A Sparkle In the Darkby PanzerAsp RDChaptersChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter OneMy room slowly came into vision as I opened my eyes. I sat up in my bed and yawned. “Another shitty day.” I muttered to myself as I stood up and walked down the hallway of my trailer. I walked into my laundry room, and there were clothes laying around on the floor and anywhere it could be. I picked up a random shirt and pants and put them on. I sighed as I walked out and headed to my bathroom. I stared in the mirror at myself. I looked scruffy, I had black hair, I hadn't shaved in a week, so my face had grown the beginnings of a beard. I turned from the mirror and walked out of the bathroom. I walked out of my trailer and started to head toward my job at a construction site. I was new at this job, because I got fired from my last one for fighting with co-workers. I walked down the sidewalk of the street. As I did, I looked around, I saw a house with a man sitting outside on his porch. He stared at me as I walked by him, another house I saw had a torn up chair with a futon cushion laying next to it on the front lawn. It had stains all over it, just another day in my little town of Arleton. I finally reached the construction site, and as I walked to my place in this whole mess, my boss stopped me. “You’re late, Matthews.” He said with his eyes scanning me. “Sorry, boss. Won’t let it happen again.” I said as I looked past him. I saw all the workers at their places, a few of them were staring this way. “Look, I’m worried about you, kid. You’ve only been working here for two days now, and you’ve been late both days. Not to mention that you looked and smelled like shit yesterday, just like you do today.” He said as I looked back at him. “Tomorrow, I want you to come in looking like the picture of health, with clean clothes on, and a positive attitude, alright?” I stared at his for several moments before I answered. Why does this guy even care? “Yeah, sure.” I answered him, now looking away from his face and at his boots. “Alright, kid, now get to work.” He smacked my back and I stumbled forward, now walking toward my place on the site. I started to lift rocks into the bucket of a big machine that would haul them off. I lifted rock after rock, my back aching with every lift. Once the bucket was full, a man walked over and climbed into the driver seat. He drove the machine away from the site and was back a couple minutes later with an empty bucket to be filled. As I lifted a rock into the bucket, I noticed one of the other workers was walking my way, I put the rock I was holding into the bucket and then felt a hand on my back pushing me forward. I smacked my face into the rock I was putting down, and pushed myself back up. I turned around to see the worker walking away from me. I walked after him and shoved him, he turned around quickly. “What do you want?” He said sharply. “Did you just push me?” I asked, as I felt rage swelling inside me. “So, what if I did?” He answered with a sly grin on his face. I started gritting my teeth now. The man looked back at the group of workers watching us, and they were laughing. I pulled back my fist and was about to punch the man who was before me, when I felt a hand on my chest push me backward. “What the hell is going on here!?” Our boss was standing between us looking very angry. “This little shit-stain thinks he’s big and tough.” the grinning worker in front of me answered as he stared at me. Our boss looked at me then at the other worker. “I want you both to stay the hell away from each other, and if I see you even sneeze in the other’s direction, you’re both fired. Got it?” He told us. “Yes, sir.” We both replied and went back to our places. Several hours later, the day was winding down and coming to an end. I lifted the last of my load into the bucket and walked to my boss. “I’m heading home, Boss.” I told him. He looked at me and smiled. “Remember what I told you, kid, and try not to get into any fights tomorrow. I’m a nice guy, but I’m not that nice.” He told me. I turned and walked off the site and headed toward my home. As I walked down the street, all I could think about was that man from today. What was his name? I’d heard it somewhere, but couldn’t remember it. I walked past the house with the torn up chair in front of it. “Almost home, now…” I muttered to myself, I felt exhausted. I looked to my left and as soon as I did, I felt a force connect with my chin. I fell into a wall, and looked up at my attacker. It was the man from work, with two other people I didn’t recognize. “Hey, shit-stain.” He said with the same grin as before on his face. I straightened up and got ready for a fight. “You had to bring two friends with you?” I said looking very angry. “I had to have someone see it other than you, didn’t I?” He said again, and his two friends backed up. He punched me in the gut and I felt all my breath leave my body. I felt him bring his fist down on the back of my head, and I fell to my knees. He kicked me in my gut and I rolled onto my back. I felt blood running down my head, and he kicked me in the face. My head flew to the side and he kicked me once again in the side this time. I heard his friends laughing at me, and I felt blackness taking over me. I awoke in a daze, feeling sore all over my body. The sun was now setting. I was in an alley I didn’t recognize. I got to my knees and then pushed myself upward. I used the wall to lean against as I walked out of the alley. I realized where I was now. I was several blocks away from my trailer, and feeling ready to pass out again. I looked further down the alley and saw an odd looking body laying there. I approached it, thinking it was a stray dog that had taken refuge in the alley I’d been left in. I looked at this thing laying on the ground. It was definitely not a dog. Dogs have paws, this thing had....hooves….and a horn, it was also purple. I studied it for several moments not knowing what I was staring at. I had reached a hand toward it when it moved one of its hooves, and I pulled my hand away. It opened it’s eyes and stared at me for a second. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m not gonna hurt you.” I said gently as I reached my hand out slowly. It stared at my hand as i got closer, and started petting it. I ran my hand along the back of it’s neck and felt the fur and hair on it. This was a pony...a unicorn...in the middle of Arleton. “H-Hello…” I heard a female voice speak, but no one was around. I looked up and down the alley. “Someone here?” I asked the darkness. “M-Me…” I heard the voice again, it was coming from...the unicorn. “You...You can talk..?” I asked feeling shocked. “Of course I can…” She said sounding confused. I stood up and helped the pony to her feet. I saw a star design on her flank and was further confused. “Thank you...mister.” She said to me. Reality was setting in, I was standing in front of a purple talking unicorn. “My name is Donnie Matthews.” I told her. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.” She informed me. “Well, it’s cold out here, Twilight, I think you should come back to my trailer and warm up.” I told her. She smiled at me. “Thank you for being so kind to me, Donnie, it means a lot to me to see someone friendly in this confusing place. I have no idea where I am, this is not my home.” She told me looking scared. I walked out of the alley and motioned for her to follow me. We walked for a long time, and I was in shock most of the time. When we finally reached my home, I opened the door, and she stared at it. “This is where you live?” She asked me. I looked down and scratched my head. “I know it isn’t much to look at, but it’s warm and cheap.” I answered still looking down. She walked inside and I followed, shutting the door behind me. I looked at the clock, it was 3 AM already. “Your fur is dirty, do you want to wash it?” I asked. She stared at me looking confused. I took her back to the bathroom and showed her the shower. I turned it on and let her examine it. She stepped inside and looked around, letting the water hit her fur. A bottle of shampoo started illuminating purple light and floated over to her, hovering in the air in front of her. “What the hell!? That shampoo!!” I backed up. That bottle of shampoo was floating! “You’ve never seen magic before?” She asked me with a smile on her face. “I use my horn as the source of my magic.” “Holy shit…” I was completely shocked. “What is inside this bottle?” She asked as she studied it. “Soap for your body.” I answered. She lifted the bottle above her back and let shampoo fall onto her. I backed out of the room and shut the door. I walked to my couch and sat down. I stared at the clock. “Three fifty eight…” I muttered to myself. My body was still sore all over. I stood up and went into the kitchen. I got a cloth, put it under the sink, and got it all wet. I wiped the blood off my face and rinsed it out of the cloth. I heard the bathroom door open and I looked at Twilight. I noticed her fur was looking clean as could be, and she smiled at me. “I feel refreshed!” She exclaimed. “Tired too.” I put the cloth in the sink and walked over to her. I led her to the bedroom and showed her the bed. She climbed onto it and curled into a ball. I left the room and went to the couch to lay down. As I lay there, I thought about the crazy day I’d had. The pain in my body still feeling as strong as it did when it happened. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, welcoming the darkness that would hopefully help my pain go away. Chapter TwoI opened my eyes and looked at the clock. It was now 10 AM, I had four hours before I had to go to work. I sat up on the bed and stretched, cracking my back loudly. I stood up and saw Twilight leaving my room and yawning. I smiled at this and approached her. "Had a good sleep, huh?" I said as I smiled at her. She smiled back at me, I couldn't help noticing that her eyes looked beautiful...wait...am I thinking this about a unicorn..? I shook my head and turned around. I walked into the kitchen of my trailer, and got out a pan. "Are you hungry, Twilight?" I asked. She nodded and sat on the couch. I went to the fridge and I opened the door, I pulled out a dozen eggs, and cracked one into a bowl. I cracked two more into the bowl and stirred it. I dumped it into the pan, and the egg started cooking. I moved it around in the pan with a spatula. After the eggs were done cooking I took them off the burner and shut it off. I got out two plates and put the eggs on them. I put a plate down on one side of the table, and one on the other. I sat down on one side and Twilight sat across from me. I gave her a fork, and smiled. "I've never seen this type of food before." She told me. "Well, take a bite and let me know what you think." I said. She stared down at her plate for a second, and then lifted her fork with her magic. She picked up a bit of egg and ate it. "Well? What do you think?" I asked, smiling. She had grin on her face as she ate more and more of her eggs until her plate was empty and barren. "I loved it!" She exclaimed happily. "What is it called!?" "Well, we just call them eggs." I said, smiling back at her. Her smile faded and was replaced with a look of horror. "Eggs!? Have I eaten a small creature's young!?" She was yelling and looked terrified. "No, no, please, Twilight, calm down! There are some eggs which are fertile and will eventually hatch, but the eggs that aren't fertile and won’t produce a baby chick are sent to stores to be eaten." I explained quickly, hoing she wouldn't storm out or something. She seemed to calm down and didn't look as scared now. "I'm a vegetarian, you see." She explained. "I understand, and I'll make sure I remember that." I said, now smiling again. I began eating the eggs that were still on my plate. After I'd finished Twilight got up and sat down on the couch. I stood up and grabbed her plate and fork and put them in the sink with the pan. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 12 AM. I looked at Twilight. "I have to go to work at 2." I said to Twilight. She smiled and nodded. I sat down next to her and looked at her. "Twilight, while I'm gone, I don't want you to leave the trailer, because I don't know how other people will react to you." I told her. "I don't want anything to happen to you, okay?" She smiled at me and looked truly appreciative for my concern. "I promise, Donnie." She said, smiling. She wrapped her hooves around me in an embrace. She closed her eyes as she held me, and I hugged her back. "Thank you for keeping me safe and helping me, Donnie." She said as she hugged me. I didn't know what to say to her, so I just kept hugging her until she let go of me. I scratched the back of my head and chuckled. I stood up and walked into the bathroom, I closed the door and took off my clothes. I climbed into the shower and turned the knobs. After I had finished taking a shower, I turned off the water and dried myself off. I put on pants I'd been wearing before and stepped out of the bathroom. Twilight was still sitting on the couch, but she was staring at me. I followed her gaze to the bruises and marks I had all over my body. "Shortly before I found you I had been beaten up by a man I know." I informed her. She had a look of concern on her face. "Come here." She told me. I walked over and sat down on the couch next to her. She touched her nose against a large blue bruise on my side, and I closed my eyes, trying not to move. She pulled away and looked up at me. "I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?" She asked with concern. I smiled at her and hugged her. "If I had to get beaten up to meet you, then it was more than worth it."I said as I hugged her tightly. After a moment she hugged back, and when I pulled away, I could see her blushing. I stood up and walked into my laundry room. I searched the room for a clean set of clothing for me to wear. I picked up random shirts, smelling them and putting them down after deciding that the boss wouldn't be too happy if I showed up with that shirt on. Finally, I picked up a shirt and smelled it, it didn't smell too bad so I threw it on and walked out. I looked at the clock, it was 1:30 PM. I walked to the door of the trailer, and opened it. "I gotta go to work now, Twilight. I'll see you tonight." I said as I shut the door. I started making my way toward the construction site for another day at my job. I stepped onto the construction site, and my boss approached me. "Well, you definitely don't look like shit, but as for the smell, not so much." He said, grinning. "Get to work." I went to my normal place on the site and began lifting rocks. I set rock after rock inside the bucket, and eventually it was full. The machine backed up and left my view, only to return moments later with a freshly emptied bucket. As I looked around the site, I saw the man who had caused me so much trouble. He was grinning at me, and staring with cold eyes. I stared back at him, until I noticed our boss staring our way, so I turned around and resumed the lifting. Several buckets later, I'd lost count, as well as doing other jobs around the site, the day was over and my work here was done. I left the site and started walking home, hopefully not to be beaten up on my way back. The man was waiting for me at the same place as yesterday, he had the same two guys with him. "You'd think ol' Shit-stain here would've at least taken a different route home today, but no, he goes the same way. You must be pretty stupid, man." He said as the guys behind him laughed. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. "I don't have time for your shit today." I said coldly. He just laughed, and kept grinning at me. "Well, what are you gonna do about it, Shit-stain?" He said tauntingly. I stepped toward him. He looked a little surprised at this. "Wait, are you actually thinking about fighting me? After that beating you took yesterday? You really are an idiot!" He and his two friends laughed. I took another step forward and he straightened up. He lifted his fists and grinned. I didn't want to fight him, but it looked like he wanted to fight me. He came toward me and he threw a punch at me, I moved my head out ofthe way, and moved to his side. He slammed his shoulder into my chest and knocked me backward. He pushed me and I fell onto my back, his friends were laughing loudly. He got on top of me and punched me in the face. My head jolted to the side and without thinking I pushed my head forward and slammed it into his chin. He pulled back and let go of me. I pushed him back onto his own back. I got on my knees and punched him. I grabbed his shirt and pushed him into the ground. I had my arm against his throat and was pushing. I felt his two friends trying to pull me off him, I let go of his neck and threw my elbow into one of the men's faces. I threw the other one backward and punched their leader again. I stood up and walked past him, continuing my walk home. I heard the terrified yell of one of the men brought along saying "I think he broke my nose!" I approached my trailer and I opened the door, feeling happy and relieved to be back at my home...back with Twilight. Chapter ThreeI opened the door to my trailer and stepped inside, I looked around and to my shock, my trailer was clean. Everything that had been lying around was picked up and put away neatly in their respective places, and all the trash on the floor had been cleaned up. I shut the door and walked through my living room, almost not able to recognize my own home. "Twilight? Where are you?" I asked loudly. The bathroom door opened and she stepped out, her fur was damp and she smelled of soap. "I love taking showers. The water feels nice." She said as she smiled at me. I smiled back at her and sat down on the couch. I put my head back and closed my eyes, and she sat down next to me. "Are you okay?" She asked. I opened my eyes and looked at her. "Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just feeling exhausted." I said as I leaned forward and put my elbows on my legs. She put one of her hooves on my back, and started rubbing her hoof around. I turned my head to her and smiled. "Thanks for cleaning up the trailer, it means a lot to me."" I said to her, smiling. "You're welcome...I-I really like being here with you, Donnie." She said, I noticed her voice had become a bit shakey. "I like you being here too, Twilight.." I said as I stood up and made my way to the bathroom and shut the door. I took off my clothes and stepped into the shower once again. I turned on the water, but as I was I thought I heard something. I ignored it and continued my shower. When I stepped out of the shower, Twilight was sitting on the couch, but she had an odd look on her face. I didn't question her as I walked into the laundry room. all the clothing had been folded and put away neatly. I grabbed a shirt, and smelled it. It smelled clean. I put the shirt down, and changed from my jeans into shorts, but didn't get a shirt. I walked out of the room, and stepped into the living room, Twilight was sitting on the couch. I noticed that she was staring at me, but looked away quickly. "Something wrong, Twilight?" I asked. She looked down and I couldn't see her face, as she responded. "I-I'm fine." She told me, but somehow I didn't believe her. She stood up and walked past me and into my room. "I'm gonna go bed, okay..?" She said as she passed me. "Yeah, I'll see you in the morning." I said as I walked over to the couch, and laid down. I opened my eyes, and looked at the clock. It said 5 AM, I groaned and closed my eyes, but I heard a creaking from the doorway. I opened my eyes and saw Twilight slowly approaching me. I started to speak, but before I could get any words out, I felt her lips meet with mine, as she kissed me passionately. I was confused at first, but I let my body take over as I held her close and put my tongue into her mouth. She put a hoof on my chest and pulled herself on top of my body. She continued to kiss me, and started to play with my tongue using her own. I ran my hand along her back, feeling her fur between my fingers. I moved my hand down to her flank, and ran my hand down her leg. Her horn began glowing with magic and I felt my shorts slowly being pulled down. I woke with a start, feeling confused at first. I sat up and looked at the clock, it was 12 PM. Had I seriously just dreamt like that about...Twilight..? I stood up and scratched my head. I felt more confusion than I knew how to deal with. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a cup, I filled it up with water and drank some of it. Twilight stepped out of my room and walked over to stand next to me. "W-Want some water?" I asked, not able to keep my voice steady. The dream from last night had really gotten me feeling weird. "Sure." She answered, smiling. I grabbed a second cup and filled it with water as well. Twilight lifted the cup with her magic and took a drink. I put my empty cup down and took hers when she was finished. I looked at the clock, it was 1 PM. I looked at Twilight. "I'll be heading to work soon." I told her. "Aww..." She whined as a look of sadness crossed her face. "What do you do while I'm gone?" I asked. She blushed and looked away. "I just try to figure out how some things here work..." She answered. I looked confused at this. I walked over to the door, but as I reached out to open the door, I felt Twilight wrapping her hooves around me, hugging me. I hugged her back and smiled. "I'll miss you until you get back..." She said with a sad look on her face. "I'll miss you too, Twilight, but I have to go." I told her as I pulled out of the embrace. She backed up away from the door as I opened it and stepped outside. I looked back at the trailer, feeling very sad. I really didn't want to leave... Well, I'm off to another day at work now...I walked down my usual route to get to work. As I approached the site, I saw the boss waiting there at the entrance. I stood in front of him, and he had a smile on his face. "I've decided to put you somewhere else on the site. I want you to work over there with Shaw, what you'll be doing is helping the men over there put shingles on the roof over there." As he spoke, my eyes drifted away from him, and focused on the man who had beaten me up, and gotten a couple punches from me. Now I know his name...Shaw... I walked past my boss and went to my new place on the site. I approached Shaw and to my surprise, he didn't have his usual glare and grin face, today his expression was more like one of a working man. "Hey, Matthews. Why don't you go help the boys over there, they look like they could need it." He told me this in a calm voice which just shocked me. I guess he''s done with the nickname and asshole behavior. I left Shaw and walked over to the men he pointed out. Several hours later, and much backbreaking work, the day was over, and I could make my way back to my house. I walked past Shaw, and he actually started walking with me. "I live this way too, mind if I walk with you?" He asked. I imagine my face was full of shock, but I responded calmly. "No, I don't mind." I answered. He looked forward and put his hands in his pockets. As we walked we stayed silent for awhile, but as we passed the place where we had fought, he spoke up. "Listen, Donnie, I'm sorry for the way I treated you, it was wrong of me." As I heard him saying this, I felt happy. Maybe he was being genuine. I smiled and put my hand out. "Let's just start over." I said with a smile and outstretched hand. "I'm Donnie Matthews." "And I'm Shaw Berenson." He said as he took my hand and shook it. We let go of the handshake as we approached my trailer. I waved at Shaw and stepped up to the door, he walked further down the sidewalk , and turned the corner. I walked into my trailer feeling glad that now I have a friend at work to talk to, and I also have Twilight at home. This life seems to be looking up for me. I closed the door of the trailer behind me, and walked over to the couch. I sat down and twisted my back, it cracked loudly, and I sighed. Twilight walked over and sat down on the couch next to me. "Donnie, you're back." She said gleefully, she hugged me, and I hugged her back. "I'm glad to be back, Twilight."I said as I rested myself in her embrace and closed my eyes. Chapter FourI opened my eyes, and looked down at my arm, which was wrapped around Twilight, who was snuggling me in her sleep. “I guess we fell asleep here on the couch.” I thought to myself. I looked at the clock, it was 4 AM, I definitely shouldn’t be awake right now, but I don’t think I’ll be able to fall asleep. I carefully moved my arm off of Twilight and got off the couch, trying my hardest not to wake her up. I successfully left the couch and walked into the kitchen, I opened the refrigerator, and got out a gallon of milk. I poured it into a glass, and put the gallon away. I drank the gallon and put the glass in the sink. I noticed that each day I’d come home, Twilight had cleaned my trailer for me. I smiled at this thought. Twilight...I like having Twilight around. She always makes me feel happy when I’m around her, but...is it right to feel this way..? Should i stop these feelings before they escalate? I heard a stirring behind me on the couch. Twilight yawned and stretched. “Donnie...why are you up so early?” She asked groggily. Once she had woken up, she looked down at the couch questioningly. I saw her blush as sudden realization hit her. “D-Did we fall asleep on the couch..?” She asked, looking embarrassed. I chuckled and turned away from her. “Do you want something to drink, Twilight?” I asked, holding back my chuckles. “Sure…” She answered quietly. “You okay?” I asked as I pulled out a glass and filled it with cold water. “I’m fine.” She said, sounding a bit short. I turned around with the glass in my hand and approached her with a concerned look. Her horn glowed with magic as she took the glass from me. She starting to drink the water, avoiding conversation, I decided not to pry. I looked at the clock, it was 4:30 AM. “Twilight, you should go back to bed, it’s really early.” I told her. She got up from the couch after finishing her glass, and put it in the sink. “Alright, I will.” She said as she made her way to my room. I sat down on the couch and stared at the roof. Twilight was acting kind of weird after that sleeping thing. “Maybe I should apologize to her.” I mumbled to myself quietly. I laid my head down on the couch and drifted off to sleep. I opened my eyes to Twilight standing right in front of me, smiling a warm smile. She leaned forward and locked her lips with mine. I held her as I kissed her passionately. I got off the couch and put her on the floor, I was over-top of her and kissing her neck. I ran my hand down her side and started moving it downward. I jolted awake, throwing the blanket off my body and standing up. “Again!? I dreamt about her again!?” I thought to myself. This was definitely getting out of hand. I don’t think i could hold my feeling in anymore. I looked at the clock, it was 1 PM, we slept for a long time it seems. I went to the laundry room and changed into my work clothing. I left the laundry room, and as I walked by, looked into my room, Twilight was sound asleep on the bed. She looked cute when she was sleeping. I walked away from the door and headed outside. I walked down the sidewalk, making my way to the construction site. I stepped onto the site, and made my way over to Shaw, who was helping a man carry a large case over to the building we were preparing for demolition. “What’s this?” I asked. He grinned and looked at me. “This is the final step to imploding this joint.” He said with a large grin on his face. He put the case down near the building and flipped the lid open. It had two large bundles that looked wrapped by cloth. “These are the explosives we’ll use.” I heard my boss’ voice from behind me. “When will we be commencing the implosion?” I asked. “Today!” Said Shaw, still grinning. “I’m about to go inside and set the explosives, then we need to clear the area of any bystanders who might get hurt. Along with moving our own workers out of area.” Shaw walked into the building with another man who was carrying the other explosive. Some other workers and I started moving people away from the area, and scouting the danger area for workers still too close. After I returned, all the workers had gathered at a safe distance, and Shaw and the other man stepped out of the house, they made their way to us and joined the mass of workers. As we all waited for the explosion, I thought about what it might be like. Suddenly, there was a loud sound I can’t quite explain, and the building crumbled, making a large smoke cloud shoot out from the building. I coughed as well as all the other workers standing around. Suddenly, I heard something, like a rush a wind. I heard the boss’ voice. “Get down! There's debris flying!” He yelled. I was too late, a piece of solid concrete flew out. I tried to move out of the way, but didn’t get away in time. The debris hit my arm hard, and I heard a crack that made a chill run down my spine. I fell to the ground screaming, pain rushing through my arm. I felt sick to my stomach, and lightheaded. “Call an ambulance, right now!” I heard Shaw yelling to the other workers. I tried to lift my arm, but it didn’t work. I couldn’t move my arm! There was a loud ringing in my ears, and I felt dizzy. I heard the sound of sirens blaring as an ambulance pulled up to the site. Two medics ran out and knelt by me. “Can you stand, sir?” Asked one of the medics. “My arm is broken!” I yelled in a panic. “I can’t feel my arm!” The medics helped me stand up and got me into the ambulance. I laid down on the bed, and the medics sat on either side of me. “What about Twilight?” I murmured quietly. “What did you say, sir?” Asked the medic. I felt myself drifting away, and my sight was consumed by darkness. When I woke up, I was in a hospital room, a nurse was standing next to me. “You’re awake.” She pointed out. “We need to get you to the X-Ray room so we can see how bad your arm is.” I looked around, and felt relieved to be somewhere that could help me. “Alright, lead the way.” I said as I stood up. I held my hurt arm up with my good arm and followed the nurse down a long hallway. She opened the door to a room and I stepped inside. The doctor was a man. He handed me a hospital gown, and I sat on the bench inside. “Do you need help changing?” Asked the doctor. I shook my head and he left the room. I unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them off with my good arm, using my legs to kick them, I pushed them into the corner of the room. Now came the hard part, taking off my shirt. I lifted my arm and pulled the sleeve over it, my arm now inside my shirt. I pulled my good arm out of the sleeve and took off the shirt. I stood up and grabbed the gown. I held it onto my chest and wondered how I would tie it. “Uh, doc? I could use some help tying the gown, please.” I said loudly. He walked in and I turned around, he tied the gown and I left the room with him. He led me to a room with the label “X-Ray Room” and opened the door. I stepped inside and laid on the X-Ray machine. The doctor went to his place behind some glass, and told me to stay as still as possible so he could scan my arm to see where it had broken and how bad it was. “You can climb off the X-Ray machine now.” He told me. He came out of the room behind the glass with some pictures of the bones inside my arm. He pointed out a shattered bone in my shoulder, and explained that i had broken my shoulder when I had dodged the debris, but if I hadn’t moved it might’ve hit my head and killed me immediately. I thanked the doctor and he told me I could change into my normal clothing, after struggling to put on my shirt and jeans, I left the room and was approached by the nurse. She gave me a sling and told me to keep it on at all times. I nodded and thanks the nurse. “You’re free to leave now, if there are any problems, don’t be afraid to come back.” She said kindly. I smiled and left the hospital, to my surprise, my boss was in the parking lot waiting for me in a red Ford Ranger. He smiled as he saw me and rolled down his window. “Need a lift?” He asked me. I smiled and felt very happy inside. “Yeah, I could use one, thanks a lot.” I said happily, opening the door to his passenger seat and climbing inside with a struggle. I closed the door and he started the truck. “Where do you live?” He asked. “Just head toward the site, I don’t live too far away from there.” I informed him. He pulled out of the parking lot and started driving. “I appreciate you picking me up, sir.” I thanked him, feeling genuine gratitude. “Of course, I know you don’t own a vehicle, and I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing I left a man with a broken arm to walk home from the hospital.” He said, keeping his eyes on the road. “And also, when we aren’t on-site, you can call me Robert.” I smiled at him and looked out the windshield. We passed the site, and I told him to keep heading straight. My trailer was in sight now, and I told him to stop in front of it. He did so, and put his truck into park. “You live in this trailer here?” He asked, staring past me and at my home. “Yeah, I do. It doesn’t look very nice, but it’s good enough for me.” I said casually. “Well, I’ll let you get home, i bet you’re tired.” said Robert. I opened the door and hopped out. “Thanks, again, Robert.” I said gratefully. He nodded and I shut the door. He drove away as I headed into my trailer, feeling happy to finally be home. As soon as i walked in Twilight was in front of me, looking worried. “I heard a loud noise earlier today, and I was worried, and now it looks like I was right to worry! What happened to your arm!?” She asked worriedly. I walked over to the couch and sat down. “We were demolishing a building and a piece of debris flew out and hit my shoulder. Now I have to wear this damn sling.” I said, feeling depressed. She walked over and sat on the couch next to me, on the side with my good arm. “I’m sorry you got hurt, Donnie...I hate to see you feeling this way.” She said, staring at my arm. I looked at the clock, it was 7 PM. “Twilight, I’m gonna get some rest, okay? I’m not going into work tomorrow, obviously.” I told her, she nodded and got off the couch, I laid down and closed my eyes. I heard the bathroom door shut, and the water began to run. I listened to the sound of rushing water, and fell asleep, letting my dreams consume me. Chapter FiveI opened my eyes, and sat up. My arm was pulsing with pain, and I couldn’t help but let out a small groan as I stood up. I made my way toward the kitchen as I heard a noise from my room. Twilight walked out and made her way to my side. “Donnie, what’s wrong? Do you need something?” She asked, concerned. “I’m really thirsty, so I’m getting a drink.” I told her. She opened the fridge with her magic, and I stepped backward, giving her room. “What do you want?” She asked. I looked past her and into the fridge. “Water will be fine.” I said as I got a glass and set it on the counter. Twilight filled the glass with water and gave it to me. “Y’know, I only have one broken arm. I can still do some things.” I said smiling. “But, still, thanks for trying to take care of me, Twilight. I appreciate it a lot.” “Of course, Donnie, you took care of me, so it’s only right that I repay the favor.” said Twilight, as she watched me drink my water. I put down the glass and walked over to the couch. I sat down and looked at Twilight. “What can I do today? It’s only eleven.” I asked, pointing to the clock. She looked at the clock, and sat down next to me. “Well, I don’t know, what do you wanna do?” She asked, looking at me. “Well, what do you do all day when I’m at work?” I asked. “I clean the rooms, and other random stuff to pass the time.” She answered. “So, she cleans to pass the time...maybe I should get her something to do while she’s home.” I thought to myself. “Would Twilight like Xbox? No, no, besides I can’t afford one of them...but I want to get something great for her.” Twilight stood up and made her way to the bathroom. I laid back on the couch looking up at the roof, trying to ignore the pain from my arm. I looked over at the bathroom, the door hadn’t been shut, but the shower was running and I could hear her humming to herself from inside. I stood up and started walking over to the bathroom door. As I approached the door, I heard a knock on the door and turned my head, throwing myself off balance. I tripped and smacked into the wall, broken arm first. I screamed loudly, and the door flew open. My boss had run inside at the sound of my scream, and knelt beside me. “What are you doing, boy!?” He asked as he helped me onto my feet. I looked down at my arm, almost not able to answer. “I...was about to take a shower…” I said to him, trying to cover for the sound of the shower water. “Do you need me to help you inside?” He asked, trying to be helpful. “No, sir-- uh, Robert. I think I’ll be fine. Is there something you needed?” I asked, trying to be polite about kicking him out. “I just wanted you to know that I won’t be expecting you at work until you can get a cast for that thing, so don’t bother showing up for a while.” He told me. “I’ll need to get another job until then…” I said sadly. “I’m sorry, kid, but I can’t have you getting hurt on the site twice in a row. Besides, you only got one arm, what are you gonna do?” He pointed out. “I don’t know.” I answered. Robert walked over and sat down on my couch. “I’m gonna stay here for now, cause i don’t trust you not to hurt yourself again.” said Robert jokingly. I knew he was only being helpful, so I walked over to the bathroom door. “Robert, please leave before I get out of the shower.” I said, walking inside and shutting the door. “Alright, kid, I get it. You want time alone. I’ll see you soon.” I listened to him stand up and leave the trailer. I looked forward, Twilight was staring wide-eyed at me and blushing a lot. “D-Donnie...what are you doing..?” asked Twilight, her voice so quiet that I almost couldn’t hear what she was saying. I was staring at her in the shower, her hair down the side. To be honest, it was turning me on and I didn’t like it. “M-My boss came to the house, and I had to cover for the sound of the water by telling him I was about to get it.” I explained. “Well, get out!” She yelled angrily, still blushing. I swung the door open, and left. I closed it and sat on the couch. I smacked myself on the forehead. “How could I be attracted to a damn unicorn!?” I asked myself out loud. I shook my head, feeling like a weirdo. The water in the shower turned off, and minutes later, Twilight opened the door, and stepped out. Her face as red as a tomato, and her mane was still soaked, as if she hadn’t tried to dry off. I looked down and scratched my head. She approached me and stood in front of me. “I’m sorry, Twilight.” I said, looking down. “That’s okay, that just means we’ve both seen the other in the shower.” Said Twilight as she walked into my room and closed the door. “What!?” I shouted as I stood up. I walked over to the door and put my face near it. “What are you talking about, Twilight..?” “A few days ago, you took a shower, and I looked inside...I’m sorry, but at least I’m being honest about it…” She answered through the door. I moved my face away from the door. “You did!?” I felt my face getting warm. I remember the day I took a shower, and had heard a noise...that must’ve been her…I reached my hand out and turned the doorknob. I walked into my room, and sat on the bed next to Twilight. “Are you mad..?” She asked quietly. “No...I’m not mad...it would take a lot for me to get mad at you…” As I said this, I smiled at her, and ran my hand along her mane. She got closer to me, and lifted her head toward mine. I realized what was happening… Should I kiss her..?
Chapter OneMy room slowly came into vision as I opened my eyes. I sat up in my bed and yawned. “Another shitty day.” I muttered to myself as I stood up and walked down the hallway of my trailer. I walked into my laundry room, and there were clothes laying around on the floor and anywhere it could be. I picked up a random shirt and pants and put them on. I sighed as I walked out and headed to my bathroom. I stared in the mirror at myself. I looked scruffy, I had black hair, I hadn't shaved in a week, so my face had grown the beginnings of a beard. I turned from the mirror and walked out of the bathroom. I walked out of my trailer and started to head toward my job at a construction site. I was new at this job, because I got fired from my last one for fighting with co-workers. I walked down the sidewalk of the street. As I did, I looked around, I saw a house with a man sitting outside on his porch. He stared at me as I walked by him, another house I saw had a torn up chair with a futon cushion laying next to it on the front lawn. It had stains all over it, just another day in my little town of Arleton. I finally reached the construction site, and as I walked to my place in this whole mess, my boss stopped me. “You’re late, Matthews.” He said with his eyes scanning me. “Sorry, boss. Won’t let it happen again.” I said as I looked past him. I saw all the workers at their places, a few of them were staring this way. “Look, I’m worried about you, kid. You’ve only been working here for two days now, and you’ve been late both days. Not to mention that you looked and smelled like shit yesterday, just like you do today.” He said as I looked back at him. “Tomorrow, I want you to come in looking like the picture of health, with clean clothes on, and a positive attitude, alright?” I stared at his for several moments before I answered. Why does this guy even care? “Yeah, sure.” I answered him, now looking away from his face and at his boots. “Alright, kid, now get to work.” He smacked my back and I stumbled forward, now walking toward my place on the site. I started to lift rocks into the bucket of a big machine that would haul them off. I lifted rock after rock, my back aching with every lift. Once the bucket was full, a man walked over and climbed into the driver seat. He drove the machine away from the site and was back a couple minutes later with an empty bucket to be filled. As I lifted a rock into the bucket, I noticed one of the other workers was walking my way, I put the rock I was holding into the bucket and then felt a hand on my back pushing me forward. I smacked my face into the rock I was putting down, and pushed myself back up. I turned around to see the worker walking away from me. I walked after him and shoved him, he turned around quickly. “What do you want?” He said sharply. “Did you just push me?” I asked, as I felt rage swelling inside me. “So, what if I did?” He answered with a sly grin on his face. I started gritting my teeth now. The man looked back at the group of workers watching us, and they were laughing. I pulled back my fist and was about to punch the man who was before me, when I felt a hand on my chest push me backward. “What the hell is going on here!?” Our boss was standing between us looking very angry. “This little shit-stain thinks he’s big and tough.” the grinning worker in front of me answered as he stared at me. Our boss looked at me then at the other worker. “I want you both to stay the hell away from each other, and if I see you even sneeze in the other’s direction, you’re both fired. Got it?” He told us. “Yes, sir.” We both replied and went back to our places. Several hours later, the day was winding down and coming to an end. I lifted the last of my load into the bucket and walked to my boss. “I’m heading home, Boss.” I told him. He looked at me and smiled. “Remember what I told you, kid, and try not to get into any fights tomorrow. I’m a nice guy, but I’m not that nice.” He told me. I turned and walked off the site and headed toward my home. As I walked down the street, all I could think about was that man from today. What was his name? I’d heard it somewhere, but couldn’t remember it. I walked past the house with the torn up chair in front of it. “Almost home, now…” I muttered to myself, I felt exhausted. I looked to my left and as soon as I did, I felt a force connect with my chin. I fell into a wall, and looked up at my attacker. It was the man from work, with two other people I didn’t recognize. “Hey, shit-stain.” He said with the same grin as before on his face. I straightened up and got ready for a fight. “You had to bring two friends with you?” I said looking very angry. “I had to have someone see it other than you, didn’t I?” He said again, and his two friends backed up. He punched me in the gut and I felt all my breath leave my body. I felt him bring his fist down on the back of my head, and I fell to my knees. He kicked me in my gut and I rolled onto my back. I felt blood running down my head, and he kicked me in the face. My head flew to the side and he kicked me once again in the side this time. I heard his friends laughing at me, and I felt blackness taking over me. I awoke in a daze, feeling sore all over my body. The sun was now setting. I was in an alley I didn’t recognize. I got to my knees and then pushed myself upward. I used the wall to lean against as I walked out of the alley. I realized where I was now. I was several blocks away from my trailer, and feeling ready to pass out again. I looked further down the alley and saw an odd looking body laying there. I approached it, thinking it was a stray dog that had taken refuge in the alley I’d been left in. I looked at this thing laying on the ground. It was definitely not a dog. Dogs have paws, this thing had....hooves….and a horn, it was also purple. I studied it for several moments not knowing what I was staring at. I had reached a hand toward it when it moved one of its hooves, and I pulled my hand away. It opened it’s eyes and stared at me for a second. “Hey, it’s okay, I’m not gonna hurt you.” I said gently as I reached my hand out slowly. It stared at my hand as i got closer, and started petting it. I ran my hand along the back of it’s neck and felt the fur and hair on it. This was a pony...a unicorn...in the middle of Arleton. “H-Hello…” I heard a female voice speak, but no one was around. I looked up and down the alley. “Someone here?” I asked the darkness. “M-Me…” I heard the voice again, it was coming from...the unicorn. “You...You can talk..?” I asked feeling shocked. “Of course I can…” She said sounding confused. I stood up and helped the pony to her feet. I saw a star design on her flank and was further confused. “Thank you...mister.” She said to me. Reality was setting in, I was standing in front of a purple talking unicorn. “My name is Donnie Matthews.” I told her. “My name is Twilight Sparkle.” She informed me. “Well, it’s cold out here, Twilight, I think you should come back to my trailer and warm up.” I told her. She smiled at me. “Thank you for being so kind to me, Donnie, it means a lot to me to see someone friendly in this confusing place. I have no idea where I am, this is not my home.” She told me looking scared. I walked out of the alley and motioned for her to follow me. We walked for a long time, and I was in shock most of the time. When we finally reached my home, I opened the door, and she stared at it. “This is where you live?” She asked me. I looked down and scratched my head. “I know it isn’t much to look at, but it’s warm and cheap.” I answered still looking down. She walked inside and I followed, shutting the door behind me. I looked at the clock, it was 3 AM already. “Your fur is dirty, do you want to wash it?” I asked. She stared at me looking confused. I took her back to the bathroom and showed her the shower. I turned it on and let her examine it. She stepped inside and looked around, letting the water hit her fur. A bottle of shampoo started illuminating purple light and floated over to her, hovering in the air in front of her. “What the hell!? That shampoo!!” I backed up. That bottle of shampoo was floating! “You’ve never seen magic before?” She asked me with a smile on her face. “I use my horn as the source of my magic.” “Holy shit…” I was completely shocked. “What is inside this bottle?” She asked as she studied it. “Soap for your body.” I answered. She lifted the bottle above her back and let shampoo fall onto her. I backed out of the room and shut the door. I walked to my couch and sat down. I stared at the clock. “Three fifty eight…” I muttered to myself. My body was still sore all over. I stood up and went into the kitchen. I got a cloth, put it under the sink, and got it all wet. I wiped the blood off my face and rinsed it out of the cloth. I heard the bathroom door open and I looked at Twilight. I noticed her fur was looking clean as could be, and she smiled at me. “I feel refreshed!” She exclaimed. “Tired too.” I put the cloth in the sink and walked over to her. I led her to the bedroom and showed her the bed. She climbed onto it and curled into a ball. I left the room and went to the couch to lay down. As I lay there, I thought about the crazy day I’d had. The pain in my body still feeling as strong as it did when it happened. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, welcoming the darkness that would hopefully help my pain go away.
Chapter TwoI opened my eyes and looked at the clock. It was now 10 AM, I had four hours before I had to go to work. I sat up on the bed and stretched, cracking my back loudly. I stood up and saw Twilight leaving my room and yawning. I smiled at this and approached her. "Had a good sleep, huh?" I said as I smiled at her. She smiled back at me, I couldn't help noticing that her eyes looked beautiful...wait...am I thinking this about a unicorn..? I shook my head and turned around. I walked into the kitchen of my trailer, and got out a pan. "Are you hungry, Twilight?" I asked. She nodded and sat on the couch. I went to the fridge and I opened the door, I pulled out a dozen eggs, and cracked one into a bowl. I cracked two more into the bowl and stirred it. I dumped it into the pan, and the egg started cooking. I moved it around in the pan with a spatula. After the eggs were done cooking I took them off the burner and shut it off. I got out two plates and put the eggs on them. I put a plate down on one side of the table, and one on the other. I sat down on one side and Twilight sat across from me. I gave her a fork, and smiled. "I've never seen this type of food before." She told me. "Well, take a bite and let me know what you think." I said. She stared down at her plate for a second, and then lifted her fork with her magic. She picked up a bit of egg and ate it. "Well? What do you think?" I asked, smiling. She had grin on her face as she ate more and more of her eggs until her plate was empty and barren. "I loved it!" She exclaimed happily. "What is it called!?" "Well, we just call them eggs." I said, smiling back at her. Her smile faded and was replaced with a look of horror. "Eggs!? Have I eaten a small creature's young!?" She was yelling and looked terrified. "No, no, please, Twilight, calm down! There are some eggs which are fertile and will eventually hatch, but the eggs that aren't fertile and won’t produce a baby chick are sent to stores to be eaten." I explained quickly, hoing she wouldn't storm out or something. She seemed to calm down and didn't look as scared now. "I'm a vegetarian, you see." She explained. "I understand, and I'll make sure I remember that." I said, now smiling again. I began eating the eggs that were still on my plate. After I'd finished Twilight got up and sat down on the couch. I stood up and grabbed her plate and fork and put them in the sink with the pan. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 12 AM. I looked at Twilight. "I have to go to work at 2." I said to Twilight. She smiled and nodded. I sat down next to her and looked at her. "Twilight, while I'm gone, I don't want you to leave the trailer, because I don't know how other people will react to you." I told her. "I don't want anything to happen to you, okay?" She smiled at me and looked truly appreciative for my concern. "I promise, Donnie." She said, smiling. She wrapped her hooves around me in an embrace. She closed her eyes as she held me, and I hugged her back. "Thank you for keeping me safe and helping me, Donnie." She said as she hugged me. I didn't know what to say to her, so I just kept hugging her until she let go of me. I scratched the back of my head and chuckled. I stood up and walked into the bathroom, I closed the door and took off my clothes. I climbed into the shower and turned the knobs. After I had finished taking a shower, I turned off the water and dried myself off. I put on pants I'd been wearing before and stepped out of the bathroom. Twilight was still sitting on the couch, but she was staring at me. I followed her gaze to the bruises and marks I had all over my body. "Shortly before I found you I had been beaten up by a man I know." I informed her. She had a look of concern on her face. "Come here." She told me. I walked over and sat down on the couch next to her. She touched her nose against a large blue bruise on my side, and I closed my eyes, trying not to move. She pulled away and looked up at me. "I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?" She asked with concern. I smiled at her and hugged her. "If I had to get beaten up to meet you, then it was more than worth it."I said as I hugged her tightly. After a moment she hugged back, and when I pulled away, I could see her blushing. I stood up and walked into my laundry room. I searched the room for a clean set of clothing for me to wear. I picked up random shirts, smelling them and putting them down after deciding that the boss wouldn't be too happy if I showed up with that shirt on. Finally, I picked up a shirt and smelled it, it didn't smell too bad so I threw it on and walked out. I looked at the clock, it was 1:30 PM. I walked to the door of the trailer, and opened it. "I gotta go to work now, Twilight. I'll see you tonight." I said as I shut the door. I started making my way toward the construction site for another day at my job. I stepped onto the construction site, and my boss approached me. "Well, you definitely don't look like shit, but as for the smell, not so much." He said, grinning. "Get to work." I went to my normal place on the site and began lifting rocks. I set rock after rock inside the bucket, and eventually it was full. The machine backed up and left my view, only to return moments later with a freshly emptied bucket. As I looked around the site, I saw the man who had caused me so much trouble. He was grinning at me, and staring with cold eyes. I stared back at him, until I noticed our boss staring our way, so I turned around and resumed the lifting. Several buckets later, I'd lost count, as well as doing other jobs around the site, the day was over and my work here was done. I left the site and started walking home, hopefully not to be beaten up on my way back. The man was waiting for me at the same place as yesterday, he had the same two guys with him. "You'd think ol' Shit-stain here would've at least taken a different route home today, but no, he goes the same way. You must be pretty stupid, man." He said as the guys behind him laughed. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. "I don't have time for your shit today." I said coldly. He just laughed, and kept grinning at me. "Well, what are you gonna do about it, Shit-stain?" He said tauntingly. I stepped toward him. He looked a little surprised at this. "Wait, are you actually thinking about fighting me? After that beating you took yesterday? You really are an idiot!" He and his two friends laughed. I took another step forward and he straightened up. He lifted his fists and grinned. I didn't want to fight him, but it looked like he wanted to fight me. He came toward me and he threw a punch at me, I moved my head out ofthe way, and moved to his side. He slammed his shoulder into my chest and knocked me backward. He pushed me and I fell onto my back, his friends were laughing loudly. He got on top of me and punched me in the face. My head jolted to the side and without thinking I pushed my head forward and slammed it into his chin. He pulled back and let go of me. I pushed him back onto his own back. I got on my knees and punched him. I grabbed his shirt and pushed him into the ground. I had my arm against his throat and was pushing. I felt his two friends trying to pull me off him, I let go of his neck and threw my elbow into one of the men's faces. I threw the other one backward and punched their leader again. I stood up and walked past him, continuing my walk home. I heard the terrified yell of one of the men brought along saying "I think he broke my nose!" I approached my trailer and I opened the door, feeling happy and relieved to be back at my home...back with Twilight.
Chapter ThreeI opened the door to my trailer and stepped inside, I looked around and to my shock, my trailer was clean. Everything that had been lying around was picked up and put away neatly in their respective places, and all the trash on the floor had been cleaned up. I shut the door and walked through my living room, almost not able to recognize my own home. "Twilight? Where are you?" I asked loudly. The bathroom door opened and she stepped out, her fur was damp and she smelled of soap. "I love taking showers. The water feels nice." She said as she smiled at me. I smiled back at her and sat down on the couch. I put my head back and closed my eyes, and she sat down next to me. "Are you okay?" She asked. I opened my eyes and looked at her. "Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just feeling exhausted." I said as I leaned forward and put my elbows on my legs. She put one of her hooves on my back, and started rubbing her hoof around. I turned my head to her and smiled. "Thanks for cleaning up the trailer, it means a lot to me."" I said to her, smiling. "You're welcome...I-I really like being here with you, Donnie." She said, I noticed her voice had become a bit shakey. "I like you being here too, Twilight.." I said as I stood up and made my way to the bathroom and shut the door. I took off my clothes and stepped into the shower once again. I turned on the water, but as I was I thought I heard something. I ignored it and continued my shower. When I stepped out of the shower, Twilight was sitting on the couch, but she had an odd look on her face. I didn't question her as I walked into the laundry room. all the clothing had been folded and put away neatly. I grabbed a shirt, and smelled it. It smelled clean. I put the shirt down, and changed from my jeans into shorts, but didn't get a shirt. I walked out of the room, and stepped into the living room, Twilight was sitting on the couch. I noticed that she was staring at me, but looked away quickly. "Something wrong, Twilight?" I asked. She looked down and I couldn't see her face, as she responded. "I-I'm fine." She told me, but somehow I didn't believe her. She stood up and walked past me and into my room. "I'm gonna go bed, okay..?" She said as she passed me. "Yeah, I'll see you in the morning." I said as I walked over to the couch, and laid down. I opened my eyes, and looked at the clock. It said 5 AM, I groaned and closed my eyes, but I heard a creaking from the doorway. I opened my eyes and saw Twilight slowly approaching me. I started to speak, but before I could get any words out, I felt her lips meet with mine, as she kissed me passionately. I was confused at first, but I let my body take over as I held her close and put my tongue into her mouth. She put a hoof on my chest and pulled herself on top of my body. She continued to kiss me, and started to play with my tongue using her own. I ran my hand along her back, feeling her fur between my fingers. I moved my hand down to her flank, and ran my hand down her leg. Her horn began glowing with magic and I felt my shorts slowly being pulled down. I woke with a start, feeling confused at first. I sat up and looked at the clock, it was 12 PM. Had I seriously just dreamt like that about...Twilight..? I stood up and scratched my head. I felt more confusion than I knew how to deal with. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a cup, I filled it up with water and drank some of it. Twilight stepped out of my room and walked over to stand next to me. "W-Want some water?" I asked, not able to keep my voice steady. The dream from last night had really gotten me feeling weird. "Sure." She answered, smiling. I grabbed a second cup and filled it with water as well. Twilight lifted the cup with her magic and took a drink. I put my empty cup down and took hers when she was finished. I looked at the clock, it was 1 PM. I looked at Twilight. "I'll be heading to work soon." I told her. "Aww..." She whined as a look of sadness crossed her face. "What do you do while I'm gone?" I asked. She blushed and looked away. "I just try to figure out how some things here work..." She answered. I looked confused at this. I walked over to the door, but as I reached out to open the door, I felt Twilight wrapping her hooves around me, hugging me. I hugged her back and smiled. "I'll miss you until you get back..." She said with a sad look on her face. "I'll miss you too, Twilight, but I have to go." I told her as I pulled out of the embrace. She backed up away from the door as I opened it and stepped outside. I looked back at the trailer, feeling very sad. I really didn't want to leave... Well, I'm off to another day at work now...I walked down my usual route to get to work. As I approached the site, I saw the boss waiting there at the entrance. I stood in front of him, and he had a smile on his face. "I've decided to put you somewhere else on the site. I want you to work over there with Shaw, what you'll be doing is helping the men over there put shingles on the roof over there." As he spoke, my eyes drifted away from him, and focused on the man who had beaten me up, and gotten a couple punches from me. Now I know his name...Shaw... I walked past my boss and went to my new place on the site. I approached Shaw and to my surprise, he didn't have his usual glare and grin face, today his expression was more like one of a working man. "Hey, Matthews. Why don't you go help the boys over there, they look like they could need it." He told me this in a calm voice which just shocked me. I guess he''s done with the nickname and asshole behavior. I left Shaw and walked over to the men he pointed out. Several hours later, and much backbreaking work, the day was over, and I could make my way back to my house. I walked past Shaw, and he actually started walking with me. "I live this way too, mind if I walk with you?" He asked. I imagine my face was full of shock, but I responded calmly. "No, I don't mind." I answered. He looked forward and put his hands in his pockets. As we walked we stayed silent for awhile, but as we passed the place where we had fought, he spoke up. "Listen, Donnie, I'm sorry for the way I treated you, it was wrong of me." As I heard him saying this, I felt happy. Maybe he was being genuine. I smiled and put my hand out. "Let's just start over." I said with a smile and outstretched hand. "I'm Donnie Matthews." "And I'm Shaw Berenson." He said as he took my hand and shook it. We let go of the handshake as we approached my trailer. I waved at Shaw and stepped up to the door, he walked further down the sidewalk , and turned the corner. I walked into my trailer feeling glad that now I have a friend at work to talk to, and I also have Twilight at home. This life seems to be looking up for me. I closed the door of the trailer behind me, and walked over to the couch. I sat down and twisted my back, it cracked loudly, and I sighed. Twilight walked over and sat down on the couch next to me. "Donnie, you're back." She said gleefully, she hugged me, and I hugged her back. "I'm glad to be back, Twilight."I said as I rested myself in her embrace and closed my eyes.
Chapter FourI opened my eyes, and looked down at my arm, which was wrapped around Twilight, who was snuggling me in her sleep. “I guess we fell asleep here on the couch.” I thought to myself. I looked at the clock, it was 4 AM, I definitely shouldn’t be awake right now, but I don’t think I’ll be able to fall asleep. I carefully moved my arm off of Twilight and got off the couch, trying my hardest not to wake her up. I successfully left the couch and walked into the kitchen, I opened the refrigerator, and got out a gallon of milk. I poured it into a glass, and put the gallon away. I drank the gallon and put the glass in the sink. I noticed that each day I’d come home, Twilight had cleaned my trailer for me. I smiled at this thought. Twilight...I like having Twilight around. She always makes me feel happy when I’m around her, but...is it right to feel this way..? Should i stop these feelings before they escalate? I heard a stirring behind me on the couch. Twilight yawned and stretched. “Donnie...why are you up so early?” She asked groggily. Once she had woken up, she looked down at the couch questioningly. I saw her blush as sudden realization hit her. “D-Did we fall asleep on the couch..?” She asked, looking embarrassed. I chuckled and turned away from her. “Do you want something to drink, Twilight?” I asked, holding back my chuckles. “Sure…” She answered quietly. “You okay?” I asked as I pulled out a glass and filled it with cold water. “I’m fine.” She said, sounding a bit short. I turned around with the glass in my hand and approached her with a concerned look. Her horn glowed with magic as she took the glass from me. She starting to drink the water, avoiding conversation, I decided not to pry. I looked at the clock, it was 4:30 AM. “Twilight, you should go back to bed, it’s really early.” I told her. She got up from the couch after finishing her glass, and put it in the sink. “Alright, I will.” She said as she made her way to my room. I sat down on the couch and stared at the roof. Twilight was acting kind of weird after that sleeping thing. “Maybe I should apologize to her.” I mumbled to myself quietly. I laid my head down on the couch and drifted off to sleep. I opened my eyes to Twilight standing right in front of me, smiling a warm smile. She leaned forward and locked her lips with mine. I held her as I kissed her passionately. I got off the couch and put her on the floor, I was over-top of her and kissing her neck. I ran my hand down her side and started moving it downward. I jolted awake, throwing the blanket off my body and standing up. “Again!? I dreamt about her again!?” I thought to myself. This was definitely getting out of hand. I don’t think i could hold my feeling in anymore. I looked at the clock, it was 1 PM, we slept for a long time it seems. I went to the laundry room and changed into my work clothing. I left the laundry room, and as I walked by, looked into my room, Twilight was sound asleep on the bed. She looked cute when she was sleeping. I walked away from the door and headed outside. I walked down the sidewalk, making my way to the construction site. I stepped onto the site, and made my way over to Shaw, who was helping a man carry a large case over to the building we were preparing for demolition. “What’s this?” I asked. He grinned and looked at me. “This is the final step to imploding this joint.” He said with a large grin on his face. He put the case down near the building and flipped the lid open. It had two large bundles that looked wrapped by cloth. “These are the explosives we’ll use.” I heard my boss’ voice from behind me. “When will we be commencing the implosion?” I asked. “Today!” Said Shaw, still grinning. “I’m about to go inside and set the explosives, then we need to clear the area of any bystanders who might get hurt. Along with moving our own workers out of area.” Shaw walked into the building with another man who was carrying the other explosive. Some other workers and I started moving people away from the area, and scouting the danger area for workers still too close. After I returned, all the workers had gathered at a safe distance, and Shaw and the other man stepped out of the house, they made their way to us and joined the mass of workers. As we all waited for the explosion, I thought about what it might be like. Suddenly, there was a loud sound I can’t quite explain, and the building crumbled, making a large smoke cloud shoot out from the building. I coughed as well as all the other workers standing around. Suddenly, I heard something, like a rush a wind. I heard the boss’ voice. “Get down! There's debris flying!” He yelled. I was too late, a piece of solid concrete flew out. I tried to move out of the way, but didn’t get away in time. The debris hit my arm hard, and I heard a crack that made a chill run down my spine. I fell to the ground screaming, pain rushing through my arm. I felt sick to my stomach, and lightheaded. “Call an ambulance, right now!” I heard Shaw yelling to the other workers. I tried to lift my arm, but it didn’t work. I couldn’t move my arm! There was a loud ringing in my ears, and I felt dizzy. I heard the sound of sirens blaring as an ambulance pulled up to the site. Two medics ran out and knelt by me. “Can you stand, sir?” Asked one of the medics. “My arm is broken!” I yelled in a panic. “I can’t feel my arm!” The medics helped me stand up and got me into the ambulance. I laid down on the bed, and the medics sat on either side of me. “What about Twilight?” I murmured quietly. “What did you say, sir?” Asked the medic. I felt myself drifting away, and my sight was consumed by darkness. When I woke up, I was in a hospital room, a nurse was standing next to me. “You’re awake.” She pointed out. “We need to get you to the X-Ray room so we can see how bad your arm is.” I looked around, and felt relieved to be somewhere that could help me. “Alright, lead the way.” I said as I stood up. I held my hurt arm up with my good arm and followed the nurse down a long hallway. She opened the door to a room and I stepped inside. The doctor was a man. He handed me a hospital gown, and I sat on the bench inside. “Do you need help changing?” Asked the doctor. I shook my head and he left the room. I unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them off with my good arm, using my legs to kick them, I pushed them into the corner of the room. Now came the hard part, taking off my shirt. I lifted my arm and pulled the sleeve over it, my arm now inside my shirt. I pulled my good arm out of the sleeve and took off the shirt. I stood up and grabbed the gown. I held it onto my chest and wondered how I would tie it. “Uh, doc? I could use some help tying the gown, please.” I said loudly. He walked in and I turned around, he tied the gown and I left the room with him. He led me to a room with the label “X-Ray Room” and opened the door. I stepped inside and laid on the X-Ray machine. The doctor went to his place behind some glass, and told me to stay as still as possible so he could scan my arm to see where it had broken and how bad it was. “You can climb off the X-Ray machine now.” He told me. He came out of the room behind the glass with some pictures of the bones inside my arm. He pointed out a shattered bone in my shoulder, and explained that i had broken my shoulder when I had dodged the debris, but if I hadn’t moved it might’ve hit my head and killed me immediately. I thanked the doctor and he told me I could change into my normal clothing, after struggling to put on my shirt and jeans, I left the room and was approached by the nurse. She gave me a sling and told me to keep it on at all times. I nodded and thanks the nurse. “You’re free to leave now, if there are any problems, don’t be afraid to come back.” She said kindly. I smiled and left the hospital, to my surprise, my boss was in the parking lot waiting for me in a red Ford Ranger. He smiled as he saw me and rolled down his window. “Need a lift?” He asked me. I smiled and felt very happy inside. “Yeah, I could use one, thanks a lot.” I said happily, opening the door to his passenger seat and climbing inside with a struggle. I closed the door and he started the truck. “Where do you live?” He asked. “Just head toward the site, I don’t live too far away from there.” I informed him. He pulled out of the parking lot and started driving. “I appreciate you picking me up, sir.” I thanked him, feeling genuine gratitude. “Of course, I know you don’t own a vehicle, and I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night knowing I left a man with a broken arm to walk home from the hospital.” He said, keeping his eyes on the road. “And also, when we aren’t on-site, you can call me Robert.” I smiled at him and looked out the windshield. We passed the site, and I told him to keep heading straight. My trailer was in sight now, and I told him to stop in front of it. He did so, and put his truck into park. “You live in this trailer here?” He asked, staring past me and at my home. “Yeah, I do. It doesn’t look very nice, but it’s good enough for me.” I said casually. “Well, I’ll let you get home, i bet you’re tired.” said Robert. I opened the door and hopped out. “Thanks, again, Robert.” I said gratefully. He nodded and I shut the door. He drove away as I headed into my trailer, feeling happy to finally be home. As soon as i walked in Twilight was in front of me, looking worried. “I heard a loud noise earlier today, and I was worried, and now it looks like I was right to worry! What happened to your arm!?” She asked worriedly. I walked over to the couch and sat down. “We were demolishing a building and a piece of debris flew out and hit my shoulder. Now I have to wear this damn sling.” I said, feeling depressed. She walked over and sat on the couch next to me, on the side with my good arm. “I’m sorry you got hurt, Donnie...I hate to see you feeling this way.” She said, staring at my arm. I looked at the clock, it was 7 PM. “Twilight, I’m gonna get some rest, okay? I’m not going into work tomorrow, obviously.” I told her, she nodded and got off the couch, I laid down and closed my eyes. I heard the bathroom door shut, and the water began to run. I listened to the sound of rushing water, and fell asleep, letting my dreams consume me.
Chapter FiveI opened my eyes, and sat up. My arm was pulsing with pain, and I couldn’t help but let out a small groan as I stood up. I made my way toward the kitchen as I heard a noise from my room. Twilight walked out and made her way to my side. “Donnie, what’s wrong? Do you need something?” She asked, concerned. “I’m really thirsty, so I’m getting a drink.” I told her. She opened the fridge with her magic, and I stepped backward, giving her room. “What do you want?” She asked. I looked past her and into the fridge. “Water will be fine.” I said as I got a glass and set it on the counter. Twilight filled the glass with water and gave it to me. “Y’know, I only have one broken arm. I can still do some things.” I said smiling. “But, still, thanks for trying to take care of me, Twilight. I appreciate it a lot.” “Of course, Donnie, you took care of me, so it’s only right that I repay the favor.” said Twilight, as she watched me drink my water. I put down the glass and walked over to the couch. I sat down and looked at Twilight. “What can I do today? It’s only eleven.” I asked, pointing to the clock. She looked at the clock, and sat down next to me. “Well, I don’t know, what do you wanna do?” She asked, looking at me. “Well, what do you do all day when I’m at work?” I asked. “I clean the rooms, and other random stuff to pass the time.” She answered. “So, she cleans to pass the time...maybe I should get her something to do while she’s home.” I thought to myself. “Would Twilight like Xbox? No, no, besides I can’t afford one of them...but I want to get something great for her.” Twilight stood up and made her way to the bathroom. I laid back on the couch looking up at the roof, trying to ignore the pain from my arm. I looked over at the bathroom, the door hadn’t been shut, but the shower was running and I could hear her humming to herself from inside. I stood up and started walking over to the bathroom door. As I approached the door, I heard a knock on the door and turned my head, throwing myself off balance. I tripped and smacked into the wall, broken arm first. I screamed loudly, and the door flew open. My boss had run inside at the sound of my scream, and knelt beside me. “What are you doing, boy!?” He asked as he helped me onto my feet. I looked down at my arm, almost not able to answer. “I...was about to take a shower…” I said to him, trying to cover for the sound of the shower water. “Do you need me to help you inside?” He asked, trying to be helpful. “No, sir-- uh, Robert. I think I’ll be fine. Is there something you needed?” I asked, trying to be polite about kicking him out. “I just wanted you to know that I won’t be expecting you at work until you can get a cast for that thing, so don’t bother showing up for a while.” He told me. “I’ll need to get another job until then…” I said sadly. “I’m sorry, kid, but I can’t have you getting hurt on the site twice in a row. Besides, you only got one arm, what are you gonna do?” He pointed out. “I don’t know.” I answered. Robert walked over and sat down on my couch. “I’m gonna stay here for now, cause i don’t trust you not to hurt yourself again.” said Robert jokingly. I knew he was only being helpful, so I walked over to the bathroom door. “Robert, please leave before I get out of the shower.” I said, walking inside and shutting the door. “Alright, kid, I get it. You want time alone. I’ll see you soon.” I listened to him stand up and leave the trailer. I looked forward, Twilight was staring wide-eyed at me and blushing a lot. “D-Donnie...what are you doing..?” asked Twilight, her voice so quiet that I almost couldn’t hear what she was saying. I was staring at her in the shower, her hair down the side. To be honest, it was turning me on and I didn’t like it. “M-My boss came to the house, and I had to cover for the sound of the water by telling him I was about to get it.” I explained. “Well, get out!” She yelled angrily, still blushing. I swung the door open, and left. I closed it and sat on the couch. I smacked myself on the forehead. “How could I be attracted to a damn unicorn!?” I asked myself out loud. I shook my head, feeling like a weirdo. The water in the shower turned off, and minutes later, Twilight opened the door, and stepped out. Her face as red as a tomato, and her mane was still soaked, as if she hadn’t tried to dry off. I looked down and scratched my head. She approached me and stood in front of me. “I’m sorry, Twilight.” I said, looking down. “That’s okay, that just means we’ve both seen the other in the shower.” Said Twilight as she walked into my room and closed the door. “What!?” I shouted as I stood up. I walked over to the door and put my face near it. “What are you talking about, Twilight..?” “A few days ago, you took a shower, and I looked inside...I’m sorry, but at least I’m being honest about it…” She answered through the door. I moved my face away from the door. “You did!?” I felt my face getting warm. I remember the day I took a shower, and had heard a noise...that must’ve been her…I reached my hand out and turned the doorknob. I walked into my room, and sat on the bed next to Twilight. “Are you mad..?” She asked quietly. “No...I’m not mad...it would take a lot for me to get mad at you…” As I said this, I smiled at her, and ran my hand along her mane. She got closer to me, and lifted her head toward mine. I realized what was happening… Should I kiss her..?
