Author's Note

Spent Christmas eve writing these next two & 1/2 chapters.
Yay me.
Took a little bit after to proof read sorry.

NEXT CHAPTER will be the first clop chapter (of Rainbows and Nons fist night ), hope to have that out on the first or before.

Act 10 Much Ado about Non

Leo's mind was wandering as he quickly picked the apples off the trees and filled the basket. Ponies seemed to have fridges, so maybe that would be the first thing he should get. His place had power and he had yet to get a bill for it, so he hoped that was included with his place.

Finishing the fifth wheelbarrow of the day he starts walking back to the farm, hearing the same rustle in the brush that he's been hearing for the past four days since starting work again.

Ignoring it he drops them off with a very displeased Big Mac, before returning to the fields.

Back in Ponyville Spike who was sharing breakfast with Twilight. Was also having an argument with her, one that the two have been having everyday since the Princess's letter.

"You have to tell him today!" Spike pleads with the purple mare, "If you don't I will, and I'll tell him you were stalling."

"I know Spike I just, the last few times I worried it was going to make him mad. I mean I didn't want to make him feel worse after Rainbow Dash yelled at him at the market."

"Yeah, seems Non still has been staying at Roses place after their argument on the train."

"Your right, he is probably going to be mad either way so, best to just rip the band-aid off."

"Definitely a bed first, then a fridge." Leo nodded to himself as his back cracked placing another bucket of apples into the wheelbarrow. Happy with the barrel full, and knowing that mid-day was approaching and he would be done for the day, he decided to go back to the farm a little early.

Back waiting for him that barn was Applejack, just like usual. But Twilight was also there.

Dropping off the buckets, he walked over eyes squinting. "Hey Twilight, what brings you here?" Don't be something to do with me, Don't be something to do with me, Don't be something to do with me.

"There is something I have to talk to you about." She says as Applejack practically forces bits into his hands before trotting off.

"Dammit, what is it? Someone break into my place again?"

"No, its actually. *cough* The Princess are requiring you to be on the group sent to retrieve what you came hear in." She winced ready for his ire, but it didn't come.

"What the boat? Good I was wondering when they would finally ask me about that. That thing is dangerous, if you push or pull the wrong thing. It could send you god knows where."

"Oh, well wonderful! The trip is going to be after hearthswarming." Smiling as she spoke, Spike was right she didn't have anything to worry about!

"Ah okay, so in about a month. How long are we going to be gone?"

"Well it could take a month, or two to properly search the mountain."

"WHAT! A whole month? I can't afford that, what about work!"

There it was, she winced as he raised his voice. "I already got the okay from Applejack, so your covered. No reason to be-"

"Twilight, I can't afford to not get paid for a month. I am this close to getting an actual bed." His fingers pinched with a small amount of space between them, in front of her face. "A trip like that would put me back to square one just buying travel supplies and a coat."

"I am sorry Leo, I'll do what I can to help but you have to go."

"Yeah, I get it, When the Princess's say jump the only response is 'how high?'." He grumbles as he leaves, going on with his to do list for the day. He had gone to great lengths to figure out exactly how much Rarity would have charged for his clothes, and today he would have had enough to pay her back without leaving him broke.

One of the only items he owned was a notebook, and inside was a list of what some ponies had managed to give him before he noticed. Pinkie managed to sneak a frying pan and a bread box into his house without him noticing. She would have gotten away with it to if it wasn't for the curly pink hair stuck in the bread boxes lock.

Then there was Brandywine, that mare had been ruthless, she managed to get blankets in the place along with pillows. That was mostly it, Leo had managed to stop them from doing much more. Every time they managed to slip one by him, he wrote it down, and was going to make sure they were paid back. Starting with Rarity, who he felt he still owed for the clothes she made.

The hard part was how, her friends would end up telling her if he asked for help. He thought about just leaving the money in an unmarked envelope, but that would raise more questions. He managed to save the money, but had no clue how to make things even. So of course, he grumbled as he walked up to the only place he seemed to be getting food from, Branywines cart.

"Well, it seems you somehow found away to be unhappy on this beautiful day." She greets him as he walks up and leans against the cart.

"Apparently I am going to have to leave for a month after the holiday. To go be stuck in some mountain."

"You know, I think that's the first thing I have seen you upset about, that makes sense to be upset about." She says as she places a brown bag with some tomatoes and a few bottles inside. Which was quickly becoming Leo's everyday order.

"That, or your getting jaded like me. Better make it three bottles for tonight, I think I am gunna need it." she giggled in response, but didn't put anymore in the bag.

"You know I won't sell you more then two a day, I told you that after you nearly passed out after cleaning your house." Leo grumbled into the wooden counter of her cart.

Peeling his face off the cart, he started again. "Also, I finally got enough to pay Rarity for the clothes." He takes the notebook out of his pocket. Checking over it again.

"Your still on about that?" She shakes her head. "Don't you ever get tired of beating yourself up? I sure get tired watching you do it."

"Ah, quit teasing and help me think of a way to get her the bits."

"I got a better idea, use the bits to buy yourself an actual bed to sleep on. Or better yet, save it for your trip." She says as she gets another customers order together and they pay her and leave. Shooting Leo questioning glances as the two talked.

"Your probably right, I have enough time to get more bits. The closer it gets to winter the less chance I have to make money at the farm."

Applejack had explained the farm really couldn't use him during the winter months, so he would be with out a job, but some occasional things could be done, and he would have to save up bits for when that happened. So Twilight's trip meant that if he really wanted to have a chance at having enough money to even feed himself he'd probably have to save it all.

"I hate this, so much." Leo slumps onto the ground next to her cart, and chats with her for the next few hours.

Non, stands outside of his house. It has been days since he and Rainbow fought about what he meant at Leo's trial. He cursed the other human under his breath. "If it wasn't for him we wouldn't be having this problem."

Non remembers how Rainbow asked if he meant what he said at the court. Of course he meant it, why wouldn't he want to see his family again?

He walks to his door and stops himself from knocking. It's his home after all, why did he feel like he should knock. It's only been a few days, he opens the door and takes off his shoes. Shortly after the door clicks shut, he can hear her running down the stairs.

She stops three feet away, Non still standing in front of the door. Her expression unreadable as she stares, waiting.

"Hey Dash."

"Hey. Hey? That's how you wanna start this?"

"Sorry, I." He stops mid sentence, why is he apologizing? He did nothing wrong. He begins to say so but stops. He can see the red strain in her eyes, she's really is messed up about something. This wasn't just Dash over reacting to something.

She was scared. He could see it.

"I came to talk to you, we need to talk about this."

"What's there to talk about? You wanna go back to Human World, go on. What's stopping you? You seemed pretty set on it." Her hoarse voice cracked a bit, she tried to stay angry but her emotions were to close to the surface.

"You need me to spell it out? I love you Dash." Non started, walking toward his marefriend.

"Oh, don't think that this is going to be that easy. I heard you that night, I-"

"I was mad!" He said rather loudly, "Since I have been here my family has probably written me off as dead. Can you understand what that feels like? Having to except that, to everyone you cared about you might as well be dead?" He paused as Dash closed her eyes.

"Then you find out, that there might be away to see the again?"

"Then go,it sounds like you'd be-"

"I want to say goodbye to them Dash!" Non shouts again.

She grows silent as her gaze meets his, she allows him to close the distance between them.

"Just to say goodbye, I don't wanna leave you. I miss my family, and if I can visit them, then that would be amazing, but I don't want to leave you Dash."

"Non I." She quickly fly's over and pins him down, nearly strangling him with how hard she's hugging him. "You better not leave me, or I will kick your flank."

"I won't." He quietly whispers to her as he hugs back. "After all we've been through?"

"Oh yeah? Just waht have we been through?" She teases as her hoofs work off the top button of his shirt.

"Need a refresher?" He teased as he let her nuzzle into his chest.

The First Day
"Where? Where did my bed go?" Non turned over, and got onto his feet. Feeling the dirt on his back. Slick wet dew clings to his skin making him shiver. Sitting up and seeing that he has somehow woken up in the middle of a forrest, in nothing but his pajama bottoms.

"If this is a prank I am going to strangle my roommates." He started looking around, trying to see a road or any sign of recent movement.

Coming up empty, he decides to pick a direction and walk. So he does and has no clue as to where he is.

"If I am late for classes I swear, I have put up with their pranks enough. This is dangerous, I mean what could they be thinking." Oh no, have I been out here long enough that I am going crazy? No talking to myself like this is normal. Completely normal.

That's when he heard a rustle in the bushes. And a hushed tone quietly says.
"Stay low and quite, unless you want to be part of this creatures diet."
"He doesn't look so tough, I can take this monkey."

Turning and looking at the bush his brows raise. "I am not a monkey." He says flatly before the two small equine creatures walk out. One a bright blue, the other clearly a zebra.

"It seems lucky we were caught at a in between, and found something truly unseen."

"So, uh." He crossed his arms over his bare chest. "Either I was drugged or, I am not on earth."

"Twilight's gunna freak."

The Thirty Second Day
"Seriously dude? You have no clue how you got here?"

"For the 100th time Dash, I don't." Not feeling to bad about thing seeing as most of the town seemed decent to him, plus he wasn't sick. And Twilight, the local crazy magician had said she'd find away to get him home. Assuming they could.

"Well, Non what are you doing after work today?" She asked while lazily letting her hoofs sway as she laid on a tree branch.

"Non?" He stopped picking apples as he turned and looked up at the mare.

"What? You shortened my name, thought you'd be okay with the nickname. Its waaay easier to say."

Shrugging it off as he continued working "I really didn't have a plan. Probably just pretend to read a book at Twilight's?"

"Pfft, sound lame. How about you come with me to Cloudsdale? There is this new restaurant that serves fish, and little purple dragon told me you eat meat~"

Stopping as he struggles to drag the basket to the wheelbarrow. "You know what? That sounds awesome."

The One Hundredth and Twenty Seventh Day
The main six and Non sit as the train they are in moves toward Canterlot, a box car full of Diamond Dog prisoners.

"So you figured out they were gonna burrow into town because you saw the same diamond dogs in the forests patrolling?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, the same ones." Non nodded confidently, the two dogs in question having been arrested and chained and collared in front if him.

The diamond dog that looked like a pug with a breathing problem spoke first. "That was months ago, and we only saw each other for a minute." The poor dog wheezed out.

"Yeah that's pretty convenient Non, I mean it turned out to be true. How did you remember them?"

"Well if I am being honest, I have been remembering everything really well. Its like if I focus enough, I can recite a whole book after reading it once."

"That's pretty crazy, is this a new thing for you?"

"Pretty much, it was kind of freaking me out to be honest."

The Two Hundredth Day
Music fades as Non grabs Dash and slides into his house panting. The door slams loudly as he locks it shut and tries to collect himself. The mare in his arms squeeing with delight as she tries to nuzzle into his neck.

"Dash what the hell just happened to us? I was just singing in the middle of town about how-"

He was cut off as the mare grabbed his collar and brought her lips to his. Greedily wrapping her hoofs around his neck. Just long enough for her to moan the tiniest bit before pulling back.

"About how much we love each other, I am so happy you feel the same way." She goes in for another kiss but is stopped by Non's fingers.

"H-how, did we just sing out of the blue like that? Is that some magic thing? Is that normal here? Because from how your acting-"

"You don't know what a soul song is?" The mare lessens her physical assault as she back up just a tad. Not letting her grip around his collar lessen.

He shakes his head no, which lets Rainbow know she has to explain. "When two ponies love each other, sometimes their magic makes a song. A love song, and if they share that song." She stops for a moment her eyes getting dreamy again. "It means they are meant to be together, and well." She coughs to clear her throat before continuing. "I feel that way, do you?"

All Non can manage is to silently nod as Dash pins him to the floor. "Good~ otherwise this next part might have been uncomfortable." Her hoof popping the button on his pants.

"Whoa, hold it." He says stopping the mare, I don't think I can do, that, yet."

"That's okay." She says leaning in for more kissing, I can be patient. "We will take it nice and slow."

Present Day

As Leo shambles his way home grumbling. Visiting Pinkie and Brandywine was nice but he was not happy about having to go on some trip to a cold mountain. Loosing his meager saving in the process. It was dark out, the lights the only way for him to see his way. Walking by homes and hearing small snippets of conversations as he passed.

"I really don't know what going through her mind, she used to behave so well."
"Come on love, it won't be that bad."
"Glad we got rid of that old fridge, this new one is much nicer."

Leo stopped, listening to the mare inside continue.

"That old one was so ugly, this modern design is much better." Then what Leo assumed was the husband spoke up. Simply by grunting then saying, "Well glad you like it, it was a bitch to get it in here. Almost as bad as throwing out the old one."

During this Leo couldn't help but sneak closer to their home seeing that next to their garbage cans was a perfectly fine refrigerator. The thing was only about four foot tall, and a bright pink with oddly round doors. The two inside continued, unaware of the human listening.

"Well I love it." The sound of one getting onto a couch and shuffling in place, paper ruffling. Then followed by some whispers Leo couldn't hear, but he had already stopped listening. He was too busy trying to quietly pick up the fridge, which felt pretty light. Coiling the cord around the doors to keep them from opening he manages to silently sneak away with his prize.

Back at home he slid the new appliance into the office, which he renamed his bedroom. Pushing it up against the corner that had a plug, and its motor started quietly, the fans blowing chilly air. He smiled as he moved his eggs and the loose food that had been sitting on his counter into the fridge. Chuckling to himself, humming a song as he filled the bottom racks with the wines he had been hoarding from Brandywine. Perfect