The Soul Reaver

Chapter 31: Bring it on home! (Part 1)

“YAY! I get to see Cousin Applebloom again!” Choc hopped off of James shoulders and ran past me into the train.

I smiled lightly and sighed, “Kids... well, I’ll see you around James.” I waved as I boarded the train after the little ball of energy.

James waved back as the train started to pull away, “Later Dean!”

As we got to some free seats, Chocolate started to jump around on the seats. “Ah get to visit Ponyville! Ah get to visit Ponyville!”

I chuckled and sat down, “Oi. Calm down kid.”

Chocolate sat down and was smiling so much he probably rivaled Pinkie. “But ah’m goin’ ta PONYVILLE! That’s where Sweet Apple Acres is and I can go play with Applebloom and her friends again! Ah haven’t gotten ta do that in over a month!”

I smiled, “Keep that excitement in. You don’t want to be tired and go to sleep when you see them, do you?”

Chocolate smiled and sat down onto the seat. “Mr. Dean?”

I looked at him, “Yeah kid?”

He looked down a little before looking back at me. “Where did you an’ Mr. James come from? He won’t tell anypony.”

I paused, and thought for a moment. I shrugged, “Well, I don’t know about James. What he does is his business. But...” I smiled, “I guess I can tell you about where I’m from, since it’s rather the same thing.”

Chocolate smiled and nodded his head rapidly. “Please please please please please!”

I laughed, “Calm down Choc! Alright, where I’m from is my home country, Italy.”

He cocked his head to the side. “I-tall-ee? Where’s that?”

My smile grew, “You see, but you have to promise you can’t tell anyone if I tell you this. Okay?” He nodded and made the pinkie promise and zipped his mouth shut. I chuckled a little, and continued, “Alright. Here’s the big shocker, me, James, and any humans you meet here.... we’re aliens.”

Chocolate gasped and put his hooves to his mouth. “Really!?”

I nodded, “Mmhm. Pure bonafide Aliens. How much do you know about Arcadia?”

He tapped on his chin a little before looking up at me. “Um... that it was a really old city?”

I chuckled and ruffled his mane, “Close enough. Anyway, that’s not the main point. Where I’m from, we have buildings that are larger than even the castle where the Princesses live.”

Chocolate looked up in thought and his eyes were the size of dinner plates. “Wow... I wonder if ah’ll ever see anythin’ that big.” PLEASE DON’T MAKE JOKES SO EASY!!!!

I laughed, “Anyway, back home... I was a monster hunter.” Not too far from what I do now.

Chocolate looked at me in confusion again. “You hunted monsters?”

I shook my head, “Not exactly. You see, most of the monsters back home were sentient and could talk. So, I didn’t just go out and hunt them. Only if they hurt people did I ever go after them. Heck, I’m even the leader to a group of knights that go after them.”

Chocolate grinned and hopped up on his seat. “You’re a knight! Wow! That’s so cool! Ah bet Miss Rarity would like you a lot if she knew that!”

I smiled, “Ah, but you see, I’m already taken.” Despite how depressing to think about it is... I don’t want anyone else.

Chocolate swiped a hoof at his seat. “Darn. Ah guess that ah’ll have to help Sweetie find somepony for her sister again.”

I stopped for a moment, “Wait a sec, Sweetie Belle asked you to set me up with her sister?”

He shook his head. “No, she wanted me ta help her find ‘suitable can-i-dates? Somethin’ like that anyways.”

I nodded, “Ah~, I see.”

He nodded a lot. “Yeah! There was even this nice feller that Ah saw in Canterlot! He was white with a really styled mane... Ah think he was a prince!”

I grimaced, “Nah. He isn’t, trust me.” Thinking back to the minor interactions I had with him... I don’t think he prefers the cherry pie. “Besides, he wouldn’t be interested. He has a lot on his plate, so romance isn’t an option for him.”

Chocolate nodded and smiled again. “Well there were some other’s Ah saw, but ah’m not sure if Miss Rarity would like them or not.”

I smiled, “Well who are they? Maybe I can help you with that.” Never mind the fact I see this as a good time for a trolling...

Chocolate looked up and started to tap his hooves together as if he was counting fingers. “Well.... There was the shopkeeper, one of the guards, this orange stallion that was walking around... OH, and Mr. Cerulean! He was really cool!”

I snickered, “Never mind the fact I sent him flying.”

Chocolate pouted. “Yeah.... Ah don’t think that was very nice.”

I chuckled and ruffled his mane, “Kid, that’s what I call trolling. It’s a secret art, and not many can master it.”

His face lit up. “Do ya think ah could get a cutie mark in it!?”

….......YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!! My smile grew ten times wider, “It’s quite possible you could. BUT.” I raised a finger, “You have to promise not to try it out until you get good at it, and I’ll be the judge of whether you’ve gotten good at it.” I held out a hand in front of him, “Deal?”

Chocolate saluted me before grabbing my hand and shaking vigorously. “Yes, sir!” He jumped across the gap between our seats and looked up at me. “Can we start now!? Can we can we canwecanwecanwe!?”:

I gently bonked his head with a fist, “First rule of trolling, you have to be calm.”

He rubbed his head and pouted. “Ow....” he sat down next to me and took a deep breath. “Okay... calm.... stay calm.... stay.... calm.” He started to twitch his hooves and jumped out of the seat. “Darn it! Ah just can’t seem ta calm down!”

I patted his back, “Just do what I do, and think mellow thoughts. Clouds moving across the sky, the trees leaves shaking with the breeze. Scootaloo smacking into a door from the scooter.” That always cracks me up

Chocolate laughed a little when I said that. “She does do that a lot.”

I nodded with a grin, “Right. Now, you have your calm thoughts, are they helping?”

Chocolate shook his head. “Not really, I’m still too excited about seeing Applebloom!”

I sighed, “Well, I guess we can skip past the calm part for now. Second part you need, is Sarcasm.”

Chocolate nodded a bunch before yawning. “Sure thing... just one...” He fell forward and was out like a light when he hit my lap. I sighed, but smiled regardless. I let him sleep for as long as he needs to.

It wasn’t long until we finally arrived back at Ponyville, and Chocolate jerked awake from the sudden stop. “Huzza-wha?”

“We’re here kid, now come on, you’ve got a cousin to see.” I told him.

He shook his head and hopped off of the seat before giving a tired cheer. “Yay...”

I chuckled, “Well you seem excited.” I wonder... “I wonder if ice cream will get you awake?”

“ICE CREAM!” He vanished in a poof of smoke and was hopping in place on the train station's platform. “Ice cream ice cream ice cream!”

I laughed, “Choc, remember the first lesson of trolling.”

He stopped and started to rub the back of his head. “Right... stay calm... sorry.”

I ruffled his mane and chuckled, “You’re learning, I can’t blame you. Now come on, I’ve got money to waste, and I’m in the mood for something sweet myself.” Nodding vigorously, Chocolate ran ahead of me and nearly ran into a certain trio of fillies.

Smiling, I wave at them, “Hey you three. Behaving, I hope.” I greet them.

Chocolate waved from where he stopped after nearly running them over. “Hi Applebloom, Hi Sweetie, Hi Scoots!”

Scootaloo hopped off of her scooter and gave him a hoof bump. “Hey Choc! Long time no see.”

Sweetie Belle was swaying as she got off of the wagon. “Whoa.... Scootaloo could you learn to stop less suddenly? My head’s spinning.”

Applebloom hopped off after her and gave Chocolate a hug. “Hey there cus’!”

I then turned away in mock-hurt, “Go ahead... ignore me...”

Chocolate laughed a little. “Hey do you guys want some ice cream? Mr. Dean said he’d buy me some so I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.” The three of them nodded and turned to me with puppy-dog eyes.

I snorted, “I didn’t say that. You’re hearing things.”

The four of them made their eyes grow bigger and pouted. “Pleeeeeeeease?”

I kneeled down at eye level, and then said, “Girls. You’ve tried that before. Did it work that time?”

Applebloom stopped and huffed. “Darn, I figured that with Choc here we could at least get a reaction.” The other two girls nodded.

Scootaloo and Chocolate looked at each other before turning to me. “Can we still get some ice cream though?”

“I don’t know, can you?” I ask with my growing smirk.

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “Could you please get us some ice cream?”

Oh this is too much fun, “I could...” I trailed off.

Applebloom hugged onto my legs and the other three followed. “Will ya?”

I brought my knee to my face and looked at them with a grin, “Sure, why not?”

The four of them cheered and started to head for Sugarcube Corner laughing and chasing each other the whole way.

I shook my head with a chuckle, and followed after them, “Oi, Choc, remember rule number 1!” Gotta keep telling him... he’ll make an excellent troll, just gotta teach him the ropes.

They all entered the building and I could hear Pinkie inside. “Heya girls! Oh, I see you brought a colt with you!”

I walked in and saw them sitting at a booth and Chocolate waving. “Hi Pinkie!”

I shook my head with a grin, “Can’t even wait for me to get here, can ya?”

Chocolate shook his head. “Nope. Can we have a couple of Milkshakes Pinkie? Can mine be strawberry?”

Pinkie nodded and was gone in a flash before she had two strawberry, one chocolate and a vanilla milkshake on a tray. “Here you go!” She was next to me in an instant and had a notepad out. “So what would you like Dean?”

I paused, “Hm...You still got those cannoli’s I helped you with?”

Pinkie gave me a small salute. “Yessiree! They were so good that I made a bunch more extra! A lot of ponies have been asking for them lately so I even wrote down the recipe!” She dashed into the kitchen and brought out a plate with four of them on it. “Here you go!”

I chuckled and grabbed one, “Quick as ever Pinkie. Thanks...” I stopped, “Hm, you forgot the cinnamon.”

She gasped and looked at the cannolis. “I did! Hm... I was wondering why they didn’t taste as good as yours...”

I shook my head and chuckled, “Pinkie, you got the recipe down to a T, you just gotta remember the small details is all.” I got up, “Come on, I’ll show you how much you need to add to it.” Pinkie had her signature smile on as she followed me back into the kitchen.

As I grabbed the cinnamon, I explained, “Alright, now the trick is to find the right amount you believe would make the cannoli taste good.” I grabbed a pinch of it, “When I add it, I always like to spread it out evenly, never leave a large amount in one place.”

Pinkie nodded and took the cinnamon and started to very slowly pour some onto the cannolis. It was a rather comical sight when she started to tap the bottom of the container to cause it to come out a grain at a time.

I stopped her when there was enough, “Alright, you’ve got it down.” I grinned, “Now this cannoli is ready for some eatin’.” I took a bite, and sure enough it was just like home. I sighed happily, “Good stuff.” I grinned and grabbed another cannoli, “Good cooking doesn’t go unrewarded, here, let’s add some more cinnamon to this and you can join in on the greatness.”

Pinkie smiled. “Oh that’s alright,” She pulled out a large tray covered in cannolis. “Cause I made a ton more!”

Oh dear god I just made Cannoli’s mainstream. “Please tell me they already have the cinnamon.” I ask her. She nodded and popped one in her mouth.

“Mmm.... “ She swallowed another three in one go and lolled her tongue out. “These are so good. Everypony is going to love these even more now!”

I smiled, and unintentionally thought of home, “Well... at least Mom’s recipe is that good to others.”

Pinkie’s smile fell just a little. “That was your mom’s recipe?”

I nodded, “Mmhm. Remember how much time we spent just trying to make one? I was busy trying to remember the recipe, and we finally got it right. It just...” I sighed, “It feels good to have a piece of home here.”

Pinkie nodded before we heard a cry of pain from outside. “Owowowowowowow.... “ We peaked out of the kitchen and saw both Scootaloo and Chocolate holding their heads. “Cold cold cold....”

Sweetie belle facehoofed and Applebloom was laughing a little. “I told you two it was a bad idea.”

Scootaloo winced as she looked at her milkshake that was now empty. “I still won though so HA! Owowowow brainfreeze...”

I chuckled at their antics, “Heh... Those kids...”

The door swung open and A familiar farmer walked in. “Hey Pinkie have you seen Applebloom any wh- There ya are AB!” Applejack trotted over and smiled.

I huffed, “What, no hi to your employee?”

She looked over and smiled. “Well hey there Dean! Ah didn’t know ya were back already!”

I sighed as I scratched the back of my head, “Yeah, my vacation didn’t go as planned...” UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE FUCKING CENTURY!

She shook her head. “Well I’m sorry ta hear that.”

Chocolate groaned as he got up. “Ow...”

Applejack looked over and blinked a couple times. “Chocolate? What are ya doin’ here in Ponyville? Yer supposed ta be in Appleloosa.”

I waved her over, “Come on, I’ll explain it to ya.”

Applejack nodded and looked over to the crusaders. “Alright you two, say goodbye. It’s time ta go home.” Both Applebloom and Chocolate groaned in protest but got up and followed.

As we walked back to the farm, I explained Chocolates situation, “So you see, he kinda ended up following the kid to Canterlot.”

Applejack gave a disapproving eye over at Chocolate, who was grinning sheepishly as he hid behind Applebloom. “Ah see... Choc, we need ta have a talk.”

I stopped her, “Er... there’s also a little something I need to talk to you about...”

Applejack looked confused for a moment before sighing. “Alright. Chocolate, you and Applebloom go inside and wait for me.” The two kids nodded before running inside. “Let’s talk in the barn. More privacy that way.” Alright. Just... try not to think about those times when I saved those farmers daughters....

I followed her into the barn and sat on one of the wooden beams, “Alright. Now, you know I took my vacation to Manehatten, right?”

She nodded and took a seat on a bale of hay. “Yep.”

“Now... how long has it been since you’ve talked to your relatives from there?”

Applejack tapped her chin for a moment. “Well.... They sent a letter about two weeks ago. Haven’t really heard from ‘em since.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, “Oh thank god...”

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “Now hold on a second. Just what happened over there that would make ya worried about my relatives?”

I sighed, “Didn’t you wonder why they hadn’t talked to you until recently?”

She shook her head. “Not really, Granny and them never were on great terms.”

I shook my head, “Well, they were enslaved.” May as well go right into it.

”THEY WERE WHAT!?” Applejack was standing on the hay bale in shock.

“Calm down!” I told her in panic and looked outside. No one noticed, good... I sighed, “Anyway, yeah. They were enslaved. However,” I smiled reassuringly, “Yours truly helped them.”

She let out a breath of relief and sank back down onto her haunches. “Oh thank Celestia...”

I sighed, “I’ll tell you this. It wasn’t easy.” I unbuttoned my shirt and showed her the large scar on my back, next to the spear, “Got this from the guy doing the enslaving.”

Applejack paled a little. “Oh my...” She looked at me in concern. “Are ya’ll going ta be alright?”

I chuckled with a reassuring grin, “It’ll take a lot more to kill me. Don’t worry.”

She looked at me with a little worry before sighing and nodding. “Alright, just don’t go showin’ that ta Twilight without easing her into in. She’d probably go into a panic.”

I chuckled, grabbed my coat, “Actually... I have my own house now.” I showed her the deed, “See, it’s that land off near Everfree with the abandoned house.”

She looked over the deed and nodded with a smile. “Well I’ll be. Yer finally independent.”

I chuckled, and grabbed the bag of bits Celestia gave me, “Got a large reward for saving Manehatten too even.” And now that I think about it, I didn’t have to pay Pinkie! HA!

Applejack smiled and we headed out of the barn. “Now you take care Dean. Ah still have to talk to some young ponies about runnin’ off without permission.” I heard an eep and saw a brown and red blur head back inside.

I chuckled as I put my shirt back on, “Go easy on the kids, it was all in good fun. I’ve done worse growing up, believe me. I was a little hellion growing up.”

Granny Smith was sitting on a rocking chair on the porch. “Ah can’t say that you were any better either Applejack.”

“Moar applefwitter?” I ask AJ teasingly.

She gave me a light buck in the leg and shook her head. “Now git you. You got somewhere you need ta be.”

I shook my head with a laugh, “Yeah yeah.” I waved at Granny Smith, “See ya Granny Smith.” She didn’t hear me though as she was snoring away in her seat.

I chuckled, and saw Big Mac in the orchards. Grinning, I walk over to him, “Well, I guess since I’m about to leave I may as well talk to you before doing so.”

He looked over and grinned. “Well howdy Dean.”

“Alright, I guess I may as well ask you directly and enough beating around the bush. Did that letter from your Aunt and Uncle say anything noteworthy? It’s just something I need to check.”

Big Mac shook his head. “Nope. Just said that they were doing better than they have for a while now. Even said that they were going ta visit soon.”

I grinned, “Good...” I looked at him, “I guess you want to know why I’m asking, huh?”

“Eeyup.”

I chuckled, “Yeah.” I then explained to him what happened.

He sighed. “AJ’s going ta hug them ta death when they get here.”

I chuckled, “Well good thing you’ll be there to let her know to let them breath.”

He laughed and nodded. “Eeyup.”

“Anyway, just know that I dealt with the guy behind it, and he won’t be messing with Manehatten from now on.” I grinned.

Big Mac nodded and started to head further into the orchard. “Thank ya Dean. It’s good ta know that yer willin’ ta do that.”

I then let it slip, “Trust me, it’s good to be doing the opposite for once.” Oh shit what did I just say.

Big Mac looked over at me with a small glare. “Really?” He turned and looked me in the eye. “Just so ya know though, If ya do start going back ta that yer gonna be in a world of hurt.”

His glare turned into a smirk.

I chuckled, “Trust me, it ain’t that easy to force me back into that life...” I sighed, “Though I did it for a good cause.” Even if it did hurt people...

Big Mac was silent for a moment before he nodded. “Well Ah suppose that’s what matters now aint it?” He gave me a nudge over towards the main gate to the farm. “Now go on, Ah’m sure that some of the others what ta know yer back.”

I chuckled and nodded, “You got it Big Mac.” I waved goodbye to him, and headed back into town. Hm. Who to visit first? Yeah, Rarity should be next since she can fix my coat and shirt since she oh so loves it. Nodding to myself, I head to the boutique. I knock on the door.

There was a small clatter from inside before I heard Rarity call from inside. “Come in~” I stepped inside and Rarity was coming out of one of the back rooms. “Oh, hello Dean. It’s good to see you.”

I smiled, “Nice to see you too Rarity. Anyway, I have an opportunity for you.” I tell her with a grin.

She raised an eyebrow and looked interested. “Oh? And what would that be?”

“I have a large hole in my coat.” I tell her. Reaction...

Coat.exe missing. Searching. Coat.exe found in folder Rarity. “MY WORD WHAT HAPPENED!?”

I chuckled nervously, “Well, kinda got in a fight with a guy who enslaved all of Manehatten and controlled steam. He blasted me in the back with it, and well-”

She started over to her sewing machine. “Say no more! If you saved Manehatten and it cost you... this....” She shivered. “Well a coat can be fixed. I’ll have it ready in no time.”

I smiled, “Thanks Rarity. It’s my favorite coat, I’d hate to lose it.” She nodded and started to work almost immediately.

There was some shuffling from upstairs and I saw Sweetie Belle poke her head out of the stairwell. “Hi Dean!”

I smiled, “Hey there Sweetie Belle.”

She tilted her head. “What are you doing here?”

“Getting my coat fixed.” I gestured to her sister, “She practically loves the thing, so I figure why not let her work on it and save me time trying to fix it myself.”

Sweetie nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like Rarity.” She started for the door and looked back. “Bye Dean! Rarity! I’m heading for the Library!”

Rarity didn’t even look up from her work. “That’s nice dear. Just be back for supper.”

I chuckled as Sweetie Belle left. I sat in silence for awhile, until finally she finished my coat.

The coat floated back to me and looked even better than when it was first made. “There you go dear! Good as new.”

I grinned and in a quick flourish, put it on, “Thanks Rarity. So, what do I owe ya?”

She shook her head. “Not a thing dear. This was just a simple repair job, and you’re a friend.”

I grinned, “You know I’m going to come up with an elaborate scheme to pay you back, right?”

She smiled. “And I’ll find a way to counter it. Now run along! Your friends are waiting for you at the library.”

I chuckled and nodded, “Alright alright, I’ll get out of your mane. Take care of yourself Rarity.”

Rarity waved me off as I left. “You too dear, Ta ta~!”

I rolled my eyes and left, heading for the library. I stopped and looked at the ground when I noticed a shadow of a pegasus getting bigger and bigger. Oh dear lor-OOF!

I skidded across the ground and felt something sitting on my stomach, “Dammit...” I groaned.

“Sup Dean.”

I look at her with an exasperated glare, “Your fat arse apparently... Now would ya get off?”

Rainbow hopped off and grinned. “Aw come on Dean, I was just dropping by to say hi.”

I froze, then slowly turned to her, my head tilting full scale to the right, “You seriously just made that pun?”

“What pun?” She said quizzically.

I comically got in her face, “You know exactly I mean.”

She snickered a little. “OH! You mean the dropping in thing.” I groaned loudly. She snickered again and patted my head. “Just a pun Dean. No need to get upset about it.”

I huffed, “I’d at least understand if it was Pinkie...” I shook my head, “Anyway, how’ve you been Dash?”

“I’ve been good. Practicing my moves for The Wonderbolts, talking with Twilight, hanging out with Pinkie.” She shrugged. “What about you? We haven’t seen you since Avalon.”

I grinned, “Well, I started a revolution and saved an entire city from slavery.”

She blinked before grinning widely. “Awesome! Wait.... Which city?”

“Manehatten.” I told her.

She paled a little. “R-really?”

I paused, then kneeled down to eye level, “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing!” She backed away a little “I just didn’t think It’d be that close!”

I sighed a little, “Dash, you don’t have to put up a front. What’s wrong?”

“I-I’m not putting up a front! I’m ju-”

I rubbed her head, “Dash. You are, Manehatten is relatively far off from here. What. Is. Wrong?” I asked her.

She stammered for a second before stopping and hanging her head. “.... My mother lives there.”

I smiled sadly, “If it helps, I saved everyone I could when I got there. I don’t know how she is, but I’m sure you’ll hear from her.”

She smiled sadly and nodded a little. “Y-you’re right... She wouldn’t let anyone push her around!” She hovered a bit off the ground. “I think I’m gonna go check with the Mail Office, see if they got anything from Manehatten.”

I smiled and nodded, “Alright Dash. You gonna be alright?”

“Of course!” She puffed up a little. “I’m Rainbow Dash! The fastest pony in Equestria!”

“With the attention span of a goldfish.” I added.

        She whacked my arm lightly with a scowl. “Hardy har.”

I grinned, “Go on, get out of here.” I smiled gently, “And if you need anything, come find me.”

She nodded rapidly. “Okay! See ya Dean!” She flew off in a rainbow trail. I shook my head with a smile, and headed off to the library. It wasn’t long, considering it was rather close. I opened the door to the library and OH GODDAMMIT.

Twilight waved a little. “Hey Dean!”

I facepalmed, and then stared at the scottish little fuck in the corner, “Hey Twilight.” I sighed.

She smiled a little. “Where’d you go after the whole Avalon thing?”

I groaned, took off my coat and hung it near a coat rack we had bought before I left and placed my hat on it, “Manehatten.” I replied.

“Oh! How was it? Did you manage to see the Library they have?”

“No I didn’t... though it was...” I groaned at how shit it was, “eventful.”

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “What happened?”

“Turns out that for seventeen years it was enslaved to another rogue wraith that was trying to build a steampunk empire.” I said with mock-cheerfulness.

She blinked a bit, mulling over my words before looking at me. “...What!?”

I nodded and laid down on the couch after kicking my shoes off, “Trust me, that’s what I said when I got there.”

“B-but how is that possible!? Celestia must have at least noticed something was wrong!”

I sighed, “Twilight, for all we know, the guy could have been sending false reports to her saying that everything was all fine and nothing bad was happening. And given how busy she gets with daycourt and all that, it’s a bit difficult to keep track of every single thing when you run an entire country.”

Twilight was about to continue arguing before the scottish putz spoke up, “He has a point Twilight. Hard to realize everything that’s going on when ye rule a country. Know that first hand....”

        I gestured to him, “See? Even he gets it.” Though that last part has me thinking about what he did before he came here.

        She sighed and hung her head. “You’re right.... Everypony makes mistakes.”

        “Quick question.” I said with a small grin that was threatening to grow, “I’ve heard ponies say Everyone. Why is that?”

        “They come from or live in cities with different races like Gryphons or Minotaurs.” She replied casually. “However Ponyville gets very little of these races, so ponies here prefer the term Everypony.”

        “To hell with grammar it’s Everyone now.” My grin widened.

        She looked at me blankly. “... Still Everypony Dean. Unless you can change the dictionary.”

        “Don’t tempt me Twilight. I will and you know it.” I replied.

        She sighed and shook her head, walking towards a bookshelf. “It’s just a word...”

        “It’s a pun and you know it!” I replied again.

        She groaned and looked back at me. “No it’s not! It might be where you come from, but here it’s a word.”

        Fucking puns... corrupting the minds I tells ya! I sighed in annoyance, “Whatever!”

        She rolled her eyes. “Anyways.... Did you meet anyPONY else during your trip?”

        “The Prince of Darkness.”

        “Met him.” Scottish putz said offhandedly. “Wasn’t pleasant.”

        “That’s on your head, not mine.” I shrugged, “He was pleasant with me.”

        Twilight looked between us. “Um.... Who?”

        “He was the guy that got rid of Avalon.” I told her.

        She blinked before leaning back. “What!?”

        I nodded, “Mmhm. Not even his full power, that was just a feather from his wings.”

        “B-but how is that!?” She stammered and started pacing, her mane in disarray. “You can’t do that!”

        I sighed, got up, and began petting her mane, “Twilight. Calm down. It’s going to be fine, just don’t worry about it. He can’t do anything to anyone, considering his father has him on watch.”

        She mumbled for a minute before shaking her head. “O-okay....” She blushed and looked at me. “Could you please stop petting me?”

        I nodded and stopped, “Sorry. Though it did calm you down.” I said as I laid back down on the couch.

        “Y-yeah... It’s just embarrassing.”

I chuckled, “It’s fine Twilight. Anyway, long story short, my vacation sucked.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” She sat down and looked at me and the scottish putz. “Have you two met before?”

I sighed, “In a way, we did.”

She nodded a little. “Ah. You do act like you’re on friendly terms.”

I snorted, “Uh-huh. Sure. Let’s go with that.”

She raised an eyebrow and looked at me quizzically. “What’s with the offhandedness?”

“Let’s just say he and I met under rather difficult circumstances.” I told her and closed my eyes, hoping to get some sleep.

“My eye hurt for a month.” He said offhandedly.

Not even opening my eyes, I extended my arm and gave a thumbs up, then brought it back down.

(Alex’s POV)

        I scowled a little and started reading again. “...Fucking dick...”

        Twilight walked over and looked at me over the book. “How did you two meet?”

        I looked up at her blankly and looked at Dean before looking her in the eyes. “Chance.”

        “What happened?” She tilted her head.

        I started reading again. “I’ll tell ye later.” I looked at him. “He deserves some peace for a little while.”

        She blinked and frowned a little. “Something bad happened between you didn’t it?”

        I shook my head. “Bad is just a point of view. And... Not really....” I looked at him with a small glow before shaking my head. “Just got a lot of first hand experience with something.”

        She leaned closer. “What?”

        I looked back at her annoyed. “I’ll tell ye later. Now please stop bugging me.”

        She groaned and stomped over to the bookshelf. “Ugh! I’ll ask later, and you better hold your word!”

        I waved a hand. “Got it.”

        “AHAHHAAHA!!!!” Dean screamed in panic and disgust as he jumped from the couch.

        Twilight jumped and ran over. “What! What is it!?”

Dean was panting and checking himself by patting his body... and why did he stick his hands in his pants? He nodded in relief and took it out. He shook his head, “Nothing! It’s nothing.” He sighed in relief.

Twilight leaned closer. “Did you have a nightmare?”

        He tilted his head a bit, “One way to describe it...”

        I looked at him. “So... What did ye dream about?”

        He froze, then turned to me. He shook his head, “Nope. Nope. NOPE.” He... actually rolled out of the library, “Nopenopenopenopenopenopenopenope.....”

        I looked out after him before sighing and reading again. “Damn it....”

(Dean’s POV)

NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE- Oh hey I accidentally crashed into Octavia.

She backed up a little and looked down at me. “Ah! Don’t scare me like that!”

I chuckled and did a flip back onto my feet, “Sorry about that Octavia. Had a sort of breakdown a little bit ago.” I patted the dirt off of me, “Anyway, how are you?”

She straightened herself a little. “I’m doing fine, thank you for asking. I was walking around trying to find the music store.”

I shrugged, “Well, I got nothing to do. How about I go with you?” I do not want to go back into the library after what I dreamed... Ughuhuhuh.....

She blinked in shock before nodding slowly. “That...Sounds good.”

I walked along side her, “So, what sort of instrument are you looking for? Or is it just music sheets to write down some notes?”

“I need to buy music sheets, and some resin for my bow. I’ve nearly run out.”

        I nodded, “Ahh~, I see. Well, I can’t say I know how to play any orchestral instruments. I’ve tried, believe me. I just... I have too much energy to not go wild with other instruments.” I think back to me playing the bass guitar with a grin.

        “Ah. You might like Vinyl Scratch then. She enjoys adding a lot of energy into her works.”

        I shook my head, “That isn’t to say I don’t appreciate the classics. Heck, more often than not I’ve found myself enjoying it more than I’d think I would.”

        She smiled softly. “Well... I’m glad that you find enjoyment in the classical arts.” She paused for a second before looking at me. “Any other genres you enjoy?”

        I nodded, “My most enjoyed would have to be Hard Rock. Anything to do with guitar, drums, and bass really. Well,” I chuckled, “as long as it’s good in my mind, I like it.”

        “Ah. I’ve always prefered the classical elements, however I do enjoy listening to some hard rock on occasion and a little dubstep.”

        I shrugged, “Couldn’t get into dubstep. Personal opinion, I could probably record my kitchen sink and get the same results. No disrespect to the genre, but I just don’t see the appeal.”

        She nodded a little. “Understandable. Some songs are worst than others, but there are some good ones out there. Like those that mix in classical... They’re beautiful in their own way.”

        I sighed, “I’ll take your word for it. I’m just more into the feel that you get when you slide your fingers across the thick steel strings of the bass guitar. Nothing quite like it.” I chuckled.

        “Hmm... Maybe you could show me this “Bass guitar”? We don’t have anything like it here.”

        I grinned, “I think I will. I could describe it to you before hand though, if you’d like.” I offer.

        She shook her head. “It would be better if I had a visual representation of it as you explained.”

        I nodded, “That I can understand... Though I am surprised to find out you guys don’t have guitars. I mean, with all the string instruments I would have thought someone would have came up with one by now.” I shrugged.

        “It could very well be random chance.” She smiled and stopped walking. “And I’ve reached my destination. It was nice talking with you Dean.”

        I gave a grin and did a mock-bow, “Not a problem good lady.”

        She blushed a little and smiled. “Good bye.”

        I nodded with a smile, “I’ll see you some other time then.”

        “Same to you Dean.” She nodded one last time before walking into the store.

        I chuckled and walked away. Now what? I should probably head back to the library, if only to get my stuff. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I make my way to the treehouse thing, and open the door to find FUCK. It was Louis!

        “Oh hai Dean!” He grinned as he was sitting on the couch, the Putz cowering in the corner.

        I chuckled weakly, “Er... hey Louis...”

        He turned to Twilight, “You know, this tea is great! You wouldn’t happen to have an extra box, would you?”

        She looked back to the kitchen. “I believe so.”

        He clasped his hands together and smiled goofily, “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like that box to take home with me.”

        “Not a problem. I just need to find where I put it....” She walked into the kitchen.

        He turned to Putz, “You can stop cowering. I’m not going to hurt you, last year is proof of that.” He smiled, but it still held that menacing feeling behind it.

        Putz looked at him. “I’m not cowering. I’m trying to fit myself into the shadows.”

        Louis laughed, “I.E, cowering.”

        “It’s. Not. Cowering. I don’t enjoy being in a room with the two of ye combined.”

        I chuckled despite the situation, “What, afraid of what would happen?”

        “GEE YE THINK!?”

        Both Louis and I laughed, and I turned to him, still feeling on guard, “So... you said earlier that you wanted to talk with me. What is it you wanted to talk about?”

        He nodded, “You see, it has come to my attention that one of your... friends, Sarah I believe her name is, has some issues.” His smile was still on his face, “I have an offer for you. You can go back home and... help resolve some of these issues.”

        I paused in thought, thinking it over. Realizing who it is that’s giving me this offer, I look back at him, “What do you want in return though?”

        His smile widened, “A vassal. I’m going to have different interests in this world, and I would like for someone to acquire any items of interest to me. Once you have completed this task, you will begin your tenure.”

        Uh... okay, this has bad idea written all over it. But I do want to help Sarah. I was silent for the most part, but eventually nodded, “Alright. I’ll do it.”

        Louis’s smile seemed to darken the room, “Good. You won’t regret your decision Marcelo. I take care of those who serve under me. Now,” he clasped his hands together and rubbed them, “I’ll tell you the item when you arrive back on earth. You’ll be heading there tomorrow morning. Any questions?”

        I shook my head, “Not really, I just want to get this done.”

        He nodded, and sat back down on the couch, “Excellent. Now...” He turned to find Twilight coming back in with a box of tea, “Aha! Yes.” He accepted the tea with a grin, “Thank you Ms.Sparkle.” He thanked her.

        She smiled. “It’s not a problem.”

        He got up, “Even so, I must thank you.” He snapped his fingers and a black portal appeared behind him, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I must be off. The circle of pride doesn’t watch itself you know.” He waved, “Adios mi amigos!” The fact that he considers us friends still doesn’t make me comfortable around him. In fact it makes me even more nervous. He jumped into the portal, and it disappeared into its black abyss.

        I sighed, “Well that was strange.”

        Twilight smiled. “Well he was nice.”

        I stared at her blankly, “That was the guy I was telling you about. You know, Prince of Darkness?”

        She blinked and stared at where he was. “Are you sure? He seemed really nice, almost like the princesses.”

        “That’s because he has no need to be cruel at the moment. If he wants, he could destroy this entire planet with little to no resistance.” I told her.

        “Oh.” She squeaked out.

        “Yeah.”  I sighed, “but thankfully he’s a neutral being.”

        Putz spoke up “I’m officially convinced ye’re insane.”

        I waved a hand in an uncaring manner, “That’s nice.”

        “And of course, ye don’t give a shit.”

        “Now you’re learning!” I grinned.

        He scowled and started reading a book before speaking up. “... Thank ye for taking care of that asshole.”

        I nodded with a sigh, “Not a problem.”

        He put the book down and stood up. “I think I’m going to explore the town a bit, see what the layout is.” He walked towards the door and flipped me off. “Don’t think I’m starting to like ye.” He walked out.

        “I love you too!” I said sarcastically.

        Twilight blinked a couple times before shaking her head. “I just gave tea to the Prince of Darkness...”

        I nodded, “Mmhm. And now I work for him. A vicious cycle, ain’t it?”

        She calmly trotted over to the couch and laid down. “I need a book.” A few large tomes floated over to the table and she started on the largest one titled “Panic Attacks and You”, “I just gave tea to the lord of evil.”... huh? They make books for that?

        I nodded, “Well, I guess I’ll just leave by saying I have my own house now.” I slowly edged my way to the door.

        A few strands of her mane started to spring up. “That’s nice Dean....” YeahIbettergo.

        Before I could go, I felt someone grab my leg. I looked down and it was Spike, “Take me with you...”

        I nodded in understanding, “I’ll just take Spike with me Twilight, so in case you start wondering where he is...” I quickly brought him to my shoulder and slammed the door behind me, “Oh thank god we got out.”

        He nodded. “Yeah, I haven’t seen Twilight that stressed since one of her exams back in canterlot.” He shivered slightly, “the professors were not prepared.”

        I shook my head, a slight shiver of my own going up my spine, “I can imagine.” I turned to him as I begin to walk away, “Anyway, like I told Twilight, I got a house of my own now.”

        Spike ran next to me with a smile. “Really? That‘s pretty cool.”

        I laughed and nodded, “Yeah, it is. But the thing is, I don’t know what’s inside.” I looked at him with a grin, “You up for a little investigating amigo?”

        He shrugged. “I guess, it’s not like I can go back to sleep right now. Especially with Twilight being all...” He rolled his eyes in his head and twirled a claw around his head.

        I snickered, “No kiddin’? With the way you sleep, I’m surprised anything can wake you up.”

        He huffed and crossed his arms. “Hey! Just cause it’s hard to wake me up doesn’t mean I get to sleep easily.”

        I made a ‘pff’ noise, “Yeah, okay. Spike I tried to wake you up for breakfast that one time and it took me getting Pinkie’s megaphone to wake you.” He turned away with a light blush and grumbled something under his breath.

        Laughing again, I looked off to the distance and saw my house sitting on top of a hill, “There it is. Southpaw Manor.” I said with a grin.

        Spike let out a whistle as we got up to the porch. “Wow, you got this place? That’s pretty cool considering what this place used to be.”

        I turned to him, “And what kind of history are we talking?” I ask him as I fiddle with the keys to find the right one.”

        “This place used to be owned by the first mayor ever in Ponyville. It’s like a historical artifact for most of the town.” He furrowed a brow. “Though the tales about the guy are pretty strange. Something about him having a really creepy collection of stuff.”

        My grin grew, “Oooo, even better.” I love creepy stuff. Comes with the job.

        We walked inside and a large cloud of dust flew into our faces. Spike coughed and was trying to wave the dust away. “S-sweet Celestia... I knew this place was old but this is something else.”

"Yeah well, lets get to investigating."

TO BE CONTINUED...