Squeeze

I stood out in the cold with a unicorn by my side. "Right, you know the deal, right?" I asked, swinging my axe into a sizable spruce tree.

The unicorn nodded. "You said, right, twice, but yeah. Dry the wood, I get a cut."

I nodded and adjusted the wedge along the tree's new cut. "Aye. Bloody magical you--"

"By the way, you didn't tell her how we do this right?" My neighbor scratched at the snow covered ground with a single hoof. "Because I could get in a lot of trouble if people found out I was doing this."

I stopped chopping and looked over to him. "What? Ya can get in trouble for drying wood with your magic?"

The unicorn bit his tongue and cocked his head. "It's technically pyromancy, and that is super illegal."

I scratched my head, my coat rustling loudly as I stepped away from the tree. "Pyromancy is illegal?" I pushed the tree, causing it to tip over and snap. It landed with a soft piney thud. I swung my axe into it a few times until it was split up into several different lengths and stepped back. "How long?"

"Thousands of years man, since Equestria has been around, at least." My neighbor tapped the wood with his hoof, the logs smoking for a few seconds before crunching up loudly. The smell of smoke drifted up to my nose, thick and warm. "That good?"

I shrugged. "Probably shoulda cut it to size before you did that, but I'll make it work." I grabbed the log, hot to the touch even through my gloves. "It really is fire magic, ain't it?"

My neighbor bit his tongue. "I heat it up until the water is pushed out and its dried by heat alone."

I shrugged. "Well, I'll be sure to send you some wood after this evening, alright." I stuffed a few bits of wood into my arms and turned to my house. "Got a date--"

"With the milk mare? Lucky you." He scratched at the snow. "Does she know you're rich?"

I shook my head. "She knows about the potion factory. I think that's enough--"

My neighbor followed me to the door. "But she doesn't know you own it? Or the whole, I helped stabilize the business with the Zebras."

I shook my head again and kicked the door open. "It's not a big deal. Zebras knew this stuff for a while, I'm just breaking it down to science instead of skill."

"Science, and skill." He smiled and nodded. "I mean, being modest is good, but you brought it to everypony. Back when it was just zebras it was low quality stuff from back alley deals. And no zebra could do the stuff you do, they couldn't bring that quality of stuff to the table."

I leaned back, letting the wood rest against my chest. "I got taught by a zebra, she just didn't seem to want to be all crazy about it. Simple lady, simple needs, I just added to what she taught me."

My neighbor nodded again. "Sure, but why aren't you telling her?" He frowned softly and stepped back into the snowy plot of land me and Milky shared. "Afraid she'll go after your money?"

I stretched my neck. "Not exactly.... I'm afraid it'll change how she sees me. She seemed like she- I mean.... I don't think her and I are really the question, I can see things going well regardless of the money or not, I just don't want her to change how she acts around me." I Scratched my ear. "Least, that's what it feels like. I could just be scared."

My neighbor shrugged. "Well, I think you should tell her, but it's up to you man." He turned to the woods that surrounded us. "Later, and good luck!"

I backed into my home. "I don't need luck. I'm charmed, charming, and invested." I swung myself into my warm home and carried the wood into the den. The smell of smoke was still steaming off the freshly flash dried pine. I needed to saw them down to something more manageable and get the catering in order. Tonight had to be good, I'd promised, and I wasn't about to be made a fool.

I scratched at my eyepatch. "Pissy thing." I lifted it up and blinked a few times. "Itchy...." I rubbed my eye with my pinky. A damp feeling clung to my finger as I pulled away. A scratchy red was speckled over my finger. "...Blood?" I touched my eye again. Deeper red smeared across my skin. "That's blood...."

I flipped my eyepatch down and took a deep breath. "Alright...make it through the night." I rubbed my chest, digging my hand under my coats to get to my skin. "Easy...you're young, you'll heal." I pressed against my eye with my wrist.

I had to saw, I had a date, I had ponies to direct, dinner to have, mare pussy to eat as well. I wasn't about to let some rainbow hued eye bleed all over the night I had planned. I'd scoop the thing out with a spoon before I let it get in the way. I hurried and set the logs down on the stone floor near the fireplace. I could push any sawdust into the fire pit, but I needed to hurry, I didn't want to die without at least letting her enjoy dinner first.