Belonging Again

Chapters

Chapter 2 - No Place Like This
Chapter 3 - More Surprises
Chapter 4 - Some Respect
Chapter 5 - Accommodations
Chapter 6 - Moving On
Chapter 7 - Mares and Magic
Chapter 8 - Awkward Impressions
Chapter 10 - A Night Out: Part 1
Chapter 11 - A Night Out: Part 2
Chapter 12 - The Morning After
Chapter 13 - The Front Page
Chapter 14 - Intentions
Chapter 15 - Eyes in the Dark: Part 1
Chapter 16 - Eyes in the Dark: Part 2
Chapter 17 - Out of the Pit
Chapter 18 - Plans Change
Chapter 19 - Cider Season: Part 1
Chapter 20 - Cider Season: Part 2
Chapter 21 - Cider Season: Part 3
Chapter 22 - Cold-Hearted
Chapter 24 - Legacy
Chapter 1 - Crossing
Chapter 9 - Lost and Found
Chapter 23 - Holding Back

Chapter 2 - No Place Like This

I slumped down next to the puddle and let out a long sigh. I rested my head on my fore hooves, with a quizzical look on my face.

Trying to come to my senses and comprehend everything that happened today was a lot to take in, to say the least. Finally finishing the truck of my dreams, and then getting myself killed in order to save my best friends... Oh yeah, and being re-awoken in a world where I have no fucking clue what’s going on, and where I’m a god damned unicorn. What. The. Fuck.

I shook my head and yawned as the events of today, including the dark and calmness of the night, finally began taking its toll on me. I found myself falling asleep next to the small puddle...

I shook my head from the daze of the impact of colliding with the shop car and pushing Tom and Mark inside, off the tracks. I turned my head to the right, only to see bright lights. Following, there was a deafening smash. Then there was nothing but blackness.

“DAAAAVIIIIN!” screamed a voice...

My eyes shot open in terror as I awoke once again, this time to the brightness and the warmth of the mid-morning sun. I took a quick glance around to see countless trees and plant life in every direction.

I arose, again noticing the four navy blue legs and hooves. “Oh, right.” I said as memories of the previous day came back to me. I rubbed my eyes in attempt to wake myself up a bit more. Awaking suddenly from nightmares isn’t my first choice for wake-up calls. Plus it sucks when that happens.

“Whelp, no point in sticking around. I’m not getting anywhere here.” I sighed while taking a glimpse around.

“I hope there’s someone I can talk to around here somewhere. I could really use some answers.” I muttered to myself as I shook my head.

I decided to trek off in no general specific direction. They say the best direction you should head is north, but for obvious reasons, that was not going to work in my case. I just shrugged and took a wild guess decided headed off in that direction.

Ah well...

I still struggled walking on four legs, but I mean c’mon. Being bipedal for 22 years, then suddenly needing to have to use four legs probably would make quite a challenge for anyone. It was defiantly a challenge for me, but I was starting to get used to it as I pressed on.

The forest life was not like anything I’ve seen back where I’m from. From what I could tell, not even the Amazon rain forests seemed this thick and lively. For one thing, the plant life itself seemed a lot lusher, and was a lot thicker. I couldn’t see more than 10 feet through it. There were the chirps and calls of birds and woodland creatures rustling and moving about, and various other strange unworldly animal sounds. I tried not to pay much attention to those though; I’d rather not end up being something’s breakfast, especially after coming this far. Plus, this whole forest just had this strange, extra wild vibe about it. The sooner I find a way out--if there is a way out, the better.

“Ok, I think I might be starting to get the hang of this.” I said somewhat proudly as I trotted along. Just then, my right fore hoof slipped off the top of a protruding rock.

“Oof! Fuck.” I groaned as I tumbled to the ground in annoyance.

I let out a frustrated sigh and picked myself back up.

“My, my. Slipping off a rock is quite bad luck!” said an African accented voice.

“Bad luck?” I cocked an eyebrow towards the voice. “You don’t know the half of it.” I added as I brushed myself off with a hoof.

“Come now, my dear. May I ask what brings you out here?” the voice asked.

“To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t have the slightest fucking idea where in the hoof I am.” I called back, looking around for the source of the voice. I thought to myself for a split second, confirming if I actually just said that.

I did. Wow. I’m loosing it. Way to be so blunt to someone you don't even know, Dav.

“Why, the Everfree Forest is where you are! If a town is what you seek, the trip is not far.” Rhymed the mysterious source of the voice, finally coming into view.

I squinted to try and make out whatever it was walking towards me. I jerked my head back in realization. She was a zebra. A FREAKING ZEBRA. She was wearing gold rings on her neck, legs, and in her ears. I rubbed my eyes in denial. I blinked a few times, and eeyup, there was a god damn talking zebra standing before me. She gave me a very confused look and raised an eyebrow, probably awaiting my response.

“Oh... Umm... Yeah, town. I-If it's not much trouble, just point me in the right direction and I’ll be on my way.” I said as I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.

She raised an eyebrow and gave me a blank look, and held a hoof out towards what looked like a dirt path just a few yards away from where we were standing through a clearing in the trees. I just facepalmed—facehooved? ... Anyway, I shook my head and gave the zebra an apologetic look. She just shrugged.

“Thanks. Umm...” catching myself from having to explaining my situation, “I... I-I guess I just lost my way or something.” I stammered as I started to make my way towards the path.

The zebra just nodded and watched me suspiciously as I left. Can’t say I don’t blame her for being curious of my shifty behavior.

Damnit, I hope she doesn’t think I was causing trouble or anything; I’ll just have to come back another time and try explaining later. Getting to town was more of a priority right now.

I trotted down the path for a while, noticing the forest life buzzing about their business. I have to admit I was taking liking to how fresh the air seemed here, and just the general peacefulness. Yeah, yeah, I know, this is coming from the motorsports nut; the guy obsessed with squealing tires and roaring engines. Whatever. It was comforting, and helped me deal with everything that has just happened. Peace and quiet can just be relaxing at times.

The path began to curve as it reached the edge of the forest line. I came to a halt on the path after exiting the forest into a clearing. I took a deep breath, and took in the breathtaking view before me. My jaw dropped. Seriously, I should have a poet describe this for me. A beautiful mountain range in the distance, with what looked to be an immense castle built aside the tallest peak. In the opposite direction of the mountains, I could see a town of a few buildings and houses. I looked down from where the mountain range descended to meet the forest, of which I just emerged. I considered myself lucky for heading out in the direction I set out earlier, if I hadn’t, I’d still be trying to find my way through there. That forest was freaking huge.

Now I had even more of a reason to properly explain myself and thank that zebra...

First person, I-I mean first... Animal? I don't know. First creature I met since I got here, and I didn’t even introduce myself!

“Way to go Dav. Nice. Real fuckin' nice.” I grumbled at myself regrettably and tapped the side of my head with a hoof.

“Alright, enough sight-seeing. Let’s go see what else I can fuck up today.” I scoffed sarcastically as I made my way towards the nearby town. “Plus I could use something to eat...”

“Welcome to Ponyville.” Read a sign alongside the widening path as I trotted into town.

I couldn’t help but notice a couple more sentient equine-esque beings peer my direction as I took a glance around the entrance to town; one of them was a unicorn who had a mint green coat of fur, with a mint green and white mane. She was whispering something to the pony next to her, who had cream colored fur and a two-tone mane of blue and pink. If I hadn’t have been so hungry, I would stop and introduce myself. Instead, I just gave a friendly nod of my head and trotted on. I heard the two giggle as I passed by, and I sighed.

Perhaps I won’t go back and introduce myself...

“Ugh, I wish you guys were here with me...” I said under my breath, lowering my head as I pressed on into town.

As I walked in to what I assumed was the center of Ponyville, more of these... ponies were going about their business. Some looked to be selling merchandise, others pulling carriages and walking about, socializing with each other. I heard a gasp and a bouncing sound approaching me.

“Hi there!” called an enthusiastic, excited pink pony.

I snapped around, “Hey, umm... how’s it goin'?” I asked; my usual stupid response to anyone coming up and greeting me for the first time, or if I was caught off guard.

“How’s what going? Oh no! Is somepony leaving? I didn’t even throw them a going-away party!” The pink pony seemed to start to panic, completely catching me off guard, again.

“What? Umm... no, I uhh... I meant how are you?” I corrected, raising a hoof.

“Oh! Silly me!” she giggled, “I’m great! My name is Pinkie Pie! You’re new in town aren’t you? Well of course you are, silly me! I’ve never seen you before, and I know everypony here in Ponyville, so I just had to come meet you!” She said with a big smile on her face and jumped on the spot in excitement. I just blinked a few times and tried to comprehend everything she just said.

“N-Nice to meet you, uh, Pinkie Pie, my name’s Davin.” I said, shuffling a hoof.

“That’s a neat name! Never herd of anypony having a name like that before!” she stopped bouncing and squinted at me for a second before stepping back and smiling.

“Well, uh, thanks? Can’t say I’ve heard of a name like Pinkie Pie before either.” I chuckled back.

“Well that’s just silly, but now you have a new friend that does!” she said with a smile, bouncing again. “Oh darn, I forgot to meet up with Twilight and Rainbow Dash at the library! Sorry Davin, but I gotta go! Don’t forget to stop by Sugarcube Corner later on and pick up your cupcake! I make one for all my new friends! Gotta go now, bye!” Pinkie said bouncing away, leaving me to process all that information.

I scratched the back of my head with a hoof, and shrugged.

“Alright, now to just find something to eat...” I chuckled to myself.

“Well ah’ll be! Y’all say you were hungry?” called an orange pony wearing a brown cowboy hat. She stood beside a very weathered, run down cart, displaying hundreds of delicious looking apples, and apple accessories.

“Y-Yes ma’am!” I called back, making my way over to the apple cart.

“Well what’ll it be, partner?” she pointed a hoof to various products on the cart.

“Hmm... Those apples look pretty good...” I answered while drooling over the sight of all the delectable, fresh apples.

Being the idiot I am, I completely forgot that I didn’t have any money whatsoever, I facehooved, making a hollow thud. The orange pony must’ve heard me do it, because she turned her head my way and shot me with a concerned look on her face.

Great. Now she’ll probably think I’m an idiot too.

“Somthin’ wrong?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I completely forgot that I don’t have any way to pay for those apples.” I sighed, shook my head and began to walk off into the crowd of busy ponies. “Sorry for wasting your time.”

“Hey now, y’all just wait a minute.” She called, as she trotted up next to me. She took a look at the image on my flank, then turned her gaze to my face.

“Y’all some kinda machinist or somthin’?” the orange mare asked.

“Umm, you mean technician? Yeah! Well... Oh... I mean, yeah, I used to be.” My face lit up momentarily before falling in realization to the fact that it’s pretty tough to use tools without hands.

Fuck.

“Used ta be? Oh c’mon now, that’s just stinkin’ thinkin’!” She smiled and curled out a hoof. “Ah’d be more than happy ta give ya a few apples in exchange fer fixin’ up this here rusty ol’ apple cart!” she smiled, then looked to the cart, “It's had a dang wobbly wheel fer months!”

“Well, alrighty then. I guess I could at least try.” I shrugged, trying not to consider what I was about to get myself into...

Chapter 3 - More Surprises

We trotted up to the cart; the mare pointed a hoof down at the wobbly wheel.

“Ah jus’ don’t get it,” she frowned, “my big brother tried fixin’ this dang thing, but he couldn’t figure it out either.”

“Ok, well let me take a look.” I crouched down and inspected under the cart where the wheel met the axle. I recognized the problem immediately.

“Well, there’s your problem ma’am, the bearing on this side is shot.” I stood back up, and met the mare at eye-level. She gave me a confused look.

“Ah guess that makes sense,” she nodded, “ya think ya can fix it?”

I had to stop and think for a second. I put a hoof to my chin.

Sure, I could diagnose the problem, but I lacked the dexterity of fingers to allow me to actually do the job. Not to mention I didn’t have any tools either. I had to come up with an excuse. Ugh, the more I think about it, the harder i can see things becoming. Shiiiiit. There has to be a way home...

“W-Well, if I had my tools handy, I could try and just temporarily repair the bearing,” I paused for a moment, “but even then, and from what I can see, the bearing will need to be replaced altogether.”

“Ah shucks,” She frowned, “well yer a unicorn, can’y ya jus’ use yer magic?” she tilted her head to the side.

“I’m sorry; did you just say ‘my magic’?” I took a step back in surprise.

Whoa... One freaking step at a time!

“Uh, well yeah, ah did!” she raised an eyebrow in confusion, “All ya unicorn folk use yer magic to do all ‘em simple tasks an’ whatnot.”

Ok, I could manage to deal with the fact that I was now in a world of talking ponies, but, fucking magic? C’mon! Dare I even ask what’s next?

I had to think fast...

Damnit, damnit, damnit! Ugh, think Dav!

I silently gasped as I came up with the perfect excuse.

“Well ma’am, even if I used my... magic,” I hesitated on the word and rolled my eyes, “I’d still need a jack to support the frame of the cart.” I pointed to the damaged wheel.

“Ah see, well that’s alright partner!” she smiled and gave me a nudge of her hoof.

“Tell ya what,” she began, “I could give you ‘em couple apples ya wanted before, if y’all could come back later with yer tools and fix this darned thing.” She shrugged and grinned.

“Uh, well yeah I suppose I could do that.” I shifted my gaze between the apples on the cart and the orange mare.

Shit, what did i just agree to? AGAIN! I'm digging myself a deeper hole the more I keep running my damn mouth!

“Darn tootin’! Ya got yerself a deal.” She smiled and shook my hoof, then graciously handed me two apples.

I gratefully took the two plump and delicious looking apples from the mare.

“Thanks ma’am,” I smiled, “forgive me for not properly introducing myself; my name’s Davin.” I grinned as I took a bite from an apple. It was very satisfying... and tasty! Too bad I'd have to make a complete and utter fool of myself for accepting her deal... Ah well. Short term gain, long term loss. Can't say I feel all that great about it though.

“Pleasure ta make yer acquaintance Mr. Davin! Name’s Applejack.” She gave a tip of her hat.

“Nice to meet you too, Applejack!” I said through a mouth full of apple managing a smile.

“Well anyways, I shouldn’t tie you up from making your sales!” I smiled as I swallowed the remainder of one of the apples, “Besides, I got some tools to find.”

“Alrighty! See y’all later!” she called to me as I began trotting off to begin my search for tools.

As I trotted along scanning for places I could pick up a wrench or two, I couldn’t help but think about how I was supposed to use magic. It just didn’t make any sense to me, I didn’t even know where to start. Like, how the hell do you even use magic at all? I shook my head at the thought and pressed on. I trotted past what looked to be a giant gingerbread house, complete with icing and candy decorations.

“That must be Sugarcube Corner that Pinkie Pie mentioned. How fitting.” I snickered to myself as I walked by.

If anyone tried to take a bite out of that place, they’d find themselves stricken with diabeetus, or in a sugar-induced coma.

I laughed to myself. No, not because of the life threatening condition, because of the reference! Comas are not a laughing matter. That’s sick! The hell's wrong with you.

After trotting through town for a while and finished eating the second apple given to me by Applejack, I found myself to a small shack which read ‘hardware’ over the front door. I walked up and opened the door to the sound of a small jingling bell. The store was cramped with isles of various tools and supplies.

Nice. Maybe this place isn't so bad after all.

Perfect! Just need to find a wrench set, rubber mallet and a jack of some sort. I took another quick glance around the store, when something caught my eye.

The store was empty of all, but the clerk and one other customer; a brilliant white-coated unicorn mare, who had a curly-styled purplish-indigo and blue mane. She walked over to the counter from one of the isles, bringing back a set of shears floating affront her in a glowing blue aurora; her horn was glowing the same blue aura until the shears were set down on the counter and the aura disappeared.

It all began to make sense to me now, about the whole ‘unicorn magic’ thing.

“Huh... Magic.” I said aloud, probably a little too loud. Eeyup.

“Did you say something, darling?” the stylish white mare looked inquisitively my direction. The clerk gave me a similar look as well.

“U-Uh, no... Sorry!” I awkwardly and quickly made my way into an isle out of sight of the mare and the clerk, and began looking around for tools, when I unintentionally overheard the clerk and the mare say their goodbyes.

“Ooh, wonderful! Now I can finally complete Fluttershy’s dress I’ve been working, oh, so tirelessly on!” the white mare cooed, “I hope to see you around the boutique sometime soon darling, I’m sure I could find you attire that would look rather dapper on you.”

“Thanks,” snickered the clerk, “take care now, Miss Rarity.” The clerk dismissed.

“Did he just call her-” I paused and looked in the direction of the door, “Nah. Just too much shit on my mind...” I spoke under my breath, and continued my search for tools.

After only a few moments of searching, I came across a wrench set; complete with both imperial and metric. Perfect! Taking after the actions of busy ponies I noticed in the streets earlier, I decided to grab the wrench set and carry it using in my teeth.

Not very sanitary, but all the ponies seemed to be carrying things in their mouths, so whatever.

I shrugged and continued my search. Not long after, I located a rubber mallet on a different isle of the store. Just as I was about to grab the mallet on the shelf with my teeth, I dropped the wrench set, which fell to the floor with a hollow metal clang.

“Whoops!” I sighed as I leant down to pick up the wrenches.

“You finding everything you’re looking for, mister?” the brown clerk pony glanced over from the checkout counter towards me.

“Uhh, yeah,” I stammered picking up the wrenches, “could you tell me where I could find a jack?”

“Yeah, back left shelf on the far isle.” The clerk pointed a hoof towards the back corner of the store.

“Awesome, thanks.” I picked up the mallet as well and trotted to the back shelf.

I walked over to the checkout counter and set the wrenches and mallet down, then walked back down the isle to bring back the small bottle jack and set it down as well.

“Making some repairs to somthin’?” The clerk asked as he looked down at the tools before him.

“Yeah, I was hoping I could ask you for a small favor, if it would be cool with you.” I bit my bottom lip nervously. Having dealt with countless number of parts salesmen, the likeliness of them actually accepting my offer would be more or less, a fucking joke.

“Favor?” he raised an eyebrow in confusion, “What kind of favor?” he looked puzzled.

“Well you see,” I shuffled my front hoof, “I’m pretty much new here, and I don’t have any way of paying for these tools which I need right now...”

The clerk just beamed at me and glanced over my shoulder. Yup, he ain`t buying it.

“I was asking if I could, perhaps, pay for them later?” I continued, dispite the fact that this was going nowhere. “I’ll give you my name and everything in case you-” the clerk raised a hoof and cut me off.

“That will be quite alright sir!” The clerk smiled, “From the looks of your cutie mark, I can tell you’re going to be coming here often in need of tools.” He stared at me with a wide grin.

“My... What?” I tilted my head in confusion. There`s no freaking way he just agreed... What the hell is a cutie mark?

“You’re cutie mark!” He pointed to the image on my flank, “You’re a mechanic aren’t you?”

“Yeah! Actually... well, I guess I should say I used to be, before I came here.” I pointed a hoof to the ground, and lowered my head.

Fuck I miss everything--No, no sense grieving about it right now.

“Well I’d be more than happy to let you borrow these tools until you can pay me back for them, it's no problem.” He smiled at me and placed the wrenches and mallet into a bag, which he set before me.

“Really?” My face lit up, “Thanks man, I really appreciate this! I’ll get the money to you as soon as I have it!” I smiled and picked up the bag of tools.

Holy shit, no freakin' way! Awesome.

“No problem, glad to be of service! See you soon.” He waved me off as I smiled and walked out of the store with the bag of tools in my teeth.

“Hey guys!” The enthusiastic Pinkie Pie welcomed herself into the library.

“Hey Pinks, ‘bout time you showed up!” called a cyan blue pegasus mare with a rainbow-colored mane and tail.

“Hi Pinkie.” Added a voice of a much less enthusiastic unicorn, hidden behind a thick pile of books.

“What took you so long?” the pegasus gave Pinkie a scowl and crossed her hooves, “I’ve been trying to teach Twilight the basics of pranking, and she’s insisting on books to find the answer, It’s soooo boooring!” the pegasus sighed in frustration.

“Sorry Rainbow Dash, I was just on my way here, when I noticed a new pony come into town! I just had to meet him, he looked a little blue.” She giggled, “That’s funny, because his fur is blue!” Ba-dum-tsssh.

“He seemed nice though.” Pinkie added.

“That’s nice Pinkie, what does this stallion look like? Maybe we can go show Twilight how to prank like a pro!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes lit up.

“Umm, I don’t know about that, guys.” Twilight shrugged and shuffled through pages with her magic.

“Oh c’mon Twilight, it's so much fun pranking; everypony can get a good laugh out of it! It’s all in good fun!” Pinkie jumped on the spot in excitement.

“Ughhh! Fine,” Twilight grumbled, “this better be more fun than it appeared to be in these books.” Twilight closed the book she was summarizing, and used her magic to toss it atop a tall pile of others.

“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash hoof-pumped the air and turned to Pinkie, “So, who is this new stallion in town?”

“His name's Davin. He’s a unicorn!” Pinkie smiled wide and jumped in excitement.

“Pinkie, there’s a lot of unicorn stallions in Ponyville.” Twilight said flatly and gleamed blankly at Pinkie. Rainbow Dash just cocked an eyebrow and shook her head.

“Hmm,” Pinkie thought deeply, “his cutie mark is a crossed wrench and screwdriver, and he's dark blue! That should narrow it down!”

“Alright guys lets go find him!” Rainbow Dash opened her wings and flew out the door.

Pinkie followed after Rainbow, bouncing out the door. Twilight just sighed and shook her head as she followed after Pinkie and Dash out of the library.

From above, Rainbow Dash spotted the blue unicorn leaving the hardware store with a bag in his mouth. She flew down to meet up with Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle down below.

“He’s over here! C’mon guys!” Rainbow called out, pointing a hoof towards the center of town.

“Ok Rainbow Dash, we’re right behind you!” Pinkie hopped along.

“I still don’t know about this, guys.” Twilight trotted along skeptically.

“Oh stop being such an egg head, Twilight!” Rainbow smirked, “This is going to be fun!”

Pinkie just laughed at Rainbow’s snappy comment, and was met with a glare from Twilight.

The three mares trotted into the center of town, adjacent to the blue unicorn, engaged in a conversation with Applejack. Rainbow Dash touched down on the ground beside Twilight.

“Looks like he made himself another friend!” Pinkie Pie giggled, taking notice to the blue unicorn conversing with Applejack.

“Well we can’t prank him now!” complained Rainbow Dash, “Applejack is with him.”

“Well why not Dashie?” Pinkie smiled, “We can prank BOTH Davin and Applejack!”

“How the hay are we gunna do that?” Rainbow extended both her front legs in question.

“Twilight!” Pinkie smiled wide and put a hoof around Twilight’s neck.

“What?!” Twilight and Rainbow Dash burst out in unison, looking at each other.

“Oh you guys,” Pinkie laughed, “Twilight can use her teleportation spell to-” Pinkie was cut short by Rainbow’s hoof stuffing her mouth with a honk.

“Say no more! I know exactly what you’re planning, it’s perfect!” Rainbow took off to the sky and came to rest on a cloud above Applejack’s apple cart.

“Ok what are we going to do? I’m confused.” Twilight looked flatly over to Pinkie, who was giggling.

“Ok when Rainbow gives you the signal, you have to...” Pinkie trailed off as she whispered the plan into Twilights ear.

“Pinkie Pie, you’re a genius!” Twilight stood on her hind legs and clapped her hooves together.

I approached the center of town again, still bustling with busy ponies; I made my way for Applejack’s cart.

I sure hope that I wouldn’t need to use magic to repair her cart, and I hope I would be able to at least, use the tools with my hooves. I mean, the repair would be easy, handling the tools without hands however, not so easy.

“Well howdy there, Davin!” Applejack waved to me as I approached the cart.

“Hey Applejack, how’re the apple sales coming?” I asked as I set down the bag of tools.

“Oh, jus’ dandy!” she smiled then looked down at the bag of tools, “Y'all figure ya got everything ya need in that there bag?”

“I think so, it’s not like I’m doing an engine overhaul or anything.” I reached into the bag and pulled out the wrenches and the jack.

“Doin’ a what, now?” she looked at me confused.

“Uh, never mind.” I shook my head and set the jack underneath the apple cart, “I just meant that it isn’t that complicated, compared to what work I’m used to.”

“Um, a-alright then...” Applejack shrugged as she watched me properly position the jack.

I stepped on the pedal on the base of the jack repeatedly, until the jack arose to a high enough height, taking the weight off the wobbly wheel.

I walked over to where I set down the wrenches. I picked them up, and brought them next to the apple cart. I looked up and examined the size of the nut holding the wheel to the axle. I picked up a wrench in my teeth, passed it down to hold it between my hooves. This is when knowing that magic I saw that mare using in the hardware store earlier, would definitely help me out.

The wrench felt awkward in my hooves, but I managed. I fit the end of the wrench over the lug nut and applied turning force with one hoof, while holding the wrench steady on the nut with the other hoof. The nut easily came loose. I set the wrench down to my right, and I spun the nut off the axle with both my hooves. God, it felt awkward needing more than one arm to just take off a fastener. I pulled the now-free wheel off the axle, again with both hooves, and set it aside.

“Ya sure ya know what yer doin’?” Applejack shot me a curious look.

“Of course, this is nothin’!” I laughed in my throat. She smiled and shifted her gaze from me to the cart.

I inspected the exposed bearing. Two of the eight ball bearings were missing from the retainer ring. Luckily enough, the bearings were of an ungrooved, simple design. All I had to do was slide out the retainer ring, remove and replace the ball bearings in an even order, and slide the retainer ring with the bearings properly ordered, back in between the inner and outer rings. It was as simple to say, as it was to do.

*ZAP*

“Ok, well the bearing is-” I was stopped mid-sentence by Applejack.

“Land sakes!” I looked up to her, whose mouth was agape and her eyes were wide, staring at the empty top of the apple cart.

Applejack must’ve been paying close attention to what I was doing; only now to notice that all the buckets full of apples suddenly disappeared from atop the cart.

“What the...” I jerked my head back in confusion as I stood up next to Applejack.

We each took a look back towards the streets of town for any sign of the missing apples. Nothing.

*ZAP*

We turned back around only to find the cart was no longer empty. It was now replaced with all the missing buckets of apples.

“Huh... That’s strange.” I just raised an eyebrow.

“What in tarnation is goin’ on here!” Applejack stomped a hoof in confusion.

I just shrugged and kneeled back down to put the wheel back on the now-repaired cart axle. I placed the wheel back into position and spun the lug nut onto the axle.

*ZAP*

I reached to my right for the wrench I previously used, but there was no sign of it anywhere. Ugh, my biggest pet peeve...

Missing tools.

“Ok, where’s my wrench!” I stood up in frustration and glared around for it.

*ZAP*

“Um, pardon me sugarcube, but ah reckon it's right there.” Applejack pointed a hoof down to my wrench, which was now back in the exact spot I placed it before.

“Oh. U-Um, alright then. That was weird. I swore it disappeared for a moment.” I shrugged and picked up the wrench.

Applejack giggled at my outburst and shook her head as I snugged the lug nut tight on the axle. I placed the wrench back down into the set of wrenches.

“So as I was trying to say before, I just repaired the bearing.” I began again, “It will work for now, but it will have to be replaced as soon as possible.”

I hunched down and tested the solidity of the once wobbly wheel. Solid as rock.

Awesome.

I began to depress the jack and set the cart back down on both wheels.

“Well ah’ll be Davin, thanks a-bunch!” she threw a hoof around my neck and gave me a friendly nudge, “When the time comes ta replace them, what’cha-call-its...” she trailed off as she tried to find the right word.

“Bearings?” I suggested with a smirk.

Haha, I don't know why, but I find it kind of funny when someone doesn't know the proper terminology. Must just be one of those things...

“Yeah, bearings! Ya’ll think I could depend on ya again?” She asked me eagerly awaiting an answer.

“Absolutely! I’d be more than happy to; fixing things is pretty much my special talent, after all!” I couldn’t help but smile wide.

*ZAP*

Just before the wheel came into contact with the ground, the entire cart disappeared in a brilliant flash of purple light.

“What?!” Applejack and I both blurt out in disbelief.

*ZAP*

A split second later the cart reappeared with same brilliant flash of purple light. Applejack and I just looked at each other in total, utter confusion.

“You should see the look on your faces!” laughed a voice from above.

“Ah should’ve known it was yer shenanigans, Dash.” Applejack said smugly as the cyan pegasus descended from above.

“Oh Twilight, you’re such a crack-up!” laughed that energetic pink pony, trotting towards Applejack and I along side a lavender unicorn who was covering her mouth with a hoof.

“Did we just get punk’d?” I asked Applejack as I cocked an eyebrow.

Applejack and the 3 other mares just shared a laugh. I was at a complete loss. Seriously, what the hell just happened?

Author's Note

Ok, I have to admit, I'm surprised at how many people are favoriting this story! I'm having a lot of fun with it, and I don't plan on quitting any time soon! I'll try and have new chapters posted when I find the time between work, family and friends.

Feel free to leave your comments; any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

Chapter 4 - Some Respect

“How did you... I don’t even...” I took a step back and stumbled, falling flat on my ass.

“Do what, sugarcube?” Applejack wiped a tear of laughter out of her eye.

“That... Making shit disappear thing!” I threw my hooves up in confusion.

The four mares then shot me a look, which I can only describe as ‘what the hell did you just say?’. I scratched the back of my head and just felt more confused. Applejack leant me a hoof and helped me to stand back up on all fours.

“Um, beg pardon, but why ya goin’ on usin’ that kinda language fer?” Applejack glared.

“Yeah, it was just a prank, c’mon.” The cyan Pegasus threw a hoof into the air.

“Wait, what? No, I know it was.” I held out a hoof in partial-understanding. “I’m just stumped on how you guys did that.”

“What, never heard of magic before?” The lavender unicorn scoffed, tapping a hoof on her horn with a sarcastic grin.

“See?” The Pegasus turned her gaze to the unicorn and smiled, “Told you would have fun pranking with me and Pinkie! Maybe you’re not such an egghead after all!”

The unicorn giggled and bumped hooves with the Pegasus.

“S-Sorry, still uh... kinda new here I guess...” I chuckled nervously, hoping to brush off a few facts of my old life.

For one, I was used to throwing swears, and might I add, goddamn hilarious, vulgar comments left and right back in my old life, especially when I was with my two pals. For another, magic didn’t even fucking exist. So a god damn purple unicorn mocking me for not knowing what magic is, is kind of a piss-off, and not to mention, a total buzz kill. I can’t believe I’m being trolled by ponies of all things.

“Oh it's fine Dav-e-do!” Pinkie Pie grinned then hopped over to me, and threw a hoof around my neck.

I sighed and shook my head in embarrassment as she rustled my mane with a hoof.

My aunt used to call me that...

“Everypony, this is Davin! He’s new in town!” Pinkie introduced.

“Pleasure to meet you.” The unicorn raised a greeting hoof. “I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

“Could’ve fooled me for a ‘Buzz Killington’.” I grumbled underneath my breath.

“What was that?” the unicorn turned up an eyebrow.

“Nothing,” I shook my head, “Nice to meet you too. I’m Davin.” I held out a hoof to greet hers, when I was jolted with electricity.

“Pfft-BAHAHAHAHA!” the pegasus burst into laughter and fell over on her back, “Twilight, really? The hoof shake buzzer? Classic!”

Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof and laughed along at my expense.

Great. Just like friggin’ high school again. Nothing like being ridiculed by a group of girls; no matter what their age or species happens to be.

It took me a second to shake off the sudden shock of electric current and stop my eyes from spinning about my head. Whatever though. Getting shocked with electricity is nothing new to me, ‘cause of working years in a shop on electronic components and all that, plus occasional pranks set up by Tom and Mark.

Man, I can't believe how much I miss those guys; I've gone a day without them, and I feel like I haven't seen them in decades--Ok, I need to change my train of thought... I can't assume that I just won't ever see them again... Right? OK, NOW I'M STOPPING THIS TRAIN OF THOUGHT.

I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, “Is this how you treat all the newcomers around here?”

The four mares laughed. Applejack was the first to speak up.

“Not usually. Ah guess yer just lucky!”

“Yeah Davin, we thought it would be a good idea to come try out a prank or two on you with Twilight!” Pinkie trotted over to me and gave me a nudge with a hoof.

“Yeah... lucky. That’s an understatement.” I rolled my eyes.

“Oh, c’mon now, y’all know it’s in good fun.” Applejack also nudged me with a hoof, “Anyway, this here is mah friend Rainbow Dash.” She pointed to the Pegasus with the rainbow mane picking herself up off the ground, still catching her breath from laughing so hard.

“The one and only!” Rainbow Dash jumped and hovered in the air crossing her hooves, chin held high with a wide grin.

“Somepony’s a bit boasty today...” Twilight rolled her eyes at the sight.

“She’s usually out pullin’ all kinds of pranks like this ‘round here.” Applejack gave a quick glare to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie, then turned to me and rolled her eyes.

Seemed like I wasn’t the only one to come to the misfortune of their pranks... I looked back to Applejack and nodded in understanding.

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” I turned my gaze to Rainbow Dash, being all proud of herself and stuff, still hovering a few feet in the air.

“Name’s Davin by the way, nice to meet you Rainbow Dash.” I beamed flatly at the confident Pegasus.

“Yeah, yeah, nice to meet you, uh, Gavin.” She dropped down from the hover and rolled her eyes.

“That’s Davin.” I corrected.

“Whatever.” She shrugged and rolled her eyes, “C’mon Pinks, we still got a lot of pranking to do!” she curled a leg around Pinkie and began trotting off, leaving Twilight alone with Applejack and I.

“Oh! Don’t forget to get your cupcake at Sugarcube Corner Dav-e-do! It's ready there for you!” Pinkie smiled back as she waltzed away with Rainbow.

“Ah wouldn’t worry ‘bout her, none. She’ll come ‘round.” Applejack pawed a hoof in Rainbow’s direction.

“Yeah, she’ll take some getting used to, that’s for sure.” Twilight added nodding agreement with Applejack.

“Wait, which one?” I looked to both mares in confusion; they both laughed.

“Both of ‘em ah guess.” Applejack shrugged and giggled.

“Yeah, anyways, I should get back to pranking with Pinkie and Rainbow. I’ll see you around Applejack. It was nice meeting you Davin, take care!” she smiled and her horn began to glow, then she vanished in a flash of purple light.

“Huh.” I huffed, “That was... weird.” I stared blankly to the spot where Twilight was once standing.

“My, ya really don’t know a thing ‘bout magic do ya?” Applejack stared at me wide-eyed.

“Not one damn thing.” I continued to hold my blank expression.

“Ah’m sure Twi’ woudn't mind teachin’ ya a thing er two!” Applejack pointed to the spot Twilight was once standing.

“She’d probably be wasting her time. I haven’t used any kind of magic my whole life.” I turned to face Applejack.

“Now how in the hay does a unicorn not know a single dang thing ‘bout usin’ magic?” She dropped an eyebrow and pointed to my horn.

“Just lucky I guess.” I stated mockingly, shaking my head and looking to the ground in shame.

“Well ah’ll tell ya what, it ain’t ever a bad thing not knowin’ magic. Jus’ means ya work harder for what ya want.” She used a hoof to tilt my head up to her, meeting her eye level.

She paused for a moment, then smiled up to me, “It's how all us earth-pony folk live, day ta day. Ah can honestly say, ah respect ya a lot more now for that.”

“Thanks Applejack.” I managed a slight half-smile.

Well, having respect is never somthing I'm wiling to turn down.

“Speakin’ of which, ah owe ya fer yer hard work gettin’ my cart all fixed up!” She trotted to her cart and pulled out a bag full of coins with her teeth, and set them before me.

“Applejack, that’s quite a bit for just a bearing repai-bbrr” She stopped me by pressing a hoof to my mouth.

“Now before ya go gettin’ all, ‘that’s too much’ an’ such,” she began, “just know ah’m thankful there’s good ponies like ya out there. Thank ya, Davin.” She took her hoof from my mouth.

Ok, taking more money given to me than what I’ve earned, is one of the things that just makes me feel extremely guilty. Don’t get me wrong, getting paid to do something I love is the best. But when I’m given more than what I would’ve asked for, doesn’t sit well with me. I’m all about the fair service, fair price thing, but even if I didn’t get paid to fix or work on things, I’d still do it for the love of the job. Can’t put a price on happiness I suppose.

“Applejack, I... Thank you.” I graciously sent her a smile and picked up the bag of coins with my teeth and set it inside the bag of tools, “I’m always willing to help out a friend.”

She smiled brightly, “Now if yer ever lookin’ fer a job, don’t ya hesitate ta ask me. There’s plenty of ol’ equipment at the farm, which could use some of yer fancy fixin’!”

I didn’t even need a second to consider.

“I think I’ll take you up on that, Applejack. That would be great!” I almost jumped into the air in excitement, but I didn’t. Gotta stay professional after all. Don’t jump for joy like a kid at Toys-R-Us when someone offers you a job. Just don’t.

“Well shucks Davin, that’s jus’ dandy!” Applejack swung a hoof in pride, “Y’all think ya can start Monday?”

“I can start as soon as possible Applejack. Whenever you need me, I’ll be there.” I gave a confident smile and nod of my head.

“Well it's 2 days ‘til Monday anyway. That could give ya some time ta gather up some of ‘em specialty tools that y’all might need.” She tilted her head and pawed a hoof in consideration.

“Sounds perfect. Thanks Applejack.” I smiled and offered a hoof for a shake, which she met with both hooves, shaking my entire body.

“No, ah’m the one who should be thankin’ ya, Davin,” She let go of my still trembling extended hoof and giggled, “and call me AJ. All mah friends do.”

“Hah,” I paused as I awkwardly put my hoof back down, “well you know you can count on me, AJ,” I smiled, “I’ll see you Monday morning.” I turned and picked up the bag of tools, now also containing about 200 bits. Figuring out how currency works in this place is going to be a blast! Not.

“See y’all on Monday!” AJ called to me as I trotted off in the direction of the hardware store.

“So who are we going to prank!? Who are we going to prank!?” Pinkie jumped along grinning at Rainbow Dash.

“Fluttershy would be fun to prank! Oh wait, no that would hurt her feelings...” Rainbow put a hoof to her chin in thought.

With a burst of purple magic, Twilight appeared, startling both Rainbow and Pinkie, who both jumped and hovered mid-air.

“Got’cha!” Twilight exclaimed triumphantly.

“You’re a lot better at this than I was expecting Twilight, being a total egghead and everything.” Rainbow touched back down and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof.

“Yeah Twilight, you’re like a total pro already, and this your first time ever pranking for real!” Pinkie squealed with delight.

“Hey! I’m not an egghead Rainbow Dash, I am well read. And it’s not that hard really, just coming up with a scenario that works is the tough part.” Twilight shrugged as the three mares trotted along in search of their next prank victim.

“Jeez, you even sound like a pro.” Rainbow turned her head to beam at Twilight.

“Ooh! I know! Let’s prank Rarity! It’d be so easy!” Pinkie jumped in excitement and threw her hooves around the necks of Twilight and Rainbow.

“You know Pinkie, you’re so random.” Rainbow laughed and shook her head, “Let’s go find Rarity.”

“She’s probably at her boutique.” Twilight suggested flatly.

“Well of course that’s where she is, silly! She’s always working on new dresses or something super fancy-schmancy!” Pinkie laughed to herself.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle rolled their eyes as they trotted along with Pinkie towards Rarity’s boutique.

“So what exactly are we going to do this time Pinkie? Twilight nudged Pinkie as they approached the boutique.

“Hmm... No, that wouldn’t work... How about... No, that wouldn’t work either.” Pinkie’s bottom lip hung out as she pressed a hoof to her chin in thought.

Twilight turned to Rainbow and raised a hoof in question, which Rainbow returned only a frown and a shrug.

“Oh I know!” The pink pony suddenly squealed, “Or, maybe, I don’t know...” she slumped down onto the ground.

“This could take a while couldn’t it?” Twilight asked Rainbow blankly.

“Hope not. After all she IS Pinkie Pie, her reputation is pretty much eating sugar and doing random stuff. She’ll come up with something good.” Rainbow pointed a hoof to Pinkie who was still trying to conjure up an idea of a prank.

“Make her dresses disappear? No... Have the dresses change color? Nope...” Pinkie stumbled along prank scenarios as Twilight came up with an idea.

“How about we switch out her scissors for a pair that doesn’t cut?” Twilight suggested raising a hoof.

This idea snapped Pinkie out of her train of thought, “That’s a perfect prank, Twilight! She just bought a brand new, shiny pair earlier today too!”

“How do you know that?” Twilight raised an eyebrow and a hoof.

“I saw her coming back from hardware store with them before we pranked Applejack and Davin.” Pinkie grinned, Rainbow and Twilight facehooved.

“Alright, let’s go do this.” Rainbow grinned as they trotted up and hid behind a bush near Rarity’s boutique.

“Ok Pinkie, go distract Rarity while me and Twilight wait here.” Rainbow pointed Pinkie to Rarity’s front door.

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie happily hopped off to the front door of the boutique and knocked.

“Ok now what Rainbow?” Twilight asked, watching Pinkie rap on the door.

“You see that window?” Rainbow pointed a hoof to a window on the second storey of the boutique.

“Yeah, that’s Rarity’s inspiration room.” Twilight examined the window and raised an eyebrow.

“After Rarity opens the door for Pinkie, open the window so I can fly in and switch the scissors.” Rainbow gave a flap of her wings, “It’s easy as that.” Twilight nodded in agreement.

“Rarity, are you in there? I have to ask you something super-duper important!” Pinkie knocked on the door a few more times before getting any kind of response from inside the boutique.

“Coming darling!” Hoof steps became clearer and louder as Rarity approached the door from inside. The door swung open to the preppy mare, wearing a green mud mask, and a purple bath robe.

“Ok Twilight! Open the window!” Rainbow flew into the air, and entered the boutique through the window Twilight magically opened.

“Now what is it you wanted to ask that was so important Pinkie?” Rarity pawed a hoof across her own mane.

“I forgot to ask what you wanted for your birthday!” Pinkie stood still, blinking at Rarity, awaiting a reply.

“Oh Pinkie, you’re so thoughtful! You know the only thing I could ask for is for one of your marzipan mascarpone meringue cupcakes you bake, they are positively divine!” Rarity pawed a hoof and sqee’d in delight.

By now, Rainbow would’ve have had enough time to not only switch around the scissors, but every other tool in Rarity’s inspiration room. Twilight waved to Pinkie from behind the boutique, in attempt to signal the prank has already been planted.

Pinkie noticed Twilight in the corner of her eye, and quickly ended the conversation with Rarity, “Ok thanks Rarity! Gotta go now, Bye!”

“Um, goodbye Pinkie?” Rarity stood back in confusion with shifty eyes, then retreated back inside, shutting the boutique door with her magic.

“La, la, la, la, la...” Pinkie hummed as she met up with Twilight and Rainbow behind the boutique.

“And now, we wait...” Rainbow Dash smirked, rubbing her hooves together.

“Twilight! Twilight!” called an approaching voice, sounding rather concerned.

“Spike! Be quiet!” Rainbow Dash made a zipping motion across her face with a hoof, “We’re trying to prank Rarity!”

“Yeah Spike, we don’t want Rarity to hear us and spoil the surprise!” Pinkie added.

“Come on over here Spike,” Twilight waved a hoof, and Spike joined the 3 mares in hiding.

“It’s important Twilight.” Spike whispered, holding a scroll out to Twilight.

Twilight silently read partially through the scroll, then gasped. She met Pinkie and Rainbow eye level after rolling up the scroll and giving it back to Spike.

“Sorry guys, but I have to go, this actually is important.” Spike climbed aboard Twilight’s back and she began to run off.

“What?” Rainbow exclaimed as she raised a hoof.

“Why?” Pinkie frowned.

“I’ll explain later. Let me know how the prank turns out!” Twilight galloped off towards the library, with Spike atop her back.

“Um, alright then, guess it’s just me and you Dashie!” Pinkie turned to Rainbow, who was now looking into the window of the boutique for any sign of Rarity.

“Yeah, guess so.” Rainbow Dash shrugged, Pinkie giggled.

“Hmm... I think I’ll get a better look from atop the clouds, there.” Rainbow pointed a hoof to a tuft of clouds above them.

“Ok Rainbow Dash, go watch from up there. I’ll stay and watch from here!” Pinkie assumed a prone position, and poked her head through the bushes now with a set of binoculars.

“Um, alright Pinkie.” Rainbow contemplated for a moment as to how and where she got a pair of binoculars from, but shrugged it off.

It was Pinkie Pie, after all. Rainbow Dash took to the air and landed atop a cloud. After what seemed like hours of waiting, Dash found herself awakening to the near-dark of night.

“Oh darn it, I missed it!” Dash looked over the edge of the cloud; Pinkie was nowhere to be found.

“Great. She probably got distracted or something.” Dash said flatly as she hung her two front legs lazily over the side of the cloud, “Twilight is going to be disappointed.”

I stopped by Sugarcube Corner on my way to the hardware store, to pick up the cupcake Pinkie had made for me. I walked in through the front door and made myself towards the front counter.

“Well hello there, you must be Davin!” called a female voice from behind a saloon-style doorway to the left of the counter.

“Uh, yup. T-That’s me!” I called back to the voice with a grin.

“Pinkie Pie told me to give you this when you stopped by!” Emerging from the saloon-style doorway, trotted a light blue mare with a single cupcake on a tray.

“I’m Mrs. Cake by the way,” She set the cupcake down on the counter in front of me, “my husband Mr. Cake would normally be here too, but he’s out on business.”

“Nice to meet you too Mrs. Cake, thanks.” I smiled and picked up the cupcake in a hoof.

The cupcake looked absolutely delicious; a chocolate batter, the frosting was the same dark navy as my fur, with a few white sprinkles and dark chocolate chips. I drooled over it. But I mean really, who wouldn’t? I wasn’t usually one for sweets, but this was just... Wow. I pretty much destroyed the entire thing in 10 seconds flat.

Damn... THE tastiest cupcake I’ve ever had. I can see myself blowing a lot of money in this place.

“Mmmm...” I smiled as I scarfed down the remainder of the cupcake, and wiped my face with a hoof.

Who's a fatty? I am...

“Tell Pinkie I said thanks, and that was hands- uhh, I mean hooves down, the best cupcake I have ever had!” I grinned to the blue mare.

“Oh yes, I sure will!” Mrs. Cake gave me a cheerful smile, and waved me off as I left for the door, “See you again soon!”

“You bet!” I waved back as I walked out of Sugarcube Corner and back to the busy streets of Ponyville.

Author's Note

I hope this chapter can tide you guys over until I can complete the next few. Work has been stupid busy lately and I haven't had much time to work on the story. I'll be updating them as soon as I can! I cant stop coming up with good ideas for this story, so I'm just gunna keep on truckin!
Feel free to comment and send your feedback!

Chapter 5 - Accommodations

“Time to pay off my tool debt! Oh, and to actually buy more tools.” I laughed to myself and shook my head as I approached the store. I entered the hardware store again to the sound of the bell jingle as the door swung open.

“Back already?” the clerk jerked his head with a look of shock, “No tools failed on you, I hope!” the clerk added with a bit of concern.

“What? Oh, no, the tools are great! I actually came by to give you the money I owed you for them.” I reassured the clerk as I set the bag of borrowed tools next to the counter, “I might grab a few more while I’m here too.”

“Wow, I figured you might’ve been skilled at fixing things, but not THAT skilled! I’m impressed.” The clerk nodded his head, “The name’s Pin Stripe by the way.”

“Pleasure to meet ya Pin Stripe, I’m Davin.” I couldn’t help but notice his cutie mark as we shook hooves; a silver airbrush spraying a stream of blue paint.

Peculiar...

“You too Davin, so uh, how’d you manage to come up with the bits so quickly? It’s been like, a couple hours at most.” Pin Stripe looked at the clock hung above the door.

“Actually, I just was lucky enough that it was a simple repair, and the mare I helped was very thankful.” I shrugged and pulled out the bag of bits, “How much do I owe you for the tools?” As I looked inside, there were quite the arrangement of colored bits. They had numbers engraved corresponding the colors; gold had a 1, blue had a 5, purple had a 10, green had a 20, red had a 50, and there was a single brown bit that had a 100 engraved on it.

“Don’t worry about paying full price for the tools you need bud, I’ll cut you a discount. 25 bits for everything you borrowed should cover it!” Pin Stripe pawed a hoof like it was no big deal, while I just gawked wide-eyed.

Ok, back where I’m from, a wrench set like the one I borrowed would run about 50 to 60 dollars alone. The jack would’ve been about 100. However, I don’t really have a clue how currency compares in this place, but still, that seems like an incredible discount. I can’t believe my luck this afternoon; first, I get a job offer from a new friend, then I’m already finding myself getting insane deals on tools. If my heart had been just a tad weaker, I would’ve fainted.

What in the world did I do to deserve anything like this? Oh. Right...

“Are you serious?” I could only continue to look surprised.

“Well sure! Not very often I get good business from a stallion who knows his tools!” Pin Stripe smiled.

“This is awesome,” I smiled back to Pin Stripe as I placed down 40 bits worth of coins onto the counter, “keep the change Pin Stripe, you got yourself a usual customer!”

I left the counter to look for a variety of tools; a torque wrench, 3/8” drive metric and imperial socket set, as well as a pack of standard screwdrivers and a work vest. After one final trip down an isle, placing all the new tools on the counter for purchase, Pin Stripe’s attention was distracted as a little unicorn filly walked into the store, followed by 2 other fillies; one wearing a bow, and a young pegasus.

“Hi Pin Stripe.” The unicorn filly squeaked.

“Well hello, Sweetie Belle!” Pin Stripe smiled down to the fillies, “What brings you three around here today?"

“I was stuck bored at home with Rarity, so I-” Sweetie Belle was silenced by the pegasus filly’s interruption.

“She got blamed for ruining a set of Rarity’s new scissors.” The Pegasus filly piped up, rolling her eyes.

“No I didn’t, Scootaloo!” The unicorn squeaked, “Rarity doesn’t even let me into her inspiration room anymore.”

“From ya tryin’ to help her out by cleanin’ it up that one time?” the filly with the pink bow cut in.

“Yeah, I just don’t risk it.” Sweetie Belle shuffled a hoof, “I just came over to get Rarity a new pair. The least I can do is try to cheer her up.”

“Well the scissors are near the back in the middle isle Sweetie Belle, take whatever you need, it’s ok.” Pin Stripe nodded his head and smiled down to the fillies.

Sweetie Belle trotted off to pick up a pair of scissors.

“You’re awful nice, Pin Stripe.” The filly with the bow smiled up.

“Thanks Apple Bloom. I try.” Pin Stripe chuckled at the compliment.

“Hey Pin Stripe?” The orange Pegasus jerked her head in his direction.

“Whats up, Scoot?” Pin Stripe tilted his head in question.

“Can I quickly borrow a screwdriver? The handlebars are coming loose on my scooter again...” Scootaloo faced the ground and shuffled a hoof nervously.

“You won’t forget to put it back now, will you?” Pin Stripe raised his brow at Scootaloo.

“No, I won’t forget this time. Thanks Pin!” Scootaloo smiled, and picked up a screwdriver from a nearby shelf.

The unicorn filly caught my attention as I walked past her coming the opposite way down the isle. She gave me kind of a disgusted look. I thought for a moment and shrugged as I trotted back up to the counter carrying a torque wrench in my mouth and placed it down on the counter next to the other tools and the vest. The two fillies who were talking with Pin Stripe stared up at me inquisitively.

“Who are you?” The pegasus filly pointed a hoof at me.

“Yeah, ah never seen a pony like you ‘round here before.” The filly with the bow raised an eyebrow as she examined me.

“My name’s Da-” I was cut short by yet again having someone introduce me, rather than introduce myself.

I sighed. The unicorn filly trotted up to the counter carrying a pair of scissors with magic of her own.

Oh c’mon! Why do I have to be the only unicorn without any knowledge of magic? Screw it, I’m going to find Twilight later and see if she can teach me. It would definitely make simple tasks I struggle with a lot easier, not having hands anymore and everything.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders, this here is Davin. He’s a mechanic!” Pin Stripe pointed a hoof in my direction; all I could do was shift my eyes and awkwardly force a smile.

Actually, the proper term of my profession is technician, but whatever. Either will be fine I guess...

“Oh! Y’all must be the unicorn mah sister was talkin’ ‘bout earlier!” The filly with the red mane and bow jumped in excitement, “the stallion who dun’ fixed up her cart, right?”

“Um, yeah that... That was me.” I was completely caught off guard, “Are you Applejack’s little sister?” I nodded my head and pointed a hoof.

“That ah am! Mah name’s Apple Bloom! These here are mah friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.” She pointed to the orange Pegasus and then the white unicorn.

“You’re a mechanic?” Scootaloo looked up to me wide eyed, grinning.

I looked to Pin Stripe, who also looked over to me. Pin Stripe raised his brow and gestured towards Scootaloo. I looked back to the orange filly and nodded. Why did I have a bad feeling about this?

“That’s awesome!” Scootaloo jumped to the air, her little wings buzzing, “Do you think you can help me fix my scooter?”

“Scoot, don’t go askin’ things from him, ya jus’ met him!” Apple Bloom cut in.

“That’s ok Apple Bloom,” I chuckled, “What’s wrong with your scooter?” I looked down to the orange pegasus and lifted a hoof in question.

“Well, you see, it’s just that the handlebars keep coming loose...” Scootaloo looked down and shuffled a hoof. “I’ve tried fixing it like, a hundred times too...”

“Alright I’ll see what I can do.” I gave Scootaloo a confident smile, which she returned, “I’ll meet you outside in a second.”

“Ok, Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Apple Bloom began, “let’s meet him outside. See y’all later Pin Stripe.” Apple Bloom and the two fillies waved their goodbyes and trotted out the door, Sweetie Belle was the last to leave; she shot me a very quizzical glance, and walked out the door.

“Bye for now. Stay outta trouble girls.” Pin Stripe also waved a hoof in goodbye.

“They’re an energetic bunch, aren’t they?” I raised an eyebrow at the brown-coated clerk.

“Yeah, they’re always coming in here looking for random things.” Pin Stripe shrugged.

“Huh...” I thought for a moment, “Well anyways, how much do I owe ya?”

“Hmm,” Pin Stripe examined the merchandise placing a hoof to his chin, “meh, 100 bits will do it.”

I blinked a few times in surprise, yet again, “Pin Stripe, you know I’m gunna have to buy you a beer or two sometime here.”

“Beer?” Pin Stripe raised a brow.

“Don’t tell me you guys don’t have beer here.” I facehooved and sighed.

The one good god damn stress reliever, if there ever was one in my books! I could cross the line for no reason and admit that sex works well too, but the stress and arguments that follow along with it kind of contradict its effectiveness.

“Um, I don’t think so Davin, whatever the hay ‘beer’ is.” Pin Stripe thought hard for a moment, then shrugged.

“Ahh damnit.” I stomped a hoof, “Beer is an alcoholic beverage, kind of like soda or cider I guess... It’s good and stuff. It was my favorite drink back home.”

“Oh, ok. So it’s kind of like strong apple cider.” Pin Stripe nodded.

“Well kinda, yeah. Just not as sweet. It's made with malted barley and yeast instead of apples.” I shrugged a hoof, “Anyway, you busy tomorrow night?”

“Nope, I’ve got nothing planned.” Pin Stripe shook his head.

“Cool. Well want to go for a few drinks then?” I offered, gathering up the tools.

A drink should both help me break the ice with a few of the, uh, ponies here, and also help me deal with things.

“Sure buddy, sounds like fun to me!” Pin Stripe nodded and smiled, “I’m a usual at the bar here in town, I could introduce you to a couple friends of mine down there.”

“Awesome, see ya tomorrow evening then, take ‘er easy Pin!” I placed 110 bits worth onto the counter and left out the door with the tools.

“Later!” Pin Stripe waved goodbye and counted the bits.

“He paid 10 bits over what I asked for, and gave me 20 extra before... Now that’s something you don’t see somepony do everyday.” He said aloud to himself and gratefully grinned.

As I walked out of the store, I paused to see the three fillies conversing with one another, seeming to be in a bit of an argument.

“Now what’s the problem Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo groaned, placing the screwdriver on the ground.

“Yeah, he seems awful nice and all, ah don’t understand why y’all don’t take a likin’ to him.” Apple Bloom raised a hoof in question and nudged Sweetie Belle.

“I just don’t like him,” Sweetie shrugged, “he seems weird.”

“Well you know you didn’t really say anything to him in the store.” Scootaloo beamed at Sweetie Belle.

“Yeah, maybe ya should try an’ at least say somthin’ to him!” Apple Bloom suggested, taking side with Scootaloo.

The so-called ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ noticed me trot up to them, and halted their argument, whatever it was about. Scootaloo was the first to pipe up.

“Hey Dav!” She exclaimed, eyes wide and smiling.

“Hey Scootaloo, what were you guys fighting about?” I asked with a raised brow.

“Oh, um, nothing really...” said the white unicorn with the curly purple and pink mane; the first time Sweetie Belle spoke to me.

She shuffled a hoof, not making eye contact.

“Yeah, anyways...” Scootaloo rolled her eyes, “My scooter is over here, I sure hope you can fix it.” Scootaloo picked up the screwdriver yet again, then lead the way for her two friends along with me.

We approached her scooter, and I could already tell the handlebars were crooked. Easy fix, right? WRONG. Maybe if I still had hands, then yeah it would’ve been no problem at all, but nope, it was a bitch and a half. I can’t even begin to think how freaking hard it’d be to rebuild a motor with hooves. Having hooves was pretty much like having a clenched fist all the time, so every little precise task just becomes about 20% more difficult.

Scootaloo’s scooter was more-or-less a skateboard, with a fixed pair of handlebars attached by a bolt through the bottom. All that needed done was for the bolt to be tightened, but trying to hold the bars straight with one hoof and tightening the bolt with the other, definitely was a challenge all in its own. Having a bit of magical ability would’ve made the job much easier, but of course I didn’t have that luxury.

I got the job done of course, but with some struggle. I tried to act like I wasn’t having a hard time with it in front of the three fillies, or the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ as Pin Stripe had addressed them. It reminded me all too well of times customers coming through looking around the shop; always at just the right time where I’d be running into a problem, and I’d look like an idiot trying to correct myself. Ugh, I hated that. Sure, you know exactly what needs to be done in order to get the job completed, but if you look like you’re struggling, then you look like you have no idea what you’re doing.

“Why aren’t you using any magic?” Sweetie Belle asked, slightly glaring.

“I don’t know any magic.” I responded flatly, not making eye contact with the little unicorn.

Man, that little foal has got some attitude, I tell ya.

“Well ain’t that somthin’! Never heard of a unicorn not knowin’ a thing ‘bout magic!” Apple Bloom nudged Scootaloo.

“Your sister pretty much said the exact same thing.” I chuckled, quickly glancing over to Apple Bloom, “Believe it or not, where I’m from, magic doesn’t exist at all.”

“Well you should probably learn some.” Sweetie Belle stated with a bit of attitude, earning a glare from both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.

I rolled my eyes and lifted Scootaloo’s scooter back up onto all four wheels using my snout, then gave Scootaloo back her screwdriver. “So why do they call you three the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’?”

I should’ve had better prepared myself for the impending barrage of an explanation, or just avoided the question altogether. Ah well, too late now.

“Because all of us don’t have our cutie marks yet, duh.” Scootaloo shook her head and scoffed.

“Yeah, so we decided to form our own secret society!” Sweetie Belle squeaked as she jumped to the air.

“An’ all three of us try new things together ta find out what our super special talent is!” Apple Bloom threw a hoof around both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

Oh man, here we go. I could’ve asked to skip me the memo, but I’m new here after all; might as well take in everything that I can, and not complain.

“We won’t leave any mountain unclimbed!” Scootaloo exclaimed confidently.

“We won’t leave a single rock unturned!” Sweetie Belle squealed, kneeling down and turning over a rock at her hooves.

“An’ we won’t rest until we have our cutie marks!” Apple Bloom perched up on her hind legs and pointed to the sky.

“Guess that makes sense then.” I said flatly, and blinked a few times as I tried to comprehend such a dose of excitement and pride out of the three little foals, “Well, your scooter is all fixed up Scootaloo. If you ever need help with anything like this again, you know who to ask!” I gave Scootaloo a pat on the back and a confident smile.

“Oh, thanks Davin, you’re the best fixer-upper ever!” Next thing I knew, Scootaloo jumped up to me and tightly hugged my neck with her little wings buzzing away.

Ok, I’m not much of a softie, but damn, it was probably one of the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

I smiled and patted her on the head as she broke from the hug.

“Ahh, it was no problem. You’re very welcome Scootaloo.” I gave her a gentle nudge.

Scootaloo smiled back and waved, “See ya later Davin!” She hopped onto her scooter, strapping on a helmet.

I started to trot off in search for Twilight’s.

“I’ll see you guys later, I’m gunna go try to find Rainbow Dash.” Scootaloo dismissed herself from Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

“Alright Scoot, take care now!” Apple Bloom waved to Scootaloo as she took off on her scooter, wings beating furiously, sounding somewhat like a 2-stroke dirt bike.

Oh, memories...

“Ok Sweetie Belle, we gotta talk.” Apple Bloom glared.

“Fine.” Sweetie Belle sighed.

Twilight and Spike returned to the library, bursting into the door.

“I don’t see how the Princess needs you to send her a book, you would think she would have every book she needs in Canterlot.” Spike shrugged.

“Me either Spike,” Twilight began searching along the bookshelves, “nonetheless, she needs it.”

“Just seems fishy to me is all...” Spike peeked up from reading the scroll.

“What’s the book’s title again?” Twilight paused her search, and looked to Spike.

“Umm, it’s called ‘Advanced Mechanics of Locomotion’.” Spike studied the scroll, then looked up to Twilight, confused.

“Hmm, that is strange. Why in the wide world of Equestria does Princess Celestia need a book like that for?” Twilight rubbed her chin in thought.

“Who knows,” Spike shrugged, “and the book is over here Twilight.” Spike pointed up to a dusty blue book up a few shelves out of his reach.

“I’m sure it’s something important. Better not keep the Princess waiting.” Twilight used her magic to pull the book off the shelf and set it into Spike’s claws.

With a gasp, the book which Spike was holding disappeared into a wisp of green flames, then disappeared. Following, there was a rap on the door.

“Ugh, now what?” Twilight trotted and opened the door.

“Hey, Twilight!”

“Oh,” Twilight retracted her frustrated look, “hello Davin, how are you doing?

“I’m alright, I guess.” I sighed, “Just came from getting myself acquainted with the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

“Oh boy,” Twilight rubbed her brow with a hoof, “how’d that turn out for you?”

“Wasn’t bad I suppose, they’re pretty determined on doing absolutely anything to get their cutie marks.” I shrugged.

Those three honestly reminded me of the times Mark, Tom and I would go around shit-disturbing when we were in our college years.

“Yeah, they’re usually the ones responsible for ruckus around town.” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Yeah I figured.” I shrugged, “Anyways, I came by to ask if by any chance, and if you have the time, you could maybe try to teach me some magic. I'd pay you for your time, of course!”

“Are you serious?” Twilight looked shocked.

“Yeah, I’m serious.” I drooped my head in shame, “I legit don’t know a single thing about magic. Applejack couldn’t believe it either. I told her about it already.”

“Oh, so that’s why you looked so confused when Pinkie, Rainbow and I pranked you!” She gasped and put a hoof to her mouth, “I’m sorry if my sarcasm back there offended you, I had no idea you didn’t know of magic!”

“It’s ok, Twilight. Don’t worry about it. I’ll adjust to this place sooner or later...” I scratched the back of my head with a hoof, “I hope...” I said under my breath.

“Ok.” Twilight smiled, “Well I’m sure I could help you learn some magic, but I’d have to start you off pretty basic; that usually takes up quite a bit of time.”

“That’s alright Twilight, I’d rather learn the absolute basics first, anyways.” I shrugged, “I mean only if you want to, and actually have the time to teach me.”

“Speaking of which, it’s getting late.” Twilight peered out of the doorway and gazed up at the darkening sky.

Damn I haven’t even found a place to stay! Damn I suck at planning ahead sometimes. Way to go Dav, yet again! UGH!!

“Damn, yeah it is.” I also took notice to the already darkening sky.

“Do you have a place to stay yet?” Twilight looked me dead in the eyes, raising an eyebrow, “I mean, you are new to town and everything...”

“Um,” I hesitated, “n-no, not yet. Do you know where, like, a hotel or something is around here?”

“Well I’d offer for you to stay here for one night, if you wanted.” Twilight shrugged.

Whoa, WHAT?!

“I really appreciate the offer Twilight,” I managed to creak a smile, “but I have got a lot on my mind at the moment and I need to reflect on a few things.” I looked to the ground and frowned.

I'd really rather not have Twilight feel responsible for having to take me in for the night. I already feel like a fucking asshole for making her feel guilty enough to even offer me stay at her place!

“Hey,” Twilight lifted up my lowered head to her level with a hoof, “are you ok?”

“To be completely honest with you Twilight, I don’t even know right now.” I couldn’t even manage eye contact with the mare.

“Did something happen?” She tilted her head in concern.

“More or less, yeah. It’s a long story though, Twilight.” I managed to look back to her eyes for a second, noticing the sincere concern she had.

'I’ll be fine.' Probably weren’t the most convincing words. Great. Now she’s going to take pity on me. That’s not how I like to deal with loss. Sure, it’s good to have friends and family to support you, but I just met Twilight and the others. I would be a burden by agreeing to stay the night! And for one thing, I don’t like to come across as a charity case.

“Davin, come in.” she waved a granting hoof, “Just stay here the one night. Give yourself another day to settle down.”

“Twilight, I really didn’t mean to come across as a charity cas-” She silenced me, pushing a hoof against my mouth.

“I insist. Just the one night.” She stared at me blankly.

“Ok.” I croaked, “Thank you Twilight.”

I hope this decision doesn't come back to bite me.

Author's Note

Alright, well it's the weekend, FINALLY! I'll be working on the next couple of chapters tonight, I'll be sure to have them posted as soon as I possibly can. Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, because I don't plan on ending it soon, that's for sure! Remember to give feedback! That is... if you want to...

Stay awesome everypony!

Oh, I apologize in advance for the sad nature of the next chapter. Just a heads up...

Chapter 6 - Moving On

I walked into the brightly illuminated library.

“It’s no big deal.” She shrugged, “Just make yourself at home. I’m just going to gather a couple simple magic books for tomorrow morning. I’ll be right back.”

“Ok Twilight.” I sighed, “Thanks again.”

She's taking too kindly to this.

“No problem. It’s what friends are for!” She sent me a reassuring smile as she trotted up the stairs.

“Don’t get any ideas.” A young male voice growled from behind me.

“Um, what?” I asked, looking around for the source of the voice.

Then he came into view; a young, purple-scaled dragon with green spines. He glared at me furiously.

“You heard me.” He snorted, mere inches from my face now.

Jeez, what the hell did I do now? Who can’t I manage to piss off today?

“Ideas about what?” I beamed back at the dragon.

“Ideas about Twilight. She’s like a sister to me, you know.” He continued to glare.

There was a pause for a few moments before I realized what he was on about.

“Oh... OH! N-No man, no, Twilight and I pretty much just met today.” I shook my head and stuck out a hoof.

Clearly he had the wrong idea. Waaaaaay wrong idea!

“Oh, alright then.” He shifted his glare, “Just don’t let me catch you trying to try anything. Understand?”

“Yeah, got it man.” I nodded, “I’m Davin by the way.” I added, sticking out a hoof.

Man, some hell of a way to make a first impression.

“I’m Spike.” He grasped my hoof with his claw and shook, “Twilight’s number one assistant.” He stared mercilessly into my eyes.

“I see you’re getting yourselves acquainted.” Twilight giggled as she trotted down the curving staircase, carrying several books with her magic.

“Uh, yeah.” I looked to Twilight, then back to Spike, who was continuing to glare.

“Well that’s good. I have a few books here we can take a look though tomorrow morning, Davin.” She set the books down on a stand near a couch.

“I can’t thank you enough Twilight.” I creaked a half-smile.

I can't shake feeling guilty for letting her take me in, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't make things a lot easier on me for the time being.

Twilight smiled brightly, “The couch is yours. Sorry it isn’t much, but it’s the best I have to offer.”

“It’s perfect Twilight.” I shot her a quick grin and set the bag of tools I was carrying next to the couch.

Best you could offer? Are you kidding me? I’d be happy sleeping on the hard wood floor! Wouldn’t be the first time I would’ve been obliged to sleep on the floor. Plus, I could be out there right now trying to find a quiet alleyway to crawl into and pass out. I’m K with this!

“Well I’ll see you in the morning, have a good sleep Davin.” Twilight started to head up the stairs, “There’s quite a bit I’d like to learn about you.”

“Sounds good to me.” I called back, “Goodnight Twilight.”

Twilight waved a hoof from the top of the stairs, then shut the door to her bedroom. I crawled up onto the couch and lied down on my stomach. My smile quickly turned into a blank gaze, as I rested my head over the side of the couch.

What a day. I don’t even know whether to feel regret or gratefulness. Grateful for those few ponies and their kindness and understanding; not only did I now potentially have a few friends, but also a job and a place to rest my head for tonight. I’m really going to have to make it up to Twilight for her hospitality. I feel regret because, well...

A single tear streamed down my face as I drifted off into sleep.

I found myself in what looked to be a public restroom. I took a quick glance around. The usual toilet stall and urinal, and sink with mirror. I looked closer into the mirror. Nothing. No reflection or anything.

“Well that’s kind of fucked up...” I said aloud; I looked down at my feet, or rather, hooves.

Nope, I was real, and still a pony. I shrugged and pushed the restroom door open with a hoof, which revealed a hazy, dimly lit, dark hallway. The restroom door closed behind me with an unsettling creak, which made me jump. I looked to my left and right; nothing to my left, just darkness. I studied the other direction, which seemed to brighten further down the hallway. I shrugged and decided to trot down towards the light. As I approached the source of the light, I could softly hear voices. Now I wasn’t sure if I was creeped out, intrigued, or just curious; maybe all three, I don’t know. Nonetheless, I pressed on towards the light; I approached a set of double doors, one of which was half-open. I cautiously peered inside of the doorway, revealing somewhat of a large auditorium, filled with people dressed in black, with their heads held low. On a second glance through the doorway, I was struck by an atmosphere of sorrow. I wasn’t in any auditorium; I was in a church hall. I had to take a step back out of the doorway.

“This is really messed up.” I sighed, and rubbed my forehead with a hoof.

Despite my hesitation, I decided to walk into the hall. Nobody seemed to take a notice to me whatsoever, other than the fact that there were hundreds of people. I continued on down the isle, scanning the faces of people as I walked past. Strangely enough, I recognized quite a few people, but not anybody I had seen in years; perhaps old friends from high school and junior high? I’m not quite sure. When I was a mere two rows from the altar, I spotted somebody I knew very well; my grandmother. She was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. My grandfather was sitting beside her, trying to comfort her, also trying hard to fight back tears. My grandfather never cried; I remember my father telling me that he never once had seen him shed tears when he was growing up.

“Grandma? Grandpa? What’s wrong? What’s going on here?” I stood up next to the end of the bench trying to meet my grandparents at eye level. God, seeing like this is tearing me apart...

No response. It seemed like they couldn’t hear me.

I stepped up right in front of her, and placed a hoof on her hand. “Grandma?” I was beginning to distress.

Nothing. It was like I wasn’t even there. I slouched down beside the bench, and just stared at my grandparents. It killed me to see them so torn, and there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t stand it. I sighed in frustration and rubbed my temples.

“Calm down, Dav. It’s just a dream... a really bad dream. Just wake up.” I commanded to myself, keeping my eyes shut.

I opened my eyes again to the same image of my grandparents in sadness and grief. “God damnit, Davin! Wake up!” I held my head with both hooves.

There was nothing I could do. This was a horrible dream, with no way to wake up from it. Perhaps I was hallucinating; having been through death and a rebirth, if that's even what happened, who knows what kind of insanities that might drive a person to!

I took a few deep breaths, and decided to deal with it best I could. I’d have to wake up sooner or later.

“...he was the absolute best friend anyone could ever have...” These words caught my immediate attention.

My focus was shifted from trying to keep myself calm; none other than Tom, my best friend, was standing at the altar. He was reading off a piece of paper he was clenching, with sadness in his eyes.

“Tom...” I stared up to him, I got up on all four hooves and started to trot closer to the altar.

There are only so many conflicting thoughts I can handle at any given moment, but at that second, I was reaching the boiling point. I wasn’t even sure what to think...

Where the hell am I?

Why am I here?

What exactly is going on?

Why doesn’t anyone notice me?

WHY CAN’T I WAKE UP FROM THIS FUCKING NIGHTMARE?!

Trying to come up with excuses and answers to all the questions at once was just causing me more mental stress. I shook my head in attempt to shake off the torrent of confusion as I trotted closer to Tom. My reaching the altar was cut short by a large, glossy black box. I studied it for a moment. My eyes shot open in realization and horror.

A coffin.

All the conflicting thoughts began to organize themselves.

“Oh my God, I’m at a funeral.” I exclaimed, putting a hoof to my mouth in shock. I returned my hoof to the floor, “But who’s funeral?”

I glared at the back coffin and took a look back to the crowd of people sitting in the benches now behind me. I recognized nearly all the people in the front few rows. My family; uncles, aunts, grandparents, and cousins. My good few friends were seated near the front as well, with their families. Taking closer consideration to the amount of people I actually now recognized, I came to a terrible conclusion...

Without hesitation, I slowly but respectfully, peered at the body lay arrest inside the coffin.

I almost fainted from the terrible bewilderment and realization, although I was too overwhelmed from the adrenaline pumping through my veins to fall unconscious.

It was me. The human, original me. I continued to stare, trying to contain my panic and disbelief. After countless minutes of gazing upon the person I used to be, the sound of Tom reciting his eulogy began to soak into my mind.

“Davin and I met in high school. As some of you may know, in his freshman year, he wasn’t the most popular of students. He had his few friends, and a generally positive and optimistic attitude. He never took a second to reconsider giving anyone a helping hand. I’ll never forget the day I met him.” Tom had to pause for a moment to wipe his watery eyes.

A day I remembered all too well.

I closed my eyes, and a single tear ran down my cheek.

October 19, 2007

I grabbed my Quikcard Racing jacket out of the back of my locker, and threw it over my back. It was raining buckets outside and I had a long walk home.

“Ugh, not having a driver’s license yet sucks.” I groaned, “Why couldn’t I be just one year older? Why couldn’t I be everything I want to be?” I slammed the locker closed in frustration and clasped the lock shut. I left the long hallway of lockers and walked towards the front entrance of the school. I walked through the first set of double doors as I was met by my friend Mark.

“Another day spent in this freaking dungeon, eh man?" I chuckled as I elbowed Mark as we left the front doors of the school.

“Yeah bro, what a long week.” Mark chuckled, “Going to be a busy weekend too!” He threw the hood of his jacket over his head.

“Oh really? What are you up to this weekend?” I asked, raising a brow.

“Oh, nothing special, just gunna be painting my pop’s ’69 Charger!” Mark proclaimed with excitement, punching me in the shoulder.

“No way man! That’s Awesome!” I couldn’t help but share his excitement. Mark had been waiting to paint that car ever since he and his dad started restoring it together.

“I know buddy, it's gunna be sweet!” Mark fist-pumped the air.

“Just don’t forget to call me up when you’re ready to throw in the engine and powertrain, pal.” I gave him a friendly shove.

“I won’t man, anyone who’s anyone knows you’re the best with that mechanical shit!” Mark gave me a reassuring slap on the back, as we halted in front of Mark’s bus.

“I’m no professional yet, man.” I stated rather unconfidently; I shrugged and looked at the ground.

“You’re way too hard on yourself, Strach. Cut yourself some slack! You were asked to give a demonstration to the grade 12 mechanics class for Christ’s sake!” Mark gave me a friendly punch in the shoulder, “Anyways, I better get going. See ya Monday bud.”

“Thanks Mark, I’ll try.” I gave him a less than reassuring smirk, “See you Monday. And good luck with that car, I can't wait to see it when it's finished!”

Mark gave a wave of his hand and hopped onto the bus, making his way towards the back row. I began my hike towards home. It wasn’t far, but it took a while. Not the best neighborhood for a freshman high school student that’s for sure. I just had to try my best to stay out of trouble.

As I walked through the nearly abandoned school parking lot, I noticed some commotion.

“There you are, you piece of shit!” an aggressive voice called out.

“W-What?” I jerked my head back in confusion.

I noticed an older student, running up to me at an alarming rate. He was holding a 1 ½ inch wrench, and was already dangerously close.

“Oh shit!” I blurted out, trying to make a run for it.

I didn’t get very far until I was tackled by the student with the wrench. He wasn’t much bigger than I was, both height and weight wise, and he was a couple years older. At age 15, I stood 5 foot 11, around 165 pounds. I was in fairly good shape for my age; I wasn’t scrawny, but I wasn’t that stalky either. I fell somewhere in the average.

“Where do ya think your goin’ Strach?” He pinned me head first into the wet pavement of the parking lot, cutting my face and drilling a knee into the center of my back.

Usually, I tried to keep my head low, and not go calling out on people when I was being picked on; after 10 years of constantly being bullied at school, I figured not giving people a lead in whatever it was they decided to get on my case about was one of the best ways to stay out of trouble. Usually. But the manner in which he addressed me made me furious. Only my father and best friend Mark called me Strach, and they're the only ones that rightfully should! I snapped.

“That’s Mr. Strachan to you!” I spat from the pavement, “What the hell do you want from me?”

“You got some nerve thinking you can call the shots around here Strach.” He scoffed, “Pfft, Mr. Strachan. You’re a fucking joke kid, thinking you can outmatch me in my own mechanics class.”

I was getting angrier by the second. “What, can’t figure out how to properly tune an analog speedometer?” I huffed, “I knew how to do that shit before I even came to schoo-Ahh!” My gloating was cut short by the wrench being swung to the back of my right knee.

“Don’t fuck with me Davin, you know I can kick the shit outta you, you fucking freshman!” He screamed, and prepared to swing the wrench again. Just as he was about to bring the wrench to the back of my head, he was stopped by another student’s hand, grasping his wrist.

“Let. Him. Go.” The voice was extremely direct.

The wrench left the infuriated senior student’s hand, clanging to the pavement beside my face. He got up off my back, and the student who came to my aid helped me up onto my feet. With a bloody face, I looked the senior student dead in the eye. Nothing was said as I limped away towards the helpful student’s car. The student who came to my aid offered me a ride home, which I gratefully accepted. I hopped into the passenger seat.

“Here, wipe your face with this. That’s going to be a nasty scar when that heals up!” He said, tossing me a ragged towel.

“Thanks.” I uttered, holding the towel to my face.

The car took off from the parking lot. Just as we got onto the road, I rested my head back into the seat, sighing in relief.

“You just saved my life, man.” I looked at the driver of the car, then looked back to the senior student, who was retreating back towards the school, head hung low.

“What the hell was his problem?" He asked, pointing a thumb back towards the parking lot.

“I gave a demonstration to the grade 12 mechanics class this afternoon.” I sighed, “Guess that guy’s ego didn’t take kindly to having a freshman try to teach him mechanics.”

“Nope, I guess he didn’t.” He chuckled, “I’m Thomas by the way.”

“Davin.” I replied, shaking his hand.

“Nobody will ever be able to replace him, and this world will not ever be the same without him.” Tom now had tears streaming down his face. “Davin, Mark and I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for you. You saved our lives, man. You are a true hero. You’re my best friend buddy... You will be dearly missed.” He choked on the lump in his throat, “so, dearly, incredibly missed. Rest in peace...”

“Damnit Thomas, why did you and Mark have to wind up stuck on the train tracks...” I shook my head, and was now silently crying. Being taken away from everything and everyone I loved was one thing, but seeing everyone grieve about my passing was something all on it's own. It fucking killed me inside.

Just as Tom finished his eulogy and stepped down from the altar, he broke down into tears and joined the side of Mark, who was standing with my mother, sister and father. My family then unknowingly took my side next to the coffin; I looked up to them with my big, teary eyes. I'd give anything to let them know just how much I loved and missed them.

Now it was incredibly hard to determine if I was dreaming or if I should accept the fact that somehow I was actually witnessing my own funeral, even if I couldn’t make anyone aware of my presence.

My father knelt down next to the coffin, “I... I’m so proud of you.” he choked on the words, trying to fight back the tears, “I love you, son.”

My mother was crying harder than I had ever seen her cry before. It was extremely painful to see everyone I was so close to in my life, break down and mourn like this.

If I could only just go back in time and reconsider to stay at the shop while Tom and Mark went to pick up parts... No wait, then no one would have got them off the train tracks in time... They wouldn’t be here, if it weren’t for me having to... Ugh, this is too much to have to deal with!

My mother too kneeled down to the side of the coffin, but could only get out a few words between her sobs. “You have... the proudest parents... in the world, Davin... We love you... so very much.”

My sister kneeled down next to the coffin and wiped her eyes, “You’re a hero Dav. Not many sisters can say that their big bro is a real hero. I’ve always looked up to you, Davin.” She covered her eyes and cried, “I love you big bro. I really miss you.”

With just those few last words, I couldn’t help but tear up even more. The nicest words I had ever heard my sister say. Normally we didn’t get along, but after that, I could never have a fight about anything with her again.

They left me and the coffin to rejoin with Mark and Tom, where they embraced each other.

I broke down into tears and stepped back from the coffin. Realizing that this was the last time I would see my best friends and family, I trotted up to the group, stood on my hind legs, and wrapped my hooves around as many of them as I could.

“I love... you guys. I wouldn’t be... who I am today if it... weren’t for all of you. I’m going to miss you guys... so damn much. I’m sorry... I’m so sorry...” I sobbed uncontrollably as I held them all for as long and as tight as I could...

Morning came a little too early for my taste. I awoke lying on my back, to the sun streaming down onto my face, beaming in from a window above the staircase leading to the floor above me to Twilight’s room. I took a glance around the library. No one in sight, but I heard clattering from the floor above me. I looked down to notice I was tightly holding two throw pillows in my front hooves. The pillows were a soft silky lavender fabric, and had embroidered gold lettering.

Moving on wasn’t going to be easy. But with just that little bit of closure, whether it be a dream, hallucination, or reality, being reminded of how much people cared for me back home, made me feel the most at peace I’ve felt since, well... Ever.

I took a closer look at the pillows I was clenching.

One read ‘Family’.

The other read ‘Friends’.

Author's Note

Sorry this chapter took so long, turns out I had a lot on the go over the weekend. I honestly had quite a hard time writing this chapter, hopefully I didn't drive all you guys away with the sad sappy stuff, it was just important for closure and character development. You know the deal.

As always, feel free to give your feedback. I'll have the next update up as soon as possible!

Chapter 7 - Mares and Magic

I gently set the pillows I was clenching back onto the couch and took a deep breath as I rubbed my eyes with my hooves. I leant forward so I was sitting on my flank, and I nonchalantly let myself slide off the edge of the couch onto all four hooves. I glanced at the stack of books Twilight set out the night before. I grabbed the top one with my teeth and set it down on the floor in front of me. The title read ‘The Unicorn’s Guide to Magic’.

I sighed, “This is going to take a while...” I rolled my eyes and opened up the cover of the book with my snout and began to read the first page.

The Unicorn’s Guide to Magic by Starswirl the Bearded.

The first, very important detail a unicorn must acknowledge before performing a magic spell, is to imagine the scenario in which the magic will constitute. For example; imagine a quill lie flat on a desktop. In order for a unicorn to pick up the quill using magic, the unicorn must imagine themselves picking up the quill.

The second detail is to focus on sensibility of the horn...

“Huh, seems simple enough, actually. Still, not sure if I could actually be able to do it though.” I stated aloud, scratching the side of my head, continuing to read.

“Oh, good morning!” Twilight called down to me from the top of the stairs. My head snapped up from reading the guide.

“Morning Twilight.” I responded hazily, placing the book back onto the stack with my teeth.

“Sleep well?” she asked, trotting down the stairs.

Also emerging from the top of the stairs hovered a yellow pegasus mare; she had a long, flowing light pink mane and tail.

“Yeah, I slept alright.” I shrugged. “Thanks for letting me stay the night here, Twilight.”

She giggled as she trotted up to me, “How many times are you going to thank me for it? It’s really no big deal.”

“Well it was very generous of you.” I slimly grinned, “Not many people I know would offer to let me crash at their place for the night, the same day we met.” I stated with a bit of shame.

]I had to repay Twilight in some way or another.

“I have to return the favor back in some way or another, Twilight. I would just feel too guilty taking your generosity for granted.”

The yellow mare touched down beside Twilight and had a subtle but confused look on her face, shifting her gaze between Twilight and I.

“Well now that you mention it,” Her brow raised and she put a hoof to her chin in thought, “I do need a few quills and some parchment. If it would make you feel any better, would you be willing to pick some up for me?” Twilight asked shrugging a hoof.

“I’d be more than happy to Twilight!” I smiled wide, “Least I could do.” I nodded my head.

“Great!” she smiled and clapped her front hooves, “I would usually send Spike to do this sort of thing, but given the circumstances, I’ll give him the day off!” She pawed a hoof and shrugged.

“Ok, well I’ll get going then!” lowered my head into my sack of tools next to the couch and pulled out the tan work vest with my teeth.

I tilted my head back and let the denim vest slide over my head, halfway down my neck, then I put my hooves through the two open sleeve gaps. The same way I'd put on a t-shirt as a human. The vest fit perfectly; looked not bad either. Twilight gave me a confused look, and tilted her head to the side.

“What?” I asked, shrugging a hoof.

“That was an unusual way of putting on clothing.” Twilight blinked at me with a blank expression, the yellow Pegasus cocked an eyebrow at me also.

“Yeah, it was, um... strange...” The yellow Pegasus stammered, barely speaking loud enough to be heard.

Ok, first of all, as dirty as it may sound, I didn’t notice many ponies here wearing clothes at all. But c’mon. I must really be out of my own way here in this world if I’m getting confused looks just by putting on clothing.

“It was? It’s how I always put on clothing.” I stated, looked down at the vest, then back to the two mares.

“Well it certainly wouldn't be how I’d do it.” Twilight shrugged, “Anyways, before you go, come get something to eat.” She waved a hoof towards the stairs.

I hesitated for a moment as the yellow Pegasus gave me a shy but quizzical look before following Twilight up the stairs. I scrunched my face as thought for a second to myself.

Should I really take up another offer of Twilight’s? Yeah I should... free food.

I chuckled to myself then caught up to the pegasus.

“I-I’m Davin by the way. I’m, uh, a new friend of Twilight’s.” I stammered as one of my hooves slipped a step as I ascended the stairs. Still didn’t quite have the whole ‘walking on four legs instead of two’ thing down pat just quite yet.

“I’m Flutter...” Her voice trailed off, not making eye contact with me.

“Flutter?” I asked, tilting my head to the side and raising a hoof.

She covered her face with her front hooves, and there was a long awkward pause. I looked at the cowering mare hovering beside me, awkwardly shifting my eyes and trying to hold my terrible ‘everything is K’ face until the yellow mare found enough courage to respond.

“Um, no...” she sighed softly, “It’s Fluttershy.” She blushed slightly, just speaking barely above a whisper.

“Oh, well nice to meet you, Fluttershy.” I chuckled and gave her a slim, reassuring smile.

“Um, you too.” She said coyly.

We walked, well, I walked, Fluttershy flew, up the remainder of the stairs to the second floor of the library. Once we met back up with Twilight in her kitchen, we took a seat at the table, and dug in to the breakfast of assorted fruits and vegetables. We chatted about how Fluttershy was in charge of taking care of all the little creatures around Ponyville. Definitely sounded like quite the overwhelming job if you ask me, having to tend to so many different animals.

“Morning...” Yawned a small purple dragon dragging himself into Twilight’s kitchen.

“Morning Spike!” Fluttershy and Twilight greeted in unison.

“Hey Spike.” I uttered from a mouthful of apple.

“Oh.” Spike’s expression dropped to a glare and crossed his arms, “You’re still here.”

“I thought it would be nice to offer him breakfast, Spike. He is new here after all.” Twilight cut in, to my relief.

“I was actually just leaving.” I finished the apple I was eating and stood up. “I’ll go pick up those quills and parchment for you Twilight, I’ll come back later to drop them off.” I started to trot down the stairs to the door to the library.

“Oh, o-ok, Davin. See you later.” Twilight dismissed, waving a hoof.

“See ya, Twilight.” I also waved a hoof, “Nice meeting you, Fluttershy. I’m sure I’ll see you around sometime.”

“Um, nice meeting you too...” She said slightly cowering, just barely making eye contact.

I trotted down the stairs with a chuckle. Fluttershy kinda reminded me of myself before I met Mark and Tom.

Man without those guys, I’d still be too awkward and unconfident to talk to anyone, especially girls. Still, nowadays, without Mark or Tom being with me, I wasn’t much confident in myself when it came to chicks I thought were attractive; most of the time I wouldn’t even try to talk with them. Anyways, getting off this tangent of thought...

I grabbed the sack of bits Applejack gave to me the day before, and set it into one of the several pockets on the vest. I walked out of the library and I was greeted by the fresh morning air, and I paused for a moment to take it in.... A new day, a new life. I had been given a second chance to belong again. It'd be best if I didn't try to make any extra effort to fuck this one up if this really is my second chance at life...

The door to the library sounded closed signaling to Spike that I had left the library.

“Why are you being so nice to him Twilight?” Spike asked with a scowl.

Twilight was quick to snap back, “Princess Celestia sent me here to Ponyville to study friendship, remember?” Twilight glared back at the purple dragon.

“Ugh, well I don’t like him.” Spike groaned as he crossed his arms and stomped on the ground, “He seems... off.”

“Which is exactly why he needs a friend right now, Spike.” Twilight took a step just ahead of Spike, kneeling down to meet him eye level.

“Um, he seemed... nice.” Fluttershy added from the table.

“See? Exactly.” Twilight pointed a hoof to Fluttershy, who was nibbling on an apple.

“Well still... you just let him stay the night for nothing.” Spike continued to glare back at Twilight.

“Actually, he insisted on paying me back.” Twilight’s voice was beginning to rise, “I asked him to pick up some supplies for me, which he nicely agreed to.”

“Uh, he did?” Spike’s frustrated glare shifted to gawk-eyed surprise.

“Yes Spike,” Twilight took a step back out of Spike’s face, “in fact, if he wouldn’t have offered, I would have gotten you to pick up supplies for me.”

“What?” Spike muttered flatly with a blank expression.

“When he comes back, you should thank him for giving you the day off, Spike.” Twilight stated firmly.

“Well, I guess that was sorta nice of him and stuff...” Spike grumbled and shrugged as he took a seat at the table next to Fluttershy.

“He-” Twilight was interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Ugh...” she growled in frustration, “Now what?” Twilight left Fluttershy and Spike down unto the library below. She approached the door and opened it with her magic.

“Hi Rarity, how are you?” she greeted with a smile, in no way showing her previous frustration.

“I’ve been better, but thank you for asking Twilight.” Rarity replied, inviting herself into the library.

“Well, what happened? Are you ok?” Twilight asked, placing a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder.

“Yes Twilight, I’m fine. A rough morning is all...” Rarity stated in a sing-songy type tone, backing up from Twilight’s hoof, and began to scan a bookshelf.

“Oh?” Twilight quickly returning aside Rarity.

“I bumped into one of the most...” She paused and thought for a moment, “...uncanny stallions I have ever laid eyes on...” Rarity had a somewhat guilty look on her face as she turned to face Twilight.

I trotted off from the library with a head held high and a good feeling in my heart. I headed off in search for parchment and quills. In the back of my mind, I was pondering the couple details about magic.

If I could just be able to hold and use tools with magic, I wouldn’t miss having hands so much. It would make everything so much easier, it would be great!

I was so lost in thought as I trotted along, that I didn’t notice the white mare carrying a full saddlebag across my path. I bumped into her, falling on my flank. She fell to her side and the merchandise she was carrying in the bags spilled across the ground; several spools of thread, a small roll of fabric, and an assortment of stitching tools.

“Ah shit.” I blurted, quickly standing back up rubbing the back of my head.

“Um, sorry about that.” I stated with an awkward half smile, offering the mare a hoof.

“Well,” she huffed, smacking away my offered hoof, “you should pay more dear attention to where you are going!” She scowled.

It took me a second to realize it, but I recognized this mare; the same styled-up pony that I saw in the hardware store the other day. I probably looked like an idiot taking a step back and staring at the mare now getting herself up off the ground.

“Uh, here, let me help you pick this stuff up.” I kneeled down to the roll of fabric, but before I could pick it up, it was surrounded by a bluish aura, and quickly moved from my reach.

“No thank you, I am quite capable of handling this on my own.” She retorted, rather annoyed. The other stitching materials were also picked off the ground with her magic, and returned into her saddlebag.

“Um... Alright,” I stood back up and took a step back, biting the corner of my lower lip as she continued to glare. I felt so awkward. I was just about to apologize before I was interrupted by a tan stallion wearing a dark brown cowboy hat, who took the mare’s side.

“Everythin’ alright miss Rarity?” He asked, gently brushing off her shoulder. I cocked an eyebrow at the mention of the mare’s name, but shook it off.

“Yes Braeburn, I’m quite fine, thank you.” She replied calmly, and then returned to her glare towards me.

“Shame on you!” the tan stallion snapped.

“But I... accident... Wha-?” I choked out in confusion.

Great, now he’s probably going to kick my ass. He wasn’t nearly as big as I was, but his aggressive tone convinced me that he wasn’t concerned about my size. At first he didn't really seem to be the kind of guy to be making a threat. Ugh... I was not ready to find myself in a fight, especially over something this ridiculous.

“You best be watchin’ where yer goin’.” The stallion spoke through his teeth pawing at the ground. He shot me a threatening scowl.

“S-Sorry, it was an accident.” I shrugged a hoof, and took another step back, “I’m new here and there’s just a bit on my mind, and I got distracted.”

The tan stallion, known as Braeburn, softened his scowl a bit, “Well jus’ watch where yer goin’ next time.” He grumbled, gave a tip of his hat, and trotted off.

I rolled my eyes and sarcastically saluted a hoof, luckily not seen by the tan stallion. He would’ve definitely kicked my ass if he saw that. The mare witnessed me though, and she shook her head, not taking her big blue angry eyes off me.

“What? It was an accident. Surely you can’t be THAT angry about it.” I cocked an eyebrow and raised a hoof in inquisition.

“Who are you?" She asked sternly, stomping a hoof on the ground.

“Um, Davin.” I responded with a confused squint.

“That’s quite an unusual name for a pony.” She muttered in mild disgust.

“Yeah, well I didn’t choose it, so...” I shrugged and rolled my eyes.

I really don’t have time for this nonsense.

I started to trot off towards the center of town.

“Hmph!” she scoffed as I trotted away, snout held high.

What a snoot! Frick! She really better not have the same name as the one I gave to my truck. That would be a HUGE piss off!

Then I realized another thing. After giving myself the second to recognize that I have a new chance at life, I go off and come across as a total asshole.

Ugh, way to go Dav!

I rubbed my forehead with my hoof.

I have to stop making a total fucking fool of myself right after I tell myself not to! God I'm such a hypocrite!

“Damn it, she was kinda cute too...” I mumbled to myself. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! No, snap out of it Dav,” I knocked on my forehead with a hoof, “stay focused.”

Jeez, haven’t even been in Ponyville for two days yet, and I’m already finding myself attracted to the females here? I really have gone insane! Having feelings right after everything that's happened, can't be healthy...

“Oh, c’mon Rarity, I’m sure he wasn’t that ‘uncanny’,” Twilight put a slightly mocking emphasis on the word, “he probably was just not paying attention. Plus, you said he did offer to help pick up your belongings.” Twilight raised a hoof in query.

“Well, that may be, Twilight...” Rarity placed a hoof to her chin. “But he was rather rude and dismissive before I had a chance to introduce myself.”

“Oh brother...” Twilight facehooved, “Well did you at least get his name?”

“Um, Davin or something...” She stated blankly, flicking a hoof, “A rather unusual name for a stallion, if you ask me.”

Twilight’s mouth dropped, “D-Did you just say Davin?”

“Ya-huh,” Rarity puzzled towards Twilight, “why, did you meet him already or something, dear?”

“Yeah, I have met him. He stayed here last night actually.” Twilight pointed to the couch, where my bag full of tools still remained.

Rarity gasped, “Twilight! Surly you didn’t...” she exclaimed, stepping a mere inch from Twilight’s face.

“W-What?” Twilight jerked her reddening face back, “Oh Celestia, no! Nothing like that, I just offered him a place to stay for the night, that’s all.” Twilight muttered, trying to shove it off like it was nothing.

“Oh thank heavens, darling.” Rarity sighed in relief.

“Yeah,” Twilight raised a brow, “he was nice enough to pick up some supplies for me this morning. He should be back any minute.”

“He will?” Rarity shot back in a panic, “Oh no no no no no!”

“Oh please.” Twilight rolled her eyes, “You just bumped into him on the street. Big deal.” Twilight turned to the bookshelf and used her magic to pull a book off a high shelf.

“It was a big deal!” Rarity stomped into Twilight’s path, “I made the most terrible impression!”

“I thought you said he was the one being rude?” Twilight blinked in confusion, passing the book to Rarity.

“Oh, um, yes. W-Well...” Rarity nervously forced a laugh, stepping back with shifty eyes, trying to hide her flushed face.

Rarity’s face snapped to wide-eyed shock as there was a knock on the door.

“Now where can a guy find a place that sells quills?” I puzzled to myself scratching my chin, scanning the shops surrounding the center of town.

“Try ‘Quills and Sofas’.” A squeaky voice announced, much to my surprise.

I quickly scanned the stores, and located a shop with a sign hung affront of a quill and sofa. Perfect.

“Hey thank-” I looked down for the source of the voice, just in time to catch that little white unicorn filly retracting a look towards me as she trotted by. She looked kind of depressed.

“Hey kiddo, what’s got you down?” I asked, trotting up beside her.

“What do you care?” she snapped back.

Oh right... the filly with the attitude... Fantastic. Whatever, I’ll play along.

“Well just thought maybe I could help cheer you up or something.” I offered, with forced cheeriness.

“I don’t think you can do anything to cheer me up.” She quipped blankly.

Jeez, thanks kid. So much for my confidence today; not that I really had any in the first place anyays...

“Well alright, if you say so.” I shrugged, “Don’t say I didn’t offer.” I changed my direction towards the quill and sofa shop.

She loudly sighed, “Ugh, fine. Wait up.” She grumbled.

Her sudden change of mind caught me off guard, causing me to stop dead in my tracks. Sweetie Belle trotted up next to me, but avoided eye contact, keeping her head low.

“Sorry for being so rude to you yesterday,” she shuffled a hoof, hanging her head, “it was kinda, sorta, uncalled for...”

Sorta uncalled for? You didn’t even give me a chance kid! Whatever, no point coming across as a douche again, for a second time.

I resumed my way towards the shop, with Sweetie Belle to my side.

“Ah, don’t worry about it Sweetie Belle.” I shrugged it off like it was nothing, “I’m used to, uh... ponies not taking liking to me on first glance.”

“Really?” she tilted her head, “Why?”

“You tell me.” I chuckled, making eye contact with the little unicorn as we stepped into the shop.

The store was pretty appropriately named; they really did specialize in quills and sofas. There were isles and isles of quills and writing utensils, and there was a huge selection of sofas. I felt like I was in a Leon’s furniture warehouse, other than, you know... The isles of quills and stuff.

“Well I don’t know, you just seemed kind of strange...” She shrugged.

“Yeah, well, I guess I am pretty strange...” I uttered coolly as we trotted through the store. I spotted a package of parchment on a shelf and grabbed it with my teeth.

“...and you don’t know any magic...” she cocked an eyebrow, “Yet, you’re a grown-up stallion.”

I set the parchment on the ground, “Well you want to know something?” I knelt down meeting the filly face to face.

“Um, ok.” She squeaked.

“I’m not sure I can even learn how to do magic.” I stood back up, looking down at the shock on Sweetie’s face, “I grew up in a place where magic didn’t even exist. Magic was simply just fantasy.”

“What?!” she jumped back, wide eyed, “That’s crazy!”

“Strange, eh?” I nodded my head, with a bit of a smirk. "If you knew me any better, you'd agree that my middle name should be 'Crazy'."

The filly giggled as I picked up the package of parchment, and the two of us headed for the checkout counter. We made our purchase of parchment and a few quills, and left the shop to the bright sunlight and fresh morning air.

“Where in Equestria does magic not exist?” She quizzed.

“Well definitely, definitely not in Equestria, that’s for sure.” I light-heartedly chuckled through my teeth.

“I guess it makes sense...” she rubbed her chin in thought, then gasped. “I bet I could teach you something!” she piped up as she smiled wide.

“You think you could?” I jerked my head back, speaking through my teeth.

“Sure! I might get my cutie mark for it too!” she hopped in excitement, then pointed to a stick in the middle of our path. “See that stick?”

I again, sat down the stack of parchment and quills, “Uh, yeah.” I glanced at it quickly, with a shrug.

I'n not sure if I like where this is going.

“Ok, imagine yourself picking it up.” She turned my head with both her hooves to face the stick in front of us.

In my mind I pictured myself lifting the stick. Kind of a strange thing to have to imagine myself doing, if you ask me.

“Alright, now what?” I shifted my view from the stick to the filly.

“Hmm... Oh!” she squealed, “Ok, very, and I mean very, lightly tap your horn with a hoof.”

“Alright...” I obliged, and with a hollow knock, I tapped my horn. “Ah! Damnit!”

“You ok?” the little filly asked, pressing a hoof into my front leg.

“Yeah, guess I just hit it a bit harder than I should have. Didn’t really realize how sensitive it was.” I stated kneeling down with a cringe, glaring at my forehead.

Sweetie Belle giggled, “Well try and pick up the stick, now that you have feeling in your horn.” She continued to giggle, covering her mouth with her hoof.

I rolled my eyes and shot a quick glare at the filly. I returned my head to look to the stick.

“What?” I said tap it very lightly!” She cracked up, shrugging.

“Yeah, yeah... Laugh it up, Sweetie Belle.” I rolled my eyes again, “Who taught you that trick, anyhow?” I concentrated on the small stick, not 5 feet ahead.

Sweetie’s enthusiasm dropped slightly, “My big sister...”

Ok Davin, just pick up the stick. How hard can it really be? Just do it.

I snapped my eyes closed, pictured myself raising the stick, and focused on the still painful tingling in my horn. The more I concentrated on my horn, the more perception I could begin to feel. Sweetie Belle gasped at the sight before her.

A few sparks...

A faint flicker of a brilliant white aura...

A crackle of a few more sparks...

I opened my clenched eyes, immediately looking at the stick. A white aura radiated to life around my horn, and the stick began to glow the same white, but I found it extremely difficult to actually lift it. I concentrated a bit harder, clenching my teeth.

The stick began to vibrate on the ground, but I was beginning to strain and loose focus.

“Ugh, c’mon...” I stressed through my teeth.

“You’re doing it!” Sweetie Belle cheered.

It felt like the stick must’ve weighed 800 pounds. I couldn’t lift it to save my life. I gave it one last good try. With a huff, the white aura around my horn and the stick grew brighter, but the stick only rose about a foot off the ground. I had to drop it to catch my breath; I dropped to my stomach in exhaustion.

“That wasn’t bad for your very first try!” Sweetie squeaked happily.

I wish I could’ve shared her enthusiasm. I was pretty disappointed I couldn’t even lift a tiny little stick.

Ugh, I suck!

“Yeah, I guess.” I groaned, rising back to my hooves.

“Well you did a lot better than me on my first try! Everything I touched with my magic just burst into flames!” She threw her hooves into the air, then gazed at her own flank.

“Actually?” I managed a slight laugh.

“Yeah.” She hung her head.

I assured her with a nudge, “Oh I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”

“Well not really, but Rarity got pretty mad sometimes. Ugh, and I didn’t get my cutie mark!” She crossed her hooves in frustration.

“Well hey, maybe not, but you did teach me my first lesson in magic! That’s something to be proud of!” I rustled her mane with a hoof.

“Yeah,” she giggled, “I guess I did.”

“Thanks, Sweetie Belle.” I let her go from the playful noogie and shared a laugh.

“I’m glad I took Apple Bloom’s advice. You’re a nice pony, Davin.” She looked up to me with a smile. “Thanks for cheering me up.”

“No problem Sweetie Belle.” I chuckled, “What are Apple Bloom and Scootaloo up to today anyways?”

“Hmm,” she paused in her tracks for a moment, “Apple Bloom is helping Applejack on the orchard, and I think Scootaloo is taking flight lessons again with Rainbow Dash later on today.” She sighed.

“Ah, well that kinda sucks... So you’ll have no one to hang out with today?” I asked with a bit of a frown.

“Nope, and Rarity is always too busy to spend time with me.” She said softly.

“Wait a minute,” I put a hoof to my head in realization, “Rarity is your big sister, isn’t she?”

She perked her head up, “Yeah. Have you met her yet?”

Ah, shit... Of all the mares in this town, Sweetie Belle had to have the snooty one as a sister. This won’t end well.

“Uh, well kinda...” I stammered, “well let's take these quills and stuff to Twilight’s.” I changed the subject as quickly as I could and headed for the library.

Sweetie Belle blinked at me suspiciously, but shrugged and galloped up to my side. We chatted up a storm on the way back to Twilight’s, everything from her foiled attempts to get her cutie mark with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, to the silly arguments she found herself in with Rarity, and the reason she was feeling down this morning.

Turns out, Rarity had thought Sweetie Belle ruined a new pair of her scissors, so Sweetie Belle set out with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom to go get Rarity a new pair. Upon returning however, Rarity had found the ruined scissors to be a prank, which she blamed on Sweetie Belle. Sadly, the frustrated and impatient Rarity told Sweetie Belle to return the new scissors back to the store first thing this morning. I thought that was pretty low, and made me feel pretty bad for the filly.

As we walked along, the same duo of mares that giggled at me when I first came to Ponyville caught my eye. The cream colored pony with the pink and blue mane pointed in my direction and said something to the green unicorn, but I couldn’t hear it. The pony with the blue and pink mane trotted off behind a building, leaving the mint green mare. She looked directly at me and shot me a bashful smile before catching back up to the cream colored earth pony. Sweetie Belle saw it too, and trotted in front of my face.

“What was that about?” she raised a hoof, pointing to the green unicorn mare trotting away behind a building.

“Beats me!” I felt my face become hot and I shifted my eyes in every direction except to meet with Sweetie Belle’s.

“You should go talk to her!” she squealed, “Maybe she likes you!”

“Uh, I don’t think so Sweetie Belle...” My automatic instinctual response when somebody inquired about a girl liking me.

Good to know I still have that problem to deal with. Ugh.

“Awe,” she whined, “Why not?”

“I just got here Sweetie Belle, I think I should concentrate on settling down before anything...like that.” I snickered, shoving a hoof in the direction of where the mare once stood and directly smiled at me.

“Alright.” She sighed.

As we approached the enormous tree that housed the Ponyville library, Sweetie Belle and I both could hear a panicked voice. Sweetie Belle looked at me with a raised brow, and I shrugged; sharing her confusion. I set down the quills and parchment I was carrying in my mouth.

I knocked on the door, but Sweetie Belle used her magic to open the door; waltzing right into the library. I shot her a confused look.

“What?” she turned back to me and shrugged, “Everypony always just walks right in here, Twilight doesn’t mind.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she doesn’t.” I retorted sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes and again, picked up the parchment and quills with my teeth.

Man, I’m getting tired of carrying shit around with my teeth; they’re starting to get sore.

I sighed through my teeth and followed after Sweetie Belle into the library.

“Oh! Hi, Sweetie Belle! How are you?” Twilight greeted with a smile.

“Hi Twilight! Im go-” Sweetie Belle was cut off by Rarity, who was immediately snout-to-snout with her.

“Sweetie Belle, I asked you to return those scissors to the store!” Rarity growled, firmly stomping a hoof on the floor.

Twilight loudly cleared her throat as she noticed me coming in through the doorway; catching the attention of the white mare towering over Sweetie Belle.

Rarity’s eyes snapped up to mine from Sweetie Belle’s. I stopped dead in the doorway, and dropped the parchment and quills on Twilight’s floor as my mouth dropped.

“Oh... shit.” All I could manage under my breath.

Author's Note

Long chapter is long! Well, I would've had this one posted a few days ago, but I had a bunch of crap to attend to on the weekend; as per usual nowadays. Next chapter coming very soon! (I Pinkie Promise!!!)
As always, feel free to share your feedback!

Stay awesome you guys!

Chapter 8 - Awkward Impressions

“Well, glad to see that we’ve all been introduced.” Twilight forwardly broke the silence.

“Uh yeah...” I nervously chuckled, “Here’s those quills and parchment you asked for, Twilight.” I set the quills and parchment aside the door, and shuffled my way towards the couch to grab my tools.

Rarity just stood there frozen and eyes wide, which was beginning to make me feel uneasy. I looked to Twilight, who took side to Rarity and nudged her with a hoof. Rarity shook herself out of her frozen state, and retreated her gawking stare.

I picked up the tools with my teeth, waved a hoof goodbye to Twilight and Sweetie Belle, and walked out the door. I must say that had to have been one of the most awkward drop-ins I’ve experienced. I let out a huge sigh of relief, and wiped my brow with a hoof.

Good thing I didn’t have to say anything to that preppy mare. That could’ve turned out even worse. She definitely doesn’t like me very much.

“Um, yes. Anyways...” Rarity finally snapped back to reality, “Well Twilight, I shall bid you adieu. Thank you for the book, I shall bring it right back.”

Rarity then glared down to Sweetie Belle, “And Sweetie Belle, we are going to have a talk once we get back to the boutique.”

“Is this about the scissors again?” Sweetie Belle squeaked, returning Rarity’s glare.

“Wait, scissors?” Twilight butted in between the arguing sisters, “Rarity, is this about the prank Pinkie, Rainbow and I played on you the other day?”

“Wait a minute,” Rarity took a step back, “what ever are you talking about Twilight? What prank?”

“Um, Rainbow, Pinkie and I played a prank on you yesterday. We thought it would be funny to switch your scissors.” Twilight stated in a tone as if she were asking a question, placing a comforting hoof on Rarity’s shoulder, biting her bottom lip.

“That was you three?” Rarity’s mouth fell agape.

“I never heard how it turned out. Guess Pinkie and Rainbow Dash didn’t stick around long enough to find out either.” Twilight giggled.

“Oh c’mon!” Sweetie Belle yelled out in frustration.

“Hmm...” I thought aloud, “finding a place to stay shouldn’t be too difficult.” I searched through town, now carrying a red toolbox in my teeth.

After leaving the awkward situation at Twilight’s, I headed to the hardware store and paid Pin Stripe a quick visit, although his store was listed as ‘closed’; I made sure we were still on for hanging out tonight, and to pick up a more efficient way of carrying around my tools. I couldn’t stand waltzing around town with a bag full of tools clenched in my teeth. I probably looked like a bum. I picked out a decently sized, red, carry-along tool box. Nothing too big, but just big enough to haul all my current tools around, and still have some space for more later on. And I of course, paid Pin a little extra for his services.

As I ogled through town looking for an apartment complex, or something to the sort, I was approached by Pinkie Pie.

Oh dear lord, here we go...

“Hiya, Davin!” she cheerily called, “What’cha doin'?”

I set down the toolbox, “Hey Pinkie Pie.” I hesitantly replied, “Nothin’ much really, just looking for a place to rent out, like an apartment or something.”

“Ooh! I know lots of places!” she jumped with excitement, “Quick, follow me!”

Before I knew it, Pinkie had already taken off down the street. I sighed and picked up the tool box with my teeth, then galloped after the energetic pink pony.

I was moving at a pretty good clip, until something caught my hoof and I tripped. I came to a screeching halt as I slammed face first right into the dirt, making a pretty impressive crater in the road, and sending the toolbox flying. I lifted my now aching head out of the dirt to the sound of ponies laughing.

“You got like, two feet of air that time!” Chortled a mare’s voice.

“Yeah, um... at least two feet.” Giggled another.

I lifted my head and quickly glanced over to see, yup, none other than the mares from earlier; the mint green unicorn and the cream colored earth pony. I sighed and lifted myself up off the road and rubbed my forehead with a hoof.

“So, um... Lyra, you gunna say anything? Or....” Giggled the mare with the pink and blue mane.

“Umm...” the mint green unicorn nervously chuckled.

Alright then! Well, this is weird.

I could feel my face getting hot, so I took a deep breath and I got my ass out of there as quickly and casually as I could; anywhere was better than standing there like a total fucking idiot in front of those two mares.

I finally caught up to Pinkie Pie, who greeted me with a giggle. “What took you so long, slow-poke?” She poked me in the side of the ribs with a hoof.

“Well, I was right behind you, but I tripped and bit-er pretty hard.” I rolled my eyes and shrugged.

“You bit who hard!?” Pinkie’s face fell to a concerned stare.

“Huh?” my head jerked back in momentary confusion, “Oh, no. I meant I fell pretty hard. I didn’t bite anypony.” I laughed.

“Oh, ok. Phew!” Pinkie sighed in relief, “Biting ponies isn’t healthy you know, and it’s frowned upon by society.” Pinkie began to sound serious.

“Yes Pinkie, thanks. I know.” I lightly chuckled, trotting alongside the ever-excited Pinkie Pie.

“Okie dokie!” she returned to her cheery self, “So, I heard Applejack offered you a place to work!”

“You did?” I raised an eyebrow at Pinkie Pie, “She only offered me the job yesterday.”

“Well I quickly went to go get a snack when Rainbow Dash, Twilight and I were pranking Rarity yesterday, and Applejack mentioned how you helped her fix up her cart and she said it would be a great idea for you to help the Apple Family on the farm with all their equipment!” Pinkie just looked me in the eye with a grin.

I was so shocked at how she managed to say all that so quickly and not be out of breath, that I almost forgot to reply.

“Oh, well yeah she uh, she did offer me a job there. I start on Monday.” I stated with a bit of pride.

Pinkie gasped, “On Monday?!”

“Uh, yea-” I was interrupted by Pinkie’s excitement.

“That means there’s only 13 days left until Cider Season!” She squealed, “Aren’t you excited?!”

“Um Pinkie, I have no idea what that is.” I replied blankly with a shrug.

“Oh, silly me!” she giggled, “It’s when the Apple Family harvests their most delicious-est of apples, and makes them into the tastiest cider you’ve ever drank!”

“Oh really?” I exaggerated my enthusiasm to sound more interested than I actually was.

“Yeah! Applejack even has some of her relatives here from all over Equestria to help out with the harvest!” Pinkie stood on her hind hooves and twirled.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle entered the boutique, already engaged in an argument.

“Sweetie Belle, you are not to be spending time with that... Davin character.” Rarity’s tone was serious and direct, as she gestured a hoof towards outside.

“I don’t see what’s so wrong about him Rarity,” Sweetie squeaked in frustration, “at first I didn’t really like him, but he turned out to be pretty nice, actually.”

“Well perhaps he isn’t as rude as he came across to me...” Rarity thought for a moment, “Nonetheless, I want you to stay away from him, Sweetie Belle."

“Ugh...” Sweetie Belle groaned, “but, Rarity!”

“Sweetie Belle, watch your tone!” Rarity snapped, “As your big sister, it is my responsibility to get to know somepony before they have a chance to become an influence on you.”

“I’m sure Braeburn would like it if you spent time with another colt.” Sweetie Belle flatly quipped, now face to face with her big sister.

“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity stomped a hoof on the floor, looking her sister dead in the eye.

“Ugh, fine!” Sweetie Belle growled, throwing her hooves into the air in defeat.

“Good.” Rarity raised her snout, “Just for now, keep your distance from that... that...” Rarity huffed, struggling to come up with the right word.

There was a knock at the door, breaking Rarity’s concentration. Sweetie Belle growled and climbed the stairs out of view.

“I still can’t believe you blamed the scissor prank on me and made me take those scissors all the way back to the store!” Sweetie Belle squeaked from the top of the stairs.

Rarity rolled her eyes and opened the door, to a light tan earth pony wearing a dark brown cowboy hat and jacket. He was looking rather depressed, and was staring at the ground shuffling a hoof.

“Hello Braeburn!” Rarity greeted happily, “How are the preparations for Cider Season coming along?”

“They’re comin’ along jus’ fine miss Rarity.” Braeburn lifted his head to meet the mare at eye level, “I wanted ta come by ta talk to ya ‘bout somthin’ that’s been botherin’ me though.” Braeburn broke eye contact and lowered his head.

“Is this about that run in with that stallion this morning?” Rarity brought a hoof to Braeburn’s chin, “You shouldn’t be worrying about that dear; you did the right thing.” Rarity smiled and gave the stallion a peck on the cheek.

Braeburn smiled and blushed at the gesture, but his moment of happiness was short-lived.

“Wait a sec, run in with who, now?” Braeburn cocked his head, “I’ve been workin’ the orchard all mornin’, Rarity!”

Pinkie and I trotted through town, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of something amiss. I tuned out Pinkie’s non-stop talking, and placed a hoof to my chin in thought.

“You alright Dav-e-do?” Pinkie stopped her rambling and directly addressed me.

“Huh?” she snapped me out of my train of thought, “Yeah, I just can’t shake this feeling that I’m forgetting something.”

“Hmm...” Pinkie studied me head-to-hoof for a moment, then shrugged.

I shrugged as well, “Ah well, maybe it’ll come back to me later on.”

Finding a cheap apartment turned out to be quite a challenge, despite the fact that there were actually quite a few places for rent in Ponyville. I didn’t need a huge condo or anything either, just a small place to sleep, eat and chill out; just something simple and cheap. I was getting to the point where I was willing to give up and accept sleeping in the street, but nope! Fate had other plans. Maybe luck had a big part in it too; I’ll go with the latter and say luck.

“Hey, look!” Pinkie piped up, pointing to a slightly run-down two-storey building, which similarly resembled a motel back on Earth.

“Hmm, I don’t know Pinkie.” I skeptically scrutinized at the building.

“Oh, Pssh. What could it hurt?” Pinkie shrugged, taking a start towards the building.

I let out a short aggravated growl, and took after Pinkie. We galloped up to the main entrance, and I followed Pinkie through the front door into the lobby and up to the front desk, where a dark grey pegasus mare with a cutie mark of a white pillow and black trailing off Z’s was sound asleep with her head resting atop the counter. I chuckled to myself at how appropriate the whole situation was. Oops, perhaps chuckled to myself a little too loudly.

The grey Pegasus slowly opened one eye, then snapped to full attention, “Daydream at your service! How may I help you?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but Pinkie was already a step ahead of me and broke the silence.

“Hi Daydream!” she smiled cheerfully to the mare, “My friend here was wondering if you possibly had a room for rent!” She pointed a hoof in my direction.

“Uh yeah,” I awkwardly stepped up to the counter next to Pinkie, “Also payment details as well, if that would be alright.”

“Ok then,” the grey Pegasus studied me for a moment, “what sort of room were you interested in?”

“Just a simple single bed room, with a single bathroom.” I stated for probably the 10th time that day, “Nothing fancy or anything.” I shrugged.

“How long were you thinking of renting out the room for?” the grey Pegasus flipped through a binder on the counter, picked up a pen in her mouth, and began to make a few notes.

“I'm actually not quite sure,” I rubbed my chin in thought, “however long it takes to save up for a place of my own, I suppose. I’d say probably at least a few months if everything goes my way.”

I was at the point where I honestly didn’t care how expensive the room was going to be. I just needed a place to stay. Ok, maybe not need, but I’d prefer to stay on my own terms and not live off the ponies around here. I like working things out for myself; as I’m sure I’ve mentioned a few times by now.

“Alright...” Daydream gave me a long quizzical stare, “Rent is 500 bits per month, and is due on the last day of the month. Being as it is still the beginning of the month, I’ll cut you a break.”

“A break for what?” I snapped my head back.

“Well I’m supposed to collect a 100 bit down payment on new rental clients, but I’m feeling generous today...” She looked down for a moment, “...and I trust you not to tell my boss I was sleeping on the job again.”

I chuckled, “Ok, perf-” I was interrupted by Daydream raising a hoof.

“As long as you aren’t one of those ponies that takes my generosity for granted and moves out before I get my month’s pay of rent.” She beamed me a very serious stare.

“Of course I’m not!” I raised both my front hooves in surrender, “The last thing I’m hoping to do is deliberately cause trouble.”

“Good.” The Pegasus mare nodded her head and placed a key onto the counter.

I stared for a moment down at the key; room #15. I picked it up in my teeth and met Daydream at eye level.

“If you need anything, feel free to ask.” She smiled, “Your room is the 5th on the left.” She pointed a hoof towards a door on the left wall of the lobby.

I nodded my head in thanks and headed for the door, then I noticed something...

Where the heck is Pinkie?

I turned around and quickly scanned the lobby for any sign of the pink pony. Nothing; she must have left when I was talking with Daydream. I shrugged and headed out the door towards my new apartment.

“Lyra, look.” Bon Bon snickered and pointed a hoof to the red tool box lay aside on the road, “That dolt forgot his tools.”

“Uh, oh,” Lyra giggled, “what should we do?”

Bon Bon gave Lyra the ‘are you for real’ face, “Well, we should probably return them to him. It was one thing to trip him in the first place, Lyra.”

“Hey!” Lyra shot back, “You told me to do it!”

“Yeah,” Bon Bon tilted her head and raised a hoof, “but it was supposed to be a way for you to meet him, not trip him then not say a word to him.”

“What? I was nervous, sorry!” Lyra shrugged with a bit of a flushed face.

“Well actually talk to him next time Lyra.” Bon Bon prodded the mint green unicorn in the side with a hoof, “He probably thinks we’re just a couple of bullies now or something.”

Lyra sighed, “I guess you’re right... Fine, let’s go find him.”

Lyra hesitantly picked up the toolbox with her magic, and turned to face Bon Bon, “Where do you think we’ll find him?”

“I have no idea.” Bon Bon replied, slack-jawed in thought, “He seemed like he was in a rush though. Maybe he was trying to catch up to Pinkie Pie?”

“Yeah maybe,” Lyra shrugged, “Lets try and find Pinkie then. She knows everything about everypony.”

Bon Bon and Lyra searched every corner of Ponyville for what seemed like hours until Bon Bon spotted Pinkie trotting happily towards Sugarcube Corner.

“Hey Lyra, look!” Bon Bon pointed a hoof towards Sugarcube Corner, “There she is!”

“Oh, finally!” Lyra sighed in relief and galloped up to the pink pony alongside Bon Bon.

“Hey Pinkie!” the two mares called out simultaneously.

Pinkie seemed caught off guard for a moment as she was intercepted by the two mares, but just as quickly greeted them with a welcoming smile, “Hi girls! What’cha up to?”

“Oh same old, same old!” Bon Bon pawed a hoof.

“Pinkie, have you seen that, um... dark blue unicorn stallion with the white and black mane around here anywhere?” Lyra cut to the chase.

“You forgot to say ‘cute’." Bon Bon teased, receiving a jab in the ribs from Lyra, “Ouch. I deserved that...”

Lyra shot Bon Bon a quick glare and returned to Pinkie, who was more-or-less confused.

“Well?” Lyra raised a brow, “Have you seen him?”

“Well of course silly!” Pinkie giggled, “We spent pretty much all day looking all over Ponyville for an apartment, and we finally found one not too long ago!”

Bon Bon and Lyra stared at each other and shrugged, “Where is his apartment?” Bon Bon asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Yeah, kinda need to give this back to him.” Lyra presented the red tool box.

Pinkie gasped, “He did say he thought he was forgetting something! Quick, let’s give this back to him!”

“Ok lets g-” Bon Bon tried to take a step forward, but Pinkie stopped her short.

Pinkie gasped again, “I got a better, fun-er idea!” Pinkie hopped in excitement.

Lyra and Bon Bon both sighed and drooped their heads, “What do you have in mind, Pinkie?” Lyra was almost afraid to ask.

“A PARTY!!” Pinkie pumped both her hooves into the air, “Davin’s new to town and he just found himself a place to live! It’s going to be a Welcome-To-Ponyville-Congratulations-On-The-New-Home party!”

Bon Bon and Lyra both shared a skeptical glance, both not sure what Pinkie had planned for them at that moment.

Pinkie then immediately met Lyra face-to-face, “Ok, I need you to go to his apartment and find him, and convince him to come to Sugarcube Corner at 6 O’clock. But don’t tell him why! It’s a surprise party and you don’t want to spoil the surprise! That would be no fun!”

“Um, Pinkie, I don’t know...” Lyra nervously backed up a step, receiving confused glances from both Bon Bon and Pinkie Pie.

“Oh c’mon Lyra anypony could do it!” Pinkie attempted to reassure the nervous green unicorn.

Bon Bon gave Lyra a friendly nudge, “Yeah Lyra, you can do it.” she giggled.

Lyra groaned, “Fine, fine. Meet you girls in a bit.” She trotted off in the direction of Davin’s apartment and sighed.

“Ok Bon Bon, I need you to round up as many ponies as you can to meet at Sugarcube Corner.” Pinkie pointed a hoof to the bakery resembling an oversized gingerbread house.

“Ugh,” Bon Bon groaned, “you’re too welcoming sometimes Pinkie.”

“Why do you say that?” Pinkie tilted her head and raised a hoof.

“You throw a huge party for every new pony here.” The cream earth pony stated flatly.

“Well of course! It’s the best way to make anypony feel welcome!” Pinkie smiled wide, “And it’s a good way to meet new ponies too! You know that, silly!” Pinkie poked Bon Bon in the side.

Bon Bon giggled, “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Room 15.” I said to myself through my teeth as I glanced at the numbers on other apartment doors as I trotted by, “Oh, here we go.”

I knelt down and held out the key in my teeth, and placed it into the keyhole. I had to turn my entire head just to turn the bolt unlocked. It was a pretty strange sight, I’m sure. The door popped open to a dark, short entrance, and smelled strongly of air fresheners. Very strongly. I cringed at the scent, and searched for the light switch.

“Ho, boy I gotta get rid of whatever’s stinking up this place. Ever heard of Febreeze? Freshen up; don’t cover up.” I snickered as I trotted into the room.

Ok where the hell is the light switch? It seriously can’t be far. It would be so much easier to find if it wasn’t so damn dark in here. Holy irony.

To my surprise, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared right above my head.

“Well that’s much better!” I said aloud, “but where the hell is that light coming from?” I tried to look up at the light, but every time I moved my head, the light moved with it.

I tried to touch the light, only being able to touch the tip of my horn.

“Oh.” The realization hit me, “Ok, cool! Guess I can scratch ‘flashlight’ off the list of tools I need.” I chuckled, trying to figure out how exactly I managed to conjure up an illumination spell.

The light emanating from my horn undeniably and uncontrollably slowly began to fade out. I sighed in disappointment as the room once again fell to darkness. Perhaps Twilight could figure out how, and why, I came up with a spell completely on my own. In spite of the fact the entrance way was now dark; I finally located the light switch, flicking it on. Maybe I'd have to get myself a flashlight after all.

The light illuminated the entranceway, revealing a door to my left to the bathroom, and straight ahead opening up to a small kitchen, complete with a stove, sink and a small table. To the right of the kitchen, a door opened up to a single room with a single bed and nightstand. The place wasn’t bad, but as expected, it could use a little cleaning up here and there. Still, not bad for 500 bits a month.

“Pleasantries aside, where the hell are my tools anyways?” I looked around my hooves, then searched the apartment, “Could’ve swore they were right with me this while ti-” My eyes shot open in shock, “Ah, fuck!”

I bolted out of my apartment, almost forgetting to lock the door behind me. I stopped in my tracks to turn back and lock the door. I locked the bolt and slid the key down into one of the pockets of my vest.

“Shit! Shit! Shit! Where did I leave it?!” I panicked as I ran as fast as I could back towards the middle of Ponyville. “Please tell me I didn’t leave it on the road when I wiped out in front of those two mares...” I groaned.

Author's Note

This chapter took me way too long... But hey, thats what happens when you're a busy man!
I'm finally on holidays for the next couple weeks; taking a road trip down to Idaho with a couple friends to the sand dunes to do some dirt biking.
Unfortunately, there's no internet connection down there, so it will be a week or so before any new chapters are posted. :(
Sorry guys! I know waiting sucks, but bear with me! This story is only getting started!
Fortunately though, I'll have a lot of time to write the new chapters, so when I do end up updating again, I'll be posting at least a few chapters!

As always, feel free to express your feedback!

Chapter 10 - A Night Out: Part 1

I sighed, “Yeah? What?” I didn’t really feel like having to talk to anyone. I was exhausted and needed to get out of there in a hurry.

Rarity took a half-step back, “I just would like to apologize for being so hostile when we bumped into each othe the other day...”

“You...” I paused for a moment to confirm what I just heard, “...do?”

“Well yes,” she tilted her head, “it was an accident. My behavior was completely uncalled for, and unladylike. I’m sorry.”

I was speechless. I just stood there for a moment while I processed Rarity’s apology. I wasn’t sure whether I should lash out and let my frustrations go, or if I should just accept the apology.

I shook my head, “It’s alright.” I shrugged.

Honestly, I would’ve felt better if I really let that mare know how uncalled for her behavior actually was; but even like back home, I could never pull through to be directly rude and let my anger unload on someone. I guess I just rather brush things off rather than start up another potential disagreement for no reason.

“Well then,” she fluttered her eyes and bounced a curl in her hair with a hoof, “I’m glad we got that settled.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Man, this was getting awkward, and fast.

“Well I better get going. I have plans tonight. I’ll see you around I guess.” I left Rarity and Sugarcube Corner and headed for my apartment.

I unlocked the door and placed my finally found tool box alongside the desk, and sighed in relief.

“What an episode that was finding you.” I chuckled at the toolbox. Yeah, I talk to inanimate objects sometimes. What of it?

I trotted over to the small cramped bathroom, and gave myself a thorough look-over in the mirror. I was going to meet up with Pin Stripe soon and head to the bar after all; might as well look somewhat presentable. I took off the vest and set it down next to the sink. I took another look at myself in the mirror, and squinted.

“Hmm,” I thought, looking down to the vest, “maybe I’ll wear this after all. It suits me.” I shrugged and was just about to pick up the vest with my teeth, but I decided to try using magic instead.

I took a step back, and imaged myself picking up and putting on the vest. With an assuredly gentle tap of my horn this time, I looked to the vest. Along with my horn, it began to glow white. To my surprise, I actually managed to easily lift it a few inches off the counter. I was rather impressed with myself.

“Ha, sweet!” I watched the vest hover closer and closer to me, but my concentration was broken by the thought of a couple certain unicorn mares. The aura surrounding the vest and my horn disappeared, and the vest dropped to the bathroom floor. “Ahh, damn.”

“Concentration is definitely key to this...” I rubbed my forehead, “Practice too.” I knelt down and picked up the vest with my teeth, flicking it up over my head and slipping it on. I flicked off the light with my hoof and left my apartment, and headed into the dimly lit evening light of Ponyville’s streets.

“How’d it go, Rarity?” Lyra called from inside the open door of Sugarcube Corner.

“How’d what go?” Pinkie Pie interjected.

“Rarity finally apologized to Davin for being rude or something.” Lyra shrugged in response to Pinkie’s question.

“Oh...” Pinkie nodded her head in understanding.

“Well?” Lyra repeated, as Rarity trotted up.

“Well, he knows I’m sorry.” Rarity shrugged, having a disgruntled look about her face.

Lyra shrugged, “Well it’s better than nothing, I guess.”

“I suppose it will have to do.” Rarity stated rather disapprovingly.

“Well how about we go out for a drink or something, Rarity? Get your mind off a few crazy things that have been going on around here lately.” Lyra placed a hoof onto Rarity shoulder, then turned to Pinkie, “Want to join us Pinkie?”

Pinkie gasped, “Do I?! I’d love to!”

Without waiting for Rarity to agree, Lyra nodded. “Perfect. Bon Bon will probably want to come too, I’ll go ask her.” Lyra left Pinkie and Rarity in search for Bon Bon.

“This is going to be so fun!” Pinkie hopped in excitement.

“I hope so.” Rarity rubbed the back of her head with a hoof

.

It didn’t take me long to find Pin Stripe; his short, spiky electric blue mane and tail stood out in a crowd. Plus, he was almost as tall as I was. He was standing in a group of three other stallions; none of which I recognized. I looked at the group again. Actually, there was one of the three that I did recognize. The same stallion that I thought I would’ve had a scrap with the other day; Braeburn.

“Hey man.” I trotted up to the group, waving a hoof.

“Hey, Davin!” Pin Stripe greeted, “Guys, this is Davin. He’s that mechanic I was telling you about.”

“How’s it going guys.” I nodded my head in salute.

“Howdy.” A buff red stallion extended his hoof out to me, which I shook with my own. “Name’s Big Mac. This here is mah cousin Braeburn.” He pointed a hoof towards the tan stallion with the cowboy hat.

I turned my attention to Braeburn, “Yeah, I think we’ve met before.”

“We have?” He tilted his head, sticking out his hoof.

“Yeah, back there when I bumped into Rarity.” I shook Braeburn’s hoof, not taking my eye off him.

“That’s so strange;” Braeburn rubbed the side of his head, “Rarity mentioned somthin’ ‘bout that too, but I can’t say I have a clue ta what y’all are talkin’ about.”

“Really?” I jerked my head back, “You don’t remember telling me to watch myself?” I narrowed my eyes, scrutinizing the colt.

“I think ya both mus’ have me mistaken for somepony else there, Davin.” Braeburn raised a hoof.

“Nope, it was defiantly you, man.” I shook my head.

“Ahem,” Pin Stripe cleared his throat, “Anyways... Davin, this is my pal Bronze.” He pointed a hoof to a light orange pegasus with a silvery-grey mane. He had a cutie mark of a red hot steel rod being struck by a hammer on an anvil.

“Nice to meet you, Bronze.” I extended my hoof.

“Yeah,” he gave me a skeptical look before shaking my hoof, “you too.”

“Alright, cool. Now that we’re all acquainted, let’s go get our drink on, boys!” Pin Stripe led the way to the bar.

“About time!” Bronze cheered, following closely after Pin Stripe.

Big Mac chuckled and shook his head at the pegasus. I too followed after Bronze and Big Mac, only to notice Braeburn standing behind, looking off into the distance.

“Uh, Braeburn? You coming?”

“Uh, yeah.” He shook his head and trotted up to the group.

“You alright?” I nudged him with a hoof.

“Yeah, I’m jus’ fine.” He rubbed his forehead with a hoof. “Jus’ been workin’ myself too hard that I’m seein’ things. I swore I jus’ saw myself trot across the street.”

“Cousin, we’ve all been workin too hard.” Big Mac piped in, “Things’ll get better come Monday, cuz. AJ mentioned she dun’ hired a mechanic ta fix all our ‘quipment.”

“Wait,” I paused, raising a hoof, “you know AJ?”

“Uh, yeah, she’s my lil’ sis.” The red stallion beamed at me.

“Oh!” I nodded my head in understanding, “Well, uh, I’m the mechanic she hired.”

Braeburn and Big Mac both snapped their full attention to me as their mouths fell open.

“You?” Big Mac studied me thoughtfully.

“Uh, yeah.” I bit my bottom lip.

“You sure y’all can handle workin’ on all our farm ‘quipment?” Big Mac raised a brow, “Some ‘em repairs are even beyond me.”

Well that’s a discouraging statement. Don’t make me feel like I have to reconsider Applejack’s offer before I even get to start, Big Mac. Jeez.

“There’s no repair job that I can’t handle, Big Mac.” I tried to reassure the red stallion.

“We’ll see.” Big Mac swung his head unknowingly.

I shrugged off Big Mac’s doubt and continued on with the group towards the bar. I assume we were getting closer, because the nightlife of this one street was bustling with lively ponies and there was a constant low-frequency hum of bass emanating from the few clubs and pubs.

We finally made it to the bar, but had to wait in line for the bouncer to let us in. Good to know no matter what planet or plane of existence you’re on, you have to wait in line to get into a club.

After a few long minutes of waiting, our group was next in line.

The bouncer’s eyes fell upon the brown earth pony with the blue mane. “Back again eh, Pin Stripe?” The bouncer immediately opened the door to the bar, letting all of the group in, only to hold out a hoof, stopping me in my tracks.

“Who are you?” The bouncer gleamed at me.

“Umm...” I was caught off guard, not expecting to be immediately put on the spot for no apparent reason.

“It’s cool man,” Pin Stripe called from inside the door, “He’s with me.”

The bouncer took another long hard look at me. “Not going to be any trouble now, are ya?”

“Not planning on it.” I shrugged, trying to lighten the mood.

The bouncer glared at me. Clearly he didn’t have much time for a sense of humor; too busy being a hard ass I guess.

“No, I won’t.” I reassured the bouncer, who finally let me inside to join the group. I sighed in relief as I was rejoined with the others.

“What was that ‘bout?” Braeburn asked, pointing to the bouncer outside.

“Don’t know, man.” I shrugged, “I must just have that face where everyone has to give me a hard time, I guess.”

Braeburn chuckled, “I know the feelin’.”

You know, I was wrong about Braeburn. He seems like a cool guy. He’s definitely not acting at all what I would’ve expected from the impression I got of him from that bump-in with Rarity.

“So you been here before?” I asked, taking a look around the crowded bar.

“Nope, it’s my first time goin’ ta a bar in Ponyville.” Braeburn also looked around the bar, then paused when something caught his eye. “I’ll talk with ya in a bit, Davin.” I watched Braeburn make his way into the crowd of ponies, when somepony bumped into my side.

“Hey there, cutie.” I turned around to find a pink earth pony mare with the cutie mark of a bunch of grapes and a strawberry. Don’t ask me why I noticed her cutie mark above everything else. Just don’t.

“What’s up?” I tried to play it as cool as I could.

“Can I buy you a drink?” she asked, gesturing a hoof over towards the bar.

Well, usually I’d be the one offering to buy the chick a drink in this sort of situation, but she beat me to it I guess. Whatever, I play.

I took a glance around the room, “Sure, why not.” I smiled to the mare and proceeded with her over to the bar.

“Rarity, what are y’all doin’ here?” Braeburn happily trotted up to his marefriend, who was enjoying herself with the company of Lyra, Bon Bon, and Pinkie Pie. Rarity paused when she noticed Braeburn approach.

“You have some nerve mister!” Rarity glared at the tan stallion, stopping him in his tracks.

“W-what?” Braeburn stammered, “What’s the matter Rarity?”

“You know darn well what the matter is!” She stomped a hoof to the ground, “How dare you hit a mare!”

“I-ah, What?!” Braeburn’s eye twitched uncontrollably in confusion, “I ain’t hit no pony, Rarity!”

“Don’t lie to me Braeburn!” Rarity stood a mere inch from Braeburn’s face.

“I ain’t lyin’! I swear, I never hit no pony!” Braeburn took a step back.

“Braeburn, don’t make me loose my trust in yo-” Rarity was distracted by Big Macintosh coming to Braeburn’s side.

“Everythin’ alright over here?” He glanced at Rarity then to Braeburn, who had a deeply concerned look on his face.

“Yes, Big Mac.” Rarity pointed her snout into the air, “Everything is fine.”

“Sure doesn’t look fine ta me.” Big Mac raised an eyebrow.

Braeburn couldn’t conjure up anything to say. He just threw his hooves into the air in defeat.

Rarity sighed, “Big Macintosh, has Braeburn been with you this entire evening?”

“Eeyup.” The red stallion nodded his head. “Only left the orchard at ‘round noon today ta come see ya.”

“This doesn’t even make any sense!” Rarity stomped her hoof on the floor, “Braeburn, we need to talk alone, and get some things straight.”

“Yes ma’am.” Braeburn agreed, “I’ll see y’all on Monday cuz.” He dismissed to Big Macintosh, then left the bar with a very frustrated and confused Rarity.

“Um, alright, guess it’s just us, girls.” Bon Bon shrugged, exchanging looks from Pinkie and Lyra.

“So what’s with this colt-cuddler of a friend you got, Pin?” Bronze nudged the brown earth pony seated on the stool next to him.

“I really don’t assume he’s gay, Bronze.” Pin Stripe shook his head, “He’s a mechanic. Plus look over there, he’s already talking with--Wait is that Berry Punch?”

Bronze followed the direction Pin Stripe was pointing, “Berry Punch? What the hay is he doing talking to her?”

Pin Stripe slumped his head onto the bar and sighed, “I’ll never have a chance with her.”

“Oh cheer up, pal.” Bronze patted Pin on the back, “You just need to catch her attention is all. Here, let me go help you out.” Bronze got up from his stool, “I’ll be your wingman tonight, bro.”

Pin gasped, “Bronze, no! It’s alright! You don’t have to--”

“Oh c’mon man, just let me try to help you out.” Bronze laughed and trotted off to intercept the blue stallion conversing with Berry Punch.

“Oh Celestia, help me.” Pin waved down the bartender to pour him another hard cider.

“Hey girls, look! It’s Davin!” Pinkie pointed a hoof towards the bar.

Bon Bon gasped, “Lyra, you should go talk to him!”

“Why are you always getting me to go talk to him, Bon Bon?” Lyra nudged her with a hoof.

“Lyra, just go talk to him. He’s right there.” Bon Bon pointed a hoof down the bar. Pinkie giggled.

“He’s looking at you! He’s looking at you!” Pinkie squealed.

Lyra turned around to notice the navy-blue unicorn looking her way. He awkwardly turned his attention away.

“I can’t do it.” Lyra turned back around to face her friends.

“Oh Lyra.” Bon Bon shook her head, passing Lyra a drink. “Just drink this. Loosen up.”

Lyra hesitantly grabbed the glass, and gulped down the drink. “There, happy?” she wiped her mouth with a hoof.

“Almost; just one more thing to do.” Bon Bon grinned sadistically.

“What do you mean, one more thing?” Lyra suddenly felt concerned.

“Thank me later.” Bon Bon trotted off towards the stallion at the bar.

“Bon Bon, No!” Lyra cried. It was too late. Bon Bon was already halfway down the bar.

“Ooh, you’re a mechanic?” the pink mare asked, passing me a frosty cup of hard cider.

“Yup, been fixing things my whole life.” I stated with a bit of pride, picking up the glass which luckily had a handle for my hoof to fit through. I took a sip of the cider, “Huh, this is actually pretty good stuff.”

The mare giggled, “So what’s your name?” she took a sip of a drink of her own.

“Davin. What’s yours?”

“I’m Berry Punch. So what brings you here, Davin?” She asked, clinking her glass to my own.

“Well, I came here with a few friends.” I glanced around the bar for any sign of Pin Stripe, locating him sitting alone at the bar sipping from a glass.

“Well I would assume so.” She giggled, “I mean to Ponyville. I’ve never seen you around before.”

“Well let’s just say it was either a strike of luck, or a burden I have to live the rest of my life with.”

Berry Punch tilted her head, “I don’t think I follow what you mean.”

“In all honesty, I’m not sure I even understand how I ended up here in the first place. I’m just trying to make the best of it though.”

“Aren’t we all.” Berry Punch agreed, holding out her glass. I held out my glass to hers and we both took a drink.

“Hey, yo, Berry! Sup?” Bronze interrupted, resting a hoof on my shoulder, much to my disapproval.

Berry Punch sighed, “What do you want, Bronze?” she asked flatly, glaring at the orange pegasus.

“Oh, just wanted to introduce you to a friend of mine.” He nodded his head, offering a hoof towards the other end of the bar.

Berry sighed again and placed down her now empty glass. “Fine, why not. I’ll be right back, Davin.” She left alongside Bronze, turning her gaze back to me with a wink.

I nodded my head and sighed.

If I had a dollar, or in this case, a bit, for every time that happened to me at the bar, I wouldn’t have to pay for my own drinks.

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention down the bar, where I think I could make out Pinkie Pie talking with Lyra and that cream colored earth pony with the pink and blue mane talking amongst each other. From what I could tell, Lyra looked like she was looking at me. I quickly turned my attention away and turned back to face the bar. I quickly ordered another drink.

“Excuse me?” the cream colored earth pony with the blue and pink mane tapped me on the shoulder with a hoof.

“Hmm?” I turned around to face the mare, “Uh, hey.”

“Hi.” She smiled, “I’m Bon Bon. Can you come with me for a second?”

“Um, sure. I guess.” I hopped off my stool, and stepped up next to the mare, “I’m Davin by the way.”

“I know.” She nodded her head and giggled. “This way.” She led the way down the bar.

“So, uh... W-Where are we going?” I stepped a hoof ahead of the mare, to make sure my question got answered. I was beginning to become unsure about this situation. Nothing but shenanigans came out of being near this pony; her and that mint green unicorn, Lyra.

Bon Bon pointed her head towards the pink party pony and the mint green mare.

Ah shit. She's leading me right to her. Oh boy, what do I say?

I drew a blank trying to prepare myself for the impending conversation with the green unicorn.

Bon Bon and I came to a halt, joining Pinkie and Lyra. I was glad Pinkie was there, at least I could open up with her at that moment.

“Hey Pinkie, How are you?” I asked, stalling my inevitable awkward conversation with Lyra.

“I’m super!” Pinkie thrust both her hooves into the air.

I chuckled, “Pinkie, when aren’t you in a good mood?”

Bon Bon was catching on to my stalling. “Ahem,” she cleared her throat, “So Lyra, you said you wanted to ask Davin something?”

I lowered my head in defeat.

Here we go; I hate how I always seem to find myself in awkward situations.

I faced the inevitable, and faced Lyra.

“Um, so, uhh... What brings you to Ponyville?” she nervously managed, shuffling a hoof.

Bon Bon facehooved and groaned. If I had been any more rude and less understanding than I already was, I would’ve done the exact same thing as Bon Bon. It was going to be a very, very, long night.

Author's Note

Well look at that; two chapters in one day!
You guys are lucky that you're awesome enough to have me slaving away writing this thing. But seriously, I can't believe how much positive feedback I;m getting from this story so far, and how many of you actually enjoy my work! All I can say is that there's no end in sight yet, and I plan to keep you guys entertained for as long as I can drag this thing out!
Davin's adventures are only just beginning!

As always, feel free to comment and share your feedback!

Chapter 11 - A Night Out: Part 2

Braeburn sighed as he opened the door to the boutique for Rarity. She trotted inside, snout aimed high. Braeburn stepped inside as well, the door closing behind him.

“Braeburn, I am going to ask you one final time...” she asked, having her back turned towards the stallion, “Did you hit Lyra?” Rarity turned her head slightly, still not making eye contact with Braeburn.

“Rarity, I swear.” He put a hoof to his chest, “I ain’t ever hit a mare, nor will I ever, hit a mare.”

Rarity whipped around and stared the stallion in the eyes. “I wish I could believe that, Braeburn.” A tear streamed down from Rarity’s eye, “I really do wish I could believe you.”

“Rarity please...” Braeburn begged, “Don’t go doin’ this. I swear, I swear Rarity. I never hurt no pony. Please...”

“I’m sorry Braeburn.” Rarity covered her face with one hoof, and silenced Braeburn with the other. “I just need some time...” Rarity choked back her tears.

Braeburn dropped his head in defeat, and stepped towards the door. He looked up from the floor to his sobbing marefriend.

“Rarity, I-” He stammered.

“Braeburn, just... Just go.” Rarity pointed a hoof to the door, while still covering her eyes with the other.

Braeburn silently left the boutique, the door closing slowly with a hollow thud. He stood motionless on the doorstep for a moment, hearing Rarity’s sobs becoming audible. Braeburn sighed deeply as a few tears of his own fell to the ground. He began his dark, cold, and lonely walk down the dirt path towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Not only was he alone, but the weather was quickly taking a turn for the worse; rain was beginning to fall, and the wind was picking up. After what felt like eternity, Sweet Apple Acres finally came into view.

Braeburn couldn’t stop his mind from racing with unanswered questions.

How did his relationship with Rarity come to this?

Were things over between them now?

What had he done so wrong?

Why did she refuse to listen to him?

Above all, why couldn’t she trust him?

Braeburn paused for a moment just outside the gates to Sweet Apple Acres when he heard a twig snap.

“Who’s there?” Braeburn called out, spinning around, facing the darkness.

For a moment, nothing but the sound of rustling leaves of the apple trees and distant thunderclaps were heard. Braeburn turned back around towards Sweet Apple Acres. He was horrified when a low, harmonic chuckle followed. Without any further warning, Braeburn was pinned to the ground, immediately being stared down by two glowing green orbs.

A flash of lightning revealed a tan stallion wearing a cowboy hat. The rain began to pour, turning the dirt road into mud.

“Wha- But how?” Braeburn stammered, staring back into the eyes boring through him.

The false Braeburn cackled again, “Perfectly to plan...”

“What in tarnation is that suppose ta mean?!” Braeburn tried to break loose from being pinned down into the muddy road.

“I have you, exactly where I want you...” The imposter pinned down Braeburn with more force. “...out of the way.”

Braeburn tried to squirm free, “No! Le’ me go!”

The mud assisted Braeburn in his struggle, and he managed to break one of his back hooves free. Without hesitation, Braeburn bucked the imposter off him with a direct blow between the hind legs. The imposter was sent into the air, crashing down in a muddy puddle. Braeburn quickly got to his hooves, and made a run for it.

“Oh no you don’t!” the phony Braeburn called out.

A barricade of green fire blocked Braeburn’s escape. He came to a skidding halt, and jumped to his left; Braeburn was halted again by the row of emerald fire quickly encircling him.

“Nooooo!” Braeburn screamed, as he was teleported away with a blaze of the dark magic fire.

The false Braeburn chuckled evilly. With the real Braeburn now out of the way, he was now free to unleash his plan...

“You see my friend over there?” Bronze pointed a hoof to Pin Stripe, who was chugging down yet another glass of cider.

Berry Punch sighed, “Yeah, I see him, Bronze. What about him?”

“He totally thinks you’re hot.” Bronze nudged the mare with an elbow.

“Bronze, I don’t have time for this.” Berry tried to turn away, but Bronze just held out a hoof, blocking her path.

“Berry, just go say ‘hey’.” Bronze gestured his hoof towards his friend seated at the bar.

She grumbled, “Fine. I’ll just say hi. But that’s it. I’m not doing anything else for you, Bronze.” Berry Punch started her way towards Pin Stripe.

“Are you really still on about that night with Carrot Top?” Bronze called out, rolling his eyes.

“She still hasn’t got over it, you know.” Berry called back with a glare.

Bronze bit his bottom lip and rubbed the back of his head.

Berry took a seat next to the brown earth pony, sighing just barely loud enough to be heard.

“Well, somepony looks tense.” Berry caught Pin Stripe off guard, almost causing him to fall off the back of his stool.

“Heh,” Pin Stripe casually scratched his temple with a hoof after catching his balance, “was a rough week.”

“Uh huh.” Berry raised a brow, “So how come you’re here all by yourself?”

“Well actually, I’m not here alone; I came with a few other guys.” Pin Stripe took a gander across the crowd of ponies, “They’re in here... somewhere.” He shrugged.

“Right...” Berry waved down the bartender for a drink.

“Well, it’s kind of a long story.” I shrugged, answering the anxious green unicorn.

“Oh, I see...” Lyra took a step back, looking rather discouraged.

I immediately realized how dismissive my last statement was.

Crap!

“Well, I guess I could tell you about it over a drink?” I quickly made the offer, “That is, if you wouldn’t mind me boring you with my story of how I wound up here.” I casually gestured a hoof towards the bar.

“Alright, well Pinkie, what do ya say we go shake our hoof-thang out on the dance floor?” Bon Bon nudged Pinkie with a hoof.

“Ok!” Pinkie hopped her way along side Bon Bon towards a corner of the bar, leaving me and Lyra alone.

Lyra snickered, her face flushing a bit. “No, I don’t mind.”

The green mare trotted along side me to the bar, taking a seat on the stool next to me.

“I’m Lyra, by the way.” The unicorn held out her hoof.

I chuckled, “Nice to finally meet you Lyra. I’m Davin.” I gently shook her hoof.

“You too.” Her cheeks revealed a faint blush, “So um, did you find your toolbox?”

Oh right! She was the mare who had my toolbox all along, while I searched frantically everywhere for it.

“Yeah I did.” I nodded, “I guess I should thank you for finding it for me. I searched everywhere for that thing, too.”

Lyra giggled, “Well actually, you just left it behind. By the time Bon Bon and I noticed you forgot it, you were long gone.”

“What’ll it be, you two?” the bartender asked, catching both mine and Lyra’s attention.

I looked to Lyra with a smile, “What can I get ya?”

She returned my smile, “Just a berry cooler, please.”

I looked at the Bartender, “A berry cooler and a hard cider, please.” I placed a few bits onto the counter.

The bartender reached under the bar and pulled up a bottle and a glass of cider, and took the bits I placed onto the counter. He gave me a friendly nod as he left to tend to another pony down at the end of the bar.

Lyra and I both took a sip of our drinks. Cider definitely wasn’t quite as strong as beer, but it’s probably the closest I’d get to a beer in this place. Whatever, I can’t complain; hard cider isn’t bad. I wonder what kind of reaction I’d get from the bartender if I had asked for a Budweiser. He’d probably give me a really confused look and ask me what the hell I’m talking about or something, I don’t know.

“So Pinkie, you going to go up and sing Equestria Girls again tonight?” Bon Bon asked, dancing to an upbeat song, badly being sung by a drunken mare on a karaoke machine.

“Oh, you know it!” Pinkie bumped into Bon Bon’s side.

“Well get up there!” Bon Bon poked Pinkie with a hoof and pointed to the karaoke machine, “I can’t stand listening to that mare butcher ‘Beyond Her Garden’; it’s driving me nuts!”

Pinkie giggled, “Okie Dokie Bon Bon! Time to sing-y, wing-y!” Pinkie hopped off towards the singing mare.

“So what do you do for work?” Berry asked, trying to spark a conversation out of Pin Stripe.

“I run a small hardware store near the center of town.” Pin tipped up the glass of cider to his lips. “How about you?”

Berry Punch smiled, “I run a fruit drink business. You see that bottle that mare is drinking out of?” she pointed towards a blue mare sipping out of a wine cooler bottle.

“Oh, that’s cool!” Pin Stripe’s eyes widened, “You run a winery?”

“Well actually, I’d like to say it’s more of a juice business,” Berry shrugged, “but it just so happens that there’s just a higher demand for alcoholic drinks.”

Pin Stripe chuckled, “I guess I can see why that might be...” He spotted a few other mares sipping out of wine coolers around the bar.

Berry Punch giggled as well, “Yeah. I’ll be right back, just have to use the little filly’s room.” Berry patted Pin Stripe on the shoulder and trotted off.

“That...” Pin thought for a moment, “...actually went alright!” Pin said aloud to himself, taking another sip from his glass.

“I’ll say!” Bronze took a seat on the stool next to him, “You even got her to laugh, bro! You’re in!” He gave Pin a nudge of his hoof, then waved down the bartender for a drink.

“Thanks Bronze.” Pin laughed.

“Hey, all I did was show ya the path.” Bronze leant a hoof around Pin’s neck, “You just have to walk it!” He picked up the full glass the bartender set before him, and took a long drink.

“Yeah, I know.” Pin Stripe rolled his eyes. “Hey, have you seen Davin anywhere? Kinda lost him in here.”

“Yeah, he’s over there;” Bronze pointed a hoof down the bar, “he’s probably hitting on some colt.”

Pin raised a brow at Bronze’s statement, “Don’t like him, do ya?”

Bronze scoffed, “Yeah, no.” He tipped the glass to his mouth again, gulping down the remainder of the cider.

Pin Stripe sighed, “Just don’t go doing anything extra stupid tonight, Bronze. Plus, you don’t even know him.”

“Oh, and you do?” Bronze slammed down the glass on the bar and crossed his hooves, his wings flaring out.

Pin leant back on his stool away from the pegasus, who received a few uncertain looks from surrounding ponies.

“Um, he’s a valued customer of my shop, and he seems cool.” Pin nudged his friend, “Just chill out, Bronze.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll chill out.” Bronze shook his head, waiving down the bartender again for another drink.

So through my half-drunken state, I managed to briefly explain how I wound up in Ponyville to Lyra. Of course I didn’t exactly say, I was a human before, then I died saving my best friends, and was re-awoken here as a pony; that would be a ridiculous thing to tell somepony, especially somepony whom I just met. I substituted out those few details for a half-truthful story about leaving my home, family and friends to find a place where I could be free to live my life.

It wasn’t exactly lying, but it wasn’t exactly completely truthful either. Nonetheless, I wasn’t prepared to talk about the real story with anyone or anypony yet.

“...So yeah, that’s pretty much how I ended up in Ponyville.” I shrugged.

Lyra looked me right in the eye, her own eyes watering as she took in what I had said.

“That’s... So sad, Davin.” She wiped her eyes with a hoof, “So you’ll never be able to see your friends or family again?”

“It’s something I guess I overlooked, when I made my choice.” I thought for a moment to myself, really analyzing what I had just said.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Lyra put a hoof on my shoulder in attempt to make me feel some comfort, “It must be tearing you apart.”

I sighed, and looked the mare in the eyes. “It really is, Lyra. But I’ll be fine, I’ll pull through.” I took a deep breath and took a sip from the glass, which was half-full.

“Well if you ever need somepony to talk to, I’ll be your mare.” Lyra smiled confidently, then immediately put a hoof to her mouth in shock and her face flushed.

“I-I mean,” She stammered, “I’ll be there for you. To talk to I mean!”

I chuckled, and put a hoof on Lyra’s shoulder, trying to calm her down. “I know what you meant, Lyra. Thanks.”

Lyra smiled, and looked me deeply in the eye. Her smile dropped slightly and she inched her face closer to mine.

“Lyra! Lyra!” Bon Bon called from the dance floor, completely destroying the mood.

Lyra groaned, “What, Bon Bon?”

“Pinkie’s going to sing! Come dance with me!” Bon Bon smiled, not having a clue what she just interrupted.

Lyra turned to me, “You’re not going anywhere, are you?”

I quickly glanced over the crowd of ponies still having a good time amongst themselves. I simply shook my head no.

Lyra smiled, “Good. Wait here for me, ok?”

“Sure thing.” I nodded my head, and Lyra left her stool and joined Bon Bon on the dance floor.

Pinkie’s voice echoed through the bar, “Hey everypony! Hit it, DJ!”

A song started playing; one I knew all too well. I grumbled.

No matter where you are, Katie Perry songs will find you.

“California Girls? Really?” I said under my breath, facehooving with an audible ‘thunk’.

I turned around and faced the bar. My ears perked up when I noticed something different about the music. No, not because a pink pony of all things was singing karaoke, but because the lyrics altogether were different. I tuned myself into the song for a minute as Pinkie sang.

“Once you party with ponies, you’ll be seeing rainbooms!” The crowd began to sing along with Pinkie.

“Equestria Girls, we’re kind of magical! Boots on hooves...” I tuned myself out of the song the best I could.

Sure, yeah, it was a little different, but it still was catchy enough to stay stuck in your head; whether you liked it or not.

I rolled my eyes, and hailed the bartender, who trotted right over. “Hey man, this is a weird question, but do you have a pen or something?”

“Yeah, sure.” The bartender passed me a pencil from his pocket and placed it onto the counter. “Anything else?”

“Uh, sure. Another cider would be great.” I shrugged. The bartender chuckled and placed another glass onto the counter.

“Thanks bud.” I went to go grab the pencil with a hoof. I sighed when I realized what I just tried to do.

I sighed as I stared blankly at the pencil.

“...”

“Fuck, I miss having hands.”

“Look at that colt, Pin.” Bronze drunkenly pointed a hoof to the dark blue unicorn doodling something on a scrap of paper using a pencil in his teeth.

“Bronze, just let it go.” Pin Stripe quipped over his shoulder, irritated. He turned back to the pink mare sitting opposite to Bronze, “Sorry about that, Berry. You were saying?”

The orange pegasus grumbled, “I’m gunna go give that stallion a piece of my mind.”

Without Pin Stripe or Berry Punch taking much notice, Bronze slid himself off his stool and made way down the bar towards the stallion.

“God I suck at drawing with my mouth.” I looked at the terrible excuse of a drawing of my old white truck.

It seriously looked more or less like a really shitty kid’s attempt at a tractor. It was just bad. Maybe being drunk had something to do with it being so poorly sketched as well.

Yup, it definitely did.

Still, it was the only ‘picture’ I physically had of my truck, so I folded the napkin and placed it into one of the pockets. I glanced back up over to the dance floor, only to realize how drunk I really was. The room spun so hard, I almost fell off my stool.

“Whoa... No more cider for this guy.”

From that moment on, the rest of the night faded into a spotty blur.

...

A crowd was gathered around me, or rather, me and Bronze. He stood in front of me, looking ready to charge.

“Bronze, no!” Pin Stripe came to a halt between us, separating me from the angered Pegasus, “You’re drunk, pal. Let’s get you home.”

“No way! I got a bone to pick with him!” Bronze peered mercilessly over Pin Stripe towards me.

“Dude, cut it out. Let’s go.” Pin tried to reason with him, but to no avail.

Bronze charged through Pin Stripe, knocking him to the ground. I was ready for Bronze’s attack, and I charged towards him as well.

“You messed with the wrong guy, Bronze!” I drove my left shoulder up into the pegasus, similar to how a hockey player would.

Bronze was sent back flying, and crashed to the ground. A few bystanders gasped. Without hesitation, I galloped over to the Pegasus, and stood over him. I delivered a crushing punch of a hoof across his face, immediately drawing blood from Bronze’s cheek.

...

My head was splitting with pain. I couldn’t even hold myself up straight, it hurt so much. My legs gave out from under me, and I fell to the ground.

“Oh Celestia, this guy needs a hospital!” Pin Stripe knelt down to me, “Just stay awake Davin! We’ll get you some help!”

“What happened?” Lyra came galloping up to Pin Stripe and took one look down onto me. She gasped and covered her mouth with a hoof.

“Big Mac!” Pin hollered, “I need you over here!”

...

The lights on the ceiling were whizzing by above me, indicating I was lying on my back on some kind of stretcher. I turned my head to the side to notice Pin Stripe and Lyra galloping alongside, very concerned looks about their faces.

“Is he going to be alright Doctor?” Lyra asked, Pin Stripe nodding in agreement.

“Well, he won’t be able to use magic for a while if that’s what you mean.” The gruff voice of the doctor answered.

...

“Davin, which one o’ these ‘partments is yours?” Big Mac asked, acting as a prop so I wouldn’t fall to the ground.

“It’s number 15, Big Mac.” Lyra answered for me, opening up the door with my already obtained key.

“Ho, boy Davin. Tomorrow morning is not going to be kind to you.” Pin Stripe helped guide me into my room.

...

I awoke with the light of the sun beaming down directly on my face from the one only window in the room. My mouth was dry and still tasted of cider.

“Ugh, gross.” I grumbled in annoyance and shifted myself upwards.

Oh man, what a spitting headache. I hate hangovers.

I rubbed my head with both hooves, only to notice my head was bandaged.

“What the...” I traced the bandage across my forehead, only noticing a slight bump.

Huh, must’ve taken a fall or something last night and hit my head. No surprise for a drunken pony that still has trouble walking around sober.

I shrugged and sluggishly carried myself out of bed, and opened the door to the kitchen. I walked up to the table, taking a seat. I noticed there was a note left behind on the table; without a pause, I slid it towards me with a hoof and began to read it.

Davin,

I really hope you aren’t feeling too under the weather this morning. Last night was crazy! I let Pin Stripe know I’d stop by around noon today, to make sure you were alright, and to check your bandages didn’t somehow come loose in your sleep. The doctor said you need to wear them for at least one full day, and that it would be best if you stayed indoors. If you have any questions at all, (which I’m sure you probably will) or if you need anything, just let me know when I come by.

P.S. Whatever you do, DO NOT try to use your magic!

See you soon,
Lyra.

“Well that’s a bit unsettling!” I said aloud as I looked over the letter again.

A knock on the door rattled my brain, causing me to grunt in pain. I sheepishly looked over to the stove, as it was the only source of telling the exact time in my apartment.

12:03

“Great...” I hung my head and trotted over to open the door for Lyra.

Author's Note

Is it possible to be having way too much fun writing this thing? I keep pulling ideas out of nowhere. Seriously, I'm freaking myself out a little bit. Ok, I'll admit theres a bit of inspiration being put into this thing, mostly just personal experiences though.
Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this lastest chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

As always, feel free to express your thoughts and opinions!

Chapter 12 - The Morning After

I wasn’t really sure if I was ready to face her, especially remembering basically nothing from the night before. I prayed I didn’t do anything too stupid while I was blacked out; especially anything to make the few friends I made here question my persona.

I made my way to the door, but stopped just in time to consider how bad I probably looked. I stopped in my tracks and turned for the bathroom. If Lyra was actually at the door, I’d rather not look like I just got out of bed.

I took one look in the mirror. “Ho man! I look like hell!”

My mane was all messed up and matted, probably due to the bandage around my head. Speaking of the bandage, it was shaded a light red over the center of my forehead; precisely over that weird bump I noticed when I woke up. Whatever it was, it must’ve been bleeding pretty bad last night.

Guess that explains why I have such a bad headache this morning. Aside from, you know... the hangover.

I shrugged and began to try removing the bandage to get a better look at the bump, but halted my attempt when I remembered Lyra’s note.

“Great. Guess I won’t be doing that quite yet.”

I sighed and turned on the sink faucet and splashed my face with cold water. It felt pretty refreshing, but I was going to need a shower for sure. I turned off the water and rustled my mane with a hoof. Surprisingly, I managed to make myself look a little better. Back home, it would take me forever to fix my hairdo, especially after a night of drinking. I took one last look at the peculiar bump on my forehead under the bandage and left the bathroom.

I opened the door.

Lyra gasped as she took one look at me through the open door. She was accompanied by Pin Stripe, who also looked troubled.

“Hey pal, how you feeling?” Pin Stripe asked, followed closely by a nod from Lyra.

“Other than this splitting headache, I’m alright. How about you two?” I rubbed my temple with a hoof, then offered Lyra and Pin Stripe inside.

The brown stallion and green unicorn hesitated at first, but trotted into the room; I shut the door behind them.

“I didn’t drink all that much last night, so I’m fine.” Pin answered, “It’s a good thing I didn’t, either.”

“No kidding.” Lyra agreed, “And I’m fine too, other than my sore back legs. I only had those couple drinks you bought me last night.”

I gave Pin a puzzled look, not being exactly sure what he meant by that. “So, uh...” I rubbed the back of my bandaged head, “What happened last night?”

Pin Stripe and Lyra shared a look; Pin was the first to speak, “You don’t remember a thing, do you?”

“Oh, Celestia...” Lyra facehooved and shook her head.

“I pretty much blacked out after Pinkie started singing karaoke. I don’t remember a thing after that.”

Lyra sighed in unison with Pin Stripe.

Despite my throbbing head, I managed a shallow chuckle. “Well you guys can take a seat at the table if you want. I’m guessing this is going to take a while to explain.”

The three of us sat down at the table, and Pin Stripe began his side of the story.

“Um, sorry to change the subject Pin Stripe,” Berry Punch interrupted, raising a hoof and pointing to the orange Pegasus trotting off from the bar, “but where’s your friend going?”

Pin Stripe snapped around, “Oh Bronze, c’mon pal!”

Pin Stripe hopped off his stool and galloped off to stop Bronze from making a big mistake.

“Bronze! Stop!” Pin halted in front of Bronze’s path.

“No way!” Bronze exaggeratingly shook his head in his drunken state, pushing his friend out of the way.

“Sup, ya colt cuddler?” Bronze laughed.

“What did you just call me?” I snorted, turning on my stool to face the orange Pegasus.

“Colt cuddler.” He sneered, grinning.

“What the hay is your problem, Bronze? Cut this out!” Pin tried to interrupt, answered by a silencing hoof from Bronze.

“I’d listen to your pal, Bronze.” I huffed back at the pegasus.

There was a crowd beginning to form around us, due to Bronze’s rising hostility.

“Or what, you going to fight me?” Bronze was beginning to slur his words, prodding my chest with a hoof.

“Yeah, no thanks.” I shrugged, turning back around on my stool and taking a sip of the glass of cider in front of me.

“Yeah Bronze, leave Davin alone.” Pin put a hoof on Bronzes shoulder.

Bronze shoved off Pin’s hoof, “It’s cool. Wouldn’t wanna send him cryin’ back to his mother or anything.”

I glared over my shoulder at Bronze, “You have no idea man. Just shut it.”

“Ooh, look out, we got a bad-flank over here!” Bronze raised his hooves in the air sarcastically.

“Bronze, we’ve both had too much to drink.” I hopped off the stool and faced the orange pegasus, “Probably best if you keep you’re mouth shut buddy. You have no clue what I’ve been through lately.”

“What, got some mommy issues?” Bronze laughed.

I shook my head and glared, “Don’t push it.”

Bronze smirked, and pushed me back with both his front hooves, knocking me to the floor; catching the attention of quite a few ponies.

“Last warning buddy.” I glared at the pegasus now hovering a few feet in the air before me.

“Bronze! No!” Pin Stripe yelled up, “Stop this, you’re acting ridiculous!”

A few bystanders agreed with Pin Stripe amongst themselves.

“Just listen to Pin Stripe man.” I pointed a hoof to the brown pony with the blue mane, “Neither of us wants you getting hurt.”

“That’s it! Let’s take this outside!” Bronze snapped, darting through the air over several ponies, leaving out the back door into the storming rain.

“Davin, what’d you go doing that for?” Pin Stripe asked with the sound of disappointment in his voice, poking me with a hoof.
“Hey, I tried to reason with the guy!” I extended both my front hooves towards the back door.

Pin Stripe sighed, “I guess he had it coming. He sometimes gets like this when we go out drinking...” He rubbed his forehead with a hoof in embarrassment.

Pin followed me out the back door, out into the alleyway, where Bronze was waiting for me in the rain.

“I won’t hurt him.” I tried to assure Pin Stripe, “I’ll just try and teach him some respect.”

“This is stupid...” Pin headed off towards Bronze, who was already getting ready to charge.

“Then you two started brawling; didn’t take long for you to pin him down either.” Pin explained.

“Yeah, you pretty much hit him once and that was it.” Lyra added, shrugging.

“I think I can kinda remember that bit now, come to think of it.” I scratched the side of my head, “Is Bronze alright?”

Lyra and Pin both shared a look. “I was not expecting you to be concerned about him this morning.” Pin Stripe raised an eyebrow. “He’s fine though. Big Mac saw him home.”

“Oh ok, well that’s good then.” I sighed in relief.

I always feel a bit guilty after a fight; I’m not the type of person to go around hurting anyone, and I hate it when I’m put in a situation where I have no choice. I’m not much of a fighter, but I found myself in trouble before and I knew how to defend myself back home; well, for the most part anyways.

“Yeah, now I’m sure he’ll probably think twice about getting hostile when he goes out drinking.” Pin chuckled.

I shrugged. “Hope so. What else happened last night? And why the hell is my head bandaged?”

Lyra took a deep breath and looked over to Pin Stripe.

“Want me to tell him?” She bit her bottom lip in hesitation.

Pin Stripe nodded, “It would probably be best if you told him this bit, yeah. You know more about what happened than I do.”

“Um, you guys, what did I do?” I was beginning to get concerned.

Lyra sighed and collected herself. “Well after the fight, you got this idea to go exploring the town at night in the rain.”

“Yeah, you kept saying the best way to adjust to change is to go for a walk in the rain at night.” Pin raised an eyebrow.

I thought for a moment, “Well, back home when I was a bit younger, I used to go out and walk in the rain at night. It just helped me calm down and forget about things.” I put a hoof to my chin in thought, “Guess I just thought it was a good idea.”

Lyra understood almost immediately, due to our conversation about my ‘move’ to Ponyville.

“Oh, I see. That makes sense.” Lyra shot me an understanding smile and a nod.

Pin Stripe just shrugged.

“Well I thought it would be fun, so I decided to tag along.” Lyra shrugged, “Nopony I know goes out at nighttime just for the fun of it, especially in the rain during a thunderstorm.”

“I really didn’t think it was the best idea, but somepony needed to supervise you.” Pin Stripe added, “After we waited for Big Mac to meet back up with us, we headed out into town.”

“I actually enjoyed myself. The rain was actually pretty refreshing.” Lyra then thought for a moment, “Well, for the most part anyways.”

The most part?

I cocked my head back trying to come up with an assumption to what Lyra was possibly going to tell me.

“Actually, I have to admit I was having a little fun too,” Pin lowered his head, “right up until we decided to take shelter in Ponyville town hall.”

“Jeez, this place is pretty torn up.” Pin Stripe looked up to the top of town hall.

“Eeyup, ain’t nopony been through here ever since that Ditzy Doo went an’ dun’ wrecked the roof.” Big Macintosh took side to Pin Stripe, also gazing up towards the roof.

“Cool. Wonder if it’s unlocked?” I trotted up to the double doors. To everypony’s surprise, the doors were in fact, unlocked. I swung the doors open, and trotted inside out of the rain, followed by the rest of the group.

“It sure is dark in here.” Lyra tried to peer through the darkness.

“Yeah, no kidding.” An aura of bright light then emanated from my horn, brightly illuminating the hallway.

“Hey Davin, not so bright!” Pin Stripe covered his eyes with a hoof.

“What the hell? I don’t even know how I did that!” I shook my head in attempt to dim the light from my horn. To my surprise, the light actually dimmed down slightly. “Ok. That better Pin?”

“Much.” Pin lowered his hoof from blocking his eyes.

I shrugged. “Alright, cool.”

Pin Stripe rolled his eyes, “Alright let’s not spend too much time in here. This place could technically come down on us at any moment. Plus, it gives me the creeps.”

“Now don’t y’all go gettin’ all scardy-pony on us now, Pin Stripe.” Big Mac teased.

Lyra and I both laughed at the unexpected statement from the red stallion, earning rolled eyes from Pin Stripe.

Pin Stripe and Big Macintosh conversed behind Lyra and I, as we explored through the abandoned town hall. Other than our voices and hoofsteps, only the sound of rain and occasional thunderclaps echoed through the empty hall.

I turned to Lyra. “So what exactly happened here?”

“Well this place is pretty old, as old as Ponyville itself.” Lyra peered through a few doorways to empty rooms as we trotted along towards a staircase. “And as Big Mac said, Ditzy Doo pretty much ruined the roof due to her clumsiness.”

“Oh I see. So the place just needs to be restored?” I asked as I stopped to peer up the staircase.

“Yeah, basically.” Lyra nodded, “The Apple Family’s cider harvest has all proceeds going towards this place.”

“Oh cool.” I began trotting up the stairs, followed closely by Lyra.

We trotted up to the second storey of the hall, where evidence of the mostly destroyed roof was evident, as large fallen beams and scattered destroyed trusses and shingles littered the floor. Rain was falling in through the mostly collapsed ceiling.

“Wow this place could use a bit of T.L.C.” I trotted around the outer perimeter of the hall, examining the damage.

“That’s an understatement.” The little green unicorn giggled.

I looked back to Lyra for a moment, then turned back around and shook my head.

“What?” Lyra galloped up next to me, trying to look me in the eye.

“Ahh, nothin’. Hey look, that part of the roof looks like it’s still intact.” I quickly changed the subject, pointing a hoof towards an overhanging section of the roof, sheltering a section of floor from the rain.

The roof was supported merely by a single wooden beam, which was splitting through the middle. I trotted up to the splitting beam, and pushed a hoof against it, in attempt to straighten it back out.

“Um, I’m not sure if that’s the best idea, Davin.” Lyra took a step back from me and the beam.

“Hey, don’t worry about it Lyra, I’m just gunna straighten this thing out so that roof doesn’t come down on us.” I chuckled, now using both my front hooves to try and straighten the beam.

“Uh, alright.” Lyra gazed skeptically at the roof.

With one more push, the beam let out a hollow crack, and I managed to straighten it.

“There. See?” I pointed a hoof to the beam and smiled.

Lyra rolled her eyes and stepped into the sheltered area under the overhanging roof, and shook herself dry. She took a seat on the floor, and waved a hoof inviting me over.

I stepped under the roof as well, and tried to shake myself off, similar to how Lyra did. I managed to shake most of the moisture off, and I took a seat next to Lyra and the light from my horn faded out. I gazed up at the storm. In a way, it seemed peaceful.

I turned back to Lyra, who was already looking at me.

“You ok?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.

Lyra just nodded her head and managed a short grin. We stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments, until Lyra got distracted.

“Hey what’s that?” Lyra pointed a hoof to a dark figure in the shadows, also catching my attention.

“Yo, Pin!” I called, “That you?”

Nothing but the sound of rain and a flash of lightning answered.

Me and Lyra shared a confused glance, and I rose back to my hooves and trotted out from under the roof into the rain, towards the figure.

As I trotted closer to the dark figure, I noticed two bluish orbs stared back at me. I stopped in my tracks.

“What the--?”

Lyra gasped, “Davin! Look out!”

Just then, a flash of greenish-blue lightning shot past me, striking the wooden beam supporting the overhanging section of the roof. The beam snapped under the weight of the roof, causing it to fall...

...right onto Lyra.

“Pin Stripe can take over for this part.” Lyra appeared to be tearing up, and she sunk her head onto the table.

“Alright... Well Big Mac and I were down on the main level looking through the rooms.” Pin stated, “I really don’t think we were alone in there. I swear I saw somepony.”

“That’s what doesn’t make sense, Pin Stripe,” Lyra brought her head up from the table, “I swear somepony was on the second level with us too.”

“Homeless ponies maybe?” I suggested.

“Yeah, or something of the sort perhaps.” Pin Stripe shrugged, “Anyways... When we heard a crash, we dashed up the stairs as fast as we could to you guys. Just in time too.”

“Noooo!” I screamed, running to the fallen section of roof.

I tried to lift it with my hooves, but it was no use; it was way too heavy. In my panic, I peered underneath, for any sign of Lyra. She was there. Motionless.

“C’mon Dav! We can lift this thing off her!” Pin Stripe ran up to my side and helped me lift the section of roof high enough for Big Mac to pull Lyra out.

She was still. Nor was she breathing. Big Mac knelt down to her chest to see if there was any sound of a heartbeat. He looked up to me and Pin Stripe with fear in his eyes.

An earth-shattering thunderclap echoed through Ponyville.

My horn burst into an aura of white light again, much brighter than before. I took a step towards Lyra. Pin halted me with a hoof to my shoulder.

“Davin, what are you doing?” He looked at me with tearing eyes, and panic.

His face fell to neutral when I didn’t reply and my eyes also began to glow a bright white. He took his hoof off my shoulder and I turned and knelt down to Lyra’s motionless body.

My horn grew brighter and brighter, until the entire second floor of the hall was vividly illuminated, almost to the point where it could blind somepony. I inched my horn closer to Lyra’s; just as her horn and mine made contact, there was a spark for an instant, then an enormous explosion of light.

I was hurdled backwards into a wall, which managed to keep me upright when I dropped back to the floor. I quickly fell to my side. Pin Stripe galloped up to me and tried to hold me still.

Lyra’s chest began to rise and fall, and her eyes opened slowly. She gasped and shot to her hooves; taking a quick look around, she collected her recent memories. She came galloping up to Pin Stripe and I.

Big Macintosh was dumbstruck, frozen on the spot.

“What happened?!” Lyra took one look down onto me and covered her mouth with a hoof.

Pin Stripe yelled, “Big Mac! I need you over here!” Pin Stripe held his hooves onto my forehead, trying to stop the base of what remained of my horn from bleeding out.

The town hall was beginning to make groaning noises and was starting to tremble.

Big Mac shook himself out of his state and came running, skidding to a stop. “What in tarnation did ah jus’ witness?”

“I don’t know! No time to think about it Mac, we need to get Davin to a hospital!” Pin Stripe assisted on getting my now barely conscious body over Big Mac’s back, and out of the town hall, which was beginning to collapse. Lyra was close behind, not taking her eyes off me.

The floor was beginning to sink and snap, and just as we made it down the flight of stairs, the second floor collapsed in on itself. A falling floor joist struck Lyra across her back legs, almost causing her to trip. The roof was coming down faster and faster, and it was gaining on our escape. Big Mac had to charge the front doors of the town hall, blasting them out, snapping them right off their hinges.

“We made it out of there just in time.” Pin Stripe looked down to the table. “After Big Mac, Lyra and I rushed you into the hospital, it was then we could actually consider what actually happened.”

Lyra was sobbing quietly, her hooves covering her face buried in the top of the table.

I could barely comprehend anything Pin Stripe just said. A lot of shit definitely went down when I was blacked out.

The only words I could manage, “Holy shit.” I fell to my flank, dumbfounded.

“I still can’t believe what you did. Especially the part with you—Lyra—the bright light...” Pin Stripe choked on the words, shaking his head.

“How did you do that?” Lyra looked up from the table with teary eyes.

“Do what?” I shifted my gaze between both Lyra and Pin Stripe.

Lyra looked at Pin Stripe for a moment, then returned to me.

“How did you bring me back?”

“Lyra, I-I have no idea...” I shrugged slowly, and took a deep breath.

Lyra got up from the table and trotted over to me. She wrapped her hooves around me and hugged me tight. Probably the tightest I’ve ever been hugged; it almost hurt.

“You could’ve died.” She whispered in my ear, and backed out of the embrace, looking me in the eyes.

I really have to learn to stop throwing my life out the window; sober or not. This is the second time this has happened; only this time...

...I was lucky enough to survive. Pin Stripe was right; if he had drank anymore than he did last night, I would actually probably be dead right now.

Boy, this is heavy.

I looked Lyra back in her big, golden eyes as I thought for a moment, to come up with the right words. “Lyra, if I hadn’t had done anything, then... You would’ve...”

Lyra let out a short huff as a single tear streamed from her glistening golden eyes to down her cheek. She wrapped her hooves around me and pulled me in tight, kissing me right on the lips.

Author's Note

For once, I'm actually not certain what to say here. I've been through quite a lot this past week; it's been mayhem.
As always, feel free to comment!

I love it when you guys give feedback on this story, and it motivates me even more to continue writing.
New chapter coming soon!

Chapter 13 - The Front Page

“Ahem...” Pin Stripe cleared his throat, causing Lyra to slowly back herself out of the kiss.

She looked me deeply in the eyes for a moment, and managed a short smile before taking a seat back down at the table, now close at my side.

Pin Stripe rolled his eyes and chuckled, Lyra smirked and lowered her head slightly.

I really wasn’t sure what to say. I was still in shock from listening to Pin Stripe and Lyra describe what went down last night.

That kiss from Lyra—Holy crap, Lyra kissed me—that just... Shit, I don’t even know! I’m still trying to process everything. If these two have anything more to tell me, they better lay it on lightly or I’ll probably pass out.

“Anyways,” Pin Stripe began, “the doctor at the hospital said that you won’t be able to use magic until your horn grows back.”

I touched that strange bump underneath the bandage on my forehead with a hoof, only now to actually come to terms that it was all that remained of my horn. I sighed and crossed my hooves on the table.

So much for trying magic again any time soon.

Lyra looked to me at eye level, biting her bottom lip with concern.

I sighed again and accepted the fact that I would just have to wait. Besides, if losing my horn and my ability to perform magic was the only consequence for saving Lyra, even though I have no clue how I did, I think I can live with that. I gave Lyra a reassuring smile, which she returned.

However, another concern of mine arose.

“Does anypony else know what happened last night? I’m pretty sure somepony would have noticed the tallest building in town being reduced to rubble by now.”

The green unicorn and the brown earth pony glanced at each other for a moment, but didn’t say a word.

I sighed at their silent response. This can only mean two things; everypony knows and we are in deep shit, or, nopony knows we were even there. Either way, this won’t end well.

“Everypony knows, don’t they?” I asked flatly, already knowing the answer to the question.

They nodded their heads.

Shit, I was afraid of that. Damnit!

I rubbed the side of my head with a hoof, “How much do they know?”

Pin Stripe sighed, “Well everypony knows that we were involved in the collapse of town hall-”

“Well I could’ve guessed that.” I deadpanned, cutting off Pin Stripe, burying my head in my hooves on the table.

“On the lighter side,” Pin continued, “the hall was going to be rebuilt anyways, and nopony was hurt. Well, other than you, and technically, Lyra too I guess.”

“They also know that you almost lost your life saving mine.” Lyra added, trying to lighten the mood.

“So, they know pretty much everything then.” I lowered an eyebrow and raised a hoof, sharing a glance between both Lyra and Pin Stripe.

“Basically, yeah.” Pin Stripe shrugged modestly.

Lyra nodded her head.

“Oh this is just awesome.” I didn’t hold back my sarcasm, and I grumbled as my head dropped onto the table.

I think I will actually stay indoors today after all. Facing the public probably won’t be the best idea right now; I’d rather not go around getting judged and blamed for basically destroying the town’s probably most historic structure. Great, now I’m in a shitty mood again.

There was a knock at my door, catching the full attention of the three of us.

I sighed in frustration and stepped up from the table towards the door. With my usual luck, it’s probably the cops here to arrest us for destruction of property or some shit.

“Who do you suppose that is?” Pin Stripe looked over to Lyra, who shook her head and shrugged.

“Uhh... Where in tarnation am I?” Braeburn finally regained consciousness, and found himself in a very dark, damp, underground holding cell.

“Welcome to your new home, pony.” A male, amphibious-sounding voice cackled from beyond the darkness of the cell.

“Wha-Who’s there? What do ya’ll want from me?” Braeburn called back into the dark.

A pair of glowing blue eyes revealed themselves, and a dark figure stepped forth. It took Braeburn a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, to actually examine the figure before him.

Glowing blue eyes.

Sharp fangs.

Death-black coat.

Translucent blue wings.

Perforated black hooves.

Braeburn scowled at the suspicious pony-like figure. “Now what in Sam-hay are ya’ll s’posed ta be?”

“They’re Changelings.” A mare’s voice croaked from the cell next to Braeburn’s; she had a southern accent, but not quite as thick as the Apple Family’s.

“Changelings?” Braeburn cocked his head around, looking in the direction of the mare’s voice, “What the hay is a Changeling?”

“Shape shifters.” The mare answered, and coughed dryly. “They can assume the form of anypony...”

Braeburn’s eyes shot open, and he looked back to the dark figure still in front of his cell. The figure was grinning evilly. Braeburn scowled back, and pounced towards the figure, only to be stopped by the bars of his cell.

“Why in tarnation do ya’ll got me imprisoned in here for?!” Braeburn lashed out at the figure, who only chuckled.

“I’m so glad you asked...” Another dark figure, tall and female, stepped in front of Braeburn’s cell. She stared him down with her glowing green eyes.

I groaned as I reached out and swung the door open.

A newspaper was immediately shoved right into my face, too close to even get a look at what was on the front page.

“Is it true?! Did you really save somepony’s life?! That’s so awesome!”

You know, I almost forgot about my pounding headache. Thanks, Rainbow Dash.

I scratched the side of my head vigorously, trying to shake off the headache returning with a vengeance.

“Ugh,” I groaned, “Rainbow, I’m really not feeling up for this today.” I looked up to the blue pegasus hovering in my doorway.

Her mouth dropped open at the sight of me. “Wow, you’re horn actually is gone...”

“You don’t say.” I quipped blankly, staring with a flat expression.

It was then I noticed Rainbow Dash was accompanied by both Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy; Twilight was biting her bottom lip, and had a hoof risen off the floor. Fluttershy looked even more apprehensive, cowering behind Twilight.

Fluttershy took notice to Lyra and Pin Stripe still seated at the table inside my apartment. “Um, I hope we aren’t interrupting anything...”

“Does it hurt?” Twilight asked me with a bit of uneasiness in her voice.

“I have a splitting headache, so I’m going to go out on a limb here and say, yeah. Yeah it hurts.” If I wasn’t all of a sudden being smothered by a bunch of ponies and my head didn’t hurt so much, I wouldn’t be getting so bitter and dismissive.

I’ve had to accept a lot today so far, and I’ve only been awake for a few hours. Cut me some fuckin' slack.

Twilight bit her bottom lip and took a step back.

“Jeez, are you ever not grumpy Davin?” Rainbow touched back down on the ground and poked me in the chest with a hoof, “Everypony practically thinks you’re a hero, and you’re still in a bad mood! What’s with that?”

“What’s with that? Are you kidding me?” I growled in irritation, only making my head pound harder. I took a deep breath and laid it down as lightly as I could.

“Oh let’s see, I’m probably a wanted suspect for being involved in the destruction of town hall, I just realized my horn is broken off, I almost died, I have a splitting headache, and to top it all off, I have a hangover.”

Whoa, wait a minute... Did Rainbow just say ‘everypony thinks I’m a hero’? No, no, no, no, no. A hero is probably the last thing I consider myself, let alone what people should consider me. Ok, I’ve helped out my friends a few times, big deal. Still not enough for me to call myself a ‘hero’, that’s for damn sure. I’m probably one of the farthest things from Superman, come to think of it. What a ridiculous thing to even consider comparing myself to something like that.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash didn’t say a word, and they both gave me a very, very baffled looks. For once, Fluttershy was the one to speak up.

“Um, nopony is really all that upset about town hall actually.” She peeked her head out from behind Twilight, “In fact, they’re actually just more concerned about you.”

Pin Stripe and Lyra stepped up to the doorway from the table and tried to convince me what Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash said was in fact, true.

I couldn’t believe it.

There was no way that ponies would forget to be upset about Town Hall collapsing just because I almost died ‘supposedly’ saving somepony’s life. There is no way. It’s just not the way things work; for me, anyhow. Ponies are pissed about it, I just know they are! Call it denial if you must, I’m in denial over quite a few things right now; I’m not afraid to admit that. There’s just way, way, way too much to process right now, and I just need to take a step back and really think things through before I either explode or pass out.

Lyra sighed and pointed my head down at the newspaper, now down on the floor. “Just look.”

The front page showed an aerial view if the town hall, reduced to protruding wooden beams and rubble. I didn’t even bother reading what the headline said. The picture said it all, and that’s all I needed right now to come to my own conclusions.

“I don’t see how everypony can think that’s a good thing.” I glanced back up from the newspaper to the five ponies now standing in my small apartment.

Ugh, why did I open my god damned door...

“You see, taking your place was the first key step to our take over of Ponyville...” The Changeling Queen explained.

“I still ain’t seein’ how capturin’ me is gettin’ ya any closer to takin’ over Ponyville, or any other place for that matter.” Braeburn quipped behind the bars of his cell.

The Changeling Queen chuckled evilly. “Oh, you will understand soon enough, Braeburn.” She looked down to the Changeling soldier standing with a grin at her side, “Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to have my best soldier look after your family and your precious little Rarity for you from now on.”

Braeburn snapped and charged at the bars of his cell.

“You let me outta this thing right now, ya hear?!” Braeburn screamed, trying to shake the bars of his cell free.

Both the Changeling Queen and soldier cackled as they both left back into the darkness of the cavern.

“Ya’ll better pray I don’t get outta this here cell!” He hollered into the darkness, “Cause when I do-”

The mare in the next cell interrupted Braeburn’s threat. “Save your energy. You’re going to need it.”

Braeburn growled and fell to his flank.

“What in tarnation did I do to go deservin’ this?” Braeburn shook his head as a single tear shed down his cheek.

“You were in love with somepony, weren’t you?” The mare asked weakly from the next cell.

“I still am.” Braeburn sunk his head, “And there ain’t a dang thing I can do now to save her, or warn anypony!”

“It seems that we are in the same boat then...” The mare stood up in her cell and sat down at the barred wall separating herself between Braeburn.

Braeburn looked over towards the mare, “Just how long have you been stuck in this here prison, ma’am?”

“About a week if my estimates are close. I’m sure everypony from Dodge Junction are slaves to the Changelings by now.” The mare hung her head.

Braeburn huffed and stomped a hoof angrily on the damp rock floor of the cell. “What in the world do these ‘Changelings’ want from us?”

“They want...our ability to love.” The mare had a hard time speaking the words.

“They want what, now?” Braeburn cocked his head back, “How in Equestria do you reckon they are goin’ about doin’ that?’

The mare sighed deeply. “They disguise themselves as somepony you love and trust, and they gain strength from that love.” A tear streamed down her white cheek.

Braeburn rubbed his head with a hoof, and lowered his head finally piecing together the reasons for Rarity’s distrust in him. “They dun’ gone disguisin’ themselves as me.”

I couldn’t take it any longer, I was being completely smothered. I took a deep breath and took a step back from the ponies crowding me. My stress level was reaching maximum, and I needed some space, and fast.

“Look guys, I really do appreciate your concern, but there’s quite a bit I have on my mind right now. I really don’t want to sound so rude or anything, but I just need some space.” I sternly opened the door to my apartment, and lowered my head, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm myself.

Everypony in my apartment hushed and shared understanding looks amongst themselves.

Twilight trotted up to me and tilted my head up with a hoof. “I know what this can feel like, Davin. It’s ok. Sorry we barged in here uninvited. I was just really curious to what kind of spell you used last night; I’ve never heard of anypony capable of anything like it before.”

Ok, Twilight, I’m not saying I’m questioning whatever you’ve been through, but you have no idea what I’ve been through these past few days. You have no idea what I’m feeling right now. Thanks for understanding though.

“It’s alright Twilight. Maybe we can talk tomorrow about it after I’m off work.”

Oh that’s right, tomorrow is Monday! Phew... For once, I’m actually looking forward to a Monday,as crazy as it is. It’s about time I get back to work; it will really help get my mind off things.

“Sounds good to me, Davin. See you later.” Twilight nodded and left out the door.

“Yeah, sorry.” Fluttershy agreed, lowering her head, following Twilight out the door.

“It’s alright Fluttershy. We’ll talk soon.” I dismissed the yellow pegasus with a polite wave of a hoof.

Pin Stripe trotted up to me next. “Hey pal, sorry about stressing you out.”

“Don’t blame yourself, buddy. There was already a lot on my mind.” I patted the brown stallion on the shoulder, and he stepped out the door.

I’m forgetting to say something... Hmm... Oh!

“Oh, hey, Pin Stripe?” I called out the door.

“Yeah?” he turned his head back around.

“Even though I’m not exactly sure of all that went down last night, I owe you a thanks. Not just for a good night, but for making sure I made it to the hospital and stuff in time.” I lightly touched the bandages on my head and managed a half-smile, “If you see Big Mac, tell him I said thanks too. I owe both you guys one.”

Pin Stripe smiled and nodded and continued down the corridor out of the apartment complex.

I turned back inside to my apartment to notice two ponies still remaining; Rainbow Dash and Lyra.

Rainbow was whispering something into Lyra’s ear, that is, until she noticed me looking her way. Rainbow snapped to attention and hovered in the air, casually holding her hooves behind her back.

“Ok, well I guess I’ll be going too, then. Catch ya later, Gavin!” Rainbow Dash darted out the door, leaving the trail of a rainbow behind.

I leant out the door to try and correct her on my name yet again, but all I managed was a sigh. I shook my head and leant back into my apartment, only to meet Lyra face to face.

“Rarity, look!” Sweetie Belle squeaked, holding up a newspaper to Rarity’s face, “I told you Davin is a good pony!”

Rarity glanced at the front page for a moment, but returned to hanging her head in sorrow.

“Hey, what’s wrong Rarity?” Sweetie Belle tilted her head in question, lowering the newspaper.

“Oh it’s nothing you should concern yourself over, Sweetie Belle.” Rarity tried to sound more enthusiastic, but she wasn’t fooling anypony.

“Did you and Braeburn get into a fight?” Sweetie raised a brow.

Rarity sighed, “You are too smart for your own good sometimes, Sweetie Belle.”

The little filly took a seat on her flank next to Rarity, “What happened? You might feel better if you tell somepony about it.”

Rarity smiled weakly to her little sister, “It’s alright, Sweetie Belle. I do appreciate your offer though, thank you.”

Sweetie belle lowered her head and sighed, “Alright Rarity. I’m just trying to be helpful.”

“I know you are. Thank you Sweetie Belle.” Rarity smiled down, “Say, how about we go get ourselves a treat from Sugarcube Corner? I’m sure that will cheer us up, no?”

“Ok!” Sweetie Belle hopped in excitement towards the door, swinging it open with her magic. Her excitement came to an abrupt stop as the sight of a tan earth pony with a cowboy hat stood in her path through the doorway.

Rarity was just as surprised as Sweetie Belle, her mouth fell open and her eyes were wide. “B-Braeburn?”

“Rarity, we really need’a talk.”

“So umm...” Lyra shuffled a hoof, looking down at the floor.

“So...” I scratched the side of my head, trying to play it cool.

“Would you like to...maybe...” Lyra bit her bottom lip nervously.

Is she really asking me...

“I don’t know...” She shrugged.

Yup. Yup she definitely is.

“Like, go to dinner with me, or something?” She tilted her head down a bit, managing a nervous half-smile, looking right into my eyes.

Those eyes, damnit. Those big, beautiful, glistening golden eyes are going to be the death of me, I swear. I mean, yeah, she’s gorgeous. But is it wrong for me to think that a pony is attractive? I mean, I’m a pony now too I guess, but... Is it wrong? Great! One more thing to add to the ‘list of things to process’! AHHHHH! TOO MANY CONFLICTING THOUGHTS! SHUT UP, BRAIN!

I really should tell her I just have way too much on my plate to consider any kind of a relationship right now... Ugh... But... HHNNNG I CAN'T EVEN--"

“I’d love to, Lyra.” I returned a half-smile.

She squee’d in delight and giggled, containing her excitement. “Okay. Are you free Wednesday night?”

“Yup I’m free; I don’t plan that far ahead.” I chuckled.

Lyra put a hoof to her mouth and giggled. “Ponyville Café at 7:30 on Wednesday evening then?”

“It’s a date.” I smiled to the giddy green unicorn.

“Alright. I’ll see you there.” Lyra stepped out of the door, but just as I was about to swing it closed, Lyra held the door open with her magic and practically tackled me with another kiss.

I was not expecting that, I was completely caught off guard... Again.

She broke off from the kiss, which was, needless to say, a bit deeper than the last one. She stared me down again with those eyes...

“Uhh-” Lyra hushed me with a hoof.

She hugged me again, whispering softly in my ear. “Thanks again for saving me.”

Lyra, I don’t even remember—ah, forget it.

I just answered her with a smile and a short chuckle.

“You’re probably okay to take those bandages off tomorrow morning. Good luck on your first day at work tomorrow, Davin. See you later.” With that, she waved a hoof goodbye and left my apartment.

Alright, now I have the rest of the night to actually process everything... Gee whiz, what a freakin’ day. Time to take a load off and get to bed. I picked up the newspaper in my teeth and trotted off to bed. First day of work tomorrow, might as well be rested up.

I crawled into bed, and actually read the front page article on the newspaper.

‘Blessing in Disguise’

Written by: Namby-Pamby.

Last night at approximately 2:45 A.M., downtown Ponyville was shaken by the collapse of the late Ponyville Town Hall. The Apple Family reports that the Hall will be rebuilt, with all funds being provided by this year’s Cider Season harvest.

The cause of collapse is still unknown, and undergoing investigation; however, the real story lies just seconds before the collapse of Town Hall.

Lyra Heartstrings, a local to Ponyville, nearly lost her life when a large section of the roof fell onto her, pinning her down. Pin Stripe, and newcomer to Ponyville, Davin, managed to lift the fallen section of roof high enough for Lyra to be freed, but she was in extremely severe critical medical condition. According to the eyewitness reports, Davin constructed a magic spell that completely restored Lyra’s health, which unfortunately for him, consequentially caused loss of his ability to perform magic, and wound him up in critical condition at Ponyville hospital late last night.

Identified eyewitnesses report:

Pin Stripe, manager and owner of Ponyville Hardware, says, “Before the collapse, I saw a friend completely risk his life for another. I didn’t even realize unicorns were capable of such a spell. I still can’t even describe what I saw. It was incredible.”

Big Macintosh, local, and member of the Apple Family, describes; “I’ve never seen somepony take a gamble on their life for somepony like that before. It was just luck we reached the hospital in time.”

Lyra herself also reports. “I’m just so thankful to know there’s somepony out there who’s not afraid to help somepony in need. I owe everything to Davin. He saved my life.”

We are happy to report that Davin is in good caring hooves, and he will be making a full and complete recovery.

Needless to say, I slept like a baby.

Author's Note

Well, I guess for this chapter I decided to really start getting things rolling.
Still no ending in sight for this story, and I hope you guys all continue to enjoy reading it!
I'll be updating as frequently as I possibly can.

As always, feel free to express your feedback. I try my best to consider and apply ideas and/or tips you may have!
Stay awesome you guys!

Chapter 14 - Intentions

"Ah mus’ say ya sure have done a fine job fixin’ things up ‘round here!” AJ stated as she glanced through the barn at the few carts and other several newly-repaired pieces of equipment.

“What’s that?” I poked my head out from underneath one of the two large apple juicers near the back of the barn, “Oh, yeah. Well I’m trying my best AJ!” I shrugged and slid back under the conveyor track of one of the large machines.

Only on my third day of work, and I had managed to overhaul most of the Apple Family’s equipment, mostly carts and simple, manually pony-powered machines. It wasn’t all easy work however; the Apple’s had three of these goddamn apple juicers, two of which badly needing all sorts of repairs. If something could go wrong on these things, it would; practically every bearing or cog needed replacing. Just when you think you’ve finally finished repairs on one of them, something else would fail.

Luckily the Apple’s had a working spare juicer to use, because I’ve spent the last couple days slaving away on these two. It was my duty to have these machines up and running to my standard, ensuring the Apple’s were making top productivity. With only one working juicer, their production rate was less than half of what it should be. I managed to actually finish repairs on one of them this morning, but who knows how long that will last before it needs to be fixed again. Hopefully I didn’t just jinx myself...

Considering how sow simple these machines actually were, the maintenance they required was frustrating as hell. Between figuring out how to comfortably and efficiently use my tools with hooves and constantly failing parts, it was taking me a considerably long time to conduct such simple repairs.

I was busy replacing bearings and races on the conveyor-like track; it was more-or-less a treadmill that a pony ran on to turn the massive wheel that crushed the apples into juice. Normally a repair job like this would take me less than an hour or so, but these quirky machines had me slaving away with this one job for over 3 hours.

Applejack knelt down and peeked at me underneath the apple juicer I was working on, “Y’all havin’ fun findin’ out the problem wit’ these dang things?”

“Oh, I’m thrilled AJ. I finally finished that one this morning, but this one’s been giving me nothing but trouble this afternoon.” I stated flatly as I pointed to the other apple juicer and began to turn a nut tight with a wrench. Just as I snugged the nut tight, the bolt snapped and the wrench fell to the ground with a hollow clang.

“Oh c’mon!” I groaned in frustration and picked up the wrench and set it into the toolbox, exchanging it for a rubber mallet to tap out the broken bolt; probably the fiftieth time that’s has happened today.

Applejack tried her best not to laugh, but she couldn’t help it. She giggled and put a hoof to her mouth, “My, sure looks like yer thrilled.” She giggled a bit louder and shook her head, “Ah’m sorry, can’t help myself.”

I looked at her and just shrugged. “Whatever, it happens.”

I struck the end of the broken bolt with the mallet, triggering a chain reaction; the entire conveyer assembly fell apart and fell to the floor. All my work this afternoon just crumbled right in front of my face. I grumbled and sunk my head. This freakin’ sucks. I’ve gotten practically nowhere this afternoon now!

Applejack’s mouth dropped as the dust settled, taking a look at the scattered parts across the barn floor. She looked at me and bit her bottom lip with some concern.

Despite how pissed off I now was, I actually laughed. “Ahh... Shit.” I knelt down and began gathering up the scattered parts of the conveyor.

AJ giggled along with me and put a hoof on my shoulder, stopping me from picking up the parts. “It’s 6 o’clock Dav. Don’t y’all think ya should jus’ leave this here ‘til tomorrow?”

“AJ, I’m so behind now, it’s not even funny. If I don’t stay late tonight and finish this thing, I’ll single-hoofedly ruin Cider Season for everypony.” I sighed and shook my head. I feel like such a failure right now.

“Now don’t ya worry none! Tomorrow is a new day.” She lightly jabbed me in the side with a hoof.

I sighed and accepted defeat for the day. “Fine. I’ll see ya tomorrow morning Applejack.”

The orange mare nodded her head in agreement, but put a hoof on my shoulder halting my leaving. “Jus’ hold yer horses for one second there, partner.” She opened her saddlebag with her teeth, pulling out a small bag of bits.

“Oh, right.” I chuckled lightly, “Thanks AJ.” I politely accepted the bag of bits from Applejack and set it into a pocket in my work vest.

“That’s the third time y’all fergot to collect yer pay for the day there, hayseed.” AJ raised a brow and shook her head. “Y’all run along now, ya got a date waitin’!”

“I do?” I looked back to the orange mare as I trotted my way through the barn doors.

Applejack rolled her eyes, “Yeah, ya do! Y’all say ah said ‘hi’ to Lyra fer me, ya hear?”

“Oh right!” I facehooved, “Alright I will. See ya later AJ!” I left the barn at a steady gallop, managing a wave goodbye to Braeburn and Big Macintosh, who was pulling a cart full of barrels of cider.

I guess getting caught up in work really did help with me getting my mind off things, not to mention making time fly by. It was Wednesday evening already, and I made plans to meet Lyra at Ponyville Café for dinner. Oh man, I hope tonight goes a little smoother than this afternoon has!

“Alright cuz, I’d say that’s an honest day’s work.” Big Mac came to a halt from running on the apple juicer, filling up the last barrel of freshly squeezed cider.

Braeburn pressed on the cap of the barrel, sealing it. Big Mac hopped off the conveyor, and picked up the barrel onto his back, carrying it over to a cart and placing it next to a few other full barrels.

“Ah can’t thank ya enough for comin’ all the way from Appleloosa to help us out with Cider Season this year, Braeburn.”

“I’m happy to help, cuz. I’m sure Appleloosa is doin’ jus’ fine without me.” Braeburn chuckled.

“Ah sure hope so.” Big Mac hooked himself up to the cart and began to pull it towards the barn.

“Now what ya s’pose his rush is?” Big Mac returned a wave of a hoof to the galloping off, blue hornless-unicorn stallion.

“Perfect...” Braeburn mumbled under his breath.

“What y’all jus’ say?” Big Mac lowered a brow, looking Braeburn in the eye.

“Uh, nothin’ cuz.” Braeburn tried not to return eye contact.

Big Macintosh shook his head, “Alright, well do ya mind takin’ care of the rest of these here barrels?”

“It’d be my pleasure, Big Mac!” Braeburn hooked himself up to the cart and pulled it into the barn, leaving Big Mac and closing both the barn doors after him.

Braeburn chuckled evilly as he unloaded the last of the few barrels from the cart next to the others produced earlier that day. He took a step back and took a deep breath, engulfing himself in a column of green flames.

The flames ceased to reveal a jet-black figure, with fangs, severely perforated hooves, and malicious blue eyes.

The Changeling held his head high, straining to conjure up the right dark magic spell. The stack of barrels of cider began to hum and glow in a bright green aura, and from the tip of the Changeling’s horn, a single, black perforated heart appeared. The heart floated away, into the green aura surrounding the barrels; in a brilliant flash of white and green light, the black heart and the green aura disappeared, leaving the barrels of cider looking completely untouched.

The Changeling’s job for the day was finally done. He surrounded himself in green flames once again, reassuming the shape of Braeburn.

“Want it, need it; with a good ol’ Changeling twist.” Braeburn’s attention was shifted from the evilly enchanted barrels of cider to the barn doors, where a knock and a voice of a mare called out to him.

“Braeburn? Are you in there, dear?” A voice and a knock on the barn doors turned the attention away from the darkly-enchanted apple juicers.

“Hey there!” Braeburn greeted Rarity as he slid the barn door open.

“What were you doing in there?” Rarity tilted her head in question and suspicion, pointing a hoof inside the barn.

“Jus’ storin’ away the last of the cider we made today!” he grinned, “What are y’all doin’ here Rarity?”

“Oh, I see.” Rarity nodded her head in understanding, “I just thought it’d be a lovely idea to come see you for a visit... and maybe a walk through the orchard?” She fluttered her eyes at the tan stallion.

Braeburn grinned and trotted off alongside Rarity into the vast orchards of apple trees, feeling more powerful than ever.

“Aww yeah, who’s awesome? You’re awesome! Yeah!” I talked to myself in the mirror, eyeing myself up and trying to boost my confidence just a bit before the date. I chuckled and rolled my eyes, “Pffft. What am I doing...” God, I'm so freaking random at times.

I flicked off the light and left the apartment for the Café. I didn’t make it 10 feet from the complex when I was crashed into by Rainbow Dash, hurdling me a few feet to my side.

She stood up and dusted herself off, “Oops, my bad.” She offered me a hoof up.

I glared at her for a moment, but sighed and accepted her hoof. She pulled me up from the ground rather abruptly; she was definitely a lot stronger than she looked. It almost startled me. I brushed the dust off myself and awaited her impending smart-ass comment.

“What’s up?” she asked in a tone as if she were making small talk with a good friend.

“Uh, just heading out to dinner, actually.” I pointed a hoof in the direction of town.

“Ooh, with Lyra?” Rainbow sniggered, bumping me teasingly with an elbow.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, resuming my quickly-interrupted hike to the café.

Jeez, how old are you Rainbow...

After a long pause, I finally decided to answer the Pegasus persistently hovering at my side. “Yeah, and I’m already late. How does everypony know about me and Lyra?”

“Uh, duh!” Rainbow pointed both her front hooves at the still-taped off wreckage of town hall.

“Oh right.”

“Braeburn! Braeburn wake up!” Braeburn opened one of his eyes to find himself still in the confines of his cold, damp, dark underground holding cell. Cherry Jubilee was grasping the bars between the two cells as she tried to wake him.

“Ughh...” he groaned as he got to his hooves, “What’s goin’ on, miss Jubilee?”

“I think I’ve figured it out, why we’re locked in here.” Cherry looked up from Braeburn into the depths of the cavern, to check for any Changeling guards.

“Well, you were telling me that they impersonated you, right?”

“Yes ma’am.” He rubbed an eye with a hoof.

“And we are both in love with somepony, which would make sense to why they took our place entirely.”

“What are ya gettin’ at, miss Jubilee?” Braeburn yawned as he spoke.

“Nopony even knows we’re gone.” She sunk her head, “They’re planning something, and they’re using us to put that plan into motion.”

“That still don’t answer why we’re locked up in here.” Braeburn lifted a hoof.

“We’re here because we’re the only ponies that know they’re up to something, and they don’t want us to mess anything up.” Cherry gestured a hoof outwards, toward the darkness of the cavern.

“That is quite correct, my little ponies...” Chuckled the Changeling Queen, now standing just outside Braeburn and Cherry Jubilee’s holding cells, startling them completely.

“...but there’s a few details you’re leaving out.” The Queen chuckled, “You see, we took your places because you each had the most powerful of feelings for somepony of your puny little towns, and we simply just couldn’t let that power go to waste. We struck gold with you, Braeburn.”

Cherry and Braeburn stared at each other wide-eyed in shock. Braeburn’s shock quickly turned to anger. He scowled and gritted his teeth, jumping at the bars of his cell between himself and the Changeling Queen.

“What are y’all plannin’?!” Braeburn lashed out at the Queen, who didn’t even flinch.

“Oh Braeburn, why so aggravated?” The Queen shook her head, “You should feel proud, knowing that you happened to be the key pony to allow us to start our invasion!”

“What are ya talkin’ about?!” Braeburn stomped a hoof on the hard rock ground, while Cherry only watched. “How in tarnation am I the key pony in all this?”

The Changeling Queen cackled manically. “Oh you see, after we first took your place, we learned that you had offered to help in Ponyville’s famous annual Cider Season harvest. When we found out that you, of all ponies, was in charge of the cider itself, we we’re given an extraordinary opportunity, and we thought up a brilliant plan.”

“I swear, if you hurt any of mah family or friends, I ain’t even explainin’ what I’ll do to ya!” Braeburn threatened through the bars of his cell.

The Queen laughed, “Oh, you’re hardly in any position to be making threats, Braeburn.”

Cherry scowled and stood up in her cell, and faced the Queen. “If you want to take over Equestria, why don’t you just start by invading Canterlot?!” She screamed behind the bars of her cell.

“Because we already tried that approach...” The queen lowered her head, stomping a hoof on the ground, “...and failed miserably! It took forever to rebuild my Changeling army! We needed to rethink our strategy. Soon enough, we came up with one; it was magnificently brilliant!”

Braeburn shook the bars of his cell, attempting to break them free from the solid rock ground and floor.

“Your pathetic efforts of trying to escape are beyond futile, Braeburn. Those cells are locked by your very desire to want to escape.” The Changeling Queen cackled, “The more you want out, the stronger the lock on your cell becomes. It’s a brilliant spell, thought up by us, no less.” She pointed a hoof to herself as she gloated.

Braeburn released himself from holding the bars, grumbling loudly. With a thud, he sat down on his flank, defeated.

“Oh, look at that. We’re here already.” Rainbow pointed and looked up to the Ponyville Café, now before us. “Alright, well good luck with your date!” Rainbow Dash finally flew off, but paused mid-air. “You’re going to need it!” she called from high above, laughing as she flew off.

There was her smart-ass quip I was expecting. Never fails.

I walked into the café, pushing the door open to a rather quaint, but fancy little place. Beyond the hostess’s counter, waiters in tuxes served silver platters to the few ponies already seated at their tables, while others chatted and laughed amongst themselves. To be completely honest, I’ve never went on a date where I’d actually go eat dinner at a fancy restaurant. Something about formality just makes me uncomfortable; perhaps just under too much pressure for trying to make a positive impression on someone. Back home if I’d actually happened to muster up the courage to ask a girl to go on a date, I’d take her for a cruise on the streets in my truck. She’d probably get to know me a lot better that way, rather than while I’m under tons of pressure in some fancy restaurant or something.

I walked up to the hostess at the front counter trying to look casual, but not too casual.

“E-Excuse me miss? I reserved a table for two, for 7:30 tonight. I-I’m a little bit early though.”

Ugh, I hate formal stuff.

The unicorn hostess studied me hard for a moment, probably due to the lack of a horn. “Um, yes of course.” She looked down into a planner on the counter, “And what is your name, sir?”

“Davin.” I tried to act as if I wasn’t bothered by her obvious disapproval of me.

Her eyes shot up from the planner, and she dropped the pen she was holding with her magic. I lifted a hoof off the ground as I took a step back, totally not expecting that kind of a reaction just from telling her my name.

Jeez, what the hell did I do wrong now?

“Davin? The Davin?!” she stared at me, wide eyed.

I took a quick shifting glance across the café, making sure no extra attention was being drawn towards me. Crap, a few other ponies shushed and looked my way.

“Uh... Yeah, unless there’s another pony around here by the name of Davin.” I chuckled a bit nervously as I tried to keep a grip on my confidence and positive frame of mind.

The hostess gasped and put a hoof over her mouth, stepping out from behind the counter. “Um, right this way sir.” There was a croak in her voice as she pointed a hoof towards the back of the café, staring at me as we trotted towards the table.

Ok, why the hell is she staring at me like that?

“Uh, is--” she interrupted.

“It’s an honor to have you dining here this evening, sir. I read about what you did in the paper.” She offered a hoof towards the table.

Oh jeez. How many times must I be reminded of that night?

“Oh,” I shortly chuckled, “I guess I just happened to be at the right place at the right time I suppose.” I shrugged.

Honestly, how is somepony supposed to answer to something like that? ‘Oh yea, It’s no big deal or anythin’, just lost my horn and almost died in my totally heroic attempt to save somepony.’ Yeah, no. As hilariously cocky of a thing that would be to say, I’d rather not.

“You did a good thing.” She smiled at me as I took a seat at the table. “When your date arrives, feel free to ask for anything. I’ll have the waiter bring it over to you immediately.” She set down two menus on the table; one in front of me and the other in Lyra’s spot.

Oh boy.

“Oh, no that’s quite alright, miss. No need for special treatment.” I raised a hoof and put on a forced smile through my awkwardness.

UGH!! This hero shit is getting on my nerves. I’m not a hero! I don’t even remember doing it! I know I should feel proud of myself, but I just don’t; honestly, I don’t really know why it pisses me off at all in the first place. I guess it’s mostly because I don’t want everypony to think I’m something that I know I can’t live up to.

“Such a gentlecolt...” The hostess smiled, “You’re date is a lucky pony.” She left back to the front counter.

I just answered her with a smile and a nod, and I rested my head on a hoof as I glanced down at the menu. I didn’t really read it though; I was just blankly staring at it. Good thing I picked up the pace after Rainbow crashed into me, otherwise I’d probably still be out there right now listening to her talk about her flying around and tricks and stuff.

“Hey, you.” Lyra trotted up and took a seat at the table.

“Oh, hey Lyra, how’s it going?”

“It’s going well.” She giggled, “How were your first few days of work?”

I sighed, “They went alright; Applejack has me working on these apple juicing machines, and they’ve caused me nothing but trouble since yesterday morning.”

Lyra cocked her head back, “Oh?”

“Yeah, they’re taking me forever to repair.” Ok, I’m already rambling too much. Stop. “But anyways, you do anything fun today?”

Lyra thought for a moment then shrugged, “No, not really. Bon Bon and I pretty much spent the whole afternoon together like usual. That was the highlight of my day so far.”

“Oh that’s cool.” I nodded my head, then glanced back down at the menu, both trying to decide what I would like to order, and what I should say next...

“So did you talk to Twilight about the other night?” Lyra raised a hoof, shifting her gaze from my horn, or rather, lack of horn.

“Oh, Yeah I did actually.” I almost completely forgot about that. “She has an idea that somehow I conjured up some kind of ‘repair spell’ or something.” I shrugged.

“A repair spell?” Lyra lowered her brow and tilted her head.

“Yeah or something like that. I can’t remember exactly what the spell was called though.” I scratched the back of my head.

God, I can’t remember the right name of that spell for the life of me... Ah well, it’ll come back to me some time, I'm sure.

“Excuse me masseur, are you and your date ready to order?” A white waiter pony in a tuxedo stood at our table, holding a pen and a notepad with his magic.

Whoops. Guess I should actually have read what was on the menu. Hmm, lets actually take a look this time. Let’s see... Hay fries? No thanks. Daisy and alfalfa sandwich? Hmm, maybe. Ooh, tomato soup. Now we’re talking my language! Heh, it's kinda funny... The first thing on the menu that doesn't sound completely ridiculous!

I didn't even need to continue down the menu. “Um, I’ll have the tomato soup, please!”

Hell, yeah! Now that’s something I haven’t had in a long time. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all!

Lyra looked up from her menu and giggled at me, then turned to the waiter. “I’ll have the same, please.”

“Excellent choice, Madame.” The waiter picked up both the menus with his magic and trotted off towards the kitchen at the back of the café.

I know tomato soup is nothing to get all that excited about, but other than work, it’s one of the things that just so happened to allow me to feel more at home in this world. Sure, I get along with most of the ponies here, but it still feels far from home. Having a meal I enjoyed back in my old life was sure to make me feel more comfortable here; to me, it was definitely something to be happy about.

In my excitement, I hoof-pumped the air, and Lyra totally saw me do it.

She gave me the ‘did you seriously just do that’ face and giggled.

I shrugged. “Heh, sorry. It’s just nice knowing I can still get the food I loved back home here too.”

Now only if they had a KFC...

Lyra giggled, “It’s okay.”

The next couple of hours went by almost a little too quickly. I was actually really enjoying this dinner date with Lyra.

“Well that that was great Davin, thank you. But you didn’t have to pay for me, you know.” Lyra wrapped a hoof around me as we came to a halt after walking out of the café.

“Oh no problem, I had fun too. And yeah I did have to! What kind of guy would I be if I made my date pay for her meal?” I playfully gave her a shove.

She managed a short chuckle, “Yeah I suppose. So what do you have planned for the rest of the night?”

“Well, it’s like 9:30, and I have to work tomorrow, so probably just sleep I guess.” I shrugged, taking a quick glance down the street.

“What, you mean... that’s it? The night’s still young!” Lyra flung both her hooves outward, sounding disappointed.

You know what, she’s right! Who am I kidding; I probably won’t get my ass into bed until midnight anyways.

“Well if you have nothing to do, I suppose I could bore you for a little while longer if you want.” I shrugged, probably wearing the stupidest half-smile.

Lyra giggled and gave me a peck on the cheek, “Come with me, I know a place just out of town that looks amazing this time of evening.”

We trotted a ways out of town, past Fluttershy’s cottage and into a grassy field near the Everfree forest, which had a spectacular view of the sunset against Canterlot and the Foal Mountains.

I was just lost in the sight I pretty much don’t even know how long I was staring until I noticed Lyra was looking at me. I turned my head and looked back at her; she looked fairly expressionless, other than the short smile she was wearing. Her eyes both said concern and admiration. I found myself lost in her eyes again... She has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen...

“Lyra, you have--” she threw her hooves around me, tackling me with a kiss, knocking me off balance, onto my back.

Wait a minute; I should’ve hit the ground by now.

Are we falling? We’re falling! What the hell?

I finally hit solid ground, taking the full impact of both Lyra and myself.

“Ahh... Are you ok?” I croaked, keeping my eyes closed as I struggled to breathe after having the wind knocked out of me.

Lyra coughed, “Yeah, yeah. I’m ok.”

Finally opening my eyes, we found ourselves in some kind of underground cavern.

We must’ve fallen through a soft spot in the cavern’s ceiling.

I looked up through the hole where Lyra and I had fallen through. The light from up above began fading out, as the sun passed behind Canterlot and the Foal Mountains.

“Well, this isn’t good!”

Author's Note

Dont'cha just love cliffhangers?
Don't worry, It won't take another two weeks to post another chapter. That was rediculous. Writer's block and not finding the time to write sucks.
Hopefully there's a few of you that managed to hang around to see if this story would ever update again!
I'm always looking forward to any feedback you may have!

Chapter 15 - Eyes in the Dark: Part 1

Sleeping was a chore all in its own; trying to get comfortable on a hard, cold, damp, solid-rock ground and having a mind racing with questions and thoughts, not to mention also on an empty stomach. The Changelings fortunately spared a few scraps of dirty and nearly-rotten fruits and vegetables to Braeburn and Cherry Jubilee each day, but nopony can live off that kind of diet for long; it was a miracle that neither of them had gotten sick, or at least sick yet. The dirty and damp conditions of being cooped up in holding cells for days, proved both a toll on Braeburn’s and Cherry’s mind and body; Cherry’s once creamy-white coat of fur was now tattered, damp and filthy. Braeburn didn’t fair much better either. Luckily, they had each other to keep company, and to keep sane.

“Ya still awake miss Jubilee?” Braeburn stopped concentrating on trying to sleep, as his efforts were completely futile. He missed home. He missed his family. He missed his love.

“Yeah I am, Braeburn. I don’t really sleep anymore...” Cherry answered as she looked Braeburn’s way, resting her head on her hoof.

Braeburn let out a long, sorrowful sigh. “I don’t know how long I can last in here miss Jubilee. I miss everypony so dang much.”

“Me too.” Cherry sounded just as beat-down as Braeburn, feeling completely helpless and troubled.

“Ya think we’ll ever see anypony again?”

Cherry choked as she started to cry, “I really try not to think about that, Braeburn. Part of me says yes, while the other terrible reality is that nopony will ever find us here.” Cherry broke down and cried.

Braeburn wobbled weakly to his hooves, and trotted to the barred wall separating the two cells. “Well at least we have each other miss Jubilee.” Braeburn lied back down on his stomach and sighed, “I would’a gone crazy by now if y’all weren’t here with me.”

Cherry looked up from having her head buried in her hooves, and wiped the tears from her eyes. She too rose to her hooves, and lied back down next to Braeburn, if it weren’t for the bars of the cell separating the two. She extended a hoof through the space in the bars, touching the side of Braeburn’s face. She looked him in the eye.

“I was just about to give up until you came along...” she actually managed a smile through her sorrow and tears.

Braeburn looked her back in the eye, but sunk his head and sighed.

Lyra looked at me with distress and bit her bottom lip.

I’m saying this again, aren't I? Where the hell is Rainbow Dash when you need her?

“Don’t you think we should call for help? Somepony might be able to hear us.” I shrugged, taking another look up through the hole in the cavern ceiling.

“I don’t know if anypony will be able to hear us down here Davin.” Lyra too looked up through the hole, to the freedom above.

“Well it’s worth a try.” I gasped and hollered, “IS--” Lyra silenced me by pressing a hoof to my mouth.

Jeez Lyra, you could’ve just said no.

“Shh! Who knows what kind of creatures are in this cave?” She looked around me to the darkening blackness as the cavern extended in the direction of the Everfree forest.

Now, thinking back to the day I arrived here, I remember that there were some pretty unworldly-sounding animals above ground. Who knows what might be lurking below in here? Lyra’s right, I too am not really in any position to find out. I can’t do anything magical; my horn is still gone, so scratch magic. I don’t know what to do. I feel like an idiot, and it's pissing me off! Better not let Lyra see me get frustrated this easily, that might give her the wrong impression of me, and that would definitely not be good at all.

“Well, what do you suppose we do then?” I shrugged, having no brilliant ideas coming to mind.

“We could look for a way out?” Lyra shrugged and pointed a hoof towards the darkness.

Really? You just said—ah screw it. It’s better than any idea I might have.

“Uh, alright. I don’t know about you, but I can’t exactly see in the dark.” I looked into the darkness, then back at Lyra, who gave me the ‘did you seriously just say that’ face.

Now only if I managed to have a pair of night vision goggles on me... Speaking of which, I wonder where, or even if, I could pick myself up a pair. I mean, who wouldn’t want a pair of night vision goggles? They’re awesome! Why can I picture Scootaloo knowing where I can get some?

Lyra rolled her eyes at me, and a light from her horn illuminated the cavern before us. She began to trot off down the cavern while I facehooved and started off after the green mare.

“You really think we’ll find a way out of here?”

“I hope so. This place gives me the creeps.” She answered while looking up at the tree roots growing in through the ceiling of the cavern.

Lyra and I trotted through the dark and damp cave under her illumination spell for hours.

If midnight hasn’t passed yet, then I’ve seriously lost track of time; then again, there’s no way to know for sure what time it is in this place, unless you were wearing a watch or something. And unfortunately, that luxury is non-existent.

The cavern stretched deeply under the Everfree forest, but by now I assume we’re probably long past there now. Sure, the Everfree forest was huge, but this cave just kept going and going. Plus, the humid air and tree roots protruding from the ceiling ceased a little while ago, along with the cavern walls gradually turning from compacted dirt and clay into solid rock, even showcasing some large, brilliant crystals that reflected and refracted the light from Lyra’s horn. To a bit of my relief, the cavern had opened up slightly, and wasn’t nearly as claustrophobic as it was with all the tree roots coming in through the ceiling; I almost lost my cool back there a couple times. The thought of the ceiling coming down on us constantly burned in the back of my mind as well.

Completely changing the topic, because that’s how I roll sometimes, if Lyra and I actually manage to find a way out tonight, work tomorrow morning is going to suck big time. I’m going to be so exhausted. I can’t even fathom how tired Lyra must be already walking all this way, plus holding that spell for so long.

“Hey Lyra?”

“Hmm?” she looked to the side without turning her head, acknowledging my addressing her.

“You doin’ alright? It must be pretty tiring holding that spell for so long. I’m already bushed just from walking.”

“I’m doing fine,” She perked her head up a bit, “we can take a break if you’re too tired to continue on for a little longer.”

Oh Lyra, you are hilarious. I am not going to be the one to stop us from looking for a way out of here just because I’m a little tired, jeez. What do you think I am, a 6-year-old? No freakin’ way man! Keep on truckin'!

I lightheartedly laughed, “No it’s fine, let’s keep on going.”

Lyra giggled, “Well actually, now that you’ve mentioned something, I could actually use a little rest.” The light from Lyra’s horn dimmed substantially, causing most of the cavern to fall back into total darkness. She took a seat against the rock wall, and took a long deep breath as she ceased the light from her horn completely, and lied down on the hard rock floor of the cavern.

Now this was a sight; the cavern was completely dark, other than the few bluish-green luminescent crystals protruding in from the ceiling, walls and the cavern floor. It became an absolutely serene spectacle as my eyes adjusted to the darkness.

“This world never ceases to amaze me.” I mumbled under my breath.

As my eyes began to adapt to the darkness a little more, I could actually spot Lyra’s fur in the low ambient glow of the crystals. She looked beautiful. I just stood there watching her lie peacefully, as her chest rose and fell with every breath she took.

I shook my head vigorously and rubbed my temple with a hoof.

Man, I need to hear the sound of a V8 revving at 7000 RPM to get me back on track! This world is amazing, but shit! It’s making me soft!

It took me a moment to realize that she was already asleep.

Guess she was actually pretty tired...

Then I realized another thing...

Crap. I can’t really try to find a way out without Lyra lighting the way, and the Apple family is not going to be impressed with me tomorrow, that’s for sure. Only three days of work, and I’m already missing hours. Damnit! Way to go, Davin! You freakin’ slack-ass! No point trying to use ‘I was trapped in a cave with no way out’ as an excuse, although actually, it is a pretty good excuse... Ugh I’m too tired, and given the current circumstance, I shouldn’t worry about that right now. Let’s just concentrate on getting the hell out of this cave.

I facehooved again and rolled my eyes as I also took a seat and lied down a few feet from Lyra. The rock floor was freezing cold, and it shot a shiver through my entire body. I grumbled as I sunk my head into my crossed hooves, fighting the heaviness of my eyes as I glared into the darkness of the cavern. Just before I was about to doze off, Lyra moved up and lied in close next to me.

She didn’t make eye contact, she just casually moved to my side.

Ok, now I was feeling a little nervous. Ok, should I try and move away and give her some space?

I bit my bottom lip as I tried to come up with the best and the least awkward move...

Ughhhh, I do not handle the slightest bit of forwardness in the slightest; and this isn’t even really a forward gesture! I get awkwarded-out so goddamn easily, and I think way too damn much. The hell is wrong with me?

Lyra felt so warm and soft against me, it was impossible to just move away. It wasn’t long before I gave up the fight; both against my stupid brain, and to stay awake. I fell into a slumber under the calming glow of the cavern crystals.

Celestia’s sun was shining brightly, and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.

“Ya know Rarity, I’m real glad I decided to come help my cousins with cider season this year.” Braeburn took a sip from one of the two straws of the chocolate milkshake himself and Rarity were sharing.

Rarity tilted her head, “How come, Braeburn?”

“Well, I’ve always wanted ta be a part of Ponyville’s famous Cider Season...” He took another sip as his cheeks flushed a bit. “...an’ ‘cause I was lucky enough ta spend some time ta get ta know ya.”

“Oh Braeburn, you’re such a charmer.” Rarity playfully cuffed Braeburn’s chin.

Braeburn chuckled as he grinned uncontrollably.

Just then, a wall of bars slammed down and surrounded him. The clang of the jail cell echoed loudly in Braeburn’s ears and blurred his vision, so much so that he couldn’t hear Rarity’s screams, or see clearly what was happening just before him. Immediately to his concern he tried to reach out to Rarity, but she was trapped and pinned down by three black figures; all grinning maliciously and laughing hysterically.

“Noooooooo!” Braeburn awoke in his jail cell, only to be greeted by the damp darkness of the cavern prison. He jumped to his hooves and angrily shook the bars of his cell.

“Let me outta here! LET ME OUT!!” Braeburn screamed into the darkness as he slammed himself against the bars of his cell, attempting to break free.

After a few minutes of screaming and trying to escape, Braeburn fell to his flank and covered his eyes as he started crying.

His struggle had awoken Cherry Jubilee in the cell next to his, and she trotted over to the cell wall separating the two. Braeburn was just close enough for Cherry to reach through the bars and rest a hoof on his shoulder.

“Braeburn, it’s ok. It’s going to be ok.” She tried to comfort the stallion breaking down before her.

Braeburn lifted his head up from the rock ground and took a deep breath as he faced the kind mare in the cell next to him.

“No it ain’t miss Jubilee.” Braeburn sunk his head again, “We ain’t ever gettin’ out’ta here.”

Cherry sunk her head as well, “I know.” She placed her hoof atop Braeburn’s, then looked him in his teary eyes. She tried to smile, but she couldn’t even force one. They just stared into each other’s eyes with understanding and defeat as they held each other's hooves through the bars of the holding cells.

“Now where in tarnation is that stallion?” Applejack peered through the barn doors into the early morning air, searching for any sign of the blue stallion who would’ve already been hard at work this time of morning.

Big Mac and Braeburn, pulling one of the large apple juicers out of the back of the barn paused beside Applejack.

“Ah’m sure he’ll be here sis.” Big Macintosh attempted to reassure, “He’s been extra early these here past few days, maybe he’s just runnin’ bit late this mornin’?”

“Ah dunno Big Mac, it ain’t like him to run late, he even said so himself.” The orange mare stared out of the barn to the path leading from Ponyville.

“Well ah’m sure he’ll make it.” Big Mac shrugged while Braeburn wore the face of curiosity and concern, pulling the apple juicer out of the barn into the light of the morning sun.

AJ suspiciously scrutinized Braeburn as he left with Big Mac into the orchard. “Somthin’ ain’t right ‘bout you Braeburn... Somthin’ just ain’t right at all.” She spoke under her breath and shook her head.

Applejack put a hoof to her chin, changing her train of thought, “Ah sure hope nothin’ bad has happened to Davin... I’m gunna go an’ ask Twi an’ Dash if they seen him. Things ‘round here are feelin’ mighty strange lately...” AJ turned to look at the machinery and several barrels of cider stored in the barn.

“Somthin’ wrong sis?” Apple Bloom’s stroll to school was paused as she took notice to Applejack’s concerned state.

“Uh...” AJ hesitated, “Honestly, ah ain’t too sure, sugarcube.”

Apple Bloom raised a brow and tilted her head, but before she could speak, Applejack continued.

“Come, ah’ll walk ya ta school. Ah have’ta go into town anyways.” Hooking up to her cart, Applejack and Apple Bloom set out towards Ponyville.

I awoke to my usual morning headache, compliments of my horn beginning to grow back. I opened my eyes, but I couldn’t see a thing. Even the ambient glow of the crystals was gone entirely. It was extremely unsettling. Out of all the 5 senses one can loose, sight is by far the only one I could not live without.

“Uhh, Lyra? You there?”

No response.

“Lyra? Hello?” I called out a bit louder, still no response.

Alright Dav, keep your cool bro.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I opened my eyes again, still to utter darkness. I rubbed my eyes with both my hooves, in any sad attempt to regain my vision. I stared blankly into the darkness, trying to contain my composure.

Then something completely startled the living shit out of me, let alone nearly blinding me.

Two extremely bright, bluish-white lights flashed on.

The sound of a high-torque ignition.

The roar of a certain engine cranking to life.

A very, very familiar rough-sounding idle.

As I used a hoof to shield my eyes from the intense white HID headlights, I tried to peer at the vehicle behind the two headlights shining before me.

It was Rarity; my custom GM pickup.

But here? How? There’s no possible way! It was destroyed in the crash with the train!

“This is impossible...” I just sat there like a deer in headlights as my mind raced, as the vehicle before me sat there roaring with that unmistakable rumbling idle.

I arose to my hooves, and approached the lights. I knew my HID’s were bright, but damn, I don’t remember them being this bright! I had to keep one eye closed and shield the other with a hoof.

I was now able to make out the front of the truck. It was definitely Rarity, there was no mistake. I trotted around the front, towards the driver’s door. I reached a hoof out to the handle, but just as I was about to try and flip it open, the window rolled down.

I think I’m about to faint.

I was completely frozen from what the opening window revealed.

It was me. The human me. He—I didn’t say a word. He just stared at me, holding a completely blank expression.

I had no idea what to say. For once, I have no idea what to say to myself. Just, nothing; I was drawing a complete blank from the sight held before me. Here I was. The human me, with one of my most prized possessions of my old life; my Rarity.

“Holy... Shit...”

The human me just stared through me, as if he knew everything about me. I never seen myself look so intimidating. This whole scene was just completely overwhelming.

“Don’t doubt yourself; you’re capable of anything...” The human me finally broke the silence and spoke down, “...Make the right choices...”

The window began to roll up as I heard the truck being shifted into gear.

“Wait! What choice?!” I raised my voice above the revving engine.

Just before the window completely closed, the human me smiled down, “...Take care of yourself, Strach.”

The truck took off in an ear-splitting engine roar and squeal of tires, leaving me again in total darkness.

“Davin, wake up.” I felt myself being nudged, “Wake up sleepy-head!”

“Ugh... What the hell... What a weird-ass dream...” I peered one of my eyes open, as the torrent of memories of the night before came back to me.

Oh right. Lyra and I are still stuck in this goddamn cavern. Awesome. And I’m definitely late for work. Ugh, sorry Apple Family! God, at this rate, I'm going to be buried in favors I owe to everypony before I can even get started on the first issue; getting the fuck out of this damn cave!

“You sleep ok?” Lyra sounded fairly calm and optimistic, despite how uncertain and apprehensive she felt last night after falling into this cave.

Lyra had already lit up the cavern with her magic, but not as vividly as last night. She must be trying to save her energy or something, I guess.

I arose to my hooves and cracked my kinked neck.

Ow. Guess I wouldn’t have expected any less from sleeping on rock.

“Uh, not really... Did you?” I rubbed the back of my sore neck.

Lyra giggled, “Yeah I slept ok.” She pawed at the ground, “Sorry if I came across as a bit forward, just snuggling up to you like that. I was uncomfortable... And, well... I was cold...”

And now I feel guilty. Shit. Play it cool Dav, play it cool.

“No, no. It’s ok. I would’ve probably froze too if you hadn’t have!” I nudged her reassuringly with a hoof, “Anyways, let’s just worry about finding a way out of this place.”

Lyra nodded her head in agreement, “Yeah, let’s go. I’m sure half of Ponyville must have noticed that we’ve been missing by now!”

“Ya wanna tell me what’s really botherin’ ya sis?” Apple Bloom tried to pry, “Ya ain’t actin’ yerself today.”

Applejack sighed, “Well ah’m just a bit concerned ‘bout a friend is all.”

“Why? Who? What happened Applejack?” Apple Bloom’s tone changed from concern to panicky.

“Y’all know that blue stallion that’s been workin’ here these past few days?”

“O’ course I know ‘im! Everypony knows who Davin is!” Apple Bloom spotted Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo waving to them as they entered Ponyville.

“Well ah’m just concerned why he hasn’t shown up fer work yet. He’da been workin’ a full couple of hours by now.” AJ scanned over the few faces of other ponies going about their business through the Ponyville streets, then taking notice to the taped-off rubble pile of town hall. “Ah sure hope he dun nothin’ like get himself hurt again.”

Apple Bloom bit her bottom lip in concern, also looking at the rubble pile in the middle of the town square. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were quick to meet up with Apple Bloom, immediately taking notice to her concern.

“Hey Apple Bloom, Hey Applejack.” Scootaloo greeted, “Something wrong?”

Sweetie Belle tilted her head, clearly noticing the concerned look about both Apple Bloom and Applejack’s faces

“Applejack says Davin’s missin’!”

Sweetie Belle gasped and covered her mouth and Scootaloo’s mouth dropped.

“Now don’t ya go worryin’ bout him, youngins.” Applejack tried to extinguish the fillies’ panic. “We’ll find him. Who knows? Maybe he jus’ slept in or somthin’.”

This calmed Apple Bloom down some, and she agreed, “Yeah, maybe. He does work awful hard after all.”

“Exactly.” Applejack nodded her head. “Y’all best be gettin’ to school, now.”

Scootaloo groaned and turned in the direction of the Ponyville schoolhouse. “Fine... See you later Applejack.”

“See ya at home sis.” Apple Bloom sounded just about as apathetic as Scootaloo, and waved a hoof as she too left alongside the little orange Pegasus.

“Bye Applejack! Hope you find him!” Sweetie Belle squeaked as she hopped off, following Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.

“See y’all later.” Applejack dismissed, turning away from the little fillies and lowering her head. “Ah do too Sweetie Belle. Somthin’ tells me it ain’t gunna be easy.”

“Sorry about dragging us into this.” Lyra lowered her head slightly, clearly with regret in her voice.

“Into what Lyra?” I looked the green mare in the face, avoiding the blinding illumination spell from her horn.

“This whole ‘stuck in this never-ending cavern thing.” She shook her head at herself, rubbing her temple.

Her fault? Umm, no I don’t think so. Sure, she caught me off guard when she tackled me to the ground, but still! It was probably my own damn fault for being too heavy for the ground to take!

“Hey, don’t blame yourself.” I nudged her gently in the side reassuringly. “If I wouldn’t have lost my balance and fell on my ass, we wouldn’t be stuck here in the first place. If anything it’s my fault.”

And you know what? It totally IS my fault. Because I’m a weird, awkward, klutz, we’re stuck in this goddamn cavern. Who knows if we’ll even make it out of here? Shit, I don’t want to die like this.

Lyra clearly didn’t want to agree that it was my fault, even though it totally was. I could see it in her face that she knew I was right. I suck so much. God, no wonder girls never liked me back home; I’m making the same dumb mistakes here too.

I looked down at the damp cavern floor, taking notice to how the ground here was becoming soft enough to make impressions of perfect hoof prints. Then I noticed something even more shocking and unusual. Man I must have ADD, I get distracted so easily.

“Huh, that’s weird...” Lyra’s and my own hoof prints didn’t seem to be the only ones in this cave. The other hoof prints however, we’re definitely a bit different. They looked almost as if they had parts missing.

Hmm... weird.

“What is it?” Lyra turned back towards me, nearly blinding me with her illumination spell.

I covered my burning eyes with a hoof, pointing to the ground where I assume the other hoof prints were. “Look. Guess we’re not the only ones down here.”

Lyra lowered an eyebrow and followed my hoof to where I was pointing. She gasped. “Oh no. Please Celestia, no.”

Now it was my turn to ask. “What?”

“Those hoof prints. They look like...” Lyra trailed off as she covered her mouth with a hoof.

“Like what, Lyra?” I placed a hoof on her shoulder.

“Those prints look exactly like...” She turned back around towards me, “...we need to get out of here. Now.”

“W-Wha--?” I didn’t even finish as Lyra started galloping down the cave, nearly leaving me in the darkness. So now I was both confused and a bit worried.

Lyra definitely did not want to come across whatever left those prints.

Author's Note

Oh no, cliffhanger!
Haha don't worry, Part 2 is almost completely written; I'll probably have it posted tonight, if not, tomorrow. So hang in there!!

Chapter 16 - Eyes in the Dark: Part 2

“Now where do ya s’pose he could’a gone?” Apple Bloom shrugged, conversing with Sweetie Belle, sitting to the right and a row in front.

“I don’t know Apple Bloom.” Sweetie Belle shook her head and shrugged. “That stallion sure knows how to find himself in interesting situations though! I sure hope Applejack finds him!”

“No kidding,” Scootaloo interjected from across the room, “He’s kind of awesome. But not as awesome as Rainbow Dash! She’s the coolest.”

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes and glared at the purple maned, orange Pegasus for a moment.

“What?” Scootaloo shrugged, actually receiving looks from quite a few classmates.

Apple Bloom giggled, and an idea popped into Sweetie Belle’s head as Cheerilee trotted into the classroom of noisy chatting little ponies.

She gasped, “I have an idea!”

Scootaloo facehooved, “Uh oh.”

“We should totally get Miss Cheerilee and Davin to go on a date with each other!”

Apple Bloom gasped, “No! Remember what happened last time we tried to get two ponies to go on a date together?”

Diamond Tiara interrupted, “Yeah, everypony knows about what you three did. How would’ve that even got you three your cutie marks?”

Silver Spoon scoffed, “Blank Flanks. Pfft.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle glared at the two prissy little fillies, Scootaloo rolled her eyes, shrugging off their two cents.

“Yeah, anyways... No thanks Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo shook her head, “Besides, I think Davin already has a marefriend.” Scootaloo gagged, sticking out her tongue and pointing a hoof to her mouth.

“Alright everypony, settle down.” Cheerilee addressed the class full of foals, eventually everypony quieted down.

“He has a marefriend?” Sweetie Belle gestured over Scootaloo, “Who?”

“Is it Fluttershy?” Apple Bloom guessed with a whisper.

“No,” Scootaloo shook her head, “I think it’s Lyra.”

“Why do you three even care about that stallion? He practically ruined the town hall!” Diamond Tiara glared at all three Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“Yeah, my dad says he’s a menace!” Silver Spoon added rather bluntly, and a bit loudly.

Cheerilee rolled her eyes that the arguing fillies. “Everypony, please quiet down.” She clearly directed most of the blame on the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

The three foals grumbled and sunk their heads onto their desk, while Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara giggled.

“Alright my little ponies, shall we continue our lesson on the history of Canterlot?” Cheerilee picked up a piece of chalk in her mouth and began making notes on the blackboard.

A few foals groaned, and Snips raised his hoof. “Ooh! Ooh! Miss Cheerilee! Miss Cheerilee!”

The purple mare rolled her eyes and giggled, setting down the chalk before turning around to face the class. “Yes Snips?”

“When are we going on the field trip to the crystal caverns under Canterlot?” Snips was clearly eager to know, and the orange colt seated next to him shared his enthusiasm.

“Field trip? To the Canterlot caverns? Eew!” Diamond Tiara cringed at the thought.

Scootaloo shared surprised looks with both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, who weren’t even aware of the trip.

Cheerilee giggled at the reaction of the class to Snips’s question, “Well, I was planning on keeping it a surprise, but I guess the cat is out of the bag now.”

“Well? When do we go Miss Cheerilee?” Sweetie Belle stood on her seat, with both her front hooves atop her desk.

“I’m glad to see how eager you all are!” Cheerilee nodded her head, “We are going to the Crystal Caverns next Friday!”

“Tomorrow?” Snails asked from the back of the class.

Cheerilee shook her head, “No, unfortunately you all have to wait another week until next Friday, Snails.”

Everypony except Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon groaned.

Sweetie Belle slumped back into her seat. “Oh c’mon...”

“Lyra can we please stop running!?” I could hardly breathe after trying to keep up with the green mare. I know I’m actually a quick sprinter, but damn, Lyra must’ve been really spooked to be able to just keep on running like that.

She didn’t reply, she just kept on galloping. Well I better keep up too; I’d rather not fall back into the darkness from straggling behind. We definitely covered a lot of ground, but not really in a fashion I’d like to; running from god-knows-what through some unknown cavern just after waking up definitely isn’t how I like spending my morning work-out.

Ok, I was seriously loosing my breath. If we don’t stop now I’ll probably die. “Lyra! Seriously, I’m gunna pass out here!”

She finally heard me I guess, because she finally slowed to a gradual stop. I trotted up next to her and plopped onto my back, panting for air. Man I must be out of shape; can’t even keep up to a mare. She was out of breath too, but not panting nearly as hard as I was, and she was running faster than me!

After I caught my breath, I got back to my hooves. “What in the hell were we running from?”

Lyra shook her head and rubbed her eyes with a hoof. “Sorry. Just got a little scared back there I guess...”

No, really?

“It’s ok. I just want to know what scared you so much.”

I don’t smell bad, do I? Well, at least not bad for spending a night in a dark cave... Anyways...

“Don’t laugh at how ridiculous this is, ok?” Lyra gave me a concerned look.

Well that caught me off guard. “Uh, ok I won’t.” I took a step back.

“Alright...” Lyra took a deep breath as she prepared herself.

Jeez, I hope she doesn’t feel like she HAS to tell me about it; if she isn’t prepared to talk about it, I don’t want to make her feel like she needs to with me...

“Lyra, if it bothers you this much you don’t have to tell me. It’s ok.”

“No, it’s ok. I’ll tell you.” Lyra looked me in the eye and managed a half-smile, “I trust you.”

Now that REALLY caught me off guard!

What do I even say in response to that?!

“Well a while back, I was offered to be a bride’s maid at a royal wedding in Canterlot...”

...

“...they essentially brainwashed me to help in their plan to take over Equestria. Luckily the spell wore off and they failed.” Lyra sat down on her flank, and stared at the ground; the illumination spell she was holding was dwindling down to a flicker, as her focus on maintaining the spell dissipated.

“Uh... W-Wow... I uh...” I scratched the back of my head as I tried to comprehend what Lyra had just told me. I was at a loss for words. Again...

“Sorry. It’s probably a lot to take in...” Lyra just remained sitting, and I finally managed to find something to say.

“It’s ok Lyra. I’m here for you if you ever need somepony to talk to. It must’ve been a lot to endure...” I moved in next to her, offering her a hoof back up.

I can’t even fathom what kind of horrible things she went through while she was held captive and brainwashed by those ‘shape-shifter’ creatures she was talking about. Personally, I’d probably go insane. Even if I recovered!

Lyra stood back up and nuzzled me, then gave me a peck on the cheek. I looked into her bright golden eyes for a moment, and noticed a glimmer in her eye. I snapped around, and I gazed into the darkness of the cavern.

What met my eyes wasn’t total darkness; in fact, the cavern forked off into two separate tunnels. Up the one on the left, sunlight was peeking through. Down the opposite way however, was a different story entirely.

I turned back around to face Lyra, who was looking over my shoulder at the same sight I was gawking at. She looked me back in the eye.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” We both asked each other in unison, but I’m not sure if we were actually talking about the same thing.

Down one tunnel, freedom. Down the other, it looked like hell. The tunnel on the right descended downwards, and looked like it opened up into a prison of some sort. Rusty bars of jail cells lined most of the walls.

“Well this is rather unsettling!” I trotted closer to the tunnel on the right, peering into the darkness of the cave. Lyra did the same, just only trotted closer to the tunnel leading to freedom.

I got that feeling that I was being watched. A shiver shot down my spine.

“C’mon Davin. Let’s get out of here.” Lyra began her way up the left tunnel, into freedom from the cavern.

I hesitated to follow her, only to look into the tunnel on the right.

Something tells me I should go down there and check it out, but honestly, I just want to get the hell out of here. I guess I could compromise looking around for asking if anyone’s home I suppose.

“Anyone down there?” I called into the darkness.

I was answered by nothing but silence.

I looked into the cavern again, to try to make out anything but darkness and rusty old jail cells.

Nothing.

I turned and headed up after Lyra. Just as I took a step forth, out of the corner of my eye, I swear I saw a pair of eyes and I know I heard something shuffle behind me in the tunnel on the right.

It startled me enough to make one final glance over my shoulder for anything, or anyone.

Darkness and silence.

Ok, enough of this; I’m getting pretty creeped out. I’m getting the hell out of here.

I trotted up after Lyra, and as the tunnel dew closer and closer to the opening, the stifling air of the cavern began to subside, making way for the fresh, clean air of the freedom from the surface.

“Howdy Twi’.” Applejack welcomed herself into the library.

“Hi Applejack,” Twilight looked up from the book she had herself buried into, “what brings you around here this time of day?”

“Ah just came by ta ask if’n ya seen Davin ‘round anywhere.”

“Davin? No, I haven’t. I haven’t seen him since Tuesday evening. I’ve been here trying to find out how he managed to conjure up such an advanced spell with no magic experience, but I can’t find anything!” Twilight closed the book she was researching with her magic, and tossed it into a pile of books across the library and grumbled in frustration.

“Y’all been tryin’ ta find how he did that since Tuesday?” Applejack cocked her head back.

Twilight mumbled to herself as she trotted to a bookshelf across the library and studied the titles for a moment before making her choice and grabbing a blue book off the shelf with her magic. She set the book down and frantically flipped through the pages.

“Actually, I’ve been looking since Sunday morning when I found out about what happened that night with town hall.” She pointed a hoof out the window without drawing her head up from the book.

“Tell me y’all have had some sleep since then.” Applejack deadpanned.

Twilight looked up from the book with a glare.

“Ah’m jus’ sayin’ ya have done a whole lot of stressin’ over things before, sugarcube.” Applejack raised a hoof in surrender.

“I’m not stressing over anything Applejack; I’m just doing a favor for a friend.” Twilight softened her glare and flipped through a few more pages in the book.

“He asked ya to find out?”

“No actually,” Twilight tossed the book and pulled another from the shelf, “he agreed to let me try to find out for him. It was my idea.”

“Well that was mighty nice of ya Twi’. I’m sure he’ll appreciate that.”

“I’m sure I’ll also learn a new lesson on friendship by helping him out too—Aha!!” Twilight appeared to have found some useful information in the new book she had opened before her.

“Uh huh...” AJ lowered a brow, “Alright, well good luck findin’ out that magic...an’ stuff.” Applejack rolled a hoof and turned for the door. “Nice seein’ ya Twi’.”

Twilight waved a hoof, keeping her face buried in the book, making notes on a piece of parchment with a quill using her magic.

AJ shrugged as the door to the library closed behind her. She started off back towards the center of town, to start the day’s work of selling the usual Apple Family varieties.

“Hi there Applejack!”

Applejack turned around towards the voice who addressed her, “Oh, howdy Bon Bon! How’re y’all doin’?”

“Uh, I’d be better if I knew where Lyra was.” She bit her bottom lip, taking a glance around wearily.

“Lyra’s missin’? This ain’t good; Davin’s missin’ too.”

“He is?” Bon Bon’s eyes widened, making her appear even more concerned now than she was a moment ago.

“Yeah, can’t find that darn colt anywhere.” Applejack was beginning to show signs of worry as well.

“Why do I suddenly get a really, really bad feeling about this?”

Freedom. At last.

As Lyra and I freed ourselves from the cave, we were met with a cool breeze, and early morning sunshine; it felt amazing. Although, it did take a while for my eyes to re-adjust to the brightness of the surface.

The small end of the tunnel emerged out of the side of a mountain, a few feet off the ground, near a small stream. The opening was wide enough for Lyra to easily get free, but just barely big enough for me. I almost got stuck half-way out, and I needed Lyra to lend me a hoof and help me through.

I let out a huge sigh of relief as all four of my hooves met the ground.

“FREEDOM!” I yelled out, standing on my back legs, thrusting both my hooves into the air.

Lyra rolled her eyes at me and giggled.

Oh, like you didn’t want to do the same thing Lyra...

Her optimism dropped as she peered past me, and up the mountain.

Great, now what?

“What’s wrong?”

Lyra pointed a hoof up to the top of the mountain. I turned around and looked up. I immediately wished I hadn’t have.

“Canterlot?!” My shoulders fell limp, “Are you kidding me...”

This was going to be a long, excruciating hike back to Ponyville, that's for sure. Good thing it was still fairly early, I might actually make it to work at a decent time if I step on it back to town! Now only just to start in the proper direction...

The base of the mountain was surrounded mostly by forest, and I couldn’t find any reference point other than the city of Canterlot itself, high up above, which didn’t really help. Needless to say, my sense of direction was way out of whack.

“Um, so where should we head?”

Lyra scrutinized the area, looking for anything to start us off in the right direction. Luck was definitely on our side this morning, because she quickly spotting something.

“Let’s just head for that bridge! It might lead us the right way.” Lyra pointed to a small train bridge crossing over the stream, several yards away.

How didn’t I notice that? Ah well, I’ll take what I can get in this situation! Frick, the cavern could have emerged out of the side of a sheer cliff; thank God it didn’t! Even if that track doesn’t lead the way to Ponyville, I’m sure it’d still help us out in the right way.

“Alright well no point sticking around. Let’s get back home.” I rustled my mane with a hoof, in attempt to shake out some of the dirt and filth that accumulated from the cave.

“Yeah...” There was some hesitation in her voice as she turned her head towards the stream.

She trotted over to the bank of the stream, looking down into her reflection. She cringed at the sight of herself. To my surprise, she just hopped right into the water.

Both her and I were both pretty filthy from spending a good 13-or-so hours in some dirty, damp, dark cavern, so I guess just jumping in some random stream would substitute for a shower I suppose; the water did look fairly clean and it would probably feel better to make the trip back to Ponyville clean, rather than be covered in god-knows what kind of filth from the cavern.

I too trotted over to the bank of the stream, and looked at my own reflection. No horn still, that's no surprise. Although the pains of it beginning to grow back come and go. I was also pretty damn dirty.

Holy crap; my mane was reduced to a black and dirty grey-brown, and my dark blue fur didn’t fair much better. I was a lot dirtier than Lyra was, that’s for sure.

I dipped a hoof into the stream to check the temperature. Meh; a little chilly, but not bad. Just as I prepared to step in, Lyra swung her hoof across the water, splashing me in the face.

“Oh just come in already!” She giggled teasingly.

Yeah, you’re going to pay for that Lyra.

I took a few steps back, before taking a running start back towards the stream. I leapt into the air, landing mere inches from where Lyra was standing; completely drenching her.

She stood there blank faced as the water dripped off her now soaking wet mane partly covering her face.

I had a good laugh at the look she had on her face. “Two can play at that game, you know.”

Her eyes narrowed to a glare and she trotted out of the stream. I immediately felt bad.

Shit, I pissed her off and now she’s walking away. WAY TO GO DAVIN! DAMNIT!

I sighed and sunk my head, looking again down into my own reflection. “You suck.” I swung a hoof at my reflection, distorting the image in the water.

Before I knew it, there Lyra was, standing atop a tall rock that slightly overhung the stream. She grinned sadistically at me.

“Oh shit.” I didn’t even have a split second to react.

She leapt from the rock, landing next to me in the water, soaking me even worse than I did her.

I guess my expression on my face didn’t differ much from the look she had before, because she practically fell onto her back into the water laughing.

“Ahem.” A gruff voice cleared his throat, catching both Lyra’s and my attention.

We both looked up, and the stream was surrounded by several white, fully-armored stallions.

“Oh, shit.”

“Rainbow! Hey, Rainbow! Wakey-wakey!” Applejack called up to a certain blue Pegasus’s cloud home floating several feet in the air.

The front door creaked open, revealing a very tired and annoyed Rainbow Dash.

“Ugh. It’s too early...” She rubbed her eyes with a hoof as she took a step outside, “What do you want Applejack?” she replied, peering over the edge of the cloud.

“Ah recon we might have a problem Dash.” Applejack rubbed the back of her neck, with worry in her eye. “An’ ah need yer help.”

Rainbow Dash sighed and lazily glided down from her home, joining Applejack and Bon Bon on the ground.

“Sure thing AJ,” she yawned, “what can I do for ya?”

“Davin an’ Lyra are both missin’.”

“Soooo~?” Rainbow shared glances at both AJ and Bon Bon.

“So we need you to come help us find them!” Bon Bon finally piped up, “Something’s wrong; it’s not like Lyra to just go missing like this!”

“Alright, alright... Calm down Bon Bon.” Rainbow raised a hoof and silenced the worried mare, “When did ya guys last see him?”

“When he left work yesterday evenin’ was the last ah seen of ‘im.” AJ shrugged.

“Um,” Bon Bon thought for a moment and had a hoof to her chin, “Saturday night.”

Rainbow Dash facehooved and groaned, “Well that doesn’t really help.”

“When was the last y’all seen him, Dash?”

“Uh,” Rainbow bit her bottom lip as she thought, realizing she was probably the last one to actually speak with him. “I saw him yesterday before his date with Lyra, actually.”

Applejack and Bon Bon glanced at each other, trying to make any possible assumptions.

After a few moments of silence, Rainbow piped up. “Alright... Well, where do you suppose we go look?”

Bon Bon placed a hoof to her chin as she thought.

“Well ah s’pose we should ask ‘round town to see if anypony’s seen him.” AJ shrugged.

“No, that would take too long...” Rainbow shook her head, “I’ve got a better idea! AJ, how about if you ask ponies if they’ve seen him when they come by your cart to buy apple stuff? You get enough business, so you could probably find out if anyone saw him later last night.”

Bon Bon added, “Yeah, I’m sure somepony must’ve seen him or Lyra after their date.”

“Um, I s’pose I could do that.” Applejack uncertainly rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof, “What are y’all gunna do?”

“Duh...” Rainbow Dash flashed her wings, “I have weather duty later today, so I’ll keep a lookout for him up above while I work.”

“Uh,” Bon Bon cut in between both the blue and orange mares, “what about me?”

"Umm..." Rainbow bit her bottom lip awkwardly and looked to AJ, not coming up with any brilliant plan for Bon Bon. Luckily, Applejack had already come up with an idea.

“Well y’all know Lyra better than Rainbow an’ ah do,” AJ glanced at the blue Pegasus for a moment, “Ah’m sure you’d know someplace she’d like to go after a date.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash agreed, “Look for any sign of her in her favorite places around town!”

“Alright, I guess so.” Bon Bon skeptically agreed, “So we’ll just meet up again if we find something?”

“Sounds like a plan ta me!” Applejack gave a tip of her hat and began trotting off, “Ah’ll be workin’ mah usual spot if y’all find somthin’!”

“Ok!” Rainbow took off from the ground with a powerful gust of air, leaving a poor Bon Bon in her dusty wake.

Bon Bon coughed, brushing the dust off herself. “Uh, alright then.”

“What was that all about Twilight?” Spike asked as he walked down the stairs into the library.

“Oh, Applejack just stopped by to ask if I’ve seen Davin is all.” She answered from the open pages of a book.

“Oh, alright. Well I--” Spike was cut off as he burped up a ball of magic fames, revealing a scroll and a thick book.

Catching both the scroll and the book in a violet aura of magic, Twilight brought both over towards her and began to read the scroll. Spike too stepped forth, and also read the scroll over Twilight’s shoulder.

My dearest student Twilight Sparkle,

I’m afraid I have some bad news. Unfortunately, myself, along with the Royal Guard, will not be able to attend this year’s annual Cider Season in Ponyville.

Due to the total lack of mechanical professionals in Canterlot, the Royal Canterlot Express cannot be repaired in time to attend. I regret relaying this information to you this way, but there’s a current situation that is likely involving the reasons for the Canterlot Express’ derailment, and it requires my attention.

I’ll be sure to schedule a date with you and your friends again soon, and I am looking forward to your continuing research and studies in friendship.

Your faithful mentor,
Princess Celestia

“Well this can’t be good.” Twilight set down the scroll and glanced over to Spike.

“Why do I get a bad feeling about this, Twilight?”

“I don’t know Spike, but I do too.” Twilight picked up the book returned from Princess Celestia, entitled ‘Advanced Mechanics of Locomotion’. She studied the book for a moment, and an idea popped into her head.

“Spike, take a letter.” Twilight set the book back down.

“Twilight?” Spike cocked his head back and puzzled as to where Twilight was going with this.

“Hurry Spike, the Princess seemed urgent. It’s important I get this to her as soon as possible!”

“Uh, alright. You’re the boss.” Spike shrugged and picked up a piece of parchment and a quill.

“Dearest Princess Celestia,” Twilight began to relay, “I happen to have recently befriended somepony who is, in fact, highly educated in mechanics...”

“Braeburn? Did you hear that?”

“Hear what, Miss Jubilee?”

Cherry Jubilee’s ears perked as she arose to her hooves.

“I swear I heard somepony’s voice.”

“Miss Jubilee, we’ve been in here long enough that our minds are tryin’ to pull tricks on us.”

“No, Braeburn, I swear.”

Braeburn tilted his head lazily to the side, raising one ear up as he lied flat on the rock ground of his cell.

“Anyone down there?” a voice clearly echoed through the cavern.

“Ok, now I know that ain’t my mind playin’ tricks on me.”

Cherry cleared her sore throat, and prepared herself to answer to the voice. Just as Cherry opened her mouth, a Changeling guard wearing a menacing grimace, silently stood affront of her cell; his horn glowing a dark green, threatening Celestia-knows-what if she tried to call back to the voice.

The guard shook his head, and made a slicing motion across his neck to both Braeburn and the now very frightened Cherry Jubilee.

Another Changeling guard approached from the direction of where the voice emanated from.

“They left.” Assured the approaching guard.

“Did they see you?” the guard before the prisoners asked, without taking his malevolent blue eyes off Cherry.

“No.”

“Good.” The guard took one more, long look at both the prisoners, grinning smugly before leaving back into the darkness with the other.

Author's Note

This was a fun one to write I must say! Those Changelings just don't want to come out and play, do they? Haha. Soon guys... Soon.

As always, feedback me!

Chapter 17 - Out of the Pit

“What is it Angel?”

The little white rabbit frantically pointed towards the grass clearing between her home and the Everfree Forest, and took off hopping, only to stop and turn back to see Fluttershy still hovering in the same place.

Angel waved a paw impatiently, signaling the yellow Pegasus to follow.

The little impatient white rabbit led Fluttershy into the open grass clearing between her own home and the edge of the Everfree forest. They both came to a halt when Angel stopped and pointed a paw down a dark hole in the ground.

Fluttershy gasped upon seeing this and covered her mouth with a hoof. “Oh dear!”

Angel pointed a paw into the hole again, staring blankly at the yellow Pegasus.

“Are you suggesting I go down there?” Fluttershy fretfully shifted her gaze quickly between the open cavity in the middle of the grass field and Angel.

Angel lowered a brow and held his blank expression.

“Um, alright Angel bunny, if it will make you feel better...” Fluttershy cowered as she turned towards the hole, peeking her head inside into the darkness. She looked back to angel, who was impatiently stamping his foot on the ground.

“Uh, ok Angel.” Fluttershy then slowly lowered herself into the hole, coming to a gentle stop onto the cavern floor.

“Uh, hello?” She nervously tried to peer through the darkness, but nothing caught her eye.

“Angel bunny, I really don’t see wha---” Fluttershy was instantly frozen solid in fear as two orbs of blue peered upon her from the darkness. Being so devoted and understanding of all the different creatures in Equestria, she immediately knew what was standing before her.

Shrieking, she took off from the floor of the cavern and shot out the opening to the ground above. In one swift motion, she scooped up Angel in a hoof and whizzed by a very confused-looking Bon Bon towards Ponyville.

“RUUUUUNNNN!!!!” Fluttershy squeaked as she flew by, messing up Bon Bon’s mane in her wake.

“What the hay?” Bon Bon sat there dumbfounded for a moment before becoming curious to where, and what Fluttershy was fleeing from. As Bon Bon had almost reached one of Lyra’s favorite places around Ponyville, so she decided to shrug it off and continue her search.

After trotting a ways into the grass clearing, she noticed a couple dark-colored figures closely encircling to what looked to be a large hole in the ground. Bon Bon tried to keep her distance, but at the same time she wanted to get a closer look.

“Is this what scared Fluttershy off? Doesn’t seem all that scary from here.” She knelt down close to the grass and closed in, not 30 yards from the dark figures. They looked like ponies, but clearly they were different. Their eyes were an outstanding blue, and their legs looked as if they had holes through them. The most frightening feature of the pony-like figures was the fact that they clearly had fangs; a rather alarming sight, to say the least. Bon Bon was beginning to feel uneasy.

Leave it to good luck, or perhaps not, Bon Bon inched herself in, just close enough to be in earshot of the dark figures. Their voices were hissy, and almost aquatic-sounding.

“Is this where they came in from?”

“Had to have been. There’s no way they would’ve trekked in from the Crystal Caverns, they’re too dark and cramped for any normal pony to go through there.”

“You’re right. Let’s seal this hole and get out of here before somepony sees us.”

With that, the creatures disappeared back down the hole.

Before taking another chance to allow herself to get noticed, Bon Bon fled the scene, taking after the clearly frightened yellow Pegasus.

“Ya’ll take care now!” AJ waved a hoof goodbye to yet another customer with no useful information about the missing mare and stallion.

Applejack sighed and rested her head on her hoof atop the cart, waiting for the customer to trot out of earshot. “Well I sure ain’t finding out nothin’. Dag-nab it!”

“Finding out what, Applejack?” Unbeknownst to AJ, Rarity had been patiently waiting behind the previous customer to visit her cart.

“Findin’ out why in tarnation Davin has gone missin’, an’ why things have been so weird ‘round here lately!”

Rarity took a step back from Applejack’s outburst. “Are you alright?”

“No, I ain’t alright Rarity. A friend is missin’, and mah cuzin is actin’ like a goofball!” The orange mare began to vent her frustrations.

“Ah swear, myself an’ Big Mac have had ta teach Braeburn every lil’ thing ‘bout workin’ the orchard; it’s like he don’t even know the first dang thing ‘bout harvestin’ apples!” She scowled and kicked at the ground.

“If it weren’t for Davin helpin’ us get our ‘quipment all fixed up, we would’a had to cancel Cider Season days ago! And now he’s missin’!” AJ stomped a hoof on the ground.

Rarity seemed to understand and agree, “Braeburn’s been acting strangely around me also, Applejack.”

“He has?” the frustrated orange pony immediately softened her scowl.

Rarity sighed and looked back, checking for any more customers waiting for Applejack’s services; there weren’t any. She sunk her head. “May I tell you something?”

“O’ course, go right a head Rar’.” She nodded her head. “Sorry fer my outburst there, Ah’m jus’ a bit stressed is all.”

“Think nothing of it, Applejack.” Rarity raised a hoof and attempted to put Applejack’s worries to rest.

“Anyways, I too am having trouble dealing with how different Braeburn is acting...” Rarity lowered her head, “I’m trying my hardest to make things work with him Applejack; I really am, but it’s like he’s not even the same pony anymore! I mean, ever since about a week ago, he’s just been...”

“...Different.” both Rarity and Applejack said in unison.

Both mares thought to themselves for a moment, before AJ broke the silence. “Y’all don’t suppose--”

Applejack was cut short by a certain shrieking yellow Pegasus gaining both hers and Rarity’s attention, flapping her wings as she galloped towards the cart. She was closely followed by Bon Bon.

Fluttershy finally came to a halt in front of Applejack’s cart, having more-or-less of a total panic-attack. Bon Bon too shortly arrived, struggling to catch her breath.

“Now what in Sam-Hay—”

“THEY’RE BACK! THEY’RE BACK! SOMEPONY WARN—”

AJ cut Fluttershy’s freak-out short with a hoof to her mouth, “Whoa, whoa, whoa... Slow down there sugarcube. What in tarnation are y’all takin’ ‘bout?”

AJ returned her hoof to the ground and Fluttershy tried to contain herself for a moment, but she just couldn’t. “CHANGELINGS! THEY’RE HERE IN PONYVILLE!” she belted out, hovering a couple feet off the ground.

Both Applejack and Rarity’s mouths dropped, along with half of Ponyville who heard Fluttershy scream.

“Fluttershy, are you sure?” Rarity tried to calm the yellow Pegasus, holding the sides of her head with both hooves and looking her in the eye.

“I saw them too!” Bon Bon added, “There were two of them near the Everfree forest!”

“Now wait just a dang minute!” Applejack raised a hoof and attempted to silence the three mares, “What in tarnation are the Changelin’s doin’ here in Ponyville?!”

“I don’t know, but I heard them talking,” Bon Bon shrugged, “I think they know where Lyra and that stallion disappeared to!”

Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity all shared a look.

“If’n this here’s all true, ah say it sure as hay would expain a few things that’ve been goin’ on ‘round here!”

Rarity tried to comprehend what Applejack had just implied. She put a hoof to her chin and thought for a moment.

“We must go see Twilight! The Princess must be let know! She’ll know what to do!”

Fluttershy, feeling embarrassed for her previous outburst, remained silent and nodded her head in agreement.

“Ah’ll go back ta Sweet Apple Acres. Ah reckon ah’ll have a few words ta say ta Braeburn, if’n that’s even who he is! Ah should’a known! Ah knew he was hidin’ somthin’!”

“I am coming with you Applejack!” Rarity tried to part with the orange mare.

“No Rar’,” Applejack halted the white pony, “if anypony will be able ta talk some sense inta that colt, it’ll be me. Ah’m his cousin after all!”

“I will meet you there after we see Twilight then, Applejack! I must say I have a few things to mention to him as well!” Rarity snorted angrily as the four mares parted in their separate ways; one towards Sweet Apple Acres, and the others to the Library.

“...by her Royal highness, Princess Celestia,” The armored white Pegasus recited, “I hereby place you under arrest for suspicion of treason, and willful destruction of property.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa man, slow down. What the hell are you talking about?” I interrupted the pegasus, raising a hoof in surrender.

Treason? Destruction of property? Ok, I guess I can kinda explain that second one because of the whole Ponyville town hall thing, but treason? What the hell is this dude on about?

“I think this is some kind of mistak--” The guard interrupted me as he continued.

“Anything you say, may be used to justify you in your trial.” The white pegasus grimaced at me, and I took the hint; shut up. He looked over to Lyra, who was wearing just as much of a confused face as I was a moment ago. She was probably the smart one in all this, because she kept her mouth shut.

I’ve never personally been arrested, but at times I’ve found myself in trouble with the law.

I mean, is it wrong to assume I have the right to ask why I’m being suspected of being a criminal? Jesus, one extreme to the next; suspected hero to suspected criminal. Just like that!

The pegasi guard, along with a unicorn guard, closely and directly escorted Lyra and me away from the stream. As we made our ascent up the bank of the train bridge Lyra noticed earlier, the number of armored unicorn and Pegasi guards increased dramatically. Once we were finally atop the tracks, I noticed several unicorn guards collectively using their magic to return a very damaged-looking locomotive back onto the railway tracks, which the guards basically had completely barricaded.

Lyra noticed it too, and shrugged once she shifted her gaze back to me. Without words, I agreed. Who knows what happened here? I wanted to ask one of the guards what happened, but I remembered the best thing to do is just keep silent.

A freakin’ court trial? Like really? After all I’ve been through? This place could end up being worse than hell for all I know!

My mind is so scrambled right now, I can’t even maintain a steady train of thought. Doesn’t really help that I’m starving... I can never think straight on an empty stomach, and my emotions start overcoming the best of me.

So much has happened today so far, and I’m getting this feeling that today is going to be a very long day. I just know it.

Both Lyra and myself were forced onto a carriage, drawn by two additional Pegasi guards. Our front hooves were cuffed and chained to the cart as we ascended up to Canterlot. Guess whatever they figured we were doing was a definite no-no in their books. And that’s an understatement and a half.

I must say, I’m not really one for flying. Back home whenever the family and I took a plane to our vacation destination, I would just get anxious. My palms would sweat, and I’d uncontrollably play out terrible crash scenarios in my mind. Come to think of it, I kinda get the same way when I’m a passenger in a road vehicle... Perhaps it’s just a ‘being in control of the vehicle’ thing, because I’m totally fine when I’m the one driving. I’m not sure. Weird, huh?

Although I was fighting not to show my anxiety in front of Lyra, the view from above Canterlot was actually quite breathtaking. The golden peaks of the tallest towers were A LOT taller than they looked from Ponyville, that’s for sure. This city was entirely constructed on a mountain side, which makes me wonder...

If they’re capable of this magnitude of architectural marvel, then why don’t they have the advanced technology behind it? Oh right. Magic. Duh...

I tried to facehoof as I thought, but the chains around my hooves prevented that. I pretty much just stumbled a bit forward in the cart looking like a total idiot. Best of all, Lyra noticed.

“You alright over there?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I think.” I shrugged, despite the chains tightly holding me down to the cart.

Well that was awesome, now I look AND feel like an idiot.

We finally touched down into one of the tallest towers in Canterlot. Whatever becomes of this, whatever it might be, I know I’m not going to like it.

After we landed, we were again greeted by two more unicorn guards. They forcefully escorted Lyra and I down a long spiral staircase to the base of the tower, and into a long hall. The entire time the guard kept forcibly nudging me forward.

“Anything from the Princess yet Spike?” Twilight called from down in the library.

“Not yet Twilight. It’s been a good hour and a bit now since we’ve sent the letter; I’m sure she’s taking care of whatever it is she needs to take care of.” Spike then began descending down the stairs with an armful of books stacked higher than the top of his head.

“She did seem like she had something important come up.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin and thought for a moment, only to shrug. “I’m sure you’re right, she’s probably taking care of whatever it was.”

“I hope so. I’ve been getting a really weird vibe from everything that’s been going on lately. Ponies going missing, and now the Princess, along with the royal guard, can’t make it to Cider Season? What’s with that?” Spike set the stack of books down onto a desk, leaning up against them and shrugging.

“It definitely is strange Spike, but I think perhaps we’re just thinking into it too much.” With her magic, Twilight removed the bottom book from the stack and hovered it over towards herself, causing the stack under Spike’s weight to topple over, also causing him to loose his balance.

“Yeah. Maybe.” Spike scowled as he sat up, having an open book lay perfectly balanced across the top of his head. “It just puzzles me how the Princess doesn’t just fly down with the rest of the Royal Guard.” Spike took off the book from his head and placed it onto the shelf next to the others.

“Well I suppose so, but not all of the Royal Guard are Pegasus ponies, Spike, you know that.” Twilight pointed a hoof to a small picture frame of herself and her brother. “The whole reason I thought it a good idea for the Princesses and the Royal Guard to come down here for Cider Season was really for Shining Armor and Cadence to get to know my friends and everypony here in Ponyville a little better.”

“I know Twilight, I know.” Spike rolled his eyes as he got back to his feet. “Friendship is worth sharing, and all that...” Spike headed back up the stairs to fetch more books.

“Exactly Spike.” Twilight continued from the book she was reading, “But because of the mysterious train derailment and nopony to conduct repairs, there’s no way for them to all make it here to Ponyville for Cider Season.”

Realizing that she was now talking to herself as Spike had already left back up the stairs, Twilight giggled to herself and shrugged, and continued to study the book before her.

A few moments later, Spike returned from the upper floor of the library, carrying another armful of books, which he set down next to Twilight. Spike opened his mouth to speak, but instead, he belched; out of the green flames appeared an eagerly-awaited scroll.

Twilight immediately stepped up and snatched the scroll with her magic, opening the seal and presenting it before herself.

Spike groaned. “What’s it say Twilight?” Spike asked as he started picking up books off the stairs.

“Ahem,” Twilight cleared her throat as she began to read, but she was immediately distracted by two certain mares barging loudly in through the doorway.

Lyra and I were led through the long hall; several tall, very elaborate stained-glass windows lined both sides of the walls, and the sun caused them to line the marble floors with equally intricate patterns of colors. Have not the current circumstances, it would be quite the magnificent spectacle.

Sitting perched upon a podium near the end of the hall, was a very superior-looking white alicorn. She wore a golden crown, so I could only assume she must be some sort of royalty. Her mane and tail flowed majestically as if there were a slow breeze, but there wasn’t any wind in this hall, so... I don’t know. Magic, I guess. She was reading a scroll that she levitated before herself, only to lower it and peer down at the guards escorting myself and Lyra before her. We finally came to a halt a few feet from where the alicorn was now standing.

I took a look back at the forceful guard and gave him a bit of a glare.

I mean ya, do your job man, but don’t be a dick about it. Which reminds me of pretty much every police officer I’ve came across. Good to know no mater what world you end up in, cops are douche bags. Your job is to ENFORCE the law, not MAKE the law. God! And now I’m grumpy again! Urghhh! And here I go, hating on myself again... Man I pick the best of times to let things get to me!

Like honestly, why couldn’t have just died in that accident with the train? It’s caused me nothing but confusion, and caused this pony society quite a lot as well! I mean, look at where I’m standing! Pretty much under arrest for god-knows what, and having caused destruction of an entire historical building. Nice Dav, real fucking nice! Oh, I almost forgot; I didn’t even show up for work today! God damnit, Davin!

Why couldn’t have I just died!? What had I done so wrong in my past life to deserve this? I had everything back home, and I went through so much shit, and worked so fucking hard for it! I had my friends, my awesome job, my truck, a place to live; I had everything a guy could want! I’d always help people out if the opportunity presented itself too! I was happy, and completely content with my life. But no, I have to go off on one of my tangents and sacrifice myself for my friends, and... You know what, I’m just gunna stop myself here before I’ll do something I’ll actually regret. I guess it’s still going to take me a while to get used to everything that’s happened in such a short time. I mean it’s been what... a week since the accident? Ugh. I can’t deal with things right now, everything is happening too soon and too fast! Fuck!

I looked up to the white alicorn, trying my best not to show my anger. The alicorn’s blank gaze turned into that stern-disappointed look that I’m sure we all know all too well. The alicorn didn’t say a word.

The guard standing behind Lyra spoke up. “These two were caught snooping around near the derailment site of the Royal Canterlot Express.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I turned around and faced the guard, “Snooping around? Dude we just managed to find our way out of a cavern we’ve been lost in—” The alicorn finally spoke up, cutting me short of an outburst onto the guard. I'm sure I'll be thankful for that later.

“Silence. Now, I’ve been awaiting what this has to do with the derailment, lieutenant. This nonsense is keeping me from relaying an important message to my protégé.”

“Of course your highness.” The guard behind Lyra bowed his head, “I have reasonable evidence to prove that these two somehow managed a spell that knocked the train off the rails.”

“What?!” I snapped around to the guard.

This guy better not say anything else stupid or I swear I’ll kick his ass! I’ll probably loose, he is a guard after all, but still, I’ll try to kick his ass!

“Notice how this stallion’s horn is missing?” The guard to my side pointed a hoof to my lack of a horn.

That’s your ‘reasonable evidence’?!

The alicorn looked my way suspiciously. I’m not sure I can take much more of this, I’m going to snap, and I really don’t need more strain put on me than I already do. I don’t care if I look desperate, this is ridiculous. I spun around to come face to face with the guard standing aside me, but instead, Lyra beat me to the explanation.

She spoke directly to the unicorn guard to my side, “Actually, he lost it saving me. We were nowhere near Canterlot when it happened.”

That comment seemed to either interest, or perhaps confuse the white royal alicorn.

“It’s true.” Lyra turned to face the alicorn, “Please Princess, we’ve been stuck, lost in a cavern we fell into near Ponyville. It was just dumb luck that we managed to emerge where we did. I haven’t been to Canterlot since the royal wedding, and he’s new to Ponyville.” She pointed a hoof in my direction.

Thank you Lyra! I couldn’t have said it better myself. Man, you know, this world isn’t all too bad. I’m just struggling with too many things at once. I really gotta stop and think how lucky I am sometimes, and not get all mad for nothing.

I have a ‘marefriend’, well, I think I do anyways... Is it too soon to consider her that? I don’t know. I’ll just push that thought to the back of my mind for now...

I have a few new friends here, and luckily for me, they’re a lot more understanding and caring here than some people back home. Like how Twilight openly offered, no, insisted, on giving me a place to stay one of my first nights here. I still feel like I owe her for that; she was the first to openly welcome me, and make me feel some comfort here...

I have—well, HAD a job, right up until last night when I screwed that up by falling into that damn hole!

Even though I’m again finding myself struggling through life, all too similar as I was after graduating high school, I sure hope that I’ll find my place again. Things will work out. I really hope they do...

The alicorn, or rather, Princess, called down to me. “You saved her?”

Oh boy. Maybe Lyra shouldn’t have said that. “Uh, yeah.” I stated in more of a tone of a question than an answer.

“Would you mind explaining as to how you managed to do that and lose your ability to perform magic?”

“Nopony really knows for sure how actually; I’m even having trouble considering what all happened that night.”

The Princess gasped and put a hoof to her mouth, “Oh dear, you are the stallion and mare who were involved in the Ponyville town hall incident!”

Lyra and I exchanged a confused glance.

“Yes Princess. We are.” Lyra sunk her head.

“Guards, you are dismissed.” The Princess raised a hoof in dismissal, then returned to Lyra and I. “I am so very sorry for any accusations they may have made.” She gestured towards the fleeting guards. “The strange derailment of the Royal Canterlot Express has caused a great deal of suspicion amongst everypony ever since the Royal Wedding, and the Royal Guard aren’t willing to take any chances.”

You have got to be kidding me. Ok, given I guess I’m a little less worried about being thrown into a dungeon or some shit, but I’m still pretty pissed about being blamed for all this. It’s really the last thing I need right now.

“Uh, Braeburn? What the hay are ya’ll doin’ in here?” Big Mac asked as he slid the barn door open, revealing a shocked-looking Braeburn sitting aside the stock of barrels containing the apple cider.

“Uh, nothin’ cuz, just stackin’ away the last of the cider here.” The tan stallion avoided eye contact.

“Ya’ll sure you’re alright cuz?” The buff red pony rested a hoof on Braeburn’s shoulder, “Ya’ll’ve been actin’ mighty strange the past lil’ while here. Everythin’ ok? Ya definitely don’t seem yerself...”

“Oh I’m jus’ fine cuz.” Braeburn shrugged, “You’ll understand in a moment...”

“I’ll... Uh, what?” Big Mac removed his hoof from Braeburn’s shoulder, taking a step back in confusion.

Braeburn tuned around and faced the red stallion, grinning malevolently. Braeburn surrounded himself in a column of green flames, and revealed his true form to Big Macintosh.

The red stallion was frozen at the sight before him, until he snapped himself out of it.

“Uh, I think I’ll be goin’ now!” Big Mac tried to turn for the barn door.

“You’re not going anywhere.” The Changeling slammed the barn door shut with his magic, and stuck the red stallion’s hooves to the barn floor with a green gooey-substance.

“HEL--” Big Mac tried to call for help, but the Changeling stuck his mouth shut with the same green substance.

The Changeling trotted right up into Macintosh’s worried face, and cackled evilly. “What better test subject than one of the hosts themselves?”

Big Mac’s face turned from worry to anger.

“Mff—mrfff-rrr?!” Big Mac tried to talk through the green pasty substance keeping his mouth shut.

The Changeling scoffed, and zapped off the substance on Big Mac’s face with a green bolt of lightning from his horn. “What was that?”

“Where’s Braeburn!?” Macintosh demanded.

“Oh I assure you he’s out of the way for the time being.” The Changeling laughed again, reapplying the green substance onto Big Mac’s face, preventing him from being able to speak. “Now... Onto the tests...”

Big Mac struggled to get free, as the Changeling levitated a barrel full of the darkly-enchanted cider towards himself, cackling mercilessly.

There was a knock on the barn door, momentarily distracting the Changeling.

“Braeburn? Y’all in there?” AJ knocked on the barn door again with a hoof, then tried to swing it open. The door wouldn’t budge.

“What the hay? Braeburn, open this door, ya hear?” AJ tried a few more times to get the door open, to no avail.

“Braeburn, ah’m comin’ in!” In one final effort to open the door, Applejack stood on her fore hooves, and bucked the door open with a single, swift strike.

Upon seeing the sight before her, she gasped. “Whoa, Nelly...”

Author's Note

Er. Mah. Gerd. Changelings. And talk about mood swings, jeez. Davin needs to learn to chill the hell out sometimes and stop hating on himself so much! Freakin' guy reminds me all to well of myself! Oh wait...
Well I figured I should probably post this chapter before I start getting swamped with school stuff! Freakin' college! I really shouldn't have taken two years off to work full time after high school, it's going to suck getting back into the school vibe. It's mechanic stuff though, so it should hopefully come easy for me. I'll continue to write whenever I find the time!

As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated and I consider any constructive criticism you may have!

Chapter 18 - Plans Change

"Twilight! its an emergency!" Rarity bellowed, alongside an equally worried Fluttershy.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Twilight raised a hoof in question, keeping her distance from the panicking mares who had just barged into the Library. Bon Bon finally entered the library as well, heavily out of breath and lowly hanging her head in exhaustion.

"Can you girls stop taking off like that?"

Bon Bon's comment went ignored, much to her displeasure. Twilight widened her eyes blankly as she awaited reasons for the intrusion.

Rarity took the hint. "Those foul creatures we encountered in Canterlot are here in Ponyville!"

This caught Twilight completely off guard and she fell to her flank as if the words Rarity spoke were a powerful gust of wind. She quickly shook herself out of her disbelief and snapped to her hooves. "That's impossible Rarity; the Changelings were thrown a strew after the spell my brother and Princess Cadence cast together. It's hardly possible they would come back at all, and to Ponyville of all towns."

"Twilight you must believe me!" Rarity shook Twilight with both her hooves, ensuring that the honesty of her words were understood. "Fluttershy saw them in the field near her Cottage as well!" She pointed a hoof to the yellow pegasus near the doorway flaring her wings at the mention of her name.

"It's true Twilight..." the yellow pegasus sulked her head as if she had done something wrong.

"Um, this is impossible! How could they have come back?" Twilight rubbed her temple with a hoof as she tried to process the reality of the situation, "And why in the hay are they in Ponyville? What could they possibly want, or earn, by coming here?

"I am so dearly sorry for this misunderstanding," Princess Celestia lowered her head slightly, but still held a noble poise. "I will arrange to have both of you returned to Ponyville immediately. There will be a chariot waiting outside." she pointed a hoof down through the hall, to a pair of very tall double doors leading outside.

Lyra bowed her head, "It's alright Princess, it was all just a misunderstanding. I assure you no harm was done."

Yeah, I don't really feel as forgiving as Lyra does; I've been through too much shit since I've came to this place. Like really, just one god damn step at a time please.

Both myself and Lyra turned away and started down the corridor, and I took a quick hard look back at the Princess.

Yeah I know, she's royalty and all that, and she probably feels bad for having us been taken into custody for no real reason, but still. I'm pretty pissed off, and I'm severely on the edge; I'm definitely not diggin' any of it. I need to get back to work to clear my head. That, or alcohol abuse. I think I'll go with the former.

I looked over to Lyra as we started our way out of the hall, rolling my eyes at the whole situation and looking away. She gave me a puzzled look.

"Uh, you alright?" She raised a brow at me, keeping her voice low as any sound could easily carry through the large corridor.

I sighed sharply, "I just need to settle down a bit."

This got an even more puzzled look out of the green mare. I flailed a hoof, gesturing to her not worry about it. Two unicorn guards opened the doors for us, letting us into the warm sunlight of Canterlot's busy streets.

Sure enough, there was a chariot waiting outside.

Huh, that was quick. Whatever though, not going to say I'm impressed or anything of the sort.

Lyra and I stepped into the chariot led by two royal guard pegasi, and we were quickly and finally off towards Ponyville.

Princess Celestia had once again started reading the scroll she was reading earlier, only to stop on a certain sentence. She turned her gaze from the scroll to the blue stallion now making his way alongside the mint-green unicorn out of the double doors of the exit. For a moment, the Princess thought she should stop him, but the realization hit her that both of them probably have had to endure much more than any one pony would, or should, need to in a single day, let alone a matter of hours. Instead, she picked up a quill with her magic, and began writing a return letter to her apprentice.

My dearest student, Twilight Sparkle...

"What in the hay are y'all doin' in here Big Mac!?" AJ stomped a hoof on the ground, awaking the red stallion laying on his side on the barn floor.

"Huh? Buh--Wha??" Big Mac blubbered as he rubbed his forehead with a hoof, trying to regain his bearings. He arose and cringed in pain. "Ahhhh... Mah head..."

Applejack took notice to a single barrel of cider lay toppled over and empty, with a small trail of cider leading from it to a small puddle forming in the dirt floor of the barn. She glared at the red stallion, who was having trouble keeping his balance.

She sighed deeply and shook her head. "Big brother, ah know yer stressed, but y'all know we gotta sell this here cider, not be drinkin' it all ta ourselves! What's gotten inta you?"

Big Mac stumbled around, until catching himself upright against the wall of a closed barn stall. "Ugh..." He rubbed his forehead again and groaned. "What? The barn? How... How in Equestria did I come ta bein' here?" Big Macintosh took a glance around the barn, then cringed as his head throbbed.

AJ glared unconvinced, "Likely story Big Mac."

Macintosh took another look through the barn while still keeping a hoof to his aching head, taking notice to the empty barrel of cider lay on the ground. His eyes widened as he quickly came up with assumptions to Applejack's disappointment.

"Y'all really don’t assume that I drank--" She cut him off.

"Look Big Mac, jus' go ta the house 'n get yerself cleaned up. I have ta find Braeburn." AJ rubbed her forehead, pointing out of the now-open barn door towards the farmhouse.

The red stallion groaned but complied, hanging his head and sluggishly making his way out of the barn. AJ shook her head as the red stallion made his leave. She then proceeded to dispose of the empty barrel. As she trotted up to it, she noticed a strange glimmer of green off the small pool of cider. Her curiosity took the best of her and she knelt down and sniffed at the liquid.

She whiffed a few times, immediately noticing something amiss. She snapped back up on all fours, glaring at the small pool in the dirt. "The hay? This ain't our cider!"

Suddenly, things started to become clear to Applejack. Somepony, or rather, something, had modified the cider.

"Somthin' wrong cuz?" a certain tan stallion asked from outside the open doorway, startling AJ enough to snap around and face him.

"Braeburn!" she stomped a hoof, "Ah need ta talk wit' ya." She glared at the stallion, not really making a great attempt at covering up her suspicions of him.

This seemed to catch Braeburn somewhat off guard, as he took a half-step back upon hearing those words come from the orange mare now trotting up, within inches of him.

"Now, ah'm only gunna ask ya this once... What in the hay have y'all done with Braeburn?" She glared through him, as if somehow she could see the Changeling in plain sight.

Braeburn collected himself and equaled the mare at eye level. "Y'all leave me with no choice cuz. I'm afraid I can't let ya go 'round tellin' everypony what we're up to."

Now it was Applejack's turn to be the one off guard. She took a step back, raising a brow. "Huh?"

Braeburn's eyes glimmered a merciless blue, and a smirk grew across his face. "I'll be sure ta take care of yer family for ya."

AJ snapped. She stomped a hoof on the ground, and her rage exploded. "Mah family? Like hay ya are!" Applejack stood on her front hooves, bucking the tan stallion across the face, knocking him to the ground, completely unconscious.

Braeburn was down for the count as Applejack took off towards the library to warn and confirm that Braeburn was in fact, not himself in the slightest. There was only one way to be completely sure, and Twilight was the only unicorn AJ knew that was capable of revealing Braeburn's true identity.

Ponyville. At last.

Lyra and I stepped off the chariot, which quickly set back off to Canterlot. Lyra and I watched as it took to the air, and out of sight. We looked at each other for a moment, before she broke the silence.

"Well..." she shuffled a hoof on the ground as she tried to come up with something to say, "That was surly one of the most...interesting...dates I think I've ever been on." she scratched the back of her head and chuckled.

"Heh, I'll say."

...Well that’s an understatement...

"I had fun though." She momentarily reassured any doubts I had, and gave me a peck on the cheek. "Well, other than the getting lost and arrested part." she giggled.

"Yeah, no kidding." I shook my head and forced a chuckle.

I guess Lyra could tell it was forced, because she shot me a slightly worried look. "Care to tell me what's on your mind?"

Fuck. Well I'm defiantly not ready to talk about this yet. I'm still in an argument with myself if it's even alright for me to take a liking to the species of this world. They somewhat resemble the horses of Earth, but horses are next to nothing in comparison to the pony society here; they are sentient, they feel, and I'm sure they're capable of everything that humans are, but still. In a way, it almost feels like...God, I hate this word...bestiality. Ugh, I mean, yeah I'm one of them and all, but at heart I'm still a human, I think... I'm stuck between that, and my actual feelings for Lyra. God, what is wrong with me...

"I-uh... I'm just..." I bit my bottom lip as I attempted to prepare myself to at least get Lyra to understand.

This was not going to be easy to explain... Ugh, I really hope I can put off telling Lyra my true history and why I'm struggling so much right now. I know I'm not acting like the level-headed person I once was.... Breaking it to her, or anypony else, is a day I'm going to regret; be it inevitable or not...

"Troubled?" Lyra gave me a slightly understanding look.

"Ugh, yeah..." I sunk my head, despite the fact I much rather would have liked to punch myself in the face.

God damnit, I'm such an idiot! Why can't I just explain things clearly like everyone else can? Why can't things just be easy for me for once! Ugh, fuck sakes!

"It's ok, Davin. I understand." Lyra managed a smile and rubbed my shoulder comfortingly with a hoof, "Just know I'm here for you whenever you need me, ok?"

See what I mean? If anything, they're more understanding and well natured than humans are! I don't even know what to think. Perhaps I'm just making this a lot harder for myself than I need to. Damnit brain! Shut up!

"Thanks Lyra."

Jeez Dav, that’s all you really have to say? Be a fucking man! Stop being such a little kid--colt! Foal? Fuck!

"Anytime. Anyways, I'm sure Bon Bon is in a panic over me being missing, so I better go catch up with her and tell her what happened."

"Alright. I'll see you around then."

I should really let her know how thankful I am of how understanding and caring she is, but my fucking emotions are more stubborn than even my willpower is at times. I really hope that fact doesn't exacerbate things even more than they need to right now, or I'm going to snap.

Before Lyra made her leave, she gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "Cheer up Davin. Everything will be okay."

Now that got a smile out of me.

Lyra is amazing. I don't know why I ever doubt myself. Oh wait, now I remember why. Ugh...

Lyra and I went our separate ways; I headed for Sweet Apple Acres to catch up on all the work I should probably have completed hours ago. Luckily it was about mid-morning, so I still had a lot of time to catch up.

I'm sure AJ wouldn’t mind if I wanted to work late today to make up for the time I lost, but then again I might not even have a job to go back to, anyways! Sure, if I worked well for a solid 3 months, then yeah things might be a bit different. but they're not. so I don't know. Ugh, fuck it! Whatever happens, happens!

I was about halfway to the farm, when Applejack came running my direction at a rather alarming rate. She stopped in her tracks, nearly knocking me over as she skidded to a halt.

"Davin! Where in the hay have ya been?!" She wasn’t even really out of breath.

Great. Well she's pissed. "I uh--" she interrupted me.

"Never mind, ferget it. When ya get ta the farm, keep an eye on Braeburn! Make sure that he doesn't move ah single inch!" She took off again towards Ponyville.

Before I even had a chance to question what she had requested, she was long gone. Wherever she was headed, she was headed there in a hurry.

I better get my sorry ass to Sweet Apple Acres; whatever she was on about can't be good, especially if it involves Braeburn... There's something completely amiss about that stallion.

"I really think you ponies are just overreacting," Twilight tried to play off Rarity, Bon Bon and Fluttershy's concern, "If they were to come back, if at all, they would surely strike at Canterlot before even thinking of coming to Ponyville."

"Nonetheless Twilight, they ARE here in Ponyville! We must let the Princess know!" Rarity pleaded, "We must!"

"Alright, alright!" Twilight threw both her hooves to the air in surrender. "Spike, take a letter!"

"Go ahead Twilight." Spike had already gathered a piece of parchment and a quill, ready to write.

"Dear Princess Celestia; An urgent and important matter has come to my attention regarding the safety of my friends, Ponyville, and potentially all of Equestria. It seems the Changelings that we encountered during the Royal Wedding have returned, and sightings of them just outside of Ponyville have caused great concern. I will do my best to try and subdue the situation while I await your reply. I apologize for the sudden urgency, but it is something that just happened to come up. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

Spike relayed the message onto the parchment. With a deep breath, the scroll was engulfed in a ball of green flames and disappeared.

"What do we do now?" Bon Bon raised a hoof.

"Hmm..." Twilight thought for a moment, before quickly coming up with a plan. "Lets see... First, Fluttershy and I will go find out where they came from."

"Meep!" Fluttershy squeaked as her ears lied flat against her head, trying to hide herself behind her pink mane.

"Rarity, you and Bon Bon go find out if anypony has noticed any strange activity in--"

Bursting in through the door of the library and cutting off Twilight, Applejack came to a skidding halt. "Twi', ah need y'all to come wit' me ta the farm an' use that spell y'all used on them Changelins in Canterlot, on Braeburn!"

Twilight jerked her head back at Applejack's strange request. "On Braeburn? What?"

"Is it true Applejack? Is he really not who he claims to be? Were our suspicions correct?" Rarity cut in-between the lavender and orange ponies.

"There's only one way to be sure, sugarcube. But ah'm afraid everythin' is pointin' towards him bein' one of 'em. He even managed to change somthin' in our cider, and who knows what for?!"

Rarity took a moment to process what Applejack had just said. At first she felt sorrow and pain, but that quickly turned into anger. "Let's go have a nice chat with that stallion." she said with a scowl. "C'mon Twilight."

Applejack nodded her head in agreement, leaving out the library door alongside an infuriated Rarity.

Twilight turned to the two remaining ponies in the library, who were both looking rather lost in what to do next.

"Um, Twilight... Maybe me and Bon Bon could be the ones to go around town and see if anypony has noticed anything strange?" Fluttershy suggested shyly, turning to Bon Bon. "I-If that’s ok with you..."

"Well I still need to find Lyra, so I guess I would still be searching for her in a way." Bon Bon shrugged, taking her leave out of the library.

"Um. ok." Fluttershy stepped towards the door after Bon Bon, but stopping for a moment to turn and face Twilight. "Bye Twilight. Do be careful around those creatures."

"I will. You two be careful too. The Changelings could be disguised as anypony. They could already know that we're on to them for all we know!"

Fluttershy squeaked in fear over hearing that, but managed to take her leave, quivering out of the library after the cream-coated earth pony. Twilight levitated her saddlebags from next to one of the bookshelves, and let them lay across her back. She also picked up the scroll she was once reading before Rarity's interruption, placing it into one of the bags. Spike jumped down from the staircase onto Twilight's back; the pair bolted out of the door towards Sweet Apple Acres after Applejack and Rarity.

I'll never understand why everypony is always in such a rush. I gave up running after about half way to the Apples' farm; not because I lacked the motivation, but because simply I was still tuckered the hell out from running after Lyra in that underground cavern, for god knows how long... I hope I don't ever need to go back there; it was creepy as hell; shit like that I really don't feel like having weighed on my already turbulent psyche.

I finally made my way to Sweet Apple Acres after what felt like an eternity of my joints aching.

Considering the rough morning so far, it was only 10 A.M.. So, I still had a lot of time to catch up on some work.

Thank God.

I immediately set towards the barn, when I noticed an obstacle just outside the barn door. It took me a moment to realize what it was, or rather, who...

I trotted up to the unconscious tan stallion laying just outside the open barn door. He awoke upon hearing me approach.

"Jus' stop right there, you!" He snapped up and around, his snout coming into conduct with mine. I backed off a bit, but he persisted and got in my face. His eyes were glowing a low blue, and his face was bruised in the shape of two horseshoes.

Looks like AJ already had a run-in with him. I definitely wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that buck, that's for buckin' sure!

"Now ya better not be gon' off tellin' everypony what we're up to." He sneered.

"Dude, what the hell are you talking about?" I backed off again, but he still persisted. "Braeburn, what's wrong with you man, I thought we were cool!?" I pushed him away, trying to keep my distance.

"Stay away from me, ya hear?!" he stomped a hoof on the ground.

"No way man, after AJ told me to keep an eye on you, and now you getting in my face, I have every reason NOT to!" I shot back at the stallion, causing him to back off a bit.

Braeburn pawed at the dirt, and prepared to charge at me. There was no way that I wasn't going to hold my ground, or at least, try to.

If he wants a fight now, he's going to regret it! God damn it, why do I have to be so freakin' sore? I'm not going to be able to hold up much of a fight like this--No! I have to! Don't even think that I have the choice to lose, Strach! HERE WE GO!

My adrenaline rushed and my vision became a little blurry as he charged, knocking me to the side. I quickly got back to my hooves, and easily tackling the smaller tan stallion to the ground, pinning him down. I made him look me in the eye. One of my hooves lost their grip on him, and he quickly sent a crushing left hook across my face, completely dazing me. I fell to the side as I tried to shake off the haze, and Braeburn took advantage of the situation. He jumped atop of me and again and again he hit me in the face. Blood spattered as he opened a wound with a blow of his hoof, and soon my face was leaking red.

In one swift motion, I swung my right hoof out, connecting squarely with the side of Braeburn's head. He started bleeding from the ear almost instantly and he toppled to the side. After a few moments of the spar, I managed to pin him down again. My nose was bleeding profusely; a few drops of blood managed to spill onto the dirt.

"You need to chill out Braeburn! Just fuckin' stop!" I screamed into his face.

His eyes still held that low bluish glow, and he growled unlike I've ever heard any usual pony growl. He tried to squirm out from under me, but that wasn’t going to happen.

Something definitely isn't right with this guy. No wonder AJ told me to keep an eye on him, he's definitely up to somthing! I mean, technically we've never seen totally eye-to-eye, but he never just came out and openly attacked me like this! Something's up, and now I'm involved; I'm going to find out what it is if it kills me!...Or at least, until AJ comes back...with help I hope! I wont be able to hold him down for long!

"Whats--"

He halted his attempts to get free then smirked, then in a greenish flash of light he disappeared from underneath me.

"The fu--? Mffrrrr--!" Before I knew it, he was on top of me, driving my face into the dirt. If it weren't for the fact that I was pumping with adrenaline and he wasn't that big of a pony, I wouldn't have been able to find the strength to buck him off. He came careening down, face-first into the ground. He was slow and shaky to get back onto all fours, and he was clearly done with being physical. I thought, anyways. He's not really in any condition to fight anymore.

Normally in this sort of situation, I'd be letting my rage take over and I'd be going ape-shit on whoever ends up pissing me off to the point of actually fighting; but for whatever reason I kept a cool head; well, for the most part.

"Braeburn! Th---!!"

"That’s 'nough outta you."

I couldn’t breathe, and I was beginning to panic. I tried to pull the strange substance covering the end my snout, but it was no use. Every yank and pull came with a bigger shortage of air, and I was already out of breath.

There was nothing I could do. In almost slow motion and through blurred eyes, I saw Braeburn mounting to buck me across the face.

The world went dark before I even had the chance to feel the blow...

Braeburn awoke in his cell to the sound of Cherry sobbing, and the touch of her hoof atop his. He kept his eyes closed as she spoke, ever so softly between her tears.

"...I just hate myself for f-feeling this way... I-I shouldn't have feelings for you, but... but I do. I'm so sorry Braeburn... You are really the only thing keeping me alive in this horrid place..."

Braeburn inhaled sharply upon hearing this, as if struck by a jolt of electricity. Cherry didn't seem to take notice, though.

"After, no..." She inhaled deeply, sobbing as she exhaled, "I-if we ever manage to escape from this tartarus, I don’t know if I could ever repay you for being here for me..."

Braeburn opened his now teary eyes at this, looking to the tattered and sorrowful mare in the cell next to him. "Miss Jubilee... Y'all got no reason to pay me back anythin'. You bein' here for me is more than jus' pay-back enough..."

She turned her head to meet eyes with the tan stallion through the bars separating the cells. "B-Braeburn, how long have you been l-listening?"

The tan stallion sighed, "That ain't what's important, Miss Jubilee. Jus' knowin' that we're here fer each other in this nightmare of a place is all we need ta jus' stay alive. Somepony has gotta know somthin's amiss; I bet they're already lookin' fer us! They jus' have ta be..." Braeburn sunk his head as his enthusiasm dropped, trying to convince himself to hang on to that little bit of hope.

Cherry tilted his head back up to her eye-level, and managed a short smile out of all the sadness and grief. "I don't plan on leaving your side until we make it out of this mess." She looked him softly in the eye. "That's a promise."

"Y'all stay put, ya dang varmint!" AJ commanded, keeping the out-of-control Braeburn pinned to the ground with the aid of Rarity's magic.

"How dare you tamper with somepony's feelings!" Rarity lashed out at the tan stallion, "The entire time you had just been using my feelings for the REAL Braeburn to your own benefit! And for what cause? To make you creatures feel stronger?! Ugh! You disgust me, you-you foul---Whatever you are! You monster!"

Rarity continued to scream her frustrations to the supposed Braeburn as AJ took a moment to address Twilight, who was at the aid of the blue stallion rendered unconscious.

"How's our lil' friend doin' over there, Twi'? He awake yet?"

"Almost Applejack, just one more..." Twilight gave one last spark of her horn, "There we go."

"Ugh... Fuhh..." I cringed as I came to, the sun shining directly into my eyes.

Why does a burning ball of fire, millions of millions of miles away, manage to always be just so-perfectly aimed, right into my fucking eyes?!

I kept my eyes clenched shut. My mind was hazy, and I couldn’t think straight at all.

"Where-where am I?"

"Calm down, Davin. You're ok."

"Mom? Is that you? I had this horrible nightmare... I dreamt I was stuck in this world of-of ponies..."

"You... What?"

I immediately sat up; memories of what had just happened finally returning to me. I noticed an itch on the end of my muzzle, putting my hoof to it. I looked to my hoof, which returned a fair amount of red.

"Oh for--God damnit..."

"You ok? Twilight placed a hoof on my shoulder. "You should probably clean yourself up..."

"I'm fine, Twilight."

Now she probably thinks I'm a pussy. Great. Join the club of other countless people and ponies who've all assumed I was at some point in either one of my lives! Braeburn is more-or-less three-quarters my size, and he managed to kick the shit out of me. God damnit! He did cheat by suffocating me with that--whatever it was... But still! I definitely do not look like much of a freakin' 'hero' right now!

I stood back up and made my way over to a small puddle in the dirt road and cleaned the blood off my face. Twilight trotted back over to where AJ and Rarity were subduing the tan stallion.

I joined the side of Twilight beside Rarity and AJ pinning down Braeburn, who still looked pretty freakin' pissed off. That bluish glow of his eyes had ceased, and he was trying to thrash to the left and right in attempt to free himself from Rarity's spell holding each one of his hooves down in a band of blue magic.

"Hold still, ya dang fool!" AJ yelled at the squirming tan pony, still not giving up his struggle to get free. "Do it Twi'." the orange mare nudged her with a hoof.

Twilight's horn began to glow, and a beam of purple translucent light beamed from her horn over the tan stallion, blasting away his appearance completely. What was revealed was an almost aquatic-looking dark figure of a pony, with glazed blue eyes. It perfectly fit the description Lyra told me about those creatures in Canterlot.

Changelings...

Rarity grimaced. "So much for your precious plan, you monster!"

"Twilight Sparkle!" a voice called a few yards from behind, coming from the dirt road leading from Ponyville.

"Well ah'll be..." AJ bowed her head.

Escorted by two white royal pegasi guards, Princess Celestia herself trotted towards us, her wings spread wide.

Rarity hadn't been taking notice to the Princess' approach, instead she continued glaring down the Changeling, yelling out obscenities and holding him down with her magic. Nothing said was all too brash mind you, she always seemed to keep a high-class demeanor about herself, even when infuriated. I can respect that; something I'll never be able to do when I fly off the handle.

"I received your letter Twilight. I'm afraid I couldn't let the safety of Equestria squarely rest on your shoulders. That's just too much to ask of anypony. I had to come down and personally assess the situation along with the assistance of my colleagues."

"I understand, Princess." Twilight bowed her head.

"Where is the Changeling, Miss Sparkle?" one of the guards asked.

Twilight pointed over towards Rarity, before giving the Princess a nod. Celestia took the side of the angry white mare, and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. Rarity immediately silenced herself, and bowed down to the Princess.

She knelt down to the dark figure, now being held down by both the pegasus guards. Celestia only had a few words to say to the Changeling.

"You have much explaining to do." Her tone was strict, and serious. She grimaced at the dark creature, looking as if she was staring right through him as the royal guards chained and dragged him off.

"Good riddance!" AJ stomped a hoof on the ground, yelling out to the dark equine-like creature being escorted away. He sneered and spat at the ground upon hearing Applejack's little quip.

AJ headed back into the barn and groaned upon her realization of not one, two, but three newly arisen problems. "Ahh, Dag-nab-it!"

"What is it, AJ?" Twilight called into the barn.

"All this here cider's been tainted by that dang Changeling! We're gunna have ta harvest all over again, and we're short one pony!" There was a pause for a moment, and I could hear AJ sigh deeply. "And!-and...mah c-cousin is-is missin'..." AJ's eyes began to water; a rather unnerving sight to see such a tough mare suddenly begin to crack.

Rarity seemed to have calmed down some, but her face still showed signs of anger. She joined Applejack's side in the barn, and tried to provide her with some comfort. "W-We will help you, dear!"

"Of course we will!" Twilight added, "I'll go get Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Fluttershy, I'm sure they'd like to help as well!"

Honestly, I'm not sure what to say here. Everything that has been said is pretty much all that can be said. If I was any better of a person-er, pony, I'd think of something to say, or at least offer something... Ugh. Damnit. Nothing coming to mind...

The Princess and I pretty much just took a spectating standpoint as the three mares comforted each other and worked things out. Honestly, I felt a bit of jealousy.

God I miss my friends... I'm really so alone in this place... What I'd give to go back...

"Twi, Rar', thank ya kindly, but...y'all know ah can't jus' go askin' all that of ya girls."

"Oh hush darling, we would be happy to help you!"

"Exactly" Twilight agreed, "We've helped you before, and we're more than happy to help you again! Plus, Cider Season isn't until next Friday! That gives us plenty of time; over a week!"

AJ seemed to settle down some, "Y'all girls are the best, ya know that?"

The three shared a group hug in the barn, and I couldn't help but chuckle at it. It was kind of adorable.

After a few minutes of getting plans straightened out, Princess Celestia prepared to make her leave. I didn't realize how awkward it was until now, not even having properly introduced myself to the ruler of Equestria yet.

I guess it's kinda too late for that now...

"Yes, we have made our acquaintances already, but I regret, under quite unfortunate circumstances." The Princess giggled, partly covering her mouth with a wing.

The sound of her voice completely cut my train of thought.

Huh? Oh shit, she's talking about me!

"What do you mean, Princess?" Twilight replied with a mildly concerned tone.

"It seems that he was blamed for the derailment of the Canterlot Express, and himself and another were brought to me by the royal guard."

"Really?!" Twilight's mouth dropped.

The Princess giggled, "Yes, yes they were. It was thankfully just a misunderstanding."

I'm glad this is just a big joke to her. I'm sure if she knew how I actually felt about that, she wouldn't find it so funny.

"You didn't tell me that, Davin." Twilight jokingly nudged me with a hoof.

"Um, well I really didn't get the chance to, did I?"

"I guess not." Twilight shrugged.

Princess Celestia chuckled, and looked down to Twilight. "Have you mentioned the possible offer I have suggested for your new friend?" Celestia then turned her gaze towards me.

"Uh, what?"

"Oh of course! I almost completely forgot!" Twilight facehooved.

It took a while, and a good bit of convincing, but It came down to me deciding to take the offer; more-or-less because Applejack and I came to a consensus to allow me to finish the day repairing the final apple juicer while the girls would re-prepare for Cider Season. I can't believe she actually insisted to let me take the rest of the day off and still collect a day's pay! No way AJ, that ain't how I roll, girl! Oh man, I'm in a weird mood today. Anyways, I honestly felt extremely guilty for not only showing up completely late, but also being offered pay for the day. There was no way I was NOT going to finish the day after that; it was almost like AJ put me on a guilt trip! Ah well, worked out for her if that's the case.

Great. Now I owe both AJ and Twilight one. Shit. Oh right... Can't let myself forget about Pin Stripe and Big Mac too.

Anyways, I also considered taking the job because I was apparently the only pony in Equestria who could attempt badly-needed repairs to a train. A FREAKING TRAIN. Honestly, I don't even know if I have the resources even capable of it! Even in this world, it seemed like an overwhelming task, and I haven't even assessed the damage to the freakin' thing! Guess I really have my work cut out for me this time...

The following morning, I prepared myself for the long trek to Canterlot. Hailing a...taxi? Is that what they call them here? Probably not... Ah well, I'm sure I'll find a way to Canterlot some way or another. I'll take the pony express train if I have to.

I gathered my assortment of specialty tools and headed out of my apartment. After locking the door, I realized that there was a golden chariot waiting outside, and for me no less! Bribe much? Ah well, I'm not one to really disagree with pleasantries, especially perks of a job. Guess I'll be making it to my new place of work early today.

"Here goes nothing."

I stepped into the chariot, which immediately set flight for Canterlot. Then, another thought struck me.

Shit. I forgot to tell Lyra I was going to Canterlot. Damn it... She is NOT going to be happy about this.

Author's Note

I can honestly say, that I think this is probably my best chapter yet. Hopefully I didn't make any more of those spelling errors I keep finding myself doing, over and over...
That's just my personal opinion though, so feel free to share your thoughts! (You all know by now that I love feedback just as much as the writing!)
There's a good chance that the next chapter is going to be pretty dark... Just thought I'd give the heads up!

Chapter 19 - Cider Season: Part 1

For however many times it has been this past week, the Changeling was secured into a dimly lit cobblestone chamber, and seated behind a wooden table. One of the two royal pegasus guards who had escorted him into the chamber, stood at the other end of the table, while the other ensured the heavy oak door could not be breached.

Every day, it would be the same; he would be dragged into the room, questioned, and thrown back into an enchanted holding cell. The Royal Guard's attempts at getting the Changeling to speak were utterly futile. He would never break; he was far too loyal to his queen to just let every little pony know what the Changeling army was planning.

This day of questioning started off as usual, but after being seated, the guard who usually took responsibility for the questioning just stared him down without saying a word. No matter, He wasn't going to speak even if he was spoken to. There was no possible way they would get him to open up.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna descended into the depths of Canterlot itself, into the underground correctional facility. As they finally approached the heavy wooden door of the questioning room, Luna held out a hoof, pausing their advance as she spoke. "It's obvious, dear Sister; it will not admit anything. It refuses to answer any questions regarding it's reasons for being in Ponyville."

Princess Celestia lowered her head slightly, "Perhaps Luna; but what we do know is that they are here, and they are hiding somewhere. The best we can do is prepare ourselves for when they do end up coming out of hiding."

"How do thy suggest that we prepare ourselves if one is not even certain where, or when these creatures end up coming out of hiding?"

Celestia sighed, "I am not sure, sister. The Royal Guard has assured me there is nothing more they can possibly do to get him to talk, and that is why we are here."

Luna lowered a brow and shot a quick look at the door, where just beyond the Changeling was secured. "What possible outcomes do thou have with this creature?"

"I'm afraid our choices are very limited; we simply could not just banish him to the Everfree forest, as he would surely find a way to rejoin with his kind. Surely if we allowed that to happen, we would have an inevitable conflict on our hoof, and one at that we cannot afford; several of the Royal Guard is still spread abroad Equestria with the Royal Express still under repairs. Perhaps we should consider an option that could potentially benefit not only the creature, but ourselves as well. Hmm..." Princess Celestia brought a hoof to her chin as she thought.

"Then what option do thy leave us with? We aren't gaining anything from it being here, and thou would gain nothing if it were to be banished."

There was a pause for a few moments as Princess Celestia conjured up a plan.

The noble white alicorn's eyes widened, and she returned her hoof to the floor, growing a determined look about her face. "If these creatures want to gain power from the generosity, laughter, loyalty, honesty, and kindness of others, then we shall teach him to do so in such a way that doesn't bring harm to anypony."

Luna's mouth dropped. "Sister, surely thou don’t mean..."

"I do. It's the only choice we have that favors our success." Celestia gave a confident nod of her head. "These creatures may be parasitic in their ways, but perhaps we can teach this one to change."

"Are thou suggesting we help them even after they tried to sabotage a wedding and tried to steal thy throne!?" Luna was becoming more and more concerned by the second.

Celestia had to think again for a moment, "You see Luna, the more we learn about this creature, the more well-prepared we will be for when the rest of them do end up revealing themselves. So, if we are successful with him, then yes."

Princess Luna felt a bit put off to the slightly indirect response, but realized that her sister took the current situation to be bigger than her desires to pursue a vendetta. Luna finally began to understand and consider what Celestia had in mind. Luna nodded her head in agreement to her sister's plan.

The guard holding down the only exit of the room took a step to the side, and the heavy oak door creaked open; Princess Celestia entered the chamber, closely followed by Princess Luna. The pegasi guard secured the door after the princesses, and the Changeling reared back slightly at the royalty's sudden presence.

Celestia tried to reassure the dark blue alicorn with a gentle nod, then trotted a few steps up to the table and eyed the Changeling.

"It's clear that attempts of questioning you are useless. As it serves no purpose keeping you confined here or banishing you to someplace, we have come up with a useful punishment for your actions."

The Changeling didn't even appear phased in the slightest. He just blankly blinked and continued to stare at the Princess before him.

With a small white flash of Celestia's horn, a scroll appeared. She laid it to rest before the Changeling, who glanced down at the parchment; his eyes widened slightly at the words on the scroll, and he peered up to the Princess, wearing a very confused look about his face.

Princess Celestia continued, "You will be burdoned with 8 tasks. You will report to me your results upon completing a task, each of which you must learn and apply." The Princess stared right through the Changeling. "After you have completed these 8 tasks and learned to exercise them into your everyday life, then you will be free to do as you wish."

I opened the door to my quaint little Canterlot hotel room which resided a few storeys above the busy streets. It wasn't quite as big as my apartment in Ponyville, but it did the trick; I was only residing here for the week until the train was fixed anyways, which now it thankfully was. I'll be returning to Ponyville soon enough I hope.

I shut the door after myself and collapsed right onto the floor. God was I tired! Really only having applied knowledge on where to even start with repairs on a train proved a challenge before I could even start my work. After an entire week of grueling 16-plus-hour days, working on an armored steam locomotive, wiped me the hell out. I was practically dead by the end of any given day for this past week, and that didn't really help with thinking to myself that I'm any less of a wimp.

The entirety of fixing the train was a nightmare all in its own; there were tons of large parts that were bent and damaged beyond repair, so even attempting to repair it seemed like a waste of time. But of course, this world had yet another surprise in store for me; I guess a spell existed that could bend objects into any shape without them becoming work-hardened or brittle. Upon finding this out, I had to fight the thought of why they would even freakin' need me at all to help fix anything; all I was basically doing was ensuring that the parts were placed into their proper positions, and put together properly. Well, maybe not. I'll give myself a little credit; the few unicorns that were in charge of supervising the train's condition were performing most of the reforming repairs with their magic, while I basically explained to them what parts needed to be reformed and why, all the while doing the manual wrench-turning.

It's still beyond me how one of the the largest cities in Equestria lacks proper technicians for this kind of job, but whatever. I guess that's what I'm here for. Who knows...

Oh, and another thing; Boilers and steam power was a bitch to learn. Of course, steam power is similar to conventional gasoline and diesel internal-combustion engines when it really comes down to it, other than the fact that steam powered vehicles apparently retain A LOT of residual pressure within their cylinders, even after they cool down and the boiler hasn't been burning for days; which of course, I learned the hardest possible way...

I found myself in a situation where I had to release the primary steam pressure valve manually, using nothing but a wrench; which of course, was jammed tight, and I wasn't expecting it to hold enough steam pressure to blast me straight up into the air, which it did... Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that the landing hurt my ass so much, I would've laughed along with the few of the royal guards who were lucky enough to witness it all happen. Learned my lesson though. STAND BACK.

I can't really say the same would occur with steam power back on Earth, because magic has a way of changing the way you think about physics and how things behave; and simply, because I haven't had much of a chance to work on any heavy steam powered vehicles before now. A bit of logical improvising is required, that's for sure, and experience is a definite must!

I can't get over how much magic makes even the simplest tasks like 1000 times easier than back home. Man, I can't wait 'til I can try my hoof at it again; I'd probably kill to have that kind of power back home now if there was any possible way for me to go back! I wonder how much longer I have to wait until I can use magic? I mean, it's grown back about an inch now... Huh, I don’t know. As for the train though, I just hope that the damn thing stays fixed!

"Another late day, huh?" a mare's voice cooed, breaking my train of thought.

I stood back up and flicked on the light.

What? Lyra? OH MY GOSH, LYRA!

"What are you doing here?!"

"I got your letter," She trotted up to me and offered me a hoof up with a cheery smile. "I figured I'd take the last train out of Ponyville and come by and surprise you! I would've come by and seen you at work, but the guard outside kindly insisted that it would be ok if I waited for you here, and he allowed me in."

"He... did?"

That’s rather alarming knowing he would just allow anypony in here, but whatever. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't happy to see her!

"Yeah! So how have things been going with the train? Did you fix it all up yet?"

"Heh, yeah. It got finished today, actually."

"Oh that’s perfect!" Lyra clapped her front hooves together, "So the Royal Guard and the Princesses will be able to make it down to Ponyville for Cider Season after all!"

Oh right! Cider season is tomorrow. I hope AJ and the gang didn't have any problems with those apple juicing machines; if they did, I couldn't hold anypony but myself responsible if they had to cancel Cider Season. Lord, please don't let that be the case...

"I guess they will." I shrugged, "Do you know if Applejack or anypony has had any problems with the equipment at Sweet Apple Acres?"

Lyra placed a hoof to her chin then shrugged. "Not that I know of. As far as I know, Cider Season is still on, and everypony can't wait!" Lyra's enthusiasm dropped to a bit of dread, "Especially Pinkie Pie."

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. I remember my first day here; even then how excited Pinkie seemed about it, and that was almost 3 weeks ago! I can't imagine how off-the-wall she must be about it now...

"Yeah I bet she is!" I shook my head and sighed. "So how have things been in Ponyville otherwise? Anyone miss me there yet?"

This got a giggle out of her. "Nopony more than me, you goof." She playfully jabbed me with a hoof.

I felt my face get a bit hot at that, but I tried my best to cover it up. "So anyways, I guess my plans for sitting around and doing nothing tonight are out the window! You know anyplace around here where we could go get a bite to eat?"

"I know a few good places, but they might be a little too brash for your tastes." Lyra circled around me, and flicked me in the snout with her tail.

Oh, ho, ho! Challenge accepted.

"We'll see about that."

She giggled before taking my side out the door and into the evening streets of Canterlot.

After a good while of walking through the streets and talking about the highlights of working on the train as well as things I've missed in Ponyville this last week, we finally made it to whatever place Lyra was taking me. It looked like a club of some sort, and as we got closer I could hear low frequency bass pulses.

So Equestria has clubs too... Huh. Cool, I guess. Wonder what kind of music they play? Speaking of music... It's been forever since I've listened to anything! Before coming to Equestria, I constantly had music blaring. Didn't even matter what genre! Well actually, before the incident back on Earth, I really started getting into EDM, like... A LOT. Trance, techno, dubstep, oh man... Wow, I just realized how much I miss my iPod!

"So, they serve food here?" I scoured up at the title of the establishment, entitled 'Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites'.

"You bet! It's not bad stuff either." She nudged me with a hoof, encouraging me to come inside.

"Uh, ok."

I don’t know why, but I'm getting that feeling that it is going to be a long night.

I followed Lyra into the club, to find out it was pretty much a pub/club cross-mix thing, I'm not sure. Smooth dubstep was playing on tall speakers on either side of a large mix table, which fronted a pretty well-sized dance floor. The more I looked through this place, the more I was impressed. This place also had a kitchen towards the back, and quite a few tables where several ponies were enjoying all sorts of food; no food that had meat though, unfortunately. Ah well, it's something I'm getting used to. Other than burgers, pizza toppings, and occasional steak back home, I didn't eat all that much meat anyways.

Lyra and I took a seat at a table, and a waitress soon came to our table.

"Hey, what's up you two? Can I start ya off with some drinks?"

Clearly her demeanor didn't parallel the waitress from me and Lyra's first date. What can you expect from a place like this though? Ah well, this may be fun. And honestly, I could use a drink to celebrate finishing that damn train; I think I deserve it.

"I'll have a berry cooler please." Lyra smiled up to the waitress, who turned to me.

"And for you?"

I'm drawing a blank... hmmm... I really don't feel like apple cider tonight. "Uh, what do you guys have?"

"Well, there's this really cool new drink called Lager that’s supposed to be pretty good. We just started selling it this past couple days, and a lot of ponies seem to love it. Mainly the stallions." The waitress shrugged.

"D-did you just say Lager?!"

The waitress seemed a bit put off by my reaction, "Uh, yeah."

I glanced over at Lyra, who had the most confused look I had ever seen on her face.

They all of a sudden have Lager now?! Like, say whaaat?? No way! I have to find out who brews the drinks around here! They clearly overheard me and Pin Stripe's conversation about beer a while back! I mean, unless Pin Stripe found himself involved with somepony in the brewing industry... I'm thinking too much into this.

"I, uh... I'll take one of those!" I was doing a terrible job of containing my excitement, and I think I might've been scaring Lyra a little.

Ok, maybe it wasn't such a good thing I was getting this excited over alcohol; possible sign of alcoholism? Nah.

The waitress left with a coy smile and nod of her head.

"Well you seem awfully excited." Lyra lowered a brow towards me.

"Heh, sorry. One of those 'reminds me of home' things."

"Oh?"

"Don’t worry about it." I pawed a hoof in the air trying to brush it off.

Lyra giggled with a somewhat worried tone and rolled her eyes. "Alrighty, then!"

"Step right up little fillies and colts! Get your 'cave explorer' helmets here!" The tour guide, who was a slender earth-pony stallion with a light red coat, enthusiastically encouraged all of Miss Cheerilee's class to grab themselves a bright yellow helmet, with a single light mounted to the front. Diamond Tiara was unluckily first in line, and the guide plopped a helmet onto her head.

"There ya go! Look who's ready to do some exploring!" he chuckled.

"Ugh." Diamond Tiara cringed and groaned as she adjusted the helmet from covering her eyes, and glared at the tour guide who was wearing an enormus gleeful smile.

Diamond Tiara stopped at the mouth of the cave and waited with the few gathering foals for Silver Spoon. "Why do we have to go into these filthy caves?"

Silver Spoon, hesitantly picking up a helmet for herself, trotted next to the little pink earth pony. "I don't know, it doesn't seem fair. If we don't want to go, then we shouldn't have to!"

A little ways behind the bickering fillies, the Cutie Mark Crusaders couldn't contain their excitement as they awaited their turn for their helmets.

"After looking up to this for over a week, it feels like we've been waiting forever!" Scootaloo hopped in excitement and her wings buzzed as the tour guide passed her a helmet.

"Speakin' of waitin' forever, we might jus' get our cutie marks too!" Apple Bloom cried out, standing on her hind legs and pumping both her hooves into the air. Her voice echoed through the opening of the cavern, earning groans from several of her classmates.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Cave Explorers!" Sweetie Belle squeaked happily.

"YAY!!" In perfect unison, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom cheered and bumped their hooves together.

The cave quickly darkened as it spiraled down into the mountainside, requiring everypony to use their helmet-mounted light to illuminate their way through. The cavern quickly narrowed down to a single path, just wide enough for any full grown pony to make it through. On the ceiling and floors of the cavern hung brilliant stalagmites and stalactites; some revealing small crystals, which increased in size dramatically as the path continued on.

Eventually, the path opened up a bit more leading onto a wooden and rope suspension bridge, which hung over an enormous underground geode, entirely composed of enormous crystals. The helmet lights reflected off the flat facets, filling the cavern with light and giving the cavern a surreal glow of pink, orange and blue.

The tour guide addressed the class, "Now just beyond here, is where the old Canterlot dungeons used to be!"

"Now remember my little ponies," Cheerilee added, "some of the old dungeons were lost in a cave-in. Now can anypony tell me how many years ago that was?"

Sweetie Belle excitedly raised and shook her hoof in the air, "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!"

"Yes Sweetie Belle?" Cheerilee peered over the group of little foals to the single exited little white unicorn flailing her hoof.

"500 years ago!"

"That’s right!" The tour guide added with just as much enthusiasm as before, "Thankfully, the dungeons haven't been in use for just about that amount of time, so nopony worry about any 500-year-old evil zombie ponies coming after you or anything!" the tour guide laughed heartily.

A few laughed, while others were suddenly concerned about their safety and the mental well-being of their tour guide.

The group of students followed the guide and their teacher over the bridge through the enormous geode, through several passages and tunnels composed almost entirely of crystal, until finally reaching the old Canterlot dungeons. The cavern opened up into a gigantic chamber, were hundreds of holding cells were composed of crystal formations and metal bars. Off to one side of the chamber, was the clear evidence of the cave-in of the past. Huge slabs of rock seemed to cut the chamber short, and looked completely out of place against the colorful and reflective crystals that made up most of the chamber. The tour guide began giving yet another knowledgeable notation on the method of punishment of the prisoners, while Scootaloo and the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders found themselves quickly becoming bored of his lecturing.

Speaking just loud enough for her friends to hear, Scootaloo grumbled. "I don't know about you two, but all this lecturing is getting dry."

"Yeah, it was fun at first, but we're being told about things that we could actually go up and see for ourselves." Sweetie Belle's muzzle scrunched up a bit in disapproval.

"Ain't goin' and seein' things up close the whole point of a field trip?" Apple Bloom lowered a brow.

"Yeah, you're right Apple Bloom! Let's check this place out!"

"Um, I don't know girls. I don't want Miss Cheerilee getting mad at us."

"Oh y'all worry too much Sweetie Belle!"

"Apple Bloom's right. C'mon Sweetie Belle, it'll be fun! We might get our cutie marks too!"

"Uh, a-alright girls, if you say so." Sweetie Belle hesitantly paced after the girls towards the few holding cells near the cave-in, and began their own exploration; all completely overlooked by their teacher, the tour guide, and their fellow classmates.

"Oh cool!" Scootaloo exclaimed upon seeing a few scattered bones inside of a cell, "Apple Bloom! Come look!"

Tentatively trotting over, Apple Bloom took Scootaloo's side. "What is it Scoots?" She gasped upon seeing what Scootaloo was pointing a hoof at through the jail cell bars, "That's gross!"

Scootaloo rolled onto her back in laughter. "I've never seen such a grossed-out look from you before! You should see the look on your face! Hahahaha!"

"SCOOTALOO! BEHIND YOU!" Apple Bloom cried out, pointing a hoof towards the back of the underground chasm.

"Huh? What? What's behind me?!" In a blur of orange and purple, Scootaloo cowered behind the yellow earth filly.

Seeing there was nothing but empty cave, Scootaloo's fear dropped to annoyance as Apple Bloom began laughing hysterically.

"Oh Scoot, yer such a chicken!"

"I am not a chicken!!" Scootaloo screamed, stomping a hoof on the cavern floor, causing a part of the caved-in wall of the cavern to give way to a neighboring opening.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other for a moment, then trotted up to the opening, peering inside.

"Aah!!!" As a reflection of two green orbs stared their direction, the two fillies shot a meter back, and held each other in fear.

Poking her head in through the other side of the opening, Sweetie Belle had a laugh. "You two are such scardy-ponies! It's just me!"

"Heh, good one, Sweetie Belle..." Scootaloo rolled her eyes as herself and Apple Bloom broke away form each other, awkwardly rubbing the back of their heads.

"Hehe." Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her mouth as she giggled, "C'mon you two, it's a lot less boring on this side!" with that, she disappeared back through the opening to the other side.

"You first, Scootaloo." Apple Bloom nudged the orange pegasus with a hoof.

"No way, you first!" Scootaloo pushed Apple Bloom towards the opening.

"Fine." Giving up, she crept up through the opening. Scootaloo came through shortly after, falling a foot or two down atop Apple Bloom on the other side.

"Ugh, watch where yer goin', Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom bucked off the orange pegasus from her back.

"C'mon girls! Come check this neat stuff out! I don’t think anypony has ever been back here!" Sweetie Belle was a ways ahead, and her helmet light could be seen wandering about the cavern.

"She's definitely enjoin' herself, ain't she?"

"Sure seems like it! C'mon, let's catch up with her."

This side of the cavern definitely wasn't as forgiving as the other; the beautiful crystal makeup was masked by a dark, damp soot, almost like ash. Empty jail cells the guise mentioned earlier, still littered most of the cavern's interior.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo quickly caught back up to Sweetie Belle, who was now frozen on the spot.

"Sweetie Belle, what's wrong?" Scootaloo waved a hoof in front of her face.

Apple Bloom raised a brow at her stunned friend, then peered over to what Sweetie Belle was looking at. Apple Bloom's mouth dropped at the sight illuminated before her, and Scootaloo gasped.

*knock knock*

"Ugh..."

*knock knock knock*

"What..."

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

"Ok, what the hell." I stepped out of bed and trotted towards my hotel room door and begrudgingly swung it open.

"Yes?" I asked, not taking any extra effort to cover up my annoyance without taking notice to who was standing on my doorstep.

"Sir, your presence is required aboard the Royal Canterlot Express." Two Royal guards, one unicorn, one pegasus, stood on the doorstep.

"My... what?" still being half-asleep, I looked over at the alarm clock next to the bed. "Oh shit! Lyra, we gotta go! The train for Ponyville is leaving already!"

Lyra mumbled something before lifting her head up and looking towards me standing at the door.

Oh man, her hair was a tangled mess; it was so adorable!

I turned back towards the guards; one of which lowered his brow at me.

"Ok, before you go assuming anything happened--"

"I'm his marefriend." Lyra cut in bluntly, face down in a pillow.

"Uhh..."

Well gee whiz, Lyra. That doesn't really help what I'm trying to prove here. God.

The one guard on my doorstep blankly shook his head.

"K, well I'm gunna get ready..."

After a record breaking time to get ready and pack, Lyra and I made our way to the train station and boarded the newly repaired Royal Canterlot Express. I guess I had a good feeling of self accomplishment as I approached the train and saw the royal crest perched at the front of the boiler.

Man I love fixing things and seeing them work as they should; such a fulfilling feeling to see all that hard work pay off.

Lyra and I took a seat near the back of the train, a few rows away from the chatter of the Royal Guard on leave conversing amongst themselves.

"Uh, Lyra?"

"Yeah?"

"You don’t feel like..."

Oh, hello again, shitty self-confidence!

"...that maybe, uh..."

Lyra lowered a brow as she tried to take a guess at what was on my mind.

"...That maybe we're rushing things a bit?"

Lyra's confusion shifted into a reassuring smile. "Oh, Davin... No. I don’t think we are."

Ok, well that's at least a bit of a load off.

"Alright. I was just concerned about it is all... Don’t be afraid to tell me if anything makes you feel uncomfortable, ok?"

"You're such a sweetheart." She leant over and gave me a peck on the cheek, and my worries were tossed out the window.

If she's ok with everything, then I am too.

"Ahem... Excuse me sir?" Catching both our attention, a white stallion with a 3-tone blue mane and tail stood before us. He wore the royal crest upon his chest. I suddenly felt like I was an ant.

"Forgive me if I am mistaken, but you were the stallion who was in charge of repairs on this train, right?"

"Uh..." I stood up from the bench, nervously trying to hold my composure. The stallion wasn't quite my height, but he was close. Nonetheless, he was still pretty intimidating. "Yes I am. Name's Davin." I stuck out my hoof, which he seemed gracious to shake in return.

"I'm Shining Armor. Captain and chief of the Royal guard."

Whoa...

Cherry Jubilee's health took a plummet. That certain glow of her face had seemed to nearly completely fade out, and she could barely muster up the strength to turn her head. Unfortunately, Braeburn wasn't fairing much better. He developed a dry cough and a cold sweat; the first of few indicators of impending sickness.

Not much was said between the two for the past unknowable number of days, but their minds were screaming. Cherry was not only split from her drive to keep going, but also torn because of her found feelings for the kind stallion in the cell next to her. She was quickly and regretfully accepting that this was her unfortunate fate.

Braeburn stuck his hoof through the separating bars of the cell to Cherry. Somehow, she mustered the strength to shakily reach her hoof out to his.

"B-Braeburn," Cherry coughed, "I-I really wish t-that we didn't meet under these unfortunate c-circumstances."

This tore Braeburn's heart in half. "Now Miss Jubilee, don't go talkin' like that. Ya'll are gunna be fine. Ya hear?"

"You're t-too kind, Braeburn." Cherry barely managed a shallow, half smile. "Even when you know a-a mare won't be able t-to pull through, you still try to give h-her some comfort."

Braeburn had to fight back tears. "Y-You’re gunna be fine Miss Jubilee. You're gunna be fine! Don't go sayin' things like that, I need ya here!"

"B-Braeburn, how many times must I tell you t-to call me C-Cherry?"

The tan stallion couldn't hold them back any longer. "C-Cherry, ya can't go! I need ya here! Please!"

Cherry managed a smile and she gripped Braeburn's hoof with her own. She held her smile and closed her eyes...

"Cherry..."

"..."

"C-Cherry...?"

"..."

Author's Note

*cue pissed off readers* Don't worry guys, everything's gunna be ok!
It may take another couple days to get Part 2 up, but blame school because homework is stupid.
I'm definitely trying to be a little more descriptive with my writing, so don't hesitate to tell me if you approve or not.
Oh, and to those of you who find and point out those errors I keep finding myself making, THANK YOU!

Chapter 20 - Cider Season: Part 2

"I just wanted to personally thank you on behalf of myself and the rest of the Royal Guard for granting us the opportunity to attend Ponyville's annual Cider Season Celebration!" The white stallion smiled gratefully as a pink alicorn took his side.

"Without your help, we wouldn't have been able to make it!" The pink alicorn added, "Everypony would've been so disappointed," she turned to Shining Armor at her side, "especially Twilight."

"Yes I know, dear. I'm sure she'll be happy to see us again and spend this occasion with her."

The pink alicorn smiled cheerfully, and the train jerked as it began to leave the station.

"Anyways, I'm sure the Princesses must be pretty pleased with you; I know we all are!" Shining Armor gestured a hoof towards the front of the train, where most of the members of the Royal Guard were seated and conversing amongst themselves. "I'm sure the Princesses would like to speak with you once they come down to the celebration!"

Oh man, I can't let him assume I can take all the credit for it. Then again, I can't really let anyone assume that, especially the Princesses!

"Uh, I-I really can't take all credit for it, I'm afraid. There were a few unicorns who were extremely helpful, especially with procedures requiring magic."

The pink alicorn studied me top to bottom for a moment. "But aren't you--"

I pointed a hoof to my stump of a horn, which was still impeding any magical ability. I shrugged and the alicorn seemed to at least understand.

"Oh... I see." The pink alicorn nodded her head, looking a bit confused.

"Anyways, we shall take our leave of you. I imagine that there will be plenty of time to talk at the celebration; that’s what Twilight had us come down for, after all! It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Davin."

"You too, uhh... Sir Armor."

Shining Armor and the alicorn mare left towards the front of the train, to their seats.

Mr. Davin? Ugh, that doesn't sound right. The more I realize it, everypony's name has something to do with their cutie mark, and mine just doesn't fit. Like, at all. Ah well, technically I don't even belong here as a pony anyways, so I guess in a way, it suits me in a way of...not suiting me at all... Unless, I mentioned my old friends from back home used to call me Strach as a nickname! At least it would be a bit more suitable for me now than my birth name! Ah, who cares anyways. It's just a name. Maybe I'll just keep that nickname I had to myself and my memories or something.

Yup, I'm confused too. Just go with it.

"Well it sure looks like you've made quite the name for yourself!" Lyra smiled cheerfully.

"Ugh, don't remind me..." I said under my breath.

Lyra continued, thankfully not hearing me mumble or taking notice to any hint of disapproval I had. "I mean, you saved me in the Town Hall incident, you helped the Apple family get back on track with Cider Season, you repaired this train--"

"Ahem, Uh... I helped repair it Lyra." I felt kind of bad for interrupting her, but I'd really rather her not list off my infamous exploits.

"Well, I mean, if it weren't for you, it wouldn’t have gotten fixed." She tilted her head and pressed a hoof to my shoulder. "Right?"

"Uh, I guess--"

"See? Stop being so hard on yourself."

"Well..."

"Well what, Davin?"

"I just don’t want ponies thinking I'm something that I'm not. I don't want to build a reputation that I have no hope of living up to."

"Well...what do you mean?" Lyra pulled me back down onto the seat.

I sighed sharply as I took a seat. I faced Lyra without really looking at her as my shame began to take hold... AGAIN.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I just don't want to be put into a situation I can't handle... Again..." I somewhat trailed off as I flashed back to the accident with the train that brought me here, and away from everything I loved.

God damn it i need to stop thinking about this...

I could feel my eyes welling up a bit, but I fought it.

God damnit, I'm such a pussy sometimes. My emotions are a fucking mess...

"So you're afraid of not--"

I sighed again, "I just don't know how much more I can live up to. I mean, I've been in Equestria for only a few weeks now, and I've caused so much... Ugh, I don't even know! Just so much shit that not you or anypony should've have to put up with..."

Lyra sighed at my choice of words, "Davin, there's a lot more to this than what you're telling me. I can tell."

"I-I'm..." I grumbled as I tried to find the words, but it was impossible. "Ugh. I'm just such a mess right now, Lyra."

Lyra didn't reply to that, but I guess the more I thought about it, she really couldn't. I'm definitely not very good at opening up, and man I can be extremely stubborn with stuff...

Not long after I feebly tried to get Lyra to understand, the train rolled into Ponyville. The station was decorated with banners and streamers welcoming the Royal Guard to the celebration. There was quite a crowd of ponies outside, and I spotted Twilight and Spike out ahead of the crowd. It took me a second to realize, but it felt like only a matter of a few minutes had transpired since the train departed from Canterlot; I mean, the trip usually takes at least an hour or so by train...

Huh, I guess that’s maybe why this train is so special to the Royal Guard...

That aside, I think the first thing I'm going to do is go to the Apple's farm and make sure nothing I worked on has gone wrong. The feeling that I missed something has been burning in the back of my mind all week, and I just have to make sure. Uhh, actually... Maybe it would be best if I shower and clean myself up a bit before I head to AJ's.

After Lyra and I said our goodbyes for the time being, I left towards my apartment and cleaned myself up a bit. I must say, after a long-ass week, it felt good to come back to this. Maybe things would actually settle down for a bit. Who knows?

"What? But... how?!" Apple Bloom tried to comprehend the sight held before her and the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"I think maybe it was a bad idea coming here..." Sweetie Belle turned her head away from the two cells next to the wall, where two appearingly-lifeless bodies were contained.

"No... Please! No..." a voice sobbed from one of the cells, and Scootaloo gasped sharply and took a step back as one of the bodies moved.

"Did you hear that?" She shot back, pointing a shaky hoof towards the cell.

Sweetie Belle heard it too, and she snapped back around.

Apple Bloom squinted at the two figures in the cells, and began trotting towards them under the light of her helmet.

"Apple Bloom, what are you doing?!" Scootaloo jumped in front of the yellow filly, attempting to block her path.

Apple Bloom didn't reply, she just shot Scootaloo a quick glare and trotted around her. She approached the cells, and reared back as she could finally distinguish the figures.

"B-Brae--Braeburn?! What are y'all doin' here?!" Apple Bloom rested both her front hooves on the bars of his cell. "What the hay?" she took notice to the clasp locking the cell door closed, and she wrestled with it in attempt to unlock it.

Braeburn was lying stomach down, and had his head buried under a hoof. His other was extended through the bars of his cell and into the next, holding hooves with a very sickly-looking mare, laying rather peacefully on her side. She wasn't moving, and it was hard to tell if she was even breathing...

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle cautiously caught up to Apple Bloom standing in front of the cells; both recognizing the grimy-looking tan stallion.

"Hey, isn't that Apple Bloom's--"

"Shh!" Sweetie Belle placed a hoof over her mouth, cutting Scootaloo short. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Scootaloo shrugged, taking a quick glance through the dark cavern.

Sweetie Belle too took a look around, only to see nothing but blackness. "Uh, n-never mind. I thought I heard something over there."

"Ugh," the little orange pegasus shivered, "this place is really giving me the creeps."

Braeburn finally looked up with teary eyes from the ground, trying to comprehend everything that was transpiring before him. The sudden gravity of the situation caused nothing but sadness and denial, and he was about convinced that his mind could just be playing tricks on him; he ignored the yellow filly at the door of his cell, and his face contorted to anger.

"Nopony deserves this... 'specially you Cherry..." Braeburn gritted his teeth at the ground, wiping tears out of his eye with a hoof. " N-Nopony..."

After hopelessly fiddling with the lock, Apple Bloom grumbled and pressed down effortlessly onto the clasp; with a puff of a greenish smoke, it broke from the bars of the cell, and fell to the ground with a hollow clank. Apple Bloom cocked her head back at this slightly, but shrugged it off and swung the door of the cell open.

This caught Braeburn's attention, and he was momentarily swayed away from believing that his mind was playing tricks on him as Apple Bloom stepped into the cell, and nudged at his side.

"C'mon cuz, get up!" Apple Bloom grabbed one of his hooves and tried to pull him up.

Braeburn was dumbstruck, but he obliged. It took him a moment to really realize what was happening as he freely stepped out of the confines of his cell.

"A-Apple Bloom?" Braeburn squinted down to the little yellow filly through his glazed vision, trying to believe his own eyes.

"Uh, yeah? Who else would Ah be?" Apple Bloom trotted over to Cherry's cell, again breaking the clasp clean off the barred door of the cell with nothing but a gentle tap of her hoof.

"B-But... How?"

"Well howdy there, partner!" AJ playfully nudged me in the side with a hoof as soon as I stepped onto the property of Sweet Apple Acres. "Y'all have a nice time in Canterlot?"

"Oh, hey AJ!"

Great. I bet all the equipment at Sweet Apple Acres I repaired before leaving has failed or broke. Why else would she be here immediately greeting me? I've been having this feeling all week, and I'm getting that vibe big-time right now...

"Well, I was kept busy if that’s what you mean."

This made her laugh, "Well Ah hope so! If'n the Princess jus' comes down an' thinks she can take ya away from me, y'all better have been kept busy!"

Honestly, I'm not even sure if she's just kidding or being serious.

"AJ, I thought we agreed that it was--"

AJ stopped me with a hoof to my mouth. "Ah'm only kiddin' ya, sugarcube. Things have been jus' dandy here; all that 'quipment y'all fixed up fer us has been workin' jus' perfectly, an' we managed ta round everypony together ta make an entirely new batch of cider!"

"Oh good! I was beginning to worry..." I let out a huge sigh of relief.

AJ snickered, "Well, we couldn't have pulled it off without yer hard work! Thank ya, Davin."

"Hey now, if there's anypony to thank, it's you. You gave me the job in the first place AJ, and I just kinda ditched you and your family when you probably needed me most. Plus, having to re-harvest all that cider all over again must've been a hassle and a half. I really wish I could've helped out more than I did."

AJ scoffed and jabbed me with a hoof. "Oh jus' give yerself some credit! Yeah, we maybe had ta work jus' a bit harder every day, but we pulled it off, and we surely got enough cider fer everypony!"

Well, she was being honest with me at least; I guess I can accept that...

After catching up a bit and lending AJ a hoof with a few things to prepare, everypony began showing up. There were ponies from all over Equestria attending the event, and Sweet Apple Acres was packed with ponies from all around Equestria. Within just a few minutes, the Apple's had profited thousands from their cider sales.

Finally taking notice to how thirsty I actually was, I stepped into line and contributed a fair amount to the Apple's efforts. I mean, I kind of helped cause the collapse of the building they're raising money to rebuild, so I damn-well should contribute! I'm not even sure how many bits I placed into the chest before I received my cup of fresh cider, but it didn't bother me at all, they deserved every bit!

I bought my cup of cider to one of the many park tables the Apple's had set out for guests and took a seat. I stared at the gold liquid for a moment, then leaned the cup back and took a sip.

Wow... I'm not even sure how to explain it... It's just like drinking liquid gold. It's just... absolutely amazing. It's so smooth and so... God I don't even know! Just so good!

I immediately tilted the cup back again, taking another long sip.

No wonder this stuff is so famous! It's absolutely, unquestionably, hands-er, hooves down, the best drink I have ever tasted!

I caught eye with AJ dealing with a customer across the way from the table, and raised my cup into the air to show my appreciation. Had I have been able to at that moment, I would've totally done the Captain Morgan stance. Too bad nopony would've understood the reference, and I would just look like an idiot... I could see AJ chuckle a bit as she gave a tilt of her hat.

I must say, it was pretty relaxing; just chilling out sipping on some of the best cider I had ever tasted, just taking some time to myself for once!

"Hey buddy!"

The voice almost startled me off my seat. I turned around to see the unmistakable hardware store owner approaching me, followed by a familiar-looking, magenta-coated mare, who wore small metal kegs as her saddlebags.

Hah, somepony's ready to party!

"Hah... Hey, Pin Stripe. How you been, bud?"

"I've been great!" he smiled proudly, "You?"

"Meh, pretty tired actually. Just got back from a work trip in Canterlot."

"Oh yeah? How did that go?"

"I don't even know, really. The work was a pain in the ass, but at the same time I'm being held to a praise I can't help to live up to. Shining Armor personally thanked me for it on behalf of the Royal Guard and everything... It's a headache and a half."

"Well jeez Dav, you better stop giving everypony so much help around here then if you don't want to be highly praised for stuff that you've done!" Pin Stripe shook his head sarcastically.

"Yeah, well if it wasn't for everypony having broken shit, I'd be useless." I blankly took another sip of the cup of cider, until the last drop.

Pin Stripe and the magenta colored pony burst into laughter.

"Well I really hate to add to your little list of praise, but..." He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a clear bottle filled with a bubbly yellowish liquid and set it before me.

"...this is a little something that Berry Punch and I have been working on after hours for the past couple of weeks."

Of course! Berry Punch! I knew I recognized her from somewhere! Pin Stripe was wearing kind of a sly smile, almost as if he was hiding something. I didn’t think much of it though; I shrugged, pulled the cork out of the bottle with my teeth, and took a sip.

I set the bottle back onto the table and shook my head. It was the exact same beverage I had in that dubstep bar-club thing in Canterlot with Lyra.

I knew it! God damnit Pin Stripe... Hahaha. Stealin' my ideas...

"Well what do you think?" Both Pin Stripe and Berry raised their brow, eagerly awaiting an answer.

I couldn't help but laugh. "It's great stuff man. Reminds me all too well of home."

"That’s a good thing right?" Berry turned to Pin Stripe with a somewhat puzzled look on her face.

Pin answered with a nod. "We've been pretty successful with this stuff after we perfected the recipe a few days ago. Ponies have been buying it everywhere!"

"You're not exactly helping my issues any here, Pin Stripe." I chuckled as I took another sip of the equestrian lager.

He shrugged, "I know pal, but I've..." He trailed off as something caught his eye. "What in Equestria is that?" He pointed a hoof into the air, towards Canterlot and the Everfree Forest.

"What's what?" I turned around to see a black cloud quickly heading our way. Well, whatever it was, it looked like a black cloud...

Berry frowned, "Aw, c'mon! I thought the pegasi told us there wasn't going to be any storms this week?"

Pin Stripe peered harder at the cloud, "Uh you guys, I really don't think that’s a storm..."

Braeburn gingerly stepped into Cherry's cell, and gently scooped her over his back. As he carried her out of her cell, Braeburn's fears were slightly relieved as he could feel her breathing; her breaths were short and shallow; almost completely unnoticeable, but she was still breathing...

His relief was short lived however; sooner or later, the Changelings would come to realize something was amiss, and surely the Cutie Mark Crusaders could find themselves in immediate danger if they decided to pick this time to attack. Also, Cherry needed medical attention. NOW. She had time, but very little.

"Cuz, we need ta get outta here. It ain't safe here fer you three."

"What do you mean, 'not safe'?" Scootaloo tilted her head in question.

"I'll explain that later." Braeburn shook his head, still having trouble comprehending everything. "We jus' need a way outta here, and fast!"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shared a concerned look, realizing there was clearly no easy way out.

Sweetie Belle shuffled a hoof and unconfidently spoke up. "Umm, well, I've been practicing a spell Rarity taught me... I-I think maybe I've tried it enough. M-Maybe I could try to get us all out of these caves?"

"Well what are y'all waiting for girl? Git us outta here Sweetie Belle!"

"Okaaay... Here goes." Sweetie Belle's horn glowed a light purple, and quickly after, the same aura surrounded everypony.

Sweetie Belle clearly wasn't prepared for such an extremely high demand for magic, and she began to strain.

"I-I don't think I can--"

"You can do it Sweetie Belle!"

"How... NO!" A female voice commanded in fury beyond the darkness, "Guards! The prisoners are escaping!"

"The what now?" Apple Bloom reared back.

Braeburn bit his bottom lip as he began to have doubts for escape; Changelings were appearing from every direction and soon had them surrounded. He clenched his eyes shut and wished for anything but the worst. "Hang in there Cherry..."

"C'mon Sweetie Belle, You can do it!" Scootaloo took the little unicorn's side, and held her around her neck.

"Hnnnggg..." Sweetie's eyes were clenched tightly shut as she strained, until they shot open; glowing a brilliant light green.

Apple Bloom also held Sweetie Belle, until she began to hover off the ground.

In an incredible blast of purple and white, no trace was left of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Braeburn, or the critically-ill Cherry Jubilee. The surrounding Changelings were blasted several feet away from the force of the shockwave that followed; the Changeling Queen arose to her hooves in a rage.

"Attack now!" She demanded, angrily stomping a hoof onto the rock floor of the cavern. "Begin the invasion of Ponyville!"

"B-But Chrysalis, your highness, we still haven't located our captain!" one of her Changeling followers crawled before her.

"Fool!" She kicked at the Changeling on the ground, sending him tumbling away painfully. "We have every little pony right where we want them! The Canterlot Express has been repaired as planned, and all of the Royal Guard are stationed out of Canterlot. There is no better time to attack then now!"

"But your highness, the prisoners--"

"SILENCE!" Queen Chrysalis was becoming so furious that her eyes began to burn green. "I will take care of the prisoners! You all will invade Ponyville as planned, and cripple the Royal Guard before they have a chance to react! I'll see to it personally that the rule of Equestria is entitled to me!" The Changeling Queen arced her head back as she cackled maliciously.

"And as for the mechanic?" another one of her followers stepped up.

"Ah, of course! I think we owe him a thanks! See to that, will you?"

"Yes your highness..." The Changelings began to change course for a moment before their queen spoke again.

"Wait!" she demanded, "One final thing. Do not allow Shining Armor and Princess Cadence to cast that spell!" She punctuated the severity by stomping a hoof onto the ground. "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?"

In almost perfect unison, her horde bowed to her will. "Yes, your highness!"

The sunny day casting over the celebration quickly fell into darkness as the dark cloud blocked out the sun. Several of the guests, including the royal guard looked to the sky.

Amidst the sudden confusion, green streaks of light shot down from the cloud, landing a green gooey substance on several of the members of the royal guard, pinning them down; too carefully aimed to be a coincidence.

Nearly all of the ponies present at the Cider Season celebration panicked as the first of the hundreds of Changelings fell from the sky. A few pegasi tried to escape, but the Changelings shot them down with the same substance as they did with the Royal Guard. Rainbow Dash was one of the few pegasi who were fast enough to evade the Changeling's immobilization spell. She didn't flee; in fact, she was trying to fight off the Changelings as they came.

"What the hell is going on!?" I stood from my table, completely drawing a blank of what to do.

"I don't know! What the hay are these things?" Pin Stripe watched the sky as the cloud dissipated into hundreds of Changelings.

Berry Punch peered up to the sky, leaning her front hooves on the top of the table. "I've seen these creatures before! They're Changelings!"

"These are the creatures that tried to sabotage the Royal Wedding?!" Pin Stripe's mouth dropped.

"Yeah... Yes they definitely are!" Berry frantically nodded her head in agreement.

Completely at a total loss, I tried to find Twilight, AJ, or anypony amongst the chaos, but it was useless; most of the ponies were trying to flee, others were frozen trying to comprehend the sight held before them, several had already been pinned down with the Changeling's spell, and few were hopelessly fighting back.

"Uh... what should we do?" I tried not to sound panicky, but it was already a miracle that us three hadn't been hit yet.

"Well, you're good at fighting Davin! Go fight 'em!"

"Yeah! Go kick some Changeling flank!" Berry pushed me from across the table with a hoof.

"What?!" I didn't even really have a chance to protest as a Changeling landed directly in front of my path.

I completely froze up, but luckily Pin Stripe charged into the Changeling in front of me, knocking it to the ground.

Pin looked towards Berry Punch and told her to run for it. He turned to me and gave me a face that read 'what the hell are you doing'.

"Well, I--"

"Dav, shut up and fight! I got your back!"

He puts up a good argument. This might be a good chance to let out some of my frustrations!

Changeling after Changeling were fought off, but they kept coming faster than they were going. These creatures were definitely a lot stronger than I thought, and I took quite a beating just trying to defend myself! Pin Stripe was definitely one tough stallion, because he was fending them off left, right, and center!

For a moment, it seemed like we were gaining the upper hoof. The crowd of black and green looked like it was thinning out some; that is, right up until the distinct sound of somepony screaming and of an airplane careening to the ground filled the air.

With a blur of cyan and rainbow, a powerful crash sent both Pin Stripe and myself to the ground. As the dust settled, I could finally make out what had just happened.

"Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?!" Pin Stripe was first to get to his hooves, and he even offered the blue pegasus a hoof up.

"Yea, what the hell!?" I finally got myself back to my hooves.

"Uh, what's it look like I'm doing?!" She struggled with some of that green substance sticking to her wings, until taking notice to the current situation.

Pin Stripe, Rainbow Dash and I immediately found ourselves back-to-back-to-back, encircled by a horde of the black disgusting creatures.

This was hopeless. In a split second, the three of us found our hooves cemented in place to the ground with the green gooey substance; struggling wasn't even an option. We were stuck, and stuck for good.

"Where the hay are Shining Armor and Cadence?!" Rainbow Dash lent back, straining to break her front hooves free.

A Changeling stepped up to her face, and pointed a holed hoof towards two pony-sized green blobs near the farmhouse. "They're taken care of until our queen has secured the throne."

I was getting even more pissed off than I already was, and I'm sure my face had to be just red with anger right now. "The fu--"

The Changeling stepped towards me and cut me off with a forceful hoof to the mouth. "Of course... The mechanic." He smiled with malice, "We have a lot to thank you for!"

The black creature finally brought his hoof from my mouth. I didn't even hesitate the moment I was able to speak again. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

This gained the full attention of Pin Stripe and Rainbow Dash, and they looked completely bewildered at the choice of words.

"I am so glad you asked." He grinned wildly, "You see, you have allowed us to finally take over all of Equestria and feed off it's unlimited supply of companionship and love!"

"How could he even have contributed?" Pin Stripe struggled with the green substance as he spoke.

"Davin wouldn't do that!" Rainbow Dash's choice of words actually caught me a bit by surprise. I never would have expected her to take my side so willingly; even in a situation such as this!

"No?" the Changeling glanced over us three, and shrugged before looking me directly in the eye; with both hate and admiration. "He led the Royal Guard straight into a trap! A trap that would seal the fate of Equestria, of course!"

I couldn't believe it. Suddenly everything made complete sense; the enchanted cider, the mysterious train wreck... The Changelings clearly had put a lot of thought into this plan of theirs, and I was a pawn in this whole charade.

God damnit! I am so fucking angry right now the veins in my head feel like they're going to burst!

The Changeling took notice to my realization, and chuckled to himself. "Oh yes, that’s not all either; you had almost discovered us a while back on you're little misadventure with your..." The dark creature paused as he sniffed at me for a moment, "...special somepony."

I fucking lost it. A fuse blew as I lunged forward at the creature, but due to my being stuck to the ground I missed him by quite a bit; only making me even all the more angry.

The satisfaction I'd get beating the living shit out of this fucking creature...

"You better not have done anything to her, I swear to God..."

The Changeling scoffed. "You aren't really in any position to be making threats here..." he peered over my shoulder to the image of the crossed standard screwdriver and the wrench on the side of my flank. "...Strach."

"What the fuck did you just call me?!"

"Huh, like that name do you?" he chuckled, "You should. It suits you." He waved a hoof to something off beyond the surrounding black figures, and a way was cleared as two Changelings dragged a bound green unicorn before us.

The unicorn looked up to me with her teary amber eyes. "I-I'm sorry Davin..."

These creatures are fucking dead. Mark my words...

The Changeling shook his head as he grinned through his teeth. He brought a perforated hoof to his mouth and cleared his throat. "As you have already proved your worth to us, I come offering you a proposal."

"If it involves harming anypony, you can fuck right off and shove it up your ass."

"So quick to make his mind!" With a flick of his hoof, he signaled the two Changelings binding Lyra. They began to pull the ropes around her neck tighter, and I could see the pain on her face before there was even tension on the ropes.

"Fine! Fine! I'll do whatever you want! Just don't hurt her!" It killed me to surrender so easily, but there was no way I was going to let them hurt her!

Off in the distance, a small, but very bright light emanated from the tallest peak of Canterlot. This caught the attention of the Changeling almost immediately, and his proud sneer grew.

"Ah, looks like her majesty Chrysalis has come through on her end..."

Princess Celestia was at last finishing inscribing the last line on a very long scroll, when a tremendous blast of white-purple light ripped through the castle. It startled the Princess enough to drop the scroll from the grasp of her magic, and she gawked at the sight before her.

As the light finally vanished, the five ponies who had appeared collapsed to the floor.

"Ugh..." Apple Bloom groaned as she shakily rose to her hooves. "Sweetie Belle? You ok?"

"Uhh... Yeah I'm fine."

Scootaloo quickly came to also, but she had to shake herself out of her state to keep her eyes from rolling about her head. "How'd you do that Sweetie Belle? That was incredible!"

"I-I don't know... It couldn't have been just me! I could barely cast the spell on my own until you two hugged me!"

Braeburn weakly came around also, but laid flat on the ground as Cherry Jubilee still laid over his back. "Where... Ugh. W-Where are we?"

"I think the better question is where did you come from?" Celestia gazed in bewilderment at the five ponies who had unintentionally intruded her presence.

Everypony's jaws hung open in disbelief of where they had ended up. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo turned to face Sweetie Belle wide-eyed as the realization swept over them.

"Celestia's royal quarters?" Apple Bloom reared back, aiming her confusion at the small white unicorn, "Why'd ya bring us here Sweetie Belle?"

"I-I didn't mean to!" She raised her front hooves in surrender.

"My little--" the royal alicorn glanced over the three small fillies, landing on the unkempt looking stallion and unconscious mare lay on the floor. She put a hoof to her mouth as she gasped. "What happened?!"

"Uh... Umm... W-We were in the crystal caverns... a-and..." Sweetie Belle stammered as she shyly tried to come up with an explanation.

"And we found Braeburn and this mare locked up!" Scootaloo forwardly finished for Sweetie Belle, pointing a hoof towards the mare and stallion.

Apple Bloom nodded her head in agreement, biting her bottom lip worriedly.

Celestia quickly paced over to Braeburn and Cherry, and she peered at them with extreme concern.

"Princess...she needs help..." Braeburn croaked as the physical exertion of his escape caught up with him.

Princess Celestia didn't say a word. She lent an ear down to cream-colored mare's side, gasping and rearing back almost immediately. "I-I..." She stammered, and hollered down the castle. "Luna! I need your assistance!"

Within only a few moments, Princess Luna burst into Celestia's chambers, taking immediate notice to the less-than-well looking mare and stallion. "What has happened here?"

"No time sister. This mare needs help!"

The next few blurry minutes of hectic scrambling about the castle for a doctor, proved utterly hopeless. A willing doctor was eventually found after several minutes of searching Canterlot's Hospital across town, and he was summoned to Celestia's quarters of the Royal Castle.

The doctor very carefully and gently laid Cherry onto her back, onto Celestia's bed; the doctor examined her condition, and in a light cast of magic, he placed a stethoscope to the mare's chest. Celestia, Luna, Braeburn, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders stood around the bed hopelessly. The doctor listened carefully, until his eyes widened. A very deeply concerned look fell upon the doctor's face as he glanced to the three fillies at the end of the bed, then up to the tan stallion and the princesses. He worriedly shook his head.

"I'm afraid to say that these three fillies need not see this..." He bit his bottom lip as he tried to cover up his uneasiness, while still remaining as polite as he possibly could. Surely the three young foals did not need to witness such a heart-wrenching scene such as this.

Without another word, the members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders politely nodded, and left out of Celestia's room and waited outside the door.

The doctor looked over to Braeburn who was wearily leaning against the bed, staring down to the red-maned mare. Tears were forming in his eyes, and he fought with himself not to cry.

Celestia gently placed a comforting hoof onto the back of Braeburn's shoulder. "Braeburn, there's not much we can do. We should leave her with the Doctor; he'll know what the best thing for her is."

Braeburn sniffled and wiped a hoof across his face. "I-If I may Princess, I'd like ta stay fer a moment..." Braeburn sniffled again, " 'specially if'n this is goin' ta be the last time I get ta speak with her..."

The Princesses understood, and took their leave of the chamber.

The doctor too nodded his head in understanding; with a simple spell, he brought Cherry back to consciousness and stepped aside, allowing Braeburn to get closer. It would only be brief...

The doctor joined the two Princesses and the Cutie Mark Crusaders outside the door, and was immediately bombarded with questions. He could only sum up a few words to break the confusion.

"I'm afraid she doesn't have much time... There's nothing more I can do." The doctor hung his head and trotted off.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders watched him trot off, and the three hung their heads as they too trotted off towards the base of the castle.

Just a matter of moments after the doctor and Cutie Mark Crusaders took their leave to the lower halls of the castle, a dark figure appeared down the corridor in a blaze of green flames. She was galloping at full tilt towards the princesses, and they had little-to-no time to react.

"Do not challenge me!" Chrysalis sent a shockwave from her crooked horn, backing the royal sisters against the walls of the castle. "I am more powerful than even the both of you combined!"

"Y-You will not get away with this, C-Chrysalis..." Luna croaked back as she lied resentfully on the floor, unable to stand back up.

"Oh, and who is going to stop me?" The Changeling queen chuckled.

"Your weakness." Celestia coughed as she too tried to pick herself from the ground, but to no avail. "You're going about this all wrong Chrysalis; you underestimate the power of friendship and love, and this is why you are going to fail... Again."

Celestia coughed again and she collapsed against the floor; completely drained of any energy to fight. The crown on her head fell to the ground, sliding to a stop right in front of Queen Chrysalis.

"This was almost too easy..." The Queen chuckled as she placed the golden crown atop her head in an aura of green. With a forceful buck, the door of Celestia's room was opened.

"No..." The Queen reared back, "NO!"

Cherry's emerald eyes opened slowly, and she took a slow look around the room until her gaze fell upon the tan stallion at her side.

"B-Braeburn?"

"Shh, Miss Jubilee. Yer safe now." Braeburn placed a hoof on her forehead; she was burning up.

"W-We are? W-Where..." she coughed softly, "Where are we?"

"The Royal Castle in Canterlot..." Braeburn sniffled as he began to tear up.

"B-But, how?"

"We were found..." Braeburn wiped a tear from his eye, "Jus' like ya said we would, Miss Jubilee..."

A short smile appeared on the mare's face as she looked up to Braeburn. He couldn’t help but return a bit of a smile as well. The moment was unfortunately short lived as there was some commotion outside of the door to Celestia's room.

"What in tarnation was that?" Braeburn was momentarily distracted, and he averted his eyes towards the door.

"Braeburn..." With a hoof, Cherry turned Braeburn's head to face her. She gave him another smile, and her cheeks flushed slightly giving her a glow that she had lost a long time ago. "H-How many times do I have to tell you to call me Cherry?"

Braeburn broke down right then and there; Cherry pulled his head to hers, and they shared the most bittersweet kiss...

Their bodies began to glow blindingly as their lips touched, and a forceful blast soon engulfed the room, the castle, all of Canterlot, and across the valley to all of Equestria...

Author's Note

My hands hurt. Aside from that, I sure hope you guys enjoy this "little" bit of closure for leaving you all hanging from the last chapter.
Sorry in advance for any errors I might have missed; I spent a good hour proofreading while finishing my homework for the night so I was a bit distracted. Hope you like it, nonetheless!

Chapter 21 - Cider Season: Part 3

The Changeling turned away from the increasingly bright light coming from Canterlot, and his smirk grew greater. "Now, about that offer I had for you..."

"I'm not saying anything until you let Lyra go!"

I'm not giving this guy jack shit! I'd much rather be the one they'd threaten if I were to refuse, but they were using my own caring for somepony against me! There was only one way they'd ever get me to cooperate, and that doesn't involve threatening me with the well-being of somepony else!

"Yeah! Let her go!" Rainbow demanded from behind.

The Changeling scowled and a few surrounding growled and lunged forward at my resistance. The Changeling in charge gritted his sharp teeth, and with a hoof, he signaled the two binding Lyra; sure enough, they released the ropes around Lyra's neck. She shot both of them a scowl before getting up and turning towards me. She had a thankful but dreading look on her face before she took off into the thinning crowd of ponies trying to escape the Changeling horde. I know she would've probably wanted to tell me thanks, but she knew she needed to get out of there as fast as she possibly could.

"There. Now--"

"Let them go too." I motioned my head in both Pin Stripe and Rainbow's direction, and they both stopped their struggle with the green substance upon hearing this.

"Davin, what are you doing?" Pin Stripe whispered into my ear.

I didn't answer him; he'd know soon enough anyways.

The Changeling growled while exposing his fangs. "I don't think so."

"Why the hell no-" My attempts at negotiating were halted right then and there, as the Changeling struck me across the face with a perforated hoof. If it weren't for the green stuff keeping me upright, I would've been knocked to the ground for sure. The blow did cut the side of my face however, and I could feel blood beginning to seep from the wound.

Rainbow gasped, "You just try that again! I'll buck your lights out!"

He completely ignored Rainbow's threat; instead, he got in my face again. "Because you wish it." The Changeling sneered, regaining that shit-eating grin of his.

It took me a moment to stop my head from spinning from the blow, but I shook myself out of it.

I gave up my hopes for getting my way any further; at least Lyra was safe. All I could do was pray that they wouldn't harm anypony else. "What do you want from me?" I gritted through my teeth.

"Like I have mentioned before, you have proved your willingness to aid us by leading the Royal Guard straight into a trap," the Changeling laughed as he spoke, "which I'm sure they're all thrilled about now that they know it was all thanks to you." He glanced over the crowd, to the several Royal guards straining to break themselves free from the green goo.

All I could do was just roll my eyes and scowl, and hope the Royal Guard wouldn't see it the same way the Changelings did. The train repair was the only real reason I was in good foothold with the Royal Guard as it was.

The Changeling continued, "We want your magic ability."

This caught Pin Stripe and I completely off guard, and the both of us would've reared back if it weren't for the green substance. Rainbow Dash didn’t share our surprise; instead, she actually started laughing!

"His magical ability?" Rainbow gasped for air as she continued to laugh between her words, "You've got to be kidding! He's probably the only magicless unicorn in Equestria!"

I was a bit annoyed with Dash as she continued to have her laughing fit. I didn't see it all that funny. Besides, when I was able to do magic, before I lost my horn, I was starting to get the hang of it. Sooner or later, it would grow back, and I would be able to try again! ... Why am I getting so defensive over this?

"Oh no, he is quite capable of magic." The black figure turned towards me again, "Aren't you?"

"Hardly." This earned me another equally dazing swat across the face, now only just from the other side; I cringed through the pain.

Rainbow's laugh attack was cut short, from what I assume would be because of my being hit again.

If I wasn't bound to this green shit, I'd be going ape-shit on this fucker! This guy better consider those two as freebees...

"Don't you try to lie to me!" the Changeling stomped a hoof onto the ground, "Now... Your magic..." He leant his head forward towards mine, and I could feel a buzzing in my head as he approached.

I tried to back my head away, but I couldn't move from where I stood; not going to lie, I began to panic. "What could you possibly gain by taking my magic ability?! I barely have any as it is!"

He chuckled, "Oh you do; I've seen it myself. That green pony would be dead if you didn't."

Suddenly, and for whatever reason, the lost memory of the events leading up to the town hall incident ran through my mind; I remembered it clear as day... The blue eyes in the dark, the falling section of roof, the bright white light, the splitting pain...

My mouth dropped as the realization hit me. "...T-The spell... Lyra...no... No!" I still was unsure of what the exact spell was, but at the time, I knew exactly what to do and how to do it. It was all the Changelings would ever need. I was screwed. Everypony was screwed. All of Equestria was screwed!

This whole celebration is ruined because of me, and the Changelings would take over; again, because of me!

"Fuck! This is all my fault!"

My words must've registered as mere white noise to the Changeling, because he still pressed slowly forward, his grin growing wider. As the horn like tip on the top of the Changeling's head glowed green, the painful buzzing in my head caused me to forget everything that was transpiring around me; the world faded out.

The light from Canterlot flickered for a moment, distracting everyone except for the blue unicorn and the Changeling caught in a battle of magic. With an almost completely inaudible blast, the light grew exponentially, and soon grew into an overwhelming wall of light that spanned the plain between Canterlot and Ponyville in a matter of only a split second. As the wave of light swept over the Cider Season Celebration, every one of the Changelings were swept off their hooves as if the wall of light were a barrier that they couldn't penetrate. Nopony was affected in the least as the wave passed over, in exception of only one; there was no sign of him anywhere.

The Royal sisters took quite a while to find the strength and energy to get themselves back to their hooves, but once they did, they immediately set straight to the ill-fortuned mare and stallion in Celestia's personal chamber. As the two entered through the partially open door, they were greeted by a very calming atmosphere. The mare and stallion were resting on the bed holding each other, both completely sound asleep, and looking rather well; other than the bit of tarnishing of their coats, they appeared completely healthy.

A sigh of relief left Celestia's lips as she sunk her head, her eyes widening as her gaze fell upon her crown lay rest on the floor.

Luna reared back and raised a hoof upon seeing this. "Sister... But, Chrysalis?..."

In a golden aura, Celestia picked up the crown from the floor, and gave it a quick buff on her shoulder. She placed the crown back atop her head, regaining her royal poise. "I believe that she has been handled for us, Luna."

Luna tilted her head and pondered for a moment what exactly Celestia meant by that, and looked back out the doorway to the rest of the castle. "And if Chrysalis shall return?"

"I highly doubt she'll be in any condition to return and try for a third time." Celestia met eyes with the dark blue Princess of the night. "The best thing to do now is to make sure that those Changelings haven't caused any more damage than what has just occurred here. Twilight Sparkle and her friends are expecting us at the Celebration in Ponyville, and I believe it would be best to make sure that nothing out of the ordinary has occurred there."

Luna nodded her head in agreement, "I shall see to it, sister. Are thou meeting us there after things here have been settled?"

Celestia gave a short nod of her head, "I will meet you there after I make sure things here are settled and these two are alright."

Princess Luna turned out of the chamber doorway and made her leave. Celestia trotted towards the bed, leaning down and gently woke the couple.

"Wake up, my little ponies..."

Cold. Blistering cold. The only thing I could feel as I came to and got myself up off the snow. The wind was howling, and the snow being carried in the wind felt like needles against my face. I took a look around for any sign of, well... anything. It was blizzarding! I couldn't even really see my own hoof shielding my eyes from the wind and the snow.

"Well, I'm definitely not in Ponyville anymore!"

Honestly, I should be panicking right now. I guess the cold has already taken it's toll on me. Whelp, no point staying here. Heading off towards the white-out, I'm sure to find something!

I hope...

...

God I'm freezing. I've been trotting through this...this, knee-deep fucking snow for what feels like hours now, and I'm not any closer to getting anywhere! Sure, civilization could be mere inches in front of my face for all I know! Ugh, guess I'll just keep on going for a bit more; who knows, maybe there actually is a town up ahead?

Nope! Fuck! Just more snow! Ugh... How did I even get here in the first place? I wonder what everybody back in town is thinking? Do they even know I'm gone? Do they even care? Does Lyra even care? God what am I saying, of course they know, of course they care! These ponies are the most welcoming, understanding, selfless and generous beings I have ever met! I mean, that doesn't mean I don't miss my REAL home, family and friends or anything... I wonder how they're all taking my loss back home? I sure hope the shop is still in business...of course it is. Tom and Mark are amazing at what they do... Fuck, I miss those guys so much. I think I'd give anything to be back home right now.

"I'd much rather be working in the shop with those two right now than cold and alone in this fucking frozen desert!"

It was almost as if those very words cursed me. Next thing I know, the ground disappeared from beneath my hooves, and I plummet downwards.

*Thud*

"Ahh, fuck." I must've fallen a good 30 feet straight down. Luckily, there was a lot of snow to cushion my fall.

After an eye roll and a long sigh, I shook myself off and started trekking off again in the same general direction.

Is this even the same direction? I think... I'm not sure. I don't really care right now. I just want to go home.

...

Ugh, I can't feel anything. I can't feel my legs, I can't feel my face, not anything. "No! J-Just keep p-pressing on, Strach... J-Just keep p-p-pressing on! I-I refuse to d-die like this... N-Not after everything I-I've b-b-been through!"

I'll press on for however long as I'm still in control of my own body, 'til the last breath. I'm not going down without a fight. You're not taking me again! Don't even try!

"Uh... Huh?" Braeburn lifted his head off the comforter slightly, "Where... Where am I?" his eyes widened at the sight of the mare in front of him. "C-Cherry!?" he shot up and found Princess Celestia standing at the end of the bed. "Princess?!"

The cream-colored mare slowly opened her eyes, but not quite nearly to the same amount of shock as the stallion sitting upright and wide-eyed before her.

Celestia couldn't help but giggle slightly at Braeburn's shock, but in spite of the emotional rollercoaster he had gone through in just a short matter of time, she stopped herself and cleared her throat as she regained her composure. "Ahem, I--"

"Am I dead?" Braeburn slowly looked around the room.

Just a simple question caught Celestia completely off guard. "Uh, n-no Braeburn; you're quite well, in fact."

By this time Cherry had sat up on her haunches, quietly watching the situation before her take hold. If she was in any more shock than she already was, she would have asked the exact same question.

"Uh, Princess, do ya mind tellin' me, w-what in Equestria happened here? The last thing I remember was..." He looked over to Cherry Jubilee, who's face was flushing slightly. "O-Oh my..."

After a brief explanation of what had taken hold, Braeburn and Cherry seemed to understand; at least, to a certain degree. The matter of the magic spell and the Changeling Queen disappearance were a few details that were tough to grasp.

"Uh, alright... But uh, how do two ponies, I-I mean, uh, two earth ponies, manage to muster up that kind of magic?" Cherry shrugged, lifting a hoof.

"Uh, I-I... Well--" Braeburn stammered.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, you two. Everything is being handled." Celestia raised a hoof in attempt to settle the uncertainty. "I'd really not like to delve deeper into this more than I need to, especially after what possible horrors you two have been through recently."

"T-Thank you, Princess..." Cherry gave a grateful nod.

"My pleasure." The Princess have a smile and a tip of her head, "Now, I'm sure that you two must be anxious to return to your homes..."

"Well yes, but..." Cherry stopped to look over to the stallion standing next to her.

The stallion and mare looked at each other a moment, each with a bit of uncertainty and concern in their eyes. Celestia was a little taken back at this, but she made an effort not to show it.

Braeburn had to force himself to look away, and face the princess. "A-Actually, Princess, may I ask to be taken to Ponyville? You see, I've missed quite a lot, and I'd like to see my family an' make sure they're all doin' fine."

Celestia grew a smile about her face and she nodded her head. "Of course, Braeburn."

"I-I'd like to go with you, Braeburn." Cherry asked rather meekly. "If, that is, alright with you of course."

"That'd... Uh, that'd be alright, I-I guess." There was some hesitation in Braeburn's voice.

"Well then, come now. I shall see to it to have you two taken to Ponyville as soon as possible." Celestia nodded her head, and the trio left the chamber.

After Princess Celestia herself arrived, the Cider Season Celebration had returned to its happy, busy atmosphere. Everypony was once again enjoying themselves and the company of the Royal Guards and the Royal Sisters.

"Well ah mus' say it sure is an honor havin' y'all here fer Cider Season!" Applejack leant out a hoof holding a full cup of cider towards the white alicorn Princess.

Celestia gripped the cup in hoof and took a sip of the sweet liquid. She hiccupped once just after taking a sip, earning a chuckle from the surrounding ponies. "Oh, excuse me."

Twilight nervously chuckled, "Ah, heh. It's ok, Princess. Applejack and her family make the best cider in Equestria!"

"Darn tootin'!" AJ swung a hoof, "We take extra care jus' ta make sure every apple we use, is just right."

"Well you and your family have done an excellent job, Applejack. We will be sure to make it to every Cider Season Celebration here in Ponyville from now on; we've been missing out!"

"Ahh, shucks, your highness." AJ tilted her hat down in front of her blushing face a bit, "We're jus' happy ta be the ones everypony looks up ta, this time o' year! Speakin' o' which, where in tarnation is Davin? That stallion, ah swear. He's always findin' himself in trouble!"

"Yes, of course! Twilight Sparkle, to where may we find that stallion friend of yours?"

Applejack immediately covered her hoof with her mouth, in attempt to not completely fall over laughing at how those words made Twilight's face turn completely red in embarrassment.

Luna giggled and rolled her eyes. "We mean the stallion friend of yours whom fixed the train for the Royal Guard."

"Y-Yes I know who you mean Princess." Twilight was quick to regain her composure. "I'm actually...not sure where he is." Twilight looked over the heads of a few of the surrounding ponies.

Twilight did manage to find a stallion, but not exactly the one the Princesses wished to speak with. Twilight waved over the blue-maned earth pony, who seemed to be frantically looking about. "Pin Stripe! Over here!"

She gained his attention and he began making his way over.

Twilight waved a hoof inviting the stallion to join her. He seemed a bit taken back as he approached not only Twilight, but the Captain of the Royal Guard, the Royal Sisters, and the host of the Celebration itself.

"U-uh, yes?" Pin seemed a bit nervous, and a bit jumpy. He wouldn't make eye contact with anypony; he just kept frantically looking about.

"Have you seen Davin anywhere?" Twilight watched as the stallion nervously, or rather, worriedly, looked about the Celebration for Celestia-knows-what.

"Who do ya suppose I'm looking for, Twilight?! I can't find him anywhere! It's like he just got up and vanished with the rest of the Changelings!"

Twilight's mouth dropped. "Pin Stripe, Princess Celestia, come with me! This is bad!"

I'm not giving up. I'm not giving up. There's not a single chance in hell I'm giving up. C'mon Strach, get up. You can do this. Ugh...

Not here. Not now!

Get up, Davin. Get the fuck up!!

Finally my legs responded. I got myself up out of the snow. I pressed on again into the infinite blizzard.

I was cold--no... I was frozen.

I'm actually a bit surprised I'm even still alive. Who knows how extremely bad hypothermia has set in by now? I need heat. Fast.

Finding shelter from this blizzard took top priority. Dying in this cold is not an option.

Sorry, but it's not. God, what I'd give to be home again right now...

...

God, this is it. This is it... Why did it have to be like this?

"WHY?!" I screamed into the blizzard as my legs finally collapsed underneath my own weight.

"I've been through so much! Why can't I go on!?"

My legs wouldn't respond. It was no use. I was completely numb from the shoulder and flank down, and everything above the top of my neck I no longer could feel.

"I just want to go home..."

"Just let me go home, God. Just let me go home..."

God damnit, my tears are freezing to my face. Ugh for fuck sakes... Going out with a bang, eh Strach? This is not how I imagined the end would be... The real end... freezing to death in the middle of a frozen desert in the middle of nowhere... Collapsed on myself like a wounded animal... Pathetic.

"Fuck it. You know what? I don't even care anymore! Take me! God damnit, TAKE ME! Do us both a fucking favor!"

My vision was blurred from the half-frozen tears still in my eyes. Out of the corner of my eye, I swear I could see a light through the blizzard. It's nothing I haven't seen before. I saw basically the same thing when I passed after the train accident.

Good. Death. Finally. Luck may just be on my side this time, and I won't be awoken in some magical world of ponies, or someplace where I have absolutely no chance of belonging anyways.

This is how it should have ended the first time...

Author's Note

Over a month. Over a month to update. I'm not even going to get into how unacceptable that is.
Honestly, I've been swamped with school work and my music, and with added writer's block on the side.

Well anyways, I finally broke through it and found the time to update. Don't ask me how I did, because frankly, I have no idea. Again, I'm so terribly sorry it took me so long to update, and I know this Chapter is lacking a bit in length compared to my previous chapters.
For those of you who've been waiting patiently for an update, thank you. This story wouldn't be what it is now, if it weren't for you guys.
Thank you.

P.S. Just to avoid any confusion, no. This isn't the end. It's the beginning.

Chapter 22 - Cold-Hearted

Sweetie Belle entered the Carousel Boutique to the sound of muffled sobs emanating from Rarity's inspiration room. As she drew closer, she could hear a stallion's voice as well, from behind the door. Sweetie Belle knew she wouldn’t hear the end of it if she was caught eavesdropping, but her curiosity got the better of her.

Rarity was completely disheartened. Her voice was muffled and barely comprehendible. "I-I just don't understand, Braeburn... H-How could you?"

The sound of the stallion's voice was rather upset as well. "R-Rarity, that’s just the thing... I'm not sure how I feel. I-I'm completely torn."

"D-Do y-you even love me a-anymore?"

The stallion inhaled sharply. "Rarity, o' course I do! You were one of the only things keepin' me strong enough ta stay alive in those caves."

Rarity' sobbing paused for a moment. "O-One of the only things?"

Braeburn only sighed.

"T-This is about another mare, isn't it?" Rarity's tone began to grow aggressive.

"Now Rar', jus' here me out... I--" Braeburn was cut short before he could even begin.

"Braeburn, I may not have a single idea of what you had to go through while you were imprisoned, but the least you could have done was let me know that you had feelings for somepony else!"

"Rarity..."

Rarity began sobbing again, "I would've at least done that for you..."

Sweetie Belle had heard enough. She quietly trotted off and up to her room, letting herself collapse onto her bed. Rarity and Braeburn's argument continued well into the late hours of the evening, until the sound of the front door of the Boutique signaled Braeburn's leave.

Rapping gently on Sweetie's door, Rarity peeked in her head. "Sweetie Belle?"

"Hi Rarity." Sweetie Belle was lying flat onto the bed, her voice as barely audible as she had her face dug into a pillow.

Rarity trotted over to her sisters bed, and placed a hoof onto her shoulder. "Sorry if you had to hear all that, darling."

Sweetie Belle brought her face up out of the pillow. "I-It's ok Rarity. I just hope you're ok." The little white unicorn threw her hooves around her big sis.

Rarity couldn’t help but tear up a bit. "I-I'll be fine, Sweetie Belle. As long as you're here with me, I know I'll be fine."

"I'm not going anywhere, sis."

Rarity let out a long sigh as the two broke from the hug. "Well come now, Sweetie Belle. Let me fix you something to eat."

Alloy's Journal; June 15th, Year of Sol 998.

I think I've finally found a place to call my own. Thank Celestia. It's not much, but it meets my needs right now. I doubt anypony will ever find me here, this far up north. The last thing I want right now is for somepony to find me.

I doubt anypony is looking for me anyways. I have nothing and nopony in Equestria to go back to now.

Alloy's Journal; April 26, Year of Sol 999.

It's times like these when I feel like I have completely let my father down. All he wanted was for me to stay happily by his side, find what it was I was looking for, and to be there for anypony in need. I'll never forget the last words he said to me:

"The memories of your life are cherished by the ponies that hold you close. Remember that, Alloy. Your life is what you make of it. Be the best stallion you can be. Be happy, be helpful and caring. Make me proud, son."

The only things I knew after he said those very words was my anger, confusion, and fear. It felt as if the entire world I knew had just been stripped away, and I panicked. I galloped away from my old home as fast as I could. I was young. I was scared. I wasn't ready. It all fell apart so fast...

There's no way I could hope to be half the stallion he was. He did anything to help out anypony back home, even if they didn't ask for it. I can't even help myself. There's nothing I'm good for anymore... I have no real special talent.

Alloy's Journal; September 18th, Year of Sol 1008.

I can almost smell the fresh fruits and vegetables being sold in the town square back at home. I miss that place so incredibly much. I miss being around the company of everypony. I miss working in my father's blacksmith shop. Most of all, I miss my family...

10 years it's been now. 10 years since I've left home. I find it almost amazing how I've managed to keep track of the time this long, let alone even manage to survive. If I hadn't stumbled across this cave, odds are I would have probably been dead a long time ago. Nopony can survive in the blizzards that this place dishes out in the late months of Autumn and Winter.

I'm beginning to realize just how long I've been gone. I'm getting to be an old stallion now; 37 by my count. I sure hope my father would be proud of how I've managed to take care of myself. By Celestia, I miss my family. If I could go back and prevent everything from completely falling apart, I would. I'd do anything.

Why must it have to be too late to turn back?

Alloy's Journal; October 29, Year of Sol 1010.

Today has been, well, an interesting day I suppose. After an early morning stroll, I stumbled across a material in this cave that isn't like anything I've ever seen, or worked with before. It's definitely a metal of some sort, but it's unlike the heavy iron that I'm used to working with. The metal doesn't become brittle after being heated, formed and cooled, and it's lightweight; an ideal metal in any case. A few ideas have come to my mind since this morning; maybe, just maybe, I might be able to bring something useful back with me to Equestria.

That is, if I ever plan on leaving this place... I've grown accustomed to the peace and quiet, and I'd be lying to myself if I didn't say that I now consider this place my home. Keeping myself occupied with my work helps me forget what I left behind...

Alloy's Journal; January 4, Year of Sol 1012.

My attempts are all but successful. Everything I've tried is a failure. A complete, and utter failure. Chances of returning to my home town are diminishing by the days that pass. I'm an old stallion, and I know my days are limited. I'm beginning to lose all hope that I have, and my will to leave this place is also diminishing. This place has been my home for nearly 15 years; leaving here seems like such a waste. I have everything any one pony could need here, other than a friend or company.

However, I can't shake the desire to return. I know that the odds of me leaving here, alive or not, are next to none. I wonder how poor my social skills have gotten now that I haven't spoken with anypony other than myself in over a decade?

Alloy's Journal; November 7th, Year of Sol 1016

Today was going to be the day where I was finally going to accept my fate. I stepped out of the cave and into the blizzard outside, trekking for as long as my legs would carry me until I would collapse. If I couldn't bring anything back to Equestria, at least I'd try to see my home town just once more. It was an utterly futile gesture; there is no way I'd be able to make the trip back. Odds of even making it out of the frozen north this time of year are hopeless. I don’t know why I keep lying to myself.

"There's nothing I have to live for anymore. I have nothing to offer this world."

I couldn't have been more wrong. Seems I still have a purpose; even if it's likely only for a short time, it still counts.

What I came across outside, I hadn't seen in well almost 20 years. At first, I thought my mind was just toying with me. I was at a complete loss when I realized that what I found, was real. Almost too real...

Did I really just find somepony out in the snow? Is that really somepony lying by my fire?

A month after the Cider Season Celebration, construction on the late town hall was well underway, and very well nearing completion. The Apple Family had funded the build, but quite a few ponies had volunteered to lend a helping hoof in any way they could.

"That's it AJ! That's the last one!" Rainbow Dash hollered from the roof.

Applejack set down the hammer she was holding in her mouth. "Well Ah'll be..." she took a step back in admiration of everypony's hard work.

"Hey, Applejack." Lyra passively trotted by the orange mare peering up at the sturdy-looking structure.

"Well howdy there, Lyra! How's the paintin' goin' today?" AJ didn't catch on to Lyra's passiveness, and trotted up next to her.

Lyra halted herself, and set down the few paint buckets she was carrying with her magic. She forced a cheerful smile and took a deep breath before facing Applejack. "Well, the painting is coming along fine. We're nearly finished the main floor, but honestly I'm not all that certain how the second is coming along. I don't really trust going up there without--"

With a gust of air, Rainbow touched down onto the ground just next to the two. Lyra and Applejack shielded their eyes from the wave of dust that followed the cyan pegasus's decent.

"Without what?" Rainbow nonchalantly interjected.

"W-Without somepony I can trust, I guess." Lyra shrugged, quickly trying to come up with something to change the subject. "So..."

"Aren't you working with Bon Bon?" Rainbow raised a hoof and tilted her head inquisitively, "I thought she was, like, your best friend?"

"Well she is, b-but, I'd just feel a lot better if..." Lyra trailed off as she shyly brushed at the dirt ground with a hoof.

AJ's positive enthusiasm dropped almost immediately when she realized where this was leading. "Ah know what ya mean, sugarcube." She placed a comforting hoof on Lyra's shoulder. "Ah'm sure he'll turn up some time. Don’t ya worry none."

Lyra let out a long sigh. "I'm trying not to worry. It's just that, it's been a whole month since he's gone missing, and he disappeared without a trace..." Lyra looked up to the building standing tall, reminiscing the night she nearly lost her life.

"Davin has been gone a month already?" Rainbow raised her brow.

Lyra silently nodded her head.

Rainbow quickly caught on. "Oh..." She kicked at the ground, feeling a bit guilty. "Sorry..."

"I-It's ok, Rainbow Dash." Lyra fell to her flank.

"No, it ain't ok! You're really torn by all of this, ain't ya?" AJ comfortingly rested a hoof on Lyra's back.

"Well, I-I... I'm trying to keep my mind off it." Lyra gazed back up to the rebuilt Town hall. "Nothing good has come after the Changelings vanished, other than this..."

AJ bit her bottom lip, trying to muster up the right thing to say.

"Y-Yeah you're right; Davin going missing, Rarity torn up about Braeburn, Twilight being constantly busy preparing for a new assignment of Celestia's," Rainbow pointed her hooves at the building, "other than a few ponies coming together and lending a hoof for this, nothing really good has come."

"Rainbow! Ya ain't helpin'!"

Lyra silently shook her head and stared at the ground.

"Ah'd be lyin' if Ah said Ah wasn't worried 'bout him either." AJ patted the green unicorn on the back. "Shoot, everypony's worried bout 'im! Ah'm hopin'--no... Ah know he'll be back soon."

"Me too, Applejack... I-I just really miss him."

"Ah know ya do, hon." She patted Lyra on the back, seeming to lighten her mood just a bit. "Ah do too."

Warmth.

Through my nearly total complete numbness, I could feel a sense of warmth.

How the hell can I feel warmth? I'm out in a blizzard?! I must be dead already. Is this what death feels like? A near total numbness with a hint of warmth? Well... Isn't all that bad, I guess...

After a few minutes passed, the warmth I was feeling started to thaw my nerves. I wish it didn't; all I could feel was pain.

God, I hate this place. Just fucking kill me already. How many times must I go through this? Why can't fate just deal me the fucking easy card for once, and let me die?!

My hearing was the first to fully return to me; and yes, I could hear a fire burning close by.

Makes sense to where this warmth is coming from, but... how... Why?

A while after, my vision began to return. All I could really make out was the glowing embers illuminating a small, cluttered cave. I didn’t even have the energy to turn my head so I could look around the room. I was completely dazed, and the room spun.

Before the world faded out once more, I swear I could hear a voice.

"Now what in the hay is somepony doin' all the way out here..."

...

I awoke once again, to the fire-lit room of the small cave. I'm not even sure of how long I was out. My vision was still blurry, and I barely had the strength to move. I still couldn't feel anything. My whole body felt numb.

I took a deep breath and dazedly looked around the room. What I then noticed, almost gave me a heart-attack. At first it just looked like a dark shape, but then it moved. Standing in the midst, was a grayish, blurry figure.

"Where am I? Who are you?" I blinked a few times in attempt to clear up my vision some, but it didn't help. All I could make out in the light of the fire, was a blurry gray blob.

The voice seemed a bit taken back. "Uh, y-you're safe."

"Safe from what, exactly?" Honestly, I felt like shit. I couldn't move anything, and I barely had the strength to speak, let alone make demands. Just end it already...

"Rest. You've been out in the cold for a long time, your body needs time to thaw and heal."

"I-I don’t think so."

Fuck I'm stupid. What am I doing? I don't care. I just want to go home.

I blindly got up onto my front hooves, but my weight immediately collapsed from under me. I fell to the ground and the world faded out. Again.

...

"C'mon, just-- Ugh, another failure."

A loud clank of something hitting the ground broke me out of my slumber.

It took me a moment to realize it, but other than a bit of a headache and a bad taste in my mouth, I actually felt pretty good. I sprawled out and stretched out my limbs.

"Ahh, that felt good. Now only if I could remember where I was-- Oh right. Wait..."

I shot up as the realization sank in. I turned around to find myself face-to-face with a red-coated stallion. He appeared to be actually quite old, as his fur was graying and tattered a bit. He seemed a bit hesitant.

"W-Well, you're awake I see..."

"Uh, yeah." I'm getting mixed feelings from this guy already... Best get out of here while I still can. "Could, you know, tell me where exactly I am?"

"Well, the point is, that you're safe."

"Safe from what? Who are you?"

"Safe from out there." The old unicorn stallion pointed a hoof out towards the mouth of the small cave, where a blizzard was unleashing its fury.

"Right, ok. Who are you?"

The stallion's indirectness was becoming a bit frustrating. And honestly, I'm quickly being reminded of why I'd rather be dead, than stuck in this place.

What the fuck did that Changeling do to end up sending me here?

"You we're nearly frozen to death when I found you."

"Yeah well, y-you should have left me out there." I turned my head and glared out the opening to the cave.

The stallion took a step back. "You, I--What? You would've died out there!"

"I don't have time for this." I rolled my eyes and trotted towards the opening of the cave.

"Y-You're just going to leave? After I saved you?"

"Yeah, well, thanks for that, I guess." I turned my back towards the aging red unicorn and stepped to the mouth of the cave, facing the blizzard outside. The freezing wind chilled to the bone.

Who am I kidding? I won’t get back through this... I don't even know which way to fucking go!

"Fine. Go." The stallion let out a long sigh and turned back into the cave, kicking over a piece of home-made furniture that was designed to be more-or-less of a small table. The sound of several metallic objects hitting the ground filled the air.

I stood at the mouth of the cave; ready to give up, and willing to take the coward's way out. I pondered for a moment...

Death seems too easy lately; no matter what I end up doing, fate throws me another curve ball. I don’t know what to do...

I sat on my flank, and gazed blankly into the blizzard. I sighed and rubbed my face with a hoof, trying to come to terms with the choice laid before me. I let out a long sigh.

"The fuck am I doing?" I placed my hoof back at my side, but not before accidentally flipping open a pocket on my vest.

A small piece of parchment fluttered from the open pocket, to the cold, rocky ground just in front of me. I stared at it for a moment, wondering how the wind from the blizzard just outside of the cave didn't manage to steal it from my view. For a few moments I just stared at it, deciding whether or not I should pick it up or let the wind whisk it away. I finally gave in and snatched it up.

On the parchment, was an image that looked to be a poor excuse for a child's drawing of a tractor.

I don’t know how long I just sat at the mouth of that cave, just looking at the image. I would've just continued to look, if it weren't for the stallion's hoof resting on my shoulder.

"Come. If you're really planning to leave, you'll need something warm."

That’s when I just realized how much I was tearing up. I had been since I picked up the piece of parchment and looked upon the image scribbled onto it.

Death just seems like such a fucking waste. I've literally done nothing since I've come to this world, and I've done nothing to make a difference. Time to change that, Dav.

I folded the piece of parchment and placed it back into a pocket on my vest. With a heavy heart, I got back to my hooves and followed the stallion into the small cave. Everything feels hopeless, but I think I'll choose to live another day. I took a seat next to the old red stallion by the fire, and wiped my wet eyes with a hoof. We just sat there listening to the crackle of the small fire until the stallion finally broke the silence.

"My name's Alloy."

"..."

The stallion let out a sigh. "Honestly, I can't tell you where you are, because I'm not even sure where we are anymore; I've been stuck here for nearly 20 years."

"20 years? Alone?"

"You're the first pony I've seen since I left home."

"W-What happened? Why'd you leave?"

Alloy sighed and rose to his hooves. "That's... that's for another time." He trotted off near the back of the cave, and started handling metallic objects in a silvery-red aura of magic.

Author's Note

Again, sorry for the wait guys. I'm bloody awful at posting regularly. Curse being so damn busy with stuff all the time...
As always, I look forward to your thoughts and opinions!

Chapter 24 - Legacy

"T-Thanks for walking me home, Bronze." Lyra sniffled as she pushed the door of her home open. "I-I just can't believe he's gone..."

"I know how you feel, Lyra. I wish I could take away that pain..." Bronze laid a hoof on the mare's shoulder, causing her to pause.

Lyra turned and looked the stallion in the eye, her golden eyes glistening. "Bronze?"

"Yeah?"

"Why… Why do you seem so troubled by this?" she lowered a brow, "I-I thought you two didn’t exactly see eye to eye?"

Bronze reared back slightly, but quickly regained his composure. "W-Well... I guess we did get off on the wrong hoof."

"Yeah," Lyra sighed and hung her head, a tear falling to the snow. "I guess so. By Celestia, I miss him... I just... C-Can't believe he's gone..."

Something Pin Stripe had said back in the pub suddenly rang across Bronze's mind; "Is that all you care about?"

The more Bronze realized his own situation, the more Pin Stripe's words ate at him; until finally, a genuine feeling of understanding and sympathy hit the pegasus like a freight train. Bronze bit his bottom lip and shuffled a hoof in the thin layer of snow on the doorstep.

"I-I should be getting back... I really shouldn't have done this..."

Lyra perked her head up, looking the stallion in the eye. "D-Done what?"

Bronze put his hoof to his face and turned way towards the streets. "Just... Just forget it. I'm sorry. Have a good night, Lyra."

"Bronze..." Lyra placed a hoof on the pegasus's shoulder before he managed to get a hoof away, turning him around gently towards herself. She locked eyes with him for a moment, then threw her hooves around him.

The sudden affection caused Bronze's wings to flare out. After a moment of hesitation, he awkwardly wrapped one of his own hooves around her.

Lyra backed herself from the embrace and locked her teary eyes on the stallion. "W-Would I be asking much if... I asked you to come in?"

Bronze nervously bit his bottom lip and reared back slightly as his desire for revenge battled with his newly found understanding and sympathy. "Uhh..."

"P-Please, Bronze. I just really need somepony to talk to..."

"I really better n--Alright." Bronze hung his head as he gave in, following the mint-green unicorn into her cottage.

Lyra’s home was quaint, but comfortable. She led the stallion to the dimly lit kitchen, and offered him a seat at the oak table in the center of the room.

Bronze hesitantly accepted, and took a seat.

“May I get you anything to drink?”

“Uh, just water would be fine, thanks.”

With a nod of her head, she left the kitchen leaving Bronze to himself.

Bronze let out a sigh, and rubbed the side of his head with a hoof. “Celestia, what am I doing... Ah well, can’t say I’m going to complain, just can’t let myself think about—”

After a moment, Lyra returned carrying two glasses of water with her magic. She took the seat opposite sides of the table from Bronze. She set a glass before herself and the other before him.

“Have you ever lost anypony close to you Bronze?” Her ears softly folded against the back of her head as she tilted the glass of water up to her lips, keeping her sorrowful, tired eyes on the stallion.

Bronze had to think hard for a moment. “Well, I barely remember my father. He left when I was just a little colt.”

Lyra set down the glass. “How old were you?”

“I think I was about four... As surprising as it is, I actually remember the day he left pretty vividly; but, I don’t even remember his name.” Bronze took a swig from his glass, gulping hard and setting the glass back onto the top of the table. “Sorry if it seems like I’m trying to make this about me. I’ve just never really talked to anyone other than Pin Stripe about this; and that was a long time ago...”

Lyra raised her hoof, “No, no, it’s ok. It’s helping me take my mind off... Well, you know...” She lowered her head sorrowfully. “I-If you want, you could talk about it with me; I wouldn’t mind listening.”

Bronze cringed a bit. “Y-You sure about that?”

Lyra nodded. “It’ll help.”

Bronze took a deep breath. “Ok, if you really think so, I guess I could.”

7:26 A.M., May 29th, Year of Sol 998

The morning sun was shining in through the window, flooding the bedroom with its morning rays. Not a sound was heard, other than the scratching of the pencil held in the mouth of a young, orange, pegasus colt scribbling out a picture on a piece of paper. He was laying on his bed, deeply entranced in his drawing.

A knocking at the bedroom door caused the young colt to drop his pencil, and looked up to the stallion standing in his doorway.

“Hey kiddo!”

“Morning, dad!”

The colt hopped down from his bed and opened his little wings, jump-tackling his father; ending up with the both of them on the ground.

“Jeez, Bronze! You’re getting big!”

The little Pegasus giggled as he freed his father from the hug and got back to his hooves. “Am I big enough to come to the shop with you and Grandpa?”

“Hmm,” the fire-red stallion peered down at his son with a hoof to his chin, “I don’t know...”

“Aww... But, dad!” Bronze whined at his father’s hooves.

The stallion chuckled. “Alright, go ask your mother. It’s fine with me as long as she says so!”

“Really?!” In a flash, the pegasus took off out of his room, and flew into the master bedroom, where his mother still lied in bed.

The stallion watched as Bronze jumped up onto his mother’s bed. “Heh, kids...” He smiled and shook his head.

Bronze didn’t even hold back. He hopped onto the bed and jumped repeatedly until his mother woke up.

“Yes, Bronze?” His mother asked flatly, being barely audible as she remained still with her head half in her pillow.

“Can I go with dad to the shop today? Please? Please? PLEEEEASE?” The little colt stopped his pouncing about, and pleaded his mother.

“Did you ask your father?”

“Yup I did! So can I? Please?!”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Yaay!” Bronze cheered and jumped up from the bed, his little wings flapping away.

“But for the love of Celestia, BE SAFE. You hear me?” Bronze’s mother leant up from her pillow, holding the little colt in her hooves.

“I will!”

A short time later, Bronze and his father left their small home for the streets of town, and arrived at the shop. The entire trip, Bronze chatted up a storm; anything from what his father and grandpa would be working on, to what he could do to help. Nearly every question Bronze had was answered with a “We’ll see,” or an “It’s a surprise.” The eager colt could barely contain himself.

The building was a bit run down, as the light tan paint that matched nearly all the buildings in town was faded and peeling from the wooden siding. A sign read ‘Forge & Scrap’s’ above the front door.

“Is this it?” The young colt asked, peering up at his father.

“This is it!” The red stallion wore a prideful grin on his face, “Hey, want to know a secret?”

Bronze gasped, “Yes!”

The stallion chuckled. “One day, this will all be yours.”

“REALLY!?” Bronze nearly exploded from excitement.

Bronze’s father opened the front door with his magic, “Go ahead, kiddo!” His father offered the way in.

Bronze darted into the door; much to his surprise, when he entered, he was faced with another colt about the same size and age.

This caught Bronze by surprise, “Whoa!” he had to stop himself mid-air to prevent himself from crashing into the colt.

The other pony seemed a bit shy, and he cowered a bit behind one of his hooves as the soft gust from Bronze’s wings passed over his tan fur and his short spiky blue mane.

Bronze of course was way too excited to pass up an opportunity to make a friend; he stepped closer to the colt, and circled around him.

“What’s your name?” Bronze asked, looking into the colt’s face.

“Um, I’m...”

“Um I’m? That’s a silly name!” Bronze reared back a bit, giggling as he took a seat. “My name’s Bronze!”

“No, uh...” The little colt shook his head, “My name’s Pin Stripe!”

“Cool! Want to be friends?” Bronze stuck out his hoof.

“Okay!” A short grin grew across the little brown colt’s face and his green eyes glistened as he accepted Bronze’s hoof.

The red stallion chuckled as he trotted into the shop. “Making friends already, huh Bronze?”

“Yup! This is Pin Stripe!”

“Of course, Scrap’s Grandson.” The red stallion smiled wide as he leant up against a workbench next to the door. “Where is your Grandfather, Pin Stripe?”

“Um, he’s in the back with Mr. Forge.” The little colt pointed a hoof towards the back of the facility, past the various racks of metal pipes, stacks of machining equipment and various tools that crowded the shop.

“Thanks, kid! Well, how about you two get to know each other? It’ll be a few minutes before we may need your help anyways.”

Bronze and Pin Stripe exchanged glances.

“Sure!”

“Ok!”

“Great. I’ll call you two over when we’re ready!” The red stallion smiled and picked up a brown book from the workbench next to the door in a fiery-red aura of his magic, and trotted towards the back of the shop...

A knock on Lyra’s door completely broke both Lyra and Bronze from the story.

Lyra looked over with a confused face to the orange pegasus seated across the table from herself, “Now who would be coming around here at this hour?”

Bronze shook his head and shrugged.

Lyra picked herself up from the table, and trotted towards the door. In a golden aura, she swung the door open, revealing a brown stallion with a spiky blue mane.

“Pin Stripe? What are you doing here at this hour?”

Pin sighed, “Sorry for the time of hour, Lyra. Is Bronze here?”

Lyra reared back a bit, “U-Uh, yeah.”

Bronze himself got up from the table and trotted towards the door.

Pin Stripe scowled from outside of the door. “Bronze, let’s go. You can’t be here.”

Bronze grumbled and shook his head. “He’s right, Lyra. I better go.”

“B-But your story!”

“I’ll have to tell you more some other time...” Bronze trotted past the confused green unicorn and left her cottage. Before he was off the doorstep he looked back to the mare standing just inside. “I’ll see you around, Lyra.”

Bronze trotted next to Pin Stripe down the dark, lamp-lit streets in silence for a few moments, until Pin couldn’t bite his tongue any longer. He stuck out a hoof, halting the pegasus trotting next to him.

“Bronze, what the hay are you trying to prove?”

“Pin, I wasn’t going to try anything on her. As much as I’d like to get some payback—”

“Ok, stop right there. You don’t need any payback. Sorry to say this pal, but you had it coming. You can’t go around treating everypony like trash! No matter how much you think you need to get even with somepony, you just can’t do this.”

Bronze scoffed. “Dude, please.”

“Bronze, no. Listen to me. Acting the way you do, especially towards mares is disgusting. I can’t believe you lied to Lyra like that! If I wasn’t a better pony, I’d kick your flank for that. You really hurt her!”

“So what?” Bronze rolled his eyes.

Pin Stripe sighed sharply, stopping himself from gritting his teeth in frustration. “How would you feel if I went back to Lyra’s and let her know you straight up lied to her face?”

Bronze grumbled in frustration and flared his wings. “Do it. See if I care.” He took off from the streets, leaving Pin Stripe in the light of the streetlamps.

Pin called out to him, “Bronze, one of these days, Karma is going to bite you in the flank, and you’re going to regret the way you act!”

I tried to squirm free, but the huge creature pinned me down with even more force. It was crushing my ribcage. I couldn't escape. This was it.

The monster leant down and opened his jaws over my head.

I braced myself for it; for the horrible, painful end.

It never came.

In a streak of orange-red light, a ball of molten metal roughly the size of a baseball struck the creature just above the shoulder. Molten slag was sent in all directions, and the beast instantly burst into flames.

It released its crushing grip onto my chest, and fell back into the snow. I was free, but I could barely move; the sudden relief of the crushing mass on my chest left me completely winded and dazed.

The creature retreated back several feet and rolled around in the snow in attempt to extinguish itself; I could only watch my pitiful margin for escape disappear with every failed attempt to get myself back to my hooves.

A red hoof was extended in front of my view.

“Get up, ya dolt!” Alloy forcefully nudged me to my shaky hooves.

I was completely dazed. I could hardly make out what was happening at this point. My ringing ears and my fight to find my breath kept me distracted from anything the old stallion was trying to say, or get me to do.

"What the hay are you doing?" With both his hooves, Alloy shook my face. "Move it, kid!"

He took back off into the storm, leaving me behind. I tried to hold myself on my hooves as I tried to catch my breath. My chest felt like I was being crushed in a vice, and I could hardly breathe; let alone run after Alloy. Every subtle movement I made felt like a punch in the gut.

"Block out the pain. C’mon... Move your ass, Strach!"

I took a step, and another. Just two steps felt like I had run a marathon. I took another, and another.

“C-C’mon!”

I kept my eyes clenched to the blowing wind and snow, and gritted my teeth to the pain in my chest with every step I took.

After a few moments, Alloy emerged out of the storm ahead of me and rejoined my side. “That’s it kid, let’s get out of here! Not too much farther!”

How Alloy knew the way back through this storm is something that I will never come to comprehend; I could barely see my own hoof in front of my face, let alone have a sense of direction through the storm.

The faint glow of the small fire burning in the cave flickered into view; it wasn't far now. We were finally on the home stretch to the safety of the cave.

“Just a few more steps, kid... Just a few more steps. That’s it.”

The cave at last... I let myself fall to the warm rock floor near the small crackling fire in the center of the cave, letting out a huge sigh of relief.

“T-Thanks, Alloy.”

The old stallion just took a quick look at me and gave me a short smile, trotting back near the mouth of the cave to peer out into the storm. A definite ‘you’re damn welcome’ if I’ve ever seen one.

A few moments passed without a word. All that was heard was the crackling of the small fire, and the sound of the blowing wind from outside the cave.

Suddenly, an extremely loud, low howl echoed through the cave, causing the ground to shake.

It happened almost too quickly to comprehend; before I could react, a large U-shaped stalactite fell from the cavern ceiling, and crashed into the cavern floor, pinning me down across my back. Squirming free was no use; all I could do was watch...

In unfathomable speed, the wooden beast charged in through the mouth of the cave, and tackled the aging red stallion.

“Alloy, no!”

I tried my hardest to squirm free despite how much more it hurt my already aching body. It was a completely futile gesture; the fallen rock formation weighed a lot more than I could hope to move on my own, with or without magic.

The monster trashed the cave in its attack; Alloy’s belongings, along with all of his life’s work was toppled over and thrown about the cave.

Alloy was beaten around like a rag doll, yet, he still chose not to give in to a fight he had no chance of possibly winning without help. The old stallion had a lot of fight left in him; he squirmed and bucked, trying to hold the upper hoof on the creature.

With any attempt to break myself free out the window, I could only try to, at least, gain the monster’s attention.

“Hey! HEY!”

I hollered at the top of my lungs, and my own voice burned my throat.

“HEY!!!”

It was paying me absolutely no mind at all. I had a front row seat of a situation I was absolutely powerless over.

I had to think of something. I had to!

“C’mon!”

The creature roared as it struggled with Alloy, causing the ground to shake. More debris fell from the ceiling and crashed to the floor.

I looked to the roof of the cave. Thousands of stalactites hung directly above where the creature was standing.

This was my only hope to try and buy Alloy some time...

My horn began to glow a faint blue, and I tried to break off one of the sharp pieces of rock hanging down from the ceiling.

I strained and strained, to no avail. Just as I was about to give in, one finally broke loose.

I watched as the piece of rock fell from the roof, just missing the creature’s head.

“Fuck!”

The creature then immediately stopped its grudge match with Alloy, and peered directly at me with its glowing green eyes.

“YA! COME HERE!”

It was just enough time for Alloy to break free of the creatures grip, but he didn’t get far and he didn’t go unnoticed. The beast’s attention was soon gone from me as if I had never existed. Its focus was back on Alloy, struggling to limp his way out of the clutches of the beast.

The monster swung his claw and connected with Alloy's body. He was sent careening several feet into the back of the cave, causing more stalactites to fall from the roof and loudly shatter onto the cavern floor, exposing a shiny metallic surface on the ceiling. The beast pounced onto him, and pinned him down.

The old stallion screamed in pain.

"Alloy!”

He had a strained look about his face, until his pained gaze fell upon a small brown book.

He then peered over to me.

The mere look on his face was enough to tell me what he was going to do.

He tossed me the brown book in a flickering, fiery red aura of his magic.

The book landed on the floor, just close enough for me to read the cover.

‘Alloy’s Journal’

My mouth dropped, my heart sank to the floor, and I felt like I was just kicked in the stomach.

He can’t... No, this can’t happen! I won’t let it! I can’t!

“ALLOY NO!”

I’ll never forget the look on his face as he strained to tell me to look away.

“ALLOY!”

I tried my absolute hardest to get out from under the crushing mass above me, but I was completely helpless. There was nothing I could do; I couldn’t move, and the little magic I was capable of, was exhausted.

“NOOOOO!”

The monster continued attacking the old stallion, and I had to look away. I couldn’t watch, and I couldn’t do anything; I hated myself for not being able to.

The metallic surface on the roof of the cavern began to glow the color of his magic aura, and began to sag.

The sound of a splash, an instantaneous yelp, and a wave of heat filled the cavern.

Then there was silence...

Absolute, utter silence...

I kept my eyes closed for a few moments, and I just remained still; trying to ignore what had just happened.

When I finally managed the courage to open my eyes, the cavern looked nothing to what it had before. In fact, it wasn’t much of a cave anymore. Sunlight flooded in from a large portion of where the cavern ceiling used to be, indicating the harsh storm outside had finally passed over. The fallen sections glowed red-hot across the cavern floor.

Any sign of the creature, or Alloy, was entirely gone...

...Other than the tattered journal lying on the cavern floor just in front of my face.

No matter what I tried, I couldn’t stop myself from replaying the entire scene over and over again in my head. I remained held under the massive fallen structure that pinned me down and rendered me helpless, watching as the red glow eventually disappeared from the caved-in sections of the roof.

“Alloy?”

No answer; just the echo of my own voice.

“ALLOY!”

Nothing.

I was completely motionless trying to process everything that just happened.

“Alloy...”

No, he can’t be... No... NO! This isn’t fair!

“ALLOY!!” I screamed out, no matter how much it hurt my voice.

The rock formation pinning me down crumbled to the cavern floor in my outburst; freeing me from its crushing weight.

“ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!? AFTER ALL THAT, NOW YOU LET ME FREE?! FUCK!”

My blood felt like it began to boil as my sorrow almost immediately turned into uncontainable rage.

“He saved me twice! TWICE! And I couldn’t even lend him a helping hoof in anything! He took me in from my own selfishness to leave this world like a fucking coward, AND I COULDN’T EVEN SAVE HIM!”

The echoes of my outburst rang through the cave until my voice hurt too much to yell anymore. It came to the point where my yells were reduced to mere whispers.

“God damnit... Why?” I dropped my head to the rock floor. “Why couldn’t I save him?”

I slammed my hoof on the rock ground. At the same time, a short magical burst from my horn caused the journal in front of me to turn over a few pages.

I looked up from the cold rocky ground to the open journal just within my reach, and wiped my eyes. I just stared at it; not taking anything in, just blankly staring at it. I waited for my anger and sorrow in my mind to boil down to a point to where I could let myself think clearly; it was well into an hour before I forced myself to look at the open page of the journal.

I reached out a hoof, and pulled the journal in closer. Just looking at the page made my gut wrench.

“God damnit, Alloy...”

Just the fact that the pony who wrote all this, is gone... Ugh what a horrible feeling...

I finally gave in to my curiosity and let my gaze take in what was on the page. An image was sketched; one that I recognized immediately. An image similar to countless I’ve seen back home... On Earth.

A schematic. A mechanical schematic. And a very familiar one at that.

Then something hit me...

This was it. This had to be what Alloy was trying to do for all the years he was out here! But... Why did he leave?

I flipped through a few more pages; journal entries, diagrams, ideas, more schematics... Pages filled with precious information.

The more I saw and the more I thought about it, the more questions arose. I had to just stop myself. I took a deep breath and gently closed the journal. All this emotional trauma made me feel sick to my stomach. There was just too much that had just occurred, and I just simply couldn’t come to terms with it all at once. There was just no way. No one and no pony could. It was just too much to take.

“What am I supposed to do now?” I dropped my head again to the rock floor.

Frankly, there are just too many unanswered questions; most of which will probably go forever unanswered. Nonetheless... I’m not about to let Alloy’s legacy die along with him... There’s just too much this journal has to offer for me to allow that to happen. If it’s the least I can do, please let me preserve this journal...

God damn it, why did it have to happen this way?

It’s not about survival anymore. I need to get home. I must.

Two weeks later...

"So this is it?" The black creature peered over inquisitively at his mentor.

Twilight smiled in her response. “Just remember everything I taught you.”

“Right. Be kind, be honest, and be generous... I suppose it doesn’t seem too difficult."

“And?”

“And, never take advantage of their kindness. Right.”

“Exactly.” Twilight playfully nudged him with a hoof, “Making friends is easy. I know you can do it!”

“Must I really look like this? I’d rather not have everypony judging me just on the basis of how I look.” The Changeling looked down at himself, examining one of his perforated hooves.

“Yes.” Twilight stated directly, walking aside the Changeling just outside of the library.

“Why?”

Twilight sighed, and turned so she was standing face-to-face with the creature. “Layne, do we really need to go over why it is so crucial to be honest again?” She pointed a hoof to the front door of the library.

He groaned, “No, Ms. Twilight Sparkle. We don’t.”

“Good.” Twilight gave a nod of her head. “Well come now, Layne. There are a few ponies around here that are looking forward to meeting you!” The lavender unicorn started way towards the center of town.

Layne let out a nervous sigh and took a quick look of his surroundings just outside of the library, then took a close following after Twilight, trotting up to her side.

“Don’t be nervous, Layne. You’ll do fine.”

The pair trotted farther into the center of town, both earning a few unsure looks from the ponies passing by.

“Ms. Twilight, not too much further I hope... Everypony is staring at us.”

“Don’t worry; they’ll come to terms sooner or later. Just keep in mind everything I’ve taught you, and they won’t have any reason to dislike you.”

“Alright...” Layne wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t allow Twilight to see it. If it was one thing as a Changeling that Layne couldn’t change, it was his ability to effectively mask his true emotions.

Twilight stepped up to the door of a structure with a frosted roof, and rapped on the door. Quick hoofsteps were heard approaching the door from inside.

“Oh, hello, Twilight!” The cheerful face of Mrs. Cake greeted, that is until her gaze fell upon the black figure standing just to Twilight’s right. Her pupils shrunk and she took a step back with her ears folded tightly to the back of her head.

Twilight chuckled, placing a hoof on Mrs. Cake’s shoulder. “It’s ok, Mrs Cake. He’s with me.”

Layne attempted a reassuring smile, but it came out looking more forced and nervous than anything.

“I see...” Mrs. Cake’s ears perked back up and her gaze shifted between the pair standing on their doorstep. She gave Twilight a sceptical glance.

“It’s ok, Mrs. Cake.” Twilight assured.

The blue pony retracted her scepticism and sighed in relief. “Well! Please forgive me for coming across as rude!” She took a step up towards the Changeling, sticking out her hoof. “I’m Mrs. Cake!”

Layne stuck out his hoof to hers, “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Cake. I’m Layne.”

A short grin began to grow across Mrs. Cake’s face as she returned her hoof back to her side. “Well Twilight, I assume you two are here for Pinkie?”

Before Twilight could even answer, she was tackled to the ground by the aforementioned pink pony.

“Hiya Twilight! Did you bring him?! I’ve been waiting for like, forever to meet him! Did ya? Did ya?!” Pinkie excitedly awaited her answer, beaming to the unicorn at her snout.

Layne just stood there, feeling a bit more than slightly confused. He shuffled a hoof on the ground and tried to not bring too much attention to himself; he just remained awkwardly quiet...

Twilight answered with nothing more than a blank face.

Pinkie giggled, “I’ll take that as a yes?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes Pinkie. He’s right there.” Twilight awkwardly tried to point a hoof to the spot where Layne was standing.

Pinkie shot her head up from Twilight’s, and gazed in the direction Twilight tried to point. Pinkie’s excited facial expression dropped, “Twilight, you tricked me!” The pink pony pouted down to the now very shocked-looking unicorn at her hooves.

“HE’S GONE?!” Twilight shrieked, teleporting herself from underneath the pink pony to the end of the doorstep, peering out into the moderately crowded streets.

“Uh...” Pinkie rested a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, “Twilight, are you ok?”

“This is bad! THIS IS VERY BAD!” Twilight tried to scan over the several ponies in the streets, for any sign of Layne. “C’mon Pinkie, I’m going to need your help.”

“B-But Twiligh—”

Twilight shushed Pinkie with a hoof pressed against her mouth, “No time for that, Pinkie! This is an emergency! If anypony finds him, the town will be in chaos! Everypony is still a bit sceptical of Changelings ever since The Royal Wedding and Cider Season!” Twilight began to hyperventilate, “And if that happens, I will have failed the Princess! And—And if I do that, nopony will ever give Layne a chance!” Twilight brought both her hooves to the side of her head, and fell to her flank, “I just—”

Pinkie shushed the panicking by shaking Twilight’s head in both her hooves, “Well we aren't exactly going to be finding him if you’re just sitting there being a little miss worried-pants, are we? C’mon Twilight, let’s go!”

Author's Note

Bout time I updated this thing.
School and work, as well as my other creative outlets, have me pretty occupied; hence why updates to this story are a bit less than frequent.
I still have a ton planned for this story, and I still plan on continuing it for as long as I can.
If you spot any grammatical errors, don't hesitate to let me know! I'm bound to be just a bit rusty at my own proofreading (Not that I was ever that fantastic at that, anyways...)

Wow... 100,000 Words...

Opinions and thoughts are always encouraged in the comments!

Until next time~

Chapter 1 - Crossing

"You got that truck done yet, man?” called Tom from inside the paint booth. “Shit, you’ve only been chipping away, working on that truck since we’ve opened this shop! Plus, you gotta check out Mark’s wicked pin striping on this car!”

“Yeah dude, like, what haven’t you rebuilt or modified on that truck? You’ve had it since you graduated high school.” Mark added, shaking his head with a smirk.

I turned my head from under the hood of my truck to towards the paint booth where Tom was with Mark inspecting the paint job on a customer’s vehicle. I just shook my head and grinned.

“Pfft... You guys are just jealous! You know Rarity is hands down, the best all-around sport truck around here!” I said, chuckling to myself. “Plus, you know she’s got the best damn mechanic working on her too.” I added with a grin, putting down a ratchet and wiping off grime from my arms. I shut the hood of my truck, and had a moment of self-achievement.

I wasn’t a cocky person, but when my best friends got on my case, I won’t hesitate to boast a bit and rub in my accomplishments. After all, they would do the same thing in my position!

“Yeah, yeah, we know, Strach. But you can’t design concepts for shit, or come up with awesome ideas like I can,” Tom retorted with a snicker. “And Mark is the best painter and auto body specialist around here! Rarity wouldn’t be the truck it is today if it weren’t for us too, you know.” Tom added, pointing his thumb at himself and Mark, who just glanced over his shoulder, shook his head, and continued examining his work.

“Why do you call that truck Rarity anyways, Dav?” Mark asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“Yeah, not many people actually nickname their trucks, but when they do, usually its names like ‘The Blue Flame’ or something like that, I don’t know.” Tom added.

“Oh jeez, here we go.” Mark rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Ok, well first of all, I named my truck Rarity because the definition suits my truck perfectly; an uncommon occurrence, in unexpected circumstances.” I stated, crossing my arms and smirking. Tom just facepalmed.

“Davin, we really don’t need you to tell us every little reaso-” Mark stood up and tried to stop my rant, but I cut him off.

“And because the body style of my truck is so common, yet, finding a supercharged, cammed, bored-out 454ci GM motor, a custom modified racing transmission, with all the little bells and whistles to go along with that, it is like finding a diamond in coal.” I boasted happily.

“Dav-” Tom also tried to halt me going off on a tangent, but I cut him short as well. They were always pestering me about my choice of nickname, and finally they were going to hear me out.

“And plus, the pearl white exterior and indigo-to-navy blue interior just seems to fit the name. The colors are just perfect; that’s why I named her Rarity.” I finished, nodding my head. “With that being said, its bout time I finally started her up so I wouldn't have to hear you guys pester me with this shit.” I had a wide smile on my face as I walked over and grabbed the keys hanging up on the wall.

“Alright, stand back guys. I’d recommend covering your ears too.” I laughed as I stepped into the truck.

Rarity roared to life. She had that nice deep, low rumble and rough idle, the sound of classic muscle. But of course, it was a one-of-a-kind sound all on its own. I rolled her out of the shop, and parked just out front of the shop.

Every usual day at the shop was like this, and life was great, ‘living the dream,’ as they say. Us three, the best of friends, Thomas, Mark and I, opened up this automotive customization shop soon after the three of us finished college and scrounged up enough money. It took a while for the shop to really start getting business, but eventually the word got around and we started making some good money; all the while having fun doing it. When the three of us weren't at work, we'd be out chilling together, partying, going to the bar and drinking, ripping around town; the usual stuff three best buds who were practically family would do.

Thomas was in charge of designing and coordinating the modifications to customers’ vehicles, and also came up with the blueprints and concepts.

Mark was the auto body specialist and painter. He could fix any dent or scratch, and was seriously skilled with paint.

Then there’s me; Davin. Also known as 'Strach' to some. I know it’s an unusual name, but whatever. I had many interests, strengths and skills, as well as insecurities, but I’ll explain those later. Anyways, the one thing I knew I was best at, was mechanics. It was my special talent. Everything was just perfectly clear to me when I was working on things, and nothing else mattered than the job at hand.

I walked back into the shop to Tom and Mark looking my way, Mark shot me an ‘are you kidding me’ kind of look, and Tom spoke up.

“Buddy, you’ve finally finished your truck and you aren’t even taking it for a rip around the block? The fuck's wrong with you?”

“Well you guys have to go pick up parts from the south side of town today, I might go for a rip around the block when you guys leave.” I replied happily, trying to contain my excitement.

“Well, you know, you could always just follow us down that twisty road that crosses the train tracks! It’s a fun road.” Mark suggested, and shrugged.

“Yeah man, just follow us there; it’s a fun road to rip down, might as well take Rarity out there for her maiden drive!” Tom pointed out.

“You know what, sure why the hell not! It’s been a while since I’ve driven down there anyways. Let’s go!” I couldn’t even contain my excitement anymore. I practically jumped with joy and ran to the truck, fired it up, and took after Mark and Tom driving in the shop car, which was just more or less, a piece of crap Toyota Tercel we used to do running around the city with, usually to collect parts and such.

Rarity handled like she was on rails. No body roll, tight, true steering. And the horsepower! Oh man, she had some snap! I punched the gas at the last stop sign before the twisty road and the tracks, creating a very, very, satisfying squeal of the tires. She left a nice, long, black number eleven at that intersection. I felt pretty damn proud of myself. Maybe too proud...

Nah.

I let Tom and Mark trail ahead while I enjoyed Rarity’s first drive. I was rounding the last curve before the tracks and found that traffic was halted for whatever reason. Perhaps because of the railway crossing? I don’t know, I’d never find out for sure.

“Ah man, seriously? There’s never a train crossing here! Ugh. Whatever.” I grumbled as I stopped the truck a few cars back from the intersection.

To my horror, I caught a glimpse of Tom and Mark trapped on the tracks between the backed up traffic. I heard the horn of the approaching train.

“Oh my god!” I screamed as I realized the horrible trouble Mark and Tom were in.

The train was very close. I shoulder checked to the right, and nailed the gas. Squealing tires met grass as I pulled off to the right side of the road, heading as quickly as I possibly could, directly towards the tracks.

“Sorry Rarity!” The only words I could blurt out.

Just as I approached the tracks, I turned the truck towards Tom and Mark in the shop vehicle. Rarity smashed through the railway crossing arm and crashed into the shop car blocking the crossing. Mark and Tom were pushed safely off the tracks into the ditch adjacent to the tracks.

Just as I confirmed the safety of my friends, I heard the train horn again. Just out the right side of my truck, I saw bright lights.

Then there was a deafening smash.

Then there was blackness.

“Ugh, what the hell...” I came to, but kept my eyes closed. The only thing I could feel was a horrible numbness, and a ringing in my ears.

I couldn’t feel any pain. I was in shock. Then the short term memories flooded back to me of Tom and Mark, the crossing, and the deafening smash.

The Train.

I snapped open my eyes, but everything was extremely blurry. I could only make out broken glass, twisted metal, and a lot of red.

As moments passed, my hearing began to come back to me, but it became harder and harder to breathe, and I was coughing up blood.

Off in the distance, I saw a blur of wreckage. As I regained my hearing, I heard the voices of Tom and Mark yelling.

“Now what the hell did you go and do something stupid like that for?!” Mark screamed to me as he and Tom stumbled out of the shop car, and ran up to the wreckage of my truck alongside the train tracks. I tried to yell back to Mark, but the best I could yell out was a cough, hacking up blood.

“Ah man, all... All this work for nothing... Fuck... Sorry Rarity...” I managed to croak out as I involuntarily remained seated in what remained of my once beautiful, customized, ’96 GMC Sierra Sport truck.

Tom and Mark reached the truck, with me still trapped inside. Tom immediately began to try and wrench open the drivers side door, but to no avail. The door wouldn’t budge, and I wasn’t going anywhere. The entire right side of the truck was crunched from the impact, and the driver’s door was jammed shut.

“Fuck sakes Davin,” Tom had to cover his face and turn away for a second, as he took one glance down onto me inside of the wreck. Mark just stood next to him in shock, eyes wide and mouth agape.

“C’mon let’s get ya the hell outta this thing!” Tom said as he cleared the window frame of the remaining shattered glass and began to pull my broken and bloody body from the wreck.

“Mark! Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance now!” Tom yelled as he lifted me out of what remained of the truck.

“Ugh... I’ve had... Better days than this...” I coughed out, barely managing to get a breath between my words and bloody coughs.

“Just stay awake Strach, An ambulance is on its way!” Tom cried, as he set me down on the ground, fear in his eyes. Which really wasn’t helping me out. My breaths were becoming alarmingly short, and my vision was blurring more and more by the second.

“I... I had no choice... It... It was either me or... or both you guys.” I choked on the words as I struggled to breathe. “I... I know you guys can... handle operating the shop... without me. There’s... other good mechanics out there, but... but you might need to hire a couple of ‘em to keep... keep the steady pace I... I can.” I tried to snicker, but just ended up coughing up blood. So much for trying to lighten up the mood.

“Now don’t go talking like that, you’re going to be fine!” Tom croaked, tears welling in his eyes.

“Yeah buddy, you’re going to be fine! The ambulance will be here, and you’ll go and get all fixed up. Next thing you know, you’ll be back in the shop in no time!” Mark added with very much forced optimism.

“Ye... yeah, I’ll... I’ll be alright... guys; I can make... it...” I could barely speak as I choked and coughed up the lie. My vision was completely blurred. I couldn’t see a thing. But there were only a few more words I needed to say.

“Davin you have to stay awake! Stay awake!” Mark cried, as Tom wiped his eyes and shook me, both of my best friends tearing up.

“Don’t you go fucking dying on us! Everyone needs you here! You belong here, God damnit!!” Tom screamed, tears streaming down his face.

“Tom... Mark... You guys are... the best friends... I could ever... have. I... love... you guys. Tell... Tell my... folks, I’m... sorry, and... I love... them.” These were the last words I would ever speak on Earth. My breath vanished, and there was only darkness.

A blur...

Brilliant bright light...

Darkness and a chilling cold...

I found myself lying on a damp, cold forest floor. It was very dark, other than the glow emanating from the moon, hung high in the night sky.

“What... Where... I... I... don’t even...” I couldn’t even manage to comprehend what the hell was going on.

I took a glance around my dimly illuminated surroundings, only to see dark figures of seemingly endless trees in all directions.

I shook my head and looked down at the ground.

“What the fu--" I cocked my head back in shock at the sight before me.

It looked like my arms were a dark blue... fur.

“Fur? What the fuck is going on?!” I screamed out. A few birds flew out of a nearby tree and distracted me for a second.

I shook my head and tried to rub my eyes, but that was when I noticed I didn’t have hands anymore. Let alone fingers! I looked at where my hands were supposed to be.

“Hooves?! What the fuck? Damnit!” I didn’t even really know what to say. I felt like the tourettes guy just blurting out words.

“I must be dead. I-I have to be dead! This doesn’t make any sence! What is going on! Where’s Tom!? Where’s Mark!? Guys?! What the shit?!” I yelled out my anger, frustration and confusion to nothing, failing to keep my composure. But honestly, if you just thought you died and were reanimated as a different life form, you’d freaking the fuck out too. Yeah. Shut up.

The stunning realization hit me. I was gone to everyone I knew, and there was nothing I could do. I was alone, confused, and just genuinely scared. I hate being alone. All my insecurities reveal themselves after I’ve been alone to long.

I missed my family. I missed my two best friends. I missed my life... My old life. I needed a second or two to realize that I had to press on. All the happy memories with my family and friends flashed before me. For what seemed like hours, I wept. I missed everybody so damn much. I missed everything.

I lifted a hand- I mean hoof, up to my head and rubbed the tears from my eyes. That’s when I noticed another thing.

“Oh well, gee whiz. A freakin' horn. Fan-fuckin-tastic. How much worse can this get?” I shook my head and rose to my... hooves. Whatever.

“This new... body... feels so messed up. I can barely fucking walk!” I couldn’t even imagine what someone would possibly be thinking if they saw me stumbling my ass around.

After a few minutes of helpless stumbling, I found myself to a puddle, and for the first time saw my new reflection. I was a...

Horse?

“What.” I said to myself flatly.

I gazed into the reflection again.

I had no features of my previous self. No scars, nothing. Well, maybe there was just one thing that remained; the color of my eyes, the exact same, grayish-blue eyes. It was rather, comforting; knowing I managed to keep something of my previous self.

Other than my eyes, everything was different. I had a navy blue coat of fur, a pearl-white and black mane, with a matching tail.

I turned to get a better look at my tail in the reflection, and then I noticed an image on my...flank? I don’t really know parts of horses all that well. I had a girlfriend that tried to teach me about horses, but that’s another story altogether.

Anyways, I stared at the image on my flank. It was dark, but I managed to make out what looked like a crossed yellow-handled screwdriver and a wrench.

“Huh,” I scoffed, “Well isn’t that something...” I said aloud with a slight, flat smirk on my face.

Chapter 9 - Lost and Found

“Ok Lyra, you can do this. It’s no big deal...” Lyra sighed, trying to calm herself down, “...just give him back his tools.”

Lyra held a steady trot until she approached the run-down apartment complex. She paused to questionably scrutinize the building, but shrugged it off. She walked up to the front doors of the lobby, and totted gingerly inside up to the front desk.

“Um, excuse me?” Lyra peered over the counter at the snoozing grey Pegasus.

“Hm?” Daydream opened a single eye, then snapped to attention, wings flared. “Oh! Yes, how may I help you?”

“Well, there was a blue stallion that came through here not to long ago,” Lyra shuffled a hoof, “I was wondering if you could possibly tell me what room is his.”

“Oh, ok sure!” Daydream glanced down at the binder lay open on the desk, “Are you his marefriend or something?”

“What?’ Lyra jerked her head back, chucking nervously, “Uhh, no, I just want to return this to him.” She raised the tool box with her magic and levitated it aside her.

“Oh, ok. Sorry about that.” Daydream giggled as she raised a hoof in apology, “Room 15, dear.”

“Thanks.” Lyra scrunched her face in slight embarrassment and exited the lobby, carrying the toolbox behind her.

Room 11. Nope.

Room 13. Almost there.

Lyra took a deep breath as she came to a halt in front of room number 15. She set the toolbox on the ground aside the door and raised her hoof to knock, but hesitated.

“Oh, c’mon Lyra!” She grumbled to herself in account to her hesitation, stomping her hoof back to the ground.

She paused for a moment to muster up the courage. She again raised her hoof and rapped on the door.

Silence.

She knocked again.

Silence.

“Hmm, maybe he isn’t home.” Lyra bit the corner of her bottom lip and pondered whether to search for the blue unicorn, or leave the toolbox on the doorstep.

“Lookin’ fer somepony?” A tan earth pony with a cowboy hat stood next to the door, tipping his hat up. He wore a sly smile.

“Um, maybe,” Lyra cautiously studied the stallion, “What’s it to you?”

The stallion scoffed as he rolled his eyes and took a step forward, “Now ya best listen ta me, and listen ta me well.” He was mere centimeters from Lyra’s face, staring daggers into the mare’s eyes.

“Umm...” the mint colored unicorn mare bit her bottom lip and nervously tried to back up.

Braeburn didn’t let her keep her distance. “I’ve got important plans for this here town, and I ain’t goin’ ta let ya help ruin what I’ve set inta motion!” His eyes caught a ray of sunlight and reflected a hint of blue, hungering rage.

“What?!” Lyra fell to her flank, “What plans? What are you talking about?”

“Jus’ don’t be doin’ anythin’ ta help out that stallion, ya hear? I mean anythin’!” Braeburn backed off and left Lyra to ponder what in the wide world of Equestria he was talking about.

“I am so confused...” Lyra got back to her hooves, shaking her head and rubbing a temple with a hoof.

She let out a long sigh and again picked up the toolbox with her magic, starting off towards Sugarcube corner. A scowl grew on her face.

“I’ll help whoever I want, you jerk.” She hissed under her breath.

“Wrong answer.” The evilly spoken words startled Lyra enough to spin around, unfortunately again to face the stallion, freezing her in wide-eyed horror.

Braeburn delivered a hoof across Lyra’s face, knocking her out cold. The red toolbox crashed to the ground.

“Foolish ponies.” He evilly chuckled at the sight of Lyra’s limp and unconscious body, and headed for Rarity’s boutique.

I had to stop and catch my breath. It wasn’t much of a hike from my apartment to the center of Ponyville, but galloping as fast as I could the whole way, took a lot out of me.

“What’s yer rush Sugarcube?” called a familiar voice of a certain orange mare.

“Oh... hey AJ, ...just looking... for my toolbox.” I panted, barely managing to make eye contact with the mare.

“Yer toolbox?” She raised a brow.

“Yeah... I tripped... over there... this morning,” I pointed a hoof across the town circle, “I was just heading... over there, but just needed to... catch my breath!”

“Ah see,” Applejack chuckled, “well don’t go tirin’ yerself out before ya start on Monday, Sugarcube! We’re gunna need yer hoof makin’ sure all our ‘quipment is ready for Cider Season!”

Jeez, yeah no pressure or anything eh, AJ? Whatever, most of the equipment and machinery here was simple; best compared to 19th century mechanology back home. Simple machinery is clearly easy to work on, but simple thing after simple thing I can see getting rather boring, very quickly. I enjoy a good challenge every now and again. Lets say, you spend a month or so doing nothing but replacing brake pads and/or tires. You’ll go insane. Trust me. But then again, it’s not really much of a point knowing how to fix things without having any tools.

“Ha,” I clucked, “Yeah, I’ll try not to.” I said, finally catching my breath.

“Well alrighty then!” Applejack shrugged, “After y’all find yer tools, ya should go stoppin’ by Sugarcube Corner!” Applejack suddenly looked like she shouldn’t have said that.

“Um, alright?” I gave the orange earth pony a quizzical look, “What’s going on at Sugarcube Corner?”

“Ah dunno,” Applejack scrunched her face in what appeared to be a terrible poker face, “jus’ heard some ponies talkin’ ‘bout it, is all.”

Yeah, I don’t buy that. Whatever though.

“Well, if you say so AJ.” I shrugged, “I’ll see you around!”

I waved a hoof and started across the center of town to the opposite road, where I made a total fool of myself in front of those two mares.

“Um, alright then. See y’all later!” AJ shrugged a hoof and coolly returned my gesture of dismissal, “Ho, boy. That was a close ‘un.” She said under her breath, wiping her brow with a hoof.

I came to where I crashed onto the road, where the indentation of my face was still imprinted into the dirt, despite the hundreds of hoof prints. I looked up from the road and scanned the street up ahead for any sign of the toolbox.

Nothing. Perfect. Someone-- I-I mean, somepony actually stole my tools. Why the hell would somepony steal my tools?! God damnit!

Ok, I’m going take this opportunity to elaborate on a couple things. First of all, how difficult it actually is going my whole life, well... my whole old life, saying things like everyone and anyone, to trying to blend into this society of little ponies, saying everypony, somepony, and stuff like that. Just little things like that are going to take a while to get used to. Second of all, I’m going kick the crap out of whoever stole my tools. Ask any mechanic; stolen tools equals pissed-off technician and punches to the douche who stole them. Ugh, that shit just grinds my gears, man. Don’t steal tools; borrow if you must, but ask first.

“Ugh!” I threw my hooves into the air in frustration and sat on my flank, “Of course they’d be stolen. Of course they would!” I let out a long aggravated sigh and arose back to all fours, cursing my luck with these sort of circumstances.

I spent the next half-hour or so searching every nearby place for any clue of where my tools might have gone. It was useless. I searched the streets, around nearby alleyways, and even asked a few ponies if they had seen anything. None seemed to even want to have anything to do with me at all, and were rather dismissive. I faced my grief. My tools were gone for good.

What a waste!

I gave up the search and took a seat near a schoolyard, crossing my hooves in frustration.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Gavin.” The unmistakable voice of Rainbow Dash called from above.

“Ugh, that’s ‘Davin’, Rainbow ‘Crash’.” I grumbled. “What the hell do you want?”

I'm really not the mood for this. Go bother someone else, Rainbow Dash; I’m pissed off, and don’t have the patience for you right now.

The blue Pegasus huffed, “Well somepony’s in a nasty mood today.” She crossed her hooves as she hovered a few feet above the ground beside me.

“Yeah, well if you had your shit stolen you’d probably be in a shitty mood too.” I didn’t even hold back, not even making eye contact with the cyan pegasus.

“Stolen?” Rainbow jerked her head back, “What could you possibly have that somepony would want to steal?”

I glared at the Pegasus for a moment and growled angrily, before returning my blank gaze over the playground. “My tools were, I guess.”

Rainbow Dash seemed to be beginning to catch on to my frustration, because her confident enthusiasm dropped some. “Your tools? I thought Pinkie said Lyra was going to find you and bring you back your tools?” She raised a brow and shrugged.

“What?” I jerked my head around to face the mare, “Who the hell is Lyra?” I asked, more in the tone of a statement rather than a question.

I honestly didn’t care who she was, I really just wanted to know what she was doing with my tools, or rather, where the hell my tools were.

“Um, minty-green coat, green and white mane, cutie mark of a golden harp...” She trailed off.

“What is she doing with my tools?” I stepped up and looked Rainbow dead in the eye, demanding an answer.

I was quickly loosing patience having the blue Pegasus hover around me while I was left with questions unanswered.

“I don’t know!” Rainbow Dash shrugged, “but she probably took them to your apartment. Anyways, you should come with me to Sugarcube Corner.”

“No thanks!” I shook my head in refusal, leaving Rainbow Dash and the schoolyard behind. If they really were taken to my apartment, might as well go and check before somepony else goes and steals them from there, too!

“Oh, you want to do this the hard way?” Rainbow started after me, “We’ll do this the hard way!”

“Don’t even bother, Rainbow.” I glared over my shoulder.

She let out a long frustrated sigh, “Fine. Let me at least come with you. Then you have to come with me to Sugarcube Corner, ok?”

“Um,” I looked to the side for a moment in thought, “this isn’t a negotiation.”

Rainbow beamed me a flat convincing glare, “You’re coming with me, one way or another.” She flew up to have me face to face.

“I’m not going anywhere without finding my tools first.” I scowled back, then turning away and continuing my way to my apartment.

“We’re going to Sugarcube after,” She crossed her hooves, flying up next to me, “whether you like it or not; even if I have to drag you all the way there.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. She wasn’t going to give up. She was even more stubborn than I was, and I can be pretty damn stubborn at times.

“Ugh...” Lyra finally came out of her unconscious state and rubbed the side of her bruised and sore face with a hoof, stumbling to stand up.

She took a quick look around to see if that crazed stallion was anywhere in sight. Nope, no sign of him. She looked down to her side and noticed the toolbox lying upside down on the ground.

“Oh darn it! That’s right!” despite of her pain, she lifted the toolbox in an aura of magic and headed off towards Sugarcube Corner.

As Lyra approached the door, she heard Pinkie trying to hush everypony inside. “Great, he mustn’t have showed up yet.” Lyra rapped on the door. “Pinkie, it’s me.”

Pinkie opened up the door, “Hi Lyra!” Pinkie’s happy enthusiasm fell when she noticed Lyra still having the toolbox in her possession.

“Haven’t found him yet, have you?” Pinkie looked up to Lyra, and gasped. “What happened to your eye?! Are you ok?!” Pinkie held her with both her hooves.

“Yeah,” Lyra’s face dropped, “I’m fine.”

“What’s the problem darling?” Rarity asked from behind Pinkie, who also gasped when she noticed Lyra’s face, “Oh darling! What happened to you?” Rarity’s concern was beginning to turn into defensive anger, as she pointed a hoof to Lyra’s swollen and bruised eye.

“Um, nothing...” Lyra’s tone was both of disappointment and shame.

“Well nonetheless!” Rarity took side to the unicorn, “Let’s get you cleaned up. Pinkie, we’ll be back in a moment.”

Um, alright.” Lyra agreed with some skepticism, “Pinkie, would you mind if I left his toolbox here in case he shows up before we get back?”

“Well of course not, silly!” Pinkie smiled wide as Lyra and Rarity left Pinkie and Sugarcube Corner for Carousel Boutique.

“See you later Pinkie, Thanks.” Lyra dismissed.

“Oh, Pinkie dear,” Rarity paused and snapped around, “don’t let that stallion leave without letting me have a word with him first, alright?”

“Okie Dokey Loki!” Pinkie waved a hoof, then taking notice to the toolbox Lyra left behind. She smiled and brought it inside, shutting the door to Sugarcube Corner behind her.

“Ok everypony,” Pinkie set the toolbox down, “Davin will be here in a jiffy! We just gotta wait a little bit longer!” Many of the ponies groaned.

“Actually? That’s strange.” Lyra stated with some confusion as the two mares trotted through the late afternoon streets of Ponyville.

“It doesn’t even make any sense!” Rarity hung her head, “He came to my side when I bumped into that stallion the other day, I know he did.”

“Hmm,” Lyra thought for a moment, “Well maybe you’re just stressed? It’s possible that you are just under some strain and you’re just seeing things or something.”

“I’m not sure, Lyra.” Rarity shook her head, “Applejack even assured me that he was working on the orchard all morning as well.” Rarity shrugged, “Perhaps I’m just thinking into it a bit too much for my own good.”

“Maybe,” Lyra agreed, “but it is pretty weird. A pony can’t be two places at once.”

“That is exactly why it’s confusing me so much.” Rarity scowled at the ground.

“You sure that’s the only thing confusing you?” Lyra knelt down a bit, quizzing the white unicorn, “sounds like you’re holding something back.”

Rarity sighed, “I-It’s nothing.”

“Mhmm.” Lyra giggled, “Sure it isn’t.”

Rarity rolled her eyes, “D-Don’t tell Braeburn, ok?”

“Who’s Braeburn?” Lyra raised an eyebrow.

“My coltfriend.” Rarity stated rather coldly.

“Oh, o-ok. Well I don’t even know who he is, so you’re secret is safe with me.” Lyra smiled, playfully bumping Rarity’s side, “So you gunna tell me what’s actually bothering you?”

“Fine.” Rarity grumbled, “Well, the stallion I bumped into, just so happens to be the stallion Pinkie is throwing a party for.”

“That doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.” Lyra shrugged.

“No, that part isn’t the problem.” Rarity shook a hoof, “What’s bothering me is the fact that I made quite a poor impression on him.”

Lyra thought for a moment, “I still don’t see how that can bother somepony so much.”

Rarity sighed, “I’m not finished yet, darling. What’s really bothering me is that he generously offered to help me up and pick up my things and I bitterly shoved him off.”

“You like him don’t you?” Lyra teased, subtly holding back a mild bit of jealousy.

Rarity flopped to the ground, “Yes!” She sobbed, “I’m just so confused! I love Braeburn, but that stallion just has something I’ve never seen in a stallion before. N-Now he probably hates me!” Rarity covered her face with both her hooves.

Lyra jerked her head back, not actually expecting that magnitude of answer from the mare sobbing on the ground.

“You... What?!” Lyra was both shocked, and feeling a bit of envy.

“I’m so Pathetic!” Rarity cried.

Lyra rolled her eyes and offered the dramatic mare a hoof up. “C’mon Rarity. The sooner we get back to the boutique, the sooner we can get back to the party and you can apologize to him.”

Rarity’s eyes lit up, “Yes, you’re right, at least he’ll know my intent was not to come across as sour as I did.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ll feel better after that.” Lyra helped Rarity to her hooves and started off again for the boutique.

After a few minutes of Lyra effectively covering up her newly discovered rivalry, she managed to calm down Rarity enough to change the subject.

“Oh, that is quite the bruise my dear.” Rarity glanced over to Lyra as the door to the boutique swung open.

“Yeah I know... You really think you can cover it up?” Lyra looked up to Rarity with some concern.

“Well of course dear!” Rarity pawed a hoof convincingly, “But would you care to tell me what happened? Surely a bruise like that can’t just come from a stumble.”

“Well,” Lyra began with some hesitation, “I headed over to that old apartment complex on the side of town,” Lyra gestured a hoof in the direction, “I went to drop off those tools and this stallion came up to me and-” Lyra’s words were cut short by somepony catching her attention.

“Bout time ya got home.” Braeburn tipped up his hat as he lent up against a wall, with crossed hooves.

“Braeburn, I wasn’t expecting you back again so soon!” Rarity trotted up to the stallion, unbeknowingly leaving a horrified Lyra behind.

Rarity stopped in front of Braeburn expecting a warm hug or some sort of affection, but rather was met with the stallion beaming down at her with a grimace. Rarity’s smile was replaced with confusion and she took a step back.

“Braeburn, are you alright?” Rarity studied the stallion head to hoof.

Braeburn’s grimace shifted into an evil grin, “I’m jus’ fine Rarity. Everythin’ is goin’ to plan now.” He looked up from the confused Rarity to the green unicorn by the door and grinned without any sense of mercy.

“You actually live here?” Rainbow took a sweeping glance around as we entered the lobby of the apartment complex.

“Yeah I do.” I saw Daydream at the counter look up as me and Rainbow walked in. I waved to her and pushed the door out the left of the lobby open.

Rainbow Dash looked me in the eye, “Dang...” she bit her bottom lip in disgust.

“Whatever. It’s good enough for me.” I shrugged, brushing off her disapproval.

We trotted up to Room 15, where there was no sign of the toolbox outside. I sighed and flipped a pocket on my vest open and pulled out the key to my room with my teeth. I unlocked the door and stepped inside, flicking on the light. Might as well check, right? Rainbow waited outside the door while I took a quick glance through my apartment. I joined her back outside and locked the door.

“Nothing?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Nope.” I groaned, “Well, back to town I guess. I really don’t feel like being dragged, so I guess I’ll agree to go with you to Sugarcube Corner.”

“Finally!” rainbow tilted her head back in relief, “Lets go!”

Before I knew it, she had already flown out of the complex, leaving me and a faint trail of a rainbow behind. I will probably never understand why everyone is always in a rush. Both here, and back home.

After a long walk back to town, I finally met back up with Rainbow Dash out front of the decorative bakery. Like I said, it wasn’t far, but I took my extra time getting back to town. I was in no rush, so why run, right?

“What took you so long?” Rainbow greeted with a bit of annoyance.

“I don’t get why everypony is always in a rush.” I rolled my eyes.

She sighed and facehooved, “Just walk inside.” She pointed a hoof to the door.

I shook my head and walked up to the door. I thought for a moment if I should knock first, but considered that it was a place of business after all, so I walked inside. To my immediate concern, there were no lights on, and the whole place was dark.

Great.

I immediately began regretting walking inside. It was a trap, and I was probably going to be murdered or something.

I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to have Rainbow Dash drag me here! Might as well make a run for it, while I can!

I turned back for the door, but just as I lifted a hoof to push the door open, the lights flashed on, and a group of around 20 or so ponies screamed.

“SURPRISE!!” Pinkie was the loudest to holler of the crowd, which completely knocked me on my ass in shock.

Pinkie jumped up in front of me, “So were you surprised Davy-do?”

“Well I’m flat on my ass, so I’m gunna go with...” I put a hoof to my chin, making it look like I’m hard in thought, “yup, I’m surprised, alright.”

“Well good!” She hopped in excitement, “No point having a surprise party if nopony is surprised!”

“Yeah, I guess.” Pinkie offered me a hoof back up, “So what’s this all about anyways?” I took a look around the bakery, noticing a few familiar faces.

“Well you’re new to town after all!” Pinkie jabbed me with a hoof, “I thought it would be a super fantabulous idea to throw you a Welcome-to-Ponyville-congratulations-on-the-new-home Party!”

Ah great, now I feel like a total asshole! Pinkie went through all that trouble to gather everypony here just to make me feel welcome.

I sighed and placed a hoof to my forehead.

“You ok, Davy-do?” Pinkie trotted up next to me, patting my back in concern.

“Pinkie, you didn’t have to go through all this trouble just for me.”

“Well of course I did!” She nudged me reassuringly with a hoof, “Everypony should feel welcome, and everypony likes to feel welcome!” Pinkie jumped to face the room of ponies enjoying the party, “There’s nothing I like doing more than helping my friends feel happy!”

She leapt back to my side, “I wanted to throw you a party earlier, but we both were super-duper busy, so I decided to throw you one today, because you just got your very own place to stay!”

I let a thankful smile creep across my face, and I threw my hooves around the cheerful pink pony. “Thanks Pinkie. I needed to feel welcome here. Thank you.”

I let Pinkie go out of the embrace, and she giggled.

“Oh! There’s one more thing!” In a split second, Pinkie left my side, and returned to me carrying something in her mouth. It took me a moment to realize what it was, but I quickly recognized it.

“My toolbox!” I gasped, looking up to Pinkie who was wearing a smile through her teeth, “But how? Where’d you find it?” I tilted my head in question.

“Lyrr fundd ith!” She stated confidently, still holding the toolbox in her teeth.

“What?” I raised an eyebrow.

Pinkie set down the toolbox and giggled, “Lyra found it! She was going to bring it back to you herself, but she couldn’t find you I guess.” Pinkie shrugged, “She should be right back any moment with Rarity!”

“With Rarity? Ah, man...” I sighed.

“Yup! She told me she had something to say to you too, she didn’t say what it was about though.” Pinkie put a hoof to her chin in thought.

Oh I wonder what she would have to say to me. “You’re such a classless stallion.” “Loser!” “Go back to where you belong!” “You have no idea what you are doing!” “I’m out of your league!” “Stay away from me!” I could go all day assuming what she might have to say.

“Well, alright.” I shrugged, deciding to change the subject. “So did you like, invite the whole town to this thing?” I glanced around the crowded room.

“I invited everypony!” Pinkie stated with confidence, “But not everypony could make it because they were busy and had things to do.” She frowned for a moment, then resumed to that permanent smile of hers.

“Well I can’t thank you enough for this, Pinkie.”

“No need to thank me!” Pinkie trotted off into the crowd.

“Hey, Dav!” a stallion called from behind me; I stepped around to face him.

“Hey, Pin Stripe! How’s it goin’ bud?” I held out a hoof, in the same sort of way I would’ve greeted a friend for a high five or a fist bump.

Pin bumped his hoof to mine, “Oh, just heard Pinkie was throwing a party. When I heard who it was for, I had to stop by and make an appearance.” Pin Stripe turned his attention to a grey mare near a table full of muffins and tipped his head in greeting.

“Awesome dude. So you pumped for tonight?”

“Oh yeah! It’s Karaoke night.” Pin Stripe grinned sadistically.

“Oh, no.” I could only imagine what tonight will bring.

Shit-faced Davin, plus karaoke, equals hangover in the morning; and that's just the givens.

Pin laughed, “Oh, it’ll be fun! I’ll introduce ya to a few good buddies of mine. We always have a blast. Well, for the most part.” He poked me with a hoof, “Anyways, I better get going. Just wanted to make a quick appearance here after all!”

I chuckled, “Alright man. Catch ya later.”

I spent the next hour or so doing what I usually do at parties when I know pretty much no one; wander around aimlessly, saying ‘hey’ when I caught eye with somepony, occasionally making small talk with a few. Pinkie’s party was similar to parties I went to back home in a sense; music playing, drinks being drank and spilled, lots of snacks, and that one person, or in this case, that one pony who was just being ridiculous, doing the percolator dance on a table while wearing a lampshade on their face.

Lyra was speechless, and was frozen on the spot. She didn’t take a step forward nor back after making eye contact with the stallion who struck her down earlier.

Rarity didn’t parallel Lyra’s fear; “Braeburn, what in the world are you talking about?” she glared at the stallion. “You have been acting so strange lately!” She stomped a hoof.

The stallion shook his head and chuckled. Rarity scowled, despite her confusion.

“I’ve got plans fer this here town, and I ain’t ‘bout to have some little ponies come an’ ruin it.” He glanced at Lyra. “Ain’t that right?”

Lyra squeaked and cowered behind Rarity.

“What in Equestria are you on about?” Rarity noticed Lyra in her frightened state, then resumed her inquisition to Braeburn’s behavior.

The stallion chuckled mercilessly at the two mares. “Let’s jus’ say, y’all are in fer quite the surprise.” Braeburn glanced out the window towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Both Lyra and Rarity shared a confused glance and tuned their attention back to the stallion.

“Speaking of which, shouldn’t you be at Sweet Apple Acres right now?” Rarity raised a hoof in question, then pointed to the door in dismissal.

Braeburn’s grin was wiped off his face, and he headed for the door. Just as he was about to pass through, he turned to face Lyra. He gave her a long hard glare. Lyra just sat there, hoping that he wouldn’t strike her again. He turned away and left the boutique, Rarity slamming the door behind him with her magic.

Rarity helped Lyra up with a hoof, “Did he do that to you?”

Lyra didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to; Rarity knew the answer to that just by the look on Lyra’s face.

“I am having a nice word with that colt when he comes back from working the orchard tonight.” Rarity gritted her teeth at the stallion wearing the brown jacket and cowboy hat trotting away from the boutique.

The party was beginning to die down, and a few of the ponies had already left to go about their evening business. I yawned as I trotted over to the door to pick up my toolbox. I really didn’t want to exhaust myself already, the night was still young. I needed to save as much energy as I could for the bar. I trotted up to Pinkie who was now talking with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. I stood back for a moment to wait for the opportunity to speak.

I waited another moment.

And another.

Ok, I’ll just politely interrupt. Better than standing back looking like a dweeb, waiting for my turn to talk.

I cleared my throat, “Um, excuse me, Pinkie?”

“Hi!” she cheerfully greeted, Rainbow Dash sighed with annoyance.

I rolled my eyes at Rainbow then looked back to Pinkie and took a deep breath, “Just wanted to thank you for this awesome party.”

“Oh, you already thanked me for it!” She giggled.

I chuckled, “I know, but I just wanted to thank you again before I leave. I have plans tonight, and I have to get ready and stuff. I really wish I could stay longer, but I had already made plans with Pin Stripe.”

“Aww...” She frowned, “Well I’m happy that you liked it! There will be another time for us to party together soon!”

“Sounds good to me.” I smiled, “See you later Pinkie. Bye, Rainbow.”

Just as I reached out a hoof for the door, it swung open in a blue aura of magic.

“Whoa!” I jerked my head back out of the way of the swinging door, which just about clipped the end of my muzzle.

“Hey Rarity! Hey Lyra!” Pinkie hopped up next to me, greeting the two mares coming in from the darkening street.

Rarity greeted Pinkie with a smile, while Lyra shifted glances between Pinkie and I.

“You’re eye looks a lot better, Lyra!” Pinkie trotted up next to the green mare.

“It took us forever to cover it up, but I think it looks better.” Lyra spoke up, walking in with Rarity.

I gave the three mares each an equally confused look as I slowly knelt down and picked up my toolbox, and headed out the door. I made it about half-way into the street when Rarity trotted up after me.

“Um, pardon me...” she bit her bottom lip, not making eye contact.

Chapter 23 - Holding Back

"Calm down, Twilight." Spike rolled his eyes at the lavender unicorn frantically running about the library.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?! How am I supposed to calm down? Did you even read the letter from the Princess?!" Twilight dropped to the floor and buried her head in her hooves. "My assignment starts today!"

"Oh c'mon Twilight, you have nothing to worry about! You've literally passed every test the Princess has ever given you."

"Nothing like this, Spike!" Twilight pointed a hoof in the direction of her work desk, where an open scroll was laid out. "Everything I've ever learned about friendship is going to be put to the test!"

Spike lowered a brow and walked off towards the desk, snatching up the scroll and holding it open before himself. He scanned the letter for a moment or two, before blankly setting it back down onto the desk.

"That's, uh... Wow..." Spike scratched at the back of his head as he fumbled with the right words as to what to say. "You sure this is a good idea? I mean, a Changeling running around town? Doesn't exactly sound safe to me... Is she serious?"

Twilight grumbled as she got back to her hooves, trotting over to a bookshelf across the library. "Yeah, she's serious. And she needs me to convince a Changeling that their ways are wrong, and teach him the values of friendship."

Spike cringed, "I really don’t think that is a good idea."

"I am not sure I do either, Spike. Nonetheless, I can't let the Princess down." In an aura of violet, Twilight brought down a thick book from a high shelf and spread it open in front of herself, skimming through the pages.

"Where exactly..." Spike began, sounding rather apprehensive, "...is this Changeling going to be staying during this assignment?"

Twilight sighed and closed the book she had open, lowering her head as she turned to Spike. He cringed as the very look on Twilight's face answered his question.

"I was afraid of that..." Spike rubbed his temple with a claw, "When is he going to be here, Twilight?"

*Knock, knock, knock*

Twilight bet her bottom lip, and tried her best to collect herself enough for what stood on the doorstep of the library. She took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

"M-Morning, Princess!" Twilight tried to hold a optimistic smile on her face, but it came out looking and sounding more forced than anything.

Celestia let out a lighthearted chuckle. "Good morning, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight let out a sharp sigh and offered way into the library, "P-Please, come in."

"Thank you." Celestia smiled as she entered the library.

After a few moments of small-talk to allow Twilight to calm herself, Celestia started getting into her reasons for her visit.

"Twilight Sparkle, I believe that your understanding of the magic of friendship is beyond anything more that I can wish to teach you. You and your friends have overcome any obstacle that has been put in your way, and I truly believe that you are now able of teaching your understanding of friendship to another; one that desperately needs to be shown the right path."

Twilight managed a short smile as the Princess lifted her weary spirits. "T-Thank you, Princess."

Princess Celestia smiled. "You already have everything you could possibly need for teaching the six main tasks I have asked of you for this assignment, Twilight; your knowledge, your determination, and your friends."

"Pardon me, Princess, but..." Twilight thought for a moment, back to the letter describing her assignment. "I thought there were eight tasks?"

"Your student is in charge of the last two tasks." Celestia put extra emphasis on the title . "However, you may need to be there to guide him in the right direction."

"B-But Princess--"

"You can do this, Twilight. I believe in you."

Before Twilight was able to ask anything further, the Princess of the sun spread her wings and disappeared in a flash of golden-white light; leaving a dazed purple unicorn, a more-or-less confused baby dragon, and a gloomy-looking, disoriented dark figure on the very spot the Princess once stood.

Spike shifted his gaze over to the dark figure, who seemed a bit dazed as he stared around the bright room of the library.

Spike scrutinized every move the Changeling made. "...you hurt Twilight or any of my friends, and I'll roast you..." The little dragon hissed under his breath.

Pin Stripe let out a long sigh as he set down his half-empty glass of lager onto the top of the bar.

"Another tough week, huh?" Bronze asked, taking the seat next to the hardware store owner.

"Hey, Bronze." Pin greeted without lifting his head from the glass.

"Hey, what's going on, pal? You never seem this bummed out!"

"It's nothing."

"That's convincing." Bronze sarcastically shook his head, "C'mon pal, tell me what's going on."

Pin Stripe gave up and sighed as he finally looked up from the bar. "Lets see... My hardware store hasn't made any more than just a few bits in the last few weeks, Berry has been extremely busy with lager orders and I haven't been able to spend time with her in a while, and one of my friends is still--"

Bronze cut him off there. "Pin, you need to chill out. Have another glass of that delicious lager and just forget about your problems. Let loose!"

"You know, it's a lot easier said than done, Bronze." Pin shook his head and rubbed his temple with a hoof as he glared at the floor. "I can't just let loose and forget about everything. I have too much on my plate, and not enough time."

"Then what are you doing here?" Bronze shrugged.

"Lyra asked me to come with her and a few friends to try and forget about things for a bit, as ironic as that sounds..." Pin pointed off into the crowd of ponies on the dance floor. "Seems like she's having a much easier time letting loose than I am..."

"Lyra? Hey, isn’t she that mare who's dating--"

"Yeah, she is."

Bronze laughed in his throat, "Where is my buddy, anyhow?"

Pin glared at the orange pegasus seated beside him. "You really just have no idea, do you?"

Bronze was a bit taken back, and he reared back on his stool. "No idea about what?"

"Ok look, Bronze." Pin Stripe paused to drink the remainder of the lager in his glass. Setting the empty glass back down on the bar and looking the pegasus in the eye. "You may not like him, but he is one of my best friends. He's been missing for quite a long time."

"Oh really?" The orange pegasus put on a fake tone as if he were actually concerned.

"Yeah, I'm pretty worried about him. So is Lyra."

"Oh please..." Bronze crossed his hooves and rolled his eyes.

"See? Exactly. I knew you would say something like that."

"Hey now, it's not my fault the guy's special talent is being a tool."

"You're so ignorant sometimes, Bronze."

"Hey, I'm not ignorant enough to realize all the easy flank in this place!"

"How-- What!? Is that all you care about?" Pin lowered a brow, scrunching his snout in disapproval. "You really don't have any respect for mares, do you?"

Bronze's expression dropped for a moment, but quickly perked up as he shrugged. "Meh." He wore a sly grin on his face as he let himself off the stool. "See ya around, Pin."

"Blame it on a bad childhood I guess..." Pin said under his breath as he rolled his eyes and turned back to the front of the bar, awaiting another drink.

Bronze left the bar, and continued down into the booming bass and crowd of ponies on the dance floor. He spotted his target, and moved in.

"You may have won that fight, you annoying little colt-cuddler, but I won the war." Bronze pridefully scoffed under his breath as he approached the mint-green unicorn grooving to the beat of the music.

Bronze playfully bumped into her, almost knocking her off-balance. "Hey, what's shakin', babe?"

"Hey, Bronze." Lyra quickly brushed off the pegasus and continued dancing to the music.

Bronze didn’t take to kindly to that. He stepped in closer to the mare, and started dancing with her. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"No, thanks."

"Oh c'mon. At least let me have a word with you?"

Lyra paused her dancing for a moment. "Ok sure, Bronze. Remember that one night when that stallion kicked your flank?"

Bronze deadpanned, "I was drunk, Lyra."

Lyra laughed as she continued to dance, trying to inch herself away in the process.

"Anyway, I really came over here to, uh..." Bronze scratched the back of his head as he came up with a terrible lie, "tell you some bad news actually..."

Lyra stopped dancing and looked the pegasus in the eye. "Look, Bronze, whatever you're trying, it's not going to work. Leave me alone."

Bronze sighed, "Look, sorry, Lyra. Pin Stripe actually told me to come over here and tell you..." Bronze bit his bottom lip and faked a weary face, "...about your coltfriend... Pin just couldn’t do it, and he asked me to tell you for him."

"If Pin Stripe really had something serious to tell me, he would have done so himself. He's not like that. Go away, Bronze." Lyra's frustration was becoming more evident in her voice.

"No, seriously, Lyra. Look at him." Bronze held a hoof over Lyra's neck, pointing another up to the bar where Pin Stripe was seated. "The colt hasn’t moved from that spot since the news was dropped on him."

Lyra let out a long sigh and faced Bronze. "Ok, I'll bite. What news, Bronze."

"Uh, actually, we better talk outside..." Bronze turned towards the exit, encouraging Lyra to follow with a hoof.

Lyra rolled her eyes, but decided to follow after the pegasus leading the way off the dance floor and towards the exit. They left out the doors into the chilling, nearly-winter weather outside. A thin layer of snow already coated all of the rooftops and paths of Ponyville.

Bronze scratched the back of his head and looked the mare in the eye. "Lyra, your coltfriend, I'm afraid... He's..." Bronze paused as if he needed to contain himself. "He's dead, Lyra. T-They found him just outside of Appleloosa a few days ago... I-I'm sorry..."

Lyra was absolutely taken off her hooves. She fell to her flank wide-eyed as the news she had just received sank in. A single tear formed in her eye and ran down her cheek.

"He's... H-He..." Lyra wiped the tear from her cheek, "No, he can’t be..."

"I'm sorry, Lyra." Bronze wrapped a hoof around the mare, patting a hoof on her back.

"No, he can't be!" Lyra broke down, her tears falling to the thin layer of snow coating the ground. A moment passed of Bronze just holding her, until she actually returned the embrace. After a minute or two, Lyra finally broke herself from the embrace, and wiped her teary eyes.

"C'mon, Lyra. I'll walk you home..." Bronze tried to comfort the mare, and put on a tone as if he were sincere.

Lyra sniffled and nodded her head.

A sly grin grew across Bronze's face as the two headed off into Ponyville's streets under the low ambient light of the streetlamps.

I let myself collapse onto the cold rock of the cavern floor, and let the chilling wind from just outside the mouth of the cave brush calmly through my mane and fur; it was cold, but comforting. For once, the weather was actually fairly nice; the nicest I've seen it since I've been stuck here. The late-afternoon sun glistened over the thickly snow-covered valley. It would have been a peaceful sight, if my mind wasn't constantly buzzing with random questions and regrets.

I really wish I had a way to show my family and friends that I was, technically, alive and well. I mean, they're probably still mourning... God, I wish I could take away that pain. I can't even fathom how bad they all must feel...

And what the hell was with my sudden feelings for mares? Is that just instinctual with this new form? Did my feelings for females just like... convert as I became a pony? Or what? I'll probably never know. I guess I can only credit that to one of the several things about this place that I'll never understand. Speaking of which, I wonder how Lyra is holding up? I can't even say how long I've been away now. She can't be too thrilled about that... I really hope she hasn't found somepony better or something. Jeez, I miss her...

I can't help but wonder how far from Equestria I really am. I mean, I don't even know what direction to head once I'm prepared to leave this place. Alloy isn't even sure how to get back to Equestria, and he walked the whole distance here! I guess time would do that, though...

I still can't believe he's been here alone here for 20 years; he must have to keep himself pretty occupied to stop himself from going insane... Come to think of it, what exactly is he trying to do with all these strangely-shaped metal pieces?

I looked over towards a piece of metal which was formed into a mushroom-shape, which somehow managed to collect on the opposite side of the cave from where Alloy usually worked on most of his metal-forming.

...

"I think too much. I need something to distract me..."

I lifted my head off the cool rock and sat on my haunches. I took a deep breath of the cool, fresh air from outside in attempt to clear my head; a futile gesture.

Aside from normally going out into the blizzard to gather food or water, there really wasn't much I was useful for around here. I'd try and help Alloy out any way I could, but there really wasn't much I could hope to do to equal him saving my life.

God, I feel so guilty because of that fact. I feel so God damn useless. It's almost as if Alloy refuses to let me help...

I could see the old stallion across the cave, again engulfed into whatever it is he works on. Whenever I'd try and ask what he does, he just kind of blows me off or changes the subject. I'm not even going to begin to explain how defensive he became when I tried to get a closer look.

Ah well, not much I can do; this is his home, after all. I'm not about to just go against his wishes just cause, and he did sort of save me after all... I do kind of owe him, at least, his privacy. Still, I'm pretty curious-

The sound of a small explosion and a flash of heat, followed by the sound of the old stallion stumbling to the cavern floor completely broke me out of thought. Before I even realized it, I galloped over to his side of the cave, and tried to help him to his hooves.

"Alloy, are you alright!?" I offered the old stallion a hoof up without even realizing what I had just done.

He swatted my hoof away. "I-I'm fine. I-I can do this." He groaned and shakily tried to pull himself up off the rocky cave floor. He stumbled, but I caught him with a hoof.

"You sure?"

"Back off." Alloy pushed me back, bracing himself from the top of one of his make-shift workbenches, knocking several metal parts and a small brown book to the floor in the process. He sighed as found himself back on all fours, brushing the black ash and soot from the explosion off his graying red fur with a shaky hoof.

The book fell to the floor and opened right in front of me. Before I could even stop myself, I read over the first few words as I reached down to pick it up. I froze in my attempt of a helpful gesture.

Alloy's Journal; April 5th, Year of Sol 998.

I still can't believe how beautiful she looks in the morning with the sun gleaming across her face. If this is just that one thing that makes me feel important in my life, it's this. I don't even care if my father doesn't approve of her; she means everyth-

"Hey!" Alloy snatched the book in a fire-red aura and held it against his side. "Don’t read that!"

Oh man... I REALLY should have stopped myself from reading that that! What the hell is wrong with me today? I NEVER peer into anyone's personal business like that!

A quick realization came over me as I took into account of what had just transpired in the last few moments.

And, I completely invaded his space! SHIT! What the fuck am I doing?!

"S-sorry Alloy! I-I don't know what came over me! Normally I-I'm extremely accepting of somepony's privacy! You fell, and I just figured you might need a-"

The old stallion rolled his eyes and grunted with a bit of annoyance. He set the book onto the top of one of his workbenches with his magic.

"S-Sorry!" Before I could let myself pry into anything more, I turned around to head to the opposite side of the fire-lit cave.

God damn it, I'm an idiot!

Alloy sighed again and looked at the open book he placed onto the bench. He read over the words on the open page, and a tear formed in the corner of his eye. He snapped his eyes shut and exhaled sharply, wiping his eye with a hoof. In an aura of fiery-red, he gently closed the journal. With a deep breath, he turned away from the book and limped towards the fire. He took a seat, trying to hide the pain.

"Hey, Davin?" The old stallion's voice was shaky.

"Yeah?"

"W-Would you mind going out to gather some food?"

He didn't even need to ask me twice. I left the cave into the snowy valley outside in search for shrubs or anything really edible. The least I could do would be to bring back more than usual.

You know, it kind of sucks not having a desire for meat anymore, but at the same time, I'm pretty thankful; I can't fathom how hard hunting would be in this place. I don't even know the first thing about hunting! Ah well, no sense troubling myself over it; it’s not like it's a skill I'll need to develop anytime soon.

I trotted out of the mouth of the cave, needing to cover my eyes with a hoof from the bright sunlight reflecting off the snow. My first real view of the world outside the cave in daylight didn't come to me until after a few moments passed in order for my eyes to adjust. Once I was able to take in the sight before me, I was in a state of awe. Snow coated mountaintops reached high into the clouds, and spread in nearly every direction across the horizon. The valley was nearly barren aside from a few alpine trees buried with snow, and a small stream gently flowing towards lesser mountains and rolling hills off in the distance. Equestria was nowhere in sight as far as I could tell.

By the time I managed to scavenge up just enough food to last Alloy and myself for a few days, my coat of fur was clumped with snow, and soaking wet. I was for a lack of a better term, fucking freezing. Gathering any more than I already had would honestly be a risk to my life, and I could hardly feel my hooves or my legs; a clear indication that it was time to head back.

I turned my head around in the direction of which I had came, only to find that my way back had been overcome by a quickly incoming snowstorm consuming the valley. At the very last moment I had of clear visibility, beyond the rolling hills in the distance, I swear I could see a very faint silhouette of a mountain range and a castle. I had no time now. I needed to get back to the cave. Anything more than 5 feet in front of me nearly immediately disappeared as the wall of grayish-white engulfed the entire valley. I had no choice. I ran as fast as I could, no matter how much the freezing wind and blowing snow stung my face.

The trek back seemed to last forever, and my hoof prints in the snow were quickly disappearing as the wind continued to howl and cover up the path. I had no choice but to try and pick up my pace. I ran as fast and as hard as I could. My hooves were burning and splitting in pain, and I couldn't tell if I was even making contact with the ground anymore.

Until I tripped.

I came to a skidding halt, face first in the snow.

For a moment, I wondered if I should just lie there and die, but I figured I`d just about tried that enough times. Fate too had other plans for me at that moment. A foul smell and a low growl from behind me was enough to startle me back to my hooves. I shook the snow off myself and tried to regain the path which I had just lost. Frantically, I searched for my hoof prints to show me the way back.

I could hear the crunching of the snow underneath the feet of whatever it was that was approaching me, and the growl was becoming louder. I was beginning to panic. The path was gone, and I had completely lost my bearings. I wasn't even sure which direction I had came from, or where I was heading.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!"

Suddenly, the growling ceased and the only thing I could hear was the howling wind. This could mean only one thing. I was as good as dead.

"Ahh shit..."

I didn't even have time to let myself collapse helplessly into the snow. I was thrown onto my back, and the creature pinned me down into the snow. It let out a deafening roar right into my face, and all I could hear from then on was a sharp ringing in my ear. It took me a second to really comprehend anything beyond my complete and utter terror, let alone what in Equestria this creature was.

It was enormous; its green eyes glowed with a horrible hunger, and I was its dinner. The next thing I noticed was it was pinning me down with an enormous wooden claw; in fact, the whole creature was comprised of various sticks and large branches of trees.

They say never let an animal know you're afraid. Well, that was pretty much completely impossible at this point. I was terrified, and the beast could smell it on me.

Author's Note

About time, eh? Sorry guys. I've had quite a bit on my plate these past couple months, as I'm sure some of you can understand. Finding the time to sit down and write has been extremely difficult, and I apologize I can't update more frequently.
That aside, I must say it feels pretty nice to be able to finally update this story.
I'm not quitting on you guys!