Maine's Point of View

Slamming his head into his hooves right outside the door to the holding cells, Maine groaned in aggravation. He couldn't get the other stallion to crack. Maine needed to get information out of him but he knows how to hold his tongue no matter what the white unicorn threw his way. His brain hurt. The stallion just wouldn't shut up about how close he was to his kill and that only made things worse because Maine could feel his fury build up. He almost killed Strawberry and the bastard has the nerve to joke about it as if it was a simple game. Slowly, he began to pace in front of the door. He could still hear that annoying chuckle from the stallion and it honestly made him feel ill.

A noise that sounded like a pony clearing their throat caught Maine's attention. Aster stood in front of him with a concerned look on her face,

"Not talking I take it?" she commented as she stepped forward.

Maine simply just shook his head. He didn't know what to say. His friend was in the hospital wing, the stallion was refusing to speak and his mission was getting more complex by the moment. They've been here for more than a few days now and they haven't come any closer in completing their goal. Yes, they have a pony in custody but that doesn't help anyone if they can't get him to speak! Maine was in the middle of a smack to the wall with his head when a hoof stopped him in mid-smack. Maine opened his eyes to find Aster's eyes upon him with deeper concern. She didn't need to say anything to know what she would tell him he's getting too emotional but he couldn't help it. His friend was injured. Hell his friend almost died. The white unicorn was not ready to go back and face the stallion who turned his friend's almost death experence into a fucking joke so he decided that he should go visit Strawberry inside the hospital wing of the crystal castle.

The white unicorn walked silently down the hallway with Aster disappearing into the door that lead to the holding cells. Maine felt low. Images popped up into head of what could've happened to Strawberry is he hadn't intervined and it scared the fully grown stallion. He could've lost his childhood friend. Someone Maine could always count on when he needed someone and he needed someone to tell him what to do; someone who could explain to him why the events unfolded like they did. Tell him why someone would want the princess to get sick. The theft of the medicine vial, the stallion who was ready to kill at a moments notice. Nothing lined up to him, even now as he rounded a corner had nothing made sense. Everything was crazy complex for such a simple drop off mission. He and Strawberry should already be back home telling the others about how beautiful the Crystal Empire was.

Once outside the hospital wing's door Maine made quick work in pushing the door open but when he did something hit him, something sweet and musical. He walked down the hallway only a couple steps when the sound of singing came within his ear shot getting his attention. Maine wasted no time in the walk to find the source of this voice when he stopped right outside his friend's room. As he got closer he could hear the voice get sweeter until it sounded like a deep and beautiful mare's voice from behind Strawberry's door. The white unicorn softly pushed the door open to find Strawberry perched up in the window seal with the window wide open with his back to the wall, one leg hanging out while his hooves rest in his lap. His head was turned so he was looking out the window yet his mind seemed to be else where. Maine carefully stepped into the room. He tried to be silent even though he was still wearing his armor; he noted that Strawberry's was by his bed neatly tucked in place by the nightstand, his helm resting comfortably on top next to the lamp.

Maine sat down near the hoof of Strawberry's bed. His ears still tuned in on the stallion's angellic voice. The unicorn was dumb-struck as his friend's gift for he only knew Strawberry to be an overexcited bat-pony who was clumsy in the daylight, yet, here he was just singing to himself as if his wounded wing was merely a stratch. Maine slightly tilted his head as he tried to remember the name of the song that Strawberry was singing but he couldn't get it passed the tip of his tongue. So, instead, he just focused on the words that came from his friend's lips,

"Moon river~ wider than a mile~!

I'm crossing you in style someday~

My dream maker~

You heartbreaker~"

Maine let out a small "wow" in the hopes that he was quiet but the fates had another idea and thus Strawberry's song ended with him falling out of the window seal and onto the bedroom's floor with a soft thud. The unicorn hurried over to help his friend sit up without anymore harm to his injured ribs or wing,

"Whoa, sorry I didn't mean to scare you, Berry," Main said once the bat-pony was on his hooves.

"I-I'm fine, just didn't hear you come in that's all," Strawberry managed to stutter out as he straightened out his hospital gown.

"I didn't know you could sing," Maine commented as he stepped in front of his friend.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," the bat-pony quickly looked away from the unicorn as a shade of pinkish red formed a bridge along his muzzle.

"Wha-Berry that was incrudible singing! I mean the song sounded familiar but I still enjoyed it," the white stallion replied slightly taken back that Strawberry tried to play it off.

Maine's brows burrowed together as he tried to understand Strawberry's silence. The bat-pony refused to continue with the topic so maine decided to shake his head in defeat before he started a new topic. He came here to offer some comfort after all so why not do just that. Maine sat down by the bed once again while Strawberry laid down careful of his injuries so he didn't hurt himself further. Eventually the room was filled with laughter as the two spoke of the old days. Back they were foals and everything was just about how to squeeze in play time. Of course Maine decided that this was a good time to bring up the time they met which in turn caused Strawberry to blush wildly at that.

* * * * * * * * *

Maine's Point of View

The white colt's eyes went wide at the size of his ice cream cone. His mother had just bought it for him sense he aced his math test and boy was he ready to devour it. Maine was about to take a bite when something bumped into him and his nose dived muzzle first into the cone while taking himself down with it. He could hear a few gasps before they turned into chuckles. The young unicorn opened his eyes to find a pair of sunset yellow orbs locked with his own. He slowly stood up to find that the other colt's fur was black as midnight, his hair was neptune blue and was cut into a short do with his forlocks still long enough to cover his forehead. Maine watched as the foal stood up to find that he was his height only he had wings, but they weren't like any pegasus wings he's seen before, in fact, they didn't even have feather on them. They where made of skin and with looked like bones.

Maine stepped back to allow the foal to check himself over. Maine was speechless. The black foal's ears looked different than his, but what really made him quiet was the foal's teeth. For there sat two baby fangs. The unicorn foal quickly took cover behind his mother who laughed at her son's behavior but he watched the foal carefully forgetting about the fact his icecream was knocked off his nose by his sudden movement. Maine was sure that this foal was sick, no other pegasus looked like him,

"What is it, Maine?" his mother asked in her best soothing voice.

"W-What's wrong with hi-" Maine never finished his question for the weird foal had gotten closer in his curiousity.

Maine's mother let out another chuckle before she looked over at the foal and spoke as kindly as possible,

"Hello dearie, what's your name?"

The black foal looked up at her for a minute before he looked back down at the unicorn who was using his mother's legs as a hiding post. Maine peeked out with a curious tilt to his posture. The white unicorn wanted to know as well, even though he was still scared of his fangs. No normal pony ever had fangs as far as he remembered,

"M-My name is Stwawberry, Stwawberry Nightshade," he said with a the softest voice Maine had ever heard.

Maine's mother stepped aside to allow Strawberry by but the only time he moved was to step closer to the unicorn who was frozen in place. Why was his mother so calm. This pony obviously needed some help with his featherless wings. Maine cleared his throat as Strawberry stopped moving. It was his turn to say something but he didn't know what it should be so instead his picked up the icecream cone and placed it firmly onto the othe foal's forehead while some of it got into his forelock. The young unicorn started laughing which in turn caused the other one to begin as well. Both colts just stood there and laughed for a few minutes before the white held out his hoof,

"Hello there Strawberry, my name is Maine, Maine Crusher,"

Author's Note

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXhhdNL05sY For those who want to know where the lyrics came from, it's from the song called Moon River orignially sung by the singer Andy Williams.. or at least that's what google says, I first heard it in the game Bayonetta 2 and fell in love with it since. That and I wanted to show that Strawberry did have a special talent prior to joining up in the Guard Ranks but if you guys liked the story please let me know in the comments below. Side Note, I had to redo this chapter three times before I got it right once was because grammerly stopped working so i refreshed not thinking about it than the second time was because I didn't like where I was going and it didn't quite make sense, at least to me but I wrote this note long enough, enjoy!