Author's Note

ooga booga, a new chapter

Chapter 25

So Luna was talking crap about him.

Luna, out of everyone.

Toby's mind reeled in confusion as he sat on the floor next to the fireplace. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly, the light flickering in his eyes. He certainly didn't hate Clarity any more. Damn, he didn't even hate her to begin with. So what was up with all the attitude from everyone?? Was he not allowed to feel upset when he was mistreated?

Again, he wasn't mad at Clarity anymore. Whereas the memory of the punch stung a little, she obviously had meant well. He could picture himself beating up a good friend if they attempted suicide right in front of his eyes. The irony behind that made him smirk slightly, knowing full well that those types of things leave lasting damage.

So how did Luna tell everyone? Had she just paraded around town bellowing horrible things about him for everyone else to hear? It didn't seem like her. Not after everything they had been through.

An extremely dark thought crossed his mind. What if she was trying to get revenge? What if everything up until now had been a devious act in order to truly send him into a bind?

What if she wanted him dead...?

His new job started without a hitch. He didn't talk much, and he only focused on his work. It was nice, going to work so early. Not a soul was out in the frosty street, giving him some piece and quiet. There was simply so much work to do, however, and having him around made operating the store much more enjoyable for Minty. He often would attempt to stay at work until dark, despite her best efforts at convincing him to go home earlier. She could tell that the 11 hour days he had been working were taking a toll. Still, Toby couldn't bring himself to tell her about the situation, since it would only add to her stress.

Not only that, but he feared that there was a chance that he would lose his job if they treated him like the other ponies did.

It had been nearly five days since the incident, and Minty had finally put her hoof down and demanded that Toby take the next three days off and rest. He begrudgingly agreed. Now it had began to snow, bringing in February.

Peace was more than well aware of her best friend's uneasiness, but did not press the issue. She made sure to snuggle up to him whenever she sensed a particularly strong emotional disturbance.

Toby sighed. It was the second of three days he had off, and the snow was piling up. He made a point that morning to go get a shovel for the front porch, but Peace cleared the massive drifts in a matter of seconds. Now with nothing to do, he spent most of his time in front of the fire keeping warm.

He heard something land on the floor next to him, and looked down to see an apple next to his leg. Peace, who had dropped it there, nudged him gently and gave a soft coo.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," Toby said with a smile, rolling it back at her. She stamped her foot in protest.

Toby groaned. "I appreciate it, but I don't feel hungry right now. So please don't."

Peace's ears drooped as she gave him a worried look. Toby smiled and patted her on the head, making her relax.

There was a sudden knock on the door that scared Toby out of his moment with Peace. He slowly got to his feet and answered it. To his surprise, it was Fluttershy.

"Toby, how are you?" she asked pleasantly, causing Toby's jaw to go slack. She had a small basket of goods with her.

"I - fine, I guess... what brings you here?" he replied, trying to look awake.

"I, um... brought some treats for you and Peace," she said quietly, looking back up at him. "If you'll take them, that is..."

"I - well, thank you," Toby stammered, taking the basket from her outstretched hoof. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"Oh no, it was no trouble at all!!" she beamed, looking very pleased that he accepted her gift.

After an awkward moment, Toby stepped aside. "Would you like to come inside? I can put on some tea..."

Fluttershy smiled and accepted his invitation. Toby closed the door behind her and hastened to get a kettle over the fire. "All I have is some peppermint, is that alright with you?"

"I like any kind of tea," Fluttershy replied with a smile. Once Toby got the kettle situated, he joined her by the fire. Peace laid next to him and rested her head on his lap. His hand subconsciously drifted over and began petting her.

Fluttershy's smile did not linger, as she soon gave him a serious look. "Toby."

"Er - what?" he asked, feeling uneasy now.

"You haven't been seen for days," she said, frowning slightly. "You seem to be avoiding everypony..."

"Gee, why on earth would I do that?" Toby spat out sarcastically. "It's not as if I'm being thrown around emotionally like a bag of rocks every other week."

"I don't know why they get so defensive," Fluttershy said softly, looking at the floor. "I know what happened, but Clarity also told me everything."

"So - you aren't mad at me?" Toby asked, feeling slightly hopeful.

"I don't have any reason to be upset with you, Toby," she answered sympathetically. "You didn't do anything wrong, but the others seem to have something against you."

"What!?" Toby cried indignantly. "Why??"

"I'm not entirely sure..." she replied shyly, as if she was scared to talk about her friends in such a way. "I think... I think Applejack is already a bit against you because she seems to think that it was all your fault that Rainbow got in trouble after the interrogation. Rarity has always been really against rudeness, but I don't think she understands the situation as much as she thinks she does... actually, none of them do. They don't even - even know what you've had to go through..."

Fluttershy began to cry a little bit. Toby was at a loss for words.

"Y-You need us t-to support you b-but nopony else u-understands," Fluttershy sniffed, attempting to collect herself. "You need help..." she faded into silence, and the two of them spent a long, quiet moment staring at the fire.

"I'll be okay. I'll manage on my own," Toby replied quietly.

Fluttershy looked at him with alarm. "N-No! Toby, y-you can't! Y-You don't deserve to be alone!!"

Toby looked at her in wonder. Here was Fluttershy, undoubtedly the most shy and unintrusive personality he had ever seen, raising her voice and acting up for his sake. He couldn't help but smile as he reached out and hugged her. She seemed surprised at first that he initiated the contact, but accepted gladly.

"I'll be fine, Flutters," Toby said again.

"B-But-"

"You can visit me whenever, right?" Toby pressed. "Life isn't always fair. People like you - they give me hope. Hope that others take away. I need to stop blurring the lines between enemies and friends."

Fluttershy let go with an uneasy look on her face. "Toby, that's not what I-"

"By keeping myself around those who only prove to make my life hell, I'm only hurting myself," Toby sighed. "Almost every single pony I've had to deal with so far has given me an outstanding amount of trouble. Except for a select few. So I'm sort of done dealing with them."

"So you're avoiding us?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Well cripes, Flutters, that's complicated," Toby sighed. "Most of the time yes, but I'm never going to turn away a friend. Take you or Clarity, for example. You guys are probably the ones I trust most."

"Luna too," Fluttershy added, but Toby's expression became dark.

"Don't talk about her," he said coldly, looking away. "I don't even know anymore as far as she's concerned."

Fluttershy hesitated. "Toby, I-"

"Don't talk to me about her!!!!" he snapped, punching a wall. Fluttershy let out a squeak of terror and hid behind her mane while Peace just stared at Toby, dumbfounded.

A very long, tense moment passed.

Finally, Fluttershy broke the silence. "Um... thank you for your hospitality. I'm going to go now. Please take care of yourself."

Before Toby could muster a response she walked out the door, leaving him alone with Peace. The only thing that broke the silence was the howling of the tea kettle, which hadn't even been taken out of the fire yet.

A while earlier, after the spa trip...

Luna was frustrated. Maybe it was a little unfair for her to walk away from Toby like that, but she couldn't take anymore of that atmosphere. Why did Toby have such an extreme mood swing back there? Especially towards someone who cared immensely for him??

She didn't head towards the crystal castle where she was calling her temporary home; rather, she made a beeline for a small tavern on the edge of town. Despite its location and size, it was quite popular among the longtime locals. The beverages there were some of the best Luna had ever tasted, perfect for taking her mind off of things.

It was so unfair, the way Toby treated Clarity back there. In all fairness the punch to the face was unnecessary, but Luna had thought Toby would be much stronger than to blow her off like he did.

"Ah, Prince- er, I mean, Luna!!" the bartender croaked, an elderly stallion with a cream-yellow coat. "What can I do fer ya?"

"Aged Cherry Cider," Luna replied wearily. "Thank you." She took her seat at the end of the bar where it was empty. A very drunk stallion noticed her presence and stumbled over to her.

"Heyy, prrettyy (hic) ladyy," he slurred, nearly falling over before propping himself on the counter. "Cann I buy yoo a drinkk? Maybeee (hic) come to my place laterr?"

Luna shot him a look so cold that made him instantly cower on the spot. It seemed to turn the atmosphere in the bar to solid ice, and suddenly everypony felt very uneasy. She towered over the stallion with an unwavering gaze that ripped through his very soul.

"Scram," she said quietly. "I love someone else. If you so much as touch me I'll see to it that you won't wake up for the next month."

The stallion shuddered and stumbled away as quickly as he could. Luna realized that everypony's eyes were now on her, and buried her face in her hooves on the countertop. The bartender delivered her drink and leaned on the counter.

"You look like you've seen a wendigo," he chuckled. "Need a sounding board?"

Luna glanced up and saw him smiling at her as he began to dry off some of the glass cups. She sighed.

"I don't know what to do about my coltfriend... he's had a very unpleasant life, and even though we have similarities I feel as if we are so different..." she took a deep swig of her cider and smacked her lips. "He hasn't had an easy time ever since he came from - er - out of country."

"You're talking about the creature with you that appeared recently, right?" the bartender asked curiously. "What was it - a 'hooman' or something of the like?"

Luna looked shocked. "How do you know him?"

"It was big news when the ex-princess of the night was seen on a Hearts and Hooves date with him," the old stallion admitted. "His name started with a 'T', I think. Was it 'Tooba'?"

Luna blushed a deep crimson. "That's not the point!!"

"My apologies, lass. Please continue."

"Well... anyways," Luna sighed. "There are ponies like myself who came to care for him immensely. We were helping him heal, and right now he's improved almost completely since then!!"

"So what are you upset about, then?" the bartender asked. Luna took another deep swig of her cider and slammed the empty cup on the counter. A light blush was now cemented on her face, as the effects of the alcohol began to take hold.

"I'm upset because he can be such a spontaneous jerk!!" she shouted, catching the attention of everypony else in the bar once again. "He is so unfair to the ones who love him most! There was a guard who learned that he was alive after he was proclaimed dead, and she traveled all the way from CANTERLOT to see him again!! The poor mare was scared to death! I could tell when she hit him in the street, it was because she was scared - but she didn't do it in a way that made it seem like it was to be mean."

"Sort of like when a loved one does somethin' really stupid, and you slap them for it because you're concerned," the bartender replied with an understanding nod.

"Yes!! Exactly!!" Luna motioned for another refill and he obliged. As soon as she received it she downed half of it in one go. The other ponies in the bar had been hanging on every word she had said so far, and there was now a lot of muttering amongst them. Luna was too tipsy to notice.

"So the mare came and hit him, but she was also excited to see him, right?" Luna continued. "So then (hic) what does Toby do?? HE IGNORED HER and LEFT. He got really touchy and left. It's not the first time he's done it, too! He did it to Twilight and several of her friends at different points! How do you (hic) even deal with that?? He went through this big phase where he wanted nothing to even DO with ponies because he thought we made him miserable!!"

The bartender was too attentive to Luna's venting to notice that his customers began to trickle out, muttering amongst one another.

"The human? I've seen him around. Thinks he's tough or something? Who ignores a mare who is concerned?"

"Sounds like he's a nutcase. We need to let the others know."

"Why would she keep dating him? She needs to dump his flank, for Celestia's sake."

"Well, did you make him miserable?" the bartender asked.

Luna rubbed the counter nervously. "Well... yes. In the beginning we heavily mistreated him because we misunderstood him. I think he secretly holds that against us. I don't blame him for feeling that way, but he should (hic) be honest about it instead of telling everyone he's forgiven them even when he (hic) HASN'T!!"

"Yeah, that sounds like a crappy thing to do," the stallion agreed. "It may be a good idea to tell him about all of this. If you don't, things will probably get worse from here on out."

Luna puffed her cheeks. "I'm just too angry at him (hic) right now, I don't even want to (hic) SEE him right now!!"

"Maybe you could talk to the new princess?" the bartender suggested. "I'll admit it's a bit odd giving advice to a pony who just retired from being one, but they don't call her the "Princess of Friendship" fer nothing. Plus, it should give you some space before going to see him again."

Luna downed the rest of her second helping of cider and sighed loudly. "I (hic) think that is a good (hic) idea, thank you. I shall go (hic) as soon as I can, but I'm not certain of how much space I (hic) need..."

Luna passed out on the countertop. Clearly she was a lightweight, which immensely surprised the bartender. Apparently being an alicorn had no influence on your tolerance for alcohol.

"That human is scum, did you hear what the princess said?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here. I don't want my fillies having anything to do with that rude monkey. I'll let my wife know."

The bartender finally realized that the bar was empty, noticing the cutting words of the ponies that had just left. It wasn't hard to deduce that the other customers that had left felt the same way.

"Oh dear... Toby, wherever you are - stay strong, I have a bad feeling about this..." his eyes drifted down to Luna's unconscious form. With great effort he moved her onto a couch next to the wall and draped a blanket over her. Before he left for his own room, he muttered, "You poor soul, you have no idea how hard you have made things for yourself now. I hope you can find a way to fix this..."