James wanted to scream. To throw his hands up in the air and run away. In other words, a normal shift at the customer service desk at the local grocery store.
"No, I can't help you withdraw money because your card declined." he spoke slowly to a small lady, massaging the bridge of his nose. "The machine will literally refuse your card until your bank allows it to go through."
"Just make it work!!!" the lady snapped. "I can't ride the bus without it. What d'you expect me to do without the money?"
"It's not my fault, ma'am, and you can still get your money." James replied, trying OH so hard not to clench his fists and appear unprofessional. "You just have to call your bank first."
"You're the one with all of those fancy buttons!!" she protested, throwing her hands up exasperatedly. "I know that it's something on your end!!!"
James nearly groaned. "No, ma'am. I'm just a vendor. It's your bank that's the issue, you need to give them a call so they can allow the transaction to procee-"
"I am not calling my bank!!" the lady growled. "I don't like your attitude, boy! You know what - I'm going somewhere where I can be helped, I've had enough of your - your - idiotness!!!."
As she shuffled off angrily, James inhaled deeply. 'Idiotness', huh?
He brushed it off and called for the next person in line.
He didn't hate the job per se, it was just the customers who were extremely aggravating. There were a lot of immigrants and foreigners in the area, so he had a much higher level of patience for them (except when they became entitled or grumpy for no reason, but that really went for anyone). The steaming pile of poo that was the entirety of the events from the summer definitely didn't make it easier for him to keep his cool. With school starting a few days before on top of that, his stress was at an all time high.
The rest of the day passed at a snail's pace, and he was finally free. He bid his supervisor goodnight and began his walk home. The sounds of cars broke the occasional crunch of gravel as he walked down the alleyways that separated the blocks in half. Walking on the actual sidewalks wasn't a bad alternative since the old houses lining the street were nice to look at. The alleys were just quieter, and hardly anyone was ever back there.
Well, besides the occasional homeless guy high off his nuts on methamphetamines. But that's a different conversation altogether.
James came to a street and looked down at the asphalt. Man, what I wouldn't give to be a millionaire right now. I could by a house in the mountains and avoid people.
He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings as he trailed off in thought, and he didn't wake up until a car horn snapped him back to reality. He stepped backward as few seconds later a pickup truck rumbled by, clearly going faster than the speed limit. Even though it was dark, he could see the streetlights reflect off the man driving it as he threw James the bird.
James took a deep breath. That could have been bad. He didn't exactly have a death wish but to actually put how he felt into words was a different story. It felt like life had nearly completely drained his soul in the matter of three months. He needed relief of some sort, but he completely gave up on looking after those lame parties he went to. Everyone would claim to be "so happy that he showed up" then proceed to completely ignore every attempt he made to socialize for the rest of the night.
He definitely tried to as well, you better believe it.
He passed by the local Wendy's, kicking a rock as he walked by. Man, a Frosty sounded real fuckin' good right now. Alas, payday wasn't for another couple of days. It made him almost wish he hadn't blown 500 plus dollars on Legos earlier that month to add to his Lego Star Wars collection.
Almost.
As he reached his backyard driveway, he pulled out an earbud and began to fish in his pockets for his house keys. At first he didn't even notice the pegasus sitting against his fence, smiling at him.
As he wrestled with the doorknob, he realized with a snort that somehow he had been trying to open the door with his car keys. He dropped his cinch bag off his back and began to dig through it. That's when he saw the horse.
He blinked twice, trying to make sure he wasn't starting to see illusions. The horse blinked back and greeted him in a tinkly, feminine voice.
"Hi, James!"
"BRUH, WHAT THE FUCK!?!?"
An upstairs window opened up and one of his roommates, Timothy, poked his head through. "Dude, can you not shout? It's almost ten o'clock and I'm trying to do some homework."
There was a wooden fence that ran right up to the middle of the house, so Timothy's view of the horse was completely blocked by it. No doubt he would have thought the same thing if he could see.
"Er - I just saw a huge spider and it jumped at me, but it might of been my imagination, heh..." James replied, his face going red. He had to be going crazy at this points.
Timothy hummed in a disapproving tone before retreating back into his room, shutting the window behind him. Slowly, James turned back to look at the horse. It looked a bit spooked by his reaction. There was a very tense moment before he spoke.
"So, uh... you're not real."
"Wrong!" the horse - no wait, pegasus, since he could now see the fucking wings - said in a bright voice. It seemed to have gotten over his reaction in an instant. "I'm very real!!"
"Oi, ssshhhhhh!!!" James hissed, throwing a nervous look at Timothy's window. Man, what would he think if he found a talking pegasus conversing with him? "You're super loud - wait, no - what the hell are you and what are you doing here??"
The pegasus rolled its eyes, slightly irking him. "I'm a pony, duh. A pegasus, to be exact." It flared its wings up for a split second and boy were they big. "And I'm here to help you!" It beamed cutely.
"Uh-huh." James replied, staring at her. "I don't suppose you come from the land of rainbows, puppy dogs, and ice cream? With glitter and unicorns and other shit like that?"
"You're not too far off, actually." the horse replied casually. "The place I come from has all of those things, but it's called 'Equestria'! There are a lot of rainbows though, to be honest." It giggled to itself, which was a stark contrast to James' soulless deadpan.
"Heh, okay. I've definitely become a goofster." James snarked, turning back to the door. "Even my brain feels bad for me, making up imaginary friends."
He felt a blunt force painfully connect with his side, sending him tumbling to the dirt. He nearly crushed Subaru's grave in the process.
"I am not fake!" the pegasus scolded, looking angry. "I've come all this way to help you and this is what I get???"
It finally dawned on James that this horse - that sounded like a female - was actually a real, breathing, sentient organism. An inexplicable feeling of terror rose up in his stomach. Before he knew what he was actually doing he found himself scrambling away from her.
Ah, so this must have been why he had no bitches. He ran from talking horses.
Her demeanor seemed to change in an instant - her scowl melted into a look of concern and nervousness. "Oh, geez... James, I didn't mean to scare you..."
"Jesus, what do you want from me??" James rasped, absolutely freaking out. "How do you know my name??"
The pegasus took a deep breath. "I was sent to help you. I can explain, but I realize we haven't started on great terms. My name is Blackberry Jubilee, and I'm really excited to meet you!"
She extended a hoof, and James nearly flinched. After a few moments of staring at her hoof, he looked at her quizzically.
"You're supposed to shake it." she clarified.
Hesitating, James slowly extended his arm and shook her hoof. It felt unusually warm to the touch, and the fur was really soft. Now that he found himself relaxing a little, he took a moment to take in her appearance. Her fur was a very dark shade of purple, with a mane that was a deep navy blue. She had streaks of crimson running through her mane, and what appeared to be a tattoo of a pile of... something on her ass. It was hard to tell in this lighting.
"So... you're here to help me...?" James asked in a daze, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he was talking to a pegasus.
She beamed again. "Yep! I came here just for you!"
"Just for me? The fuck is that supposed to mean?" James asked, sitting upright. "Did someone send you?"
"Uh-huh! The Princess did!" she replied happily.
James just stared. "The princess of...?"
"Oh! Horseapples, uh -" stammered Blackberry nervously. "I completely forgot, you would have no idea who that is. Heh."
James stifled a laugh. There was something oddly amusing about her saying the word "horseapples" in a way that seemed to mirror cursing. Did her kind curse? If they did that would be pog.
"How long have you been waiting for me?" James asked.
"Just a few hours, why?" Blackberry replied, offering him a hoof to help him up. With a grunt she pulled James to his feet. That's when he realized that the pony was almost as tall as he was.
"A few hours?? What the hell!? It's dangerous!" James groaned. "If you were seen by anyone then that would cause a lot of trouble. Are you actually dumb?"
Blackberry huffed. "I stayed well out of sight. The poor humans who had any chance of seeing me didn't look like they were all the way there anyway, so I'm fine. Also, don't call me dumb!!!"
James sighed. "No avoiding it, I guess. Do you have anywhere to stay?"
Blackberry nodded and trotted over to where she had been sitting earlier. There was a small satchel there. She pulled out some sort of golden mirror and showed it to him.
"I can return whenever I please!" she explained. "It also allows me to come back!! Cool, huh?"
"Er - I guess." James said slowly. "But you never answered my question."
"Hmm?" Blackberry hummed as she put the mirror away again. "Oh! The question! Right - so basically, you aren't in a good place and I will be here to support you!!"
"What, is this some kind of job?" James remarked smartly. "You work your nine to five like some therapist? 'Cuz I don't need a therapist."
The mare in front of him threw him a pouting expression, which was admittedly adorable. "No! Well, it is a job, but it's one I wanted to take!"
"I don't get it, but whatever." James sighed. "Just add it to the list of shit on my mind now."
He returned to his cinch bag and withdrew the right set of keys this time before proceeding to unlock the door. He swung it open and looked back at Blackberry. "You coming?"
"Oh! You're letting me in?" she asked, looking more than happy to do so. Her attitude was genuinely confusing.
"What, and leave you out here?" James scoffed. "Come on. Try not to track any dirt in. Also, try not to alarm any of my roommates."
She followed him into the house where she observed him remove his shoes. He then began to descend down a narrow flight of stairs.
"Where are you going?" she whispered.
"My room. Hurry up."
James opened the door to reveal his main haunt. It was a neat and tidy room; despite his struggles he held himself to a standard of cleanliness that kept him sane. A couple desks lined the wall underneath a small window. On top of the desks sat a couple monitors where he had his gaming rig set up. A small cove at the back of the room was hidden behind mover's blankets that were hung from the ceiling, with a small gap in between a dresser and a set of shelves.
In the center of the room was a small table, on top of which sat a bird cage. The small parrot inside squeaked excitedly as James entered.
"Why hello there bubby!" James gushed as he bent down to open the cage. "Have you been sweet today? Ohhh, of course you have."
"Oh!!! What a cutie!!" Blackberry squeaked, causing James to jump. He forgot somehow that she was there.
"His name is Mango, after the way his feathers are colored." James explained, gesturing to the red, orange, and dark green hues the bird had.
"Oh wow..." Blackberry sighed, grinning from ear to ear. "Hello, Mango."
James set down his work bag and pinned back the moving blankets, revealing his bed. He collected some clean, comfortable clothes and informed his new alien houseguest that he was going to go take a quick shower.
"Would you like any help?" Blackberry asked in an innocent tone.
"Help? The fuck? Hell no."
James tried to make his shower as quick and efficient as he could (there would be no pulling the pork in the shower today, his mind was too occupied) and made haste to dry himself. He felt a little anxious about leaving some random pers- er, pony he had never met before alone with the pride and joy of his current life. However when he returned to his room he found the pegasus merely sitting next to the cage while cooing softly at the bird.
She looked over as he entered. "Hi! Feeling clean?"
"What the frickle-pickle did you think I took a shower for?" James snarked. "To have a concert?"
"A concert? In the shower?" Blackberry asked, cocking her head to one side.
"What? No, I was being sarc- you know what, never mind." James sighed. "I don't suppose you'll be sticking around, so I'll be doing homework." He gently gave Mango a pet before placing him back in the cage and covered it with a large sheet.
She blinked as if he had said something dumb. "Well, of course I'm sticking around."
He blinked back at the mare. "You said you could go home whenever you wanted? So you're free to go, I won't keep you."
Blackberry smiled sweetly at him. "I'm staying! I will go home every now and then, but I'll stay with you as much as I can!! You need all the support you can get."
"Do I have a choice in this?" James asked tiredly. "Because I'm a busy man. I work five days a week and go to school the other two."
"Nope!" Blackberry replied brightly. "I will do everything I can to make sure that I am helping you - wait, you're either at work or school all the time? Do you have any days off?"
"No, but it's not a big deal." James grunted in reply as he propped himself up in bed with his laptop and notes from his accounting class. "I'll manage."
The pegasus mare looked at him, hesitated, then took a deep breath. "It's your decision, but just know I'm here to support you in any way I can."
James had SO many god damn questions, but he was too tired to ask them. It was the first week of school and he had already incurred a large pile of work from his classes. He fully intended to stay on top of his schoolwork, and if the horse wanted to help him then she would not dare to distract him.
"Are you okay with food in here?" Blackberry asked, opening her satchel. "I know you don't have any food here for me, so I came prepared. I can eat outside if you don't want it in here."
"You're fine. I eat in here all the time." James responded, not taking his eyes off of his homework. Wait, was it debits on the right? Or was that credits? Man, he was so tuckered out.
After around ten minutes Blackberry appeared at his side, seemingly having finished whatever she was eating. "Do you mind if join you?"
James looked up. "On the bed? Aren't your hooves dirty?"
"Oh blooming apples, I didn't think about that." she moaned, flattening her ears.
"You can take a shower if you want." James offered, looking back at his work. "I don't know if you'll fit but you're more than welcome to try."
"Oh - well thank you! Are you sure?"
"Yup." James affirmed. "You have my permission to engage in healthy, hygienic habits." He deadpanned at her, lolling his head to the side.
Blackberry paused before breaking out into giggles. "James, I hope you know that you're funny." She trotted off.
"Okay, boomer."
When she returned James had completed most of his problem set. He was trying to fill out a practice accounting sheet as the pegasus once again returned to his bedside. He glanced up at her before returning his gaze towards his problem.
"All better?" he asked.
"Yeah, thanks!" Blackberry chirped. "Now can I join you?"
"Do as you please." James answered, scooting over. "There's not that much room, though."
"That's okay!" the mare happily replied as she settled down next to him.
Even though the contact between his skin and her fur were negligible, the softness of it was extremely inviting. She watched him quietly as he scribbled away at the numbers. It wasn't until he reached the end of the accounting sheet when she finally said something.
"This looks so confusing."
"It is. Kind of." James sighed, closing his binder. "It feels good to get it right, though. I can't imagine doing this for a career."
Blackberry hummed in agreement as he started another online task. She rested her cheek on his shoulder.
"Er - you're a little close." James pointed out, shifting slightly.
"I can stop if you wish - you just seemed very uptight." she replied calmly. "Cuddling is good for the soul, anyway. I won't do anything you're uncomfortable with."
"No - I don't mind..." James said, trailing off. He had expected her to give off a lot of body heat, but... he couldn't explain it. She was like the perfect temperature for his comfort. As much as he hated to admit it, he could feel himself slightly relax to her fuzzy touch.
It wasn't long before he found his concentration slipping. For some reason he didn't really care... he could feel his eyelids drooping...
Am I going to wake up from this? he thought to himself. He felt Blackberry shift closer next to him as his eyes finally closed. Is something bad going to happen...?
Author's Note
My attempt at a wholesome story. Hope you like!
(Updates will be leisurely)
