Author's Note

I want to thank everyone for reading this and supporting me. This story so far has been my most well received out of all my stories and I am so happy that so many people enjoy this as I was actually kind of embarrassed to do it. Thank you all for the support!!!

Chapter 5

Later in the day, the stallions were seen walking back to their cabin and most of them looked proud and accomplished, Mocha Jon however was crawling on his stomach while panting and hyperventilating… “Oh gosh… Help me… I can’t… I can’t… I can’t go on… Help me.... Please…” He said as he started over reacting more as if he was dying like someone in the desert. The other three just chuckled at how pathetic the portrayal was.

“Ya know the cabin’s right there, right?” Big Mac asked as he pointed right to the cabin, ten feet away.

“Oh…” He said as he stood up and brushed himself off as if nothing happened. “Well… I gotta say, that was not what I expected, like, at all…” He said as he made his way into the cabin himself. “You know, I think I’m just gonna grab a glass of water and a bag of chips, or two, or five, and just eat in bed, night guys.” He said as he made it into the cabin.

Shining Armor and Big Mac just started chuckling again, “Oh my gosh did you see him when he tried chopping branches like he was in a sword fight?” Big Mac said as he started impersonating him, with a brief flashback of the event happening. Mocha Jon was pretending the branches were changelings and chopping them up, only to have them fall over him on a big pile.

Back to the present, Shining Armor agreed, “Yeah but that was nothing compared to when he tied himself into the harness and tried using it like a bungee chord!” Another flashback appeared, showing Mocha Jon climbing up to the top of a branch free tree but ended up getting caught and the band split in half. Mocha then started pretending he was a pegasus in the Wonderbolts dodging wood… Until the band snapped again and he cartoonishly fell on the floor.

Back at the present, the two were still laughing at his actions, “Eeyup, I swear he will be fun to have around, I mean having humor while we work couldn’t hurt, I mean our dog can be a bit silly but, wow!” Big Mac said as the dog pounced on his leg.

Shining Armor tried to look away from the dog pouncing Big Mac, still seeming envious of them, “Well anyway, maybe we should rethink this, I mean he doesn’t know what he’s doing at all, he’s funny but he could get hurt, or he could hurt us… I mean remember he almost cut me in half…” He said as he flinched remembered it.

Big Mac winced an eye at that comment and started to think of something, “Eeyup… Ya might have a point there… I love hard workin’ sweaty stallions but I also love having all my legs attached.”

“Yeah, Woody maybe we should consider…” Shining started to suggest until he heard three boot taps and he and Big Mac’s eyes began swirling again as Woody made their way to them.

“We’re not giving up on him. I know, he’s an idiot, he’s annoying, he’s immature… He eats all our food… Actually you may be onto… No, no, he’s my project. Listen, I want you two to listen closely, neither of you were originally woodsponies and I refused to give up on ya, and I expect you two to do the same! Understood?” The two stallions stared blankly and nodded slowly in response. Woody grinned and tapped his boot onto the ground three times again.

As the two stallions shook their heads off, they looked at each other and sighed, “You know, maybe we were too hard on him, we should give him another chance.” Shining said as he made a faint smile thinking it was a good idea.

Big Mac nodded in agreement, “Eeyup, I mean sure he’s terrible now, but if we can turn him, think of how great that would be!” He said as he and Shining hoof bumped each other happily. However, Big Mac instantly looked worried… “Oh man… I forgot he’s alone in there and I still have half a red velvet cake in the fridge! I can’t trust him with that alone!!!” He said as he cartoonishly rushed back into the house.

Woody turned his attention to Shining Armor again, “Now Sweat Stain, the underwear bit did start to work but you’re gonna need to do it again, he should be asleep now, so go on and do it.” Woody commanded as Shining Armor saluted and made his way inside.

In Shining’s room, he tried to quietly sneak in but before he made it all the way in he noticed the lights were still on, causing his to quickly put them in his pocket before they were seen, “Mocha Jon?”

The cyan unicorn looked over and was seen holding the red velvet cake and eating a large piece off. “Oh hey… Please don’t tell Big Mac…” He said as he rest of the cake at once and wiped the icing off his lips. “Anyway, what’s up?”

Shining blushed as he made his way into the room, finding it hard to answer as he cannot tell his true plans. “Oh nothing really, it’s just we gotta get up early so we need to head to bed.” He said as he plopped his boots off and rushed to the bed.

After Mocha Jon burped a bit, he blushed and looked over to the unicorn, “So now that we’re alone, I gotta ask, what’s it like pretending to be something so simple as a lumberjack when you’re this big deal in the Crystal Empire?”

Shining wasn’t sure how to answer, he himself presently remembered what his past life was because he was given an order that required him to remember his past life. Before he had his life taken from him he was actually more stressed out than he could believe. “Well honestly it’s a huge relief…” He quietly responded.

“Really? How come?”

Shining sighed as he was reluctant to admit this, “Well… honestly being a Royal Guard isn’t very glamorous… You have ponies who think you’re a horrible monster who hates peace… ponies who send you death threats every day… The constant fear of enemies and your subjects hating you even when your wife is a symbol of peace… But here, my friends trust me and my work is appreciated.”

Mocha Jon looked surprised by that response, he always assumed Shining had adoring subjects and that his efforts were always admired. “I… I didn’t know it was like that… Because I always admired the work you do, you risk your life all the time for ponies who don’t even know you, and now you’re working part time as a side job or something… I’m still not quite sure what you’re doing here… But you’re working even harder now, you really inspire me in ways I can’t even describe. I mean I know what it’s like to want a better life, but I use you as an inspiration to go on.”

Suddenly Shining looked over at him with saddened eyes and a small smile. “Well thanks, it’s nice to finally have somepony like me for me instead of me just being Cadence’s husband.” Following Shining had an epiphany about something, Uh you know, I’m gonna grab a small bedtime snack really quick, I’ll be right back…” He said as he quietly made his way out.

“Alright, grab me a couple apples and oranges and a bag of grapes if you don’t mind.”

In the main room, Big Mac could be seen mixing something red in a large bowl and quietly grunting to himself… “Man we got all this mind control stuff and we can’t make him eat less… My cake is my cake..”

Shining looked over to Woody who was tieing a rope into what looked like a lasso and threw it onto the dog like a leash. That dog sure loved playing cowboy but nopony seemed to know why. As Shining made his way over to them, he looked a little bit guilty. “Ah Sweat Stain… You got the job done?”

Shining Armor sighed and scratched the back of his head, “No he’s still awake, but… I don’t think I can do this to him…” And suddenly Woody looked angry and he pulled the lasso tight around the dog… Causing Big Mac to rush over and take the rope and loosen it himself.

“Sweat Stain… Care to explain yourself…?” He said as he stood up and looked over at Shining with a stare of death.

Shining looked down and gulped his throat a bit, “Well it’s just he’s a nice guy already, and I’m not comfortable changing him like this, I mean if he isn’t like us on his own then what’s the point?”

Woody growled a little bit as he removed one of his boots, “Oh Sweat Stain, you always were a bit to handle but easy to persuade..” He said with a little chuckle. He lifted his boot up to Shining’s muzzle and started to press it in. “There ya go… Breathe deep…” Upon a brief glance, Woody not only noticed a bright glow in Shining’s eyes, but a bulge was showing up underneath him. “There it is… Now ain’t that nice?” Shining stared blankly and slowly nodded, “And just think, as soon as that boy’s fully hypnotized, his weak sense of smell should be fixed too and he can enjoy it just as much as ya do, now don’t ya want that for ya friend…?” Shining remained quiet still but a faint moan could be heard as he quietly nodded. When Woody looked down again he noticed there was a small wet stain where the bulge was. “I see you understand…” He said as he removed the boot from his muzzle and Shining could be seen with his eyes still glowing and with a dopey smile could be seen on his face.

“Yeah, you’re right… Whatever you say sir…”

Woody chuckled a little after putting his boot back on. “There we go, now the underwear was a good start but with a nose like his I think we need to up the anti…” He pointed over at Big Mac and signaled him to fetch something, “Stinky Boots keeps his socks in his boots when he’s not wearing ‘em, they might do the trick for him. Don’t worry he’ll be a sexy musky woodspony just like you soon, now go on and put ‘em on his nose.” Woody ordered as Big Mac returned.

“As you wish sir… I obey…” Shining said as he took Big Mac’s socks and his bulge returned...