//-------------------------------------------------------// Just Another Story -by Sparrow Knight- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1 - Surprise //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1 - Surprise          It was a cool autumn morning, the sun had risen a few minutes earlier and already the sound of life was noticeable,  the sky was filled with thick grey clouds and light rain doused the land in moisture. In the middle of a small Australian town was a odd house, in the way that it had two stories that were split into two different apartments. Both apartments belonged to a pair of brothers, who even though were twins, they were very much different.            Lex was tradesman who helped the people around the small town with various tasks while Peter was a teacher at the local primary school for the past few years. The men enjoyed their work but didn't have the opportunity to make many friends as most of the people their age usually left the town to live in cities or off on stations.              A blaring, ear piercing alarm started a ashen hair man from his sleep, the sudden noise had caused him to sit up suddenly with a fright only to notice his phone flashing with an ungodly time while blaring an obnoxious noise. “Alright I get it” He groaned while picking up his phone and deactivated the alarm, once off he gently tossed the phone onto his bed and rubbed his eyes “Goddamn it, why did I need to wake up early again?” he asked himself as he wiped the sleep from his eyes before getting out of the bed. Once he was standing, the ashen haired man walked over to his draws and retrieved a singlet, a high visibility top, socks, underwear and shorts before he entered his bathroom.        “I know I had to do something today” He grumbled before doing his normal routine, Shit, shower,  shave. after his shave, the man looked at his tanned muscular green  eyed reflection and sighed. “Oh yea, Peter and I are visiting mum and dad” Lex sighed before he got dressed and entered his room, after sitting on his bed, Lex grabbed his boots from under his bed and pulled them on before tying them, he always hated seeing his parents but it wasn't because he didn't like them, it just made him upset when he saw them.        A sharp knock at the door snapped lex out of his daze. “Lex you up?” the voice of his brother asked.         “Yea i’m up Pete, just getting my boots on” Lex replied. “You can come in”       “Okay cool” Peter said before entering, unlike Lex, Peter was tall and less toned, but in no way was he weak like some kid discovered during high school, Peter had short raven hair and blue eyes like their mother while Lex’s were like their father.  The pair had a few similar traits such as their taste for music was similar and a handful of their hobbies were the same.  Peter was dressed in a grey top and  black pants, unlike Lex, who was tanned from working outside most of the time, Peter was paler but not by much.         “Look I know you don't like doing this but it is what we said we would do, if it makes you feel any better,  I will shout us breakfast before you go off to fix shit and I go off to torture… I mean teach children” Peter said with a soft smirk, that gained a chuckle from Lex.            “So you admit it?” Lex questioned.             “Well in all honesty,  I think I am the one tortured… you know how many fucking temper tantrums I have to deal with a day? Or the amount of ‘Oh my god I have cooties now’!” Peter mocked “It does my head in sometimes” He groaned.              “Well why not work at the high school?” Lex asked as Peter just gave him a ‘really?’ look. “What?”                “Do you remember all the pranks we pulled on just about all the teachers?” Peter asked.                 “Hey we didn't prank Mr Hills or Ms Reeves” Lex defended.                  “Mr Hills was awesome and Ms Reeves is our aunt… who might I add, is also the fucking principal” Peter stated.                    “Touché” Lex said before the pair chuckled.                    “You know that doesn't work as a response this time… but anyway, let's get going” Peter said as Lex grabbed his phone, keys, wallets and ipod before following his brother out of his room.                 “So my truck or your car?” Lex asked as the brothers reached their garage where Peter grabbed his tie and vest, which were folded on the roof of his car.               “Mine so that way I can drop you off back here before heading off to work” Peter explained as he did his tie and pulled on his vest. “Besides, I'm pretty sure you mentioned you have no work today” Peter said as he got grabbed a pair of dress shoes and put them in the backseat beside a few folded dress tops and flowers.                “Yea, I thought I could do with a long weekend” Lex said as Peter pulled on a pair of sneakers.                 “I fucking hate you” Peter growled before getting into his car, followed by Lex who was chuckling at his brother’s reaction.                   “I love you too Peter” Lex smirked as Peter used the little controller on his key chain to open the garage.                 “Then why did you get dressed in your high vis any way?” Peter asked as he pulled out if the garage before closing the door.                  “Force of habit… hey why do you have another three tops in your backseat?” Lex questioned as Peter attached his ipod to his car’s sound system.                    “I teach prep and year three… I get vomited on quite a bit by the preps and… well it's better than walking around in puke all day… also I do art for year twos and occasionally take PE for the year fives.” Peter explained as he started driving the pair towards their destination.               “If you don't like it, why not quit?” Lex asked gaining a soft chuckle from Peter.               “Because through all the paint and vomit, it is a every enjoyable job… also a fair few of the mums are quite hot” He chuckled.                 “Fucking pervert!” Lex said as the two laughed.                  “This is coming from the man who screwed his mother of the kid he babysits” Peter replied with a smirk.                   “What? It's not my fault she thought I was you and was trying to let her kid off without a detention” Lex replied.                  “Her kid shouldn't have put a stink bomb in the administration,  besides, no way in hell would I fuck some woman who's husband is in the army… no matter how hot she is” Peter stated.                     “Yea… but anyway, looks like we are coming up on the cemetery” Lex said as both men frowned.                    “Yea” Peter sighed as he parked the car and got out before opening the back door and grabbing the flowers. “Ready Lex?” Peter asked.                     “No, not really” Lex said as he got out and joined his brother, just as he locked his car. “But let's go” He said, receiving a nod from Peter before the two entered the cemetery. (Equestria,  Ponyville)             On the edge of the town known as Ponyville, south of the Capital city of Canterlot, resided a young raven haired woman slept in a small cottage that resided on the edge of the farm known as Sweet Apple Acres, where one of her best friends lived. Today was a special day for the young woman… it was her twentieth birthday and she had decided to spend it sleeping… unfortunately for her, she was close friends with an over energetic,  fourth wall breaking, pink party pony.          The woman had a smile on her face as she slept until the sound of an explosion caused her to jump up from her bed in shock moments before being covered in confetti and glitter. “Happy Birthday Abbie!” a high pitched voice shouted as the young woman, known as Abbie, shook off her disorientation and glared at the pink on pink bouncing anthropomorphic mare, said mare wore a light blue shirt which had small balloons and cupcakes scattered across it that hugged her generous bust, a pink skirt that stopped just above her knees and white sneakers.            “Really Pinkie? You couldn't have waited until I was up?” Abbie asked with a groan as she rubbed her face.             “But Abbie, it is like midday and everypony wants to see you” Pinkie said as she bounced up and down at a constant speed.               “Fine” Abbie sighed, knowing that there was no point in arguing with the three foot tall pony was pointless. “Let me shower and get the stuff off me… um could you help get rid of this stuff you covered my room in?” She asked as she grabbed some clothes and exited the room.                “Okie Dokie Lokie!” Abbie heard from behind her before she entered her bathroom and locked it behind her.                 “Well so much for sleeping through today” Abbie groaned as she stripped her glitter covered clothes and dumped them into a small hamper before turning on the water. “And now I have been glitterfied” She mumbled before stepping under the hot steaming water, where she gave a gasp of discomfort from the sudden change In temperature before sighing and relaxing under the stream. “Twenty years” She said to herself as she looked down at her form to see the darkened marks on her form from scars and burns she received from random encounters she had when she came to Ponyville and also some wayward spells. “Crap I forgot to take off my pendant last night” She said noticing the gold heart shaped artifact still around her neck, and the dark pink imprint where the pendant had pressed against her flesh. The young woman grasped the heart shaped locket around her neck which was the only thing she had of her birth parents and opened it to see on one side was a picture of a man and a woman on what appeared to be their wedding day while the other side had a picture of the couple with two young boys, one with ashen hair and the other with hair similar to Abbies.          “Abbie I cleaned your room!” The pink pony exclaimed from behind the door, drawing the woman from her thoughts.            “Cool, thanks Pinkie,  I am just finishing up” Abbie said as she closed the locket and shut off the water before she exited to dry herself off.              “Okay, oh you have to come to the barn… it's really important!” Pinkie said as Abbie dressed herself,  she had a pretty good idea on what was in the barn but she didn't want to ruin it for Pinkie.               “Okay Pinkie, I'm coming” She said as she unlocked the door and came out before walking to her room to pull on a pair of shoes. “Alright I'm ready” Abbie stated as she rose came out of her room to find the pink sugar incarnation bouncing in place.                 “Yay, come on Abbie” Pinkie said as she started to bounce away, gaining a smile from the human.               When the pair made it outside, they were greeted by a violet unicorn mare with a dark purple mane that had two lighter strips running down it, she was in a white blouse and a short dark scarlet skirt that was just longer then her knees while she had black dress shoes on. This mare had known and been friends with since she was a little girl, the pair had arrived with a dragon the previous year to take part in setting up for a special event.               “Hey Twilight” Abbie exclaimed before she hugged the mare, gaining a squeak of surprise from the mare, who had her back to Abbie and Pinkie while she was reading.              “Hey Abbie… sorry I was a bit out of it” Twilight said with a faint blush.                “it's alright Twi, so Pinkie, the barn?” Abbie asked as the Mare nodded and gently grabbed the two girls by the wrist and dragged them off. After a few minutes… and trips, the trio arrived at the massive orchid’s farm house where they discovered an elderly faded green mare in a long light grey dress and faded dark green flannel top, asleep on a rocking chair with what appeared to be a half eaten sandwich in the small table beside her. Without disturbing her, the girls made it to the barn where Abbie suspected a surprise party waiting, because it's what Pinkie usually did and she was bouncing around more than the time someone gave her double strength coffee, this thought caused Abbie to shiver as Twilight gave her a concerned glance.            “Alright let's get inside” Pinkie said, practically dragging the young woman inside where moments later a plethora of ponies and a violet and green dragon jumped out from hiding.             “SURPRISE!!” they cried.               “Oh my Celestia you guys,  this is awesome!” Abbie said smiling as she was hugged by her close friends.                “Oh I better go get the cake!” Pinkie said before darting off. ------------------------------------------------------- 20 minutes later --------------------------------------------------------        “No no no,  where are they?” Pinkie asked out loud as she closed a cabinet, she had arrived twenty minutes ago at the Sugarcube Corner to collect the cake that Mr and Mrs Cake had made for Abbie’s birthday but to Pinkie’s shock, the Cakes said that they were out, and all the shops were sold out of candles until the next day. So Pinkie had searched every nook and cranny of the bakery but didn't find a single candle.         The mare searched for another half an hour until she gave up, her eyes slightly misty as she was on the brink of tears… she wanted to throw the best birthday party for Abbie but how could she when there were no candles to put on the cake. Her mane began to deflate until she heard something that caught her attention.          “What's got ya down Strangah?” an oddly gruff voice asked, causing the mare to look to the open window to see a hooded stallion with a flat face, a black coat, a large backpack and a purple cowl covering everything below his eyes. His eyes were a piercing blue that caused Pinkie to get a little uneasy.           “I… I don't have any candles” She said with a soft whimper of sorrow.            “Hmmm I have got some if ya like Strangah” He replied as he raised a back of black and white candles, roughly twenty of them, in his gloved hand. “ But these are special candles that grant any wish” He explained as Pinkie’s eyes widened. “But they will cost y…” The masked man didn't get to finish as a large bag of bits suddenly connected with his face as Pinkie took the Candles and cake before speeding off, leaving the Merchant on his back with the bag of coins sitting on his face. “Oww” he groaned.