A Chance Meeting

Chapters

Fateful Encounter
Not so Lucky Stripes
Fortune's Favor

Fateful Encounter

Applejack looked around at her stall, and was pleased to see that she had almost finished selling the day's batch of apples. Apple Bloom had been with her earlier; she had left with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle at another attempt to earn their cutie marks. Applejack smiled at that thought; wondering what sort of mischief they could cook up this time. Her expression changed to disgust as she remembered the Gabby Gums incident, and she shook away the thoughts, and just in time, too. She had another customer at her stall.

It was a brown unicorn stallion, with a black mane and tail. He had eyes which were dark yellow. He was obviously not from Ponyville; as Applejack had never seen him around before. The stallion smiled, and scanned the remaining six apples at her store. "How much do these go for, Miss?"

Applejack raised an eyebrow slightly. "Now, ah know ya tryin' to be polite and all, but there's no need to call me Miss or anythin' like that. Name's Applejack." She extended her hoof for a hoofshake. "And ya are?"

The stallion took her hoof in a firm shake. "Everypony calls me Lucky, so I guess you can too, Applejack. Again, how much do these apples go for?"

Applejack took back her hoof. "These here apples are going fer two bits per apple. Care fer one?"

Lucky thought about it for a moment. "Well, since you're left with only six, I'll take all of them. At least you can close up shop now, right?" He floated out twelve bits and lay them on the stall.

Applejack was impressed with the stallion; he seemed to had bought all of the apples not really because he needed them, but also because he seemingly wanted to help Applejack close up her stall. She was about to take the bits, when a sudden thought stuck itself into her mind. She had promised Fluttershy some apples, and these were the last ones Applejack could spare for today!

"Ah'm sorry, Lucky," Applejack began to apologize. "Ah kinda promised a friend that I'd give her a few apples, and these here are the last ones ah have. Try again tomorrow, ah'll keep some aside just in case ya come by!" She hurriedly began packing up her stall, and packed the apples into a basket.

"Well, that's unfortunate," Lucky replied. "I guess I'm not as lucky as my name implies." He floated the bits back into his saddlebag. "Do you need any help, Applejack? You seem to be in a rush."

Even though she was busy clearing up the stall, Applejack still managed a reply. "Ah, don't worry about it. Ah got everything settled, all ah just need is-" She was cut mid-sentence as she missed her footing, and accidentally sprained a hoof with a misstep. "Ah, darn it!"

Lucky stepped up next to her. "What happened?"

"Ah think ah sprained my hoof," Applejack replied, pained as she tried to flex her hoof. She forced herself to get up, and took a few steps, and pain flared up in her hoof. "Eeyup, I definitely sprained my hoof, there. Of all the times for it to happen, it had to be now! Well, it doesn't matter. A promise is a promise, and I gotta get these apples to Fluttershy."

"Now hold on there, Applejack," Lucky interjected. "You need to see a doctor more than you need to deliver those apples. I know that we shouldn't break promises, especially those that we made with a friend, but I'm sure this friend of yours would understand."

"I don't want to leave her hangin', though," Applejack replied. "She's probably waiting for them apples as we talk. I need to deliver them to her." She bit her lip as she took another step and the pain returned to her hoof.

"I can see that no matter what I say, you're going to insist that you deliver the apples," Lucky said. "In that case, let me deliver those apples for you. You're hardly in any shape to walk a few steps, let alone wherever it is your friend Fluttershy lives."

"I can appreciate you wanting to help," Applejack replied. "But there's no need to trouble yourself with this."

"Pish posh!" Lucky replied. "I wanted to help, so its no trouble at all." He grabbed the sack containing the apples with magic, and put it into his saddlebag. "Now, where does your friend, Fluttershy live?"

"She, uh, lives in a cottage near the Everfree Forest," Applejack told the stallion. She pointed in a direction. "If ya take a road that heads in this general direction, ya should be able to get to her cottage, no problem. Ya sure you can help deliver them apples to Fluttershy?"

"Without a doubt, Applejack," he assured her. "Will you be alright getting to the doctor's by yourself?"

"Ah could always call a taxi if ah can't make it," replied Applejack. "But this ain't all bad. Ah can get there by myself. Drop by the stall again some other time. Ah'll find some way to thank ya."

"No need for thanks, Applejack," replied Lucky. I'll... catch you around some other time, then." With that, the stallion trotted off in the direction that Applejack had pointed him in.

~~~

Fluttershy was in her kitchen, humming along as she prepared the items she would need to bake her pies. She she was almost ready; the only ingredients she needed were some apples, and Applejack had already promised to deliver some apples to her. What Fluttershy hadn't told Applejack was that she intended to bake the pies for each of her close friends.

Fluttershy then heard somepony knocking on her cottage door, and the thought of Applejack standing outside with the apples she needed immediately came into her mind. She headed out of the kitchen, walking towards the door. However, as she was walking, she heard the door being opened, presumably by Angel, and then she suddenly heard somepony yelling.

Fluttershy rushed to the door, to find Angel standing in the doorway. She looked out, and she could see a unicorn in a muddy puddle, and a saddlebag not far away from him. She walked up to the unicorn, who had managed to get up. He was giving himself a once over, and he shook his head as he noticed that his whole body was covered with mud.

The unicorn stallion then turned his attention to Fluttershy. "Oh, hello!" he said in a jovial manner. "You must be Fluttershy. Name's Lucky Stripes, but everypony calls me plain Lucky." He wiped off some mud that was starting to run down his brow.

Fluttershy started to hide her face behind her mane, and started backing up into her cottage. She had not seen this pony before, and she was starting to get nervous from the meeting. Lucky noticed it. "Now,now, no need to be afraid. Your friend Applejack sent me here to deliver those apples she promised you."

Fluttershy perked up when she heard Applejack's name. Well, if Applejack trusts him enough to deliver the apples for her, he can't be a bad pony, can he? she thought to herself. Then a sudden realization dawned upon her. "What happened to Applejack?"

Lucky wiped off more mud off him before replying. "See, she was in a hurry to get these apples to you, and as she was clearing up her stall, she accidentally sprained her hoof. I was there when it happened, and when I heard about it, I offered my assistance to her, before she left for the doctor's. So, here I am. The apples are in the saddlebag."

Fluttershy looked down, and saw the saddlebag right next to her. The bag then seemingly opened by itself, and a small sack floated out of it. She looked up, and saw that it was Lucky who was floating the bag with magic. "Just a question, but you don't happen to have a garden hose around here, do you?"

Fluttershy nodded. She looked in the direction of her petunias. "Its, umm, down that way. You can use it if you'd like. Its the least I can offer after Angel Bunny threw you into the mud puddle."

Lucky offered her a grateful smile. Fluttershy grabbed the sack with her mouth, and headed back inside, with Angel slamming the door shut behind her. She trotted into the kitchen, accompanied by Angel, and she placed the sack on the table. After which, she turned to Angel. "Now, now, Angel Bunny, I know you're just trying to keep bad ponies from coming in, but that's no excuse to throw them about, especially into a mud puddle."

In response, Angel gave her a look of indifference. Fluttershy shook her head, fully knowing how stubborn Angel could be at times. She opened up the sack, and placed the apples on the counter, ready to begin her baking. However, she had just remembered that she still had a book that needed to be returned to the library. She would have done so, but she needed to bake the pies, or she would never be done with them.

Fluttershy bit her lip, unsure of what to do now. Then, there was another knock on her door. She opened the door, to reveal Lucky who had managed to the mud off of him already. "I found it improper to leave without even saying goodbye. Thanks for letting me use that garden hose of yours; the mud was starting to get stuck in my mane. So, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now. Goodbye, Fluttershy."

Lucky turned to leave, and replaced the saddlebag back on himself with magic, when Fluttershy called out to him. "Lucky, wait!" She then realized she had shouted, and added, albeit softly, "Please?"

The unicorn turned around, with a puzzled expression on his face. "What is it, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy traced some patterns on the ground with her hoof, nervous as she was. "Um... I was wondering if you were heading back to Ponyville..."

Lucky smiled at her. "I was indeed going to return to Ponyville after this. Did you need something, though?"

Fluttershy hid her face behind her mane again, and said even quieter, "I was wondering if you could help me return a book of mine to Twilight at the library..."

Lucky's expression was one of acknowledgement, and he had apparently managed to pick up every word that Fluttershy had spoken. "Well, since I'm heading back to Ponyville, and you have pies to bake, I could always lend a helping hoof."

Fluttershy was overcome with joy when Lucky agreed to help her return the book, and she hurriedly went to fetch it, which she placed in Lucky's saddlebag. Lucky nodded at her, and began his departure. Before he left, though, Fluttershy asked him, "How did you know I was baking pies, Lucky?"

As he was walking off, Lucky turned around and told her the answer. "A Lucky guess!"

~~~

Spike descended from the ladder, glad that he had finally rearranged the books on the top shelf as Twilight had asked him to. Twilight, too, had just finished arranging some books in a stack, which were now ready to be shelved. She turned to look at Spike, and then turned her focus to the books at the top shelf, and frowned. "Spike, you didn't arrange the Daring Do series in order! Look!" She pointed the the shelf. Indeed, Spike had not arranged the books in the correct order. He placed book two at the beginning of the series, and several other books were all over the place.

"But Twilight, I spent the last half hour rearranging the shelf because you didn't like the arrangement," Spike complained. You could easily use magic to rearrange these small problems! Why do I have to go back up and do it?"

"Because, Spike," Twilight replied. "I still have more books to sort out." She pointed at another pile of books which she had not sorted yet. "Once you get the books on that shelf rearranged properly, we can stop worrying about it and concentrate on the remainder of the books. We don't have much left to clear."

Spike groaned, but he complied with Twilight, and headed up the ladder and began to rearrange the books, starting with the Daring Do series. Twilight, in the meantime, started to sort the books in the last pile. She had just pulled out two books to form the base of the stack, when she heard somepony knocking on the door.

Without turning away from her current task, she said, "Come in!"

She heard the door open, and then close again. She added another book to the stack, and then turned to the pony who had just entered the library. It was a unicorn stallion, and he was taking a look around. He saw that Twilight was looking at him. "Did I come at a bad time?" he asked.

Twilight shook her head. 'We're just doing some cleaning up and rearranging the books to accommodate some recent arrivals," she explained. "I haven't seen you around Ponyville before. My name's Twilight Sparkle, and I'm the librarian here." She pointed at Spike. "That dragon there is my assistant, Spike."

Spike raised a hand to acknowledge his name, when suddenly, he lost his balance on the ladder. He fell from it, and the books from the level that he was rearranging fell with him.

"Spike!" Twilight shouted. However, the situation had developed so quickly that she hadn't regained her composure, and she did nothing.

The other unicorn with her, however, reacted quickly. His horn glowed, and he managed to catch Spike and the books with magic. He didn't stop their fall, but he reduced their speed significantly, and Spike landed softly, as did the other books. Twilight, who was standing with her mouth agape, hurried up to Spike. "Spike, are you okay?!"

Spike groaned, and got up to his feet. "Is the floor supposed to be shaking so?" he asked wearily.

The stallion looked at him. "You'll be fine," he assured the dragon. "It's just that you're off balance from what happened. Things will return to normal soon." He spied the ladder. "That looks a little bit too precarious for you to use safely." He floated the books that were on the floor in front of him. He glanced at each of them, rearranged them in mid-air and nodded, then placed them onto the shelf.

Twilight looked at the books. The stallion had managed to place the books in the right place, at the right order, faster than Spike had done. She looked at him in disbelief. "How did you manage to do that?" she asked, baffled. "Spike had been on that for half an hour, and he still wasn't done."

The stallion smiled warmly at Twilight. "When it comes to certain things, I can process information very quickly. That, and I've quite the collection of books. Arranging them so that I can find them easily is something that I'm accustomed to." His eyes shifted for a moment. "I just remembered why I came here in the first place." From out of his saddlebag, he floated a book. "Fluttershy asked me to return this to the library. And that would make you, Twilight, I'd wager."

Twilight took the book from his, and looked at it. She then returned it to its proper position in the library. "That's me. Twilight Sparkle. Oh, but you can call me Twilight."

"Certainly a pleasure, Twilight," he replied. "My name's Lucky Stripes. Similarly, you can just call me, Lucky."

"Oh, that's an interesting name," she said. "I wonder what-" Her eyes traveled down Lucky's flank, and she was shocked by what she saw. "You don't have a cutie mark!"

The stallion sighed. "So I don't. I realize that," he told her.

Twilight stared on in disbelief. "But, you should have gotten you cutie mark by now!" she exclaimed. "I mean, you're probably older than me!"

Lucky shook his head. "After going so long without a cutie mark, I've realized something. I don't need a cutie mark to be me. I had my fun, searching for it, but then I reached a certain age... It'll be nice to have one, but I can go without, as I have all this while."

Twilight processed the stallion's words. She was younger than him and already had her cutie mark, and her outburst must have seen like an insult to him. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to cause any offence."

Lucky shook his head, and smiled. "None taken. I've already accepted the fact that I may have to go in life without a cutie mark, so its all good." He spared a glance at Spike, who had mostly gathered his composure and balance again. "Your assistant seems to be feeling alright, now. I can see that you have quite a fair bit of sorting to do, and I'll just get in your way if I stay any longer. I'll take my leave now, Twilight Sparkle."

He gave Twilight a nod, and proceeded out the door. Spike made his way to Twilight's side. "He's new around Ponyville. I've never even seen him before," the dragon said nonchalantly. "Well, we should get back to cleaning the library, shouldn't we? Hello! Twilight, are you listening? Twilight..."

~~~

Rarity was walking along the path towards the library by herself. She had wanted to get Twilight to accompany her back to the Carousel Boutique, to get her opinions on the dress that she was currently designing for Twilight.

She was walking while thinking about the dress that she had painstakingly designed for so long, and she now finally had the chance to get Twilight's opinion on the matter. She had her eyes closed, thinking about the dress' design, when suddenly she bumped into another pony, and fell to the floor.

"Watch where you're walking, you ruffian!" Rarity cried out as she tried to get up. "That's no way to treat a lady, you know!"

"I'm terribly sorry about that, then, milady," came the reply. "Here, allow me to assist you."

Rarity looked up, and she was stunned. Helping her up was a unicorn stallion. He wasn't as sharply dressed as the ones Rarity had seen in Canterlot during her stay there, but he had a certain poise to him. Rarity took his hoof, and with grace, he pulled Rarity up to her feet. "Are you all right, milady?"

"Well, I, uh... I'm fine," she replied, suddenly finding it difficult to come up with proper words.

The unicorn smiled at her. "I hope I didn't hurt you any in way. My name's Lucky Stripes, but everypony calls me, Lucky," he introduced himself.

Rarity composed herself without showing any obvious signs of doing so. "And you may call me Rarity," she replied. "I haven't seen you around in Ponyville before. Might I just ask one question?"

The stallion's expression turned to one of amusement. "Feel free to do so, Rarity. I'll answer it to the best that I can."

"Were you originally from Canterlot, Lucky?"

"I've been to Canterlot before, and have taken up temporary residence there before. Why do you ask?"

Rarity smiled slightly. "Oh, its nothing," she replied. "Its just that you seem to have a bearing that resembles the unicorns in Canterlot. Not the snobbish, uptight ones, I mean."

Lucky laughed. "I know what you mean, Rarity," he said. "I've had dealings with some of the more snobbish unicorns that. Unpleasant experiences, I have to say. Well, its been nice meeting you, milady, but I'm afraid that I'll have to take my leave."

Rarity moved out of his path. "Don't let me keep you, Lucky," she said. "And have a good day." Rarity walked past Lucky as she continued her walk towards the library; Twilight's dress no longer the foremost thought in her mind.

~~~

"Pinkie, for the last time, if you stop at every stall and saying hello to everypony, we won't make it to the hospital to meet Applejack!"

"Oh, Rainbow, don't be silly! We have plenty of time! Twilight and the others haven't even arrived there yet!"

Rainbow Dash was headed to the hospital, when she ran into Pinkie Pie. Rainbow had explained about the news she ad heard about Applejack; that she was in the hospital getting treated for a sprained hoof. She had a headache, however, when Pinkie posed question after question without stop regarding Applejack. Ultimately, Rainbow had managed to get Pinkie to go along with her to the hospital in quiet.

That changed, however, when Pinkie suddenly let out a cry and dashed towards a stall selling flowers. Rainbow rolled her eyes, and hurried after Pinkie.

"Pinkie, we don't have time for this!" Rainbow complained. "It's not like Applejack's going to stay in the hospital. We're just going to accompany her back to Sweet Apple Acres from the hospital."

Pinkie didn't reply to Rainbow, however. It took a moment for Rainbow to realize that it wasn't flowers Pinkie was interested in. Rather, she was busy questioning a unicorn stallion that was trying to purchase a flower. Pinkie was interrupting the stallion's line of thought, and he seemed to be having a hard time at choosing some flowers from the stall owner.

Pinkie was talking non-stop, her words directed at the stallion "Who are you? Are you new in Ponyville? Do you like parties? I know I like parties, and so does everypony else. Oh, did I forget to mention? My name's Pinkie Pie! What's yours? Where are you from? Who are you buying flowers for? Why-"

Rainbow cut her off. "Okay, Pinkie, that's enough. We don't want to bother any more ponies around here. Remember what happened with Doodle Donkey?"

Pinkie stopped her questions. "But this one's a new pony! And he's not bald!" she countered.

Rainbow did a facehoof. "Pinkie, that's no way to make new friends. Not that there's time for that now. We need to go meet Applejack at the hospital."

Without the two friends realizing it, the stallion's ear had pricked at the mention of Applejack's name. "My name's Lucky Stripes. Everypony calls me Lucky, so I guess you can do the same."

"Lucky Stripes?!" Rainbow burst out. "What kind of name is that?!"

"The name that was given to me by my parents, that's what," Lucky replied coolly. "And I'm trying to buy some flowers for a friend." He turned to Pinkie. "And yes, I'm new around here."

Pinkie gasped. "So you are new around here! I knew it!" she cried out. "Oh, its going to be so cool! I've got to plan a welcome party for you. What do you like to eat, and play, and do? I'll make sure its the most wonderful party you've ever been to!"

Rainbow groaned, and started to drag Pinkie along, headed to the hospital. "Come on, Pinkie, we have somepony to meet at the hospital. Some other time."

As Pinkie was being dragged along the floor, she was still yelling at Lucky. "Don't leave Ponyville! The party for you is still on! Promise me that you won't leave Ponyville! Pinkie promise that you won't-"

Lucky shook his head, as he could no longer hear Pinkie's words. He turned back to the stall owner, and finally made his purchase.

~~~

"Ah'm glad that you all could make it, but really, there's no big deal. Just a sprain, that's all. Nothing more."

Twilight and the others had arrived at the hospital just as Applejack was coming out. All of them had agreed to accompany Applejack back to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack had received some medication for the pain, and the sprain was healing nicely. She just avoided putting too much pressure on the hoof to avoid the pain.

"So, Fluttershy, I take it from these apple pies that Lucky managed to deliver the apples to you?"

Fluttershy smiled. "Oh yes, he did," she replied. "If only I knew he was coming, or I might have been able to stop Angel Bunny from throwing him into a mud puddle."

Rainbow Dash burst out laughing. "That dolt was thrown into a mud puddle?! By a bunny?! Oh, that's rich!"

"Now, now, Rainbow Dash. Laughing at the misfortune of others isn't a very polite thing to do," Rarity chided.

The group arrived at the farm, and Applejack invited them all inside. Fluttershy placed the apple pies that she had baked on the table, and there were six of them; one for each of the 6 friends. However, there was something else on the table; a note and a box.

Applejack spied the items, and she called out into the house. "Granny Smith! Big Mac! Apple Bloom! Anyone there?! Ah guess nopony's home right now. Hey Twilight, ya mind helping me read that note?"

Twilight smiled at her friend. "Of course not, Applejack." She used magic to lift the note and opened it up. Bringing it closer, Twilight began to read it.

To Applejack, and her friends. This is the first time I left a note in a town where I once was, so bear with me as you read this. I've been to many places in my life; the more recent ones being Canterlot, and this here Ponyville. To many of you, and the other residents here, I was just another random stranger. Even the jubilant Pinkie Pie, who has the reputation of knowing everypony in Ponyville, is no exception to this fact. I would have liked to linger on, but I'm afraid that isn't possible, not at this given time. I have to say, it was a pleasure meeting, and also helping the 6 of you. I leave with a message to give. We might be strangers to one another, but it shouldn't stop us from being friendly, from helping another pony when they need help. Taking this first step is a big help to brightening somepony else's day, and to an extent, making new friends. It's been a fun time, helping the 6 of you where I could. But now, I take my leave.

Rainbow Dash was the first one to break the momentary silence that followed. "Did it sag who it was from?" she asked.

Twilight shook her head. "It didn't," she explained. "That's all there is on the note." She turned to look at the box. "This note has got me wondering. What's in the box?"

Without hesitation, Rainbow Dash tore open the box, and the 6 friends finally saw what was in the box. It was a striped vase, and there was a single four leaf clover in it.

Not so Lucky Stripes

Lucky's eyes snapped open, and abruptly, he sat up in bed. Sweat was pouring down his brow, and he realized he was breathing hard. He forced himself to calm down, and started to bring his breathing down to a more natural pace. The same nightmare again, he thought. He wiped the sweat of his brow, pulling the sheets off of his body. He rubbed his eyes, trying to overcome the weariness that had been plaguing him lately, but it was a futile effort.

Lucky had been suffering from restless nights, troubled by the nightmares that had interrupted his sleep so many times. He had wished several times that they would go away, and they did, only to return again another time. He was stuck in yet another cycle of the nightmares, and he couldn't do much about them but to wait for them to leave and return his usually uninterrupted sleep back to him.

His alarm clock then went off at that moment, and Lucky wasn't expecting it. Acting solely on instinct, he lashed out at the clock, smashing it against the wall. As soon as he realized what he'd done, Lucky let out a silent curse. He could always get another clock, but it would cost him, and he wasn't exactly the wealthiest stallion around.

Lucky sighed dejectedly, pulling himself lazily out of the bed, and across his apartment into the bathroom. He completed his morning routine, and felt somewhat rejuvenated to face the day. He stopped at the mirror, where he would normally brush his teeth, and looked at the rack beneath it. There was a razor there, and it had been used in a very low point in his life. He had once come close to taking his own life with the razor, because of an excuse that he now found extremely unjustified. "I can't take it anymore, and I have nothing to live for."

He grimaced, and cast the razor into the almost full trash bin. It wasn't something he wanted to remember, but it was always a sobering fact to him; that if he had taken that route, he would not have been standing there that day. He finished up his routine, and headed out of the bathroom, flicking the lamps in the apartment on with just a touch of magic. He opened up his dresser, and picked out a casual vest that he would be wearing to work. However, before he closed the dresser, something on the upper shelf caught his eye.

It was a photo that was contained within a thin, black frame. He floated it down with magic, and gazed at it. It was an item which he cherished from a time that was long ago, when his parents were still alive. There he was in the picture, wearing the vest that his mother had painstakingly sown for him. His mother was next to him, as was his father in his Royal Guards armor. The three ponies were smiling in the picture, and they didn't know it at the time, but it was going to be the last time they could have such a moment with one another. A few days later, Lucky's father was involved in a run-in with a group of thugs that were fleeing from a crime scene. One of them managed to land a mortal blow on his father, leading to his death later on. In time, the grief became too much for Lucky's mother, and she followed her husband's footsteps. Since then, Lucky was left to live on by himself.

He was jolted out of his reverie when a drop of water suddenly fell onto the frame. The stallion sniffed, and he realized that he had started to cry. He smiled as he briefly remembered the good times he had with his parents, and replaced the photo where it was. He wiped the tears in his eyes away as he proceeded to exit the apartment.

Lucky made sure that he had locked the door to the apartment, then turned to descend the stairs when he missed his step. He fell face first into the ground, yelping as he did so. He immediately got up, and checked for any wounds. He was glad that there was no sign of bleeding, which was a good sign. He shook off the pain, and made his way to his workplace.

He was working for a florist who's name was Flora. She was a very good florist, and had a good reputation among the Canterlot folk. Almost everyday, she would have plenty of customers and orders to satisfy. As an employer, she also treated her staff well. Lucky was the cashier, and he also helped with some of the less intricate flower arrangements, while there was another employee who was in charge of satisfying the deliveries, mostly the ones within Canterlot itself. There was hardly a day that Flora would get angry at her staff, and she normally did it when she herself was going through a difficult or stressful time.

Lucky arrived at the shop, and was surprised to find that the shutters were already open. He was usually the earliest one, and would clean up the shop before they started their work for the day. He entered the shop to find Flora fussing over a floral arrangement. The florist spared a glance at the stallion, who responded with a nod. Flora herself responded with a brief smile, before continuing her floral arrangement.

Lucky headed to the storeroom, and returned out with a broom. He began to sweep the entire store, careful not to disturb the busy florist. By the time he was finished, Flora was wrapping up her floral arrangement, which meant that it was supposed to be a delivery. Lucky guessed that it was for Fancypants, who was going to be throwing a garden party soon. He was a frequent patron at the floral boutique; he preferred the floral arrangements that they had over others'. Lucky had come to like his dealings with Fancypants, because unlike other snobbish unicorns that resided in Canterlot, Fancypants was among the few that treated him with respect and dignity.

He returned the broom that he was using, and he came out to see Flora looking over some bills. She was hammering away at the calculator in frustration. He walked up, and discovered that it was out of battery power. The florist turned to look at him. "Lucky, where are all the spare batteries?"

Lucky pointed at a drawer beneath the cashier counter, but before Flora could get it opened, he said, "We don't have any replacements for the calculator, though. Different sizes."

Flora looked back at him with a scowl. "I need to get these bills properly counted, and I can't do it without a calculator!" she moaned.

Lucky took a glance at the bills. "Can I try to help?" he asked.

Flora looked at the stallion skeptically. But without a word, she placed the bills, her notebook, quill and inkwell in front of him. Lucky floated the bills towards him, and he dipped the quill's tip into the inkwell. He started to read through the bills, calmly writing the totals of each bill into the notebook. He did this for each bill that was in front of him, and when he was done, he returned the items to Flora.

The florist looked through his results. "My word, Lucky!" she exclaimed. "How did you manage to get these totals so quickly?" She turned back to look at the stallion in awe.

Lucky smiled. "My dad forced me to go through several lessons without the use of a calculator," he explained to her. "So, I've gotten used to doing these mental sums quickly."

Flora looked at him amused. "No wonder you've always been able to give our customers the correct change every time," she said. She returned to her small office, to work on the bills that Lucky had helped her total up.

Lucky stood behind the cashier counter, ready to begin his shift. However, instead of the usual enthusiasm that he displayed when it came to starting his shift, he was deep in thought. He had just lied to his employer about how he had gotten the ability to do mental sums to that extent.

While he was still a colt that was going through school, Lucky had impressed his parents, teachers and friends alike with his academic prowess. He constantly excelled at the lessons that was taught to him in school, and he was called a prodigy by many. His father berated him whenever Lucky allowed it to stoke his ego. His father always told him to be humble regardless of how well he did in school, and in time, Lucky learnt not to show off his abilities just for quick recognition.

However, this academic ability of his had brought trouble to Lucky and his father. Because he was doing well in school, Lucky's father had wished for his son to enter college, and afterwards, a university to become a doctor or something of equal or more repute. Lucky, however, had always wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and join the Royal Guard, and his father never endorsed this dream of his. In fact, it was the cause of many an argument between father and son. However, after his father was found dead on the job, Lucky decided to shelve his aspirations to become a Royal Guard indefinitely. He allowed himself to flunk all the lessons he was taking in college even though it was his final year, and as a result, he was kicked out. He was having a hard time finding a job to keep him afloat, until by chance, he bumped into Flora, who offered him the job as cashier.

The workday was slow going. There were few customers who entered, and by lunch, only a total of four customers had patronized the store. Lucky closed up the store for lunch, and left to a nearby eatery for a meal. Flora had gone out with a few other unicorns to an arts exhibition, and she would not be back anytime soon.

Lucky finished his lunch up quickly, and promptly returned to work at the cashier counter. Just as he was ready to start work, an unicorn entered the shop. He was wearing a monocle, and he walked with an over-exaggerated poise. He went and browsed through the selection of flowers, before making his way to the counter.

Lucky greeted him with a smile. "Good morning, sir!" he greeted. "Would you care to purchase any of our fine selections today?"

"This selection of arrangements are hardly worth even perusing," he scoffed. "Might you be the florist here?"

Lucky really wanted to roll his eyes. He had gotten another one of the snobbish unicorns in Canterlot as a customer, and he wasn't too pleased about it. "So, sir, I am not the florist of this store," he explained. "She's currently occupied at present. Are you looking for anything in particular?"

The unicorn adjusted his monocle before he replied. "I was hoping that the florist would be here," he replied, his tone biting. "But it appears that I have to contend with a mere cashier that probably knows nothing about floral arrangements. I can spare no time for such inconveniences."

With that, the unicorn turned around and made his way out of the store. Lucky forced himself to smile and made his voice sound as jubilant as possible. "Well then, have a good day to you as well, sir!" He didn't get a response, and afterwards, he rolled his eyes and exhaled sharply. He never liked dealing with snobs, but he had to put up with them with an amicable demeanor lest he lose a potential customer, no matter how obnoxious they could get.

Lucky then heard a high pitched laughter coming from outside the store. He was wondering who that could have been, when in walked a group of 6 friends whom he had met just a few days earlier. Shocked, he ducked under the counter, and he thanked his luck when he realized that the 6 mares had not known that he was there in the first place.

"Hello? Is anypony there?" came Twilight's voice over the counter.

Lucky started to get slightly nervous. Quickly, he thought of a way he could get out of the situation. After all, he had left them abruptly after his day off in Ponyville, and he was sure that the impression he had left for them wasn't an entirely good one.

While he was crouched behind the counter, Lucky found a pair of dusty glasses. He immediately tried them on, and to his delight, found out that they fit. It blurred his vision somewhat, but it was not enough to make him giddy, and was enough to suit his purpose.

He rose up, wiping the dust off the lenses and put on the glasses before he reached his full height. "I'm sorry about that, but I dropped my glasses, and I was picking them up," he lied.

Twilight looked at him incredulously. "But, you're a unicorn!" she exclaimed. "You could have picked it up easily with magic!"

Lucky let out a nervous chuckle. "Uh, well, silly me. Well, is there anything I can help you mares with, today?"

Rarity pointed at a bouquet that was on display. "I was wondering how much that bouquet went for," she said.

Lucky went over and took a look at the bouquet she was talking about. He would have been able to see it from the counter, had he not been wearing the glasses. "This one goes for fifteen bits, miss," he told her without looking back at the group.

The friends started to whisper to one another, but Pinkie's voice was loud enough for Lucky to piece together what they were talking about. When they were done, Rarity approached the stallion. "My friends and I were wondering if you could, uhm, lower the price to twelve bits?" With the last few words after the pause, Rarity smiled at him.

Lucky had been expecting that. "I'm sorry, miss, but I'm afraid that's not up to me to decide. The florist, and owner of the shop would decide that," he replied. Based off how the conversation was going, Lucky was expecting Rarity to come up with another way to charm him into giving her a discount.

To his dismay, however, Rarity did no such thing. Instead, she broke out into a frown. "You seem very familiar," she started. "I just can't seem to place my hoof on it." She turned back to her friends. "Girls, do any of you find this stallion familiar?"

The 5 other friends then came up to Lucky and began to scrutinize him. They concurred with each other; he seemed familiar to them, but they couldn't remember where they had seen him before.

The stallion was starting to get even more nervous. He didn't want to be recognized by any of the mares with him at present. "Fine, you can have it at twelve bits," he blurted out.

Rarity turned back to face him. "Come again?"

Lucky floated the bouquet next to him, and proceeded to the counter. "I said, you can have it a twelve bits," he repeated. "So, do you or do you not want it?"

"Of course I, uh- I mean, we want it," she replied hurriedly. She forked out two bits, as did each of the other 5 mares. Lucky handed over the bouquet, which Rarity gingerly took from his possession. The mares headed out of the shop in an excited chatter, none of which was about the stallion that was standing behind the counter with sweat starting to pour down his brow.

Hours after the 6 mares left, Lucky began to close the shop. Flora had returned briefly and had told him that she was going to take the rest of the day off and had left just as quickly as she had arrived. There weren't any more customers after the 6 friends, which resulted in Lucky being bored out of his mind during that period.

Somewhat exhausted after a day's work, Lucky returned back to his apartment, bringing in the two pieces of mail that he found in his mailbox, and the newspaper that accompanied them. He slammed the door shut behind him and locked it, then set the items that he had, which included his dinner, onto the table.

After he had gotten out of the clothes which had caused him great discomfort, he opened up his meal and the letters, reading as he ate. The first letter was a note from the Royal Guards. They were seeking new ponies to add to their numbers, and were inviting the interested ones to come down to the castle to showcase their talents and see of they had what it took to be a royal guard. The other letter was from a widely reputable university within Canterlot grounds, issuing a notice that applications for entry were now being accepted.

He set the letters aside and focused on finishing his meal. When he was done, he cleared the table. After taking a shower, he sat down and skimmed through the day's newspaper. There wasn't really anything interesting in it, and he chucked it into the trash. His eyes returned to the letters that now lay on his bed. He remembered how he had aspired to be a Royal Guard, which had been his biggest ambition back then. At other times, he had also wanted to pursue his education to the highest level possible, that one day he might be able to somehow help other ponies with maybe a new discovery.

He sighed dejectedly. He was no longer in good physical condition after so long, and he hadn't done much critical thinking, or practiced the stuff that he had learnt in school. He decided that both of them just dreams that he could not achieve anymore. He picked up the letters and dropped them into the bin almost without conscious effort. He had been in the prime of his life, and he squandered all his opportunities. It was no longer his time. All he could do now was to keep his head down, and go through each day to the best that he could with whatever he had now.

Lucky's thoughts wondered towards the 6 friends that he had met in Ponyville. He admired how each of them so energetically went about doing the things that they had liked. They were still young, and they would have plenty more of opportunities down the road for them. He had no idea what it was that had led him to meet the 6 friends, but he didn't regret meeting them. If anything, he was envious of them and their passions.

Wearily, he made his way to bed, and remembered that he had brought home the glasses he had found at the store. He made a mental note to do something about them the next day. His last thought, before he drifted off to sleep, was why his name had nothing to do with the luck he had in reality.

Fortune's Favor

Lucky snapped awake and sat upright in an abrupt fashion. Yet again, he was perspiring and was experiencing an increase in his heart-beat and breathing rates. He had just gone through the same nightmare that had plagued him for the past few nights. He forced his breathing to calm down, and kicked the sheets off angrily. He was about to look at his clock to check the time, when he remembered that he had smashed it just the previous morning. He groaned, and then turned to the window. The sun wasn't up yet, but it seemed like it was time to get ready to work.

Wearily, he pulled himself out of bed and made his way into the bathroom, turning on the lights as he did so, but missing a few. He took a long shower, but unlike the previous morning, he didn't feel the slightest bit rejuvenated from it. Once he was done, he went to the sink, and sloppily brushed his teeth. After rinsing the toothpaste out, he took a look at himself in the mirror.

Upon close inspection, he was noticeably exhausted. His mane was a mess, and he combed it back to how it usually was. As he combed, he could remember the time when his father had chosen a particular style for him for his high school graduation. It was a pleasant memory, but it did little to calm the stallion down. Instead, with a cry, he punched his hoof into the mirror, shattering it. The glass shards fell into the sink, and Lucky examined his hoof. He had some minor cuts, but with a few bandages he managed to stop the bleeding. He used magic to cast the glass shards into the bin, then wrapped up the bag.

Lucky strode towards the dresser; his punching the mirror doing little to calm the anger he was feeling. This anger was confusing him; he did not know what was making him feel as such. Was it the nightmares that had plagued him so? Or perhaps it was the cumulative stress that he had endured through the years. He didn't know the answer, and that alone troubled him profoundly.

He chose another simple vest to wear for the day, and glanced at the photo on the top shelf. He shook his head, and gently placed the photo flat against the shelf. With a sigh, he closed the dresser, initially wanting to slam it shut but then decided otherwise.

He briefly returned to the bathroom to fetch the rubbish bag, before heading out the door. He chucked the bag into the huge bin that was meant for the apartment residents to throw their rubbish, and hurriedly turned back to lock the door to his apartment.

Lucky made his way to work, thinking about how he was feeling right now. He was angry, to be sure, but at what? There was a pebble on the ground, and he tried to kick it, but failed. Cursing silently he grabbed it with magic, and smashed it against the ground, leaving a slight marking on the once near-pristine floor. He glanced around, and felt somewhat relieved that nopony had been there to see his antics.

He was first to reach the store, and went about opening it, but lowered the shutters to show that they were still not yet open for business. He went about his usual routine; cleaning up the store, making sure the displays were set up right and making sure that they hadn't somehow been robbed in the middle of the night.

As he was finishing up his morning preparations, Lucky heard the shutters being lifted. He looked at the door, and saw Flora strolling in. "Good morning, Lucky," she greeted with a smile.

Lucky forced himself to nod and reciprocate with his own smile. He felt a bit better, but his anger didn't abate entirely. However, he didn't want to take it out on another pony if he could help it, especially if that pony was his boss!

Flora strolled past him into her small office, leaving Lucky alone to finish up his preparations. He returned the broom with a sigh, then got ready to face whatever customers would be coming his way later on. He was worried that his anger might just suddenly flare up again, and he would lose his patience if he dealt with another snobbish unicorn like he had the day before.

To his relief, and also agony at the same time, the day was moving very slowly. There were few customers, none of whom were as snobbish as the unicorn who had been there the day before. However, in the lapses where there were no customers, Lucky was bored. His mind began to wander about in lands of dreams, and they helped in reducing the rage that he had been feeling. They did not, however, help to solve his confusion on why he had been angry in the first place.

He started to think through all the things that might have been the cause of the irrational anger that he had felt in the morning. The reasons ranged from simple stress to the nightmares that he had been experiencing to things that were not even remotely plausible. None of them answered the question, and Lucky could feel his frustration coming back with each unsatisfying answer.

Because he was so deep in thought, Lucky didn't hear the two new customers entering the shop. He only realized it when he heard somepony clearing his throat. Lucky shook off his thoughts, and looked at his new customer. He recognized the unicorn that was standing before him; it was none other than Shining Armor, captain of the Royal Guard.

Lucky swallowed, before he spoke. "Hello there, Captain," he said, trying to sound cheerful. "How might I help you today?"

The Guards Captain smiled at him. "Well, I was walking past the store when my sister told me how you had some beautiful floral arrangements for sale," he explained. "I was hoping that you had some recommendations to offer me. I'm buying it for Princess Cadance."

Lucky gasped. Shining Armor was here, and he wanted to purchase a bouquet for a Princess! "I'm sorry, but I'm not the right pony to recommend you any of our arrangements," he replied hurriedly. "But I'm sure our florist would have suitable arrangements to suggest. I'll just go get her, and-"

He was interrupted by somepony that was standing at one of the arrangements on display. "I think that Cadance might like this!"

Lucky looked past the Guards Captain, and found himself staring, with his jaw slightly agape, at Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight was also staring at him, and Lucky knew why. He wasn't wearing the glasses that had fooled them only the day before, and Twilight had recognize him.

His guess was proven right. "It's you!" she cried out excitedly, making her way nearer to the counter. "We all thought that you weren't Lucky Stripes, because of the glasses, but its really you! You left Ponyville even before Applejack could thank you for delivering those apples for her."

As Twilight spoke, Shining Armor turned to look at the cashier pony with a quizzical expression on his face. Lucky replied with a sheepish grin, and turned around. "Flora, the Captain of the Royal Guard is here," he called out. "He wants to buy a bouquet for Princess Cadance."

Flora appeared at the doorway in a blink of an eye, and she gasped when she saw Shining Armor. "The Captain of the Royal Guard thinks that my floral arrangements are worthy for a Princess?" she asked excitedly. "I'm honored!" She trotted up to Shining Armor, and directed his attention towards some of the bouquets on display, and started going on and on about which one she thought was suitable for the Princess.

While the two were looking through the bouquets, Lucky had to contend with Twilight. The mare was beckoning him out of the store, a sure sign that she wanted to talk to him without her brother eavesdropping. Lucky put on a stern face, and vigorously shook his head. He wasn't feeling in a mood for a conversation, especially if it was somepony whom he had left abruptly after his day off.

However, unwittingly, Twilight was helped by the last pony that Lucky had in mind; Flora. "Lucky, you've been working into lunch," she told him. "Why don't you run along for lunch, now? Then I can leave for the art exhibition when you come back."

Reluctantly, Lucky headed out of the shop after acknowledging the florists words. Twilight walked after him, and the two headed to a nearby eatery; the same one that Lucky frequented for his lunch. The two unicorns took a seat at an empty table, and made their orders. They sat in silence as they waited for their food, and Twilight looked at Lucky expectantly. Lucky maintained his silence, as well as an indifferent look, pretending that Twilight wasn't there with him.

Lucky began his lunch, which was when Twilight finally decided to start the conversation. "So, Lucky, I heard from Shining Armor that your father was in the Royal Guards previously," she started. "I, uh, I'm sorry to hear about what happened to him."

Lucky wanted to reply, but he stopped himself. He didn't want to get himself involved in the conversation. Twilight was visibly disappointed by the lack of a response, but she carried on. "I also heard that you're quite the scholar," she said. "They say that you were the top in your entire cohort and even your school. You must have been very good in your studies. I wish I was half as brilliant as you-"

"Just stop, Twilight," Lucky interjected. "There's no need to play nice with me. Speak your mind and be done with it."

"Okay," she replied, dubious. "I was just wondering why Princess Celestia didn't consider accepting you as her student, or even mentioned that there was somepony as smart as you living in Canterlot. If what I've heard is true, then you're easily better than me in terms of academics."

Lucky nearly choked on his food, and drank a mouthful of water to help with pushing the food down. He cleared his throat, and then replied to the mare. "There's more to being the Princess's student than simply acing every single test, exam and question that comes your way," he explained. "You of all ponies should have known that by now."

Twilight frowned. "But you're good at so many different subject!" she countered. "I'm sure you could help me improve on some of my own subjects, but you didn't mention that you were a such a learned pony!"

Lucky returned his sandwich back to the plate, and placed a hoof on the table. "It's because I'm not perfect!" he shouted out. He saw that several heads had turned to his table, and he nodded apologetically at the other patrons. He then turned back to the mare, who was visibly shocked by his outrage. "I'm not perfect. You don't know how it feels like to have been born with such ability. An ability that makes everyone think that you are, in fact, perfect. I aced my subjects, and my friends asked me to help them with theirs. I did, but they didn't understand what I was teaching them, even after a sustained period. They came to a conclusion that I wasn't doing my best to help them, and they became envious of me. More specifically, my academic ability."

He sighed, and took another bite out of his sandwich. "When you're good in your education, everypony has high hopes for you," he continued. "My dad wanted me to get a good education and become a doctor or something like that, you know?" He looked at Twilight, who was listening intently. "He never once supported my dream of joining the Royal Guard, which was my dream back then. But no! It was always 'Get a good education and become a doctor!' or 'Don't be like me and join the Guard. It's not a very fulfilling job.' I was never once encouraged to pursue what I wanted, Twilight. It was always study, study, and more study. It was all about being perfect."

The stallion took another bite out of his sandwich. "I know how I came across to you and your friends. Applejack thought that I was helping her to clear out her stall by buying up the rest of her apples, but I wasn't. I only wanted four. Fluttershy thought that since I was sent by Applejack, and that I didn't look like a ruffian, she could trust me with returning her book for her. Rarity guessed that I was from Canterlot, and she fancied me to be the gentlecolt that I'm not. My father forced me to behave impeccably while I'm around others, and it was a forced display I put up for her. You were surprised at how fast I managed to rearrange the shelf, especially since I simply skimmed through the book titles once."

Twilight gasped. "You're gasping because my points all hold true, and you're wondering how I got them right," Lucky continued. "It's because of this quick learning and processing ability. Because of it, I'm labelled a prodigy, and also as a perfect pony, after the Royal Princesses. The epitome of mental prowess among all of the unicorn scholars. You don't know how many times I've wished that I was normal. That I could just live my life as I wanted, without others imposing such high expectations on me. Back then, I sometimes wondered what would happen if I didn't have a father who never supported my dreams. And guess what, it did happen." A tear rolled out of his eyes and dropped into his sandwich. "Then my mother, too. I was alone, and I could have done anything that I wanted. I could join the Royal Guard, or I could become an artist, or a musician or maybe even a doctor." He sniffed, and another tear dropped into his sandwich.

Twilight made no action other than to remain in her seat, and Lucky continued. "So you see, Twilight, I'm not perfect," he said, his voice cracking up. "I'm not. No matter what I'm good at, no matter what everypony thinks of me, I'm not perfect." He smiled, and it looked awkward. "I thought that, by writing that note, maybe I could help somepony else without solving a formula, or writing a research article, or something like that. Guess that didn't work out, huh?" He sniffed again.

It was at this time that Shining Armor returned, with a bouquet in tow. "There you are, little sis!" he said, joyful. "Flora told me that I might find you here with Lucky. Ready to go?"

Twilight looked questioningly at Lucky. He waved her away, and modulated his voice. "Just go, Twilight," he said. "I'll be fine." He offered her a smile.

"I'll see you another time, Lucky," she said, and got up to leave. Shining Armor was about to leave a few bits for the meal, but Lucky stopped him, telling the Guard Captain that the meal was on him. Thanking him, Shining Armor took his leave with this sister. Twilight looked back at the cashier pony, before trotting off towards the castle. Lucky took the last bite of his sandwich and paid for the meal, before heading off.

~~~

Lucky sat on his bed, staring deeply into the photo that he had earlier placed flat against the top shelf of his dresser. He had been crying ever since he looked at the picture, and his mind was alive with thoughts.

Why? Why did you name me Lucky? Ever since I was born, I felt anything but lucky. Was I lucky to have the ability to learn new things like how a fish takes to water? The same ability that distanced me from my friends, and led to everypony else to have unbelievably high expectations of me? The same luck that made my wish of not having a father like you come true? I could laugh at the sheer irony of my name compared with what's happened in my life, but I can't.

He placed the photo on the bed, and headed into the center of the room. There was a stool there, and a noose that Lucky had painstakingly tied, and tested so that it could bear his weight. He climbed atop the stool, and rested his chin on the noose. He felt the rope on his jaw, and could roughly imagine how it would feel once he had jumped off the stool. He hesitated to do so.

I told myself that I would carry on despite what I went through, but here I am again. I'm such a hypocrite.

He took a deep breath, ready to jump off, but he didn't. Instead, he decided against doing it, and tried to get out of the noose, but it was too firmly attached. He tried to shake off the noose, but none of his attempts were successful. He was about to give another attempt, when a sudden knock on his door threw surprised him. His hoof slipped and he fell off the stool. He could now feel the crushing pressure of the noose against his throat, denying air passage into his lungs. He felt his head going light while the pain continuously pressed against his neck. The knocking became more frantic, as the stallion started to slip into unconsciousness. The door burst open, and the last thing that Lucky remembered was seeing some vaguely familiar silhouettes, and then darkness claimed him.