Sound(s) so Lone(ly)
Celestia's Sun rose to another morning. To many, it was a sign of new possibilities and the potential of a good day. But to one in Ponyville, it was the opposite; the beginning of another day of near self-isolation, and insecure fears. Just under a block away from Ponyville, along the trail past Sweet Apple Acres, there was a small cottage. Most ponies wouldn't want to live in a house that was so out of the way, so the real-estate was cheap. In this cottage, lived a young Earth stallion named Lone Star. Resting in his bed, Lone's light blue body felt the first lights of the Sun as it illuminated the room. His light brown mane was a small mess of bed head, and his star shaped cutie mark lay exposed with the blanket dangling off his body and the side of the bed.
"Lone? Lone? Hey! Lone?" Another stallion's voice called from behind the door. Opening the door, was a white Earth stallion with a mix of red and blue spiked mane; this was Lone Star's closest friend and roommate, Sound Wave. His red square glasses examined the room, eyeing something that majorly stood out; Lone Star was currently the size of a timber wolf. "HEY LONE WAKE UP!!"
"Uh...wha...?" Lone Star stirred awake, looking at his friend. "Oh hey Sound. Good morning. What's wrong?"
"Uh maybe you should see for yourself." Sound replied, drawing the curtain more, revealing Lone's massive size. "Must've happened when you were asleep again."
"Oh no oh no oh no!" Lone said, trying his best not to panic. This wasn't the first time this happened, but every time, it was so embarrassing how little control he had over this power. Taking a deep breath, Lone concentrating on being his original size; and his body soon followed suit, shrinking until he was his ordinary size again. "There we go."
"I swear Lone, that's the third time this week." Sound shook his head. "At least it was only timberwolf size." He looked at the very marks and dents on the ceilings and walls. "Remember the time you were dragon sized?"
"Y-yeah." Lone blushed in embarrassment, his size changing has always been a source of his shyness, insecurities, and embarrassments; hence why it was kept a closely guarded secret. Sound Wave was the only other one who knew everything.
"Anyway." Sound changed the subject. "Get cleaned up, breakfast is ready and we got a long day today."
"A-a big job today?" Lone asked, getting through the last of his yawns.
"Breakfast first, then I'll tell you." Sound said with a smile, leaving the room.
Breakfast was good and simple, just how Lone liked it. Sound was an excellent cook, something Lone was very thankful for. Simple eggs, toast, and some ice cold milk. Lone enjoyed the simpler things, no over complications, or any hassles. He wish life could be that way. But waking up every morning a different size was definitely not simple or normal. Thankfully Lone had a friend like Sound to help and support him. As the two ate, Lone was quiet, as he always was. Sound casually munched on some hay bacon strips.
"Any good dreams?" Sound asked his friend.
"Just the usual." Lone said in a melancholy tone, sniffling a little. "I sit in the same tree, watching the same ponies play and enjoy themselves. Then when I try to join them, I grow so massive, it breaks the tree and they start running. Like I'm some kind of monster."
"You're not a monster Lone." Sound replied, wiping the tears away. "Maybe we need to get you to socialize with some of the ponies more?"
"B-but what if I grow? What if I scare them?" Lone panicked, his body slowly shrinking a few inches smaller.
"Lone. You're shrinking again." Sound said, patting his friend on the shoulder. Lone quickly tried to relax and his body grew back to his regular size. "Maybe we should start at a social event? Something we can easily slip in and out of without others noticing?"
"T-that could work." Lone said, finishing his breakfast. "But what about this job today?"
"Oh that." Sound finished his own food. "We're going to Sweet Apple Acres today."
"Why there?" Lone asked.
"I'll tell you when we get there." Sound said answered
Once Lone and Sound finished their breakfast, cleaned the dishes, ad organized what they needed, they set off for Sweet Apple Acres. There were a lot of ponies there today. Almost everypony in Ponyville was in attendance. And why wouldn't they? Today was the first day of the annual Apple Cider Season; a time where ponies waited in long lines to have their taste of the Apple Family's sweet apple cider. But after the Flim Flam brother contest, Applejack was able to come up with newer ways to process and distribute cider, making sure everypony got their fill at a convenient time. Grabbing two small mugs, Sound brought the cider over to Lone, who was ~~hiding~~ waiting by a large apple tree.
"This isn't so bad Lone?" Sound said, giving his friend a mug. "With all these ponies, nopony notices us."
"Y-yeah." lone said, carefully sipping the contents of the mug. "It's not that bad."
The two continued their friendly chat for what could be a couple hours. Sound was happy his friend was feeling comfortable. Ever since his accident, Lone was very distant and anti-social. But he still worked hard at his job; which helped support him and Sound. After a little more time, enjoying the cider and taking in the views of the happy ponies, Sound and Lone saw a large red Earth stallion walk towards them. Though he was one of the larger ponies, he was also one of the friendliest.
"Hey Big Mac." Sound greeted. "Time for the job?"
"Eeyup." Big Mac smiled kindly arching his head to the barn. "Shouldn't be a lot. Thank you."
"That reminds me." Lone said, not that Big Mac was gone. What is this job?"
"Well not everypony comes to these events." Sound explained, getting up. "So we were hired to deliver the extra cider to everyponies homes." Before Lone could start having a small panic attack over the size of the job, Sound patted him on the shoulder calmly. "Don't worry, we got a list of names and addresses, and there aren't that many. We'll be home before dinner."
"O-ok." Lone smiled.
Sound was right; the job was easier than it looked. Sound and Lone together were able to lug around the large cart of extra barrels of cider. And with the two of them together, the task only took under two hours. Now, all that was left was one barrel. The barrel did stand out a little from the others. It was much larger, easily three times the size of the others.
"Why is this one so much bigger?" Lone asked as he and Sound carried it on the cart. "Who drinks this much cider?"
"It's for a mare named Fluttershy." Sound answered. "She's Ponyville's resident animal caretaker and apparently, they love cider. So some of this is for her, while the rest are for whatever lives with her."
"W-will there be scary animals?" Lone asked nervously.
"Now now, they're friendly." Sound reassured his friend. "From what i heard, Fluttershy is shyer that you, so we should be fine."
"O-ok." Lone nodded, chuckling a little under his breath that somepony could be more timid than him.
The cottage was quaint, almost reminding Lone of his house. And it was close to the Everfree Forest, just like his house. A small stream trickled by the front of the home, allowing small fish and baby frogs and turtles to swim casually by. The low hanging trees were adorn with feeders and bird houses, all filled with the chirping tune of birds and their chicks. It looked so peaceful and inviting, Lone felt so much better. The cottage was just what he needed to see; it made his choice to live on the outskirts of Ponyville a little more comforting.
"Here we are." Sound said, stopping the cart. The sound of the churning cider echoed for a second in the barrel. "Go knock on the door, I'll unload the barrel."
"O-okay." Lone said, unstrapping himself from the cart. Carefully, Lone made his way to the door, admiring the scenery around him. It was peaceful, calm, and tranquil even. As he approached the door, Lone gently knocked on the door. The door slowly opened. "H-hello, we're here to-"
Lone's words were cut off guard by who answered the door. The opening door revealed a timid looking yellow, Pegasus mare. Her silky looking pink mane covered most of her gentle face. Her crystal cyan eyes pierced through Lone's chest like a spear, causing him to arch a little forward. Much to the mare's slight confusion and shy discomfort.
"Uh...H-hi?" The mare asked. "C-c-can I help you?"
"Hello, you're Fluttershy right?" Sound asked, carrying the large barrel on his back. "We're here to deliver your order of Sweet Apple Acres apple cider."
"O-oh?!" Fluttershy said, her eyes wide from the small shock of forgetting; a faint blush from the embarrassment followed. "I remember now, I did order cider this year." She then turned her head towards the inside of the house. "Oh Harry, could you help him with the barrel please?"
Just then, from within the cottage, a large grizzly bear walked out of the house. Despite him obviously being a bear, Harry was friendly, grabbing at the large barrel and easily lifting it over his shoulders. While Harry handled the barrel, Fluttershy disappeared into the house. Once Harry brought the barrel into the cottage, Fluttershy reappeared, a small bag in her mouth. Handing the bag over to Sound, Lone heard the sound of bits bouncing in the bag; possibly a tip.
"Thank you so much for doing this for me-" Fluttershy thanked, then stopped. "I'm sorry, but I didn't get your names."
"Oh well I'm Sound Wave, and this is my friend Lone Star." Sound answered, with Lone still dumbfounded by Fluttershy's beauty.
"Well thank you again for this Sound Wave and Lone Star." Fluttershy smiled; her smile almost setting Lone's heart aflame.
"Just Sound and Lone will do Fluttershy." Sound nodded with a smile. "If you ever need anything done, delivered, moved, or otherwise, keep us in mind."
"I will. Thank you." Fluttershy smiled, closing the door.
After the delivery was finished, the cart being returned, and their day's pay given, Sound and Lone decided to eat at the local Hay Burger restaurant. The food was cheap and fast, but it was always good. Since leaving Fluttershy's Sound noticed how spaced out Lone was; as if he was staring at something out of reach. At first, he paid no mind to it, but after a few long hours, Sound was curious.
"What's on your mind Lone?" Sound asked, munching on a burger, some bits of ketchup smudging the sides of his mouth, to which he cleaned with a napkin.
"W-w-w-w-what do you mean?" Lone answered back.
"The fact you used a long stutter is one point." Sound chuckled. "But seriously, what's eating you? You've been very spaced and quiet since Fluttershy's."
"W-w-w-well you see." Lone looked around. Seeing too many ponies in possible ear shot, he decided to lean in and whisper it into Sound's ear. "I think that, that Fluttershy was really beautiful."
"Oh...that..." Sound muffled his laughter. "You thought she was pretty?" Lone could only timidly nod. "I see, oh well if you're interested, I can see tomorrow if there are any other jobs that might take us nearby. Maybe if we get friendly, we can do some jobs for her. How does that sound?" Lone nodded a little faster, and more eagerly. Sound rarely saw Lone this enthusiastic about anypony before, and as his friend, he only wanted to help. "So tomorrow, I'll look into what I can."
"T-t-thank you Sound." Lone smiled, finishing his hay fries.
True to his word, Sound was able to find some more jobs that got him and Lone to "just happen" to come close to Fluttershy's home. Not that she didn't seem to mind seeing them as they passed by. A couple delivery jobs, bringing various goods from one end of Ponyville, to the others. Often they finished a job, and "just happened" to trot by Fluttershy's on their way home. After roughly a few weeks, Sound was happy to tell Lone about a new job; a job request from Fluttershy.
"What is it!?" Lone could barely hold back his excitement.
"Well..." Sound tried to find the best way to explain the job without frightening Lone. "We have to...well..."
"What? What is it?" Lone asked again.
"We have to hold a bear down." Sound answered, leaving Lone dead in his tracks.
"W-what?" Lone whimpered a bit.
"Her bear Harry hasn't been feeling well and she can't approach him for some reason." Sound explained. "So we're to hold the bear down in order for Fluttershy to see what's wrong."
"A-a-a-a bear?!" Lone whimpered, his bravado leaving him. "A-a-a-are you sure this will work?"
"Don't worry." Sound reassured his friend. "If things get bad, run. I have a plan."
Lone could only nod. Normally, his first instinct was to run and hide under his bed. Holding down an angry bear; it was beyond crazy. But for Fluttershy, Lone felt he could do it. A little new found confidence coursed through him. He could do this, he can do this.
ROAR
"I can't do it!" Lone said, trying to run away; only for Sound to grab him by the tail, dragging him along the dirt road.
"Come on you." Sound gritted Lone's tail in his teeth. "Just follow my lead."
Once they reached Fluttershy's cottage, there was a note on the door:
Sound and Lone, just come around to the backyard, I am trying to calm down Harry
-Fluttershy
The two work stallions followed the note, walked passed the smooth wooden fence door, and reached the backyard. The backyard was massive, a mix between small tree areas with a large grassland. Small streams and possibly even a small lake; the perfect place to raise and care for animals. In the center of the grassy plain, Fluttershy, along with a large elephant, two smaller black bears, and half a dozen bunnies were doing what they could to hold Harry the grizzly bear; who was currently roaring and thrashing about.
"See, no problem." Sound laughed a little nervously, reaching in his saddle bag for some rope. "Just grab this and follow me."
Lone nodded, taking the rope in his mouth. Fluttershy, at this point, noticed the two stallions and waved towards them, signalling them to begin. Extending the rope, Sound and Lone started up a small trot, leading to a short gallop, wrapping Harry in the rope. Thanks to the extra efforts of the bunnies and bears, Sound and Lone were able to fully wrap the rope around Harry's body. Soon enough, the bear was tied down, his large mass still standing, but incapable of any movements.
"I think we got him." Sound said confidently, holding tight. "Fluttershy. Do what you need to do."
Fluttershy nodded, quickly moving close to the flailing Harry, discovering the source of his aggression. Harry had a broken claw that was tearing out the side of his paw. The pain must have been unbearable, hence his aggression, but Fluttershy had to get that claw out. Quickly and precisely, Fluttershy bit on the broken claw, causing Harry to yowl in pain. With a swift motion, Fluttershy pulled the claw, ripping it from the paw. That final action, though relieving him of the overall pain, caused Harry to break through part of the rope; his free paw swung towards Fluttershy's direction.
"No!" Lone shouted, subconsciously growing in size. Bigger and bigger, bigger than a timberwolf, almost as big as a grown dragon. The paw swipe on his blocking body barely made a scratch on his coat, stopping the paw from hitting Fluttershy; who was under Lone's massive size.
"Lone?!" Sound called, doing what he could, along with the rest of the animals, to fully incapacitate Harry, tightening the knots of rope.
When Harry finally calmed down, passing out from the experience, Lone realized what had just happened. He revealed his power, the one thing he was terrified would happen, just happened. Quickly regaining his natural size, Lone looked at Fluttershy for a moment. The surprised look in her eyes was enough for him. He couldn't have galloped away from her any faster, nearly tearing any low hanging branches from the trees as he bolted to the Everfree.
"LONE!!" Sound shouted, about to run after his friend; but stopped when he saw Fluttershy fly after Lone.
The Everfree was infamous for its density of trees and the dangerous number of the animals that called the forest home. This was the number one place Lone never wanted to set hoof in, given the choice. But in this case, he had no choice. He couldn't think of anything but running. Anywhere would be better than where he was before. How could have done that? He actually acted so boldly, he moved on his own, in the path of a bear paw, and worse yet, he used his power so brazenly. After a while of running, Lone slowed to a nearby tree, his body sore from the galloping and he had no idea where he was; but at the moment, he didn't care.
"But Fluttershy could've been hurt." Lone said aloud to himself, trying to justify his actions to himself. "She's so kind, and pretty, and caring. I couldn't let that bear hurt her. I just couldn't."
"It's okay." Lone's ears perked and his eyes went dead from the sweet sound of Fluttershy's voice behind him. Turning around, Lone saw Fluttershy, her mane and tail were ragged and messy from the chase. Her wings were still open and her yellow coat was covered in sap and leaves. "Lone...are you...okay?"
"N-n-n-no!" Lone panicked, taking steps back. "S-s-s-stay back F-f-f-fluttershy." He soon found his rear hitting a nearby tree. His body was trembling in fear. "I-i-i-i'm a monster. S-s-s-stay back!"
"Shh...shh..." Fluttershy said, moving close to Lone, grabbing at his head and holding it close to her own. "It's okay...you're not a monster...you're Lone Star. And you saved me."
"Y-y-you're not afraid of me?" Lone whimpered into Fluttershy's soft coat along her neck and shoulder.
"No...never..." Fluttershy smiled gently, ridding Lone of all his fears and insecurities. "I could never be scared of you."
Fluttershy then did something Lone never even thought anypony would do. Leaning in, their eyes met for a moment, Lone realized that Fluttershy's lips were now pressed against his cheek. Her lips were soft and gentle against his face. Lone's body coursed with a sense of warmth and comfort. It was as if everything that was once wrong and terrifying, was now gone. He was no longer afraid, Fluttershy was the only other pony to accept him for this. But unlike Sound, Fluttershy was a mare Lone wanted to be with. And maybe, just maybe, she felt the same way too.
From that day, Lone and Fluttershy began going out. It started small at first, a small get-together at Fluttershy's cottage. It was slow and peaceful. The perfect pace for both timid, and shy ponies. It was kind of cute from a spectator's view. Two ponies sitting together, enjoying tea, cakes, and each other’s company. Even Angel Bunny wasn't acting up; in fact he was doing the exact opposite. After seeing Lone's power, Angel has been patting Lone on the shoulder, a possible sign of approval. For the time being, the two kept their new found relationship a little secret, with the exception of Sound, who was covering Lone's position for the jobs so he could be with Fluttershy.
These little hangout/dates continued for a small number of months. Lone and Fluttershy became closer and closer, but there was one small thing Lone seemed to be overlooking. Ever since he started dating Fluttershy, Lone started seeing Sound less and less. The only real time he saw his friend, was after a long job, which was happening more and more often. Because Sound didn't want to take Lone away from his new marefriend, Sound was taking more jobs than he used to, and tackling them on his own. He had to; after all, because Lone wasn't bringing any income to the household, Sound had to pick up the slack. Before, both ponies could comfortably maintain their house, but with half the income gone, Sound's income wasn't enough; he had to do more. But he couldn't bear to tell Lone this, he didn't want to worry him. So Sound suffered in silence, smiling for his friend's sake. This continued for roughly half a year.
"Uh Fluttershy?" Lone asked, taking a sip of tea.
"Yes Lone?" Fluttershy responded, taking a soft bite of cake.
"We've been together for a little over a half year." Lone commented, looking his lover in the eye. "Y-y-you think it's time for us to come out and let others know about us?"
"Are you sure?" Fluttershy said, scooting closer to Lone. "I know you don't like crowds, so you don't have to force yourself if you don't want to."
"But I want to." Lone said, grasping at Fluttershy's hooves. "I want to be brave, for you."
"Lone." Fluttershy leaned in, giving her lover a soft, gentle kiss on the lips. Lone, in turn, kissed back; both ponies’ lips gently caressed the other in the embrace.
For their first, officially open date, Lone and Fluttershy decided on a suggestion from Sound. Before they left, Sound got his hooves on a pair of discount coupons to a fancy restaurant in Ponyville. The Le Canterlo', a sort of emulation of the type of fine dining that is casually offered to the nobility in Canterlot enjoy. The restaurant had only opened a couple of years ago, but the wait list was ridiculous. But thanks to the coupons Sound was able to get for Lone, both Lone and Fluttershy were not only able to get in on the day they booked their table, but the table they were able to get was by far the perfect spot.
On a small balcony, overlooking the sunset lowering over the Everfree Forest. The scenery was utter perfection, and the food made it better. Lone definitely had to thank Sound for all of this. And to make the occasion even better, was that the other ponies only glanced at himself and Fluttershy for a moment, then went back to what they were doing. All his fears and insecurities were remaining unfulfilled, he couldn't be happier.
"Lone, this is amazing." Fluttershy smiled, delicately eating the fancy salad she ordered.
"I know, this is just perfect." Lone responded, eating the hay pasta he ordered. "The food, the atmosphere, me here with you is just perfect."
"We have to thank Sound for all this later." Fluttershy smiled, rubbing Lone's hoof. "He's done so much to support us."
"I know." Lone said, a faint flicker of thought reached him about how much more Sound was working. But for some reason, all Lone wanted was to keep his focus on Fluttershy. Nothing else mattered, so long as he was with Fluttershy. "I love you Fluttershy."
"I love you too Lone Star." Fluttershy smiled, both ponies leaning in to kiss the other.
After his date, Lone walked Fluttershy home. Given how far away they were from any prying eyes, Lone grew to a much larger size, allowing Fluttershy to ride on his back. It was fun, she loved it, and Lone felt more confident in his ability. When they reached her cottage, Fluttershy and Lone kissed each other good night. Lone's life was now the happiest he could be. He had a beautiful mare, a mare who accepted his everything that loves him, and he loved her in return. His life was perfect, nothing else mattered.
Reaching his home, Lone crept into the house quietly, not wanting to wake up Sound. Since Lone was so happy with Fluttershy, Sound couldn't bear to tell Lone that their home was getting harder and harder to maintain. The cleaning was widely ignored, dishes piled in the sink, and worse yet, Sound was pulling double, even triple shifts in order to keep the home afloat. But Lone was unaware of almost all of this. He knew Sound worked more than he used to, but didn't know it was because he had to. Walking by Sounds room, Lone hummed a joyous tune, wondering what he would do with Fluttershy tomorrow. Unbeknownst to him, Sound's room, once the cleaner of the two, was now a heaping pile of papers, bills, bank loans, and countless unfinished and not started job requests.
Sound did the best he could to maintain a healthy and happy appearance to his friend, but once he was in his room, the smile left him. He would collapse every night on his bed, his body sore and tired from the day's long work. But rest brought almost no true reprieve. He would only have to wake up early morning, to get to the next job. He only returned home an hour ago and he knew he would have work less than five hours later. So he crashed in bed and slept. The worse thing that stung him, was how betrayed he was slowly feeling. He and Lone were a team, they worked equally to maintain their home. But despite how betrayed he was growing to feel, he couldn't bear to hate Lone. Lone was his friend, even as his relationship with Fluttershy was going to utterly destroy Sound. Sound could never bear to tell Lone the truth.
This went on for not only the rest of the year, but another year after. By this point Lone and Fluttershy were the happiest they could be. Everypony who knew about them was supportive, Lone was much more confident in both himself and his social life. He was even able to attend social events without panicking or sitting away from the crowd. Sound, on the other hand had almost no self-identity left. The near two years of working several long, hard jobs a day, only functioning on less than five hours of sleep a night, and still owing the banks all those bills and debt left him as less than a shell. He was just a stallion who survived, but didn't live. If anything about him survived this self-torment, it was his adamant refusal to let Lone know about all of this. If Lone were to find out how much Sound was suffering for him, he might consider breaking up with Fluttershy to help Sound. Sound couldn't do it. He hated his life now, he hated all the work, and he hated every happy face of any pony that wasn't working as much as he was. But he could never hate Lone; no matter how much Lone was unknowingly killing his friend.
During the ends of this year, Lone made a bold choice. He was going to move in with Fluttershy. This was something he's been working up the courage to ask. He was so excited when Fluttershy said yes, he nearly grew so high he hit the ceiling. Thankfully, he only hit the low hanging lamp. Lone wanted to tell Sound about it, but because of how much he was working, Sound never was home the same time as Lone, until it was nighttime and Sound was asleep.
"I'll tell him when I see him." Lone always told himself, as he packed up his stuff. "I'm sure he wouldn't have a problem with it."
It was on the final day of moving out, the last of Lone's stuff was already at Fluttershy's; aside from the saddle bag on his back. Lone was just ready to leave, when he decided he had to speak with Sound about it. He couldn't just leave without saying good bye.
"I'll just wait here, until he gets home." Lone told himself. "I'm sure he'll be home eventually." Lone didn't have to wait too long. It was nearly ten at night when Sound finally returned home. The second Sound saw Lone, a small bit of life came back in his eyes. "Oh Sound, you're home!"
"Heyya Lone." Sound greeted, his tone happier than he's been in months. "I thought you'd be with Fluttershy."
"That's what i want to talk about." Lone smiled. "I have great news!"
"Oh? What is it?" Sound asked, his subconscious mind almost wishing to hear Lone would help earn money again.
"I'm moving in with Fluttershy. Isn't it great?" Lone's smile was too much, any happier and his face would freeze like that.
"Oh..." Every nerve in Sound's body wanted to stop Lone's choice. To tell him the truth. But all that left his mouth was. "I'm so happy you found a marefriend Lone. I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you Sound!" Lone said, hugging Sound; then walking out the door. "We should hang out sometime. On your day off maybe." Lone was already gone before Sound's body couldn't stay up.
"Sure." Was the only thing that escaped Sound's lips, his voice muffled in a course tone, and his face wet by sweat and now streams of tears flowing from his eyes. This was it, his last two years of a self-induced suffering. All those months he toiled and labored for his friend, and now all Sound was, was a broken stallion. But he couldn't hate Lone, for any of this.
