a special somepony?" I know I just hit a sore spot because I can almost see his mental walls going up and his expression hardens.

"No. Not ever." I say,

"Oh. Sorry." Sweetie Belle replies.

"Don't be sorry," I sigh, "I just-never mind." the tiredness takes over and I fall asleep.

The next morning, the sun is out and the day is bright. A not very amused alabaster mare with a lavender mane is watching us. Sweetie Belle scurries to her feet.

"Rarity, this isn't what it looks like." She says quickly. I am now standing up straight, glaring at the dress maker, my horn crackling menacingly.

"Well? Aren't you going to chase me away?" I say quietly. Rarity purses her lips.

"I'm deciding whether or not I should change something about your mane and tail first." She says, looking up at my shaggy mane, that has grown out over the years, frayed and messy. I don't want to be intimidating. I would rather be normal, but I can't ever be normal, not with my lack of knowledge, who I used to be, and my technology. I rub the back of my neck nervously.

"What about after that?" I reply. I feel a forehoof come around my shoulder. Rarity sighs.

"I'll let you stay."

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

Rarity trims and fusses over my mane and tail. After a lot of cutting, my mane and tail are back to normal. Long-ish and neat.

"You can't go around looking like you don't ever get your cut on Hearts and Hooves Day if you want to get a date." She says, yanking my mane with a comb.

"Ow, ow, ow." Is my only reply. After she is finished with my hair, she has me look in a mirror. It looks the same as it had before I left. "Thanks Rarity." I say. Earlier, Rarity had sent Sweetie Belle to go try something on.

"Sweetie, you can come out now!" The dressmaker calls. Sweetie comes down the steps in a beautiful dress. It's sleeveless and white with golden designs. Her tail is braided. Overall: Stunning. I turn to Rarity. Knowing what she's up to, I realize this is on purpose.

"Are you trying to.......y'know?" I say,

"You mean trying to get you two to go on a date?"

"Maaaaaybe." She replies slyly.

"This isn't subtle at all." I say, "I said this once, though since you've seem to have forgotten, I'll tell you again. I don't do romance.." The last four words come out in a raised growl.

"A meal with a friend every once in a while can't hurt." Rarity replies.

"Fine then, we'll go out." I sigh,

"Really?" The sisters all say in surprise.

"Yes. I'll go." Is my reluctant reply. "But don't expect anything fun." I don't look at any of the ponies in the room. I look down. My stone cold eyes glance around the room, absorbing little bits of information at random. Smooth paint lines the wall, probably recently painted or cleaned, an edge of the carpet is sticking up, maybe put down a few months ago, a piece of paint is chipped off near a row of racks, dresses hanging from them, probably something had been yanked off a while ago. I am getting off topic.

Way off topic.

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

Chapter Five

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

I wish that I could say that no romance whatsoever occurred on Hearts and Hooves Day between me and Sweetie Belle. Unfortunately, I can't. Why, you might ask, do I say 'unfortunately'? Why do you think? Although, now that I think about it maybe it's not so bad. The date went as well as any first date went. Which means that it was so-so. Scratch that. For a romantic person, this would have ended pretty awesome. For a romance hater such as moi, it would've ended terribly. Right now, it's too bloody early. Way too early.

Hearts and Hooves Day. Last year, I spent it running from an angry Pegasi couple who's date I accidentally ruined. This year, I'm actually doing something some would call 'productive' but I would call 'not helping'. I duck and turn to avoid getting my hair combed and styled into something fancy and managed to avoid being put in a tuxedo. I finally relent and let Rarity dress me in an odd tie collar thing that makes me look like a vampire over my black denim, resized to fit me better. The nervousness of my first date slowly dissolves and is replaced by confusion. Confusion that comes from how Sweetie Belle looks. I'm glad they can't read minds, because she looks beautiful. That's all I have to say. Ack, no. No, don't think like that. Nonononononononononononono. What to do? Uphold my lonely reputation or have feelings for a pony?

Okay, nine o'clock. Ugh, this is the most confused I've ever felt. Me and Sweetie are alone. The bright stars blink in and out of visibility. I keep thinking, What to do, what to do? Keep up my reputation or have feelings? Sweetie gives me a concerned look. I may not be saying anything, but my facial expressions must say it all.

"I know that look. What's the matter?"

"I feel..........torn between upholding my reputation of not liking anybody or-" My words are silenced when Sweetie presses her white lips against my own ash colored ones. My moss eyes widen and shock fills my body. That shock is soon replaced by warmth. I make my decision. I choose the latter. We split apart.

"Sorry Gyro. I should've known you wouldn't be interested in somepony like me." She apologizes.

"Don't be sorry," I reply kindly, "I wouldn't have come if I didn't like you."

"But, do you like me as friend, sister, or what else?"

"That's just it. I don't know." I say, frowning. Those last three words bring back memories, none of them happy. Yelling, arguments, missing work, swearing in the extreme.

"You've got that look again."

"Sorry."

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

So, we've been together for about a month or so, and I'm on my way to Carasol Boutique, (I moved back to Ponyville) where I am supposed to meet Sweetie. I open the door, but nobody's home. I explore a bit, and then I hear a THUMP in another room. Opening the door, I see something I wish to never see ever again. Sweetie and another stallion doing, it. I seethe with anger, not only because I feel betrayed, but because I was right. Love was useless, not infinite, forever or happy. It was cold, finite, short. I spread my bat wings and fly out of the room. I fly blindly, vision blurred. Managing a smooth-ish landing, I punch a tree angrily. Starting to act like a dragon, I pace around the tree, snarling and lashing my tail I feel like a volcano, ready to erupt, and like a primed catapult, ready to spring anytime. I lean against a tree, the angry feelings being replaced by hopelessness, sadness, and depression. I can't let anybody see me like this. I fly into a tree. Landing on a sturdy branch, I begin to cry. No disturbance. Just my music. Cranked up to full volume. Oh, why did this happen? I put my wings around my head. A vibration jolts me out of place. My instincts take over, unfurling my wings, rolling down to the ground, and flipping back up. I see a certain farm pony, who has just kicked the tree I was in and apples fall neatly into buckets placed around the base of the tree. She looks about two years older than when I left, which I find odd.

"What's wrong, sugarcube?" She asks. I find this odd, since last time I had talked to her, she disliked me. A lot. I begin to lift off, then stop and land on the ground with a soft thump.

"I'm not talking about it. I never am and never will be." I reply, my voice more deflated than usual.

"Romance problems?"

"..."

"Ah'm taking that as a yes."

"..."

"Ah'm sorry hun. Ah don' know what it's like. I just work the farm." AppleJack puts an arm around me and I shrug it off.

"Don't touch me." I move my bat pony self away, my pointed ear and chipped ear pressing down against my head. "Just..........leave me alone. Please."

"Well, do ya want to help me get some of these apples down? Ah know work always keeps my mind off of things." I'm eager to do something besides mope.

"Yes."

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

After a day of hard, silent work, I want to go to bed and forget the events of this day. I don't stay anywhere, I just lay down where I had finished my work and go to sleep. I have a dreamless, quiet sleep. In the morning, I am awakened by a certain white mare. It seems as if she's come to apologize. I'm not having that. Spreading my bat wings, I launch myself into the air, heedless of the pleas of Sweetie Belle.

I notice a piece of paper fall from Gyro after he takes off. Bending down to read it, I see it says, I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner. Love is pointless.

Pointless.

I fly fast, so that nobody can follow me, aside from another Pegasus. I land on another tree, and (unfortunately) it's another tree that's about to be bucked. This time, I get out of the way right in the nick of time. Landing on the ground, I whirl around, ready to fly. Sadly AppleJack stomps her hoof down on my tail. Ow

"Hey, what the hell?" I demand.

"How is it, that twice in one day, you just happen to be in or on the same tree Ah'm about to pick?"

"I don't know!" I hiss,

"I want the whole truth."

Facehoof.

"I just told you the truth."

"Fine." She sighs. Then, looking quite awkward, she looks up at me. "Hey, Rook, Ah'm real sorry about the way Ah treated ya all those years ago, and Ah want to apologize." She takes her Stetson hat off and puts it in front of her chest, which is kind of cute. "Can y'all, forgive me?" My old smile crosses my face.

"Yeah, I can forgive you."

Chapter Six

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

Days have passed. I am very......secluded for weeks. I stay away from all of the ponies. One day, I fly over Ponyville, when I see a certain mint green Unicorn. It's Gage. I fly down to him. Sneaking up behind him, I startle him with a creepy laugh. Whirling around, he sees me.

"Aidan! Where have you been?" He says, joy spreading across his face. "Okay, I've seen you sad lots of times, and I know that face. What happened?" I explain. His eyes widen and he looks away. "Oh god, I should've known. I know this isn't the best time to ask, but, have you found somebody else?" I glare at him, but that glare falters.

"I honestly don't know."

"C'mon, you can tell me."

"Nobody!" I growl. I bare my teeth into a snarl. More like fangs. A hiss escapes my mouth. These questions have been asked too many times. I spread my leathery wings and fly away, feeling like an inferno, ready to explode in a fiery blast. I land on top of a building, probably the schoolhouse. I see a certain pony walking into the school, head and ears drooping. I feel no pity, empathy or sympathy for Sweetie Belle. I feel.........empty. I fly down to the back of the school, in the school yard and spy through the window. I see Sweetie Belle talking with Cheerilee. I put my ear to the window.

"I just....." comes the voice of Sweetie Belle before she breaks out into sobs. I silently fly to the front of the schoolhouse, where the door has been left ajar. I peek into the doorway. Of all the times the neon green tips of my mane had to be noticed, they just HAD to be seen now. Sweetie looks at me, along with Cheerilee. I spread my leathery wings, ready to fly, but I stop. I know what Sweetie is about to say.

"Forgive and forget?"

"Forgiven. But never forgotten." I say, then with a whoosh, I fly off.

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

I wake up in a field, my head throbbing, mind fuzzy. I've seen enough descriptions to know I'm hungover. I can't remember the events of last night. Except for one, which, honestly, I wish I hadn't remembered it. The memory: A sloppy kiss behind a building with a certain hard-working farm mare. Aw, man. Well, why the hell not? My life here has already been scrappy, now Life had to go and make me drunk and, whatever the hell happened last night. Now, I just ruined my reputation. Again. Great. Mother- never mind. I feel a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I see, to my horror, AppleJack.

"AppleJack, I can explain." I say hurriedly.

"You don' need to explain nothin'."

"I don't?"

"Our minds were addled last night, and we weren't thinkin' quite right. Neither of us."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Thanks AppleJack."

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

I manage to get a job in repairs, from barrels to wagons. I also get to assemble them. Things were pretty boring, until I met Clockwork. Clockwork is a rather...annoying Earth Pony mare, seventeen, almost eighteen years old and full of questions. She is the color of deep mahogany , with a gold mane, with ice blue gear designs, eyes the color of liquid honey. She reminds me of myself when I was eleven or twelve. Aside from the British accent. Whenever I'm in a crappy mood, Clockwork finds some way to either cheer me up, or make me feel worse. But not today. Nothing can cheer me up. Nothing can stop the angry ponies trying to get me to leave and never come back. I'll tell you what happened. It all started with a scroll.

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

I keel down by a wagon, repairing the axle of my boss's chariot, when a wisp of green fire, followed by ash gray and purple smoke flashes by my head. A scroll with an official looking golden seal floats down. I unroll it, curious. In neat handwriting, it says

Meet me at the library.

Twilight Sparkle

What the hell did Twilight need me for? Even the Element of Magic disliked me. I finish repairing the axle and glance at a watch I had bought a week ago. Twelve-thirty. It's my lunch break. I change out of my normal black denim, which now I normally use for work, into my light navy blue denim, which is my public attire, put on my new aviator sunglasses, and walk out the door, towards the library, which is about a quarter of a mile away. I'm halfway there, when an energetic voice comes from behind me.

"Gyro, wait!" Clockwork says, panting.

"Yeah?"

"I....want......to........see.........whatever.......it is........you're............going to see." She pants.

"Alright, you can come along if you want. Don't expect it to be too friendly."

"Why?"

"..." I have learned in the time I have spent with Gyro Scope not to press him for details. The first time I had done it, I had earned the most terrifying glare I had ever experienced. He had bared his fangs, narrowed his eyes, and his eyes became silts. Overall: Large and terrifying. I wonder how he can do that. I'd never seen an Earth Pony do that before A small hiss escapes his mouth. He shifts slightly, revealing the huge hunting knife strapped to his side. Even as friends, there are certain questions that will get me an entire day of silence, which is terrible for me, since I always have so many questions.

I approach the tree house/library, Clockwork at my side.

Knockknockknock "Twilight."

Knockknockknock "Gyro."

Knockknockknock "Twilight."

Knockknockknock "Gyro."

Knockknockknock "Twilight."

Knockknockknock "Gyro."

The princess opens the door. An evil looking obsidian mirror stands in the middle of the wood floor.

"Uh, what the hell..............?"

"I found a way for you to see your parents." The lavender alicorn replies.

I nearly unsheathe my knife, hold it to her neck, and tell her not to lie. But something tells me she isn't lying.

"So, what do I do?"

"Just walk through."

"That's it?"

"Yup."

I have mixed feelings about going into the portal. I touch the surface pensively. It sticks to my hoof like tar. I walk in, and step out in, whoa, time warp, my mom's house, expecting to be standing on two legs. Instead, I'm still a pony. Something bumps into me and nearly knocks me over. I turn around to see Clockwork face down on the ground.

"What are you doing here?" I hiss,

"I want to see what humans are-" She is interrupted by a scream. I arch my back like a cat and growl, grabbing my knife in my mouth. The scream came from nearby.

"Go back." I whisper hoarsely. She backs off and vanishes. I follow the source of the sound throughout the layout of the house. The place isn't that big, so it's easy to find the source. I hover up the stairs, open the door to my mom's room, and see a sight that angered me beyond any sense of a diplomatic approach. A man, huge and muscular, is hitting my own mother. "Back. The. Fuck. Away. From. My. Mom. You. Son. Of. A. Bitch." I growl, vibrating with anger.

"Who the hell are you?" He growls back.

"Who the hell do you think I am? Now back away, or I will make you wish that you could die."

"Back off gay horse, this ain't your damn business."

My mental and physical walls go down, and are being replaced by mental and physical cannons. I'm so angry, he doesn't care if he gets hurt. Instead of the normal hiss I let out, I growl. I'm trembling so hard, I can barely hold my knife. The man looks down at me. This guy was at least six feet, four inches, taller than my grandpa, his face was handsome, yet cruel. He goes to hit my mom again, when I fly forwards him and slice at his wrist, cutting at least four inches deep. He howls in pain and smacks me. I go flying and drop my knife. Well, last resort time. I leap at him, fangs extending and bite his neck as hard as I can. A salty, metallic taste fills my mouth. A strange feeling overcomes my mind. I want to kill this man, I want to make him suffer for however long he's been doing this. He hits me again and again and again, screaming at the volume of an F14 Tomcat, but I don't relent, not until he slows and collapses, and I can't feel his pulse. I spit blood out of my mouth, wanting to get rid of the taste of the man's blood. My mom gets up, face covered in bruises.

"W-who a-are y-you?" She asks, trembling in fear and pain.

"Your son." I say,

"Th-that's impossible! He disappeared a year ago!"

"Yeah, well now I'm back." I pick her up just as she faints, sling her over my back, and slowly walk down the stairs. It's not easy to carry a being almost twice your size. I drag her through the portal, ignoring the strange looks Clockwork and Twilight are giving me

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

The rumor of me killing that man spread like wildfire. . I retreat to shadows, where nobody wants to kill me. Clockwork, Evergreen, AppleJack, and Sweetie Belle all stay away from me. Even my own mother is scared of me One day, what looks like a mob grabs me and they all start to lash ropes around me. I hiss, growl, snarl, and fight the entire time. They carry me to a large fire. They're going to burn me.

I bite, hit, kick, smack, do whatever I can to hinder their progress. It's no use. As they are about put me over, a voice booms throughout the area.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOP!" Roars Princess Celestia. "WHAT THE BUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

"We was burnin' dis here bat. He killed guy. Quite violently by da looks ov i'" One says.

"If you kill him, than you are no better than the human that he killed." Clockwork says, emerging from the crowd. "That man was hurting his mother." A gasp went through the mass of ponies. What scares me the most is that Clockwork is calm and still, not energetic. She walks over to me, knife in mouth, and I have a fleeting impression that she is going to kill me. She then cuts the ropes binding me and drops the knife. I pick it up and walk off, snarling and growling.

I return to the workshop, where I work and repair all of the unfinished projects, regardless of the owner. Building things helps clear my mind. I then leave and hide in the shadows, this time, moving for place to place, rooftop to rooftop, tree to tree. I hate myself, I hate everything. This all had to happen to me.

Chapter Seven

Now, normally, there are a few guys who hassle me almost every day. Today, either they are all exceptionally brave, or downright idiotic.

"Hey, Gyro Dope, want to go hunting for humans?" One of them, LeadHoof teases.

"Piss off."

"Do want to spend time with your idiot friend, Clockdork?" Now, in the human world, 'idiot' wasn't a huge insult, but this was a world of friendship. I growl, punch him in the face, and pin him against the wall. "You wouldn't dare hurt me." He chokes out, "You don't want to disappoint your friends now do you?"

"Your damn right I don't want to disappoint them. But guess what? They. Aren't. Here. You can say whatever the fuck you want about me, but you will NOT SPEAK ABOUT HER THAT WAY." I throw him down on the ground and stalk off. I reach a tree near the front of the Everfree, where a sloppy hut has been slacked together. I fly up into it, where a small work bench and couch have been placed. Vondr rests on the work bench, broken into four pieces. I get ticked every time I see it. I drop my saddlebags, extend my wings and growl. Normally, they hide my wings so that I appear to be a normal Earth Pony. I stab my knife into the soft dirt floor, which is about six inches of dirt put over slats of wood. Now, stabbing a knife in the ground isn't the smartest idea because, as some of you may know, it dulls the blade. But I don't care. Why had I reacted like that back there? Me and Clockwork are just friends, nothing more, not even the best of friends at that. So why did I nearly beat the living crap out of LeadHoof back there? Was it just my instincts saying, Attack on Bully?, or was it something else? All of this confusion gives me a headache. I bend down, grab my knife lightly with my teeth, and sheath it. I then put on my saddlebags, not just a storage anymore, but a disguise. I fly as quickly as I can out the window, which is just a hole in the wall (no pun intended, though not entirely sure how that's a pun.... ~Kokopelli) and the reason I fly so fast, is because I'm seriously doubting myself. That's my motto, When in doubt, throttle out. Which means, in most cases on a dirtbike, means, when you are doubting yourself in front of an obstacle, go faster. I land.

"Gyro Scope!" I hear a young voice call. I turn to see Clockwork. She looks......nervous. Why does she look nervous?

"Yeah?"

"Doyoumaybewanttogoonadate?"

I cock an eyebrow.

"A-as friends." She says a little too quickly, "I-I mean, two Earth Ponies having lunch as friends, i-it can't be too awkward."

I glance at my watch. April 1st.

"Alright, April Fool's, I get it. Good joke."

She looks hurt.

"That wasn't a joke."

A sound like water being poured on a hot pan escapes my mouth.

"I'll think about it." I say, voice tinged with anger. I leave a very confused Clockwork to ponder what I just said.

~_~_~_~_~_~_

I pace back and forth, wondering why Clockwork of all ponies, had asked me out. This doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Well, come to think of it, it sort of does. I never really told her about what had happened between me and Sweetie Belle.

"HELLLLOOOOOOOO! A high-pitched, bouncy voice sounds, startling me. Pinkie Pie has somehow managed to jump up into my house.

"Jesus Christ! Don't scare me like that! And either talk to me from down there, or up here or else you're gonna break the damn floor."

"What's got you in such a bad mood?"

"None of your damn business!" I growl, baring my fangs. I sigh.

"If you think you know what is bothering me, go for it."

"Your-best-friend-just-asked-you-out-and-you-hate-romance-and-all-of-this-thinking-should-I-go?-gets-you-in-a-bad-mood-and-you-need-cheering-up?"

I roll my eyes. Either it was her 'Pinkie Sense' or her ability to break the fourth wall that allowed her to know what was bothering me. A sound like stones grinding together escapes my throat. What did she mean by 'Cheer me up'?

"Who the hell said I needed cheering up? And how exactly are you going to 'cheer me up'?" I demand. A non-reassuring smile plays across the party pony's face. She takes a step closer, and I back up, preparing myself to run or fly out of the window, or intimidate her. I guess the latter isn't the best option. Pinkie Pie laughs at fear. I keep backing up until, NEWS FLASH: There is no window to make my escape. For those of you who were either a) Dumb enough to think Cupcakes was nice and happy and you read it, or b) Somebody told you about it and you read it or you have read that CreepyPasta, you might be slightly terrified in this situation. I hiss loudly, warning that this is not a good idea and will never, ever be a good idea. As I've said before, I'm never listened to for suggestions, so, it's pretty obvious how this situation ended.

Pinkie Pie softly grabs the collar of my denim and pulls me into a kiss. Her lips taste like sugary foods. Candy, cake, cake frosting, and sugar. I hear a raspy laugh and a tortured sob. I see Clockwork with a tortured expression and Rainbow Dash laughing so hard outside my window, she can barely stay afloat. Clockwork runs out of my house, crying. I grad Rainbow Dash's ear and yank her into my house.

"What. The. Fuck." I growl, voice at maximum volume, pupils slits, teeth fangs.

"That was hilarious!" Rainbow Dash says, out of breath from laughing.

"Uh, Dashie, Gyro Scope doesn't look too happy.."

I have spread my wings and am at the point of yanking out my knife. Instead of adding more lives to my consciousness, I fly out of my house, in search of Clockwork. I ask almost everypony, but no answer. I finally open the door to Carasol Boutique, where I get an answer. A sarcastic one at that. I sigh in frustration and storm out. I search all over Ponyville. It turns out, I hadn't asked all of the ponies in town. The last one I ask is a friend of Clockwork's, who said that Clockwork had gone to Trottingham, where she used to live.

Great.

I make a mental reminder to chew out Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash later on, but now, I need to do something to apologize or explain to Clockwork. Well, that's life! All nice and happy until somebody comes in and totals it. I hiss in displeasure. I look around for a place to keep to myself. I see a glimpse of gold and ice blue. I see the end of a tail sticking out from a bush.

"You're not in Trottingham, are you?" I say, lifting up a branch.

"Go away."

"What happened back there was a setup."

"Oh yes, that's believable. I'm starting to consider that fact that the rumors are true!" I yell. As soon as I say it, I regret it, knowing I had struck a little close to home.

Initiating pissed off Aidan in 3....2....1 I glare at her, voice filled with enough venom to kill five full sized dragons in flight.

"You want to know the truth? They are true, all of them, and my life is starting to become a living hell! You don't know what it's like to be me! Hated almost my entire time here, never listened to almost my life, and now, I'm wanted for murder, which I wouldn't fight against, because I killed a man cold blood. I watched him die, I listened to him scream, and I didn't stop. I snapped. I wanted to kill him. Do you know what that's like?" I growl. Realization washes over me. I'd always been told that life was never fair, and since my time here in Equestria, I had learned it from the first day there.

His eyes turn from stone cold granite, to moss and his voice goes from charcoal, to ash. "I'm sorry." He says, his voice more deflated than usual. He begins to walk away, but I grab his short tail. "Hey, what the hell?"

"You know, for such a simple piece of machinery, you have complicated physics, but a simple repair method."

"What do you mean 'repair method'?" He says. His coat soon turns a whole different color. "U-u-u-ummmm." He stutters, looking nervous.

"Oh come on, Gyro. You need some repairs." I purr

I try to back up. Not working.

I need a Plan B, Part of me says,

Plan B?! I need a Plan C, D, I need more alphabets! the other part says. My mind splits in two. One piece says, Maybe you do need some repairs, but not THIS kind of repairs. The other says, Oh come on, it can't be too bad, right? The first then says, Great, you just HAD to open your damn mouth! You just basically said, oh I don't know, 'What could possibly go wrong'? Clockwork looks at me. I recall the time I met her. Long story short: I heard her in an alleyway where two extremely racist and slightly insane Unicorns were trying to cut off her Cutie Mark, which is a silve gear with ice blue designs. I ran them off, and we became friends. She's actually the one who got me my job.

"Look, Clocks, I appreciate you trying to help, but I don't need.........er........ this kind of help. Maybe we can start........somewhere else?" Clockwork's head droops. The ground beneath her head starts to get darker as her tears dot the ground.

I keep my head down and don't look at Gyro. Something comes around me. It feels like a wing. But wings have feathers. I look up. Gyro has bat wings. He's not an Earth Pony, he's a bat pony!

Chapter Ten

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Eleven

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter Nine

Chapter Eight

Gyro puts his wing around me like a soft, warm blanket. Close contact isn't his thing. A hug........... it's like saying 'Goodbye' or (did I dare hope?) 'I love you'. I didn't understand how a pony with such a hard life could be so gentle. I notice he calls me 'Clocks', instead of Clockwork, like he normally does. Something's up. Instead of hissing and growling, he's talking quietly. He tells me the story behind his hate on romance. I shiver. It's cold out, and I didn't bring a coat or a scarf with me anywhere. He shifts his wing so that it covers the entire length of my body. The back tip of his wing brushes my flank. He retracts the tip quickly, a red tint in his cheeks. He sees the look on my face and hisses, ears flattening against his head. I'd seen him go from soft and gentle all the way to angry and ready for battle in a matter of seconds. He was that fast. I watch his face go through a series of emotions. Confusion, caution, anger, and then, a clear mask of calm.

He's just gonna walk away again, I think sadly. And I'm right. He gets up. Without looking, he motions with a wing.

"Come."

What? He wasn't angry? Odd, even for a former human. I get up, brushing bright green hair out of my eyes. I watch him take off his denim cloak and slide it over me. He wears it almost all the time.

Humans wear clothes almost all the time," he once said, "Unless....." he didn't finish and his face soon became flushed. Now, he finally