MLP - Friendship and Pleasures

Students milled in pairs or groups along the halls as classes concluded for the day. Sown amongst the seniors were parcels of boys and girls with name tags on their chests, taking in their surroundings with naked curiosity bright behind eyes that were continuously surprised while student guides guided their charges through the crowd, keeping up a torrent of chatter that seemed inexhaustible, despite having been talking since the day began. This made the freshmen easy to distinguish from the seniors, after all, the seniors had more than enough time to get acquainted with their surroundings.

"This is hopeless!"

Applejack swiped her hat off her head in frustration as she beheld the swollen torrent that was the student body;

"How're we to find zombie boy in this mess!"

"You won't." Sade stated, voice steady despite his mounting impatience; "Pleasure won't be caught dead in a place like this."

Twilight turned away from the seething mass;

"But all the new students are currently on the orientation tour, which, based on the schedule, is passing by us now," Twilight spread her arms helplessly; "Pleasure has to be here."

Sade winced as someone screeched into his ear;

"Pleasure won't be here, trust me."

"That's a tad hard, considering we don't rightly know you well enough." Applejack drawled in reply.

"But I know Pleasure," Sade sighed; "And say what you want, but Pleasure won't be here."

"Then where could he be?"

Fluttershy squeaked as everyone turned to face her; "Oh! sorry."

"Well I could have just taken you girls to where he is, but someone doesn't trust me."

Applejack folded her arms and let loose a sharp huff.

Twilight dug out her phone as its strident buzz filled the space, she scrolled through the message displayed on its screen, then flipped the phone closed when she was done.

"Rainbow Dash found him."

Sade's smile was one of triumph.

"Let me guess, the library?"

***

"The Library." Sade grinned at Applejack, who was pointedly not looking back at him; "Told you."

"Guys! Over here!"

Twilight led them over to where Rainbow Dash was standing.

"Black hood and scarf right?" Rainbow Dash jerked her thumb at the glass doors that formed the entrance to Equestria University's main library; "He just went in there."

Twilight turned to Sade; "Alright, what's the plan?"

"Just take me to the section where no one ever goes, I'll take it from there."

A gust of cold air welcomed the group as they stepped into the chilled confines, protected from the heat by powerful air conditioners and screened by doors of strong glass. The place was packed with tour groups and seniors wandering through the various exhibits that were arrayed in the main foyer. Sculptures and paintings were displayed at  planned intervals and punctuated by smaller pieces such as scale models or pieces of pottery and the rare poem, framed up in glass to protect it from the elements.

The centrepiece, a short, black cocktail dress designed and created specially for orientation week, stole everyone's attention and breath away, even as Twilight led everyone through the maze of bodies, they found themselves stopping a moment to admire the silken creation.

"Man, Rarity always outdoes herself."

Even Sade couldn't help but agree with Rainbow Dash's assessment.

They had the next lift all to themselves as Twilight hit a button and sent the lift lurching upwards to their destination.

"So Sade," Twilight asked, just to break the silence; "How do you know Pleasure?"

Everyone's ears pricked up.

"Ours was a relationship that had some loose ends that needed tying up." The lift shuddered to a halt; "Ah, here we are."

The library consisted of three floors, and the third floor was where all the good books were, treatises and manuscripts translated into multiple languages covering a wide number of topics, from the sciences to the arts, from old myths to history modern and ancient when the world was young. It was why the library's third floor was called the 'scholar's stable', for only scholars have the need to set foot here.

As the group stepped out onto the stable, Twilight breathed in the scent of old paper and luxuriated in the air heavy with knowledge and purpose.

Before them, planted just beyond the lift lobby, was the reading area, a wide space laid with gleaming wood paneling and dotted, at irregular intervals, with beautiful statutes of birds, beasts and men that served both as furniture and decoration. Unlike the other floors which used fluorescent bulbs for light, the stable was illuminated by a bulb which emitted a softer light that was less straining to the eye and gave the place a sense of warmth and coziness that was lacking in the other floors. Specially carved casings of green and yellow covered these bulbs, breaking up the light so that it would fall onto the floor in dappled shades and patterns, the effect of which caused the entire place to look like a clearing in the middle of a lush forest.

Applejack wasn't impressed; "Alright, we're here, where is he?"

The sound of leather scuffing the carpet echoing across the stable preceded Pleasure as he stepped out from the forest of shelves into the reading area, footsteps silenced as he shuffled off the carpet and onto the wooden floor. His head, still hooded but now bereft of his scarf, was bent low over a copy of what Twilight guessed was an old German sword fighting manual, if her memory served her well.

It was many minutes before Pleasure realized he had company, lost as he was in the discovery of, it would seem, a whole new world of parchment and ink.

It was Applejack who tore him from his reverie;

"No where to run now boy! You are going down!"

"Please Applejack, allow me."

with a clattering of boots on wood, Sade stepped out onto the reading area and stopped, just in front and off to the left where Applejack stood;

"Hello Pleasure, remember me?

Pleasure didn't reply, instead he closed the book and placed it on a table carved into the shape of a rearing unicorn, keeping his head bowed so that his hood hid his eyes from view.

"Or should I call you by your old name?" Sade dipped a bow; "Black Brumby of Sandover?"

Applejack's eyes could have rolled out of her head, so wide did they pop open;

"Wait holdup, he's the Black Brumby?"

Twilight was confused, again. Seriously, she's a second year student now, will she ever learn all there is to know about Equestria University?

"Who's the Black Brumby?"

Applejack replied; "Sandover North is one of the toughest schools in Manehattan, and the Black Brumby," Applejack's gulp could be heard over in Appleloosa; "Is the toughest person there."

Rainbow Dash took up the thread; "He's a wild horse, going wherever and fighting whoever,  and anyone that goes up against him, goes down in one hit."

"That settles it, Pleasure, or Brumby or whoever, you're coming with us." Applejack declared as she pushed past Sade; "You gotta answer for what you did to Pinkie!"

Sade reached out and smacked Applejack as she walked by him and in the blink of an eye, wrapped his arms around her throat and shoved her in between him and Pleasure before anyone could react.

Sade smiled as held Applejack close;

"Smells like apples. Nice."

Applejack jumped as Sade rested his head on her shoulder and breathed in the scent wafting from her hair.

"Don't worry Pleasure," Sade cooed as he wrapped a strand of woven gold around his finger; "I won't hurt her, I just want your undivided attention, that's all." Sade pursed his lips in thought; "No, actually I also want her to shut up for awhile, so annoying, blabbing and blabbing away in that ridiculous accent of hers."

Tracing a line along Applejack's cheek, Sade continued. Whether to Pleasure, Twilight or himself, no one knew;

"See? now that is so much better. Peace and quiet. Isn't that what you like? Oh wait," Sade chuckled as he contemplated a joke that only he understood; "You don't like anything do you? In fact, you HATE everything. Isn't that why you became the Brumby in the first place?"

Sade laughed again, a throaty purr that sent shivers down Applejack's spine as she whimpered in fear;

"Look at you now Pleasure, the Black Brumby, actually worried about this pitiful little girl. Don't deny it, I see the way you look at her, how tensed up you are now, when before you wouldn't even have bothered to close whatever precious little book you were reading at the time." He shook is head in mock pity; "The rumors were true then, you've lost your edge.

Before you were pathetically dangerous, fighting and destroying for your own petty desires." The purr dropped an octave, turning into a growl of frustration soaked with pity and derision; "Now, you're just pathetic."

Sade shoved Applejack straight at Pleasure, who shot forward and caught her in his arms as he twisted his body sideways, placing himself in the path of Sade's thunderous roundhouse kick instead of Applejack's. The impact was an explosion in the quiet, confines of the stable and the sound of flesh crashing onto the floor was loud enough to draw startled shouts and gasps from the students on the second floor.

Sade burst out laughing.

"MAN OH MAN! Now that was a kick!"

Drunk on the rush, arms thrown up into the air, Sade did not notice Twilight and Rainbow Dash sneaking behind him and dragging a stunned Applejack back to the lift lobby;

"Weak Pleasure! Weak! There's a new Brumby in town and his name is. Sade. Nelson!"

"Now that's hardly an improvement,"

There was a hint of the melodious in the words that interrupted Sade's triumph;

"I mean, has anyone ever told you that your name sounded stupid?"

Sade's next words came out as a strangled gasp as Pleasure climbed back up to his feet. His hood had fallen back around his neck, revealing a fringed crew cut covering a perfectly rounded head and framing a pair of clear, black eyes. Pleasure's face, which should have been bruised at the very least, was unmarred and whole, the kick having had no visible effect.

"Ukemi?" Sade's face looked like it had been dipped in bleach; "Impossible."

"Oh and by the way. I didn't change." Pleasure cracked the bones of his neck; "I just became better."

"You. Filthy. DOG!"

Sade bellowed and charged, an attack as desperate as it was futile, Pleasure didn't even bother dodging. Spreading his arms instead Pleasure met Sade's assault with a hug, spun and flipped Sade over his hip and drove his opponent straight into the ground. This impact was heard by everyone in the library's main foyer, a blade that cut through three whole floors and was still loud enough to silence everyone who was packed into the place.

Pleasure looked down at the one who would be the next Black Brumby, sobbing and writhing in pain. Words failed him as he looked down at the pathetic mess rolling on the ground, so he sighed and got up dusting his knees as he went.

"I'm...not...the only one..." Sade gasped from the floor; "They...will come...for you."

Pleasure said, as much to Sade as to himself; "Let them."

The last of Sade's strength left him and he passed out as Pleasure regarded him over his shoulder.

Crouched at the side of the elevator across the reading area, Fluttershy was hugging a hysterical Applejack, doing her best to comfort her whilst Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked on.

"May I?" Pleasure asked as he approached.

Fluttershy scooted aside to allow Pleasure to examine Applejack's face, which looked unharmed save for a bright purple bruise mottled across her jaw, but the moment his hand reached out, Applejack lunged and clamped her teeth onto the offending appendage. It took everyone's combined strength just to pry her loose.

"Stay away from me!"

Applejack screamed as she pushed herself back against the wall she had been sitting against; "Don't touch me! Don't ever show your face before me ever again!"

All coherent thought was torn away as a paroxysm of sobs and whimpers drove Applejack deeper into Fluttershy's arms.

Twilight placed a hand on Pleasure's shoulder; "Get out of here Pleasure," She nodded towards the elevator; "Before anyone else shows up."

"What?"

"I'll handle the explanations, having you around would just complicate matters."

Pleasure nodded, and throwing his hood over his head again, stood and turned to go. What else could he say?

"I didn't punch your friend."

Well, that would have to do.

***

The weather around here was foul.

First hay fever, then runny nose, followed by a cold that peaked at an even 40 degrees, It was in this illness-addled state that Pleasure shuffled into Equestria University for his first day of school.

A good start.

All around him, Pleasure could hear the whispers and stares as he walked, he knew he looked like some crazed terrorist, or just plain crazed, but pride had to be sacrificed for the sake of being able to get out of bed. He was determined to get a good, fresh start in a brand new school and he will do it even if he had to roll himself in on a wheelchair and drip Red Bull directly into his veins.

Suddenly, Pleasure found himself being wrenched sideways, turning around, he beheld the crazed, pink haired assailant, grinning maniacally at him and pointing some kind of weapon straight at his face.

All trace of illness and lethargy was burned away as the fire of instinct and training purged his body clean of all toxins, deflecting the weapon hand up and to his side, Pleasure stepped in and whipped the entirety of his upper body into a full 180 degrees turn. The combined force of his upper body was brought to bear on his unbalanced foe and she was sent flying into a group of students who were juggling footballs around. It was quite a mess.

Pleasure's first instinct was to step forward and render assistance, but as fatigue flooded his veins again, Pleasures just sighed, shook his head, and shuffled on his way.

***

Epilogue:

Pleasures threw back his hood and took a deep breath of the chilly autumn air, allowing the breeze to prick his face with thin needles of ice and fire. Today is the day! he exulted, today he would be going to a new school and starting his new life. The Black Brumby of Sandover is no more, now begins the days of Pleasure Burdens, freshman student of Equestria University, the most interesting university in all of Equestria.

His good mood lasted until he saw a pair of girls take one look at him and scurried off, whispering something about the 'Black Brumby of Sandover'

Sighing, Pleasure threw his hood back over his head.

Guess a week wasn't long enough to forget huh?

Well that's a given, fighting in the library and hurting two of the most popular seniors in school, its surprising that the principle hadn't just kicked him out and be done with it. Adjusting the strap of his backpack, Pleasure shrugged and headed off, he was going to have to owe Twilight Sparkle a favor for what she had done for him, although it did beg the question, how did Twilight explain Sade Nelson?

"I like your hood."

Pleasure whirled around.

Facing him, dressed in a dull grey sweater with muffins held in each hand, was a cute blonde who would have been beautiful if it weren't for her walled eyes.

"I'm Ditzy, but my friends call me Derpy."

Pleasure cocked his head to the side; "You do know that there are certain implications to that particular designation?"

Ditzy just stared by way of reply.

They stayed like that for a long while, before Ditzy offered him one of her uneaten muffins; "You look hungry, wanna walk to school together?"

Pleasure cocked his head to the side again, he had a feeling that he would be doing a lot of that in the near future.

"Yeah," Pleasure accepted the proffered pastry; "Okay."

Fin