Possibilites

“You play the guitar a bit, huh?” Applejack asked, a southern accent present in her voice. The other five rounded the fountain and stood over by Applejack and I, silently watching these events unfold.

“Yeah, I’ve played for a while, as long as I can remember.” I said, strumming an open chord once. She sat to the right of me and leaned back on the fountain, taking in the music and closing her eyes. I decided to play something a little slower and more calming for the time being. I didn’t let myself fall too far into a trance of my music, just in case one of them decided to do something I objected to. I soon noticed something, or someone, sliding closer to me from the left as I played. Eventually, the blob in my vision became so close to me, it was touching my shoulder, making me flinch. I pretended not to notice, which was probably a bad idea, because it kept moving closer. Propping itself up against me, the thing laid its head on mine, its indigo locks getting in my face. I blew her mane out of my face and kept playing. I looked down at her and noticed she was looking deep into my eyes with her own. She smiled as I looked at her, snuggling closer to me, causing me to whip my head back straight ahead to avoid eye contact. The other two who seemed interested earlier seemed somewhat envious, shifting in their positions and quickly giving Rarity disapproving glances now and then.

“Applejack!” I heard a voice bellow from in front of me. Applejack jumped and looked around lazily—as if she was previously beginning to drift off—confused and curious as to why someone would be yelling her name. Rarity was startled as well, but didn’t seem as down to earth as Applejack and quickly brushed off the sudden outburst. I stopped playing and looked up to see a stallion with a red coat, orange mane and a work horse collar around his neck walking toward us.

He didn’t seem too pleased.

“What do you think y’all are doing?” He spoke once more, himself also having a Southern drawl.

“I was just listening to his music.” Applejack said nonchalantly, flicking her hat up to better see the stallion and chuckling lightly, “I almost fell asleep there too.” The man narrowed his eyes at her.

“Have you had anything to drink recently?” He suddenly asked, Applejack sitting up straight, furrowing her brow and frowning.

“Big Mac, ever since that whole kerfuffle at the tavern a few weeks ago, any time I get tuckered out somewhere that isn’t my bed, you ask if some stallion gave me a drink. No, I haven’t. He hasn’t given me anything and no one else has either. I understand you’re just looking out for me, but you know I can handle myself.” Applejack retorted. I didn’t have to ask what had happened to understand the situation.  Big Mac gruffed and looked to the side slightly.

“I know you’re capable of handling yourself…when you’re awake. You’re just lucky-“

“Hey Big Mac! Have you met Xavier here?” Pinkie suddenly butted in, dashing up in   front of the stallion and gesturing to me.

I wish she hadn’t done that; I didn’t want to be hauled into this matter.

Big Mac rose an eyebrow at me as he looked me over.

His eyes felt softer, yet still maintained a certain rough authority in them.

I attempted to maintain a calming disposition as he regarded me, simply staring at me as if he was searching for something. I shifted around in my spot and disturbed Rarity slightly, but I didn’t care, I just wanted him to look away. He continued to gaze at me for a long and rather quiet period of time before I gave a nervous smile.

“Hi.” I said quietly in an attempt to be at least mildly respectful. He stared at me further before turning to Applejack and walking up to her a bit.

“I want you to be careful around him. Something about him seems…off…” He told her softly before taking one more quick look at me. She smiled back at him and nudged him slightly.

“Don’t worry too much, Big Mac. I’m certain we can take care of him if he gets out of hoof.” She replied.

My heart skipped a beat.

What kind of sick town is this? Was this kind of attitude expressed everywhere? What exactly was she implying by ‘take care of him’? Part of me didn’t want to know, but the other felt like I needed to, just so I could understand what would occur if I stepped out of line.

Maybe there was a corrupt government or society at work.

Big Mac stepped away from Applejack and gave her a nod and a smile before saying goodbye to her and the others—but not me of course—soon walking away in the same direction that he had entered from. I remained quiet for a moment, cherishing the silence that ensued after the small quarrel with Big Mac. Looking over at the man who I had borrowed the guitar from, I frowned at the sight of him. He seemed like he had finished talking to whomever he had been with and was looking at me while tapping his hoof on the ground. Not wanting to make him wait any longer, I removed Rarity from my shoulder—which she seemed saddened at—and returned the guitar to the man. He seemed pleased with my honesty and went off down the road with the guitar strapped to his back.

I let out a sigh and returned to the group of girls huddled around the fountain, giving them a once over while everyone was silent. Some were exchanging glances with one another occasionally, attempting to find something that would lift this awkward air from us, but coming up empty. My eyes eventually settled on Rarity, who seemed to be staring back at me and biting her bottom lip.

God. Those eyes. I should’ve brought a spoon.

I frowned and returned my gaze to the others, a certain two with their eyes locked on me lustfully. We all sat there for a few moments before Rarity finally broke the silence.

“Well then…what else should we talk about? Any ideas Xavier?” I returned my gaze to her, scratching the back of my head and trying to think of something, but coming up mostly empty. Small talk wasn’t really my forte.

“Well…um…what do you all do for work?” I asked, unsure if this was a meaningful question to ask. Evidently it was, as they one by one explained what they did for a living.

Applejack lived on a farm where she grew various types of apples, which I internally corrected as being an apple orchard, but didn’t bring it up. Twilight didn’t really have a job at the moment, but, as she had stated before, she was a princess and studied magic to a large extent. At the mention of magic, I think my eye twitched and I almost stopped her in her tracks, preparing to dissuade her from the grandiose illusions she partook in, but I allowed her to continue. Pinkie worked at a bakery with some other people called the ‘Cakes’ where they prepared assorted types of confectionery goods. Fluttershy took care of the wildlife in the area, as well as any pets that required attention, claiming to be able to communicate with them. TalkiTalking to animals seemed a little out there, although some humans are considered “animal whisperers” and some actually do show some talent, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt and nodded in false understanding. Rarity was a fashion designer who created all sorts of dresses and clothing with the hopes of someday making it big and becoming famous.

“In fact, maybe I’ll make you something ravishing to wear, my darling. My treat.” Rarity exclaimed, brushing her hair to the side and adjusting her bangs.

“Maybe…” I nervously said as she stared half lidded into my eyes.

“RARITY AND XAVIER, SITTING IN A TREE, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Pinkie sang while she danced around us, making me laugh.

I didn’t mind her eyes so much.

“Oh hush Pinkie, that is rather uncalled for!” Rarity snapped at the pink mare.

“Maybe…but it’s also not polite to staaaaarrrrre!” Said Pinkie, smiling while rolling her eyes like googly eyes.

I take it back. I do mind them, holy hell.

“I don’t think we need to go pointing fingers on who’s in love with who. Besides, it’s getting late and I’m feeling kind of tired, especially after racing Blueberry over here.” I said in an attempt to break up the disturbance and hopefully prevent it from progressing further. Twilight looked at me oddly when I said fingers.

“Race? What race?” Asked Applejack.

“Oh, Xavier and I had a little race this morning.” Said Rainbow Dash.

“That’s explains the rainbooms I heard earlier.” Chuckled Twilight.

Was everyone here delusional?

“I bet you beat him by a landslide! Right Dashie?” Asked Pinkie, smiling and bouncing in anticipation. And why the hell did it sound like she was jumping on cartoon springs?

“Um, well no…” Said Rainbow Dash. Everyone’s jaw dropped and gasped simultaneously as their manes wafted in a soft breeze that blew.

“Rainbow Dash, you’re one of the best fliers I know. This is an awful big surprise for you to be beaten by someone you’ve just met.” Said Twilight.

“Hey! One pony beat me, big deal! I don’t think another one will have the pleasure of doing that again.” Rainbow Dash seethed, becoming defensive once more.

“Listen, so what if I beat her? It was a silly little race.” I said, coming to her defense.

“Yeah, so what? He’s just one of those rare… Gifted… Fast… Muscular…” Rainbow Dash listed off, looking into the distance, becoming more and more distant with each adjective. Applejack waved her hoof in front of Rainbow Dash’s face.

“Uhh, Dash? You okay?” She said. Rainbow Dash didn’t respond, continuing to stare into space.

“DASHIEEEE!” Pinkie screamed in Rainbow Dash’s ear which seemed to snap her out of it, making her recoil her head away from Pinkie and shaking her head. Rainbow Dash looked down and kicked at dirt on the ground.

“Hehe… Sorry…” She said quietly.

“RAINBOW DASH AND XAVIER, SITTING IN A TREE, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Pinkie started up again. Rainbow Dash kicked her lightly in the leg. “Ow!” She squeaked, rubbing the spot that Rainbow Dash struck.

“Ladies ladies, calm down.” I said, making them all look at me. These girls were insane, if I didn’t do something about it, they would probably kill each other. “Now, the real predicament here is it’s almost night and I’m pretty far from my camp. So I’ll need a place to stay for tonight.” At hearing this, a choice few jumped in, saying “Me! Me!” Or “You can come over to my place.” All of that and the sort. All of them except for Fluttershy, still shying away from talking to me or even making eye contact. I wondered what had caused her to be like this. A bad experience? Or just simple nature? Maybe she was like me. Whatever the cause, I thought it best to just not bring it up.

“Now sorry to break Blueberry’s hopes, but I probably won’t stay with her considering how I’ve already spent the night with her somewhere. So it’s down to you five, erm, four.” I said. Rainbow Dash frowned.

“Four? Who are you counting out besides me?” Asked Rainbow Dash.

“Fluttershy; she doesn’t seem too keen about me and I don’t feel like pushing her to do anything she doesn’t want to.” I said. Fluttershy looked up at the mention of her name.

“Aww, that’s awful considerate of you Xavier.” Rarity cooed.

“I don’t like to force people to do things.” I said, wondering just how true that statement really was.

“I mean, yeah sure not Fluttershy, but come on man! I barely even knew you then and we can do so much more awesome stuff now!” Rainbow Dash complained, her wings stiffening behind her.

“I know I know, I might add you back in later, I don’t know.” I said. She smiled and fist pumped. Or would it be hoof pumped? Quite frankly, I’m not too sure at this point.

“So I think I’ve decided on who to stay with tonight.” I said with a sense on finality. They all yelled “Who?!” In unison. “Calm down gals, sheesh.”

“Just tell us!” Pinkie said as she flopped down onto the ground. “I’m dying over here…”

“Okay okay. I have chosen to go with Rarity for the night.”

Now. Going with Rarity would be my last choice and probably the last decision I ever make if I played my cards terribly. However, in lieu of being away from others, I could find some sort of respite from my initial feelings toward her. Growing to like her presence may not be a viable option, yes, but tolerating it would be much more likely.

“Yes yes yes!” Rarity exclaimed, jumping up and down. “Now I can make something for you to wear and you will look absolutely smashing! Oh! I can’t wait!” She grabbed me by the mane with her teeth, my head burning as the follicles were tugged on, and dashed through the streets, presumably toward her home.

I immediately regretted my decision.

I looked back at the rest of the group and noticed some of their disappointed faces. Although they all seemed slightly upset, I could feel that Fluttershy was the saddest. I really felt bad for her, maybe I should’ve chosen her instead… Well, I couldn’t do anything about it now, I was practically being kidnapped.

We eventually reached a well done up and large house that Rarity dragged me inside. The interior consisted of a rather uniform theme, colors ranging in mostly the pink and purple variety.

“Sweetie Belle, I’m home!” Rarity called through the residence, giving my head a break while she spoke. I rubbed my temple where the hair was attached, cringing as it stung under light pressure.

“Oh great, Rarity’s here…” Said a muffled voice from upstairs.

“Oh it’s not that bad, we can meet up somewhere else for tomorrow. Sweetie, go down and see if she wants anything.” Said a different voice with an accent similar to that of Applejack’s.

“All right, just don’t break anything while I’m gone.” Said a third voice, presumably Sweetie Belle’s, followed by the sound of someone making their way through the second floor. A seemly smaller version of Rarity happily made her way down a staircase, practically skipping down. Her coat was the same color as Rarity’s and she also had a little horn on her forehead, but her mane was a shade of mulberry with rose streaks. “Hi Rarity!” She said, her voice sweet and full of innocence.

“Hello there Sweetie. You and your friends didn’t break anything while I was gone did you?” Rarity asked.

“Nope, not yet anyway…” Sweetie Belle said. Rarity eyed Sweetie.

“And you’re not planning on it are you?” She said, a more motherly tone making its way through into her voice.

“Well of course not! We wouldn’t even dream of breaking anything on purpose.” Sweetie said.

“Then don’t use the word ‘yet.’ It makes me feel like you’re up to something…” Said Rarity. As if on cue, a crashing sound emanated from upstairs, followed by a quiet “oops.” “Oh great…” Rarity said. She clomped up the stairs, once again grabbing me by the mane that now burned with a fury that even the Devil would have been pleased with. Once upstairs, she took me to a room with all manners of colors of cloths and materials along with partly and completely finished dresses on pony-shaped eyeless mannequins. There was also a purple king sized bed with a canopy hanging over it with several winding strands of lace adorning it. There were two other little ponies standing beside what seemed like a broken old fashioned sewing machine.

One of them had an orange coat akin to that of Applejack’s and a cherry red mane with tiny little wings on her sides. This one was the closest to the wreckage, standing on a chair and sticking her hooves up into the air as if she were reaching for something on the nearby table. The other had an olive coat and deep red mane with a little crimson bow. This one was standing a small distance away from the broken machine, but not as close as the other and was on the floor. She was staring at Rarity with a terrified look in her eyes.

“It was Apple Bloom’s fault.” Said the orange one, pointing at the olive one, apparently being Apple Bloom.

“No it wasn’t! I wasn’t even near the thing, it’s Scootaloo’s fault!” Apple Bloom said, pointing at Scootaloo with that telltale accent. The two continued to bicker back and forth over whose fault it could’ve been despite the fairly obvious conclusion that anyone could have reached immediately until Rarity broke the rant.

“Enough!” She scorched, the two immediately quieting. “Great, now I’ve got to go out and get a new sewing machine…”

“Actually, judging by what’s left on the floor, I could probably put it back together—so long as you have the manual or give me enough time to fiddle with it—but just by looking at it, I can assure you it can be fixed.” I said reassuringly to Rarity.

“You can?” She said, apparently surprised I was capable of such things.

“Oh yes, of course. Simple little contraption really, I’ll have it fixed in no time.” I said, hoping I could stick true to my statement.

“Oh thank you again, you’re a lifesaver!” She said, kissing me on the cheek and hugging me tightly for an extended period of time. She didn’t seem to at all mind that the kids were watching. Scootaloo stuck out her tongue and pointed to her mouth, making both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom laugh a little. Rarity finally let go and cleared her throat, “Sorry, I didn’t really mean to do that in front of them… Or for that long…”

“Um, yeah…no, it’s…fine…” I said, fretting about how this night would work out. I made my way over to the broken sewing machine and sat down on the floor, examining the mess strewn around me. “I guess I won’t be needing any tools for this, seems like a simple job of putting the gears and other mechanisms back into place and sealing it back up.”

“Oh good, I’m glad it’s nothing serious that you wouldn’t be able to fix.” She said, sighing with relief as I looked over at her.

“When it’s this simple, most can.” I said, returning to the pile of debris and trying to figure out how the blasted machine worked.