The Shadowy Dreamer

Chapters

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven

Chapter One

The Shadowy Dreamer

Chapter One

Sunlight shined just over the mountain tops surrounding Ponyville as the sun rose higher into the sky, bathing the quiet town in an orange glow. By the time the sun peeked over the peak of the mountains, the entire town was bathed in the warm rays. Bright beams of light crept through windows, waking ponies and letting them know to start their day. Not everypony could see the light from where they slept, and thus continued to snooze the day away.

A dark blue pegasus colt snoozed soundly in an alley, ears completely oblivious to the hustle and bustle of busy ponies scurrying about town on their morning regiments. An old newspaper was draped over the tiny foal's back, tears and holes noticeable throughout its pages. It provided little warmth, especially on a chilly spring morning like this one. It didn't bother him though, he had long ago grown used to the discomfort.

A warm sensation suddenly shocked the pegasus awake. He drowsily pried open his eyelids, revealing two soft, green eyes that made themselves busy scanning the immediate area. He looked up to see the sun was now directly overhead, shining straight into the alleyway. He had slept straight into the afternoon. Not that he minded it all too much; it wasn't like there wasn't anywhere important he needed to be.

He struggled to push his legs up from the cobblestone pathway he slept on every night. His legs wobbled as he strained himself to rise. The pegasus hadn't eaten much in the past few days, and suffered poorly for it with a sever lack of energy. He eventually brought himself steadily to his feet, and let out a long yawn as his mind brought him fully into consciousness. Feeling rigid from the routinely uncomfortable sleep, the foal stretched his tiny limbs every which way, hearing various pops and cracks with each movement.

Ah. That feels much better. He thought to himself. After adjusting to the sunlight, he stepped out from the alley and looked around. Ponies everywhere were trotting about, each with a cheery grin plastered on their faces. It always bothered him seeing everypony so cheery. Why wouldn't they be in a good mood? They wake up to a nice, warm bed every morning. I would like to see anypony try sleeping on the ground outside.

Those bitter thoughts were all that permeated his mind whenever he woke up. It ain't fair. Life ain't fair. Having managed to once again depress himself so shortly after waking up, he went about his usual routine. That routine however, happened to be of a nature frowned upon by just about everypony who caught him doing it. Stealing.

Hmm. Sugarcube Corner. I think i'll treat myself today. The pegasus was no stranger to nabbing the many confections concocted by Ponyville's local bakery; he was more than familiar with how to maneuver around the sweet's shop undetected. He slunk through the back door, and found his nose suddenly bombarded by the sweet smell of baked goods emanating from a nearby oven.

Darting his eyes around the room, checking to make sure nopony was in sight while he is committing his dirty deed. All clear. Content that he no longer had to worry about maintaining the stealthy facade, he happily trotted up to the counter and spotting a large box with a red bow wrapped over top of it. That could mean only one thing. He thought aloud to nopony.

He jumped up onto the counter and lifted the lid of the box, revealing a dozen cupcakes covered in pink frosting, and laced with sprinkles. Happy with his discovered bounty, he shut the box and clenched it between his teeth, galloping quickly towards the exit, lest he be caught in the act. It would prove pointless however, as he was met with a familiar voice as he neared the exit.

"And what do you think you're doing with those!"

Stopping in his tracks, he turned around to see Mrs.Cake, brandishing a rolling pin in her mouth, a looked of unbridled rage toward the little thief who was making off with her bread and butter. Dropping the box of cupcakes, he darted towards the exit and continued to weave through ponies through the streets with Mrs.Cake in hot pursuit, intent on giving the nabbing varmit a piece of her mind.

Today would prove to be his lucky day, though, as he was able to duck through an alleyway undetected by the aggrivated mare. Trying to hold back heavy pants from the lengthy chase, he listened to the clopping of hooves around him. Eventually, all sound disappeared, signalling that it was okay for him to collapse into a heap on the ground, gasping for breath from the adrenaline-fueled escape from the enraged confectionist.

Jeez, it's just cupcakes. That is one mare that needs to learn to take it easy was the only thought he could focus on. It wasn't like he wanted to steal, but he couldn't not eat. Unfortunately, it didn't look like he was going to get anything from that bakery for a while. Luckily, he always had a backup plan. It just took a bit of a walk is all.

After peering out from the corner of a building to ensure he wasn't about to be ambushed by a certain Sweets Shop owner, he began to trot off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. He liked that place. The orchard was too large for him to get caught snagging a few apples, and it was easy to get away throught the think undergrowth if need be. Not that he ever needed to, of course. He was way too cunning and stealthy to let that happen.

Well, almost. He had gotten caught once. He remembered it very well; an orange earth pony came bursting from a barn, galloping after him shouting profanities against him as she chased the pegasus through the orchard. He got away thought. I always get away. He didn't know why he was proud of that, but it was at least something to be proud of. Perhaps stealing was his special talent. That would be rather akward to explain, he thought.

He had long since learned not to pick apples so close to the Apple family's barn, so as the orchard came into view, he hopped over a fence and went trotting deep into the trees so as not to be spotted. Satisfied that he had avoided detection once again, he slowed his pace and looked around at the apple trees, trying to locate the perfect apple to wet his appetite. It proved not to take long, as he soon spotted a lucious, juicy, ripe apple dangling loosely from a branch.

He hastily climbed up each branch of the tree, not wanting to waste any time in retrieving his meal. His stomach had been growling for some time now, demanding to be satisfied. Once he had managed to climb high enough to reach it, he leapt at the apple, grabbing it with his teeth before plummeting back to the ground, wherein he tucked into himself and rolled across the grass, unharmed by the fall.

Apple still clenched in his teeth, he got back to his feet and began enjoying the spoils of his labor. He really did know how to pick 'em; the apple was just as succulent as he had hoped. The hardships of his days melted from his mind as he took in the blissful feel of the sweet fruit caressing his taste buds. The feeling was so relaxing, he took to leaning against the tree he had recently explored to claim his prize.

After having finished the apple, he decided he would take a quick nap underneath the tree. The shade provided by the tree tops was so nice, the foal took to resting his eyes. The grass was so much softer than the cold cobblestone streets he was accustomed to. It was so much better in fact, somepony might even fall asleep from such a relaxing feeling. Not him though. He needed to keep his guard up, wouldn't want to get caught napping on somepony else's property...

Thump.

The loud sound of hooves stomping into dirt was all that met the tiny pegasus' ears as he woke. The realization that he had fallen asleep caused his eyes to shoot wide open, immediately scanning through the thick orchard for anypony. He was surprised to notice that he was moving. Not only that, be he wasn't even touching the ground. That was when the panic set in.

He could feel the breath of somepony behind him against his coat. In fact, he could feel teeth clenched on his coat in the same spot. He was being kidnapped! He struggled and wriggled to no avail, the captor's grasp was too tight for him to break free. "Let me go right now! Or else! I'm warning you!" He tried threats in an attempt to hide the sheer terror in his voice. This is bad. Real bad.

He couldn't turn around to see the face of the pony who had grabbed him, so he simply stared in the direction the were headed, letting his mind play out horrible scenarios as to what would happen to him. Eventually the familiar sight of the big red Apple Family barn came into view, and he suddenly felt another tinge of panic wash over him as he realized exactly who it was he was being held by.

He saw an orange hoof reach out in front of him and push open the door to the barn, both of them entering the room, though one of them didn't really have a say in the matter. Yup. I'm doomed. The words repeated in his mind. Doomed. Doomed. Doomed. The barn door was locked shut, and the pegasus' heart jumped, and began beating faster and faster. The teeth that had began leaving a mark, along with a lot of saliva, on his coat released him and let him drop to the floor.

Stumbling back onto his hooves, he turned to see a set of angry green eyes locked on him. He felt a lump rise in his throat, blocking out his attempts to speak. All he could let out was a barely audible squeak that did little to deter the earth pony's probing eyes. The silence was the worst part. It was deafening, and felt like it had been going on for an eternity before the orange mare spoke.

"Well look what we got here. 'Nother thieving varmint tryin'a sample sum'a mah family's livelihood. I knew you'd be back. Ain't no pony can resist the taste ah Apple Family apples." He didn't reply. He was still trying to find his voice still stuck inside his throat. His mind was desperately telling him to run, but his legs remained locked in position.

The earth pony's stare only got more and more unbearable with each passing second, be he couldn't tear his eyes away from their gaze. It was almost like they were staring into his soul, probing the deep recesses of his mind for untold secrets.

"Well? Ain't ya got nothin' to say fer yerself?"

The words suddenly pulled him out from his stupor. "I- uh, well..."

Nevermind. He couldn't even formulate a proper sentence, instead opting to descend into incomprehensible ramblings and gibberish. It had at least managed to change the mare's expression from that of rage, to complete confusion at the sight of the gibbering pegasus foal before her. That was at least enough to put his mind at some ease; but standing there saying a whole lot of nothing wasn't getting him anywhere.

"Well, what am I gonna do with you? I catch you snoozing after invading my property and trying to steal mah food again... I think you're in for quite a punishment, little mister."

Yep. Doomed. The thought was much louder now, almost enough to completely drown out the words of the pony speaking to him.

"Where're yer parents, kid?"

Hearing that snapped the foal back to reality. He quickly looked away from the earth pony, trying to hide the solemn expression on his face.

"What'sa matter? All I said was- Oh."

The foal turned his gaze back to the orange mare and their eyes met. She now wore a sad look mirroring his own. He could've sworn he heard the pony curse under her breath.

"Look, if'n you promise not to go running through mah family's orchard no more," The mare's face turned back to a stern expression as she spoke. "Then I 'spose it wouldn't hurt tah let ya sleep out here 'n the barn tonight."

His face lit up at the offer. He immediately took to diving into a pile of hay, making quick work of fastening it into a makeshift bed for himself as he settled himself in.

"But-"

He looked back to the pony who was still glaring daggers at him as she spoke.

"Don't you go making me regret this. Now g'night." She exited the barn, but not without making a menacing glance towards him.

Wow. Everything went a lot better than I expected. I guess I'm not doomed after all. He let the sweet scent of the night air fill his nose. Life seemed pretty good, at least for the time being. 'That mare is either the nicest pony I ever met, or the dumbest.'

Chapter Two

The sun hung high in the sky, the landscape below it bathing its warm glow. The Apple family had long ago risen from their sleep to begin their daily work routine, tending to crops and harvesting fruit. One pony residing on the Apple Family's property had yet to rise; he had always been accustomed to sleeping his days away. He slept soundly inside the barn, letting the sun warm his coat as he slumbered.

Applejack made sure to check on the tiny foal before beginning her day's chores. She had planned on waking him up and having a nice little chat with him about the dangers of stealing, and how it was wrong to take what didn't belong to him, but when she stepped into the barn, she felt a little tug on her heart as she gazed at the tiny pegasus, curled up in a stack of having, the slightest smile across his face as he slept. She would deal with him later, he was just to adorable to wake up.

He was in a feeling of utter bliss as he slowed ascended to consciousness again. Hold on a second. Something doesn't feel right. I feel way too comfortable. His eyes shot open, his gaze meeting the red painted wooden planks that made up the barn. Suddenly the memories of the night prior came flooding back to him. What in Equestria was I thinking! I can't stay here! That mare is gonna kill me! His eyes shifted towards the barn door. He began to slowly rise from his makeshift bed, letting out a barely audible yawn as he did.

As much as it pained him to walk away from the best sleep he had in years, he couldn't just sitting around waiting for a certain earth pony to deal with him. He poked his head through the barn door, leaving it only wide enough for him to survey his surroundings. There wasn't anypony in sight. He could make a quick getaway without alerting anypony. Then again... When would he have another opportunity like this? He was, for the time being, a welcomed guest after all.

He could skulk around the house, looking for anything he could use, and if he got caught looking around, then they couldn't assume him of anything. He was invited to stay here, after all. Still though, better to play it safe. He exited the barn, taking another look around to make sure he hadn't missed somepony that could have been behind a tree or some such. The young pegasus wasted no time in trotting over to the Apple home. He tried pushing open the door, only to find it wouldn't budge. Rats. It's Locked!

His eyes glanced this way and that, trying to find an alternate route inside. Aha! That should do! He spotted an open window, trotting over to it. It wasn't all that high up. He could make it. All he needed was a running start. And so the blue foal took a few steps back, before charging straight at the window, leaping into the air, arms and legs flailing as he came careening through the air. His forelegs landed above the edge of the window, while the rest of him slammed directly into the wooden paneling of the house. Still though, he had a grasp on the window.

After pulling himself up onto the windowsill, he took a look around the inside of the home he would spend the next few minutes perusing. They didn't seem to have a whole lot themselves. From the looks of things, they all seemed quite content in making do with what they had. Everything had a cozy, country-style feel to it. It reminded him a lot of- No! Bad thought! Shaking his head to try and refocus on the task at hand, he dropped from the window, wincing as he made contact with the floorboards, which let out a loud squeak. Heart racing, he stood as still as he could, expecting somepony to have heard him and come running into the room at any moment.

But, no one did. In fact, the entire house was dead silent. They all must be out in the orchard right now. Perfect. Content that he wouldn't have to be so careful in his movements. He began to explore every room of the household,searching for anything of value he could swipe. For the most part, the house was devoid of any kind of items of monetary value. Before long though, he spotted a small bag on a night stand. he had wandered into somepony's room, that much he at least understood. It mattered not to him who's it was, he wasn't here to get to know these ponies.

Hopping up to the top, he picked up the bag in his hooves and gave it a quick shake. In doing so, his act was met with the sound of metal clanking together. Aha! A bag of bits! Just what I like to hear. Satisfied with his discovered bounty, he grabbed it in his teeth and turned to dismount from the night stand. Something caught his eye though, and he shirked his head to see a framed picture. There were four ponies standing together, all of them with a big grin on their face. There was an elderly green mare, a large red stallion, a little yellow filly with a pink bow in her hair, and- the orange mare he had encountered earlier.

He stood there looking at the picture for a moment. It was quite a heartwarming sight, really. A happy family. Together, loving one another. The foal shook his head away from the warm thoughts. She has family. She won't miss a few measly bits. He hopped down from the night stand, and made his way down the stairs, back to the same window he had entered from. Climbing back onto the windowsill, he took a moment to enjoy his effortless triumph, looking out at the rolling green hills that stretched outward for who knows how long. He had made a clean getaway, and nopony got hurt. Well, not yet anyway.

"Who're you?"

The voice startled him. He hadn't heard anypony walk in, and he could already feel the nervous sweat beginning to form around his forehead. He turned to see the little yellow filly from the picture, staring at him from below, a wide eyed and innocent look of curiosity.

"I- I, um- Well you see-"

Words were never his strong suit. He took to his backup plan. Running. He quickly leaped from the window and began dashing back towards Ponyville. His heart was racing; he never really cared for the thrill of thievery. He preferred it when the deed went unnoticed. He was less likely to get caught that way. Once the tall red house was out of view, the pegasus foal slowed his pace, letting himself catch his breath. He had made his getaway, and now he was ready to reap the benefits.

The foal wandered through the town, gazing at various shops and stands where he could spend his bits. He stopped, however, as he passed by the local schoolyard. On the other side of the chain link fence were little fillies and colts, all laughing and playing. He stood there for a few moments, bag of bits still clenched between his teeth, watching all the little foals enjoy themselves.

He was beginning to smile as he watched them, until he saw that some of them had noticed his staring. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but there was pointing, laughing, and whispering between the group of unknown foals. They all shot him wicked grins, fueling a rage inside the pegasus.

"You got something to say to me!"

The burning anger in his voice was evident, the group of foals jumping back as he pounded a hoof against the fence. He could feel the burning in his eyes from the glare he was giving them. Suddenly he noticed that everypony seemed to have stopped what they were doing, each of them now staring at him. He couldn't bear to look at all the bewildered and scared faces he saw. He grabbed the bag of bits in his mouth again and ran off. he didn't pay attention to where he was headed. He just wanted to get away from the awful voices of ponies laughing at him.

After a long walk through town, he had forgotten all about the school ponies and continued searching for an appropriate use for his bag of bits, which jingled with each step he took. Stupid ponies. They're all stuck in school. Sure glad I don't have to be there, wasting my time learning, or- or making friends! That is just dumb. I don't need anypony! Okay, so maybe he hadn't completely gotten over it. But he was still feeling a lot better than he had at the time.

Trying to refocus on perusing shops, he had shut his eyes to clear his thoughts for a moment, and as a result crashed right into somepony. Quickly realizing what had just happened, his eyes darting around, looking for the bag that had been knocked from his mouth, completely ignoring the pony he just ran into.

"Well hiya! Sorry about that! I should really watch where i'm going! You're okay, right?"

Having already retrieved the bag, he looked up to see a pink earth pony looking down at him, an enormous smile looking upon him.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about it." He said flatly. He didn't like conversing with anypony. It was just another distraction. Rather than waiting for a reply, he started to trot past the bubbly pony, who was bouncing on the spot, still grinning ear to ear.

""Okie dokie lokie! Say, wanna cupcake?"

The blue pegasus stopped. He never could turn down free food. He stepped back in front of the earth pony, wherein she pulled a cupcake seemingly from out of nowhere.

"How did you-"

His sentence was cut short though, as the confection was being shoved in his mouth by the cheery earth pony.

"It's good right?! I made them myself!"

He had to admit, it was a very tasty cupcake. It made him wonder about what the cupcake he had tried to grab yesterday would have been as good.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! You should come by Sugarcube Corner! I would loooove to have somepony help me make more cupcakes!"

The name of that accursed bakery caused him to spew the remains of the cupcake from his mouth.

"Um, no thanks. I have somewhere I have to be." Phew. Dodged a bullet there.

"Aaaaaw." The pink mare's smiled disappeared momentarily, but sprung back onto her face as fast as it had disappeared. "Oh well! Some other time then!" The pink mare said cheerily as she bounced down the street.

"Wow, that is a strange pony." He muttered under his breath, glad that he was able to get back to his task at hand. He was at least glad he could now cross 'food' off the list of things to buy. As easy as it was to just take things, he always felt a sense of pride in knowing he had paid for what he bought, even if it was with somepony else's money. He continued down the street, before turning a corner and bumping into another pony.

"Hey! Watch where you're- Well, well, well. Look what we have here."

The pegasus foal knew that voice all too well. He didn't even have to look at him, instead opting to keep his eyes on the cobblestone street below.

"Hello, Baritone." His voice carried no emotion. This was not a pony he liked seeing. Especially not at a time like this.

"C'mon now, can't you at least pretend to be excited to see me, runt?"

He could already guess what was coming next. No point in fighting it, he had down that before, and it had taken weeks for the bruises to heal. The blue foal dropped the bag of bits from his mouth, and looked up to meet the eyes of a grey earth stallion, much older than himself, with an even darker grey mane, and bright orange eyes glaring down at him. An evil grin had formed on the stallion's face.

"You know what day today is, don't you?"

He let out a heavy sigh before responding.

"Payday." He hated that word. Having to scrounge around for food was bad enough without having to waste his time stealing bits for Baritone.

"That's right! So these must be for me." Baritone grabbed the bag of bits in his hooves and shook it. "Really? This is all you got this week? You're holding out on me again, aren't you?"

The stallion began to advance on the little foal. Oh no. I hate when this happens. Think fast, dangit! The pegasus had started backing away slowly.

"No no no! I swear, this is all i've got!"

Still the stallion persisted in walking towards the helpless foal. He knew what was coming next. Baritone wouldn't listen, but the blue pony wasn't going to be a punching bag today. He darted towards the nearest alleyway, hearing a shout of "get back here, runt!" from behind. He could hear the hooves of Baritone slowly gaining on him as they both weaved between alleyways and in between ponies in the streets. But Baritone was faster than he was, they both knew that. The foal needed somewhere to hide, and quickly.

That was when he spotted the open doors of Ponyville's library.

Chapter Three

Applebloom tried to make sense of what she had just seen. Who in Equestria was that? What was that he had in his teeth? Brushing off the thoughts of the scene that just transpired, she headed out into the orchard. She immediately spotted Applejack, busy as always bucking the apples off a tree, sweat dripping down her face from the strained effort of continuing the kicking routine for hours.

"Hiya, sis!" Applebloom looked up at her big sister, a huge grin on her face.

Applejack was taken aback at this. Her face wore a puzzled expression as she spoke.

"Applebloom! What in tarnation 're ya doin' here? Shouldn't you be at school right now?" Applejack's eyes narrowed at the little filly before her.

Applebloom's expression had taken a sudden shift from happy to scared as she looked at the menacing glare of her sister.

"Well ya see-" Applebloom sighed. No point lying. She was terrible at it anyways. "Miss Cheerilee sent me home cuz ah got in a fight with Diamond Tiara again."

Her head dropped to the ground as she finished. She didn't want to see the inevitable look of disappointment on her Applejack's face. She could hear the short groan Applejack had let out, though.

"Now what've ah told you 'bout fightin'!? Ain't never solve nopony's problems by fightin'." Applejack saw a lot of herself in her little sister. She would get in trouble doing the exact same thing when she was a filly. Same lecture afterwards too. She never thought she'd be the one giving that lecture at the time, though. She would always have to hear some long story from her parents about- Woah there brain. Let's not go thinking about that, there. Focus. She snapped out of her thoughts. Applebloom's eyes were still glued to the ground.

Applejack let out a sigh, then lowered her head to her little sister's eye level.

"Sorry 'bout that. Didn't mean ta yell. Just don't go doin' it again, kay?"

Applebloom's head lifted from the ground to meet her sister's gaze. "Okay, sis. Thanks." A smile found its way onto both ponies faces, and they shared a quick hug.

"Oh, there was something I wanted to ask you, sis. Who was that in the house a few minutes ago?"

Applejack didn't respond right away. Her mind was busy processing the question.

"Uh, pardon?" Applejack's heart rate picked up. She was hoping she was just being paranoid. Ah'm sure it ain't what i'm thinkin'.

Applebloom continued, "Yeah, there was a little pegasus colt inside. He had a little bag in his mouth, too. I asked him who he was but-"

Applebloom never got an answer to her unfinished question. Applejack was already galloping towards the house. Her eyes were wide. Why that little- If ah ever get mah hands on him ah'll... ah'll... Well I don' right know what i'm gonna do, but he's gonna be sorry, you just watch! She pushed open the door and galloped into her room. Inspecting the night stand, she found something was missing. The bag of bits from yesterday's cart stand sales were missing. "Aw, horseapples."

The little foal galloped towards the library's doors as fast as his legs would carry him. Once inside, he slammed the door shut, before collapsing into a heap onto the library floor. He hoped to Celestia he hadn't been seen. Panting heavily, he barely picked up the sound of a voice.

"Um, can I help you?"

His eyes shot up. In front of him was a purple unicorn mare, giving him a quizzical expression. She obviously was rather confused by the sudden intrusion. Is it an intrusion? This is a public library, after all. Isn't it? His thought was cut short as he felt himself being brought back to his feet by magic.

"Haha. Uh, thanks." His face shied away as he spoke. He really hadn't planned this far ahead.

There was a long pause between the two for a few minutes, both of them just standing there, waiting for the other to speak. Eventually, the unicorn decided to speak.

"Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle. Did you come here looking for a book?"

He was still collecting his thoughts, so he just gave her a blank stare for a few more moments.

"Hello? Are you listening?"

Oh right! Say something, idiot! "Uh, yeah. Sure! A book!"

Of course he didn't need a book. Not unless the book was about how to hide from ponies. But he really just needed a distraction to calm his nerves at the moment. He trotted over to one of the bookcases, pretending to search through titles for something interesting. Suddenly the front door of the library bursted open and the foal, assuming the worst, froze up and shrank up into a tiny ball.

"Rainbow! What have I told you about knocking!"

The blue foal looked up. His eyes met the sight of the unicorn giving an angered glare at a rainbow maned Wow you don't see that often cyan pegasus.

"Yeah, yeah. Look, Twi, is it here yet?" The pegasus mare's face held an expression of hopeful excitement. Was she expecting some kind of package? Wasn't that what the post office is for?

Twilight let out a long groan. "Rainbow, you do realize ponies don't just deliver books here, right? Busting in here like this everyday for the past week yelling 'do you have it' isn't helping. If there is a book you want, I can have it ordered and delivered here."

"Hehe. Sorry. It's just that Spitfire just released a book on advanced aerial maneuvers and I just gotta to have it!"

At the mention of that name, the foal jumped to his hooves again, running over to the other pegasus, a grin on his face matching hers.

"You're a fan of the Wonderbolts too!?" As he didn't talk to many ponies, the idea of chatting with another fan always excited him.

The sound of the young voice startled the rainbow maned pony. Her head started moving around in each direction, attempting to locate the origin of the voice. She eventually noticed that blue colt beside her, grinning ear to ear at her.

"Heck yeah I am! Not to mention i'm a shoo-in to be the newest member!" She beamed with pride as she spoke, puffing out her chest.

"Woooooah. That's awesome!" He began bouncing up and down with giddy excitement. He knew he looked silly, but was in too elated of a mood to care.

"Hey, settle down there." The cyan mare put a hoof down on his shoulder, ceasing his excessive jumping. "Say, I was about to go out and try some new moves. Wanna come watch?" She watched his eyes go wide as she finished speaking.

This has got to be the coolest pony ever! "Sure!" He resumed his joyous hopping, merrily bouncing out of the library. He looked back, seeing the two older ponies were still having a conversation. "C'mon! Let's go! I've got to see this!"

"Looks like you've made a new friend, Dash." Twilight said, followed by a quick chuckle.

Rainbow. Dash. Dash Rainbow? No, that sounds stupid. Rainbow Dash? Yeah, that's got to be it.

After a wait that seemed to drag on forever, Rainbow Dash finally left the library, her newest fan following in hot pursuit. He followed her far out from Ponyville, out onto a huge, open grassy field. Once there, he laid on the grass, getting lost in the relaxing feel of the breeze blowing through his mane as he watched Rainbow Dash soar through the sky. That is so cool. I can't wait until my wings are big enough to fly.

He spent what felt like hours cheering on the flying pegasus is she performed loops, spins and flips through throughout the afternoon. It really was the most fun he had remembered having in a long time.

"Woohoo! Go Rainbow Dash!"

Wait a minute. That wasn't his voice. Where was that coming from? He turned to the left to see a little orange filly sitting right next to him, screaming the cyan pegasus' name. Is she wearing a rainbow wig? Having caught him looking at her, she turned to face him, grinning.

"Hey! So you came to see Rainbow practice? Me too! I'm her biggest fan! Oh, I know! You should join the Rainbow Dash fan club! It's awesome!" The filly's voice was filled with adrenaline.

He wasn't really sure what to make of this pony's attitude towards him. He really wasn't used to this kind of company. Usually ponies went out of their way not to talk to him.

"Uh, I think i'll pass on the fan club. She is a pretty great flyer though."

The two spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the flight show. Despite everything that had happened today, he was having a good time. It really seemed like today was his lucky day. That feeling wasn't going to last much longer, though.

Applejack burst through the library door, panting and sweating. Twilight looked over to the farm pony with an unnerved, irritating stare.

"Nopony seems to know how to knock today, do they?" She made no attempt to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

"Mighty sorry, Twilight. But ah need yer help trackin' down somepony." She sputtered out between gasping for air.

"Sure thing, Applejack. So who is it you're trying to find?"

Rainbow Dash had finished her little routine, and was now just letting herself soak in the praise from her little admirers. Mostly Scootaloo, of course. The blue pegasus foal opted to just stare at the cyan mare, eyes glistening with envy at her incredible flight skills. Nothing could ruin this moment. Well, almost nothing.

"Gotcha!"

He found himself suddenly pulled under somepony's foreleg, and was being carried away. Orange coat? Oh no. No no no. Not now. Please, Celestia, why!?

"Woah Applejack, what're you doing, stealing my fans away from me?"

Uh oh. That was Dash's voice. This was about to get really awkward.

"Rainbow, this ain't no fan ya wanna have. This here thievin' varmint stole mah bits! Now cough 'em up 'fore I make ya!"

The rage in the farm pony's eyes was terrifying. If he had the bits, he would have already handed them over and be mumbling out an apology. Unfortunately, all he could do was sit there shaking, letting horrible scenarios play out in his head as to what was going to happen.

Applejack put him back onto the ground. He was too terrified to run away though.

"I'm s-sorry... I... I don't-" He couldn't even manage to stammer out his sentence. he didn't want to see the reaction he would get when he told her he didn't have the bits.

"Out with it, you! Ah can't believe ah trusted ya, ya low down little-"

Those words cut deep. He had heard ponies say things like this to him time and again, and it never got any less painful to hear. He could feel the tears beginning to well up in his eyes, but he blinked them back. Wouldn't be any good for them to see you cry, now. He looked up to see Rainbow Dash's face, a hurt expression across it.

"Is that true?" He could hear the disappointment in Dash's voice as she said it. Hearing it made his skin crawl.

"I'm so sorry. But I don't have the bits anymore. You see-"

He was cut off when Applejack picked him up and began shaking the terrified foal.

"Nah you listen here. Ah work mah flank off every day tah make these bits, and ah'll be damned if'n i'm about to let some no good thief swindle me outta them! Now I said hand it over!"

He was afraid of this. This was usually the part where things got violent. It seemed he still had some luck on his side today, though.

"AJ, calm down!" Rainbow's voice was stern, her eyes locked with Applejack's. Applejack slowly lowered the pegasus back to the ground.

"Alright, now how about we let him explain himself." Rainbow looked down at him, the same pained expression on her face as before. He couldn't bear looking at it. "I'm sure he has a good reason." There was a bitter anger in her voice as she spoke.

He cleared his throat, which had, up until now, felt quite closed off, and began to stammer through an explanation.

"So after I left the farm, I"...

Chapter Four

A long silence. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife. Or at least that was how it felt to the little pegasus foal who had just finished his tale. A knot sat in his stomach as he waited patiently awaited a response from Applejack. But the response never seemed to come. Everypony just stood there, staring at him with somber expressions. Somepony, anypony, say something! He screamed inside his own mind. The silence was killing him. Just the constant waiting, expecting the bombardment of cruel words and scolding. Eventually, the quiet was broken.

"Well now, that certainly was an, uh, interesting story ya got there." Applejack's voice was surprisingly calm as she spoke. No doubt she was trying to hold back a lot of anger.

His face perked up at the voice, his eyes meeting the earth pony's. Yep. She's still mad. The scowl the orange mare had been giving him was still there. Great. Here comes yelling. I can just feel it.

"But it don't excuse what ya did." The farm pony's voice didn't seem to match with what she was saying. Her words were softly spoken, almost the way a mother would speak to her child. The words may not have been angry, but then certainly hurt all the same. The foal glanced over to Rainbow Dash, who quickly turned her head away, avoiding looking directly at him. Scootaloo did the same. The sight only made the weight in his stomach heavier. He had effectively made and lost his only friends in the same day. Perfect. Just perfect. He cursed in his mind.

"However, ah ain't heartless. Ah can see why ya did it." He looked back to Applejack. The scowling face was gone, replaced by a soft, soothing smile. For a moment, he felt a twinge of hope that he may yet make it out of his predicament unscathed. That hope was quickly washed away as Applejack continued to speak.

"Tell ya what, ah'll make ya a deal. You do work around the farm fer a while, an' maybe we can put this whole ugly mess behind us? Whaddya say?" She held out a hoof in front him, wherein he promptly returned the gesture with a hoof shake.

"Now don't you go making me regret it this time. Ah ain't givin' you no more chances." Applejack let out a hardy chuckle. The two shared a smile between each other.

He glanced back over To Dash and Scootaloo, and his heart dropped in his chest. They were already gone. Applejack seemed to have just taken note of this as well, and quickly wrapped her arm around the foal.

"Now c'mon. Let's get ya back to the farm." Applejack added cheerily, smiling down upon the tiny pegasus.

He looked around. Not a sign of the cyan or orange pegasus to be seen. Maybe they had somewhere they needed to be? That thought was a little too optimistic for his liking. No, they were ashamed to be around him, so they left. Yeah, that fit better in his mind. What do I care, anyways? It's not like I need them. They don't know me. The bitter thought left him grimly satisfied. He didn't need anypony. He glanced up at the mare walking alongside him. Okay, maybe not anypony.

The walk felt longer than it should have, neither pony speaking a word to one another until they had arrived through the gate of Sweet Apple Acres.

"I'd give ya a tour of the place, but ah'm thinkin' ya already done that yerself." Applejack gave the pegasus a faint smirk.

He shrunk back at the comment. Relax now, she's only kidding with you. Isn't she?

The farm pony, recognizing the guilt on the foal's face, instantly changed her smirk to a heartwarming smile.

"Ah'm only kiddin' with ya. Now c'mon, yer gonna come help mah sister pick up the rotten apples."

The prospect didn't sound too attractive to him, but shrugged it off with a thought. It could be worse. Applejack pointed him in the direction of a little yellow speck off in the distance. He blindly obeyed, and began trotting off across the orchard. The short trip however, gave him some time to think. You could just bolt it, you know. Nopony's looking. He didn't argue with the notion. Something though, was keeping him on track towards the little yellow filly that was now coming into focus.

Come on. Just run. You know you want to. The voice in his head was right, he did want to run. Far, far away. His feet on the other hand, seemed not to stray an inch from his target. You're running out of time here! Too late. He was now standing in front of the pony now identified to him as Applebloom. Wait a minute. This pony seems familiar... Uh oh.

"Uh, can ah help- Hey! I recognize you!" The filly jumped with curious excitement. He could tell she must be brimming with questions for him. Their earlier encounter had certainly been interesting to say the least. He stood there for a few moments. He didn't really know what to say. Should he just start picking up apples? Looking around, there certainly were a lot of them littering the ground around him.

"What were ya doin' in mah house earlier?" Applebloom asked with wide eyes. It was actually kind of cute. Woah, where did that thought come from?

"I, uh, came here to help." He put on a big, fake grin. Hopefully he could leave out as much of the details as he could.

"That doesn't really answer mah question." The yellow filly raised an eyebrow.

Shoot. He really wasn't listening to the question she was asking in the first place. He was just stammering out an answer. Her probing eyes weren't exactly helping him concentrate.

"Hehe. Sorry. I was... um-" Come on! Think of something! It's not like it's the first time you've had to lie to somepony! "I was fetching something that, um, Rainbow Dash left here! Yeah, that's what I was doing."

Applebloom's brow raised higher. Uh oh. I don't think she's buying it.

"Oh. alrighty then." Her face snapped back to a cheery grin. "So why exactly're ya helpin' us 'round here anyhow? Ah don't think mah sis ever mentioned ya before. Or anypony else fer that matter." The filly's expression reverted to the cocked brow.

This filly asks too many questions. "I'm... I'm just the helpful, is all. I had nothing better to do, so I came here." That wasn't exactly a lie. He really didn't have anywhere he needed to be at the moment.

"That's seems a lil' bit weird, if ya don't mind me sayin'." Those eyes. Those big, pressing eyes. They were cutting through his facade like a hot knife. The sweat dripping from his face was becoming quite evident.

"Ah appreciate the help, though. Let's get to work." Her smile had snapped back into place. Good. Smiles are something I can deal with. Not hard talking to somepony when they're smiling, rather than burning their retinas into me with their stares. The two didn't talk much. They just went about tossing rotten apples into a big bucket, taking it in turns to bring back the full bucket to the barn, and grabbing an empty one on their way back. Before long, hours had passed. It was late into the evening now. The young pegasus felt more tired now than he ever had in his entire life.

"C'mon inside, you two! It's time tah eat!" Applejack's voice carried over the orchard to the two foals, still busy collecting the defective apples. They both rushed towards the farmhouse, eager to fill their bellies. Once arriving though, the pegasus' stomach didn't feel so empty anymore. He was too terrified to be hungry now. He was met with the faces of the entire Apple family. Having an unexpected guest show up, working around the farm was likely to raise some questions.

All in all, dinner had gone better than he had expected. Sure, he had a bit of a panic attack anytime anypony asked a question about him, but Applejack seemed to be able to cover up things fairly well. The orange mare had passed off his presence as him being Applebloom's school friends. This of course caused the little filly to shoot her sister a confused glance, but the filly caught on to the secret when Applejack chanced a quick wink at her.

Aside from the awkward conversation, dinner had been terrific. He couldn't really remember what it was he was eating; he had devoured the meal too quick to inspect it. He hadn't had a meal that good in ages. After everypony had finished their meal, Applejack led the blue foal out of the room to make up the couch into a guest bed while the others cleaned the dinner table and dishes. The couch proved to be quite soft. But then anything was better than the kind of sleep he was used to. He quickly took to passing out on the couch within minutes, not used to the physical exertion he had been doing all day.

Applejack woke up in the middle of the night to an unusual noise coming from somewhere in the house. It sounded like... sniffling? She opened the door and descended the stairs, making sure to keep her hoofsteps light as not to wake anypony. She followed the source of the noise down the hall, and pressing her ear against a door she could definitely hear the sound of- was that crying? She gently pushed open the door, only to hear a gasp and rustling of blankets. She opened the door the rest of the way to see the little pegasus foal on the couch, covered in blankets, shaking.

It was fairly obvious he was trying to make himself look to be sleeping. Trying and failing; Applejack could tell right away he was hiding something. She trotted over to him, bent her head down and whispered in his ear.

"Hey there, now what's tha matter?" Her voice carried a concerned tone.

Slowly he popped his eyes open, revealing bloodshot, puffy red eyes. Recoiling for a moment, Applejack sat down next to the tiny pegasus, and pulled him close into a hug.

"S'alright now. So ya gonna tell me what's botherin' you?" The farm pony looked at the shaking pony in she held in her hooves. He pulled his face up to meet hers, their emerald eyes meeting. Then he did something she hadn't expected.

He pulled her even closer into the hug, his heavy breaths blowing against her chest. Applejack was taken aback by this. She really didn't know quite what to do. She had dealt with this kind of thing with her sister when she was younger, but that was different. Then something occurred to Applejack.

"What's yer name?" It might not have been the appropriate time to ask that, but she felt she needed to know. The pegasus' gaze fell to the floor, and he pulled away from the embrace.

"Laron." He said, flatly.

"That's... a bit of an unusual name fer a pony. If'n ya don't mind me saying, that is. Ah mean, usually a pony's name says somethin' about 'em." Her voice still carried that warm, comforting tone to it as she spoke.

Wiping away a tear that found its way down his cheek, he continued. "Somepony once told me it was fancy talk for thief. Does that answer your question?" It came out sounding a lot meaner than he had meant it to. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude." He added.

Applejack couldn't think of anything to say, so she pulled him back into a hug. She felt horrible for even asking the question now. She could even feel her own tears beginning to pool up in her eyes. The foal quickly took notice of this.

"Please don't feel bad. I'm used to it, really. It doesn't bother me. Honest." Their eyes met once again. A faint smile crossed Applejack's face before quickly sinking back to a deep frown.

"Then what in tarnation's got ya down here all huffing like this?" The orange mare's concerned eyes did a world of good to relax him. He felt like he could trust her. After all, she had trusted him, right? Yeah, and I bet she regretted it the first time. He quickly pushed the thought away. He hated thinking like that.

"I'm just really grateful for what you've done. Nopony ever gave me a chance, let alone two. Which reminds me, i'm really sorry I stole your bits." It felt nice to get that off his chest, and he was rewarded with the biggest smile he'd ever seen before Applejack pulled him into another hug.

"Apology accepted. But that can't be what's got you all worked up, now is it?"

He was afraid she might figure that out. He really didn't want to tell anypony this, but looking it the those big, emerald eyes, glistening in the moonlight, the most caring look he had ever seen anypony give him, gave him a bit of a boost of confidence. Releasing a heavy sigh, he got ready to tell a story he had always wished to keep a secret.

Chapter Five

Laron took a moment to compose himself before he began his tale. Applejack sat next to him, waiting patiently with her foreleg draped around the pegasus.

"It was only a little more than a year ago. A month or two, I think. It's kind of hard keeping track of the days when you don't have a calender. Anyways, my parents and I had lived in Ponyville my whole life, and we didn't always have a lot of money. They always tried their best, but unfortunately, it was never really enough. My father never got to spend a lot of time with me; he was always out working. On top of working on the weather patrol all day, he had to take up a second job. He never told me what it was, though. I was really young, so I didn't think anything of it. Looking back on it, I think it was for the best I didn't know."

"My mother would always try to keep a cheery attitude, even when she was spending all day cleaning up the house, usually from some kind of mess I made. But, as time went on, her cheery attitude diminished until her smiles were seldom seen anymore. I know now that she was worried about our money problems. It didn't help that she started drinking around the house. I think she just didn't want to bother trying anymore. She would just seem tired all the time; lying on the couch, passed out with a bottle in her hand."

Pulling all these old thoughts and memories from the back of his mind was difficult for Laron. He could feel his own words breaking down into blubbering as tears started forming around his eyes. The only thing keeping him continuing was the constant embrace of the farm pony next to him, wiping away his tears with a hoof, and gently stroking his mane as she listened. It was all she could do to keep him calm as he spoke.

"They never told me what was going on. I was too young to understand anyways. It was terrifying, though. Seeing the two most important ponies you know drifting away from you. They never spoke to me anymore. I was just there. They were doing all this for me, because of me, and it was killing them. My father never had time to play anymore, and my mother was always too drunk. I couldn't play with other kids either; either their parents wouldn't let them because of their opinion of my parents, or because the other fillies and colts would mock me because my family was poor."

"One day I stayed up really late, waiting for my father too get home. My mother didn't argue of course, she was deep into a half finished bottle of Chardonnay at the time; I had always had to put myself to bed. So when my father finally came through the door, I run up to him. I can still remember his tired, drained expression when he looked at me. I told him I was sorry that he and mother were working so hard because of me. I asked him if there was anything I could do to help him. He just looked down at me and smiled, before walking off to bed."

"The next day, my parents got me up early that morning. They told me we were going on a little trip. I was so excited at the time, but that excitement quickly drained away when we got to our destination. It was an old, badly damaged building. Just the look of that place made my skin crawl. My parents' faces were solemn and joyless; they wouldn't even look me in the eye. Then I read the letters on the front door of the building. 'Ponyville Orphanage'. I cried."

He took a pause for a few minutes. His throat kept closing up. He couldn't physically keep talking, he had been rendered inconsolable by the painful memories that had come flooding back to him. Applejack didn't seem to mind. She seemed to understand, and just let the foal cry into her coat for a few minutes. After he had seemed to settle down enough, she nudged his chin upwards, to meet their eyes.

"What do ya say we pick this up some other time, sugarcube? We got a long day tomorrow, an' ah don't wanna see ya tired cuz' ah been keepin' ya up all hours of the night." Still her voice carried such a reassuring tone to it. He really did feel tired, too. He could tell her the rest of the story some other time. It had at least felt somewhat better, being able to get that off his chest.

He laid his head back onto the soft couch, though it was now uncomfortably soaked with tears. Applejack brought herself up off the couch and draped a blanket over the little blue pegasus. The sight of him curled up on the couch, chest rising and falling as he slowly slipping back into his dreams was just too adorable of a sight for the mare not to carry a big, beaming smile. She lowered her head to his ear, whispering a good night to him before turning to head back up the stairs.

"Applejack?" She turned back around. Laron was now sitting on his haunches, looking directly at Applejack.

"Yeah, what's the matter?" She trotted back over to him. He's not about tah start cryin' again, is he? Ah don't think mah heart can take the sight ah that much longer. She thought.

"You're not gonna tell anypony about this, are you?" He looked up to her with big, pleading eyes. How could she say no to that? It didn't look no different than when Applebloom did it, either.

"Don't ya worry. It'll be just between us. Nah you get some sleep, y'hear?" She ran a hoof through the foal's hair, messing it up.

"Um, actually... I was wondering if- I mean, could I maybe-" His rambling went on for a few minutes before Applejack put a hoof to his mouth. When he finally stopped speaking muffled words into her hoof, she released it.

"Could I just sleep with you? Just for tonight, I mean?" At first, she was hesitant when he said that. The last time he had been up in her room, he was making off with a bag of her bits. But things are different now, right? She thought to herself, still mulling over her decision in her head.

"Sure. C'mon. Just s'long as it's only fer tonight." She'd never forget the elated look on his face at that moment.

Laron felt nudging against his sides. He groaned, pulling the covers over his head. This bed is way too comfy to get out of.

"C'mon, get up! Ah told ya it was gonna be a long day tomorrow, an' I meant it! Now get up!" That was not the the same, caring voice he got last night. This Applejack's voice had force behind it. Before he knew it, she had pulled the sheets off of the bed, and he came crashing down onto the floor. Regaining his bearings, Laron brought himself to his feet, and slowly his vision returned to him. He looked up at Applejack, who had a look of irritation on her face.

"What did I do now?" He made no attempt to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

"Ah spent the last five minutes trying to wake ya, that's what. Yer a real heavy sleeper, ya know."

Runs in the family. He thought, but quickly shook away the thought. It wouldn't do him or anypony any good to have him stuck in a funk all day thinking about- That smell? Where in Equestria is that coming from? He ran past Applejack, down the stairs and into the kitchen. The smell that had been wafting through the air had been a delicious stack of pancakes being prepared by Granny Smith. His mouth watered at the very sight. Now this is worth getting up for.

After breakfast, Applejack had given Laron his task for the day. She gave him a few bits with a specific direction of DO NOT RUN OFF WITH THESE, to head into town with and pick up some flour from Sugarcube Corner. Of course, his legs froze up for a moment when she had told him this. He couldn't just tell her about his latest attempt to steal from the sweets shop, so he just nodded and went on his way. How he would handle things when he got there though, he hadn't a clue.

On his way, Laron found himself passing by the schoolhouse, and through the chain link fence, he could see little fillies and colts frolicking about. How is it they are always out playing when I walk by? Do they never have class? The thought disappeared when he spotted a familiar orange filly, talking and laughing with Applebloom and a white filly he did not recognize. Remembering the last time he had seen Scootaloo had not ended them on the best of speaking terms, it decided now as the most convenient time to fix any problems between them.

"Scootaloo!" He yelled, trying to grab the orange filly's attention. Her ears seemed to perk up at the mention of her name, but when she turned her head to see who was calling her, her smile disappeared, replaces with a grimace at the the pony on the other side of the fence. She turned back around, and continued to talk to her friends, who continued to glance back at him. He felt a heavy weight in his stomach. Would she really not even give him a chance?

"Hey, Scootaloo!" He called again. This time, her friends trotted over to him, with Scootaloo following in tow. Applebloom was the first to address him.

"Heya! What're ya doin' here?" Applebloom at least seemed happy to seem him.

"Oh, Applejack sent me to get flour from Sugarcube Corner. I was just passing by." Laron smiled at each of the three fillies on the other side of the fence. Scootaloo however, turned away when his gaze rested upon her.

"Um, if you two wouldn't mind though, I kind of need to talk to Scootaloo for a minute." Her friends looked over to Scootaloo, who was trying and failing to hide her face. They turned to each other and shrugged before walking off.

"What." Scootaloo spoke in bitter, flat tone. She clearly wasn't in the mood to talk.

"I wanted to know why you won't talk to me? I mean, sure, I stole from ponies, and that's bad and all, but i'm making up for it!" The desperation was evident in Laron's voice.

"I- I don't think I should be talking to you." The orange filly still wouldn't look at him. If only this stupid fence weren't in the way, he thought.

"So that's it then? You're just going to ignore me like every other pony? Fine. I guess it was stupid of me to think I actually made a friend anyway." Laron walked began galloping away, tears welling up in his eyes, fogging his vision. He hoped to Celestia that any second now, he'd hear Scootaloo calling after him. He was left disappointed.

By the time he got to Sugarcube Corner, he had long since calmed down. He tried to hold back any nasty thoughts toward Scootaloo, he still held onto a bit of hope that she might forgive him at some point. He just had to wait, was all. For now, he had to focus on getting flour. How was he going to do that, exactly? Likely Mrs. Cake wouldn't even let him in the shop. But what about that pink mare from before? Didn't she say she worked here? If he was lucky, it would be her behind the counter in the sweets shop.

He pushed open the front door, and immediately regretted it. Buck. Right in front of him was Mrs. Cake.

"Well, don't we have some nerve showing up here again." Her words stung.

He swallowed his nervous thoughts before responding. "I can pay this time. I just need flour."

The teal mare raised an eyebrow at the statement. Did she actually believe him?

"A likely story." Nevermind. She didn't seem interested in letting him into the shop, regardless.

"Can I please just buy the flour and leave? I promise I won't cause any trouble." He tried to put on his best innocent look, a talent he had developed in his time on the streets.

Mrs.Cake stood there for a moment, probing him with her glare. I'm sure it'll be fine, just as long as she doesn't go reaching for her rolling pin again. The thought did little to ease his conscience.

"Very well. Right this way."

Laron exited the shop, dragging the bag of flour behind him. He was rather glad he was once again welcome in the confectionery store. Looking at the bag of flour, a realization suddenly occurred to him. "How the hay am I supposed to carry this all the way to the farm!?" He spoke to nopony in particular. The bag was almost twice his size, and at least three times as heavy. It was going to be a long trip back. By the time I pass the school again, Applebloom will probably be done. Maybe I can get her to help me bring it back. I wouldn't mind having her as company much, either.

Why in Equestria did I just think that?

Chapter Six

One ...Two ...Three ... Pull! One ...Two ...Three ... Pull! Laron counted in his head with each pull of the flour bag. He had no choice but to drag the bag with his teeth all the way back to the farm. He tried carrying it on his back, but that only resulted in him wobbling a few feet before collapsing under the heavy weight of the bag. He had opted to ask Mrs. Cake for help, but it seemed she mysteriously disappeared as soon as he had exited the store. Mr. Cake didn't seem to be around either. Hmm. You don't think they're- He forced the thought from his head. He had no desire to put that mental image in his head.

Other ponies saw him struggling with his heavy bag, but paid him no attention. He had long ago given up asking for help from anypony, as whenever he did, they would seemingly go out of their way not to help him. Some would even turn an entirely different direction when they heard the little foal calling to them for assistance. He couldn't exactly blame them for it, though. He did have a bit of a reputation around town. They probably expected him to steal from them while they were busy helping with the bag.

So, he continued his arduously long trek alone across the streets of Ponyville, bag of flour still clenched in his teeth, each pull beginning to make the feel of numbing pain in his mouth grow stronger and stronger. It felt like his teeth were being painfully yanked from his mouth with each pull, but he had to keep going. I'm not going to screw this up. I can't do this. Just try not to think about the pain. You can do it. The positive encouragement he was giving himself was all that was giving him the energy to keep dragging the bag. Suddenly, a large shadow loomed over him from behind. Oh thanks Celestia, somepony is finally here to help me.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. Did you miss me, runt?"

Oh no.

Applejack was busy working the field as per usual, she and Big Macintosh had been bucking apples well into the afternoon. She had sent the little pegasus off into town hours ago, where could he be? It shouldn't be taking nearly this long. She decided she had better head into town and see what had been keeping the little guy.

"Macintosh!" Applejack yelled across to the red farm pony, tilting her stetson up to get a better view of her brother.

"Ah need ta go into town fer a bit. Ah won't be long, alright?"

"Eeyup." Was his entire response. It wasn't exactly an answer to her question, but it would have to do.

The farm pony trotted through town, first stopping by the obvious place; Sugarcube Corner. She asked Mrs. Cake where the foal was, but the teal mare didn't prove to be of any help. Relax, Applejack. Ah'm sure it's nothin' ta worry 'bout. Probably just stopped by the school ta talk to Applebloom. I see the way they look at each other. She giggled a little at the thought. They were both just so adorable.

He wasn't around the school. Applejack was beginning to get a little worried. She decided to check in with her friends, hoping one of them had a clue as to Laron's whereabouts. Twilight hadn't seen him, Rainbow didn't even want to talk to her about it. She ended up spending a few minutes lecturing her about holding grudges, but Rainbow didn't seem very interested in listening. As far as she knew, none of her other friends had met the pegasus, leaving her completely out of places to check.

She spent hours wandering through town, calling for his name, but her cries never yielded a response. As she was walking down the same street for the umpteenth time, an unusual sight caught her eye. It was a bag of flour. Completely empty, however. Not far from it was a faint trail of the chalky substance that hadn't been carried away by the wind. She followed it into an alleyway. Her heart dropped in her chest at the sight of what lay at the end of the alleyway.

Laron was laid on his side, cuts and bruises littered his body. His entire body was covered in flour, and he showed no signs of life except for the faint rising and falling of his chest. Applejack didn't have the luxury of letting her body go into shock at the time, she had to get him back to the farm. Pulling him onto her back, she wasted no time in galloping off. In the midst of the thoughts of her worries and fears of what might have happened, she found herself thinking as she ran.

Why do ah care s'much 'bout this one? He ain't family, he ain't no friend, all ah know 'bout him is he's a little bandit. So why do ah keep puttin' mahself outta the way ta help 'em? The strange thought took Applejack by surprise. Now don't ya go thinkin' like that, Applejack. Yer better than that. He's been at least tryin', hasn't he? Besides, it don't matter right now what ah think of 'em. He needs mah help. Now that was an opinion she felt suited her. She let out a quick burst of speed, her legs burning with each step as she neared the farm.

The next few hours passed by in a blur for the pegasus. He remembered bringing the flour back from Sugarcube Corner, then- Baritone! Baritone caught me by surprised and left me bleeding in the alleyway. Then what happened? Applejack carried me back. Right. Right. Then... Um... Cleaning! Yeah, I spent a lot of time getting cleaned up. She cleaned out all these cuts pretty good. Still stings like crazy. though. And bandages. Geez, these things are tight. Not that I really feel like moving. I feel sore just about everywhere.

Laron had been lying on a couch inside the Apple home for a few hours now. He was completely by himself with nothing to do, so he just sat there looking at the wall, trying not the think about the pain. Nopony tried to bother him, but he could hear them whispering just outside the room. Clearly he had a lot of explaining to do as soon as somepony decided to ask about it. For now though, everypony seemed content to just let him get some rest. He liked that. So he rested.

That is, until Applebloom came wandering in. She entered slowly, a worried expression staring at him. He didn't try to tell her to leave, though. He didn't really mind her being there. The yellow filly trotted up to him, and tried to put on a little smile for him. Her eyes were still in a 'frowning' position, however.

"How're ya feelin'?" The sincerity in Applebloom's voice was very relaxing to hear. At least, it was to him.

"I've been worse. Don't worry, i'll bounce back." The pegasus' voice dry and raspy. He managed to smile back at the filly, wincing a little as a cut on his lip stretched as he did so.

"Oh, alright. Good to hear. Can I get ya anything?" Applebloom's face still carried the same concern as she spoke. She also seemed a little... Eager? Was she really hoping there was something she could do?

" Well, I guess I could use a glass of water."

As soon as he had finished, Applebloom had quickly run off and returned, holding a glass of water in her hooves. He looked at the drink, then back to Applebloom. She does realize I can't move to grab it, right? As though on cue, a look of realization hit Applebloom's face. She moved the glass up to his lips, letting the cold liquid pour into his mouth. Water never seemed more delicious to him than it had at that moment.

"Aaaah. Thanks." He gave her a beaming smile. It wasn't often he got such acts of kindness, so it was much appreciated to him. Applebloom looked away, her own lips forming a wide smile. Is she... blushing? Nah, you're just imagining things.

The two of them spent a few moments just looking at each other, neither of them really sure where the conversation was going.

"Well, I guess i'll let you get your rest. I hope you get better soon." Applebloom turned around and trotted off towards the door.

He had planned on saying "thank you" but sweet Celestia was he tired! He just wanted to sleep. His eyes slowly lowered, and he listened to the hoofsteps of the pony walking out of the room. Suddenly, the sound stopped. As suddenly as it stopped though, it started again, only now it sounded like it was getting closer. He felt a light kiss on his cheek. Laron's eyes shot open, darting around the room, looking for the perpetrator. Nopony was there, however. He was completely alone in the room. Had he just imagined it?

Laron awoke from his sleep with a startle, as somepony had just taken to sitting right next to him. He looked over to see Applejack, staring down at him. Everypony keeps looking at me like that lately. I'm not a charity case. I don't need sympathy. He had to admit though, it was a nice change of pace to see that somepony cared about him. It was only just then that he noticed it was now late into the evening; He had just slept through the entire afternoon.

"So, how ya feelin'?"

He had to think about that for a moment. He felt rather stiff from having just woken up, but other than that, he felt much better than he had earlier in the day. Still hurt a little when he moved.

"Could be worse. Thanks for helping me out today. Sorry about the flour." What the hay are you apologizing for!? It's her fault you got beat up by sounding you out on this stupid errand in the first place! He pushed back the angry thought as soon as it came. It wouldn't do him any good right now to get all riled up like that.

"Good ta hear. And don't sweat it, ah'll pick up more tomorrow. I did want to talk to you, though."

"Oh. About today? Or did you mean-" He paused, figuring the mare would catch on to the earlier conversation he was referring to.

"Both. But first, today. Ah want ya ta walk me through what happened." Her voice was stern, the undertone of caring had disappeared. She was serious.

Clearing his throat, Laron began began his story.

"And that is pretty much it. Baritone has always been a part of the reason I've had to steal. I needed to get money for him in order to keep him off my back. That was why I couldn't give you back your bits. Sorry." He hung his head down low, looking at the floorboards. It was really the first time he ever regretted having to steal something from anypony.

"Well, don't you worry. Ah forgive ya. Yer gonna have to take it easy the next few days, ya realize that, don't ya?"

He nodded, and leaned himself against the orange pony next to him. He was getting awfully tired. He could have fallen asleep right there, if Applejack hadn't started speaking again.

"Now, ah believe ya got a story ta finish, don't ya?"

Now there was that sympathetic look he loved.

"Hehe, yeah. Alright, lemme see, where was I..."

"I stood with my parents at the front door of the orphanage. I was begging and pleading to them not to leave me. I told them that whatever I did wrong, I was sorry. I just ended up falling into the constant repetition of telling them how much I loved them, and how I don't want to be left alone. I don't think they were even listening anymore. The looks on their faces, I realize now it was just as hard on them as it was to me. I was young, and didn't understand what was really going on. They couldn't afford to raise a child anymore."

"It was an old, grey mare that answer the door. My parents and I were brought in, and I was left to wander around the halls while my parents went and filled out the paperwork. I just sat in a corner sobbing most of the time. Eventually, my parents came back, each of them gave me a kiss, told me how much they love me, and left. I tried to follow them out, but the old mare held me back from the door. I watched as my parents disappeared down the street. I never saw them again."

"I wasn't at the orphanage long. That was my choice though. I couldn't stand staying there, so I left. The kids were horribly mean, the living conditions were horrible, and the food was disgusting. I decided I would be better off living on the street. Looking back on it, I can't really say one was better or worse than the other. I went back to the orphanage once, just to see if any of the kids missed me. I was welcomed with mock and ridicule. I learned my lesson. I broke some colt's nose and left."

"The first thing I did after leaving the orphanage was go home. That was probably the most miserable day of my life. My parents weren't even there. Instead, it was some young couple. I asked them where my parents were. They told me they had just bought the house. They said it was dirt cheap. Apparently my parent's couldn't make payments anymore and got kicked out. I don't know what happened to them."

As he finished his tale, he looked up to Applejack. Tears were sitting just at the brim of her eyes, and her lips were quivering.

"Please don't cry." Because if you start crying, then i'm going to start crying.

She pulled him close into a tight hug, and let tears slowly leak down her face, all the while blubbering apologies.

Chapter Seven

The past few days had been heaven to Laron. While his wounds healed, he got to spend all his time lounging around on the couch, being waited on by the Apple family. It was a delightful shift of lifestyle from the one he had known. He was almost appreciative of his injuries, as they let him enjoy a lifestyle he believed not to be too different from the Princesses'. His thoughts would constantly be interrupted however, by the reminder that once he got better, it was back to working on the farm. A shame, really. He had really been enjoying such comfortable living.

Applebloom had been spending a lot of time with him while he recovered. He certainly didn't mind it. Having his own little nurse obeying his every command, who could object to that? Besides, she is kind of cute. I guess. He didn't shy away those thoughts anymore. He would often just sit there staring at Applebloom as she would re-wrap his bandages, until she looked back at him, and they would both blush and look away. It was an adorable sight, really.

Applebloom certainly didn't mind either. She really liked spending time around him, even if they weren't saying anything. She didn't know why she became so taken with the pegasus, but she didn't care. The warm feeling she got around him was nice. Applejack didn't seem to share Applebloom's enthusiasm towards Laron, though. She took notice of the little filly's infatuation with their house guest, and kept trying to lecture her younger sister.

"Ah'm just sayin' you should be careful with that one. He ain't as innocent as he looks." Applejack hated having to repeat this to her sister. She never listened, so why did she even bother trying to get through to her anymore?

"C'mon sis, how can ya be so mean? He's hurt, and all ah'm tryin' ta do is help him, so why're ya so worried 'bout it?" Applebloom hated having to repeat this to her sister. She never listened, so why did she even bother trying to get through to her anymore?

"Ah've seen the way ya look at one 'nother. All ah'm tryin' ta do is look out fer ya. There's some things ya don't 'bout him, and I don't want to see mah little sister get hurt." Applejack's tone had shifted from stern to concerned. It wasn't so much that she didn't trust Laron, but rather all the bad luck that seemed to follow the little colt. She didn't want Applebloom getting involved in any of it.

"I can look out fer mahself!"

Applejack was shocked at the sudden anger in her sister's voice, and the dead cold stare she was giving her. Applejack sighed.

"Ah know, ah know. Just... Promise me you won't go rushin' into nothin', alright?" Applejack bent down and hugged the yellow filly. "Ah don't want to have ya gettin' hurt too", Applejack whispered in her ear. The two separated their hug, and Applebloom looked up to her sister with a smile.

"Ah promise." Applebloom once again trotted off to go check on her patient again.

Nearing the door, however, she heard someponies inside, talking. One voice was clearly Laron's, but she couldn't make out the other voice very clearly. Applebloom motioned to push the door open, but found the door being suddenly being pushed towards her. Quickly backing away, the door reveled Rainbow Dash.

"What the hay are ya doin' here, Dash? Here to see Applejack?" Applebloom had more questions, like what she was talking to Laron about, but she decided she shouldn't be too nosy.

"What? Oh- um, no. But I guess I should talk to her too. Excuse me." Rainbow walked past Applebloom, not bothering to look at her once.

Applebloom trotted over to Laron, laying on his side on the couch, the same position he had been in the past few days. He opened his eyes to see Applebloom's gleaming smile boring into him.

"So what were ya talkin' to Dash about?"

Laron laid on the couch, resting peacefully, letting the sun's rays beat down on his coat, the warmth relaxing him further. Until of course, a tapping noise arose from a nearby window. He slowly brought open his eyes, letting out a long yawn. He was far too comfortable to be in any hurry to find out the source of the noise. He lazily shifted his head towards the window, seeing a certain rainbow maned pegasus floating outside the other side of the window.

He peeled himself off the side of the couch, wincing with each muscle movement; he was still a little sore. Laron pushed the window open, and Rainbow Dash wasted no time in flying into the room.

"Hey." She said flatly.

"Hey." His voice mirrored her own.

The two stared at each other for a moment, as though waiting for the other to start the conversation.

"I'm sorry." Dash's voice wasn't very audible, but he heard it nonetheless.

"What for? You didn't do this." He looked down at his tightly wound bandages.

"No, I mean- I didn't mean to walk out on you like that. That wasn't cool of me." The pegasus mare had a solemn expression on her face. She really feels bad for me? He was surprised.

"Uh... Don't worry about it. I would've done the same thing." In actuality, he wouldn't have, but he wasn't about to get mad. She was apologizing; that was good enough for him.

"So... We're cool, then?"

He chuckled a little as he spoke. "Yeah, we're cool." Rainbow's expression immediately picked up into a beaming grin.

"Awesome! So... I was gonna go practice later. You wanna come watch?"

Laron's head dropped. "I would like to, but..." he glanced down at his bandages again. "I don't think I'll be able to."

The pegasus mare's face suddenly turned red at the sudden realization. "Oh, right. Sorry. So what happened to you anyways? Applejack just told me you were hurt."

Laron made his slow, painful walk back to the couch. Rainbow Dash joined him, sitting next to him while he told his tale. After he finished, the cyan pegasus sat there for a minute, seemingly staring at the wall.

"So... Want me to beat him up for you?" The sudden return to conversation caught Laron off guard. He looked up at Dash with a quizzical expression. She was chuckling at the thought.

"Uh, no, that's okay. I would rather just leave this alone. Thanks." He didn't really mean that, of course. He would have loved to see Baritone get what's coming to him. But, he expected that would just lead Baritone to do something worse. He really didn't want to make things any worse than they already were.

"Alright, if you say so. Well, I gotta get going. See you around?" Rainbow glanced back at him as she trotted off towards the door.

"Yeah, see ya."

As much as he loved lazing around all day, it felt nice to be able to comfortably stretch his legs without a shock of pain shooting through his body. All of a sudden, running around the farm seemed like a lot of fun. But, this also meant he had to get back to work. Lucky for him, Applejack had already explained Laron's situation to the rest of her family. She had to leave out certain bits when she spoke to Applebloom, though.

It was a real load off his mind, though. They all welcomed him in with open arms, whereas he was expected them give him nothing but dirty looks and harsh language. It was like he was part of a happy family again, and he was loving every minute of it.

Today, Applejack wanted Laron's help bucking apples. This didn't make a lot of sense to him, though. How in Equestria was he supposed to help? She doesn't really think I can buck trees, does she? Lucky for him, he wasn't actually going to be doing any work today. Applejack just needed to talk to him, and this was the best way to ensure they had some privacy.

"So uh, how exactly am I supposed to help?" Laron really had no idea. Am I just picking them up after they fall? That hardly seems like a job that requires two ponies.

"Ah don't really need yer help, ah just needed tah talk ta ya." The farm pony's voice wavered when she spoke. She sounded almost... nervous?

"Oh. Alright, so what did you need to talk to me about?" Instantly a multitude of horrible scenarios played out in his head. She's kicking me out isn't she! No, she's going lock me up in the apple cellar! No, wait! She's gonna-

"It's 'bout Applebloom."

Oh. "Oh... What about her?" Alright, you can calm down now. What were you thinking? You need to relax, Applejack isn't going to-

"As family, she's real important ta me. An' I don't wanna see her gettin' hurt."

Oh Celestia this pony is going to kill me.

Applejack sighed. "Ah never could stop 'er once she gets an idea in her lil' head, but I like ta see her happy." Applejack leaned in close to Laron, to the point where he could feel her hot breath on his face. "An' that means you like to see her happy. Do we got an understandin'?"

Yep. She's definitely going to kill me at some point. No doubt about it. "Yes, ma'am." He nodded his head furiously up and down. Sweat that had been collecting on his face flew off in every direction.

"Good ta hear." Applejack's tone lightened up again, and she wore a faint smile again. "Now since you can't really help me none, an' everypony thinks yer helpin' me, I s'pose ya can just wander 'round town if ya like."

Laron jumped with excitement at the prospect of another lazy afternoon. Then he remembered his last stroll through town. He wasn't very likely to survive another encounter with Baritone.

"Actually, I think I might just go help Applebloom. Where is she?" The dark blue pegasus put on his most sincere smile as he looked into Applejack's eyes.

Applejack chuckled a little. "Uh, she's at school. Remember? Just cuz you ain't gotta be stuck there, don't mean anypony else gets the luxury."

The words stung a bit. He never did get to know what school was like. He knew the orange mare meant the comment as nothing more than a joke, but it didn't make it bother him any less.

"Oh, uh, right. Silly me."

Maybe I will go into town today after all...

Laron didn't know how much time he had spent pacing, mulling over the decision of whether or not to chance the trek into town, for fear of running into Baritone. Eventually, his nerves got the best of him, and so he opted to stay home, waiting eagerly for Applebloom to return.

When the front door opened, Laron instinctively jumped from the couch to his hooves, trotting off towards the little yellow filly he had been waiting to arrive. He was met however, with a sour scowl. Applebloom did not acknowledge his existence, but instead angrily stomped up the wooden staircase, the boards creaking with each thud of her hooves, muttering to herself. He was befuddled; Not really knowing how to react to what had just happened, he sat there, letting his mind process the next course of action.

He chose to go talk to Applebloom. Surely she wasn't mad about anything he had done, so he had nothing to lose in asking her about it, right? He made his way up the staircase, and slowly pushed open the door to Applebloom's bedroom, revealing the site of the little filly, curled up on her bed, face buried deep in a pillow.

"Can I... Come in?" Laron asked nervously. His swelling confidence had been completely drained by the dead silence of the room. Applebloom grumbled something incomprehensible, and Laron took it as a good of a sign as he was going to get that it was okay to enter the room. He trotted over to her and brought himself up onto the bed.

"I'm guessing something bad happened at school?" His heart pounded in his chest waiting for a response. It didn't help that the farm filly wasn't giving him one, either. Just before he decided to ask the question again, Applebloom slowly nodded her head, which was still stuck between the folds of her pillow.

"Would you- I mean, I don't mean to pry, but- Well, would you mind telling me what happened?" Stop being so bucking nervous! It's not like she's yelling at you... Yet.

Slowly, the yellow filly brought her head up from the pillow, and turned her gaze to meet his. Her face was a bright red. Not from tears, though. No, she looked angry. She must be really upset with somepony. Well, as long as it's not me...

"Silver Spoon." Applebloom said flatly, before crashing her head back down into her pillow, and letting out a muffled scream.

Silver Spoon? Alright. I think I know how I can fix this. I'm sure she'll be real proud of me after this!

Laron left the room without a word, and set off out the front door, heading towards town. He spent all day lazing about on the farm, but now he had a mission.